First Love: A Superbundle Boxed Set of Seven New Adult Romances by Julia Kent Page A

asked.
    “Couple days.”
    “A couple days? ”
    “Yeah,” he shrugged. “I have to list it on Craigslist otherwise, or Trevor might find somebody.”
    “All right. Give me a couple days.”
    Amy
    No doubt about it, that was definitely Sam and Joe, and they were somewhere behind me.  
    I felt like an animal trapped—what could I do? If I turned around, they’d hear me. If I moved, they’d see me. I could tell they were close based on the sound of their voices. The sun felt particularly acute and my body warmed to a temperature that no amount of sunshine could generate. Each breath I took felt like an eternity as I overheard them.
    Joe’s voice, pointed and sharp, with a tone of victory that I knew from high school. Sam’s voice was quieter, lower, more melodic and flowing. A cadence I didn’t remember came forth as he and Joe conversed. It made something inside me echo with a wondering. Would he ever talk to me like that? Something familiar and casual was in his tone, the way you talk to a best friend or an intimate confidante.
    Being in the band with Trevor, and Joe, and Liam, had allowed Sam to forge a relationship with all of them in a way that I couldn’t understand. Liam I knew all too well and Joe I’d debated over the years. Trevor was a bit of a mystery to me—hot as hell, and confident and cocky, but we were just on a waving and a ‘hi’ kind of level.
    I heard Joe mention Darla’s name and that nice, floaty buzzing feeling that I had as I heard Sam speak ended like someone snapped their fingers. Darla. The way she had tongue fucked Joe and Trevor on that stage and then turned to Sam...I closed my eyes, as if smashing the lids together could smash her. Who the hell was she? Some kind of band whore you pass around? That friendly affect and the whole fakey-fake Midwestern thing made my stomach turn. She’d come over to my table and been all friendly and nice and then, it turned out, she was just another hole for the band.  
    At least, that’s how it seemed.
    “...Darla...share...” Joe said. I couldn’t catch the rest.  
    Share? Sam and Joe and Trevor shared Darla?
    What?
    Sam never struck me as the kind of guy who did that . Polyamory was big at my college among a small clique of gamers and the cosplay people. Not musicians.
    Then again, four years is a long time for someone to change. I certainly wasn’t the same girl at that debate. But whatever they were saying was intense, their words hushed then loud. Dammit! If only I could get closer.
    Turning my head slowly, I saw that they were behind a bush. There was no way that they could see me. My shoulders dropped and I stretched my arms out, not realizing how tense I’d been. My heart slammed in my chest as I caught a glimpse of Sam, his arms akimbo, his body loose, an old, well-worn pair of jeans hugging his hips, those long legs relaxed. They were twenty feet away from me at most, and there were enough holes in the hedge that I could catch as much of an eyeful as I wanted. His red hair was grown out in that slightly long look that so many guys had now. His eyes were narrowed and focused on Joe, who stood a few feet away, gesturing with his hands. Sam just nodded slowly and then said a few words, Joe interrupting him repeatedly.
    Suddenly, Sam crossed his arms over his chest, the biceps bulging. Long tendons popped out in his forearms, those arms leading to hands that tapped out so many rhythms.  
    I was a goner, wasn’t I? I stood and picked up my thermos and walked closer, still hidden by the shrubbery. Phrases like ‘can you take over for me?’ and ‘Darla’ made my blood run cold. Were they really talking about swapping this woman? What exactly was his relationship with her? What were all of their relationships with her? Some sort of kinky three-men-one-woman thing? Was that even possible? This was making my head hurt.
    A plume of jealousy poured up inside me from my knees, up through my pelvis, and into my throat. What kind of