Finally (Mature Men, #3)

by Marilyn Lee

  He sobered and slipped a finger inside my pussy.

  I trembled. "No, Shane."

  "Why not?" His free hand brushed against the choker. "Because of him?"

  "He has nothing to do with it," I said quickly. When he continued to stroke into me, I closed my thighs in an effort to immobilize his fingers. If he didn't stop soon, I wouldn't want him to. "I just can't."

  "Shit!" He said but immediately stepped away from me and sheathed his shaft. He then leaned against the door and took several, deep breaths while I stood trembling beside him.

  What must he think of me?

  "Damn," he said into the tense silence. "I'm sorry. I meant it when I said it wasn't my style to hop into bed on a first date. I didn't ask you out with seduction in mind."

  "Didn't you?"

  "At least not tonight."

  "I'm sorry too," I whispered. "I know it's totally unfair to rev you up like that and then ask you to stop."

  "Damn right it is, but I'm one of those men who actually believe I'm required to stop the moment a woman says no."

  The lack of anger in his voice made me feel worse. "I'm sorry," I said again.

  He blew out a breath. "So am I. Shit. I'd better go but do us both a favor, Sherlyn. Be honest with your friend about my complete lack of interest in her. And we can talk in a few days."

  I shook my head. "If you're determined not to give her a chance, we have no reason to see each other again."

  He pushed himself away from the door. "I am totally sure I have no interest in her but I will see you again. I know how to take no for an answer when it comes to sexual intimacy, but that doesn't mean I won't pursue you."

  How I wished I was in a position to take advantage of his determination. "I'm not dating you. I can't."

  He leaned close to stare in my eyes. "We'll discuss it again later. Right now I need to get out of here." He brushed his hand against my breasts, stroked his fingers inside me as he pressed several, hard, demanding kisses against my lips.

  I shuddered and struggled not to part my legs.

  He pressed a quick, hot kiss against my mouth before leaving.

  I leaned against the door, trying to decide how honest I should be with Janine when we talked in the morning. I knew it was cowardly but I wasn't equal to the task of even attempting to talk to her that night. Not after what I'd almost allowed to happen.

  Chapter Four

  Darkwater

  "Good night? What do you mean good night?"

  I arched a brow and met the cool gaze of the pretty blonde glaring up at me. What the hell part of good night didn't she understand? "I mean good night as in I'm going home."

  "Alone?"

  Damn. She seemed determined to define the term dumb blonde. I nodded. "Yes. Alone."

  "I have needs and expectations—"

  "I told you when we met that I'd just ended a messy relationship and that I had no interest in an exclusive or sexual relationship."

  "That was five weeks ago. If every man who spun me that line were sincere, I'd still be a virgin. You all claim you're only interested in friendship, but all jump at the first chance to bed me. This is yours. Take it while the offer stands."

  "It's a charming offer and I'm flattered, but I actually meant what I said. I'm not interested in a sexual relationship at the moment."

  "Fine. What about my needs and interests?"

  "We're not in an exclusive relationship. I'm sure there are countless men who would love to make love to you."

  "But not you?"

  "Not at the moment."

  "You know what? Fuck you, Darkwater!" She slapped me, walked inside the open door of her apartment, and slammed it in my face.

  I shrugged and walked away. After several weeks of bedding numerous women, I'd decided that I wasn't going to be able to sleep Sherlyn out of my system. I'd have to do it the painful, old-fashioned way with the passage of time.

  I went home, intent on swimming until I was sufficiently tired to fall sleep without lying awake half the night.

  As I was about to dive into the pool, my cell phone rang.

  "Call from Michael Darkwater. Say answer or ignore."

  What the hell now? "Answer," I said, listened for the click and then spoke. "Hello Michael."

  "Are you alone?"

  I frowned. He sounded agitated. "Yes. I just said good night to my date," I told him, hoping to forestall any further interest in how many nights I choose to spend alone at home. "What's up?"

  "We need to talk."

  "So talk."

  "In person."

  "When?"

  "I'm on my way. I'll be there in half an hour."

  "See you then," I said and hung up.

  Michael looked pissed when he let himself in and came out to the pool.

  "What's wrong?" I asked as I climbed out of the water and wrapped a towel around my waist.

  He shook his head and stalked along the length of the tiles twice before turning to face me. "She's dating."

  Of course I knew she was Sherlyn. I swallowed slowly and sank into the nearest chair at one of the patio tables. "I'd be surprised if she wasn't."

  "Is that all you have to say?"

  "What do you expect me to say? As I've pointed out countless times, it's over between us and I'm dating. Why shouldn't she?"

  He shook his head. "The difference is in who she's dating and the fact that she actually looked as if she were enjoying the experience. We both know the same can't be said of you and your sham dates."

  Sham dates about summed up the state of my current so-called romantic life. "Why should I care who she's dating?" I asked, deliberately choosing to ignore the rest of his comment.

  "I saw her tonight with Reddorn."

  I frowned. "And? Surely you can't think they're cheating on Am. Even if she were into him, he's sure as hell not into anyone but Am. They must have been discussing some surprise they're planning for her."

  "I didn't mean John. I meant his brother."

  I stiffened. "She's...you saw her tonight with one of his brothers?"

  He nodded. "They were smiling and gazing into each other's eyes as if they were the only two people in the damned place. She denied they were dating, but—"

  "And you didn't believe her?"

  He shrugged. "She might believe that but I saw the way he was looking at her. You have to get your ass in gear, Thomas."

  "And do what?"

  He stopped pacing to stare at me. "What the hell do you think? You have to make a move before she falls in love with him."

  The thought of Sherlyn in love with one of John's brothers didn't excite me because it would mean seeing her with him at family functions on a regular basis or not attending such functions. Since I was the eldest, everyone expected me to stand in for our father. Dad had been big on family and rarely missed a gathering.

  "I can't interfere with her personal life."

  "What the hell are you on, Thomas? If you don't interfere, she's going to fall in love with him. And then what are you going to do? Sit around hoping he'll drop dead and you'll get another chance to win her back?"

  I inhaled. "Are you implying I wanted her fiancé dead?"

  "I'm implying you didn't lose any sleep when he died."

  "You do know his death devastated her."

  "Yes. I do."

  "And you think I wanted her hurt like that?"

  "No. I know you didn't want her hurt, but I also know that you were relieved when he was no longer around to command her heart and her attention."

  "What the hell do you want from me, Michael?"

  "I want you to face facts, admit how you feel about her, and then do something about it before you lose her again."

  "I've already done that."

  "That's only true if you make it true. What the hell is wrong with you?"

  I shook my head. "I appreciate your concern, but I really am capable of deciding if it's over between us and guess what? It is. Now will you please let it the hell alone
?"

  "No. I'm going to keep at you until you come to your senses! You can't just stand by and let him take her from you. Despite what you think, Am assures me that she's still yours to lose. I know she hurt you, but let her know you think she's worth a little effort to win back."

  "And why the hell would I do that?"

  "Because there's no way he can take her if you make an effort to win her back."

  "Why the hell would I want to win her back again?"

  "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you're in love with her."

  I narrowed my gaze. "I'm not going to argue with you any more, Michael. It's over between us. If she's moved on..."

  "If she's moved on what?"

  "I’m happy for her."

  "The hell you are!" Michael stared at me before he turned and stormed out.

  After he slammed out and I heard his car engine start, I dried off and went to bed. Following a long, restless night during which I slept very little, I woke early in the morning and called Amber.

  * * *

  Sherlyn

  Racked with guilt at how close I had come to betraying Janine's trust with Shane Reddorn, I tossed and turned most of the night before falling into an exhausted slumber. Sometime during the night, I dreamed of Shane. We were both naked in my bedroom. After several minutes of blistering hot kisses, he bent me over the chair in my bedroom, rubbing his shaft against me.

  Without a moment's hesitation, I reached back to part my cheeks.

  Groaning with pleasure, he quickly drove his big bare cock deep into my ass.

  After the first few painful thrusts, I started to get into it. I pushed my hips backward and welcomed each movement until my nether cheeks and thighs shook and my pussy creamed.

  He gripped my breasts and tunneled in deeper.

  I rocked my hips backwards, lost in the wonder of giving him my anal virginity.

  He slid a hand down to rub my clit, pushing me close to my climax. Just as we were only a few plunges away from bliss, Darkwater kicked the bedroom door open. Before neither of us could respond, he stormed across the room, dragged Shane away from me and knocked him out.

  As I attempted to cover myself, he bent me back over the chair and then thrust his raw cock so deep and forcefully up my ass, that within a few hard thrusts, we both groaned and came. Knowing he was coming directly in me heightened my pleasure.

  Then as I lay over the chair, feeling limp, he withdrew from my ass and pushed into my pussy.

  I moaned and reached back to grip his hips.

  Biting my neck and shoulder, he fucked me to another blistering mutual climax that was so powerful, I felt his cum trickling down my thigh.

  When we recovered, he took my hand, stepped over Shane, and led me to the bed. As we stumbled onto the mattress, I felt a movement behind me. Without warning, Shane suddenly grabbed me by my hips and ruthlessly impaled my ass on his hard cock. When Darkwater objected, he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and continued fucking his hard cock deep into my welcoming but burning ass.

  Unable to pull us apart, Darkwater positioned his body next to mine. As Shane drew his hips back to pull part of his shaft out of my stuffed nether hole, Darkwater push his hips forward, tunneling his bare, hot cock deep into the confines of my wet pussy.

  Holy hell! Trapped between the two of them my pleasure sensors were on overload. Nothing else mattered except the exquisite delight I experienced each time one of their wonderful cocks channeled deep into my body. My heart raced, my pussy pulsed, and I exploded into countless tiny pieces as they continued fucking me with delicious symmetry before filling my pussy and ass with their seed.

  As I lay sandwiched between them with their cocks still firmly in possession of my body, eager to start a new fuck-a-thon, my phone alarm shattered the sexy dream and rudely dragged me from the sweet dream the next morning.

  Once fully awake, I lay feeling restless. I'd always been a one-woman man and had never fantasized about having two men inside me at the same time. For the few weeks Darkwater and I had been lovers, I'd never spent a second wanting another man. So why was I suddenly dreaming of a raunchy ménage à trois? Call me delusional, but I felt almost as if I'd cheated on Darkwater by dreaming of having them both fuck me.

  To make matters worse, I was so damned tired, I longed to call out for the day and lie in bed until I fell back to sleep. However, I didn't dare. Not only did I have to talk to Janine, but with layoffs looming at work, calling out and leaving my unit shorthanded was a sure way to ensure I earned a spot on the potential layoff list if I wasn't already on it.

  As I walked back into my bedroom after a quick shower with a towel wrapped around my body, my cell phone rang. Recognizing Janine's ring tone, I sighed and reluctantly pushed the speakerphone button. "Hello?"

  "Oh my god, Sher! You'll never guess what happened. Oh, of course you will since it's your doing. Thank you! Thank you!"

  I frowned. Janine's obvious good mood was going to make it difficult to tell her that Shane had no interest in dating her. "For what?"

  "He called me, Sher. He just called me and we're going out tonight."

  "Who called you? Who are you going out with tonight?"

  "Shane! Who else? Oh, Sher! I'm so sorry."

  "For what?" I asked, trying to reconcile Shane's insistence the night before that he had no interest in Janine with her present excitement.

  "I had to admit that I didn't fully trust you. When you told me you were going out with him, I'm ashamed to say that I thought you were going to stab me in the back and take him for yourself, but I should have known better."

  I sank onto the side of the bed and closed my eyes. Thank God she had no idea how right she'd been to doubt my loyalty when it came to Shane.

  "I'm so excited I’m almost hyperventilating. I have to go. I'll see you at work," she said and hung up.

  I shook my head, wishing I'd asked Shane for his number so I could call him and—

  Call him and what? Jealously demand to know why he was going out with Janine instead of you? Ask him if he planned to sleep with her when he took her home? Ask him to make your dream a reality sans Darkwater?

  After I dressed, I poured myself a cup of coffee and called Am. "I know it's early and you have things to do, but I need a quick word with you," I said when she answered.

  "I have the day off so I'm all ears. What's wrong?"

  I took a deep breath and told her about my evening with Shane—including how close we came to having sex.

  "Oh, no, Sher!" She said. "No. Shane's a great guy, but..."

  "But not worth betraying a friend over?" I asked, feeling even guiltier.

  "They weren't dating and hadn't even met. I don't think you actually betrayed her, but that's not what I was going to say. Shane's a great guy, but then so is Darkwater."

  "Darkwater?"

  "Yes. You remember him. He's my big brother and the guy you kicked to the curb too quickly."

  "What?"

  "You didn't really give him a fair chance, Sher."

  "I didn’t what? Excuse me, but what have you been drinking, Am?"

  "Look, Shane is a great guy and if Janine hadn't seen him first, you couldn't do much better than him—unless you gave Darkwater another chance."

  "I have news for you, Am. He doesn't want another chance, but even if he did, I have no intentions of—"

  "What did he do that was so bad, Sher? I mean really? Yes, he called you a name, but that was only because he was hurt by the way you treated him."

  "He was hurt by the way I treated him? Are you on drugs, Am?"

  "I don't mean to sound confrontational, Sher, but let's not forget that you're the one who kicked his ass to the curb without any warning."

  "And you know why I did!"

  "Actually, Sher, I don't because you've never really wanted to talk about it and I haven't pushed it because I know it's a painful subject."

  "I know he's your brother and I know your loyalties are stretched, but...but I expecte
d more support from you, Amber."

  She sighed. "I'll always be supportive of you, Sher, just as you've been of me."

  "But?" I challenged.

  "But I just don't understand why you're so determined to vilify him."

  I sucked in an angry breath. "I don't have time to tell you what you should already know," I said and ended the conversation. I sucked in a breath, feeling hurt and angry. And a little scared. I'd just hung up on my best friend and when Janine learned how close I'd come to betraying her trust, she'd be pissed with me as well. I'd be manless and worse, friendless. And all over two men, neither of whom would want or need you as Don did. Nice going, Sherlyn.

  To make things worse, I had to go to work where I'd probably encounter both Janine and Shane in the lobby. It was difficult to see how the day could deteriorate any further.

  Steeling myself to face a long, frustrating day, I left for work.

  As I had known, as soon as I entered the lobby, I found Janine waiting. She looked so happy and radiant my guilt doubled. Then, as we stood waiting for the elevator, she looked over her shoulder and suddenly grabbed my hand.

  And I just knew Shane was behind us. I turned to find him just a foot or so away.

  "Ladies." He met my gaze briefly before smiling at Janine and extending his hand. "Shane Reddorn and you must be Janine."

  Janine nodded and frowned. "Reddorn...you're John's brother?"

  "One of them. I'm looking forward to our dinner tonight," he said.

  Her smile widened. "So am I."

  The elevator opened behind us and to my surprise, Janine hurried inside, followed by several other people. I turned to join her.

  Shane reached out and caught my hand. When I turned back to look at him the doors closed on Janine's frowning face. Great. Now I'd have to explain why he wanted to talk to me without her.

  "How are you?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "Confused. You're taking her out?"

  "That's what you wanted me to do, isn't it?"

  "Yes, but..."

  "But what, Sherlyn? Afraid I might decide I like her after all?"

  His words made me feel even worse than I already did because they hit too close to the truth; especially coming after that dream coming so close of nearly betraying Janine. The thought of his transferring his interest to Janine left me feeling petty and jealous.