“Can we leave a little early and pick up CJ? His car is in the shop,” he says. I place the dish detergent pod in its place and close the door, locking it. I press the button to start it and turn to him.
“Sure. Let’s leave like 15 minutes earlier then,” I say leaning my elbows on the counter looking over at him.
“Cool. Thanks, Aunt Lexi,” he says. “I’m going to bed. Night,” he yells over his shoulder as he leaves the kitchen. A few minutes later we hear the door close.
Pop
I look over and see Shayna pouring our glasses of wine. She looks up at me through her lashes. She’s a stunningly beautiful woman. Her bronze skin glows against her playful eyes. As she pours the next glass, she holds the other one out to me. I chuckle softly and walk over taking it from her.
After putting the bottle away, I follow her to the living room. It's a soft glow from the candles she lit earlier along with the little side table light. I sit on the couch smoothly stretching my legs out in front of me, as I usually do. I take a sip of the wine and casually lay my other arm across the back of the couch. The kids are asleep and it’s our time to wind down a bit.
Lately this has been the time for Shayna to vent about work or we talk about what plans to make for the weekend for whenCamden comes home. Shayna sits next to me tucking her legs under her, but this time she’s sitting really close to me. So close, her knee is pressed against my thigh. I’m used to sitting close to her, but after that close encounter in the kitchen, I’m worried about what I might do. I don’t want to fuck up things between us or cause a rift between Cam and me.
She sits the bottom of her glass on her thigh and looks at me. I casually push her hair off her shoulder with the hand draped over the back of the couch. Her cheeks flush slightly, and a shiver runs over her body. Making goose bumps raise on her legs. Internally I smile knowing I did that. Now I can tell she wants to say something, and I’m both curious and concerned. My eyes narrow at her hesitancy.
“Have I ever told you about Alyssa?” she quietly says, looking at me.
I cock my head slightly to the side and shake it a little. Shay takes a deep breath looking down at her lap and releases it in a huff.
“A-Alyssa was my girlfriend,” she says and my brows raise in surprise. Not that she dated a girl, because I know she’s bisexual, but that she’s bringing this up now. But before I can say anything she continues. “And Cam’s.”
My mouth pops open slightly. Now this is a little revelation. After all these years you would think she would have told me this. I stare at her while her eyes finally lift to mine gauging my reaction. After taking that in and letting my imagination run crazy for a moment, my brows then furrow in slight confusion. She waits for me to let that sink in.
“Wait… you mean–” I say, still processing that information. I lean forward and sit my glass on the coffee table. When I lean back again, my body turns facing hers even more now. “...you mean at the same time?” I ask and she nods slowly. The hand that had been holding the glass rubs down my face, trying to takethis in. I look back at her and her eyes are flitting between mine. The silence grows even more.
“Say something, Lex,” she breathes and I can hear her nervousness.
“I’m… confused. So you and Cam dated the same girl. At the same time?” I ask, trying to piece this together. My brain knows how this works but I’m still trying to understand why she never told me this important piece of their lives. She nods her head. I can see the turmoil processing behind her eyes. She’s scared I’m going to judge her. That I will now pull away. But she doesn’t realize that I’m actually intrigued.
Now my brain is wondering how that could work with us. Could it work with us? I have very strong feelings for Shayna and the longer I’m here living in this house with them, I know that I’m also growing closer to Camden. But who wouldn’t? The man is sex on a stick.
“For how long?” I ask needing more information.
“About six months. It was before I met you,” she rushes the last part out trying to explain why she never told me. I just look at her hoping she will go on. When she looks down at her lap, I realize she’s not.
“What happened?”
“I really cared about her, and so did Cam,” she starts. A feeling of jealousy starts to rise inside of me. I shouldn’t feel like that. Lexi and I are only friends, but why this girl? Why not me? “She stayed with us when we lived in Jacksonville, but she had a hard time dealing with both Cam and I. It came easily with me and her. But she seemed to be forcing it with Cam. He could tell and he started to pull away, but not just from her. From me as well. At the end, things became very tense in the house.”
I sit and listen patiently. The green eyed monster is growing more and more in my gut. The controversy inside of me, feels like I’m tearing in half. Anger and jealousy because she hadthe opportunity I never had and then hope and excitement, wondering does this mean I have a chance here.
“Then?” I push wanting to know more, but the uproar inside of me won’t allow me to speak more than a few words at a time. I’m very conscious that the more I listen to her story the more I’m leaning towards her giving her my full attention. We both seem to be gravitating to one another.
“Well, one day Cam and I came home from work and she was gone. All of her stuff was gone. No note. No call. Nothing,” she says on a breath. She takes a big gulp of her wine, finishing it. She licks her lips and I watch the slow, seductive trail it makes. She leans forward placing her glass next to mine. But when she sits back tucking her legs again, she’s moved even closer. Close enough that her knee isn’t just touching my thigh, it’s resting on it slightly.
I wonder if it’s by accident or is she purposely moving closer to me. The one thing I notice is the heat from her body is radiating over me and she smells delectable. Her strawberry shampoo and body wash is wafting over to me. I have always loved the way she smells. But the opposing feelings inside get the best of me.
“Why are you telling me this, Shayna? Why now?” I practically growl. At the deepness in my voice, her brows raise and she looks at me. I see the war going on behind her eyes. Normally, I can tell what Shayna is thinking, but right now I can’t.
She leans even closer, placing her hand on my cheek. I don’t move and I don’t flinch away. My eyes soften just a bit. “Because… I wanted you to understand more about my past… our past,” she says, leaning even closer.
My hand moves to where her knee on my thigh is instinctually. Almost automatic of its own accord. When my hand splays across her skin, my thumb immediately starts tosoothe her skin. I can see her visibly relax and a small smile curves the corners of her lips.
“What would you say if I told you that I wanted to try with you?” she asks me on a quiet breath. She speaks softly as if she says it too loud it will break the little bubble that we are in. Her eyes flitting between mine back and forth. I can feel her anxiety radiating through her as almost a tangible thing. We are slowly gravitating together.
I can’t speak, because I don’t know what to say. I’m so scared my voice will betray me. My other hand that has been draped over the back of the couch slowly moves to the back of her head and gently pulls her to me. I keep my eyes on her, needing to see in them the permission I’m begging for. My eyes move from flitting back and forth between hers to glancing at her mouth. As we move closer, her mouth opens slightly and I take that as my queue as I go ahead. My want and need for her overriding all the caution my head is throwing at me.
I tilt my head slightly and at first I just brush my lips over hers lightly, then move to the corner of her mouth ghosting my lips over there as well and move to her ear. She exhales a shaky breath, and her body gives a little shiver.
