Julianne sighed, drawing his attention down to where she rested her head against Keegan’s shoulder, eyes closed and hair mussed from his fingers.
Beautiful.
“Time for bed. Everybody upstairs.”
He looked at Keegan, ready to shoot down any argument he planned. But Keegan shocked the hell out of him when he nodded.
His bed was big enough for the three of them. They’d already proven that. But tomorrow—well, later today, actually—he was going out and buying an even bigger bed. He’d get rid of a few pieces of furniture if he needed to. Hell, he’d take down a damn wall.
“Need to text my mom, tell her I won’t be home.”
Jules’ voice sounded sleepy but peaceful and her mouth held a slight smile.
“I’ll find your purse. Keegan, take her upstairs.”
Without a word, Keegan rose from the sofa, settling Jules more securely in his arms. Her arms encircled Keegan’s shoulders and her cheek rested against his chest but her eyes were on him.
“Bossy.”
That one word held a hint of amusement that was reflected in her eyes. But it didn’t manage to totally wipe away the worry he could still see there.
Tomorrow morning, they’d have time to talk.
“That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”
Keegan huffed. “Well, you’re not my damn boss and we get paid the same.”
“True. So just go the fuck upstairs, okay?”
Jules’ mouth curved even more as Keegan curled his fingers around Jules’ arm until only the middle one remained straight.
Then Keegan headed toward the door to the hall. “Bring me a bottle of water.”
“Sure.”
“And a bottle of Tylenol.”
“I live to serve.”
“Fuck you,” Keegan threw over his shoulder as he disappeared into the hall.
Erik didn’t let himself stop to think. He headed toward the hall where he knew Jules had dropped her purse.
Grabbing it, he steered back toward the kitchen, where he grabbed three water bottles then he practically ran up the steps, taking them two at a time.
He forced himself not to run down the hall to his bedroom.
But when he walked through the doorway, he had to catch back a groan.
Jules lay in the center of the bed, eyes closed, dark hair spread all over a pillow. Keegan lay next to her, his eyes closed, as well.
Good, they could all use some rest. Apparently none of them had been sleeping much since the first night they’d spent together. Setting the bottles on the bedside table as quietly as he could, he headed for the bathroom.
He didn’t realize he was grinning until he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirrored medicine cabinet. Without thought, he ripped open the door because he really hated to look at himself, grabbed the bottle of painkillers, then closed the door, his eyes automatically veering away from the glass.
Coward.
Yeah, he was. And he didn’t want to be anymore.
He forced himself to lift his gaze and look at his reflection.
He didn’t bother with the mostly unscarred side of his face. Sometimes that made him just as crazy as looking at his scars.
Now, he focused on the right side. On the worst of the damage. Forced himself to really look.
And it was bad. No way around it. You could see where the grafts had been done, where the skin was different. Ruined. That side of his mouth also had damage that made it look misshapen. Deformed. Although…it wasn’t as bad as it’d been before. Or as bad as he thought it’d been before.
The color was off in places, and the texture was rough, but…
No. No sugar-coating. It was still pretty damn awful. After all the operations, he’d finally come to grips with the scars on his body. Mostly because he could cover those and not think about them.
But his face… That made people gape and stare, their eyes filled with pity. He could deal with stares. But the pity…
How did Jules even manage to look at him much less let him have sex with her?
Because maybe it’s not as bad as you think?
For the first year after the fire, the image staring back at him in a mirror had been a monster, frightening to him and everyone around him. His mom had actually cried. His dad had even shed a few tears. His girlfriend at the time, the woman he’d considered marrying… Probably better not to even think about her.
It’d taken him months to look in a mirror and then several more to chance it again.
Only to be disappointed after the subsequent operations when his image had changed. But not enough. After that fifth surgery, when he’d said no more, he’d had a lingering sense of grief that he’d battled with anger.
And by throwing himself into work and hunting for the person who’d caused the explosion.
“Jesus, Erik, what the fuck are you doing? I thought you were bringing me the damn Tylenol?”
Erik’s gaze shifted from his face in the mirror to Keegan, standing in the doorway behind him.
Turning, Erik tossed the pill bottle at Keegan, who caught it with one hand, grimacing like it hurt.
“Headache start already?”
Keegan nodded, spilling out three pills, then dry-swallowing them before walking over to the sink to get some water.
Erik moved out of his way, heading for the door, but stopped before leaving the room. “Don’t get any smart ideas about going anywhere.” Erik tossed over his shoulder before leaving. “She’ll be pissed and so will I.”
A huge sigh from Keegan, who looked at him in the mirror. “I’m not leaving. But your shitty bed’s lumpy. And short.”
“Don’t worry, I’m getting a new one—a bigger one—tomorrow. Today. Whatever.”
Keegan wanted to say something. Erik saw it in the muscle throbbing in his jaw. He waited, ready to smack down anything Keegan said that would fuck with the decent mood he was in right now.
Only to feel let down when Keegan just shook his head.
“Shut the door on your way out.”
Erik did.
Jules was still asleep when he walked back to the bed. He didn’t let himself overthink his actions as he slid beneath the covers and lay on his back next to her. Curled on her side, he felt each breath against his shoulder. His right shoulder. If he didn’t move and she didn’t move, the first thing she saw in the morning would be his ruined face.
Turning on his side to face her, he let himself stare. The dark smudges under her eyes showed she wasn’t sleeping well.
Join the club, babe.
Which was total bullshit. He didn’t want her to suffer because of him. Them. But she had been. He and Keegan had put those dark circles there.
Or maybe he was being totally self-centered and her fatigue had nothing to do with them.
She sighed, shifting beneath the covers, and he reached for her, his hand curving around her hip.
Her eyes cracked open and she stared at him.
“Closer.”
He smiled at the slightly grumpy tone of her voice. “Are you cold?”
“A little.”
“Then come here.”
She twisted over onto her other side then wiggled her way back into him, ass against his thighs, her back to his chest. With a soft grunt, she pushed her hair back and settled her head on the pillow again. He wondered what she’d do if he twisted that hair around his fist, spread her legs and sank into her. Again.
Christ, he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of her.
Restraining the urge, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer.
The bathroom door opened, spilling light into the room. When the light shut off, he heard Keegan pause before he started walking again.
He waited for Keegan to head toward the door…and nearly pumped his fist in the air when Keegan moved to the other side of the bed and slipped beneath the covers.
It was dark enough that Erik couldn’t see him but he heard his friend sigh.
“Lay still,” Jules demanded in a sleepy voice. “Stop thinking. Go to sleep.”
Good advice.
Erik closed his eyes.
* * * * *
Keegan’s eyes opened to a room still dark.
Made sense. He typically woke by 6:30 a.m., no matter if he’d gone to bed only an hour before or had been drinking or whatever.
His internal clock was a ruthless son-of-a-bitch he wished he could shoot on mornings like this.
His head ached, despite the painkillers, but the slim arm wrapped around his waist burned. And not in a bad way.
No, it made him want to grab the hand splayed across his stomach and push it down to wrap around his morning erection.
Which throbbed almost as badly as his head.
And if he knew Erik at all, he knew the guy would wake up and want to fuck Jules hard and fast. Together.
At least, he knew that about the old Erik. He’d started to see glimmers of that man again.
He fucking loved that Julianne had brought Erik out of the dark hole he’d fallen into. Erik might not have crawled out completely, but he was a hell of a lot closer to the rim than he’d been a month ago.
And almost all of that had to do with the woman whose soft skin made him want to lick her from head to toe.
Behind him, he heard two separate sets of breathing, deep and even. Probably both still asleep.
Could he get up without waking either of them?
Why the hell do you want to get up?
For the first time in years, probably since before Erik’s accident, he had the urge to indulge himself. To take without feeling like he didn’t deserve…whatever it was he wanted.
And this morning he wanted Jules until his stomach ached and his muscles seized. He wanted to roll over and get inside that tight pussy and let Erik take her ass.
He wanted to do her fast and hard, no holding back. No restraint.
He knew Erik wouldn’t object to being woken. Would Jules?
Find out.
Not giving himself time to talk himself out of it, he shifted around so he lay facing her.
Her eyes remained closed, her breathing deep. Her lips were parted only the slightest bit and he had to bite back a groan as he thought of those lips wrapped around his cock, like she’d taken Erik.
Christ, the things he wanted to do to this woman…
Not now. At least, not all of them.
Could he work his way inside her before she opened her eyes?
Did she sleep deeply enough that he could wake her with an orgasm?
A slight movement behind Jules drew his attention. Keegan eased himself up on one elbow, careful not to jostle her. He looked over her shoulder to find Erik blinking sleep out of his eyes.
It took only seconds and then Erik’s eyes began to gleam, letting Keegan know his friend had read his mind. Or at least correctly interpreted the lust on his face.
His lungs had to work harder as he looked back at Jules. Her long hair partially obscured her face but when he inched closer, the tip of his cock brushing against her mound, her lips parted on a sigh and her hips thrust the tiniest bit forward.
The slight patch of hair on her mound brushed against the underside of his shaft, making him suck in a sharp breath.
“Fuck.”
He hadn’t said it loud but it must’ve been just enough to rouse her.
“Okay.”
He barely heard her but he definitely understood what she was telling him when her hands reached for his hips, stroking down until she petted his thighs.
“Both. Together.”
He had no trouble understanding her this time. Her voice, still rough with sleep, made his cock harden even more.
Grabbing her leg and lifting it onto his thigh, he positioned his cock with one hand and pulled her onto him with the other.
He nearly swallowed his tongue. “God damn, you’re already wet.”
She moaned, eyes still closed. “Good dreams. So hot.”
He forced himself to work into her slowly, to let her feel every inch of his cock in her pussy as he went deep then held, rubbing the base of his cock against her clit when he did.
She moaned again as her head tipped back and Erik’s head bent to rest on her shoulder.
Keegan felt Erik moving behind her, felt her quiver as Erik petted her ass before he rolled over on his other side to grab something from the bedside table.
Shit. Condoms.
Erik tossed one at him, which he caught out of the air. He didn’t want to pull out of her wet heat but he wasn’t going to betray her trust either. He’d gotten a clean bill of health the last time he’d been at the doctor but, until he exchanged that information with Jules, he wasn’t going to let her think he didn’t care about her.
The next time, if she okayed it…no fucking condoms.
He pulled out, her hands clutching at his shoulders as she moaned. He made short work of it but Erik had been faster.
“Oh my god.”
Jules bowed forward, though she couldn’t move much, sandwiched between them as tightly as she was.
Behind her, Erik’s eyes closed as he worked his way into her tight ass, his expression contorting with pleasure just before he leaned forward and pressed his face into the back of her head, nose buried in her hair.
As she gasped, her fingers clenched on Keegan’s hips. Pulling at him. Her lips pressed an open-mouthed kiss against his chest, her tongue flicking out to taste his skin.
If that wasn’t an invitation he didn’t know what was.
As if he’d read Keegan’s mind, Erik stilled, waiting. Keegan didn’t need to be told twice. He pressed inside her again and, this time, the fit was almost too tight.
But Jules didn’t complain.
“More.” Her mouth moved over his skin, brushing against the base of his throat. He tilted his head back, wanting her to do it again as he thrust. When she did, he rewarded her by seating himself deep enough to press against her clit.
Reaching for him with one hand and reaching behind her with the other for Erik, Jules moved just enough to set the pace.
Slow. Steady. Maddeningly steady.
Lust built at the lazy slide of skin against skin. The stiffened points of her nipples dug into his chest, a sharp contrast to the softness of her stomach against his. Her mouth continued to press increasingly fevered kisses to his chest until he cupped her chin and lifted her mouth to his.
He kissed her hard, hearing her moan low in her chest as their lips melded. His tongue slid into her mouth and played with hers, coaxing her into gliding against his with the same rhythm .
Behind her, he heard Erik’s breathing hitch, felt his hips pick up speed and knew he was close.
Erik thrust deeper as Keegan pulled out until only the tip of his cock remained enclosed in her sheath. Jules moaned and wriggled as much as she was able. The motion appeared to inflame Erik.
“Fuck me, baby. Yes.”
Erik’s raspy growl made Keegan want to pound into her as well, but he held still. He let Erik find his rhythm until he began to groan and pump his release into Jules.
Erik’s orgasm must have triggered hers because he felt the strong convulsions of her pussy sucking him deeper.
His cock twitched, the tug in his balls letting him know he wasn’t going to last long. He held out long enough for Erik to pull free and flop onto his back.
Then Keegan released the reins. He let his hips swing hard and fast, pulling her down onto his cock to increase the contact, to fill her even more.
She cried out, her arms winding around his neck to hold on as he pounded into her. He didn’t hold anything back, his arms crushing her against him, his mouth covering her lips and devouring her.
It took him longer than Erik but that was deliberate. He wanted it to last, to draw it out until he couldn’t see straight and she wouldn’t think to leave the bed.
His arms tightened even more and his mouth demanded her complete acquiescence. This time, damn it
, she wasn’t leaving.
His orgasm built until he couldn’t hold it back. It practically kicked him in the ass as his cock jerked hard as he pumped into her.
At least a minute later, he loosened his hand from her hair and eased back enough that she could take a deep breath.
Her contented sigh made him want to pump his fist in the air and, behind her, he heard Erik release a short, amused laugh.
“And good morning to you, too.”
Her lips tilted into a smile as she spoke, and finally she cracked her eyes open.
Keegan let himself stare into that dark gaze, his own mouth curved in amusement.
“Sleep okay?” he asked.
Her smile broadened. “For as long as I was allowed to sleep, yeah.”
“Blame Keegan.” Erik rolled onto his side again, his arms wrapping around Jules to fit her into his body. “He’s the ass who can’t sleep beyond the crack of dawn. Hell, even in college he was up before the fucking chickens.”
“Roosters.” Jules yawned, her eyes squeezing shut as one hand entwined with Erik’s. Her other curved over Keegan’s shoulder.
He fucking loved the way she didn’t make either of them feel left out. And that it seemed instinctual on her part.
He just realized he had no idea if she’d ever been in a three-way relationship before. Not that it mattered, but she seemed to be handling it…them…well.
Then again, so far, they’d only had sex. There was no relationship.
“Fuck. Keegan’s starting to think. I swear I can hear his gears creaking.” Erik leaned up on one elbow behind Jules. “And that’s not a good thing this early.”
Keegan gave Erik the finger instinctively but Jules grabbed his hand and brought that finger to her mouth, sucking on the tip and forcing a groan out of him.
When she released him, his brain was blank and she wore a pout.
“I’m hungry. One of you two had better be able to make something more than cereal. I need food.”
Erik’s eyes were already closed. “That’s his job. Pancakes, dude. The lady’s hungry. And so am I.”
Keegan was used to Erik’s demands. And it was his own damn fault that Erik thought he could get away with it because Keegan actually liked to cook. It was like working in the lab except he was using pots and pans instead of robots and computers.
So, though he wanted to stay in bed, he knew Erik wasn’t going to feed her. And if they wanted to keep her in bed all day, the least they could do was feed her.
An Indecent Proposition Page 15
