Parting ways with Shannon the following day, made me a little sad. I thoroughly enjoyed him cuddling me all night after we engaged in the most aggressive sex I'd had in a long time. It was mind blowing how easily his personality shifted from the wild, bossy guy barking out orders last night, to the sweet, gentle man serving me breakfast in bed.
After finishing my coffee, I showered and Shannon was nice enough to provide me with an old, faded pair of pants and tee shirt to wear home. Standing at his front door, he traced my bottom lip with the tip of his finger and tried to convince me to blow off any plans I may have already made in advance. He urged me to spend the day with him, but unfortunately, I had to get home and pack for my next trip.
I was flying out of LAX in two days and as always, had some last minute running to do. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to see Jared before I left, but I planned to call him soon.
I landed in Reno just after ten in the morning and after checking into my hotel, I met with my client. Comparing fabric to paint swatches and trim colors to light fixtures, I sighed. She was adamant about wanting specific colors in her home and I was having issues finding certain pieces to match her unconventional style.
I'd been so focused on the task at hand that I didn't even hear the chiming of my phone. When I finally stopped to take a break, I pulled it from my pocket to see that I had 3 missed calls, one from Jared, one from Kim, and one from Sara. I also had a few texts. Glancing at Shannon's message, I smiled.
'I can't wait until you come home, I miss you already.' He was so thoughtful. It was nice to know that he was thinking of me. The fuel of this new relationship added some extra excitement to my life and kept a smile on my face.
I also missed Jared while he had been gone, and hated how little we had spoken over the past few days. My first thought was to call him after reading his message, but I still had a few things to do and decided to wait until I was back at the hotel.
'Babe I've tried calling, but I guess you're busy. Can you please call me back when you get this?'
I finished up for the day with only one interruption, a call from Josh about the next job. He would be out the next day to take care of the painting and handling the furniture delivery. As I was leaving for the day, I dialed Jared, chatting with him while taking a cab back to my hotel.
His voice was just what I needed after a long day. "Well, hello there, beautiful. I'm just heading back to the car after a walk. Been thinking about you a lot today."
"Awwww, I think that maybe you might miss me just a tiny bit. Is that it Jay. you miss me?" I flirted, grinning happily as I pulled the shades down.
"So, where are you, it's so quiet?" I could hear people talking in the background and knew that neither of us were alone for this call. I wondered who it was accompanying him this time. Shayla? Stevie?
"In a cab on the way back to the hotel."
I frowned when he spoke again. "I know you're not alone either, but I just want you to know that I'm looking forward to seeing you this weekend."
"Same." I knew I was being short, but I was saving all of my affection for later when I planned to call him before bed.
We kept the call brief, and I raced through the lobby, up to my hotel room to change and then it was straight to the gym downstairs for my workout. The music blared in my earbuds as I pushed my body. It felt good to work out some of that pent up frustration and annoyance with being away from both of them. I had to admit that I was falling hard for Shannon and the idea of having the same feelings for both of them, terrified me.
Sweaty and exhausted, I made my way up to my room. I showered and decided to try some sushi for dinner. I couldn't resist with the restaurant right next door to the hotel, and after the way the front desk clerk had bragged about it this morning, I'd been craving it all day. Pulling my phone from the charger, I found the number and placed my order.
Fifteen minutes later, I hurried over to pick it up. I pulled the laptop from the charger and got comfortable in the middle of the large bed. I picked at my food while opening the laptop to Skype Jared.
To my surprise, he wasn't alone. Shannon was with him and I raised my brows. They had to notice the stunned look on my face as I looked from Jared to Shannon. It was Jared who asked how things were going and made sure that I understood everything was cool.
Nervously, I responded, not knowing where to focus my attention. "Yeah, things are good, Josh will be here tomorrow. I'm nothing like you two lunatics when it comes to work, I know when to stop." They both laughed at me, but it was true. "Jared that was more directed toward you than to Shannon."
"That's the truth, but I've seen you in action and I know how much time you put into making sure that things are perfect." I couldn't help but smile at Shannon's comment, and felt my face redden instantly when little flashes of what took place while finishing his house lingered in my mind.
Looking at the screen, they both sat there together, Jared with his arms crossed and Shannon with his sunglasses on. Jared was quieter than normal, and I could see by his expression there was a lot going on in his head. He flashed me a smile and I wondered if my being with Shan had really hurt him on some level.
We had an awkward start, but the three way conversation warmed up and appeared to flow naturally. They playfully picked on each other, but the three of us got along well. It was getting late and I was worn out.
"Alright, we can see you're exhausted and I know I've got a few things to do myself tonight." Jared leaned forward.
"Yeah, I should get home. I miss you." Shannon added, blowing me a kiss before getting up and walking away from the couch.
Jared leaned in closer, pulling his laptop into his lap. "Uh, I guess we will see you this weekend? I'm hoping to make some time for us to get away for a few days. You okay with that?" His eyes were so intense and captivating, they appeared even more blue than normal if that's even possible. They pierced right through me and my heart ached with missing him.
I nodded and gave him a smile. "Sounds great. Jared, I really do miss you."
"Just a few more days and you'll be home." He stared at the screen, his soft lips stretching into a playful smile. He really was so different than his brother and I couldn't get enough. "Get some rest, babe."
"I will, goodnight." I yawned again and shrugged. "I'm sorry, I can't stop."
"Don't worry about it. I'll call tomorrow, goodnight."
Nodding, I ended the call and shoved the uneaten portion of my food into the small refrigerator. Moving the laptop to the floor, I stretched out across the bed and fell asleep just like that. However, somewhere around midnight, I crawled beneath the covers.
Josh arrived the next day and we actually made some great progress. For so long I would look forward to traveling for work, but now that I was in this crazy relationship, all I could think about was spending time with them.
