A Little Harmless Fantasy

by Melissa Schroeder

  Zeke cupped her face. “Maura, look at me.”

  She forced herself to open her eyes.

  “Rory said to come, babe. Do it.”

  For a second, she panicked. She couldn’t seem to get herself to come then. All this time she had been yearning for it, and now…nothing. Both men were still working in tandem. Rory thrust into her ass then groaned her name. Zeke kissed her as he thrust up into her one last time. He groaned as he came, and opened his eyes. He was still shaking.

  “Come for us, love.” He whispered the words against her mouth.

  At that moment, her orgasm crashed through her. Over and over she said their names as she allowed pleasure to take over her.

  * * * *

  About an hour later, Rory walked out of the bathroom and looked at Zee and Maura. He’d never thought to find a permanent third for their relationship, but Maura was definitely making him think twice about that. Zee had his arms wrapped around her, and she had snuggled against him, her head just under Zee’s chin.

  Something shifted inside him. Something he had been trying to avoid the whole time he had been in Hawaii. Hell, he’d been trying to avoid it in Miami. He had known about Zee’s attraction and he had resisted getting to know her. Because if Zee loved her, there was a good chance he would fall for her himself.

  Damn.

  “Are you going to keep standing there or join us, love?” Zee asked.

  Rory’s lips twitched. Zee hadn’t opened his eyes. He didn’t answer. Instead, he padded across the floor and slipped into bed behind Maura. He wrapped his arm around both of them as he spooned Maura.

  Maura had different plans. She shifted then turned around to face him. She trailed her fingers down his face. “Thank you for tonight, Rory.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Anytime, love.”

  She smiled and snuggled against his chest like she had done to Zee.

  “I love you, Zeke,” she said.

  Zeke kissed her neck. Just before she drifted off, she said, “I love you, Rory.”

  She let out a slight snore then. Rory’s chest felt tight.

  “I love you too, Rory,” Zee said, giving him a kiss and settling down to sleep.

  Rory lay there trying his best to dismiss the warmth spreading through his body, but it was of no use.

  He looked down at Maura.

  Just what the hell was he going to do about her? She had wormed her way into his heart and now she claimed to love him.

  He sighed and tried his best to brush his worries aside. It was probably just said to make him feel better. Or she had been too sleepy to know what she was saying. No use worrying about it now.

  Rory knew he would have plenty of time to worry about it when he returned to Miami.

  With that last thought, he closed his eyes and followed his lovers into sleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rory cracked the last egg in the bowl and tossed the shell in the trash. It was already past nine in the morning and Zee was still in bed.

  “I can’t believe he’s still sleeping,” Maura said.

  “We had a long night, love,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She was sitting on the counter next to the stove watching him make French toast. When she had said it was her favorite thing to eat for breakfast, he couldn’t resist making his for her.

  “Not that long. There is something very wrong with him being in bed and us being up.”

  He chuckled as he poured in a little cream in with the eggs. “Nothing wrong with a little private time just the two of us.”

  She said nothing for a while and he looked up. The look on her face didn’t tell him anything. If anything she showed no expression.

  “What?”

  She shrugged. “You promise not to take this the wrong way?”

  Now, he started to worry. “I’ll try.”

  She sighed. “I just didn’t think I would like you very much. Truthfully, I didn’t think you would like me very much. I have been told more than once I’m an acquired taste. And, since you admitted to being a little jealous last night, I guess I have to say that it killed me when you showed up in Florida. You know how special Zeke is, don’t you?”

  Her heartfelt expression and solemn tone told him she was serious. He swallowed. “Yeah. It took me a long time to figure it out but I did.”

  “Good. I’m glad you do. He deserves someone who loves him. Someone who will give him the world.”

  And we could, love. His brain stopped functioning for a second as he let the thought seep into his consciousness. He waited for the panic to come but it didn’t. Instead, the incredible rightness of the statement settled in his gut. The three of them. Together.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He looked at her and swallowed the lump in his throat. Zee had been right. There was so much more to Maura than she showed the world. And there was something about her that completed both Zee and him. They belonged together.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

  “Okay.” Apparently not wanting to push it any further she looked down at the batter. “I love French toast.”

  “Any special reason?” he asked as he retrieved the loaf of bread.

  She nodded. “My mom made the best French toast. It was just amazing.”

  “Ah.”

  She took the bread from him and pulled out the slices. “It was the last thing she made for me before the accident.”

  He felt the stab to the heart right there and then. Seeing her position the bread on the counter carefully, he could easily see the teenaged Maura suffering through losing her parents, watching them die. She showed so little of that part of her that he held it close to his chest. He blinked.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. We had done brinner that night and had gone to see a movie.”

  “Brinner?”

  She grinned at him. “Yeah, that’s what we called it when Mom made it, then on the way back...” she shrugged.

  He set his hand on top of hers and she looked up at him, surprise lighting her features. Her eyes widened behind her lenses. He couldn’t tell her he knew the feelings, or even express how it made him feel that she had shared it with him. Instead, he leaned in and brushed his mouth over hers. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. It wasn’t carnal but it affected him just the same. No, this was more intense. It hit him on so many levels, but the worst part of it was what it did to his heart. It turned over as she pulled away and then trailed her fingers down his cheek.

  He’d been fighting it for days now, but he had to admit he was ass deep in love with a woman for the first time in his life.

  “Hey, do I smell French toast?” Zee said.

  Rory couldn’t speak, not yet. He was pretty sure his voice would crack.

  Maura grinned at him. If he hadn’t known before that, he would definitely know now that he was in love with her.

  She turned around. “Yep. He claims it is fantastic.”

  Rory tried to get his head in order as he went back to preparing the toast. Zee stopped in front of Maura and gave her a kiss, then leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Smells good.”

  The Georgia fight song went off on Maura’s phone. “Hey, Jillian. Having some French toast. No, Rory cooks.” She laughed and his heart danced a little.

  Damn.

  “No, I don’t think Conner would let him live with you just for cooking. Sure.” She jumped off the counter. “I’m going to check something out on the computer, be right back.”

  She started up the steps and he couldn’t help but watch her as she went. He didn’t pay attention to her words, but the tone of her voice, the way she laughed entranced him. The swing of her hips didn’t hurt either.

  “Earth to Rory.”

  He shook his head and looked at Zee who was smiling at him.

  “What?” he asked. His head was still spinning and his body was still humming.

  “Nothing. You just seemed to be lost there.”

  He shrugged with one shoulder
. “We were talking about her family.”

  “Conner?” Zee asked as he poured himself some coffee.

  “No, her folks.”

  He sensed Zee’s stillness. He looked back over his shoulder.

  “She did.”

  “What?”

  “She rarely talks about them. I don’t know much about them.”

  He sensed a thread of hurt in Zee’s voice. Setting down the whisk, he walked over to him and kissed him. “It wasn’t that much. She mentioned she liked French toast, that it was her favorite thing to eat for breakfast.”

  “Yeah, I know that.”

  “It was the last thing her mom made her before the accident. That’s all she said.”

  Zee sighed and put his head on Rory’s shoulder and for the second time that day he felt that slow roll through his heart, through his soul.

  “I didn’t mean to act like an ass.”

  He chuckled. “Really, Zee your definition of acting like an ass is weird.”

  He pulled back and looked at him. “It’s hard at times, this relationship. Most of the time I am okay with it, all the time really. Just hearing she had talked to you about her folks, that’s…well, she avoids it.”

  “And you’ve known her longer and you love her.”

  “Just me?” Rory made a face. “Okay, I won’t push you but at some point you’re going to have to deal with it. Both of you.” He gave him a kiss.

  “Now, get some breakfast for me, or I might just kick you to the curb.”

  “I’d like to see you try.”

  When Rory turned he noticed that Maura was walking down the stairs and she was watching them.

  “No, don’t stop on my account. I find it very sexy,” she said, her voice happy—truly happy. He realized that for all the months he had known her, he had never seen her this happy.

  “What did Jillian want?” Zee asked and pulled her into his arms as Rory went back to work on breakfast.

  “She’s stuck and needs to get out of the house for a bit. She wanted to know if I could run into Kailua Old Town and do some shopping this afternoon. I hope that’s okay.”

  No, it wasn’t bleeding okay. He wanted her to stay there with them, not out traipsing around. But he didn’t say anything.

  “Yes, we need to talk to Conner about a couple things. Did you want to go out tonight?” Zee asked.

  She scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “Can we stay in tonight? I can pick up whatever Rory wants to make us for dinner. We have a great place to dine on the lanai and I would rather enjoy the sunset from there and just relax with you two.”

  He shared a glance with Zee. “Sure. That sounds like a great plan.”

  She looked at the bread he had in the pan. “That breakfast isn’t going to cook itself.”

  She gave him a kiss and wandered over to get more coffee. He forced himself to focus on cooking. He would have time enough later to worry about the woman who was worming her way into his heart.

  Jillian smiled at Zeke when she stepped in the door. She was dressed like she normally did. Do rag on her head, cut off shorts, and an old T-shirt. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “I promise not to keep her long. We need some girl time.”

  “No problem, Jillian.”

  “Yay, girl stuff,” Maura said. She gathered up her purse and glasses. Then, she stopped and grabbed her hat. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she gave Rory a kiss then him. “Should be home soon. Text me what you want me to pick up for dinner.”

  They watched as the women climbed into the Jeep and then headed off for their day of fun.

  “So, what do you want to do?” Zeke asked. He was antsy, ready to do something—anything. He wasn’t accustomed to long days of leisure.

  Rory frowned. “I’m planning on relaxing out back. I think you have a few dishes to clean up.”

  He glanced over at the kitchen. “Dammit, she left me with the plates to clean up.”

  Rory laughed. “Our Maura isn’t stupid, that’s for sure.”

  For a second he said nothing as he let the words sink in. He had seen the way Rory had reacted earlier. Rory had never had a real relationship with a woman. One night stands or fuck buddies for vacations, but no real relationship. In truth, Zeke was pretty sure he was the only relationship he had ever had that was, well, a relationship.

  “Our?”

  Rory looked up at him. “What?”

  “You used the word ‘our’ for Maura.”

  He frowned. “Well she is.”

  “Come on, admit it. You want to make this permanent.”

  He said nothing but turned around to find something on the TV.

  “I don’t know if I can do that.”

  His heart sank. The only hope he had at the start of this was that somehow they might all make it through the week and maybe they could keep it going. He thought it was a long shot until he saw the way Rory and Maura had interacted. Every time the three of them made love that connection seemed to grow stronger. He had been hoping against hope that they would end up together in the end. The interaction he’d seen this morning at the breakfast table had reinforced the idea that Rory was falling for her. There was only one thing that could be keeping Rory from committing.

  “You’re afraid.”

  “No.” He stood up and threw the remote control down on the couch. “That’s not it.”

  Zeke watched the man he’d loved more than ten years struggle. He hurt for him, but Zeke was also glad for it.

  “Do you want to elaborate?”

  Rory’s frown turned darker and the look he shot Zeke told him he was trying to think of ways of killing him. It made Zeke want to dance.

  “I don’t know how I’m going to give her up,” he said, the words seeming to explode from somewhere deep inside him. Rory was good at hiding his feelings but he held onto them so tightly that there was always an explosion of some sort.

  Zeke’s heart stood up and cheered.

  “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  Zeke put the last of the plates into the dishwasher. Then started in on the skillet. “What was supposed to happen? Just a few fucks and then walk away. I told you it wouldn’t be easy with her. It never is.”

  Rory let out a frustrated growl. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

  Zeke said nothing although he wanted to. He wanted to push Rory, make him understand that this was supposed to happen. The three of them were supposed to be together, but he didn’t. He knew the worst thing he could do was push Rory. So, instead he nodded. With a curse, Rory turned and headed out to the lanai.

  Zeke thought it was another important step. They were slow and he was frustrated but to think there might be a chance that the three of them could come to some kind of agreement...he didn’t know if it could happen, but just thinking about it made him happier than anything in his life had before.

  * * * *

  “I think I bought too much,” Maura said when she walked out the door of Lanakai. It was one of her favorite finds in the Kailua area. The Hawaiian made soaps and lotions were some of her favorite things. “But I really don’t care.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Jillian said with a laugh. “You worry too much as it is.”

  She sighed. “I feel a lecture coming on.”

  “Naw, not from me. In fact, there is no way I am going to say that you haven’t learned to stop worrying about things. You’re in a hot relationship with two men.”

  An older woman gave them a look and Maura could feel her face heat up. She wasn’t ashamed, but she wasn’t going to go shouting it out on the street. “You are so bad.”

  Jillian looked behind them as the older woman muttered to herself and walked down the street. “Hey, these things go on. She’s probably jealous that she hasn’t had as much fun as you. If I didn’t have your brother cleaning my clock every night, I would be too.”

  Maura closed her eyes for a second. Jillian had always been willing to share. It had ju
st taken a weird turn when she became involved with Conner. “Jillian, I told you that while I am beyond happy that the two of you are married, please quit sharing things like that.”

  “You’re like one of my few girlfriends. That’s what we’re supposed to do, right?” She pointed to a little coffee shop. “Why don’t we grab a drink and gossip?”

  “Sounds good.”

  They were served pretty quickly, and soon they found themselves sitting at the table on the street. The trades were soft, with just enough to keep her cool.

  “God, I love it here.”

  Jillian smiled and took a sip of her coffee. “You live in Miami.”

  “Yes, and you know it’s different. There is a vibe…a feeling when I am here. Something that just grabs hold of me. I can’t live here, but every time I come, I feel centered.”

  “And that’s why I live here. Plus, an ocean between me and the rest of the crazies in my family is good.” She set her coffee down and settled a stern look on Maura. “Okay, so tell me, is everything going okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No problems?”

  “Lord, no. They...well, lord, it’s hard to explain but there is something about the two of them that is so sweet.”

  “Sweet?”

  “Yeah. They are sort of yin and yang.”

  Jillian chuckled. “Sweet. Special Forces dudes are sweet.”

  “Well, not entirely sweet or they would be boring. Rory is an amazing Dom. Some of the stuff...” She stopped and cleared her throat. “Let’s just say that the man is close to being a god.”

  “Have y’all talked about what will happen when you get home?”

  She shook her head. “No, not sure exactly what is going to happen. And for once I am going to ignore my inner voice. I am going to live in the moment. I would like it to go on, but...for right now this is what I am going to do.” She took a sip of her raspberry tea and knew the best way to divert Jillian’s attention. “So, how’s the book going?”

  Jillian huffed. “Okay, I guess. I wish this one was as easy as the last one, but, well, every book is different.”