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“That’s bullshit, and you know it," Casey cut in, shocking the hell out of me with how he spoke. “We have a relationship.” He pointed at the three of us. “The healthiest, sanest one of our lives is the one we have with one another. All we’re suggesting is bringing one more person into it. All we’re asking you to do is to think about it, not just cut it off at the knees because you’re a scared little bitch.”
“I’m not being?—"
“Okay, enough!” Jett shook his head and extended his arms toward both of us. “Name calling’s not helpful, Case.”
“Sorry,” Casey muttered and ran his fingers through his hair and tugged at the ends. “I’m tired of keeping her at arm's length,” he rasped. His blue eyes pleaded with me. “When you suggested it at the beginning, I understood, Malcom. I did. I thought it was a fucking crush. Lust. Something we’d get over. But come on, none of us has looked at another woman, much less thought of someone else. Do you know why?” It felt like my heart was lodged in my fucking throat. “Because she is the one for us. Every day that passes that she’s under our roof and we get to spend time with her, we know it. It became clear a while ago, but out of respect, I stayed away.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m telling you something has to change. It feels wrong not to claim her.”
“So, if I’m not up for claiming her like you said, you two”—I pointed at them—“are going to anyhow? And what, just not give a shit about how I feel about her?”
“If you don’t take a chance that tells us just how you feel about her,” he responded.
“I know how I feel, how we feel about her. Seeing her with someone else would kill.”
“You don’t know what you are doing.” I sat down and wiped my face. My head started to throb. Pressure built between my eyes.
“And you don’t know the mistake you’re about to make if you don’t pull your head out of your ass and take a fucking chance. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Isn't that what you say when we make million-dollar deals without blinking?” Casey challenged.
“Or the bigger the mess we have to clean up when shit hits the fan,” I added because he needed to be reminded. “We made huge business deals that paid off, but the ones that didn't were always been a pain in the ass to figure out afterwards.”
“Maybe,” Jett cut in, and Casey scowled. “Maybe,” he repeated. “He’s not wrong, Case. This could blow up in our faces.” He shrugged, and there was the man I knew.
The one who couldn’t seem to be bothered by much.
Or at least that’s what I thought. When he turned his attention toward me, his dark almost black eyes were intense. “But at least we know we tried. We took a chance. We won’t live the rest of our lives with regret.” He sighed and looked fucking exhausted. He tapped the top of my desk with his fingertips like he usually did. “Think about it. We’re leaving at six.” He nodded, and without a glance behind him, he walked out of my office.
My head hit the back of my office chair, and I glanced over at Casey.
“He’s right, and you know it.” Casey sounded a little defeated. “Just… please think about it, Mal. We love her. The three of us do, whether you want to admit it or not. And you know no one in the rest of the fucking world could ever feel what we do for her. No one else would bend over backwards to give her everything she deserves and then some.” With a tight smile, Case disappeared out of my office, closing the door behind him, filling my space with nothing but silence.
I usually loved the quiet, but I hated it in that moment.
No one would love her the way we could. The way we did.
Who was I fucking kidding? Who was I going to fool, as if I really had anything to think about? Casey and Jett were right.
Rosa was ours, and it was time to claim her.
6
ROSA
Rain poured while trees swayed with the harsh wind outside. I had been so busy during the weekend, I hadn’t thought about checking the weather. Storms felt like they popped out of nowhere in Seattle. I don’t know why I thought it would be different in the summertime.
Just watching the trees almost dance outside made a knot tighten in my belly. The way they bent and swayed made me worry they would fall right into the pool. Or worse, through one of the many floor-to-ceiling glass walls throughout the house.
I didn’t mind the Seattle rain, but storms were a whole other thing.
I’d never enjoyed them, but having been born and raised in Southern California, I hadn’t really had to deal with them. Not until I moved here.
I was grown enough to admit lightning and thunder scared me. I'd hated the sound since I was little. Add the fact I wasn’t feeling a hundred percent and every inch of my body hurt, and the guys weren’t home, had me on edge.
Guys? I shook my head and scolded myself.
“¿Que haces, Rosa?” I whispered to myself. What was I doing thinking about them like that? They were my bosses, not my guys.
