A Couple is Three: The Beginning (book 1 & 2 Completed)

Chapter 8 - 8 Seconds

A/N A Memorial Day present to all my American friends and readers as you take today to remember all those who lost their lives in service to your country. ❤️

They walked together holding hands all the way to the competitors gate. They didn't walk with their arms stretched out like you see some couples doing, instead they walked so closely together that a piece of paper would have had a hard time passing through. It was as if the stories that they had shared earlier had brought them even closer together. It could have also been the protective nature that Josh and Jake were exhibiting over anything to do with Samantha. Between the hostile looks that she had received earlier to the story about a motorcycle gang member approaching her, the boys were on high alert. The easiest way that they found to deal with their concern for her safety was to have her wrapped up as close as she could be to them.

For Samantha's part, she didn't mind walking so closely to them. It made her feel protected and safe. It helped to ease the butterflies in her stomach that were continuously making themselves known to her every time she was close to the boys. Instead it increased the feeling of heat that was working its way up from her stomach and throughout her body. Of the two, she would take the heat any day. At least then she wouldn't have to be worried about throwing up on either of the boys. It also meant that she could continue to dwell on her concern for Lily. She didn't have to be worried about running into people or tripping and falling since the boys were acting as her lookout.

Once they arrived at the gate, Samantha turned to Jake. She stood up on her tiptoes with her hand on his shoulder, her other hand was still holding onto Josh's, and placed a kiss right over where his dimple was on his cheek. "Good luck," she whispered against his skin as Jake shivered.

With darkening eyes, he wrapped both his arms around her and pulled her tight. He held on tightly for a few seconds breathing in the smell of pears that came from her hair before he loosened his grip. He had never thought that the smell of a pear could be sexy, but since he first smelt her hair yesterday, he knew that he would never be able to smell appear again without thinking of her. Bending down his placed a kiss on her forehead and told her to be safe. He held onto her hand as she turned to face Josh.

She stood again on tiptoes and placed a kiss on Josh's cheek above his dimple. Instead of using his shoulder for support, she had grabbed onto his muscular bicep. Whispering "Good luck," against Josh's skin caused him to shiver as well. Before she could lower herself back down, he wrapped an arm around her waist while his other arm slid under her butt and picked her up. Holding her tight, he rested his head against hers, breathing in the smell of her skin. He noticed that her skin smelled like almonds and vanilla, added to that the light smell of pears that was coming from her hair and he was in heaven. It reminded him of a dessert that his grandmother made occasionally and he knew that every time that she would make it in the future that he would be thinking of Samantha. His breathing was causing goosebumps to erupt on her arms that only got bigger when he planted a soft kiss on the side of her neck. She pulled her head away to look at him and saw that his brown eyes were almost black with desire. She didn't know what his eye colour change meant, but she found herself just as attracted to it as she had been when they were brown.

"Please be careful of the sun and heat," he told her as he lowered her back down to the ground.

Letting go of both her hands Jake and Josh walked to the gate. They both turned around giving her a wink and a smile before they headed through the gate.

She returned their smile and as the gate closed she turned her back to the gate while fanning her overheated face. She was pretty sure that despite the air temperature, her body was overheating from the closeness of Jake and Josh. "Crap," she thought, "I really am a lost cause when it comes to those two. I don't think that I could ever choose between them."