Chapter 17
Parker
Dinner that night was just the three of us. Dante didn't show, and, of course, the other two men noticed my disappointment.
"He's going to need a push," Gage said.
I turned my gaze to him from where I had been eyeing Dante's empty chair. "I'm sorry?" I asked, wondering if he meant what I thought he did.
He gestured to the seat. "Dante. He's going to need a push. He believes he's damaged and unwanted."
I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. "Why?"
The idea that he was unwanted was absurd.
Dante was gorgeous. I didn't know him, and had barely said a word to each other, even though we'd seen each other naked.
Still, even in the simple interactions that we had, it was obvious that he had a good heart.
I've seen him with animals. Anybody who cared for animals the way he did was a good person.
He'd even given me butter first. I laughed to myself at the memory of the previous evening.
"What is it?" Ry asked with his usual cheerful expression.
I shook my head and picked up my knife so I could slice off a piece of the delicious smelling steak in front of me. "I was just thinking about how Dante seems... unapproachable, but really is just a big softy."
Ry burst out laughing. I watched with a smirk as he kept laughing so hard that he gripped his sides and had to wipe tears from his cheeks. Even Gage covered a smile with his hand as he watched Ry laugh uncontrollably.
When he finally finished laughing and was gasping for breath, he said, "Please let me be there when you tell him that."
Gage reached for his beer bottle and took a drink as he eyed me, his smile being replaced already by his typical seriousness. "What makes you say that, Parker?"
I took my own drink from my glass of lemonade before answering.
After I set the chilled glass back down, I picked up my knife to cut off more steak.
Ruby was an amazing cook. "I was just thinking about the first time I saw him," carefully avoiding the mention that I'd made a bad impression the actual time I'd first seen him.
"He was petting and playing with the goats.
They were bouncing around him, head-butting him, and nibbling on his pants," I explained.
"Animals know when somebody is a good person or not.
If he weren't, he wouldn't have been caring for those goats the way he was.”
Gage just nodded at me knowingly. "I can see why you're good at your job; you read people well."
"I can't read you," I replied softly. Gage was very closed, making it difficult to get a read on him.
His expression was carefully blank at my words.
I was unsure whether he was offended. He was that good at hiding his internal thoughts.
"Don't get me wrong," I said. "There are certain things that I can tell about you.
You're dominant," I thought of the way he was with Ry in the study.
I felt heat rising to my cheeks at the memory.
I shook it off. "You dislike injustice," I continued, thinking of how angry he was when Ry told him about the poor woman and her fiancé.
"Other than that..." I let my words drift off before shrugging.
It wasn't something I tried to do. I didn't purposely read everyone I met.
Call it an occupational hazard, maybe just a talent that I possessed.
Gage was just somebody I couldn't get a proper read on.
Did I think he was a good person? Yes. But there was little more that I could say about him.
We'd had several dinners together, but he was so closed down that even his microexpressions were difficult to get a read on most of the time.
"How about a swim, pretty girl?" Ry cut in on my thoughts. I glanced over to him, an undeniable disappointment filling me. That pool was truly amazing.
"I didn't bring my bathing suit," I replied.
"You can grab it from your cabin, or we could just sit by the pool," he said. "We wanted to talk to you about something." He glanced at Gage, and I looked over it as well to see Gage staring at me intensely as if waiting for my response. With my curiosity piqued, I agreed.
We all rose from the table, and after grabbing a fresh beer, we walked outside. I followed behind the men as they made their way through the pool gate and past the still water until we reached the backside of the grotto.
The waterfall made a pleasant background noise as we sat surrounded by lush foliage.
There was a group of chairs I hadn't noticed the previous night, tucked into the lush greenery, making the sitting area intimate and secluded.
A strand of twinkling fairy lights was strung up, giving just enough light to see by without brightening the small space.
We each held our ice cold beers as the glasses sweated in the warm Texas spring air. As we settled in, I eyed the two men curiously.
"What did you guys wanna talk to me about? I asked, my nerves getting to me the longer they remained silent.
They glanced at each other, seeming to have a full conversation without saying an audible word, then looked back at me.
It didn't surprise me that Ry appeared to be the unofficial spokesman as Gage eyed me with his typical stoic expression.
I always felt as if he could see into my soul with those bright blue eyes that seemed like a deep abyss.
"We like you, pretty girl," Ry said, his face serious for once.
I tilted my head and glanced between the two of them. "I like you, too."
He cracked a smile before it faded again, showing me how serious the conversation was likely going to be. "We know you're not here for long, but we'd like to have a relationship with you."
I froze, my entire body going hot, then cold, before turning hot again. "A relationship," I echoed quietly.
Gage leaned forward, his beer bottle clenched between the fingers dangling between his knees.
"You're a beautiful woman, Parker," he said in his deep voice that always sent shivers racing down my spine.
"We've never considered bringing a woman into our relationship before.
Not until you. We'd like for you to consider being our third. Just while you're here, of course."
I blinked, then blinked again. "What does that mean?" I finally asked, wanting to understand, needing it explicitly spelled out so there would be zero misunderstandings.
"We want you between us," Ry offered. "Sexually," he added to clarify, almost too casually for the way my heart was pounding behind my ribcage.
I cleared my throat as I shifted in my seat. "I've never had sex before," I admitted. I was grateful for the cover of darkness as a blush stained my cheeks.
A corner of Gage's mouth ticked up. "And I've never fucked a woman before."
My mouth dropped open in shock. "And you want me to be your first?" I blurted out in utter disbelief.
He shrugged. "Why not?" he shot back. "As I said, you're a beautiful woman.
You're intelligent. You're brave. You're kind.
" His eyes roamed over my body, making my skin feel tight and electrified.
"You're sexy as fuck. I'm 32 years old," he added, "and even though I knew that I was bisexual, there was never a woman who tempted me the way you do just by being in the same room.
The question is, Special Agent Parker," his tone low, his voice a rough caress making me want to sigh with the pleasure of listening to him speak.
"Do you feel the same way about us? Are you willing to give up your virginity to us, knowing that you will be leaving soon and may never see us again? "
I slumped back in my chair and set the beer bottle on the ground next to me.
I swallowed hard with his reminder blinking away tears that pricked the back of my eyes.
When he stated it that way, a part of my heart ached, which was utterly ridiculous.
I had only known these men for a handful of days.
At this point, I barely knew their names.
Yet, we hadn't even begun a relationship, and I was already mourning the loss of them.
Did I want a short-term relationship with them, knowing that it was inevitable that I would lose them?
I closed my eyes against the wave of sadness. Would it be better to keep our distance and not start anything at all? We could remain friends—never touch each other intimately. Perhaps we could even keep in touch and send each other the occasional text wishing each other a happy holiday or birthday.
But what if we did have sex and I fell in love with them?
If I had my heart broken, would it be worth it?
I opened my eyes again but glanced away, my gaze catching on the water rushing down the waterfall.
Somehow, the sight soothed my aching heart.
What if I missed my chance for something beautiful—even if it was just for a few days?
It could be a memory that I could look back on fondly.
I already spent the last nine years completely alone.
My parents had basically abandoned me the moment my sister had disappeared.
I had no friends, no family, and these two men were sitting in front of me, wanting to give themselves to me.
Just a few days, I thought to myself. A few beautiful days that I could enjoy while they lasted.
The things they could teach me, do to me. ..
"Okay," I whispered finally while staring at the beautiful waterfall.
"What was that, pretty girl?" Ry asked. I turned my gaze back to both men, taking turns to make eye contact with both of them so they could see my intentions clearly.
"Yes. I'll do it."
In one heartbeat to the next, both men were on me.