Jeremy stretched. “Yeah, I could use a quick shower. Where are we going, or do I even need to ask?”
“Monical’s Pizza, baby. Sara loves it, you know.”
Jeremy took the stairs two at a time, laughing. “And what Sara wants, Sara gets.”
* * * *
Sara pushed away her plate. She was officially stuffed. When Jeremy had returned home from work, he and Cole had loaded her and Jack into their SUV and taken them to Monical’s for pizza. Sara loved the thin-crust pizza, cut into squares. She could only get it when she and Scott visited his family. It was certainly a treat for her first night in town.
Jack had eaten some pizza and a breadstick with cheese dipping sauce. He was sitting on Cole’s lap while Jeremy wiped his face and hands. She felt like a queen. Jeremy and Cole had barely let her lift a finger since arriving.
“Jeremy, I had a meeting at the bank earlier this week. It’s one of the reasons I came up here.”
Jeremy looked up from cleaning Jack’s face. His expression was concerned.
“Is everything okay? Do you need money, princess? I told you when Scott died that you didn’t need to work. The business makes more than enough money to support you and Jack. It was part Scott’s, and now his part belongs to you.”
Sara laid her hand on his arm. He was so sweet to be concerned, but she could take care of herself. “No, everything is fine. I have my salary from teaching, the life insurance proceeds, and the quarterly allowance you send me from the business. I don’t have any money worries. This was about an account that Scott was sending money to. He sent two thousand dollars a month to an account here in Champaign. I assume it has something to do with the business since we aren’t short any money. The only reason I found out is that the account he transferred the money from went to a zero balance. I went ahead and authorized the transfer from my own account for this month.”
Jeremy frowned. “An account here in Champaign? I’m not aware of any account.” He looked at Cole. “Do you know anything about this?”
Cole shrugged. “I’m creative, not an accountant. Check with Steve on Monday. He’ll know. Maybe he and Scott were doing something with expenses and he forgot to stop the transfers. It’s probably no big deal.”
Sara was puzzled. She had assumed that Jeremy knew all about it. “You don’t know anything about it? Isn’t that strange? Do I need to be concerned?”
Jeremy smiled reassuringly. “Not all that strange. I don’t get involved with every single bank account we have. I’ll get the details on Monday from Steve. Do you have the account number?”
Sara pulled a card from her purse. “This is it. You’ll find out?”
“Of course. I’ll talk to Steve when he gets back from vacation. I just remembered he left for a few weeks.” Jeremy tucked the card in his pocket and reached for Jack.
Sara sighed. “You’re spoiling him. He’s going to want to be held every minute when we go home. As it is, I feel like I do everything with one hand. I cook, clean, read, even talk on the phone with him on my hip.”
“We don’t want you to go home. I know Cole mentioned it. We want you to stay here with us. We miss you and we miss Jack. We can help you. You do too much on your own. And speaking of carrying him on your hip, we made a massage appointment for you on Monday.”
Sara was torn between gratitude—her back ached constantly—or being pissed off at their high-handedness. She tried to walk the line between the two.
“I appreciate that, Jeremy. My back does take a beating. However”—she gave them a stern schoolteacher look—“I’m not sure that I’m up for discussing pulling up stakes and moving our lives here. I have a life in Florida. Yes, it’s been hard. But it’s. My. Life.”
They both had the grace to look ashamed. Cole stroked her arm. “We’re sorry, princess. We’re just so damned glad to have you here. We swear we’re not trying to take over your life. We just want to take care of you, pamper you a little. Is that so bad?”
No, it wasn’t bad. It was wonderful. Fabulous. Scott hadn’t been the pampering type. He preferred to be pampered, if the truth be known. She had never minded. She loved taking care of him and making him feel special and loved. He had always shown appreciation for all she did.
But these men in one night had made her feel more relaxed and cared for than she could ever remember being. It didn’t help that she was acutely aware of them. They were both incredibly handsome, incredibly male. Their hard bodies drew her eye wherever they were in the house. They smelled amazing, too. Both smelled manly but different. Jeremy had a woodsy scent, while Cole’s was spicier. She could breathe them in all night. She was embarrassed that her panties had gone quite damp when she was around them. She prayed they couldn’t smell her arousal.
That would be beyond humiliating. Cole and Jeremy had been so good to her. She wouldn’t repay their kindness by embarrassing them with her out-of-control libido. She blamed this on being without a man for so long. Now she had two, one on each side, and her touch-starved body was begging for attention.
“No, it isn’t bad. I’m just not used to it, that’s all.”
Jeremy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his broad chest. His biceps strained against the short sleeves of his T-shirt.
“Get used to it, princess. We’ve only just begun.”
Chapter 4
Sara padded the short distance down the hall to Jack’s bedroom. She wanted to check on him one more time before she turned in. His first night in an unfamiliar place could make for an eventful sleep. Luckily, he had been so exhausted from traveling and the excitement, he had fallen asleep easily. Jack was a heavy sleeper. With any luck, he would sleep the night through. She peeked into his room and gazed at his angelic face. Her heart ached that he would grow up without a father’s love. It just wasn’t fair. Jack would be without a father’s love and she would be without a man’s love. Yes, they had each other, but it really wasn’t the same.
She couldn’t help but think about the conversation at the book club. She did owe it to Jack and Scott to live her life to the fullest, not wasting a moment. She deserved to be happy. She was a good mom and had been a good wife. Her heart was lonely and her body craved physical contact. That much was clear. One evening with Jeremy and Cole and she was thinking naughty thoughts that left her panties damp and her skin flushed.
She had always found them handsome and sexy, but tonight her desire was in overdrive. She couldn’t help but notice the secret smiles between them, the comfortable and loving vibe they gave off, or the way they accidentally brushed against each other. They appeared to be happily in love.
She blew a kiss to Jack and stepped into the hall, stopping at a strange noise. She stayed very still, listening for it again. Her first night in a strange home was sure to have unfamiliar noises she would have to get used to. She heard it again and felt her face get warm. The noise she was hearing was moaning and groaning. Jeremy and Cole must be making love.
As if she couldn’t control her own legs, she found herself standing outside their bedroom door. She could hear their muffled voices.
“Fuck me, J. Fuck me hard. God, I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby. I’m going to fuck you and then I’m going to suck you dry. I love your cock. You’re going to give me a mouthful of cum.”
“Yes, I’m going to fuck your mouth, hard and fast.”
Sara gasped at her own arousal from the nasty, dirty talk. Her nipples were hard against her T-shirt, and honey had soaked her panties and dampened her pajama shorts. Her breath was coming in pants. She fled back to the sanctuary of her bedroom, heart pounding, hoping that they hadn’t seen or heard her.
She jumped into bed and pulled the covers over her, lying very still, waiting for a sign that she had been caught. As the minutes passed, she slowly relaxed, her heart rate returning to normal. That was really stupid. She should be ashamed of herself, listening in to their intimate moments.
That’s how low you’ve sunk.
/>
Sara closed her eyes in shame. She would have to pay close attention to how they acted in the morning to see if she had been found out.
* * * *
Cole pressed against Jeremy’s back.
“Morning, handsome. Sleep well?”
Jeremy turned from the pancakes he was making and grinned.
“Excellent. Someone wore me out.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” Cole smirked.
“I think it was mutual.”
Cole looked toward the stairs. “Princess awake yet?”
Jeremy shook his head. “Nope. I hope she sleeps in today. I got Jack out of bed, and he’s working on breakfast.”
Jeremy waved a spatula to where Jack was eating a pancake with his bare hands and making quite a mess at the kitchen table.
Cole leaned over and gave Jack’s sticky cheek a kiss.
“Morning, sunshine. Like pancakes?”
“Me eat pa-cakes.” Jack chortled with a grin.
“I think I need a stack myself. Want some more milk, Jack?”
“Milk. More!” Jack banged his empty sippy cup on the table.
Cole grabbed it and started to refill it.
“Say please, Jack.”
Jack showed off his new teeth. “Peez!”
“Here you go. You’re welcome, buddy.”
Cole turned back to Jeremy.
“Do you think she knows we know?” Cole’s voice was low.
“Are you sure we know? That noise outside our bedroom may not have been Sara listening. Maybe it was our imagination.”
Cole shook his head. “No way. I know what I heard. It was her. She was listening to us making love. Fuck, I wish she had just opened the door and joined us. My cock’s hard just thinking about it.”
Jeremy’s smile was rueful. “Me, too. But Sara isn’t the kind of woman who gets off an airplane, has some pizza, and then jumps into bed with two men. No matter what kind of Penthouse fantasies we have.”
Cole grinned. “Let’s leave the door propped open. Just in case.”
* * * *
“Tina, I know Steve’s on vacation, but can you check on one of our bank accounts for me? I need to know what it’s for.”
Jeremy handed the card Sara had given him to Steve’s assistant. He hoped Tina could tell him about the account. He had to admit that he was curious as to why his little brother was sending two thousand dollars to a bank account here in Champaign.
“I can try, boss. I don’t have Steve’s level of access, though.”
Jeremy leaned against the file cabinet while Tina’s fingers flew over the keyboard. Long moments later she handed him the card back, shaking her head.
“I can’t find that account in our database. But if it’s one of our bank accounts, perhaps I just don’t have access. You own the joint, though. You should have access.”
Tina gave him a teasing smile. Jeremy laughed.
“True. If I sign in, can you execute the query? You know I hate this accounting stuff.”
Tina grinned. “Yeah, I know. You’d rather be writing a new video game. I get it. Yeah, just sign in here.”
Jeremy leaned down and typed his credentials into the computer. He loved computers, but he hated talking debit and credits. He could get into talking about the financials of the company but didn’t want to delve into the details of every transaction for copy paper and pens.
Tina pressed a few buttons and shook her head again.
“Sorry, boss. There’s no account number that matches. Is this some super-secret slush fund for executives?”
“Ha-ha, I wish. I guess I’ll wait until Steve comes back and see if he knows anything about it.”
“Probably your best bet. Maybe it’s a new account and he hasn’t added it yet.”
Jeremy could only hope so. If not, he had serious questions as to what Scott had been up to.
* * * *
Sara leaned back in the chaise lounge and watched Cole and Jack finger painting. Cole came home early from work and insisted they all sit on the verandah and paint. Sara finger painted a picture of the rising sun and was now sipping on iced tea. Cole and Jack were turning out masterpiece after masterpiece. No way would there be room enough on the refrigerator for all these pictures.
The last two weeks had been some of the most restful and relaxing that Sara could remember. Having both Jeremy and Cole around to help her with Jack had taken such a burden from her shoulders. Jack, too, had blossomed under all the male attention he was receiving. Sara felt slightly guilty she hadn’t brought him to visit sooner. He needed strong, positive male role models. Jeremy and Cole certainly fit the bill.
There had also been no mention of the evening that Sara had overheard them making love. Thank goodness they hadn’t heard her in the hall. That would have been embarrassing beyond belief. As it was, she fought the images in her brain every night when she closed her eyes. Her dreams were filled with their strong hands and mouths stroking and kissing her body. She woke up with soaked panties every morning.
“My do.” Jack pulled the paint jar out of Cole’s hand. Lately, everything was Jack’s “to do.” Since coming here, Jack’s confidence had skyrocketed and he wanted to do everything himself.
“Not this time, buddy. Let Uncle Cole pour out the paint.” Cole quickly poured the paint and placed Jack’s hands in the squishy medium before a tantrum could start.
Cole turned and gave her a smile. She felt her heart flip-flop and her stomach flutter. It happened every time she was with one or both of these men. It wasn’t just that they were handsome or sexy, although they were. In spades. They were fine men. They worked hard. But they balanced work with a sense of friends and family. Sara never got the idea from them that work was their number-one priority.
Sara smiled back. “Tantrum nicely averted. You know it won’t always be that way, right? Sometimes you can do everything right, but he’ll be tired or hungry and we can’t do anything to console him.”
Cole wiped his paint-covered hands on a towel and plopped at the end of the lounge chair.
“I’m just glad when it works. I know there will be times we have to say no to him for his own good and he’s not going to like it one little bit. I’m guessing we’ll hear about it. He seems to have pretty healthy lungs on him.”
Indeed he did. Jeremy and Cole had learned just how healthy a few days before when Sara wouldn’t let Jack have a second cookie. He was one upset little boy.
Cole snagged his iced tea glass and took a gulp. “I’ve been thinking about his birthday party. Why don’t we have a cookout here at the house? It’s the Fourth of July, too. We can have a double celebration.”
“A cookout? It’s great weather for it, but I don’t want you to go to any trouble. Jack’s only going to be two. He won’t remember a party. We can just take him for pizza and to the park. I went shopping yesterday and bought him some new toys. That’s what he’ll really care about.” Sara chuckled.
“Will you stop acting like you’re this giant imposition? We love having you here. Let me repeat that. We love having you here. We don’t want you to leave. A cookout is no big deal. We love to have people over, and this is a great excuse.”
Sara rolled her eyes. “Got it. No imposition. Love having me here. Check. Okay, it sounds like a great idea. What can I do?”
Cole ran his finger down her bare arm, making her skin tingle and her pussy cream. His scent surrounded her, mixing with the outdoors. It was heady stuff. “We’ll start planning after dinner. Casual, but great food. Kid-friendly food. How does that sound, princess?”
“Great. Terrific.” Even to her own ears, she sounded breathless.
Cole looked at her with his soulful brown eyes. “You like being here, right, princess? We’re making you happy?”
Sara squeezed his hand. “Yes. I’m having a great time. I haven’t been this rested since before Jack was born. It’s been wonderful.”
Cole lifted her fingers to his lips, kissing them tenderly.
>
“I’m glad. We want you to be very, very happy here. Let us know if there’s anything else we can do.”
How about make love to me?
Sara shook her head to pull herself out of the daze his mesmerizing gaze had put her in. “Nothing else. There’s nothing else.”
Cole quirked an eyebrow. “If you’re sure, princess.”
* * * *
Sara leaned back in the bathtub, replaying the conversation with Cole. It had almost seemed as if he was flirting with her. That couldn’t be the case, of course. Jeremy and Cole were a couple. They had been together, happily, for years.
They were probably just being kind, realizing she hadn’t had much male attention in the last months. Sara sighed as she thought of Scott. He had literally swept her off her feet. He had been on vacation in Florida when they met at a beachside restaurant. When he returned to Illinois after his one-week vacation, she thought she’d never see him again. How wrong she was. He had e-mailed her the minute he arrived home. Six months and six visits later, Scott had proposed. They had decided to make Florida their home due to the poor health of Sara’s father.
She had never regretted marrying Scott. Their marriage had been a happy one. No relationship was perfect, but they worked at it. It had been difficult with Scott gone so often, traveling for business, but it was worth it.
Was she disloyal for being attracted to Jeremy and Cole? Scott had probably found other women attractive when they were married. It was only natural. She stared at the ring finger of her left hand. She had stopped wearing her ring shortly after Scott died. She was constantly taking it off anyway to change diapers so one day she just never put it back on.
She wasn’t married anymore. The girls had reminded her to embrace life and not waste a moment. Surely there was nothing wrong with panting after these two men? They were so hunky and sexy, any card-carrying woman would be aroused.
Her Game, Their Rules Page 3
