Free Hungry Heart: Part One (Hungry Heart #1) by Violet Haze Page B

muffin and I take it from her, then head back to my seat where Ethan is waiting for me with a smirk on his face.
    “Who was the guy all up in your space?”
    “His name is Benedict.” I take a bite of my muffin, scowling as his grin grows wide, and I lift a brow as if to say, ‘what?’
    “Ah, nothing. It’s obvious he wants to fuck you.”
    A piece of muffin gets caught in my throat and I start coughing like mad. Ethan jumps up and pounds on my back, chuckling as I take a deep breath and lean forward to take a drink of my latte.
    “Asshole,” I say once I can breathe again.
    “You say the same to me all the time about the girls who hit on me, Caro.” He shrugs. “I wonder what Nathan will think.”
    Nathan is my boyfriend, and Ethan knows all about our arrangement. He doesn’t necessarily approve, but the great thing is he loves me and trusts me enough to know I’m the only one who gets any say about how I live my life — in general and in the romance department.
    “Nathan has someone else, as you know. I’m the one between us who hasn’t had any interest in anyone besides him.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the card, which is bare except for his name and number, and hold it up. “Benedict put this in my pocket and told me to call him. Said he’s in an open relationship. The fact I have a boyfriend didn’t seem to stop him from assuming I’d be interested.”
    “Because you are and he knew it.” When my mouth drops open, Ethan rolls his eyes. “Come on now. You were seconds away from jumping into his arms. Your interest in him was written all over your face.”
    It's dumb to deny the obvious, although jumping into his arms is a bit of an exaggeration. “Well, he’s gorgeous. Can you blame me?”
    “Nope. Go for it.” Ethan stands up and swipes his backpack from the chair beside him, tossing it over his shoulder as he winks at me. “We still meeting at the club?”
    “Uh huh. Wouldn’t miss having my first legal drink at the stroke of midnight for nothing.”
    He comes around the table and kisses my cheek. “Invite the soon-to-be boy toy.” At my scoff, he laughs. “See ya there at eleven-thirty, Caro.”
    I finish eating my muffin and drinking my latte, then ten minutes later, I head home to prepare for my evening out.

2
    Nathan and Rissa, his other girlfriend, are having sex when I arrive home.
    I know this because I can hear her moans all the way at the front door, which I slam in a deliberate fashion to make them aware of my presence. Perfect, since this results in a sudden drop in her verbal announcements of pleasure.
    Up until a year ago, I lived with Ethan. But once Nathan bought a house of his own, he insisted living together was the best for both of us. He made it clear staying close and connected with me was the most important thing to him, and I loved that he didn’t want to live apart.
    The rules of our relationship made it so the rules must be made clear to anyone we have interest in. This house is Nathan’s and I’m the only other person who lives here. People we’re with may sleep over, hang out, spend a day with us, but they can’t live here. They aren’t allowed to leave things here ‘just in case’ and that’s the way we want it.
    Other rules include always introducing the other people in our lives to each other first before we sleep with them, always use protection, and spending two nights with each other a week alone is mandatory. Respect is key as well, and nobody's allowed to disrespect either of us, or our relationship. If they do, it is to end immediately.
    Of course, as I told Ethan, Nathan is the only one between us to have someone else, but even his relationship with Rissa developed slowly. It wasn’t so much that she wasn’t cool with it, but it’s always a little awkward making it clear to someone they are welcome to hit on your boyfriend, and yes, even sleep with him as long as she doesn’t try to come between us.
    Nathan had been into Rissa