Page 65 of There's No Us Without You
I only have to look at the two gorgeous men I’m sharing a house with, and I melt. If seeing those two every day is some sort of sign that Kent is very much in the past, then I’ll grab onto them like a lifeline and let them drag me anywhere as long as it’s not back to my life before them.
“Well, thanks for creeping on me,” I say. “It means a lot.”
Stella flips her hair over her shoulder, wiggling her eyebrows. “You’re welcome. That’s what friends are for. You know... to tell them when their ex is an arsehole. Sometimes the people we think are good for us... aren’t so good, and the ones we think are bad turn out to be the best thing ever.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Very philosophical of you. Had lots of experience in the love department, have you?”
“Nope,” she says, smiling. “Just read a lot of romance books.”
“Send them my way then. I’d love to research the art of seducing someone.” The words are out of my mouth before my brain has a moment to catch up.
Stella spins on me, her mouth open, her eyes wide as they dance over my face. “Tell. Me. Everything,” she says, pulling up a chair and crossing her legs underneath her.
Knowing there’s no way I’m getting out of explaining, I tell her about how I met Emerson and Will. I leave out the part about the bet, and just play on the fact I’m not their type, considering they both look like they could stop your heart with just one touch of their lips.
After ten minutes of me rambling, and Stella staring at me, her chin in her hand like I’m the most fascinating person to listen to, she finally sits up straight and grins.
“If this isn’t a sign, then I don’t know what is, Edie. You’re living with not one, but two beautiful men, and you haven’t slept with either of them? Oh. My. God.” She claps her hands to her flushed cheeks. “You could have both. Do they like sharing?”
A snort escapes me. “Yeah, right. Will acts like I’m a pain in his arse most of the time, and Emerson has been banned from having sex because it’s bad for his reputation. He’s literally a man-whore.”
Stella sighs, her lips parting as she absently toys with the necklace around her slender neck. “Damn, girl. I’m so jealous,” she says after a moment of daydreaming.
“Don’t be. It’s harder to endure than it seems,” I say, laughing.
Stella only pouts before jumping up from the chair to finish what we started.
After we’re done setting up, and the restaurant opens, we’re run off our feet, and I’ve never wanted a shift to end as much as I do now. It’s not just the fact my feet are aching. I can’t stop thinking about what Stella said about the boys sharing.
Is that a thing? Pretty sure Will mentioned something about them sharing on the very first day I met him, but I thought he was joking.
In my experience, men don’t like to share their women with other men. Right?
My entire body tingles at the thought of having them both.
Before I can talk myself out of whatever bad decision I’m about to make, I pull my phone from my back pocket and type out a message to Will.
Me: Dinner tonight?
My finger hovers over the send button. That’s not presumptuous, is it? We’ve had dinner together plenty of times—just not alone.
And he slept in the same bed as me last night.
Although, I could have been dreaming, considering when I woke up Will was gone and the other side of the bed was cold, as though no-one had slept there at all.
Maybe he didn’t. All I asked was that he stay with me until I fell asleep again. I swear he was there at some stage when I rolled over, though, and my fingers grazed his hand. He reacted by brushing his knuckles against my bare thigh.
I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath before deciding to stop being the old Eden and start acting like the woman I want to be—one who takes control of her life and goes after what she wants.
And hell, I want both Emerson and Will.
It’s not just a bet anymore, and the more I think about it, I don’t know that it ever really was. I’ll admit, I’ve been extremely attracted to Emerson since the moment I made eye contact with him in Will’s bar two weeks ago. What if my subconscious is pushing me to move on? That makes it worse, though. I don’t want to push Emerson into doing something he doesn’t want to do. What if he doesn’t feel the same as me?
Three bubbles appear on my screen, letting me know Will is texting back. My heart pounds, my leg bouncing as I wait for whatever he’s going to respond with. The bubbles disappear, only to reappear seconds later.
When Will’s message finally comes through, my entire body deflates, as well as my fleeting optimism.
Will: Working late. Sorry.
