by Becca Van
Eva stared at him, his words rolling around in her head, until she had to ask. “You wouldn’t really spank me, would you?”
Was she imagining the passionate look that came back into his eyes?
“You’d better believe it, honey.” He dropped his hand and gave her a wink. “Let me take care of that blown bulb.”
* * * *
Eva didn’t get much done for the rest of the day. She spent way too much time staring through the office door into the garage for glimpses of the Badon brothers. Long after Quin had gone back to work, her body yearned to find out what it would be like to have his hands on her ass. If the phone hadn’t rung occasionally, she probably would have sat in a sexual haze for hours.
By the end of the day, though, her smoldering arousal had cooled and reason began to prevail. I’m way too attached to them. Each man, in his own way, had captured her heart. Each day she fell a little more in love with them. What the hell am I going to do when they don’t need me anymore? Even if they’d gotten used to having her around the office, that didn’t mean that she was a part of their lives. Could she stand by and watch them fall in love with someone else while she remained their office manager and a perpetual spinster?
Eva shoved her depressing thoughts aside and shut the PC down. She looked around, making sure everything was away and the answering machine was on, then picked up her purse and headed out.
“Are you done, sugar?” Gray came toward her drying his clean hands on a towel.
“Yeah, I am going to stop at the supermarket to pick up something for dinner. Do you have any preferences?”
“No. Whatever you cook tastes good, Eva.” He winked at her. “I’m going to have to watch my waistline with you around.”
Eva eyed his stomach and chest and gave a snort. “Yeah, right. If you were any more buff and handsome, you’d have to beat women off with a stick. You probably do already.”
Her cheeks heated when she realized what she’d said and she lowered her eyes to her feet. God, Eva, think before you open your mouth.
Pierson’s feet came into view. Before she realized he was even in the room, he was so close she could feel his body heat. “Do you think I’m handsome, darlin’?”
Is he for real? Why would he ask me that? He and his brothers were so muscular and ruggedly handsome she got wet just by being near them.
She looked up at him and saw heat but also vulnerability in his eyes. It seemed he wasn’t as confident as he made out. Drawing in a deep breath, she decided to be honest.
“Yes, you’re handsome. All of you are.”
He searched her eyes and then, without any warning, leaned down and placed his lips on hers. Pierson wasn’t aggressive. He just brushed his soft lips back and forth over hers as if testing for a reaction.
Her body sure gave him one. Eva tried to conceal the shudder working its way up her spine as cream leaked from her pussy. Awareness washed over her in heated waves. Gasping in a breath on a sob, she held still, not knowing how to react or what to do.
A low, groaning rumble sounded from deep in his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her against his hard, warm body. He walked her backward a couple of steps, and her shoulders came up against the timber doorjamb. Pierson slanted his mouth and deepened the kiss. His tongue swept over her lips and then thrust into her mouth. Eva sobbed as he slid his tongue along hers and then explored every inch of her mouth. She clung to his bulging biceps, the only anchor in a world gone mad with desire.
Never had she been kissed with such passion, such hunger. Her body ached, craving more of his touch. He tasted of coffee and mint, and she yearned to taste more of him. Eva wanted the kiss to go on and on. She couldn’t prevent a whimper of protest from escaping when he slowed the kiss down and finally lifted his head.
“That was fucking hot.” Quin’s voice came from close by. Eva looked up with embarrassment at being caught kissing his brother. “Come here, Eva.” His voice was deeper and huskier than normal, and although she hated to obey a command, she found herself moving on wobbly legs toward him when Pierson released her and stepped back.
“I want a kiss, too, honey. Will you let me?”
Shivering with need, she opened her mouth but couldn’t seem to find any words. Staring into his hungry eyes, she nodded.
He moved fast for such a big man. One instant he was still several feet away and the next he had her in his arms. Quin wasn’t tentative at all. Slamming his mouth over hers, pushing his tongue between her lips, he ravaged her. She was only vaguely aware that her feet had left the floor. Her hands gripped his solid, strong shoulders, one of his muscular forearms beneath her ass supporting her, and she tried to wrap her legs around his hips. The metal brace on her leg dug into her flesh and she groaned with frustration and lowered her legs again, but it didn’t seem to bother Quin. His strength astounded her as he held her up without seeming to make any effort. He took and took, turning her smoldering libido into an inferno, but he also gave. Quin’s tongue danced with hers and then he ate at her lower lip, sucking it into his mouth, licking and nipping at her flesh.
She was so hot and in such need that she wanted him to strip her down right there and then and touch her. Finally she drew away, gasping in lungfuls of air and staring at him as he lowered her feet to the floor and she removed her arms from around his neck.
“I want you, Eva. We all do. We’ve been waiting for you to decide what you want. Please don’t get our hopes up if you aren’t willing to be with all three of us.”
“I−I…” Oh God! She so wanted to say yes, but wanting wasn’t enough for her. She needed more than just lust from them.
“Sugar.” Grayson’s voice drew her gaze. She hadn’t even been aware he was close by. She had been so wrapped up in Pierson and Quin she hadn’t heard him approach. He stopped when he was only feet from her and reached out a hand to her. His fingers stroked over her heated cheek, and she closed her eyes at the soft touch. “We won’t force you into something if you’re not ready. Just think about being in a relationship with us. If you want to be with us it will be exclusively, but you get to make the next move. The decision is yours to make, Eva. We won’t pressure you.”
Eva gulped audibly and looked to each of them. They looked so eager and yet so vulnerable. She felt a little bad that she wasn’t going to give them the answer they wanted to hear, at least not yet.
“I know you want me to say yes,” she almost whispered and then paused and drew in a ragged breath. “I can’t. Not yet. I need more time.”
“You take all the time you need, darlin’. We won’t rush you,” Pierson said, looking a little sad.
“I’m sorry I can’t answer you right now, but I’m not sure how any of this would work. I’ve only ever had one boyfriend, and it should never have been.” She held up her hand when Quin began to speak.
“I haven’t finished, Quin,” Eva said. “I also want you to know why I feel so cautious.” She took a breath. “I have a neighbor back in Sheridan who has been pursuing me rather aggressively over the last two years. We have known each other since we were kids. We grew up together. But Tim has become almost obsessive in his pursuit and made me very wary of men.”
“Did he hurt you?” Pierson asked.
“No.” She let out a shuddering breath, remembering what he’d done instead. “But he could. Tim served in the military and is pretty beefy. Not as big as you three, but he uses his size in an intimidating way. He’s one of the reasons I left Sheridan.” She looked between the three of them, watching their expressions anxiously. Gray looked worried, Pierson was frowning almost skeptically, and Quin looked as angry as she’d expected. You knew this would bring out their protective instincts.
With a sigh, she concluded, “So my limited experience with the opposite sex has made me…well, cautious, like I said.”
“We would never use our height or strength to intimidate you, Eva. Surely you realize that after the last two weeks.”
“Yes.
I believe you, Quin, but I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with one man, let alone three. Please don’t take me the wrong way. I’m not saying no, and I’m sure you realize that I am attracted to all three of you, but I’m just not ready for a relationship. We’ve only known each other for two weeks.” And I don’t understand why you want me. She knew she couldn’t say it aloud, but it was true. The Badons couldn’t possibly want someone like her. No one ever did.
“Okay, sugar. We respect your decision and we’ll give you the time you need to make a choice. But I want you to promise me something.” Gray took her hand in his, caressing the skin on the back with his thumb.
“If I can,” she said warily.
“If you decide you want a relationship with us or you need anything from us, and I mean anything, you won’t hesitate to come and tell us or ask for what you want.”
Eva smiled slightly and nodded. “Okay, I promise.”
“Thank you, Eva.” Gray tugged her against him and gave her a hug. It was so nice to be held by someone. But what would be better was if their bodies were naked with their skin touching, and not just his. What would it be like to have all three of them touching me? His voice pulled her mind back to the present. “Now did I hear you say you wanted to stop at the store?”
“You did.”
“I’ll come with you then. I have a few things I want to pick up.”
Eva led the way out to her car and slid into the driver’s seat. As she buckled up, Gray got into the passenger side. He was nearly too big for her midsize sedan and had to push the seat all the way back to fit his long legs into her car.
“You’re very quiet, sugar. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Gray. It’s just that I’m feeling a little…overwhelmed right now.”
“Talk to me, Eva. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
Eva concentrated on her driving for a moment, using that task to gather her thoughts. The road was nearly deserted and didn’t really need too much of her attention, but she was glad to have something to do. She could feel Gray’s eyes on her, and even though she wasn’t uncomfortable she just didn’t know what she wanted to say or in fact do. So she decided there was nothing like honesty.
“I’m really flattered that you and your brothers are attracted to me, Gray.” She directed the car into a free parking space outside the supermarket and shut off the engine and turned to face him. “You’ve probably figured out by what I’ve said that I don’t have much experience with men. Don’t get me wrong. I am attracted to all three of you, but I’m not sure if being in a relationship with all of you is right for me.”
“What are your concerns, sugar? Maybe if you talk to me and ask questions we can clear up a few of them.”
Eva turned back to stare out the windshield. “I’m not good at sex. My one and only experience proved that to me.”
Gray didn’t react. She’d been a little afraid that he would agree with her or laugh, but that wasn’t Gray. He just watched her thoughtfully and asked, “What made you decide that?”
“My first and only boyfriend was a good friend to me. In fact he was more like a brother. We only ever had each other. He was a nerd and he wasn’t a handsome man, but he was one of my best friends. We decided to have sex with each other and it was an utter disaster. Afterward we couldn’t even look each other in the eyes. Eventually, we started avoiding each other and then stopped seeing each other completely.”
“I’m sorry, Eva,” Gray said.
She sighed. “I think we were just so eager to experience things, you know? But we should never have attempted to be physical with each other. I lost one of my closest friends, and I don’t want to ever have to go through that again.”
“Sweetheart, that wasn’t you. You just picked the wrong man to have your first experience with. From what I saw when you kissed Pierson and Quin, you have no worries in that department.”
“Oh God.” Her cheeks heated and she knew they must be as red as they felt. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“What? Kissed my brothers?”
She nodded.
“Look at me, Evana,” Gray demanded quietly.
Cursing mentally when she complied, Eva tried to turn away again, but once their eyes connected, she couldn’t look away.
“I know Quin told you about the ménage relationships in this town from the start. He also told you that we intended to find a woman we were all attracted to and settle down with her. We believe you could be that woman.” He reached over and placed a finger on her lips when she opened her mouth, and she closed it again. “What are you so frightened of?”
“I’ve put up with a lot of derogatory comments for most of my life, Gray. My self-esteem isn’t as good as it should be. I have scars on my right hip, the top of my thigh, and even on my knee. I don’t like being naked in front of anyone. I have stretch marks from when I grew almost overnight when I was an adolescent, and my boobs are too small. I get stared at all the time, and I wear bars on my leg.”
Eva was panting by the time she was finished listing everything that was wrong with her and waited with trepidation for his reply.
Gray smoothed her hair back from her face then stroked his hand over the back of her head and down the length of her tresses. “You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. Your hair literally sparkles when the sun shines down upon it. Did you know you have gold strands threaded in amongst that dark red? Your body is perfect to me and my brothers. I get hard every time you get near me. I love your cute little ass and have to resist bending you over so I can take a bite out of it. The scent you wear wraps around my balls until I ache every time I smell it, and you have the sweetest, most loving and caring personality I have ever seen.”
Tears began to fill her eyes. He sees that in me?
Gray went on, “In my eyes you are the most picture-perfect, flawless, sensitive, compassionate woman I have ever met. You were made for us, Eva. Everyone has imperfections, sugar, but when somebody cares enough about you, those flaws become invisible.”
Eva’s tears spilled onto her cheeks. She’d never had anyone besides her mom say anything nice about her. Not even her ex or Tim. Emotion rushed through her, filling her heart with hope and joy and making her fall even more in love with him.
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you.”
“Quin and Pierson feel the same way I do, Eva. Please don’t make a decision yet. Give yourself time to think over our offer. We will wait for however long you need.”
Gray took her face between his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumb. He leaned in close and kissed her on the forehead. “Let’s go inside so we can get home. I’ll help you with dinner tonight. I’m starving.”
“You’re always hungry.” Eva laughed as he released her and got out of the car.
When she turned back to make sure the locks had engaged she caught sight of a man driving away from them in a dark-colored sedan. The back of his head reminded her of Tim.
Chapter Six
Quin and Pierson closed up shop and drove home in silence. Not until Quin had pulled the truck into the driveway did he voice his thoughts. “I don’t like this business about her neighbor.”
“At least we know why she is so afraid to live near her mom.” Pierson looked pensive, as he had for the entire drive, but then he smiled as he got out of the car. “She’s beginning to trust us. She never would have told us about her neighbor if she didn’t. Only one thing bothers me…”
Quin shut the driver’s-side door and frowned at him. “What?”
“I think she’s still left out a hell of a lot about that Tim guy. It has to be a lot worse with her neighbor than she’s letting on. No woman I’ve ever met would pack up and take off unless she was really worried about her safety. I wish she’d tell us what he’s done to make her so scared.”
Quin unlocked the front door. He hated the idea of Eva being threatened by some asshole who ought to know better. He didn’t like her being afra
id at all. “Do you think she’s scared of us?”
“What? No. Why do you say that?”
Quin realized now that he’d come down hard on her this morning when he found her teetering around on that chair. He stood by his feelings, because she had been putting herself in danger, but he hadn’t expressed those feelings well. He was bothered by her words about Tim’s size intimidating her.
When Quin didn’t answer, Pierson said, “I don’t think she’s scared of us. We just need to boost her self-esteem and show her that she could have a relationship with us.”
“Agreed,” Quin said shortly. “She’s a passionate, sexy woman and she doesn’t even know it.”
Pierson grinned. “I can think of a few ways to show her.”
Quin could, too. But what if he messed it up the way he had earlier today? Pierson had an easygoing charm that obviously worked on Eva. Sometimes she even flirted with him. She was developing a rapport with Gray, too.
While Quin felt certain of her attraction to him, he feared that another display of temper like the one this morning would scare her off.
No. We won’t lose her. He pulled into the driveway of their house, the place that Eva had made a home. When they got out of the car, Pierson said, “Just try and be patient a little longer. She’s coming around slowly.”
Footsteps alerted him that Gray and Eva were home and he walked toward the doorway in case help was needed to bring in the grocery bags. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkled, and she looked really happy, the tilt to her lips lighting up her whole face. Evana had never looked more beautiful.
“Let me take those from you, baby.” Quin took the bags and carried them to the kitchen counter. “What do you have planned for dinner?”
“Gray and I decided that we’d have steak, baked potatoes, and salad.”
“Sounds good, darlin’. Do you want some help?” asked Pierson.
“No, but thanks.” Eva walked toward the brewing coffee. “Gray’s already volunteered.”
“Okay, I’m going to go clean up.”
