Original Match [Ménage.com 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

“Here.”

Shea turned to see Gray holding two glasses of wine, with one extended to her. She took the glass from him. “Thank you.”

With everything going on, Shea had yet to process what had happened with Gray in the office. When he had kissed her, it was as if time had stood still. The passion and hunger it contained shook her to her core. After the shock wore off, Shea couldn’t help but reciprocate, and she wouldn’t deny that she enjoyed every second of it. What was doubly exciting was knowing Ian was standing behind them watching the whole thing.

“You do know that you are safe here, right?”

“I haven’t felt safe since I read those messages.” Shea took a sip of the red wine, not really tasting it, but it gave her something to do. She looked down at the city below, but her attention was focused solely on Gray. They had insisted she eat something when they arrived at their condo, so she forced down a few bites of pasta that Gray had made. “I’m not sure why I let you guys talk me into coming back here with you. My…stalker is not your problem. You don’t really know me, and it’s unfair of me to place you in danger.”

“I think you’re lying to yourself,” Gray said softly, standing close to her. He reached up with his hand and tucked the stray strand of hair that kept bothering her all evening behind her ear. The light touch caused her to tremble, but it was his voice that made her stomach flip. “You wanted to come here with us because you feel exactly what we are feeling—an instant attraction. The kiss we shared earlier just solidified that. We have something that should be explored.”

“I’m not into casual sex,” Shea whispered, bringing the glass back up to her lips to give herself something to do. Why was she really standing here, in their condo? She’d asked herself that question numerous times throughout the evening, but found herself reluctant to face the reason. And now, Gray was standing next to her, wanting her to admit to this magnetism between the three of them.

“And you think we are?” Gray asked, taking the back of his hand and using his fingers to stroke the skin of her arm. Goose bumps immediately appeared, and Shea wasn’t sure it had been a good idea to take off her jacket. She wished she had kept it on. “I won’t deny that in our youth we were quite active, but in recent years, we decided that meaningless affairs were just that—meaningless. We’re looking for more, and with a woman who understands why our private life would need to remain private.”

“What do you mean, private?” Shea was trying to come to terms with the fact that she was attracted to them, but now he was throwing something else in the mix. Did he mean that anyone who got involved with them would have to keep their arrangement a secret? Was he ashamed of having a ménage? Was he embarrassed by how he and Ian preferred their women?

“Even though society has come a long way in accepting certain lifestyles, our business would suffer if it ever got out that we liked to share our women. We have been looking for someone who would understand that.”

“Why would you think that would be me? Because I write about ménage relationships?” Shea wasn’t ready to deal with these newfound feelings he was bringing out in her, so she grabbed onto the anger that she knew was misplaced. She shouldn’t judge him without really knowing all the reasons, but it was an excuse to give her more time to think. She took the wineglass and shoved it against his chest, making him reach for it before the wine spilled over the rim. “I’m not in the market for a relationship, let alone one with two men. And if I was, I certainly wouldn’t go around hiding it for the sake of business.”

Shea turned and made it halfway through the living area, which she had to admit was impressive with all the cream-colored furniture with splashes of browns and greens thrown in for good measure, before almost running into Ian. His arms came up to catch her, but she was able to bring herself to a halt before that happened. Her arousal, even in anger, was at an all-time high. She knew that if he touched her, it would cause her to change her mind and she would throw herself into his arms.

“Thank you for letting me stay here this evening,” Shea said, trying to sound like she wasn’t upset. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to wrap Ian up in her and Gray’s conversation. It would most likely be two against one. “I’d like to get an early start home in the morning, so if you’ll just tell me where the guest bedroom is, I think I’ll call it a night.”

Ian stood in front of her, the five-o’clock shadow making him seem more sensual than she could handle. A part of her wanted nothing more than to lean against his body, have him wrap his arms around her, and make the world go away—or better yet, have wild, passionate sex with her until she forgot all her problems. But she knew they came in a package, and if what Gray said was true, he would want to keep any personal relationship a secret. And that was something she couldn’t do. And did it really matter how they wanted to be involved with a woman? She wasn’t in the market, for one thing. And she had other things to worry about, like being targeted by some crazed stalker.

“First door on your right.” Ian was quiet in his answer, his voice deep like his brother’s. His gaze flickered over to where she was sure Gray was watching them, but quickly came back to her. “If you need anything, just knock on one of our doors.”

“Thank you.”

Shea stepped around Ian, making sure they didn’t touch, and quickly made her way down the hallway. Following his directions, she found herself in a warm bedroom with a queen-size bed, an armoire, and a decent-size dresser with a mirror in the center. The wood was dark, with the walls a very deep beige, creating a masculine feel to the room. A brown comforter with cream pillowcases adorned the bed, which had four tall pillars on each corner. A large white T-shirt lay on the edge, which she assumed was left by Ian. That would explain why he had stepped away earlier.

Taking the shirt in hand, Shea sat down and stared at the bright material. Her day had started out just as dazzling, and she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to make it turn so quickly. One minute, she was content with her life and her career. The next, she found herself contemplating what it would be like to make love with two men—a very specific pair. And now, her life was in danger by a psychopath. Shea let herself fall back against the mattress. She must have really pissed off karma.

* * * *

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Ian couldn’t believe what he had heard upon entering the room. His brother certainly knew how to screw up any chance they may have had with Shea. Gray had blatantly just told her they wanted to have sex with her, but keep her hidden. He would have explained Gray’s comments, but he could see she had had enough for one day and probably wouldn’t listen to reason right now. Ian would clear up any misunderstandings with her tomorrow. Right now, he needed to set some things straight with the man standing in front of him.

“She’s attracted to both of us, Ian. There’s nothing wrong with informing her that we would like something more.” Gray walked past him to the kitchen, placing Shea’s wine glass on the counter. “And with someone after her, I think it would be beneficial to keep her here with us.”

“And you think she’s going to want to stay based on what you just said?” Ian knew his brother viewed life differently than he did, but there was no way he could be obtuse. “You just told her that we wanted to have sex with her, but not let anyone know she’s involved with us. How do you think that makes her feel, Gray?”

“I wasn’t referring to just sex, and you know it. So does she.” Gray laid his glass down beside hers and placed both hands on the counter. “I made it abundantly clear that what we wanted was a serious relationship.”

“And you think she believed you? We’ve known her for one day.” Ian pulled out the stool with his foot and took a seat. “So you kissed her earlier—that doesn’t automatically mean she wants something more. One day doesn’t make a relationship.”

“It’s long enough for me to know she’s the one. I knew it when I heard her voice last night. And I’m not saying we would keep her in hiding. One of us would be able to claim her in public, while the other held back. In private, we could maintain the relationship we wanted.”

“Do you know how archaic you sound right now?” Ian leaned forward, hoping his brother would understand where he was coming from. “It doesn’t matter how you spin this, Gray. You basically want to hide our true selves, along with her. She deserves better than that, and so do I.”

“You’re twisting this to sound as if I wouldn’t be proud to have her in our life, and that’s not true. It took years for us to build our business, away from Dad. We spent eighteen-hour days doing what needed to be done, making contacts with the right people, and maintaining a clientele that relies on our ethics.”

“So because we could love the same woman, that means we have no ethics? Do you realize how absurd that sounds?” Ian couldn’t sit still any longer. Standing up, he walked over to the window and looked down at the city. “The one thing Dad taught us was to never let business interfere with our personal life. And yet, here you stand, doing the exact opposite.”

“Dad and Mom had a traditional marriage. You know for a fact that it makes all the difference in the world.”

“What I know is that Shea deserves better than to be tucked away somewhere like we are ashamed of what relationship we could develop with her.” Ian looked up and met Gray’s eyes in the reflection of the window. “Her life is more important than money. I want this bastard caught. And after that, you need to get your head out of your ass, or we’re going to lose her.”

Shea looked at the bedside table for the umpteenth time. It still read one seventeen in the morning. She was resigned to the fact that she wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. Between visions of being taken by some deranged psycho and then saved by Gray and Ian, her creative side was in overdrive. There was always a silver lining though, and hers was that she would one day be able to use all these feelings and create a wonderful story. Although it all depended on if she lived through this ordeal.

She had spoken to Cyn before crawling into bed. Part of the conversation centered on the fact that she had a stalker. Shea warned her to be very careful on her trip to Indiana. Even though the man after her was likely still here in Chicago, Shea was worried that he would go after her friends. Of course, when Cyn had found out that she was staying with Gray and Ian, the discussion turned to the fact that Shea should take advantage of the situation and finally enjoy herself. What Cyn didn’t understand was that Shea knew deep down that getting involved with Gray and Ian wouldn’t be something casual, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted something serious—especially when one of the men would want to hide her. Knowing their chat wasn’t going to solve anything, Shea ended it with having Cyn promise her she would keep her eyes open for anything suspicious.

After hanging up, Shea had tried to reach Elise. After a few detours to voice mail, she had left a message giving a short explanation of what had happened in the last twelve hours, leaving out her confusing feelings for Gray and Ian. She left a request that Elise call her first thing in the morning.

Shea was thirsty. She’d needed something to drink for the last hour, but had debated on whether she should head into the kitchen. She hadn’t wanted to run into Gray or Ian if she stepped outside of the bedroom. She thought she had heard raised voices earlier, but hadn’t been sure. It was around midnight when she heard them shuffle down the hallway to their rooms. An hour should be long enough for them to have fallen asleep, so it should be safe for her to get up now.

Pulling back the covers, she looked at her bare legs and debated putting on her dress pants. She was only wearing the T-shirt that had been left out for her, and even though it came down to her thighs, it was still a tad bit indecent. Deciding against it, she slid out of bed and made her way to the door. Turning the handle, she listened closely. Hearing nothing, she breathed a sigh of relief and slipped into the darkened hallway. Looking to her left, both doors to the other bedrooms were closed. Turning right, she noticed a low light had been left on in the kitchen, illuminating her way.

She saw that the refrigerator had a water dispenser. Taking a guess, she opened the cabinet door closest to the appliance hoping to find a glass.

“Need some help?”

Shea yelped and spun around, placing a hand over her racing heart. Ian stood there with a pair of black silk pajama pants. The sight of him stole her breath, her eyes taking in his lean body, with abs that seemed to have more than a six-pack. She would have trouble describing his body in a book—that is how beautiful he was.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Ian crossed his arms, causing his pectoral muscles to shift under the movement. “I heard you leave your room and wanted to make sure you were all right. I know today was a shock for you, finding out that someone is after you.”

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” Shea said, wondering how he had heard her through his door. “I was just thirsty and came in here for a glass of water.”

“Here, let me help you.”

Ian unfolded his arms and crossed the kitchen to where she stood. She would have stepped back if the counter hadn’t already been digging into her back. His body was a hair’s breath away from hers, making her skin tingle. It suddenly hit her that she was wearing nothing but one of their shirts, and goose bumps traveled up her legs where his pants caressed her. He stared into her eyes, and for a brief second, she thought he would kiss her. Would he kiss as gently as Gray? Instead, never wavering his stare, he reached over her head to open the cabinet. Within seconds, he was holding a glass in front of her, a small smile on his face in the cute way that one side was slightly higher.