Billings, Rachel - Three Men and a Woman: Felicity (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Rachel Billings

  * * * *

  Wesley knew that Andy and Juniper were already up and around when he got out of bed—the kid just had no respect for the fact that her uncles and auntie had fucked themselves half dead during the night. Though they were out of sight when he made his way to the kitchen in search of his first hit of caffeine.

  He’d started a second pot of coffee and made and eaten his share of an omelet before he caught sight of anyone else. And it was his favorite—Felicity.

  He was rinsing off dishes at the sink and didn’t miss the way she stopped in the doorway to savor the view. Going with his preferences, he figured she was momentarily stunned by the sight of him in loose shorts that he happened to know clung to his ass just so and the shirt he hadn’t bothered to button. He didn’t let it cross his mind that she might be enjoying seeing one of her men busy in the kitchen. He’d always figured the claim women got turned on by men doing housework was pure bullshit perpetuated by frustrated women whose men failed to truly satisfy them.

  Fuck ’em hard enough, they didn’t have the breath to complain.

  Not that he paid a lot of attention, but he was fully aware that he and Reinen and Andy formed a group of significantly hot men. The three of them together—or any of them alone—turned female heads wherever they went. And a significant portion of male heads, too. He wasn’t above taking advantage of that well-established fact. But at this particular moment, he was fully and entirely satisfied with the appreciation in this one woman’s eyes.

  “Hey, babe,” he said.

  That kind of stirred her out of the what-a-fucking-lucky-woman-I-am daze he had to assume she was in. Her eyes focused on his, and she smiled.

  Fuck, she was fine. He couldn’t tell for sure if Ri had put his morning wood to her or not. He figured between Ri and him, they’d keep that well-fucked-woman look on her face most of the time. And he didn’t care, either, though he was determined that he’d get his fair share of having her in his bed all night and therefore be provided with something obvious to do with his own morning wood.

  “Good morning.” She could have gone right for the coffee, but he liked that she came to him first. She put a hand inside his shirt, warm against his skin, and tilted up for a kiss.

  And what a fucking lucky man he was.

  “Mmm. More.” He snugged his hand onto her hip to hold her in place.

  Then Ri was on her other side, reaching for the coffee but still within touch of their woman. “Don’t you ever get enough?”

  Wes took a look and saw that Ri had showered off any fresh hot-sex residue he might have carried, so he still wasn’t sure if he’d had a piece of her that morning or not.

  Still didn’t care, he guessed. “Not yet, apparently.”

  There was a short moment of sheepishness, when Wes figured they were all thinking of that incredibly hot-intimate-nakedly-unguarded time they’d shared the night before. They all had small smiles on their faces as they looked at each other. Ri was gentlemanly enough to share his coffee with Felicity—though Wes was sure he hadn’t put in any of that girlie flavored sweet stuff she liked. Even so, it was sweet enough when he took a little of the taste of it from her lips. Ri did the same.

  Then, because it was there, Wes went for her breast. It had been a few hours, after all.

  Fee blocked him, pulled back from Ri’s mouth, and laughed. She pressed a hand to each manly chest, a back-off signal lesser men might take seriously.

  “You guys know, right, that this is not just about sex for me? You don’t have to fuck me crazy every chance you have.”

  Ri gave her a look. “You’re not saying we can’t, if we want to, though, right?”

  Felicity smiled and met his expectant gaze with amusement. “Right. You can if you want to.”

  “’Kay then. We’ll let you know if it gets to be a chore.”

  She was looking all witchy, self-satisfied woman when she took Ri’s mug again. Wes let her sip, then put a knuckle on her chin to draw her attention. “It’s not all about sex for us, either. Though it’s clear you’ve hooked yourself up with a couple men who have a significant appetite for you. If any limits need to be set, it’s likely going to be on you to do it.”

  “I’ll bear that in mind.”

  “You do that,” Ri said, taking her hand from his chest and making a move toward her mouth.

  But he’d lost her attention. “Juniper!”

  Felicity left Ri and Wes exchanging glances, knowing they’d been cockblocked by a baby.

  Andy stood at the door with the kid on his hip and her diaper bag slung over his shoulder. When Fee got close, hands out as though to greet and take the Nipper, Andy kind of turned his hip and rotated, keeping posssession of Junie in a not-very-subtle way. Felicity obviously noticed, but satisfied herself with taking the baby’s fingers and giving them a kiss.

  “I’m taking Juniper up to see Jean.” He spoke to Reinen and Wes, as though Felicity wasn’t standing right beside him. “I’m going to ask her about the two of us moving into her house for a while. It’s empty, and Jean might feel better having me there to keep an eye on it.”

  Felicity stepped back as though she’d been struck, her pretty, light skin turning ghostly pale. Wes hurried over to her and took her into his arms. She moved like a zombie, not even tucking into his shoulder like she usually did—like she was supposed to do—until he cupped her head and moved it there himself.

  Wes looked at Ri, who leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest in silence. “Are you talking about moving out, Andy?”

  Juniper was reaching for Felicity, clearly feeling deprived of her favorite female. Andy stepped away, maneuvering around again to block Junie’s view. “I’m thinking about it.”

  It was hard to punch someone when you had your arms around an upset woman and the other guy had a baby in his, but Wes was up for figuring it out. Ri must have seen it coming and finally stepped up.

  “What’s going on, Andy?”

  “I have to do what I think is best for me and Juniper.”

  “You’re being a fucking coward, more like.” Maybe Ri could be all reasonable and calm, but it was beyond Wes. “Worse, you’re going to break Fee’s heart, and that’s going to piss me off.”

  Andy bristled. “Whatever crazy-ass piece of shit you guys are getting into, I don’t want to be—”

  “Stop it!” Fee had lifted her head, apparently hearing better than the three men Juniper’s little wail of distress. She pushed away from Wes and walked up to Andy. She gave him a bit of a look, then dismissed him. “Hey, baby. Let’s go outside.”

  She put her hands out and Juniper fell into them, confident of safe haven. As the baby tucked into her, Fee gave a look around the room. Her gaze stopped with Andy. “Juniper belongs to you, and it’s your job to make the best decisions you can for her. But you should think about this. Besides you, there seem to be only a few people in this world who will love and care for her. Three of those people are standing right here. That’s a lot to take away from her.

  “You can stay here without being a part of what’s happening between me and Ri and Wes. If you can’t tolerate it, then maybe I should be the one to leave. You guys were doing okay before I got involved.”

  She kissed the baby’s head. “Anyway, we’re going out, so you all can yell at each other some more if you want to.”

  Ri was nearest the door to the deck, so he slid it open for her. But he put a hand on her arm before she stepped through. “You’re a class act, Red. But you’re not going anywhere.”

  “It’s an option you should consider. Anyway, you guys work it out.”

  She left, and Ri slid the door closed.

  “Good,” Wes said to Andy. “Now I can beat the crap out of you without hurting someone who doesn’t deserve it. That appears to be a standard you don’t share.”

  Ri rolled his eyes for no reason Wes could fathom. Then he pointed from Andy to the table. “Sit down. You, too, Wes. Let’s talk.”

 
Andy complied, but Wes wasn’t ready to stand down. “A good pounding seems like it would be more effective.”

  Ri raised an eyebrow, giving him his vintage badass look. “Do you mind?” He gestured to the table again, and Wes didn’t have it in him to refuse. So he swaggered over and swung a chair around to straddle it backward. He wasn’t precisely at the table.

  “Felicity is right,” Ri said. “You can stay here without being a part of what we have going. If you don’t want her—”

  “He fucking wants her,” Wes broke in. “That’s what this is about. He wants her, but he’s afraid of it. He got burned by Ellen and now her crazy cooties give him an imaginary itch whenever he’s around a woman. He—”

  Andy slapped his hand down on the table. “Shut the fuck up.”

  Ri lifted his hand. “Both of you—take a breath. Andy, listen. You know Wes is right to an extent. Ellen had mental health issues before you ever met her. You didn’t see it—”

  “Blinded by pussy,” Wes mumbled, but he knew it was loud enough for the others to hear.

  “Not helping, Wes.” Ri spoke sternly, and Wes knew he was right, so he shut himself up.

  “What happened wasn’t Ellen’s fault, Andy, but it wasn’t yours, either. Her own mother didn’t see how bad it was for her, or those doctors you took her to, either. That doesn’t mean you should never have a woman in your life again, or Juniper a mother.”

  Once Ri got going, he could go on. Andy knew it, too, and interrupted. “Yeah, fine. When I’m ready for a woman, I’ll find one I want.”

  “You want this one, you idiot. I saw that tentpole in your lap last night. You’re not running because you don’t want her, but because you do.”

  “It’s his call, Wes. Have in or have out, Andy, but you don’t have to leave. I wish you wouldn’t.”

  Andy rested his elbows on the table. “Where do you see this going, really? Three of us, with one woman? I’m a dad, remember? I have to think about Junie’s future.”

  Wes waved away the concern. It was smokescreen, and he knew it. He was sure Andy already loved Fee, and half the reason was how much she cared about Junie—how well she cared for her. Of all the bad things that could happen in the future, Wes was certain not one of them involved Fee hurting Juniper.

  He looked up as Felicity slid open the door. She stepped inside and pulled a sippy cup out of the cupboard and opened the fridge. He didn’t let her distract him overly much, though he couldn’t help hoping the juice was on the bottom shelf as she bent to reach in for it. “Yeah. Junie being raised by four people who love her—her father, a woman who’s already ten times the mother the kid’s ever had, and her doting uncles. That doesn’t sound so fucked up to me.”

  “And when it falls apart?”

  “There’s never a guarantee, is there? You’ve learned that the hard way already. We can bind her to us anyway we want. Any one of us can ask her to marry us at any time.”

  Felicity was silently creeping back out the door, but that stopped her. Wes pointed at her as she met his gaze over her shoulder. “That was not my proposal. Understood?”

  She flipped him a salute that was full of sass, but her eyes twinkled. She stepped through and slid the door closed behind her, though she kept her gaze locked on his until she caught Junie up and handed her the juice.

  All three men watched her.

  “What a fucking woman,” Ri said, putting words to the obvious. He looked at Andy. “Yeah, sure. You can find a woman if you want one, buddy. But you won’t find Red again.”

  Andy was silent.

  “We’ve been friends for a while, now,” Wes put in. “We’re loyal to each other, like brothers, and I don’t see that changing. She’s the loyal sort, too. I think that’s as much commitment as anyone can make or ask. Obviously, wedding bells and vows don’t necessarily get you what you want.”

  Andy nodded, but he stood, too. “I like Felicity. You know I do. But I have to think about Juniper first. I’m going to talk to Jean.”

  * * * *

  Andy opened the door and stepped out on the deck. He had Juniper’s bag slung over his shoulder again, so Felicity figured Ri and Wes hadn’t changed his mind. She’d been playing a sort of game of fetch with Junie, sending the girl after a big, light ball. Junie was as likely to accidentally kick it further away as successfully grab it up in her arms, so mostly all Felicity had to do was sit on the steps and cheer her on.

  She glanced up as Andy came and sat beside her, but they both spent a couple minutes watching the little girl entertain herself.

  Finally he spoke. “I’m going to move us up to Jean’s. I know that hurts you, and I’m sorry.”

  Felicity tried to keep a grasp on her big girl panties. “She’s yours, Andy. I’ve never mistaken that.”

  “But you bailed me out when I couldn’t manage this single dad thing on my own. And you’ve fallen in love with her.”

  “Yes,” she said, to both. But only the one counted. Only the one hurt.

  “Please understand. It’s not that I don’t…” He sighed. “You tempt me. I can picture it, almost exactly as Wes describes it. You, as a mother to Junie. You and I together, with her.”

  He touched her hair, lifting it back to glimpse her face. Felicity suppressed a shiver and kept her gaze on Juniper.

  “Felicity.” He said her name softly, with some kind of desire in it. “That’s a very pretty picture.”

  His gaze was gentle on hers. It seemed he almost leaned in to kiss her.

  Then he straightened and looked away. When he spoke again, his voice was hard. “I just can’t work into it the idea of my child’s mother banging three men.”

  Feeling she’d been slapped, Felicity stood. She knew that Ri and Wes must have been watching out for her, because she heard the door slide open and one of them step outside. But she wouldn’t turn around to look. Wouldn’t let them see what Andy’s words had done to her.

  Andy followed her. He tried to touch her arm, but she threw him off. “Don’t.” Don’t touch me. Don’t speak to me ever again.

  But Juniper had captured the ball and came running with it in her arms, all proud smile and precarious balance. Felicity went to her knees, not necessarily just to meet Junie. “Good girl!”

  She found it in her to laugh and give a big hug. “Do you want to show Daddy?”

  Steering the baby off toward Andy, Felicity stood and faced him, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. She stepped back a few feet, fixing in her mind the fact that she was not a part of this little family. “I expect you’ll want to look for day care in Hampton. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. The one we chose down here will probably let you switch her to full-time. It’s close to your work, and in some ways that’s as easy has having day care close to your home. It lets you have the commute together.

  “If they can’t take her full-time right away, I don’t mind sticking to our original agreement until they do. I can keep her two or three days a week for a while.”

  She could feel his gaze on her, but she wouldn’t meet it. His voice was flat when he spoke. “That’s more than I can ask.”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “It’s more than I can accept.”

  “It’s your call. I assume you’ll bring her by to visit Ri and Wes once in a while.”

  “And you, too, Felicity.”

  “That’d be great. Bye, Andy.” As much as she could, staying out of Andy’s reach, Felicity stepped up to smooch Junie’s cheek. “Bye, baby.”

  She turned to the house, but Ri and Wes were both standing there, looking entirely too full of sympathy. She changed course and went to the garage for the shovel. Ri was going to get another flower bed. She would dig until she felt better, or until Ri had no lawn left, whichever came first.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I’m with Reinen in his truck. We’ll be home in about twenty. When we get there, I want to find you naked in my room, bent over the bed. If you want lube, you’d better have it
right there. Otherwise, you’re getting your ass fucked without it.”

  “Who’s going first?”

  “Why the fuck do you care?”

  “Well, I think Ri’s a bit bigger than you are. It might be easier if you get things started. You know, kind of pave the way for him.”

  “You fucking bitch. I can’t believe you said that. And there’s not a bit of truth to it, either.”

  Felicity stifled a laugh. “Your mother says she isn’t surprised. I suppose she’s seen you naked. Did I say the phone’s on speaker?”

  “You can expect to get spanked tonight, bitch. Our girl’s acting up.” He’d said that off to the side. “Reinen’s not happy with you, either. And my mother isn’t there.”

  “She missed her flight.”

  “That’s funny. I wonder why she texted me that she was wheels down in Rochester already.”

  Poop. “Hmm. Must have been some misunderstanding. Anyway, I have to go.”

  “Yeah. Check Ri’s room for lube, hon. I think we finished that bottle in my room last week. Remember? I had you tied to my bed, and you were bitching about how my cock was too big?”

  “Huh. I don’t remember that.”

  “I’ll remind you in, oh, say, seven minutes.”

  “Are you wearing your digis? You know how I like to remove those.”

  “Yeah. With your teeth.”

  Felicity laughed. The guys often wore their blue digital camouflage work uniforms when they were in port. Those uniforms were considered homely by some and ridiculous by others. The running joke among sailors was that they were only good camouflage if you were in the water, and, if you were in the water, did you really want to be that hard to find? But she had a real fondness for seeing her men in them—and then out of them. Something about those sleeves folded up over muscled arms, broad shoulders, narrow hips…

  “Five minutes now, brat. Ri seems to be in a hurry. Be ready.”

  Felicity was already ready. She had the lube on Wes’s bed—she hadn’t had to leave the room for it, because he’d resupplied. She was out of most of her clothes. And she was turned on, already wet.