“Oh, don’t give me that,” he said, smirking. “He was checking you out this morning. Then when you took the car back earlier, I reckon that weird body-language thing the two of you had going on was about mutual attraction. He asked you out, didn’t he?”
A glance at Elias showed he looked as shocked as Mia felt. She knew Alex was smart, but not that he was so incredibly perceptive. She gave a couple of fish gasps, then shook her head to try and rattle some sense into herself. “Yes, he did, actually,” she eventually replied, having figured there was no point in lying. Neither man seemed annoyed—in fact, Alex just seemed to find it incredibly entertaining, and now Elias was over the surprise, he was nodding as though everything suddenly made sense.
Before either of them had chance to respond, the waiter reappeared to clear their dessert plates. Taking in their empty state, he said, “I take it everything was to your satisfaction, sirs, madam?”
“Oh yes,” Mia said, and the two men nodded. “Everything was delicious. Please do give our highest compliments to the chef.”
“Very good. I will pass that on. Can I get you anything else? Coffee, more drinks?”
“Coffee for me, please,” Mia said decisively. Whether Arjun fancied her or not, she wasn’t going to be so irresponsible and disrespectful that she’d drive his beautiful car with alcohol still sloshing around in her system. Plus, if she was going to start firing questions at Elias and Alex, she wanted to have a clear head.
“And for me,” Alex said.
“Make that three, please,” Elias added.
With an incline of his head, the waiter headed off with their used crockery.
“Shall we take them upstairs?” Mia asked as soon as he was out of earshot. She lowered her voice. “So we can have a private conversation?”
Elias arched an eyebrow, then nodded. “Certainly.”
“Actually, could one of you bring mine up when it arrives, please? I need to use the bathroom.”
“No problem,” Alex replied. “We’ll bring it. See you up there in a few.”
She felt the weight of their gazes on her as she excused herself, collected her bag, then made her way out of the dining room.
The moment she entered her suite and closed the door behind her, she heaved a sigh of relief. She wasn’t terribly desperate to use the bathroom, but had needed an excuse for a few minutes of alone time so she could think about exactly she wanted to ask them about their sharing thing.
She tried to arrange her thoughts and questions into some semblance of order as she used the loo, washed and dried her hands, then refreshed her makeup.
When the knock came at the door a little while later, she had it all figured out. But it didn’t stop the slight tremble in her hands as she opened up. She stepped back, holding the door as the men entered, carrying the cups of coffee. “Here you go, Mia,” Alex said with a smile, “a caffeine injection.”
“Great,” she replied, closing the door behind them. “Please, go sit down.”
Elias and Alex headed over to the sitting area and plopped themselves down, side by side, on the two-seater. Mia smirked—they really did act like brothers at times. She joined them, taking the remaining chair, and picked up the cup that Alex indicated. “Thank you.”
“So,” Elias said, his eyes full of curiosity. “This private conversation you wanted to have… the floor is yours.”
“All right.” She gulped down some coffee to give her a second to summon her courage. Then, desperation to clear up all the confusion in her head spurring her on, she said, “Okay, this sharing thing you two have going on… how does it work? Is it just sex? Or is there dating? And is it just a threesome all the time? Or is there one-on-one time, too? Do you—”
“Mia,” Elias cut in, the corners of his mouth tweaking up. “Take a breath, sweetheart. Take a breath. Don’t rush—we’ll answer all of your questions. All of them. No matter how long it takes, all right?”
She nodded and took his advice, pulling in some air. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I just wanted to get all of that out before my nerve failed me.”
“Your nerve?” Alex frowned. “What have you got to be nervous about? Do we,” he waved a finger between himself and Elias, “make you nervous?”
She screwed up her nose. “Not you two, exactly. More the situation. It’s something that’s completely new to me and, I have to confess, you have me intrigued, but at the same time I’m a bit scared by it. Probably because I don’t yet understand it.”
“All right,” Elias replied, nodding slowly. “I get that. Fear of the unknown. Well, like I said, we’ll answer your questions. Happy to.” He paused for a moment, gazing off into the distance as though thinking, then said, “Okay… it’s not just sex. Well,” he frowned, “that’s not exactly true. It has been in the past, if that’s what everyone involved wanted, but with you, Mia, it goes way beyond the physical—for both of us.” He glanced at Alex, who nodded his agreement.
Elias drank some of his coffee before continuing. “Yes, there’s most definitely dating involved. As for the threesome or one-on-one bit… well, there’s both.” He shrugged. “There aren’t really any rules when it comes to this kind of situation—the very idea not only throws the rule book out of the window, but also sets fire to it then scatters the ashes to the wind. So, again, it all depends on what everyone wants out of it.”
Nodding, Mia said, “All right. I guess that makes sense. Wow.” She blew out a sharp breath. “I thought that was going to be way more complicated, but you’ve made it sound very simple.”
This time Alex responded. “That’s because it is, Mia. Life is already complicated enough, and relationships can be the most complicated part of a person’s life. So Elias and I, over the years, kind of fell into this arrangement that made it pretty damn easy.”
Mia frowned. Elias and I…? That reminded her of one of the questions she’d been about to ask before Elias had coaxed her to take a breath. She cleared her throat. “So does that mean the two of you…” Unable to form the words, she wafted her hand between the two of them.
Almost as one, the men spluttered. Elias quickly put his coffee cup down on the table before he spilled any of the liquid on the plush carpet or his expensive clothes. Alex, barely able to control his mirth, said, “No! Bloody hell, no! Don’t get me wrong, I’m no homophobe—in fact, I’d definitely experiment if the right man came along—but Elias and I are like brothers. We get on—mostly—we argue, we take the piss out of each other, we can successfully have a relationship with the same woman at the same time, but we don’t fuck. Ever.”
A fleeting sense of disappointment flew through Mia’s mind. She’d have quite liked to see the two of them together in that way. She suspected it would be kind of hot. But still, even better would be having the two of them lavishing all their attention on her. She nodded. “Okay… so I get there are no rules, but I like to know where I stand, so let’s just say, theoretically, that I agree to this. Most of it we’ll figure out as we go, I’m sure, but how the hell do I explain the situation to other people? I can’t go around telling people I’ve got two boyfriends, can I? It’d cause quite a stir.”
Elias leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs and fixed her in his gaze. “Yes, it would. And neither of us want that—for you, or ourselves. It could cause problems in our jobs, particularly Alex’s, since he’s somewhat of a public figure. Previously, to keep things,” he rolled his eyes and made air quotes, “‘decent’, we’ve just said one of us was the boyfriend. Any public behaviour should then reflect that so as not to cause confusion or start rumours. But whatever happens behind closed doors… well, that’s nobody else’s business, is it? We all live alone, so we don’t have to explain to anyone.”
“That makes sense. I’m an incredibly private person, anyway, and it’s not like anyone particularly cares about my comings and goings,” Mia replied with a shrug. Then she ran a hand through her hair and huffed again. “Christ, this is pretty crazy. I know it’s old new
s to you guys, and I’m a modern sort of a woman, but bloody hell!”
Both men chuckled. Then Alex said, “Trust me, we never set out for this to happen. It just kind of did, and we found it worked for us. More importantly, it worked for our partner. We’re both busy men with highly demanding jobs, but between us we can give a woman the love and attention she deserves. And it’s fun,” he added, chuckling again.
Mia pursed her lips. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but if it works for your partner, why don’t you have one already? Or do you?” She gasped. “Are you adding me to some kind of… harem?”
Elias tutted and shook his head. “Mia, weren’t you listening? One of the main reasons we found this idea worked so well is because Alex and I are so busy. Like he just said, between us we can give a woman the love and attention she deserves. One woman. We can manage that—but not any more. Actually, it’s more like the other way around.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” she said, drawing her brow down.
“We’re not adding you to a harem—you’re adding us to a harem.”
“Shit. How the hell did this happen to me? How did my life get so fucking weird?”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Mia. If you’re not interested in pursuing this, there will be no hard feelings. We know it’s a lot to take in, and to deal with in the long term. Not everyone can handle it. They think they can, but they can’t.” He shrugged. “It hasn’t always worked out in the past, but Alex and I have discussed it, and we really like you. You’re smart, you’re independent, you’re fun, and you know your own mind. If you’re up for it, we’d really like to give it a go. I guess in some respects, it’s just like a regular relationship—you never really know what will happen unless you try.”
“That’s true,” she replied. “But…” She stopped, worried at her lip. Frowned. Was she really considering confessing? Her conscience was telling her she should. After all, they’d laid all their cards on the table, put their hearts on their sleeves. She ought to do the same. They couldn’t exactly criticise the weirdness of it, given what they were proposing. Wow. Wonder if they’d be up for a third man joining in… or maybe even a fourth? Her mind had wandered to Thomas, and then Arjun. Yes, she was definitely getting greedy—and suddenly, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Snapping her attention back to the men in front of her, she took a deep breath, preparing herself. “I’m interested,” she said crisply, “but before we go any further, I have something kind of unusual to tell you, too.”
“Kind of unusual?” Alex said, grinning. “After what we just told you? Does it get any more unusual than that?”
“Yes. I really think it does.”
“How intriguing.” He glanced at Elias and leaned forward in his seat. “Well, go ahead, please. We’re all ears.”
“All right.” She twisted her hands together in her lap. Then, following another deep breath, she said, “As you know, I recently lost my father. As you also know, I’m an only child, and my mother passed away some years ago. Therefore, as next of kin, I stood to inherit the house, the estate, the money. Except it’s not that simple. Unbeknown to me, Dad changed his will a few months before he died. I’ll inherit everything, but only if I get married within twelve months of his burial. To someone befitting of my status and class—his words, not mine. They’ll be required to sign a pre-nuptial agreement, so will not be entitled to anything at all, should we divorce. And they will also be required to take on my last name when we marry, so any children we have will bear the Harrington name.”
She looked at each man in turn, taking in their expressions and awaiting their reactions. It really had been an evening for revelations. Elias looked thoughtful, but not particularly surprised, or horrified. Alex’s eyebrows were raised, but he was nodding.
Mia took advantage of the moment of silence to drink some more of her coffee. It gave her something to do with her hands and, bizarrely, the caffeine was settling her nerves.
Eventually, Elias said, “That has to have been very hard for you to bear, Mia, especially on top of the grief of losing your father. I won’t ask any questions right now, as I can tell how difficult it was for you to even talk about it, but I’m glad you told us. I will say this, though—and for heaven’s sake, please don’t tell my father—but I’ve never liked my last name, anyway.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mia gaped at Elias. Had he really just said what she thought he’d said? And did he mean by it what she thought he meant? She blinked, and stared hard at him. He stared right back, his expression serious, unwavering. He was okay with it? A little surprised, perhaps, but ultimately didn’t have a problem with it. Bloody hell, she’d known he and Alex were open minded, but this really took the biscuit.
She slid her gaze over to Alex, who’d stopped nodding, but looked fine. He hadn’t dropped his coffee, fallen off the sofa or had a heart attack, at least, so she suspected he was in agreement with his friend.
She put down her now empty cup, then closed her eyes and pinched the skin between them hard; harder. No, she wasn’t dreaming, and no, that wasn’t helping her to get her head around this. She removed her hand. “Let me get this straight,” she said, opening her eyes and looking over at them. “You’re… okay with this? My father is basically giving me an ultimatum from beyond the grave. Oh!” She gave a humourless laugh. “In all the chaos, I forgot to tell you the best part. If I don’t get married, not only will I lose everything, my fucking cousin will get it all. And he’s a money-grabbing, slimy, odious, worthless toad! He doesn’t give a shit about the house, the land, the employees, the tenants. Mind you, he doesn’t know about the will, either. But if he did he’d have pound signs in his eyes, I’m telling you. He’d take the money, sell the house and estate, and live a very comfortable life without a second thought for the lives he destroyed.”
Now the men did look surprised. Whether it was at the information she was giving, or the tone of voice in which she was giving it, she had no idea. Not that it really mattered.
After waiting a moment to be sure she was done talking, Alex said, “Yes, I’m okay with it. I agree with Elias—ugh, we seem to be doing a lot of agreeing just lately, it’s sickening—in that I’m glad you told us. It’s not the most pleasant situation for you, and I wish you weren’t having to deal with it. But, if things do work out between us—and I sincerely hope they do—I will support you, and your future husband, as much as I possibly can.”
Mia’s mouth dropped open. She snapped it closed, realising how unattractive the look was, then said, “And how come you don’t want to be my future husband?”
Alex chuckled. “I never said I didn’t. But I’m a practical, pragmatic man. I realise we don’t know each other very well—though I hope that will soon change—but when comparing Elias and myself, Elias is the best candidate. On paper, anyway.” He glanced at his friend. “Personally, I think I’m way better looking, and naturally am much smarter and with an admirable career.” He winked to show he was deliberately blowing his own trumpet. “But the Pym family—despite the ridiculous surname—are from old money, with a prestigious lineage and heritage, blah, blah, blah. The Cartwrights just got lucky—and don’t tell my father I said that, either!”
Mia’s head was whirling. How could they be so understanding? They barely knew each other, and they were talking about relationships and three-ways and even marriage! Fucked up didn’t even begin to cover it. After another moment, her incredulity spilled over. “This is nuts. How are you both so calm about this? We just met a few weeks ago and we’re discussing marriage! Don’t you see how insane this all is?”
“Of course,” Elias said calmly, “it is pretty bonkers. But then most people would say a woman having multiple men in her life on a romantic and sexual basis, all knowing about each other and being fine with it, is bonkers, too. Plus, we’re not talking about anybody getting married tomorrow, are we? It’s only been a few weeks since your father passed, Mia. That means you still have,
what, over ten months to figure it out. Surely even if you got hitched on the very last day of the twelve-month period, it would still count. If this thing between the three of us,” he indicated himself, her, then Alex, “doesn’t pan out, I’m sure we’ll know soon enough. Obviously I hope it does, and I would be more than happy to marry you—even just to ensure you inherit what’s rightfully yours—but at the same time I don’t want to hold you back. If Alex and I need to walk away to allow someone else into your life, then so be it.”
“Once again, you make it sound so simple,” she said weakly, her voice cracking with the overwhelming emotion of it all.
Elias got to his feet and hurried around to crouch next to her chair. He took her hand and looked up at her earnestly. “And once again, it is simple, Mia. You’re the rightful person to inherit, not your cousin. If you did need to get married tomorrow to make it happen, I’d do it. Not because I’m madly in love with you—though I’m very much hoping that will come in time, and I am madly in lust with you—but because I admire the hell out of you. I don’t need or want your money, property, or land, so if you wanted to marry me just to fulfil this condition of your father’s will, then get divorced after a suitable period of time, that would be okay with me. Though,” he added firmly, his brow drawing down, “children are a whole other matter. If and when that time comes, I have no intention of being a sperm donor or an absent father. Any attempts at procreation will only happen if I’m in a loving, stable relationship—understood?”
Mia nodded. “Of course. Right now, I’m not even sure if I want to have children, but if I do make that decision at some point down the line, I have no interest in being a single parent. So…” She looked down at Elias, squeezing his hand, then over at Alex. “Are we really doing this?”
“You know what?” Alex said, holding her gaze, his gorgeous eyes twinkling with pleasure. “I really think we are.”
“Excellent!” Elias said, getting up and pulling Mia to her feet along with him. “I think this is a cause for celebration.” He grinned widely.