He could handle that title. “Yes. The sweet one. And you’re the fuckable one. And Cade’s the one who handles all the bad shit. It can work, Gemma. It can work for the long term and it can definitely work for a night. But I want you to go into this whole thing with an open mind.”
She sighed, her hand squeezing his. “I’m a bitch.”
So she’d been told, probably by many people, but Jesse was going to set her straight. “No. You’re smart and sexy and don’t compromise when it’s not necessary. I’m asking you to compromise now. You’re a real smart woman. Make a quick list. Put me and Cade on one side and your pride on the other, because that’s what we’re up against, your pride. You’re an intelligent woman, baby. You add those numbers up real fast. You tell me if I should stay or I should go. Factor in the fact that I don’t want to go.”
He stared at her, sending her his will. He wasn’t sure he would be able to leave if she told him to.
He was betting a lot on her, but then, he was a betting man.
Jesse McCann was going to make her crazy. It was supposed to be a simple plan. She was supposed to smile his way, and then he would do just about anything to get into her pants. Easy, breezy plan that almost any man would follow.
But no, Gemma Wells had to pick the guys who wanted more.
Or the guys who wanted to play games.
She was scared out of her mind. They weren’t acting like she thought they should. Cade couldn’t just lie and take some sex and dump her in the morning?
And Jesse should have just been happy with one night’s fuck. He was supposed to be her rebound man. He was supposed to be that guy she took all her frustration out on and then sent on his way.
And she would have woken up and felt emptier than she did right now.
He was right. She was smart. She could think her way through this. What did she know?
They hadn’t played games. They’d told her what they wanted. She didn’t know what she wanted except she wanted someone to want her. They wanted her. They weren’t willing to take her under her terms.
Did she even like her terms? What the fuck were her terms? She’d gone into the whole thing with the thought that she would be in control. She would make all the decisions. That had never worked for her before. And why would she have goddamn terms? This wasn’t war. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she knew she didn’t want to fight with them.
Cade’s green eyes haunted her. She couldn’t use the term “them.” He was gone. Would something with Jesse work when Cade didn’t want her?
“What do you want, Gemma?”
Jesse’s voice flowed over her. He was soothing where Cade set her on edge. Jesse calmed her, his very voice a silky-smooth seduction most of the time. Then there were times when he would growl her way. Would he have a problem with what she wanted? Would he be able to top her? Would he let her be in control when she needed to be?
She liked both. She needed both. She didn’t even want to be in control, she just didn’t know another way to be. Neither of her previous two lovers had wanted to be in control. Patrick had been practically lackadaisical.
Jesse had been honest. Fuck. Honesty stripped away her armor. What would be left? Be brave. Jesse had asked her to be brave. She’d been in hiding for six months. Could she be brave?
She was Gemma Wells. She’d put herself through Harvard. She’d given up huge chunks of her soul for a job that had taken everything and given nothing back. Years of her life had been wasted on people who would never have been as honest as these two men had been in the last ten minutes.
And she’d sent one of them away.
She really was a masochist.
What did she want?
She wanted a couple of minutes of pure joy, and they were offering it, but it came with risk. Nothing came without a little risk. She might wake up tomorrow and look like an idiot. They might be lying. Was she willing to take the risk? What was the balance? Her pride versus the potential of a little happiness.
“Don’t go.” The words sounded almost foreign in her mouth. She’d said them, but she wasn’t sure she recognized the woman who had spoken. She’d changed in an instant. No. She’d started changing a long time ago, six months in fact. She just hadn’t acknowledged it. “I don’t want you to go.”
Jesse smiled that brilliant, light-up-the-whole-goddamn-world smile. She had no idea how a man his size, with those muscles and his badass looks, could have such a sweet smile. “I’m glad. Can I talk to you about Cade?”
His friend. He wanted to plead his friend’s case to get into whatever the hell they were starting. Two men. Two amazing men.
She got off her chair and looked around the bar. Cade was waving good-bye to the blond guy she’d slammed the door on a couple of days back. She really needed to think about being nicer to people. Cade said something to the waitress and then turned. He caught her eye, but his slid away, his whole body turning for the exit. Was she going to let him walk out that door? He’d wanted her earlier in the day. She’d felt his cock press against her, rubbing her right in every way. He’d wanted her, but there was a haunted look in his eyes at times. She’d seen it in her own. Could she let him go because she didn’t want to face him?
Fuck no.
She had no idea what she was doing, but she ran across the bar and found herself standing in front of him. Jesse followed her, his body bulwarking hers. And she stared, not a damn word coming out of her mouth.
Cade stared down at her. “Gemma? What do you need?”
Nope. Nothing. She just looked at him, feeling the weight of the whole bar staring at her like she was the lead actress in their favorite soap opera. She glanced around. They really were looking at them. She was being an idiot. He’d walked away. Why was she chasing after him?
Jesse put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t think about them. They’re nosy. Go on, darlin’.”
Go on. Yep. Go on. Did she want to go on? Yes. She did. She wanted him, even if it was only for a night. She was a Harvard Law grad. She knew lots of words. So why did they fail her? “Do you want to dance?”
Dumb. That was dumb. There wasn’t any music. The jukebox had gone silent five minutes before, and no one had approached it since. She was so stupid.
Cade turned from her, his hand going into his pocket. He walked away, her whole soul flattening. She didn’t even get an answer.
He walked straight to the jukebox, putting some money in, and in a few seconds, a slow, sultry beat started to pound out. Cade turned back to her, holding out a single, callused, deeply masculine hand. God, she was fascinated by that hand. “Are you sure, Gemma? I don’t know what I can offer you.”
She wasn’t sure of anything except the fact that if she walked out now, she would hate herself forever. She might be able to forgive herself if she got played, but not if she didn’t try. She’d always tried. She’d wanted to be a lawyer so she’d applied to Harvard. She hadn’t let the fact that she didn’t have the money faze her. She’d gone for it. When she’d decided she wanted to marry Patrick, she’d told him they should get married.
She’d spent her whole life chasing what she wanted. Why couldn’t she ask for this?
“I’m not sure of anything.” She didn’t bother to hide her emotions. He’d been honest. She could be, too. “I’m scared out of my mind, but I want to dance. And I want a night with you both. Is that too much to ask? I won’t require anything from you but tonight, Cade Sinclair.”
She felt Jesse’s arms wrap around her waist. Pure pleasure. She was drawn back into his heat, his body. And Cade crowded her front. He put his forehead to hers, nuzzling her sweetly.
“I’ll dance with you, Gemma. I should warn you, I’m not good. But I’ll dance as long as you like.” He pressed his body to hers, his hips swaying lightly. Jesse moved behind her.