Page 82 of Thoroughly Pucked
He sounds hopeful. I’m confused but thrilled.
“Is that even a real question?” I ask, incredulous as Ledger joins him, sliding a hand down my back, curling it over my ass.
But when I look at Dev, then at Ledger, I see nerves flickering in their eyes. What is going on? They’re normally so steady, so strong, so confident. But I can tell it’s truly important to them that I like this. As if I could do anything but love it madly.
I exhale, breathing out the surrealism of this moment in my life. I’m just a hairstylist, living in a tiny studio in the Mission District, sending birthday greetings to clients, going to book club, grabbing mango smoothies and lattes with my girls, and seeing concerts with them, too, way up in the nosebleed seats.
But somehow, incomprehensibly, I’m in a beautiful city with two strong, funny, caring, deliciously filthy men. I don’t want to come back to earth.
“Yeah, I like it. I like all of this,” I say, but otherwords bubble up on my tongue unexpectedly. Words I’m dying to say likeI like you guys. I like you two so much.
“It’s amazing. You’re amazing. Thank you,” I say.
Whatever worries flickered in their eyes have vanished now.
“Come see the city,” Ledger says and takes my hand. He guides me back out to the living room, and we head to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Together, the three of us gaze at the Vancouver skyline, the sun-kissed waterfront below, the blue sky stretching for days.
We’re on top of the world with the city at our feet.
But my gut still twists.
I don’t feel bought. I just feel unequal. They’re doing something so tremendous to make up for my bad luck as the girl who was jilted.
I step away from them and hold up my hands in surrender. “You’re doing so much for me. I can’t return the favor. This is so huge. You’re too kind, and I don’t even know what to say.”
Dev looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Who said anything about returning it?”
“But I can’t do anything like this,” I say, a little desperately as I flap my hand toward the vista. “I can barely afford taking you out to the nicest taco shop in town.”
“Hey, we like doing this,” Ledger says.
“You do?”
With a sigh he turns to Dev, shaking his head. “Just tell her the plan.”
“The plan?” I ask.
“When you were in the shower this morning. Back at the Blackberry Inn. We came up with a new plan for you,” Dev says as he closes the distance and turns me around so I’m facing the window again. “Over there. That’s the concert venue where Amelia Stone is playing tomorrow night.”
I only mentioned to them once that my friends were going to that concert. There’s no way. There’s no way at all…
“We got front-row tickets,” Ledger says. “We’re going to meet up with your friends and their guys tomorrow night. That work for you?”
It’s like bubbles are flowing through me, bright and frothy. “Y-yes,” I say, stumbling on the word.
Ledger adds, “And on Friday we made a reservation at a three-star restaurant. Do you like shopping?”
My mind is popping. I can barely speak. I can barely think. “Yeah, sure. I love it. I mean, yes, of course.”
“Good. We’ll take you shopping for a dress beforehand?—”
“But you hate shopping,” I point out to Dev. “You died a little inside when you thought we were going to shop for clothes on my wedding day.”
Dev smiles then brings me to the couch, sets me on his lap, and runs his hands through the back of my hair, kissing my neck. Ledger watches us from his post by the window, a satisfied smile on his handsome face.
“I do hate shopping,” Dev says. “But I really likemaking you feel good. And I bet you’d like to get some sexy pink dress, and some of those stockings you like.”