by Erika Wilde
She brushed her teeth, then found her purse and retrieved the elastic band she always carried with her for times like this when she needed to put up her hair. She piled it into a loose knot on the top of her head, then walked into the shower and beneath a stream of hot water, which felt heavenly. She had no choice but to use Declan’s body wash for now, and a few minutes later, she was done since she didn’t shampoo her hair. Stepping out of the shower stall, she dried off, let her hair back down, and wrapped the large towel around her body, very aware of the woodsy, masculine fragrance of his soap clinging to her skin.
Back in the bedroom, she saw her dress and panties on the floor where Declan had stripped them off her a second time. Since she wasn’t heading home immediately, she walked into his closet and chose a sage-green T-shirt with US ARMY across the front and below it the word “Hooah,” which at first glance she mistook for “hoo-ha,” which was an euphemism for a woman’s vagina. Realizing her mistake, she giggled to herself as she put it on, the hem reaching mid-thigh. Declan’s shoulders were wide, but her larger breasts filled out the front of the tee, slightly stretching the material to accommodate her chest. She didn’t know what hooah stood for, but she intended to find out when Declan returned. If she only had three weeks with him, she wanted to know everything about him and his life in the army that she could.
Not bothering with her panties, she left the bedroom, following the hallway down to where it opened into a spacious family room and connecting kitchen. Spying the Keurig on the counter and desperately needing caffeine while she waited for Declan, she beelined in that direction.
Opening the cupboard above the coffeemaker, she found mugs on the second shelf and had to stand on her tiptoes to reach one. When she stretched her arm high, the back of her T-shirt rose a few inches to expose the curve of her butt, not that it mattered since she was all by herself.
“Good morning,” a deep, familiar voice greeted her.
Startled by the sound when she thought she was alone, she let out a squeak of surprise and whirled around before she could grab a cup and quickly yanked down the hem of her shirt—as if modesty mattered to a man who’d already seen her completely naked, head to toe and everywhere in between.
Rick sat at a small table in an alcove, a cup of coffee and an open laptop in front of him. He chuckled devilishly, clearly enjoying the fact that he’d caught her off guard and had undoubtedly gotten a glimpse of her bare ass. His gaze passed over her breasts, and her damn nipples stiffened against the fabric.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, flustered by his presence and her reaction to him. Her chemistry with Declan was far stronger, but she’d always been attracted to Rick and that still held true. She found her feelings and the situation all very perplexing and complicated.
Amusement danced in his eyes as he stood and crossed the kitchen toward her, dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a collared shirt. “Well, I happen to live here.”
Her jaw dropped open. “You do?” she asked, confused. “You weren’t here last night.”
Not knowing what he intended, her heart raced as he neared, but he merely brushed past her and reached up to the second shelf and brought down a mug for her and placed it on the counter. Then he turned around to face her again.
“I was at the Players Club until four, and when I got home, all was quiet, so I assume you two were sleeping.” He shrugged. “That’s probably why you didn’t see me. Until now.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, feeling bad about her rude outburst. “Declan didn’t tell me you lived here, too, so seeing you this morning was a bit of a shock.”
Rick grinned, a teasing light in his eyes. “I’m sure he had other more important things on his mind last night than giving you his living arrangements.”
Summer’s cheeks warmed at his insinuation, which was ridiculous because she and Rick had been just as intimate before her exclusive pact with Declan.
“Half-and-half is in the refrigerator,” he said, shifting back to regular conversation. “And sugar is on the first shelf in that same cupboard, which you should be able to reach.”
He strolled back to the table, and Summer exhaled a deep, calming breath as she popped a pod into the Keurig machine and hit the start button. Once her coffee was brewed, she added a bit of half-and-half, stirred in a spoonful of sugar, and took her mug to the table, sitting across from Rick, who’d shut his laptop and was now finishing his coffee.
After a sip, he met her gaze and broke the silence that had settled between them. “So, did you have a good time last night? Was The Players Club everything you imagined it would be?”
She laughed, even though she could feel herself blushing again. “Actually, it was.” She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, debating on whether to say more, but decided that a man like Rick, with his own proclivities, would understand. And considering what they’d already shared at the club, being frank with him about sexual preferences was probably commonplace and not a big deal for Rick. She was learning to accept her own desires. Embrace them, even.
“I’d always fantasized about kinkier sex,” she said, wrapping her hands around the warm mug in front of her. “The thought of being restrained has always excited me. Same with being dominated. And me submitting. All the things we indulged in last night. But the men I’ve dated and had sex with prior to The Players Club were very vanilla, and it just wasn’t enough to . . .” Her words trailed off as she sought the appropriate words.
“Get you off?” he suggested blatantly.
She laughed, appreciating his straightforward approach. “Yes.”
A smirk hitched up one corner of his mouth. “That clearly wasn’t a problem last night.”
“No, it wasn’t,” she admitted, and took a sip of her coffee. “And I honestly don’t think I could ever go back to vanilla sex all the time.” She’d never had multiple orgasms without a whole lot of vibrating toys and dirty fantasies in her mind. Last night, she’d lived those filthy fantasies, and she couldn’t imagine going back to bland and boring sex.
“And to answer your first question, yes, I had a good time last night.” She wanted him to know that she’d enjoyed everything the three of them had done together. No shame or regrets. Even if she was now exclusively Declan’s.
“Good,” he said, his voice a low, sexy rumble. “I did, as well.”
He relaxed back in his chair, his gaze dipping down to her breasts before lifting back up to her mouth, as if he was remembering all that had transpired between them in the playroom. He’d touched her, kissed her, and fucked her, all while Declan watched and participated, and now Rick was sitting in front of her like it was completely normal, while she shifted awkwardly in her seat. She hadn’t thought how it would be facing Rick again after he’d done such wicked things to her body, and she had no idea what the protocol was for enjoying a very hot threesome that had become a twosome and he was now the odd man out.
“Don’t overthink things, Summer,” he said in an amused tone, as if he was inside her head reading her disconcerting thoughts. “It was one night of the three of us being together. It was consensual and incredibly hot, but I totally respect Declan’s wish to spend time with you.”
She frowned, wondering how he could concede so easily and be so indifferent to what had happened between the three of them. Unless she’d just been another warm body for him. “And it meant nothing to you?”
“I never said that,” he replied, his dark green gaze direct on hers. “Fucking you definitely meant something, but it meant more to Declan, and that’s what matters. It’s not often that he’s selfish and wants something all to himself, so it was easy to bow out and let him have you for the duration of his stay.” Then he grinned wickedly. “Trust me, I’d fuck you again given the chance and Declan’s permission, so you’d be mistaken to think or believe I don’t want you.”
Oh, wow. His honesty sent shock waves through her body. The kind that spiraled down to intimate places. Rick clearly cared about D
eclan, and as stepbrothers, they obviously had forged a bond over their years together. One where Rick felt as though he was doing the honorable thing by stepping out of the ménage, for Declan’s sake—even if Rick still desired her.
She exhaled a deep breath, and when Rick got up to make himself another cup of coffee, she glanced around the kitchen and dining area, which looked to have been recently updated. A window beside them with the shutters open to let in daylight revealed a spacious backyard that was well maintained, along with a pool and spa. All of which made her wonder about the stepbrothers’ living arrangements.
When Rick returned and slid back into his seat, she decided to ask, to keep their conversation away from any more intimate revelations. “So, do you and Declan share this house, or does he just stay here when he’s on leave?”
“We co-own the place,” he said, explaining the arrangement. “The house belonged to our parents, and when they passed away, we inherited the property. We were both fairly young at the time, so instead of selling, we decided to keep it and paid the loan off with the life insurance money so we didn’t have a mortgage to worry about. I live here full-time, and yes, Declan stays here when he’s on leave. Right now, it works for both of us, but I’m sure at some point one of us will buy the other out.”
She was fascinated by everything he’d just said, but there was one thing that stood out to her, and she stopped him before he could say anything more. “Wait. Your dad and Declan’s mom . . . they’re gone?” she asked, remembering the parental dynamics from a throwaway comment Declan had made the night before about his mother marrying Rick’s dad.
Rick nodded. “Yep, and way too fucking soon.”
His tone was gruffer than normal, his grief still apparent. Her heart went out to him because she knew and understood the pain of losing a loved one, too. Her mother’s overdose death had been a shock, but losing her grandmother had been a devastating blow for Summer. Years later, she still missed the older woman who’d raised her, and missed her every single day.
“How old were you and Declan?” she asked, and finished off the last of her coffee.
Rick absently tapped his fingers on the table. “Declan had just turned twenty and was still trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life,” he said with a touch of humor. “And I was twenty-two, just graduated from college, and had started working for Noble and Associates.”
“Do you mind me asking what happened to your parents?” she asked softly.
He didn’t hesitate. “They were on their way home from dinner one night and two cars that were racing one another ran a red light at ridiculously high speeds.” A pained look passed across his features as he retold the terrifying tale. “Both vehicles slammed into our parents’ at the same time, which caused our parents’ car to catch fire, and because they were both pinned in the vehicle because the wreckage was so bad, neither one made it out alive.”
“I’m so sorry.” Her chest hurt at the awful tragedy. “That’s horrific.”
“Yes, it was.” His jaw clenched at the harrowing memories. “It happened ten years ago, but it’s still difficult to think about and process.”
She could only imagine. “And your biological mother? Is she around?”
He shook his head. “She divorced my dad when I was about six to marry someone else, and I wasn’t part of that plan.”
She heard the faint hint of bitterness in his voice, not that she could blame him for feeling that way. Being abandoned by a parent definitely messed with a kid’s head. “And what about Declan’s biological dad?” she asked curiously, fascinated by these two men’s pasts.
“Another tragic tale, unfortunately,” he replied, his tone now wry. “I think you should ask him about all that. It’s not my story to tell.”
“Fair enough,” she said, just as the front door slammed shut, announcing that Declan had returned from his morning run, and her heart automatically leapt in anticipation. God, she was already so infatuated with him. She didn’t want to think about where her feelings would stand in three weeks.
A few seconds later, Declan walked into the kitchen, his gaze sliding from Summer across the table to Rick, a slight furrow forming between his brows. There was nothing intimate about her and Rick’s positions or their body language toward one another, but there was no mistaking the now familiar possessive spark she saw darken Declan’s gaze as he came up to her side of the table.
He didn’t say a word, just slid a hand into her hair, gripping the strands in his fingers and tipping her head back so she was forced to look up at him and meet his hot, glittering gaze. His hair was damp with perspiration, along with his skin, and it didn’t escape her notice how his T-shirt now clung to every muscle and ridge of his upper body.
His face lowered, stopping inches away from hers as he inhaled deeply. “Mmm. You smell like me,” he said, his voice a deliberately aggressive growl that sparked a fire deep in her belly.
She knew Declan meant the body wash she’d used, but he was being incorrigible in front of Rick and deliberately giving the comment a very sexual connotation. Like he’d put his unique scent all over her body during the course of the night of fucking her, to imprint her as his. Which he had, but all those pheromones had been washed away in the shower.
Then, he closed the distance separating their lips and kissed her, his mouth hot and greedy on hers and his fingers tight in her hair so that it was clear who was in charge and who she belonged to. His tongue swept deep inside, unabashedly claiming her in front of Rick. She uttered a soft, unraveling moan and didn’t do a damn thing to stop him, because truth be told, she liked being branded by this man.
“Jesus Christ, Declan, you’re being a fucking barbarian,” Rick said, sounding surprisingly annoyed. “You don’t need to mark her in front of me. I’m not going to touch her.”
Declan ended the kiss with a nip of his teeth on her damp lower lip, then lifted his head, meeting her gaze with a cocky smirk on his face. “Just making sure she knows she’s mine.”
She rolled her eyes at his arrogance, which she found much too sexy when, on any other man in her past, she would have hated such pretentious behavior. “Trust me, I do.”
“That’s all that matters.” Seemingly satisfied, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, contradicting the ravishing one he’d just given her as he released her hair and straightened.
“So, what were the two of you talking about?” he asked casually, as if he hadn’t just put on a display of dominance for Rick’s benefit.
“Your mom and Rick’s dad and what happened to them,” she said, her voice sympathetic.
Declan braced his hands on his hips and exhaled a deep breath, his expression flashing with a momentary bout of pain over the loss. “Yeah, definitely a tough time in our lives,” he murmured.
“I’m very sorry.” She didn’t ask Declan about his biological dad, the one thing she was still curious about. It didn’t seem like the right time, so she saved the question for another day, when they were alone.
She stood up and grabbed her empty coffee mug to take to the counter for a refill. “Why don’t you go and take a shower and I’ll see what I can make us for breakfast,” she suggested.
“Sounds good,” he said with an enthusiastic nod and rubbed his flat stomach. “I’m starving. Be back in less than ten.”
He strolled out of the kitchen, leaving Summer alone with Rick again, who brought his own cup to the sink and rinsed it out.
“Would you like breakfast, too?” she offered, more than happy to feed him, as well.
He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’m good. But there’s eggs and bacon in the refrigerator, and bread for toast.”
While she retrieved those items, he put a frying pan on the stove for her since she had no clue where the cooking utensils were located, along with a spatula. Once the skillet was hot enough, she layered strips of the bacon on the bottom, then cracked eggs in a bowl to scramble them.
Rick leaned casually against the coun
ter next to her. “I know Declan can come across as a bit overbearing, but I want you to know that you’re really good for him.”
His unexpected comment surprised her, and she tipped her head in his direction as she turned the strips of bacon to crisp the other sides. “Why is that?”
“Because when he’s home on leave, Declan mostly keeps to himself and is usually a bit . . . withdrawn, which I suppose comes with what he does in the military, which is mentally and physically taxing.” He crossed his arms over his chest and continued. “This is the first time that he’s ever made a concentrated decision to spend more than one night with a woman while being home, and it’s really nice seeing him so optimistic and looking forward to enjoying his time off.”
Summer was very glad she was able to give Declan that reprieve, even if she was going to be the woman he walked away from and left behind—a thought that already felt like a twist in her gut. She gave her mind a mental shake, because she couldn’t keep dwelling upon that future end date looming ahead. She’d made the choice to be with Declan knowing the outcome, and she needed to savor and enjoy their time together just as much as he did.
Rick glanced at the time on his cellphone and straightened from the counter. “I need to get going. I’ve got a golf game lined up, so you two have a good time today, whatever you end up doing.” He gave her a wink and headed toward the front door.
Once he was gone, Summer returned her attention to making breakfast, a bit relieved that Rick had somewhere else to be. As much as she truly liked him, she found it incredibly stressful dealing with both stepbrothers in the same room and hoped in time that awkwardness would dissipate. Especially since it seemed to be her issue and not Rick’s or Declan’s. Then again, they were used to sharing women, while she was still trying to figure out how to compartmentalize her different feelings for each man.
