Friends With Benefits (26 page)

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he called out, the deep sexy timbre rolling over her, causing her skin to tingle. She felt her cheeks heat. “Don’t worry, pet, that’s what this is all about.” He flashed a smile, and Angela flushed again.

“Ready to see more of the club?” Tyler’s voice broke the spell. She heard amusement in his voice.

* * *

Tyler needed to find relief. He pressed his hand against his hard-on, trying to coax it into submission. Watching Angie come apart in their arms while she watched the other woman do the same with the two Doms had fucking rocked his world. She had melted into a puddle for them, and if he hadn’t kissed her when he did, the entire building would have known it. A quick glance over her head confirmed his suspicions that Connor suffered, too. The man squirmed.

“More of the club, or are you ready to head home?”

Angela turned lust-hazed eyes in his direction.

Tyler chuckled. “Home it is. But once we get there, you are not getting away from us.” He nodded at Connor. “We’re so fucking horny right now, I can’t guarantee we won’t stop along the way for a quickie.”

Connor’s moan of pain had Angela’s head whipping around.

“Are you OK?” She reached out to run her fingers along his upper leg, but his hand shot out, stopping her.

“I can wait, but not if you touch me right now. I’m with Ty. Let’s get out of here. Here, want this?” He held up his hand, her black thong twirling in circles around his finger. She snatched it from him and scrunched it into a ball in the palm of her hand.

“Let’s go,” she said. “What we did here was…well…awesome, but I need to feel you inside me. Both of you.”

Tyler stood and reached for his wife’s hand, pulling her up beside him. The forward momentum kept her moving until she plastered herself against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. When he loosened his grip, she spun and gave the same treatment to Connor.

“Homeward bound, people.” From behind, Tyler urged them out of the room, down the hall and then down the stairs to the side entrance. Outside, he sucked in a lungful of fresh night air. Connor did the same. Each grasping one of Angela’s hands, they headed to their vehicle, passing a few couples heading in to begin their evening.

Out on the highway, Tyler grew concerned about the lack of conversation. “You OK, honey?”

“Yes.”

“Are you embarrassed about what happened?” He remembered the beautiful glow of her skin, the entranced look on her face, the desire in her eyes.

“Not embarrassed, no. Well, a little, I guess.” She shrugged.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Connor leaned forward from where he sat behind her in the back seat. “What happened at that club, watching you fall apart like that, was one of sexiest things I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Really? Don’t you feel at least a little awkward about doing that with other people in the room, able to see and hear us?”

“Nope.”

“Hell no.”

“Angie, honey, you looked so fucking beautiful tonight. You came all over my fingers. You screamed in my mouth. You heard another woman doing the same. How can you be ashamed about that?”

“I’m a little weirded out that other people were in the same room and saw what we were doing.”

“Yes, I’m sure they knew what we were doing, but they couldn’t see too much, honey. We blocked most of the view. We kept you as quiet as possible. And the threesome on the stage commanded most of the attention. Believe me, any sounds or images we provided ramped up the atmosphere both for the people on the stage and the others watching.” He took his eyes off the road for the few seconds he needed to convince her, looking straight into her eyes. “And don’t kid yourself. We weren’t the only ones in the room getting off on it.”

“So can we wait until we get home?” Connor asked from the backseat of the car.

“I’d prefer to wait, if you don’t mind,” Angela said.

“I can, and will, do anything your little heart desires.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “I want both of you, and the…um…supplies are at home.”

Connor’s growl of need competed against Tyler’s own.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Hello, Connor.”

“Cindy, what the hell are you doing here?” Intuition had warned him not to open the front door. He glanced over his shoulder. Tyler and Angela were in the kitchen, eating breakfast. After getting home from the club, they’d spent the rest of the night fucking like bunnies. They’d taken her in every way possible, and still he’d wanted more. He couldn’t get enough.

Connor’s gaze swung back to his unwanted visitor.

“I looked for you at your place, but a neighbor said I might find you here.” Curiosity settled over Cindy’s face. Then she slinked forward and smoothed her hands up his chest. “Are you glad to see me?” she purred.

Connor stepped out onto the porch, forcing her back a few steps. He tugged the door closed behind him. “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” He hissed each word between clenched teeth.

Cindy all but stomped her foot. He could see the gears clinking as she decided which approach might work best.

“After you so rudely continued to hang up on me, I had to go to my father. Daddy told me where I could find you.”

And why the hell would the old man have done that? Or was he trying to manipulate Connor again? If Connor didn’t go back to her, would the project come to an end? And what about endorsement for the loan and the reference he needed?

“I missed you, baby. I wanted to give you another chance.” Cindy pouted.

Give him another chance? More like she wanted
him
to give
her
another chance.

“Cindy, I’m not interested. I told you that over a year ago.”

“But you didn’t mean it.”

Connor closed his eyes, wincing, and wished he could block the whine of her voice. God that sound grated on his nerves. He shuddered at the notion of listening to it every day for the rest of his life.

Cindy took the opportunity to inch close again, pressing her chest to his. Long ago the touch of her nipples on his skin had the power to make his dick hard. Not anymore. No interest whatsoever. Not even a twinge.

He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. She clung, digging her claws into his forearms. “Look Cindy. What we had ended a long time ago. I’ve moved on. Fuck, I moved cities. And I thought you did, too. What happened to Derek?” Connor ground his teeth thinking about the man he used to trust.

She relaxed her grip and uttered a dramatic sigh. “We broke up. He’s not the man I thought he was. He’s not the one I want, Connor. I want you. You make me happy. And, I know I can make you happy, too.” She trailed a manicured nail down the center of his torso, stopping above the button on his jeans. “You remember, don’t you, baby?”

And yet, she held no remorse for ruining Connor’s life at the time. His reflexes kicked in and he grabbed her wrist before her hand cupped him. Behind him, the door opened.

“Oh, hello. Can I help you?”

Angela’s surprised question had Cindy backing up two steps. Anger filled her face. Her eyes glittered.

“Who are you?” She spat the words out, her eyes narrowing as her jealous glare traveled up and down Angela’s body.

“I’m Angela O’Neil. I live here.”

Cindy’s gaze moved between them, widening a bit when Tyler appeared behind his wife.

“Who is it, honey?” Ty’s question deflated Cindy’s anger, but piqued her curiosity, judging by the thoughtful, yet malicious look on her face.

“I’m not sure yet.”

Angela appeared to be waiting for an introduction. Connor wasn’t about to offer one.

“I’m Cindy, Connor’s girlfriend.” Both Angela and Tyler shot him looks. Ty’s eyes flashed with anger and he scowled. Angela’s started with confusion, and then turned to hurt.

“Ex-girlfriend,” he ground out. “As in, I haven’t seen her in almost a year ex-girlfriend.”

“Connor, don’t be that way. Didn’t you tell your friends about me, about us?”

“No.”

“Excuse me,” said Angela, and Connor’s heart cracked at the pain she managed to express in those two little words. “It was nice to meet you, Cindy, but I…ah…I have…I have something on the stove I need to get back to. If you’ll…” She spun around and pushed past her husband, escaping inside the house.

Connor wanted to flee with her. But seeing as Cindy followed him to Rosewood, she’d probably just follow him wherever he went.

Tyler crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, his eyes hard and cold. A muscle ticked in his jaw. The vibe coming off him didn’t bode well.

A nasty, spiteful look came over Cindy’s face as she batted her eyelashes. “I hope it wasn’t something I said?”

Faked innocence didn’t suit her. Never had.

“Cindy. Go. Away.” Connor growled. He took her elbow and helped her down the steps and over to her car. She tripped over her wedge heels in her attempt to keep up with his two paces for each one of hers.

“Let go of me.” She yanked her arm from his grasp and turned her back to her car. She smoothed out invisible wrinkles in her skirt and glanced over his shoulder to where Tyler still guarded the front door, his scowl back in place. “Are you staying with your friend and
his wife
?”

Connor winced. “It’s none of your business.”

“Look, Connor, I want to get together for a drink, maybe dinner. We can catch up. We can talk about your job with Daddy.”

He gritted his teeth, grinding his back molars together. “No.”

“Oh, come on, what’s the problem. Do you have another
girlfriend
?” She enunciated each word in a clear, concise tone. If she found out, she would cause trouble. When he’d tried to introduce a little kink into their relationship before, she’d called him a pervert and threatened to tell her father about him, which would have put a serious crimp in his career plans. But the joke had been on her, because her father also had plans for who his son-in-law would be, which suited Connor fine, and in fact, gave him the out he’d needed to leave town.

After that, he’d known she wasn’t the woman for him. She wanted money, a fancy home, and her idea of a normal relationship. He wanted all that too. But his definition of normal didn’t match hers.

“I want you to leave, Cindy. Now.” He reached to open the car door, and urged her in, restraining himself from shoving her in and slamming it shut. “I’ll say it one last time—we were done a long time ago.”

He turned his back, ready to face his friend’s anger. Would Tyler ask
him
to leave?

“I know you don’t mean that. You loved me.”

Connor stopped mid-stride. He’d never said those words to anyone. Not even during an unguarded moment.

“Think about this, Connor. If you still want your job and your own company someday, you’ll take me back.” She started the engine as he turned away. “Oh, by the way, Daddy would like to meet with you. Apparently he has something to tell you.”

Connor glanced over his shoulder, ready to find out what the fuck she meant by that, but she had put the car in drive and pulled away, tires spinning, gravel flying.

“I thought you said she was out of the picture.”

Connor looked up. Tyler hadn’t budged from the doorway. His troubled face peered down at him.

“She is.”

“Apparently she didn’t get the memo.”

Connor rubbed his hand through his hair. “Is Angela OK?”

“She will be.”

“Listen, Ty…”

“She may be pretty, but she’s a viper, Connor. I understand now why you dumped her.” Conner jerked his head up. “You may be done with her,” Tyler continued, “but she’s not done with you. You realize that, right? If she came all this way to find you, she has a plan.” He pushed away from the door frame. “Come on. Let’s go grab a beer and smooth the waters with Angie.”

Tyler spun on his heel and reentered the house. Connor glanced out to the street again. What the hell motivated that woman? She knew Connor’s preferences. Did she still think he’d change for her? This was one of her games, he had no doubt. But who was the target this time—him or her father?

* * *

Angela fled to their bedroom. She closed the door behind her, not wanting to hear the hum of the conversation taking place on her front porch.

Last night, after they’d returned from the club, and long after Tyler and Connor had fallen asleep in exhaustion, she’d slipped from bed and sequestered herself in the spare room. There, she had started writing a letter to her sister. Although e-mail and the telephone offered a faster, more immediate means of communication, she and Stephanie loved the almost-forgotten art of writing a letter, and often used it when they had serious things to discuss. Then depending on the urgency, sent it through the regular mail, or scanned and sent it via e-mail. This would definitely be an e-mailed letter.

Angela needed her sister’s perspective. Stephanie was the one person she could confide in. The one person guaranteed to give her honest, unselfish feedback.

Angela walked over to her bedside table to retrieve the pages she’d tucked into the drawer in the early hours of the morning. She moved over to the window seat, and settled in. Thank God it overlooked the back of their property and not the front.

Her gaze dropped to re-read what she’d written so far.

Hey, sis,

How are you? How are my niece and nephew? Not giving you too much trouble, I hope. Well, actually I do hope, a little anyway. Did Jaimee enjoy the set of drums I sent for her birthday? At five, I think she’s old enough to begin exploring the world of music, and discovering her natural talent. Should I send earplugs for your birthday?

I miss you, Steph. Sometimes it’s hard not being able to get together for coffee, or to shop, or to talk. Besides, without you here, mom only has me to focus on. She’s in desperate need of a distraction.

Things are good. We’ve been busy around the house. Finally got the deck for the hot tub finished. Oh, and a friend of Tyler’s moved to the area. His name is Connor. They went to university together. They have similar tastes. Connor is a good-looking man. Too bad I’m already taken…lol.