Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dayne wasn’t happy. He had wanted to sit down with both Cara and Heath and talk to them. Actually, more like propose an idea.
Unfortunately, Cara couldn’t come to the resort this weekend because her sister was throwing their cousin a baby shower. Not only was Cara attending, but she needed to help with the party.
That meant this was the first weekend since both Heath and her began staying with him on the ranch that it would only be the two men.
It didn’t take long before they had moved from every other weekend to spending every weekend with Dayne. In fact, he couldn’t imagine spending one without Heath. Or Cara.
But without her here, they felt off. Incomplete.
Their threesome had fallen into an easy rhythm. Every weekend they learned something new about each other. Every weekend they pushed their sexcapades a little further.
Not once had the sex been boring .
Not once had it been unsatisfying.
Not once had it been forgettable.
Not once had Dayne thought about hooking up with anyone else during the days and nights Heath or Cara weren’t around.
Not even once.
He was definitely broken.
Or, it could be as Dylan suggested. Instead of Dayne being broken, maybe his two lovers made him complete.
A few weeks ago, his brother had approached him as he stood out in front of the farmhouse, once again watching Heath’s Genesis G90 and Cara’s Subaru disappear down the paved lane.
“Look at that, brother. You claimed those two broke you, but what if they actually make you whole?”
Dayne ground his teeth at Dylan’s unrestrained laughter as he walked away.
Bastard.
But, damn , his brother might be right.
For once.
In the past few months, his twin had obviously been watching their triad closely—especially since they all ate breakfast in the shared kitchen—but he hadn’t said much about his observations. At least in front of Cara and Heath.
When Dayne and Dylan were alone, though, his brother had dropped slight hints. Made vague comments. Shot him smug looks.
Finally, last Sunday evening, as he once again watched them leave, Dylan slapped him on the back and bluntly asked, “When are they moving in?”
That question made his lungs seize and his heart tumble violently. Whatever expression was on his face—most likely horror or shock—made Dylan laugh again and walk away shaking his head.
Moving in?
Were they even at that point? Did he want to cohabitate with them? Would it destroy the easy relationship they had now?
Dayne stood frozen in place waiting for the invisible choke collar around his neck to tighten.
It didn’t.
The longer he stood contemplating what Dylan asked, the easier it was to breathe. His pulse slowed. Any sense of impending doom dissipated. A sense of peace came over him.
It became obviously clear what he had to do next. Only, Cara kind of screwed up his plan when she couldn’t join them this weekend. In the meantime, he could see what Heath thought about his proposal and if he was onboard, then maybe they could both work on convincing Cara.
But, shit , once he mentioned his proposition to Heath, he wouldn’t be able to take it back. It would be out of his internal thoughts and into the world.
His feelings would be known. He’d also be vulnerable.
After hearing Heath’s answers to Cara’s questions about marriage and children a few weeks ago, maybe the man would laugh his ass off and say no.
Then that would be the end of that. They would simply continue on like they have been until one or more of them tired of their weekend trysts and they decided to go their separate ways.
Or…
He studied the hard lines and curves of Heath’s broad, bare back. He was lying on his side, facing away from Dayne, with the top sheet loosely draped over his hips and covering his long legs. Dayne rolled into him and brushed his lips along the nape of his neck .
With a soft moan, Heath flopped onto his back. His morning wood tented the sheet and tempted Dayne, but he needed to get through this first.
“Ready to go again?” Heath’s voice was rough with sleep.
“Again? The last time was last night.”
“Yeah, like at two a.m. It’s”—he lifted his head to glance at the digital clock on the nightstand—“six. That was only four hours ago.” With a groan, he dropped his head back onto the pillow.
“Four hours is a lifetime ago.”
Heath scoffed, “I know I’m irresistible…”
“About that.” Dayne hauled himself across Heath’s warm, lickable chest so they could be face-to-face.
Heath cocked an eyebrow. “About what? How irresistible I am?”
“I have an idea.”
“Of how irresistible I am? Of course you do.”
Dayne sucked on his teeth. “No. I have an idea I want to bring up.”
Heath’s other eyebrow rose to join the first one. “Should I be worried? Please don’t ask me to dress up like a clown and?—”
“That’s not it.” And never would be. Having sex with someone dressed as a clown would give him the creeps. He probably wouldn’t even be able to get hard.
“Hold on. If it’s your idea, why do you look worried?”
“Because it would mean a big change.” That was putting it mildly. It would be life changing.
Those same eyebrows now pinched together. “I don’t understand.”
“Because I haven’t had a chance to explain yet!”
Heath pinned his lips together but the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes deepened, giving his amusement away. “Well then, explain.”
Dayne sighed. “Maybe now I don’t want to.”
“Holy shit. Are you going to pout? Let me get rid of that for you.” Heath curled his hand around the back of Dayne’s head and pulled him down until their mouths touched.
After a long, thorough, breath-stealing kiss, Heath was no longer the only one in that bed with a hard-on.
Damn it , he needed to stay on track.
“Tell me what you want to talk about,” Heath whispered. “Otherwise, I’m going to fuck you because my cock is desperate to be in your ass. It’s my turn.”
Dayne sucked in a bolstering breath. He needed to hurry and get it out before this whole conversation went sideways. Or he ended up on his hands and knees getting fucked doggy-style. “Okay, but don’t freak out.”
Heath propped himself up on an elbow and frowned. “You’re the one freaked out, not me. Did you have sex with someone outside of our threesome?”
“No, that’s the problem…”
The creases in Heath’s forehead deepened. “I’d say it’s a problem because we all agreed?—”
“No, I didn’t fuck anyone else! The problem is that I have no desire to do so.”
Heath’s expression twisted. “How is that a problem?”
“Because I want you to move here…move in…with me. Here…on the ranch…” Damn it! Stop rambling!
He hoped to hell he didn’t regret opening this Pandora’s Box. He didn’t want to lose Heath or Cara and maybe his suggestion would come off as pushy.
Heath only stared at him, unblinking, for far too long.
Dayne’s heart was no longer beating in his chest but was now in his ears .
Was he having a panic attack? A heart attack? Why won’t Heath respond?
His “Well?” came out louder than he planned.
Shit.
“Well…” Heath repeated carefully. “On the chance I was looking to move, I’d be searching for beachfront property, not one in the mountains.
However, moving here…on your property, in your home…
I don’t want to be beholden to someone else, Dayne.
I like my freedom and what I do for a living gives me that.
I might lose some of it by moving here.”
That pounding heart dropped into his stomach. Did he just screw the pooch? If so, he needed to fix it. “Think how much money you’d save by living here instead. With me. With us.”
Heath’s head jerked. “So, you’ve run this idea by Cara already?”
“No, not yet. I planned on bringing it up to you both this weekend, but…”
“Right. She couldn’t make it.” Heath sighed, dropped his head back onto the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “You were right about this being a big change. I wasn’t expecting this from you.”
“You’re not interested.”
“I didn’t say that. But there are a lot of factors to consider first.”
At least it wasn’t a flat out no.
“You can work from anywhere,” Dayne reminded him.
“True. But you know who can’t?”
That right there would be a major obstacle. One he wasn’t sure how to overcome.
“Of course I want her here with us,” Dayne started, “but…”
“But she has a life that she can’t just pick up and leave. ”
“Not unless we can figure out a way.”
“She’s a librarian, Dayne. I’m sure there’s no need for one in Fisher Falls.”
Well, at least Heath sounded as disappointed as Dayne felt. “No. The public library is too small here and doesn’t have much of a budget.”
Heath pursed his lips. “Schools have librarians.”
“Sure, if there are any openings. Public libraries in State College might be a possibility, but that’s about an hour drive and come winter…” Dayne trailed off.
He wouldn’t want Cara commuting to State College. Of course, more opportunities existed there than in Fisher Falls, but not at the risk of her getting into a crash.
“Yeah. Ice, snow, freezing rain. I wouldn’t want her driving in treacherous conditions, either.
” Heath scraped fingers through his hair.
“Okay then, how could this work? Besides asking her to continue to come up every weekend? Come winter, that drive could be worse than her commuting to State College. Something else to consider: would us living together without her possibly make her feel like a third wheel? That could fracture what we’ve built together. ”
Dayne agreed. “That two and a half hour drive will get old quick if she continues to drive up every weekend. And if it’s a bad winter…” Her driving back and forth wasn’t what he wanted anyway. “This is why I asked you to move out here. I know your drive is even longer.”
Heath slid up from his reclined position to sit back against the heavy-duty headboard. His brown eyes bore into Dayne. “That’s the only reason? You’re concerned about my long drive?”
“Your long haul wasn’t a factor. Getting rid of it is simply a benefit.”
“What was a factor?”
Shit. Dayne squeezed his eyes shut. Of course Heath would want the reasoning behind his suggestion.
“Why do you want this?” Heath pressed.
“Why not?”
Heath shook his head. “No. Our long drives are no skin off your nose. It affects us, not you.”
“Okay, how about the fact I want you two here more than only on the weekends?”
“I think we all want that, but that doesn’t mean we should live together.
You don’t ask someone to move in with you unless you need to split household expenses, which, in your case, I know isn’t necessary.
Another reason would be because you can’t trust your partners and want to keep tabs on them. I can think of another reason, too…”
While Heath really wanted Dayne to confess to the real reason, he wasn’t sure if he could let the truth pass his lips.
Heath released another long sigh. “Look, as you know, I’ve been through one ugly divorce already.
Cara suffered through a rough relationship.
While you’ve only skated along, plugging your dick into available holes here and there.
You never locked yourself down in a serious relationship before and now you propose this.
That means you consider our relationship serious and more than sex. Am I right?”
“You don’t?”
Heath tilted his head and studied his sheet-covered lap for a second. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t continue to do that drive if I didn’t.”
“Then, there you go.”
Heath huffed. “No, Dayne, you’re avoiding the real reason.”
Being called out was irritating. “If you think you know what that real reason is, then say it.”
“Why can’t you? ”
Dayne dropped his head and rubbed his forehead. When he lifted it again, he whispered, “Because I’ve never felt anything like this before and I’m not sure what this is.”
“Break it down, then. You don’t need us for companionship or sex since”—he swept out a hand—“you have a resort full of people here who can provide that for you. You don’t need me or Cara?—”
“I do need you!” Dayne groaned at his own outburst. For fuck’s sake.
Heath grabbed his hand and interlocked their fingers. “You’re getting closer.”
“Closer to what?”
“To the true reason.”
“If you know it, just say it!” Dayne tried to pull his hand free but Heath held on even tighter.
“Fine. I’ll admit how I feel since you can’t.
The drive is worth it for me since I’ve fallen in love with you.
With Cara. I don’t want to be with anyone else.
I don’t want to wake up and not have you two next to me.
But this is a big step and I want to make sure all of us are ready for it—especially you—because I never want to go through what I did during my divorce again. ”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
“Dayne, you look like you’re about to puke.”
His stomach was kind of churning.
“Do you really want this? You want both of us to move onto the ranch? Not only onto the property but move in with you? I need you to be sure before I’ll even consider it.”
“Yes,” Dayne answered. “The weekends aren’t enough for me, either. When you two aren’t here, I struggle to concentrate on work. I think about you constantly. It’s never been like that for me. Never. ”
Heath held his gaze when he asked, “Do you miss one of us more than the other?”
“No. I don’t feel complete unless I’m with both of you.”
Heath blew out a breath and shook his head.
“Why are you doing that?”
When Heath didn’t answer right away, Dayne counted his heartbeats as he waited.
Heath finally admitted, “Like you, I wasn’t looking for anything serious.” He tossed his head back and ground his hand against the back of his neck. When he met Dayne’s eyes again, he finished with, “But I guess it found me.”
“That’s how I see it, too. But I’m seeing this resort differently now.
Just because we’d be exclusive doesn’t mean our sex lives would become stale and boring.
As long as we all agree, more guests could continue to join us.
We could still use the playrooms. Instead of this place only being my personal playground, it would become one for all of us. ”
“Our relationship would be a democracy.”
“Of course.”
“If I say yes, I want to be clear: I’ll keep my place in Hoboken and rent it out. I’m not sure I’m ready to give it up yet. Especially if we don’t know if Cara wants to live here, too.”
“If…” Dayne shook his head, then continued with more confidence than he felt, “No, not if. Once you say yes, I’ll need your help to convince her.”