My throat bobbed as I pulled away from Spade, needing to look at Kellan and make sure he was okay. I was so drawn in by Spade and the feel of his lips on mine, I hadn’t even considered how Kellan would feel. But as I turned to him there wasn’t a look of dismay creasing his face, no there was a smile, bright and beaming, just happy to see me happy.
“I’ll get a beer, and she’ll get a sex on the beach,” Kellan drawled, but he didn’t look at Eve, his eyes glued to me as he gave the same order he gave on my eighteenth birthday. I hadn’t dared have one since then, knowing the memories that would accompany it.
“You know just what I like,” I purred, reaching out for him. He took my hand without hesitation, his fingers twining with mine perfectly, like that was where they were always meant to be.
“Okay then,” Eve murmured, glasses clinking as she went to go make the drinks.
“What about me?” Spade asked, his hand reluctantly slipping from my shoulders as he went around the bar to tell Eve his order.
Kellan chuckled and shook his head as his friend traipsed off, taking the opportunity to wrap his arm around me and pull me into his side again.
“If this is weird—”
“No,” he cut me off. “I’m just happy that you’re happy, I know there’s a lot we still need to go through and discuss, but seeing that smile on your face brings me more joy than you know.”
I sighed a breath of relief, not even sure how I was about to continue. I already told myself I wouldn’t give any of them up for as long as they wanted to be with me, but I could hold off on the PDA … maybe.
“Here you are, one beer and one sex on the beach,” Eve announced, winking at me and sliding the drinks over to us. Kellan placed a bill on the bar as Spade trudged back over to us, apparently having been told to wait for his drink.
“And a whiskey for the psycho.” She grinned, sliding a glass of amber liquid over to him.
“Some people wouldn’t call someone they consider a psycho that to their face,” Spade said with lethal calm. “Some might be worried they’ll get stabbed.”
Eve’s face blanched, her throat bobbing as she looked back at him nervously.
“She doesn’t need to though, does she?” I asked, giving him a pointed look. I knew he wouldn’t do anything, but after how Eve was ready to put her job at jeopardy to make sure I was safe, I already knew I wanted to be her friend.
“No,” he grumbled, and placed a kiss on the top of my head. “You’re lucky I like you; you’re ruining my reputation.”
“You’re lucky I like you,” I quipped back as Merrick strode back from the backroom and poured himself a beer.
“Don’t I know it, sugar.” Spade chuckled, giving me a sly smirk.
“What did I miss?” Merrick asked, his lips pursed as he looked between us and Eve.
“I honestly couldn’t even tell you,” Eve huffed on an amused breath. Giving me a parting smile, she moved to the other side of the bar to give us some privacy.
“What she said,” Kellan added and guided me over to a booth by the front door.
Merrick and Spade followed after us, the latter grasping my other hand and attempting to tug me away from Kellan.
“Nope, she’s sitting with me. You two assholes took up enough of her time tonight,” Kellan said, cutting off whatever Spade was about to say and pulled me onto his lap. “As long as that’s okay with you, little devil.”
“It’s perfect,” I breathed, my lips closing on his in a tender caress.
“Fine,” Spade groaned, but slipped into the booth on Kellan’s other side and drew my legs over his lap.
Merrick grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, and took the seat opposite us, pulling my hand across the table to twine with his. I sighed in contentment and relaxed against Kellan’s chest, enjoying the feel of all three of them touching me in some way. It was just like how it had always been, except it was more, with Spade now added in the mix.
It felt like he’d always been there, I noticed as they shifted into easy conversation, their friendship having deepened over the years. It was almost as if they knew we were all supposed to be tied together in some way and they drifted together, just waiting for the fates to align and bring us all together.
Alineformedatthe bar, patrons crowding around the counter as they waited for Eve to grab their drinks. Merrick strode back over with our drinks in hand, well everyone except for Kellan who had decided to be our designated driver for the night and was still sipping on the first one.
“So are you hiring?” I asked Merrick as he sat down across from me where I was still perched on Kellan’s lap.
Merrick chuckled in response, sliding our drinks over to us. His fingers found mine, immediately slipping back through them, fitting perfectly like they were just meant to belong together.
“I’m not joking,” I said evenly before taking a sip of the fruity drink. “These are seriously like juice; I’ll have to learn how to make them like Eve if I’m going to work here.”