Page 39 of Three Bossy Boyfriends (Honeysuckle Harbor #3)

Tucker

Christopher and I win. Of course we do. I rack up thirty-five points by myself and Christopher manages two bullseyes out of his throws. I’m actually impressed.

Evan and Finley end up with three bullseyes between the two of them,and two of them are Finley’s.

They don’t seem to care at all that they lost by a landslide.

For one, they’re giggling and flirting, being extremely touchy-feely despite the fact she showed up with me.

If any of the other patrons or employees of the bar notice, they’ve got to be wondering what the hell is going on.

As I watch Evan and Finley, I realize they also don’t mind us winning because this puts Christopher and I in charge for the rest of the night.

Exactly as Christopher planned.

I’ve seen all three of them often enough in the law firm's conference room to know that Christopher likes to call the shots.

And as each of the ax throws landed and moved us closer to the end of the contest and toward the moment of the night where we go from fun, flirty date to something else, I felt my anticipation, and yes, the heat in my veins, increasing.

Because I believe Christopher when he says that he’s going to let Finley be in charge of what happens. But I know that comes with caveats.

She’ll get to decide if she wants this at all. She’ll get to decide how much she can take, if she’s comfortable, if she’s getting what she needs. Other than that, I have a feeling Christopher is going to be very bossy.

And as surprising as I find it, I think Finley likes that.

Our girl is sassy and independent and mouthy, unless she’s getting exactly what she needs. When she feels safe and understood and taken care of, I think she could be downright sweet.

I look forward to finding out.

We gather around the round high-top table behind the lane Christopher and I used. New throwers are already moving into position, so we’re finished for the night.

At least at the bar.

“Okay, what’s next?” Finley asks, her eyes on Christopher.

She and Evan are across the table, his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip possessively.

Again, she showed up here with me . Now she’s standing between two other men, and there is now no doubt what they want from her.

Everything.

Christopher said they’re in love with her. This isn’t just about sex or a hot, kinky night.

“Well, Tucker was the highest scorer. I think he gets to decide where we go next,” Christopher says.

I look at him in surprise. I didn’t think he was going to give any of us many choices from here.

But I realize what he’s doing. He’s giving me another chance to see if I’m in or out on this thing. And not only is that decent of him, it’s a good idea. I need to be sure. This is kind of a huge step, and there could be major regrets.

I look across the table at Finley. She’s looking at me expectantly. Hopefully.

“We should go back to my place,” I say.

I’ve never shared a woman before. That is definitely not my M.O. So if I’m going to do something new like this, I like the idea of it being on my territory.

Finley’s bright smile tells me I made the right choice.

“Sounds good,” she says. She looks first at Evan and then at Christopher. “What do you say?”

Christopher reaches across the table and takes her hand, stroking the back of her knuckles with his thumb. “I’m going wherever you’re going to be. If that’s okay with you.”

I notice how her breath catches. “Of course it is.”

Evan kisses the top of her head. “You know I’m in.”

She meets my gaze again. “Then, let’s go.”

Outside, we all hesitate in the parking lot. I look at Christopher for direction. He gives me a smile. “Evan and I will follow you to your place. Finley can ride with you.”

Finley and Evan are holding hands, and he lifts her hand and kisses the back of it. “See you soon, pretty girl.”

She steps close to me, obviously fine with this arrangement. That’s great. I’ve got her to myself a little longer. But that also means we’ll have to talk. We’ll have to hash this out. She’s going to ask me how I feel about it.

And I’m not really sure.

But it will also give me the chance to ask her how she feels about it. And I do really need to know.

Is she in love with the guys? If she is, how will I feel about that?

The truth hits me directly in the chest. They love her. If she’s in love with them too, I’m okay with that. I truly think that Christopher and Evan are great men and that they will take care of her.

But I want in on this. I want her to love me too.

Did I ever, ever , imagine being in a relationship with someone who was clearly, openly involved with other people? No fucking way. But this is Finley Anderson. Nothing has been usual or common about knowing her from the beginning. Loving her will be an adventure. I think I’ve always known that.

Watching Christopher hug her and kiss her cheek and the way her hand goes up to cover the spot makes me realize that, of course, Finley needs more than one man to love her. She is, and always has been, unique and amazing and wonderful.

Did I realize it in high school? Of course not. I was a dumbass, just as ninety-nine percent of all teenage boys are.

But it took me about five minutes of being with her as an adult to understand that Finley is nothing like any other woman I’ve ever met.

Hell, it’s very possible that I could use the help from Christopher and Evan keeping up with her and keeping her happy. And staying un-cursed.

Finley turns to look up at me as Christopher and Evan walk toward their car.

“Are you ready to go?” she asks.

I look down at her. “Are you going to ask me if I’m okay with this? Just to be sure?”

She steps closer but shakes her head. “You’re a grown man. I saw you and Christopher talking. You were hatching some plan. If you’re not okay with this, you know how to end it.”

I lift my hand and cup her cheek. “Is that what you think is going to happen? Is that why you agreed to it? Do you think this is a way to thin the herd? Get me to leave you alone?”

She looks me directly in the eyes when she says, “Yes. It’s either that or I get to have all three of you. Either way, it’s a good outcome for me.”

“You are trying to get rid of me?”

“No. But I want all three of you. And if you aren’t okay with that, then it’s best we call it quits now.”

“Do you think that’s going to make it easier?” I ask, stepping in until our bodies are flush against one another.

“Make what easier?” Her voice is husky.

“To keep your walls up. To keep any one of us from getting too close. Do you think if there are three of us, you can keep some distance?”

She hesitates and blinks.

Bingo. I figured it out.

“So this isn’t just about hot sex?” I ask her. “This is your way of keeping things superficial until you leave.”

“I really care about all of you. I really want to have sex with all of you. It’s that simple.”

Except that it’s not simple. This woman, of course, has three men in love with her, because Finley doesn’t do things simply.

“Well, I hate to break it to you,” I tell her, leaning in and brushing my mouth over hers. “But not only are we gonna rock your fucking world tonight, but we are going to obliterate the walls you have up.” I kiss her once hard and quick, then step back. “Let’s go.”

She’s breathing fast. “What if I changed my mind?”

I pull my keys out of my pocket and turn, opening the passenger side door of my truck. “Christopher says you have a safe word. If you change your mind, I suggest you use it.”

She looks over her shoulder at Christopher’s car. Then back at me.

Then she gets in the truck.

I’m grinning smugly as I lean across her to buckle her seatbelt, then step back and slam the door, round the front bumper, and get in behind the wheel.

I hold her hand as I drive, but we don’t talk on the way to my house.

I’m not surprised. I’m sure she’s overthinking this and trying to figure out a way to have hot sex with three men while still staying emotionally distant.

Because of course she still wants what she wants.

She just doesn’t want the rest of it. Or she thinks she doesn’t.

But she can’t pull that off. It won’t happen. Not with these three men, anyway.

So she can think all the way to my house. The end result will be the same—we’re going to give her a night that will be impossible to get over.

I pull into my drive, leaving room behind my truck for Christopher’s car.

I haven’t brought a woman here in a very long time and I’ve never brought men here for this reason, but I’m not worried about Christopher and Evan being here and judging me or that I don’t have a nice enough place to host my first ever sex-a-palooza.

I’ve been complimented on my house many times.

When I was looking for a place, I wasn’t worried about it needing some work.

I could do that, obviously and actually looked forward to putting my own touches on a house.

I was looking for a place I was going to live for years and years.

I am from Honeysuckle Harbor, and I have no plans to leave, so why would I not buy a house that I intended to actually make a home?

I’ve got four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, a living room, huge kitchen, office, another bathroom, and a sunny dining area on the first floor.

The basement has also been refinished, but I haven’t done much with it yet.

I keep thinking it will make a great playroom for kids someday and I can eventually transform it into a game room or movie room for teens.

I get to Finley’s door before she’s able to get out of the truck by herself.

I swing her to the ground as she says, “You’re being very…chivalrous.”

“I’m being very handsy,” I correct. “I want to touch you as much as possible. I can’t get enough of you.”

“Oh.” She doesn’t seem to know how to sass back to that.

I kind of like that. I love her sass, but I also like knowing I can surprise her and maybe even overwhelm her a little.