Page 17 of Triple Tidings
Wells
I’d forgotten how easily August Vogel could get under my skin.
When we first met, it was a little alarming how quickly his teasing could take me right from sane and balanced to a short-tempered, growling asshole. What’s even more alarming is that apparently, nothing has changed. Any illusion of self-control I had prior to this unexpected weekend with August Vogel and Lacey Lovette… yeah. I know I’m fucked.
Gritting my teeth, I stare at the wallpaper, listening to the muffled sound of August’s footsteps on The Chestnut’s stairs as he follows me up to the second floor. I don’t move from my place beside the door to my room, waiting to see if he pauses outside, and try to convince myself I’m not disappointed when he moves past it to his own.
I’m not equipped for this shit. When I woke up this morning, I suspected I might be out of my depth.
Now, I know it.
Out of my depth or not, though, I know I wasn’t imagining the shift of energy that went down there. It was lust. Dumb, insanely potent lust. Only two people have ever had this effect on me, driving me so out of my goddamn mind that I throw therules out the window without a second thought, and I’ve found myself under the same roof as both of them.
Now, LaceyandAugust?Together?Jesus Christ.
My cock swells at the idea alone, and I reach down to squeeze my erection through my jeans, hard enough for it to hurt. Even that isn’t enough to get my head on straight, and I know nothing will. No good can come of this weekend, and it’s time to abandon ship before I do something stupid. Like fuck him. Or her. Or himandher.
Lurching forward, I snatch up my suitcase and begin gathering up the sparse personal possessions I brought with me to The Chestnut. Even crashing on the shop’s couch over Christmas sounds better than staying here and abandoning any good sense I once possessed.
August Vogel is a self-centered prick.
Lacey Lovette is too young and too good for both of us.
I’m doing fine on my own, and the last thing I need is to get tangled up in some complicated relationship with people who aren’t going to stick around. It’s about time I remembered that.
Shoving my phone charger in the front pocket of my suitcase, I’m just searching for the correct zipper to close the thing, when the sound of a knock makes me freeze. I straighten, staring at the door. My heart is beating too fast for a man standing totally still as I wait, every molecule in my body on edge, waiting for the sound to be repeated.
Even when it does, I don’t answer it. Not right away. My mind and body are at odds, one aching to answer it, while the other is telling me to stay put. There are only two people who could be out there, and I shouldn’t be alone in a hotel room with either one of them.
Shouldn’tbe, but sure as fuckwantto be.
My body wins out, and I start forward, tearing open the door without bothering to check who is waiting on the other side. Myheart lurches violently against my ribcage as I come eye to eye with August.
“Hi,” he offers, a little warily.
I grit my teeth, willing myself to keep it together. “What now?”
August’s gaze moves past me, coming to rest on the packed suitcase sitting on the end of the bed. He sighs. “Checking out? Already?”
“Do you always answer a question with a question?”
“Do you always run away when you get scared?”
This has me letting out a dark, humorless laugh. “Fuck off.”
Predictably, August does not fuck off. Instead, he leans his shoulder against the doorframe, staring at me with a thoughtful frown pulling at the corners of his lips. “Today, at The Stack, our conversation didn’t go the way I wanted it to. Seeing you again wasn’t something I expected, and in that context…” He trails off, his brow furrowed, as if he’s searching for the correct combination of words to express whatever is in his head. Finally, he sighs. “I was jealous. Lacey and I also have some history, and selfishly, I didn’t want to share her. Or you. There may be a fairly obvious solution, though.”
I blink, distracted completely from August’s solution as I wrack my brain to remember exactly what he said about his relationship with the woman in question when he came by the shop. “History?” I demand, the muscles in my shoulders bunching up.
August’s expression gives away nothing, but after a long moment, he nods hesitantly. “Yes,” he admits, reaching up to rub the stubble on his jaw, looking almost sheepish. “Nothing serious, or even like what we had. It was one night.”
The wallpaper seems to be pressing in on us, raising the temperature by degrees as I process this information. It could beseconds or a full minute before I find my voice again. “You slept with her.”
Obviously apprehensive, August nods.
Unbidden, a vision of it appears in my mind’s eye, and blood surges to my dick. I’m jealous, more jealous than I can remember being of anyone in my life, but it’s also impossible to deny how deeply turned on I am by the thought of these two people fucking.
I drag my hand through my hair, looking anywhere but at the man right in front of me. He has me trapped, standing between me and the door, and I have no fucking choice but to deal with this. “Yeah, well.” I scoff, still reeling as my eyes meet August’s yet again. “You aren’t the only one.”
