Risk Is a Four-Letter Word (12 page)

"How does that even work?" Olivia
asked, cocking her head as if trying to visualize things.

Carrie blushed. "That's not the important
part."

"Oh, yes it is. I want details."

"Olivia! It wasn't hard," Carrie
said, getting irritated. Olivia broke down in hysterical laughter as Carrie
rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I need your help." Olivia eventually
pulled herself together and Carrie explained about Eric and Zeke's families.
How awkward she'd felt that morning.

"I really like them, but they already have
so much to deal with. Eric's mom was really, really angry. I could see it. It
hurt him, a lot."

Olivia licked her ice cream cone thoughtfully.
"So you just left? I thought you were supposed to go on a date with them
the night after?"

"I took my number back. They don't know
where I live exactly. We were supposed to meet at their place, but I called and
left a message saying I couldn't make it. And I know Zeke saw me take the card.
He knew I didn't want them to try and find me. So they didn't," Carrie
explained. She felt horrible about the whole thing.

"So, let me get this straight. Two hot
guys save your life. You sleep with them. Along comes their moms and you skip
out because you're a total loser even though fate dumped you in their laps how
many times?
Three?
Four?
Have
I got it right?"

"You're not helping." Carrie rubbed
her face. "That morning was weird. I mean, why do they even want to date
me anyway? They've got each other."

Olivia sighed. "I don't know. Did you ever
think of calling one of them? Asking? And why can't you just pick one? Does it
have to be both at the same time?"

Carrie shook her head. "You didn't see
them together. They're like a matched set. I can't even imagine one without the
other."

"You know, explaining that to Mom might be
a little tricky."

Carrie pounced.
"Exactly!
They couldn't even explain it to their families when it was just the two of
them. Being gay is no big deal for you or
me,
but go
one generation back and people get really uptight. How would we explain a
threesome?" She took a deep breath, trying to keep from crying.
"Impossible."

Olivia bit her lip, then reached over and
grasped Carrie's hand. "Whoa. You don't even know them that well."

"I do, though. I don't know how to explain
it. We met all those times just by chance. I know that they take care of each
other and own a business together. They make gorgeous furniture and art. I know
that they're polite and gallant.
And reliable.
I know
that they love their families. And they can cook." Carrie swallowed and
looked at her sister, willing her to understand. "How much more do I need
to know?"

"I guess you're right. It's just..."
Olivia broke off, but Carrie knew what she was thinking.

"Yeah, I know. Falling in love with two
guys at once isn't exactly the smart thing to do."

"Are you in love with them? Or is it just
lust?"

Carrie looked down and away. Her sister could
always read her mind. "Sure, I fell in lust with them almost immediately.
They're gorgeous. But after all the other times we crashed into each other, I
grew attracted to the inside, too. You should have seen how good Zeke was when
Eric cut himself. How gentle they were with me when I banged on their door at 2
a.m."

Olivia wiped her lips with a napkin and sat
back. "Okay, so why did you run out of there like that then? It's not like
snatching the card will keep them from finding out where you live. They know
you're an interior designer and they know your last name. They can look you
up."

Carrie fell silent for a moment. Did she really
want to explain why she ran? They'd always been able to tell each other
anything, but Carrie was embarrassed. She'd acted like a bitch.
Dammit
. She took
a deep breath and spilled. "I was scared. They're so amazing and I just
felt overwhelmed. And then Eric's mom was horrible and Zeke's sister started
picking at him and I panicked."

Olivia chewed on her lip. Carrie knew her
sister was thinking and forced herself to wait.

"You could call them," Olivia finally
said. "If they're as nice as you say they are, I'm sure they'd
understand."

Carrie felt the panic start to claw at her
again. "No! No, I don't want to do that. They probably hate me anyway. I
ran out on them, after they saved me. No."

Olivia sighed. "Okay. You don't have to
make any decisions today. Just think about it." Olivia poked at the hand
Carrie had fisted around a napkin. "I don't think I've ever seen you this
torn up about a man before. Clearly these two mean something. You should just
take your time with it."

"There's still the threesome thing."

"Well, if what you feel is real, isn't it
worth it?" Olivia's face tightened. "I fell in love with Rob knowing
his job would take him overseas a lot, but he was worth the risk. Your risks
with these two men are different, but when someone special falls into your
life, you've
gotta
grab on with both hands."

--------------------------------

Ironically, Zeke and Eric showed up just as she
stopped in front of the contraceptives.

"Thinking of us?" Zeke said in her
ear.

Carrie jumped.
Holy shit he's like a ninja
. She glanced at the condoms on display.
The universe was definitely trying to tell her something.

"Zeke."
Carrie forced herself to turn around, a pool of shame burning in
her gut. She was such a loser. Why didn't she call them? If she had, she
wouldn't be stuck in this awkward situation. "Um, I didn't see you. Or
hear you." Eric was right behind Zeke.
"Eric, hi."
Her voice squeaked embarrassingly high.

Oh my
God, I am so lame
. She remembered what her sister
said.
You
gotta
grab on with both hands.
"I'm so sorry I didn't call." She squared her shoulders. "I got
a bit freaked out." Zeke wasn't smiling, but he didn't seem angry. Eric
still looked a little hurt.

"Yeah, that morning was kind of rough."
Zeke ran a hand through his hair.

Carrie didn't know what to say. She looked
around. An old lady stared at them from the toothpaste section. This wasn't the
right place to talk, anyway. Carrie stepped back intending to shove her cart to
the side. Instead she crashed into a bunch of boxes, obliterating the display.
Crap
. She looked down. Five cartons of
Extra Large Ribbed
For
Her Pleasure were strewn all
over the floor. "I am such an idiot," she muttered, crouching down.

Unfortunately, Eric squatted at the same time
and their heads smacked together. Carrie lost her balance and landed on her
ass. Her hand came down on one of the boxes, crushing it. She felt little
ringed packets under her palm and snatched it away, flushing. She banged into
Eric again. "
Ow
, shit. I'm so sorry." She
rubbed her forehead. When she looked up, Eric sat across the aisle from her,
laughing. Her pussy gave an interested throb as the memory of the night she'd
spent with Eric and Zeke flashed through her mind.
God
.
"What's so funny?"
Carrie was mortified.

"Do you realize that we've run into each
other seven times now? And this time we somehow ended up right in the middle of
a pile of condoms?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Someone's trying
to tell us something. It's karma."

"That's what my sister said," Carrie
muttered as Zeke's hand dipped in front of her nose. She grabbed it and let him
pull her to her feet. "Thanks."

"What about me?" Eric joked. Zeke
rolled his eyes and helped him up, too.

Carrie picked up the boxes and set them back on
their hooks. What was she going to say? How to explain? She eyed Eric as he
stood near her cart, watching her. She remembered how kind he was. How his
sense of humor never let Zeke's tendency toward seriousness slip into
depression. Zeke stood next to Eric, his hand on Eric's waist. Clearly they
were comfortable with each other, even in public. She thought about Zeke's
calm, how every once in a while his mischievous side came out. Did she really
want to give all that up?
No
, she
thought. She didn't. She really, really didn't.

"This isn't the best place to talk,"
she said, biting her lip. She felt terrible. "But I really want you to
know that I'm sorry. I screwed up. I shouldn't have run like that."

Zeke looked at her speculatively. "I know
that morning would've sent anyone running. Hell,
I
wanted to run and I
live
there. If you're willing to give us a second chance, would you like to go to
lunch with us?"

Carrie bit her lip then nodded. She could
explain better and hopefully they would forgive her. She eyed the crushed
condom package in her hand. It stared up at her accusingly and she felt even
guiltier. She'd smashed the memory of an amazing night with her cowardice.

"Screw that," Eric said sharply.
"I don't want to eat lunch."

Carrie's stomach twisted and her eyes darted to
Eric's face. He was no longer smiling. In fact, he looked downright forbidding.
Her fingers
smooshed
the last abused condom box even
more.
What happened
? He'd just been
laughing.
Teasing her.
Why was he suddenly angry?
She'd really hoped he would at least let her apologize. He took one step toward
her, then another before abruptly grabbing her hips and jerking her against his
hard body. Carrie gasped as his erection pressed into her abdomen.
What the hell?
What was he doing? Before
she could take another breath, he kissed her.
In the middle
of the store.
Next to the condoms.
Holy shit
.
The old
lady down the aisle was certainly getting an eyeful along with her denture
cream.

Carrie's head fell back under the onslaught of
his mouth. What else could she do? As soon as he touched her, heat sparked up
her spine. She felt dizzy.
Overwhelmed.
Too much emotional whipsawing in the past
few minutes
, she thought dimly. Eric licked inside her mouth then bit her
lip, growling. Carrie sucked in some desperately needed air as Eric kissed her
again. A stab of lust pierced her core and moisture gathered in her pussy,
wetting her panties. Her bra itched. She couldn't stand up by herself anymore.
When Eric nibbled down the side of her neck, she whimpered.

"Eric, not here," Zeke hissed. Carrie
felt someone tugging at her arm and eventually realized it was Zeke trying to
get Eric to stop. He failed. Eric swung her around and pinned her against the
intimate products display, right next to Zeke. Bottles of lube went flying. Her
head spun. She watched Zeke watching them. He was hard. Carrie clearly saw the
outline of his cock against his black jeans. She wanted to touch, but Eric
kissed her again, hitching her up on his thigh. Zeke grabbed Eric's arm, but he
still couldn't do a damn thing to stop what was happening. Carrie wasn't sure
she wanted it to stop.

"Eric. Eric, the manager is coming."
Zeke
said,
his voice low and strained. Eric slowly
eased Carrie down his leg. She shuddered as the seam of her jeans scraped
against her clit. She swallowed, trying to straighten her top. How the hell had
she let this happen? She tried to shove her libido back into its neat little
box, but it kept spilling out, like boobs stuffed into a too-small bra. Carrie
bit her lip, hard, hoping the pain would help. She ended up leaning against
Zeke so she wouldn't fall down.

"Yeah, okay, we need to get the hell out
of here," Eric said, adjusting his erection. Carrie eyed his groin.
Whatever he thought he was doing didn't help. His cock stood out in full
display against the soft fabric of his worn jeans.

Carrie forced her eyes away and grabbed her
cart. Should she even bother with it? She only had a pack of crackers and some
oranges in it. And the crushed box of condoms. "Fuck it," she
muttered. She didn't need food that bad. She'd order pizza for dinner. She met
Zeke's eyes boldly. "Come on." She grabbed Eric's hand and dragged
him to the door, ignoring the indignant look of the middle-aged manager as they
passed him. She didn't really care.
It's
too busy here
, she thought, heading for the doors. Once they were outside,
she pulled Eric over to her car and pushed him up against it. "This is
all your
fault," she said then kissed him.

He groaned and let her ravage his mouth.

"Guys, Jesus," Zeke said. Carrie tore
herself away and attacked Zeke, swinging him up against Eric. His muffled
protest faded as soon as she got her hands on his ass, so delectable beneath
his leather jacket. She kissed him until he gave in, leaning against Eric and
sliding his hands into her hair. She rubbed against his hard-on, wishing they
were somewhere private. She wrenched away, panting.

"Okay, at this rate I'm going to come in
my fucking pants," Eric said. He pulled out his keys and shoved at Zeke.
"Get in the truck." Zeke blinked then obeyed.