home to the kid.
I took his advice and ordered a beer since I didn’t have to work, and I had the sneaking suspicion I might need it.
“So did he spill?” Harley asked, his gaze scanning the restaurant.
“Who?”
“Edison. The kid has no patience. I assume the minute I was gone, he laid it all out for you.”
“No, he didn’t. I’d be less antsy if I already knew what was going on. He was surprisingly tight-lipped.”
Harley grinned and sipped his water, but he didn’t elaborate.
“Good lord, just talk already.”
“Wait until the food’s here so we aren’t interrupted. God, maybe Eddy gets his impatience from you.”
My knee bounced as we waited for our dinner to arrive. It felt like ages before the waiter set down heaping platters of Korean barbecue, kung pao chicken, Mongolian beef, sautéed garden vegetables, and some seafood noodle dish that looked divine.
“Did you invite ten other people?” I asked, eyeing the expanse of food.
“I told you, I’m hungry. Plus, watching naked girls dance all night requires fuel.”
“I’m sure.” I’d never disrespected my brother’s choice of work. He’d taken enough grief from Shianne and our parents for years, but I wasn’t above teasing him.
Harley filled his plate with a little of everything and dove in, forking enormous bites into his mouth. I helped myself but refused to eat right away, staring at my brother in a fashion that insisted he stop stalling.
“We’ll do it,” he said between bites. “This little three-way thing you’re suggesting. On a few conditions.”
I stilled, fork halfway to my mouth with what would have been my first bite of food. Slowly, I put it down again and leaned forward. “You’ll do it? As in you, me, and Eddy? Together?”
Harley chewed, holding up a finger. “On a few conditions.”
“Which are?” My pulse raced with anticipation.
“The three of us can be in the same room, involved in the same activity, but Eddy and I are hands-off.”
I frowned but held my tongue as I evaluated this condition.
“It may not be permanent, but it’s how we’re willing to compromise. Eddy and I would love to do shit with you, to you, but we’re both a little undecided about how far we want to take it with each other. The watching is hot as fuck. We can both agree on that. So that’s our limit. You can’t change that rule because it doesn’t involve you. It’s not negotiable. If it changes, it will be our decision.”
Harley kept eating. Adjusting my fantasies in my head wasn’t hard. This was doable, and I was confident they could be swayed to break their own rule in time.
When I didn’t speak for a long time, Harley lifted his gaze and paused eating. “So? Yes or no?”
“All right. Two things.”
“Jesus. What now?”
“I want exclusivity. I don’t have a clue if Edison gets a lot of opportunities to fuck around or how sexually active he is, but I know you. I know you’ve had a fair share of strippers in your bed, and you have no problem snagging a hookup when the urge takes you. I know you hit the bars often. No more, Harley. I’m serious. If this is happening with the three of us, there is no one else involved. Also, I want us all tested so we can ditch the condoms. I have… promises to fulfill to Edison.” I revisited the fantasies I’d painted the first day Edison had arrived back at my house. They involved a bit more than father and son were willing to do just yet, but I felt confident we’d get there.
Harley laughed and sat back, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Christ, what’s with Mr. Demanding over here. Rules, rules, rules. My way or the fucking highway. What the fuck happened to landing in bed and fucking our brains out and not caring?”
“Because I’m forty-two years old. We aren’t kids anymore, Harley. We’re grown-ups. I’m sick and tired of only getting the bare minimum of what I need in life. Walking away from hookups half satisfied is getting really fucking old. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of taking it up the ass—figuratively, in this case—by everyone in my life and not having any control over my happiness. So I’m telling it like it is. No more bullshit. What I want is you and Edison and me in my bed. For as long as it works between us. Permanently, if possible. I don’t care about morals or ethics or right and wrong. You two make me feel alive. I