Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“I’m fine. I was a little worried to see you both gone, though.”
He dips his head. “Sorry about that. We should’ve left a note. I went to the gym and Max went for a run, and you were sleeping so soundly, we didn’t want to disturb you. Don’t worry, though. Max was headed off property, and we were careful with our timing.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
When he shakes his head, I show him what I brought, and he takes a yogurt, dropping into a chair opposite me.
We’re both quiet for a few minutes, and when it starts to feel uncomfortable, I decide to approach things head on.
“I’m sorry if I made things awkward last night, asking Max to sleep in my bed.”
“You had a rough night.”
“Yeah, and a little too much to drink, too.”
He shrugs and gives me a grin. “Happens to all of us.”
We go quiet again after that, but we take turns stealing looks at one another, and the silence that had felt uncomfortable, is now charged with a different kind of energy, one that fills me with both longing and guilt.
When he finishes his yogurt, Miles clears his throat. “I’m available tonight, if you … want someone in your bed again.”
CHAPTER 37
CALLIE
There’s a shyness in Miles’s voice that takes me by surprise. These brothers are so different, and yet so very appealing in their own ways.
Before I can answer him, the door clicks, and Max steps in, slightly sweaty from his run. His eyes light up when he sees me. “Good morning, dancing queen.”
“Dancing queen?” I’m surprised by the new nickname. Max was the one with flawless moves last night.
“You should’ve seen her, Miles. She was so smooth.” He sways his hips to demonstrate.
“I’ll bet. She had smooth moves at the roller rink, too, even though she wouldn’t admit it.”
“Thank you for the coffee and flowers this morning,” I say to both of them. “Max, I brought breakfast up, if you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving.”
When he takes a muffin, I offer him a piece of fruit to go with it. “Want a banana?”
He visibly shudders. “No, and I hope that banana didn’t even touch this muffin.” He’s joking, but also kind of … not.
“I forgot—you don’t like bananas. But you hate them that much?” As I talk, I’m peeling the one I’m about to eat, and trying to figure out what someone could find so offensive about a banana.
“Yes, they’re gross.” He looks down at the one I’m holding and grimaces.
I catch his eye and make a big show out of licking the banana, wanting to tease him. Then I slowly slide a few inches of it in my mouth. I’m expecting that he’ll be grossed out and we’ll share a laugh about it, but when I see the men’s faces, I realize what my joke looks like to them.
“Oh my god!” I immediately pull it out of my mouth and turn away as my cheeks flame. My intention wasn’t to demonstrate my fellatio skills on a piece of fruit!
“Callie, would you like to be alone with that banana?” Miles asks, sounding as playful as his brother usually does.
“The banana must have sent dick pics,” Max quips.
“Oh my god!” I’m tempted to flee to the bathroom and hide for the next several days, but instead, I laugh, and they laugh with me.
When we start to calm down, Max says, “Bananas are still gross, no matter how appealing you try to make them, Callie.”
“Ap-peal-ing. Good one, Max,” Miles says, and then we all crack up again over the unintended pun.
Finally, we manage to finish the breakfast food—luckily, I also brought back an apple—and spurred on by how surprisingly comfortable I feel with them, I decide to be as open and honest with both of them as I can.
“Max, before you came in, I was telling Miles that I hope I didn’t make things awkward last night by asking you to hold me. I know that you’re both just pretending to be my boyfriend, but, I have to say, things feel pretty real sometimes.”
When, unhelpfully, they don’t respond, not that I’ve asked a question, I continue. “It’s really weird for me to be kissing both of you. I like it a lot—” I look down at my hands as I say this. “But somehow, it makes me feel guilty, I guess because it feels so real.”
“It feels real for me, too,” Max says, and my chest lights up with a deep kind of warmth, even though him saying that really only makes things more complicated.
“Yeah, it does,” Miles agrees.
“But, there’s two of you, and you’ve both been so kind, and I definitely don’t want to come between you.”
Max leans in and lays his hand on my knee. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“It’s fine,” Miles says, and I have absolutely no idea what they’re implying. Is it fine because it’s all fake, and even though it sometimes feels real, they’re not losing sight of the fact that it’s all for show? Or is it fine because maybe one of them will choose me, or they think I’ll eventually choose one of them, and the other man will step aside?