Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
C olt watched the sun set on their fantasy weekend as Kylie slept in his arms. He’d returned home a couple of hours earlier to find Heath and Kylie cuddled up together on the couch.
From the flushed, satisfied look on their faces, he knew they’d done far more than merely relax in front of the action-adventure flick they were watching on television. He’d joined them and now he was trying to determine how he’d ever look at their couch again without thinking of the love games they’d played upon it. The image of Kylie on top of him and riding his cock as she bent forward to suck on Heath’s erection had forever changed the way he’d see that piece of furniture.
They’d stumbled back to his bed and fallen asleep instantly. Unfortunately, his restless mind wouldn’t let his body continue to slumber and he wasn’t alone in his anxiety.
Heath had gotten up a few minutes earlier and he could hear him pacing around the room. The incredible sensations of their earlier lovemaking were still resonating in his body. Colt wished he could wake her up and disappear in her sweetness once again.
Looking toward the end of the bed, he could see Heath had given up his uneasy wanderings and was sitting in a chair that was usually covered with clothing.
“Now what?” Heath whispered. Colt fought against the pain lodged in his chest. They’d thought they could coerce her with sex, giving her everything they had to give. They’d said the words written in their hearts as they made love to her, but she’d no doubt dismissed it as mindless love talk.
They needed to broach the subject now before she returned to her own room, thinking with the end of the weekend that things were going back to normal. He feared she was content with the thought of getting up in the morning, going to work and then coming home to watch a hockey game with them as if the weekend had never happened. That same scenario made his blood run cold. He’d never get the image of her accepting him and Heath into her body time and time again out of his mind.
He was head-over-heels, hopelessly in love with the woman and if she seriously thought they were going to give up without a fight, then she had another think coming. There would be no return to normal.
He grimaced. Normal. What the fuck was that? Living as platonic roommates, the way they had the last seven years, suddenly seemed completely abnormal. How had they existed like that for so long?
“We need dinner.” Heath rose and started out of the room. “Wake her up. It’s time we had a talk and it obviously won’t happen in the bedroom.”
He watched Heath stiffen his spine and walk toward the kitchen. He had to hand it to his best friend; he had more courage than he did. The idea of proposing to Kylie had his heart racing and his hands shaking.
Sighing heavily, he bent over her sleeping form and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
“Wake up, darlin’.”
She tried to shrug him off and he grinned at her grumpy expression. She never did like being woken up and to say she wasn’t a morning person was an understatement.
Granted, this wasn’t morning, but given the way they’d gotten their days and nights so screwed up, she probably thought it was.
“Rise and shine.”
“I don’t want to,” she grumbled, rolling over and pulling the covers over her head.
“Heath is making us dinner.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You must be. All we ate today were cold doughnuts. Come on, sweetness. It’s Sunday night and we’re all going back to work in the morning. We need to have a talk.” He forced a lightness he didn’t feel into his words, but she must have sensed his stress.
She turned over and looked at him closely. “We don’t have to have a talk, Colt. I remember the rules. Honestly, you and Heath don’t have to worry about me going all girly on you.”
He wanted to shake her. Problem was she wouldn’t go all girly on them. She struck a deal and she’d stand by it regardless of what it may cost all of them.
“Actually, Kylie, that’s not what’s worrying me. Get up. We really need to have this talk…with Heath.”
Colt watched a flurry of emotions cross her face and was overwhelmed by the desire to lay her back down on the bed and kiss her until the world and his worries disappeared.
Instead, he got up, dressed and headed for the kitchen without another word. He wasn’t surprised to find her right behind him. Their tough little darlin’ never shied away from the hard conversations. She’d stood up to both of them more times than he could count when she felt like they were making stupid mistakes.
Regardless of what she thought this conversation would entail—and he suspected she didn’t have a clue about the true purpose of it—she wasn’t running and hiding.
Heath was standing at the stove flipping grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and she passed Colt in the doorway.
“Ooh, my favorite. This is going to be a serious talk, isn’t it?” Although she was joking, he could read the concern in her eyes.
Heath narrowed his eyes at him.
He answered the unspoken question. “I didn’t say anything.”
“That’s right,” Kylie interrupted. “He woke me up from a sound sleep and demanded this discussion. I tried to assure him it wasn’t necessary.”
“What’s not necessary, Sunshine?” Heath seemed confused by her nonchalance and Colt knew his friend wouldn’t like her easy dismissal of the end of their deal anymore than he had.
Of course, in all fairness, she didn’t seem to realize their feelings had changed. The damned woman was so closed-mouthed about her own emotions he had no clue what she felt.
“I’m not going to get all weepy and start making a bunch of demands. Our deal was for one weekend. Now the weekend’s over and we can go back to business as usual. You guys should know me well enough to know I’d never renege on a deal.”
“I don’t think that’s our concern.” Heath took the sandwiches off the burner and put them onto plates. “Grab one and let’s sit down.”
As soon as they were all settled at the table, she leaned back and placed her arms across her chest impatiently. The movement hiked her breasts up. Colt had to swallow hard against the erection she inspired without effort.
“About the deal,” Colt began. He looked at Heath wondering how in the hell two men were supposed to propose marriage to one headstrong woman at the same time.
“What about it?” she asked. “What the hell is wrong with you guys? You’re starting to worry me here. You never freeze up like this. If you have something to say, spit it out so we can all eat. I’m starving.”
Colt grinned at her annoyance and realized regardless of the outcome of this conversation, he didn’t intend to give up—ever.
Glancing at Heath, he saw the same emotions reflected in his face. Kylie was their girl and if they had to spend a lifetime convincing her of that fact, then so be it.
“Fine, the deal’s off.” Colt answered calmly, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.
“I know that, Baretta. Geez. Is that all you wanted to say?”
“Yep,” He continued digging into his sandwich and sensed Heath giving him the evil eye.
“I don’t think you understand what Colt’s saying, Sunshine.”
She looked at Heath waiting for him to explain.
“When he says the deal is off, he means the time-limit part.”
“Time’s up. I know.”
“Dammit, Colt, would you stop stuffing your face and hop in here?”
He grinned at Heath’s discomfort. “Way I see it, Heath, Kylie’s right. There’s nothing to discuss. We’ve been roommates for years and I don’t see that ending in the foreseeable future.”
Colt turned to face her. “We love you, darlin’, and we plan to extend this weekend of fantasies to a lifetime engagement. No, scratch that engagement bit, a lifetime marriage.”
“Marriage?” Kylie’s face was so cute in her confusion he couldn’t resist the urge to lean across the table and kiss her wrinkled-up nose.
“Marriage. You, me and Heath. Forever and ever, amen.”
Heath groaned at his nonchalant attitude. “Well, that’s certainly the worst proposal I’ve ever heard. I’m embarrassed my name was even linked to it.”
“You’re proposing?” Her face was still a mixture of utter shock and complete bewilderment.
“Yep. And darlin’, I want you to think long and hard before you answer. I can see those wheels in your brain churning and I’m pretty sure you’re thinking about laying into us. Telling us we’re crazy and that it will never work and a whole bunch of other nonsense. Trust me, we’ve thought about all that and there’s nothing you can say that will change the fact that you’re our girl and we aim to keep you with us forever.”
Her mouth remained tightly closed as she studied his impassive face. She must have read his determination as she turned to Heath, no doubt expecting him to offer her some semblance of sanity.
“Heath,” she started, but Heath cut her off.
“He’s right, Kylie. We belong together. We’ve been fools not to see it long before this. I think if you look deep inside, you’ll see it’s true. Hell, Sunshine, we’ve learned to do the hard part. Living together, dealing with each other’s quirks. Colt and I know better than to try to discuss anything serious with you before you’ve had your first cup of coffee. You and I know not to say a damn word to Colt the day after the Toronto Maple Leafs lose a game. You and Colt respect my privacy when I’m buried in drawing plans for a new project.”
“Think about it, darlin’. We’ve already divvied up all the jobs. You do the shopping, I take care of the yard, Heath fixes all the things that break. We share the cooking and cleaning chores. Everything newlyweds fight about after the honeymoon won’t exist for us.”
“Colt, you’re a cop. I’m fairly certain you realize what you are proposing is illegal. As in bigamy.”
He laughed. “You don’t legally marry us both. Just one of us. Then the three of make our own private vows.”
“Fine,” she leaned back and gave him a smug look as if expecting her next question to jar some sense into them. “Who am I going to legally marry?”
Colt grinned at her transparency. Obviously, she thought this was going to be a sticking point. “We’ll arm wrestle to decide that.”
Heath laughed at the suggestion. “Good call. I was wondering about that myself.”
“Actually,” he crooked his thumb at Heath. “You’ll marry Heath. He’s got the job which requires a bit of propriety. You’ll be the future architect partner’s wife.”
“Colt,” Heath frowned at his answer, but he was convinced by the practicality of it.
“I’m a cop, Heath. Given the bizarre nature of most of the criminals we have to deal with, none of my friends there will care about something as innocuous as me living with a married couple. You’re climbing up the ladder of success and I think the partners at that firm of yours will feel better about you if you are respectably married. Besides, you’ve got better health insurance.”
Heath grinned. “Well, you’ve got a good point there. Your health plan sucks.”
Kylie frowned. “This isn’t a joke. Can’t you two try for once to be serious?”
Colt shrugged off her comment. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. We love you. You can fight us until the cows come home, but we don’t intend to back down from this until you have our ring on your finger.”