Page 11 of Party of Three (Sapphire Cove Suite Secrets)

On the southern edge of Sapphire Cove’s promontory, the resort’s private villas were accessed by sloping stone staircases that traveled downhill between each row.

As they waited for Buckley, Mateo pretended to listen to the story Jeff was telling him about an old Marine Corps buddy of theirs, a straight guy who had deluded himself into believing that most of the subscribers who watched the naked workout videos he posted on his OnlyFans page were female.

While he laughed in all the right places, he only heard every other word.

I can do this , he thought, over and over again. We can do this.

But his pulse was roaring in his ears. He tried to stop himself from playing with the collar of his shirt.

It wasn’t that tight, and he wasn’t wearing a tie.

No doubt Jeff’s big revelation was going to be that Buckley had brought him in for a surprise three-way.

He couldn’t work up the nerve to ask him about it while they were alone.

But if that was the case, why had Buckley rolled his eyes before walking off?

There were parts about this night that weren’t making a lot of sense, but maybe that’s how you always felt when you were about to try something new and naked.

With the two men you loved more than anyone.

For the entire party, he’d been working up the nerve to get to this moment, and as he’d watched them dance together, felt waves of desire turn his first flare of jealousy into something deeper and more powerful and hungrier, he’d convinced himself he was ready.

Now, standing in the shadows with the man who’d saved his life, the man he thought he’d lost forever, he wasn’t so sure.

Maybe some more champagne would help.

When they heard Buckley approaching, both of them stood up straight.

Buckley must have been nervous too. He avoided both of their stares as he opened the villa’s door with his key card.

Inside, the lights had already been dimmed.

Battery-operated pillar candles flickered on most of the surfaces.

The deck door had been left open. Beyond the fluttering drapes and the compact terrace, the coastline to the south twinkled, the lights pouring out of the night-dark hills like little rivers of golden magma.

A champagne bucket rested in the center of the sitting room’s coffee table.

An intimate evening for two had just added a special guest.

The beauty of the room flushed his nerves away.

“ Papi .” He pulled Buckley close from behind and kissed him gently on the back of the neck. “This is amazing. We get to spend all weekend here?”

Before Buckley answered, Jeff said, “You two pour a glass and sit. We need to get some stuff on the table.”

“Desserts?” Buckley asked.

The master sergeant answered by closing the villa’s door behind him firmly, then he gestured to the chaise lounge.

Buckley went for the bottle and poured both flutes. There was another pair on the wet bar in the corner of the room.

“You’re not having one?” he asked.

“I’m good,” Jeff answered.

Buckley handed Mateo a glass. Then they both did as the older man had instructed, sinking to the chaise with their backs to the open door and its beautiful view.

As Jeff approached them both, Mateo slid one hand across Buckley’s thigh protectively, but in his mind’s eye he was already opening Buckley’s legs farther so Jeff could sink to his knees before prying Buckley from his dress pants.

“Alright—” Jeff began.

“Yes!” Mateo said before he could stop himself.

And then nobody said anything. Maybe because Mateo’s voice had come out like a high bark with a tremor in it.

Mateo swallowed. “Yes,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

“Do what?” Buckley asked softly.

“I…”

Mateo’s cheeks pulsed. He struggled for breath.

Buckley turned to him quickly, curving an arm around his back.

All of a sudden, Mateo felt like the ground was falling out from under him and he could feel his forehead sinking into his upturned palms without remembering he’d lifted his hands from his lap and Buckley’s.

“Babe, what?” Buckley asked softly.

“I thought…” Swallowing again only made his throat feel dryer. “You said he was my surprise…I thought we were gonna…

Jeff put his hands up. “And on that note, I’m outta here.”

“Park it, Master Sergeant!” Buckley snapped, trigger finger pointed at the guy. “Your radio silence caused this weirdness, so you stay right there until we’ve figured this out.”

“Fine, then,” Jeff said. “But I’m laying it all out on the table.

One, I was a shit to go dark on you the way I did, Cano.

I should have been clear with you about what was going on.

But what’s clear now is this. You need someone like Buckley.

Someone who can give you what you want. And I gotta say, I like this version of you a lot.

I know the deal with your parents hurts, but you’re happy.

I can see it. And you’re happy because of him. ”

To Buckley, he said, “And you, mouthy little fuck that you are, you’re a good influence on him. He’s more confident. He’s more comfortable in his skin. He’s loving his life. Because of you. But this role of yours, it comes with responsibility. The responsibility to be truthful. And honest.”

Buckley rolled his eyes. “Fire away, big man.”

Jeff turned his full attention to Mateo, whose head was still spinning from how badly he’d misread the evening. “Your boyfriend lied to get me here tonight. He slid a note under my door saying you guys were moving to Japan for work and he had no idea when you’d be back.”

Mateo summoned the nerve to look his boyfriend in the eye. “Japan?”

“I had to pick somewhere far.”

“We don’t speak Japanese.”

“Mexico’s too close.”

A few feet away, Jeff cleared his throat.

Buckley smiled. “Clearly that didn’t go the way you’d planned, Master Sergeant. Gotta plan B? Or a lecture B? Maybe you could use PowerPoint this time.”

“It went perfectly. Everything’s out in the open now. You know our history, and Mateo knows about the lie you told.” He made a dusting motion with both hands that was answered with brittle silence.

Mateo finally found his voice. “You did that for me? Just to get him here?”

Buckley nodded. “I knew how badly you wanted to see him. I could feel it.”

Buckley rubbed Mateo’s back, and for a second, Mateo thought they might be able to let the whole misunderstanding roll by. But it hadn’t simply been a misunderstanding. It had turned into a want, a need, and it was still with him.

“That’s the only reason you wanted him to come?” Mateo asked. “Even after yesterday?”

Buckley caressed the side of Mateo’s face. “Babe, I would never ambush you like that.”

“What happened yesterday?” Jeff asked.

“He told me about Pacific Beach.” Buckley was still staring into Mateo’s eyes, but his look had turned intense.

“What happened in Pacific Beach?” Jeff asked.

“Oh my God. Are you really playing dumb right now?” Buckley asked him.

Jeff’s eyes blazed. “I know what I think happened in PB. I want to hear what Mateo thinks happened in PB.”

“You first,” Mateo said.

Jeff nodded confidently, but his puckered lips and tense jaw made it clear he was struggling with his next words. “I ruined our friendship, that’s what happened.”

“Nothing that happened in that room was as bad as you going dark on me. And our friendship’s not ruined.” Jeff nodded, studied the floor between them. “And it was more than friendship and you know it.”

Jeff looked up as if a gun had gone off. Mateo was terrified of what he’d said, terrified it would make Buckley run from the room with tears in his eyes. But his boyfriend continued to hold him close.

“You’ve got a boyfriend. A good one. One who’s right for you. That’s what matters now.”

“You’re right,” Mateo said, “and all night I’ve been thinking about you fucking him.”

He’d meant it to sound like a painful confession of his stupidity, of how badly he’d misread the night’s events, but instead the words came from him with more confidence than any he’d spoken since the three of them had stepped into this beautiful, candlelit villa together.

“Babe,” Buckley whispered.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to work up the nerve for it all night ’cause I thought it was the surprise, so I’m a little off center, I guess.”

“A three-way with Jeff?” Buckley asked. “Babe, that’s not something I’d…

ambush you with. I mean, we haven’t done anything with anyone else since we got together.

I’d talk to you first. We’d talk about rules and boundaries and what we’re comfortable with.

You really think I’d surprise you with something that big? ”

Mateo managed a smile. “He’s not that big.”

“Shut up, dude. I’m huge.” Jeff’s grin was soft, but it was sincere.

Buckley cleared his throat. “Seriously, babe. This is important to me. I need you to know that I’d never just throw something like that at you without warning. Did you really think I’d do that?”

“I don’t know. You’re…you’re so much more experienced than me in this area. Everything you’ve suggested we do in the bedroom has been kind of amazing. So I figured if I just went along with it, it would be great. Kinda like the kitchen yesterday.”

“The kitchen?” Jeff asked.

Buckley gave him a pointed look. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.”

“I don’t. What happened in the kitchen?” Jeff repeated.

“When I told him about our little PB excursion, he didn’t get mad. He got turned on. So we kinda relived it. Only the part of that go-go boy was played by Buckley Mitchell. And the part of Jeff Braxton was played by…”

“A zucchini,” Buckley answered.

“You couldn’t find a cucumber?”

“It wasn’t exactly planned, alright?” Mateo said. “I had to make do with what I was cooking.”