fucked by two men. Aside from knowing our names, who was who wasn’t important.”
“Oh.”
Her downcast eyes proved he’d messed up again, and he knew he needed to lighten the mood. He hadn’t meant to bring up other women, but he’d been shocked by her knowledge of their differences. Most people yelled out one of their names and waited to see who responded. They’d caught onto that trick years ago and fooled many people by switching places.
“I’m not sure you really can tell us apart. Maybe you just got lucky,” he said, and Collin played along.
“Yeah, I think we need to test you. Just to be sure.”
“Go ahead,” she laughed. “I can tell you apart with my eyes closed.”
“Oh really?” Cade asked. “We’re definitely going to test that theory later.”
She laughed and started down the stairs. They followed her lead, and soon they were piled in the truck and cruising down the road toward the mall.
***
True to their word, the guys tested her multiple times throughout the day. To their dismay, she guessed their identity correctly every time.
“Okay, what’s your secret?” Collin asked.
“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. I don’t want to do that,” she teased, “because I like having both of you around.”
“Do you?” Cade asked, in his usual, serious tone.
“I do,” she replied, mocking his demeanor.
“You little brat. Wait till we get home, then the true test will begin.”
“Bring it,” she challenged and they all burst out laughing.
The outburst gained more attention from the mall patrons and Sam locked eyes with yet another woman posturing for her men. The trip had been exactly what she needed after her crazy morning, but it was also a wake-up call. Every woman in the place, and some men, too, had ogled the guys at least once while they managed to walk the mall from end to end on all three floors. Several women looked at the men, looked her up and down, and then either laughed or cast her dirty looks. At lunchtime, a couple of women had blatantly followed them into the restaurant and asked for tables in the same section. Luckily, the restaurant didn’t approve any of the requests.
For the most part, she ignored the other women. If she did spot someone looking at them, she smiled and turned away from the hate. The guys were with her now, and that’s all that’s all that mattered. Cade and Collin didn’t mention the women and pretended not to notice the stares. If they weren’t pretending, they were ill and needed to see a doctor.
Deep down, she could admit that it felt good being seen with them. For the first time in her life, other women were jealous of something she had. That had never happened before. Still, the constant attention was hard to ignore. Maybe she just needed practice.
Later in the afternoon, Collin suggested a movie and she welcomed the darkness and the solitude with her men. She didn’t want to cry or be depressed, so she agreed to an action film instead of the new chick-flick she’d been dying to see.
During the film, Cade kept his arm around her and Collin held her hand. Both men gave her exactly what she needed, and she remembered what Collin had said the night they’d asked her out. Together, they were the perfect boyfriend. She didn’t totally agree. In her eyes, they were both perfect in their own way, but together they were sublime.
When the movie let out, they walked across the mall once again and entered the dessert bar. The guys made her laugh when they couldn’t make up their minds and finally decided to take a few samples home.
They ordered four pieces to share at the table, and four more to-go. Coffees in hand, they found a place to sit and started on the plates. Cade and Collin laughed over her desire to save a piece of each flavor before they ate everything, but she couldn’t risk not getting a taste. They each took two bites for every one of hers and the pieces weren’t that big. She hadn’t fully