“What in the world is all this?” She announced her appearance with a question and stepped into the living room.
Eddie hopped to his feet. “Whitney!”
Her stomach flip-flopped. “Eddie.”
Mick glanced from face to face. She glanced at him and then turned her focus back to Eddie as he crossed the distance between them. He tentatively reached out for her but stopped halfway. He looked almost afraid. Of what, she wondered.
Rejection. The word came to mind so blindingly fast. He was afraid she’d reject him.
She mustered an encouraging smile and took his hand. He visibly relaxed and interlaced their fingers. “I’m sorry, Whitney. This morning was inexcusable. I shouldn’t have snapped at you or shut down like that.”
“I shouldn’t have pushed. You’re right. It’s not any of my business.”
“No,” he said with a strident shake of his head. “It is your business. You’ve shared so much with me, with us”-he turned toward Mick- “about your life. You’ve even told us about the painful things, about your mother’s drug problems and her overdose, about your aunt abandoning you in the CPS office, and about growing up in foster care. The least I can do is tell you about my time in the military.”
She gestured around the room with her free hand. “So…this?”
Mick grinned and stood up. “After you left this morning, I started thinking about what you said. You’re right. You can’t compete with the history Eddie and I share.”
Her chest constricted at that admission.
“And you shouldn’t have to,” he continued. He pointed at the collages. “This is our past, our history, and we’re going to share it with you.”
“After this”-Eddie squeezed her hand-“everything we share is our new history. The history of us.”
Whitney melted like a pat of butter tossed in a hot pan. “You guys,” she said tearfully, “that’s so sweet. And super romantic,” she added with a sniffle. “Totally out of character for the two of you.”
“Hey,” Mick protested with a laugh. “We’re not that bad.”
“Come here, sugar.” Eddie pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest. She relaxed against the solid wall of muscle and let his body heat warm her skin. He smelled so very good. Mick sidled up to her back and locked his arms around them both. She enjoyed the security of their shared embrace.
Eddie tipped her chin and claimed her mouth. His tongue swiped hers-and then he pulled back rather abruptly. A slight frown curved his lips. “Have you been drinking?”
“What?” Mick turned her face and tasted her mouth in a quick kiss. He narrowed his eyes and sighed. “Lime. Mint. Mojitos.”
“So?” Whitney shrugged. “It was just one drink at a cocktail party.”
“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve been up to my elbows in the bleeding belly of a pretty young girl like you who just had one drink before getting behind the wheel?” Mick’s consternation was evident. “One drink is one drink too many to drive, Whitney.”
“If you want to drink, call one of us to come get you,” Eddie said, slowly spinning her around to face him again. “You’re much too precious to risk your life like that.”
“And the lives of others,” Mick interjected. “I’ve seen it so many times, Whit. Some drunk slams into a minivan full of kids.” He shook his head. “Could you live with something like that on your conscience?”
She felt so small as the two men chided her for admittedly stupid behavior. It was just one drink, but it was still alcohol, and that kind of blasé mentality could really get her into trouble. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”
“You better not,” Eddie warned. “Or else I’ll turn you over my lap and whip that pretty ass of yours.”
Her thighs clenched. “You wouldn’t!”
“The hell I won’t,” he replied in all seriousness. “Just give me a reason, Whitney. My hands are itching to get on your backside.”
She gulped. How often had she fantasized about Eddie disciplining her like that? Her pussy ached at the very idea of his big, strong hand smacking her soft ass. Oh, she’d have to think long and hard about this one. Maybe it would be worth riling up Eddie with some annoying little thing to get her bottom spanked.
“Down, boy.” Mick laughed and winked at Eddie. “There’s plenty of time for that kind of thing later. Right now, we’ve got stories to tell and dinner to eat.”
“Yes, dinner, definitely,” Whitney said, her stomach growling and her heart racing. Food seemed like a good way to diffuse some of the sexual tension. It was either stuff her face or crawl onto Eddie’s lap and admit she was a bad, bad girl in need of some serious discipline.
Feeling a little dizzy with lust, Whitney stepped out of the guys’ arms and headed toward the kitchen. “Living room or dining room?”
“Living room,” Mick decided. “We’ll nosh while we fill you in.”
“And later,” Eddie said with a sly smirk, “we’ll fill you up.”
Chapter Six
Hours later, they lounged together on the sofa. Whitney and Mick enjoyed a glass of wine while Eddie nursed his second beer. Her sides ached from laughter. The stories the guys had told! My god, she hadn’t giggled that hard in years. These two had gotten up to some serious shenanigans in their younger years.
She understood their bond so much better. She realized, too, that Mick was right. She didn’t have to compete with the past. It wasn’t some scary unknown now. It was a group of facts they’d shared with her, so she felt a part of them. Inclusion was so important in a polyamorous relationship. It was so easy for one partner to feel left out when there were three or more people involved.
Whitney sighed as Mick’s hand caressed her bare thigh. She stretched her aching feet. “Boy, my dogs are barking tonight.”
Eddie patted his leg. “Put them up here.”
She happily complied, turning her body so her back rested against Mick’s chest and her feet in Eddie’s lap. She’d kicked off her shoes before dinner, but that had given her poor abused arches little relief. Whitney groaned as Eddie massaged her right foot. “Oh, god, that feels so good.”
“You’ve really got to stop wearing those killer heels,” Mick advised in his doctor voice. “They’re terrible for your feet, honey.”
“I wore flats today.”
“You need something with more support.” Eddie concentrated on her arch. “You’re going to end up needing surgery by the time you’re thirty.”
“I work in fashion, guys. I have to rock the latest style.”
Eddie shook his head. “Whatever.”
Whitney rolled her eyes. “I find it rather hilarious that the two of you are coming down on me for wearing high heels when you’re a SWAT officer, and you sometimes work twenty-four-hour shifts and expose yourself to HIV and all kinds of other infectious diseases.” She snorted. “I mean, really?”
“Touché,” Mick allowed with a little laugh. He planted a kiss on her neck and massaged her shoulders. “You’re tense, baby.”
“I’ve got a lot of stress at work. You two know how it is.” They both made noises of agreement. “I figure the next month or two will be really crazy, and then hopefully I’ll hit my stride at the new place, and things will ease up a bit.”
“Let’s hope,” Eddie murmured.
“Lean forward,” Mick instructed before sliding out from behind her. He used a throw pillow to prop her up. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab some stuff I bought today and see what you think.”
“Stuff?” Whitney wondered what he’d purchased. He’d grabbed everything on the shopping list she and Eddie had put together, so it had to be something other than groceries. She called out loudly, “Did you go clothes shopping?”