Page 15 of Holding On to a Hero
Jason put his knife down and held his hand out for his glass of ice water. “I’m thinking I like him so far,” he ventured.
Okay, that was positive. “Me too. Um.” I took a sip of water. “Um, are you interested in, um….” I trailed off helplessly.
Jason looked amused. “In asking him to sleep with us?”
“Maybe,” I hesitated. “Or, um, more?”
Jason’s expression turned serious. “More? You mean more than just hooking up?” I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Yes. We talk a lot about having sex with a third, but is that all…I mean, would you be open to more? If it was someone we both liked?” My hand was shaking, making the ice rattle in my glass. I set it on the counter carefully, using that as an excuse not to look at Jason while I waited for his reply.
Jason set his own glass down and reached for my hand. He pulled me into a hug. I loved Jason’s hugs. He had a way of surrounding me, pulling me flush with his body from my knees to my head. I always felt protected and cherished. I relaxed into him as he rubbed my back.
“If it’s the right person, someone who we both like, I’m open to more. Is that person Will? I’m not sure, but I’d be okay if we asked him on a date.”
“Really?” I hugged Jason tighter. “I’d like that. And I agree. We both have to be on the same page before we make any moves, whether that’s inviting him to sleep with us or if we get to the point of thinking about making a commitment.”
“Right. Maybe we can call him tomorrow and ask him out.”
“Ugh. Call him? Texting would be easier.” Much less nerve-wracking.
Jason laughed. “You want to ask Will on a date with the two of us via a text message? You’re writing it.” I shoved away from him and thwacked him on the chest with the back of my hand.
“Fine. I will.”
* * *
But in the morning when I left the house to go for a run, Will’s truck was parked in his usual spot. I cursed under my breath as I jogged down the driveway. We were going to have to ask him out in person. But I wasn’t doing it by myself.
I jogged up the hill to the east of the ranch and back down again. I usually went much further but I didn’t want to miss Will. When I reached the clearing with the beaver pond, I left the road and waded through the grass toward Will’s usual spot. The beavers had been out doing whatever beaver business Will found so photogenic, but my arrival was greeted by a couple of tail slaps and rapid swimming toward their beaver house.
Oops. I cringed. I’d been so focused on my goal of inviting him back to the ranch that I hadn’t thought about interrupting his work. “Sorry, Will! It’s me!” I called out. “I hope I didn’t mess up your photos.”
He looked happy to see me, thankfully, and he didn’t seem any worse for wear after our day drinking yesterday. I admired the way his navy blue t-shirt stretched beautifully across his pecs and shoulders, and how the morning sun picked out some golden highlights in his dirty blond locks. A big grin lit up his face. “It’s okay. I was finishing for the day. How are you?”
“Good, good.” I stopped awkwardly a few feet away. I’d been debating whether I should greet him with a hug, but he stayed seated and started to disassemble his camera and put the pieces in his bag. “Um, do you have time for a quick coffee? Our housekeeper left some banana bread.”
Will paused his packing up and gave me a severe look. “Only if there’s no brandy this time.”
I laughed and promised we’d be good. He let me carry his camp stool and we took his things to the truck so he could drive it up to the house.
Jason was working on his laptop at the kitchen counter when we walked in. “Look who I found!” I announced.
“Hey, Will! Good to see you again.” Jason got up and came over to give Will a hug. Dammit, I’d wanted to do that. Jason put his arms all the way around Will in his patented squeeze, and I watched Will’s hands hesitantly come up to pat at Jason’s back. Jason quickly let go. I couldn’t see Will’s face, but either he wasn’t a hugger or he hadn’t been expecting such a warm greeting.
Jason smoothly covered any discomfort with small talk. “Any sign of your porcupine friend today?”
“No, just the beavers. Though I did get a nice shot of a downy woodpecker in flight.”
I moved into the kitchen to start up the coffee maker. Jason continued to chat with Will, but he caught my eye and I got a look that told me I’d be the one in charge of asking Will on a date. Great. It had seemed exciting and romantic when it was just me and Jason discussing it. But now that Will was right there, I started to feel like a teenager getting up the guts to ask my crush to the school dance.
I realized I was staring blindly at the coffee cups and Jason and Will were both waiting on me. Go time. I could do this. I filled the cups and as I put them on the table Jason gave me an encouraging smile.Breathe.Shit, my heart was pounding. Throwing up would not be sexy.
Will, bless him, started up a new topic. “I’ve been meaning to ask you guys, how did you meet? Or I guess I know Jason was your bodyguard, Cole. So how did you get together?”
Jason looked at me ruefully, then turned to Will. “You’re right. I met Cole when the security company I was working for at the time assigned me to be his bodyguard.”
“And he was a hard-ass about it, let me tell you. Still is, actually.”
