Arranged Marriage (MxMxM)

Chapter Eighteen

His lips really were soft, with a hint of masculinity that had me shivering for some reason. And I couldn't help but compare his lips to how William's had felt, sweet, and hesitant. The kiss with the blond was definitely hesitant, but with Anthony, it was like he knew exactly what he wanted to do, and when he pulled away from me, my eyes fluttered open, my cheeks flushed as I stared at the taller man.

There was a soft smile on his face as he brushed his thumb against his bottom lip, those gorgeous teal eyes flickering to me and causing my heart to beat even faster than it already was. "You taste sweet."

I blinked, my cheeks actually hurting from how hard I was blushing. "O-Oh. Thanks?"

Anthony laughed and placed a warm, tanned hand against my cheek. "Kissing you felt...right. Did you enjoy the feel of my lips against yours?"

I nibbled at my bottom lip, my heart still pounding in my chest. Was it wrong of me to want him to kiss me again? To have his tongue stroke against mine as his thumbs grazed over my cheeks? Surely those thoughts were not befitting of a married woman...or, well, man.

Anthony did say William liked to share, did he not? My subconscious spoke, causing me to redden further and hide my face in my hands.

"Was I really that bad?"

I jolted at the sound of Anthony's voice, my head shooting up. "What? No! Anthony, I-I assure you...I...rather enjoyed kissing you." I sighed and shyly averted my gaze. "I know you said that William did not mind sharing lovers...I just...a part of me feels guilty for enjoying this kiss as much as I did."

Anthony's eyes softened. "There really isn't any need to feel guilty, Melani. But, I do understand why you feel this way. You're not used to the idea of more than two people in a relationship." He nibbled at his bottom lip and stood to his full height. "Tell you what. Tell William of this kiss, and have him assure you that he is fine with it, because he is. Perhaps then that will ease whatever guilt you may have."

"A-Are you sure he will not be angry?"

Anthony nodded, giving me a warm, reassuring smile. "I am sure, Melani."

I let out a breath and stared at my long-forgotten breakfast, feeling quite a bit awkward. What do I say now? Do we go back and converse as if that, admittedly amazing, kiss never happened? Do we talk about it some more? No, I was too embarrassed and shy to bring it back up again.

So, by being my awkward self and not saying anything at all, I dragged my forgotten food towards me and began finishing up my cold breakfast.

I then heard Anthony clear his throat, and when I turned towards him, he looked just as awkward as I felt. "So...ah, I heard that we received a few new novels in the library this week. And I know how much you like to read, so I figured I would inform you, in case you wanted to give those books a try."

I blinked, dabbing the corner of my mouth with a napkin. "Oh, thank you for letting me know."

Anthony smiled and gave me a nod. "Of course."

We then fell back into that awkward silence, both of us staring at one another, unable to look away. And of course my perverse gaze kept gliding down to those full, soft lips of his, just the sight of them reminding me just how good they had felt against mine.

"Hey Anthony? Do you know whatever happened to Edward? I've noticed the lack of his presence and was wondering if you know where he had disappeared to."

The man in question blinked, caught off guard by my extraordinarily random question. He then nibbled at his plush bottom lip and nodded. "Edward...right. His wife went into labor a few weeks back, and there were some...complications that had him removed from his post for the time being. I believe his wife is still recovering, so I doubt he will be back anytime soon, if at all."

"Oh, I see. And did his wife have a boy, or a girl?" I wondered, taking a small bite of sausage.

"I believe he said it was a girl."

"Aww. Well, if you do see him, be sure to give him my congratulations on his new daughter."

Anthony smiled and nodded. "I will be sure to do that."

We both jumped when the door opened and an exhausted looking William walked in, holding onto, what looked like, a bunch of documents. Upon seeing the both of us in awkward silence he froze, raising a single brow as that sage colored gaze darted between Anthony and me. "Seems that I missed something."

Anthony glanced me briefly before he walked over to William, gently pressing a kiss to the man's stubbled cheek. "Melani wishes to speak with you privately. I'll be right outside if you need me."

William blinked and watched as the raven haired man left the room. Those sage eyes filled with confusion as they settled on me, causing my cheeks to burn as I stood up and walked over to him, wringing my hands together nervously.

How was I going to tell him? Did I just spit it out, or do I gradually tell him? Ugh, you know what? Might as well spit it out. I mean, Anthony assured me that I had nothing to worry about, right? "I kissed Anthony."

William's brows darted high on his forehead as he moved and sat the documents down, placing his hands onto his hips. "Oh? Did you enjoy it?"

My reddened face darkened as I shyly averted my gaze, finding it much less awkward if I stared at my feet. "I-I did. Y-You're not mad, are you?"

William snorted very unceremoniously and waved his hand in the air, leaning his tall form against the table I had eaten at. "Why would I be angry? Mel, when we all believed you to be a woman, did I not offer Anthony to pleasure you?" He moved away from the table and walked over to me, placing one of his hands against my waist, causing me to shiver. My cheeks were beyond red at this point, however, I opted to stay silent so that William could finish what he was saying. "Besides, we have shared side lovers in the past, not that you will be just a side lover, and now that we're married, I do not mind the three of us being together." He moved his hand from my waist, up to my cheek, the taller man stepping closer to me, his face mere inches from mine. "So, am I angry, you ask? No, I am far from angry."

The butterflies in my stomach multiplied when he leaned down and captured my lips with his, my toes curling as his tongue glided against mine. And when he pulled away, there was a devious smile on his face, while I could only stare at him dazed. His eyes twinkled as he quickly pecked the corner of my lips and turned towards the table, shuffling some papers around. "Oh, on another note, I have something planned for us tomorrow." He glanced at me over his shoulder. "I want you to train with me."

I blinked in bewilderment, my brows raising as I stared at the other man. "Train? S-Surely I'm not really cut out for that kind of thing." Not to mention I was pretty clumsy as it was. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him. God knows I would die from the embarrassment.

William chuckled. "I admit, I wasn't cut out for it either, once upon a time." He placed a hand on my cheek. "But come on, it will be fun. You wouldn't have to worry about my duties as a prince pulling me away. We can spend time together. Besides, it's not a bad idea to teach you how to defend yourself in case someone tries to do you harm."

I nibbled at my bottom lip. "Y-You do have a point there."

"So you will join me?"

"I-I guess so, sure."

A/N: Awwwww, they're going to train together, how cute! Also, the pic above is a drawing of William I did (Obviously it's William, it literally says his name on it lmao)

Anywho, hope you all enjoyed the chapter!