Page 127 of Fostering Chemistry
I reached out and patted his toned forearm, unsure how to respond. I couldn’t exactly say that I missed him too, not when I’d spent the night with Diego last night. Even though in a weird way, I had.
“I’ve never really spent a whole night with anyone,” Cody said, starting slowly and then picking up speed. “It was too quiet in my room last night. Even with music.”
“We’re all here together tonight,” I said.
Aaron gave a ghost of a grin. “And I’m sure it’ll be anything but quiet.”
Diego was still trying to figure out what Cody meant. “We have to take turns, or...” He stopped suddenly, realizing that wasn’t the best way to phrase it.
“Together is better,” Cody said stubbornly.
“We haven’t even tried it out yet,” Diego said, a little more cautiously. “And even if… even if we like this arrangement, that’s a lot to expect from Mia.”
“It’s not just about Mia.” An angry breath of air hissed out between his teeth. “I’ve never had this… this kind of… connection,” he gestured to Aaron and Diego, but couldn’t seem to continue. But we knew him, and we waited. “Are we just roommates who… who take turns?” He gave me an apologetic glance as he said that.
“No, we’re not,” Diego said steadily, and I hoped that he was following Cody better than I was—even though I desperately wanted to. “We’re closer than that. We’re all on Team Mia… that means we support her, but also each other.”
Aaron nodded rapidly. “Absolutely. Last year you were just my roommate. But now we’re good friends. Friends sharing in this amazing experience, but who also understand each other. Who get each other.”
That made me blink rapidly. It didn’t seem as if Cody had had a lot of good friends in his life, especially not ones who understood him.
My fingers found his. “If this were just about me…all of you wanting…” I trailed off, aware that finishing that would make me sound conceited, which wasn’t the case at all. It still amazed me that any of these wonderful men wanted me, let alone three of them.
“If it were just about wanting her, then we wouldn’t all be here,” Aaron said. “No offense, Mia, but if the goal is simply to give you as much pleasure as possible, then we could buy a bunch of toys and an eight-pack of batteries and—” he stopped abruptly, apparently noticing the heat radiating from my face. “Shit.”
Cody actually looked a little amused. “Now no one can talk right.”
“Sorry, Mia.” Aaron took a deep breath and tried again. “I just mean that you’re right, Cody. It’s not just about the pleasure of one person. I like being on Team Mia, and I’m very glad that you two are, too.” He looked at first Cody and then Diego. Then me. “And you as well, because without you, Team Mia wouldn’t work very well.”
Diego had been quiet for a few minutes. Then he addressed Cody. “I honestly think we’re on the same page. But what you said… it needed to be acknowledged. And I’m sorry that I didn’t, so that you had to. I know it’s hard for you.”
Cody tugged me toward him and put his arm around my shoulders. “Maybe it is getting a little easier.”
We were all quiet for a little while, thinking over Cody’s words. To me, they meant so much. And Aaron had a point, though he botched the delivery a bit. If it was just about earth-shattering orgasms, then it didn’t matter who was here with me.
But that wasn’t the case, and it did matter very, very much. I liked each of these men. More than liked. They were good for me, but they were also good for each other. Maybe that was one of the things that had drawn me to them in the first place.
“Thank you for speaking up,” I said softly to Cody, kissing the side of his face lightly.
“So…” Diego began. “Not to ruin the moment or be the RA, but where do we go from here? Do we maybe want to hold off on this for a while?”
“It’s our last night here,” I protested.
“Yeah, but after all that… I don’t know if we should all climb under the covers, or head to group therapy,” Aaron said.
We laughed a little at that. Finally, I let out a deep breath. “My vote is to spend the night here, in this room, with you three. But that’s just my vote. We all get one.”
“That’s what I vote, too,” Diego said.
“I’m in,” Aaron said.
“Me too,” Cody said.
Was it possible to be nervous and happy at the same time? That’s what it felt like. “So, um… I don’t even know what to?—”
“Why don’t you lie back on the pillows?” Diego suggested.
“Yeah, um, okay.” I started to pull away from Cody, but he held onto me for a few seconds. “Hold that thought,” I said to Diego.
