“This was my favorite part.” Noah’s voice tore through his thoughts.
Shane looked up. Their gazes met, and he saw a flicker of sadness and longing sweep through Noah’s features. Shane turned to the television.
They were on either end of Kitty now. Their hands had joined over her body, and for the moment, the three of them had become one.
“Yeah, that was good.” He reached out his hand and laced his fingers with Noah’s, just like they had that night. Relief washed through him when Noah didn’t pull away. They continued to watch, tightening their grips as they saw the three of them climax together in a blaze of glory. It was amazing.
When it was over, Shane picked the remote off the table and flicked off the television. “I’m sorry about my behavior this weekend.”
Noah turned slowly to face him. “Just this weekend?”
Shane took both of Noah’s hands in his and raised them to his lips. “I suppose for the past few years.”
Noah snorted. “I’ll say.”
Shane pressed his lips against his lover’s knuckles and heard Noah’s intake of breath. He licked Noah’s fingers slowly, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on him, gauging Noah’s reaction. Noah moistened his lips as the temperature in the room escalated.
“This won’t change anything,” Noah said. “I won’t keep lying to Kitty.”
“I know.” Shane placed Noah’s hand on his thigh, close to his aching cock. Then he left it there, framed Noah’s face with his hands. “I don’t want to lie to her either. I want to be honest with her—and you.”
Shane captured Noah’s lips in a hot, searing kiss. Tension built in the air between them, and Shane poured everything he had into the moment: every ache, every need. Noah’s fingers flexed on Shane’s leg but never moved closer to where he wanted them to be.
Heartbroken, Shane pulled away and rested his forehead against Noah’s. “I’m so sorry.”
Noah closed his eyes. “I know, but I can’t go on like this, Shane. I’m tired of the lying and the cover-ups. And I can’t go on with these risky sexual adventures of yours. Whatever you are looking for, I can’t give it to you.”
“But you can, don’t you see? Between you and Kitty, I have everything I need.”
Noah pulled back and opened his eyes. “What are you trying to say?”
“I love you, Noah. I’ve always loved you.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I have trouble communicating. Kitty understands that.” He rubbed his thumb over Noah’s lips. “She can give you what I can’t.” He flicked his gaze to Noah’s lips. “She can teach me how to be good to you.” Tears stung Shane’s eyes. “I can’t lose you, Noah, but I can’t lose her, either.”
Noah sighed and wrapped his arms around Shane’s neck. “I know, but lying to her isn’t the answer.”
Shane wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then met Noah’s gaze. “Then what do we tell her?”
Kitty let the back door to the cabin close behind her. Where had the boys gone? This weekend was turning into a horrible mess. All she’d wanted was time to forget her troubles. Instead it seemed like she got more problems on top of the ones she already had. How had she come to develop feelings for these men? It was thrilling and a little scary. She had never connected so well with anyone before. It seemed like with time they’d just get closer too. Hadn’t Shane said they ran a company? Then they could relate to her troubles with Velvet Steel. Perhaps they could even help her find a way to circumvent those bastards who wanted to buy her family out.
She moved down the long hallway to the living room and paused when she saw the boys sitting together on the couch. They looked cute, their arms around each other and looking deep into each other’s eyes. How romantic. Too bad that type of closeness wasn’t in the cards for her. Kitty opened her mouth to call to them, but something Shane said made her pause.
“I still think we can make this relationship with Kitty more permanent.”
Kitty ducked into the shadow of the doorway and listened.
“Permanent how?” Noah asked.
Shane’s smile was infectious. “I don’t know, but that’s the beauty of it. We could take what started this weekend and see where it leads us. Maybe the three of us could go out or maybe she’ll move in with us.”
Kitty’s heart warmed. So she wasn’t the only one who was feeling something special. Maybe this could really work out. They could continue seeing each other. Without her company, Kitty would have more time to experience life, enjoy it. Who better to show her how to have fun again than Shane and Noah?
The emptiness she had felt all weekend had disappeared, and she took a step forward. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell them she liked Shane’s idea, but he spoke before she could say anything.
“You know as well as I do that it could never work. Once she found out about our plan, she’d leave us,” Noah said.
The blood drained from her body, and she felt like she was going to faint. Plan? A memory flashed through her mind. The club. Hadn’t Noah mentioned a plan at the club? With all the excitement, she had forgotten about it. Kitty slipped back into the shadows and listened.
“What if we don’t tell her?”
“Shane—”
“Hear me out. We could tell her something else, something that would explain how we know so much about the buyout.”
“It will only make things worse on Wednesday when she sees us at the meeting.” Noah shook his head. “How much worse would it be if she found out we were the S&N in S&N Steel the day of the meeting? No, we have to tell her sooner rather than later, like today.”
Kitty’s jaw dropped. Shane and Noah were the owners of S&N Steel? They were the ones trying to buy her company? Anger sparked in her lower abdomen and grew to a full-on rage. Their meeting in the club hadn’t been chance; it had been a setup. It was a sick game to manipulate her so that they could slip Velvet Steel out from under her nose. Kitty fisted her hands and steeled her jaw.
Shane leaned back and rubbed his chin. “Okay, you’re right. We’ll tell her, but only after we are sure of her support for the buyout. We could use this tape to help convince her—”
“There will be no buyout.” Kitty stepped out from the shadows.
“Kitty.” Shane leaped up from the couch and flashed her a nervous smile.
Noah stood. “We were just talking about you.”
“Oh, I know.” She crossed her arms. “I heard.”
Noah and Shane exchanged glances. “How much did you hear?” Noah asked.
“I heard plenty. I heard that—” Emotion filled her, piercing her rage. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. Just spit it out. “Did you honestly think I’d cave with the sex-tape blackmail scheme?”
Shane began to close the distance between them. “No, not blackmail. Just use it to help convince—”
“Shane.” Noah shook his head in warning.
Shane glanced at Noah, then rested his gaze on Kitty. “Maybe our intentions weren’t honorable to start, but things have changed.”
“Changed how?” Oh God, she was such a fool. Such an enormous fool. How could she ever consider spending the rest of her life with these two knuckleheads? They were only after her company. The whole weekend had been a big, fat lie.
She waved her hand. “Forget it. I don’t want to know.” Memories of her friendship with Ashley resurfaced. These men were no better than her childhood friend. Everyone wanted something from her. Everyone. Why couldn’t someone just want to be with her for her, not for her money or connections?
Noah scowled and put his hand on Shane’s elbow. “Let us explain.”
“Explain what? That you tried to manipulate me? That you used me to advance your business? That this whole weekend was a lie?”
“It’s not like that, not anymore,” Shane said.
Anger gripped her chest so hard that Kitty found it difficult to breathe. She marched over to the front door and yanked it open. “Out.”
“But—” Noah stepped forward and
extended his hand.
“I said out.” She motioned to the moon outside. Crickets chirped in the forest, mocking her pain.
“Listen, love. You’re not thinking rationally. We aren’t even packed,” Noah said.
Shane stepped toward her. “Let’s talk about this.”
Kitty made a very unhumanlike noise. “Fine. Pack. I’m going out for some air. When I return, I fully expect you both to be gone.” She turned her back and stepped out onto the porch. There she hesitated, then turned around for the final blow. “You know the ironic thing about all of this? I was already on your side. I had gone over the books at least a hundred times and couldn’t make the numbers add up. I tried to convince my father to sell, but he was stubborn.” Tears fell down her cheeks, and she swatted them with her hand. “We tried selling off our own personal properties to upgrade our machinery to keep pace with S&N Steel, but we kept sinking deeper and deeper into debt.” She pulled off a loose clapboard and waved it in the air. “Now, thanks to the two of you, there isn’t even enough money to fix this shitty cabin, let alone keep our plant running. That limo you saw, our house, all of all of our possessions were bought with borrowed money, and we can no longer afford to make the payments. We’re on the brink of bankruptcy and haven’t paid the staff in weeks. Most have abandoned us. There are only a few who stay on out of loyalty, but they won’t work without pay forever. The Velvet family is tapped out.”
She turned on her heel and marched for the trees before her sobs overtook her completely.
Chapter Twelve
Bastards, both of them.
Kitty stood at the edge of the lake and stared at the cool, blue water. How could she have been so dumb? She had planned on this weekend being just an escape for sex, but somewhere along the line, it had become something more. Shane and Noah had become something more. She loved Noah’s sensitive side and Shane’s take-charge nature. They had coaxed her to explore new things and pushed her limits. In the course of two short days, everything in her life had changed, including her outlook. She had begun to think the three of them could have a future together.
Foolish. She stripped off her clothes and ran into the lake. Water slapped her legs but did nothing to ease the torment inside. When she was deep enough, Kitty dove in, hoping the cool, life-giving water from her youth could wash away her pain. It didn’t.
She surfaced and swam to her childhood hideaway, but it only reminded her of the first night they had come together, how perfect she had felt cocooned in their warmth by the fallen tree. Her body ached with a primal need that only made her want to weep harder. The men cared nothing for her. They only cared about buying Velvet Steel. Why hadn’t she seen this coming?
Shane and Noah had a history, a past. Even when she first saw them back at the club, she had sensed that there was more than friendship between them. To know they’d used her to heal their broken relationship and gain leverage with her father made her sick to the core.
Kitty turned away from the tree trunk and wiped the tears from her eyes. The worst part about the whole weekend was that she would have to face her father and tell him everything. She was ashamed of how gullible she had been. She and her father would have to come up with a new plan on how to keep Velvet Steel afloat.
Kitty swam away from the hideaway and made her way back to her clothes. The lake wouldn’t provide a refuge for her any longer. There were too many bad memories.
When she reached the edge of the water, she found her clothes gone. What the—
She started to search but then heard a rustling of leaves off to her left. Shane walked out from the trees with her things in his hands. “I think you forgot these.”
“I didn’t forget them. You took them.” She snatched the clothes from his fingers.
“No, I took them.” Noah emerged from the woods to stand next to Shane. “He just wanted to be the one to hand them back to you.”
“I thought I told you to leave.”
“You did, but Shane and I have made a living out of not playing by the rules.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Kitty glared at both men and then jammed her sweatshirt down over her head. Damn it, why hadn’t she brought a towel? Her wet skin stuck to the thin cotton fabric and made it almost impossible to put on. She tugged and shoved to no avail. Finally she made a frustrated noise, tore it off, and threw it on the ground. So much for appearing like she was in control.
Kitty placed her hands on her hips, fully aware that she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on. “Why did you two come down here? Did you want to take one last swing at me before driving off into the sunset?”
“It’s not like that, love.” Noah stepped forward, but Kitty held up her hand.
“Don’t call me ‘love.’ In fact, don’t call me anything at all.” She scooped up her sweatshirt and pants and held them in front of her chest to hide her nakedness.
“I just…” Noah pressed his lips together.
Kitty tapped her foot. “Well?”
“What he’s trying to say”—Shane stepped forward—“is that we have something for you.”
“A parting gift,” Noah added.
Kitty ignored the ache in her chest and frowned. “What is it?”
Noah placed something in her hand. “Here.”
She stared down at the object, confusion rushing through her mind. “A disk?” She held it up between them. “You want to give me a computer disk?”
“Not just any disk, but the disk.”
“I don’t understand.”
Noah shrugged. “I wanted to give you a copy.”
“Are you guys insane? Why the hell would I want to relive this hellish weekend?”
Both men cringed, but she didn’t care.
“There are things on that disk that could get us in trouble,” Shane said.
Kitty frowned. “Yeah, like the ruination of socialite Kitty Velvet.”
“No.” Shane put his arm around Noah’s waist. “Like my relationship with Noah.”
“What?”
Noah put his arm around Shane. “Some people may applaud that the owners of S&N Steel are gay lovers, but many would not. Exposing this disk would open us up to boycotts and awkward explanations. We would have to do a lot of damage control.”
“Never mind the fact that my family doesn’t know I have an interest in both men and women,” Shane added.
Kitty couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But I’d ruin my reputation along with yours.”
“But you aren’t the owner, your father is. Velvet Steel would survive the scandal, especially when most of the attention was focused on us,” Noah said.
“After what happened with Jameson Steel, we aren’t exactly liked by the media. They’re looking for an excuse to bring us down.” Shane glanced at Noah. “Finding out about our relationship might not mean much to some people, but it would mean a lot to our conservative stockholders. We’d lose funding and support.”
“It would cripple us,” Noah added.
Kitty stared down at the disk in her hands. “Why are you doing this?”
“You accused us of not caring,” Shane said. “We want to show you we care about what happens to Velvet Steel and to you.”
“This shows we do trust you. While we would survive the scandal, you could still make our lives quite miserable for a time,” Noah added.
“Whatever.” They might trust her, but they didn’t love her, not in the way she needed to be loved. She couldn’t forget that they’d tried to manipulate her. How could she believe anything they said? For all she knew, the disk was blank. Kitty moved to get by them.
Shane took her arm. “You’re not listening.”
Kitty stopped and faced them both. “I think I’m listening fine. You both used me to get your relationship back on track and secure your buyout bid. Now that you’re back together and you know I have very little control over the future of Velvet Steel, you felt guilty and gave me this disk as a consolation prize.” She waved the incriminating item in th
e air.
“No, that’s not it at all,” Noah said.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Explain.”
Shane and Noah glanced at each other; then Noah started talking. “Okay, we admit it. When we searched you out, it was to convince you that S&N Steel should buy out your company. At the time, we thought you were just a stuck-up daughter of Clint Velvet.”
Kitty threw her arms in the air. “Is calling me a high-society brat supposed to warm my heart?”
“We didn’t have a lot to go on,” Shane said. “Only the television interviews and the handful of times you made public appearances with your father. You didn’t seem very approachable.”
Kitty thought back over the past year and reluctantly agreed he had a point.
Noah inched forward. “Our motives may have started out that way, but once we were with you in the limo…”
“We knew you were something more than what the news media made you out to be. You’re special, Kitty.”
Kitty crossed her arms. “And?”
“And we still wanted Velvet Steel, but we also wanted to get to know you better,” Shane said.
Noah’s expression softened. “The real you, not the person in front of the camera or in her father’s shadow.”
Kitty’s mind blanked in surprise. “You did?”
Shane nodded. “And the more time we spent with you, the more time we wanted to spend with you.”
“We saw the sensitive, caring woman the world doesn’t see.” Noah stepped forward.
“A woman with a sense of adventure and excitement.” Shane followed Noah, and both men advanced toward her, their gazes intent.
“We grew to love her.”
They surrounded her now, and Kitty inhaled their familiar scents and felt their familiar heat. Despite everything that had happened, she wanted to believe them, but could she?
“At some point it stopped being about buying Velvet Steel,” Shane said.
Velvet Steel Page 17
