Long moments passed with none of them moving, the only sound was the harsh, heavy breaths from each of them.
Rain’s muscles quivered as he struggled to stay upright. It had been almost a year since he’d had sex and now he knew what muscles physical therapy didn’t work.
He eased his softening cock out of Cait’s rear hole and rolled over, using the momentum to get to standing. He stumbled into the bathroom, disposed of the condom and cleaned up a bit before he returned.
Cait lay on her side, her thigh draped over Tanner’s hip, that sweet curvy ass tipped toward Rain. He took the warm washcloth he’d brought and eased it between her cheeks.
Shock moved through her body, but after a moment, she relaxed and let him clean her up. He carried the cloth into the bathroom, then came back, stopping in the doorway and looking at the two people in bed.
They looked sexy together, Cait’s dark hair flowing over Tanner’s chest as he cuddled her close. Tanner’s naked body tan and strong. Rain rubbed his fingers across the back of his hand, feeling the scars that lingered. They were minor compared to the ones on his shoulder and back, but it was a quick reminder of the damage.
The white shirt he’d worn beneath his tux still hung around his shoulders.
The insecure voice inside him that had developed since the fire sneered that Tanner was perfect for Cait. They’d already dated. He’d just been an easy third wheel for their night of wild sex. He should just hold back for a few minutes more. They’d fall asleep and he could slip out.
Even as the thought formed in his head, Cait leaned back and looked at him, her eyes drowsy and satisfied. A little smile kicked up at the corner of her mouth.
“Are you coming back to bed? My back is cold.” The words were a bit muffled, as if she didn’t have full control of her lips, as if exhaustion weighed down on her.
Hell, the woman had had at least three, maybe as many as five orgasms tonight. It was a wonder she could keep her eyes open.
Tanner raised his eyebrows, daring Rain to retreat. Shit, his friend was too damn intuitive sometimes.
The need to be part of the post-sex cuddle, to not hide away for just one night, drew him forward. He kept the shirt on. He knew he’d feel too self-conscious without it.
He pulled back the blanket and crawled under, sliding up against Cait’s back, that sexy ass pushing back against him, finding the perfect curve in his body. He reached around and eased his hand between her legs. She shivered and he knew she had to be sensitive. They’d worked her hard tonight.
He just stroked a few passes over her pussy lips, the slick liquid coating his fingers.
Easing his hand away, he relaxed back on the bed. Cait’s eyes were already shut. Tanner was watching him.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
Rain nodded. He pressed a kiss on Cait’s shoulder before letting his head rest on the pillow beside her. Tanner’s hand slid around Cait’s waist, the backs of his fingers brushing against Rain’s stomach. He had no sexual interest in Tanner, but strangely, the touch didn’t freak him out. If anything, it was a comfort.
A peace he hadn’t noticed was missing settled on him as sleep pulled him down.
Chapter Eight
Dear Diary,
I love Heather and Tasha. Really. They don’t have the best timing in the world but you couldn’t ask for two better friends.
Cait woke up, the foreign aches in her body—and the need to pee—dragging her out of bed. A bed that held one hunky man.
That meant the other one had left…or was somewhere in her house.
She glanced at the clock. Almost nine. They’d been awake until late. After they’d fucked her together, they’d collapsed on the bed, too exhausted to move. She’d expected them to jump out of bed and run for the door. Neither man had seemed inclined to move.
Until now.
After she finished in the bathroom, she opened her bedroom door and listened. The house sounded different. That meant Rain was downstairs.
She glanced at Tanner. He lay on his back, mouth open, snoring softly. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Smiling, she grabbed her robe and tugged it on.
Aware of how naked she was beneath it, she tied the strap tight before she reached the bottom of the stairs. Rain wasn’t in the living room. That left the kitchen.
She turned the corner and couldn’t stop the rush of heat to her pussy.
She’d heard the saying that “no woman ever shot a man while he was washing dishes” but she’d never thought of household chores as particularly sexy.
Until she saw Rain doing them.
He’d pulled back on his shorts and his shirt, though the shirt was open, revealing the broad, hard chest beneath. She clenched her fingers and wondered if it was bad manners to attack the man who seemed to be cleaning her kitchen.
Naw, it’s probably an appropriate thank you.
Just when she decided it was a good idea, his head cocked to the side and he flashed her a soft smile.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” So much for attacking. Instead she walked across the tile, her body drawn to his as if drawn to a magnet. “Sorry about the dishes. I didn’t get to them yesterday.”
He shook his head. “No worries. I just can’t cook in a messy kitchen.”
The word stopped her in her tracks. “Cook? You cook?”
The shy smile turned to a bit of a smirk. “Had to do something with my time. Can’t eat out every night.”
He turned his body toward her and Cait felt comfortable walking into his embrace, draping her arm around his back and pressing up on her toes. He bent down and gave her a quick kiss before pulling back.
“Don’t have my toothbrush,” he announced.
“Oh.”
But he didn’t let her go. She settled against him. Rain placed the skillet on the stove and reached for the tie of her robe. With one quick tug, it was open.
He slid his hand beneath the terry cloth and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her close. Her bare breasts landed against his chest, the nipples pressing into tight peaks as he reached down and grabbed her ass, a subtle squeeze.
“You sore, baby?” That deep seductive tone that tempted her last night made her clit ache and she pressed forward. “Not so much that we couldn’t have you again, huh?”
Captivated by the sensation of his hand on her ass, her breasts teased by the soft hairs on his chest and the hard, solid thigh between her legs, Cait could only nod.
She pulled back the left sleeve of his shirt, baring the flame-scarred skin.
Rain tensed, the hand on her ass clenching, his jaw line tightening. She gulped and drilled her gaze into his. “I want to see you.”
Rain paused, his eyes flicking to the floor, but Cait held steady.
“It’s not pretty,” he warned.
“It’s you,” she countered.
Rain hesitated one breath longer, then pulled back the edge of his shirt, revealing the shiny, taut skin of his shoulder.
Cait gasped when she saw the scars—how could she not?
“Does it hurt?” she asked, leaning in and placing a kiss at the edge of the scars. Before he could answer, she tugged the shirtsleeve away, letting the cuff dangle behind his back. She whispered another kiss across the ravaged skin. “Can you feel this?”
“Fuck, it feels better right now than it has since the beginning.”
Cait smiled and picked up his left hand in hers.
“Baby, be careful.” The muscles in his jaw clenched. “It doesn’t work the way it used to.”
She raised the stiff fingers to her breast, running the backs across her nipple. The peak pulled even tighter. Her grip fell away as he continued to brush across her nipple.
The other hand that held her ass pulled her closer, shifting her so she felt the hard ridge of his cock through his boxers.
“Fuck, you’re getting wet,” he whispered, pressing kisses to her ear. “I can feel you through my shorts. So hot and slick and�
��”
Chimes rang through her dizzy brain and Cait blinked, twisting just enough to see Rain’s face—and make sure he heard the bells as well—but not enough to lose the seductive caresses.
“Are you expecting someone?” He kissed, then nibbled on her neck, easily pulling her attention from the bells.
“No.” She arched her back and turned just a little, guiding his wounded hand around to cup her breast.
“Damn, baby.” He bit down on her earlobe. “I might not be able to shoot a gun with it yet, but I can certainly feel this pretty mound in my hand.”
His thumb flicked across her nipple, keeping the tight peak taut and hard. He ground his knee against her clit and the doorbell vanished into a memory.
Until the knocking started.
Cait groaned and then sighed. “They aren’t going away.”
“Want me to go?” Rain offered, his chin lifting as if to tell her he was more than able to face the challenge.
“I got it,” she said with a smile. “But don’t cool off before I get back.”
“Baby, no fucking way that’s happening.” He tugged her close for one more kiss, then sent her away with a smack on her already sore ass. She yelped, jumping forward.
The sting reminded her of last night and the wicked things they’d done to her body.
And the wicked thing she’d left in the kitchen. Damn, whoever was on the other side of this door had better have a damn good reason for interrupting.
She peered through the peephole and groaned.
Tasha and Heather.
Tasha rapped her knuckles against the door again before reaching over and hitting the doorbell. The chime echoed through the house and Cait winced.
“You’re going to dent her door if you keep pounding like that,” Heather said. “Have you considered the idea that she might not be home?”
“Her car’s here.” Tasha didn’t stop knocking.
Cait pressed her shoulders back and yanked open the door.
“What?!”
“See, told you she was here,” Tasha said as she pushed inside. Cait jumped out of the way. Heather followed a little more slowly, glaring at her aunt’s back the whole time. “Where’s the wedding dress?”
Both Tasha and Heather stared at her robe-covered body as if they expected her to still be wearing it.
“Uh, I was going to get it cleaned and give it back.” After the night she’d had, she wasn’t sure what might have ended up on that dress.
“You’re not wearing it,” Tasha accused.
Heather slapped her aunt’s arm. “See.”
“No, I’m not.” Cait took a quick breath, trying to figure out how to kick out her friends before they saw Rain. Or Tanner. Not that she was ashamed, but really, how did she explain two men in her house, her bed? She hadn’t quite resolved it all in her mind. No way she could explain it to her friends. “The party was last night. Listen—”
“How did you get the dress off?” Tasha demanded.
“What?”
“Will you stop it?” Heather snapped at Tasha. “It’s obvious that your—”
A clank in the kitchen—sounded as though a pan was hitting another pan—silenced the room.
“You’re not alone,” Heather gasped. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open, but there was no rancor in her tone. “Damn, you did it.”
“I knew it,” Tasha added.
“Please—”
She never got a chance to beg them to forget they heard the noise. Their eyes peeled back even further and they stared at the entrance to the kitchen.
“Oh, yum,” Heather announced.
Tasha just blinked.
Cait turned. Oh yum was the perfect assessment. Rain was jaw dropping.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I figured I wasn’t a secret anymore.” Rain stepped all the way into the room, a dishtowel in his hand. “I’m Rain.”
He came over and stood beside Cait, taking his place as if they were actually a couple.
“Right.” Cait gathered herself. “Rain, these are my friends, Tasha and Heather. I borrowed the wedding dress from Tasha.”
Rain nodded and pursed his lips in slow consideration.
“Well, I have to thank you for letting her wear it.” A low sexual tone invaded his voice and he rubbed his hand up and down Cait’s hip. “It made my night.”
“Why?” Heather asked, suspicion heavy in her voice.
Cait rolled her eyes. “There’s a serious design flaw with that dress.” She would leave it at that and explain later, when Rain wasn’t standing right next to her. And when she didn’t look as if she’d spent the night in pure debauchery.
But Heather and Tasha practically leaned forward, visually demanding an explanation.
She shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. They’d been kind enough to loan her the dress. She didn’t want to criticize.
“The elastic seems to have a problem. It kept almost falling off me.” No need to tell the whole truth.
Except Rain laughed.
She flashed him a glare. “Okay, so the dress did fall off. A couple of times.”
Instead of the giggles she was expecting, Tasha slapped Heather on the arm.
“See?”
Heather just glared in return, the mulish look on her face told Cait there was more to the story.
“What’s going on?”
“She thinks the dress is cursed,” Heather announced.
“What?”
Tasha smacked Heather’s arm again.
“It’s nothing,” Tasha insisted. She looked at Rain then back at Cait. “We’ll tell you about it la—” Her eyes widened again, only this time looking the opposite direction. “Ter.”
A second later, Heather gasped.
Knowing what she would find, Cait turned and saw Tanner trudging down the stairs, his hair mussed up, his boxers hanging low on his hips and one hand rubbing his eyes.
“Damn, babe, what’s all the noise? I—”
He blinked hard and peered at the little crowd in the room.
“Wow. Sorry. Didn’t know we had guests.”
Tasha stared at Tanner then her gaze snapped over to Rain. Then back to Tanner.
“But that’s not possible.” Eyes wide open, she looked to Cait. “There’s only supposed to be one.”
“Tasha!” Heather grabbed her aunt’s arm. She turned a tight smile to Cait. “We should be going.”
“No, I don’t care if she’s sleeping with both of them,” Tasha muttered as Heather dragged her toward the door. “But the dress only works on one guy.”
Heather opened the door and practically shoved Tasha out. “We’ll chat later.” Her eyes skipped between the two men, then back to Cait. “Because I definitely want details.”
Cait opened her mouth, thinking to stop them. What was this about the dress only working on one man? Work how? What curse?
“Well, at least the first awkward meeting is done,” Rain drawled. “Hungry?” He turned and stalked back into the kitchen. The sounds of pans banging and cabinets closing told her he really was going to cook breakfast.
Tanner walked up to Cait. “Who were those women?”
“My best friends.”
“And now they know you’re sleeping with two guys.”
Are sleeping. Present tense. Not, you slept with two guys last night. Did that mean he was anticipating more than one night? Was Rain? Was she?
The concept had never occurred to her. Even in her fantasies, she’d imagined one night of wicked, kick-off-your-panties sex. Never a repeat.
But it had potential.
She gave a weak shrug and looked at Tanner.
“But the big question is…” Tanner sighed. “Are you always so energetic on a Sunday morning?” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his body. “Because I’m really more of a stay in bed most of the morning and cuddle kind of guy.”
“Cuddle? You?”
He reared back, but didn’t release her. “H
ey, I like to cuddle.”
The light in his eyes—still hungry, but filled with a different emotion as well—gave her confidence.
“Well, I’ll just have to find out for myself.”
Rain stepped into the living room.
Tanner’s lips spread into a wide grin. “I’m not really that hungry.”
“Me either,” Cait agreed, her voice breathless, the ache in her pussy returning.
Rain tossed the dishtowel onto the couch and grabbed her hand.
“Let’s go, baby. Surely there is something upstairs we can use to tie you up.”
She squeaked and followed her two lovers up the stairs.
Epilogue
Dear Diary,
What a night…
Cait folded her hands together in an effort not to strangle the two women she considered her best friends.
“I don’t understand,” she said again.
“Tasha thinks the dress is cursed,” Heather announced.
“It is.” Tasha glared at her niece, then turned back to Cait. “So, try to remember who you were near when the dress fell off. Was it the half-dressed man from the kitchen?”
“Rain.” She supplied the name.
“Okay. Or the almost naked guy who came downstairs?”
“Tanner.”
Tasha brushed aside the name. “Whatever. One of them is your true love.”
“But they were both there,” she protested.
Tasha shook her head and sighed. “No. The other might have taken advantage of the situation, but only one of them caused the dress to fall off.”
Cait looked up at her friends. Tasha’s intent gaze made her wince. She glanced at Heather. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Clearly a non-believer.
Except the dress had fallen off her.
Around Rain.
And Tanner.
She clicked back through her memory. The first time had been in the cloakroom with Rain.
But then the dress had also fallen off when she’d been in that back hallway with Tanner. And the elevator.
Crimson (Red Panty Diaries, Book One) Page 10
