by Rhian Cahill
Standing tall, she gripped her portfolio in one hand, her palm sweating around the leather strap. Piper took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now or never. Reaching out, she pushed the intercom button and heard the musical doorbell echo behind those smooth glass panels. She tried not to fidget, but her feet shuffled on the tile stoop anyway. Her breathing came in short, shallow bursts and Pip wondered if she might hyperventilate right there at the door.
She needn’t have been concerned—her shortness of breath was nothing compared to the complete lack of it when the doors swung open to reveal none other than her golden Bondi Beach Boy. She stared at him, her mouth gaping open, and thought perhaps she was dreaming. Maybe she’d fallen asleep on her lumpy, second-hand couch at home and hadn’t even left for her business meeting yet. Spellbound, she could only look. Her eyes felt huge, and she could feel them drying up as her lids refused to drop.
They stood there, held in some kind of trance, his facial expression reminding her of when one of her brothers had punched another in the stomach.
“Melted chocolate.”
His words made no sense. “What?”
“The color of your eyes. Soft and warm, like melted Cadbury chocolate.”
“Excuse me?” Piper struggled to follow the conversation, if that’s what it could be called.
“Sam, what the hell are you…”
And there he is, Beach Boy number two.
What little air had been left in her lungs was sucked out. Standing in front of her were both her Bondi Beach Boys. From a distance, they were gorgeous. Up close they were devastating. Her body tingled and her vision had sparkly little stars dancing around. Passing out on their front step suddenly seemed a definite possibility. She swayed forward, but before she face planted on the tile beneath her feet, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and dragged her into the house.
“Christ!”
“Get her inside. It’s too damn hot out there.”
“Are you alright?”
“Bring her into the office. I’ll grab some water.”
Piper heard the doors close behind her with a whoosh, heard the words of concern, but couldn’t decipher them. Her heart thudded against her ribs and the beat of her blood pounded in her ears, each thump a solid whack to her nervous system. She’d never fainted in her life and couldn’t believe she was going to do it now when she’d come to pitch a job. Golden Boy slid an arm around her back and his other behind her knees. A squeak of protest left her throat as he hoisted her against his hard chest and walked deeper into the house.
Giving in to the comforting warmth of the arms surrounding her, she rested her head on his shoulder and let him carry her away. Her eyelids drifted down, and Piper thought it ironic that now they worked when she wanted desperately to see everything around her. He placed her in a butter-soft leather chair, the cushion under her butt cupping her curves in its supple grip. One of them pushed a glass of water in front of her face and pried her portfolio bag from her hand. Someone wiggled Piper’s purse, still draped over her shoulder, out of the way too.
“Drink some water.”
She raised her eyelids and stared at the man crouched at her feet, his dark hair standing at odd angles like he’d run his fingers through it a few times. Her palms itched to reach out and smooth down the chaotic spikes. Instead she reached for the glass and brought the cold rim to her lips. Icy water splashed into her mouth and down over her chin and fingers as her hand trembled.
“Here, let me help.”
Dark, thick fingers covered hers, held the glass to her lips, and tipped it up. As the soothing liquid flowed over her tongue, it sent a shiver down her spine. She took small sips, even though she wanted to guzzle every last drop in an attempt to douse the fire blazing inside her. Piper used the time to settle her nerves, to bring her breath and heart back under control, and to brush away some of the fog in her mind. When she’d consumed half the contents, she pushed the drink away, his hand still wrapped around hers. With a sigh she leaned back into the chair.
“Feeling better?”
Piper blinked. She licked her lips and tried to form a word, but her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and the word wouldn’t come out, so she nodded instead.
As Piper’s faculties started to work again, she kept looking between them. This close, they were even more handsome. The blond’s eyes were as blue as the summer sky. Pip wanted to stare into them forever, but she dragged her gaze to the dark god still holding her drink and studied his face. The curve of his jaw was sprinkled with black stubble—he’d obviously skipped shaving. Eyes black as coal stared back at her, and she wanted to squirm in her seat under his heated gaze but somehow managed to stay still. She lowered her eyes, and for the first time since the door had opened, Piper saw the logo on their matching shirts.
“You’re S & N Construction?” Oh my God! It can’t be. Why did the world have to be so cruel? There was no way she could do anything about her attraction to either of them if they were clients.
“And you’re P. Doyle.” The blond pointed to her portfolio with its embossed gold letters, a gift from her parents when she’d left home the previous autumn.
“Piper Doyle,” she answered, even though it hadn’t really been a question.
The dark one extended his right hand. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Piper. I’m Nathan, but everyone calls me Nate.”
“And I’m Sam.”
Piper didn’t know which hand to shake first. She chose Nate’s hand only because he’d offered first. As his warm skin connected with hers, Pip jolted with a shock of awareness. A sizzle zipped up her arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake. Pulling her hand from his, she held her breath and took Sam’s. Again she received a zap when their flesh touched. These two men had her buzzing with arousal, and she could do nothing but grin and bear it. With a sigh, she let go.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” In an attempt to regain some dignity and push her wayward hormones out of the way, Piper sucked in a deep breath and straightened in her chair. “I apologize for my…” She struggled to find the right words.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Nate said. “It’s one hell of a day out there; even the devil himself would find it hard to keep his feet under him in these temperatures.”
“Well, I’d still like to start this meeting over again, with a little more professionalism this time.”
“If this is what you’ve worked up for our website, you could turn up in a clown suit and still get the job.”
Piper looked up to find Sam leafing through the file of prints she’d put together of the design for S & N Construction. Nate stood and stepped over beside Sam. They flipped from page to page, pointing at parts they liked. The knot in her stomach eased as the two men appraised her work with smiles. Pip pushed to her feet and brushed her clothes straight before picking up her bag and pulling out her laptop.
Placing the computer on the large table to her left, Pip switched it on before turning back to the two men still studying her work. Confidence flowed through her, making her tense muscles loosen and enthusiasm grow. She stepped over to take the folder from Sam’s hands.
“If you’ll please sit down, I’ll run through the demonstration of your site so you’ll be able to see how it will work once it’s live on your server.”
“And you’re able to take care of all that? The changeover?” Nate asked.
“Yes, once you give me the go-ahead, I’ll change to the new design and maintain the site from then on.”
Adrenaline pumped through her; the usual thrill of showing a client a new design had an extra edge this morning. Her attraction to the two men drove the normal desire to do a good job higher, amplified it. Piper slipped into work mode and demonstrated the online shop she’d created especially for them. Their business was unique, and therefore the way customers came to them would be too. Lost in the world of her own creation, she didn’t notice the time, but couldn’t help but notice the two men whose attention she h
eld.
Their warmth surrounded her. Their scent filled her—fresh soap and man. Encircled in a cocoon created by Sam and Nate, she should have felt uncomfortable—they were potent, powerful men—but Pip found herself leaning into each of them as they talked about the new design and how long it would take to go live. The excitement of landing the job arced through her. Once they signed the contract, the job was hers. Emotions buffeted her, tightening her chest and making it hard to catch her breath. Stepping back, she watched as first Sam, and then Nate signed the legal papers that would seal the deal.
Her fingers cramped around the pen Nate passed her. Slick palms and shaking fingers made it difficult to add her signature to theirs. Piper took a deep breath and put pen to paper.
Sam watched Piper place her mark on the contract that tied them all together. Not the kind of relationship he had in mind, but a start. Her hand paused as the final stroke of ink brushed paper, and it was as though the world held its breath. As she lifted the pen, a rush of air left his lungs, and the tension winding his insides loosened. He didn’t normally mix business with pleasure. Then again he’d never been tempted by anyone he’d done business with. Besides, they’d seen her outside of the work environment first.
Weeks of watching her as she sat at the beachfront café had slowly boiled his blood until the need to know her in every way possible had slashed his insides like a razor blade. Having an excuse to see her, talk to her, only made his plan easier to execute. Sam would work closely with her to get the new site up and running, all the while he’d woo her—they’d woo her—seduce her until her need matched theirs. By the time she fell into bed with him and Nate, she’d believe it was her idea.
“How soon can you get started?” Sam asked.
She looked up from shuffling papers. “Today, if that suits you both.”
“The sooner the better,” Nate said.
Sam glanced at his watch. “What about we get some lunch, then get started?”
“That’s okay, I’ll grab something on the way home and begin working straight away. Should have it done before the day is over.”
“Home?”
“Yes. I work from home. I’ll just need the access codes and backend information before I go.”
“Go?”
Why were her words not making any sense? Sam couldn’t get past the fact she intended to leave. She couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not ever. Whoa. Where had that thought come from? Sure, he wanted her in his bed, but forever?
“Is there a problem?” Piper asked.
Nate articulated what Sam couldn’t. “I think we’re just a little confused. You aren’t going to work here, in the office?”
“Well, no, I didn’t think I would be, but if you’d prefer it that way, I—”
“Yes. We’d prefer you stay here.” The words rushed from Sam’s mouth.
She took a step back with a wary expression on her face, and he realized he sounded like a lunatic. He dragged in a deep breath and reined himself in. Before he could remove his foot from his mouth and redeem himself, Nate came to the rescue.
“If that would be okay with you, Piper, we’d like you to work here for the initial set up. We’re so used to running the whole show ourselves, we’re finding it hard to let go of even the smallest part of the business.” Nate flashed his lady-killer smile, the one that made women drop their panties, or at least agree to whatever he’d suggested.
“Oh, of course.” She visibly relaxed. “I know how it is when you’ve worked hard to build something from nothing.”
Sam breathed easier and finally managed to put his brain and mouth in the same gear. “Sorry.” He tried for a sheepish smile, prayed he’d pulled it off. “Until recently, we controlled every aspect of the company, but as we’ve grown that’s proven harder, and it would be stupid to continue working that way.”
Piper smiled and Sam felt it all the way down to his toes. The urge to kiss the curve of her plush lips knifed through him. He clenched his fists, his jaw. She turned to gather the rest of her papers, and he closed his eyes and pulled in a lungful of air. Air tinted with the smell of her. Sunshine and vanilla. The scent brought to mind summer and ice cream. Sam wanted to lick her like ice cream. Swipe his tongue along the column of her neck, the slope of her shoulder, the rise of her breast. Blood pounded in his veins, rushed into his cock.
He opened his eyes and turned, angled his body so she wouldn’t see the erection straining to break free of the front of his pants. It had only been a few hours since he’d found relief, and still she had him fully erect with just the curl of her mouth, the scent of her skin. Sam needed to either throw her over the table and fuck her senseless or get out of the room. He chose to leave the room.
“I’ll go clear some space in the office. Get that information that you need.” He strode from the room, but not before taking one last look over his shoulder at the minx who had his insides churning like a vat of molten steel.
Chapter Three
Nate watched Sam leave. He’d never seen his friend so out of control. Sam had always been the more polished of the two. To see him in such a state of agitation over Piper gave Nate reason to worry, but he didn’t have time for that. They needed to get her settled and working on their website. He turned to her and offered a smile.
“Here, I’ll take that.” He reached for her bag. “Follow me, and we’ll have you set up in the office in no time.”
He didn’t give her time to argue, just headed out of the conference room and across the hall, where Sam had already taken a seat behind his big desk. The T-shaped surface held Sam’s workstation and the computer they used to work on their website. Nate motioned with his hand for Piper to take a seat, and he put her bag on the table across from his friend.
“This computer is reserved exclusively for the website. It’s state of the art and has all the information you need saved on the hard drive.”
She paused in the motion of sitting, suspended midair, and her head jerked in Nate’s direction. “You keep your passwords saved on the computer?”
“Yeah, is that a problem?”
“Of course it is.” She sank the rest of the way into the chair he’d pulled out for her. “You should never leave something like that where anyone can access it.”
Nate laughed. “Only Sam and I have access to the office. I doubt there’s any danger of the passwords getting into the wrong hands.”
“But—”
“We have the best alarm system on the market, and as this is also our home, we’re extra careful about who we let in here,” Sam added.
Piper turned to look at him. “It isn’t just those that have direct access to your computer you need to worry about. While I doubt you’d be the target of a hacker you still should be more careful with these things. You should also change your passwords every month.”
“Well, now that you’ll be looking after that end of the business, you can do whatever you deem necessary to keep us safe.” Sam smiled.
“Why don’t I go see about lunch while you two get sorted?” Nate offered.
“Um…”
“Great idea, I’m starving. There’s lasagna and salad in the fridge—how’s that sound to you, Piper?” Sam asked.
“Don’t go to any trouble—”
“No trouble at all.” Nate placed his hand on her shoulder, felt the heat of her body through the thin layer of cloth. “I’ve got to fix something for us anyway—one more won’t hurt.”
He brushed his fingers along her collarbone as he pulled his hand away and could have sworn she shivered under his touch. Nate directed a look at Sam before leaving them to get started, a look that said don’t screw this thing up or I’ll pound your arse into the ground. Confident that his friend got the message, he headed for the stairs to the second floor and the kitchen.
It took him a good thirty minutes to heat the lasagna, but he used the time wisely and set the table. Normally they ate at their desks, but he wanted to bring Piper into the house, wanted to see her in
their home, see if she fit like Nate thought she would. He thought about opening a bottle of wine, but nixed that idea. Not for their first lunch together, in the middle of a workday. He’d save the wine for dinner. A smile tugged at his mouth. He had no doubt she’d be staying for dinner.
Nate placed the pan on a hot pad on the table and walked over to the intercom. He pushed the button for the office.
“Lunch is ready.”
It took Sam a few seconds to answer, and Nate thought for a split second they’d gotten busy without him, but he soon ruled that out. Sam knew as well as he did that they were in this together. Either they both had Piper or neither of them did, and considering Nate usually got what he wanted, they’d be having her before too much longer.
“On our way.”
Nate filled water glasses. He heard them coming up the stairs as he topped off the last one.
“Oh, my gosh, what a gorgeous view.” Piper walked over to the glass wall that overlooked the ocean.
“Yeah, it’s even better when the doors are open so you can hear the waves hitting the rocks below.”
Nate watched her as she stood in front of the window. Her skirt and blouse did nothing for her figure—both were shapeless and gave no clue to the body hidden beneath. But he’d seen her in shorts and mini-skirts over the past few weeks. He knew she had killer legs under that formless black fabric. And the stark white top covered all of her. Why she would wear long sleeves on a day like today escaped him, but the little tank tops she’d worn while sitting in the cafe had given him more than an idea of her ample chest measurements. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her breasts.