Page 185 of Crossed Wires: The Complete Series

With a pat on Kilowatt’s rump, Marc joined Keith outside the horse’s pen. “True. So, when are we going to talk about the Harper situation?”

At the mention of Harper’s name, Keith’s jaw clenched. “What’s the Harper situation, Thomo?” he asked, striving to keep his voice calm.

“The one where we both spend every bloody waking minute thinking about her. That one. The one where we can’t wait to see her again and keep looking at our watches hoping it’s the end of the day and not five bloody minutes after we looked the last time. That one.” Marc folded his arms, leaned his back against the opposite frame of the pen’s opening. “The one where we start to work out how the hell to convince her not to go back to the U.S. when the fortnight finishes.Thatsituation.”

Keith ground his teeth, balling his fists in his pockets. It wasn’t long at all before Harper flew back to Chicago. He didn’t like that idea.

He hadn’t figured on falling for her when they’d taken her to the billabong three days ago. He’d thought they’d all flirt a little. Maybe he’d get a look in before she decided that Thomo was the man she wanted to spend her time here with. Marc was her age, after all. He also fell firmly in the “tall, dark and handsome” category. Even a bloke as hetero as Keith could recognize that. Instead, she’d seduced them both with her innocent warmth, her brave sense of adventure and her willingness to enjoy life.

She’d opened up a whole new world of pleasure for him—the pleasure of sharing a woman with his best mate. The trouble now was, Keith didn’t see himself sharing anyonebutHarper with Marc. In fact, the very idea of having sex with anyone apart from Harper made his gut churn.

Given those facts, Marc was correct. Therewasa Harper situation. Now what the fuck did they do about it?

Marc pushed his hat back on his head and fixed Keith with a steady look. “You reckon she’s open to the idea of staying a bit longer?”

Keith pulled a slow breath. “Dunno, mate. And if she says yes, what does that mean? We planning on spending every night in her bed together? You think the Sullivans are going to put up with that?”

A scowl fell over Marc’s face. “It’s no one else’s business but ours who sleeps in whose bed.”

Keith let out a dry grunt. “True, but it will be. You going to tell Hazel both of us are sleeping with Harper? You going to tell Amy?”

The scowl on Marc’s face twisted into a grimace. “Amy’s going to kill us.”

Keith nodded. “When she told us to look after her friend, I don’t think she meant what we’ve been doing. Speaking of Amy, what happens to Harper when she gets back? Harper is only here on a swap. When Amy comes home, Harper’s no longer the Farpoint teach. The Sullivans are bloody great bosses, but I can’t see them letting Harper hang around without contributing in some way, ignoring the fact she’d have nowhere to live.”

“You don’t think Amy would let her stay with her?”

Keith grunted again. “Maybe. But do you want to tell Amy she’s got to leave her home for a while every time you and I want to make love to Harper? Or do we just do it on the couch while Amy’s watching the telly or marking homework in the same room?”

Marc’s answering sigh was exasperated. “Okay, I get the point.”

Keith’s chest clamped tight. He hadn’t intended to illustrate how nothing permanent could come of their unorthodox situation while being the devil’s advocate, but he had.

So why the fuck did that change nothing?

Why the fuck did he still want to climb into the ute, drive over to Amy’s cottage, pull Harper against his body and kiss her senseless while Marc stripped her of her clothes?

Why did he want her to straddle his face while she sucked Marc off?

Why did he want to, in a nutshell, spend the rest of a bloody long time being with her? Being with them both? In a bloody three-sided relationship?

What the fuck was wrong with him?

Surely to God he wasn’t falling in love with her, was he?

“So what do we do now?”

Marc’s low question drew Keith’s attention back to his best friend. He shrugged. “No bloody idea, mate. But I’d suggest we start with taking a shower. We told her we’d pick her up at six and that’s only fifteen minutes away. I’d go straight there but I smell like sweat, horse and cow. Not exactly the aftershave for taking a lady out on a date.”

Marc’s eyebrows shot up. “A date? Is that what we’re doing? All three of us? At the pub in Cobar?”

Keith levered away from the pen’s threshold, his expression set. “Bloody oath it is. And I’m not afraid to let everyone see it. Are you?”

“Hell no. Just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page.”

He chuckled. “If you mean, are we going to show Harper the best night of her life in a town so small it only has one set of traffic lights, followed by the most incredible sex of her life under the stars on the way home, followed by even more incredible sex in the cottage when we get here, then yes, we’re on the same page.”

Marc smirked. “Let’s get to it then. I’ll even let you have the first shower, seeing as you stink more than?—”