by Liz Crowe
“You okay? Really? With this…?”
She put her head against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. “I haven’t sorted it out yet, to be honest.” He tightened his grip and she sensed his lips against her hair. “But I like it so far. I just don’t want there to be—I don’t know—weirdness. I sort of freaked out on you guys last night and I don’t know why. The last thing I need right now is a bunch of bullshit, alpha-male jealous crap.”
“Evelyn, what you and Austin have, no one can change, take away or lessen in any way.” He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face to his. His blue eyes gleamed in the dark and she gave in to the urge to touch the rough, short beard along his jaw before reaching back and releasing his long hair from its tie-back and burying her fingers in it. It felt soft, perfect and she mentally ticked off one of the items on her fantasy to-do list with Ross Hoffman, ever since she’d seen that photo of him and Austin together.
She sighed as he covered her mouth, his lips full and firm. Her body responded instantly and she had to pull away to keep from going any further in public.
“Dear God, woman, you are…” He released her and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Like I said.” But she stopped him with a finger over his lips.
“I know, Ross. Let’s see where it takes us, okay? But together, as three. We don’t sneak around. This is not cheating. It’s just… Oh hell, I have no idea what it is.” She stopped, dizzy with the possibilities—good and bad. Ross took her arm and pulled her hand back into the crook of his elbow as they walked the last four blocks to the Marriott in comfortable silence.
After a long kiss-and-grope session in the elevator, Evelyn shoved him out into the hall, laughing at his sheepish expression.
He shrugged. “I can’t keep my hands off you. Sorry.”
She pointed toward their suite. “Go. I need a shower. Give him some food and company while I clean up.” He sauntered down the hallway alongside her, whistling and swinging the bag of groceries.
“About damn time.” Austin was perched on the bed, laptop on a pillow, sports on the television. His grin was genuine. Evelyn kissed him, long and deep. “Mmm, nice. But you reek, my love. Did you bathe in a keg or what?”
“Don’t ask,” she tossed over her shoulder before closing the bathroom door. Leaning a moment against it, she wrestled with a complex stew of relief, happiness, tension and a small twinge of stress. She knew damn well that these men would butt heads over her, but, damn her to hell and back, she wanted them. She wanted this.
While that amazed her, nothing felt more perfect. She sighed and turned on the shower full hot blast, and stripped out of her limp clothes. The erotic visions of the two men cradling her between them filled her head. She stayed a solid thirty minutes under the spray, relishing the sensation of being washed clean of every molecule of the day’s craziness.
Emerging, pink-skinned and breathlessly horny, she wrapped a towel around herself, brushed her teeth and fluffed up her damp hair before opening the door.
“Hey, you, hot blonde chick. C’mere.” Austin held out an arm, encouraging her to snuggle into his shoulder. She hesitated. Weird, inexplicable tears pressed against her eyes.
“I don’t know, Austin.” She looked away and watched steam roll out of the bathroom.
He went up on one elbow and touched her bare leg, making her skin pebble. “I heard you talked with my dad. I’m sorry you had to hear it that way. I was going to tell you, after…” She shrugged and willed the tears away. He sat and gathered her in his arms. “It’s okay, baby. I’ll make sure everything works out.”
She broke from him and stood. “Austin, you don’t have to make sure I’m okay. I’m a grown woman. I want to help. I’m here to help make your dream a reality. Our dream. Our brewery.” She paced and he sat back, not rising to her bait, which made her even madder.
“God damn it, do you ever get mad? Seriously, you are such a nice guy. Smart, logical, responsible, Jesus!” Her ears rang, and she looked around for something to throw to relieve the pressure building up in her chest. Clenching and unclenching her fists, she sat, calming her breathing. “I don’t care that you cut yourself off from your parents. I don’t even care that your father was the one to tell me. Frankly, we had the most adult and rational discussion we’ve probably ever had because of it.” Austin raised an eyebrow. “That’s right, I talked with your father. Does that piss you off?” She glared at him.
“Should it?” He stood and pulled on his jeans. “What is this really about, Evelyn, hmm? I know I’ve thrown a lot at you this weekend, but—”
She shook her head and stood in front of him, the twin urges to punch him and throw herself into his arms making her dizzy.
“No. I can handle it. I want to handle it. But together, with you. You should have told me you were taking that step with your parents, Austin. We’re partners, remember?”
He sighed and tugged her close and she wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I get this weird protective thing kicking in with you sometimes. Don’t know why. You’ve never been anything but annoyingly independent.”
She looked up at him. “I love you, Austin Fitzgerald. From the minute I laid eyes on you. God damn it. You dragged it out of me although I tried like hell to fight it. Now that I’ve opened up, you have to let me in, all the way.”
He nodded, slanting his lips over hers. When she sighed and reached down to touch his hardening cock, he deepened the kiss, possessing her with his tongue, twining his fingers in her damp hair.
He broke from her lips and held her face in his hands. “And this wedding thing? I meant it when I said I won’t pressure you anymore. I only want you to be happy.”
“I know. We have a lot to do now—we gotta make the brewery really soar this year. I know the books, remember. And those loans…ugh.” Stress poured into her brain, but he held her tightly. “But how do you feel about a May wedding? Next year?”
He sighed into her neck. “We will be fine. We know what we’re doing. And a May wedding sounds perfect to me.”
A set of arms encircled them both. Ross’ deep, accented voice penetrated her ear, making her smile. “Ja. If there were two people who knew more between them, it would be a crime.” He pressed his lips to Evelyn’s cheek chastely, then let go. “I should get some sleep. My flight’s early tomorrow.”
Austin leaned back, faking anger, but Evelyn burst out laughing at him. She knew they were holding back, letting her set the pace on the upcoming, inevitable intimacy. And she loved them both all the more for it.
She took a deep breath. “Actually, I think I…um…” She stepped back from them clutching her elbows, unsure what to say or how to proceed. “Let’s try a three-way?” or, “I want him in my ass, and you in my pussy?” or, better yet, “Make a sandwich out of me, boys!”
The utter ridiculousness of the whole thing embarrassed her to the point of nausea. She backed away from them. She dropped into a chair, her mind awash with images, her heart pounding, her throat closing up in something like fear. And her entire anatomy below her belly button on fire with need.
“It’s all right, Evelyn,” Austin said, moving toward her, holding her captive with his familiar gaze. “Relax. We don’t have to do anything now.”
She gnawed at her lower lip, her gaze flittering from Austin’s to Ross’ and back again. The recent memory of Ross’ lips, his hands, his voice filled her brain. She pointed to him with a shaking finger. “He… I… We…”
Austin smiled and tugged her back up and into his arms. She pressed her face into his shoulder, feeling like the most clichéd, virginal ingénue in any book. God damn it, she’d let some guy bend her over a spanking bench in the middle of a BDSM club once, unable to even understand why the sting of his open palm had made her come so hard she’d screamed with the sheer joy of it. Surely she could handle this.
But this…this entailed something much deeper than a simple physical connection, a Tetris-worthy puzzle,
a basic fitting together of three bodies. She felt something more for both of these men and that was simply too weird for her to handle.
“I know, I know,” Austin soothed, holding her close. “He’s pretty irresistible, I hear.” She giggled. When she wrapped her shaking arms around his waist, she finally relaxed. “It’s okay, honey. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“But I do, want to I mean. I just don’t know…how you’ll feel after, you know? About him.” She lifted her face to Austin’s, needing to meet his gaze, to connect with him so he’d understand. “And how he’ll feel about you. And how I’ll feel about…myself.”
Austin took her chin between two fingers and grinned at her. “I think I already know,” he said, leaning in to brush her lips with his, making her quiver all over with renewed lust—lust that was quelling her inherent reluctance to take the next, physical step. “Let’s just lie down a minute, what do you say? No pressure?”
She kept her gaze on Austin’s, unwilling to peep over his shoulder at the man waiting for her—the other man she wanted, almost more than she wanted to take her next breath. Speechless with anticipation and a tiny tickle of fear, she nodded as Austin eased her onto the bed, keeping her relaxed with his kisses, his caresses. At one point he picked up her left hand and pressed his lips to the emerald he’d given her as a hard symbol of his love for her.
“She says the wedding’s on for May, Hoffman,” he said, not taking his eyes off hers. “Can you make it? I’ll need a best man.”
“You can count on me for that,” Ross said, still keeping his distance. “Among other things.” The low, accented cadence of his voice sent a powerful shock wave of desire through Evelyn. Tears stung her eyes, but she kept her gaze on Austin, needing him, requiring him to guide her though this…this thing, this madness, this utter perfection.
“I’m a little nervous,” she admitted, her voice strange-sounding and croaky.
Austin smiled and slid his fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp. His touched his lips to her exposed neck, sucking and biting in a way that almost always sent her straight over the edge. “Mmm-hmm,” she said, knowing he was trying to ease her stress and willing herself to give in to it. “That’s nice.” She hooked her leg over his hip, wanting him closer to her.
Everything around her faded. All she knew was this man, her man, his perfection and his ability to draw perfection from her. He cupped her breast, flicking a thumb across her peaking nipple before placing a line of kisses up her neck and ending with her lips, filling her mouth, her every nerve and molecule with his presence.
“May I join you?” The soft, accented voice startled her, but she tore her gaze from Austin’s to meet Ross’ bright blues. He stood, his hair a flaxen waterfall over his shoulders, his fair skin flushed. She took a deep breath and looked back at Austin, uneasy again.
When Austin nodded, Ross settled himself on her other side, up on an elbow. Nervousness flooded through her, but Austin’s quiet words calmed. “Relax, my love. We won’t do anything you aren’t ready for.” His lips grazed her collarbone. “But something tells me you are ready, hmmm, am I right, my dirty, dirty girl?” His voice had an edge to it that she chose to interpret as lustful. She shivered and shut her eyes then reopened them when a fingertip touched her cheek. She turned to face the man lying on her other side.
Ross.
He stared, as if studying her for a test, but when his lips touched hers, it felt more perfect than it should have, as perfect as kissing her own future husband. She gave in to the urge to wrap around him, to feel every inch of his large, strong body against hers. He lay back, pulling her on top of him, their lips never breaking contact.
His hands roamed her body, as if unsure what to touch first. He clutched at her ass, slid his palms up her back, then into her hair. She shifted, relishing the sensation of his extreme thickness against her. He moaned into her mouth, tore his lips away, twined fingers in her hair. She sat up and he cupped her breasts, running fingertips over her nipples as she stared down at him, unable to believe she was living out this extreme fantasy.
Austin moved behind her and gripped her waist. His lips met her shoulder. He lifted the heavy fall of her hair and kissed the nape of her neck. “Do you want this, my Evelyn?” he asked. She flinched, her body prickling. When she ducked out of his reach, Ross let go of her breasts and stayed quiet.
“Little late to ask me now, isn’t it?” She glared at him when he sat beside the two of them.
“I want you to be happy,” Austin said. “I want you to have whatever it is you want.” He glanced down at Ross. “And there is not a man in the world I’d trust more than this one to be with us.”
A thrill of panic ran down her spine. This was nuts. She had no business letting him talk her into a…a…threesome. All of a sudden, she felt wrong, dirty, and slutty. And somehow….just right.
She put a hand over her eyes. Austin grabbed her arm, keeping her in place. She let the tears fall.
“And you? What do you want?” She glared down at Ross as anger nibbled away at the hard core of lust she’d been building for the last few hours. “Oh, spare me. You want to fuck me. I get it.” She turned to look at Austin, ready to end this whole improbable scene. “I don’t know what I want. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”
The words kept coming as she clambered off Ross’ body and stood, naked and exposed, her legs shaking and her teeth chattering. Ross rose and sat next to Austin. She bit her lip and forced all the erotic images straight out of her head.
“You kept pushing me with the marriage thing, expecting me to fall at your feet grateful for the opportunity. But I got past that. I made my own decision about it and when I was ready I said yes.” Betrayed by tears, she turned away, wiped a hand across her face, and grabbed a discarded towel to wrap herself in.
“Keep talking.” Austin’s voice was light, as if they were discussing the weather. She blinked fast, confused. “No, really. Please. This is first time you’ve ever had anything resembling a decent explanation for any of your endless delays committing to me.”
Ross started to rise. “I should go,” he muttered.
Austin put a hand on his leg. “No. Stay. I started this and I plan to end it one way or another.”
The sound of his words sent a thrill of panic down Evelyn’s spine. But he was right. She owed him an explanation after all their passion, hard work, mutual goals for the company at the very least. “I love you, Austin.”
He tilted his head in that unnervingly patient way he had in the face of one of her angry, irrational breakdowns. “I would hope so. Finish the next sentence that begins with ‘but’.”
She took a shuddering breath. “But I… I’m now afraid to marry you, because I’m afraid of how I feel about…about him.”
Ross cleared his throat and both Evelyn and Austin looked at him. He stood and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. “This is completely not my business, but I will go on record as saying you”—he pointed at Austin—“need to be more in tune to what she actually needs from you. You don’t have to marry her to prove something to your parents.”
Evelyn blinked, realizing he’d put into words what she’d long thought but couldn’t bring herself to accuse Austin of. She knew he loved her. But also knew his issues with his family went bone-marrow-deep.
Austin frowned and licked his lips. Ross turned to her, pointing a long finger, his blue eyes snapping with anger. “And you, you need to lighten the fuck up, too. You’re both too damn intense for your own good, finding trouble where there isn’t any.” He flopped into a chair and put his feet up on a nearby table.
Evelyn glared at him. “You don’t even know me.” She allowed a bit of self-righteous indignation to tinge her words. “You aren’t entitled to an opinion.”
Ross’ laugh was loud and musical. It allowed the rapidly increasing tension in the room to dissipate somewhat. Austin walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. The two of them standing there t
ogether did a song and dance on her nerves.
She ran a hand up the pebbling skin of one arm.
“He’s right,” Austin said. “As much as I hate to admit it. I may very well be thumbing my nose at my parents. But I’ve been doing that my whole life. Me even opening the damn brewery was a gigantic ‘up yours’ to the Fitzgerald food empire. You know all of this, Evelyn. I’ll admit the whole thing seemed pretty illicit and forbidden when I met you, but I will be damned to hell and back if you didn’t make me fall in love with you, you fucking stubborn female.”
Before she knew it, Austin was in her face. His lips covered hers and he did what he did best—kissing away her worries. He picked her up and tossed her back on the bed. “I don’t want to live without you. Or work without you. Or sleep without you. Ever. Is that clear?”
She nodded, speechless and getting more breathless by the minute. Austin flopped onto the bed, propped himself on an elbow. His amazing, open face held no secrets. She sensed something give in her psyche then. A lightening or at least, a letting go of long-held assumptions about him poured over her heated brain. She put her hand to his rough face. “I do love you. So much.”
He smiled. “But you haven’t answered me.” He took her hand and put it to his lips, making her shiver at the touch. “Is it clear?”
“Yes,” she whispered. Because it finally was. He understood her now. Now they could get on with the business of being in love without the pressure to do what everyone else thought they should.
“Finally.” Ross joined them on the other side of her. She felt blood flush through her from head to toe. He ran a finger up her leg, to her hip, along her side. “That was beautiful just then.”
“I know.” Austin kissed her, cupped a breast, thumbed her nipple, as Ross worked his way lower, making her squirm. “She is amazing.” He leaned back, his grin sexy, one eyebrow raised. “Where were we, hmm?”
She squealed when Ross pulled her up as he lay back, making her straddle his hips.
He rubbed her thighs and shifted, smiling at her gasp when she felt his impressive girth beneath her.
