Free Hard Candy by Jade Buchanan Page B

what’s the problem?”
     
    “ I don’t know.”
     
    Well, that wasn’t helpful at all. “Come on, we stick together remember? We can figure anything out between the two of us.”
     
    “ The two of us?”
     
    “ Shit, Pens. I don’t know what to say.”
     
    “ Do you want to be with him?”
     
    “ I want to be with you.”
     
    “ That wasn’t what I asked.”
     
    Craig sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
     
    “ I want you to be honest. Come on. Tell me the truth.”
     
    “ I want to be with you.”
     
    “ And Mack?”
     
    Craig hesitated. He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do, but she’d asked for honesty. “And Mack.”
     
    She was silent for a moment. Craig wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was starting to think he’d messed up good.
     
    “ So, you want to be with both of us?”
     
    “ I know how that must sound. I realize you probably think I’m the biggest asshole, or that I’m confused...”
     
    “ Are you?”
     
    “ The biggest asshole? Looks like.”
     
    “ Confused?”
     
    “ More than I’ve ever been.”
     
    “ Me too.”
     
    Craig finally turned to look at her again. “Yeah?”
     
    “ I wasn’t entirely honest with you before. A lot changed for me over the years, too. I’ve been with two men before. A long time ago now.”
     
    “ You’re not even thirty yet. How long ago could it possibly have been?”
     
    Penny laughed, curling up closer to his body with the movement. “You’re an idiot.”
     
    Craig realized what she’d just said. “You’ve been in a ménage?”
     
    “ Not a relationship. But, sex, yes.”
     
    “ What’s the difference? You can’t have a relationship with three people.”
     
    “ It’s possible. I have a friend in Houston who’s with two men. She’s the reason I experimented. There’s a few things I’ve done with her help, actually, including getting the piercing. But, I see what they have together, and it works for them.”
     
    “ Are the men together, too?” He wasn’t sure that would work. How could it possibly work? Hell, some people couldn’t even manage to have a relationship with one person.
     
    “ Yes. They weren’t at first, but they’ve grown a lot closer over the years.”
     
    “ Years?” Whoa.
     
    “ Yep. I’m trying to think… They just celebrated number eleven. I’m pretty sure that’s correct. It works for them.”
     
    “ How?” Seriously, he wasn’t getting how it could work.
     
    “ They’re honest with each other. Extremely honest. It’s the only way something like that can happen. The minute one person feels the least bit left out they need to talk about it.”
     
    Could it work? Did he even want to be in a relationship with Mack and Penny? Of course. It smacked of more than a little like having your cake and eating it too, but he didn’t care.
     
    Would Mack? “Mack said he wanted to be with me.” Way to just blurt that out there. Craig sighed.
     
    “ Did he? Wow. Okay, so, you want to try something?”
     
    Craig winced. “He never said anything about you. What if…?”
     
    “ What if he doesn’t want me?”
     
    He didn’t even want to think about that. He was just beginning to think that his dreams might be possible. Being with two people that he loved and respected and was friends with would be amazing. Having to let one of them go because they couldn’t be with the other person would be horrible. Because Craig didn’t want to have to choose. He couldn’t go to Mack if Mack didn’t want Penny.
     
    Shit, what kind of man was he? Both Mack and Penny deserved far greater than him. They deserved someone who wanted them and only them.
     
    “ Maybe this isn’t the greatest idea,” he said.
     
    “ We won’t know until we try.” Penny shuffled over and crawled out of bed.
     
    “ Wait, where are you going?”
     
    “ We’re going to see Mack.”
     
    “ Now?” Craig wasn’t sure he liked the high pitch his voice had