KARA

The table was the same one from last week—the corner spot by the window where the bar bleeds sunlight during the day, trying hard to convince you it’s a café. But the energy today?

Different.

Sharper.

Charged.

Cass and Eli were already there when I walked in—Eli tapping something into his phone, Cass swirling a straw in an iced drink like he wanted it dead.

“Gentlemen,” I greeted with a smile, sliding into the seat between them. “Thanks for coming.”

Eli smiled up at me. Cass didn’t. He was watching me too closely.

“I thought we should clear the air,” I started, hands folded on the table. “Set a few ground rules, if we’re going to keep… doing this.”

Eli nodded, patient. Cass raised a brow.

“First,” I said, “I like you both. But I’m not ready to pick either of you. So, I propose this: one month.”

Cass leaned forward, intrigued. “One month of what?”

“Group hangs. Separate dates. No sex.”

Cass blinked. “None?”

“None,” I repeated, firm. “And at the end of that month, I’ll make a decision.”

Eli smirked like he was watching a show unfold. Cass’s eyes narrowed.

“And what if we both say no?” Cass asked.

“Then I walk,” I said calmly. “No drama. No hard feelings.”

I didn’t tell them that if either of them had pushed back, I’d have folded the whole setup and found a new strategy. I didn’t want to be boxed in. I wanted control.

What I didn’t expect… was Cass agreeing.

He tilted his head, then smiled like it didn’t bother him one bit. “Deal.”

“Really?” I said, before I could stop myself. “You don’t mind… sharing?”

“I’m not worried,” he said, gaze cutting. “I already know how this ends.”

That shook me more than I let on.

Eli, ever the mediator, lifted his glass. “To… unorthodox arrangements?”

I clinked his glass, then Cass’s. “To curiosity.”

And then, because I could feel the balance tilting, I leaned over and kissed Eli’s cheek. Then turned and did the same to Cass. The look they exchanged over my shoulders?

Pure male posturing.

Good. Let them simmer.

“Well,” I said, rising. “Duty calls. I have work.”

“You’re leaving already?” Eli asked.

“Better to let the tension stretch a little,” I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

Cass’s gaze followed me to the door. I didn’t look back.

But I felt it.

Behind me, the games had officially begun.

And I was winning.

For now.