Leasing Love: A #GeekLove Contemporary Ménage Romance (Your Ad Here Book 2) (15 page)

“No. I’m sorry for not calling. I saw the headlines, and I wondered if there was anything I could do to help. Not that I have any brilliant ideas on this one, but I was worried about how it might hit both of you.” She hovered in the hallway. Why wasn’t she coming in?

“I’ve had better days. You staying a while?”

“What about Chloe?”

He wasn’t sure how to interpret the question. “She’s still at the office, so I’m not sure how she’s taking it.”

“I didn’t mean—” Liz caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “It’s you I’m worried about, but if she’s not here, I’ll come back later.”

“You’re being obtuse. When you knocked, did you plan on staying? Come in and wait. We can brainstorm.” His phone rang. What was this? Grand Central Fucking Station? “
Shit.
”

“I’ll go.” She turned on her toe.

He clasped her arm loosely enough she could break free if she wanted, but with enough grip to convey he was serious. “I’ll be thirty seconds.” He tugged her inside, moved his hand to the small of her back, and pointed her toward the living room.

He took the call once he was sure she wasn’t going to skitter away. “Hello.”

“Jordan, it’s Cal with Hammer & Nail Games. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all.” Like Jordan was going to tell the prospective employer
yes
? “What’s up?”

“I want to say again how great it was to meet with you last week. The team really liked what you had to say.” Despite Cal’s friendly tone, concern slid through Jordan.

“Thanks. I enjoyed it too.”

“That’s why it’s so hard to make this call.” The cheer vanished from Cal’s voice. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to retract our offer. After careful consideration, we’ve determined we need to head in a different direction.”

Grateful Cal couldn’t see his expression, Jordan ground his teeth until his ears rang. “I understand. May I ask why?”

“We need a different feeling for our team,” Cal said. “You understand.”

“Sure.” Jordan didn’t. Not completely. But he had an inkling.

“Great. I knew you would. I’ll let you get back to your evening. Have a great night.”

“You too.” Jordan wasn’t sure if the other man heard the words before disconnecting.

Jesus.
He half-set, half-dropped the phone on a nearby table. That was one less decision he had to make. The notion didn’t comfort him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling this was related to the leaked news about who he was considering. Or he was being paranoid. He wandered toward the living room, stunned and not really focused on the world around him.

Liz stood at the far end, studying some of the figures. She looked up from the shelf, and furrowed her brows when she met his gaze. “Are you all right?” Her concern sounded genuine.

“Yeah. Fine.” He shook off the haze. This wasn’t something he could dump on her. He’d share it with Chloe when she got home, blow off some irritation, and feel better.

The wrinkles in Liz’s forehead made it look as though she wasn’t convinced. She gestured at a series of prints on the wall. “I meant to ask last time I was here. Are these all yours?”

“Yes.” Was he was relieved or disappointed she didn’t push the issue? “And the figurines beneath are based on them.”

She hovered her fingers over the models, not making contact. “Wow. You’re amazing. Like…”

“Professional quality?” he finished for her, smirking.

“But better. Who was on the phone?”

She hadn’t dropped it after all, and he
was
relieved. “Hammer & Nail Games, retracting their offer.” It hurt to say the words, but it was nice to be able to share.

“Because of the news?”

“Possibly. They wouldn’t say.” He crossed the room to stand next to her, following her gaze as she looked over the different pieces. To him, creating was his link to sanity. What did she see when she looked at the prints on the wall?

“Do you have to work for anyone specifically? Can’t you do this full time?”

He liked that her question echoed his earlier consideration. Too bad it wasn’t practical. “I wish I could. My work is specialized. I’m not sure I could keep the jobs flowing.”

“You’re one of the best, though.”

“No. I’m simply one of the best known.” That wasn’t self-doubt; it was honesty. He was brilliant at what he did, but that didn’t make him top tier. “There aren’t enough people out there, willing to pay what I’d charge. The artists who make money at this—a real income—are merchandising. They’ve got a recognizable and unique brand. They sell prints. Mugs. T-shirts. They have a tie-in that goes above and beyond
Jordan Iverson drew this.
”

“I suppose. So do that. Merchandise.”

If only. “That takes start-up capital. Help. I mean, some people do it on their own at first, but if I walk into it looking to make money, and not just have a hobby, I need to be prepared from the start.” As he explained the miserable reality, he wasn’t sure if it was for Liz’s benefit or his own. Whom was he trying to talk out of the idea?

Chloe forced one foot in front of the other, willing her body to keep moving rather than curl up in the hallway for a short nap. Despite the long day and the fact her legs felt like lead, she was doing well. Things fell together at work. A lot were still outstanding, but she’d signed off on projects, met deadlines, and checked as many things off her to-do as she added.

She settled the key in the deadbolt and turned, and was surprised when it didn’t offer any resistance. Why wasn’t the door locked? “I’m home,” she called in a sing-song voice as she entered and kicked off her shoes.

“In here.”

Chloe followed Jordan’s voice to the living room. When she saw him sitting next to Liz, heads bowed together as they flipped through his portfolio, her insides twisted. Was she pleased to see Liz here? Jealous? If it was the later, was it directed at Liz or Jordan?

Neither. She was tired. She let her smile and good mood flow back. “Hey, stranger. I didn’t realize we had company.”

“I didn’t exactly announce myself before I came over,” Liz said. “I wanted to see if you two needed any help dealing with the fallout from the latest.”

Chloe settled on the couch on Jordan’s other side and intertwined her fingers with his. She’d had her head down at work all day, which meant no time to check in online—or do much of anything, besides tell Jordan she’d be late. “The latest what?”

“It’s nothing.” The faint thread of tension running through Jordan’s words implied otherwise. Did Liz hear that?

“Someone leaked the names of four companies that made him offers, along with the positions he was up for.”

“That’s not
nothing
.” Chloe squeezed his hand.

Jordan kissed her on the forehead. “But there’s nothing to be done for it. Hammer & Nail retracted their offer a couple hours ago, and Synchronicity, Inc. right before you walked in.”

“But DM is still on the table.” Chloe had to stop herself from hissing when she said their name.

Liz stood. “I should go. Let you two deal with this.”

“Don’t run out on my account.” Chloe leaned more of her weight against Jordan.

“I thought you wanted to talk to both of us,” Jordan said.

Liz turned her attention to her feet as she shifted her weight from one to the other. A nauseating combination of smugness and guilt churned in Chloe’s gut. She was inches away from acting like a jealous brat, and she couldn’t stop herself. They’d moved past this, so why was she all but suctioning herself to Jordan? “Stay. Please.” She cringed at the sarcastic edge in her words. “I mean it. I’m glad you’re here.” That was better.

Liz met her gaze. “I really think my staying is a bad idea.”

“Because I’m home now?” Chloe bit the tip of her tongue.
Shit. Fuck. Damn. What the hell is wrong with me?

“
Because
the two of you are obviously having a moment. Did I do something to piss you off?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Chloe was committed to this now. If she couldn’t hide her feelings, she might as well plow through it, rather than let them devour her “I’m just thinking back to the other day at lunch, when you weren’t interested in our weekend plans unless Jordan was going to be there.”

“I—” Liz gave a bitter laugh. “That’s what you thought? I hesitated because one of you was going to be gone. It could have been you, and my answer would have been the same.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Liz shook her head. “I didn’t mean to be here alone with Jordan. I thought you’d both be home. This
whatever
it is we’re doing doesn’t have any rules. I don’t want to come between you. I’m looking for a balance and trying not to overstay my welcome.”

“We invite you to be here. There’s nothing to overstay.” Jordan’s reassurance echoed Chloe’s thoughts, and at the same time set her teeth on edge.

“You say that, but it’s not quite true. It can’t be. The two of you are a couple, and I make three. I’m trying to set my own boundaries, because I can’t figure out the rules with both of you. I’ve got a best friend. She’s as dear to me as anyone, and a single kiss nearly broke us. But with you, there’s kissing, touching, fucking, and then stone walls. I can’t do this anymore. After the mistakes I made with George, I need this—whatever it is—to be crystal clear.”

“What do you want it to be?” Jordan asked.

Chloe wasn’t ready for that answer. She wasn’t sure which would be worse. Liz saying
everything
or
nothing.

Liz clenched her jaw. “I have a question. That night we met, Chloe, why were you down there alone, looking miserable? Anyone can see the two of you are incredible together and that you really don’t go anywhere without each other. What was different that night?”

“Some things don’t show on the surface.” Jordan’s reply clenched like a fist around Chloe’s heart, squeezing until she thought she might collapse.

How badly had she fucked things up with him? Up to this point, she took for granted that he went along with most of her requests. She was unhappy, and he pushed until he found out why. She’d been selfish every step of the way.

“Let me lay out a hypothetical situation.” Liz held up her hand when Chloe tried to interrupt. “Let me finish. Say there’s this couple who’ve been together long enough they might as well have been high-school sweethearts. They have pretty charmed lives, all things considered. Each a Cinderella story in their own way. Except life is never
happily ever after
. She starts to wonder
is this all there is?
He realizes that’s a good question. What if there’s more than the two of them? Oh, she has an idea—they’ll experiment.”

Chloe cringed at how close to the truth Liz was.

“Experimenting was my idea.” Jordan’s tone was hard.

“Swell.” Liz didn’t look as though it mattered. “From there, it’s an easy jump to finding someone unsuspecting, not giving the new girl the whole story, and stringing her along until she becomes part of the problem.”

Chloe struggled to find her voice. “It’s not like that. Everyone says that, but I mean it.”

“Of course not. You’re both good people, from what I’ve seen. All three of us went into this thinking you’d never see me again. That’s fair. Somewhere along the way, things changed. Maybe I’m the only one feeling it. I don’t even know what
it
is, but it’s not
just walk away,
and that confuses the hell out of me
.
I don’t think anyone set out to hurt anyone else, but I can’t—” Liz dragged in a shaky breath. “What is this?”

Chloe closed the distance to stand in front of Liz. “Meeting you was both the best and worst timing ever”—Chloe wasn’t used to fumbling for words, but they felt stuttered and ungraceful as they spilled past her lips—“but everything we did, all that time spent together—it was all genuine. If we can’t define it yet, we’ll give it time.”

“Look, I want to see you two together. You’re amazing people, both apart and with each other. But I don’t know if my sanity can take much more
giving it time
. My love’s not for lease, and if I don’t put distance between us now, I’m going to cross some sort of point of no return, where you two still get each other, and I just shatter.” Liz stepped around her, strode toward the door, and was gone before Chloe could think of a response.

She looked up to find Jordan still on the couch, watching her. “She’s got a point.” He didn’t look angry or sympathetic or anything.

Pride surged forward, wanting Chloe to bite back, for being ganged up on. Instinct screamed she should defend herself. Except— “I know.”

“So what is it you want, Chloe? I’ll give you anything, but if you’re not interested in trying, I’m done.”

Words from her worst nightmares. She sank into the nearest chair and pulled her legs up under her. “I’m looking for something I can’t define, and I take it out on you and now Liz.”

“Is it her? Would you rather be chasing her down right now?”

“No.”
Unless I can have both.
She swept the selfish thought to the back of her mind. “I’ll call her and talk through boundaries, or something. This is about you and me. I haven’t been fair to you. You’ve been shit on pretty much non-stop for the last few weeks, and I’m giving you one more thing to worry about by pouting that I’m unhappy
because reasons
.”

“You can’t put that on hold because I’m having a bad day. But it’s not easy to deal with. I’m trying. I even swallowed my manliness and asked for advice, because I can’t figure out what you want.”

“Asked who?” Chloe didn’t want to know, but she couldn’t help the question.

“Liz.”

Of course he did. “So the flower the other morning? The coffee?”

“She told me I should try little things. Like what your characters do for each other.”

“But you do so much for me already.” She’d really fucked this up and still didn’t understand why. Two weeks ago, the answer was easy. They kept
talking
, and never
did.
They were defined by their public actions and expectations, instead of being true to themselves. The fling with Liz scratched an itch, but it still wasn’t enough, and Chloe couldn’t define why. She knew one thing though—she couldn’t lose Jordan.

“We do for each other. That’s who we are. Give and take and give some more.” He came to crouch in front of her, holding her gaze the entire time. “Do you want a ring? A house in Portland? A different person in our bed every weekend? The only thing I won’t do is keep playing these games. We say
we’re fine now
, when we’re not. We have these little conversations disguised as making things better, and I think I get what’s going on, but then the next day it all crumbles again.”

He was right. She swallowed past the ache inside. “What do you want?” It wasn’t a malicious question. She’d never really asked since they started falling apart.

“To create what I want, when I want.” He took her hand in his. “And you. But not like this. I get doubt, confusion, and uncertainty. I won’t let this deteriorate to where words don’t mean anything anymore. I won’t be the needle in a broken-record relationship, scratching and bouncing over the same skip repeatedly because there’s a rut we can’t get past. There are lesser things, of course, but those are the big ones.”

She didn’t know if she wanted to sob or hide. “What if I don’t have answers tonight?”

“Then say so. We’ll start there. I don’t expect to make things right in a single go, but we both have to be all in on this. You can’t just decide you know better and keep something from me.” He shifted his weight until he sat legs crossed, and tugged her hand.

She slid from her seat and into his lap, settling her head against his chest when he wrapped his arms around her. “What do we do about your job offers?” she asked.

“Don’t change the subject. That’s not fair.”

“I’m not. Well, I am, but it’s because I need to put my thoughts into words. I’m not brushing things off, but I have to make sense of what’s going on my head. You’re right. Everything you said, I agree with. I don’t need the ring—I thought I did, for a long time, but I was looking for a symbol, when our relationship is full of them. I don’t need a new house or to fuck half the city. I need a little more time, and maybe a sounding board.”

He kissed her forehead. “I’ll concede to that.”

“So while that rattles in my skull, is DM the only company left on the table?”

“DM and GlobTech, at last count. They may both be gone by morning.”

She raised her head and kissed him softly. He pressed back, and relief snapped inside. She rested a palm on his face, memorizing the rough texture of stubble against her palm. Feasting on the familiar, comforting scent of his cologne. When they broke apart, it felt as if the two-ton weight that had taken up residency in her chest over the past few weeks evaporated and floated away. “Do you really want to go back to DM?”

“It’s the ultimate
fuck you
to Rinslet.” He winked.

“It’s the ultimate
fuck you
to someone who said they want the freedom to create. If GlobTech pulls out, we’ll find a different solution. Next round of contacts. Something.”

He traced circles on her arm with his thumb. “We get pretty creative when we work together.”

“Tentacles and nuns?”

“School uniforms and furries.”

“Are the furries wearing the school uniforms?” Chloe asked.

“Absolutely. White cotton panties, knee-high socks, plaid skirts.”

Her smile felt better than it had in a while. “That’s all been done before.”

“But we’ll do it better.”

She settled more of her weight against him. A tiny pit still nagged her, but she had thinking to do. That would clear up as they worked things out.

“This conversation doesn’t end with tonight.” He glided his palm down her arm and dropped it to her waist, before pushing up the hem of her shirt enough to caress bare skin.

She arched her back and groaned when he sought out her breast and kneaded. “I agree. Ongoing conversation, and all that.” She twisted in his lap and felt him harden beneath her. Inspiration struck, and she stood, pulling him to his feet at the same time. At the question in his eyes, she cupped him through his jeans, tracing his hard length. “I’m all in.” She stroked his cock through denim, and he parted his lips and closed his eyes. “I don’t think I was before.” She turned them both, so his back was to the chair, and undid his pants. “But I am now. I promise.”