by Susan Hayes
“Huh?” Diego was sitting on his bed half-dressed and when Beau knocked his head jerked up as if he’d been startled out of a trance. “Sorry, man. I lost track of time.”
“Not a problem, it wasn’t a big job anyway. So are you going to actually put a shirt on before we head out or are you planning on saving time by showing up for this date half-dressed?”
“Shit!” Diego stood up and glanced at his watch, still looking a little out of it. “Is that the time? Fuck. I’m going to make us late.”
“Chill. We have time so long as you don’t space out on me again.” Beau started to leave and then stopped to take a good look at his best friend. “Is there something going on with you?”
“No. Well, maybe. Fuck, I don’t know.” Diego ran a hand through his hair, leaving it in disheveled spikes, a sure sign he was stressed about something.
“Well that was really clear. You want to try that again?”
“When I grabbed us take-out yesterday, Mom had a few things to say.”
“You mean when you took off and left me to explain to the lieutenant why there were a half dozen cops cheering outside our office while I tried to glue the framing back on our door?”
Diego smirked at him, looking more like himself for a moment. “Yeah, then.”
“Bastard, you could at least pretend to be sorry about that. So what did your mom have to say that’s got you so out of joint?”
“She said since fate seemed to be putting everything I wanted in my hands, I better not screw it up.”
“Good advice, so what’s the problem?” Beau pressed, knowing there had to be more to this than just a bit of maternal advice.
“She gave me this.” Diego opened his hands, revealing a small box wrapped with worn velvet. “And then she hummed part of that Beyonce song and told me if we liked it then we better put a ring on it.”
“Fucking hell.” Beau sank down on the bed next to Diego and stared at the box. “So that’s…”
“My grandmother’s engagement ring, yeah.” Diego popped the top of the box up to reveal a square cut diamond with a smaller emerald set on either side of it.
“Your mother is on a serious mission to get some grandkids. This is the lieutenant’s fault you know. He had to go and get married and now everyone’s got weddings on the brain.”
“It’s a plague, and it’s spreading. Jackson, Bannock, and now us, maybe,” Diego said and lifted up the box so the sun sparkled on the stones. “So, it’s too soon, right?”
“Clearly your mom doesn’t think so.” Beau stared down at the ring, trying to gauge his feelings about the idea of asking Lexa for forever. The idea wasn’t nearly as worrying as he’d expected it to be. “I think I owe one of your dad’s an apology, too. I always blamed your possessive streak on his being a macho Cuban, but now I think you got it from your mom. And why are you even thinking twice about this? You’re the one who’s been pushing at Lexa for a commitment since the moment she got back and I was the one telling you to back off, so what’s with the brooding crap now? Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“Saying it’s easy, but this…” Diego shook his head and then gave Beau a half smile. “This is serious. This is vows and weddings and babies and the whole shebang.”
“Yeah, it’s very serious, and I’m still waiting for the point here. She’s always been the one. She was then, she is now. Do I think it’s a little soon to be popping the question? Maybe. But nothing about this has been normal so far, so why start worrying about it now?”
“She is the one, isn’t she? And you wouldn’t mind if it’s my family’s ring we used?”
“Why would I mind? Your grandmother was a very cool lady, and I think she’d be pleased to know we gave Lexa her ring. She liked Lexa, remember?”
Diego breathed out and handed Beau the ring box. “Then I guess you should pack that along with the rest of the stuff. If things go well, then we’ll ask her.”
“And if she tells us she’s going back to the mainland?” Beau closed the ring top with a snap that punctuated his question with a finality he didn’t like.
“If she tries to go, I vote we put that ring on her finger and then make love to her until she changes her mind.” Diego stood and grabbed his shirt, pulling it on as he kept talking. “How long do you figure we could keep her out on that boat before it started to look suspicious?”
“Given how stubborn our woman is? I don’t think we’d have nearly enough time. Not if leaving is what she really wanted. But I don’t think it is. I think she wants to stay as much as we want her to.” Beau slipped the ring into his pocket and clapped a hand down on his best friend’s shoulder, feeling more complete than he had in a very long time. “This is going to work out, and when it does I am going to take great pleasure in telling everyone that for once I was the one saying go for it while you went all broody and quiet. Talk about a personality switch.”
“Yeah, laugh it up. We haven’t actually gotten around to the hard part, or have you told her you love her yet and I just missed it?” Diego smirked at him as Beau shook his head in the negative. “Didn’t think so.”
“Smart-ass,” Beau grumbled and then clutched a hand over his heart. “Maybe I need to practice. ‘Oh Diego, I love you, man. With your big strong arms and your—’ Ow! Geez. If you break my skull this day is not going to go at all the way we planned.” He rubbed the back of his head where Diego’s hand had cracked him a good one.
“Suck it up, princess. Your skull’s way too thick to break that easily. If we don’t get a move on, we really are going to be late.”
“We were doing fine for time until you turned this into a Dr. Phil moment. You better drive, that way if we get busted for speeding again it’s going on your license, not mine.”
They beat Lexa to the marina by a scant ten minutes, but it was enough time to get the bedroom organized the way they wanted it and be back in the galley, unpacking the food and drink by the time she climbed aboard. She was a vision wrapped in sunshine, standing on the deck with a small bag by her feet.
She was wearing a dress Beau had never seen on her before. It was the color of a ripe apricot and it clung to every delicious curve of her body. She’d tied her hair back in a low ponytail, and his fingers were already itching to bury themselves in her dark tresses. Her porcelain skin glowed in the sunlight and he had her in his arms before he’d so much as said hello. The sweet taste of her mouth, the way her body melted into his, the scent of her perfume, every detail added together to one inescapable conclusion.
This was the woman he wanted to spend forever with. Any doubts he had about timing or moving too quickly vanished as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, standing on her tiptoes to deepen their kiss.
“Hello, sweetling. You look incredible.” He leaned back enough to be able to see her, his cock rising fast as he looked down and caught a glimpse of lace deep in the valley of her cleavage.
“Yes, she does,” Diego said as he ran a finger up Lexa’s arm to her shoulder. “And I think it’s my turn to say hello now.”
Beau laughed as he handed Lexa off to Diego. “You say hello and I’ll stash her things in the cabin.”
* * * *
Lexa was still reeling from Beau’s kisses when she found herself spun into Diego’s embrace. His lips crashed down on hers and his hands stroked her down her back to curve over her ass as he pulled her up hard against his sculpted body. She could feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against her stomach and it thrilled her to know that she was the one he wanted, that it was kissing her that made his cock swell. It was addictive, the way her two men responded to her, and she felt the rightness of everything. She’d wondered if she’d have second thoughts when she saw them again, but all she felt was a sense of belonging.
As his hand swept up her back again, Lexa had to bite back a hiss of discomfort when his fingers brushed over the tender skin between her shoulder blades where she’d gotten the tattoo yesterday.
“Sore?�
� Diego murmured, lifting his hand from her back and his eyes narrowed as he moved her ponytail over one shoulder and tried to peek at her back. “Did something happen yesterday? Were we too rough?”
“No, Dig. It’s nothing like that.” Lexa gave him a wicked grin and bounced out of his arms. “But you don’t get to know what it is yet, not until later. Now, who’s driving and who is going to help me cast off?” She kicked off her shoes and started heading for the bow, only to find herself lifted off her feet and plopped unceremoniously onto the upholstered bench that lined one side of the deck.
“You are not lifting a finger, missy.” Diego wagged a finger in her face, grinning at her. “Stay put and enjoy yourself.”
“But you two are my guests. Paying customers in fact. I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around.”
Fire kindled in Diego’s dark eyes as he loomed over her, his breath mingling with hers he was so close. “You’re going to take very good care of us, later. But this is something Beau and I want to do for you, querida. So plant your cute butt in that chair and don’t move until we’re under way.”
“Bossy!” She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out at Diego, earning her a grin and a kiss.
“And don’t you forget it.”
It didn’t take her two men long to get things organized, and before long they were motoring out of Dolphin Bay. Diego had claimed the wheel for the outgoing trip, leaving Beau to play tour guide as they rounded the headland and passed the last of the markers.
As Diego throttled the ship up to cruising speed, the deck beneath her bare feet thrummed with the power of the engines and she leaned against the railing with a grin. Gulls circled and wheeled overhead and the ocean gleamed in jewel tones of blue and green, dazzling her eyes.
They were going to tour the entire island, dropping anchor in one of the small coves on the far side of the island for lunch before circling around past the eastern cliffs and back to the marina by sunset. Both men had made a show of turning off their cell phones and then handing them to her, explaining they had told work they were not available come hell or high water. It had meant a lot to her to know that they had put everything, even the case they were working on, aside just to spend time with her today.
Beau’s stood next to her, his arm around her waist and his voice in her ear, pointing out the places they had played as children and reminding her of some of the stunts they had gotten into together. From bike races down Clifftop Drive to their first abortive attempts at surfing, Beau seemed to have a story for every part of the island they passed. As they rounded one point, Lexa gasped as the towers of the Palace Hotel came into view. The building gleamed bright against the backdrop of the rainforest, and the towers themselves were topped with spires that gave the entire building an Arabian feel. She felt their momentum slow and glanced over at Diego, who was grinning at her as he pointed to a portion of the forest down the beach from the hotel and then winked at her.
“He’s pointing out the spot we took you that first night,” Beau whispered in her ear, his hand rising to cup one breast as he leaned in to kiss her. “You were so beautiful that night, painted with moonlight and sprawled in our laps as we made you come. I think I want to make you come again, right now. Will you let me do that?”
Her heart was hammering so loudly, she was sure Beau could hear it over the rumble of the engines and she had to swallow several times before she could form words with a mouth suddenly gone dry at the thought of letting him touch her where anyone on shore could see them. “Here? Now?”
“Right here, right now. Just hang onto the railing, cher, and let me make you feel good. No one will see anything but you watching the scenery go by, and they’ll have no idea I’ve got my fingers in your hot little pussy, making you come. Well, no one but Diego anyway, and there’s nothing out here for him to drive into, so I think we should give him a little show.”
Lexa didn’t trust herself to speak so she simply nodded, a trickle of cream already dampening her thighs as she tightened her hands on the railing and spread her legs a little wider.
“Thanks, my girl,” Beau slid the back of her dress up, uncovering her thong underwear and she heard his groan of approval. “You bought more than a new dress, didn’t you, naughty girl? You bought new lingerie.” His hand smoothed over the curve of her bottom, following the line of pale pink lace before it vanished between her cheeks.
“I got it for you two, especially for today,” she stammered, the words barely making it past her lips as he moved his hand lower, dipping his fingers into the crack and stroking her intimately all the way to her sopping pussy.
“It’s lovely, and I can’t wait to see all of it. The moment we drop anchor, Diego and I are going to be stripping this pretty dress off of you and fucking you hard. Are you ready for that?”
Lexa nodded again as Beau’s wicked words sparked a firestorm in her womb. “Are you ready for us both to take you together? We’ve talked about it before, but today we want to try it if you’re willing. I want to take this sweet pussy while Diego takes your ass.”
“Yes,” she whispered, the wind stealing her answer away the moment it left her lips. Beau’s fingers delved deeper into her pussy, stroking in slow circles around her clit.
“What was that, Lexa? Was that a yes?”
“Yes!” She didn’t even try to hide the edge to her voice and that single word came out more scream than speech. “Yes, I want both of you, together. I want it all, Beau. Everything you can give me.”
“And we’ll give you that, sweetling. I promise.” There was something in Beau’s words that sent a thrill chasing down Lexa’s spine and set an entire squadron of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Did he know what she meant when she said everything? Is that what he meant, too?
Before she could think about it any further, he plunged two fingers into her channel and all rational thought fled. The rocking of the yacht as it surged through the waves echoed the demanding tempo of Beau’s hand as he reached around to toy with her clit with his free hand, leaving her clinging to the railing for balance as her knees threatened to buckle.
Beau’s mouth nuzzled her ear and his words sent a fresh flood of arousal to her already soaking pussy. “Diego’s watching you right now, and he looks like a starving man staring at a T-bone steak. What say we give him a real show?”
“Ye–yes,” she managed to stammer and he nipped her ear gently.
“Just follow my lead.”
He moved his hands away from her and she moaned in disappointment, thrusting her ass backwards so she could rub up against the hard bulge of his cock.
“Do that again and I’m going to end up fucking you right here on this deck where all the nice folks at the hotel can see you,” he warned her, his fingers already busy sliding her thong down over her hips.
She heard Diego curse under his breath and knew he’d heard Beau’s threat. “Do it.” She deliberately looked back so she could look straight at Diego. He was gripping the wheel tight enough his golden skin was showing white around his knuckles, and his expression was one of raw lust as she let her wanton side come out to play. “Fuck me right here, Beau. Right now. I need your cock inside me, and I don’t care who sees us.”
“You let anyone else see our lady naked and I will toss your ass overboard,” Diego threatened, his words barely more than an angry rumble. “And since when did you become an exhibitionist, Lexa?”
“Since I found out teasing you makes me horny.” Lexa blew him a kiss and then yelped as Beau leaned down and nipped her ass cheek as he pushed her panties down to her ankles.
“No one sees Lexa but us, so keep your panties on,” Beau called to Diego before lowering his voice enough there was no chance of Diego hearing him. “Brazen is a good look for you, but what happened to you following my lead?”
“I decided I liked my plan better.” Lexa bit back a moan as Beau stroked his way slowly back up her bare legs.
“I like your p
lan better too.” He teased her labia lightly before standing up again and grinding his denim imprisoned cock against her backside. “A lot better, actually.” She heard the sound of plastic tearing and Beau stepped away from her long enough to free himself from his jeans and sheath his hard length in a condom before moving back up behind her again. He pressed an openmouthed kiss to the side of her neck before drawing her dress back over her bare ass. “Turn around and put your hands on the rail. I got you.”
“You better not let go of me.” She laughed and grabbed the rail tight as Beau lifted her into his arms and she twined her legs around his waist.
“I will never let go of you, Lexa. Not ever,” he vowed and then kissed her hard, his tongue spearing into her mouth as his cock slid home, driving deep her into her heat. A shudder rolled through him as she clamped her inner walls around the thick shaft of his dick. His large body cradled hers as he made love to her, teasing them both as he withdrew nearly all the way out of her body before driving himself in all the way in one hard thrust. He kept changing the pace, keeping her from coming as he worked her into a frenzy of need.
Lexa snarled in frustration and nipped at his lower lip as she used the leverage of her grip on the railing to push herself against him. Her pussy gripped him tight and she milked his cock with her body, the give and take of their play putting a gleam of sweat on their flushed faces as both of them fought to stay in control of their game.
“Looks to me like she’s winning,” Diego drawled from his vantage point at the wheel. “Do you need to call for back up?”
“You just drive the boat, big guy. I’ve got her right where I want her.”
Lexa was about to make a smart-ass comment, but right at that moment Beau dropped his head and suckled one diamond-hard nipple into his mouth through her dress, his teeth closing on the nub hard enough to make her jump. He kept up the pressure and the sharp pain morphed into pleasure so intense Lexa’s head fell back and stars shimmered and danced across her vision. Pressing his advantage, Beau increased the speed and strength of his thrusts, sending both of them racing headlong for the oblivion of release.
