Page 73 of The Upgrade

“I don’t feel fine.” I feel like kind of an idiot.

Warm hazel eyes meet mine and he smiles. “Want a hug?”

“Yes, please.”

He pulls me into an embrace and I cling like he’s the big brother I once wished for. Perfect Presley has a brother ten years older, but he’d moved out of state by the time my mom married their dad. Camille had her sisters, but Kit was long gone by the time I moved in.

Not that I would have seen Kit as a brother. Or would I?

“You okay?”

I nod into Logan’s broad chest. “I’m good. Maybe I need a break from sex stuff.”

“Totally get it.”

He’s so sweet and kind and this feels like the friend hug I’ve needed. They’re both so attractive, Nico and Logan. When I studied their profiles in the app, they seemed perfect. Nico has dark, wavy hair, while Logan’s is sandy and sun kissed. Both men are smart and interesting to talk to.

But they’re not Kit.

Maybe Camille has a point. Have I already gotten too attached?

Breaking the hug, I look up at Logan’s handsome face. “It’s not you,” I assure him. “It’s me.”

“Honey?” His voice is buttery smooth. “You don’t need to stroke my ego. I’m doing just fine. Focus onyou, okay?”

“Okay.”

“If you want to give it another shot, just say the word.” He nods to Nico, who lopes over and joins us.

“Sorry I cranked it too high.” He’s so hot in an Italian stallion meets boy-next-door way. “I know better.”

“Really, it’s fine. I think I’m still a bit overstimulated from yesterday’s three-way.”

“Ah, that’ll do it.” Logan smiles. “Sometimes it takes a while to come down from that.”

“No kidding.” Nico gives a boyish chuckle. “My first on-the-job threesome was more than a year ago, and I swear it took me two days to bounce back.”

“Same,” Logan says. “I went right back to work the next day and couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t my normal self, you know? Sometimes the libido needs a break.”

Another sandbag of guilt piles onto my shoulders. “They make you work, even when you need time to recover?”

“No way.” Logan sticks his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “Crystal Bliss is good about that. We only sign in when we want to. We’re never forced to take jobs we’re not into.”

“It’s pretty great.” Nico offers a wide-open smile. “When I first took the job, I thought I’d get stuck banging anything that moved, but Ms. Neville makes it clear we don’t need to do that.”

“Kora,” says Logan, since I must look confused. “She answers to Ashton Holyfield, who laid down hard-and-fast rules about consorts taking time off for mental health. Every sex act we perform is one hundred percent consensual.”

“And fun.” Nico grins.

“So, Eve.” Logan brushes some hair back off my face. “What sounds fun to you right now?”

I look deep in their eyes, one pair warm brown, the other an enchanting hazel. Licking my lips, I confess my deepest desire.

“Can you guys play cribbage?”

* * *

That afternoon,I’m mostly alone on the beach. I’m sipping a happy-hour cocktail and catching my friends up on the boat tour.

---