Friends With Benefits (12 page)

The front door opened. Angela jumped, her hand flying to her neckline as her handsome husband strolled in.

“Honey, I’m home.” He dropped his bag on the floor.

She took a deep breath, though it did nothing to calm her, and walked straight into his welcoming arms. “I’m glad you’re home. How was the trip?”

“OK. I sure missed you, though. Mom says hi.”

Taking her hand, he hauled her over to the sofa and plunked down, pulling her so she landed in a heap in his lap. He rearranged her until she sat comfortably across his muscular thighs. Then he nuzzled his face into her neck, while he trailed his fingers along her thigh to just under the edge of her dress.

“Mmm. I
really
missed you. Those phone calls heated me up, made me imagine all sorts of kinky things.” He tongued a ticklish spot on her neck, and she giggled.

“Let me get you a cold drink and we can catch up before I take you outside to show you—” Angela paused and blinked. She forced herself to concentrate on the reason she wanted to take her husband outside. “I want to show you Connor’s handiwork.”

“He’s got everything done?” Surprise lit Tyler’s eyes.

“Yup. The man’s a pro. He worked through lunch today to finish it. I’m hoping he’ll be back for dinner. I invited him, and he said he’d come. I think you’ll like him.”

Tyler smiled, and his eyes darted away for a quick second before returning to meet her gaze. The corners of his mouth twitched almost as though he fought a smile. “I’m sure I will.”

He brushed her lips with his, and with a firm hand on the back of her head, held her in place while he pushed his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers. He groaned and tipped his pelvis up, grinding his thick, rigid erection against her.

She’d love to spend the time making out with her husband, but their guest would soon arrive. If he was coming.

She nudged him away. “Come on. I want you to see it before he gets here.”

He flopped back against the sofa. “Fine,” he said with a feigned sigh.

Angela climbed from his lap, and he followed her into the kitchen, where he stopped to retrieve a beer from the fridge. They continued outside and around to the hot tub enclosure. Angela preceded her husband through the arched gate and turned to gauge his expression.

Tyler wandered around. The tub, that until today had been stored inside the garage, now sat in the center of the deck. The gardens along the left side and a bench along the right made the small area appear cozy and secluded.

“Wow, Angie, this is more than I expected. It’s perfect.”

Relief rolled through Angela at the pleased expression on her husband’s face. “He did a great job.”

“I couldn’t have done better myself. How did he get the tub in here?”

“Honestly, I don’t have a clue. I came out this afternoon, and he’d already left. The tub was in place and the water on.”

Tyler moved forward to check the water level, then walked over to the spigot to turn it off before removing the hose from the tub.

“He worked hard, and added a few extras I hadn’t considered.” Angela continued. She nodded toward the bench and a table that straddled the corner of the tub. She pictured a couple of flowerpots and maybe a string of lights along the top of the fence.

“Typical.”

“Excuse me?” She looked at Tyler for an explanation, but he waved the strange comment away.

“So when’s he coming back? I can’t wait to thank him for this.”

Would he still be thankful coming face-to-face with the man who had sex with his wife? Those damn butterflies had doubled in population. She glanced at her watch, noticed her hand shaking. “Any time, I would expect. I told him to come for drinks before dinner. I, ah, wanted to give you two a chance to meet and work out the payment.”

Her husband chuckled.

“What’s so amusing?”

“Nothing.”

“Connor had a similar reaction whenever I mentioned you. What’s so funny about him being paid?”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll never be able to repay him for the true value of the work he’s done here. He’ll cut the cost. Significantly.”

“Why would he do that? Is it some sort of guy-thing?”

“Something like that.” He came over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love it. He did a great job, and I’m sure we’ll come to a mutually agreeable solution to pay him for his time.”

“That’s odd.” Angela leaned back and stared at her husband.

“What is?”

“He said almost the exact same thing. Word for word, I think.”

Tyler kissed her. “Why don’t we go for a quick dip in the pool before our guest arrives?”

Angela dropped her gaze to his chest, right where the top button lay open, a few chest hairs sticking out. She rubbed the spot. Her insides tightened. “Tyler, what do you hope happens tonight?” She needed to hear him say it.

He tipped his head to the right, tucked his fist under her chin and lifted her head until they were eye to eye. He looked at her straight on, his gaze not wavering one bit. His eyes sparkled with lust. “I hope we can convince your contractor to play with us. That’s what you want, isn’t it, Angie?”

“Yes. I mean I…I think so.” She tried to drop her chin, but he held steady.

“We don’t have to.”

“I know.”

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I love you, Angela. You know that don’t you?”

“Yes.” And she loved him more than words could say.

“I’d never put you in harm’s way, or in a risky situation, or want you to do anything you’re not comfortable doing.”

“I know that, too. I’m just a little nervous. This is all so strange. What happened over the last few days, while you were away—it feels as though I may have betrayed you in some way. And that’s the last thing I want to feel.”

“Think of it as though I were here. I told you on the phone; I wanted you to have that particular fantasy. There’s nothing wrong with that. I knew what was going on, and I encouraged it.”

“Okay, but what now? What if he’s not interested?”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, honey.”

“Why not? You might not even like him.”

“Trust me.”

They’d just stepped back into the house when the doorbell rang. Angela jerked, feeling as though she’d been zapped with electricity.

Tyler squeezed her. “You OK, sweetie? You have a funny look on your face.”

No. No, she felt far from fine. Her husband was about to come face to face with her weekend lover. Her stomach turned. She panicked. She should call a halt to the whole evening right now. She would tell Connor she had changed her mind. She’d ask him to leave. She’d never have to see him again.

She trembled, and Tyler tightened his embrace, and then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“It’s OK, honey. Nothing has to happen that you don’t want to happen. Just say the word.” He leaned back and gazed into her eyes for a long moment.

The doorbell sounded again. Angela swallowed, although her throat seemed dry as toast.

“Ready?”

She bobbed her head in a single tight movement. Tyler released her and moved toward their front door.

“Connor.”

Tyler paused, and glanced over his shoulder at her tiny shriek. “What?”

“His name. It’s Connor. Connor Jones.”

Tyler flashed a smile. She wrapped her arms around her middle, but her feet remained glued to the floor. This was it. She took a deep cleansing breath.

He reached for the doorknob and turned it, opening the door and stepping back to greet their guest.

Chapter Eleven

Connor wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as he stood at Tyler’s front door, shuffling from one foot to the other, clutching a bottle of wine in his right hand. He’d been standing there a solid five minutes. Angela had no clue about his connection to her husband. To her, their meeting and everything they’d done over the last couple of days had been spontaneous. He worried the eventual confession might piss her off, or worse, leave her feeling manipulated.

But he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share a beautiful woman, to provide her pleasure and be part of something that would be remembered, he hoped with fondness, in years to come. It had been too long since he’d had this kind of opportunity, and he felt honored Tyler would share his wife with him, if only for one night.

Connor reached out and rang the bell. It took a few minutes before the door opened. Tyler greeted him with a welcoming smile, but he saw Angela hovering in the background, a blended expression of expectation and fear on her beautiful face. He could only imagine the thoughts going through her pretty head.

If the evening went according to plan, they would all be wearing a different look come morning—one of satisfaction, ecstasy, and a sense of fulfillment.

“Evening, folks.” Connor stepped across the threshold and took his friend’s proffered hand. He handed over the bottle of wine he’d brought, closing the door behind him as he stepped toward Angela.

Her eyes widened with panic as her gaze darted between him and her husband. With purpose, Connor pulled her in close, giving her a gentle but firm squeeze, making sure her body aligned flush to his so she’d feel how happy he was to see her. Caught off guard, she tightened up, but then relaxed into his embrace.

She withdrew a little too fast for his liking. He allowed her to do so, but he took the opportunity to steal a quick kiss. As they separated, he dragged his gaze away from her mouth and looked into her eyes. They held a glazed look, and she visibly shook herself.

Behind him, his friend chuckled. “That’s one way to get the evening started. It’s nice to see you, Connor. Please, come in and sit down. Why don’t I get the drinks? Honey, would you like some wine?”

Angela appeared to swallow twice before words squeaked across her lush lips. “Red please.”

“What about you, Connor? Would you prefer a cold beer?” Tyler asked. He strolled past his wife and turned to peek over his shoulder, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Red wine would be great, thanks.” Connor decided it best to try to put Angela at ease. He strode over to the couch and sat down, making himself comfortable while Tyler went to the kitchen to open the wine. “Something sure smells wonderful, Angela…besides you of course.”

She seemed to be struggling to gather her composure, but still blushed a very sweet shade of pink. “Thank you. The…ah…the steaks won’t take long to cook.”

She settled on the edge of the love seat, across from him. Tyler returned with a glass of wine for each of them, and after handing Connor his glass, dropped down beside his wife and put his arm around the back of her shoulders.

Connor watched Tyler’s fingers stroke circles on Angela’s arm. She looked ready to jump at the slightest provocation. A cliché, something about a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, popped into his mind.

Did she expect them to have some sort of confrontation? He’d never asked her how much of their exploits she’d shared with her husband. Maybe she had held things back, terrified of being found out.

Tyler sipped from his glass. The man’s eyes glowed with unleashed passion. If Connor knew his friend at all, he’d guess Tyler would be more than happy to skip dinner and jump to dessert. The one thing they’d never discussed, however, was how to come clean and tell Angela the truth.

A sudden ache filled Connor, and he wondered if she’d feel deceived. He opened his mouth, ready to confess, but Tyler beat him to it.

“Honey, there’s something you need to know.” Angela swiveled to face Tyler, who shifted his gaze to meet Connor’s. “Connor and I already know each other.”

Angela spun back around and pinned Connor with a look of wide-eyed surprise. “I don’t understand.”

“We went to school together. We’ve known each other for years.”

First confusion and then understanding dawned in her expression. “He’s the one you mentioned a couple of weeks ago.”

Connor couldn’t tell from her expression what she was thinking or how she felt. Was she angry? Amused? Ready to kill both of them?

“Yes.”

She knocked Tyler’s hand from her shoulder and pushed up, taking a few steps away, her gaze swinging between the two of them.

Connor swallowed. Crap. Maybe he should leave. He started to rise, but stalled when she immobilized him with a glare.

“You two arranged this whole thing, didn’t you?” Her voice dropped to a dangerous level. “You lied to me.”

Definitely not amused. Connor glanced around the room, looking for potential weapons she might use.

“Sweetheart, I didn’t want to ruin the fantasy.”

“You let me believe I was having sex with a stranger, Tyler.”

“Exactly.” He rose from the sofa and crossed the room to stand before her. He grasped both her hands within his.

Connor stayed put, poised to jump in and defend…who? At this point he wasn’t sure which of them he’d side with.

“Honey, I wanted to fulfill your fantasies and when Connor told me he had a job in town, I thought it was a perfect, a
nd safe
, way to explore our boundaries. I trust him, Angela. He’s my best friend.” Tyler took hold of his wife’s chin and gently forced her gaze back to his. “You’re attracted to him, right?”

From where he sat, Connor noticed her eyes drop and the color rise in her cheeks.

“I know you are.” Tyler continued. “The things you and he did turned you on. Hell, they turned me on, and I wasn’t even here. But I’m here now, and we both…or rather,” he tossed a quick glance of confirmation at Connor, “we
all
want the same thing. We’re three consenting adults looking to engage in some very private and special play. But, Angela, sweetheart, if you truly don’t want this, all you have to do is say so. And it all stops. No harm, no foul. No hurt feelings.”

Connor held his breath, and he knew Tyler did the same. When Angela didn’t say anything for the longest time, his heart began its plummet. He watched her considering her answer, chewing the corner of her lip, switching her focus back and forth between them.

“I’m game.” The quiet statement reached his ears. “But, I’m annoyed as hell you both let me go on about you meeting each other. I feel as though the joke’s on me.” Her body posture stiffened and she shot a dark stare at her husband.