He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Waiting would be difficult, but he could—for a while. A short while. His refusal to give up India would piss Marc off, but Wade didn’t see any way around it. He wanted India. And he’d have her, with or without Marc’s approval. Once he had…well, Marc wouldn’t be far behind.
* * * *
After dinner, India studied Marc and tried her best not to be attracted. It was difficult, especially now that he was more relaxed. In the office, he seemed…professional, distant, but at home, he was approachable…not to mention fuckable.
Holy Mother of God! She took a sip of her wine and tried to fight the blush rising in her cheeks. Just when did India Singer start thinking of men as fuckable? Granted, he was. So was Wade for that matter—big time. It figured she’d have thoroughly inappropriate thoughts about men who were gay. Especially both of them together. She had really bad timing. Or subconsciously, she’d declared them “safe,” which allowed her to feel that attraction and fantasize.
“India?”
She blinked and focused on her host again. That intent stare of his silently demanded to know what was on her mind.
Smiling, she said, “Sorry. I’ll warn you that while I’m a first rate caterer, I tend to lose my concentration in conversations.”
He chuckled. “That’s okay. I’m used to it with Wade. He knows the security business better than I do, but if you ask him to sit in a serious contract meeting, he can’t stay focused.”
“I feel my ears burning.” Wade called out from the kitchen.
Marc rolled his eyes. “And he tends to hear me say things like that and miss important stuff.”
India found their byplay fascinating. “How long have you been friends?”
“Since boot camp. Wade kept getting his ass kicked for that mouth of his, and I kept him from ending up in the hospital.” He cocked his head to one side, studying her, as if trying to decide something. “How do you know Nelson Delgado?”
“He’s family.”
“Family? I’ve known Nelson for a year and I’ve met a large part of his family.”
She almost snorted, but held back. Family? Yeah, like the Sopranos. Most people in the area knew of the bitter feelings between her father and his brother-in-law. They wouldn’t be invited to any Delgado family gatherings. “He’s actually my uncle, by marriage.”
“Oh.”
She sighed, hating to explain the issue. Her father despised Nelson for many reasons, but her marriage to his protégé had topped it off, not to mention their horrific divorce. She was just lucky her parents never held it against her and had been very supportive no matter what.
“My father has never gotten along with Nelson. They had a disagreement years ago, the family doesn’t even remember about what, but my father has never gotten over it. My parents actually relocated to the Georgetown area a few years ago, so it isn’t an issue anymore.”
“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”
She shook her head and smiled. “No. Most everyone in the area knows about it, so I’m rarely asked. You just surprised me.”
“I don’t know him well. I know of him and that he’s looked up to in the community.”
A point for Marc because Nelson was bad news all around.
He went on. “When he heard we were looking for a caterer, he suggested you. With his knowledge of the food industry in South Texas, we figured he knew what he was talking about.”
His tone made it clear that Marc assumed she would be grateful, but she wasn’t. She wanted nothing to do with Nelson and his motley group of hoodlums—especially Johnny. She forced herself to ignore her natural inclination to fill the awkward silence with something, even if she pretended she was happy for the recommendation. Her instincts in these types of situations were fucked up and had been for years. She’d listened to her instincts that told her to marry Johnny—and built his franchise of Tex-Mex restaurants. She knew better now.
India shifted in her chair and peeked through her lashes at her hosts. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with the setting. Why had two gorgeous guys, albeit gay, invited her to dinner? Yes, they said it was to finalize the agreement, but that had clearly been done earlier in the day because the contract had been waiting for her when she returned to her office. And while she enjoyed the company, the food, and the atmosphere, she couldn’t fight the feeling there was something else going on there. An undercurrent she couldn’t put her finger on. She knew from experience that those things could drown a girl if she didn’t learn how to dodge them.
“You want to ask something,” Marc said. “I see it on your face. Why don’t you?”
She couldn’t tear her attention away from his eyes. Gray was too basic a word for them. A thin line of blue lightened the outside rim of the iris, and they were even more pronounced because he had eyelashes she would kill for. Light, thick and long, they framed his eyes in the most beautiful way.
“India?”
Oh, God, she’d been mooning again. “Sorry. You think I have a question?”
He nodded, one side of his mouth kicking up. “I know you do.”
“Okay.” She cleared her throat. “I’m a little confused about why you invited me to dinner.”
Marc didn’t speak right away. His gaze never wavered. “We wanted to get to know you better. We’ve been in business a year, but we’re still building our name. One of the reasons for the party.”
His answer explained the reason for the party, but not for her presence here, especially given Wade and Marc’s relationship. Maybe that’s why he’d intentionally dodged her question. Maybe he didn’t want to admit his sexual orientation to her. It was possible, she supposed, they invited her here to give the appearance of one of them being in a heterosexual dating relationship. And really, was it that important?
“I see.”
“No, you don’t. Ask me what you really want to ask.”
She frowned, confused. “Ask you? I just did.”
He sighed, relaxing more into his chair. “You want details about my relationship with Wade.”
“You’re partners.” In more ways than one, she suspected. No need to say more on that topic.
“Partners.” He said the word slowly, as if savoring the syllables. “You think we’re partners in more than the business sense.”
Murky area. She knew the ins and outs of the San Antonio business community. While it was much more laid back than Houston or Dallas–Ft. Worth, it was still conservative. They would accept two gay men having an art gallery or a hair salon. However, folks wouldn’t trust two gay men to handle their security. Stupid, but then, most of life was.
“You’re friends.”
There, that avoided the confrontation. India wasn’t good at it, hated the sense of instability it gave her. She’d grown up in a family that constantly fought, and to this day she didn’t like raised voices.
His smile deepened, but he said nothing, his attention drawn to something over her shoulder. She turned and watched Wade carry a tray filled with coffee cups and condiments.
He set it on the table in front of her. “You think we’re gay.”
Wade’s bluntness kept her immobile for a second. She couldn’t think of anything to say to that, but she heard Marc sigh. Again, she wondered why they thought it mattered to her. She wasn’t a part of the rumor mill, and if they didn’t want her spilling their secret, she could keep her mouth closed.
“I was leading up to that,” Marc said. There was a hint of humor in his voice that had her turning to look at him.
“Really, it’s your business, no one else’s. If you’re happy, I’m happy for you.”
Wade laughed out loud. “Happy.”
He slipped into the chair next to her and leaned forward, putting his hand over hers. Unlike other men she’d known, calluses roughened his hands, caressing her skin, sending a shaft of heat through her blood. Just as she did with Marc, she found herself mesmerized by his eyes. Where Marc’s were hypnotic
in their clear view, Wade’s were dark and dangerous. When he laughed like now, the golden flakes were even more prominent.
“I’d be more than happy to show you where my interest lies.”
His voice thickened as did her confusion. His interest. In her? Lord knew her body responded to the lust in his tone, and something was definitely up here. She glanced over at Marc. Her heartbeat sped up, her mind started to whirl. The intent look in his eyes had every bit of moisture in her mouth drying up. Those undercurrents ran stronger than ever, tugging at her mercilessly.
All of a sudden, her silly fantasies of having both men at once didn’t seem so silly after all. Heat flashed through her, danced over her nerve endings, and knotted her stomach. She shifted in her seat, and her damp panties abraded against her clit. Pressing her thighs together, she tried to ease the erotic tension but only increased it.
Gawd.
Looking over at Marc, Wade asked, “Couldn’t you just eat her up?”
Marc merely smiled. She couldn’t decipher his mysterious expression.
She frowned at their byplay, looking from one to another. Very deliberately, she slid her hand from underneath Wade’s. “I don’t know what’s going on here.”
Wade opened his mouth, but Marc leaned forward, stopping him with a pointed look. Uncomfortable with the tension between the two men, India’s stomach tightened further. Were they going to have an argument about her? Why? The perfectly wonderful dinner soured in her stomach.
After a moment, Wade’s stiffness drained and he backed down. The undercurrent ebbed. The odd conversation left her at sea without a raft. What was going on between these men? From the heat in Wade’s eyes and the way he kept studying her—which was driving her crazy—she wondered about his motives. Were these men gay or bi? Oh, Lord, were they the type who shared women, like in her favorite erotic books? Even as her mind tried to push the idea away, her body screamed for it to be true. She could just imagine what it would be like lying between these two powerful men, feeling their hands roam over her.
India looked from one man to the other. One was dark, sexy, with a mouth that promised nothing but pleasure. The other was a blond god, so serious that India wondered just what it would feel like to have all that concentration focused on her. She shivered as a double dose of desire speared through her body.
She was going to drive herself crazy if she did not stop these fantasies. Even if they were the type of men to do that, she wasn’t truly the type of woman who could satisfy them. They might not realize it, but she did. Her marriage had proven that. She hadn’t been able to keep a man her own age happy. She definitely wouldn’t be able to keep two younger men happy.
“We just wanted to clear the air,” Marc said easily, no anger in his voice.
Clear? She was more confused than ever, but India wasn’t good with confrontation. “Ahh, okay, you can consider it cleared up.”
She didn’t know what else to say. While she understood they may not want people to think they were gay, especially in their business, she didn’t know why they bothered denying it to her. Confusing. The whole evening was completely bewildering.
“How do you take it?” Wade asked, a naughty smile curving his lips. Her head spun with images of Wade leaning over her as he slid the full, hard length of his cock into her.
She cleared her throat, but nothing would dislodge that image—ever.
“Take it?”
“Your coffee.”
“Oh.” India ordered herself to calm down. At the age of thirty-five, she should be able to control her hormones. With determination, she offered Wade a wide grin. “Lots of cream and two sweeteners.”
* * * *
“I know you want her.”
Marc paused his typing on the computer when Wade spoke. “Of course I do.”
He finished his task, then turned to face his best friend. Wade’s mutinous expression told Marc all he needed to know. He wasn’t going to let this go. Marc really couldn’t handle this right now. Any talk of India Singer rubbed him like salt on an open wound. Every time she laughed this evening, his cock jumped. She was a bundle of luscious curves, all soft and warm, and he could tell she was attracted to both of them. But it wouldn’t work. India was the type of woman who wanted forever—something Marc could not offer again. At her age, he was sure she was looking for more than a weekend with two younger men.
“Then why the hell are you being so stubborn?”
“Because one of us has to keep our business in mind.”
“Jesus, Marc. When the hell did you become so damned uptight? You were the one who first suggested we share women. Why would it be wrong with India? She’s incredible and—”
“Now part of our business life. It wouldn’t be ethical while we’re working with her. Or fair to her. She’s trying to establish her business. If she agreed, imagine how it would affect her if rumors of our sexcapades got out. She’d feel the backlash, too. Maybe even more than we would.”
The disgust in his best friend’s voice did not deter him. “You act like we’ll take an ad out in the San Antonio Express.”
“You know how perilous it is the first year. Hell, we almost didn’t make it a couple of months. Do you think she needs us pressuring her? We are her first big event, one that could really have an impact. Think with your brain, not your dick.”
“You want her as badly as I do.”
Frustration crawled down Marc’s spine. “I never denied it.”
“Then what the hell is the problem?”
“I think that pressuring her right now is reckless and irresponsible. Jesus, Wade, we only have two weeks until the party. Keep your zipper up until then.”
Wade studied him for a moment, relaxed his shoulders, though he still wore the same fierce expression. “I won’t touch her for now, but I will pursue her once the party is over.”
Marc hesitated, then nodded. There would be no reasoning with Wade. Once he was set on a course, changing his mind seemed impossible.
Wade speared him with another glare, then left Marc alone with his thoughts.
His buddy was right. Marc did want India, maybe a little more than was good for his peace of mind. She was a delight. Tonight, he’d wanted nothing more than to reach across the table, yank her out of that seat, and strip her naked. He could’ve had her moaning his name before the appetizers. He’d fantasized about sliding his hands over her flesh as he took her from behind. His cock hardened, lengthened. His blood drained from his head and traveled south.
Marc closed his eyes and tried to conjugate verbs in Spanish, but his brain quit functioning. And that was a problem. Being the voice of reason with Wade had been Marc’s job since boot. It wasn’t a role he relished, but one he did out of camaraderie, of love. There were times when all they had was each other in matters of life or death.
Now, though, he had to worry about Wade’s behavior around India. Wade would never coerce her, but his recklessness could hurt their business and hers. And Marc wasn’t sure he was strong enough to be anyone’s conscience right now.
One thing he did not want to do was hurt India. Cherish her, love her body, take her up and over the peak again and again. That, along with fantasizing about sharing her with Wade, would cause him more than one sleepless night in the next few weeks. But he could not act on it. He just hoped that Wade didn’t think that forever would last in a ménage. They had been down that road before, and it had left them both shattered.
It was not something he was ready to do. He didn’t know if either of them could survive that pain again.
* * * *
India parked her rental car on the street in front of her house. Sadly, the compact was a step up from the late model car she normally drove. She just hoped that the damned thing worked when she got it back from the body shop. Her insurance was up to date, but the five hundred deductable she paid cleared out almost every last dollar she had in her savings. Even a used car was out of the question, at least for the next year or two while
she built her business.
Getting in good with Marc and Wade would definitely help. Their client list had several huge companies in the area, and with a good party, she might be able to garner a few bigger gigs.
Unfortunately, she was interested in them beyond business. They were younger, yes, but both seemed to have their heads screwed on straight. A shame really that they were too young for her and, odd undercurrents aside, they couldn’t be seriously interested. Hell, not that she’d know what to do with them, but it was a nice fantasy. Even a date with one of them would be more than she had since her marriage fell apart eighteen months ago.
Pushing away her disappointment, she stepped out of the car, locked it, and then started to rummage around for her house keys. She dropped her purse, spilling the contents out on the sidewalk. With a huff, she bent down to pick up the mess. A male hand slipped into view. Startled, she looked up and found her ex-husband Johnny smiling at her.
“Need some help?”
Chapter Three
India fought the fear that tightened her stomach. Showing Johnny that she was afraid would give him a weapon. Her counselor’s voice sounded in her head.
Keep your responses unemotional.
“You aren’t allowed to be within one hundred yards of me.” She stood slowly, trying her best to keep from touching him. When she gained her feet, she looked at him, looked past the tailored suit, expertly styled hair, bleached teeth, and remembered just how horrible of a bastard he was.
She knew she’d been an easy target for him. Working for her uncle as a restaurant manager, India had been overwhelmed by the attention Johnny had given her. She’d never had many dates in high school, even less as a working woman, but Johnny played the part of a besotted lover. She’d fallen for it, idiot that she was.
“I can have you arrested for trespassing.”
She moved to walk by him, and he grabbed her arm. Her heart lurched. With more calmness than she felt, she looked down at his hand, then back up at his face. “I would advise you to take your hand the hell off of me.”
Conquering India Page 3
