Illicit (17 page)

“Did you tell him how important it is to you?”

Travis stood up and placed his cup by the sink, then opened the dishwasher to start loading the dishes. “I didn’t really get into it.”

“He pulled the dominant cop routine, right?”

Memories of being pressed against the tile wall by Erik’s hard body sent quivers through him.

“He does it so well.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean he should ignore your needs.”

Travis grinned. “Oh, he satisfied my needs.”

“Travis, I’m serious. If he doesn’t want to have a relationship with Lindsay, that’s his choice, but there’s no reason you and I shouldn’t keep seeing her.”

“You want to keep seeing her, too?”

“Hell, yeah.”

Travis shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of leaving Erik out. Especially after what happened with Becci.”

“Becci was a totally different situation, and we’re not leaving Erik out. You asked him and he declined. That’s his decision, but he doesn’t get to decide what you and I do.” His eyes narrowed. “I’m assuming you’d like to pursue a relationship with Lindsay
and
me.”

Travis saw the anxiety in Connor’s eyes. He was the type of guy who didn’t seem fazed by anything, but Travis could read him, and he was definitely worried.

“
If
I pursued a relationship with Lindsay, I would
love
for it to work out with the three of us.” Travis was pleased to see the tension in Connor dissipate. “But as long as Erik’s against it, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Connor leaned forward, his intense gaze locked on Travis. “You told me that the way you feel about Lindsay is different than you’ve ever felt for a woman. Is that still true?”

Travis hesitated, but finally nodded.

“Okay, that’s all I need to know.”

*   *   *

The elevator doors opened and Erik walked into the penthouse, greeted by the delicious aroma of dinner. Smelled like stew. Connor’s specialty.

Erik kicked off his shoes, then strolled into the living room and settled on the couch. It had been a long stressful day at work and all he wanted to do right now was unwind. Part of him wanted to head out to the pool for a swim, but it was just too much effort.

“Hey, you’re home.” Travis appeared from the hall and sat on the chair across from the couch.

“How’s it going setting up the office?” Erik asked.

“Well, I have the wireless router connected to the Internet gateway now and all four computers are communicating through the local network. For the past hour, I’ve been talking to tech support about the problems we had connecting the network drive and I think I’ve got what I need to get that going. Now my brain’s fried and I need a break.” He put his feet up on the wooden coffee table. “You look tired.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“I hope you two aren’t too tired to enjoy the dinner I made.” Connor popped his head out from the kitchen. “I’ve been slaving over the stove for hours.”

“He has, too. I was tempted to chain him to the stove.”

“Well, we still could. I’ve got my cuffs with me.” Erik toyed with the leather handcuff case on his belt.

“Let’s wait until after dinner, when he’s done the dishes.”

“I cooked, so it’s your turn to do dishes,” Connor protested.

Erik just chuckled. Connor and Travis shared the chores around the house. Erik tried to insist on taking a share, but Connor convinced him that Travis needed the arrangement to feel he was contributing enough to the household, since Erik wouldn’t let them pay rent.

“But you wanted the development environment ready to go by tomorrow.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll do them. But no chains.” Connor disappeared into the kitchen.

“He says that now, but I’m sure we could convince him otherwise.” Travis stood up. “You want a beer?”

“Sure.”

Travis appeared a moment later with two beers and handed one to Erik. He took a deep swig, enjoying the cold liquid in this throat.

Connor appeared with a bottle in his hand. “Dinner in forty-five minutes.” He slumped onto the easy chair beside Travis. “How was your day, Erik?”

“Long. But I got a text from Cheryl today. I called her after my shift and she invited me to this thing on Friday.”

Cheryl had been a woman the three of them had shared a nice, casual weekend with and she periodically called for a date with one or more of them.

“Yeah, she called here and I told her she should ask you. I figured it would help distract you from your Lindsay withdrawal.”

Erik frowned. None of them had discussed Lindsay since Travis had brought it up in the shower over a week ago and he had hoped it would continue that way.

Connor grinned. “Knowing Cheryl, this ‘thing’ will keep you out until Saturday, or even Sunday.”

“Cheryl’s the one who loves threesomes, right?” Travis asked.

“Right. With two women,” Connor answered.

“Sweet.”

“She invited me to a birthday bash for a friend of hers who’s turning thirty,” Erik said.

Connor sipped his beer. “And she’ll invite one of her girlfriends to join the two of you at her place afterward.”

“And you will be the filling in a very sexy sandwich,” Travis added.

Connor laughed. “Yeah, he’ll be filling them all right.”

Images of Cheryl and another woman stripping naked in front of him fluttered through Erik’s mind. He wasn’t sure if it was his fantasy or one of Travis’ or Connor’s. No matter. Connor was right, that would be how the evening would end. And it would be a great way to distract him from thoughts of Lindsay. Hell, probably all he needed was to get laid.

*   *   *

The phone on Lindsay’s desk rang and she picked it up.

“Ms. Reed, this is reception. There’s someone here to see you.”

“I’m not expecting anyone. Who is it?”

“It’s a Mr. Connor Jackson.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I’ll be right down.”

She hung up, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. Was Travis with him?

And Erik?

As she rode down the elevator, her pulse quickened. It had been almost two weeks since the fabulous weekend she’d spent with the men and every night she fantasized about it. She missed them.

And she longed to see Erik again.

But she was a fool to think he was here with Connor. He’d made it very clear they were done. That she had just been a weekend fling.

Unless he’d changed his mind.

Sixteen

Lindsay glanced toward the receptionist’s desk and saw Connor standing tall and looking sexier than any man had a right to. But just Connor.

He glanced her way and a broad smile claimed his face. He stepped toward her.

“Hey, there you are. I was in the neighborhood and thought you’d like to go to lunch.”

“I would love to.”

Her lips turned up in a wide smile. Maybe Erik wasn’t here, but it was wonderful seeing Connor again. She was surprised that Travis wasn’t with him, though. Why would Connor want to see her alone?

She walked with him to the entrance and he opened the door for her. Her body brushed his arm as she walked past him and excitement skittered along her nerve endings just being close to this sexy man again. They stepped from the air-conditioned office building into the heat of the bright, sunny day.

“My car’s right over here.” He pointed at a blue sedan by the curb.

“There are a lot of good restaurants right around here,” she said as they walked along the sidewalk to his car.

“I’m sure there are, but I thought we might”—he winked as he opened the car door for her—“talk more freely at a restaurant where there won’t be any of your coworkers.”

She climbed into the car. Once they were inside she grinned. “So just what do you have in mind?”

“Just lunch, but as soon as I stop this car again, I plan to kiss the hell out of you.” He started the engine and pulled into traffic.

She laughed, excitement skittering through her. God, after that unforgettable weekend, the past two weeks had been torturous. He glanced at her and grinned. “Hell, I’d like to do more than kiss you. Especially with you in your librarian suit.”

She glanced down at her gray suit. It was more fitted than the one she’d worn for poker role-playing, and she wasn’t wearing glasses, but she had her hair pinned up. Memories of that sexy session danced through her head and she wished she could spirit Connor away to her apartment and indulge in something more exciting than lunch.

Connor started the car and pulled into traffic.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“There’s a nice Italian place on Preston Avenue,” he said, and five minutes later, they were walking into a quaint bistro and ordering from the lunch menu.

He filled her in on the launch they were planning for a cutting-edge game app, and the new technology it used. Lindsay was happy to see him so excited, but she kept wishing the conversation would turn to Erik. Seeing Connor delighted her, but it also made her miss the other guys.

“I really enjoyed seeing you today,” she said when they got back in the car. “I’ve really missed that weekend we were all together.”

“By the way, speaking of the infamous fantasy weekend…” Connor said.

“Yes?” Hope rose in her that he would say they’d missed her, too, and wanted to start seeing her again. Especially if Erik came as part of the package.

“You left these behind.” Connor dug in his pocket and pulled out a pair of pink panties.

They were the ones she’d taken off during the poker game and Connor had put in his pants pocket.

“Travis told me they were obviously a match for the bra and garter belt, so I should return them.”

She took the crumpled panties from Connor’s outstretched hand. “Thanks. So that’s why you came by.” Not because he’d had an overwhelming need to see her.

“Well, it was a good excuse.”

She glanced up at his beguiling grin. Warmth wafted through her. So he had wanted to see her.

“Listen. The other reason I came is because I wanted to tell you that Travis and I would really like to start seeing you again.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “So how about we pick you up for dinner after work on Friday?”

She smiled. “I’d like that.”

Connor grinned. “And after that, you could come back to the penthouse.”

Her heart rate quickened. “That would be great.”

“And just in case you’re worried about any awkwardness with Erik, he won’t be there. He’s got a date”—Connor winked—“and we don’t expect him back until late the next day.”

She felt like she’d been smacked in the face. That shattered any hope she’d had that Erik might want to see her again. Clearly, he wasn’t missing her at all.

“Hopefully, the two of us can keep you entertained.”

She nodded and smiled. “Of course.”

She was being a fool. What did it matter if Erik didn’t want to see her again? She was lucky two gorgeous men like Connor and Travis wanted to be with her.

“I guess I’d better get you back to work.”

She glanced at the time display on her cell phone. She only had about fifteen minutes left of her lunch hour. Not that it mattered if she was a little late getting back, but if she stayed here any longer with this incredibly sexy man, she was likely to wind up in bed with him and not make it back to work at all.

*   *   *

Travis heard the hum of the elevator as he dried the last pot. Connor hadn’t told him who he’d invited over tonight, just that it was a woman. Travis sighed. He would have preferred to skip it, but Connor really wanted this date tonight and Travis needed to consider Connor’s needs, too.

No woman could compare to Lindsay, but maybe it would be good to be distracted from how much he was missing her. He dried his hands and then walked down the hall toward the opening doors of the elevator.

His eyes widened as he noticed Lindsay peering out at him. His heart leapt and he strode forward to meet her.

“Lindsay!”

She smiled and stepped out of the elevator, Connor on her heels.

“Travis, it’s so nice to—”

He swept her into his arms and kissed her delicate lips. It was heaven having her soft body pressed to his again, feeling the sweet warmth of her mouth as his tongue glided inside. Her arms slid around him as she melted against him and he reveled in her closeness.

“Dinner smells good,” Connor said from behind Lindsay.

Still holding her tight, he sent Connor a questioning look. Connor merely grinned at him. Travis mouthed Erik’s name, and Connor shrugged.

“Let’s open the wine,” Connor said.

Travis released Lindsay and she placed her purple purse by the door and kicked off her sandals. For the first time, Travis noticed that Connor carried an overnight bag. He recognized it as the one Lindsay had brought to their weekend.

He beamed at her. “You’re staying overnight?”

“I told her we had the place to ourselves until late tomorrow, so we’d love to have her.”

Oh, God, yes. Travis wanted to have her. Right now. He captured her lips again, his groin tightening with need.

“You know, I can watch dinner if you two want to go and catch up,” Connor said.

Dinner didn’t need watching, since it was a casserole and would be in the oven for another hour. Connor knew that, too, but clearly wanted to give him some time alone with Lindsay. An opportunity he was thrilled to take advantage of.

“Would you like to go and catch up?” he asked, gazing into her eyes. He could see the heat in her twinkling blue eyes.

She stroked his cheek as she gazed up at him and nodded, a sweet smile curling her lips. He captured her hand and led her down the hall.

Seventeen

Lindsay loved the feel of Travis’ big hands stroking her naked body tenderly, and the sweet brush of his lips on her skin. He’d wasted no time peeling the clothes from her body, then stripping off his own, and now they lay in bed together.

She ached with the need for him to glide inside her, but he seemed to want to explore every inch of her first. When his lips took her hard nipple, she arched against him. She wrapped her hand around his rock-hard cock and stroked. Oh, God, she wanted it.

She rolled onto her knees and pressed him onto his back, then kissed along his tight abs.