by Leah Brooke
Alison stared down at the menu, fighting the urge to relax against the wide chest at her back. The shivers making her tremble now had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with the hard, muscular heat surrounding her.
Her stomach muscles clenched tight and quivered beneath the hand Dillon used to caress her. She would swear she could hear the thumping of her heart when Ryder’s hand dropped to her leg above the knee, the slow caress of his fingers over her inner thigh moving higher and higher.
Amazing need washed over her in waves, each stronger than the last. Her nipples beaded, poking against her sweater, the soft material caressing them with every ragged breath she took.
The little tingles grew, spreading throughout her body and to her center, making it difficult to remain still. Her clit felt swollen and heavy, the sharp jolts of pleasure from each brush of her sweater over her nipples making her pussy clench, dampening her panties.
Disconcerted that even the gorgeous bartender didn’t stir her the way Dillon and Ryder did, she stared at the large hand Dillon braced against the bar and shifted restlessly.
Dillon’s warm breath against her ear sent another shiver through her, creating an intimacy she wouldn’t have believed possible in the middle of a bar. “She’s still got pain medicine in her system. She passed out at the hotel and slept solid for two hours. She didn’t even hear me come into the room. She hasn’t eaten anything at all.”
His low, caressing tone washed over her, his touch reminding her of the tenderness he’d shown her in her hotel room. This time, however, he pressed his cock against her, leaving her in no doubt of his intentions.
Without meaning to, she pressed back against him, closing her eyes. The hand at her stomach moved lower, and thankful that the bar blocked the view of Dillon and Ryder’s hands on her, she automatically parted her thighs, making room for the strong fingers that pressed against her slit.
Dillon’s hair brushed against her cheek, teasing her into turning her head toward him. Catching her lips with his, he nibbled lightly, stroking her bottom lip with his tongue until she parted her lips. Leaning toward him, she jolted in alarm as the men from the other side of the bar all cheered at once, breaking the spell.
Embarrassed, she slid a glance at them, only to find them engrossed in something that had happened in the game and paying no attention to her, Dillon, or Ryder at all. Clearing her throat, she straightened in her chair, sucking in a breath when Dillon’s hands came down on her shoulders and massaged gently.
“Have you, Alison?”
“What? Have I what?” She took a shuddering breath as he slid the collar of her jacket and sweater aside and his lips brushed an amazingly sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. Fisting her hands on her thighs, she jolted when Ryder’s devious fingers pressed against her clit with an accuracy and firmness that stunned her.
Dillon’s soft chuckle next to her ear sent another wave of delicious tingles through her, the sensation made stronger when Ryder pressed again. Biting her lip, she stared at the bar, shoving Ryder’s hand away.
“Don’t worry. Ryder won’t make you come in here. We wouldn’t want anyone else to hear the sounds you make when you come.”
Ryder leaned closer, lifting her chin.
“Do you scream when you come, Ally, or do you bite your lip to try to hold it in the way you’re doing now?”
Bristling at the arrogance in his smug smile, and knowing, knowing, his intent to rile her, she smiled serenely to hide the surge of panic.
“That’s something you’ll never know. Besides, even if I went to bed with you, what makes you think you could make me come?”
She turned away, watching Michael exchanging pleasantries with the other men before disappearing through a doorway to what she assumed to be the kitchen.
Ryder threaded his fingers through her hair, fisting his hand in it to turn her toward him.
He bent, leaning over her, the ends of his silky hair brushing her cheek. His smile faded until his expression showed no trace of amusement at all. Instead, his eyes held promise and the same possessiveness she’d seen in Dillon’s eyes earlier.
“Darlin’, I absolutely know I can make you come.” Leaning closer, he moved his fingers over her denim-covered slit, somehow managing to find just the right spot, a spot Danny couldn’t find with a map.
“Over and over. So many times that you’d beg me to stop because you couldn’t take any more. With my mouth. With my fingers. With my cock. And I sure as hell wouldn’t let you try to hide it.”
Dillon rubbed her shoulders, causing even more of those mind-numbing shivers.
“Easy on her, Ryder. She’s still a little off from the pain medicine. We need to get something in her stomach and get her back to normal. I hate not knowing how much of her response is caused by the medicine.”
Ryder pressed once more at her slit before releasing her, leaning against the bar. His eyes sharpened as they slid over her features.
“I’m very curious about that myself.” Patting her thigh, he grinned. “But we’re going to find out, aren’t we, Ally?”
Pushing his hand away, she looked up as Michael came back from the kitchen, wishing that with his stunning good looks and flirtatious smile, he affected her the way Ryder and Dillon did.
He would probably be a lot less trouble.
After the phone call from Danny on her way here, she found herself even more determined to have one last fling before she left town.
She’d never be able to find someone with Dillon and Ryder following her, so she had to find a way to get rid of them.
“I have no intention of sleeping with either one of you. You’re both too arrogant and pushy. Now, go away.”
Dillon bent low again, wrapping his arms around her from behind and sliding his hands up her inner thighs. “Why? So you can find someone else? You already offered yourself to me, remember?”
He applied pressure, pulling her thighs wider. “And, as for being arrogant, don’t try to tell me you don’t appreciate authority in the bedroom. We both know better, don’t we, Alison?”
Alison shuddered as the same seductive tone he’d used in the hotel room washed over her, the silky possessiveness in it making her clit swell. Wiggling against the erotic feel of it, she attempted to squeeze her legs closed, but Dillon’s firm hold didn’t allow it.
Her breath caught as the sexual tension between them soared.
He seemed to know every button to push to earn her unwilling surrender, something she couldn’t allow, not even for the short time she’d be in town. Never again would she allow a man to control her in any way.
From now on, she would be the one doing the controlling, and sex was a powerful weapon. The next several days might very well be her only chance to use it, and she didn’t want to waste a minute.
“I won’t be controlled. Now, get lost. I want to find someone who’s not so bossy.”
Ryder’s brow went up. “In Desire? Good luck with that. In Desire, darlin’, we call it being a man.”
Averting her gaze from Ryder’s assessing green eyes, she watched Michael move away from the bar, enjoying the sight of his firm, jean-covered ass as he bent to retrieve a container of orange juice from the small refrigerator behind the bar.
Dillon pressed against her slit, the shock of heat sending her gaze shooting to his.
Smiling in satisfaction, he nodded once and tapped the tip of her nose with the same finger.
“That’s better. It’s not polite to ogle one man when you’re here with others. I’d love to know what’s going on in that head of yours. Ryder’s right. It’ll be interesting to see the real Ally. So far you’ve been distracted, defensive, brazen, shy, curious, opinionated, and downright adorable. You don’t really expect me to walk away from that without a fight, do you?”
Ryder touched a finger to her shoulder and trailed it down her arm, his eyes never leaving hers. “One minute you’re coming on to Dillon like a cat in heat, and the next you’re ou
traged that two men want you. You’re taking a class to learn how to please a man and leave your hotel room not wearing a bra, and yet you fight off the attention of two men who have already shown their interest in you. So, what’s your angle?”
Alison squirmed on the stool, breathing a sigh of relief when Dillon removed his hands and leaned against the bar on the other side of her.
“I don’t have any damned angle. Why don’t you go find some other woman to bother and leave me alone?”
Dillon straightened slightly as Michael approached.
“We’ll watch over you while you’re in town.”
Michael poured her a glass of orange juice and set it in front of her, his flirtatious grin replaced by a worried smile. “You’ll feel better after you eat. You two taking care of her?”
Dillon nodded and took a sip of his beer. “Yep.” He ordered cheeseburgers and fries for all of them, lifting a brow at Alison, silently asking if that was all right. At her nod, he finished placing the order and made himself comfortable on the seat next to her as soon as Michael moved away.
He kept his eyes glued to the game on the television, but she could feel his attention on her.
“So, tell us about the pain medicine.”
Alison checked to make sure the other men had their attention focused on the game before answering.
“I really don’t think this is any of your business. And it certainly isn’t the business of everyone else in the bar. Why don’t you go fix my truck and leave me alone so I can do what I came to Desire to do?”
Dillon turned to her and smiled. “If what you came to Desire to do is to learn a few things about sex, we can sure as hell help you with that.” His gaze sharpened. “Something tells me, though, that there’s more to it than that. Come on. Let’s go get a booth.”
* * * *
Ten minutes later, Alison found herself sitting in a booth with Dillon and Ryder and eating the best cheeseburger she’d ever eaten in her life. She wiped her mouth and took another sip of the ginger ale they’d ordered for her after she’d gulped down the orange juice. “What is it with you two? What’s with all the questions? I’m only going to be here for a few days. I’ve got enough problems, and I sure as hell don’t need you two creating more.”
Dillon handed her another napkin to wipe the juice that dripped down her chin, slipping his hand to her thigh and apparently enjoying watching her eat. “Tell us about your problems. After that we’ll work on your lessons.”
Alison choked on her burger, alarmed at the jolt of lust that raced through her.
Dillon rubbed her back, his concerned frown making her feel like an idiot.
“Are you all right?”
God, she had to get rid of them before she had an orgasm right here in the booth.
She took another bite of her burger and almost choked again as several men came through the door, almost immediately walking over to join the others. A few were absolutely gorgeous, some too masculine looking to ever be called handsome, but each of them with a presence that made them impossible to ignore.
If women knew men like this lived here, the town would be overrun!
Hurriedly taking a sip of her ginger ale, she checked out each and every one of them as they came through the door. She’d never seen so many heartbreakers in one place in her entire life and wondered if the medication had made her delirious.
Several women came in right behind them as if they’d been waiting for the bar to fill before coming inside.
If the bar filled like this, she didn’t blame them a bit.
Alison grimaced when she saw that the women had all dressed for seduction, wearing short skirts that barely covered them and sexy tops that exposed ample amounts of cleavage. Looking down at herself, she sighed. Wearing jeans and a loose sweater, she didn’t stand a chance.
She should have taken the time to dig something sexier out of her bag, but she’d grabbed what had been on top, in a hurry to get away from Dillon and Ryder.
Blaming them for what looked like would turn out to be a wasted opportunity, she set her glass on the table with more force than necessary.
“I’m fine, and I don’t need your help. Thanks, anyway. Look, I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I really would like to be alone.”
Ryder pushed the fries closer to her, grimacing when she took one and dragged it through the ketchup until it was soaked. “Why are you taking a weekend full of seminars at the women’s club about pleasing men if you hate men?”
She blinked and swallowed the fry. “I don’t hate men.”
Ryder shrugged. “Okay, so why are you taking the seminars?”
Since Ryder sat right in front of her and Dillon sat next to her, she had nowhere to look to hide her burning face. She’d never considered herself a prude by any means, but she’d never before had a conversation with another man about her lack of knowledge in the sex department.
Except Danny, and those hadn’t really been conversations.
Thankfully, the noise the others made during the game kept them from overhearing their conversation, or she just might have crawled under the table.
“None of this is any of your business.”
Resting his arm over the booth at her back, Dillon let his fingers dance over her shoulder. “You made it my business, remember?”
Alison looked up from dredging another fry. “I took it back, remember?”
Dillon raised a brow at that and leaned back, adopting a conversational tone. “I’m glad a lot of women go to the club. I think it’s a good idea for women in ménage marriages to have others to talk to, and I know they have a lot of fun there. It’s a safe place for them to go instead of heading out of town. Of course, none who are claimed are allowed to touch the men there, so it works out just fine.”
Alison had a feeling he wanted her to ask what they meant by claimed and resisted asking, not wanting to fall into one of his traps.
Ryder sipped his beer and nodded. “Yeah, they’re always laughing when they come out. They’re probably all plotting ways to get even with their men about something.”
Dillon’s fingers on her shoulder moved slightly, working under the neckline of her sweater to stroke the sensitive area on her neck.
“I just don’t understand why women feel the need to learn any tricks to please their men. They’re already fascinating creatures. So soft and warm. So giving. So damned sweet.”
Ryder leaned back in his seat, his hypnotic green eyes flaring. “It makes a man want to take his time learning each and every sensitive spot on her body, and how she likes to be handled. A slow, soft touch? Maybe a little harder? Firm or fleeting? How does she respond to being touched with my fingertips? With my tongue?”
Alison gulped and reached for her drink, trying to block the image of being naked and Dillon and Ryder exploring her, using their mouths and hands to touch her everywhere.
Ryder’s gaze kept going to her nipples poking at the front of her sweater, kept beaded by the friction of her sweater moving back and forth over them due to Dillon’s light tugs of her neckline. After taking a sip of his beer, he grinned.
“Why they would feel the need for tricks is a mystery to me. Basically they have the equipment to drive men nuts as it is. We’re pretty easy to please.”
Not sure how much more of Dillon’s teasing she could take, she pushed his hand away and sat forward, crossing her arms over her breasts, glaring at both of them.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. Men want women who know all the tricks and want to sit back and let the women do all the work. Then they have the nerve to bitch about what they don’t like.”
“Harder.”
“ Faster.”
“Slower.”
“ Take it easy.”
“ You’re not touching the right spot.”
“ Don’t you know what the hell you’re doing?”
She glared at both of them. “You’re all assholes.”
She dragged another fry through the k
etchup and lifted it, pointing it at Ryder.
“God forbid a woman says she doesn’t like something. Then she’s frigid. But men like to complain about what they like and don’t like and as soon as they have their fun, fall asleep leaving a woman wanting.”
When Ryder jerked upright and opened his mouth to speak, she held up a hand to stop him.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Men try to please women. But that’s only at the beginning. Once they’re comfortable, that’s it. After that, it’s a bunch of quickies during halftime or jerking them off or giving blow jobs while they’re watching TV. If a woman even manages to get them to bed, it’s over in two minutes, and she’s listening to his snoring in the dark and wishing she’d just used her vibrator instead. No, thanks. What the hell do men want anyway? You’re all a bunch of assholes who want something until you get it and then don’t want it anymore. I think all you guys care about is the conquest. And variety. Nope. My vibrator is the best lover I’ve ever had.”
She popped the fry in her mouth and chewed angrily, thinking about how many nights she’d tried to please Danny only to go to bed unsatisfied. Picking up the ketchup bottle, she squeezed a small lake of it on her waxed paper and reached for another fry. Aware of the long looks passing between them, she shrugged.
“But that’s not going to keep me company or keep me warm at night. I don’t think love’s in the cards for me, but I don’t want to be alone. Why are you looking at me like that? I would think men like you would want a woman to learn all about pleasing them. Isn’t that what men want—a woman who knows how to give them what they want in bed? It seems that’s the most important thing to them.”
Dillon stiffened beside her. “That’s not true at all.”
Alison smiled sarcastically. “Sure, it’s not. Men really like a woman’s sparkling personality. Get real. All they care about is that she’s got a perfect body, no imperfections, and that she knows how to get him off without wanting anything in return. The rest of it is all bullshit.”
