Swap (20 page)

She curled into him and rested her head against his shoulder. “You do that well, taking care of me.”

He didn't respond as he dragged the washcloth along her arms. When he moved it along her collarbone, swirling it against her skin, he asked, “Are you enjoying the swap?”

Mia swallowed roughly and stared straight ahead at the chrome faucet. She wasn't sure if it was wise to answer. Was it a bad thing that she enjoyed swapping sex partners? Would Aidan figure out that she had been looking for something more?

“Yes,” she answered carefully. “I can't imagine doing it with anyone other than Caleb and Jamie.”

“I know what you mean,” Aidan said as he stroked her arched neck with the sodden cloth. “I trust Caleb with you. He wouldn't try anything you were uncomfortable with.”

“Do you trust Jamie?”

Aidan hesitated. “I trust I know how to handle her.”

Mia's laugh echoed in the bathroom. “That's okay, Aidan,” she said as she patted his knee. “You don't have to put your faith in her completely. I trust her with you.”

But she trusted Jamie in an entirely different way. She knew her friend wouldn't try to steal away Aidan. There was no competition between Mia and Jamie. If anything, Jamie would make it clear how lucky Aidan was to have Mia.

“What do you like the most about the swap?” he asked.

Mia tensed, knowing that if the first question had been dangerous, this one was a minefield. She needed to answer this as generally as possible. “I pretty much like everything. Nothing stands out.”

She cringed as the last three words slipped out. That wasn't true, and she didn't want to lie to Aidan. Why couldn't she tell him how hot it was to be pursued in the dark? She wished she could share the fact that every time Caleb caught her, she reached a height of pleasure so exquisite that the powerful orgasm that followed was anticlimactic.

“Is there anything you don't like?”

She could play it safe and pump his ego by saying she wasn't spending as much time with him as she wished. As much as she enjoyed Aidan's company, the swap was fascinating to her. She was learning a lot about herself, whether she liked it or not.

“The swap is raising a lot of questions,” she admitted out loud. Like why couldn't she tell the difference between Aidan and Caleb? Or why, when she could have Caleb do anything Aidan would never do with her, she returned to her submissive role? Wasn't the point of the weekend to try different things?

“What kind of questions?”

There was something she wanted to ask Aidan. Normally she would keep it to herself, not wanting to stir up trouble. But Aidan seemed to be in a talkative mood. He was tired, comfortable, and sated. More important, he was trapped in a bathtub with her and couldn't easily walk away without looking like he was hiding something. Now was the best time to ask him.

She tilted her head up to look at him. “Do you like watching me with another man?”

His expression darkened. Aidan's eyes narrowed as the angles of his face became more pronounced. His nostrils flared as he controlled what was roiling underneath the surface.

“Forget I asked.” Mia quickly looked away. “Purge it from your memory.”

“Yes,” he said in raspy voice. “It turns me on watching you with another man.”

Whoa! She couldn't believe he'd confessed that to her. She knew that was difficult for him to take such a risk. He must really trust her.

Mia curled up against his chest, feeling closer to him than ever before. “Why?”

“Everything is new and exciting for you,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. “This past year has been a sensual awakening for you, and I like watching each minute of it.”

She had already felt that when she was with Aidan. It was as if her pleasure was his pleasure. But how far could that possibly go? “Even if I'm with another man?”

Aidan's arms tightened around her. “Don't think you can go screw anyone,” he said with a lethally soft tone.

“It's okay, Aidan. I'm not going to. I know this is a onetime deal.” And she might only need this one time. Because of this swap, she was appreciating what she had even more.

“Did you like watching your other girlfriends?” Mia asked.

Aidan shifted underneath her, and Mia knew she was stepping into unknown territory. “You've never asked me about my past sex life before,” he said, his words clipped with impatience.

“You don't have to discuss every detail about your exes,” she assured him. “But you met me when I was a virgin, and there will be a time when I'm no longer learning how to find pleasure. Would you still want to watch me?”

“Absolutely,” he replied softly. “I watch you when we're not in bed. You have a very sensual, passionate nature. I love it when you find something that pleases you, and I will never get tired of watching you.

“I'm glad to hear that, because I get turned on when you watch me.” But she hadn't known he watched her all the time. Mia felt tingly realizing she was the center of his attention. “I'm going to let you in on a little secret.”

“What's that?” Aidan playfully covered Mia's chest with a mound of fragrant bubbles he had gathered.

“Don't let Jamie know,” she said in a whisper. “She'll tease me forever.”

“Now I'm intrigued.”

“I think I liked being watched,” she revealed. “When you watched me having sex with Caleb, I loved how you gave me directions.”

“Is that right?” he asked as he scooped up the warm, soapy water and spilled it over her breasts.

“I felt like I was on a stage and I could do no wrong.” She usually stayed out of the spotlight, but this was different. That night she had felt powerful and alive. “Do you think I'm an exhibitionist?”

“Only with me, though,” Aidan said gruffly. “Right?”

“Right,” she agreed. She felt both safe and wild when she was with Aidan. He really was her anchor.

Aidan placed his hands on her waist. She tensed as he lifted her up and turned her around, water splashing everywhere. She barely had time to ask what he was doing before she was facing him, straddling his waist.

“I want you to give me a lap dance,” he said as he held her hips. “Show me your moves, Mia.”

“Okay,” she agreed. She bit down on her lower lip, suddenly feeling shy. She didn't know what would turn him on the most.

“Listen carefully,” he continued as he ground her hips against him. “I am going to give you very specific directions.”

Mia smiled boldly as a naughty sensation warmed her belly. “I'm listening.”

 
Jamie wrestled with the stuffed plastic grocery bags dangling from her arms as she unlocked the back door to Mia's bungalow. She was about to turn the lock when the door suddenly swung open. Mia stood in front of her wearing a thin bathrobe plastered to her wet body.

“Jamie!” Mia exclaimed as her face, lit up with relief. “I'm so glad you're here.”

“What happened?” she asked as she handed Mia some of the grocery bags. She hadn't been gone that long, so it couldn't be too bad.

Mia opened her mouth and stopped. She quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening. Peering into the hallway and finding it empty, she returned her attention to Jamie. “I need your help,” she whispered.

“What's up?” Jamie asked, kicking the door shut behind her. There was no question that she would offer assistance.

“You're not going to believe this,” Mia said as she followed Jamie into the kitchen. “I was getting the bathtub ready, and one of the guys came from behind me.”

“Okay.” Jamie set down the grocery bags.

“He grabbed me without saying a word.” Mia tossed the remaining grocery bags on the table. “I was on my hands and knees, I couldn't see him, and he took me right there over the bathtub. It was so hot.”

“Sounds like it.” Jamie wondered where this was leading.

“Don't you get it? I had sex with him!”

“Uh-huh?” Jamie turned to her friend and waited. That was it? Mia's eyes were filled with panic, and she was gnawing her lip over that? Why was that so shocking, and why was Mia now asking for her help?

“Don't you see?” Mia asked, flailing her arms in the air. “The entire time I was having sex with him, I couldn't tell which guy it was!”

Ohhhh . . . Jamie's eyes widened. Well, Mia had forgotten to mention that little tidbit! Gee, what a problem, Jamie thought with a little smile. How many women had difficulty telling their lovers apart?

“This isn't funny!” Mia insisted.

Jamie struggled to turn her smile into a straight line. “You're right,” she said, offering a comforting pat on Mia's arm, “but how is this possible? Caleb and Aidan are nothing alike.”

“You tell me. Aidan was my first and only lover. I had sex with Caleb like”—she flicked her fingers as she counted hurriedly— “five or six times?”

“Five or six times?” Jamie echoed. Caleb had amazing recuperating skills.

“And I couldn't tell them apart,” Mia wailed, covering her face with her hands.

“Who'd it turn out to be?”

“Aidan,” Mia said with a sigh and dragged her hands down her face. “I had to turn around to find out!”

“But Caleb doesn't just grab a woman and dominate her,” Jamie explained. “He follows your directions.”

“Um, yeah. About that ...” Mia looked away and twirled her hair around her finger. “I tried to dominate Caleb, and it didn't work.”

“What are you talking about?” Jamie asked. “He'll do whatever you want, no questions asked.”

“That's true,” Mia said and started unpacking the grocery bags. “He figured out that I wanted to be . . . hunted.”

Jamie's mouth dropped open. Hunted? She couldn't imagine Caleb in the role of the predator. “How does that work?”

“All the lights are off in the house, and he chases me. You wouldn't believe the intense rush you feel when you know you're going to get caught. And when Caleb finds me, the sex is rough, almost brutal!”

“Seriously?” Predatory, rough, and brutal were not the words she'd used to describe Caleb. If asked, Jamie would have said laid-back.

Mia gave a shrug as she grabbed the empty grocery bags. “It turns out that I'm not really happy being in charge.”

“You are so weird,” Jamie teased.

“I tried it and I like it,” Mia admitted. “It's fun, but I really want the guy to take over. I know, I know, I shouldn't like it. . . .”

“Says who?” Jamie asked, realizing that she had been pushing her personal preference on her friend. “If that's what you want, then don't let anyone else talk you out of it.”

Mia nodded. “You know, Caleb is really good at dominating. Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I had no idea! He doesn't do that with me.” The guy could transform himself into any kind of lover. Jamie should have been thrilled to discover this, but she found it unsettling.

“Enough on Caleb,” Mia decided. “I've got a bigger problem here. If I can't tell my lovers apart, what does this say about me?”

“Nothing,” Jamie replied. “It only shows something I suspected long ago. Men are interchangeable.”

“Jamie!” Mia gave her one of those I-don't-believe-you-said-that looks that Jamie knew so well. “That isn't true.”

“You've just proven it.”

“I was caught off-guard,” Mia insisted. “He didn't say anything, and I couldn't see him.”

“Fine, let's look at the problem this way.” Jamie wanted to give some practical advice before Mia blew it all out of proportion. “You are placing too much emphasis on one of the senses. You should have noticed the way he breathed or his scent. Did Aidan touch you in a way that Caleb didn't? Or what about the way he thrusts, or the way he comes?”

“Why didn't I notice any of those things?” Mia asked as she sat down on one of the chairs. “Maybe I didn't want to. Oh, God, that can't be good.”

Jamie rolled her eyes. It was time to take action. “You know what you need to do?”

“Oh, no.” Mia flopped her arms on the table and put her head down. “I'm not sure if I can handle any more of your ideas.”

“What are talking about? This swapping idea is my best yet. Admit it. You're having the time of your life.” Jamie knew she was, and she bet the guys couldn't believe their luck.

Mia lifted her head. “What's your idea?”

“You need to do some one-on-one comparison.” The idea was great. Why hadn't she thought of this before?

Mia frowned at Jamie. “Isn't that what I'm doing?”

“No,” Jamie said patiently. “I'm talking about making the comparison at the same time.”

Mia's eyes widened. “Are you talking about . . . ?”

Did Jamie have to spell it out? “Aidan on one side of you, Caleb on the other. Both of them hot, sweaty, and ready for action,” she said, the image giving her a little shiver of excitement. “Think of it as a Mia sandwich.”

“Both guys?” Mia asked slowly. “At the same time?”

“It's called a ménage à trois,” Jamie said, trying to sound knowledgeable. She was probably pronouncing it wrong, but Mia wouldn't know that.

“I can't do both guys at the same time,” Mia said in a scandalized whisper.

“Sure you can,” Jamie insisted. “Don't you remember me telling you all about the time I did it on graduation night?”

“Yeah, but that's you. I'm not sure if I can take two men at once.”