“I didn’t act sooner. I should’ve known something was going on. I had my head stuck in the sand, doing my best to make things work with the family firm in Morehead.”
“You’d need to be a mind reader then. You didn’t enjoy working for your family?”
“No. Too much interference and nepotism.” Owen Architectural had been just a little cog in the Owen Enterprises machine. He’d been much happier when he moved out on his own and worked from home after Elizabeth was gone. It also made caring for Patrick easier. He wondered again what his family would think if they knew he was pursuing a ménage relationship, but didn’t plan to let them dictate how he lived his life.
“I know you met Beck at the Pony. You’ve both said as much.” She pressed soft lips to his temple and a fever sparked inside him. He was starting to lose track of their conversation.
“We bonded while drowning our sorrows over the women in our lives—or not in our lives—as the case may be. We didn’t talk much about them but we understood how each other felt. When we met you…”
“Yeah. Epic fail. Mr. Beck—‘I think you’re more woman than I can handle, sweetheart,’—O’Malley was really classy with the lines.”
“He never intended for you to take that as an insult to your shape or size, Luce.”
“I know that now but…”
“He still needs to work on his delivery. Like tonight. He’d been drinking and then that call came. You didn’t see the panicked look on his face when he recognized who was calling him. I told him he was a little harsh with you—”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “A little harsh?”
Patrick let out a breath and slid his hands down her arms. “He said he planned to apologize to you. Whoever called sent him into a free fall tonight. You have a right to be hurt over him yelling at you to move—”
“Cursing at me to move, thank you very much.”
“Cursing at you to move. Yell at him for that when the time is right but see the opportunity, too, honey. He’s drunk. He’s sick. He’s definitely hurting. But I also think he’s free. Isn’t that what you really wanted? The chance?”
On what planet does a guy try to sell his girl on his best friend? Talk about alternative realities.
“I had a feeling that call was from a woman.”
Patrick hid his smile from her, liking the fact that Lucy was obviously defensive of Beck, despite his surly attitude.
Lucy folded her arms and then tucked her head against his shoulder. This time he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. He kissed the top of her head and breathed in her sweet scent.
“Maybe we’re asking too much, Patrick. Just because it worked out for the others doesn’t mean it’ll work out for us.”
Patrick tilted her chin up. “You’re not the only one who wants this. And right now, Beck is too torn up to know what he wants. But the simple fact remains that he walked to your house tonight, when he was feeling his absolute worst. It was you he turned to.”
Lucy’s big orange cat, Waldo, chose that moment to leap into Lucy’s lap and rub his face against her breasts and Patrick was jealous, wishing he could do that, too. Waldo purred loudly as she stroked him for a second before turning his golden eyes on Patrick and waiting for a pat from him, too, and then jumped down. Lucy returned her attention to him.
Up that close, Patrick could see the pale blue and silver striations in her blue eyes that gave them an ethereal quality. He sometimes felt like she could see into his soul with those blue eyes. He’d dreaded telling her his story and he was glad it was done.
Her hands were warm on his cheeks as she kept looking at him. “None of this would work without you, Patrick. Are you sure it’s worth it?”
“It’s worth the chance. Give him just a little more time.”
A smile curved Lucy’s lips as she tilted her head and pressed her lips against his.
Desire filled him, stiffening his cock further, and all the reasons they’d held off on this moment suddenly drifted away as though on a puff of wind. He’d kissed her before, at the end of the dates they’d had in December and early January, but this kiss was different.
Once the three of them had started going out together, their dynamic had shifted. He hadn’t felt comfortable kissing her good-night in front of Beck. Not because it felt wrong but because it didn’t feel right to pair off like that. He’d always meant to ask Lucy how she felt about it but had never had the chance and she had seemed to nonverbally agree. When they’d dropped her off at home at the end of their evenings together, which hadn’t been that many really, she’d waved and wished them both a good night.
His wall of reserve dropped away as she clung to him and kissed him back without reservation. Elizabeth had never been particularly passionate and so Lucy’s response was both stunning and exciting. He knew what it was like to go without and resolve grew in him to do what it took to make their relationship work, no matter what.
This kiss signaled the beginning of something new, and he fully intended to have an illuminating conversation with Beck once he felt better. It was foolishness to continue not really ever voicing what the three of them wanted from whatever kind of relationship they had. He made a mental note to have that conversation just before his rational brain shut down and his primordial brain took control.
“Luce, I want you. I want it all—the three of us—but right now, I need you.”
Breathing what sounded like a sigh of relief, Lucy shifted in his lap and straddled him. She rubbed her pussy along the ridge of his hardened cock, reminding him of how much he wanted her for himself. How many nights had he lain awake wondering what it would be like to make love to her until they were both senseless? Before he could answer his own question, she whispered, “I want you, too.”
Grasping handfuls of her hair, he held her to him and kissed her again, molding his lips to hers in a caress full of promises. She was so unlike the woman he’d grown accustomed to that it thrilled his senses.
She held nothing of herself back, arching against him, pressing her breasts against his chest, sharing her warmth and her willingness with him. Unreserved. She wove a cocoon of warmth and acceptance around him that he’d despaired of ever finding. She filled the cold places in his soul.
The only thing missing was the man in the next room. Not because Patrick had anything besides a brotherly interest in him but because he knew Lucy was capable of giving her love to Beck as well, multiplying it and filling the deep void in his life as well.
Patrick wanted her between them with both of them taking care of her, and her taking care of them. For now, he’d revel in what she gave to him alone.
He brushed the silky fabric of her robe back over her shoulders, causing the overlapping front plackets to part. Her bare skin seared his chest and he groaned as her warm, bountiful breasts filled his hands to overflowing.
He wanted to drown in her, lay her down and just wallow in the sensual heat and soft curves of her body. He pushed the robe from her as she tried to undo the fly of his still-damp jeans. They both wound up laughing and she climbed from his lap and watched him as he stripped his remaining clothing off and then pulled her back down into his lap.
Her skin was like satin under his hands as he stroked her shoulders and her back. He pressed his nose against the velvety flesh beneath her ear and licked and kissed her there as he untied the sash of her robe and tugged the flimsy garment away. Lust ratcheted higher as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her against him and buried his face in her cleavage, breathing in her intoxicating womanly scent.
“I’ve wanted to do this so much, Luce. I’ve needed you.”
She raked her fingernails through his hair, gently scraping his scalp until shivers raced up and down his back and then she palmed the sides of his head and looked at him. She was tall for a woman, so in that position straddling his lap, she was actually looking down at him. Her beautiful face was framed by thick waves of long hair the color of midnight.
The heat glowin
g in her eyes gave her a powerful, almost regal air, and she smiled at him and rubbed her thumb across his lower lip as she spoke. “I want you. I want it all. I’ll never settle for less ever again. The way you look at me makes me feel beautiful. Desirable.” Something else flickered in her gaze and then was gone as her tone softened. “I’ve needed that.”
The thought flitted through Patrick’s mind that Lucy probably had demons of her own. Sharing his story had been cathartic and he planned to extend the same courtesy to her. For now, he’d settle for showing her how much he desired her.
He loved seeing the fire in her eyes because he knew self-confidence didn’t come easy for her. He didn’t know why, because she was one of the sexiest women he’d ever met. The memory of the hurt in her eyes the night he’d met her, when Beck had turned down her offer of a dance still stuck with him, and so did the guilt for not grabbing her himself. But he could make up for his inaction now.
He laid her down on the couch and settled his hips between hers, groaning as she rubbed her slippery pussy against his cock, and drawing a moan from her. His need to be inside her was fierce.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and cradled him against her as he tormented one of her nipples before switching to the other. The hardened points turned darker as he sucked at them. He lost track of time as she trembled beneath him, stroking the back of his head and his shoulders.
It made him feel powerful to evoke such a response in this woman who so often went out of her way to please others and make them feel good. She deserved all of his attention.
A shudder rushed through him as she slid her hand down his rib cage to between his legs and stroked and squeezed his balls until his eyes nearly crossed. He gritted his teeth and flickers of impending orgasm raced through him as her fingers traced through the crisp hairs surrounding his cock. How long had it been since he’d been tempted and teased like this?
Never.
“Woman, I’m not letting you go, regardless of what else happens. You’re mine.”
“Think so, huh?” she whispered in a voice laced with humor and then purred as she grasped his hardened dick. “You’re so hot and big. Is this for me?”
He flexed in her hand. “All yours, Luce.”
The need to be inside her was strong, and he pulled back, unwilling to rush when he wanted to feast on her first. He stayed there for a moment just taking her in. Her pale flesh was luminescent against the burgundy upholstery of her couch in the dimly lit living room. Her hair was spread all around her and flowing over the edge of the couch in black waves that glimmered in the lamplight. He groaned at the sight of her completely bare pussy.
She gave him a playful grin and bit her lip, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. “You like?” Her blush told him this must be a new development and despite her smile she’d been unsure of what he’d think.
“Like is such a weak word, Luce. I’d love your pussy no matter whether you waxed it bare or left it alone. You’re beautiful. All of you,” he murmured as he laid his fingertips against her and winked at her. “You’re hot and wet. Is this for me?”
She panted as she rubbed her pussy against his hand and nodded. She gripped the sofa armrest above her head and her breasts swayed with her movements. Like a magnet to steel, he came to her and pressed his lips against her abdomen, just below her navel. Her belly fluttered at the stimulation and he smiled when he felt her tremble. He wasn’t the only one affected by the moment. “I’m on the pill, Patrick.”
“I’m clean. I haven’t been with a woman since Elizabeth. I was tested right after…you know…to make sure. I’ll use a condom if you’d like.”
“No need. I believe you. Just go easy. It’s been a while.”
No other words could’ve affirmed his desire to take good care of her like those did. She’d always inspired his protective instincts. The last thing he wanted was to be too rough with her.
“Oh, Patrick,” she whispered as he kissed a trail to the side of her mound, at the top of her upper thigh. He rubbed his beard stubble against her inner thigh as he moved downward and kissed her smooth pussy.
She clenched at his shoulder and a needy sound came from her throat as he parted her lips and traced the tip of his tongue over her swollen inner lips. The scent of her juicy, sweet cunt was nearly enough to make him lunge at her and plunder her ripe flesh like a caveman, but he held back.
He slid his tongue over the other side and she arched her back and froze, panting his name. He dipped his tongue into her entrance, heard the catch in her throat at the same time her cunt clenched on his tongue and he knew she teetered on the edge.
He played out the moment, licking deeper with the next stroke, and heard her tiny sob as she whispered, “Yes.” He dipped in one more time and slid his fingertip across her clit and knew triumph as her cunt convulsed. He licked at her and sucked at her clit, drawing a muffled cry from her as she rode the waves of her orgasm, bucking her hips which he realized he was holding in his hands. He pleasured her until she was wrung out and limp beneath him and then looked up at her.
She’d muffled her cry with her hand over her mouth and lay replete, a blush filling her cheeks. Now ravenous, Patrick prowled over her until they were face-to-face. Her smile was radiant as she stroked his biceps and wrapped her calves around the backs of his thighs, welcoming him.
He pressed his lips to hers, swallowing her moan as he nudged her slick cunt with the head of his engorged shaft. So hot and welcoming he nearly came right then. Just as he flexed to enter her, they heard of series of thuds and thumps and muffled cursing erupted from her bedroom down the hall.
Chapter Three
In the throes of a nightmare, Beck landed painfully hard on the wood floor and his stomach rolled as the nausea returned. A satiny throw pillow bounced off of his head. Throw pillow?
He was disoriented in the dark room and felt around as he shoved the pillow off, looking for a piece of furniture or some other marker that would indicate where he was. He jammed his thumb against the base of an unfamiliar nightstand and he crawled over to it, hoping there was a lamp on it. Shards of pain filled his vision as the light blinded him and he cursed again.
“Beck! What happened?” Lucy and Patrick said simultaneously as they rushed into the room. Beck squinted at them and his jaw dropped as Lucy pulled her robe closed but not before he saw the swell of a plump breast and glimpsed a nipple. On any other night, he would’ve wanted a closer look. Much closer. But tonight he felt like the living dead.
“Where the hell am I?” he asked before realizing the answer was obvious. The bedroom was decorated in jewel tones and Lucy was wearing a bathrobe. Dunce. “How did I get here?”
Lucy and Patrick crouched on each side and helped him to stand and he saw Lucy bite her full lower lip as she looked down at him. Glancing down, he realized he was buck-ass naked and shoved a pillow against his groin. The room spun violently and Lucy clucked sympathetically as they helped him to sit down.
“You walked all the way here and passed out on the side of the road just a few houses down from here. You were soaked to the skin and running a fever. I think you may have the flu. Patrick helped you—”
“I remember some of it.” I think. He looked around the room and vaguely remembered debating with her about staying. “Are my clothes dry yet? I need to go home.” The room spun and the nausea returned again and he groaned miserably as his stomach revolted. “I need—”
In the nick of time, Lucy held up the trashcan for him and he humiliated himself further by getting sick in front of the most beautiful—second most beautiful—woman he’d ever known. That honor still went to—
“Oh, fuck me,” he groaned under the weight of the painful memory. Chloe!
“You need to lie back down. Is she the one who called you?” Lucy asked softly as she stroked his bare back.
Had he spoken her name out loud? Chills ran up and down his spine. Up until that night, Lucy had never seen him at his worst. What was happening now wa
s definitely it. He’d thrown up in her home, more than once as he recalled. He’d made an ass out of himself falling out of her bed. What else could go wrong? He knew he was a sweaty, feverish mess and put up his arm to stop her from touching him. He wound up overshooting the distance and knocked her arm away with more force than he intended. “Don’t touch me, I’m—” I’m a disgusting mess.
“Fine.” Lucy handed Patrick the trashcan. “I won’t touch you. I’ll go get your clothing. It’s obvious you really, really don’t want to stay here and I won’t make you.” He could hear the hurt in her voice. A second later she was gone and he wished he could call her back.
“You son of a bitch,” Patrick growled.
Guilt made him defensive. “What?” he asked with upraised hands. “I’m sorry I’m sick, all right? Fuck!”
“At her insistence we searched for you for two hours in that downpour before I finally brought her home. She has to get up early in the morning, dickhead. I’ll go start the truck. You can dress yourself, fever or not.” Patrick continued cursing as he left the room. Very unlike him.
He sat on the bed and groaned, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Every muscle, every joint, every fiber in his body hurt. Even his hair ached. He knew Lucy had taken what he’d said the wrong way. She was a caring person and he hadn’t meant to hurt her. He just wasn’t good at delivering lines and talking smooth like some men were.
Judging by her state of undress, Patrick must’ve smooth-talked her out of that sexy little outfit she’d been wearing earlier. Not that he could blame him. Even though he was a fucked-up mess, he was half in love with her himself. He knew how Patrick felt about Lucy and wondered why they held off. He suspected it was only a matter of time before the two of them got together permanently. They were just taking pity on him by including him when they went out.
“Here are your things. I washed and dried them for you.” She put his warm, folded clothes beside him on the bed and placed his boots by his feet.
Lucy's Revenge [Divine Creek Ranch 15] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4
