“What does that mean, exactly?”

He leaned forward again, his grey gaze intense. “Mac doesn’t get to fuck you unless I get to first. I won’t fuck you unless or until you’re married to me. I marry for love. And I won’t marry you unless I know you truly love me in return first. Do I make myself clear?”

She swallowed hard. “Yes.”

“Honestly, I can’t tell you how this will work between you and Mac. I’m still trying to sort logistics out myself. Let’s table the topic until after the play party this weekend. If it’s still an issue, we can talk more. I will promise you this—you always have a home with us.

Forever. Even if nothing changes in our relationship from the way it is right this minute. The only thing that would make me ask you to leave is if you lied to us or if you got involved with another man. You can stay as long as you are ours and ours alone, even if only in our hearts and not our bed. No strings attached. Understood?”

“Okay.”

Sully stood and left them alone. Mac’s eyes searched her face. “I love you, sweetie. But he’s my life and I can’t lose him. I’m sorry. If you can put up with us, I promise we’ll make you happier than any woman alive.”

“I would be sharing you with him.”

He smiled. “Not really. It’ll be him sharing you with me.”

She shivered, but recognized the feeling as desire, not fear.

He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I know it’s strange, but think about it. Please? Ask questions. Talk to us.” He leaned in and kissed her, sweetly, lovingly. When he leaned back he wore a smile. “Worth every stroke,” he whispered before standing and following Sully to their bedroom.

* * *

Clarisse needed time to process the new information. She spent a long sleepless night replaying the conversation in her mind.

Thought about Mac’s kiss.

Truth be told, she loved Mac, too.

And maybe even Sully.

The next morning, she headed to Uncle Tad’s. As soon as she walked in, he nailed her. “What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know that look, little girl. You’ve got something percolating in your brain. What’s going on?”

How did she talk about this?

Tad surprised her again. “You’d better not be thinking about moving. You promised me.”

She laughed. No, that wasn’t the problem. “I know. I’m not thinking about moving.”

“Then what the hell is going on?”

She blushed, not sure how to approach it. Not sure he’d approve.

When she couldn’t admit it, Tad laughed. “Please tell me one or both of those boys made a pass at you?”

Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. “What?”

He grinned. “Oh, come on. They’re both crazy about you, admit it.”

Clarisse remained silent.

Tad leaned in close. “Listen to me. Life’s short. If they love you, then enjoy it and to hell with what anyone else thinks.”

He dropped the topic, to her immense relief. She stayed a little longer, but it was blatantly obvious from his pleased smile and twinkling gaze that he would absolutely be unable to render impartial advice.

Before she returned to the house, she detoured by Howard Park and drove all the way out to the beach. A windy, chilly, overcast weekday meant she had the place to herself. She found a bench facing the Gulf and stared out at the choppy, grey water.

A chance for her dreams to come true.

For her very own happily-ever-after.

Was she brave enough to take it? Could she live that way?

Voluntarily turn herself over to someone else when she’d struggled so hard to be free? What was freedom?

Was it fighting for every dollar she had to earn and living alone and on her own, or was it allowing herself to be taken care of, albeit unconventionally, by two men who would no doubt make sure she never wanted for anything.

Why couldn’t it have just been one of them? Either of them…

She realized what she’d thought. Mac or Sully.

But they weren’t asking her to make a choice. Maybe Sully didn’t love her the way Mac did, but he still wanted her around. That was something, right?

Still confused and unsure what to do, she returned to the Bug and drove home.

Chapter Sixteen

Mac took her shopping on Friday afternoon, to an adult store in Clearwater that sold sexy club and dance clothes in addition to novelties and movies.

She stopped at the doorway. No prude that’s for sure, but she’d never been in one of those places before.

Mac noticed her discomfort. He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. “Trust me?”

She nodded and let him lead her inside.

It took every ounce of will she had to fight the urge to turn around, walk out, and demand he take her home. There were a few mannequins dressed—to use the term loosely—in form-fitting and skimpy wear she knew would look horrible on her. Her body was too large and round to ever wear anything like that.

A friendly sales clerk walked up. Mac took the lead. As Clarisse could do little more than stare at the store’s offerings, Mac told the woman what he wanted and she showed them several racks of clothing.

Mac consulted with the woman and picked out several things, then handed them to Clarisse. “Go try them on. What shoe size are you?”

“What?”

“What shoe size?”

“Eight.”

He turned to the clerk. “Stiletto pump, black, basic.”

“I can’t walk in stilettos!”

“Have you ever tried?”

“Mac, look at me. I’m too—”

“If you say ‘fat,’ I’ll spank you right here, so help me I will.”

Her mouth snapped shut. That’s exactly what she was going to say, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “I was going to say clumsy. I’ve never worn tall heels before. I damn near kill myself in flats.”

“Then it’s time you learn how.”

The clerk returned with two shoe boxes and showed the contents to Mac. He pointed to one. “Perfect.”

Clarisse looked at the items he’d picked for her to try on. “I don’t know how to put these on,” she finally admitted.

The clerk smiled. “I’ll help you.” She ushered Clarisse into the changing room while Mac took a seat and waited for the show to start.

The first corset looked beautiful. The clerk laced the back for her.

It forced her to stand up straight. As she turned and looked at herself in the mirror…

Her mouth gaped. Not thin, but the garment gave her a shape she never realized she had. “Wow!”

“That looks gorgeous on you,” the clerk said. “You’ve got a perfect waist, an hourglass figure. I wish I had your hips.”

“I’ll give them to you. I wish I had less of them.”

The woman shook her head. “No, you wouldn’t look good skinny.

Your proportions are perfect.” She grinned. “Your man doesn’t seem to mind your figure. He practically drooled while he picked out those outfits for you.”

Clarisse’s blush deepened. The woman helped her into a leather skirt and the shoes. The shoes fit, but she nearly fell over on the five-inch heels. With the clerk offering a steadying arm, Clarisse tottered out to show Mac.

He stood at her appearance, his jaw gaped in shock.

She knew it. It’d been stupid to think she could pull this off.

She—

He covered the distance between them in two strides, pulled her into his arms, and deeply kissed her with an intense passion that not only took her breath away, it felt like he’d sucked her soul out from the very ends of her toes. Stunned, she nearly fell over when he released her until he grabbed her to hold her steady.

The clerk laughed. “I take it you’ll want these?”

“Yeah,” Mac hoarsely said. “Probably the rest too, if she looks this good in them.”

Clarisse couldn’t pull her gaze from his. “How many strokes did that just cost you?” she whispered.

He grinned. “I don’t care.”

He kissed her again before sending her back to the dressing room.

By the time they finished an hour later, he’d bought her seven different outfits she could mix and match, and two pairs of shoes. He smiled as he produced a credit card for the clerk to ring up the sale.

When they were back in the car, he couldn’t stop grinning. “You looked positively miserable in there, sweetie.” He leaned in and kissed her again. “But you also looked drop-dead gorgeous.”

Clarisse couldn’t stop thinking about the first kiss. Especially since her panties had grown considerably damp as a result. “Three kisses. He’ll beat you black-and-blue for that, won’t he?”

“I sure hope so.”

* * *

Sully insisted on a modeling session when they returned. He sat on the couch and Mac helped her negotiate the walk from her bedroom to the living room in her heels. She wasn’t sure if Sully’s expression meant he liked them or not until she modeled the final outfit. Then he stood and walked over to her.

“They’re all gorgeous. I think you should wear this one at the party tomorrow.”

She blushed. “Why this one?”

“I think you’ll be most comfortable in it.” While the least restrictive of the outfits, she felt practically naked in the short Spandex skirt that barely covered her ass and the leather halter top that pushed her breasts up and made them look two cup sizes larger.

“Comfortable?”

The corner of his mouth curled in a smile. “Unrestricted. But wear the first corset and the leather skirt in the car on the way there.

They’re street legal, so to speak. You can change into this after we get there.” Then he leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips. Not in the same deeply passionate way Mac had, but it still lit fires inside her.