Longing for Kayla
Lauren Fraser
After dumping her boyfriend during her birthday ski weekend, Kayla runs to the two men she can count on, her best friends, Jesse and Chris. Reckless and hurt, she throws caution to the wind and confesses her deepest fantasy—to be with two men at once.
Jesse and Chris have shared women before, but Kayla is not like other women. She knows them better than they know themselves. But what she doesn’t know is that Jesse has a forbidden fantasy of his own. When she discovers it, she encourages Jesse to go after what he wants with Chris in the bedroom, opening a whole new world to the three of them.
In love with Kayla for as long as he can remember, Chris is excited to finally have her, but he never expected to desire both of his friends. He’s straight. How the hell can he want Jesse as well? With everything changing, can these friends move beyond what they’ve known and find a way to build on the newfound love between them?
An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
Longing for Kayla
ISBN 9781419929427
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Longing for Kayla Copyright © 2010 Lauren Fraser
Edited by Grace Bradley
Cover art by Reese Dante
Electronic book publication July 2010
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Longing for Kayla
Lauren Fraser
Dedication
To my husband, your support and encouragement mean the world to me. Special thanks to my editor, Grace Bradley, for taking a chance.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Irish Spring Microclean: Colgate-Palmolive Company, Corp.
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner: Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC
Chapter One
This was the worst birthday ever. The crisp air bit into Kayla’s face, making her wish she’d taken the time to find her gloves and hat before she’d stormed out of her weasel ex’s cabin. She stumbled across the snow, her arms overflowing with her snowsuit, ski equipment and all of the junk she thought she would need for the weekend. She shifted her bag higher on her shoulder. What the hell had she been thinking packing all this crap anyway? It’s not as if she’d even planned on using most of it.
Bogged down with her load, she felt a ski sliding between her legs. She growled and tried to kick it out of her way only to have her boot slip out from under her on the icy snow. She slipped into a free fall, her arms flying out of their own volition, sending her skis in every direction before she landed on the ground with a thud.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the offending ski that lay resting against her right hand. She grabbed it from its spot on the ground and launched it into the air like a javelin. It sailed across the sky and landed at an awkward angle, sticking out of the ground. Kayla eyed the projectile and bit her cheek. Shit, that didn’t look good.
She pushed her palms against the icy snow to stand up. With deft hands, she gathered up her scattered belongings, slipped her overnight bag over her shoulder and her ski boots around her neck, leaving her hands free to carry her skis and poles. Slowly, she made her way over to her projectile ski. As she approached, she could see the big crack in the tip and she winced. So much for her ski weekend. Kayla ran her fingers through her hair. This was so not how she had imagined things would go this weekend.
Kayla glanced over her shoulder and eyed the cabin from which she came. There was no way she was going back there. Now she just needed to figure out where she was going. She scanned the open area of the ski village trying to get her bearings. When she finally located the Bullet Creek Cabins, she hoisted her skis higher and trudged through the snow. Outside cabin number four, she took a deep breath and knocked.
Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Fueled by nerves, she rocked back on her boot heels and waited. Moments later she heard the deadbolt turn. When the door opened, she sucked in her breath at the sight of Jesse Thomas standing in the open doorway wearing only a pair of jeans, the top button undone. A towel, clearly just used to wipe his wet hair, rested loosely in his hand.
“Hey Kayla,” he said and stepped a foot out the door to glance around. “Where’s Matt?”
“Umm, we, uh, broke up,” she stammered. Shuffling her feet, she looked down at the ground.
Jesse placed his finger under her chin and forced her head up. “You need a place to crash?”
“Yeah, if that’s okay. I mean, if I’m not imposing too much.”
When she tried to look back at the ground, he held her head high with his hand, forcing her to meet his stare. The kindness in his eyes was almost her undoing. Why couldn’t she date someone like him? Why did she always go for such losers? Oh yeah, because guys like Jesse didn’t date girls like her.
Jesse reached out and took her bag from her shoulder. A smile slid across his face. “It looks like you have some collateral damage,” he said, tilting his head toward her broken ski where it rested precariously against the cabin wall.
She snorted. “You could say that. I guess better my ski than Matt’s head.”
Jesse shrugged. “I don’t know. He always seemed like such a putz to me.” He stepped back and gestured inside. “Come on in, Tiger. Drop your stuff, we can move it later. Chris should be showered and ready pretty soon. Have you had dinner yet?”
She shook her head.
Jesse wrapped his arm around her and propelled her down the hallway. “All right then, let’s get you something to eat.”
She rested her head against his shoulder and laughed. “Of course, food and beer cures all.”
He winked. “What can I say? I’m a guy—we’re pretty simple.” He tightened his arm around her. The warmth from his bare body radiated through her. Yep, Jesse was definitely all man. She pulled away from him to put a little distance between them. Jesse’s eyebrows scrunched up as he looked at her. “You okay?”
“Yeah sure.” She laughed nervously and cringed. God, she was pathetic. She knew better than to come anywhere near Chris and Jesse when she was feeling vulnerable. All she needed was to make a complete ass of herself in front of her two best friends and let them see how much she wanted them. She looked at Jesse. Her gaze landed on his muscular chest and swept down his stomach. Wow! She couldn’t take her eyes off the treasure trail that teasingly poked over the top of his jeans.
“Clearly, I interrupted you getting dressed.” Her voiced hitched when she spoke. Yeah, great job not letting him see how he affects you. “You can g
o grab a shirt or something if you want, and I can just get started on dinner.”
“I’m fine,” he replied, still looking at her.
Kayla glanced around anxiously and was afraid to meet his eyes for fear he would see how much she wanted him. How much she had always wanted him. What had she been thinking coming here? Matt had planted way too many ideas in her head with his ménage suggestions and anger about her relationship with Chris and Jesse. For years she had been able to bury her feelings, but today they bubbled way too close to the surface.
“Kay.” His tone urged her to look at him.
Shit.
“Put a shirt on, man. We get it, you look good, but it’s the middle of freakin’ winter.” Chris’ mocking voice chimed in from behind Kayla. The familiar byplay between the two friends immediately eased some of her tension. Her two best friends, this was exactly what she needed.
Jesse glared over her shoulder. “Ha ha, you’re so funny.” He stepped toward Kayla and bent down so they were on eye level. “I’m going to finish getting dressed then we’re talking about what happened.” He waited until she nodded. Jesse placed a kiss on her forehead before disappearing down the hallway. With Jesse out of sight, she turned to face Chris. His wide shoulders spanned the hallway. His wet, dark hair gave her an unobstructed view of his green eyes. Oh he was beautiful.
“So, Kay, what are you doing here? I thought Matt had some big plans this evening for you two?” Chris asked.
“Hmmpf.” She rolled her eyes. “He had big plans. I just didn’t happen to agree with them. Jesse said something about grabbing a beer?”
“Sure, of course. Follow me.” Chris led the way into the kitchen. He grabbed two beers out of the fridge, popped the cap and handed one to Kayla. He hoisted himself up onto the counter. “So Matt’s birthday celebration plans for you were a bit of a dud?”
“Something like that. Let’s just say we broke up and move on, okay?”
Chris hopped off the counter and came toward her. Anger radiated off his body in waves. “What did that asshole do?” His eyes burned into her. Sheesh, she could see why he was such a good cop, suspects didn’t stand a chance against him in interrogation.
“Nothing, Chris, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I just realized he is definitely not the guy for me.”
“Well, he must have done something if it had you running here to us, instead of sticking it out. I know how excited you were about this weekend.”
Jesse walked into the room before she had a chance to reply. “Why do you always go out with such losers, Kay?”
Chris glared at him. “Yeah, that’s helpful, Jes.”
“What? It’s true. You need to date guys who know how to treat a woman properly.”
“Right, like you guys do? Thanks but I’ve given up on finding that unicorn.”
Jesse flashed her his devil-may-care-smile and waggled his eyebrows. “I’ve never had any complaints.”
“I’m sure you haven’t,” she mumbled. This was so not the conversation she wanted to be having. Kayla stood up and rubbed her hands together. “All right, what do you guys have to eat around this place?”
The partially opened cupboard on her right drew her attention. A bag of pasta was half in, half out. Typical bachelors, they just throw stuff in but never really bother to tidy up. Kayla fully opened the cupboard door and tilted her head to look at her friends. “Really, guys? Pasta, Kraft Dinner and beer…that’s all you brought for your weekend?” She walked over to the fridge and pulled open the door, expecting it to be empty. The sight of shelves filled with vegetables and fruit shocked her beyond belief. “Why do I feed you guys so often if you know how to cook?”
Chris shrugged. “I know how to cook, but why bother when you do it so well?” He flashed her a grin and his eyes glittered with amusement.
“Ha ha. Fine. Then let’s see what you can do.”
Chris pulled vegetables and cheese out of the fridge and tossed the ingredients onto the counter. “Jes, make yourself useful and chop those would you?”
Kayla’s mouth dropped open at the sight of her two best friends deftly moving around the kitchen. Who knew? Prepared to enjoy being waited on for once, she eased her butt onto the counter behind her and set her beer down at her side. “Now this I could get used to. From now on we take turns cooking.”
Jesse and Chris exchanged a look. “Damn, I guess it was only a matter of time before you caught on. Looks like our grocery bill is going to get bigger.”
She threw the tea towel that sat beside her at him and laughed when it hit him square in the face.
“Seriously, Kay, why do you always date such assholes?” Jesse asked her.
“I don’t.”
Chris scoffed and raised his eyebrow. “Come on, Kay. You know you have terrible taste in men.”
She heaved a sigh. That didn’t last long. “I don’t.” Even as the word slipped out of her mouth she knew it was a lie. The guys seemed nice when she first started dating them, but then something always seemed to happen to prove her wrong.
“Yeah you do. If you didn’t, you would have at least tried to date one of us,” Jesse joked.
Kayla took a gulp of her beer. If they only knew. Hoping to keep things light, she pasted on a sweet smile and batted her eyelashes. “But how would I have chosen which one of you to go after?”
Jesse winked at her. “Who says you’d have to choose?”
“Funny.”
Jesse glanced over at Chris. Kayla didn’t know what the look meant, but she didn’t want them teasing her like they always did. Tonight, after everything that happened, her defenses were not in place like she needed them to be.
The smell of onions and garlic sautéing filled the kitchen. With Chris and Jesse busy chopping vegetables, she jumped off the counter. “It looks like you guys are going to be a bit. I think I’m going to grab a shower. Any chance one of you has some sweats I can put on? I left mine at Matt’s cabin.”
“Don’t you have pajamas?” Chris asked.
“No, I didn’t think I’d need them.”
Chris mumbled something she didn’t hear and Kayla turned toward him. “What?”
“Nothing. Top drawer, second room on the left you’ll find some sweats.”
Kayla made her way down the hall, the sound of Jesse’s teasing voice and laughter following her. Yep, she was definitely glad she hadn’t stuck around to hear that.
* * * * *
“Kay, you almost done in there?” Jesse called through the bathroom door.
“Yep, I’ll be right out.” Well, it looked like she couldn’t hide any longer.
“We’re eating in the living room,” he yelled, moments before she heard him shuffle away from the door.
Kayla looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. She scanned her reflection. Her tank top rested a few inches above the rolled-up waistband of Chris’ sweats. The things were huge. The only way she could keep them up was to roll them several times. Thank God they had elastic on the hem, otherwise she would walk right out of them.
The face in the mirror reflected the reckless feelings flowing through her. Just the sound of Jesse’s voice through the door had caused her nipples to bead tightly against her bra. Her cheeks flushed with arousal. What had she been thinking trying to make something work with Matt when she was this hot for her best friends? No wonder it hadn’t worked. You’d think a social worker would be a little more self-aware. She shook her head.
She didn’t know what was going on with her today, but she had to get over it. Chris and Jesse had been her best friends for too many years to count, and she needed to forget these fantasies she kept having about the two of them completely focused on her pleasure. This was just a regular night hanging with her friends.
She squared her shoulders and left the sanctuary of the bathroom. The spices of Italian cooking merged with the smoky aroma of the fireplace and she inhaled deeply as she entered the living room. “Wow, this smells fantastic.” Kayla took a seat on the floor clos
est to the fire and rested her back against the chair with her eyes closed.
When she opened her eyes, Chris was watching her closely. “What?”
He shook his head and handed her a plate of food. “Nothing. You have everything you need?” he asked without making eye contact with her.
“I think so.” She dipped her fork into the Linguine Verdi on her plate. Her first bite of the garlic and parmesan pasta was heaven. “Mmm.” She closed her eyes to enjoy the flavors melting on her tongue and moaned. “Jesus, Chris, if I had known you could cook like this, I’d never have made you guys eat my food.” She opened her eyes and glanced at him.
He stared back at her with an intensity she had never seen on his face before.
“You all right?” she asked him.
A deep laugh rumbled from Jesse where he sat on the couch. “He’s fine.” He shot Chris a look. “He’s just a little dazed that you found out his little secret.”
Chris’ head jerked up, his eyes wide when he looked first at Kayla then Jesse. His lips tightened and he glared at Jesse.
Jesse’s laugh turned into a cough. His face filled with amusement. “I just meant he’s thrown about you knowing he cooks.”
“Oh I’ll bet.”Kayla grinned at him. “You are absolutely feeding me again.”
Chris nodded mutely. Kayla flashed him a puzzled look. What was up with him tonight? Must be something in the air, because it seemed as if they were both in odd moods.
Full from an amazing dinner, Kayla shifted her hips and leaned her head back to enjoy the heat of the fireplace against her face. She tipped her beer bottle to her lips. When nothing came out she opened her eyes. With a shrug she set the bottle down on the floor, too languid to get up and get herself another one.
“Look at you, all lazy and relaxed,” Jesse teased. “Here.” He pressed a cold beer against her arm.
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