by Zoe York
“Will do.” There was a pause, then he ended the call without another word.
Chewing on her lower lip, she set the phone down on the counter.
“Everything okay?” Evan asked gently.
It would be. “Brent wanted to talk. But then he said he was beat, so I don’t know.” She gave him a small smile. “Boundaries are good. If he wants me to know how he’s doing, he’ll tell me. I need to accept his answers on the face of them, and he needs to deal with the consequences of that, and I do not need to burden you with any of this, so I’m going to shut up now.”
“Five more minutes and I can distract you with cookies,” he said. “They really don’t take long.”
She watched the timer with him, leaning against him, just soaking up his warmth. When the beeping started, they reached for it together, their hands bumping.
“Scoot,” he said, patting her on the bum.
She got out of the way and he deftly pulled one tray out, and put the other tray in.
“And when the second tray comes out, the first ones will just be ready to maybe eat one of. They may crumble if they’re still too warm.”
“I’m okay with a crumbly cookie.”
“I should make you eat some real food first.”
Her eyebrows arched up, and he laughed.
“Or…not.”
“Definitely not. Not unless it’s a whole role-play thing where you catch me eating cookies before my dinner and I get deliciously punished for it.”
His eyes glittered, and he grabbed a spatula. Lifting a cookie off the tray, he put it on a plate and set it beside her.
She greedily grabbed it, and it fell apart in her hands as she giggled and ate it anyway.
He crossed his arms. “Did I just catch you eating a cookie before your dinner?”
The giggling got worse. “They were right there and so good.”
He caught her around the waist and spun her around, lifting her up onto the counter with ease. She gasped and took another bite of the cookie, grinning at him as she did.
“Bad girl.” He grinned too.
“This is one of my hottest fantasies,” she whispered. “Although in my fantasy, I’m drinking a glass of milk and have a little… you know, a milk mustache? And then you lick my upper lip, which could be weird.”
“Mmmm.” He leaned in and traced the upper curve of her lip with his tongue. “Not weird,” he murmured, before sucking the sensitive flesh into his mouth.
Not weird at all. Jess’s heart thudded against her ribcage.
“This is a fun secret,” he whispered before kissing her deeper. “What happens after I catch you having illicit milk and cookies?”
“I dunno. I usually—that’s as far as I need the fantasy to go.”
“You touch yourself to it? That’s the point you get off? The milk moustache licking?” He said all of that in complete seriousness, like it wasn’t weird.
Maybe it wasn’t.
“I use a vibrator.” She felt the wave of embarrassment that wanted to follow the admission, and pushed it away.
“Sex toys are fucking hot.”
The way he said it, the way he looked at her, his gaze liquid, emboldened her. “Do you have any?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“How do you use them?”
He grinned wolfishly. “Do you want me to show you?”
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh yes. Yes I do.”
22
The clock on the desk was ticking extra loudly today.
Brent’s therapist looked extra relaxed, too. She smiled. “You know you can start wherever you want.”
Was she going to tell him that every time? Maybe she’d stop when he did something other than stare at the carpet for the first five minutes of a session.
But this time, he really couldn’t start wherever he wanted. He couldn’t tell this person what they’d done. I held Jess while some other guy got her off. Then he got me off, and then he came all over her legs, which was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. And right now, all I want to do is say whatever will get me the fuck out of this room because this was a giant mistake. We just need more of Evan.
“Who is Evan?”
“How much of that did I say out loud?”
“We just need more of Evan.”
“Ah.” Tension roiled in his gut. “It’s complicated.”
“You said that last time. Is it more or less complicated now?”
More. Definitely more. “I don’t know. More, probably.”
“Probably?”
“Definitely.”
“Tell me about that.”
“No offence, but I’m not sure I can. It’s personal.”
“That’s the whole point of all of this.”
“Yeah, but—” He took a deep breath. “Fuck it. Evan’s a guy she knows. He’s bi. And we fooled around together. All three of us.”
She nodded like it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. “Did you talk about it?”
“Yeah.” Maybe it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
“Is everyone on the same page?”
“I think so.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah.”
“So where is this tension coming from?”
Such a good fucking question. “I dunno. That’s why I come to you. You’re the expert.”
“A lot of our social norms are built around monogamy and relationships made up of two people. We go into those with a lot of the rules mutually understood. Trying something different requires a lot more communication and negotiation.”
“I told Jess to let him take care of her while I’m here.”
“Was that how you really felt?”
He rolled it around in his head. “Yes.”
“Is there a but attached to that?”
“No. Just that same tension inside me that we talked about last time. What we should do versus what we are doing.”
She made a note on her pad of paper, then leaned over and tugged open a drawer. “Here’s a worksheet you can use to help decide if a thought you have is important for you, or can be discarded. We can’t control hot thoughts—the ideas that pop into our heads—but we can analyze them and decide if they’re valid or not.”
He was pretty sure ninety percent of the shit that popped into his head wasn’t valid. He took the piece of paper and stared at it. The columns swam in front of his eyes.
“When do you see her next?”
“Four more days.”
“Be gentle on yourself this week. Be aware of what you tell yourself you should be feeling, and if it’s trying to attack how you really feel deep down.” She glanced at the clock. “We’ve got time now if you want to work through the exercise together.”
He shook his head.
“Okay. We’ll do this at your pace.”
His pace was too slow, though. Jess needed him to sort his shit out as soon as possible.
23
Brent’s phone rang as he arrived at Jess’s house. It was Evan. “Hey, you.”
“Looking forward to tonight?” Evan’s voice was silky and low, a rich rub that went straight to his groin.
So, so much. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. “Hell yeah.”
“What time are you getting into town?” Evan asked.
“I just arrived at Jess’s place, why?” As he said that, she opened the door, and he leaned in to give her a kiss. Evan, he mouthed, pointing at the phone.
“I’m going rock climbing with a couple of local guys this afternoon. You could join us if you want.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Chase Miller and DeShawn Williams. Do you want to come with?”
Did a bear shit in the woods? “Yeah, that sounds good. I met DeShawn last week. Jess took me around before we came to your place.”
Beside him, Jess raised her eyebrows and smiled.
After Brent confirmed a meet-up time with Evan, he hung up the phone and swung her into his arms.
“What was that look for?”
She wriggled. “Nothing.”
“Out with it.”
After successfully squirming out his arms, she walked right back up against him and poked him in the chest. “Do you have a little celebrity crush on the local Olympian?”
“No.” He paused. “I mean, no, not a crush.”
“Ah ha!”
“I will maybe enjoy watching him do some rock climbing?”
She beamed. “I knew it.”
The weirdest things made her happy. “Yes, okay, that will be a very nice view.”
“Tell me more,” she said breathlessly.
Instead, he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her upstairs.
“This is a misuse of your firefighter powers,” she protested.
He dumped her on her bed and climbed on top of her. “You’re a bit of a sex fiend, wife.”
“Oh?” Her eyes flashed. “Am I, husband?”
“I like to hear you say it like that.”
“I…I like it, too.”
“When I get back from rock climbing, I think we should talk more about that.”
“We could talk about it now.”
He shook his head. “I’ve only got an hour before I need to meet them, and there’s something more pressing that I need to do.”
“What’s that?”
“You.”
Jess met them at Evan’s house when they finished rock climbing. They were sweaty, and as soon as they stepped inside his front door, they got extra touchy feely with each other.
“You guys should get in the shower,” she said lightly. “Together.”
Brent hauled her in between them. “Come with us.”
“Well I didn’t need a shower before this manwich.” She ran her finger down Brent’s neck. “But now I could use a rinse.”
“A rinse,” Evan growled in her ear. “No, we’re going to wash you everywhere. Very carefully.”
Instead of the guest bathroom that they showered in the week before, this time he took them into his bedroom, and the master en suite past it—which had a shower big enough for a small football team.
They peeled out of their clothes and then piled into the steamy shower.
“Ah, we should have grabbed beers,” Brent said as the hot water from one of many jets hit his back.
“Beer in the shower?” Evan frowned.
Jess nodded. “It’s his favourite way to unwind after a bad shift.”
“Or anything else,” Brent said. “I had one after you took me hiking.” He bumped into Evan, looping his arm around Ev’s waist. “And then I jerked off thinking about you.”
Evan pushed him gently back against the wall. “Show me what that looked like.” He hauled Jess against him. “Watch with me.”
“You’re bossy today,” she murmured.
“I’m going to get even bossier in bed.”
She wiggled. “Can’t wait.”
Brent watched them from behind half-lidded eyes as he started to stroke himself. Evan grabbed a bottle of shower gel from a nook in the wall and opened it, then held it in front of her. “Do you like this scent?”
It was the wood and spice smell, and she found herself nodding. Yes, please coat me in your romance scent. She wasn’t going anywhere that it would matter. And if she went to sleep tonight smelling like Evan in his most romantic mood, that would be a treat.
Sudsing up his hands, he cupped her breasts, then rubbed his hands over her belly and hips, bottom and thighs, putting on a show for Brent, who had sped up his own show right back at them.
“You feel so good in my hands,” Evan said quietly in her ear. “Turn around, let your husband see me groping your ass.”
She giggled and spun around, enjoying Brent’s groan. And when Evan rinsed her off, and then slid his hand between her thighs—“Gotta wash everywhere”—she closed her eyes and let him stroke her to an orgasm that came hard and fast.
When her legs threatened to give out, Evan released her, and she stepped out, wrapping herself in a big, fluffy towel.
There was a padded bench against the wall, so she sank onto that and watched as her lover prowled toward her husband. She’d already come once, but she could get off again she was pretty sure. So she hitched one leg up onto the bench and reached between her legs, where she was sticky and swollen. Multiple partners, multiple orgasms. It seemed like a fair deal.
She didn’t rub hard, though, just touched herself lightly as she watched them circle each other, pulling in for kisses and shoving away.
Playful. Puppyish. She’d never seen Brent like this, so hyper and sexual and boyish. He liked Evan grabbing him, she could see that. His eyes flared wide every time the touch got intimate, but then a look of bliss would settle in.
She could live on that look alone. Maybe she’d given it to him, too. He’d been very attentive and loving since they got back together, but it was hard to see themselves from any kind of distance.
She loved that man so much. She would do anything to see him that happy.
Her attention slid to Evan. Big, strong, ruthless Evan. Kind, careful, caring Evan. His back was to her, his arms and legs strung tight like bows as he ground against Brent.
Did he want to fuck her husband?
Of course he did.
That image sent her over the edge, her pussy pulsing at the thought of lying next to them while Evan took Brent from behind. Maybe while Brent was inside her. Oh. Oh. Yes.
She shuddered and sighed, her eyes closed, and when she opened them, both men were watching her.
“What?”
Brent shook his head. “You’re beautiful, that’s all.”
She tugged her discarded towel back over herself and gestured to Evan. “Turn off the shower. Let’s take this to the bed.”
But when the water shut off, the house wasn’t quiet. Somewhere in the distance, Evan’s phone was ringing. And it didn’t stop.
He frowned and went to find it.
When he came back, his face was grim, and he went straight to his closet. “Our production building is on fire.”
Brent wouldn’t take no for an answer. At the very least, he wasn’t sure Evan should be driving right now. And if he could be of any assistance in translating between fire service and home owner…well, he wanted to do that.
Or anything.
They left Jess at Evan’s house and went together in Brent’s truck. They could see the smoke and hear the sirens when they hit the road, and in less than ninety seconds he was at the second lane after the main winery entrance, following Evan’s terse instructions.
The cop at the road recognized Evan immediately and waved them through.
Brent parked a reasonable distance back and they took off at a run. Evan collided with a fairer version of himself. “I don’t know what happened,” the third man said. “We saw the smoke, made sure everyone was out, called 911. It all happened pretty damn fast.”
“Nobody’s hurt?”
“No. All accounted for.”
“Good.” Evan covered his mouth with his hand. “What’s affected?”
“We don’t know yet. They’re not letting us in.”
“If we lose the skinny dipping line…”
“We could buy other wine. Or get another contract. They know us.”
“I know. It’s just—” Evan swore again, kicking the ground.
Brent wanted to hug him. He wanted to hold him tight and absorb some of that impotent rage. Instead, he stood there feeling helpless. But he wasn’t useless. He could assess the scene.
He stepped forward, holding out his hand. “Brent Doran. I’m a firefighter. If I can be of any assistance in communicating with the local response, I’m happy to help.”
“Ty West. You’re Jessica’s husband, right?”
Did everyone in town know who he was? “Yeah.”
“Glad you’re visiting. Come on, we can get a bit closer.”
Between them and the production building, there were two pumper
trucks and a ladder truck, with a rescue unit off to the side. As they strode in that direction, another truck arrived behind them.
That told Brent the first responders had upgraded the call when they arrived. That wasn’t great news, but he kept it to himself. So far, all he could see was smoke.
When they curved around the perimeter, though, he realized the response was more significant than he’d first seen. More trucks were on the far side of the building, and they were concentrating on what looked like an auxiliary building.
“What was that?” he asked, pointing. Was being the operative word. The small structure was nothing but a metal frame now.
“A greenhouse.”
“If the fire was limited to that, and they got the rest of the building protected, you may be in better shape than it looks right now. I know all these trucks are terrifying, but if your local crews reacted quickly, it’s better to have all hands on deck like this.”
“They got here fucking fast. Pardon my language.”
Brent waved him off. “Day like today, you can use whatever language you want.”
A supervisor found them soon after and confirmed Brent’s guess. The fire had started in the greenhouse, and with the quick response time and reinforcements from Essex, the local department had managed to isolate it to that space.
Ty took off to spread the good news to their workers while Brent stayed with Evan to get the full report. “The exterior wall of the main building is damaged, and we’re going to need to watch it for a while to make sure there aren’t any hidden hot spots, but this could have been a lot worse. This could have been a catastrophic loss. You got lucky today, Mr. West.”
“Do you have any idea what started the fire yet?” Brent asked.
“There were wooden pallets stacked in the greenhouse, at what looks like the area of origin. Warm day, glass roof, combustible material. Possible accidental accelerant is a factor, and the fire marshal will investigate, but the burn pattern doesn’t look suspicious. This started in one spot, not the most damaging to the business—”
Evan swore under his breath. Brent realized up until that moment, arson hadn’t even been on his mind. He reached out and squeezed Ev’s upper arm.