by Tia Fanning
He’ll bitch that it’s a security risk, Jonathan had explained.
And he’ll probably take it away from you, Jordan had warned.
She had urged them to take the laptop, citing that she didn’t want to get them into trouble, but they insisted that she keep it, as they felt bad that she was bored out of her mind when they weren’t around. They even gave her headphones so she could play music and games, surf the internet, and watch DVDs without alerting Jack.
She glanced around the opulent bedroom that was starting to feel too much like a gilded cage. As pretty as it was, she wanted to get up and move around. Unfortunately, Jordan demanded that she stay in bed unless absolutely necessary—which meant bathroom breaks only. She hadn’t even showered since that initial night. When she’d protested that, Jordan remained adamant about her staying off her feet. How dirty can you possibly get lying in a bed, he’d said.
Oriana looked down at her borrowed sweat pants and t-shirt, then gazed longingly at the bathroom door just a few feet away. Funny enough, the guys had made the master bedroom of their cabin-in-a-cave their guest room. When she’d asked Jonathan why one of them hadn’t taken the master bedroom as their own, he’d joked that they knew she was coming and thought she wouldn’t want to share a bathroom with three men.
Truly, the bedroom was stunning, just like something out of a woman’s designer magazine. When she found out Jonathan had decorated it, she was even more impressed.
Her gaze shifted to one of the draped windows. Like the living room, it showcased a beautiful forest landscape.
Yesterday, Jordan had explained in great technical detail—most of which she didn’t understand—how they created the virtual scenery by implementing some kind of large plasma screen connected to a timed computer program that automatically mimicked the actual weather forecasted for their area, including the times of sunrise and sunset. Just to see if it was as accurate as he claimed, she had left the curtains open when she went to bed. This morning, she woke up to light from a dawning day beaming into her room.
It was only eleven in the morning, so the guys wouldn’t bring her lunch for another hour or so. She smiled as she thought of them, Jonathan with his boyish charm, and Jordan with his intellectual nature. Like their elder brother, they were incredibly sexy, and she had to remind herself to keep her hands off them. After what she had done with Jack that first night, it wouldn’t do to act on the crush she also harbored for the two younger siblings.
Crush. Ha! That was an understatement. She was attracted to both of them. And she suspected they were just as attracted to her. She often caught them staring at her with something akin to desire in their eyes, and their burning gaze did things to her as a woman.
She imagined the shock she would give poor, innocent Jordan if she tried to seduce him. However innocent, a man as smart as him would be a quick learner, she knew, and she had no problem telling a man what she wanted. It would actually be a turn-on for her to take on the role of teacher—teach him how to touch her, to stroke her fire, to bring her to completion. As for Jonathan, well, he probably had more sexual experience than Jordan, but he was young, barely out of college. However, some inner intuition told her not to doubt his ability to please a woman. If she had to guess his bedroom technique, she figured he was the sensitive type, who had read everything he could on the art of pleasure, and who would always put the pleasures of his partner before his own.
Now Jack… Oh, she had a feeling Jack was a masterful lover. He had that dominant alpha personality going on that teased at her secret submissive longings.
Damn. When had she become so greedy? Three men?
Two years without sex will do that to a woman, she reasoned.
But what she felt for the guys was more than just physical. She actually liked being around them. Okay, she hadn’t spent much time with Jack, though what little time she had spent with him was amazing…at least for her.
Despite that fact that the eldest brother appeared to be avoiding her, the two younger ones seemed to enjoy her company as much as she enjoyed theirs. They were so much fun to hang out with, whether they were debating politics or playing board games. While Jonathan and Jordan argued with each other in that teasing way that usually had her rolling with laughter, they always doted on her, treating her like some a fairytale princess—albeit one stuck in a tower.
Jonathan and Jordan had spent all their free time in her room, and she felt like she knew them better than she had known anyone else in her life except for her father. They were refreshingly honest and unpretentious, despite the fact that they were so damn sexy, smart, and she assumed, wealthy. After all, their cabin-in-a-cave was no mere rustic hideaway.
Deciding to disobey Jordan’s “you will remain in bed until I say so” command, Oriana rolled out of it onto unsteady feet. She was sore, but well enough to at least shower.
She was about to enter the bathroom when a light knock sounded at her bedroom door.
With a heavy sigh, she returned to the bed and crawled back into it before answering, “Come in.”
Sporting his usual smile, Jonathan slipped in and shut the door quietly behind him. He approached, a spring in his step. “Hey, Ori. How ya feeling?”
“I feel well this morning, thanks.”
He sat down beside her, the mattress dipping slightly with his weight. “Wonderful!”
“Did Jack let you off early for lunch?” she asked. “Is that why you’re so cheerful?”
“Hell no. I’m supposed to be searching for the keys to helicopter.” He chuckled. “Jack doesn’t know I’m here. But I couldn’t possibly go near this room without stopping in and visiting the enchanting woman that that resides within.”
She lifted a skeptical brow. “You’re such a flirt.”
“And?” he pressed.
“I like it. It’s cute.”
Jonathan puffed his chest out. “It’s nice to know I haven’t lost my touch with the ladies.”
“I doubt that would ever happen,” she said, patting his knuckles gently.
Another knock on her door had Jonathan grumbling under his breath.
“Do you want to hide under the bed just in case it’s Jack?” she teased.
“Fuck it.”
Smiling, she withdrew her hand. “It’s open.”
Jordan walked in, saw his brother, and scowled. “Aren’t you supposed to be searching for something?”
Jonathan shrugged. “I am.”
“I highly doubt you left the keys in here.”
“Perhaps I did.” Jonathan shifted a glance at her before returning it to Jordan. “Do you really want me to find them?”
Jordan sent him warming look as he drew near. “Ori, I was about to start lunch. Is there something special you want?”
She forced a smile. “Yes, a shower, maybe a change of clothes, and a walk.”
“Not yet. Maybe in—”
“Look, I need a shower at least. I’ll run around naked if you can’t find my clothes or let me borrow something to wear, and I’ll forgo the walk, but please, I desperately want to bathe.”
Jonathan laughed. “Yep, we lost your clothes and we have no clothes you can borrow,” he teased. “You’ll just have to go around naked. Don’t worry, we won’t look…much.”
Oriana rolled her eyes. She needed to be strong, or she’d be stuck on bed rest forever.
She glared at the middle brother. “I’m taking a shower.”
“Sweetheart,” Jordan smoothed. “I can’t allow you to do that. It’s only been three days since—”
“Jordan, dear, I’m fine. I doubt the shower will kill me. But if you try to stop me from completing said task, I might be forced to kill you.”
Crossing his arms across his chest, Jordan frowned. “Well, aren’t we a sassy thing this morning?”
“You have no idea.”
Between Jonathan’s mirth and the sexy look of disapproval on Jordan’s face, it took all she had not to smile. They really were just too adorabl
e. It was hard for her to stay mad at them—and hell, even harder to win a fight, she realized, when their charms disarmed her of her anger so easily.
So why fight?
Oriana gave Jordan with her most innocent expression. “Okay, you win,” she conceded. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. I’ll just take a shower after you leave.
His next words convinced her he was a mind reader.
“I’ll be turning off the water in your bathroom when I leave here.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s for your own good. You need to stay in bed. I don’t think you’re strong enough to stand on your feet for the duration of—”
That was it!
Lurching forward, she tried to crawl over Jonathan so she could show Jordan just how strong she was, but the younger brother captured her in his arms and set her back.
“Calm down, Ori,” Jonathan said, laughing. “Let me try.”
She huffed and nodded.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little unreasonable, Jordan?”
“No, I don’t. It’s dangerous. What if she gets dizzy, falls, and hits her head?”
“Fine,” she bit out. “I’ll take a bath then.”
“And should you slip getting in and out of the tub?” Jordan countered. “Or pass out and slide beneath the water and drown?”
Oriana threw up her arms. “Look! You can stay in there with me. I don’t care! But goddamn it, I’m going to exercise my right to hygiene if it kills you both.”
“Don’t you mean ‘if it kills me’?” Jonathan asked.
She shook her head adamantly. “No, I mean you. I know it’s not going to kill me.”
“What’s going on in here?”
The softly spoken question came from Jack, who stood in the doorway like a displeased father who’d come to deal with the bickering children. His gaze roamed over his brothers, then shifted to her in silent query.
“Your brother and I were just debating the dangers of bathing.”
“What dangers?”
“The danger Jordan will be in of he tries to stop me from taking a bath,” she explained, darting a quick glance Jordan’s way.
Jack cocked his head, glaring at her like an errant child. He clearly did not appreciate her sarcasm.
“Again, please.”
Biting her lower lip, she stopped herself from telling him to shove his quiet condescension where the sun doesn’t shine. While Jack’s expression indicated patient exasperation, his body was relaxed, exuding calm control even though he was apparently annoyed with her and his brothers. Yes, she could understand why he was in charge. He was so…commanding.
Was that why she felt the need to curb her smart mouth?
“We were arguing because Jordan is worried that something bad will happen to me if I shower by myself. In the spirit of diplomacy, I have offered to let him and Jonathan watch me bathe so they can ensure my safety. I was just about to get their answer when you came in.”
“Jon, go find the keys. Jordan, go make lunch.”
The two brothers looked over at her. She shrugged.
“Oh, that’s so wrong,” Jonathan muttered. “He’s already given you a bath. It’s our turn to have the pleasure.”
“Perhaps tomorrow,” she whispered back.
His eyes widened. “Really?”
“Out,” Jack ordered, stepping inside the room, his thumb pointing at the exit.
Jonathan winked as he climbed to his feet. “Until lunch, beautiful one. Enjoy your bath.”
“Let’s go, Romeo.” Jordan grabbed the youngest by the sleeve and propelled him toward the doorway.
After they left the room, Jack closed the door, then turned to regard Oriana.
Her cheeks warmed under the perusal. This was her first time being alone with him since the bathtastic orgasm, and what should have been an exciting prospect suddenly unnerved her. The memories of their last intimate encounter, the images that had kept her in a constant state of arousal, now brought forth a myriad of insecurities.
Did he regret his part in her wanton behavior? Was that why he’d been avoiding her?
It was almost funny. Three days had passed and she was just now succumbing to awkward ‘morning after’ anxiety.
“It seems you and my brothers have grown quite close.”
“Um, yeah, we’re close,” she mumbled.
He went into the bathroom.
Oriana listened to him rummage through the cabinets, then heard the bathtub faucet turn on. Within moments, the loud stream became muted, and she guessed he’d added bubble bath to the water.
He came back out and approached the bed. Moving the comforter out of the way, he placed hand at the small of her back, and held the other out for her to take.
She placed her hand in his. “Is that okay?”
“What?”
“That your brothers and I have become friends?”
“Yes.”
Jack helped her from the bed and into the bathroom. With quick efficiency, he undressed her, then lifted her into his arms and deposited her in the tub. Before she could even voice her appreciation, he was already moving toward the exit.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
He looked over his shoulder. “I’ll be in the room, to give you some privacy.”
“Stay.”
Brows lifted in surprise, and in question.
“I need to ask you something.”
Jack turned and leaned against the sink, keeping his gaze on the floor.
Oriana picked up a sponge and began washing her legs. “The last time we were alone together, I, um… Do you regret it?”
“It?”
The corner of his mouth lifted in what could have been a suppressed smile.
“Yes, it,” she emphasized. “You know, the part where I shoved your hand between my legs and forced you bring me to orgasm?”
“Forced?”
“Yes, Jack. Forced. Coerced, compelled, constrained…took advantage of you…”
Rolling her eyes, she tossed the sponge and scooted forward, reclining and dunking her hair. Once saturated, she tried to sit back up, but between the soapy-slick tub and her weakened state, she couldn’t quite manage.
“Fuck,” she muttered, painfully straining as she pushed with her elbows, then tried grasping the side of the tub to pull her weight up.
Suddenly, strong hands were lifting her forward.
“Thanks.”
Jack kneeled down beside the tub. “Do you understand Jordan’s concern now?”
“I wouldn’t have drowned,” she grumbled. “I just would’ve been pissed off and pruney when you all found me.”
He reached for the shampoo bottle. “May I?”
She nodded.
Jack tipped the container and poured a small amount into his palm. With a snap, he set the bottle aside and began working the shampoo into her hair. Once again, Oriana found herself closing her eyes and melting beneath his ministrations. Damn, it felt sooo good. Everywhere.
“You didn’t force me,” he said.
“So glad I didn’t force you…”
“If I didn’t want it to happen, it wouldn’t have.”
She might have taken offense to that statement if he wasn’t massaging her. But those magical fingers his were doing naughty things to her body. That alone let him off the hook.
“…uh-uh… It wouldn’t have happened. I thank you for it, though.”
He chuckled. “You’re welcome.”
She would agree with anything he said as long as kept doing what he was doing.
Jack nudged her forward a bit more and his hands roamed over her neck and shoulders, rubbing the still sore muscles. She slumped forward, her body limp, her core tingling. It was as if his hands were made just for a woman’s pleasure. She felt drunk on his touch.
“God, I love you,” she murmured.
“That’s good to know.”
She laughed softly. “It seems I have no shame when it comes to yo
u.”
He weighed her words before replying. “I like that.”
Strangely enough, she did too.
His fingers traveled down her back, working the muscles with gentle pressure. The tingling within rapidly turned into sparks of spreading heat.
“God, your touch is so…arousing. You know, I’ll do whatever you want—anything—forever and ever more, if you don’t stop.”
“Are you always this honest and compliant?” he asked.
“Honest, always, compliant, never…not anymore. But for you, I’ll be both.”
“Another good thing to know.”
Despite the cooling water, she was on fire. “Later, I’ll remember this discussion and want to die from embarrassment. Right now, I don’t care. I’ll even beg.”
Jack guided her back and rinsed her hair. After moving her back into a sitting position, he found the bottle of conditioner, poured a good amount into his hand, and then went about spreading the cream throughout her hair. Once finished, he retrieved the sponge and body wash, and began cleansing her body.
He did not linger on any one part more than another, nor did he do anything that could be construed as purposely sexual. He just went about his task in a purely professional manner.
It fueled her desire nonetheless.
Her hunger blazed to the point that she thought she might come after all—no conventional stimulation needed. She moved into his hand, searching for that one unintentional caress that would push her over the edge.
“Why will you be embarrassed?” he asked.
Sighing in frustration, she ceased her movements. “Because I’m throwing myself at you like some sex-starved nympho—and it seems you haven’t noticed. I will take the lack of interest as a rejection, and will be ashamed for acting like such a slut in the first place.”
Jack abruptly dropped the sponge and carefully lowered her backward, rinsing her hair and body under the water. When done, he sat her up and released the drain. After retrieving two towels from the shelf, he helped her out of the tub, wrapped her hair with one towel, and began drying her off with brusque pats from the other.
Okay, perhaps she’d been too honest.
“Don’t be angry, Jack. I understand if you don’t find me sexually attractive. I’m not holding it against it you. I’m a grown-up. I promise I’ll get over it.”
