She swallowed a little uncomfortably. "No need to worry, Byron, I'm fine. I just thought I'd take a nap. I've been working hard recently, and I haven't been sleeping all that well. That's all that's wrong," she quietly whispered.
He looked a little doubtful but approached her and handed her the list, smiling at her as she signed the material list before leaving her to the peace and quiet of her room.
Dammit! Why did he have to be so good looking? Why did Hugh have to be so good looking, as well? It was too terrible for words to have such gorgeous men always about the place. Hugh and Byron were devilishly handsome men, and, when the two were together, it was a stunning sight to behold.
Despite her renewed embarrassment as she recalled the brothers' earlier conversation, she felt her body throb with need. But seconds later the sensation was quashed by the thought of Joe and her mother's insistence that they get back together. Her thoughts felt overcrowded, and it was hard to be rational when her life felt as though it had reached the rock bottom.
Tapping her fingers on the bedspread, she bit her lip as she considered the next actions to take. As ridiculous as it sounded, her mother wanted her to get back with Joe. Whether she wanted it herself was another matter entirely. Closing her eyes against the horrible truth, she sucked in a steadying breath. Although her mother told her it was for her own good that she get back with Joe, she knew that it was primarily for selfish reasons. Joe had been supporting her family ever since they'd gotten married by getting them out of scrapes with the law, by paying off mortgage arrears that the family couldn't handle. The list just went on and on. She knew that her mother didn't want the gravy train to end. She wasn't completely blind to her mother's faults!
At the same time, she knew, knew, that Joe wouldn't get back with her unless she sparked his interest in her as a woman once more. She wasn't unfortunate looking, and, as annoying and unsettling as it was, she also knew, because she'd been told often enough, that she exuded an aura of innocence that made men want to corrupt her. Her figure was decent. She'd always had to work hard at it to keep it that way, especially in the last few years because all the hours at the computer had taken their toll... but she thought she had curves in all the appropriate places. There was no reason for Joe to find her wholly unattractive.
To a point, she knew that she was equally at fault for the breakdown of their marriage. She'd lost as much interest in him as he had in her, so she had to shake things up a bit. When she recalled the conversation that Hugh and Byron had had about the cameras, a crazy idea began to take shape in her mind's eye.
The surveillance system was entirely visual. There was no audio. She'd watched some porn once, where a woman's husband had watched her fuck some strange guy who had come to their house to fix or deliver something. Maybe, if she did the same, maybe if she added some spice to their admittedly lacking bedroom department, he would want to come back to her? Sometimes all it took for Joe was for someone to want something of his for him to remember why he wanted it. Maybe if he saw that another man found her attractive enough to have sex with, his interest in her would be renewed. Or was all of that just wishful thinking?
Sighing a little morosely because of the situation she found herself in, she sat up and looked out of the window for a moment. Did she really want to go to such extremes to turn her ex-husband on? Was it madness to assume that after seeing what she'd done he'd want her again? She really didn't know. What she did know, however, was that if she could get Byron and Hugh, just one of them to fuck her, then she herself would feel a whole hell of a lot better. Whether she succeeded in getting Joe back, at least she'd have an experience worth remembering!
Both deliciously luscious, they were any woman's idea of the perfect man. Hugh was tall, around 6'1'', his body was taut and muscled. Atypical of a man that worked hard and used his hands while pushing his body to the extreme. One day, about a week ago, she'd watched him surreptitiously out of the corner of her eye as he'd stripped off his shirt. It had been hard not to start drooling. His body was enough to make a woman weep!
His black hair was several inches long in the back but cut shorter at the sides for ease of wear. It swept behind his ears and gave him an almost poetic look, like a hero from a fairytale, with navy-blue eyes that pierced you right to the soul and sun-browned skin that looked as tasty as molasses.
Byron on the other hand, was a little smaller and probably somewhere around 5'11''. His body was slightly smaller than Hugh's, but not overly so. In his own way, his body was hard from his work, but he was slender. Every move was packed with masculine vitality, and he exuded a raw earthiness that made her pussy beg for attention. His hair was thick and dark brown, cut similarly to Hugh's, but his eyes were an exotic green and the combination of the color of his hair, eyes, and skin, was just a match made in heaven. Those eyes, they seemed to penetrate her to the very core of her being.
What woman wouldn't want the chance to fuck them?
Plus her eavesdropping had informed her that they found her, or at least parts of her, attractive. Surely there would be no harm in propositioning them? Worst case scenario was that they would say no, and, if it came down to it, she could give them something for their trouble, maybe some financial compensation.
The thought made her squirm as she felt as though she was relying on a gigolo. However uncomfortable and guilty it made her feel, what she was planning to do wasn't cheating. Joe had made it clear that they were through and that he'd moved on. But how would he feel knowing she'd been with another man? Just knowing that Joe had been with another woman raised her hackles, mostly because he'd done it behind her back instead of calling their marriage quits and then sleeping with her.
No, she thought as she tried to build up courage to go and proposition the men, she would do this and get Joe back. She could learn to forgive him for what he'd done. Her mother was right. She should not let fifteen years of marriage go up in smoke over nothing, not when it meant that the well-being of her entire family was in danger. She had to think about more than herself.
Glancing at the clock, she noticed that it was almost quitting time. Resolutely, she climbed off the bed and headed over to her wardrobe. Pulling out a low cut T-shirt that accentuated her breasts and the curve of her waist, while looking extremely casual, she quickly changed, and, with the force of momentum keeping her going, she walked out of her bedroom and into the office. Rummaging through her emergency stash of cash, she grabbed a couple hundred dollars and stuffed them into her back pocket. She was unable to control the damned blush that overtook her at the thought of paying men for services rendered. It was ridiculous for her to feel that way. My god, she was almost thirty-five. By this time in her life nothing should embarrass her, and yet it got away with her something fierce.
Running up the steps almost two at a time, she soon reached the third floor and looked curiously at the progress before she scanned the rooms for one of the brothers. Her breath hitched in her chest as she watched Hugh picking up some tools and transferring them to the toolbox in front of him. She watched him as he examined the work completed by his crew. Seeing that aura of responsibility, that mantel of control, just made her shiver in pleasure.
What woman didn't appreciate a man's man?
Stepping forward and clearing her throat to get his attention was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do in her entire life. Never had she propositioned a man. She just wasn't the type. And, for the entirety of her twenties, she'd been married, so she hadn't had any kind of practice talking with men in nearly two decades! Her nerves were rattling a corrosive path through her, but she realized, since all other attempts had failed, that if she wanted the spark in her marriage to return, then she was going to have to go to the extreme.
And there was nothing more extreme than this!
After all, the reality was that this was the only way she could actually contact Joe at all. He watched the videos to ensure he wasn't being ripped off by the Jakman brothers. Whereas he'd stopped all contact wit
h her weeks ago. She had received no response either by email or phone for at least a month or two. Probably this endeavor wouldn't succeed in rekindling Joe's feelings of love for her, but there was a distinct possibility that it would rile his possessive instincts and make him jealous.
Clearing her throat, she watched Hugh spin around a little warily. His body had tensed and, seeing it, made her eyebrows rise. It reminded her of an animal whose hackles had risen. She frowned but walked further into the room despite his aggressive stance and, sticking her fingers in her jeans' pockets, murmured, "You're almost done here, aren't you, Hugh?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She sighed wearily. "I thought I asked you to call me Nicole."
She wanted to snap at him for calling her ma'am. Ma'am made her feel about twenty years older than him, not the actual relatively small gap of around four or five years!
"Okay, Nicole," he said, his voice seeming to deepen as he spoke her name. It added another texture to his already husky voice. "Yes, we're almost finished. We've mostly just got the aesthetics to deal with now."
"Good," she said as she stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm. Curling her fingers around his strong forearm, she had to hold back the shivers of reaction that pervaded her from that one small touch. The rasp of his body air on the sensitive plain of her palm was like setting a burning match to dry timber.
"Is something wrong, Nicole?" he said, frowning at her. His eyes revealed a certain amount of bewilderment at her actions.
"No," she said, compounding her response with the shake her head before tilting it and looking up at him questioningly.
"Do I have sawdust on my face or something?" he joked and teasingly quirked an eyebrow at her.
"No," she murmured quietly. Her jittery nerves had abated somewhat. Looking into his eyes, she realized that she wanted to do this, no matter the outcome. But, actually spitting it out, telling him what she wanted, was a little more difficult than she'd expected!
"O-k-a-y," he said, drawing the syllables out in his confusion at her behavior.
"I have to ask you something," she said, mumbling a little. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. "Hugh, I was wondering if you or your brother would be interested in helping me make Joe jealous?"
As soon as the words were out of Nicole's mouth, the entire room seemed to become deathly quiet in shock.
Hugh stared at her a little blankly and wondered what the hell he'd just been asked. She wanted him or Byron to fuck her to make her bastard ex jealous? Did she have no self-respect where that prick was concerned? Should he be offended or take it as a compliment?
He frowned down at her, but almost immediately his expression softened. Fuck, she was beautiful. Maybe not conventionally so, but the features of her face were delicate, with big green eyes that seemed to take over her face. High cheekbones were covered with taut pale skin that was so fine and fragile you could see the blue of her veins underneath it at times. Her hair was long, brown, and had reddish tints in it, and he longed to grasp that length of hair. He longed to curl it around his wrist, forcing her head back with the force of his grasp as he pumped his cock into her.
His eyes flared at her suggestively. Hearing her shocked gasp and quick inhalation made him smile. She was nervous. He'd sensed that before she'd even stepped into the damned room. Her heart had been beating ten to the dozen and his keen wolf senses that had saved his ass many a time had told him that whatever she was nervous about was a big deal.
He'd been cautious when she'd first approached him, unsure of what she wanted. Never in a million years had he expected this! For the last thirteen months of this job, he'd had to control himself around Nicole. Something about her, something in her look and her seeming innocence drew him to her. She inspired a whole host of emotions in him that both shocked and, to a point, concerned him.
At the start of the job, she'd been married and had been completely untouchable, but now that she was free … the matter needed more contemplation.
* * * *
Damning his brother's perfectionist ways, Byron Jakman grabbed the toolkit from the back of his truck. Every day they went through this routine and every day it bored him silly.
Grabbing it, he began his return trip to the top floor of the house. As he looked around on his way up, he realized that it would be weird not working here. Thirteen months was a damned long job. The house had been a complete wreck. It had needed a complete renovation which was why they'd been here for over a year now.
It would be strange to not look out for a peek at Nicole's ass or watch her bend over and unknowingly reveal the luscious twin globes of her breasts as they almost spilled out of whatever insubstantial top she was wearing. Her complete unawareness of her own sexual appeal both amused and touched him. There was something extremely innocent about her, although he knew she was no virgin. Hell, she'd been married for fifteen years and Joe Durst might be a prick, but he wasn't dead.
Frowning, he realized that he would miss her and how strange was that? Shaking his head at the unusual path his thoughts had taken, he slowed his pace as he considered why he felt like that. It wasn't as though he had anything to truly miss!
As he reached the third set of stairs, Byron tilted his head to the side as he heard voices coming from the top floor. The rest of the crew had left an hour ago, so it had to be Hugh and Nicole talking.
He crept up to the room and stood outside listening to Nicole's long silences and Hugh's discomforted jokes.
Byron totally understood Hugh's dilemma. Nicole had always been friendly but had never made a point to be overly chatty or talkative with them. She would make conversation but she'd never sought them out for anything but work. And whatever was on her mind sure didn't sound like work!
He leaned a little closer to the door and almost choked on his tongue as he heard her say, "Hugh, I was wondering if you or your brother would be interested in helping me make Joe jealous?"
* * * *
Could she have made a deeper mess of this situation?
The man was looking at her as if she was a moron. A frown had overtaken the raw perfection of his features, and, as the earlier image of an animal with raised hackles came to mind, she almost took a hesitant step backwards, but in a matter of seconds the intimidating expression of his face was gone, replaced by his usual stoic demeanor.
Despite his earlier conversation with Byron, there was a distinct possibility that he didn't find her attractive. Maybe men discussed all women like that? She knew how indiscreet they could be. Maybe he'd just been bull-shitting with his brother as a joke or it was just playful banter or something.
She was older than him. Maybe that was a problem. Self-consciously, she sucked her tummy in and tensed the muscles in her butt. Then damned herself for trying to improve her appearance.
She knew he was stunned by her suggestion, which was why she wasn't surprised by his reaction.
"Could you clarify what you meant by that, please, Nicole?" he asked, clearing his throat a tad nervously.
She tried to control her embarrassment, tried to talk to him like the mature woman she was, but, around him, she felt as though she reverted to a silly, giddy teenage school girl. Crossing her left arm over her waist, she clutched at her right elbow. Then, realizing how telling that body language was, she immediately dropped her arms and looked at his forehead so she didn't have to look into his piercing blue eyes. "I think we both know what I mean, Hugh," she whispered softly.
His hand came up to reach for her chin, and he tilted her face slightly lower, until her eyes met his, so that she couldn't hide from that penetrating gaze. "I need clarification, Nicole."
She ground her teeth in annoyance. "Dammit, Hugh. I want you to fuck me in front of the cameras so that Joe will be jealous!" Her voice rang out loud and clear in the empty room, and she cringed at how it sounded. I'd be willing to pay you for your time," she added in a rush, hoping to stall any objections.
Surreptitiously, she grabbed the rolled up bi
lls, hiding them in her palm before placing her hand down Hugh's jeans' pocket, hoping against hope that their little transaction hadn't been picked up on camera.
"Nicole!" he muttered in confusion, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from his crotch.
"What? I need your help, Hugh. If you don't want to, maybe Byron will?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because he's my husband, Hugh. What do you expect me to do? Just let him go? Look, I just need you to pretend to be smitten with me. If the idea of sleeping with me is so repulsive, then you don't have to do that. But, please, just pretend. We both know that Joe checks out the cameras to see how the project is coming along. I can't contact him, he won't reply to my emails ...."
"Nicole," he interrupted her gruffly.
She watched his lips as they mouthed her name and almost sighed at the perfection of that cupid's bow and the full lower lip that merely enhanced his masculine beauty. Having never been particularly fond of her name, not having appreciated being named after some dead singer from the 60's, she realized that when Hugh said it, it was beautiful. Looking into his eyes, she gulped a little and saw his smile light up those blue orbs before it even touched his mouth. A dimple came out to play in his left cheek, and, God help her, she wanted to put her tongue right there.
"I'd be more than happy to help you with your problem."
"Thank you," she whispered, closing her eyes in relief. Then, before he could say anything else, she quickly backed away from him and nodded farewell to him. Running through the door, she headed out into the hallway and started down the stairs. Almost running into Byron, she jumped back as though burned.
He smiled peculiarly at her, and her cheeks flushed uncomfortably. Ducking her head, she moved out of his way and ran back to the safe haven of her office.
"Did I hear that conversation right?" Byron asked as he walked into the room with Hugh.
Hungry Like the Wolf Page 2
