by Lynn Tyler
Marla elbowed her in the side, and Lindsay abruptly realized she was staring at him like an idiot. At least she wasn’t slack-jawed and drooling. “Ummm…hi, Liam,” she croaked.
The man’s grin deepened, displaying a fabulous set of dimples. “It’s good to see you again. I wanted to introduce you to Nick,” he said, indicating Mr. Sexy Number One. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to work up the courage for this all this week so I’m just going to say it. We were wondering if we could take you out to dinner.”
Ohgodohgodohgod. Was this really happening? Lindsay cleared her throat. Then she swallowed. Then she pried the tongue off the roof of her mouth. “Aren’t you gay?” she blurted then winced. Okay, she was officially an idiot. What woman would ever turn down an invitation to have dinner with two hot men? Apparently, she would.
Liam’s smile faded a little, and Lindsay grieved for the loss of that bright grin. “We’re together, yes, but we’re not strictly gay. And we would really like to take you to dinner.”
Mr. Sexy Number One, Nick, apparently, frowned and started making his way over. Panic threatened to overwhelm her. God, what would everyone think of her if she went on a date with two men? The idea of the gossip alone was enough to terrify her. “Ah, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she muttered, dropping her eyes to the pile of books stacked in front of her.
“You don’t think it’s a good idea because we’re bisexual?” Liam questioned quietly, his accent thickening slightly.
Lindsay flushed but tilted her chin defiantly. She might be an idiot for turning his dinner invitation down. And she may be a coward for not grabbing what she wanted with both hands because she was afraid of the gossip. But she was no bigot, damn it. She looked him dead in the eye. “I don’t care about your sexual orientation,” she whispered fiercely as Nick joined them.
Liam opened his mouth to say something else, stopping only when Nick laid his hand on Liam’s arm. “Sorry, Lindsay,” Nick said apologetically. “Liam sometimes gets overenthusiastic when he sees something he wants. We’ll get out of your way now.”
She blinked up at Nick as he tugged on Liam’s hand. He handed the other man a heavy leather jacket and Liam shrugged it on as the two retreated to the exit. Lindsay watched them leave, sighing with regret.
“Are you crazy, girl?” Marla hissed. “What happened to, ‘can’t I have them both’?”
“Marla, are you serious? I can’t go out with two men. What would people say?” Lindsay replied, with not a little disappointment.
Eyes rolling skyward, Marla shook her finger in Lindsay’s face. “Who cares what everyone else thinks?”
Lindsay blew out a long breath. “I do, Marl. I can’t stand the idea of being a topic of gossip.”
Marla shook her head. “Gossip is just words, Linds. It can’t hurt you unless you let it.”
“That’s not always true,” Lindsay countered. She looked around to make sure there were no patrons needing help before she continued. “When I was a kid, someone started a rumor about my father. It tore my family apart.”
Marla patted her arm, her eyes softening with sympathy. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Wiping her suddenly sweaty palms on her thighs, Lindsay blew out a pent-up breath. The desk was still quiet so it was now or never. “Someone started a rumor that my dad was having an affair with my Aunt Leanne, my mom’s sister.”
“Oh, honey,” Marla crooned sympathetically.
Lindsay shook her head. “If that had been the worst of it, I would have had a great childhood.” She pressed her palm to her racing heart, hoping the pressure would be enough to keep it from pounding right out of her chest. “Small towns can be cruel. My father swore up and down that he hadn’t had an affair. Eventually my mother couldn’t take it anymore and left. My aunt left, too. My dad was so angry and depressed, he basically checked out. I pretty much raised myself.”
Marla enveloped her in a sympathetic hug, and Lindsay soaked up the feeling. No one had ever reacted this way. All her childhood friends had, at best, abandoned her. At worst, they teased her. As she grew older and developed earlier than the other girls, the boys chased her, desperate to get into her pants. The girls had ignored her or even bullied her, sure she was going to steal their boyfriends.
“Oh, sweetie, that must have been so hard on you. Why didn’t you go and live with your mom?” Marla asked.
Pulling away, Lindsay hung her head. “I didn’t hear from my mother until I found her five years after she left. By that time I had already graduated from high school and had been accepted into the University of Waterloo. She didn’t want me, Marl.” It still hurt, even after all these years, and it pissed her off to no end that she still let her past rule her life.
“Well, shame on your mom! You are the most beautiful person I have ever known, inside and out. And I’ll tell you, those two men want you, Linds,” Marla said fiercely.
Lindsay twisted her hands anxiously, suddenly plagued with the worry that she had sent her only chance at happiness out the door. What the hell was she going to do now?
* * * *
Nick was still shaking his head when Liam pulled up to the house. He’d gotten himself all worked up over that librarian, and Liam had only made it worse with all his teasing. Now he was horny as fuck and pissed off because now it would be harder to convince Lindsay to go out with them. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” he muttered irritably, needing to take his frustration out on someone.
“Yeah, yeah,” Liam replied, slamming his car door harder than he had to and digging into his pocket for his house keys. “I just thought it was better to get the issue out right away.” His accent was so heavy Nick had trouble deciphering his words and he had been with Liam for five years, living with him for four.
Liam’s boots thumped on the floor as he stomped off the snow and toed them off.
“You thought it was best to ‘get the issue out in the open’?” He framed the offending phrase in air quotes. “God, Lee, you acted like a spoilt two-year-old, ready to throw a tantrum because he didn’t get his way.”
“Was I really that bad?” Liam asked, a rather horrified expression crossing his face.
Nick’s own shoes joined Liam’s boots, and he led his partner into the family room. “No. But you have to admit, you do tend to pout when you don’t get what you want,” Nick said, urging Liam to sit on the couch.
Groaning loudly, Liam leaned forward and lowered his head to his hands. “I just wanted her to give us a chance so badly.”
The leather couch rocked against the wall as Nick flopped down next to him. He rubbed Liam’s back tenderly and was overcome with the need to soothe. “I know you did, Lee. Look, we’ll send her flowers at work with an apology, another offer for dinner, and our number. Maybe she was just startled.”
Liam looked up, his hopeful smile lighting up the room. “Do you think we have a chance?” he asked.
Nick grinned as he reached for the phone book. Flipping through the book to the florist section, he located the number to the shop they always used to send flowers to their mothers and sisters. Giving instructions to the florist, he felt his groin tighten.
Oh yes, Nick thought. They had a chance. The flash of shy, curious heat in Lindsay’s eyes had given her away. The pretty little librarian was definitely interested in the two of them. Now they just had to convince her to take their offer and run with it.
* * * *
“I’m looking for a Lindsay,” the delivery woman said breathlessly as she blew a stray lock of hair out of her face.
“That’s me,” Lindsay answered, staring at the large arrangement that had been plunked on the circulation desk. Lord, it was beautiful. Deep red roses, delicate pink orchids, and striking white Calla lilies. Simple, stunning, and sexy as hell. Her kinky imagination perked up immediately, and she pictured strong hands trailing those flowers over her skin. Not just any strong hands. Liam’s and Nick’s hands.
The woman reached around the flowers
with a clipboard. “Sign here. You are one lucky woman,” she sighed dreamily. “Liam and Nick send their mothers flowers at least once a month. They’re great guys. Sex on a stick, too.”
Lindsay watched the delivery woman disappear into the snow as her coworkers and several patrons gathered to coo over the flowers. Plucking the card from the middle of the bouquet, Lindsay turned her back on the crowd to give herself some sense of privacy and opened the envelope.
Lindsay,
Please accept our sincerest apologies for our forwardness this afternoon. We did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable or to put you on the spot. We would like to make it up to you by making you dinner.
If you would do us the honor of having dinner with us, please call. If we don’t hear from you, we will assume your answer is no, and we will not bother you again.
Sincerely,
Nick Nakamura and Liam Pelletier
Lindsay held the card close to her chest as she breathed out a sigh of relief. She hadn’t blown her chance at her fantasy after all. It was all she could do to stop herself from picking up the desk phone and calling them right then and there.
“Who would send mousy little Lindsay flowers?” a voice sneered from behind her, inspiring visions of murder and mayhem.
Damn, damn, double damn. Horrible Heather must have come to work to fill in for another employee. Heather delighted in making everyone around her miserable and especially enjoyed picking on Lindsay.
Marla immediately jumped to Lindsay’s defense. “Lots of people would send Lindsay flowers. In fact, two of the yummiest men I have ever seen asked her out just this afternoon.”
“Perhaps they are gay and are looking for a straight friend,” Heather said waspishly.
Heat flooded Lindsay’s face, and she was sure her cheeks were as red as the maple leaf on the flag displayed in the corner. She cursed her fair skin even as she met Heather’s derisive gaze. She had endured far worse than that as a teenager, and she would be damned if she would back down now. “Not that it’s any of your business, but the flowers are from the men who asked me out.”
Heather rolled her eyes and made a show of tossing her long blond hair over her shoulder. “It’s probably just a joke. Even if it’s not, Little Lindsay couldn’t handle even one man, let alone two.” Lindsay’s heart sank just a little. Two men loving her and loving each other might be her fantasy, but did she have it in her to overcome her fear of discovery?
Chapter 3
Winter sucked. Lindsay stomped the snow off her boots and scowled at the puddles of water spreading on her cheap linoleum floor. Why, oh why couldn’t Toronto be located in Jamaica? And why had she taken the subway to work again? She had a perfectly good car.
She placed the flowers carefully on her kitchen table before blowing on her frozen hands. She had stupidly left her gloves at home this morning. In her defense, the temperature had dropped significantly since she had left this morning. Ah…winter in Canada.
Lindsay shuffled into the bathroom and began filling the tub, entertaining herself by imagining a beach, margaritas, and cabana boys. Soaking in a hot bath was the only way she could get warm on winter days like this. Being between two big, warm men in an even bigger bed would be even better.
Plucking the card out of her purse, she gazed at the number. Did she dare?
Uncorking a bottle of wine, Lindsay carried it into the bathroom along with a glass, the card, and a cordless phone. She eased her body into the hot, oiled water and poured herself a glass of Chardonnay. Swallowing a mouthful of the wine, she gathered her courage around herself like a blanket and dialed their number.
“Hello?”
A bolt of sensation shot through her and settled between her legs. That voice was like rough velvet scraping along her spine. If this was how it affected her over the phone, imagine what it would do to her as he made love to her.
“Hello?” he said again.
Lindsay snapped out of her reverie. “Hi. It’s Lindsay,” she said softly.
“Hello, Lindsay. This is Liam,” he purred.
Of course it was Liam. The French accent had given him away. Her nipples tightened and stood out like pencil erasers. She tweaked one of her nipples, pulling on it just a little. Suddenly, she was so turned on she wasn’t sure how she was going to make it through this phone call without needing to make herself come. Maybe she had a French fetish.
“Lindsay? Are you still there, chérie?” Liam questioned.
“Yes,” she breathed. Did that breathy, sexy voice really come out of her? Oh, god, now she was the one who sounded like a phone sex operator. “I just wanted to thank you and Nick for the flowers. They are beautiful.”
“You are very welcome,” he replied. Lindsay could practically hear the smile in Liam’s voice. “Did you get the card, too?”
“I did,” she confirmed throatily, still channeling her inner phone sex operator. She waited with nervous anticipation for Liam’s next words. Would he understand?
“I guess you know that you’ve agreed to have dinner with us then,” he said. Lindsay’s mouth quirked, and she released a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.
A scuffle sounded in the background. “Lee, you have no filter between your brain and your mouth, you know that?” Nick said impatiently. “Give me the phone!”
“No,” Liam replied petulantly. “Stop being a dumb ass.”
Lindsay stifled a giggle at their antics and took another sip of wine. She could just see the two of them wrestling for the phone. Now, get them naked and covered in oil and she’d be set! Suddenly Nick’s voice came on the line. “I’m sorry, Lindsay. I’m going to have to get a muzzle for Liam.”
“Shut up, you cheater. And I don’t care what you say. Putting it on speakerphone is cheating,” Liam complained, although the amusement and affection in his voice gave him away.
Not even bothering to try and hold back, Lindsay tipped her head back and laughed out loud, delighted with the both of them. Funny, playful, obviously affectionate and hot! Thank goodness she had swallowed her fear and called them.
“We would really like to make dinner for you,” Nick said seriously, his tone softening. “What do you say?”
Lindsay refilled her wine glass, surprised to find the glass three-quarters empty. “I’ll come,” she said.
“Oh, chérie,” Liam groaned. “The thought of you coming makes me so hard.”
All the blood in her body rushed to her clit and forced it out from under its hood. Her pussy throbbed with desire, and she had to restrain herself from sliding her hand down her belly and stroking herself. She shifted restlessly, causing the water to splash softly on the sides of the tub.
“Lindsay,” Nick crooned. “Baby, do I hear water?”
“I’m in the bath,” she whispered in what she hoped was a sexy way. Oh, this was fun. She had always had a healthy sexual appetite and an extremely active imagination, but no man would have ever classified her as particularly sexy. Cute, fresh, friendly, sure. But certainly not a sex goddess. Talking to these two men was exciting and made her feel desirable without feeling silly.
Liam groaned again and muttered something in French. “Oh, Lindsay. You know Liam’s turned on when he starts speaking French,” Nick murmured.
“Bath tubs turn him on?” Lindsay teased.
Liam chuckled huskily. “Chérie, the idea of you naked in water, all wet and slippery, that is what gets me hot,” he said, his accent heavy and thick.
She took another swallow of her drink and placed her glass on the edge of the tub. “I was cold,” she said. The wine must have made her braver than normal because she continued. “It’s too bad you guys aren’t here. I’m sure that between the two of you, you could figure out a different way to warm me up.”
A breath caught on the other end of the line. She thought she heard the metal grind of a zipper and squirmed. Her clit was pounding for attention, the sucker probably sticking straight out. “Tell me,” Nick whispered, “are there bu
bbles in your bath?”
Liam swore softly in the background, and fabric rustled rhythmically. She could easily picture his large hand fisting around his cock and stroking himself off. She let her hand wander back to her breast and cupped it in her palm. It was swollen and heavy, the tip aching. “Bath oil,” she answered. “I like the way it makes my skin feel so…slick.”
“Oh, God, I love bath oil,” Nick ground out. “Baby, I’ve got to warn you, you are really turning us on.”
Lindsay’s alcohol-related buzz urged her on. “Why don’t you do something about it?” she challenged.
“Merde,” Liam swore. “Chérie, I’ve been doing something about it for the last five minutes. But tell me, what are you doing about it?”
Lindsay took a deep breath and plunged in. “What do you want me to do about it?”
“Baby, you let Liam tell you what to do,” Nick growled. “I’m going to suck him off.”
An image of Nick’s dark head hovering over Liam’s erection was nearly her undoing. A small moan of longing slipped from her throat, and she swallowed thickly. “All right,” she whispered.
“Chérie,” Liam panted. “Touch your breasts. How do they feel?”
She nearly dropped the headset at his command. “Oh,” she whimpered into the phone, “let me put it on speakerphone so I don’t drop it.” She pressed the button, and the room was immediately filled with Nick’s slurping sounds. “Now, tell me how those beautiful breasts feel.
She cupped her breasts, palming the suddenly heavy weight. “Swollen,” she sighed, “sensitive.”
Liam growled aggressively. “Take your right hand and use your first finger and your thumb to pinch your nipple,” he commanded on a hiss. “Imagine that it’s my mouth tugging on you.”
She did as she was told, tugging and rolling her tight nipple. “Okay.” She couldn’t hold back the small whimper of pleasure rising in her throat.
