Everything Nice (6 page)

He also couldn’t fight back the feeling that if they made it through safely and with their hearts intact, it would be a miracle.

Chapter Six

Charlie glanced out the front window of his
house,
certain he’d heard a car on the drive. It had been one week to the day since they’d embarked on this odd love affair and he still found himself struggling with the idea of it despite the fact the sex was hotter than hell.

Allie had spent last weekend with them before returning to her townhouse on Sunday. Since then the three of them had gone out for several dinners, getting reacquainted and catching up on the past six years. He had to admit Allie had done some incredible things and seen some amazing places. Hell, half the time he found himself jealous of her experiences. Her face lit up when she talked about the years she’d spent away and Charlie could see how much she’d grown up, changed.

Typically after dinner they ended up at one of their houses for some of the hottest, wildest sex he’d ever experienced. Unfortunately Allie hadn’t spent an entire night with them since the weekend and Charlie was anxious to change that. He liked the idea of waking up in the morning with her in his arms.

Last night, after they’d dropped her off at her townhouse, she’d promised to come today at five for dinner at his place. It was now seven thirty and the idea of her walking away, hitting the road and disappearing from their lives again kept playing over and over in his head. He cursed himself for acting like a damn fool. He never behaved this way, never worried about what a woman was or wasn’t doing.

Ever since last weekend, he’d felt like a fool, like a teenage boy with his first girlfriend…and boyfriend.

Fuck.

The idea that he was embarking on a new relationship with not just Allie, but
Alex
as well, was seriously working on his nerves. They’d spent the entire weekend and a good part of this week together in bed, making love, touching, talking, teasing, and everything had felt fresh and new and perfect.

Fuck.

The word
perfect
seemed to hover in his mind constantly. How could something so innately wrong feel so completely right? The image of Alex kissing Allie, pushing into her with his thick cock and loving her with such tenderness was emblazoned on his brain.

He’d been completely useless at work this week as he constantly felt his thoughts drifting back to their shared time together. Mercifully, Brooks and Travers had both called in sick most of the week.
Yeah right
.
Obviously they hadn’t managed to free themselves from the love trap Ginny had set for Travers. For once though, Charlie had been thankful for their absence. He wasn’t looking forward to facing Ginny when word of what the two of them had been doing with her sister reached her. Christ, she’d kill them.

Charlie glanced back toward the window, his thoughts of the three of them in bed playing through his mind again. The memories haunted him and left him rock-hard as he found himself mesmerized by the images of Alex as much as Allie. What the hell did that mean?

“You know, a watched pot never boils,”
came
a voice from the doorway dividing his side of the house from Alex’s.

“Thanks, Grandma. Any other stupid expressions you
wanna
lay on me?”

Alex laughed. “How about patience is a virtue? She’s running a little late, Charlie. No big deal. Apparently, time has not made your heart grow fonder because if it had, you would remember that Allie is one of those people who always
plans
to be somewhere on time but never is. Twenty bucks says she walks in here with some epic tale about why she’s so late.”

“You’re on,” Charlie said, praying he’d have to fork over the money. He just couldn’t shake the idea that they’d come on too strong and Allie had split to escape them.

Tires on the driveway put him out of his misery. “Ah,” Alex said as the headlights of Allie’s car flashed through the window.
“Right on time.”

Three minutes later, Allie crashed through the front door of Charlie’s side of the house, her arms laden with packages and catalogs and a large duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

“Oh my God,” Allie said breathlessly. “You would
not
believe the day I’ve had.”

Alex flashed a grin over his shoulder at him and Charlie struggled not to roll his eyes. The moment the words left her mouth, the past came crashing around him and he suddenly recalled Allie saying those exact same words about a thousand times in their youth. He grinned and fought hard against the laughter bubbling in his chest. He didn’t want Allie to think he was laughing at her as she began to recite a tale of woe longer and more action-packed then Homer’s
Odyssey
. As she continued to talk, he reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. Taking out a crisp new twenty, he handed it to Alex.

“What was that for?” Allie asked, taking a break in her story.

“Just remembered I owed Alex some money,” he answered vaguely. “Go on with your story. What happened after the plumber left?”

Allie started talking again and Charlie could see Alex was enjoying the sweet sound of her voice as much as he was. The woman knew how to tell a damn funny story, relying heavily on hyperbole to really pack a punch.

“So it’s official,” she said. “I’m a student again.”

“Interior decorating, huh?”
Alex mused, and Charlie was grateful his friend had been paying attention. He’d been so distracted by her pink lip gloss and wondering how it would taste, he’d obviously missed a few details in her list of the day’s events.

“I figured why not?” Allie replied. “I mean, Jim left me a hell of a lot of money, but I’m only twenty-eight years old. I don’t
wanna
spend my days prancing around like Paris fucking Hilton. I’d be bored after ten minutes. So I’m going to take a few classes and try to get a job doing something I enjoy.”

“You’d be good at interior design,” Charlie added, looking around his living room. During the course of the week, she’d moved all the furniture and hung up a few pictures. He couldn’t believe the difference it made. “I’m glad you had a productive day, Allie, but I think maybe we should have a little discussion about cell phones and what they’re used for.”

“Cell phones?” she asked.

“You’re two and half hours late. Did it never occur to you to flip open your cell and give us a call?” He was too relieved by her arrival to really be angry and he wondered for a moment how long it would take him to get over the constant fear that she could leave at any minute.

“Oh well, yeah, I did think about it, but I forgot to charge the battery. I mean, between trying to register for classes and with the lack of water at the townhouse, I just didn’t think about it.”

“No worries, hellion,” Alex said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and placing his chin on her shoulder. Charlie sucked in a breath, awestruck by how good they looked together, how right. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters. I hope the size of that duffel means you packed enough stuff to stay awhile.
More than just tonight, maybe?”

“I can’t exactly stay in a townhouse with no water. I was sort of hoping I could shack up here with you guys ’til it’s fixed. If that’s a problem, I’m sure Ginny would let me—”

“You’re staying here,” Charlie interrupted, picking up her duffel bag and leading the way back to his bedroom. “Indefinitely,” he added gruffly, annoyed that she thought she even had to ask and definitely not caring if the plumber ever got the water running.

Allie giggled. “Oh my, someone sounds grumpy.”

“Charlie’s not exactly the most patient man. He was worried about you, hellion.”

“I wasn’t worried. I was merely concerned.”

Allie and Alex laughed at his comment and he couldn’t help but join in.

“If you two are finished having fun at my expense, I’ve got dinner ready to go. We’ll be lucky if the lasagna isn’t dry as hell at this point.”

* * * * *

After dinner, they watched a movie on the big-screen television in Alex’s living room. Charlie grinned, looking down at his friends sprawled out on the oversized sectional couch. Allie’s head was resting on his lap while his feet were propped up on a soft ottoman. Alex was stretched out on one elbow and spooning Allie from behind, his head just barely grazing Charlie’s shoulder.

“You sure do know how to live in comfort,” Allie teased, and Charlie was surprised to find her thoughts mirroring his so closely.
“Amazing shower, super-sized TV and bed, the softest couch on the planet.”

“What can I say? I’ve been a bachelor for too long.
Too much money and not enough practical stuff to spend it on.
Besides, I like to be comfortable,” Alex replied.

Allie giggled. “And what do you consider practical stuff, if not furniture?”

“I should be spending all my money on spoiling a wife.”

Charlie glanced over at his friend to see if he was joking. Never in all their years of friendship had Alex ever mentioned marriage. Allie seemed discomfited by his comment as well and Charlie wondered where she thought this cozy little triangle of theirs was headed.

She surprised him by responding matter-of-factly. “I’ve never really pictured myself getting married.”

“What?” Alex asked. “You
gotta
be kidding me. You’d be an amazing wife.”

Allie laughed at his words. “Oh my God, shut up, Alex. I would suck at it and you know it. I mean look at me, I can’t even date normally.”

Charlie’s blood chilled at her words. “Allie, if this is bothering you… If you’re uncomfortable with the three of us—”

“Oh no, Charlie.”
She sat up quickly and placed a finger against his lips. “That’s the problem. I love being here with the two of you. I think maybe I love it a little bit too much.”

“What’s the problem with that?” Alex asked.

“I don’t see myself ever wanting this to end.”

Charlie
sighed
a breath of relief before realizing her words shouldn’t be so comforting to him.

“Jesus, you and Charlie sure are birds of a feather,” Alex said, pulling Allie back down in front of him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Allie asked.

“Again with the granny lines,” Charlie said at the same time.

“It means you’re both so worried about what you think can’t be that you’re losing sight of what
could
be.”

Alex’s words resonated deep within Charlie and he could feel the truth behind them. Allie’s hand tightened on his knee and Charlie placed his hand atop hers.

She looked toward the television, but when she spoke, Charlie knew her thoughts weren’t on the movie. “I can see us lying here like this twenty years from now,” she confessed.

Charlie saw Alex grin at her admission. “So can
I
,” his friend added.

Leaning back and gazing unseeingly at the TV, Charlie felt their words in his heart. “So can
I
,” he whispered.

Allie sat up again and turned to face them before leaning down and placing a long, hot kiss on Alex’s lips. Charlie reached over and ran his fingers through her hair, entranced by the depths of her passion. She released Alex and turned toward him, giving him the same enthusiastic embrace. Charlie felt Alex move closer—and he was overcome by the feeling that he wanted to kiss both of them.

The impact of his thoughts jarred him. Allie, perhaps sensing his confusion, pulled back to look at him.

“Kiss him,” she whispered almost soundlessly.

Charlie remained motionless. How could she have known? He turned his head, surprised by the look of unbridled yearning in Alex’s eyes.

But rather than looking at Allie, his friend was looking at him.

Shoving his rampant thoughts aside, Charlie decided to move on instinct and leaned in. Alex shadowed his move and before he knew what was happening, they were kissing.

Charlie had never imagined what it would be like to kiss another man. Shit, the idea would have seemed completely foreign to him before this past oh-too-wild week. Suddenly all the walls that had been constructed around his limited view of the world began to crumble as he felt Alex’s hand in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss, holding him captive to the feeling of his lips and tongue and teeth.

Allie’s soft breath touched his cheek only second before her lips, and Charlie turned toward her, taking her mouth again. The three of them nestled together, taking turns kissing, and time seemed to have stopped completely as they were enveloped by the perfect unity of the moment.

“Bedroom,” Charlie muttered when he felt as if he’d explode from the sensations and need.

“Yes,” Alex hissed, and the three of them stumbled down the hall together, touching, kissing,
undressing
each other, afraid to break the connection of their lips and bodies.

They were all naked by the time they hit the bedroom and Allie hopped onto the bed, beckoning them with her finger and a seductive smile.

Alex grinned and crawled up beside her but Charlie hung back for a moment, trying to halt the uncultivated emotions crashing down on him.

“Uh-oh,” Allie said between giggles as Alex tickled her bare midriff. “Charlie’s thinking again.”

He shook his head at her teasing words and shook off the heavy weight that threatened to crush him. For tonight, for this moment, he’d take a page from their book and live in the now. There would be plenty of time later to consider the repercussions. Right now he wanted to be with them.

Joining them on the bed, he pulled Allie toward him, taking her lips in a hard kiss. He mentally chastised himself for his roughness and pulled back a bit. He felt as if he had to constantly be on guard with her. She was so much smaller than him, so delicate. He’d rather cut off his arm than hurt her, but he couldn’t resist the need driving him to take her hard and fast.

“Easy,” he heard Alex mutter when his hands started laying claim to Allie’s gorgeous, soft curves. Charlie couldn’t seem to touch her fast enough, cover sufficient ground quickly enough. There was a raging inferno building inside him, scorching everything in its path.

“We have all night,” Alex said, wrapping his hand around one of Charlie’s wrists.