“Yeah, sure man,” he grunted. “Thanks.”
“I’ll go,” Stella piped up, her eyes still on me. “Kennedy, you want to come give me a hand?” Her brow arched knowingly, and I nodded.
“Oh, yeah, sure.”
“Great.”
She smiled, turning to kiss Dallas, and then Austin. An old guy swaying on the far side of the bar whistled, Stella just gave him the finger without even turning.
“How about you boys get a pool table going? Kennedy and I will be right back.”
She grinned as she took my hand, tugging me along after her.
“So…”
I shook my head. “What you saw…”
“Is none of my damn business,” she said quietly. “But it is yours.” She looked at me plainly, smiling. “Look, this isn’t the rest of the world. This is Blackthorn. No one cares about what I totally ‘didn’t’ just see.” She snorted. “I mean shit, look at me! You seriously think I’m going to judge you for… well,” she grinned. “What I didn’t just see?”
“No, I know, I just…” I sighed, slumping against the bar and shoving my fingers through my hair before I turned to her. “How do you do it?”
“All the time, and usually with screaming orgasms at the end?”
I blushed furiously, and Stella hooted, grinning at me.
“I’m kidding.” She frowned. “Well, no, I’m not. But you know what I mean. You mean how do I do it, being with both of them?”
I nodded.
“Easy. Because I love them both. Plain and simple. And because of that, I honestly don’t care what people think of it. That said, the only flack I ever hear is from older, stuck-in-their-ways types…” she nodded at the half-drunk old guy across the bar. “And people like that just don’t know what to make of it. So who cares what they think?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “There’s just this… like a block. You know? Like if I was going to be with…” I bit my lip, leaning closer. “You know, both of them, then people would talk or something.”
“You mean that people would think of you as some kind of slut because you like having sex with two amazing guys who worship you in and out of bed and who you’re crazy about?”
She shrugged, her nose wrinkling.
“Kennedy, fuck those people. For one, I fail to see how sex in a committed relationship, even if that relationship is three not two people, is anyone’s definition of slutty. And for two, who cares if it is?” She shrugged. “That’s how I look at it anyways. It’s your life, Kennedy. Live it.”
The bartender came over and got our order, chuckled as I mentioned the extra cherries in the Shirley Temple.
“Look, you want my advice, from someone who’s living what you’re worried about every day?”
I nodded.
“Just live it, girl. And of all places, Blackthorn? With the amazing people who live here?” She smiled. “Just live it with confidence, and no one’s going to bat an eye. Trust me on that.”
I smiled, shaking my head. “You make it sound like an easy choice.”
She snorted. “Kennedy, we’re talking about ‘accepting’ the fact that two hot guys are head over heels for you and want to share you between them without any reservations, hang-ups, or jealousy. Hell yeah it’s an easy choice,” she giggled. Her laugh was contagious, and pretty soon, I was giggling right along as we headed back with drinks to the four guys at the pool table—Stella’s twins, and my tattooist outlaws.
And this time, I wasn’t scared anymore. I wasn’t worried what it all meant, or about the unknowns. No one knew the unknowns, after all. What I did know was that I was really into both of them. I knew that they clearly weren’t about to start punching each other over me.
I knew that being with them made me feel safer and more complete than I’d ever felt before. And I knew coming with them both had been the most amazing feeling I’d ever felt in my life.
Stella really was right. Who did care what people thought?
I marched right up to them, pressed a drink into both of their hands, and before they could say a thing, I’d leaned up, flung an arm around Caleb, and tugged him in for a long, slow kiss.
I pulled back, and without even missing a beat, I turned and did the same to Landon, kissing him until my toes curled and his hands came dangerously close to actually slipping under my clothes right there in the bar.
I pulled back, my face flushed with excitement, and the thrill of being open about this.
“You know what?” Landon purred, his finger teasing across my hip as Caleb did the same on my other side.
“What?”
“I think pool can wait.”
I swallowed, my body tingling.
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” Caleb grinned. “Actually, I’ve got a better idea than pool.”
“And I’m dying to know,” I panted, trembling as they both moved in close to me.