Nailing Studs: A Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance

by Virna DePaul

  Maybe today they would look different. Maybe today, I’d realize they weren’t as hot as I remembered. Maybe today they wouldn’t exude kindness and sexiness and trustworthiness and—

  A knock sounded on the door and I jumped about a mile. I put a hand on my chest and tried counting to ten, working hard to get my emotions under control.

  “We know you’re there, Kayla,” Taylor’s deep voice sounded, followed by his throaty chuckle. “Open up.”

  Smoothing down my hair, I opened the door and tried not to smile too big. Nope, nothing had changed. They were still Heaven in construction boots.

  I’d not only won a house, even if temporarily, but the hot guy lottery, too.

  Again, even if only temporarily.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Taylor added. “We stopped to help a teenage kid fill up her tank. She’d run out of gas and had to get to work.”

  Sexiness and kindness and trustworthiness… Thank you, Aunt Tabitha.

  I seemed to be saying and thinking that a lot lately.

  “Hey, guys,” I said breathlessly. “Come on in.”

  “We could smell cinnamon-y deliciousness as soon as we got out of the truck. What did you bake this time?” Dominic asked, closing the door while Taylor reached out to flip my ponytail.

  “You’ll see,” I said. “Hopefully, you’ll love it.”

  They both looked at each other. “Oh, we know we’ll love it,” Taylor said.

  In the kitchen, I took two coffee cake bars and set them on plates. I watched them sink their teeth into the bars.

  “Wow.”

  “Damn, this is good.”

  They mumbled and scarfed down their bars, then nodded and exchanged looks of approval before reaching for another.

  “I take it you like the cinnamon coffee bars?” I asked wryly.

  “We like everything about you, Kayla,” Taylor said. “I’m pretty sure Dom made that clear last night?”

  Oh, hell, here we go. This was the part I’d been waiting for. “He…um…certainly did, yes. I mean, you must like me A LOT to offer to renovate the house knowing I don’t have the money to pay you.”

  Taylor grinned. “It’s that we like you a whole lot, yes, but it really is a good business move for us, too. The thing is, we want to make sure you know they’re two separate things. Our interest in helping you with the house, and our interest in you personally. If you decide to pass on our help with the house but still want to see us socially, that’s okay. If you decide you only want our help with the house, that’s okay, too.”

  I bit my lip, looking between the two of them. “And if I decide I want both?”

  Dom stepped up to me and took my hands in his. “Then best of both worlds,” he said quietly.

  “Definitely,” Taylor said.

  I nodded. “Okay, let’s talk about the house stuff first then. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

  The three of us went over everything that Dom and I had talked about at the diner yesterday. When Taylor and Dom looked at me expectantly, their eyes filled with hope, I sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to say no.”

  Dom looked at Taylor. “No… to us renovating the house?”

  “Well, no to you renovating the house for free and not letting me reimburse you for your work.”

  They both frowned. “But you don't have the money to reimburse us.”

  I smiled sadly. “I will when I sell the house.”

  “Kayla, I don’t know what you’re saying. Do you—”

  “She means she’ll let us fix up the house,” Dom interrupted Taylor, his eyes on me. “But only because she’ll sell the house and pay us back from the proceeds. Isn’t that right, Kayla?”

  I nodded. “It’s the only acceptable solution. I can’t take advantage of you, and if we did what you originally offered, that would be taking advantage. But you’d still be doing me a favor if you do the work on the house upfront. Then I can sell it and get what it’s worth instead of having to fend off lowball offers. In turn, you still get what you need for your company. We’ll make sure you have plenty of time to show the house to clients before I turn it over to the new owners. It’s a win-win for all of us, and I get to walk away feeling good about myself.”

  “Yeah, but you still walk away,” Taylor murmured.

  “I have to,” I said, even as my heart warmed, thinking that I’d already made such a good impression on Taylor that he didn’t even want me to leave Fosterman any time soon. “I’ll look for a job in the Bay Area. Sell the house and move there. I’ll be able to cover my expenses, something I don’t see being able to do, even if you renovated the house for free and I stayed here. I’d still have the property taxes. All my other expenses. It’s just not feasible.”

  Dom and Taylor both stared at me, and then at each other, and then Dom nodded. Taylor said, “If that’s what you insist on doing, that’s what we’ll do, Kayla. The only thing we insist on is giving you a substantial discount on the work. Fifty percent off what we originally quoted.”

  “Fifty percent? No, that’s too much!”

  “It’s not too much, Kayla. It’s a legitimate business expense and negotiation. We are not hurting for money, and what you’re going to be giving us will be huge for our business. So we’ll agree to do the work on the house, and when you sell it, you’ll pay us a fair fee for the work we did. If that’s not something you can agree to, then…”

  Then I don’t get to live in the house for a few more months. Then I don’t get to spend more time with Dom and Taylor. Then I don’t get to explore what they were suggesting about spending personal time with both of them.

  Only wait. They’d said that accepting their help on the house and accepting their offer for more personal things were completely separate. Had they meant it?

  “So what if I say no to your offer and put the house on the market tomorrow? Do you still want to date me?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  “Fuck, yes.”

  They both spoke at the same time, and the sheer vehemence in their voices made me laugh. “Really?” I said, still smiling. “Because I’m attracted to both of you. When I’m with one of you, I want even more time together, and when I’m with the other, I think the same. But you guys are friends. I don’t want to get in the middle.”

  “Trust us, you in the middle would be just fine with us.” That fabulous Taylor smile came out to play, and my mind went into overdrive. The fantasies of me between them, of Taylor dropping to his knees, of Dominic spreading my legs apart…

  “Whatever happens, happens,” Dominic said, when I couldn’t find words to respond. “If you want to be with only one of us, great. If you want to be with both but separately, great—”

  “But if you want to be with both of us together…” Taylor raised an eyebrow. No smiling now. Which was even sexier than his bright smile. Just a smoldering, serious look that made me feel bare and vulnerable and very, very excited. “We want you to know that would be okay, too.”

  I gulped.

  Okay, so I’d considered this possibility. And now they’d just made it crystal clear everything I’d been fantasizing about could in fact become reality. Not just dating them at the same time, separately, but dating and fucking them at the same time, literally.

  All I had to do was say yes.

  I opened my mouth.

  I wanted to say it.

  I tried to say it.

  But looking at the two of them, I just couldn’t.

  Instead, my heart beating rapidly, my breathing turning harsh, I managed to get words out of my mouth, although what I said probably wasn’t what they were expecting. “I think I hear my phone ringing,” I blurted out.

  Then, like a ninny, I turned around and ran to my room.

  To my relief, they didn’t follow me. I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to think clearly.

  Part of me was so mortified that I’d run out on them, but the other part was just glad I was giving myself the time
and space to truly consider what they were offering me.

  I knew what my body wanted, because all I’d been doing for the last couple of days was fantasize about either man in bed with me, or both of them, in bed with me, all three of us together. In my fantasies, this all had been easy. In real life, though, how would this even work? And how would this affect me emotionally? I didn’t have such a great track record with relationships—I’d been the one to get hurt time after time. What would my heart end up doing? Would I get hurt? Would they?

  A vision of Dom’s hurt and wounded dark eyes flashed into my mind, and I felt an instant sense of protection for the strong, brawny man. For all his strength, Dom had a vulnerable side, and I found myself wanting to protect him. As for Taylor? He was such a shining star, sparkling bright with his quick flash of a smile, the way his eyes twinkled. He didn’t seem to be hiding a deep dark side like Dom, but I had a feeling of protection for him, too. I’d hate to see Taylor hurt to the point where the light went out of his eyes.

  I barely knew Taylor and Dom, and they seemed imminently capable of taking care of themselves, but I didn’t want to be the source of hurt for either one of them. Maybe it was just that I’d suffered enough hurt from the likes of Grant and the other men in my life, but I also prided myself on never deliberately hurting anyone.

  But why was I so focused on the aspect of hurt? I’d just received a delicious offer from Taylor and Dominic. Why couldn’t I simply enjoy myself—wholeheartedly, lavishly, sensually, without an ounce of guilt or inhibition—for once in my life?

  I’d been through enough heartache by now to know that life came with no guarantees. I mean, I enjoyed the guys already. I loved looking at them. Being with them. They were also straight shooters, and it was nice to hear their intentions up front. They were looking for some fun. To see where this mutual attraction led us.

  They weren’t looking for a relationship or love.

  They’d laid everything on the table, and I appreciated that. I could go into this with my eyes wide open. Besides, they weren’t asking for forever. Anything we had, two or three of us, would be a temporary fling. That was especially true because they now knew I intended to sell the house no matter what and move to the Bay Area. But even so, like they said, we could date. One or the other or both. Or progress to something more physical, one or the other or both.

  Was I really going to give up the opportunity to see where this could go? To see how it felt? To experience two beautiful nice guys with no strings attached? I mean, come on.

  I pictured the drive back from lunch yesterday, with Dom, and how things might have gone if we’d stayed in the truck right after Dominic cut off the engine.

  I could see him, sliding his hand up my thigh, kissing my neck, sliding his hand upward to rub slow circles over my jeans-covered clit, licking the hollow of my clavicle, then turning strong, commanding, and grabbing my head in his hands, plunging his tongue into my mouth—

  “I like the turn your mind has taken.”

  A voice yanked me from my delicious reverie. I blinked before turning my head to see Dominic standing in the doorway, hands on his hips, his stance not aggressive but rather casual…inviting. Here I am. Like what you see? Come and take me.

  Heat radiated up my neck and I realized I’d been panting. “I’m sorry, what?”

  He took one step into the room, watching me as I lay on the bed. “I announced my presence, but you were out of it.” A hint of a grin tweaked the corner of his mouth upward. “And you were breathing heavy. I know you’re processing what we told you earlier.”

  “It was a lot to take in,” I replied, grabbing a pillow and hugging it for security. What was I afraid of?

  “I get it. But your thoughts have shifted, haven’t they? You were already imagining it, weren’t you?”

  I blushed and almost lied on instinct. But then I heard Tabitha whispering for me to go for it, to be brave, and I was tired of this indecision, tired of the fear. Tired of life being fine. I took the plunge.

  I lifted my chin and said, “Yes, I was. I was picturing us, actually.”

  Dom’s eyes darkened. “The three of us?”

  “The two of us. You and me. After lunch, when you pulled up outside my house. How things might have gone differently if…”

  He came closer to me. “If?”

  “If I’d known what you were going to offer me today, maybe I wouldn’t have jumped out of the truck so fast. Maybe we could have…” I stumbled to a stop, not knowing what I meant. Maybe we would have kissed? Slept together? Called Taylor and asked him to come over for a threesome?

  “I...I don’t know if this is me.” I wasn’t sure I was making sense, and it was hard to think with Dominic reaching out to caress my hair, push it out of my face, and lift my chin to look up at him. My insides were melting faster than I could process it all. “I’ve never been with more than one guy at a time before.”

  “Haven’t you ever fantasized about it?”

  Dom’s eyes held mine even as I was tempted to look shyly away from him. There was an intensity there, a hunger, but a softness, too.

  “Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to have two men give all their attention to your wants, your needs?” he asked, fingers moving to rest lightly against my knee, almost hesitantly. “Two tongues devoted to the wants, the needs of your body? Two minds, sensing your desires?”

  I shivered when he walked his fingers a few inches up my thigh. I caught that hint of a grin though he tried to hide it. He saw the goosebumps along my neck. And he knew his words, his fingers, his presence so close to me caused it.

  Damn.

  “Two sets of hands who respond to the tiniest moan from your lips, the softest sigh, the smallest twitch of your hips?”

  I was losing my will to hold myself back. He was taking me apart word by word, inch by inch as his fingers moved along my thigh, into my hair. I gasped when his finger slipped inside the frayed hem of my jean shorts. Grabbing his wrist, I held him still. I squeezed tighter.

  “Well,” he said, a devilish grin playing at his lips, “have you thought about it or not?”

  I nodded, loving the way his hand curled under my hair against the skin at the back of my neck. “Sure. What woman hasn’t? But it’s tightly locked in my fantasies.” Yet with him touching me like this, what was real and imagination were blurring together with each passing second.

  “From where I was standing, the fantasies you were having looked pretty damn good.”

  I laughed breathlessly. “Yeah, well, they were.” I could have taken the leap forward at that point. Told Dominic exactly what I’d been fantasizing. I could have asked him to make it a reality and kiss me. But I wasn’t ready.

  Pushing his hand away gently, I cleared my throat. “I need a little more time. I’m not saying no; I’m just not saying yes yet. Can you give me that?”

  He seemed reluctant to let me go, but as he studied my face, he seemed to realize I needed more space. After all, they’d told me of their plans less than an hour ago.

  “Yeah, totally. And we’d need you fully on board with this—there’s no pleasure in entering into something like this unwillingly.” Dominic nodded. He retracted his hand and headed to the door. He paused, then tilted his head. “Hey, wanna come take a look at something in the next bedroom?”

  “Bedroom, huh? Is that a ploy?” I laughed.

  He glanced at me over his shoulder, the light expression he’d worn earlier replaced by his usual shadows. “I don’t do ploys, Kayla. It’s all about being up front and honest for me.”

  “Which I appreciate more than you’ll ever know,” I muttered, following him out of my room. We crossed the hall to the open and expansive loft that Tabitha had used as a sewing room and additional guest bedroom. I’d always loved this spot filled with shelves, books, and knickknacks, plus all of Tabitha’s sewing stuff. Now it sat empty except for one chair.

  Dominic flicked on the light, then pointed to the top corner of the
room. “See it?”

  I squinted and shook my head. “Sorry, I don’t…”

  Dominic grabbed the single chair in the room. “Up you go.”

  I stepped up onto the chair’s seat, which promptly gave out. I shrieked and tumbled, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms.

  “I guess that’s why they left the chair.” Dom chuckled, his warm breath brushing against my ear.

  “Stupid piece of junk. You almost killed me. Not you, the chair.” I clung to Dominic to regain my balance. His broad shoulders felt sturdy, strong, safe. His skin smelled nice too, like something musky and spicy.

  “Here, since we’re like this already, let me lift you up. When I do, look inside that corner. Got it?”

  “Got it.” I felt my heart flutter.

  Dominic scooped me up in his arms and hoisted me high. No big deal. Just a man, lifting a full-grown, slightly overweight woman as though she were light as a feather. I wasn’t sure what to do with my hands, so I placed one against Dominic’s chest. Straining, I scanned the area for what I was meant to be looking at. Honestly, it was hard to focus on anything except his arms cradling my ass.

  “You see, there?”

  I narrowed my eyes and finally made out the shape of a nest buried in the shadows of the ceiling. Inside were little baby birds making peeping noises, all stretching out their necks, waiting for their parents to feed them. “I see it,” I told him. “So cute!”

  I was enjoying being held by this man far too much. I didn’t want this moment to end, but I couldn’t stay on his shoulder forever. Eventually, he effortlessly set me back on my feet.

  “What do you want to do about that? See if I can move it outside?” he asked.

  “Let’s leave them for now. I’ll call animal control later to make sure they don’t get hurt when we remove them.” I suggested.

  He was still holding me and I realized how close our mouths were, how easy it would be to lean up and kiss him. His lips were full and perfect for nibbling on. Dominic’s hands flexed, as if he was testing out the firmness of my waist.

  I heard footsteps coming up the stairwell. I started to pull out of Dom’s hold to turn and greet Taylor, but for a second, Dom’s hold tightened, as if he were training me to get accustomed to three of us together. But when Taylor entered the room, Dom let me go.