Page 107 of Fostering Chemistry
“I am.” I let out a ragged breath of air. “That was really fucking hard to admit.”
That made Diego raise an eyebrow. “She swore, so she must be serious.” That got a small smile from me.
“You guys figure out the schedule, and I’m going to curl up on the couch and die from embarrassment.” With my cheeks still on fire, I turned away from them.
“Don’t,” Aaron said, catching my arm. “We’re here because we want to be with you. It’s good to know you want to be with us too. In any capacity,” he said, before Diego could question the word choice. “But you must have some preference for where you’d like to stay first.”
I couldn’t answer that. It was too much like choosing between them.
When they realized I couldn’t or wouldn’t answer, Diego looked at Aaron. “It’s your place,” he said finally. Then he shook his head. “Shit, this is hard. Mia, I want you to know that we know you’re not some kind of… toy we get to share.”
How was it possible to appreciate the sentiment and be extra mortified at the same time? “I know.” I took a deep breath. “Okay. How about... I’ll stay with Aaron tonight?”
“You were with him last night,” Cody said.
“No,” I said, even as Aaron shook his head as well. “We stayed in separate rooms.”
“That’s still an option for tonight,” Diego said.
“That’s not what I want,” I said simply.
“She’s made her decision,” Cody said, catching my eye.
And that was the end of that discussion.
“I like this,”Aaron said, his finger gliding along the edge of the smooth satin of my new pajama set as I lay next to him. The room was dark except for two lit candles he’d placed on the dresser.
I was glad he liked my new pajama set. I’d never owned anything like it. It was peach satin. The camisole top was held up by spaghetti straps. It draped at the neckline and was cropped at the waist. The matching shorts were, well, short. But also satiny and smooth. The material felt good on my legs.
Over the weekend, Tori and Hailey had dragged me to a local store, correctly guessing that my current sleepwear wasn’t adequate for this week spent with men.
Tori had gotten some things, too. She and Jayden were headed down to Florida to see Jayden’s new little nephew. She got a respectable pair of pajamas and a robe, since they’d be staying with his family. Later, Kyle and Lucas would join them at a beachfront resort, and I gathered she’d be wearing a lot less then.
Hailey didn’t buy anything, telling us with a gleam in her eye that her men kept her well-supplied with lingerie that could be worn—or torn off—as needed. I admired the way she and Tori were so comfortable talking about this kind of thing. I still turned beet red whenever any adult subjects came up.
Aaron pulled his hand back. “Is it new?” He hadn’t said anything, but the dark blue pajama pants he wore looked new. That was all he wore, and I could see the muscles of his chest even in the low light.
“Yes.” And then nerves took over. “It’s not like I always wear things like this. I’m not?—”
“Hey, relax. There is absolutely no pressure on you here.” His voice was gentle.
“I-I know. I’m glad to be here, it’s just… a little difficult.” I’d almost said hard, but that wasn’t a word I should be throwing around in casual conversation tonight.
“Would it make you more or less nervous if I kissed you?”
“I don’t know,” I said, and he laughed.
“Well, that’s honest. How about we put that idea on hold for now?”
“Okay.” It didn’t make any sense. We’d shared a very heated kiss last night. But that was when we were headed off to separate rooms, not sleeping in the same bed.
“If you get too nervous, just let me know. I know something we could do that’ll take your mind off all of that completely.”
I both didn’t want to ask—and also did. “What’s that?”
“We could flip the mattress.”
That made me laugh. “I never, ever want to do that again.
