Page 21 of One is Never Enough

“I figured Jace and Toby would be spoiling you all over the city.”

“We haven’t, uh, really had time.” I can feel my face heating, and Aiden laughs.

“Are they keeping you locked up in Jace’s mansion, Oli?” He crosses his arms on the table and leans forward. “Something tells me you don’t mind.”

“I don’t. It’s only missing one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You.” Since being back with Jace and Toby, I’ve decided I needed to start being honest with myself. I can’t keep going through life being afraid of everything. I want Aiden, and I’m not going to hide that fact. We still need to go slow, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hang out with his best friends just because I’m there. Plus, I’m curious to see the full dynamic. I’ve seen Jace and Toby. I want to see how it changes or if it does when Aiden is around.

“We can change that.”

The waitress comes over for our order before I can answer. I try to order just a salad, but the warning look Aiden gives has me quickly changing my mind.

“I have a question,” Aiden says when the waitress walks away. “What’s the deal with you and Leland?”

“The deal? We’re best friends.”

“That’s it?”

I laugh because he’s not the first person to ask that question. “Yes. Leland’s straight.”

Aiden gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me and then shakes his head. “It’s just that I watched you two grow up together, and I thought you’d eventually start dating. It made me really fucking jealous.”

“Jealous?” I ask, surprised.

“Yeah. He got to have you all the time, and I only got moments of your time. I wanted to keep you all to myself.”

“Does it sound bad that I’m glad you didn’t tell me? I wouldn’t have met Toby and Jace if you would have. As much as I wanted to hate you for what you did, I was more mad at myself.”

“Why in the hell would you be mad at yourself?”

“Because all this time, I thought I had a crush on my sister’s boyfriend. That’s bad enough. Don’t get me wrong, I was still mad at you, but it was more of the fact that I finally got one thing I always wanted, and I didn’t know it was you. Those two months were filled with guilt because now that I could put a face on you from that night, it’s all I thought about.” I clear my throat and take a sip of water. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for all that to come out.”

“Don’t ever apologize for what you want, Darling. Your needs will always be at the top of my priorities. The secrets from that night aside, that’s all I wanted to do when I chose us for that fantasy. The thought of someone else touching you made me violent. In my mind, we were the only ones who could make sure you had the night you truly wanted.”

“I did,” I say quietly. “I was always ashamed of what turned me on until that night. It showed me that I’m not alone.”

“You never will be. Whatever you want, Oli, say the word, and we’ll burn down the world to give it to you.”

I can feel the truth in his words no matter how hard my mind tries to fight against it. Old habits truly do die hard, but they aren’t going to mess this up for me. I finally found what I’d been unconsciously searching for this whole time, and it came in the form of these three men.

Aiden and I finish our meal, talking about life and reminiscing about our childhood. Aiden went completely against his dad wanting him to get a law degree and went after his dream of being a real estate agent for the rich. It was always a joke growing up, but I’m so fucking proud of him for breaking out of his dad’s grip.

The conversation doesn’t stop on the way home; it feels like we haven’t been apart. Aiden and I used to talk about everything, which shows that we can still have that.

“Do you want to come in?” I ask when we get to Jace’s. “We can all watch a movie or something.”

“I’d like that. But I need to do something first.”

He’s out of the car and on his way to my side before I can ask what it is. Aiden opens my door and helps me out, and then he has me pressed against the side of the SUV. He grabs the side of my face and rubs his thumbs across my cheeks. He presses his body against mine, and I wrap my arms around his waist. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been thinking about kissing you all night,” Aiden says, his raspy voice dropping lower. “Please tell me I can kiss you, Darling.”

“Yes.”

I barely get the word out before Aiden’s lips land on mine. Just like that night, his kiss is rough and all-consuming. It overwhelms my senses, and I find myself pulling him closer. There’s no fear or reservations when it comes to Aiden anymore.

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