Chapter Three
Mari smiled at Jack, who was frowning for once.
“Where are they taking you?”
She wanted to giggle at his fatherly tone. Of all the things she had expected, this was not one of them. Jack was laid back. But each of the guys had taken to treating her like she was their little sister. And, while she was the youngest in her family, she’d never had so much attention from her brothers.
“Not sure.”
“I don’t like it,” Mal said.
Sophia chuckled. “I don’t believe Maribelle asked.”
“Well, look at the way she’s dressed.” This came from Drew, one of Eddie’s men.
Maribelle glanced at him. “What’s wrong with my dress?”
In fact, for the first time in forever, she felt...sexy. It was a dress that Eddie had convinced her to buy a few days prior. It reminded her of 1950’s actresses, with its halter top and full skirt. It cut low in the front showing enough of her cleavage to entice but not embarrass. And it was stoplight red. “Stop it. Y’all are making her nervous, and she looks gorgeous if you ask me,” Eddie said.
“That’s the problem. I mean, you didn’t see the way those two guys were looking at her on the beach.”
“Yeah?” Eddie asked. “How did they look at her?”
“Like they wanted to take her to dinner and then have her for dessert.”
Maribelle laughed. “I think you’re mistaken, Mal. Damon and I have always been friends.”
“Always? How long?” asked Mal.
“Since we were kids. We’re like brother and sister.”
Okay, saying that felt wrong. She didn’t think of him that way. Not when she had so many naughty dreams about him and Alex. But, she knew both men felt the same way.,
“I think--”
“You should be going,” Sophia said, shaking her head in Mal’s direction. She gave Maribelle a reassuring smile. “You look fantastic. For once, Eddie was right about clothing.”
“Bite me, Cinderella,” Eddie said without any heat.
They kept looking at her like they expected something else. Like she was going off to war. “O-okay. Well, I shouldn’t be late.”
“Yeah, right,” murmured Mal, but she ignored him as she headed out to her rental car. She would ignore all these crazy ideas from the guys and enjoy the evening.
* * *
Alex paced the living area of the suite and tried not to lose patience. Mari was never late, and she wasn’t now, but he was anxious.
“You’re acting like a groom on his wedding night.”
He glanced at Damon. “I feel like it.”
Damon chuckled as he went to the bar and poured two shots of whiskey. “I know what you feel like. But, you have to chill. She picks up on anything, you know what she’s like. She might freak. We have to take it slowly.”
Alex nodded and accepted the drink. “I know but, I just want everything to go right.,”
“Of course, it isn’t. This is Mari we’re talking about. Does anything go the way it should around her?”
Alex laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. I’m still trying to figure out why she waited until she was at the altar to tell your jackass brother that she wasn’t going to marry him.”
The humor in his best friend’s face dissolved. “I have a feeling she was too stunned. The fact that it was with skanky Denise, in the church, it took a bit for her temper to get going.”
“It saved her from criminal charges. You know how mean she can get when her temper gets going. It takes a lot, but if she had lost it there, I would not have doubted she would have done more than just knee your brother in the groin.”
“Hell, he’s lucky that’s all she did. That and the fact I calmed her father down. I think if he sees my brother any time soon, Aaron’s going to lose what’s left of his manhood.”
“But you’re not worried about what he would do when he finds out what we’re about to propose? Face it, Damon, we’re talking about taking his baby girl to bed, together.”
Damon shrugged. “Not sure about that, not sure that I care. I do know that for her father, as long as Mari is happy, he’s happy. We just have to keep her happy.”
There was a knock at the door, and Alex started. His heart jumped up into his throat as he walked toward the door. His palms were sweaty, his body hummed, and there was a good chance he would pass out from the lack of blood in his brain.
He opened up the door and felt as if he had been punched in the gut. There stood Mari in all her splendor. Soft red fabric draped over her full curves, her dark brown curls dripped over her shoulders, and she was smiling at him. It took every bit of control he had not to drop to his knees and beg.
“Hi.” Her voice was a little shy, and a blush stole over her fair skin. Damn, she was cute. And pretty, and dammit, he wanted her. He hoped she didn’t notice how turned on he was right at that moment. Hell, if she did, there was a good chance that she would turn and run for the hills.
“Alex?”
He swallowed and pulled himself together. “Hey. You look wonderful.”
Her smile brightened as he offered her his hand. She stepped into the room with a laugh. “I was worried there for a second. The guys were not too happy with my choice and made me think I made a mistake.”
“The guys?” he asked.
“Eddie and Sophia’s guys.”
“They thought what you wore was inappropriate?” Damon asked.
She laughed, the sound never failed to arouse Alex. It wasn’t a tinkle of a laugh, but full-bodied and shot straight to his dick.
“They thought it would give you all the wrong impression.”
She said it as if there was no way on earth, either of them would be interested in them. Of course, she thought that. They had done everything in their power to keep her from knowing just how they felt about her. It had taken her engagement to Aaron to set them on the right path.
“What kind of impression?” Damon asked, and Alex could hear the underlying arousal in his friend’s voice. Of course, Mari had no idea, paid no heed to it as she approached Damon.
“They thought you two were trying to seduce me or some kind of nonsense like that.” She stopped in front of the windows looking out over the lights of Waikiki. “God, it is too pretty here to even take in. I’ve been all over the world, but nothing speaks to me like Oahu.”
Damon stepped close, and Alex could feel the low beat of arousal in his blood. Alex stepped in their direction, but a knock at the door stopped him. Mari glanced back at him.
“Expecting someone?”
“Just dinner.”
He went to the door and opened it, allowing the waiter to bring in their dinner and set it down on the table. He could hear the low murmurs of Damon and Mari talking as he signed the bill and then closed the door behind the waiter.
He turned and found Damon’s head bent close to Mari’s neck as if he wanted to take a big bite of her. Of course, he did. For longer than Alex had, Damon had suffered. What had started as a crush had bloomed into attraction and now, love. They both loved her to distraction, and the woman had no idea. She didn’t realize that every woman they shared had fallen short of the one woman both of them wanted for a lifetime.
Of course, she would after tonight.
Chapter Four
“Dinner’s ready.”
Mari glanced at Alex, who was uncovering their dishes at the table. “I thought we were going out.”
Damon shrugged, one of those shrugs that drove her insane. He did it when he was trying to hide something. And she did not like that idea. What could Damon be trying to hide?
“We both figured staying in would be a good idea.”
There was something in his voice, humming just below the surface. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but it made her feel uneasy. “And you felt the need to order for me?” she asked teasingly.
“I think I have a good idea what you like, Mari.” There was that tone again, that told her something else was going on. S
he didn’t like it at all.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
He widened his eyes in mock innocence. “What else could be going on?”
“You want to take me out, or so you say, and then you order dinner in? Are you trying to hide me away or something?” She didn’t want to think of it, especially of her oldest friend in the world. He never showed any embarrassment at her curves, but she saw the kind of women both men dated. Beautiful and thin.
“Mari.” Alex drew her attention as he lighted the candles on the table. “With the lead up to the wedding and all, we haven’t spent much time with you. And to tell you the truth, we are both a little jet lagged. We thought it would be better to stay in.”
They didn’t look tired, but both men could hide it. They worked long hours in their jobs and often went twenty-four hours without any decent sleep.
“Yeah, when you started dating Aaron, we barely saw you,” Damon said, and she heard the hurt in his voice. She glanced at him, then Alex and felt her nerves settle. Maybe they were just trying to reconnect. She smiled.
“And how stupid was that?” She walked to the table. “I don’t know what I was thinking dating your brother.”
“It isn’t you, Mari,” Damon said. “He has never been faithful to any woman.”
“I know. I should have picked up on it, but I wasn’t really thinking.”
But, she knew what she had been thinking. The similarities in looks between the brothers had caused her to let go of her worries over fidelity. It had taken her a week in Hawaii to realize that she hadn’t really been in love with Aaron, but what she thought of him. That and the fact she had been using him as a substitute for Damon. Which, in her opinion, made her worse than Aaron. She was marrying him to pretend he was his brother.
Talk about sick.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Alex asked as he pulled out her chair.
She sighed. She could never tell them. They would never make fun of her, but they definitely would pull away from her. Yes, they shared women. She had figured that out pretty fast when she showed up with breakfast one morning. But, she wasn’t the type of woman men like them would want to share. Even if she wanted it more than her next breath.
She pushed that thought away and smiled at them as they sat on either side of her. “Okay, I’ll go along with it. But just so you know, you owe me a night out on the town.”
Dinner passed with little to no awkward moments as before, and Mirabelle started to think that she might have made a mistake. She had decided that it had been just what they said. The months leading up to her wedding, both men had been mostly absent from her life. And now, it was like the weight of her idiotic courtship with Aaron.
“Want an after dinner drink?” Alex asked.
She shook her head, knowing that keeping her head on straight was the only way not to embarrass herself. If she got a little tipsy, she got a little horny, and she definitely did not want to throw herself at these two men.
“No, she wouldn’t want that, Alex.” Damon said, drawing her attention. His smile turned wicked. “She might worry we put some Spanish Fly in it.”
For a second, she couldn’t think. His eyes were warm with humor, and he was leaning closer to her. The scent of him, musky male, filled her senses. Then, what he said hit her. It brought the memory of their college days and her worry of drinking something with an aphrodisiac in it.
Her face burned in embarrassment.
“It could have happened.”
He laughed, the one she loved, so carefree and reached up to tug on one of her curls. “Of course, it could. But, I told you that I would keep an eye on you.”
She tried to think of an answer, but her brain was melting into a puddle of lust. He was touching her, wrapping a curl around his finger. The breath backed up in her lungs as her hormones danced. Heat surged through her blood.
She tried to move back but found Alex beside her on the couch. So lost in her reaction to Damon, she hadn’t noticed he’d sat beside her on the sofa.
She started when her hip rubbed against his leg. As she turned, Damon let go over her hair. Sitting between them had her body heating with lust. Every thought dissolved.
“What are you two up to?”
Alex smiled, his golden eyes warming. He leaned closer. “We want you, Mari.”
He said the words, her body reacted, but it took a second for her mind to catch up. Mortification filled her as she rose from the couch and backed away.
“That’s not funny.”
The men shared a glance and some kind of silent communication.
“What’s not funny?” Damon asked.
“I know what you do, you have never hidden it from me, but I know that isn’t something you want from me.”
Again, they shared a look.
Damon cocked his head to the side, an unreadable expression sliding over his face. “How do you know?”
She hated the need to believe, to want this to be true. But she knew better. Men like them did not go for women like her.
“I can’t take any joking about that.”
“What makes you think we’re joking?” Alex asked.
“I know what kind of women you like, what kind you go for, and they aren’t like me. And that’s fine.” Although at the moment, her heart ached to tell that lie. She wanted to be the woman they wanted, the one woman they wanted to share for the rest of their lives, but she knew it wouldn’t happen.
“How do you know what kind of woman we want?” Damon asked, a frown marring his beautiful face.
She snorted and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. She thought she heard a groan from the couch. “I know exactly what kind of women you two...share.”
“Hmm,” Alex said as he rose from the couch. She approached her, an almost feral look in his eyes. “Do you know what I think?”
She shook her head as he approached her. This wasn’t her friend, the one she could laugh with, the one who always made her happy. This was another man entirely. She heard Damon rise from the couch, but she couldn’t look away from Alex. His eyes had deepened, his face was flushed with arousal.
“I think you don’t know jack about what we like.”
She opened her mouth, but Damon had joined him, and they crowded her back against the windows. She glanced at him and saw the same look she’d witnessed on Alex’s face. Heat exploded, sped through her blood, twining through her veins.
“Listen, I don’t know what this is about. But, I am not up for fun and games.”
Alex seems to move away, and Damon slipped in front of her. He placed at hand on either side of her head against the windows.
“But I think you are up for fun and games.” He leaned in, his body effectively caging her in. But she didn’t feel threatened. She felt...alive.
“Damon.”
He nuzzled her neck, his breath feathering over her sensitive skin, sending a rush of heat dancing over her nerve endings.
“In fact, we’re both hoping that you’re into a whole lot more fun and games.”
She shivered as he pressed closer. His chest pressed against her breasts, and she knew he could feel her hardened nipples. She closed her eyes, indulged in the fantasy, in the idea that she could have both of them.
Liquid heat tugged at her belly, then slunk between her legs. Her panties dampened. Her body pulsed with need.
“W-what are you doing?”
He pulled away as she felt Alex moved close to her side. Damon’s eyes were dark, his sexual need easy to see there in his gaze.
“Trying to entice you into bed.” He nuzzled her neck again. “What do you say, Mari? Wanna have some fun?”
* * *
Every nerve in Damon’s body sizzled and burned. Mari was such a beautiful bundle of enticing curves. He’d wanted her forever. He was thirteen when he realized he loved her—not in the best friend kind of way, but in the way a man could love a woman.
She didn’t react. Well, except the
way her breath quickened each time he let his lips move over her neck. Lord, she tasted better than he had expected. Sweet and entirely too tempting. For over twenty years he had been her friend. For at least the last twelve he had lusted after her. And from the reaction, she had no idea.
“Damon.” Her voice shimmered with arousal and confusion. Her breath had quickened. All good signs, in his opinion.
He moved to her earlobe and nibbled. She drew in a quick, hard breath. When her hands moved up to his chest, he thought it was a good sign. Until she gave him a gentle push. It took a second for him to realize that she was pushing him away.
With regret, he pulled back and looked at her. Her face was flush, and unfortunately not with arousal. Anger and embarrassment filled her expression.
“I do not need your pity.”
His own anger surged, at her and at his brother. Jesus, the woman, thought that a man would have to pity her to want her in bed.
“That isn’t what it is.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to be a pity fuck.”
The irritation he felt was quickly replaced with anger. “I told you that it isn’t what this is about.”
She wiggled, slipping away from him. “Forget it. I know better.”
“What do you know?” Alex asked. His own anger was natural to hear, and Damon knew that most of it were for Aaron.
“You two like to share women, skinny women, blonde women, tall women. I am none of those things.”
He could hear the pain in her voice, knew that it was genuine. There was also a healthy dose of fear there.
“Sure, we have some women you know about, but do you know about all of them? I don’t think so. And it has nothing to do with their looks.”
She crossed her arms over breasts and frowned at him. Her eyes snapped with anger. “I told you it was okay. I’m going back to the villas.”
She moved away again, walking toward the door. Panic surged, tightened in his gut. Without much thought, he strode toward her, grabbing her by the arm and yanked her around. Her eyes were widened in surprise when he jerked her toward him, then slammed his mouth down on hers.
Getting Lei’d Page 3
