by Layle Black
“You’re going to keep hiding up on that dock, baby girl?” Selene hadn’t realized Jac had swum up to the dock, his muscled forearms holding his weight out of the water. Sunlight gleamed off the ripples of the water and reflected over the taut slicked plains of his deeply tanned wet skin. Selene found herself swallowing a lump in her throat at the spectacular view of water sluicing down the masculine perfection of his chest and ridged flat belly. A squirmy feeling that made her skin tingle settled low in her belly like butterflies trapped in a jar. She pressed her stomach to the rough planks of the dock beneath her to try and suppress the sensation.
“I don’t have a …swim suit, silly.” Now I am nervous again, she grimaced. Selene had known Remy and Jac for years, now suddenly it felt like a first date. Date? Where had that crazy thought come from?
“You don’t need one, petit oiseau.” Selene heard a splash as Remy pulled himself out of the water in one fluid movement. Wet jean cut offs were plastered to his muscular thighs, emphasizing his trim waist and six pack dream of a belly. They also emphasized the impressive swell between his thighs. Selene felt herself blushing as her eyes inadvertently glimpsed that bulge, a hot feeling coming over her that rivaled the Louisiana summer.
Selene had often wondered about sex and even had looked at boys in high school. The few boys that had shown any interest in her had only really wanted one thing and there was no way in hell she’s been willing to run the risk of becoming pregnant and stuck. Like her mother. Selene looked away out over the sun dappled waters as if they had suddenly become fascinating. A low chuckle came from Jac, a roguish smile on his full lips.
“You pitch and I’ll catch, mon frère.” Before Selene could fully grasp Remy’s meaning she found herself lifted in strong arms and sent flying through the air. Any curses that came to mind became garbled with water. Selene came up sputtering and spitting mad. Two smiling faces looked back at her, both men not bothering hold back their laughter.
“You dirty, low down…dirty.” No curse word or name calling seemed adequate enough for them. She finally resorted to splattering them both in a flurry of arm movements on the surface of the water which only succeeded in making her even more drenched.
“Sorry, baby girl. You looked like you needed to cool off. If you blushed any harder you would have gone up in flame, no?” Selene stopped splashing, another raging blush suffusing her skin. Jac must have noticed her looking at Remy’s…cut offs. She felt a ripple beneath the water as Remy jumped back in the water and swam slowly toward her, the look in his eyes no longer mirthful. Now they seemed predatory. That feeling of being prey that she’d felt earlier came back with a vengeance.
“No need to be shy with us, petit oiseau.” Selene splashed the water again in a weak show of temper, although she had given up being mad at them for a few minutes now.
“Why do you keep calling me little bird, Remy? I have feathers or something?” He was close enough to touch her now, the warmth of his breath brushing her cheek. Tension flowed thick and heavy in the air, leaving her feeling both drugged and energized.
“No feathers that I can see but I can always look closer.” Selene held her breath as Remy raised his hand from the water, the fingertips brushing her cheek lightly. The touch was brief but left behind an impression of heat that left her shaking. She’d read one of Aunt Felicity’s romance novels once and she’d thought the heroine was as weak as water because all it would take was a kiss from the hero of the story and she’d give in to whatever he wanted. Selene now had an inkling of that kind of powerful seduction and it had her shaking in her boots.
“You will never find anything that way, mon frère.” Jac had moved closer now, his smooth naked chest brushing her shoulder. Another hand pulled her wet braid aside, baring her neck to him. A wicked smiled creased his lips as he leaned into her, those fingers trailing down the long slope of her neck.
“The key is to get close, no?” The water around Selene seemed to heat, her limbs felt languid even as tension thrummed through her body. She scrambled to remember all of those whispered conversations she’d overheard in the girls’ locker-room during high school. Hushed comments about penis size and kissing with tongue. None of those seemed to apply right now and even if they did, she would not have the first idea on how to go about it but she knew she wanted to. At least once before she was gone from here forever.
Jac was right up against her now, one of his arms had slipped around her waist and pulled her against him.
“You ever been kissed, baby girl?” She shook her head in one jerky movement, her mouth feeling dry despite the fact she was waist deep in water.
“Jac.” Remy spoke now, a note of censor in his voice. Selene looked up into the clear green of his eyes, seeing a warning in them that gave her the urge to step away. As if sensing it, Jac’s arm tightened about her waist, holding her flush against his body.
“She’s eighteen now, Remy. Old enough for this.” Puzzled, Selene turned to look up into the azure blue of Jac’s gaze but his eyes were fixed on Remy’s. It was as if a silent argument was going on and she was right in the middle of it. Jac was the first to drop his arm from around her waist, a low curse on his lips. His body remained close to her but he was no longer touching her. Disappointment tasted bitter on her tongue and she couldn’t help but feel she had done something wrong.
“What’s a matter?” She hated the tremble in her voice but she hated being treated like a child even more. Remy looked down on her, a slight smile on his lips.
“Just remembering your age, Selene. Eighteen is young and there is a lot you haven’t seen yet. As much as we’d like to introduce you to that…” He left the rest of statement to trail off, leaving the conclusion obvious to what he meant. That’s all very well and good, she thought angrily, but it left her feeling cheated. For once she wanted to be like the other girls in town her age. Whispering and tittering about school crushes. She remembered eavesdropping on hushed voices of the “fast” girls as they regaled the other girls with latest escapades in the back of some jock’s car. The impassioned noises of desire had never seemed to be for her. Now it seemed it was never going to be.
Sighing in disgust, Selene moved from between them and did a waddling crawl from the water. A hot flush of embarrassment suffused her honey brown skin when she almost lost her footing on the muddy bank. They thought she was a baby! She gave an unladylike snort when she finally got to solid ground. Maybe if she hadn’t lost her mother so young, or endured the abusive remarks of a drunk stepfather, or had practically taken care of herself since she was six years old. Hell…she hadn’t been anyone’s baby for a very, very long time. Here she was getting ready to leave this town for good and a first kiss…would have been nice.
Selene made it all the way back to Remy’s truck before she noticed Jac and Remy had followed her. Their partially naked bodies served as a stark reminder of what she was definitely not getting. Selene turned around and found herself once more crowded by towering wet sleek male flesh and she had to force herself not to step back. Selene busied herself by reaching for a towel from the bed of the truck to dry her hair. The heat of the sun would make sure her hair dried in record time but she needed to keep her hands busy. Anything to stop from staring at the two beautiful specimens in front of her. Selene suddenly became keenly aware of the quiet of their surroundings. Only the faint sound of bird song punctuated the tension that hung in the air to the point of suffocation. Taking deep breaths, she raised her eyes to meet their gazes defiantly. They might think she was just a kid but they certainly weren’t going to treat her like one.
Selene’s bravado almost completely fled when a sun kissed hand gently grasped hers, stilling their frantic movements in trying to wring out the water from her long braid.
“It’s not that either of us doesn’t want to kiss you, Selene. It’s just that…hell!” Selene watched as Remy raked his fingers through the wet inky blackness of his hair. Already the black strands had begun to regain their curling wa
ves, a rakish swath of the stuff fell forward across his forehead with his rough treatment of it. Selene had the urge to brush her fingers through the silken mess, curious was it as soft as it appeared. The image of a sleek panther flitted through her mind, glossy and menacing.
“It’s not what we intended…”
Jac stepped closer, interrupting Remy’s gruff attempt to explain away what happened.
“What he means to say, baby girl, is that we didn’t think you were ready. You’re only eighteen and…new to these things.” A speaking look passed between the two men and Remy nodded as if having come to a decision. Leveling an intense look at Selene, his gaze drifted between her eyes and the trembling softness of her lips.
Remy’s eyes darkened, a predatory smile creasing the sensual fullness if his lips. His gaze drifted down to focus on her lips. “You’re so fucking beautiful and so damn young. We shouldn’t be within a hundred feet of you because we want things from you that you can’t even comprehend. You sure you are ready for this? Ready for us?” Remy’s Cajun drawl thickened with the intensity of his words. Selene’s brow creased with confusion, her body backing up until her back bumped into the too warm metal door of the truck. The two men before her had never been anything but platonic friends and now suddenly with the speed of light they had become something far more…dangerous.
Selene’s face flushed again and this time not from mortification. She was completely innocent of men’s bodies but she knew what sex was, even though her inexperience told her once either one of them touched her everything would change. Denny’s warnings and Aunt Felicity’s chiding looks flitted through her mind and just as quickly faded to be replaced by azure blue eyes and a light green gaze which the both seemed to have the power to keep her pinned to where she stood.
“Don’t worry, baby girl. We’re not going to rush you to something you’re not ready for, even if you think you can handle it. “ Jac smiled rakishly, the blue of his eyes glinting as he moved to lean against the truck. Remy lifted his hand once more, his fingers tilted her face toward him. Selene’s breath caught at the single minded purpose on his face. His eyes remaining on hers he lowered his head toward hers. Just before the first gentle brush across her lips, his words sounded just above a whisper. “Just a little taste, baby. Just enough to keep us sane…just a little longer.”
Chapter 3
Selene held her breath as Remy gave her the first kiss of her life. His lips took hers so gently, at first only just a pressing of lips, a sweet exchange of breath that left her shaking. A warm glow settled in the pit of her belly and floated there like a mini sun suspended in velvet. Languidness seeped through her limbs like a slow flow of honey. Remy pulled away slowly but his hand slipped down to rest on the side of her neck.
“Now that’s what I call a gateway drug.” Remy’s fingers caressed the smooth skin of her neck, sending another taste of awakening desire through her body. So this is desire, Selene thought dazedly. Maybe she was like her mother, a whore, a tramp. Her body seemed so quick to react, to need whatever they were offering. According to Denny, her mother couldn’t keep her legs closed to save her life. For a moment the grim thought dampened the kindling fire going on between her thighs but she took flame once more as Remy gently turned her head toward Jac.
The sensual smile on his lips was a shadow of the sexual intensity reflected in the beauty of his eyes. His fingers reached up to replace Remy’s at the smooth slope of her throat. One moment he simply gazed into her eyes and the next his mouth was on hers. It was not the gentle coaxing seduction of Remy’s kiss but an aggressive taking that sent her reeling. If Remy was the prelude then Jac was the crescendo, all heat and flame that threatened to consume her. She gasped as his tongue slipped between her lips and teased hers into a slick dance that made her body tremble in a way she’d never imagined or felt. Some innate carnal knowledge as old as time seemed to guide her as their lips slid against each other. She opened her mouth wider to receive him, her own tongue sliding along his in a sensual call and response.
Selene found herself slipping her arms around Jac’s neck, whether to pull him closer or to hold herself up she didn’t know. Remy’s body pressed close from behind, his hands sliding down her back and resting against the swell of her bottom. Her clothes were soaked through so they provided no real barrier between his wandering hands and her skin. If anything, the rough wet material clung to her body and only heightened the sensations bombarding her .Even as Jac kissed her, Remy’s voice growled low in her ear, at once encouraging and inciting. Telling her how beautiful she was, how they needed her more than breathing. The combination of his husky voice and Jac’s kiss sent streaks of pure pleasure to the quivering flesh between her thighs. Time ceased to exist and only pleasure of touch and taste ruled them. The intense quiet around them was only punctuated by their breathing and soft plaintive moans she dimly recognized as her own. She barely felt the tug on her shirt but the sudden feel of warm hands moving along the bare skin of her back seem to wake her from the erotic dream she was lost in. Pulling away from Jac’s kiss, Selene tried to catch her breath, find her footing when she felt like she was floating above ground.
“You see, cher? How potent and how dangerous? I’d like nothing better than to give you a real taste of a first time. We both would.” Jac’s voice was gruff¸ his jaw tightening as if he was fighting his own internal battle. Remy’s hands remained warm on the smooth flesh of her back, his fingers tracing down along her spine in a methodic way that sent waves of liquid heat through her body. Those wandering hands stopped at the waist band of her pants, lingering and barely pressing any further.
Denny’s abusive accusations echoed at the back of her mind as much as she wanted to block them out. She was so close to actually getting out of Sparks, away from a life that was nothing but living without and making do. She felt like she was at a crossroads. Choose them and step out into an unknown that would leave her stuck in Sparks forever with a broken heart and just as broken promises. Just like her mother. Fear of that unknown began to take the place of the awakening desire and Selene pulled away from Jac’s drugging embrace. He must have seen the trepidation in her eyes because he pulled completely away from her, putting space between them. Despite the heat of the day she felt chilled at the absence of his body. A quick glance over her head to Remy had the other man pulling away as well.
Selene supposed she should have felt relief but instead she felt lonely in a way that had tears burning at the back of her throat. She should be used to it by now. The morose thought rose unbidden, making her feel even worse. Suddenly she needed to get out of there, get away from them and the empty hungry feeling echoing through her body like a death knell. Grabbing a towel from the truck bed, Selene started to march back down the road they had driven down to get to the river.
“Where do you think you are going, Selene?” Jac’s voice sounded husky as if he seldom used it. Holding her back ramrod straight, Selene kept walking.
“I am going home. What does it look like? I am soaked to the skin and tired of the two of you.” And embarrassed beyond belief but she kept that little gem to herself.
“It’s at least three miles back to the trailer.” This coming from Remy. His voice mirrored her own foul mood. Good, she thought irritably. Why the hell should she be the only one upset? Ignoring his observation of the obvious she kept marching, concentrating on putting as much distance between her and her tormentors as soon as possible. A rustle of movement beyond her was the only warning she got before she found herself lifted from the ground and carried back down the path she’d just come from. Jac’s calm gaze looked down at her, giving her a little rakish wink as he carried her back to the truck. His muscled arms kept her firmly in his grasp.
“We brought you here and we’ll take you back, baby girl. No arguments.” Selene’s body wiggled against the broad expanse of his chest. The effort was futile but it made her feel good not to make it so easy for him.
“I am getting real sick of
being snatched up by you two. Why don’t you go pick on another girl? I hear Tracy Monsoir is fit to be tied behind you two.” She said that because she was angry but the truth was the thought of either of them laying a finger on the most popular girl in Sparks turned her stomach. As if sensing her lack of conviction about that comment Remy merely laughed, leaning in close to brush his lips softly across hers.
“Likes us, huh? Perhaps we should go pay her a visit, Jac. Maybe she would be more appreciative.” Selene knew he wasn’t serious but it still pissed her off. She gave another fitful wiggle just as they got to the truck. In seconds she was bundled into the truck and both men were on either side of her.
“Maybe I’ll pay a little visit to Cole Tremaine. I hear he’s in between girlfriends and has a reputation as quite the cherry picker.” The words were out of her mouth before she knew it but she didn’t care. Two could play at their game and she was done being picked on. Remy and Jac’s reaction to her little comment was not what she expected. In the blink of an eye Jac turned to her, his muscular frame crowding her back against Remy’s. She’d never seen a real winter but she got an idea of what that kind of cold meant when she glimpsed the frozen over glacial blue of Jac’s eyes. His voice was barely above a whisper but his words would have been as intense as a shout.
“If you have a care for that man whore, Selene, you’d think better of letting him anywhere near you. He doesn’t get to touch you….ever. We clear on that?” He held her gaze, silent and intense before he turned away. Selene turned her head to look at Remy as if to seek support but her breath halted in her chest when she saw the same cold intensity, only this time in a field of green.
