Fahrenheit (The Power of Three Love Series Book 2) Page 3

Rubbing the knot that was forming by the second on my forehead didn’t stop me from asking the most obvious question. “Why the hell would I want to get to know Levi? It’s going to be you and me or him and you. Why would I put myself through the torture of getting to know the asshole?”

  A chuckle escaped her mouth, and one of her hands moved to her lips. “You know, I care for the man. I shouldn’t have to stick up for him. You should have enough respect for me not to bad-mouth him in front of me.”

  Leaning down on the opposite end of the bed from where her eyes were boring in me, I tried not to laugh at her ridiculous remark. “Really? Like he doesn’t hate me as much as I hate him. Just on pure principle. Though I’m not an arrogant prick like him.”

  I’d forgotten redheads had a temper on their own. And with Scarlet, it seemed to multiply by ten when she was pissed off. I’d forgotten the keys I’d put on her end of the bed last night just as they got slung at me. “Levi is a little cocky, sure, but he’s not an asshole. Not like the man I just slept with.”

  I lifted my hands. “If I had a white flag, I’d wave it, Red. Can we start over?” I sat on the side of the bed, trying to figure this all out. “Red, honey, I’m sorry. But I find it hard to believe Levi is all innocent about me as you claim.”

  This time, she flashed her beautiful smile at me, sitting on the bed. When she pulled at my hand, she placed a kiss on it, and I grabbed her, bringing her close.

  “Innocent? It certainly would never be a word I’d used to describe Levi when it comes to you. But not in the way you’re thinking.”

  My eyes narrowed, questioning her silently.

  “Believe me, Levi is not an asshole. He thinks quite highly of you. Sure, you both may be after the same girl, but he doesn’t look at it as a competition. I’m not some prize to win. And quite honestly, Jordan”—she paused for a second, her hand finding my erection that she had woken up—“I care for you both. Fuck, I think I may love the two of you.”

  Her loving another man should deflate my dick, but it didn’t. She loved me. And I didn’t want to share her. I didn’t plan to. I’d make it my mission for her to love me more than that arrogant prick of a fireman.

  After the revelation that Red loved me, I had a little pep in my step, but fuck, the idea of Levi with her was like an anchor weighing a ship down. But I settled for a small victory, and it was the fact we both loved each other.

  The emergency room at the hospital was quiet, which told me we were waiting for all sorts of crazies soon. But I was not ready for the next patient, or for the crew who brought her in, as a woman very pregnant started to scream through evident contractions. “Somebody get this baby out of me!” I wasn’t OB, and Dr. Phillips appeared out of nowhere. “I got this, Jordan.” And they rushed her to labor and delivery. That was it for me, or so I thought.

  “Hey, Doc.” A deep voice wrestled me out of some papers that had held my attention. Turning to him, I knew it was him before I turned around. Arrogance followed this man.

  “Lieutenant.” I acknowledged him to his face and turned back around.

  “Jordan.” His voice was a bit more demanding when he asked, “Can we chat for a second?”

  Tossing my pen on the desk, I turned back to him, and a smile covered his face. What did he have to be smiling about? I slept with Red last night, not him.

  “Um, sure.” When I turned to head down the hallway, I sensed his presence behind me. Entering a triage room, I shut the automatic glass doors and pulled a curtain across it to give us privacy. “What’s up?” I remained casual, not giving him a care in the world that Red’s love for him bothered me.

  “Listen, Doc, I know about you and Scar. About last night.”

  I lifted my hand. “I’m not talking about my sex life with you when it comes to Red.” I had begun, but he cut me off.

  “I’m not bothered by it. I’m not threatened by it either. I just wanted to chat with you. Now is not the time or the place, but I’m off all day tomorrow. Scar and I have plans in the evening.”

  It was a low blow, and the punch fucking hurt. She loved us both, so of course he’d sleep with her when given the chance, and tomorrow was his chance. “I’m off tomorrow afternoon, too. Want to meet for lunch?” He raked his muscular hands through his curly locks.

  “Um, actually, why don’t I bring lunch your way, or you can meet me at my place?” Fuck, at least in public or at his place, I could leave if he pissed me off.

  “Let’s meet at your place,” I offered, “and I can pick up lunch then. You’re at Ell’s old loft, right?” I asked. Fuck, I hated I knew this about him.

  “Yeah and hey”—he handed me his phone—“put your phone number in here, just in case something happens.” I hated to give him my number, but I did. Surprised he already had a name loaded in his contacts for me under The Good Doctor, I smiled for a second as I added it.

  “Okay, cool. I’ll text you in a second so you have my number, too.” He left the triage room, and I felt a vibration on my phone.

  Unknown number: You are saved under The Good Doctor, so feel free to save me under The Sexy Fireman.

  Yeah, when pigs fly, I thought to myself. Pulling up the contacts, I decided to save it under The Asshole Fireman.

  6

  Levi

  The shift at my new firehouse went off without a hitch. We got a few calls in those twenty-four hours, but nothing huge or life altering. Scar and I texted a lot throughout the night. Mainly, I shared with her what my cock wanted to do to her pussy.

  I’d laid the groundwork for my plan and had lunch scheduled with the good doctor tomorrow. But before I tried anything, I wanted to make sure Scar was on board. At eleven p.m., after a false alarm, I sent her a text.

  Me: Hey beautiful, you awake? I want to run something by you.

  Redhead Seductress: Yeah, I’m awake, waiting to be with you.

  I didn’t respond. I dialed her number, and she picked up on the first ring. “Fuck, Scar, you’re making it impossible not to yank myself off to your words.”

  “Um, whatever it takes, LT,” she flirted. And with the two letters she called me, I smiled at her nickname for me.

  “Hey, speaking of tomorrow night, I wanted to run something by you.” I waded carefully in the shallow waters, not wanting to rock the boat. But when in the fuck did I really care about rocking a boat?

  “Um, that sounds ominous. What is it?” In her tone was a tease, and shit, I wished I was near her. But I began to unravel my plan. Her inquiries and understanding had me just questioning one other variable—him.

  Sleep did not come to me after leaving the fire station. If I had been able to grab a couple of hours of rest at my place, I would have been lucky, but the idea of having the hot doc in my house had me wound up. At eleven, I was hustling around, getting my house cleaned up for him. When I moved into my sister’s condo after she moved in with her men, I had to dude it up a bit. Ell had her place too girlie for me and too fucking packed tight with all her shit. Mainly, it was all books that now occupied an entire room or three in her boyfriends’ penthouse.

  After buying a black comforter to cover up all the fucking white around the place, I also bought new furniture and a bigger television. Ell wasn’t much for TV, so her eighteen-inch television would not cut it for me to watch the Cubs.

  With the dishes from several nights finally done and the trash taken out, I felt the house was decent for the good doctor. Without a dining table, we’d most likely sit at the bar top island or on the couch. Fuck, I was nervous.

  A chirp alerted me to a text, and I smiled with anticipation.

  The Good Doctor: I’m near Vinnie’s Sub Shop. Are you good with a sandwich?

  Me: Fuck, yeah, love that place. A Reuben please with everything.

  The Good Doctor: You got it. Running ten minutes late.

  What should I say? Looking forward to it? Can’t wait to see you? Get ready for me to freak you the fuck out? No, none of those would do.

  Me: Okay
, see you then.

  Sliding my door open, I remembered how Ell was adamant about a barn door when she moved here. It was a little too girlie, but it was different, and I was always about being different. Jordan was in front of me in a pair of jogger shorts and a black V-neck T-shirt. His expression was not one I could read, but he smiled, handing me a six-pack of beer. I knew I liked this man, but now, he was perfect.

  “Hey, Doc. Welcome to my humble abode,” I said, moving out of the way for him to pass. I wanted to look at his ass in those shorts, but I didn’t. I’d have a hard-on in a matter of seconds.

  He was looking around my home, which was wide open even into the bedroom, when he gave me the beer. “Hey, I like what you’ve done with the place. Was wondering if Ell’s girliness would rub off on you.”

  He was ribbing me, so it was a good sign he wouldn’t go all territorial about Scarlet, but there was more to this meeting of the minds. I wasn’t holding out hope, though I wouldn’t ever shy away from what I wanted.

  “Yeah, I had to tone out all the white a little, and I got a fucking decent television finally. Gotta keep up with my Cubbies.”

  I grabbed a beer out of the pack when I put it on the counter and handed him one. A nervous chuckle escaped his lips. “Ah, you’re a Cubs’ fan. I finally found something about you I like.”

  Oh, I could tell him there was a lot about him I liked, but I only replied, “Thanks, but I’m sure we can do better than that?”

  I tried not to deliver it with any flirtatious undertones, but from the look on his face, I didn’t think I was successful. Moving into the kitchen, I grabbed plates for us, placing our subs on. “Want to eat on the couch?”

  “Sure.” But he sat in the big chair near the couch, and I sat on the side closest to him.

  But he didn’t grab his food to eat. He sat still with his beer in his hands. Finally, he said, “So, LT, what’s this about? I’m assuming you want to lay claim to Red as much as I want to.”

  Oh, there was so much I wanted to claim right then. I moved my sub to the side, too. Apparently, we were talking first, not eating. “You care for Scar, don’t you?”

  He swallowed a swig of his beer, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. It was so sexy. Before I could ogle him more, he began, “I love her, Levi. And if I’m honest, I hate that she cares for you like she does.”

  Yeah, her feelings for Jordan had never bothered me ’cause I understood how she could fall for him. But I kept this bit of info to myself. “I love her, too, Jordan. And if we aren’t careful, one of us or both of us will lose her.”

  His stare turned to confusion. “What? Of course, she’ll have to choose eventually.”

  Rubbing the back of my neck with my free hand and taking a swig of my own beer, I finally said, “But does she have to? Do we want to make her choose?”

  “Of course, I don’t want to hurt her, but she can’t have both of us.” Jordan’s words carried finality.

  I leaned into his space. “Sure, she can have both of us. We make it simple for her. She loves us both. We love her. Let her have us together.”

  I’d expected him to fly out of his seat, but he only sat back, though his anger was not contained. “What the fuck? I’m not like Arden and Daimen. I’m not into guys.”

  Shit, I had known this already, but I was not here about my own needs. In a perfect world, I would have loved to have what Arden, Daimen, and Elliot had. But this was not even close to a perfect world. I leaned closer to him and began laying out my case. “I get that, but you don’t know what you’re missing.” He gave me a stare down, almost like a challenge. “But that’s not what I’m suggesting. I want to have a committed relationship with Scarlet with both of us being her boyfriends. She has so much love, so let us share her together. Let me assure you that doesn’t mean you and I are together—sexually.”

  “What do you mean? This is humiliating for Red. How can you even think she’d be up for something like that?”

  I shrug because this will push him over the edge. “I talked to her about this first. What I’m suggesting is the both of us dating her. The two of us sharing her.”

  “Like the opposite of sister wives?” His question was delivered with sarcasm, but it still made me laugh.

  “No, not really. You and I’d take her on dates together. You’d be here when we made love, and I’d be here when you made love with her. And if I worked, I’d know she was safe with you. If you had a late shift at the hospital, you’d know she was safe with me.”

  “But not you and me?” His question loomed in the air, and I wondered how much I should share with him.

  “Well,” I begin, stringing along the one-syllable word. Waving my hands through my light hair, I take a deep breath as I continue, my voice a little shaky. “To tell you the truth, I’m bisexual. I never thought of you as a threat because I want you equally. But I understand you’re not into that. I like you, but I can keep my feelings at bay for the sake of Scarlet. Let us become friends. Let’s work together to give Scar the one thing she never had—security and love together.” Scar never had a family, being bussed from foster home to foster home until Arden and Daimen took her off the streets when she was eighteen. They were the only family she’d ever known.

  “But you want me sexually?” His question came out so casual and matter-of-factly. It was a loaded question.

  “Whoa, Doc, let’s put your ego aside. Yes, I could fuck you if you were into men, but you’re not. So let’s worry about Scar and make her our focus.” His fists were balled together like he could take my head off. “What I’m suggesting is you join us tonight. She’s coming over, and we have plans, but I’d like you here. Yes, the first time I take Scar, I want you to be a part of it—for her.”

  He stood, leaving his sandwich and beer on the table, and walked out the door. I wouldn’t go after him because he would have to work this out on his own. And since he left without his lunch, I had another sandwich I could enjoy.

  7

  Scarlet

  My heart raced all day. After Levi asked my permission to approach Jordan about a threesome, meaning the two committed only to me, my stomach had been in knots all day. Quite honestly, it was brilliant. Levi was taking a chance on his heart, but I knew he only wanted to prevent either him or Jordan from being hurt when I made a choice. And I was nowhere close to being able to choose between them. Though Levi’s heart was falling for both of us at the same time.

  I had spoken with both men about how I was a part of the foster care system. I had never let them see the real hurt that lived inside me or given them a full understanding of the anguish and misery I had—growing up without anyone to love me unconditionally. And though poor Levi had been disowned by his parents for the life he’d lived, he still had his twin sister. If I were discarded again at this point in my life by the two men who I’d fallen equally in love with, my heart would never recover. They’d both take half of it with them.

  When Levi’s text came through, I was hesitant to check it. I’d already deduced that if it were Levi, it could not be good news. Looking at the time on the clock that sat on my desk, it had only been fifteen minutes since Jordan had arrived at Levi’s condo. My heart sank as I read the words.

  My Hot Fireman: It’s out there. I told him my plan, and he walked out. But that’s not necessarily a bad sign.

  Ah, my sensitive yet cocky fireman was so confident. His care for me, making this decision that didn’t leave me brokenhearted, was one of pure unselfishness. He’d never lied to me. He wanted Jordan as much as he wanted me, but I knew this gesture was for me. Being with me, as Jordan was, would be hard for Levi. It was in his little sentiment that I understood how genuinely unselfish he was.

  Me: I’m sorry, babe.

  My Hot Fireman: I got an extra sub from Vinnie’s out of it even if it was just dull turkey.

  Always so positive, that one. I couldn’t help but smile at his words. I fired off another text.

  Me: You know I love you, righ
t?

  We hadn’t said those words to one another, but in the three months we’d been together, the flames were as evident to me as the real fires he put out daily.

  My Hot Fireman: Yes, this isn’t the way I imagined telling you for the first time, but, Scar, I love you, too.

  Me: I know, but I will make it up to you tonight. Sorry, babe. Your sister just appeared at my desk. TTYL.

  With our goodbyes, I placed my phone back in my top desk drawer and watched Ell watch me.

  “Was that my brother who put a smile on your face or Andrew’s brother?” Elliot never judged me for dating both Levi and Jordan, who happened to be her best friend’s brother. Ell had the best of both worlds, too, but her men were as committed to one another as they were to her.

  “Your brother,” I plainly stated. “And you know about his little crush on the good doctor, right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, we’d talked about it. And I adore Jordan, but I think it’s a lost cause,” she deadpanned, pushing one of her blonde curls out of her eyes. “And I know Levi too well. He has this fun-loving nature about him. He’s serious but playful at the same time, so I know he wants you both.”

  What could I say? She could read her brother like the back of her hand. “Um, Levi playful?” I teased back. It was funny how Ell had her own playful man. Arden was the fun-loving jokester whereas Daimen was serious ninety percent of the time. And though Levi was less serious than the good doctor, he was a good mix of easygoing and business.

  Pursing my lips together, it wasn’t my place to disclose the little conversation Levi had with the other man I’d fallen in love with. Cocking my head to the side, I gave a simple reply. “Yeah, I guess we’ll see.”

  Having already agreed to meet Levi at his place, I hurried home from work and took a quick shower. I wanted to cook for him, but his exact words were, “I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”