by Candi Wall
Hell yeah she’d thought about both men. Ian was amazing in bed, out of bed, and in general. She’d seen him soften and donate to every cause pitched his way. He smiled broadly and easily and had that good-feeling effect on everyone he encountered. There was a touch of homegrown Southern boy in him somewhere, but that latent part of him was overshadowed by his alpha side. The domineering, controlling sexual dynamo she’d slept with for over two weeks now.
Adding in thoughts of elegant, exotic Arjun and imagining the naughty things the two men had done together had sent her body into overdose heaven. Yeah, she’d considered what it would be like. Two handsome men, willing to fuck her and each other…
“Arjun, you and me.” Ian’s voice broke into her thoughts. “It’s pretty simple, Elizabeth. You’re attracted to him. Hell, I’ve slept with him so I get it.”
“Yes, I admit that he’s attractive.” Liz didn’t know how to explain what she felt. It was a mash-up of attraction, wanting to experience everything and wondering if there were lines she and Ian could cross that might change the easy relationship they shared. “Thoughts of the two of you, doing things to each other while I watch, or even join in, is hot as hell. But I like what we have. I love the sex, the travel and the time we spend together. There’s no stress, no worries. I don’t want that to change. I like everything you’re helping me experience, but I’m loyal to you first, and keeping us in good territory is my biggest concern.”
By the time she finished her explanation, he was shaking his head, smiling at her in that way that always made her stomach tie itself up in knots. “What?”
“You’re overthinking it.” He took her hand, staring out the window for a long moment while her heart kinda tripped over each of her ribs. “One of the many things that I enjoy about you is your honesty. I often wonder if everything I’m exposing you to is going to change that. But you just bounce back every time and tell me in your sweet Southern drawl how you feel. Trust me when I say, no matter what we do, I’m going to bounce back too.”
He seemed so open, she actually believed him. “So if I say yes, nothing changes?”
“The only thing that changes is what you take away from our time together.” His smile was sinful and secretive at once. “We’re on a time limit. I plan to fulfill every want, desire or need you have before we part ways. All you have to do is say yes, no, less or more.”
She knew their relationship had an expiration date, but having him say it out loud, with such finality, crushed her a little. Thinking about going back to Texas, to her normal life and simple ways was easy. Some might find it boring, but she loved her life. What she had a hard time imagining, accepting, was waking up every day and not seeing Ian’s handsome face, hearing his laughter and feeling his sinful kiss.
She devoured every moment with him, savoring it and tucking it away for nights when she’d feel trapped by normalcy. She didn’t want this life forever, but she wanted to burn it into her mind so it would be easy to recall.
This was a make-it-or-break-it moment. One she couldn’t pass up. Still, she sided on caution. “I think I’d have to start by watching.”
“We can do that.” He squeezed her hand, the warmth of his palm as reassuring as the seriousness of his gaze. “As long as you promise not to hold back. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want, but I need to know you’ll participate if the mood strikes. I’m very sexual. You know that from experience. So is Arjun. If this is what you’d like, I’ll see if I can set it up.”
Imagining him with another man was hot as hell. Considering jumping into the fantasy had her blood racing. The offer was there. All she had to do was take it. Back home, she would have chickened out and stuck to her roots and homegrown values. In Ian’s world, an earth’s rotation away from anything remotely home, she could be anyone and experience anything she wanted. All she had to do was say yes to the Adonis who’d taken her perfectly controlled life and flipped it over, scattering every carefully arranged puzzle piece in a million sinfully tempting directions.
“Okay. Set it up.” Taking a deep breath, she squeezed his hand. “But you might want to warn him that I’ll probably chicken out.”
Liz sat back on the faded couch in Navya Parikh’s studio, riveted by the four models appearing from behind a bamboo screen in a constant interchange. She wasn’t sure how each girl managed to get changed as quickly as she did, but every new outfit was a treat.
The private viewing with Navya was amazing, and Liz was even more blown away by her creative designs than before. She leaned in to whisper in Ian’s ear. “She should have shown half of these during the fashion show.”
“It’s her age,” he mumbled, texting while the models came out. “She’s afraid to take a chance, and that can be deadly in this industry.”
Liz shot Navya a quick glance. She was a slight young woman with coal-black hair and exotic eyes. It didn’t take much effort to notice her nervousness. Her hands shook as she clasped them together, watching for any sign that the great Ian Malcolm was interested in anything her models wore.
The fact that Ian was still texting rubbed Liz all wrong. Good manners were a way of life in her world, and even if they were in Ian’s sphere now, the least he could do was pay attention. “Do you have another set of eyes I don’t know about?”
Ian glanced up from his phone, his brows scrunched. “What?”
“You know,” she snapped. “A set to text with and a set to watch the show this young woman arranged for your godly presence.”
Ian set his phone in his lap and snuggled closer on the couch. Shooting the newest model a brief glance, he returned his attention to Liz. “Did you just spank me?”
“Maybe.” His stern glare made her squirm a little. He looked like he wanted to spank her. Shaking that thought off, she refocused. Lowering her voice, she nodded in Navya’s direction. “She set this all up for you and you’re barely participating. Would it kill you to show a little interest?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But it could kill her career.”
Liz sat back, trying to process what that meant. Before she could ask, Ian stood and waved Navya over. They spoke quietly, Navya’s eyes widened in a crazy-schoolgirl-crush-meme style. Liz couldn’t watch. She crossed the room to where Cain stood staring out the window.
She studied his profile as she approached. She couldn’t call him gorgeous, but he was handsome in a dark, brooding kind of way. He didn’t say much, but he was quick to shit on Ian for the fun of it, and he watched out for Ian like a hawk. Oh, and he was grumpy. All the time.
“What’s the matter, kitten?” Cain groused. “Bored?”
“Kitten?” Liz’s hackles rose. “I’m a bit sturdier than that.”
He scoffed. “Would leech be better?”
“Definitely.” Liz glared at his profile. “Who shit in your Cheerios?”
Something resembling a snort came from his direction. “Shit in my Cheerios? That’s a new one.”
Liz chuckled. “I know I feel out of sorts around all this girly stuff. How do you manage it? Aren’t you ex-military or something?”
“Yeah. Marines.” He shot her a roll of his eyes. “I needed something besides sitting around thinking too much after I got out. Ian offered it. I figure the fluff is part of the price for traveling the world. Keeps me on my toes.”
“No doubt.” She watched the numerous pedestrians milling around the local market below Navya’s loft. “I’ve never traveled outside Texas besides a spring break to Florida. All of this makes that trip pale in comparison. I just, well, I worry Ian is too rigid. He’s good at what he does, but he’s so…” What was the word she was looking for? “Cold.”
Cain chuckled. “Every job has its requirements. Your job is to report, mine is to keep him safe. He’s not questioning ours. Why should we question his?”
Then Ian was at her side. “Navya would like to say goodbye. Ar
jun will meet us at ten, and we have several more stops we have to make today before we can call it quits.”
Arjun said yes. It was all she could process, and then she was in the car. She must have said goodbye, or something resembling one, because from there it was a whirlwind of activity, people, faces, fashion and Ian pulling her in a million different directions. If she counted correctly, she’d changed three times today, but her head just wasn’t in the game. Knowing Arjun would be meeting them at the hotel later kept her from really focusing on anything. Hopefully, she hadn’t made too big an ass of herself, or insulted anyone.
When they finally climbed into the last limousine of the evening and Ian asked the driver to take them to their hotel, Liz slumped against the seat. “I’m exhausted.”
Ian smiled at her, his gaze heated and vibrant. “We had a crazy day, but our night is just beginning. Have a glass of champagne. We’re celebrating tonight.”
Watching him pour two glasses of the bubbly liquor, she tensed. This was happening. It was real and imminent. Arjun would either be waiting for them, or arrive shortly after they did. From there, it was up to her what happened.
She trusted Ian. He’d never given her any reason not to. But suddenly all the old warnings about men that were too good to be true, and how bad they could get, erupted like the bubbles in her champagne glass.
“Are we really going to do this?”
Ian settled back against his seat and watched her over his glass. He took a long swallow, his gaze assessing. “Do you want me to cancel?”
Yes. No. And everything in between. “I-I don’t know.”
He leaned forward, bracing his elbows against his knees. “Would you feel better if you had a safeword? One that meant you wanted to stop?”
She felt so out of date. Sometimes she hated never having experienced anything. “Isn’t that for control and handcuffs and domination stuff?”
“Safewords aren’t strictly for bondage or role play.” He ran a finger around the rim of his glass. “Anything new you experience could be too much, considering where you started.”
“That’s fine,” she muttered, feeling like a shy teenager instead of relieved. “What word?”
“Your choice.”
“Honeysuckle.”
He nodded. “Drink your champagne. But just the one. I’m sure we’ll have one later with Arjun, and I need to know everything that happens tonight is you, not liquid courage.”
Liquid courage sounded damn good right now.
Chapter Nine
Ian expected some nervousness on her part, but the way her hand trembled in his, ice cold, he considered calling the night off. When they reached the hotel room, he pulled her close, kissing her gently. “As much as I want you, and as hot as adding another man to our bed sounds, I’m okay if you want to back out.”
She gazed up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. “Everything I’ve experienced with you has been amazing. I think this will be too. I just never imagined it would happen like this.”
“Explain.” He’d do anything to make her feel safe and comfortable.
“It’s all so prepared. Not that that’s a bad thing.” She fluttered her hand through the air, her expression confused. “But I’m not sure it’s a good thing either. If I imagined it, we’d have drinks, come back to the room for some odd reason like I needed to change before we all went to a club. Then I’d walk in while you two were close, maybe talking softly, and I’d see the attraction between you both like I did the first time. One thing would lead to another, maybe one too many drinks to loosen me up.”
“You’re overthinking this. Nothing happens unless you want it to.” He unlocked the door, keeping one arm around her waist to guide her in. “For now, Arjun is joining us for a drink. Nothing more.”
She stopped cold, her eyes on Arjun. He sat across the room in a plush recliner, his legs stretched out in front of him. He turned with a sensual smile, his gaze skimming over Elizabeth’s body before he eased himself up from the chair.
He met Ian’s gaze before returning his attention to Elizabeth and walked over to take her hands in his. Pressing a quick kiss to her cheek, he stepped back. “Thank you for the invitation to join you this evening. It is good to have old friends to visit and new friends to get to know.”
Ian shot Arjun an approving smile. He’d warned his friend she might be a bit skittish, and Arjun’s manners dictated his actions. He’d treat her well. He wouldn’t push. This would all be up to Elizabeth and what she wanted.
Ian squeezed her shoulders. “Take the other chair. Arjun brought photos from his trip to Brazil. I’ll poor us all a drink.”
She shot him a thankful glance and walked over to sit in the chair he’d indicated. Arjun joined her, quickly engaging her in conversation about where and what she’d seen through the day. Within minutes, his friend had her laughing.
Ian watched the interaction between the two and poured three glasses of champagne. She’d barely touched her drink in the limo, and he’d been around her long enough to know she could handle her liquor fairly well.
Arjun took up where he’d left off. He wasn’t overbearing, or overly flirtatious. It was one of the things that Ian had always found so enticing about the man. Arjun knew what he wanted, and he was willing to go after it, but he never forced the issue. Either attraction and connection happened or it didn’t. Elizabeth had no way of knowing, but she couldn’t have picked a better addition for them to experiment with.
Ian brought the drinks over and sat on the window ledge as Arjun pulled his tablet from his bag. Elizabeth seemed much more relaxed, and as Arjun swiped through the photos, relating the stories behind each in a fun and detailed manner, Ian settled back to watch. The pictures themselves held little interest for him. What he enjoyed were her expressions. Once again, something that had become blah for him was brought to life through the amazement in her eyes.
Watching her awe reminded him of a time when he hadn’t felt so uninspired by the people and places around him. He wasn’t even really sure when he’d stopped enjoying the crazy schedule, flights to exotic places, or the charge of finding a bright new designer. All he knew was that he had. And Elizabeth was bringing it all back to life.
He forgot what they’d come here for and how the night was supposed to end. He settled in and enjoyed the alternate reality only Elizabeth could create.
Time passed. He wasn’t sure how. Champagne was drunk. At one point, she’d taught them a game called Standoff where one player had to try and knock the other off balance and make them take a step back, but the only part they could touch were each other’s hands.
They played for a while and ended up on the floor laughing. More champagne disappeared and they ended up sprawled on the bed. Arjun dozed off as she read them an article from an animal rescue website she followed.
Ian tucked her close, closing his eyes to listen to the soft lilt of her voice. She snuggled into the crook of his arm and yawned sporadically between words. He didn’t know what the story was about. All he knew was he’d never spent an evening like this. It had been as PG as a kids’ show, but he felt more satisfied than he ever had.
There was something good about what had happened. He didn’t know if Arjun was frustrated by what was supposed to have been a hot night, but his friend had smiled and laughed along with them.
Ian shifted into a more comfortable position and realized she was no longer reading. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted as she slept. He smiled and closed his eyes as well. He could definitely chalk tonight up to a first.
Liz blinked away the blurriness in her eyes and hurried to the bathroom. Closing the bathroom door, she ran the faucet. There was no way she could pee without the cover of noise knowing the two men in her bed could wake up and hear her. When she was done, she washed up and brushed her teeth. A trace of a champagne headache tingled at the back of her skull, but she was gid
dy with excitement. Last night hadn’t gone as she’d planned, but waking up in Ian’s arms, with Arjun sprawled on the covers next to them, was such an odd occurrence, she couldn’t help but laugh.
She’d totally chickened out last night, but it was as if both men had realized it and gone with the flow. Sometime during the night she’d drank too much champagne, changed into yoga pants and a tank top, and acted foolishly until she crashed. Neither man had pressured her or tried to take advantage of her tipsy state. They’d been perfect gentlemen, and she wanted to share them even more because of it.
She slipped out of the bathroom, letting her eyes adjust to the dark room. It was early, and the thick drapes hanging over the window blocked out all but an aura-like glow from the dim morning light. She glanced at the clock. Four thirty. Way too early to be up.
The men were still sleeping and she wanted to lie back down. A couple more hours of sleep would be wonderful. Easing onto the bed, she snuggled between them again. None of them had made it under the covers, but with two warm bodies surrounding her, she hadn’t needed any.
Ian stirred as she cuddled close. “What time is it?”
His husky whisper sent shivers down her spine. “Early. Go back to sleep.”
He rolled to his side to face her, his hand skimming down her arm and landing on her hip. Arjun shifted behind her, his leg bumping into hers. Her heart tacked out a funky rhythm when he yawned and stretched.
“You two make more noise than a couple of elephants,” he grumped. “Can I not get some sleep after being kept up all night by Annie Oakley?”
Ian chuckled. “I was thinking Bobby-Sue Schoolmarm is more like it.”
Okay. They could tease all they wanted. But they’d had a blast, acting like two big kids when she’d explained childhood games and told them stories from growing up in down-home country life. “You were right there with me, boys. Act as citified as y’all want, but I’ve never had two more willing pupils.”
Ian kissed her forehead. “It was fun.”
