Lucy's Revenge [Divine Creek Ranch 15] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  “I’m worried that we’re about to screw up something that’s already precious to me.”

  “Our friendship?”

  Sitting in that crowded dining room wasn’t the optimum place to have such a discussion but the tension continued to tighten inside her. “Yes. I need this friendship. I don’t want to screw it up by turning it into ‘friends with benefits.’ I’m afraid that’s what will happen.”

  Patrick’s brows drew together and the concern in his eyes was obvious. He gripped her hand on the table and looked Beck’s way for a second before giving her all of his attention. “Luce, let’s just take things slow. Nothing happens unless—and until—you want it to. And ‘friends with benefits’ doesn’t appeal to me at all. What I feel goes way beyond that.”

  “Me either, sweetness. I’m sorry if we made you feel that way. Are you uncomfortable here? We can leave.”

  The large party of women who had stared at her earlier entered the main dining area, led by the hostess. She watched as they scanned the room and then their eyes settled on her group as they were seated just a few feet away. Shit! Another woman walked in and joined the group, noisily greeting some of the women.

  “Crap,” Patrick muttered. “My sister Rhonda just showed up at that table. I need to go say hello. Stay put for a minute okay, Lucy?” He glanced at Beck and then got up from his seat.

  Several of the women smiled at him as he strolled over to say hello to his sister. Patrick always seemed so at ease and confident. Watching the way his muscled shoulders rolled under his dress shirt as he hugged his sister and then shook hands with members of the group just made her want him more.

  Possessiveness reared its head when his sister introduced Patrick to a couple of her friends and those women showed obvious interest in him. One even hugged him, casting a glance Lucy’s way.

  “Lucy, look at me,” Beck murmured as he covered her hand with his, where it rested on the table for everyone to see.

  Patrick spoke to his sister briefly and then she glanced Lucy’s way and replied quietly to Patrick. The woman appeared to be few years older than Beck but still very much in her prime. She raised an eyebrow and glanced Lucy’s way once more and Lucy felt like crawling under the table at the scrutiny.

  “Lucy?” Lucy turned her attention to Beck. “Do you want to leave? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Is this too weird for you?” He looked like he was braced for bad news.

  She turned her hand palm up and squeezed his hand back. “No. I’m just feeling a little off kilter, that’s all.” Talk about an understatement!

  “Patrick’s right. I’m not interested in ‘friends with benefits’ either and that’s not why I asked you out. I just wanted you to feel special. I’m on my best behavior here. Aren’t you impressed?” he asked, with that familiar sideways grin. With his dimples visible it was even sexier than before and she gave in to the urge to giggle.

  “Not a single mention of my tits either. I am impressed, actually. You look like you feel much better today. Did you wake up a little sore this morning? I thought you might.”

  He rubbed his chin, the same way he had when it had been covered with his beard, and then chuckled as though he’d just realized it was missing and said, “I’m a little sore all over but I haven’t felt this good in a long time. My neck pain is gone.”

  Feeling a little more settled, Lucy nodded. “Good. You were unbelievably stiff in some places.”

  Beck cleared his throat and shifted in his seat as he glanced at her, humor in his clear green eyes. She blinked as her words dawned on her and laughter burst out of her. She sat back in the chair and put her hands to her burning cheeks and wanted to kiss him. The tension seemed to unravel inside of her as the laughter flowed from her. Beck smiled and she took his hand again. “Thank you. I needed that. I was not laughing at you.”

  “You were laughing near me, I know. It’s okay.” Pointing a finger at her gift sitting on the table, he said, “Open it.”

  She pulled the tissue from the bag and pulled out a pretty ceramic travel mug. It was hand painted and glazed with bright cheerful flowers and honeybees.

  He pointed to the other side. “See what it says?”

  She turned it and giggled. “‘You’re the Bee’s Knees!’ How sweet, Beck.”

  He looked a little sheepish. “I saw it in Cassie’s shop display and I know you like bright colorful things. Thought you’d like it.”

  “I do. It’s perfect and definitely me. Thank you,” she murmured as she gazed into his sexy green eyes. “I’ll treasure it.”

  His eyes were warm as he gazed at her and he beckoned her to lean closer. “You are the most beautiful woman in this room. If you’ve noticed everyone staring at you, sweetness, that’s the reason why.”

  In that instant she knew he was well on his way to winning her entire heart. “You don’t think it’s because I’m obviously on a date with two men?”

  Beck winked. “It’s not that obvious. For all they know we could just be best friends having supper together. Trust me, if they’re looking it’s because you’re beautiful. Purple and blue suit you.”

  She gulped, wishing she could believe him. “I don’t like being the center of attention. It makes me feel weird.”

  “Well you’re the center of my attention tonight.”

  Patrick rejoined them and said, “Mine, too. Think you can handle that?”

  “What?”

  Patrick took her other hand and held it on the cloth-covered tabletop. “Think you can handle being the center of attention for two men?”

  That was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question wasn’t it? Fresh worry entered her mind. “What about the two of you?” She glanced at the tables around them, hoping that no one was eavesdropping. “Can you handle my attention being divided between you?”

  Heat filled Patrick’s gaze as he replied, “That’s not how we would see it, Luce. Can you handle twice the attention you’ll get from the two of us? Two pairs of hands. Two mouths. Double everything.”

  Her pussy throbbed and went warm and wet in an instant and her heart stuttered in her chest at the mental image. Beck cleared his throat and sounded strained as he added, “Twice the orgasms?”

  She squirmed in her seat and could feel the way her cunt swelled as she grew aroused while imagining it. She drew in a shuddering breath and whispered, “Wow. You two are potent when you double-team a woman, aren’t you?”

  Patrick grinned and released her hand to pick up his menu. “This is all new to us, Luce. We’ve never shared a woman before. We want you to be clear on how we feel about you.”

  The waiter arrived with their drinks and took their order. After he absented himself, Lucy said, “So…that’s your sister?”

  Patrick grunted affirmatively. “Yup. She’s mighty curious, too.”

  She pulled her hands into her lap and said, “Do you think it’s a good idea for me to hold hands with both of you? That’s going to mean gossip, and this is bound to get back to your family.”

  Patrick let out a sigh as he lifted his frosty glass to his lips. “That’s already happening, Luce. Some of the ladies at that table were friends with Elizabeth. Them talking doesn’t bother me.”

  “Or me,” Beck said as he stroked her hand under the table. “People are always gossiping about somebody. And I certainly don’t care about the opinion of someone who is friends with a woman like Patrick’s ex-wife. They need better role models.”

  Lucy chuckled and squeezed his hand. “Thank you. I’m just thinking of our businesses. We’re all self-employed now.”

  Patrick nodded in understanding. “We want you to be comfortable, Lucy. What makes you happy?”

  “I like holding your hands, but let’s keep it circumspect while we’re here. I don’t want to rub anybody’s nose in our business tonight.”

  “Then let’s just enjoy our meal like always and then we’ll discuss everything else over dessert later.”

  “Over dessert? How is that supposed t
o help?”

  Beck eyed her with that sideways grin of his. “You’re dessert.”

  Well shut my mouth.

  * * * *

  Patrick enjoyed the deer-in-the-headlights look in Lucy’s eyes. He’d do or say just about anything at that point to keep her distracted from the many stares she was garnering and to keep her focused on what would come later, he hoped.

  It wasn’t so much that he planned to have her in his bed that night, but he wanted more than anything for them to move on from the stasis they were in. He was ready to break the habit of letting her go at the end of the evening.

  The way she nibbled at her lower lip while she blushed made him wonder what she was imagining. His cock reacted and to distract himself from it he asked, “How did Seth’s surgery go?”

  “They were able to reattach the tendon with no problem. Now he just has to wear this weird contraption on his hand and forearm, to keep the area immobilized while he heals. He hates it but he’s working around it.”

  By the time their food had arrived, the conversation had settled into its normal flow, and felt…comfortable. When it was time to leave, he was glad. Comfortable was nice, but he wanted more than talk, and the look in Beck’s eyes said he felt the same.

  After the three of them fought over who was paying the bill, and Patrick won because he’d arranged already for the waitress to put it in his hand only, he settled his gaze on Lucy. “Ready to go?”

  “Yes.” There was a breathless quality to her soft reply.

  She followed him and Beck in his truck back to Patrick’s house, and he wished he’d planned better so they could’ve had her between them that much sooner on the way home. All sorts of fun scenarios for playing in the truck came to mind and his cock grew hard as concrete by the time he pulled into the driveway

  He went around to open the door of her bright red SUV and spied an overnight case on her seat. He pointed to it with a smile. “Want me to bring that in?”

  She bit her lower lip again and she put a hand on it. “I hope I wasn’t—I mean, you didn’t say—I thought I’d be…”

  Patrick held out his hand for it and then held out the other for her to take. “I like that you were thinking ahead. Yes, I’d love it—we’d love it—if you stayed the night with us.”

  She darted a gaze at the surrounding houses and then looked between him and Beck. The lights were still on at his sister Roberta’s house, two doors down, but he didn’t bother sharing that information with her. Patrick Junior was safe over there spending the night but he knew she’d have plenty of questions for him when she dropped his son off before she went to work the next day.

  Lucy gave him the overnight case and placed her hand in his and stepped from the vehicle, a tentative smile on her face. “I’ll stay.”

  The night sounds whispered around them, the humming of the streetlight, the distant whir of an air-conditioner cycling on and a dog barking nearby. There was also a hint of a spring shower in the air and Patrick had an errant vision of her making love to them in the rain. Not in March, though.

  Beck closed her door and moved in on her other side and walked with them to the porch. Patrick opened the door and let her in, and smiled as she noticed the dimmed lights. She stood in the center of his living room and spoke in a hushed tone as he and Beck went about the house lighting candles. “It looks different.”

  He was glad she noticed. The need for a clean slate had taken hold and he’d done just that all afternoon, getting rid of clutter. He’d also ditched decorative touches Elizabeth had chosen that he’d never cared for and hadn’t bothered to remove yet.

  “I’ll put your overnight case in my bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

  Lucy nodded, a tentative smile on her face as he left the room. After placing the case in the bathroom he returned and smiled when he saw Beck standing in the center of the room with his arms wrapped around Lucy. She nodded her head at something he whispered to her and then turned to glance at Patrick.

  Patrick turned on the stereo and then joined them, coming up behind her. He brushed her thick hair over her shoulder so he could press his mouth to her shoulder. Her delicate fragrance teased his nostrils and his cock hardened as he breathed her in, a luscious combination of peaches, vanilla, and woman. He felt it when she trembled.

  “Lucy, we aren’t trying to rush you.”

  “You could tell?” The look in her eyes held the barest trace of guilt and he smiled.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking, Lucy.”

  “I still feel a bit like we’re interviewing each other. Like we’ve come to determine if a ménage is right for us. I can’t help but think that all the other ménage groups we know came together so much more…comfortably.”

  Patrick glanced at Beck and saw the muscle in his jaw flex but he prudently kept his mouth shut. “Lucy, if it doesn’t feel right, we don’t move forward. As far as I’m concerned, we could sit down right now and watch television or just talk for the rest of the evening. The last thing I want is for our relationship to move forward when you’re not ready.”

  “Could we?”

  “What would make you feel best? Would you like to sit down and just talk for a while? Do you need to relax for a little bit while we watch television? Tell us what you need.” Beck looked at him as though he wanted to say something.

  Lucy turned to Beck. “How do you feel about all of this, Beck?”

  Beck looked uncomfortable at first and Patrick had to resist the urge to grin. The man was probably worried that he’d say something to piss her off but he did finally speak up.

  “It took me a long time to come around to all of this, Lucy. Doesn’t make much sense to put off the inevitable. I’d just as soon hammer out a few details. Why don’t we start by sitting down on the couch?”

  Lucy did exactly as he requested, sitting in the center of the couch. “What details would you like to know?”

  “It seems like the two of us are at odds as much as we get along. Could you tell me why it is that you’ve put up with me all this time?”

  Lucy bit her lip and let out a long slow breath. “You’re loyal.”

  Beck frowned as he took a seat beside her and put his hand on her knee facing her slightly. “Loyal? How have I done anything to make you think I’m loyal?”

  Patrick joined them on her other side and Lucy glanced between the two of them before replying. “I think you’re loyal because of how you treat your friends. You held on to the hope that this woman you love might come back to you, even if it was to your own detriment. When I asked Patrick to tell me about her, he told me that it needed to come from you. I have the feeling you would do the same for him. You have to be loyal in order to inspire loyalty.”

  Patrick listened as she spoke and could sense an undercurrent of indignation in her tone, anytime she referred to Beck’s ex. She felt an awful lot of anger on Beck’s behalf, even though she tried to keep her tone neutral.

  Beck nodded and leaned back against the couch getting comfortable. “Even though I’ve pushed you away from anything intimate, you’ve never given up and that tells me that you’re loyal, too.”

  Lucy sat back on the couch appearing as though she were trying to get comfortable, too. Patrick noticed when she smoothed her hand over her abdomen and sat back up. “I’ve been accused of being too loyal at times, also to my detriment. Because I know the difference now, I want someone loyal in my life, too.”

  Recognizing an opening Patrick said, “Lucy, tell us what happened before you moved to Divine.”

  Chapter Eight

  Patrick understood how Lucy felt, as she looked between the two of them, and recalled having a similar talk with her in February. She sighed and then nodded. “I was engaged when I lived in Temple. Chuck’s family was well-to-do. Being from a middle class family, I knew I didn’t come from the background they’d expected, but I’d hoped in time I’d win them over. I was willing to change to make him happy.”

  Beck grunted. “That doesn’t
sound like the Lucy I know.”

  “Stupid, I know. I soon discovered making his mother happy was an impossible task when she took me shopping as an engagement gift. She said that I’d need clothing for social functions.”

  “I thought you enjoyed clothes shopping,” Beck said.

  Patrick grunted. He didn’t like the idea of someone trying to make her over. “Sounds like a Trojan horse to me.”

  “I love shopping, normally. I was uncomfortable but Chuck insisted that if I went along with it, she’d have one less thing, namely my appearance, to complain about. I gave in but inside I rebelled, thinking that she should accept me the way that I was. She took me to an exclusive boutique in Dallas and picked clothing in styles I never would’ve chosen for myself.”

  “Trying to make you over into someone you’re not. I’m relieved all of this is now history,” Patrick murmured, hoping to ease the telling.

  “Not half as relieved as I am. While I was trying them on she criticized my height, my weight, my hair, my shoe size, my dress size, giving all kinds of helpful advice. In between critiquing each new outfit she’d chat with the saleslady in private. I didn’t realize what she was doing until I got everything home. She’d had the saleslady trade out the clothing that fit to a size smaller. Her passive aggressive way of forcing me onto a diet plan. I found out she’d also gotten me a membership at a gym. My school schedule didn’t work for the personal trainer she’d hired and she told me I should just quit that ‘tacky trade school.’”

  Patrick grinned when she growled softly at the memory.

  Beck chuckled. “Now that sounds like the Lucy I know.”

  Lucy smiled even as she crossed her arms in front of her and rubbed her upper arms, a self-protective gesture. “I’ve always felt overweight and awkward since I hit puberty. Her actions and words solidified the criticism and I felt lower than dirt. Chuck was sympathetic, or so I thought. And I hung on because I thought that as long as he liked the way I looked everything would be okay. One long weekend, we took a camping trip to Big Bend, one of my favorite places in the world.”