Perfect Design: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Code Book 5)

by Bethany Jadin

  “Too bad it’s a hollowed-out shell of scrap metal now,” Trigg says. “It was actually a really nice yacht.”

  I wave him off. “It’s for the best. She wouldn’t have enjoyed owning it — the damn thing always would have reminded her of that jackass. Watching it burn gave her as much enjoyment as she could have ever gotten out of it.”

  “Agreed,” Jax says.

  A smile comes over me as I look at my friends. “And besides, she still has our gift coming.”

  18

  Emma

  I take a deep breath, loving how the men’s cologne mingles in the air as Jax takes a seat on the other side of me.

  What began as purely a business meeting in the Inner Sanctum has moved into the den, where we are all getting more comfortable as we wrap up the discussion on Pentabyte’s plans for the first wave of marketing for the finished product of my code.

  Gunner’s on my left, his arms and legs spread wide across the couch. “The beta program rolls out to our partners not long after we get back.”

  “From our honeymoon,” I say dreamily, finding it harder and harder to focus on business as the big day draws near.

  His eyes light up, and he seizes me by the hips, pulling my rear end onto his lap. “That’s right — first the ceremony and the honeymoon, because the guys and I have some business to take care of with you,” he says, sliding his hand up my thighs.

  “Then your product launch,” he continues. “We’ll have feedback coming in quickly, so we’ll need to come up with a few contingency plans, allowing us to pivot as needed.”

  I let out a sensual sigh. “You’re so sexy when you talk marketing.”

  “Well then,” he says. “Let me talk to you about my algorithms.”

  He shows no sign of doing so, his arms wrapping around me, instead. I meet his lips, indulging in his hungry kiss until I feel him grow hard beneath me. “You are incorrigible.”

  I slide off Gunner’s lap, moving back to my spot between the guys, but Gunner pouts, running a hand over his erection. On the other side of me, Jax eyes his package appreciatively, and that scheming look in his expression makes my pulse race. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the fact that these two strong, tough guys enjoy pleasure in all its forms, including with each other when the mood strikes the three of us. Between the two of them, they break all the stereotypes, and it makes me a very happy lady.

  Gunner notices Jax’s attention, and he stretches back against the couch, the position accentuating the bulge in his pants. He raises an eyebrow at Jax and nods his head at me, a not-so-subtle suggestion, but Jax lets out a laugh and shakes his head. “Seriously, man. Keep that thing under control until we’re done here.”

  The big guys lets out a sigh as though it physically pains him to put on the brakes. “Okay, fine, back to business.”

  “So, we know this thing works great on all the major OS’s,” Jax says, turning us back to the topic at hand.

  “Right,” Gunner replies. “The first thing we want to do after diagnosing feedback from the beta program is to get it directly into the hands of the companies that need it the most. Banks and credit card companies.”

  I nod. “That’s the root of the problem and where the bleeding needs to stop when it comes to online security.”

  “Agreed,” Jax says. “Those data processors are a go-to for hackers, it’s the first stop for massive data breaches, and it’s where the most damage is done. He rises from the couch. “Beer or wine, Emma?”

  “I’ll have one of Gunner’s porters, thanks.” I snuggle into the couch, making myself comfortable. “So, you agree that it’s best to delay rolling out to the personal device market?”

  Jax turns, looking over his shoulder as he walks to the wet bar. “For now, yes. We need to work with securing the larger network that hackers are going after. We can narrow the funnel after that. It’s going to take time to unravel this across all platforms. We have to be patient. But, babe, this code of yours is going to revolutionize online security.”

  “I sure hope so,” I say. “People deserve better. No one should have to go through what I did.”

  “Even if it got you to where you are now?” Jax sits back on the couch and hands me my beer.

  “Well,” I admit. “Even if I love how things have turned out, there’s only one board of Pentabyte, and they’re all mine. So that doesn’t help anyone else, does it?”

  Jax leans over, extending the beer bottle he fetched for Gunner. Gunner salutes him with the bottle and takes a long swig, his big arm around my shoulders, beckoning me to cuddle into his chest. I curl my legs under me and rest my hand on his firm pecs. Jax slings his arm over the back of the couch, turning his body sideways to face us, his arm coming to a rest over top of Gunner’s. His other hand finds a home nestled between my thighs.

  Two firm, warm bodies pressed against mine, holding me, protecting me — all at once, I’m turned on and ready for action and yet, at the same time, ready to fall asleep in this embrace, feeling like I’m being snuggled by two teddy bears.

  Gunner lifts a finger from my shoulder to Jax’s chin, giving his new beard a rub. “I like this, too. Don’t let Jude convince you to shave it off.”

  “Not as long as Emma likes it,” he responds.

  I really do like it. “I want you to grow it down to your belt buckle.”

  He raises his eyebrows with amusement. “That might take a while.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I say with a smile.

  The way Jax is looking at me, our casual business meeting is going to switch gears sooner than later, but I want to linger here between them a bit longer, so I divert. “Hey, question. Who brought the invitation to my apartment?”

  “What invitation?” Gunner asks. “To the Gala?”

  “Yeah, that one,” I nod.

  “That was me,” Jax admits. “It was nice to finally be so close to the illustrious Emma Collins.”

  I raise an eyebrow playfully. “Finally? Were you stalking me?”

  There’s a devilish tinkle in his eye as he answers me. “In a way. All us guys had had our eye on you for some time. Admiring from afar, I guess you could say. Your work, that is. Though I can say now that you have many other assets I enjoy admiring.”

  As his hand slides further up my thigh, I catch a grin forming on Gunner’s lips. I narrow my eyes at him. “Hey. If you were all keeping an eye on me, does that mean you knew who I was in the coat closet at the conference?”

  “Well, I’d read all of the papers you’d published, and of course, I kept hearing your name whispered about in various tech circles, but I’d never actually seen a picture, so no, I didn’t know,” he admits.

  “I can confirm this,” Jax says. “Learning who you were at the Gala pretty much blew him away. It’s all he talked about for days.”

  “But hey, doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have done the same thing even if I had known,” Gunner says with a shrug. “I lose control when you’re around. I don’t think knowing your name that day would have changed that.” He puts down his beer and turns into me, his fingers still cold from the bottle as he lifts my shirt to graze a light touch across my stomach.

  Jax leans in close, tempting me with those delicious lips. “We all knew you had something special, but if we’d known just how special…” He brushes his lips over mine teasingly, making me breathe out a quiet moan. “…we would have made our move much sooner. To think I went without this for so long.”

  19

  Trigg

  When I mentioned to Emma that I needed ingredients for new protein shakes, she volunteered to come with me. I should have known it wouldn’t be a quick stop. Daniel came along, too, and we ended up leaving the store with enough bags to load all three of us down as we make our way into the house and head to the kitchen.

  She gets right to it, opening up the recipe app she invented, and sorting the groceries out according to the meal plan she made. I think I’m seeing how her two passions — cooking and co
ding — fit together.

  In a way, there’s a certain code to a good recipe. It isn’t just a matter of having all the ingredients in the same bowl. There’s a science to when or even how ingredients are added. I could screw a recipe up if I add melted butter instead of cold butter. I’ve never cracked an egg in the middle of a well of flour before I met Emma.

  These days, I can’t wait to spend time in the kitchen with her, eager to see what else she’ll teach me. I never could have been convinced that I’d enjoy doing anything other than mixing things in a blender, but cooking with Emma is becoming one of my favorite pastimes.

  Daniel slides his paper bags onto the countertop alongside mine and begins to help unpack. “I may actually start drinking some of these protein shakes if the new recipes turn out as good as they look.”

  I stash two gallons of milk in the fridge. “What are you saying? The ones I make now aren’t any good?” I squint at the man and point an accusing finger. “You don’t get to play in the kitchen if you’re going to have that kind of attitude, Mister.”

  Daniel places an offended hand to his chest. “I thought you always wanted me to be honest with you. Those shakes taste like chalk, man.”

  “Boys.” Emma unloads one banana bunch after the other in varying states of ripeness until they’re heaped on the countertop. “We’re turning over a new stone with the shakes, okay? We’re going gourmet smoothies or bust. Did you get Gunner’s protein mix powder?”

  I shake my head. “Didn’t need to — he has a big container of it stashed in the cabinet above the microwave.”

  Emma stretches for the high cabinet and barely gets a thumb to creak the door open. Daniel leaves his unpacking and goes to retrieve the container for her. He eyes it dubiously before handing it to her. “They’re going to have to be pretty damn gourmet to get the taste of this stuff to disappear.”

  Removing the plastic lid, Emma takes a sniff, and her nose wrinkles. “We can do it. These will be so good, you’ll want to lick the glass clean.”

  Holy shit, why the hell does it turn me on? Everything about this woman. “Oh, really? Care to test that theory?”

  Daniel gets a crooked grin on his face and makes his way back to the bags on the counter. He reaches inside and retrieves a carton of ripe strawberries. “Remember these?”

  If I hadn’t known that the question was directed toward Emma, it would be evident in that sexy smile she gives him. I can only imagine what that’s about, but no doubt strawberries are a little thing between them.

  Emma tucks her bottom lip into her teeth in a bashful motion, but her eyes are alight. “Well, they’ll be going in the blender this time.”

  Eyeing all of the ingredients on the countertop, I get an idea. “Emma, I don’t think I’ve ever tasted half the stuff you picked out. Do you really know how well all of these flavors go together?”

  “Of course. Like, take these two, for example.” She holds up a jar of virgin coconut oil and a bar of dark cocoa. “This right here? It’s a match made in heaven. The coconut oil can be tricky because it’s solid at cold temperatures, but I have a trick to get it blended just right. This is my thing. Just you wait.”

  “I think I want a demonstration of your prowess, first,” I say.

  Emma’s eyebrows raise. “My prowess, huh?”

  “I concur,” Daniel says. “Let’s see exactly how well you really know these ingredients.”

  Emma’s eyebrows are furrowed now, eyeing us suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

  Daniel and I exchange a look before I reply, and I know he has the same idea I do. “A little taste test,” I suggest.

  She scoffs. “Really? You think that’s a challenge, for me?” Emma crosses her arms, unimpressed. “Bring it on.”

  I nod, lifting my hand in Daniel’s direction. “Tie, please.”

  Daniel is smiling as he loosens the knot of his tie and lifts the loop over his head. I slide the knot free and direct Emma to turn her back to us. She does so, tentative but trusting, and I fasten the soft silk around her eyes, tying the ends in a knot behind her head. Guiding her with my hands, I turn her once more so she’s facing us then back her up a step to place her ass against the counter so she has her bearings.

  I look to Daniel. “First offering?”

  “Let’s make this an easy one,” he says.

  “It’s all going to be easy. You guys should just give up now,” Emma says, an amused curve to her lips.

  I get a knife out so I can begin cutting up some of the fruits and other test subjects on the countertop as Daniel approaches with one of the bright red strawberries.

  He presses the tip against her lips, then pulls it away. She chases it with her tongue, and Daniel plays with her for a moment more, his eyes fixated on her mouth. Just watching him tease her is sexy as hell.

  I pause in slicing open a fresh pineapple to watch her lips wrap around the red fruit and how the corners of her mouth turn up as she bites in. Daniel leans into her body a few seconds later and licks the strawberry juice from the corner of her lips then goes in for a long, lingering kiss.

  “That is a very ripe strawberry,” Emma says when he pulls away. That sexy little smile stays on her lips as she responds to him.

  I need to get in on this. I try to evaluate between a mango, the pineapple, and the avocado. I want something sticky. I give Emma and Daniel a moment, but it’s hard to keep my eyes off them as I peel a section of the tropical fruit. Daniel’s body is completely against hers now, his hands on either side of the countertop as he dives in for a deeper kiss. My cock is stirring at the sights and sounds coming from the two of them.

  Slicing a nice piece of yellow flesh from the fruit, I move toward them, and Daniel gives way. Emma’s lips are still parted from the kiss she shared with him, red with arousal — so fucking inviting that it takes some serious willpower not to just dive straight in for a kiss.

  Instead, I place the mango near her lips, and her nose wiggles as she takes in the scent. I bring it close enough to brush against her upper lip, and she tilts her chin to get a bite, but I pull away, leaving her wanting. She holds still as I bring the fruit back to her mouth and slide it along her bottom lip this time. When I take the mango away, she licks her lip slowly, and I swear she knows it’s driving me wild.

  I move in for a taste of my own. There is a hint of sweet juice on her lips, but I only ghost a kiss before I draw away again. This time when I offer the fruit, I let her take a bite.

  She licks those beautiful lips again as she swallows, and I watch with rapt attention the way her neck moves. She gives an mmm of approval. “Mango,” she says with a cocky smile. “If you enjoy losing, then please, do continue.”

  Daniel is sizing up a nectarine and a peach, cutting away the skins. “I don’t think she can tell the difference between these two without the outside textures,” he tells me.

  Emma lets out a self-assured snort, and a smirk comes over her face. “It’s peaches and nectarines, isn’t it?”

  Daniel stops cutting up the fruit and stares at her. “I think we’re making this a little too easy on her.” He rounds to Emma with a slice of each fruit in his hand. “Open up.”

  A smile still on her lips, Emma opens and pulls the citrus slice into her mouth. It’s barely past her lips before she says, “That one’s the peach.”

  Daniel tosses his hands up and rolls his eyes at the heavens in exasperation. “They literally grow on the same trees. How could you know?”

  “I think you’re right, Daniel. We’re going about this all wrong. Emma knows what all this stuff is — we don’t. Maybe this should be our taste test, instead.” I pick up the big tub of pomegranate flavored Greek yogurt, pulling off the lid and the tinfoil underneath. “For example, I’ve never had this stuff before.”

  Grabbing a spoon from the silverware drawer, I give it a stir and then lift a spoonful out — hovering it directly over the tempting area of skin where Emma’s neck and shoulder disappears under her shirt. I give Daniel
a look, and it’s quite obvious that he is approving of my new angle on the game. I tip the spoon, letting the semisolid liquid dribble over her skin.

  Emma startles with a squeal then laughs. “Tell me you did not just dump yogurt all over me.”

  “Not all over you, just right here,” I say unapologetically.

  I press my body against hers, pinning her to the countertop. I lick at the yogurt and her skin, sighing my satisfaction at the taste. In response, Emma tilts her neck to expose more of her skin and let me complete my sampling. I trail down her neck and onto her shoulder, sucking and licking as I go. Never would’ve thought yogurt would give me a hard-on, but I lightly thrust against her pelvis, and Emma’s hands rise up to my hips, encouraging me to continue. A sigh parts her lips as I clean the last of my sample from her skin.

  “That was delicious. I don’t think I can go back to just regular yogurt now.”

  Her fingers rise up to check the neck of her shirt. “You got your snack all over my clothes.”

  “Shame,” Daniel says with a playful sigh. “Better get that shirt to the laundry. Don’t want it to stain.”

  I wag a finger at him in agreement. “Good point, Daniel. Always the thinker. Hands up, babe. Let’s get this thing off.”

  Emma lifts her hands above her head, and I grasp the hem of her shirt, lifting it in one swoop. Shirt gone, I get an enticing view of the pretty shade of pink spreading a blush across the swell of her breasts. With those beauties displayed to me, I search the countertop for something else to lick off of her supple body.

  Daniel opens a tub of mascarpone, lifting it to his nose for a sniff as he pats the countertop with his other hand. He doesn’t have to say it, I know exactly what he’s going after.

  I check to make sure her blindfold is still securely in place, then I dip low, placing my palms on both sides of Emma’s hips and lift. She lets out another beautiful little squeal which ends in delighted laughter as I carry her to the little breakfast nook and place her rear end on the table. With a hand between her breasts, I direct her to lay back against the surface.