Free And One Makes Three (Carnal Coeds) by Suzanne Rock Page B

to him. He was fine on the beach, so something must have happened after that.”
    Gabe nodded and stood. “Let me go with you.”
    Becca put her hand on his chest. “No, I think it’s better if I do this alone.” She winced at Gabe’s hurt expression. “He might not open up if we’re both there, jumping all over him. If it’s just me, then maybe I can get him to talk about his concerns.”
    Gabe nodded. “You were always better at soothing people.”
    “Right.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Gabe’s cheek. “I’ll call you after and let you know what’s going on.”
    “Okay. Just don’t be too long.” He pulled her up against him and rubbed his swollen cock against her lower abdomen. “I get lonely.”
    “I know.” Heat spread through her body as he kissed her, but she pushed it aside. There wasn’t time for this now. She had work to do. “I’ll call soon.” She patted his cheek and left the restaurant. Once outside, she hailed a taxi and stepped into the back.
    “To Flourish ,” she said. “And step on it.”
     

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    It took Becca a long time to find Lane. Flourish , like the rest of the bars along the boardwalk, was packed. Some indie band was playing cover music, and young patrons gyrated to the beat with colorful drinks in their hands.
    Lane was a dark hole in the colorful landscape. Customers instinctively left him alone, creating a circle of space around him at the bar. He wore black and nursed a bottle of domestic beer. Becca watched as some girl tried to flirt with him, but he shooed her away. The man looked downright depressed.
    “Is this seat taken?” she asked.
    Lane looked up and stared at her for a long moment before responding. “No, I suppose not.”
    She smiled and took the bar seat next to him. After giving the bartender her order—a glass of white wine—she turned to face hum. “What’s going on?”
    He shrugged and played with the paper label on his beer.
    “Why don’t you want to give me another paddleboarding lesson?”
    He frowned and glanced up at her. “You seem to be doing fine on your own. You don’t need me.”
    She leaned her elbow on the bar and rested her chin in her hands. “What makes you say that?”
    He returned to playing with the end of his beer label. “You have Gabe to teach you how to paddleboard. You don’t need me.”
    Becca sensed they were talking about more than water sports. She placed her hand over his and waited for him to look up and meet her gaze. “Gabe and I have tried to do things on our own before, but it never felt right. When you came along, everything seemed to fall into place.”
    He pulled his hands away from hers. “So you’re telling me that you need me in order to make things feel right between the two of you.”
    “That’s right.”
    “You want to keep using me so that you can keep having those warm fuzzies with your boyfriend.” He shook his head and took a long sip of beer. “That’s seriously fucked up.”
    “I wouldn’t put it that way—”
    “Then what way would you put it, Becca? You want me to help you connect with Gabe. Fine. But what about after you…” He glanced around the bar. “Learn to…paddleboard? What about me?”
    She shrugged. “You’d be right there, paddleboarding with us.”
    “Go get someone else to play your fucked-up games. I’m done.”
    She sighed and took a sip of her beer. This was getting them nowhere. It was evident that she was going to have to show Lane just how much he was needed. Being together created a bond between the three of them. Lane was integral to the relationship. It was obvious Gabe cared about him, and she was developing feelings too.
    She stood, slapped some bills on the counter, and held out her hand. “Come with me.”
    “What?”
    She wiggled her fingers. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
    He frowned and stood. “I don’t see—”
    “That’s the problem, you never see.” She grabbed his hand and steered