Page 161 of Rising Heat

Tyler scratches at the label on his water bottle.

“So what the hell do we do now?”

I think about it for a moment.

“We stop acting like it has to be one or the other.”

“I don’t wanna be left out.”

“No.”

“But I’m also not gonna tell you not to have time with her.”

“Same.”

“If she wants you…”

“She gets me.”

“If she wants me…”

“She gets you.”

“And the other guy?”

“He knows.”

Tyler nods slowly.

“No more surprises.”

I nod in agreement.

“She just got out of something real. She doesn’t need to feel responsible for whatever the hell we’re figuring out.”

“I know.”

“That part’s on us.”

“Agreed.”

I glance over.

“And if this starts becoming something different…”

“We talk.”

“Before somebody gets blindsided.”

He exhales through his nose, the tension finally bleeding out of his shoulders.

“So…” A grin starts pulling at the corner of his mouth. “We’re really doing this.”

I shrug.

“She’s fun. We like having her around, we both like fucking her, and she obviously likes being with both of us.”

“And nobody’s trying to stop.”