Page 59 of Better When Shared (Kristin Lance Anthologies #2)

Gemma

The Amalthea

The sheets were a disaster around us, and I could smell salt and sex and something distinctly masculine that made my pulse quicken despite my exhaustion.

The men were insatiable, and I was pleasantly exhausted despite never leaving the ship. We’d skipped a tour of Rome in favor of languishing in bed, fucking the day away, and I was perfectly content with that decision.

Enzo's hand traced lazy patterns across my back, his touch warm and soothing in the afternoon light that filtered through the suite's massive windows. His fingers followed the curve of my spine with artistic precision, like he was memorizing the geography of my body. Every few seconds, he'd press a soft kiss to my shoulder blade, and I'd feel the smile against my skin.

"Well,"

he said, his voice rough with satisfaction.

"We're going to have to find a pharmacy at the next stop and buy stock in condoms. I'm pretty sure we went through half a box today."

I felt Brian's chest rumble with quiet laughter beneath my ear.

"Always good to be prepared,"

he said, his voice carrying that familiar note of practicality that made me want to do wonderfully impractical things to him.

"Though,"

Enzo continued, his hand stilling on my back.

"If we're going to keep doing this, maybe we could skip the latex? I mean, I've been tested since the last time I was with anyone else. Clean bill of health and all that."

The change in Brian was immediate and stark. His fingers stopped their gentle stroking through my hair, his entire body going rigid beneath me. I lifted my head to look at him, noting the way his jaw had tightened, the careful blankness that had settled over his features.

"No,"

he said, his voice flat and final.

"We use condoms."

The words hit the air like a slammed . I could feel the shift in the room's energy, the way Enzo's touch became more tentative, uncertain. Brian's blue eyes were fixed on the ceiling, refusing to meet either of our gazes.

"Brian,"

I said carefully, my analytical mind already working through the implications.

"Is this just about safety? Or is there something more?"

He was quiet for so long I thought he might not answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was strained, like the words were being dragged from some deep place he'd rather leave undisturbed.

"I don't do serious relationships," he said.

"And I have a lot of sex with a lot of partners. So I always use condoms, no matter what."

“How much sex?”

Enzo asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“How many partners?”

Brian huffed out a breath and pulled up his phone, swiped open an app, then handed it to Enzo. Enzo’s eyes widened as he scrolled through what appeared to be an endless list of people on a hookup app.

Enzo chuckled.

“Damn, Brian. This is a lot. No wonder you’re so good at all the sex stuff.”

Enzo’s tone was teasing, but Brian’s face immediately closed off. “Yep.”

"I would have thought you were the serious relationship type,"

I said, keeping my voice gentle.

"You're responsible, caring, protective. You seem built for commitment. For love."

Brian's laugh was bitter, unlike his usual warm chuckle.

"That doesn’t work for me. I can’t…”

He trailed off and said nothing.

Enzo pushed himself up on his elbow, his dark eyes focused on Brian's face with growing concern.

"What do you mean?"

Brian didn’t say anything, staring off out the window, and I leaned in, rubbing his shoulder.

“Brian, we didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s fine. It’s just something you should know about me before we go further, that’s all. I’m not good at monogamy.”

I got the feeling it wasn’t all, and met Enzo’s eyes across the bed. Enzo chewed on his bottom lip.

“Is it because you have a high sex drive?”

“More than a high sex drive,”

Brian whispered, his voice cracking, and when he looked at me, his eyes were wide and full of hurt.

“I can’t… I can’t risk hurting someone. Not the way my dad did.”

Enzo bit his lip.

“I know your dad cheated, but you’re nothing like him, okay? You do so much for everyone around you. You care so deeply that you went on this cruise, just because I thought it’d be fun. Just because Gemma needed cheering up.”

“Friendship is fine. But romance… it’s tough for me.”

I felt something crack open in my chest at the raw pain in his voice. This was why he used dating apps, why he kept his encounters anonymous and brief. He'd built an entire system to protect himself and others from his perceived weakness, turning what should have been intimacy into a carefully managed transaction.

I shifted on the bed, moving closer to him, pressing myself against his side. His arm came around me automatically, and I could feel the tension thrumming through his muscles.

"You deserve love too,"

I whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw.

"You deserve someone who sees how good you are, how much you care. You’re not your father."

“Definitely not his father,”

Enzo muttered.

“Cooper Casey is a selfish prick.”

Brian's breath hitched, and I felt him turn his face toward mine.

"You guys don't understand. I need sex too much. I'm not good at resisting, even if I love my partner. I cheated once, back when I was trying to do the relationship thing... it wasn't emotional. It was a physical need that I couldn't control."

Enzo made a sound that might have been a snort.

"How much sex were you having with your fiancée? She seemed… a bit uptight."

Brian's cheeks flushed, but he answered honestly.

"Once or twice a week, maybe."

The silence that followed was broken by Enzo's incredulous laughter.

"You? Only once or twice a week? How would that even work? You have a high sex drive, my friend."

I felt heat flood my own cheeks, though I had to admit Enzo had a point.

"What Enzo is trying to say,"

I said, swatting at him playfully.

"is maybe you aren't destined to be a serial cheater. Maybe you just needed someone who's sexually compatible."

"Or multiple someones. Like us,"

Enzo said. The huge smile on his face made it a little unclear if he was joking.

I watched Brian's face as he processed this, saw the way his analytical mind was working through the implications. It was fascinating to see him apply that same methodical precision to his own emotions, trying to solve the equation of desire and commitment that had been plaguing him for years.

"It's not that simple,"

he said, but his voice lacked conviction.

"Isn't it?"

I asked, my fingers tracing patterns on his chest.

"What if the problem wasn't that you're fundamentally if you were trying to fit into a relationship structure that didn't match your needs?"

Brian's arm tightened around me, and I could feel his breath catch. "Gemma..."

"I'm not saying throw caution to the wind,"

I continued, my voice taking on the persuasive tone I used in difficult negotiations.

"I'm saying maybe consider that you've been solving the wrong problem. You've been trying to suppress your nature instead of finding people who complement it."

Enzo's hand found mine where it rested on Brian's chest, his fingers intertwining with mine.

"Plus,"

he said with a grin that was both tender and wicked.

"I don't know about Gemma, but I'm pretty sure I could keep up with whatever you need."

Brian raised an eyebrow.

"That's quite a bold claim."

"I'm a confident man,"

Enzo said, his grin widening.

"I've got stamina. And I’m about to become addicted to having your dick in my ass."

Despite everything, Brian laughed—a real laugh, warm and genuine.

"You're both insane,"

he said, but there was affection in his voice, and something that might have been hope.

"Probably,"

I agreed, pressing another kiss to his skin.

"But we're your kind of insane."