She looked up at Mitch and nudged him as his gaze seemed glued to Trevor’s face. “Your book?”
As if someone had poured water in his face, he jerked back to her. “Yeah. My book. Ah, it’s actually a love story, but as you know, my books never end happily.”
She blew out a breath. “Well, I won’t be buying it.” She winked. “Tell me the plot anyway.”
“It involves two men who used to be the best of friends. They loved to have debates over the silliest things. One of them would research for hours after a lengthy discussion just to see if he could come back and toss an argument in the victor’s face.”
When his fingers tightened uncomfortably on her thigh, she knew none of that was in his book. He’d been talking about his relationship with Trevor.
“Sounds like a best seller,” Trevor said. “Did the loser enjoy stabbing the victor in the back?”
Dante stood. “I smell something burning in the oven.”
“Oh, crap. I forgot to set the timer.” She jumped up and rushed to the kitchen. She’d really wanted to impress all of the men and hoped the meal wasn’t ruined, though the catastrophe couldn’t have come at a better time.
She pulled the casserole from the oven and placed it on the countertop. Mitch’s vegetable platter remained on the counter. “Mitch, do you want me to heat these?”
“I’ll do it.”
Leaving Trevor to himself, Mitch slid next to her and lowered his head. “How do you think it’s going?”
She laughed, though there was nothing funny about what was happening. “You have a better chance at curing cancer tonight than getting Trevor to forgive you.”
He kissed her cheek. “Oh, ye of little faith.”
Mitch pulled the vegetable tray toward him, opened the oven, and placed the aluminum foil-covered dish on the wire rack. “It only needs ten minutes.” He winked. “By the way, I know how to get Trevor to react.”
He walked back to the sofa and sat. This she had to see. The salad he’d brought was in a cut crystal bowl covered in clear wrap. It looked delicious. Not really wanting to get in the line of fire, she put the salad on the table, straightened the napkins and silverware, and checked to see she had the right number of place settings.
Not able to stand at the table for another ten minutes, she returned to the sofa and plopped down between the men.
Dante wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Guess what I did today?”
“Do tell.” She loved the spark in his eye.
“I not only hired three women to manage the children’s area, but I had some of my staff build some storage units where we can keep the kids’ toys. I did some research and I made sure one of the women had a day care license. She suggested I buy two cribs in case a mother wants to leave a youngster.”
“Wow. You’re really going all out. I had just been thinking of an area where the kids could play for a bit, but you’re taking this to a new level. Do you think it has boosted sales?”
“Absolutely. Thanks to you.” He puffed out his chest. “I want Williams’ Hardware to be the place to shop.”
She loved it. “And have you given thought to which classes you might offer?”
“As a matter of fact I have. Bill, who was a master plumber for twenty years, will be teaching the women how to fix not only a leaky toilet but a leaky sink.”
She was thrilled for him. “I say that calls for a toast.” She held up her glass of water that she’d placed on the coffee table. To her surprise all three men toasted.
The buzzer sounded and all of them jumped up. She had to give Trevor credit. He hadn’t tossed a snarky comment Mitch’s way since they’d returned from the kitchen area.
Mitch pulled out the veggie dish, and when he removed the foil, she moaned. “That looks amazing.” About ten different types of vegetables were cut into intricate shapes and placed in a spiral configuration.
“Thanks. It’s my mom’s recipe.”
“Did you make it?” He’d told her his parents lived on a farm outside of town, so maybe she had.
“Yup.” His glance shot to the box on the counter than contained the dessert.
He carried the dish to the table and set it on the trivet she’d place there for his dish.
Wisely, she sat next to Trevor and had Mitch and Dante on the other side. She kept Trevor talking about his patients, and his passion moved her. Mitch had tried to ask for clarification and was thrilled when Trevor answered, though talking about Trevor’s work and not about their real issue wouldn’t solve anything in the long run. Maybe she needed to be content with baby steps, but she was returning to Denver for an interview soon. She’d then figure out where she wanted to be permanently.
Dante moaned as soon as he ate the lasagna. “Babe, this is divine, and Mitch your dish is truly a work of art and is delicious.”
“Thanks, man.” The two made eye contact.
Trevor shoved the lasagna into his mouth, but she noted he hadn’t taken any vegetables or salad. He was acting like a teenager. If the pain ran this deep, the two men must have formed a tight bond at one time.
Once they finished eating, Trevor stood. “You enjoy yourself. I’ll clean up.”
That wasn’t fair, but she suspected it tested his patience to be this close to his supposed enemy. Clearly, he was being civil for her sake. She exchanged a look with both men, picked up the mostly empty salad bowl and carried it over.
Trevor held her gaze then turned away. That hurt, but she hadn’t been called stubborn her whole life for no reason. It was why she’d been a damned fine lawyer.
In a voice so low that neither Mitch nor Dante could hear, she stepped next to Trevor. “Can’t you get past this tiff for me?”
He jerked as if she’d hit him. “You don’t understand, sugar.”
“Yes, I do. You believe you were betrayed, and you were. People make mistakes in the name of love. You were in love once, right?”
“Yes.” His jaw tightened and the lines on his forehead seemed to have etched deeper in the last hour.
“He wants to make amends.” When his lips firmed, she knew now wasn’t the time to discuss this.
As she turned, an idea popped into her head. It was something Dante had said. Her mood lifted as she thought of the perfect way to get these men together.
* * * *
Now that dinner was finished, Trevor only had to wait a decent amount of time before excusing himself. Being in Mitch’s company had torn him up inside. There were moments when one of Mitch’s comments had transported back to the good old days when they were both carefree. Then came Sabrina and his life had spiraled out of control. He thought he’d loved her, had been desperate when she said she didn’t want a man who would be studying, but realized too late she wasn’t the woman for him.
Lisa is.
Maybe he should have tried to patch things up, but Mitch’s career had taken off and Trevor’s medical training had sucked all of his time. While they both worked hard to be the best they could be, they were basically free to pursue their dreams of the future. His had been to be the best pediatric oncologist he could and Mitch’s had been to become a famous writer. Many would say Trevor had accomplished that goal. He could do more for the center, but in the last few years, even he recognized something had been missing in his life.
Only when he met Lisa at his brother’s wedding had the seed begun to grow that perhaps he wanted someone in his life to share it with. He’d been holding back because Lisa seemed intent on leaving again, and he couldn’t go through the pain of withdrawals, but now it seemed as if she might stay.
Then Mitch had to enter the picture and fuck everything up. From the way he was looking at her, Mitch had the same thought, but was it just to take something from away him again?
No. Mitch wouldn’t do that to him twice. But Trevor wasn’t sure if he was ready to forgive.
Lisa’s giggle forced him to refocus. What the…She had a hand on each of their thighs, and was massaging their legs. She t
wisted toward Mitch, leaned over, and kissed him.
“Hey,” he blurted out. “Take it to the bedroom.”
Lisa’s eyes widened and her provocative pink tongue brushed her upper lip as if she was daring him to stop her.
“Sure.” She grinned, stood, and then held out her hands to Mitch and Dante. What the fuck?
Dante turned toward him. “Join us. Lisa is dying to try out all three of us.”
His cock turned rigid, though whether it was from ire or lust he didn’t know. “You go ahead.” You pricks.
Would Dante actually go through with this? Trevor clutched the chair arm so tight a cramp ran up his arm. This couldn’t be happening to him. Mitch wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight as he whispered something in her ear.
His blood pressure soared off the charts.
Go after her.
As soon as the threesome walked down the hallway and opened the closed the door, Trevor jumped up and paced. This was bad. Did she expect him to come charging in? Or were they hoping he wouldn’t?
Images of Sabrina rubbing up against Mitch assaulted him. His mind would shift to their boxing bouts and the fun they had afterward. Acid rolled in his gut. The betrayal would never stop.
He punched the wall, and while only a small dent manifested, his knuckles stung. Fuck me.
Do something. Could he let both men make love with the woman he loved?
The concept of love twisted his balls in a knot, but she’d brought such joy to him.
Squeals sounded from the bedroom.
If he did storm in there, what would he find? Would Lisa be naked with Mitch fucking her pussy while Dante licked her tits? If so, that would for sure send him over the edge.
Think.
Chapter Sixteen
Mitch sat on the bed and pulled a very nervous Lisa down to him. “Just give him a second. He’ll be in here. There is no way he’s going to let me interfere with what he wants.”
She bit her fingernail. “You’re assuming he even wants me.”
Dante was leaning against the closet door slowly undoing his shirt. “Mitch is right. He’s just stewing.”
Dante wasn’t taking this as seriously as he should, but maybe that was a good thing. As much as Mitch tried to play it cool, his insides were churning and burning.
Lisa had explained, much to his chagrin, that she wanted to pretend to seduce them in order to get him and Trevor talking again. If their “together time” ever occurred, he imagined it would be rather explosive.
He hated to admit it, but seeing Trev tonight had hit home how much time had gone by since their youth. His former friend was working himself to the bone. He’d lost weight and had aged. Okay, so had he—aged, that is—but at least he worked out and had a tan. Trevor needed to get out more and enjoy life. Fourteen years ago, Trevor was fun loving and a real cutup. Now? He was way too serious.
Lisa’s back straightened as if she’d heard something in the hall. It killed him to see her in pain.
Mitch stroked her hair and she faced him, her brows pinched. He patted the bed. “Darlin’, I hate to waste this comfy bed. If nothing else, don’t you want Dante to make love with you? If you’re too shy, I can always wait in the bathroom or something.” Though that would kill him more than seeing Trevor so miserable.
Her lips pressed together as if she was debating what she wanted.
Dante had kicked off his boots and removed his shirt. Dressed only in jeans, he strode over to her, placed a hip on the bed, and drew her into his arms.
“Babe, we’re here because you want Mitch. He’s going to get a complex if you shoo him away. It took a lot of guts to face the bear just so he could love you.”
Dante became his new best friend after that little speech.
She swallowed hard and looked up at him. “I guess Trevor’s not coming, and I would hate to leave here unfulfilled.” Her gaze bounced back to Dante. “Do either one of you want to help me with my problem?”
What an adorable vixen. As if he and Dante had been sharing a woman for years, Dante lifted the sexy top over her head while he addressed her boots. Two quick tugs had them off and on the floor. As soon as he divested her of her socks, he unhooked and unzipped her pants. Having her wear a bathing suit had been much more convenient.
“Lift up darlin’,” he said.
He had to ask because one of Dante’s hands was under her black lace bra rubbing her nipple and his lips were on hers. From the way her back arched, Lisa might not be aware that he was trying to take off her pants.
He tapped her hip and she finally lifted up. Once he got them off, he widened her legs and slid between them. His cock was already harder than after he sold his first book, and if he didn’t get in a lick, he might do something crazy. Mitch couldn’t remember having this much testosterone in his body.
He slipped her pretty panties down to her thighs, and because her scent drove him crazy, he dove in. The first lick turned his balls into rocks and Mitch shifted his position to alleviate the throbbing in his cock. Common sense made him slow down and make this good for Lisa, but if he had his way he’d be plunging into her already.
She moaned and wiggled, but he couldn’t tell if it was from what he was doing or from the way Dante was kissing her and playing with her tits. It had been fourteen years since he’d shared a woman with someone else, and he was out of practice.
He must have been lost in desire because he hadn’t been aware Trevor had entered the room until the man’s hand clamped on his shoulder. His pulse skyrocketed.
“Stand up, you piece of shit. Lisa is mine.”
Not wanting Trevor to climb on the bed with Lisa under him, he jumped off the bed and moved into the open. Trevor’s fists were raised in a boxing stance and adrenaline sluiced through him.
“You afraid she’ll dump you?” He wanted Trevor to take a swing at him, to get the pent up aggression out of his system.
“Fuck you, Dawes.” Trevor stepped back on his right foot, shifted his weight, stepped on his left, and smashed a right hook into his face.
The sting shook him for a moment, but he regained his balance quickly.
“Stop! Don’t fight!” Lisa’s cries cut through him, but he didn’t have time to explain that Trevor and he needed this.
Mitch bent over, protecting his face with his fists, and charged. He got one good jab into Trevor’s gut, but to the man’s credit, he countered quickly with an upper cut that would have knocked out a few teeth had Mitch not spun around a second before contact.
“Trev, man, Sabrina fooled both of us.” He held up his hands, but only for a split second, until he realized Trevor had no intention of stopping this fight until one of them needed serious medical attention.
“You could have left her.” Trevor’s jaw tightened and his brows narrowed.
“You don’t leave the woman you think you love. Would you ever leave Lisa if she wanted to ditch—”
The blow to his belly eliminated the air that he needed to finish the sentence. Now pissed, he went on the offensive, and the two landed on the ground. Trevor’s back slammed into the hardwood floor with a violent thump. His loud groan indicated Mitch now had the advantage. He quickly got to his knees and managed two blows, one to Trevor’s cheek and one to his jaw before his opponent swung his leg up and knocked him in the side. Fuck, that hurt.
The fact Dante hadn’t stepped to help or break them up implied he, too, knew that his roommate needed to beat the shit out of something. The big question was whether their relationship would be mended faster if he won or lost. The decision was temporarily taken out of his hands when Trevor miraculously hopped to his feet and elbowed him in the face, sending him sprawling backward.
This was just stupid. At that moment, defeat seemed to be the path to victory. Mitch held up his hands. “I give. You win.”
Blood dripped down Trevor’s chin and had stained his shirt. Mitch ran a tongue along his bloody mouth and felt one tooth a little loose. Damn. He held out his
hand to Trevor praying like hell his former friend would finally relent. After what seemed like an eternity, Trevor helped him stand.
Mitch didn’t dare glance at Lisa. She’d either be shaking in fear they’d both kill each other or be totally pissed two grown men had to resort to a fight to solve a problem.
Trevor dragged a hand across his face. Out of the corner of Mitch’s eye he caught Dante slip into the bathroom. A second later he handed a wet towel to each of them.
“You two jackasses feel better?”
Mitch shrugged. “I do. It felt great hitting Trev.”
He kept his gaze on Trevor for his reaction. Before he said anything, Lisa padded between them and planted her hands on her hips. During their fight she’d managed to put on her top and jeans. The boots remained on the floor. “Don’t you think you two should ask me what I want?”
He wanted to kiss her worse than anything as the tension in the air dropped in half. “Sure, darlin’. You go ahead and tell us.” Trevor needed to hear this.
She glanced between them. “I am not Sabrina Dawes.” Mitch winced when she used his last name. “I’m the one who found Mitch irresistible. At first it was the fact that he was a writer and that we both liked to play tennis, but the longer I was around him, I realize that Mitch is a wonderful listener.”
Wow. Sabrina claimed he never paid attention to what she said. Perhaps that was because she had nothing of value to say. At the time, his youthful stupidity valued a hot body over a good mind and caring spirit. Good thing, he’d grown up. “Go on, darlin’.”
“He can be a bit stubborn like someone else in the room, but he’s fun to be around—unlike you, Trevor Callen.” She looked over her shoulder. “As for Dante, he’s the total package, though I’ll be the first to admit that you, Trevor Callen, are caring, wonderful, sexy, ambitious and a host of other adjectives—when you’re not being a jerk. I fear if I listed all of your attributes, you’d get a bigger head and be even more stubborn.” She bent over and retrieved her boots then jammed them on. Her socks she stuffed in her pockets. “I leave in one week as I have a job interview in Denver and have to see what I can do with my condo. Right now, I’m not sure I want to be with two jackasses who can’t even put the past in the past.”
Competing for Lisa [The Callens 11] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 14
