by Rhian Cahill
“So what do I do now?”
“I can’t tell you that. I can tell you that if it’s meant to happen it will if you’re open to it.”
“Isn’t there some sort of order? Some game plan I should follow?”
Laughing, Piper shook her head. “This isn’t the norm, remember? No pre-trod steps for you to follow, I’m afraid. And really, would you want to do this someone else’s way?”
“No.” Sunnie didn’t need to think about it. If she was going to take this new twist in her friendship with Rand and Z any further then it would be on her terms. Their terms. Her eyes were drawn back to the two men slowly making their way across the sand. “No, it would have to be our way.”
From the corner of his eye, Z peeked at Sunnie as he strode through the shallows. She’d not been a happy camper when he woke her before dawn, but he wasn’t about to give her the chance to sneak out of the house while they were catching some morning waves. And he was pretty sure that’s exactly what she would do if they weren’t back when she finally rolled out of bed. He’d thought about disabling her car but last time he’d done that Sunnie had made his life a living hell for three straight weeks. He smiled. One thing he could always count on was her passion for whatever she had on her mind. She did everything with 110%.
His cock stirred. He could only imagine what it would be like to have that dedication aimed at him in bed. A shiver snaked down his spine. Christ, what he wouldn’t give for a little of her amorous attentions. Blood pounded in his groin and filled his flesh with urgent need. Crap. Z shifted his board to hide the throbbing bulge in the front of his shorts. Glancing at Rand, he saw his friend had also pulled his board across his body and Z was reminded of the fact he wasn’t the only one interested in Sunnie.
Except Rand had already kissed her—tasted her.
Jealousy churned in Z’s stomach and he wanted to snatch Sunnie away from Rand, but the very idea tasted foul on his tongue and heavy in his chest as though he were betraying his best friends. They’d been a trio for so long that even when he’d fantasized about doing Sunnie, Rand had been there in the back of his mind. To him they were inseparable.
“What kind of reception do you think we’ll get?” Rand asked.
“Depends on what you’re talking about.” Z glanced at Rand before moving his gaze to Sunnie and the woman next to her. “If you’re referring to getting her out of bed at the crack of dawn then all it’ll take is a detour to the drive-through for her favorite morning feast. If, on the other hand, you’re referring to the suggestion of us taking our little threesome into the bedroom, I haven’t a clue, but I do know I’m not about to let it drop.”
“No?”
“Hell no.” Z lifted his chin in Sunnie’s direction. “She’s the one thing I’ve always wanted and could never have. Not without you, anyway.”
Rand sighed. “It’s weird, but I understand that sentiment completely.”
“I should probably make it clear now that any sex between the three of us would be about her. I love you, man, but not that way.”
Laughter burst from Rand’s lips. “I hear ya. I swear, I was just trying to work out how to say that very thing.”
Z smiled. “At least we’re on the same page there.”
“Yeah, but what page are we on and where do we go from here?”
“I haven’t got a clue. Guess we turn the next page.” Z shrugged. “I’ve never done this before.”
“And you think I have?”
“No.” Z stopped and turned to face his friend. “Shit, Rand, that’s not what I meant. I’m saying I’m as clueless as you are.”
“I guess we play it by ear, wait to see what happens.”
“Oh no, I’m not waiting. I plan to launch an all-out seduction. But first we have to face the fire over dragging her ass out of bed this morning.” Z started in Sunnie’s direction again. “Oh, and cancel any plans you have for the weekend. I’ve got an idea starting to take shape. Just need to make a phone call when we get home.”
“Care to enlighten me?”
“Not yet.” They’d almost reached where Sunnie sat on her towel. “Besides, I don’t want to give Sunnie a chance to protest.”
“Protest what?” Sunnie asked from a few feet away.
Damn. “Being dragged out of bed before your namesake, what else?” He hoped her grumpiness over this morning was enough to distract her.
“I was just saying how surprised I was to see Sunnie this early,” Piper said. “But then, I can just imagine how persuasive you two can be.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Z bent down and laid his board on the sand before grabbing his towel. “Where’s Sam and Nate?”
“Out there.” Piper pointed over Rand’s shoulder. “They got here later than usual.”
The grin on Piper’s face and the little shudder that sent her breasts jiggling, drawing his attention to her hard nipples beneath her top, hinted at why her housemates had been late. Z decided to stir her up a little. “Can’t think of anything that would keep me from my morning surf.”
Piper’s cheeks flushed red but he didn’t think it had anything to do with the rising sun. “You obviously haven’t had the right incentive to stay in bed then.”
He smiled. “I’m pretty sure there’s nothing more enticing than the waves at dawn.”
Her smile should have clued him in but he wasn’t prepared for the visual imagery her comeback delivered.
“Oh I’m pretty sure you’d be happy to stay in bed if you had a naked Sunni beside you.”
“Piper!” Sunnie cried.
Rand half laughed, half choked beside him. With a naked Sunnie stretched out in his imagination Z couldn’t think of a response. His brain had bled out in an effort to supply his cock.
“Cat got your tongue, Z?” Piper smirked.
“Damn woman. You’ve never struck me as the in-your-face type,” Rand said as he shook his head. “Then again, you are living with two guys.”
“That’s not all I’m doing with them.” Piper waggled her eyebrows suggestively, making Rand laugh.
Z’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened. Words refused to form on his tongue. She’d always come across as shy and businesslike. Obviously he didn’t know the woman his two friends were living with very well at all.
Piper laughed and clutched her sides. “You should…see the…look on…your face.”
“I think that’s our cue to go.” Sunnie stood. “I’m starving and you two owe me breakfast.”
“Aw, spoilsport. It was just getting fun.” Piper’s words were laced with laughter. “Ring me during the week, Sunnie. Let me know how it goes.”
“How what goes?” Rand asked.
“Nothing.” Sunnie turned away and quickly gathered her things.
“Her date,” Piper added.
“What date? You don’t have a date tonight.” Z spun around. She couldn’t have a date.
“I don’t.”
“Then what’s Piper talking about?” His gaze bounced between the two women. “What date?”
“Calm down, caveman. I’m talking about last night’s date.” Piper got to her feet and hugged Sunnie, whispering something in her ear that made her blush.
Z couldn’t hear what was said, but the idea that Sunnie might be hiding something from him didn’t sit well. Piper had every right to call him a caveman because right now he’d like to grab Sunnie by her ponytail and drag her back to the house. The thought of her with another guy made his gut clench and his head pound. How had he survived her dating all these years?
Rand reached the supermarket checkout as Z pulled into a parking spot by the front doors. He could see Sunnie through the windshield already chomping into a breakfast burger. A smile played at the edges of his mouth until he realized the cashier thought he was aiming it at her. As fast as possible, he paid for his purchases and left. Holding the door open for an elderly woman slowed him down, but it gave him time to enjoy the view. Nothing made him feel as good as seeing Sunnie
happy, and right now he’d say she bordered on ecstatic.
She took another bite and dropped her head back against the seat. Her eyes closed and her jaw moved slowly as she savored her mouthful before swallowing. The urge to kiss those smiling lips sliced into him, cramping his gut and stealing his breath. Walking over, he yanked her door open and leaned in. His mouth found hers just as her tongue flicked out to lick her lips and he took full advantage. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he teased hers until she softened under him. Rand took his time, pulled back to coax her into being the aggressor, then changed his mind and dived deep again.
He swallowed the moan that slipped from her throat, breathed it in, and dragged that little piece of her inside to always be his. Rand brought one hand up to cup her head; his fingers tangled around her ponytail and he tightened his grip. With a sharp tug, he tilted her face to join their mouths completely. She moaned again, her lips pliant beneath his. They fought for control, each taking with haste what the other freely gave. A combination of pleasure and pain centered in his groin where his hard-on pressed against the car seat, but that didn’t stop him. It was Z’s words that ripped him out of his lust haze.
“You two need to stop or I’m coming over there to join in, and that’s bound to get us arrested.” Z’s words were raspy, rough as though he spoke through gravel.
Rand separated his mouth from Sunnie’s and studied her through hooded eyes. Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal dilated pupils with a thin blue ring around them. He searched her gaze for anger but all he could find was desire that mirrored his own. With difficulty, he dragged in a breath and moved away. Stepping back, he closed her door and opened the rear one. The lock clicked behind him a second before Z threw the car into gear and reversed out of the spot.
“In a hurry?” he asked.
“Damn straight I am. Do you have any idea what that little show did to me?”
“I have a bit of a clue.” Rand raked his fingers through his hair.
He buckled himself into the middle seat, making sure the seat belt didn’t dig into his erection, and stared through the front window as Z tore out of the parking lot. The ride home was fast, but thankfully uneventful. Z whipped the truck into the driveway and slammed on the brakes. Rand threw out his hand and braced himself on the front seat.
“Shit, Z, you trying to kill us?” He undid his belt and slid across the bench. His feet hadn’t even touched the ground when Z appeared beside Sunnie’s door. “Take a breath, man.”
“I’m trying, but certain people aren’t making it easy for me.”
“You just need to take the edge off.”
Before Rand could work out what Sunnie meant she leaned out her open door and into Z’s arms, her mouth planted on his. Mesmerized by the sight of them kissing, Rand held his breath as their lips and tongues ate at each other. Devoured. He licked his lips, remembering the press of Sunnie’s against them. Her taste. The urgent need to feast on her. His cock throbbed to the beat of his racing heart, the engorged flesh beneath his shorts painfully confined. They had to take this inside before it got out of hand.
“Enough.” He jumped from the truck. “Inside. Now.”
Z and Sunnie sprang apart and Rand quickly gripped Sunnie’s elbow, pulling her toward the front door. The truck doors closed behind him and Z’s bare feet slapped against the concrete drive as he rushed to catch up. Sunnie kept pace with his long strides but tripped on the bottom step as he took them two at a time. Rand slid his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to keep her from falling.
“Slow down, Rand.” She yanked herself from his grasp. “I’m not going anywhere but inside. There’s no need to manhandle me.”
“Sorry.” He stepped aside to let Z pass to unlock the door.
“Don’t you want to get your boards?” Sunnie asked.
“Later.”
“Rand, I said I wasn’t going anywhere. You need to put your boards away.”
He glanced at the truck then over at Z. “Dammit. Okay.”
Z turned the key and pushed the door open. “Here, we’ll get the boards sorted while you finish breakfast.”
Rand noticed the bag in Sunnie’s hand. The brown paper top crumpled in her fist, the bottom dark with the telltale sign of greasy hash browns. His stomach rumbled. He’d forgotten all about eating. Couldn’t even remember what he’d ordered. Shit. He needed to pull it together and stop acting like a boy getting laid for the first time. Where was his control? With Sunnie he didn’t seem to have any. One touch and his mind took a vacation.
“Don’t eat mine. We’ll be five minutes, tops.” He jogged down the steps. The quicker they dealt with the boards the quicker he could get his hands on her again.
“No rush. I’ll be inside waiting,” Sunnie called out behind him.
He reached the back of Z’s truck and untied the boards.
“Either it’s been too long since I had sex or the chemistry between us is off the scale. I’m so close to blowing the front of my shorts are wet and it isn’t sea water,” Z said as he joined Rand.
“Tell me about it.” Rand glanced at his friend as he slipped a hand down to adjust himself. “And for the record it’s been months for me but I took care of business last night in the shower. Should have known then it would be explosive once we did touch her.”
“And we haven’t gotten to the good stuff yet.” Z lifted his board from the truck and walked over to the side of the house. “Hurry up, man. For someone that was keen to forget about our boards you sure are taking your sweet time.”
Rand gave Z the bird and got a face full of water from the hose for his trouble. Spluttering, he ducked behind his board to avoid the next volley of spray. “Knock it off. Sunnie will kill us if we traipse water through the house.”
“What’s this we shit? I’m not wet.” Z’s words were almost drowned out by the blast that slammed into the other side of Rand’s board.
“Shit, Zeke.”
“Pansy.”
“I’d rather be a pansy than dead which is exactly what Sunnie would make me if you managed to soak me.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not about to jeopardize Sunnie’s good mood.”
Rand waited a second before peeking around his board. Much to his relief Z was directing the hose at his own board on the grass. He approached with caution just in case Z had a surprise attack in mind. To be sure, Rand positioned himself between Z and the tap; that way he could turn off the supply before his friend soaked him. It was a wasted effort. True to his word, Z continued to clean, not even glancing Rand’s way.
Z handed over the hose when he was done and Rand made quick work of washing off the sand and salt still clinging to his board. The whole time he worked, Sunnie’s words replayed in his head over and over. I’ll be inside waiting. The idea of her waiting thrilled him and his mind kept imagining all kinds of ways she could be preparing for their arrival. His cock strained against his shorts as his blood pumped hard and fast with his escalating arousal. He dropped the hose on the grass and leaned over to turn off the tap.
Rand scooped up the towel Z had tossed on the ground and quickly dried the fiberglass surface. With his board clean and dry he made his way to the open garage door. Z already had his board put away and Rand lifted his into the rack beside it. Once his board was secure he reached down and rearranged his erection in an attempt to alleviate some of the throbbing in his groin. He hoped the prolonged hard-on wouldn’t mean he’d go off too soon. He planned to take his time. Explore every little millimeter of Sunnie’s skin before finally sinking his length deep in her pussy.
And the strange thing was he wanted to share every moment with Z.
Chapter Four
Sunnie closed the door behind her and slumped against it. Her heart raced and her lungs gasped for air in an attempt to keep up. Rand had kissed her. Again. She’d kissed Z. And they were planning to do a whole lot more. A shiver rolled from her head to her toes, raising the hair on her arms and leaving goose bumps in its wake
. Nervous excitement buzzed from one nerve ending to another until every part of her vibrated with anticipation. She had no idea how this would turn out. What they expected. What she expected. The only thing she did know for sure was there was no going back now.
She’d made up her mind to go for it and she would, but that didn’t stop the fear from sneaking in. Her stomach dipped and her throat closed. What if she screwed this up? What if this destroyed the best friendship she’d ever had? Sunnie didn’t know what scared her more—the thought of this blowing up in their faces or the idea that a deeper relationship between them would work. Whichever way it went there was no stopping it now. Any second, the guys would come inside and she didn’t want them to find her cowering against the door.
Straightening up, she used the timber beneath her shoulder blades to propel herself in the direction of the kitchen. There was no point stressing over the outcome before the event. As her mother always told her—trouble always finds its way into your life; no point borrowing more. And if anyone knew about trouble it was Sunnie’s mother. She frowned as memories resurfaced. Giving herself a mental shake, she shoved them all back into the dark corner of her mind where her childhood resided. Last thing she wanted was to revisit that time of her life.
Dumping the greasy takeout bag on the counter, Sunnie pulled out the uneaten food and tossed the sack in the trash. Rand’s burger and hash browns were cold so she slipped them onto a plate and into the microwave. The food wasn’t the only thing heating up. After Rand’s kiss, Sunnie’s body temperature had soared and stayed there. Her throat was dry, her skin damp, and the warmth swirling in her belly drew her attention to the moisture pooling between her legs. Embarrassment made her squirm, made muscles tense, but clenching her thighs increased the hum in her sex and sent her internal thermostat off the chart.
