Elijah Penn sat quietly on the living room sofa, his attention on the man and woman currently laughing in the kitchen. 

Logan, with his brooding hazel eyes and midnight-black hair—which, at forty-eight, didn’t have a lick of gray coming in—towered over his wife, smiling down at her, his grin rich with promise. And Samantha, their beautiful Samantha, was making his jeans uncomfortably tight in that white, breast-hugging tank top and those dark jeans that rode low beneath her belly button. With her long dark blond hair, straightened to a glossy shine in preparation for her trip, Sam was like an erotic fantasy come true. She was laughing as she poked the bear, her light green eyes dancing with mischief as she said something to Logan.

“Keep that up, baby, and you’re gonna find yourself over my knee,” Logan’s deep baritone echoed in the kitchen, keeping Elijah’s attention riveted on them.

From his position, Elijah had the perfect view of their interactions, and like many times before, he found himself captivated. Not only by their physical appeal but by the easy way they communicated. They were comfortable with one another, laughing, joking, teasing. Just being near them was enough to brighten the darkest day, and there had been some really dark ones back in the beginning, but that was because Sam had come into his life during a dark point. Back then, Elijah had mistakenly believed he would be able to keep some space between himself and the promise of a future with someone else. He’d convinced himself that he would be satisfied with the physical aspects of their relationship and would remain emotionally committed to Beth and only Beth for the remainder of his days.

Oh, how wrong he’d been. As was her nature, Sam had been right there, showing him the error of his ways.

“Don’t you dare, Logan McCoy,” Sam giggled. “My butt’s off-limits.”

Elijah chuckled as he watched Logan’s expression. The man clearly took her declaration as a dare.

The three of them had been in a polyamorous relationship for going on eight years now, and with every passing minute, they seemed to be getting more comfortable with one another. Of course, he wasn’t talking in the intimate sense, because that had never been an issue. From the beginning, back when Logan invited Elijah to share his wife, there’d been a cataclysmic connection between him and Sam. Didn’t seem to matter how many years passed or how many new things were discovered about one another, their connection continued to grow stronger. 

“If I’m not mistaken, that sexy ass belongs to me,” Logan countered. “And that rock on your finger is a reminder.”

“That rock is a reminder that you’re a pain in my butt,” Sam teased, giggling when Logan reached for her.

Through the years, Elijah and Logan had grown accustomed to sharing Sam between them. Until recently, she had alternated which bed she slept in at night. Sometimes in Logan’s, others in Elijah’s. When one of them was away on business, the other was there to take her to dinner, get some quality time, and selfishly ravish her without a witness. He wouldn’t say it was divided equally, but that had never been the point. What they had was both complicated and simple, depending on the day, and for them, it worked seamlessly.

“You’re impeding my time with Eli,” Sam added with a huff that ended in a squeal when Logan wrapped his arms around her middle.

“Perhaps Eli’d like the pleasure of spanking your ass.”

Elijah rubbed his hands together when Sam glanced over. “Getting warmed up now,” he teased.

Her eyes narrowed, and she flashed a brilliant smile. 

Sam had once told him that, eventually, his heart would have room for one more, and she was right. Elijah had lost his beloved wife fourteen years ago to brain cancer. While he still reminisced, still reflected on the fond memories of their life before the vicious disease had stolen her from him, he had since moved forward, and he suspected his sweet Beth would’ve wanted that for him. Perhaps it was his acceptance of that or merely because Samantha had a magnetic appeal that drew him in. Whatever the reason, Elijah had come to want more. He loved Sam. That much was a given. After all, it wasn’t difficult to develop feelings for someone you spent so much time with. Especially with a woman who was as fascinating as she was confounding. And yes, Elijah was also in love with her. 

But she wasn’t the only one who stirred a longing in him these days.  

Six months ago, in a cabin lit by candlelight, as part of a game Sam had convinced them to play, Elijah had kissed Logan. It hadn’t been a peck on the lips or a hesitant exploration of tongues, either. It had been a dick-hardening, mind-numbing, soul-rocking kiss that Elijah still thought about. They hadn’t made any progress since, but Elijah continued to wonder whether they might. He figured they were moving in the right direction, and it had started when they’d granted Sam her Christmas wish and made a change to their sleeping arrangements. It had required them to custom order a bed that would work for them. After some research, they’d designed one that was a little wider than two queen-sized mattresses if they were put side by side and a little longer than a standard king to accommodate Logan’s six-foot-five-inch frame. To put it simply, it was big enough for them to sleep without crowding, although they did that anyway. Plus, it provided all the room they needed for when one of them was feeling frisky. Which, believe it or not, was all the time.

Logan met his gaze over Sam’s head and winked. “Looks to me like he’s eager to get his hands on your ass.”

I’m eager for something, all right, Elijah thought as he met Logan’s heated stare.

As the saying went, things were a-changin’. 

Elijah wouldn’t say things between him and Logan were weird, but the dynamic had undoubtedly shifted, and it continued to do so day after day as the anticipation built. It probably had a lot to do with the sneaky woman whose goal in life seemed to be to manipulate a situation to her liking. It helped that she thought she was being coy and discreet, but Elijah could see right through her.

“I have a plane to catch,” Sam squealed, giggling as she pulled away from Logan.

“Sierra’s not here yet,” Logan countered. “You’ve still got time for me to turn that pretty ass a nice rosy red.”

“No.” She laughed as she slipped out of Logan’s grasp and made a beeline for Elijah. “My behind is off-limits. I’ve got just enough time to spend with Eli before I leave.” 

Elijah shifted his body to welcome her when she came and sat beside him on the sofa before falling against him, her arms wreathing his neck. 

“I don’t wanna go,” she said, her nose nuzzling his neck, her soft fingers grazing his cheek reverently.

Elijah laughed. “Liar.”

She pulled back, smiled. “You’re right. I’m excited.”

He’d known that she was looking forward to her girls’ weekend for quite some time. Sierra, Ashleigh, Sam, McKenna, and Mercedes were off to Vegas for the weekend, a trip that had become a yearly event for the women seeking a little bit of time to themselves. 

“You’ll miss me, though, right?” Sam said, kissing his chin.

“Always.”

“Good.” She sat up straight, but he pulled her back to him.

“I better get a real kiss before you go. To tide me over.”

Sam hummed her approval, leaning into him. Elijah cupped the back of her head, molded his mouth to hers, and slipped his tongue inside. He tasted the cherry gloss on her lips and the subtle hint of mint from her toothpaste. Her soft sigh made his cock thicken, but he ignored the damn thing. She would be gone for four days and three nights, which meant he’d have to refrain until she returned. 

“Careful,” he whispered, his hand gripping her thigh, “or you will be late because I’ll have those jeans around your ankles and my cock buried inside you.”

Another moan, this one louder as she pressed her breasts to his chest. “You’re a tease.”

“It’s a promise, I assure you,” he corrected, releasing her, feeling lighter simply for her presence.

“I’d take you up on it, but I’ve got trouble to stir up in Sin City.”

“If you get into trouble, we’re not coming to bail you out,” Logan said as he strolled into the room, his gaze hot, a sign he’d been watching their intimate kiss.

“You will, too,” Sam countered.

He shook his head. “Nope. We’ve got things to do.”

“Like what?” She looked back at Elijah as though he might reveal whatever their secret plans were.

Truth was, they hadn’t intended to do anything. In fact, they’d agreed to do absolutely nothing while she was gone. Sam might be eager to jet off and enjoy some nightlife in a different city, but Elijah was looking forward to being home. He’d been traveling more than he cared to as of late, so being here would be a vacation in itself.

“Just promise me one thing,” she said, glancing back and forth between them. “If you two decide to do something wicked and dirty … don’t.”

Elijah noticed the way Logan’s eyebrows slowly rose as though challenging her authority.

“But if you do,” she added, her grin widening, “then at least record all the dirty details and send the video to my phone. I promise not to share it.”

Elijah chuckled, pulling her back so he could press a kiss to her temple. “We’ll be perfect gentlemen.”

She patted his stomach. “That’s too bad because I really, really want—”

“Let it go, Sam,” Logan said, his tone hard, all amusement gone. 

Elijah had heard him tell her that numerous times since their return from the cabin. One of Sam’s most prominent traits was her ability to push when she wanted something, and from what he’d gathered, she was eager for more of what happened that night between him and Logan. She’d been dropping subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle hints for the past six months. For whatever reason, Logan put the kibosh on it every time.

“Fine,” Sam huffed.

She turned, planted another quick kiss on his mouth, then got to her feet. She sauntered across the room, came to stand directly in front of Logan, then waited until he leaned down so she could kiss him, too. He put his hands on her face, tilted her head back, and lowered his mouth to hers.

Elijah watched as she became putty in the man’s hands, leaning into him as she hummed softly.

“Sierra will be here in a minute,” she reminded him, patting Logan’s cheek.

“Go on,” he urged, smacking her butt when she turned. “Finish getting ready. I’ll stall her if you’re not out when she gets here.”

Once she was out of the room, Elijah waited until Logan looked at him. “You know, we really do need to discuss what happened.”

Logan seemed to consider that for a moment, his hazel eyes narrowed on him. “You’re right. We do.”

Rather than give him a time or place for when that discussion might occur, Logan did what he always did; he turned and walked out of the room.

Just another day in paradise.