Page 38 of Claiming Ours
13
BAYLEE
The truck rumbled down the road, vibrating beneath me where I sat between Liam and Memphis. Since the fun lunch, I hadn’t stopped smiling. The two men had gotten along better than I’d expected, Liam seeming to have acknowledged that Memphis wasn’t a threat to my safety or our relationship.
“Bay,” Memphis sighed. “I don’t mind staying at The Nest.”
I cut him a fake glare and shook my head like I had the last few times he suggested going back to the resort instead of staying with me. He blew out a controlled breath and leaned forward to see around me, eyeing Liam in the driver’s seat.
The resort was not only expensive, but the distance would be annoying now that I knew Memphis was in Anchor Bay. We had too much catching up to do and reminiscing about old times, and that couldn’t happen with him there and me at home. I wanted to laugh about the dumb shit he, Dean, and I did as kids, about his life and mine. Lunch together was just a preview. I had laughed harder than I had in much too long. Somehow, seeing Memphis and talking about the good times made missing Deana little less heavy. Not sure why or how, but I didn’t want that peace his presence brought to end.
“You’re okay with this, Liam?” Memphis asked, studying him.
Liam draped an arm over my shoulders and sealed me even tighter to his side. “I already explained what would happen if you hurt her,” he responded as he turned the wheel, directing the truck down Main Street. “Plus, I’ll be there too.”
“What?” I exclaimed, choking on my spit. I coughed to clear my throat, staring wide-eyed at Liam’s profile. I didn’t mind that he’d be there too. I actually loved the idea. As long as he slept in my bed and not on the couch with Memphis.
Liam’s gaze slid from the windshield to me. I swallowed down the soft gasp that wanted to escape at the heat and promise in those gray eyes. Flush warmed my cheeks as desire slithered through my veins. With that single look, I knew he planned to repeat our morning, which I was totally down for even with Memphis on the couch. Or maybethatcaused the surge of desire, making my panties damp, knowing Memphis would hear us, that he’d know exactly what was going on in the bedroom.
“You good with that, Little Bit?” His deep voice rumbled through the truck, distracting me from the dirty fantasy. He chuckled and sent a knowing glance to Memphis. “Thought so.”
A sheen of sweat coated the back of my neck. I squirmed on the seat, an uncomfortable throb pulsing between my thighs as memories of those times in high school when I caught Memphis watching Dean and me flashed in my mind. More than once, I’d held Memphis’s intense stare with Dean’s lips on my own and his hand between my thighs.
And more than once, I’d hoped he’d join us.
It had made me feel horribly, being in love with Dean but also attracted to his best friend. But things were different now.Iwasdifferent, and I lived in a poly community that supported those desires, the need for more than one partner.
“You have a girlfriend back home?” Liam asked out of the blue.
The tip of my ponytail whipped me in the face with how fast I twisted to see Memphis’s reaction to Liam’s probing question. His pale green eyes searched my face as he shook his head. A relieved sigh escaped as I slumped against Liam’s side.
Both men chuckled.
“You seem pleased that I don’t, Bay,” Memphis murmured, a knowing smirk pulling at his lips.
Fuck, what did these two talk about when I wasn’t around?It was one trip to the hardware store, for God’s sake.
“How long do you plan to stay?” I asked, my voice squeaky from the tightness in my throat and the rapid pulse that pounded in my ears.
Liam’s question and Memphis’s response had threesome fantasies playing out in my head. I didn’t know if I should be upset with Liam or kiss him for making my thoughts go down that path. His suggestive tone and questions threw gasoline on my roaring desire. That morning had flipped a switch inside me; all my thoughts now revolved around the need pumping through my veins.
This craving and desperation for his touch was like nothing I’d ever felt before.
Memphis searched my warm face, his grin growing. “Not sure.” He offered me a wink before glancing over his shoulder to where Elvis rode in the truck bed. Paws on the edge and face in the wind, he seemed to be living his best life.
“Maybe you should’ve asked that before you invited him to stay with you.” Liam’s wide palm engulfed my thigh, fingers tightening in a reassuring squeeze. I studied the single fingerthat traced circles on the inside of my leg, leaving trails of heat in its wake. “What do you do for work back in Florida, Memphis?”
Memphis relaxed against the door as if the question put him at ease. “I’m an EMT in Orlando County.” A wicked gleam made his eyes sparkle. “You’d be shocked as hell what crazy places people stuff those damn mouse ears.”
The cab was silent for half a second before Liam and I erupted in loud, genuine laughter. Memphis watched us with a soft expression and longing behind his eyes. Without second-guessing the urge, I rested my palm on top of his leg and squeezed.
My gaze shifted back to Liam’s hand still wrapped around my thigh to my own wrapped around Memphis’s, and instead of guilt, a flood of need had that earlier desire surging back to the surface. Pulse racing, my lips parted to accommodate my quick breaths.
Both men’s attention zeroed in on me, making the blush from before come back with a renewed vengeance. Forcing my focus out the windshield, I pressed two fingers to each hot cheek and blew out a slow breath. Liam hummed a response beside me while Memphis continued to stare at my profile like he was attempting to solve a puzzle.
“What?” I demanded.
“So, you’re in a poly community now?” I nodded in response to Memphis’s question, unable to speak. “And you’re happy here?”
