Ben nodded. “I’m not letting her get away. I’m in love with her.”
“So, again I ask, why ruin a sure thing?”
“Because she wants you,” Ben said in a sure voice. “Because you and I had a dream once. I still have that dream, about loving the same woman, about marrying that woman and making a life with her, having children with her. I see a chance at giving her what she wants, while at the same time making my dream come true, and I think making my brother’s dream come true. Why the fuck wouldn’t I try for that?” Ben asked passionately.
Quinn stood up and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, and looked him dead in the eye. “Are you absolutely sure? Because if you say yes, I won’t be able to stop, because I want this. I really want her. My God, Ben, she’s the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met in my twenty-eight years on this Earth. If you say yes, there will be no stopping me.”
“Yes.” Ben drew his brother in for a relieved hug.
“So, let’s go pick up our woman and bring her back here for dinner,” Quinn said.
* * * *
“I’m so glad you called. Are you having a good time?” her mother asked.
“Mom, it’s so beautiful,” Kara enthused. She went on to explain about the forests and the tide pools and the people.
“How about your brothers, are they enjoying themselves?”
“They left to fish and camp with Sid and Tony on Friday,” Kara explained.
“I thought you said that Nate only works Monday through Friday. What did you do this past weekend?” her mom asked. Kara told her about Ben Shotbrook, and how she had played hooky from working with Nate so she could spend more time with Ben.
“Oh my goodness, he sounds wonderful, Kara,” her mother exclaimed, but Kara could hear the concern in her voice.
“I know, it’s just a vacation fling,” Kara admitted. “But it feels like so much more, Mom. I really care for this man. In such a short amount of time, I feel like he gets me on so many more levels than Burt ever did. Ben could fit in with our family, and he understands me as an artist…” Her voice trailed off.
“What else, Kara? Is something wrong?” her mom asked.
“Mom, are you alone?” Kara asked, referring to her dads.
“Both of your dads are in the living room watching a football game. I’m in the kitchen. What is it, baby girl?”
“Can I ask you something personal?”
“Baby, you can ask me anything,” her mom assured her.
“I met Ben’s older brother today.” Kara stopped, praying that her mom could fill in the blanks.
“Honey, are you saying you like him better than you do Ben?” her mother asked her carefully.
“No!” Kara said vehemently. “Not at all. They’re both so wonderful. They are so much alike, but they’re so different, and they complement each other. They both are so interested in what I have to say, and they make me feel so wanted and so good.” Kara stopped talking. Again she prayed that her mother would make sense of the situation.
“Kara, I’m not sure I ever told you how it was when I first started dating Leif but then met Conn. Did I, honey?”
“No Mom, you never have,” Kara said in a relieved voice. She settled back on the bed and let her mom’s voice wash over her.
* * * *
Ben had texted Kara that he’d pick her up in fifteen minutes, so she’d pulled on a long-sleeved shirt, jeans and sneakers. She’d left her hair up, since she’d worked so hard on the style, and it was the one thing that hadn’t gotten messed up in the time she spent playing with Redford and Newman.
She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that she wouldn’t be seeing Quinn again. It had helped talking to her mother. She no longer felt so dishonorable in her feelings toward Ben. Knowing that her mom had gone through the same thing with her dads made her feel better. Now she was back to feeling giddy at the thought of spending the night with Ben. It had been forever since she had had sex, and she had never been so physically attracted to another man. Just kissing Ben was more pleasurable than sex had ever been with Burt.
When she pulled open the door to the lodge, she saw Ben’s truck pulling up, and she gasped as she saw both Shotbrook brothers get out of the truck. They made their way to the foot of the porch and looked up at her. She didn’t know how expressions could be smiling and predatory at the same time, but they both managed it. She definitely felt hunted, and that made her girl parts sit up and take notice. But it also made her damn Nordic skin blush, which they both noticed! There’s nothing quite like having your own skin betray you with a public display of your most secret thoughts.
Both of them held out a hand for her as she made her way down. Each took a hand and the three of them kept their link all the way to the truck, without saying a word. Quinn opened the passenger-side door for her, and Ben helped her in, stealing a kiss, as usual. When she peeked over at Quinn, this time he didn’t bother to hide his hunger.
“Does that sound good to you, Kara?” Ben asked.
“What?”
Ben smiled as if he knew what had caught her attention, as well as catching the reason she hadn’t heard his question. “I asked if grilled salmon at our house sounded good for dinner, but your attention seemed to be elsewhere,” he teased.
“That sounds great,” she said with enthusiasm.
“Good,” he said as he brushed another kiss across her lips, and then went around to the driver’s seat. Quinn got in beside her, and she once again found herself surrounded by Shotbrooks. She liked it.
By the time they made the twenty-minute drive to their house, every one of her nerves was on high alert. She had thought there was more room on the bench seat of the truck. Apparently, however, it was smaller than she thought because both men were crowded against her, arm to arm, leg to leg, and she was breathing hard. She knew damn well her panties were damp. Thank God she had worn a padded bra. Otherwise they could have seen how hard her nipples were.
She was a little disappointed to not be greeted by the dogs when they arrived at the house. But she supposed that it was for the best, if she and Ben were going to…
Jesus, did they plan what she was thinking they might have planned? What she now was hoping they might have planned?
She stumbled on the way to the kitchen, but Quinn caught her. “Kara, are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine. Just admiring the view,” she said, waving to the trees and yard that could be seen through the sliding glass door that separated the dining room from the deck.
“We’ll be eating out on the deck,” Ben told her as Quinn continued to hold onto her arm, rubbing his fingers on the inside of her elbow, making her tingle.
“That sounds great,” she said weakly. “Is there anything I can do to help?
“You left your sketchpad here yesterday. Why don’t you just sit outside and sketch while Quinn and I get dinner ready?” Ben suggested. Kara eagerly took his suggestion, pulling her arm from Quinn’s grip. She needed some time alone to consider this situation, and she suspected that Ben understood that.
Kara got lost sketching profiles of both men, rather than the landscape. She had often found that when sketching something, she was able to discern the truth of it. She had done many sketches of Ben and found only purity and goodness. When sketching Quinn, she found different qualities, however. There was more hardness and strength. She suspected that as the oldest, he had had to make tougher decisions by himself, decisions that weighed on him.
When she heard the sliding glass door open, she immediately closed her sketchbook and smiled. They handed her a plate. The salmon was cooked perfectly, and they all enjoyed their meal while talking about random things, the undercurrents strong. Kara had made up her mind while sketching. She was never going to get a chance like this again to truly follow her emotions and desires. Soon she would be going back to her real life. It was a good life, but it would never present an opportunity like this, and she wanted this. She needed this. She needed a
memory like this that she could take out and relive and relish, knowing that there was one time she took a chance and she had been desired.
Ben and Quinn took the dishes back inside, then came back out and sat down. Ben joined her on the lounge chair.
“Kara, there’s something that Quinn and I need to explain to you.” Ben picked up her hand.
Quinn sat down in the chair positioned opposite Kara’s, his knees touching hers. He looked at his younger brother, and then looked knowingly at Kara. “We don’t need to explain anything to you, do we, sweetheart?” he asked in his rough voice. In just one day, Kara was halfway in love with this man and his voice that rubbed over her senses like her favorite hard-bristled brush on her scalp, soothing and stimulating at the same time. “Tell Ben that you understand,” he said with a hint of command, which roused her from her floating thoughts.
Kara turned from Quinn’s golden-brown eyes and looked into Ben’s dark chocolate eyes that were filled with concern. “Ben, I understand what’s going on,” she said softly.
“Yes, but are you okay with this? I—we—don’t want to make any assumptions that just because you grew up with parents in this kind of relationship, that you’d be okay if both of us wanted you…in an intimate manner.” And that was the reason she was all the way in love with Ben Shotbrook. Who wouldn’t love a man so concerned and loving?
Chapter 4
Kara brought their clasped hands to her mouth and kissed the back of Ben’s hand, giving him a warm smile. Then she licked out with her tongue, where their fingers joined, and let her eyes heat as she pried out one of his fingers and sucked it into her mouth. She watched as his brown eyes turned to black. She slid her gaze over to Quinn’s and saw that his caramel-colored eyes were dancing. She slowly released Ben’s finger, noting the quickening of his breath.
“Ben, you and I were definitely going to make love tonight.” And despite her bold teasing, he heard the slight hesitation in her voice.
“I was hoping we were, but only if you wanted to, Kara. I know it’s only been four days, but you already mean the world to me, and I don’t want to rush things…” His voice trailed off as he drew her in for a gentle hug. Kara melted against him, forgetting the other man who was intently watching their interplay.
“I want to, Ben,” she reassured him. “It’s just, I don’t think…” She broke off. “Look, I’ve only done this with one other man, and it’s been a long time,” she tried to explain. Kara couldn’t bring herself to explain that the physical differences in the men intimidated her. That was her problem and she just needed to push through it.
“And Quinn?” he asked.
“I’m so sorry,” she started.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, we read the situation wrong,” Ben immediately jumped in.
“No, we didn’t, Ben,” Quinn rumbled. “That’s not why you said you’re sorry, is it, sweetheart?” Kara pulled herself out of Ben’s arms and looked over at Quinn. God, and here she was thinking that Ben was physically intimidating. Quinn might not be taller, but he was massive. He looked like he could wrestle a bear and win! He looked at her, not in any threatening manner, just in a calm and knowing way. Where Ben understood her artistic side, Quinn understood her bone-deep desires. He’d seen her first spark of interest outside Ben’s truck at the restaurant this morning, and had been doing everything in his power to fan that spark ever since, and he had quite a lot of power.
“Ben, I was apologizing because I feel bad for wanting this, for wanting Quinn, too.” She ducked her head, not wanting to see Ben’s kind face.
Ben gently tipped up her chin with his knuckles, forcing her blue eyes to meet his soft sable eyes. “I know you think this is only a vacation fling, and maybe that is all it is. But Quinn and I have dreamed of a woman that we would both care about enough to share. The fact that our dream might be coming true makes me rejoice.” Kara was enchanted by the dimples that creased Ben’s face. She leaned forward and settled her lips against his, and he carefully brought one hand up to cup the back of her head and urged her closer. As their lips parted, and the taste of Ben filled her senses, she felt the warmth of Quinn’s hand skimming from the top of her back to rest at her tailbone. She pushed her hips backward, just a little, to nestle further into the warmth of Quinn’s caress.
“Good girl,” came the rough whisper at her back that had moisture pooling between her thighs. Then, as if the two were working in tandem, Ben’s tongue plunged deep, and Quinn moved over to the same chair, and she was now sandwiched between two heated bodies. She jerked in reaction, and Quinn immediately felt her apprehension, both of his hands stroking down her arms, his lips at her ear. “Easy, girl, we won’t do anything you don’t want us to do. You’re in control.” It was as if he knew the magic words to calm her down. She relaxed back into his muscled chest.
Her tongue tangled with Ben’s, each seeking to taste and tempt the other, his hand turning her head slightly so that she was better angled for his kiss. She opened further for him, loving the feel and the textures of Ben, tasting the blackberries that they had for dessert, but relishing the deeper, darker flavor of the man who was going to be her lover. Then she felt Quinn, and his hands weren’t intent on seduction. They were meant to plunder.
He pulled up the hem of her long-sleeved cotton shirt and slipped a hot callused hand searching across her abdomen, up and up, until he found the front clasp of her utilitarian bra. With a deft twist, it was undone, and she felt both of her nipples pebble in immediate arousal. Her mind and body were a little out of synch, because as much as she was enjoying Ben’s kiss and Quinn’s touch, she was once again stiffening up, and again, it was Quinn who understood. Between one heartbeat and the next, his hands went from marauding to enticing, feathering softly against the bottom of her breasts, causing her to gasp into Ben’s mouth. Ben pulled away with a smile.
“Kara, I’ve had a recurring fantasy since meeting you,” Ben said, looking into her eyes. Kara couldn’t focus on what he was saying. Quinn’s fingertips made it difficult for her to think, let alone focus on what was being said to her. “Kachawli, I’ve fantasized about you with your hair down. I’ve never seen it totally down. May I?” he asked as he reached for the pins that were holding her hair in place.
Kara nodded, but then asked, “What does ‘Kachawli’ mean?”
“It means ‘sweetheart’ in the language of the Tlingit people,” he answered as he took down her hair and fanned the silky, white-gold strands out around her shoulders.
“I think her hair would look even prettier against her naked skin,” Quinn suggested as his cheek nuzzled the back of her head and his fingers kept up their maddening strokes so close to her nipples, but not yet there. God, she needed him to touch the budding crests of her breasts. As she arched into his hands, trying to force the touch she craved, she heard a soft chuckle, and he deftly avoided brushing her aching nipples.
“Quinn,” she cried.
“Let me take off your shirt, and I’ll give you what you need, sweetheart, I promise.” Kara raised both of her arms above her head, anxious to do anything to get those tantalizing fingers to touch her where she needed to be touched. For a brief moment she worried that he would laugh at her need, but he didn’t. Instead, she was rewarded with words of praise from both men as they slowly pulled the shirt over her head and stripped off her bra.
“God, Kara, look at you! Your nipples look like wild strawberries,” Ben exclaimed in rapt delight. Kara looked down and couldn’t pull her eyes away. She wasn’t seeing her breasts. She was seeing the beauty of the cream of her breasts being cupped in the strength and mahogany masculinity of Quinn’s sea-roughened hands that caused her to literally stop breathing. She wanted to stop time so that she could just savor this moment. Then the actual sensation of his touch burst over her senses, and she would have crumpled over had his strong arms not been surrounding her.
“Kara—”
“Sweetheart, are you all right?” That was when she
realized they had been talking to her, and she had missed what they had been saying. She looked into Ben’s eyes and saw his look of concern. She felt embarrassed because once again she had gotten lost in what her family called “her artistic fog.” She looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
“Hey, Kara, it’s okay. You can tell us. Did something bother you just now?” Ben asked. Kara still couldn’t bring herself to look up at him, but that just brought her focus back down to the wonder of her flesh engulfed in Quinn’s hands.
“Ben, look, nothing’s wrong, she’s aroused.” Quinn brushed both thumbs over the turgid peaks, eliciting a sharp gasp. “Kara, answer Ben.” When she continued to keep her focus on his hands, he grasped both nipples between thumb and forefinger and gave a light pinch. “Look at Ben and answer his question. Did we do something to bother you?” Quinn asked in a stern voice that finally cut through her fog.
Kara jerked her head up from the fascinating mix of light and dark colors, hard and soft textures, to see the concern in Ben’s glorious milk-chocolate, brown eyes. She reached up to cup his face, to reassure him, but that only pressed her breasts deeper into the hands of the man holding her, and she moaned at the decadent feel, which then caused Ben’s eyes to darken even more with worry. She shook her head hard to clear it so she could be clear.
“No, Ben, everything is fine. It’s me just being me. I’m sorry, don’t pay any attention to me. I like everything we’re doing. I promise.” She trailed her fingers softly down his face, trying to relieve the lines of worry. When that didn’t work, she pushed up at the edges of his lips, trying to force a smile.
“Not good enough, Kara. I don’t understand. Why did you zone out? Are you sure we’re not rushing you?” His face was a mask of apprehension. For the first time, she was beginning to feel surrounded like she used to with her family, trying to explain a part of her that nobody understood. But now she was doing it half naked in front of strangers. She started to wiggle, trying to move Quinn’s hands.
Claiming Kara [Fate Harbor 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 6