“Oh my god, Keegan.” She tilted her head forward and rested it against his shoulder. “You feel so good.”
That was all it took to lose the grip on his control.
He lifted her just high enough so that he felt her slide down his shaft. Her grip on him was so damn tight, it felt like a vise. But he slid easily because she was so wet.
Faster.
He increased the rhythm, felt her moving against him. Her breath blew across his neck, hot as a brand. His hips jerked, slamming him higher into her heat.
When she shuddered, he knew she was close. Their movements grew rougher, harder, but they still moved in sync.
If only—
He came, the burst of pleasure so intense he felt it to his toes. How he managed to stay on his feet was a miracle, with Jules convulsing around him and her arms nearly cutting off his air supply.
But he held on to her just as tightly because without Erik to back him up—
Shit.
Lowering his head, he brushed his cheek against her hair and felt her return the caress.
They sat there for several minutes, just breathing, their skin slowly cooling.
He wanted to say something, anything, that would make her stay.
Jules stirred, shifting closer. “I don’t want to move but I’m getting chilly.”
He ran his hands up and down her back as she snuggled her face into his neck. “That feels great.”
“But you’re still cold.” He looked around the room, realizing he didn’t have a blanket on any of the furniture. He’d have to fix that.
“I should get dressed and get home anyway.”
Fuck no. “Stay.”
“I can’t.” No hesitation. “I’ve got to be up early. I’m helping Carol again tomorrow.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why she was working when they’d given her more than enough money, but he was smart enough not to say it.
Besides, he knew the reason. Carol was practically family and Jules didn’t abandon family.
He wanted to be counted as family. He and Keegan.
His arms tightened and he had to make a conscious effort to relax them. “I really wish you could stay.”
Pulling back, she looked him in the eyes. “Me too.”
Does she want me to argue with her? Make her stay? Beg her?
Hell, he just might stoop to that. But he didn’t want to pressure her.
Instead, he lifted his hand to cup her cheek and held her steady for another kiss. This one didn’t devour. It coaxed, played, and lulled them back into that heated place they’d been just a few minutes ago.
But when he pulled back, she wore a rueful smile. “As much as I’d love to do that all night, I really do have to get some sleep.”
With that, she grabbed her clothes and slipped into them. He sat and watched, as mesmerized as if she were taking them off.
But she went way too fast. She was finished before he’d zipped his jeans and had to wait for him to walk with her to the door.
Just before she slipped into her car, he grabbed her and planted another kiss on her that left her gasping.
“We’ll figure this out, Jules. I’m not giving up.”
He hoped like hell she understood what he was saying.
Her smile indicated she did. But that she wasn’t sure they could.
“I’ll talk to you soon, Keegan.”
He stood there until he could no longer see her taillights.
Then he headed back in the house and stared at his phone.
*
Avenged Sevenfold’s “Almost Easy” blared from his phone late Sunday morning and, out of habit, Erik grabbed it immediately.
Keegan’s ring.
Shit.
He felt like a dog who’d been conditioned to respond whenever someone rang a bell.
His thumb hovered over the screen. He wanted to answer. Hell, they hadn’t talked to each other in a week and it almost felt like he’d lost a limb.
What the fuck should he say?
Sorry I’ve been such a dick.
Probably a good start.
I gave the information Kat got me to the police.
That would be better but it wouldn’t be true.
Fuck.
As he continued to stare at the phone, it finally went silent.
The urge to toss it against the wall of his study had his hand tightening around the case. Just before he knew he’d crush it, he threw it on the chair next to him.
He’d been moody and cranky since waking up. Probably because he had a fucking hangover painful enough to make him consider an ice pick to the temple.
Which wouldn’t do anything to alleviate the cold ball of lead in the pit of his stomach.
Had she spent the night with Keegan?
If she had, was that why Keegan was calling? To tell him she’d made a decision between them? Or was Keegan calling because they’d never gone more than three days without talking to each other since the day they met?
Call him back.
Keegan had been the better man and called first. The least Erik could do was return his call. With a harsh sigh, he grabbed the phone. Then sat there staring at it.
Coward.
Fuck it.
He jabbed at the phone and heard Keegan’s voice before he got it to his ear.
“I was almost afraid you’d blocked my number.”
If he didn’t know Keegan so well, he might’ve missed the dry wit in his tone.
Erik huffed. “Maybe I should have because if you’re calling for any other reason than to say you missed me, I’m gonna pout.”
Keegan’s amused snort came through the phone perfectly. “You’re an ass. A stuck-up, conceited ass.”
“And you’re a whiny bitch.”
“Fuck you.”
Erik sighed. “Yeah, I missed you too, you prick.”
“Good. Now, what the hell are we going to do about Jules?”
Slouching deeper into the couch, he let his head fall back so he was staring at the ceiling. “You do realize all this time we’ve been focusing on ourselves, we haven’t thought about what she wants.”
A pause. “Has she said anything to you about going to culinary school?”
“Yeah, she has. In fucking New York.” Erik shoved a hand through his hair, wishing his damn headache would give up the ghost. “I don’t want her to go.”
“Neither do I.” Keegan’s voice became more somber. “But…there’s no way I want to stop her from doing what she wants.”
“If she leaves, we lose her.”
“We may have lost her already.”
They fell silent for several seconds until Keegan took a deep breath. “Have you decided what you’re going to do with the information?”
Erik snorted. “Honestly, right now, I could give a flying fuck about it.”
“Whatever you want to do with it, I’ll back you. I should’ve said that from the moment Katrina handed it over.”
Erik felt a little bit of that cold ball in his gut dissipate. “Then come over and let’s talk through it.”
“I can do that.”
“Of course you can. It’s not like your calendar’s overflowing.”
“Speak for yourself, asshole.”
Now grinning, his hangover in retreat mode, Erik decided maybe things were going to be okay. “Just get your ass over here. We need to make some plans.”
*
Jules stared at the online application for the Culinary Institute of America.
She’d started filling it out three times already Monday morning before closing the screen and getting up to do something else.
Anything else.
Except the one thing she wanted to do, which was call Erik and Keegan and tell them she wanted to see them.
And what if they’re still not talking to each other?
She knew some of that was her fault. She’d come between them.
What if she’d driven that wedge between them even deeper by insisting on seei
ng them separately?
Damn it. They’d told her they’d never had a three-way relationship. Their three-ways were confined to the bedroom.
Maybe that’s how they want to keep it.
She should break it off now. Chalk it up to a learning experience and take the money and run.
And since she’d already taken the money, maybe now was the time to cut and run.
Just the thought brought tears to her eyes.
The past two nights had proved, at least to her, that these two men were worth every bit of trouble they gave her. Worth every headache she’d have to endure. Every dirty look she’d ever get, every whisper behind her back and every thinly veiled innuendo any catty bitch might ever make.
But if I go away to school, if I try to reach that dream, the relationship’s over.
It felt like every which way she turned, she hit another roadblock.
Her phone bleated out a convincing moo and an instant smile lit her face.
“Hey, Jon. What’s up?”
Jon Petrius’s laugh was enough to make her smile widen.
“Hey, pretty girl. Whatcha doin’ tonight?”
“Not one blasted thing. What did you have in mind?”
“Gary and I are having friends over to watch hockey. You know you wanna come. Just say yes.”
A party. A little liquor. A few friends. “Sounds like that’s exactly what I need.”
“Good. You haven’t seemed like yourself lately so tonight I’m going to get you liquored up then I’m going to pump you for information. And don’t even think about holding back.”
“I wouldn’t dare. What time tonight?”
“You know you’re welcome whenever. Everyone else I told to come around six. Flyers and Caps tonight. Puck drops at 7:35. And you know…if you want to bring a friend, you’re more than welcome.”
She wondered what Jon would say if she told him she wanted to bring two.
“Actually…I may take you up on that. But it would be two friends. Is that okay?”
“Of course, babe. But now I’m curious. Who are you bringing?”
“If they come, I’ll introduce you and you can quiz them to your heart’s content. If not, I’ll tell you the whole story over a bottle of wine. Good wine. You know the cheap stuff gives me a headache.”
“Oh please.” She could almost see Jon rolling his eyes. “When have you ever known Pete to drink anything cheap?”
Silently, she conceded. Jon’s partner had champagne tastes and could afford it as a partner in one of the largest law firms in Reading.
“I’ll give them a call, see if they’re free tonight.”
“Well, even if they’re not, I still want to see you here. Talk to you later, babe.”
Ending the call, she stared at her phone for several seconds before punching the button that would connect her to Keegan.
Who answered by the third ring.
“Jules.”
Keegan didn’t say anything else. He didn’t really have to. Just him saying her name with that faint accent made her shiver.
“Hi, Keegan. How are you?”
“Fine. I’m…good. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” She took a deep breath. “I was calling to see if you would be interested in coming to a party with me tonight.”
He paused. “Just the two of us?”
“No. I’m going to ask Erik to join us. Will that be a problem?”
“Why don’t you ask him? He’s standing next to me.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “You’re talking again?”
“We’re working on our difference of opinion.”
“Is that a fancy way of saying you’re beating the crap out of each other?”
Keegan laughed. “No. But I’m not promising it won’t come to that before we’re finished. Here.”
“Keegan—”
“Jules? Hey, are you okay?”
Erik. “Yes. I’m fine. Are you?”
“Better now that I’m talking to you.”
Her lips curved in a grin. The man knew how to make her smile.
“Are you doing anything tonight? I wanted to know if you and Keegan would like to go to a friend’s house tonight for drinks and a hockey game.”
He paused.
Please say yes. Please say yes…
“If you want us to, of course.”
Her heart started to beat again. “Great! That’s great. It’s probably easier if we meet at my house and go over together.”
“That’s fine. We’ll be there by quarter of five. Does that give us enough time?”
“Absolutely. I’ll see you both later.”
She ended the call before either of them could back out.
It was only ten in the morning. Seven hours until she saw them again.
They couldn’t get here soon enough.
*
Keegan stood next to Erik in the elevator, biting his tongue.
He wanted to ask Keegan if this was really what he wanted to do. But he knew if he did, Erik would likely bite his head off. So he kept quiet.
He’d already asked at least five times before they’d left on their field trip this morning. Right after they’d talked to Jules. She’d caught them on their way out the door.
Good timing. It’d taken a little bit of the edge off Erik’s nerves. But not for long.
Keegan glanced at the file in Erik’s hands, the one Katrina had given him. Erik had almost wrinkled the thing beyond recognition.
Keegan had his hands stuck in the pockets of his dress slacks so he’d stop cracking his knuckles.
They’d barely said a word in the car on the drive to the Philadelphia headquarters of Eggert Labs.
Old man Eggert knew they were coming. They’d had their soon-to-be-ex-lawyer call and request a meeting. They might have let their soon-to-be-ex-lawyer lead Eggert to believe they might want to talk about a possible sale.
They hadn’t told him exactly what they were going to do because he probably would’ve advised against it.
Keegan didn’t give a shit what their lawyer thought.
This was what Erik wanted, so this was what they were doing.
Still…
He drew in a breath—
“Don’t even open your mouth.” Erik sliced him a look. “It’s my decision. You agreed. Case closed.”
Their lawyer—fiftyish, gray hair, expensive suit—gave them a curious look but didn’t speak. He’d met them at the door to the building after they’d parked, they’d exchanged a few cursory words, then they’d proceeded to ignore him. He’d have no bearing on the meeting. He’d added legitimacy to the lie they’d told Eggert to get him to agree to see them.
“I know,” Keegan said for what had to be the fiftieth time. “And I’m backing you one hundred percent.”
“Then stand beside me and let me handle this.”
Keegan caught and held Erik’s gaze. “You know I’ll be right here.”
“Which is why I can do this.”
A muted ding announced their arrival on the fifth floor. The doors slid open.
Keegan held Erik’s gaze for a second longer then nodded.
They walked out together.
Chapter Four
Erik’s palms were sweaty.
Fucking ridiculous.
It was just a party.
Yeah. With Jules’s friends.
Which was why his palms were sweaty.
Meeting new people had never been a problem for him. Until he’d lost half his face in the explosion.
Fucking hell. This shouldn’t be so damn difficult.
He’d gone to the restaurant, after all, and no one had run screaming.
And after his meeting with Eggert… Well, he should feel like he could handle anything.
But these were Jules’s friends. And not only were they going as a threesome, but her friends would see him for the first time. People occasionally said stupid things to him when they first met him. Then he’d get pissed off and res
pond with something equally idiotic.
He’d learned early on it was better to just not go anywhere.
“Erik. Come out of it. We’re here.”
His gaze snapped to Keegan’s, who was staring at him with narrowed eyes.
“Sorry. Thinking.”
He looked out the side window of the now-parked car. Hell, he hadn’t even noticed they’d come to a stop. He’d really been zoned out.
“Yeah, well, knock it off,” Keegan punctuated his words with a friendly shove, “because if you fuck this up, I’m going to make damn sure you pay for it.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Erik pushed out of the car then stopped to look at Keegan over the roof of his Beemer. “Don’t you get tired of being my designated prodder?”
Keegan’s face pulled into a frown. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that you have never given up on me.”
“Are you serious?” Keegan’s brows rose as he shoved his hands in his pants, probably because of the below-freezing temperature. “You seriously want to have this conversation now?”
Erik rounded the front of the car and stopped a few feet away from Keegan. He looked at his best friend, thinking how much stronger Keegan actually was than him.
“No, you’re right. I don’t want to have this conversation now. Let’s get Jules and do this.”
Erik rolled his eyes. “God damn it. Erik. Just once—”
He never finished because Jules had opened the door and was smiling at them. Backlit, she looked like an angel. But he didn’t mean the ones that had wings. He meant the ones that wore skimpy lingerie and strutted down catwalks.
Jesus, she was absolutely fucking beautiful, even bundled up in a navy pea coat. His heart beat like a bass drum, he wanted her so damn much.
And if she went away to culinary school…
Fuck. He didn’t know if he could cope.
And wasn’t that a kick in the ass.
“I’m so glad to see you both.”
A deaf man would’ve been able to hear the relief in her voice as she stepped onto the porch, shutting the door behind her.
Keegan reached her first, bending to kiss her. And not a sweet peck on the cheek either. He put an arm around her shoulders and brought her flush against his body while he slipped his tongue between her lips and made her moan into his mouth.
And Erik’s cock responded as if he hadn’t just had her two nights ago.
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