Chapter 16
Faye
When I woke up the next morning, my body ached in the best way possible, and faint marks from Jase’s and Dylan’s beards were visible where they had rubbed against my skin.
After we’d stumbled out of the shower yesterday and taken a nap, we’d finally made it to the pool. We’d swam until the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the guys play-wrestling in the water, dunking each other, and then wrapping themselves around me.
We’d thrown together a late dinner of pasta, salad, and bread from the groceries we’d picked up, then burned off all the carbs by getting hot and heavy again on the couch in the living room.
By the time we crawled into bed, I’d been used in every way I liked.
I fell asleep curled up between my two guys, feeling more content than I had in my entire life.
When the morning sun hit my face, my first thought was that I wanted another day just like the first. We got up, enjoyed breakfast outside, then spent the rest of the day alternating between swimming and playing mixologist, experimenting with our own concoctions.
If baseball didn’t work out, Jase and Dylan could easily make a living as bartenders.
Their drinks were both strong and delicious.
Once early evening hit and the sky streaked with pink and purple, I was standing in the bathroom, debating whether to go with a bold lip color or a flirty one because we’d decided to hit up a bar on the beach that I was looking forward to checking out.
I swiped on a berry-colored lipstick, then double-checked my entire look in the mirror. My sundress was short enough to be fun yet sexy, and I knew the guys would have a hard time keeping their hands off me.
One of them rapped on the bathroom door. “You almost done in there, Princess?” Dylan called.
“Stop being impatient.” Jase chimed in.
“I’m not impatient. She’s been in there forever,” Dylan grumbled.
I rolled my eyes and opened the door. “I’ve only been in here fifteen minutes.”
They were both leaning against the hall wall, waiting, and their gazes swept over me in unison.
Dylan let out a low whistle. “Okay, that was worth the wait.”
Jase nodded. “Yeah, you could be on the cover of a magazine looking like that.”
I giggled. “Thank goodness no one knows I’m even here.”
There hadn’t been any media coverage of the trip. No “First Daughter Visits the Caribbean” headlines. As far as anyone knew, I was in Boston, living my regular life. Without the Secret Service around, I felt like I finally had some breathing room.
“Come on.” I grabbed their hands. “I’m ready for some fun.”
When we arrived at the bar, we walked down to the shore, where people were drinking and dancing to the DJ's mix. We grabbed drinks first, then stood at a table near the edge of the crowd.
The DJ began playing a pop song that seemed to be one the entire crowd recognized, and the beach quickly filled with couples and groups of friends moving together barefoot on the sand.
“Come on.” Dylan held out his hand. “Dance with us.”
“Yeah.” Jase kept his hand on the small of my back. “We’ll keep it PG in case anyone recognizes you.”
Warmth spread through me. It meant a lot that they understood things could easily get messy for me if I were seen getting close with two guys at once. While the risk seemed low on the island, I appreciated their protectiveness.
Our trio walked toward the crowd but stayed near the outskirts, where it would be easier to step away if anyone got too close or pulled out a phone. We danced a little closer than casual, but not close enough to raise suspicion among anyone who didn’t know us.
Dylan spun me once, then laughed when I almost tripped on the sand.
Jase caught my waist to steady me, his fingers holding on a second longer than necessary.
God, I wanted to forget the rest of the world and press myself between them, the way I had in the pool, on the couch, in bed, and in the shower.
Instead, I tilted my face upward and laughed at Dylan’s ridiculous moves.
We stayed out there for two more songs, then drifted back toward the bar, which had filled up even more.
“Faye Donnelley, who knew I’d run into you in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?”
My whole body froze.
I turned slowly, already knowing who I’d see from his voice.
Callum Whitmore stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, smiling casually, as if seeing each other here, over 1600 miles from where he lived, wasn’t weird.
He wore a white linen shirt, open at the collar, and tan slacks rolled at the ankles to show off the designer loafers that absolutely no one wore on the sand unless they were a complete douchebag.
“Yeah, that’s a wild coincidence,” I kept my tone light.
His smile widened. “Well, it’s definitely the best part of my trip so far. I didn’t see you at this year’s White House holiday cocktail party.”
Because I was avoiding your creepy ass, I almost blurted out.
I’d seen him across the room and changed direction so fast that my security detail had glanced around for a threat.
Because his father was a senator, Callum often attended the same events as I did.
There were plenty of people I saw regularly, but Callum always managed to get a little too close, as if he’d decided we were some sort of inevitable pair, just waiting for our moment.
“I was busy that night,” I explained. “Guests. Press. You know how it is.”
“Oh, I know how it is.” His gaze flicked over my shoulder, taking in Jase and Dylan, who had subtly stepped closer but not so close as to be obvious. “Are you here with someone?”
My stomach clenched.
Yes. My two boyfriends.
Those words obviously couldn’t leave my mouth. For one, I knew he wouldn’t keep our secret. More importantly, I wasn’t sure I could call Dylan and Jase my boyfriends yet.
“I’m here with some friends. Fallon and Rhett are flying down in a couple of days.” The lie slid off my tongue smoothly.
Callum’s eyes lingered on the guys as though he were sizing them up, but whatever conclusion he reached, he kept it hidden behind his practiced smile.
“They play baseball, right?” he asked.
How the hell did he know that?
“Yeah.” I nodded. “They do.”
He tilted his head, studying me. “So, are you going to D.C. or staying here for New Year’s?”
“Not sure yet. Just going with the flow.” Like I was going to tell him my plans.
“Well, I’ll be hitting up a party at the Four Seasons,” he stated. “If you’re in town, you should join me. Imagine the articles with pictures of us together.”
There it was. The thing he always came back to. How the public would see us together, not who we were.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dylan’s jaw twitch. Jase’s shoulders had tensed just a little, as if he were waiting for me to give him a reason to intervene.
I didn’t, and I gave them both credit for holding back.
“Not really looking for more photo ops, Callum.” I put a hint of irritation in my voice that I hoped he noticed.
His smile thinned, and for a fraction of a second, something dark flickered in his eyes, but it vanished almost immediately.
“Of course,” he agreed, but I knew he was full of shit.
“I’ll let you get back to whatever you’re doing, but I’ll be here with my friends for a couple more days.
” He gestured vaguely toward the bar, where three guys in similar linen shirts were nursing drinks and scanning the crowd.
“If you decide you’d like more … elevated company, you know where to find me. ”
Elevated company. What the actual fuck?
I managed not to visibly cringe. “Have a good night, Callum.”
After a pause, he inclined his head. “Until next time.”
He moved away, but not far. He joined his friends at the bar, and their group settled at a high-top a short distance away. At the table next to them sat a guy alone who must have noticed the tension between my group and theirs because his attention kept shifting between us.
I suddenly missed Agent Pederson and his perpetually stoic expression. The presence of Secret Service agents often felt suffocating, like a wall between me and normalcy. This was one of the times when they would have been a welcome buffer.
“Okay,” Dylan grumbled under his breath once Callum was out of earshot. “Who the hell was that?”
“Yeah,” Jase added. “It took everything in my power not to punch the asshole in the face. The only thing keeping me from doing it was not wanting to draw attention to you.”
I huffed out a breath, watching the waves roll up the shore. “He’s Senator Whitmore’s son. Our families move in the same circles, and he’s convinced we’d make the perfect political dynasty couple, thinking the press would eat it up.”
Jase’s mouth tightened. “I should have hit him.”
The wind blew through my hair, sending a strand across my cheek, and I brushed it back. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not interested.”
“Figured as much, but I don’t like the way he looks at you,” Dylan added.
“He’s just … pushy.” I downplayed the uneasy twist in my gut.
Callum laughed loudly, making me glance in his direction. He’d tipped his head back, seemingly at ease, but his eyes flicked toward us again a second later. Not subtle at all.
The last thing I wanted was to spend the rest of the night waiting to see whether he’d wander back over.
“You guys want to get out of here?” I asked.
Dylan didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Absolutely,” Jase agreed.
“We can have our own party back at the villa and make use of the fire pit.”
“A bonfire and our own private beach?” Jase grinned. “Now that’s elevated company.”
“I’ll grab some wood.” Dylan headed to the side of the house, where a covered rack stood.
“I’ll get the drinks,” Jase offered. “What do you want, Princess?”
“Surprise me,” I responded, already kicking off my sandals on the back patio.
Being in that moment brought back memories.
To another beach.
To the night before the Fourth of July party on the Cape, when we sat around the fire pit at my family’s house.
“You okay?”
I turned at the sound of Dylan’s voice. He was carrying an armful of wood, and Jase was a few steps behind him, holding three glasses filled with something colorful.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “Just thinking.”
“Dangerous,” Jase teased, handing me a glass and setting Dylan’s glass down on a table next to the outdoor couch.
Dylan stacked the wood in the pit, then crouched to light it. Within minutes, flames were licking skyward.
Jase lifted his drink. “I call this drink ‘Better Than D.C.’”
I snorted. “That’s a low bar.”
“Okay. How about ‘Fuck That Guy’?”
“But not in the hot way.” Dylan chuckled.
“What about Tropical Trio?” I suggested.
“I like that,” Jase agreed.
“Me too,” Dylan said.
We clinked glasses and drank. The rum burned pleasantly on the way down, and the sweet mixer cut the harsh alcohol.
For a while, we just sat there, listening to the crackle of the fire and the waves hitting the shore.
The sky deepened into velvet, and the stars were bright enough to make me wish I could bottle the view and send it to my future self.
Proof that this entire trip and the time I shared with the guys had been real.
“This feels like that night on the Cape.” My voice was soft. “Before the Fourth of July party.”
Dylan smirked. “That was quite the holiday weekend.”
I turned my drink between my hands, watching the ice clink against the glass. “I didn’t plan for any of this with you two.”
“Is that good or bad?” Jase rested his hand on my thigh.
I took a deep breath. “It’s … terrifying, but being with you guys is also the only time I feel like I’m not playing a part and can just be me.”
Dylan slid his hand over mine, threading our fingers together, and suddenly, I was held together by their grips.
“You don’t have to perform with us,” Dylan said. “Not now. Not ever.”
“Even when things aren’t easy?” I asked, knowing that if we kept trying to see each other, the miles between us would only make it harder.
“Especially then,” Jase replied. “We’ll just make sure to feed you tacos until your mood improves.”
A laugh burst out of me. “That’s your emotional support plan? Tacos?”
“And orgasms,” Dylan added. “Don’t forget those.”
“It’s a vital part of the treatment plan,” Jase agreed.
I shook my head, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “You’re goofballs.”
“Your goofballs.” Dylan leaned in and kissed my cheek.
My heart fluttered. I stared into the fire, watching the orange and blue flames dance.
“I don’t know what will happen after this week.
” The words came out in a rush. “You two will be bouncing between Oregon and California, and I’ll go back to dividing my time between Boston and D.C.
There’s press. Politics. Schedules. All the reasons this shouldn’t work. ”
“We’ll figure it out,” Jase stated immediately.
People always wanted something from me, whether it was access, influence, or a boost to their careers. These two just wanted me, and I was desperately trying to hold on to it as long as I could.
A lump formed in my throat. “I hope we can.”
Dylan set his glass down and turned toward me, cupping my jaw in his hand. “I know we can.”
Then he kissed me.
Not the hungry, frantic kind of kiss we fell into when we were stripping each other’s clothes off, but something on a deeper emotional level.
I leaned into him, letting myself fall and feeling the prickle of his trimmed beard on my skin.
After a moment, Jase’s fingers brushed my chin, coaxing me to turn. His kiss followed, soft yet passionate. My head spun, and my heart thundered against my ribs.
When he finally pulled back, our foreheads rested together, and all three of us breathed the same salt-tinged air.
“I don’t know what this is going to look like,” I admitted, my voice shaky. “But I want it. I want both of you.”
“Good,” Dylan said. “Because you’re stuck with us now.”
“Forever.” At first, I thought Jase was teasing, but the look in his eyes told me otherwise.
The waves rolled in, the fire crackled, and I thought about how the scene looked. Just three people around a fire pit, under a sky full of stars, choosing each other even if it didn’t make sense to anyone else.
Dylan’s thumb traced my lower lip, his eyes darkening. “Come inside with us.”
My pulse jumped. “Okay.”
Jase offered his hand. “Let’s spend the rest of the week making memories before the real world tries to fuck us over.”
I let him pull me to my feet.
We left the fire burning low and walked back toward the villa.
I wasn’t sure what would happen when we left St. John, but whatever came next, I’d always remember this week.