all three of them. Erik didn’t think Lindsay would ever do something so selfish, but that didn’t mean her presence couldn’t cause major problems.
“Okay, good,” Connor said. “We’ve never actually talked about where our relationship is going, but I guess I always assumed we’d stay together. I like what we have and I don’t want to lose you.”
“And what about Erik?”
“Come on. We both know that Erik will probably wind up married with kids. If that relationship includes us, that’s great, but who knows?”
Erik’s gut clenched as shock quivered through him. He knew Connor and Travis had had a relationship long before they met him, but he hadn’t realized they considered him a dispensable part of the trio.
* * *
Lindsay sat at the bar in the casino, feeling a little out of place, especially dressed in her boxy gray business suit and white blouse, with her hair pinned up. Glasses were the finishing touch to the dowdy librarian look. Around her, colored lights flashed and people milled around the gambling tables.
The bartender placed a tall drink in front of her. “From that gentleman.” He took away her empty glass.
Lindsay glanced at Travis who sat down on the stool next to her, a short, wide glass in his hand. This was the start of their role-playing. She was supposed to wait until one of the guys showed up, then tell him her unhappy story.
Wow, Travis looked exceptionally gorgeous in his tailored suit, which set off his broad shoulders. Usually, his long, dark hair softened his square jawline, but he’d tied it back, so his face looked even more masculine—and devastatingly handsome—than usual.
“You look troubled,” Travis said.
She glanced at the drink and took a sip. “I don’t usually talk to strangers about my problems.”
“Yes, but I’m so charming, how can you resist?” His broad, white smile and the glitter in his eyes did make him difficult to resist.
He leaned in close. “Look, I know we’re supposed to act out the part where you tell me your partner ran off with all the money from your bookstore and now you’re broke, then I’ll invite you to a big-deal poker game where we’ll offer you credit and you can win back your money. If you want to go through all that, I will, but instead, we could just enjoy each other’s company for a few minutes.”
She smiled. “Sure. I don’t need to act it out. As long as we play the part when we head to the poker game.”
“Sure thing.”
He slid his arm around her and drew her against his body. “Right now, I just want to be close to you for a few minutes, where I don’t have to share you with anyone.”
The warmth of his hard, masculine body so close to hers sent her hormones dancing. She’d started off this weekend on a date with Erik, and she’d hoped that their relationship could continue, but being with his two friends definitely complicated things. Especially with Travis, since they seemed to have connected on some deeper level.
“But I thought sharing was what this weekend was all about,” she murmured as he nuzzled her neck. Tingles danced along her spine as his lips brushed her skin lightly.
“It’s also about the sex,” he murmured in her ear, “but we don’t have to be doing it the whole time.”
He cupped her cheek, and tilted her face up, then brushed his lips over hers. His tongue glided along her lips, then pressed inside. She returned his kiss, her tongue swirling against his. Her heart rate increased and she longed for him to pull her into a tighter embrace. To feel his body the length of hers.
He released her with a smile. “It’s time to go to our private game.”
She gazed at him in a daze, wondering if he’d gotten a room for the two of them or something, then realized he meant the poker game. With Erik and Connor.
“Okay.” She took a sip of her drink, then he offered his elbow and she hooked her arm around it.
* * *
Lindsay followed Travis across the
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