“I’ll just brush my teeth out here.” I shook my head. “I’ve got to pee next. Are we going to hold hands and do that together, too?”
Adam shrugged. “I’m not really into it, but if that’s your thing, I don’t want to shame you.”
Ian grinned after spitting and rinsing his mouth out. “I woke up in a different universe.”
We peed separately and then went in search of Violet. The entire house was empty, and I was starting to get a little worried when I heard her laughter coming from the garage. I led the way out and found her dancing around with her arms in the air. She was laughing and cheering, as happy as I’d ever seen her. I’d never seen someone dance to one of Elvis’ slower love songs with so much movement. While Elvis sang about fools falling in love, Violet danced like it was a club number.
When she spotted us, she stumbled to a stop and swayed. Her ears went bright red as she stabilized herself and smiled at each of us. Then, before any of us could form thoughts beyond how good she’d looked dancing around in one of our shirts, she walked over and stretched up on her toes to press a kiss to Ian’s mouth. “Good morning.”
Adam was next. She kissed him and ran her hands through his hair, grinning at the state of it. Then, with a sparkle in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around my neck and stretched up to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around her and deepened the kiss. I was relieved and happy to find her still around.
She pulled away breathlessly and bounced back over to her table. “I woke up and couldn’t stop thinking about these scents. This is probably borderline embarrassing to admit, but I’ve spent years trying to recreate each of your scents. They were so important to me, but I never could get them just right. It drove me crazy. My passion is creating, not so much the business side. I nearly bankrupted myself trying to perfect these three scents. It became an obsession. Which sounds horrible and creepy now that I’ve said it out loud.
“It was just something I had to do. There’s so much power in scent, and I love using it to relive certain things in life. Being able to give that to other people has always been something I want to do. It seemed like I would never be able to move forward until I figured out your scents, because I couldn’t focus on anything else.” She lifted a candle to her nose and inhaled deeply. “I found Jayden’s after Thanksgiving night. I figured out the other two this morning. I’ve been making candles and going crazy for hours. I’ve got them now. So many amazing memories are just a match away, any time I need them.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the chest. Her admission revealed more than she’d meant to, probably. Knowing that I’d been on her mind, that I hadn’t been as easy to leave as it had seemed, that changed things.
Ian cleared his throat, but his voice was still suspiciously husky as he spoke. “Adam’s better smell like hippie and dog.”
Adam grunted. “Vi likes the smell of this hippie and dog.”
Ian brushed a stray curl out of Violet’s eyes and kissed her forehead. “I need to get my dog. He’s probably already shit in four different places to punish me for not coming home. I’m coming back, though. If that’s okay. I’d like to hear about this and maybe see the process.”
“You have a dog?” The way Violet looked up at him with cartoon eyes would’ve made any man crumble. She rested her hand on his bare chest. “Can he come over? And maybe John, too?”
I tried to hide a stupid smile as I nodded. “I need to check on him, too. Why not add two more male species to this party?”
Adam, realizing we were all looking at him, looked down at himself and then around. “What?”
“No pets?” Ian saw Adam shake his head and sighed. “Want one? Demon is a terror.”
“You didn’t name him Demon, Ian!” Violet rolled her eyes and walked over to Adam. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to her stool, pushing him onto it. Standing behind him, she ran her hands through his hair and slowly worked it into something less beastly. “I can cut it, if you want. I like it, though.”
I shook my head at Ian as we watched Adam’s eyes close in pleasure as Violet groomed him, all while pressing her tits into his back. The look on his face told us he was in heaven.
“Do what you want.” Adam opened his eyes and shot a smirk at me and Ian. “I’ll just stay here and keep our little rabbit company.”
“I wouldn’t trust a man without dogs, baby.” Ian walked over and kissed Violet again, pushing Adam out of the way in the process. “Come on, wolf man. You’re parked behind me.”
“You should get dressed before going outside!” Violet covered her mouth as she giggled. “Unless you want to give a few of my neighbors heart attacks.”
I walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug as the guys trailed off. Looking down at her, I searched her face for signs of unhappiness or discomfort. “You okay?”
She pressed a kiss to my chest and nodded. “I feel clear right now. I don’t know what the hell is happening, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt good, Jay.”
“Feels pretty good on this end, too.” I read the question in her eyes and smiled. “Did I expect to be sharing you with two other men? No. Do I hate it? Also no. They seem like good guys. Can’t say I ever thought I’d wake up alone in a full-size bed with two other barely-dressed men, but the shit I’d do for you goes far beyond that.”
“It’s crazy for me, too. I’m being greedy, right?”
I kissed her slowly and thoroughly, tasting chocolate and something fruity. When I pulled back, my heart was racing. I ignored it. “If you’re being greedy, we’re all being greedy. None of us are willing to give up any part of you. Beyond going to get our dogs to come back here. I saw you talking to John, by the way. My dog’s manners are perfectly acceptable, woman.”
Her smile was bright and happy. “He’s got an attitude, Jay.”
“And you think a dog named Demon is going to be any better?” I heard Ian shout a complaint from the doorway as he passed by and laughed. “Alright, try to stay out of trouble. I’ll be back soon.”
She winked and turned back to her candles, already humming happily to whatever song was in her head.
20.