Honey House (15 page)

Gregory grinned at Owen, and then hopped up. “I’m going to put dinner in the oven; it’ll be ready in twenty. How about one more margarita before dinner?”

“Sure,” Owen said easily.

“Hey, did you guys remember to bring your suits? We’re going in the hot tub still, aren’t we?” I asked.

Gregory went inside, but Owen answered, “I’ll wear a suit if you make me, but I’d rather be naked.” He laughed.

“That might take a few more margaritas on my part.” I laughed with him.

Gregory popped back through the door, my refilled glass in his hand. “Your wish, my command.”

Dinner was fabulous. Gregory served spinach enchiladas and a fresh salad with cilantro dressing. We ate outside next to the fire, and it was one of the most enjoyable meals of my life. The company and the food were first class. Since the men brought the food, I volunteered for dishes while they went to change into their suits.

After dinner I switched to sipping the tequila straight. It was a very fine agave tequila, and even more enjoyable without all the extra flavors mixed in. I knew I needed to slow down; there was no way I could keep pace drinking with either man.

It was easy to think of Gregory as the smaller man, when looking at Owen’s broad six-foot-plus frame, but truthfully, Gregory was only an inch or two shorter. Gregory had the sleek build of a runner, all lean muscles and lanky limbs. Owen was the brawn of the pair. Either way you looked at it, they both had a lot more body mass than I did. They were several glasses ahead of me and I was already very pleasantly buzzed.

I changed into what I liked to think of as my evening swimsuit, a black one piece, low cut front and back, and flattering. I brought out three large bath sheets to wrap ourselves in when we were finished.

The hot tub was actually formed from the same natural hot springs as the pool at Rapture. It was located in a very isolated area, down several steps from the patio. Some clever designer in the past had used a combination of natural rock and fiberglass to mold the tub into the side of the hill. Only accessible from the owner’s apartment, it was big enough to seat six, if everyone was well behaved. I usually escaped here two or three times a week for a little nude sunbathing.

Candles glowed softly from the surrounding outcroppings, casting shadows, and making the whole area a glowing vision. Gregory sat with his back to me, chest deep in the water. Owen was facing me, but his eyes were closed, so he didn’t see me approach. His hands were pressed against the edge of the tub, on either side of Gregory, and he was kissing him, long and deep, and with a lot of tongue.
What to do, what to do?

I wanted to turn away, to give the lovers some privacy. I wanted to join them and ask to be kissed like that, too. Instead, I stared, and watched their mouths, so hungry for each other, so lost to the world. I’d never seen two men kiss before, and color me surprised. It was goddamn hot!

I finished my drink, poured another, and sat on the step, waiting for just the right moment to interrupt them. Gregory moaned and laid his head back against the deck, and Owen pressed himself closer. The kiss deepened, and I thought it looked like Owen was fucking Gregory with his tongue.

The tingling between my legs confirmed just how hot I thought this was. I couldn’t look away. Owen opened his eyes, our gazes locked and he groaned, low and sexy. He gently drew back from the kiss, taking his time, finishing with licks and love bites before pulling back completely. We smiled at each other.

“Come on in, KC, we won’t bite, the water’s divine,” Owen said. “Bring your bottle, my glass needs topping off.”

I refilled all the glasses, and slid into the water on the opposite side of the hot tub. There were no lights, just the feel of either the natural stone or the smooth fiberglass, depending on where you sat. I was on a stone step, waist deep and Owen reached out and grabbed my hand. Then he hauled me across and planted me between the two of them.

“I don’t think—”

“Shh,” Owen said. “Don’t think. No one’s asking you to do anything. Just sit with us and relax.”

Gregory never lifted his head from his semi-recumbent position. “God, this feels so good,” he murmured, his eyes still closed. Owen sank back into the water on the other side of me, and sighed his contentment.

I felt rather foolish sitting so upright between the two men, so I slid down until the water lapped over my bare shoulders, and rested my head against the side. After a while, Gregory slipped his hand in mine, and it was a warm comfort.

We soaked like that for about ten minutes, but eventually had to sit up to let our upper bodies cool off. The natural spring was too hot to stand for any longer than that. We finished our drinks and Owen poured another round. Talk was casual, drifting from subject to subject with a lot of laughter mixed in between. Gregory was one of the funniest people I had ever met, but Owen always gave him the best set up lines. They worked together as a pair in nearly every story either one of them told.

I don’t know what exactly the trigger was, but I realized Owen was staring at me, and everyone had gone very quiet. He leaned in and tasted my mouth, his lips parted, tongue insistent. He kissed me as he’d kissed Gregory earlier, deep and hot, his tongue gliding in and out, slick against mine. He kissed me breathless.

With an effort, he pulled himself back from the kiss, and leaned back against the side of the tub. “God, KC,” was all he said.

Then Gregory leaned in for his own kiss and it felt completely different. Owen was smooth, like fine sipping whisky, something you savored. Gregory pushed against my tongue, pulled it back into his mouth. He nibbled my lower lip, and then sucked it into his mouth. He was hot and fast, all demands and urgent. “I can taste you on her lips,” he told Owen.

Shit, I must be drunk, because it felt really good to be kissed by these two men. I needed to do something about it before things got even more out of hand.

“KC,” Owen said, before I could think of what to say.

“Yes,” I answered.

“You should know, Gregory and I…are drunk,” he said seriously.

I laughed. “I think I figured that out.”

“You should also know, we want you. We’d like to make love with you,” he said softly, and he stroked my face with his fingers. Gregory slid his hand up my arm.

“I really love the two of you, but I don’t think I’m ready for something like that,” I said.

“It’s okay,” Gregory said. Then he sat up suddenly, looking very serious. “Shit, KC. We didn’t scare you did we? We don’t want to do anything to jeopardize our friendship.”

“It’s okay. I’m flattered, not upset. Now, I need to get out of here before I turn into a prune.”

Gregory groaned and said, “I don’t even want to think about my shriveled parts.”

Owen leaned across me and planted a kiss on Gregory’s mouth. “I love all the parts, shriveled or not.”

I climbed out first and brought the towels to the edge of the water. When Owen stood, I realized he’d been naked the whole time. Impressively naked.
Well, what do you know, so was Gregory.

I left them to their toweling off and stepped around the corner to slide under the cool water of the outdoor shower. The change in temperature took my breath away. Hands joined me and I stood for a moment, glorying in the feel of Owen and Gregory all slippery and naked as they washed the minerals from my body. It was too cold to stand around, and they each soaped and rinsed quickly, too. We grabbed our towels and ran for the warm air inside.

Once inside and the laughter subsided, Owen said, “I think we might need a favor. I’ve had too much to drink to drive, and it’s a little far to be walking tonight. Do you think we could get a room for a few hours? We’ll clean it tomorrow, so you don’t have to. I just need to crash for a bit.”

“If you can behave yourself, you can come upstairs with me. I’ve got a big bed, we’ll all fit. Unless you’d rather have a room, of course.”

“Hot damn!” Gregory said.

I laughed. “Hands to yourself, lover boy. No hanky-panky between the two of you either.”

****

I retreated to the bathroom to change into a satin camisole and shorts for sleeping, avoiding the whole nightgown issue, and brushed my teeth. I took one look at my hair and knew it was going to take forever to brush out the tangled mess. I took my brush into the room with me to free up the bathroom for the guys.

“Help yourselves, new toothbrushes are on the counter,” I said and sat on the edge of the bed and began to brush. Someone had already pulled down the covers and turned off the light, so that the only spill of light was from the hallway.

I heard the deep rumble from the bathroom as they spoke, and couldn’t hold back a smile. Two men! Would I ever be adventurous or drunk enough for that?

The bathroom door opened and I felt the bed sag as they climbed on behind me. “Let me do that,” Gregory said, taking the brush from my hand.

I tensed, waiting for the inevitable pulls, but he was surprisingly gentle, and I told him so.

Owen’s voice came from somewhere to the side of me. “He used to brush my hair for me, when it was longer. It always felt so good.” His voice was a soft caress in the dark. He climbed from the bed and knelt between my legs. He took my foot in his hand and began to smooth lotion into the skin. The press of his thumbs was firm against the arch, not ticklish. He added more lotion and rubbed the other foot.

Gregory kept brushing, making small murmurs behind me. He lifted the weight of my hair and brushed from underneath in long, flowing strokes. My neck arched in pleasure. He kept brushing even once the tangles were gone. He gathered the hair in his hands and caressed it over his own skin and mine.

Owen began to spread the lotion up my calves, massaging the muscles that were still loose and warm from the hot tub. His hands were strong, and he pressed them upwards, spreading and sliding in the lotion. He looked up at Gregory then, and I could see the love in his gaze, even in the darkness. It occurred to me they were getting as much pleasure from the touch as I was.

Owen put more lotion on his hands and slid farther up, one thigh at a time, moving higher, coming closer to my core with every stroke. He rubbed the lotion away, leaving my skin tingling and other parts aching for touch.

“Owen,” I said softly, and put my hands on top of his to stop the upward climb. My heart was pounding uncomfortably.

“Mmm?” His grey eyes filled with heat, lightening as he looked up at me.

“I think we’ve all had too much to drink. This isn’t a good idea. Please, let’s just go to sleep.”

Gregory stopped brushing and Owen blinked up at me, his face slack with desire. He blinked a few more times, then a great shudder passed through him. Owen rocked back on his heels and gave a long look over my shoulder at Gregory.

“Fuck,” Owen breathed out. “You’re right. I’m sorry, KC,” he said. He gave his head a shake as if to clear his thoughts, then moaned a little as he stood. He walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Without another word, Owen wrapped himself around Gregory, keeping as much distance as possible between their side of the bed and mine. There is a lot of room in a king-sized bed, I mused, as I pulled the sheet over my shoulders.

Much, much later, I lay awake wondering what in the hell was happening. I might not be ready for the whole ménage a trois scene, but I wasn’t blind to the desire that flared between all of us tonight. I didn’t think it was only the alcohol.

Gregory and Owen were my friends. Sure, we flirted, but it was a safe type of flirting. The type that’s fun, makes you feel good and you know is not leading anywhere. The three of us were comfortable together. At least we had been before tonight.

Why were the men in my life suddenly finding me so attractive? I thought about that for a minute. Was it something to do with the Honey House? There was something there…something about that idea… No, it wasn’t the House but it was
something
associated with my place.

I stole a glance at the blue numbers on the bedside table. There were still three hours left of my night. I needed to use them to try to get
some
rest. I plumped the pillow and nestled down, determined to push everything else from my thoughts for the rest of the night. Exhaustion and too much alcohol dragged me under. I only woke once, to a gentle rocking that reminded me of nights at sea.

Chapter Thirteen

Breakfast came early the next morning, but for a change, I didn’t resent it. I was humming softly as I poured my coffee and set out the trays of food. Just like clockwork, Quinn showed up for his coffee and paper, with his usual, “Miss Carmichael.” I ignored him as well as anyone could ignore six and a half feet of brooding male. 

Updating my perpetual list of things to do, I crossed off yesterday’s accomplishments and noticed two items continued to languish. I still needed to find Joanne’s Book of Shadows, and I wanted to learn more about TWTW.

Tonight was the full moon, and Raymond had made a show of the ranch closing for the event. I wonder if they really closed, or if it was some sort of marketing propaganda. I would tackle the ranch tonight then, and tomorrow I would look for Joanne’s book. I considered if there was anything else I needed to add to the list, and with a smile wrote wash sheets. Gabrielle was still off work, so I needed to stay fairly close to the Honey House, just in case any new guests arrived.

I looked up, startled to find Quinn staring at me.

“Need something, Sheriff?” I asked. I hadn’t forgotten his arrogant attempt to kiss me into cooperating with him yesterday.

“Sorry, I wanted to thank you for the tape yesterday at Rapture. And I wanted to know what the hell took you so long to get around to asking the questions about Jason?”

“What do you think, Sheriff? That you could have walked in and just asked her if Jason dropped by?” I asked, sarcasm dripping. I’d spent two hours yesterday getting him good information, and he’d been nothing but an ass to me ever since.

He smiled then, nearly taking my breath away with the wonder of it. “Actually, I know I couldn’t have, because I tried. Melissa denied ever speaking to Jason. So, if I didn’t say so properly before, thank you.”