Page 90 of Dangerous Men

But… what would makemehappy? What do I want?

Alec and Vincent are watching me expectantly, and I take a deep, calming breath and count to ten.

“A cheeseburger,” I decide, sounding more decisive than I feel. “I’d like a cheeseburger. With bacon, please.”

I look between Alec and Vincent, expecting to see disappointment, maybe even irritation, at such a banal request. Instead, the chef smiles widely, displaying small white teeth.

“That sounds wonderful,” Alec says. “Make that two. And fries?”

I nod eagerly.

“Put an egg on mine, as well,” Alec says. He glances at me, raising an eyebrow.

“Not on mine, thank you,” I smile. Eating a burger on a date is going to be messy enough as it is. I don’t want to add a runny yolk into the mix.

“Très magnifique,” Vincent says, clapping his hands together. “I shall make for you the best cheeseburger with bacon that you have ever had, d’accord?”

With one last shake of Alec’s hand, and another polite kiss near mine, he’s gone, the elevator doors dinging as they shut behind him.

“I hope you’re not disappointed to be eating burgers,” I tell Alec. “It feels almost like a waste, with such a great chef, but…” I give him a little smile. “It’s my comfort food, and I’ve been craving oneallday.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Alec assures me. “I love a good burger.”

“It’s just not exactly, you know, fine dining.”

Alec smirks in answer. “There’s nothing special about fine dining. In life, there is food you enjoy and food you don’t. And tonight, I want us to have food we will enjoy. It’s that simple.”

I grin back at him.

Everything feels so easy with Alec. I forget that when I’m alone with my thoughts in the bookstore, obsessing over everything and getting caught up in my own thoughts.

“What did you mean in the car?” I ask, running my fingers over the tablecloth. It’s fine linen. Probably a higher thread count than my sheets. “About… sharing. With your brothers.”

Alec watches me closely, measuring my reaction.

“My brothers and I…” He pauses, as though choosing his wording carefully. “We’re a package deal.”

My insides twist unpleasantly.

“So, if I’m with one of you, I have to be… with all of you?” I ask.

Alec shakes his head.

“Not in the way you mean,” he says. “But you need to recognize that they’re a big part of my life. An inescapable part. We run our business together. We live together. We’re not often apart. I’m not saying I’m expecting you to fuck them, darling.”

His voice holds an edge that almost makes me feel bad for asking. “But…” he continues. “You have to accept that if you’re in my life, they will be in your life as well.”

“And do I get to choose?” I ask. “To what… extent, they’re in my life?”

Slowly, Alec nods.

“And if I decide one thing, and then change my mind?” I press. “What happens then?”

“You mean, if you decide to sleep with Ashton,” Alec says, leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table. “And then decide you no longer want to have a relationship with him?”

I nod, a little surprised he understood the question beneath my question.

“You are free to do so,” Alec says. I release my breath,shoulders untensing. “But that would be a conversation you would have to have with him. Not with me.”