I was instantly unnerved by his attitude and words. "No, you didn't make a mistake." I muttered, glancing from Jared and back over to Shannon, who shot me a slight smile and a wink. My mind was spinning with the events of the last twenty-four hours. Things seemed to be so backward. Shannon was the one that I expected to be all confident and cocky about the situation, while Jared, I assumed, would be trying to ease my mind. That certainly wasn't the case here, and it felt like one big mind fuck.
Jared leaned back in his chair and opened his bottle of water, still not taking his eyes off of mine yet. "I have a few rules that I've come up with and I know Shan will probably agree with them. Number one, absolutely no jealousy. I will not tolerate it and really, there's no reason for it." He gestured with his hands. "I mean, we are all adults here. I will never fight with my brother over a woman, no matter how much I care about her. I'd rather walk away altogether. Is that going to be an acceptable rule for you?"
"Yes." I sipped from my glass. Part of me was still irritated with the whole rule thing.
"Good, rule number two, NO ONE ever finds out about this little arrangement. I say arrangement, but it's more than that, it's a pact, a relationship. Whatever happens between the three of us, stays between the three of us, not even family can know about this." When I didn't answer him right away, he snapped his fingers in my direction. I've never seen him like this, and I didn't like it at all. "Hey! You still with us?"
Letting out a sarcastic laugh, I responded with an eye roll. "What makes you think that I would want anyone to know? Do you realize how that would make me look? So, in response to your ridiculous little rule, yes, I agree." My tone was more sarcastic than anything else and I could feel my hands starting to tremble. I took another sip of my wine. God, it was like, the more he spoke, the more uneasy I became.
"Great!" He clapped his hands together and helped himself to the food on the table. "Carrie, I also feel that this one goes without saying, but when in public, I would like it if you would walk behind us. No hand holding, embracing, or kissing in public. You are a very good friend if any of our crew happen to ask."
With his reply, I mumbled to myself. "Perfect view of both your asses." I downed my glass of wine as I struggled to relax. Jared raised his brow and Shannon grinned while trying to keep a straight face.
Ignoring my comment, he continued. "Those are my main concerns, Shannon you have some that you'd like to add here?" Jared looked over to his brother.
Shannon leaned back, crossing one arm over his chest and rubbing the side of his face with his other hand. "Yeah, uh, so, Jared this one is more for you than Carrie. I don't want to compete with you. That should go along with the no jealousy rule."
Jared nodded his head. "Of course." He again gestured to Shannon. "Continue." I poured myself another glass.
Shannon licked over his lips before speaking. "I feel like things should be planned well ahead of time. I mean we all have to work and there will have to be some nights we will just want to be alone, right? I mean, I know I will." Finishing my second glass, I hadn't even touched my food.
"Great rule!" Jared clapped his hands together and glanced from Shannon back over to me. I could agree with that one. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as bad as I had imagined. These weren't completely unreasonable rules. "Definitely some nights alone. We can certainly talk about this as we go."
"The only other thing is that I feel we should get equal time together. You alright with that Carrie? If you feel overwhelmed at any time you can tell us. Don't be shy or think that you will hurt my feelings because I get it." His warm eyes focused on mine and I nodded my head, picking up the bottle and pouring myself more.
Clearing my throat, I got up the nerve to chime in. "Can I add something here, a little rule or two of my own?" Both of them froze and the grin that spread across Shannon's face was priceless. He was opening another bottle as he looked over at Jared. I patiently waited for a response.
Jared glared at me like he couldn't believe what I was saying. He glanced over at Shannon and then back at me. "That depends, what are they?"
I leaned all the way back in my chair, feeling like I had full control. "I reserve the right to say no if I choose not to see either of you, without a fight, right? I mean, Shannon did say that there will be nights that we just want to be alone. This applies to me too, right?" As I finished my glass, my third, I was feeling it. Jared focused on me this time with a less than pleased look on his face when I spoke again. "What if I decide I just need a break?"
"Sure, that's not a problem." I could tell that Jared was offended that I was speaking up and his answer was short and had a slight sarcastic undertone to it. "Now, how about slowing down on the drinking! This is a serious conversation and I want you coherent when talking about this."
Letting out a deep breath, I sat up in my chair, totally ignoring his last comment. "I will also NEVER agree to any threesome, so that's completely off the table. No double entry." I laughed hysterically at what I had just said.
Both of them froze like I had asked them to set themselves on fire. Jared dropped his fork and sat back. "Is this not up for discussion at all?"
Shannon looked up at me, straightening himself in his seat. "Wait, no threesome? Like, ever?"
