Admitting that he had no fucking clue what he was doing wasn’t Cam’s strong suit. He’d always prided himself on being prepared with multiple contingency plans if shit went sideways. But this … this, he didn’t even have a Plan A to go with, let alone his normal backups.
Share the woman you were hung up on with your buddy because she wanted you both. No, he didn’t know what the fuck to do about that—but he absolutely wasn’t walking away.
Still, the fact thatthiswas what Lia wanted stunned him. Fuck stunned, itamazedhim. She’d been through hell, regardless of what she actually remembered, and the fact that she wanted any man, let alonetwomen, was a testament to her strength and resilience.Is this what it would take to make her feel safe and secure?
Uncrossing his arms, he paced the cabin, only stopping when the screen door creaked open. Cam swung around, expecting to see—hoping to see—Lia at the door. But it was Travis.
He shoved down the disappointment, because actually, this was for the best. They needed to work shit out between them first, and they hadn’t had the opportunity to do it.
“So, you got a plan here?” Cam asked, re-crossing his arms over his chest and studying his best friend. He dropped his arms to the side, almost as soon as he crossed them. He needed to get his head out of his ass and a defensive posture wasn’t helping.
Travis cocked an eyebrow. “You’re always the one with the plan. Thought you’d have this one worked out already.”
Cam huffed out a laugh … or at least he was shooting for a laugh, but it came out sounding a lot more like a grunt. “No plan this time. Flying blind here.”
“A conversation this important, and you’ve got nothing? That isn’t like you.”
Travis’s easy acceptance floored him.
“What do you expect me to say? Yeah, it’s totally cool that the woman I’ve been falling for since I carried her out of hell doesn’t just want me, but she also wants my best friend.”
Travis studied him. “We need to be on the same page before she gets here, so I suggest you tell me right now which way you’re gonna go.”
It was now or never. Nut up or shut up.
Cam squared his shoulders and met his best friend’s gaze. “I’m in. I’ve got no clue how this is gonna go down, and if it all falls apart, I’ll damn sure be the one picking up the pieces. But if this is what Lia wants, there’s no way in fuck I’m gonna tell her ‘no’ if you’re on board too.”
Travis held out his hand, elbow crooked, palm up. Cam stepped forward and clasped it.
“Okay then,” Travis replied. “And if shit falls apart, we deal with it. Together.”
“Agreed. As long as she comes first in every decision we make, I don’t think we can fuck this up too bad.”
“Friends no matter what?” Travis asked.
“No matter what,” Cam repeated. They released each other and Cam settled onto the couch to wait. Travis dropped into his favorite recliner. They didn’t have to wait long.
Lia slowly crossed the compound toward Travis and Cam’s cabin, eyes alert—like someone might come running out of the shadows with a chainsaw. The creepy thought pulled her back to the rundown camp of the men who’d taken her prisoner three days after the world had gone dark. She’d lived alone, in a little rental cottage at the end of a wooded road. She’d been so proud of her place, because she’d worked her ass off to save enough to get one on a lake. Cosmetology hadn’t proven to be a crazy lucrative career, but she’d made enough to keep herself happy and moving out of the apartment on a busy main road had been a victory. She’d loved the serenity of the lake, even if the house had been tiny. But that serenity had proven to be her undoing. Three days had taken her through all of the water in her house, and she’d been so damn thirsty that she’d ventured down to the lake, desperate for a drink. It had been a horrible mistake—for two reasons.
First, because she hadn’t been the only one who had known about the lake. Two men in dirty flannel shirts and patched jeans had been a hundred yards from the bank where she’d drank directly from the lake and then filled her bucket. When they’d seen her, they’d started to move in closer. When she’d run, it’d been like firing a starting pistol, because they’d chased her to her front door and broken it down. Her brother had been coming up the drive, walking back from sourcing supplies. He’d gone head-to-head with the rednecks, but unarmed against two men with guns, he’d had no chance. The last thing she remembered was her brother’s dead body, blood pooling from three bullet wounds—the side of his head, his chest, and his shoulder—before she’d dropped to her knees and everything had gone black.
She’d woken up later, throwing up over and over again. For two days she’d heaved until there was nothing left. The best she could figure was bacteria from the lake. She’d been so weak, and the men had been so pissed that she was sick that instead of helping her recover they’d…
Lia shook off the thought as the darkness threatened to creep in.No, she wouldn’t let the darkness win. She wouldn’t think of them. They were dead. Like her brother. Her stomach twisted, and her eyes burned. She’d been so helpless and weak, but no longer. Now she was strong enough to ask for what she wanted. She was ready to quit existing andlive.
She squared her shoulders and approached the door.
Can I really do this? Yes. I can and I will. Because she only got one life, and even if it was this crazyend of the world as you know itlife, she was going to make the most of it. And making the most of it meant taking what she needed and experiencing something amazing. There had been no guarantees before, and therecertainlyweren’t any now. So this was Lia McLaren taking life by the balls.
She grabbed the door handle and pushed it open, not bothering to knock. She’d never been in this cabin before, but she was determined to start this crazy thing like she meant to move forward. No more timid Lia—only bold, strong, confident Lia. The girl she had been before, and was determined to be again.
She stepped inside, and the two gorgeous men looked at her. Cam with his dark, curling locks and dark eyes, and Travis with his green eyes and short coppery-brown hair. One serious and brooding, and the other lighthearted and fun. Both incredibly handsome and protective and all of the things she could want in a man. Was it any wonder she wanted them both and couldn’t bear to choose?
Both men rose from their seated position, thoroughly filling the small front room of the cabin with their presence. Both men were big, but Travis was the shorter of the two. Probably about six-two, but his shoulders were every bit as wide as Cam’s. They were both striking. Their work around the compound had kept their bodies in top physical shape.
Equally panty-meltingly gorgeous.
Except in this instance, Lia had opted to skip the panties. Sexy lingerie was non-existent these days … and her ragged cotton ones hadn’t exactly inspired naughty thoughts.