Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
As my youngest brother moves closer and takes her feet onto his lap, I resume caressing her head. “So you really don’t remember getting married?”
Rafe had been pacing the room, but he comes over and sits down across from us. “It’s embarrassing to admit,” Hazel says, “but no, I’m afraid I don’t.”
“No reason to be embarrassed,” Bron says.
“I just wish I’d realized how much you’d had to drink,” I tell her.
“It’s okay. I’m not upset. I’m guessing you all had a good bit to drink, too.”
“It was a fun night.” I’m sure I drank much more than Hazel, but I’m used to it, and I remember every minute.
“In fact …” Hazel starts out, then pauses, her body tensing, despite the ways Bron and I are working to soothe her. “If you’d like to have the marriage annulled, I wouldn't blame you. I wouldn’t be upset. I don't think marriage is exactly your style, anyway.”
I bend to look at her face. “Is that what you want? If so, I’ll arrange it, but I’d like to stay married.” She’s biting her lip, but her body settles into mine again, so I continue. “I’d like you to stay for a while and see where things go.”
“I’d like that, too,” Bron adds.
Rafe clears his throat, then says, “Yeah.”
She’s silent for several seconds, then asks, “Do the three of you … always share a bed?”
CONAL
“Only when we’re sharing a woman.”
There’s another long silence before Hazel asks, “And is that something you do regularly … share women?”
“We have in the past.” Pretty frequently, in fact, especially when we were starting out, but no need to mention that right now. “But it’s true that nothing happened last night. My brothers are into you, and last night, you seemed to be into them, too, so that’s how we all ended up in one bed, even though it was just to sleep.”
As I give that time to sink in, I read her body language and check Bron’s face for his reaction to what he can see on hers. Wisely, he’s focused on the foot massage and not putting any pressure on her with a lot of eye contact.
“If you’re interested in my brothers, I’m not going to be greedy and keep you all to myself,” I say. “I see your sister’s in a poly relationship, so I figure it’s no big deal.”
“Is that what this is, a poly relationship?”
“This can be whatever you want.”
“It isn’t just about sex,” Bron says, “not by a long shot, but the three of us can make you feel real good.” He slides one of his hands up her leg, past her knee, toward the bottom of her dress, and I give him a warning look, not because I’m possessive, but because Hazel isn’t ready for this.
“Anything physical will move at your pace, and only when you want it,” I tell her, glaring at my brother until he backs off.
Hazel sits up, shifting into a position where she can see my face, as well as my brothers’. “This whole situation, waking up married to someone I just met, doesn’t seem real. It’s true that I’m attracted to all of you, but I’m not sure I can stay.”
The way my stomach sinks takes me by surprise.
“I was only in Vegas for the night. I live with my mom a few hours from here, and she’s probably worried about me. My younger sister is there, too, and I feel like I need to be there to help out. I can’t just run off …”
Her words trail off. She’s not using this as an excuse. She has responsibilities.
“How old is your sister?” Bron asks.
“She’s fifteen.”
“Oh. She doesn’t need you to take care of her, does she?” he asks.
Hazel shakes her head. “No. Maybe we’ve babied her, but she’s capable of stepping up.”
“And you’ve just graduated,” I point out. “Surely your mom will be okay without you there for a while?”
“Yeah … it’s not as if I need her permission. I’m just afraid she’ll worry.”
I take Hazel’s hand, both to reassure her, and because there’s some strange kind of magnetic pull there. “Why don’t you call her? Put her mind at ease.”
“Our mom still worries about us, too,” Bron says with a grin. In fact, she still calls to lecture us on occasion, but Hazel doesn’t need to hear about that.
“What do you say?” I give her hand a squeeze. “Stay for a while?”
When she eventually nods, I have the same feeling I get when a crowd’s energy peaks after we put out a particularly good set. It doesn’t make sense, but I decide to go with it, because my brothers are looking pleased themselves, and it’ll be especially good for Rafe to have Hazel with us.
I must have been drunk enough last night to be more impulsive than usual when I asked her to marry me, but I’m glad I did. She’s stunningly beautiful, of course, but there’s something about her that makes me feel calm.