[Indecent 01.0] An Indecent Proposition

by Stephanie Julian

  Erik anchored her to his heaving chest with an arm curled around her shoulders. And even though his breathing nearly drowned out all other sound in the room, she still heard Keegan’s low groan behind them.

  She decided she wasn’t moving for the next week.

  * * * * *

  Erik woke when the bed shifted.

  Lying on his stomach, he opened his eyes, blinking in the dark as he realized he wasn’t at home.

  He was at Keegan’s. The previous night came back in a flash and he turned to catch a glimpse of Keegan’s back as he closed the bathroom door behind him. Beside him, Jules continued to sleep on her side, facing away from him.

  Without a second thought, he rolled until he was spooned around her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her even closer. She snuggled into him with a sigh, her body warm, her skin so fucking soft.

  Damn, he could get used to waking up like this. He wanted to get used to waking up like this.

  The three of them. Together. Making love all night. Having her waiting for them when they got home. Having her with them all the time.

  It sounded like a dream come true.

  And would probably never happen.

  After they’d showered last night, they’d fallen into bed, Jules between them. There’d been no discussion. Erik had simply picked her up and laid her in the middle of the bed. Keegan had taken one side, Erik had taken the other.

  It’d felt right. Exactly the way it was supposed to be.

  This morning…

  He sighed. This morning they needed to talk.

  Because after his conversation with his sister on their way back to his house, Erik had come to a few realizations.

  The door to the bathroom reopened and Keegan walked out, wearing a pair of boxers. He slid into bed again but lay on his back, one arm under his head, the other across his stomach. Just enough light seeped into the room that Erik could see him staring at the ceiling.

  “What time is it?”

  Keegan turned, his gaze sweeping down to Jules before looking at Erik. “Around six. Why are you awake already?”

  “Because I’m not asleep.”

  Keegan gave him the finger. Then turned back to his examination of the ceiling. “Go back to sleep.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Probably get up. I’ve got work to get done.”

  No, he didn’t. Their work wasn’t the kind you could bring home unless he was talking about paperwork. And Keegan hated paperwork. Both of them did, which was why they had assistants.

  “She’ll be pissed if you’re not here when she wakes up.”

  The “she” in question shifted against him, sighed, and said, “Yes, she will.”

  Keegan turned again. “Sorry. We didn’t mean to wake you. It’s still early. Why don’t you try to get some more sleep?”

  “I’d rather be awake with you two.” One of her hands rubbed along Erik’s forearm. With the other, she reached for Keegan, settling her palm on his chest. “You’re an early riser, aren’t you?” She yawned loudly. “We’re gonna need to work on that.”

  That sounded like she planned to spend more time in bed with both of them. Erik definitely liked the sound of that.

  Keegan laughed, a bare whisper of sound. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

  “He’s been like this as long as I’ve known him,” Erik said. “He’s the only person I know who can get two hours of sleep and still wake up with a smile.”

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t raised with a nanny who brought me hot chocolate in a platinum mug every morning.”

  Erik grinned at the old dig, though it was mostly true. He’d had a nanny and she’d made him hot chocolate every morning until he’d moved away to college. His mother certainly never did, though.

  “Yeah, yeah, you were deprived. Your hot chocolate only came in a silver mug.”

  “Sounds like neither of you had to worry about money growing up.”

  Erik grimaced. “Shit. Sorry, I don’t mean to—”

  “No, no. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” She squeezed his arm. “I’m just curious. Keegan talks about his family. You don’t.”

  He tried not to tense but couldn’t help it. Her hand began to rub along his arm again. Soothing.

  “That’s because mine’s pretty messed up.”

  “My dad cheated on my mom while she was fighting breast cancer, cleaned out their bank accounts, spent the money on strippers, and then left us to clean up his mess. I know a little something about fucked-up families.”

  Yeah, she did. If he ever found her father…

  Erik’s arms tightened but he forced himself to think about what to say. Since she couldn’t see his face and the room was still mostly dark, he almost felt insulated from the past pain.

  And he didn’t want to shut her down on this. He knew he had to be willing to share part of himself if they wanted to keep her here. He would share this.

  “My mom is a stone-cold bitch,” he started, dragging out each word like he was pulling teeth. “She’s one of those women who looks like a mannequin, dresses like a model, never goes out of the house without makeup, and has the emotional capability of a gnat. My dad married her because she looked great on his arm and her pedigree matched his. They had two kids because that’s what was expected. After my sister was born, they moved to separate bedrooms and Kat and I tried to be ghosts.”

  A weight had settled on his chest, a weight he’d become used to over these past three years. Only when he was with Jules did he not notice it as much. Instead of focusing on it, he focused instead on the heat radiating from her body, easing his muscles.

  “Sounds cold.”

  He hugged Jules closer, but he couldn’t continue to hold Keegan’s gaze. Keegan knew all of this. Didn’t mean it made it any easier to talk about. “We coped. My mom was harder on Kat. Her teen years sucked, and by that I mean they were hell. We both went to private schools but we lived at home. Kat wasn’t allowed to play sports so she didn’t have that outlet. I was expected to play soccer. My dad played and so did his father, so it’s kind of a family tradition. Luckily, I was good at it. Played almost all year round. Kept me out of the house.”

  “Do you still play?”

  “I did until the—” He refused to say accident because now he knew it wasn’t. But he didn’t want to get into that fight now. Not with Jules here. “Until the explosion.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “Yeah. I do.”

  “Then why don’t you go back?”

  He hadn’t even considered it. “Too busy.”

  Keegan’s eyebrows curved upward. Erik’s jaw tightened at the challenge, but there was no way he’d respond now.

  “What does your sister do?

  “She’s a lawyer, much to my mother’s regret.”

  “Seriously? Your mom’s upset that your sister’s a lawyer?”

  “Mom wanted her to go to college to find a good husband. Not a career.”

  “That’s…kind of medieval.”

  “My mother had emotion bred out of her. My grandparents were pretty much the same. I didn’t see them much growing up. I saw my mom cry once. After the explosion. And I’m pretty sure that was only because she knew I’d never look the same and she couldn’t handle that.”

  Jules fell silent then, though she continued to stroke her fingers along his arm, which began to give him other, more exciting ideas.

  But there were still some things they needed to discuss.

  “So have I scared you away with my dysfunctional family talk? You’ve met Kat and you’re still here so I guess that bodes well for the future.”

  She stopped stroking his arm, her hand coming to rest on his forearm. “And what kind of future are you looking for?”

  He knew what he wanted to say. He was more than ready to tell her exactly what he wanted. Full-time and exclusive. The three of them.

  Keegan’s gaze remained steady on his. “You sure you want to do
this now?”

  “Now’s as good a time as any, I guess,” Erik replied.

  “Then how about we do it over coffee?” Jules suggested. “I need some caffeine.”

  Keegan nodded and sat up, but not before squeezing her hand.

  “How about some blueberry pancakes to go with the coffee?” Erik sat up, trying not to grin. “I’m kind of hungry.”

  Keegan gave him a look Erik knew well. The finger that followed made Erik lose the fight with his grin.

  Jules’ stomach growled at the same time and Keegan’s smile became more natural. “Pancakes it is.”

  Sitting up, Jules didn’t try to hide her nudity with the sheet, looking totally confident and so fucking hot, Erik almost reached for her. He managed not to but just barely.

  She turned to him with raised eyebrows. “So if Keegan cooks all the time, what do you contribute?”

  Damn, she made it almost impossible for him to be good. Hands curled into fists so he didn’t grab her, he turned and slid off the bed, grabbing his underwear from the chair along the wall where his clothes had ended up last night.

  “I make a mean martini.”

  From across the room where he was pulling on a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt, Keegan snorted. “In his dreams.” He walked to a dresser, rummaged around. “Here, Jules. This shouldn’t be too big and I think I’ve got a pair of—yeah, here.” He handed her a t-shirt and a pair of flannel pants. “They’ll be big but they’ve got a drawstring. Erik, you know where the sweats are.”

  “Next time, pack a bag.”

  Erik had spoken the words casually but there was nothing casual about his meaning.

  Jules turned to him, eyebrows raised. “That assumes there’ll be a next time, doesn’t it?”

  “Then I guess Keegan better make breakfast fast so we can talk this through.”

  Erik used his most calm, reasonable voice, the one he only pulled out when he saw Keegan starting to lose it.

  Keegan wasn’t in any danger of losing his shit, but his brain wasn’t where Erik needed him to be. Which was aligned with his. They needed to present a united front if they were going to tie her more tightly to them.

  It’s what he wanted so that’s what they’d do.

  And even though Keegan hadn’t said anything, Erik knew it’s what he wanted as well.

  Keegan caught and held his gaze and Erik nodded, which just made Keegan sigh.

  “Breakfast in fifteen. Don’t be late.”

  Which Erik took to mean, “Don’t get distracted and try to get in Jules’ pants.”

  And he would have if he was a total douche. Which he was not.

  Instead, he nodded, waved Jules into the bathroom in front of him, then waited for her to emerge with her face washed and her hair in a ponytail on the top of her head.

  She looked like a teenager, dressed in oversized flannel pants and baggy t-shirt, with no makeup and her hair swaying back and forth.

  Giving him a sidelong glance, she stopped by the door to the hall. “Don’t give me that look. You heard what Keegan said. You won’t get any breakfast if we’re not down there.”

  He smiled back at her, the action coming much more naturally with her than it did with anyone else. “Yeah, but you know if we don’t show up, he’ll come looking for us.”

  She tried to curb a smile and wasn’t quite successful. “But I need to eat, especially if you want to…play more later.”

  Heat hit him low in the gut, making his already half-hard cock rise to full hard-on. “Then by all means, please, go downstairs. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  With a full smile this time, she slipped out of the room.

  True to his word, it only took him five minutes to join Keegan and Jules, who were already at the table.

  Keegan didn’t look up when he entered but Jules did. Her smile was warm but her eyes… She’d been thinking a little too much.

  Walking over to the stainless behemoth that was Keegan’s stove, he served himself a stack of pancakes, flipped the ones on the griddle that needed to be flipped then took a seat at the square black table in front of a bay window overlooking the backyard.

  Erik took a bite of Keegan’s excellent pancakes and swallowed. “Here’s what I think. Keegan and I have made it clear we want you. We…Well,” he shot a look at Keegan, who simply stared back, “I have no problem sharing you with Keegan for as long as you’ll have us. You don’t seem to have a problem with that so let’s just get this part out of the way.”

  “What part?” Jules looked genuinely curious, a slight curve to her lips as her eyes narrowed.

  “The part where this gets messy with other people’s opinions and ideas about morality and the way things should be.”

  “And how do we manage that?”

  Keegan’s quiet voice and intense stare let Erik know he had his partner’s undivided attention. And that Keegan wasn’t quite as onboard as Erik would like.

  “By letting everyone think she’s seeing only you, Keegan.”

  Keegan’s gaze narrowed even farther but it was Jules who said, “You mean hide the fact that I’m sleeping with both of you.”

  Erik nodded. “I don’t want you to take any shit because of us. I know how cruel people can be when they think you’re doing something they think is wrong.” He glanced at Keegan. “We both do. So when we go out, you’re Keegan’s date. You hold his hand. You kiss only him. I’m just along for the ride. No one will think twice.”

  Her gaze narrowed on his. “Is this because of your scars? Do you think that because of the way you look, no one will have any doubt that I’d only want to see Keegan?”

  He nodded again. “Yes. Exactly. What we do in private is no one’s business. Society and their morals can all go to hell.”

  “Then why can’t we just tell everyone to fuck off and do what we want?” Jules asked.

  “Because you live here.” Erik leaned forward. She had to see that he was doing this for her. “You work here. Your mom lives here and she’s already dealt with enough crap. I don’t want to give you up. I believe this is the only workable solution for all of us.”

  She paused and he had no idea what she was thinking, her expression calm. Even her next statement didn’t give him a clue.

  “So you want me to lie to everyone and tell them I’m only dating Keegan.”

  Was she pissed? Was that the hard tone he heard in her voice?

  “It’s not a lie. You are dating Keegan. No one else needs to know our personal business.”

  Keegan and Jules exchanged a glance before transferring all of their attention back to him. He felt the weight of their stares like a physical force.

  Jules wanted to say something, something he wouldn’t like.

  Why? He couldn’t understand why she wasn’t immediately agreeing to his plan. It really was the only viable solution, especially for Jules.

  And Keegan should be backing him up on this. But when he looked at his friend, Keegan looked pissed.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked Keegan.

  “Nothing.” Keegan shook his head, meeting his gaze head-on. “Not one damn thing. If that’s how you want to play this, I’m fine with it if Jules is.”

  “You don’t sound fine.”

  Keegan didn’t respond to him. Instead, he turned to Jules. “It’s not up to me. Are you okay with this?”

  She hesitated long enough that Erik thought she was going to say no. Then she nodded slowly. “If that’s what you want, Erik, then I’m fine with it, too.”

  Yes, it’s what he wanted. It’s what was best for all of them.

  So why did it seem like neither Jules nor Keegan were as thrilled as he was?

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Did you have a good time last night?”

  Jules hadn’t exactly sneaked into the house but she had been hoping not to have to face her mom. At least, not right away.

  After Keegan had dropped her off, giving her a lingering kiss in the car before walking her to
the front door, she’d been hoping to have a few hours to herself to think. Sunday mornings her mom usually went to breakfast with her best friend, Cookie, before they headed to an early movie.

  Apparently not this morning.

  “Hey, Mom. What are you doing home?”

  Her mom stood in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing an expression all too familiar to Jules from her wild-ass teen years.

  “I thought maybe you’d want to talk.”

  More like Mom wanted to talk. And since she loved her mom, she nodded. “Can I change first?”

  “Sure, honey. Come back to the kitchen then. I made cookies last night.”

  Ooh, definitely a serious talk when Mom busted out the homemade cookies.

  “Sounds good. Give me a few minutes.”

  She ran through the shower, threw on sweats and an old, soft t-shirt proclaiming her mom’s love of Abba, and headed back to the kitchen.

  Her mom already sat at the table, staring out the small window into the tiny backyard of the tiny single home Jules had grown up in. Somehow, her mom had managed to keep the house out of the bank’s hands. And after Jules had paid off all of their other debts, she still had more than enough money to pay off the house. Which she planned to do…as soon as she came clean about how she’d gotten the money.

  Heading for the fridge, Jules poured herself a glass of milk then sat across from her mom and snagged a cookie.

  “So, your dates from last night.” Her mom didn’t waste any time. “They gave you the money, didn’t they?”

  She sighed and took a bite of cookie loaded with chocolate chips. “Yes.”

  “And what did you have to do for it?”

  She held her mom’s steady gaze, needing to choose her words carefully. She didn’t want her to hate Keegan and Erik. “Can I give you a little background first? It might help.”

  Her mom’s eyebrows lifted. “Background. Sure. Background is okay.”

  She started with Erik and how he’d gotten his scars, knowing it would soften her mom’s defenses. Explained how Erik and Keegan had built TinMan into the company it was today, a very successful company that continued to grow. Told her how they’d been friends in college, how they’d stuck together, even when it looked like they could lose everything they’d worked for because of the explosion.