Jaymie Holland (6 page)

A burst of need caused her to squirm, straining for his touch. She almost cried out in frustration, but then he was slipping his hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head, and guiding her away from Colton’s kiss. Dane forced her to look at him before he lowered his mouth to hers.

Dane tasted different from Colton, and it was heady having kissed one man and then another, with both of them touching her in ways that were driving her mad. Dane’s kiss was hard and passionate while Colton’s kiss had been soft and seductive. Both of them had her almost senseless with need and desire.

While she kissed Dane, Colton slid his hand up her waist to her breast and cupped it. He rubbed his thumb over her nipple that was bare beneath the dress. She let out a soft moan as her nipples beaded tighter, her panties growing damper.

Dane drew away from the kiss and Colton let his hand slide from her breast to her thigh again.

“We’re here,” Dane said as he smiled down at her.

“Where?” She felt disoriented. She’d been so into the moment that she had lost her sense of time and place.

“At the police station.”

It took a couple of seconds to process the fact that she’d just made out with two men and there was no privacy glass between them and Louis.

Before she had a chance to feel too embarrassed, Colton was out of the vehicle and extending his hand to her. She adjusted her dress before she slid from the seat and took his hand, allowing him to help her out of the car. When she was on her feet on the sidewalk, she again made sure her dress was tugged down. Avoiding Louis’s gaze, she walked with Dane and Colton to the front entrance of the police department.

When they finished talking to a police officer at the precinct, an old buddy of Colton’s, they had just enough time to make her doctor’s appointment.

Both men insisted on going with her into the surgeon’s office. She could have argued, but it wasn’t important enough to make a big deal over it. The doctor examined all of her facial wounds before removing the large bandage. She winced when he pulled it away. Beneath the bandage was some kind of medical tape that the paramedics had used to keep the skin together.

“The good news is that it’s not too deep.” Dr. Anderson stood a step back as his assistant prepared a tray with instruments he would need. “The bad news is that you still might come away with a scar. However, facial skin does have an abundant blood supply, more so than other parts of the body.” He went on to explain how the skin of the face has more “laxity”, which would aid in avoiding a large scar. “It is possible that the scar will be so minimal that only you will know it’s there.”

After applying a local anesthetic and once again cleaning the wound, the doctor sutured the inside of the wound with an absorbable material. He explained that he needed to do sutures inside and out. The ones inside would take pressure off of the outside sutures to reduce skin tension.

It took twenty tiny sutures on the surface of the skin to close the wound. She held still while he worked, but she hated the feel of the suture material as he pulled it through her skin. Even though she was numb, she could feel the tug and pull. She clenched her eyes tightly, as if that might make it easier to get through. It felt like it was taking forever and she was relieved when he finished.

Dr. Anderson told her to return in five days and she made an appointment with the receptionist. The doctor had given her a prescription for the pain, which she didn’t intend to fill, because she didn’t like taking medication of any kind, not even for headaches.

As she walked out of the reception area, she caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. She felt like Frankenstein’s bride with the line of sutures across her cheek, her black eye, and the paleness of her features. The Band-Aid on her forehead just added to the whole effect.

When they left the doctor’s office, it was nearing evening. She touched her face with her fingertips, her face still feeling numb from the anesthetic. It was probably going to hurt like hell once the numbness faded.

“Are you up to going out for dinner?” Colton asked.

She shook her head. “No, but thank you.” She looked from one man to the other. “Thank you for everything. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for saving my life and for taking me to see the surgeon.”

“I know a way,” Dare said with a grin. “Promise to have dinner with us. We’ll take you back for your appointment in five days with Dr. Anderson. Afterward, we’ll go out.”

She smiled. “Deal.”

Colton and Dane escorted her into the building and up to her place. She unlocked the door and the men waited while she disengaged the alarm.

Dane braced one hand on the doorframe as she stood inside the apartment. He looked so sexy with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, his T-shirt snug over his muscular chest, a dragon tattoo peeking out from beneath a shirt sleeve.

His blue eyes drank her in. “Would you like us to spend the night again?”

A twinge of fear in her belly, a sharp ache at the thought of being alone, caused her to hesitate. Maybe she should tell him yes, please stay.

She took a deep breath and shook her head. She couldn’t let fear get the best of her. “Thank you, but no. I’ll be fine.”

Colton studied her and her heart skipped a beat as she let her gaze drift over his square jaw, his powerful tattooed arms, and the way his jeans encased his athletic thighs. “At least let us do a sweep of your apartment,” he said.

With the advanced security system they’d set up in her place, she figured that Dane and Colton were probably sure she was safe, but it wouldn’t hurt to let them check things out.

She nodded. “Okay.” She stepped back so the men could enter, and closed the door behind them.

The men spent a few moments looking around her apartment and checking all rooms. While she waited, she turned on the air conditioning unit and stood in the somewhat cool air. The unit chugged but at least produced enough air to dry the perspiration on her skin from the heat outside.

It wasn’t a very big apartment so it wasn’t long before the men returned to where she waited in the living room.

“It’s secure,” Dane said.

Colton touched the side of her face. “If you need anything, you call us. Got that?”

She nodded. “Promise.”

He kissed her lightly then stepped away. Dane kissed her, too, and then the men left her apartment.

She closed the door behind them and leaned with her head back against the door. Spending any time with these men was treading on dangerous ground. She’d let them take her to Dr. Anderson’s for her appointment, then she’d thank them and send them payments for the doctor bills, and that would be that.

Drew’s sundress fluttered in a light breeze as the three of them left the building where Dr. Anderson’s office was located. She preferred sundresses in this heat and had several in similar styles.

It was five days after the surgeon had stitched her up and today he’d removed the sutures. She had a bright pink line down her cheek, but it felt much better now. She no longer had a black eye, the scrape on her forehead had healed, leaving only a faint pink mark, and her butt didn’t hurt when she sat.

This was the first time she’d seen Colton and Dane since they’d originally taken her to the doctor. They’d called and she’d put them off, telling them she didn’t feel well enough to go out or had things going on.

But today was the day she had promised to go out to dinner with the men. And here she was.

“I know a great little Italian place.”

“Italian sounds good,” Drew said.

They reached the Mercedes that they had arrived in. Colton helped her into the backset through the curbside door while Dane went around to the opposite side.

When they were seated, Colton squeezed her knee, sending delicious heat throughout her. “I met the owners when I was a beat cop and have been going there ever since.”

“Tony’s Italian is the best.” Dane nodded his agreement and looked at Drew. “You’ll love it.”

Tony’s Italian was a basement restaurant with only three of the square tables taken by couples this evening. Drew took in the dim dining room as they walked through the entrance. The tablecloths were red and white checked over long white cloths, and had four place settings at each unoccupied table. At the center of each was a bottle of table wine, along with wine glasses at the place settings, and a flickering white candle by the wine bottle. It was cool inside the small restaurant, a welcome reprieve from the heat.

Above them, bunches of plastic grapes hung from crisscrossed pieces of wood. Arched cubbies in the walls each had a scene, as if the cubby was a window looking out at Italian landscapes.

An opening to the kitchen, like a long large window with no glass, allowed patrons to see the chefs at work. The place smelled amazing, of Italian bread and red sauce.

Colton glanced at Drew. “We’re here early so the dinner crowd hasn’t arrived yet.”

“
Benvenuto, Signors
James and Packard.” A man with a strong Italian accent swept out of the kitchen. He wore a white shirt and black pants, and had a red cloth over one shoulder.

“Hi, Tony.” Colton gave a nod.

“Who is this beautiful young lady?” Tony’s expression was that of a man who was completely taken by a woman.

Drew held out her hand. “I’m Drew Holloway.”

“Such beauty that it takes my breath away,
Signorina
Holloway.” The man took her hand and kissed the back of it, his lips warm and not unpleasant. He straightened, still holding her hand. “I am Tony Meloni, but please call me Tony. I own this fine establishment.”

“As long as you promise to call me Drew.” She smiled, instantly charmed by the man who seemed genuinely pleased to meet her and to see Dane and Colton.

Tony released her hand and gave a smile and a little bow. “Of course,
Signorina
Drew.”

He escorted them to a table in one corner that felt cozy and private. Dane held her chair and scooted it in after she sat. Both men took their own chairs after she was seated, one on each side of her. Tony handed them menus before pouring each of them a glass of table wine.

“I will return in one moment,” he said as he swept away the extra place setting. He called out to someone in the kitchen and Drew heard an answering voice but couldn’t make out what was said.

The men pressed their knees against hers, Dane on her right and Colton on her left. She felt boxed in, but in a hot, exciting way that sent heat through every extremity.

A busboy stopped by their table and set a glass of water in front of each of them before leaving.

Colton grasped her thigh below the hem of her dress and she swallowed. “The
mozzarella e pomodoro
is excellent to start out with, as is the bruschetta.”

Dane moved his hand to her other leg and she felt an ache between her thighs, her nipples tightening into hard nubs.

She had a hard time speaking with the men touching her on either side. “Any appetizer is fine with me.”

Colton eased his hand beneath her dress to her upper thigh. She rested her palms on each of their hands, to try to still them and keep them from climbing up her legs.

It did no good. Colton gave her a sensual smile. “We’ll get both appetizers.”

The waiter arrived and introduced himself as Marco. Drew was keenly aware of the men inching their hands higher on her thighs as the waiter took their appetizer order. She tried to stop their hands with her own, but they wouldn’t halt their slow progress toward her center.

By the time Marco left, Colton’s and Dane’s hands were resting at either side of her panty leg openings.

She looked at her menu, trying to concentrate but having a hell of a time doing so. “What do you suggest?”

“Everything is great here, but I highly recommend any of their homemade pastas.” Dane set his menu to the side. “My favorites are the manicotti and the tortellini.”

“I’ve always been partial to the homemade cannelloni.” Colton traced one finger along the center of her now damp panties.

“Choices, choices.” She fought to keep her voice from trembling as each man pulled her thighs wider before sliding their palms to where her soft inner thighs met the lips covering her folds. She was grateful for the long tablecloths. She lowered her voice and tried to halt the progress of their hands. “Stop.”

She looked from one of them to the other and they both gave her unrepentant grins. That was when she knew she was in big trouble.

They trailed their fingers up and down the silky center of her panties as they waited for the appetizer, and the men talked as if they were simply having a conversation and not driving her crazy with their hands.

While they touched her, they asked her questions about growing up in the Midwest and how she liked New York City in comparison. She didn’t find it easy to talk while they touched her so intimately, but somehow she managed to tell them more about herself.

No, she didn’t have any siblings. She did have her mom and dad, who still lived in Kansas, and she visited them when she could. She didn’t mention that she hadn’t had enough money to fly out to see them for a long time and she didn’t have a car. But she did say how much she missed them.

They talked about her extensive sales background. She hadn’t always sold sex toys. She’d gotten her BA in marketing at Kansas State and had been a regional sales manager for an accounting software company. Before that she’d been an assistant to a sales manager and had worked her way up. When she was laid off, she had a friend who’d introduced her to the sex toy business. She’d enjoyed the freedom of having her own business.

That sense of freedom was turning into a feeling of being trapped now that sales had lagged. It was another thing she didn’t discuss with the men, though.

When Marco returned with bruschetta, along with the plate of mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic, Dane slipped his finger beneath the panties, over her shaved mound, and dipped his finger in her wet heat before stroking her clit.

Drew was taking a drink of her wine at the same moment and almost spewed it across the tablecloth. She managed to swallow but coughed.