by Rhian Cahill
“I should just go home.” Her protest sounded weak even to her own ears.
“No.” Roger helped her out of the booth. “You need to let your emotions level off first. It won’t hurt Brandon and Zeke to wait a little longer.”
“Besides, you’ll want to try out Wayne’s bathroom. You haven’t seen what he’s done to the apartment either.” Graham fell into step next to her.
“He finally got rid of the orange kitchen?”
“Yeah, finally,” Roger murmured. “He didn’t have much choice. After he bought the whole block he renovated the lot. His place now takes up the entire top floor.”
“Wow. I didn’t know.”
“You’ve missed a few things over the last few years, Sunshine, but don’t panic. We’ll be happy to spend hours telling you everything that’s gone on.” Graham held open the door.
“I’d like that.”
“So would we, Sunshine,” Roger said as they stepped out into the cool evening air.
Sunnie shivered and Roger tucked her closer against his side, his hand rubbing up and down her arm in an attempt to ward off the chill.
“Come on, let’s hustle.” Wayne caught up with them. “We need to get our girl home where she belongs.”
“Aren’t we heading to your place first?” Sunnie asked.
“Sure are. And while we wait for you to get freshened up we’ll indulge in some dessert.” Wayne held up a plastic bag and jiggled it. “Four servings of lemon gelato.”
Slipping into the backseat of Graham’s car, Sunnie marveled at how lucky she was. Not one of these men was responsible for bring her into this world, yet they overlooked that major factoid and gave her unconditional love. They’d handled her meltdown with ease and, even though she’d snubbed them over the years, they continued to take care of her. She hoped with all her heart that Rand and Z would prove to be as generous toward any children they might share.
Sunnie choked on her breath. If she hadn’t already come to the conclusion that she wanted a relationship with Rand and Z, her last thought would have confirmed it. She wanted children of her own one day, and she wanted them with her two best friends. The question was: did they?
Chapter Ten
Sunnie used the spare key she’d given Graham in the lock and pushed the door open. Turning, she waved to let her fathers know she was okay and slipped quietly into the house. It was well after midnight and, even though she’d slept very little in the last few days, she wasn’t tired. She shut and locked the door before stepping out of her flip-flops. The dark hallway loomed in front of her but she knew the placement of every piece of furniture in the house so there was no chance she’d stub a toe or bash a shin on her way to finding the two men she’d come home to.
A faint trace of curry lingered on the air and she took a deep breath, disappointed she’d missed one of Z’s signature meals. She wasn’t sure how he did it, but his curries rivaled the best Indian restaurants in town. Tiptoeing along the hall, Sunnie bypassed the living room and kitchen, and headed straight to the rear of the house and the bedrooms. As she neared Rand’s room, she could hear him snoring and a smile tugged at her lips. But when she stood in his doorway, what she saw turned her smile to a frown. A shimmer of moonlight coated the room in an eerie glow. The new bed sat front and center, the mattress unmade and Rand nowhere to be seen.
She could still hear him. The deep, nasally rasps could easily be mistaken for an engine of some kind. Sunnie remembered the first time she’d heard the sound it had scared the life out of her. Now, though, she used that chest-rattling noise to find her man.
Make that men.
Rand and Z were sprawled on her bed. Their muscular bodies made the queen mattress look no bigger than a pillow. She padded over and used their state of slumber to her advantage. Studying each of them, Sunnie cataloged their attributes. From the long legs to the buff chests and chiseled abs, both of them were mighty fine to look at. And look she did. Until the urge to run her tongue along bulging biceps and sink her teeth into tender flesh had her insides tingling and her panties soaking wet.
“Are you planning to crawl into bed or stand there all night?”
“Shit!” Sunnie’s gaze snapped up and connected with Rand’s. “You scared the life out of me.”
“No more than waking to find you standing there like an ax murderer,” Rand said.
“I was hoping she was a wet dream getting ready to strip.” Z pushed up on his elbows, a cocky grin on his face. His gaze traveled her body from head to toe before meeting hers. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Sunshine.”
Sunnie couldn’t find any words to say. She’d rehearsed a speech on the way home, but now not one of those words found their way to her tongue. Instead all she could think about was running said tongue over naked skin. Grazing fingertips and nails over rippling muscles as she explored the bare bodies before her.
“Come here, Sunshine.” Rand’s quietly issued command had her moving before the thought formed.
She knelt on the end of the bed between their legs. Before she got any closer and her hormones took over she needed to tell them why she’d gone. Why she’d come back. But the words stuck in her throat and the only thing that came out was one croaky word.
“Sorry.”
“Never apologize for the way you feel.” Z sat up, leaned forward and brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek. “It’s natural to be frightened. We’re going out on a limb here. None of us really knows what we’re doing.”
“Come up here and lie between us.” Rand patted the bed next to him.
“I’m not ready—” As much as she wanted to surrender to the pleasure each of them could give her, Sunnie knew they had to talk first.
“Just talk, Sunshine. All we’re going to do is talk.” Rand curled his fingers around her wrist and tugged her up the bed.
Relieved, Sunnie spun around and lay on her back, positioning herself between them. Heat radiated off them, causing little swirls of warmth to twist through her. She tried to decide where to start, what to tell them first, and concluded it didn’t matter. Tonight would be about opening the door she’d slammed shut yesterday.
“I panicked. I can’t say I won’t do it again, but I can promise I won’t run from you—from us—next time.” Sunnie licked her dry lips, tried to swallow past the constriction in her throat. “I love you both. I want this.”
“Thank God.” Z rolled over until he hovered above her. “You have no idea how sweet those words sound.”
She smiled and cupped his face. “I think I do. Saying them—feeling them—knowing that this emotion is real, is the single most thrilling, and terrifying, experience of my life.”
“We’ll hold your hands.” Rand took her hand as his face came into view beside Z’s. “You know I’m petrified we’ll screw this up somehow.”
“You are?” Sunnie couldn’t believe the smooth, sophisticated, in control Brandon Davis would be frightened of anything, let alone her.
Rand bent until his forehead rested on hers. “You terrify me.”
“Me?”
“Okay, not you exactly, the emotions you provoke. I’ve never known anything like it and I certainly haven’t a clue what to do with them.”
“That makes two of us,” Z added.
“Three.” Sunnie smiled. “I guess we help each other work them out.”
“I like that plan,” Z said. “But where do we start?”
The next step suddenly clear in her mind, Sunnie pushed them back and scrambled off the bed. “As we intend to go on.”
“Where are you going?” Rand’s words held the razor edge of panic.
“We should start where we aim to finish.” She smiled at them.
“Um…okay, and where is that?” Z asked as he followed her off the bed.
“Together.” Sunnie headed out of the room and down the hall, her mind set on her destination.
“Then where the hell are you going?” Rand called behind her.
Sunnie made
a beeline for Rand’s room and the bed. Flicking on the light as she entered, she searched the room for the new bedding. In typical Rand style, the quilt and sheets were neatly stacked on his chest of drawers. Grabbing the sheet, Sunnie walked to the bed and tossed the cotton fabric over the mattress.
“You’re making the bed?” Z asked as he entered the room, Rand right on his heels.
She turned to face them. “We should start where we aim to finish.”
They grinned and spoke in unison. “Together.”
Sunnie smiled and held out her hands.
Rand wasted no time getting to the woman he loved. Pulling her close he breathed in her scent and tightened his grip. “I love you.”
Sunnie stiffened in his arms but he wasn’t about to let her insecurities spoil the moment. He pushed her arm’s length away and focused his gaze on hers. “I’ve always loved you. You know that.” He tapped her chest with his hand. “In here, you know.”
Z moved in beside them and wove his fingers through her hair. “You just have to stop thinking so hard and feel, Sunshine. Turn off that brain of yours and feel the love we have for you.”
Her gaze flicked between them. “I’m terrified this isn’t real.” She trembled beneath Rand’s fingers. “I’m terrified I’ll do something to make you stop.”
Rand smiled. “If you haven’t done that by now it isn’t going to happen.”
“We’ve seen you at your worst, Sunshine, we’ve seen you at your best, and yet here we still are.” Z brushed his lips on Sunnie’s temple. “Loving you with every breath we take.”
“Oh.” Her eyes filled with moisture.
“Hey, no tears.” Rand brushed a fingertip across her eyelashes. “It rips me up to see you cry, Sunnie.”
She smiled. “They’re happy tears. Promise.”
“In that case, I’m gonna make you cry every day for the rest of our lives,” Z said.
Rand looked at his friend. “Shit, Z, really?”
Z stared at him. “What?”
Sunnie’s laughter filled the room. “That has to be the most romantic unromantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
A sheepish grin curled Z’s mouth. “Hey, what can I say? I have a way with words.”
“Oh, yeah, definitely. You have me melting at your feet with that one.”
“Melting, huh?” Z moved closer to Sunnie, his body brushing against hers. “Bet Rand and I can make you melt without a word.”
“I like the sound of that.” Rand crowded into Sunnie’s other side, wedging her between them.
She sucked in a breath. “You think I’m going to argue that?”
“No.” Rand trailed a finger down her cheek, over her jaw and lower until he tugged on the neckline of her T-shirt. “I think you’re going to let us do whatever we want and enjoy every second of it.”
Sunnie’s eyes dilated and her breathing shallowed. He slipped his hand around and under her right breast to cup the weighty mound in his palm as Z did the same with her left. A moan rolled off her tongue and Rand leaned forward to put his lips on hers. But she surprised him before their mouths could connect by ducking out of their embrace and racing toward the bed.
“Last one on does everyone’s washing for a month,” she threw over her shoulder as she landed on the bed.
He looked at Z. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yeah, let’s make little Miss Smarty Pants take back those words.”
“On three.”
“What are you two up to?” Sunnie eyed them warily.
Under his breath Rand counted. “One, two…” He grinned at Z. “Three!”
They pounced. The mattress dipped and sprang back as they landed next to her. Sunnie squealed and tried to scramble out of reach, but they weren’t about to let her get away.
Not now.
Not ever.
Epilogue
Z tightened the last nut and shimmied out from behind the bed. He should have waited for Rand so he didn’t have to do all the heavy lifting on his own, but he’d wanted to surprise his best friend just as much as Sunnie. Tossing the spanner in his toolbox, he pushed to his feet and admired his handiwork. It had taken six months to carve. Six months of hiding the project from the two people closest to him. He’d lied about working late and that hadn’t sat well in his gut, but the end result would be worth it. At least he prayed it would.
He put his weight behind the shove and after the third push the bed slid back against the wall. Straightening the covers and dropping the pillows in place, he admired the finished product and smiled. It was pretty damn impressive even if he said so himself. He’d grab a quick shower and then get dinner started. Z had planned the evening right down to the last detail. Rand and Sunnie would come home from work and he’d have a nice home-cooked meal, along with a decent bottle of wine, waiting. The only glitch in his plan was keeping his two housemates out of their bedroom.
Frowning, he picked up his toolbox and headed for the laundry. It shouldn’t be too difficult to distract them and if it wasn’t for Sunnie’s inability to wait he’d just tell them to stay out of the room until after dinner. He smiled when he remembered trying to keep her out of their new bathroom before it was finished. Rand had wanted to unveil the huge tub big enough for the three of them after the refurb was complete. Only Sunnie couldn’t stand to wait, and no matter how much they’d pleaded with her, she’d sneaked in to take a peek.
“Damn woman,” he muttered.
“What have I done now?”
Z spun on his heel, the toolbox banging into the side of his leg. “Fuck!”
Sunnie smiled. “Nice.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Why hadn’t he heard her come in?
“Um…I live here?” She arched one brow.
“Had enough of us already, Z?” Rand entered the hall from the living room.
“What the hell is going on?” Z demanded. “You two are supposed to be at work.”
“We could say the same, Z.” Rand motioned to the toolbox in Z’s hand. “What gives?”
Before he could answer Sunnie moved closer, invading his personal space and cupping his face in her hands. “You’ve been distant for months. Working late, disappearing on weekends. If you want out, Z…”
The tears that formed in her eyes just about killed him. “No! Shit no!” He dropped the box to the floor and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m exactly where I want and should be.”
“Then what gives, man?” Rand asked as he moved in to bracket Sunnie between them. He placed his hands on Z’s shoulders. “You’re holding back, Z, and we don’t like it.”
Fuck! He might have kept his project a secret but he’d obviously not been able to hide it completely. With a sigh, he mentally watched his reveal plan fly out the window. Well, he’d just roll with it. They’d certainly managed to live without a plan so far and, other than this little blip, they’d had a pretty smooth run since they embarked on their three-way relationship.
“It’s not what either of you are thinking.” He swallowed over his dry throat. God, he hoped they liked what he’d done. “I have been hiding something, but it’s a good something, and if you two could have just waited a few more hours…” No point dwelling on that, though.
He pulled back and grabbed one of Sunnie’s hands. It seemed strange, but Z didn’t let that stop him from taking Rand’s hand as well. Rather than explain he towed them behind him down the hall and into their room.
“Oh my.” Sunnie tugged her hand from his and walked over to the bed.
“Wow.” Rand followed her.
Z waited by the door, his shoulders stiff, his spine straight and the churning in his gut threatening to expel his lunch. Sunnie ran her hand over the smooth corner post before turning back to him with tears in her eyes. His gut clenched. God, he hoped they were happy tears.
“Z.” She ran at him then. From two feet away she launched herself into his arms. “I never thought… God! What I thought.”
“Shh…�
� Z’s gaze connected with Rand’s. “I’m sorry I worried you. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Well, it certainly is that.” Rand turned back to the headboard. “I can’t get over the detail in this thing. It must have taken months.”
Z laughed. “Six. But if we’re counting hours it wasn’t that long.” He walked over and sat on the bed, Sunnie still in his arms.
“Jesus. Sunnie, you have to see this.” Rand cupped the back of her head. “He’s carved you in here.”
Her head snapped up, barely missing Z’s chin. “What?” She scrambled off his lap and over to where Rand was pointing. “Holy shit!”
“We’re all in it.” Z shrugged. “It’s our bed so I thought we should all be part of it.”
Sunnie trailed her fingertips over the surfer riding a wave. “Tell me.”
Z moved over behind her and pointed to where he’d carved the image of himself into the timber. “I’m there, on the sand, ready to hit the waves. That’s Rand.” He indicated the rider high on the crest of a wave. “And you, lying under the summer sun.”
“Damn.” Rand clapped Z on the shoulder. “You nailed us.”
He laughed. “The three most important things in our lives.”
Rand smiled. “Sand, surf, and Sunnie.”
~ About the Author ~
Rhian is the alter ego of a stay-at-home mother of four. With motherly duties rapidly dwindling Rhian is able to make use of the fertile imagination she used to keep herself sane for all those years of slavery. Having spent some years living overseas and visiting tropical climates has helped inspire some steamy stories. With the help of Mr. Muse, Rhian spends her days writing and most of her nights as well.
When not glued to the keyboard you’ll find her book in hand avoiding any and all housework as much as possible.
For more on Rhian visit her website www.rhiancahill.com or you can contact her at [email protected] or connect on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/RhianCahill or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RhianCahillAuthor
