PETRA
The adrenaline rush was wearing off. The moment Patrick had stepped in and tried to run my life, I felt a fury usually reserved for Chad. How dare he insinuate that he had any authority over me? This wasn’t the Dark Ages. I was an adult woman, free to make my own decisions. If I wanted to date the entire baseball team, it was none of his business.
Before I even had a chance to consider the consequences, I blurted out that I had kissed Cory and Donovan. And my comment about Gavin followed shortly after, making it clear that I had my sights set on all of them.
When Patrick left, no one knew what to say. Donovan suggested that we talk it out, and I agreed. We definitely needed to figure some things out. I hadn’t been completely honest with any of them. I thought Cory didn’t know about Donovan, and that even though Gavin did know about both of the others, he wasn’t aware of my feelings for him. I worried that I had made a mess of everything, that they would think I was some kind of loose woman and that would jeopardize the business arrangement.
I sat down heavily on the opposite side of the bed from Cory. Putting my face down into my hands, I couldn’t stop a small moan from escaping my lips. Everything had been going so well, and I had just messed it all up. They were going to see that I couldn’t make a decision and pull their funding back. What else could they do? We couldn’t possibly make it work the way Meara’s tribe did. I was a fool for blurting it all out, and I was about to pay the consequences.
The bed shifted beside me while I wasn’t looking, and I felt an arm drape across my shoulders. Gavin pulled me into a sideways hug, allowing me to rest my head against his chest. I knew it was him and not Cory or Donovan. Already I could tell the difference, even without looking. It was the way he smelled and the contours of his chest. It was the soft breath I heard in my ear and the gentle palm stroking my hair.
“Come on,” Donovan said, offering me his hand. “We shouldn’t have this conversation here.”
“Where do we go?” Cory asked.
“Let’s go to my place,” Donovan suggested.
I looked up, amazed to see that none of them were angry. I had thought they would all be upset that I wasn’t leaning toward one or the other. I assumed they would each want me to make a decision that didn’t involve the other two. But glancing around, I could see that they were concerned for me instead.
There was a wonderful surge of friendship and respect in the room. No one was angry anymore. After Patrick left, things had calmed down, and curiosity rather than animosity ruled. I checked with each one of them, and no one was glaring at me. Gavin seemed excited by the prospect of getting to know me better. Neither Cory nor Donovan seemed hurt by my declarations.
“Okay,” I agreed.
We left the bedroom all together, moving through the party without making eye contact. I reached for Gavin’s hand and found it, squeezing gently. He returned the gesture, lending me strength for the journey.
I didn’t see Patrick, but I felt his presence. He was unhappy. I wished it didn’t have to be that way. If only he could see clear to letting me make my own decisions. I didn’t understand why he disapproved of any of my investors. They were all responsible adults with jobs and apartments. Unless Patrick knew of any skeletons in their closets, they all seemed like respectable romantic partners to me.
What had started as a lively get-together with all of Patrick’s team members became a claustrophobic nightmare. I held my breath walking through the apartment, delighted when we finally breached the door.
Everyone had his own car, and I had mine, but Donovan suggested we pile into one automobile. “I know where I’m going,” he said logically.
“We could follow you,” Cory suggested.
“I don’t think any of us should be alone right now,” Donovan said.
I glanced around. My emotions were raw, and I agreed with the assessment. If I had to drive myself to Donovan’s place, I didn’t know what thoughts might come up. I might talk myself into disregarding the entire conversation. The rest of them might come to the same conclusion.
We were a unit. By my simple announcement, I had bound us all together. It was now or never. If we split up, we would run the risk of ruining whatever it was we had started. I followed Donovan to his car and reached for one of the back doors.
Cory opened the front and gestured that I should get in. “Gavin and I can sit in the back,” he said.
I looked to Gavin for confirmation. He nodded, swinging his own door open and hopping in. I gave Cory a grateful smile and slid into the front passenger seat. When we were all arranged, Donovan pushed the starter button and brought the car to life.
I couldn’t help but think how rich he must have been to afford such a fancy car. My own was at least ten years old with an outdated sound system and no computerized features. Donovan had a small screen installed in his dash that showed a backup camera when he eased out of the parking space.
“That’s nice,” I said, admiring the technology.
“It takes some getting used to,” he replied. “But it’s definitely useful.”
“American cars,” Gavin muttered.
“What’s that?” Donovan asked.
“In other parts of the world, the cars aren’t like this,” Gavin informed us.
“You haven’t seen my car,” I told him.
“I just bought one,” Gavin replied. “And it was cheap as dirt.”