Sincerity and honesty rang in Fletch’s voice and Liam found himself nodding. Everything Fletch said was true, but he didn’t believe an alternative relationship would be easy. “What about Gaby’s mother?”
Fletch wrinkled his nose. “I say keep away and lock the door if she’s in the vicinity. I hate the way she treats Gaby, like some sort of deviant.”
Liam snorted. “Good luck with that. At least Gaby’s grandparents are awesome.”
“Look, we don’t have to do anything straightaway. Sleep on the idea,” Fletch said. “I’ll do the same. If we agree to go ahead, we’ll need a plan.”
Liam dragged the tie off his hair, grabbed the strands he’d dislodged and refastened it in a ponytail at his nape while he considered Fletch’s words. “It sounds cold-blooded.”
“No worse than your average courtship. Besides, the three of us could have lots of fun together.”
A vision of Gaby came to mind—curvy in a brief red bikini as she sunbathed in the back garden. Immediately, lust swept him, blood flooding his cock and, surprisingly, when he mentally added Fletch to the picture, his erection didn’t fade. “I’ll think about it,” he said finally. “We’re not gonna mention this conversation to anyone else, right?”
“Hell no! The only one I intend to discuss this with is you.”
“And Gaby?”
Fletch shrugged. “We’ll have to manage her. She thinks she’s in love with Marc.”
“Guy’s a bastard.”
“Yep, you’re not wrong. He’s sleeping with Judith Downes. I don’t think Gaby knows. I didn’t like to tell her.”
Liam nodded. “Wise move. Women like to shoot the messenger. A truth bomb would really put her in the right frame of mind to consider one of us or both. Hell, she’d probably never speak to us again.”
“I never said a relationship would be easy. But Gaby’s worth the trouble.”
“You’re not wrong. You ready to run?”
“Yeah.”
They started running along the river trail again, both silent and deep in thought. Liam ran on automatic pilot, his mind on Gaby and Fletch. His friend was right. They already lived together. They rattled around in the same house without any hitches and had done so for the last two years. Perhaps his friend was right and they could take their future into the bedroom—both of them with Gaby.
Chapter Two
“Hello? Anyone home?” Silence greeted Gaby as she shouldered open the front door to step inside the house she shared with Liam Richardson and Fletcher Darcy. Both men were builders and they’d renovated this basic wooden bungalow, adding two bedrooms to the existing one bedroom and office. A large reception room and a designer kitchen, plus a bathroom that was the height of decadent luxury, rounded out the amenities. She’d scored when she’d agreed to move in with them.
She hurried along the passage, her shoes clicking on the wooden floor. In the kitchen, she dropped her bag and the boxes of sex toys and condoms she carried on the counter.
As housemates went, Fletch and Liam were the best. They cooked and cleaned when necessary. Both were easygoing and, despite what her mother said, she’d have trouble finding such ideal roomies from amongst her girlfriends.
She opened several windows and the sliding doors leading to the tiled patio area before scooping up her shoes to carry to her bedroom.
A photo of her and Marc sat on her dresser table—the first thing she saw each morning on waking. Her stomach flip-flopped, her eyes smarting when the snapshot caught her attention. Heck, she wanted to cry now and she hadn’t even told Marc they needed to break off their casual agreement. Of course, she could suggest they made their relationship more permanent. Before they started their casual sexual relationship, both she and Marc agreed on honesty in their dealings.
Marc slept with other women. She knew it, sort of accepted the fact. The knowledge hurt, especially since they seemed compatible both in the bedroom and at work.
Maybe she should ignore her transformed feelings—the march of lust toward something more.
No, she had to discuss the change of mind with Marc. For all she knew, he might agree to make their relationship an exclusive one.
Worth a shot.
With a trembling hand, she picked up her cell phone and hit speed dial. As she’d suspected, Marc was still at work.
“I need to talk to you,” she said without prevarication.
“About one of the condom designs?”
It was obvious Marc’s concentration wasn’t entirely on her. The vagueness of his voice, the way his voice increased and decreased in volume told her everything. He was busy working on one of his designs. Hope died a fraction.
“No, I wanted to talk about us.”
“You want to call our friends with benefits off? No problem. I knew we wouldn’t be together for long. You’re intelligent and sexy. Someone was bound to snap you up.”
A sick sensation filled her stomach at the double-edged compliment. He wasn’t bothered. If anything, his voice held congratulation. The idea of not sleeping with her again wasn’t even a blip on his personal radar. A tear leaked from her eye and plopped on the back of her hand.
Gaby gathered her pride around her like a protective cloak. “Thanks for understanding.” Amazing. Her voice sounded normal even though her heart was breaking and tears blurred her vision. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Aren’t you coming into work tomorrow?”
Gaby’s lips twisted. All work and no play. Deep down she’d known he focused on his work more than her. She hadn’t allowed herself to accept the truth, and now reality cut deep. He didn’t return her enthusiasm and never would because he was a geeky scientist in love with his work. A handsome, studly one. Although her heart bled, if she stayed in a sexual relationship with Marc, she’d suffer pain a thousand times worse. “I’m taking the weekend off for a change.”
“Okay. Gotta go, Gaby.”
The phone disconnected before she managed a reply. Slowly she placed her cell phone on top of the rimu dresser. Maybe she’d open a bottle of wine and have a couple of drinks now.
Back in the kitchen, she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. The front door burst open as she splashed some of her favorite Marlborough wine into a glass.
Her two roomies, Fletch and Liam, raced into the kitchen, panting and chuckling at the same time, no doubt about an off-color joke. They’d already removed their running shoes and tossed half their attire in the utility room on the way past. Now they filled the room with their presence. Their bare chests glistened with sweat, drawing her attention to their muscular builds and their tattoos. Okay, so maybe the scenery wasn’t bad around the house either. Her roomies loved sports and rugby in particular, playing for the Sloan first fifteen.
It was surprising a smart woman hadn’t snapped up one of them long before now. They both had dark hair. Liam’s was black, fairly straight and long enough to tie back at his nape while Fletch’s was a deep brown and he kept it shorter. Their builder jobs took them outdoors on a regular basis and helped keep them fit to indulge their love of sports.
Her mother made no secret of her disapproval of both men—uneducated and unfit to lick her feet. Her sister’s opinion seemed much the same, although Gaby thought Liam’s polite rebuff of her sister’s attention several years ago might have something to do with her disdain.
Gaby counted them as her best friends. They’d attended the same school, although they were in Elsa’s class and a few years ahead of Gaby. On her return to Sloan after completion of her university degree, she’d met Liam and Fletch in the pub one night. They’d invited her to share the house they’d purchased and the rest was history.
Gaby lifted her glass and hoped they wouldn’t notice she’d been crying. “Hey, boys.” She let her gaze rove their muscled chests and drifted a little lower, a smirk curling her lips. “Looking good.”
“Good enough to run off to Vegas with us?” Fletch winked at Liam. “We could get into some mischief on the
strip.”
Gaby backed up against the counter when Liam ventured too close. “Don’t dare put your sweaty body anywhere near me. You both reek.” Her nose wrinkled in exaggeration because they smelled tempting rather than off-putting. If there was some way to bottle the musky, masculine scent and put the aroma into one of her massage oils or maybe a lube, she’d have a big seller on her hands.
Liam nudged Fletch with his elbow, his muscled biceps rippling. “Does that mean I can put my body near you once I’ve showered?”
Gaby rolled her eyes, half tempted to touch to see his reaction. “Save the flirting for your ladies. Go and shower, and if you’re good, I’ll buy you a drink at the Cricket.”
“You’re our first lady.” Fletch didn’t even crack a smirk when he uttered the words.
“Damn straight,” Liam agreed instantly. “I’ll take first shower.”
“Well, hurry up or else I’ll jump in with you,” Fletch said.
“I thought I might have dinner at the pub,” Gaby said once Liam left. She heard the splatter of water and Liam’s cheerful whistling as the ventilation fan exploded into action.
“Sounds good. Can Liam and I tag along?”
“Sure.” Relief swept through Gaby. She hadn’t wanted to walk into the pub on her own. Not this evening. Tonight she needed fun and laughter. Distraction.
“Great. I’m gonna hurry Liam along. He’ll stay in there for half an hour if I don’t shout insults at him.”
Gaby nodded and watched Fletch saunter away. Nice arse. The words popped into her mind like a magical genie. Her eyes widened and she snapped her gaze back to her wine.
That was not a suitable way to think about her roomie.
She picked up her glass and wandered along the passage to her bedroom. The rumble of masculine voices was soothing and familiar. Luckily for her, the guys didn’t have dates tonight. They were the diversion she needed to forget her woes. Yep, tonight she’d portray the party girl or die in the attempt.
* * * * *
“What’s up with Gaby?” Liam asked when Fletch barged into the bathroom. He wound the towel around his waist and reached for his stick of deodorant.
Fletch frowned. “I didn’t ask. I figured if she wanted us to know she would’ve told us.”
“Something made her cry.”
“I know.” Fletch reached past Liam to turn the shower back on and shucked his remaining clothes to step under warm water that pelted his body from different directions.
The wet room they’d installed the previous year was a hit with all of them. Fletch studied the waterproof, cream tiled walls and floor, and the single glass screen marking the shower area. They’d added patches of mosaic in shades of terracotta and brown to contrast with the cream. The setup was sleek and modern, with extra showerheads to make the bathroom a hedonistic pleasure.
Perfect for three lovers, he thought with satisfaction. “We should go ahead with our plan. I was thinking about Gaby during the last leg of our run.”
“Ah, that explains the smell.”
“Ha. Ha.” Fletch reached for the soap. “We need to woo her. Get her used to thinking about us in a romantic light instead of friends.”
“Yeah like that’s gonna be easy.”
“Gaby wouldn’t be worth the effort if she succumbed without a fight.”
“True.” Liam opened the door and paused in the doorway. “Okay, I’m in.”
“No second thoughts. No problems with me?”
Liam met Fletch’s gaze without flinching. “None. Let’s do this.”
* * * * *
“You shouldn’t have forced the last drink on me,” Gaby said, falling onto their lounge couch with relief. Her legs felt about as steady as a newborn foal’s. “I haven’t even got the energy to take off my shoes.”
“Let me, my lady.” Liam kneeled in front of her, his sturdy fingers dealing with the delicate buckles easily. He slid them off her feet, and she let out a groan of relief, wriggling her toes to release the tension in them. Squeezing her feet into sexy red high heels had seemed a good idea at the time.
Instead of releasing her foot, Liam massaged it, digging his fingers into the arch. At the same time, Fletch sat down beside her, close enough for their shoulders to brush.
“Ooh,” she purred. “You have magic fingers.”
“You learn a lot about massage in sports medicine. We both took a couple of courses along with building stuff,” Fletch said. “Anytime you want a full-body massage, let me know.”
“So you keep telling me. You just want to see me naked,” Gaby said.
“Of course we do. We’re male, aren’t we?” Liam removed her other shoe, giving her the same massage treatment. The stress melted from her and she leaned into Fletch, letting her eyes close to enjoy the pampering.
“Another drink?” Fletch rumbled the question next to her ear.
Liam paused in his massage. “Do we still have whiskey?”
“There’s half a bottle in the pantry,” Gaby murmured without opening her eyes.
“Whiskey it is,” Fletch said.
The warmth disappeared from her side, but Liam continued his foot massage, smoothing his hands up her calves.
“How come you wore a skirt tonight? You usually wear jeans.” Liam’s husky voice rumbled through her, both soothing and sexy at the same time.
“I felt like a change.” She needed something to take her mind off Marc. Dressing to flirt and attract attention helped. Even Liam and Fletch had made a fuss of her tonight—paying more notice to her than they normally did. They’d ignored her sister Elsa and her friends, despite being the same age as most of the single women in Elsa’s group.
“You should wear one more often. You have great legs.”
“Who has great legs?” Fletch asked.
“Gaby.”
“Let me see.”
The click of glasses sounded as he set them on the wooden coffee table. Then a hand skimmed up her leg, traveling past her knee and coming to a stop a fraction past her hemline.
Her eyes flew open. “What are you doing?”
“Checking out your legs.” Fletch’s unrepentant grin echoed in his brown eyes.
“You’re touching.” Cripes, his stroking fingers were doing weird things to her pulse rate. Belatedly, she jerked from his touch. “That’s different from looking.”
Liam chortled and handed her a whiskey. His blue eyes sparkled as he exchanged a broad grin with Fletch.
“Huh, drink your whiskey.” Gaby took a sip and savored the peaty burn across her tongue and down her throat. She leaned back, grinning lazily when the two guys took a seat either side of her. Their shoulders and legs brushed and, for the first time since she’d arrived home from work, she relaxed fully. She didn’t have to pretend with Liam and Fletch. They didn’t have many secrets from each other.
“I broke it off with Marc.” Oops, she hadn’t meant to mention this particular topic. She took another sip of whiskey. The silence lengthened and she grew increasingly worried about their reaction. She glanced left at Liam and found him grinning. Her brow creased and she turned to Fletch. The corners of his mouth lifted in the beginnings of a smile. “Why are you both smirking? Don’t tell me you had a stupid bet or something?”
“Of course not,” Liam said.
Fletch shook his head. “Why would we do that?”
“So what happened?” Liam asked. “Do you want to tell us or do you just wanna get drunk?”
Gaby didn’t want to turn girly on them and start crying. “I think it’s best if I get drunk.”
Fletch put his hand on her knee and squeezed lightly to grab her attention. “Do you want our company?”
“It’s no fun drinking alone.”
“I’d better go and get the bottle so we can have refills.” Liam stood and wandered out to the kitchen.
Gaby watched Liam leave, her gaze dropping to his butt, outlined in faded denim. Heck, what was wrong with her? All of a sudden she’d developed a butt f
etish. It must be her subconscious working on the new attachment for her vibrator. Despite her reasoning, a shiver worked down her spine and a delightful burst of heat hit her lady parts.
“Are you cold?” Fletch didn’t wait for her answer but lifted his arm and placed it around her shoulders, drawing her against his body. Immediately heat filled her—a sort of nervous energy. “Anything wrong?”
“No, of course not.” Fletch and Liam touched her in a casual manner all the time. They were friends. Their embraces didn’t mean anything. The constant immersion in the world of condoms and sex toys had revved her up. The yummy arousal firing to life in her body was hardly a startling revelation.
Liam arrived back with the bottle. “Ready for a top up?”
Gaby held out her glass. It wavered a little. “Oops, maybe I don’t need any more. I have to test some products this weekend.”
“Yeah?” Fletch squeezed her lightly, drawing her closer.
Her breast flattened a fraction against the hardness of his pectoral muscle. Her nipples prickled beneath the thin silky bra she wore. More thought than substance, the saleswoman had said. She sure had that right. Her bodily reactions were starting to get embarrassing. Right now, what she wouldn’t give for body armor.
“What are you working on? Is it top secret or are you allowed to share?”
“It’s secret, but the board is testing my products during the next week. If the tests go well and they like them, James and Alice intend to market the favorite one for Christmas.”
“That’s great, Gaby. Congratulations,” Liam said. “We should have a toast.”
“Definitely,” Fletch agreed.
Liam refilled their glasses and put the bottle aside. “To good inventions and favorable results.”
“To Gaby and success,” Fletch said.
Gaby grinned, thrilled with their support. “To success.” She’d hoped to conduct her own testing this weekend with Marc’s help. Of course now she’d use the vibrator by herself. She probably would have anyway, but sharing the experimentation helped too. “Thanks for being supportive. I appreciate it.”
Liam peered at her intently. “Is your mother giving you grief again?”
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