“There’s really only one person here who’d be affected by the ring, and I’m sorry to inform you, but that’s you, buddy.”
Dylan looked over at Cash, who was pointing an accusatory finger at their resident smartass.
“Me?” Seth was agape. “You think I lack the power of will?”
“No, but I think that out of all of us, you have the weakest moral code.” Cash smiled smugly. “You’re all about f**king and fighting and doing whatever you please. The ring would eat you alive, bro.”
Seth flipped Cash the bird. “I’m a married man, ass**le. Trust me, if I can endure an entire day at Bed Bath & Beyond picking out shower curtains, then I can surely trudge through Middle Earth and drop a piece of metal into a fire pit.”
Cash immediately objected. “The ring brings out your darkness, and you, my friend, are as dark as—”
“Oh sweet baby Jesus, can we please, please, please stop talking about this?” Dylan burst out. “I’ve been listening to this insanity for twenty minutes and I can’t take it anymore. Why is this even a topic of discussion?”
Cash offered a sheepish look. “Jen and I had a Lord of the Rings marathon yesterday.”
“Well, that’s nine hours of your life down the drain,” came Jackson’s drawl. Dripping wet, he climbed out of the pool and rejoined the group. As he dried himself off with a striped blue towel, the Texan turned to Dylan with a grateful look. “The world owes you a debt of gratitude for puttin’ an end to this nonsense.”
Dylan grinned. “My pleasure.”
Jackson dragged one of the white lounge chairs closer to the table, then stretched out on it with his hands propped behind his damp head. “Oh, and hey, is that mighty fine redhead still staying at your place? And if so, is she still hookin’ up with Aidan?”
There it was, an opening so wide he’d be a total chicken-shit if he didn’t walk through it.
Taking a breath, Dylan ran one finger over the trail of condensation on his Bud Light bottle, then glanced around the table. “I actually wanted to talk to you guys about that. I’m…uh, kinda seeing Claire now.”
Three sets of eyebrows soared.
“You poached her right out of Aidan’s arms?” Seth demanded. “That’s harsh, man.”
“And she almost married your brother,” Cash reminded him with a frown. “Doesn’t that break not only guy code, but brother code?”
“Believe me, Chris doesn’t deserve your sympathy,” Dylan muttered. “He lost that privilege when he decided to treat everyone who cares about him like horseshit.”
“Still, are you sure getting involved with her is a good idea?”
“I like her,” he said gruffly. “I like her a lot.”
“Yeah, and what does your roomie think about it? Because he and Claire looked pretty cozy on Christmas Eve,” Seth said.
“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk about.” He chose his next words carefully. “She’s still seeing Aidan.”
The confusion in the air was palpable, at least on Cash’s and Jackson’s parts. Seth, on the other hand, watched him with mocking gray eyes, a slow smile curving his mouth.
“Son of a bitch. You two are tag-teaming her.”
“Dating her,” he corrected.
“So then you don’t f**k her at the same time?” Seth challenged.
“Well, yes, but—”
“Tag-teaming.” Seth laughed in delight. “Good for you, man.”
“It’s more than sex. Aidan and I…we adore her. I can’t believe how wrong I was about her. She’s…” Embarrassment heated his cheeks. “She’s pretty damn amazing.”
He was rewarded by a whole lotta silence.
Shifting awkwardly in his chair, Dylan studied his friends’ expressions and wished one of them would say something already. But their silence dragged on, the only sounds in the air the melodic chirping of nearby birds and the soft hiss of the afternoon breeze.
It was Cash who spoke first. “You’re in love with her.”
Dylan responded with a helpless shrug. Was he? His chest did feel hot and achy whenever she was around. And when she kissed him, he got this fluttering feeling in his stomach, like…butterflies. Butterflies, for chrissake.
Shit, he really was a goner.
“How does Aidan feel about her?” Jackson asked warily.
“Same way I do.”
When the three men exchanged worried looks, Dylan experienced a prickle of paranoia. “What?”
“It’s just…how the hell is this gonna work?” Seth demanded. “She sleeps in your bed one night and Aidan’s the other, or is it a three-way every night? And when you go out in public, she holds both your hands? When you meet new people, she introduces you as her boyfriends, plural?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” he said stiffly.
“What about marriage, kids?” Cash pressed.
“Like I said, we’ll figure it out. For now, we’re happy with the arrangement. All three of us.” Dylan sighed. “Look, I’m not asking for your approval, because this is what it is and I won’t change my mind. I just wanted to be honest with you about what’s going on, and I need your promise that you’ll treat Claire with the utmost respect when you’re around her.”