Men Times Three (24 page)

She nodded.

He parted her labia with both thumbs and held her open for his tongue. He swirled and licked her clit until she moaned. Fresh moisture slid to his mouth, delicious, spicy and all her own. “You're so tasty, I could eat you all night.”

Her answer was another moan accompanied by a raise of her hips in offering. So giving.

Eli gave her more than she thought he could. Sensation was a riot that overtook her, a temptation to which she'd never fallen.

Here, with Eli of all people, she felt safe. He didn't care for her, didn't so much as like her, so if she gave herself the freedom to let go, it didn't matter. He wouldn't care. He wouldn't be around long.

A pulse rose from her depths as he suckled and licked. Awash with need, she pressed up for more of his mouth. The sound he made as he lapped at her, the deep and wild sensations helped her float away, adrift. Above herself, and free, Kylie wasn't Kylie anymore.

She was woman, fecund, rich with earthy needs, willing to give and take and feel the ripeness of completion.

Another pulse, stronger now, swept up, up, up into her chest, her heart as she crowned. “Oh. Eli.” A cry tore from her lips as he pushed her higher and higher toward the sky.

When she fell again, it was into the safety of his arms. His lips worked her as she cupped the back of his head to keep him there so she could wring every last sensation from his mouth and tongue.

Her bloodless legs sagged as tension flowed away and Eli let her settle back to the soft mattress. She closed her eyes to enjoy the last of the orgasmic pulses. “That was spectacular.”

She stretched her arms over her head and touched the iron bedstead. Clasping the metal bars, she arched her back to enjoy a languorous stretch of muscle and ligaments.

Eli's breath caught and she peeped an eye open. He was caught by the sight of her stretched out, his eyes glowing with primal need. Hard planes and tight control, his face went rigid as he watched her stretch and arch. She'd seen men gaze at the length of her legs, her long waist and heavy breasts, but this was different. He'd tasted her secrets, been inside her, had cleansed and licked her.

Eli had kissed her with gentleness and swift desire in turn.

She liked the way he looked at her, as if he could do it all again.

Then she noticed his cock, strained full and ready. A dew drop seeped from his tiny slit. She licked her lips and his eyes caught on her mouth.

“Let me do that to you. What you did for me,” she offered. This would be a first for her. “Bring yourself to my mouth.”

The mattress moved as he settled his knees on either side of her shoulders. She plumped the pillow behind her head and took the tip of his cock against her lips. The silky dew tasted salty on her tongue. “You're so hot here.”

The soft ridge around the cap fascinated her and she spent long moments enjoying his moans of encouragement. “Yes, do that,” he implored. “More, yes, scrape your teeth—
Jesus.
This is—”

She stroked his shaft while she tongued him. A glance to his face proved his enjoyment. Experimenting with technique brought more groans until he rocked slowly in and out of her mouth.

His balls felt like rocks when she reached for them. A slow, pumping squeeze made the bed quake with his shudders.

His cock flexed while his body stilled just before she felt his balls go rock hard. Spew, salty and hot, filled her mouth. His releasing spurts at the back of her throat startled her, but his cry of intense pleasure pleased her.

She swallowed everything he gave her and jerked when his stealthy hand found her pussy. The man was insatiable.

He rolled to the bed beside her, his fingers lightly stroking through her curls. “Fuck,” he said, “you're unbelievable.”

She opened her legs and let him rub her into another orgasm.

He wasn't the only one who felt greedy.

She was voracious and spent the rest of the evening proving it.

Three hours later, they rinsed soap off each other in the shower and stepped out to dry off. She wrapped her ropes of hair with a towel while they shuffled and twisted around each other in the tight bathroom. “How long will you be here?” she asked.

He had one foot on the rim of the tub while he dried his toes. “I could stay the night or go back to my room. Whatever.” He turned his head to catch her response.

“No, I didn't mean tonight.” She felt the heat of a blush. “How long will you be on the Peninsula?”

He rose to full height and faced her. She clutched her towel a little tighter over her breasts. His eyes turned assessing. “I don't know how long I'll be here.”

“Well, then, when will the cabins be done?”

“You in a hurry to see me leave?” His brows knit and his voice went harder than it had been all evening. “Or do you want to pretend that I'll stay?”

“No, yes—NO!” She swallowed and tried to form her question in a different way. “I'm just curious.” This is why she didn't like him. He confused her.

What's worse, he liked it.

“Or do you ask because you want this over and done already?” He slipped his hands to her waist. “Or because you've already had enough of me?”

If she admitted she might never get enough of him, he'd run off even faster. Men never stuck with clingy women. “Just tell me when the cabins will be finished. And then you can move out to your brother's place. Deal?”

He raised both brows. “Deal. Although moving out at that point seems premature, considering I'll be here through the entire tourist season. I need the work.”

That said, he walked, stark naked, back down the hall and into his room. He couldn't even bother to spend the night in her bed.

T
he next morning, Kylie looked for Eli in his room, but he was already gone. At least he was tidy. He'd made his bed and his towels were neatly hung in the bathroom. She guessed he'd learned in his travels to be a considerate houseguest.

The smell of bacon and coffee told her where she could find him and she skipped lightly downstairs, ignoring the twinges between her thighs. She should have expected this, since he was so broad in the shoulders. It seemed all three O'Banions were proportionate. Deliciously proportionate.

But he wasn't in the kitchen and the bacon was only a lingering scent. He'd eaten breakfast and cleared his mess. At least there was still coffee in the carafe.

The crew was arriving out back, so she checked the front of the inn. Eli turned from the deck of TJ's truck loaded down with extension cords and power tools. When she opened the door, he looked up and frowned when he saw her.

Oh, mama! Men on the Peninsula were born to wear plaid. Her heartbeat went thready as she took in the morning sun on his hair. Sun-bleached tips caught the light and brightened his brown hair and made his blue eyes bluer.

“I'd like to talk to you, if I may,” she said. “Please.” She'd been rude before and wanted to start the day on a more pleasant note.

“Why?” His tone was suspicious. She couldn't blame him.

“I don't want to holler out the door. Please come inside.” She turned, not giving him the chance to refuse. He set the tools down on the veranda but kept the extension cord looped over his shoulder.

She held her hands over her belly to keep from touching him. “I've been rude and deliberately aggravating to you. I don't understand why, exactly. I'm not usually so prickly.”

His lower lip was swollen. “Did I do that to your lip?”

He patted it. “You're the only woman I kissed last night. And you're the only woman who clamped her teeth on my lip when she came.” His gaze turned sexy in memory.

But she was mortified. “I'm so sorry. I didn't break the skin, did I?”

“No.”

She palmed her shorts. “I have a plan.”

“That is?” He pursed his lips, winced and immediately loosened them.

“I did hurt you. I'm so sorry. Let me get you some ice to help the swelling.”

“No, I'm okay. It's already come down a lot.” It was unexpectedly kind of him to reassure her. But when she opened her mouth to say so, he spoke quickly. “Before we mess up any more than we have, we should just avoid each other.”

“That's not what I had in mind,” she blurted. “I want—”

He held up his hand to forestall her saying more. “Sex with you was unbelievable. Smoking hot, Kylie.” She warmed at his praise and opened her mouth. Again, he cut her off, this time with a finger to her lips. She badly wanted to draw the tip into her mouth and suck, but he spoke again. “We talk at cross purposes, mix up our signals, have some kind of weird chemical reaction that creates tension. We should just agree not to be friends, or even try. That way, no one gets hurt.” He shouldered past her and went into the kitchen.

She heard the freezer door open. He did need ice for his lip and it was her fault. She walked to the doorway and leaned on it with her arms crossed. “You're right. You bring out the worst in me. I don't know why, but there it is.” She watched as he tested an ice cube on his lip.

“I could kiss it better,” she offered. She wasn't about to give up on her plan, not yet.

He narrowed his eyes. “See? Here we go again. You're talking about kissing me with your eyes all huge and innocent. What I want to do, Kylie, is bend you over the kitchen counter and fuck you raw.”

The graphic image burned into her retinas and she stared at the counter, then caught the movement of the crew at the cabins. “They'd see,” she said.

“Right there, that comment. You make me think with my dick and that doesn't work with our situation.”

“How?”

“Instead of being shocked or put off by the idea of me fucking you in the kitchen, you're only worried about the men outside seeing us. It makes me think you want me to do everything I want.”

“I do.” There, it was out. He'd finally said what she'd come downstairs to tell him. “I have a plan that might work for us.”

He dabbed the ice cube to his lip. “I'm all ears, but keep in mind, I already know your low opinion of me so I don't need to hear it again.”

Her blood heated but not with desire. “I've apologized for the sex tourist remark.” She forced herself to calm. “My plan is that we don't spend time in each other's company until after dinner when everyone else has left for the day.” She shifted her hips, aware of his sudden and complete stillness.

“So, we have wild sex every night, but ignore each other all day?”

“Pretty much, yes. Why ruin good sex with miscommunication?”

He pursed his lips as he considered. Then he shrugged and tossed the ice cube into the sink. “Works for me.” He walked back out to the veranda. As he picked up his power tools, he grinned. “Tonight, be naked by nine.”

Moisture slid to her crotch. “Don't talk to me at dinner,” she warned. She didn't want to ruin her chances of having another night like last night. Eli was wondrous in bed, even if he did leave for his own room when it was over. “I'll be tired by dinner. Maybe even cranky.”

“No kiddin'.” He rolled his eyes, then whistled tunelessly as he strolled along the veranda and around the corner of the building.

 

In Seattle, Marnie rose on Saturday morning later than she planned and raced through her routine. After the busiest Friday night in recent memory, she'd tossed in her sheets, stressed over her lack of decision about TJ.

She'd been shaken with TJ's assumption that she'd been saying good-bye. Was he right? Were things over between her and TJ? If they were done, it wasn't TJ's doing, because he made it clear in every gesture and glance her way that he cared deeply.

When they made love, there was no doubt that it was love-making. If she were honest, they'd never actually just had sex. From the first moment she'd climbed out of her car at the Friendly Inn, she'd been drawn to TJ in ways too complex to grasp.

In midshampoo she set her hands on the wall tile, overcome by the memory of seeing him for the first time again. The moment his name popped into her head and she'd said, “Thomas John,” a quiet
tick-tick-tick
had begun. A countdown to when she'd kiss him, hold him, sleep with him. Fall in love with him.

The shampoo suds ran down her face and back as she let herself enjoy the memory of those early moments of greeting. She'd been impressed by the man her old friend had grown into.

She still was. Steady, secure, strong. TJ O'Banion proved every bit of the promise he'd shown at fifteen. She touched her fingertips to her lips as she recalled the thrill of that kiss at the pond all those years ago.

That thrill was still between them today.

Oh, God. Was she going to walk away from him to pursue her dream? Was it possible that she could be so focused on her idea of success that she could leave him?

Last night, the club had been hopping from the moment she'd arrived. Drinks flowed, Mike had the crowd jumping with his new dance mix. She'd had to stay later than usual because people flat-out refused to let him stop.

Even Dennis had pitched in throughout the night, never once leaving for a break. Surely he'd see that BackLit had taken off. They'd reached a new high last night. Things would only get busier from here.

In a few weeks, she could approach the banks again. Her mind raced with possibilities in a way it hadn't in months. Positive possibilities and opportunities abounded.

She finished rinsing her hair and the rest of her routine went by in a flash as she realized Dennis would be waiting for her. No matter what he said about the sex club idea, she'd throw some of her new thoughts at him.

He'd see the same opportunities she did. By the time she'd dressed and stepped out of her apartment, her thoughts were clearly focused on BackLit and her future.

She called Dennis as she exited her parking garage. “Are you on the way?”

“ETA ten minutes. I'll meet you there.” His voice vibrated with energy. He was ready for their future, too.

She dropped her cell phone on the passenger seat before she gave in to the temptation to call TJ. She couldn't think of him now; she needed to keep her head clear for the meeting with Dennis.

Excitement traced through her veins. Decision time. If Dennis agreed to wait for the inn to sell, she could buy him out of their partnership. BackLit would be hers.

The inn was her ace. He still didn't know she held one-third of the place. Once the cabins were finished they could put the property on the market.

Holly would be fine. She could find a job she enjoyed, maybe go back to school. Kylie would stay in their lives, a fully accepted member of the Dawson clan.

That was what her newfound cousin really wanted. The family connection would soon outstrip her desire for the roots she craved. Roots weren't about place, Marnie told herself, they were about relationships.

Everyone would win in this plan of hers. Everyone but TJ.

The light at the intersection straight ahead suddenly turned red. She slammed on her brakes in a squeal of tires.

Horns blared, traffic whooshed by. Cars swerved. When she slid to a stop with only inches to spare, her knuckles showed bone white on the steering wheel. Even in a fishtail her car was too short to swing into the other lane.

Her cell phone slid off the seat and hit the floor. In the eery first seconds after the near-accident, all she could think was that she hadn't told TJ how much he meant to her. How much she loved him.

The car behind her honked once to get her attention and she saw that the light had changed to green again. The rest of her short commute she stayed hypersensitive to every light, pedestrian and especially all the other cars on the road.

Dennis's car was already in his reserved spot, a sign that at least he realized the seriousness of the meeting. Their office door was unlocked and she stepped in to see Dennis at his desk, head thrown back as he studied the ceiling.

“Hi, you're here already.” She breezed in and set her purse on her desk and made for the coffee. “Thanks for making coffee,” she said. “But I nearly got creamed coming in here today and I need something to calm my nerves, not wake me up!” She dug out a bag of herbal tea from her desk drawer.

“I've thought long and hard about this sex club idea of yours,” she said, as she pulled out the single burner hot plate they kept for just this kind of morning. She walked to the bathroom to fill the small kettle with water for her tea. “The profits are there, Dennis, as is the interest in that kind of club. We've got a great location, too.” He'd been right about word-of-mouth, especially within the lifestyle.

When she returned with the full kettle, she caught a look of ecstacy on her partner's face. She'd missed the cues again. When did Dennis ever study the ceiling to think? He jerked and grunted, then ended off with a chuckle.

“Who's under your desk?” Maybe the blonde from before. Or the brunette from his threesome, or maybe both again.

The blonde, she realized as a woman's head appeared from under the desk. “Thanks, babe. Took the edge off,” he said as he zipped up, then helped the woman crawl out into the room.

Marnie nearly dropped the kettle where she stood as Tisha rose to her full height and patted him on the shoulder. “No problem.” She turned and tidied the corners of her mouth, her eyes assessing Marnie with chilly dislike.

“And here I thought you were an afternoon kind of guy,” Marnie said dryly.
What next?
To Tisha, she said, “Nice to see you again. Now, excuse us, we have business to attend to.”

“Be nice to me,” Tisha said with a pout. “I told you I wanted Dennis. I'm willing to share.”

“Get out.”

“You'd better go, babe,” Dennis agreed and stood. He walked her to the door, handing her his car keys.

As soon as the door shut, Marnie said, “Jesus, Dennis, you're more stupid than I thought.”

“You think so?” His smile moved into predatory. “Didn't you just say I had a great idea on the fantasy club? That you could see the profits even from that tree museum up in no-man's land?”

She set her kettle on the hot plate while she gathered her thoughts. Motioning him to his desk, she took her seat and then folded her hands in front of her. “As far as the fantasy club goes, I think it's viable. But last night, the club was screaming. Mike had the crowd eating out of his hand.”

“That crowd was mine,” he said, studying his manicure.

She thought back over the crowd. Most of them were regulars, but some she'd never seen before. “Maybe they showed up because you're putting the word out.” The kettle whistled and she rose to pour the water. “But they stayed for the dancing and the music.” And the atmosphere.

She brought her steeping tea back to her desk and sat again. As she'd so often seen, he steepled his fingers and looked at her with interest. Not male interest, but flat curiosity as if he'd never quite figured her out and no longer cared to. “Tisha doesn't have a sugar daddy like you assumed. The money's hers.”

“Surprise, surprise.” She remembered now that Tisha had hoped it would be Dennis who visited her. “Maybe I was wrong about Tisha after all.”

“She wants to buy in.”

He couldn't have surprised her more if he'd said he was going into a seminary. “To BackLit?” If she wanted two partners instead of one, she'd choose her cousins before she'd partner up with Dennis and his girly.

She closed her eyes and a picture of the inn popped up. Not rundown and filthy, but clean and fresh, the red door and furniture on the veranda welcoming and warm. She dipped her tea bag as she considered the image. Swirls of color ran through the hot water and the scent of chamomile filled her nose. “Tisha wants to buy into the club with us? She's got that kind of money?”