by Rhian Cahill
Lunch wasn’t as uncomfortable as Piper thought it would be. They talked about everything from work, to sports, to movies, to favorite authors. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun with her closest friends, never mind a couple of guys she hardly knew. When they’d eaten the last bite, they continued to talk, and before she knew it nearly two hours had gone by.
“Jeez, look at the time.” She stacked dirty plates. “We should clean up and get back to work.”
Piper took her pile to the kitchen, separated from the open living-dining area by a long L-shaped counter. On the kitchen side, the island held the sink and prep area, and on the other side, a long counter with six stools formed a breakfast bar. She could imagine sitting there with a morning coffee watching the sunrise over the ocean. Pip sighed. The water view certainly beat the brick wall she could see through the one poky window in her kitchen. Although the stove, sink, and single cupboard at her place couldn’t really be called a kitchen.
Nate and Sam came over with the rest of the dishes, and together they scraped, rinsed, and stacked them in the dishwasher. In no time they had everything put away, wiped down, and the dishwasher humming through the first cycle. Satisfied they’d cleaned up properly, Piper turned to look at the view one more time before getting back to work. It really was the most gorgeous sight. The sun sparkled on the water, and while the mass of blue was calm, there were enough ripples in the surface to make the light dance like diamonds scattered on blue satin.
“That has to be one of the best views in Sydney.”
“We like it. It’s one of the reasons we bought the house and renovated it,” Sam said.
“It’s just as spectacular in winter, especially when a thunderstorm rolls in,” Nate added.
Piper could imagine the slashes of lightning, the rolling waves, and the rain pouring down. Yes, she could totally understand the thrill of watching nature’s fury as much as the calm beauty before her now. But she had to pull herself away from the window and get back to work. Most of the new site was up, but she hadn’t pulled the old down yet, and she wanted to play a bit more with the shopping cart to make sure she’d eliminated any bugs in the purchasing process.
“Enough slacking—your site won’t finish itself.”
She turned and slammed straight into a wall of hard muscle. Air rushed from her lungs at the impact, warmth surrounded her, enclosed her in a fiery grip that sucked every last atom of oxygen from her body. Strong arms banded around her, and Piper went soft and melted like chocolate on a hot summer day. She leaned in, pressed her breasts against the solid chest, and moaned.
“Piper.”
Her name, whispered against her ear, flowed over her. Like warm honey, it coated her skin and sent heat bursting through her veins, teasing every nerve ending. A shiver started in her curled toes and traveled up. Up, up, up, striking at sensitive places with a rush of arousal and need. Desire and want like none she’d known tore open the cage of restraint. She pressed closer, ran her hands over cloth-covered muscles that shuddered beneath her touch. An answering tremor vibrated down her spine.
Hands curled around her ribs, pushed between them, and cupped her breasts as delicious heat covered her back. Piper arched, thrusting her tender mounds and taut nipples into waiting fingers. Lips skimmed her jaw, teeth nipping at her skin. She moved her head to the side at the nudge of a nose and was treated to delicate licks and sucks along the column of her throat.
“So responsive.”
“So sweet.”
It took a moment for the twin comments murmured against her jaw and neck to register, but when they did, shock bloomed and panic erupted. Piper broke away, jumped from the embrace Nate and Sam held her in. Harsh breaths burned in her chest, scored at her throat, as she stared at the two men before her. How could she have allowed them to touch her like that? To stand between them as though it were the only place she should be?
“Oh God.” Piper brought her hands up to cover her face. She had no excuse for what she’d done, no explanation. Heat seared her face as embarrassment at her behavior flooded her, doing its best to drown the arousal still swimming in her blood. But nothing short of a tidal wave could douse the flames blazing inside her core. Pip spun on her heel, ready to bolt for the door, but she hadn’t taken two steps when she found herself once again caught between two hot male bodies.
Gasping and trembling, she buried her face against Nate’s soft cotton shirt and prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Why was there never a good sinkhole when you needed one? And why think about stupid holes in the ground when she was trapped between two of the most gorgeous men she’d ever met? Had she gone mad?
With a sigh, Piper realized she should pull away, but thinking and doing were two different things, and arguing with herself about doing it didn’t help. Her body wanted to stay right there, but her brain that kept screaming this is wrong had her trying to tug from their embrace.
“Please, let me go.”
“On one condition. No running.” Nate wasn’t about to let her go completely. She’d been with them in the beginning, but something spooked her and she’d bolted. Now they just had to identify the problem and make it go away.
He held still, waited for her to answer, and hoped to hell he wouldn’t need to tie her to a chair to keep her here. There were more interesting places to tie her up if it came to that. Nate chanced a quick glance at Sam. They’d sandwiched her between them, each gripping a handful of the other’s shirt, effectively caging her with their arms. When she mumbled against his chest, he felt her lips move and her breath burned through his shirt to his skin. The heat shot fire through his veins and hardened his cock further. She couldn’t miss the erection pressing into her belly.
“What did you say?” Sam asked.
Piper raised her head enough to make the words audible. “Okay.”
His gaze connected with Sam’s. Together they released their grip and stepped back. She stood with her head down, and her chest rose and fell with the labored breaths she dragged in. Nate wanted to reach out and soothe her, tell her everything would be all right, but he knew if he touched her again, he’d not be letting go until he’d buried himself inside her a dozen times and slaked the savage lust riding his backbone.
“Why don’t we go into the lounge and sit down?” Nate didn’t wait for either of them to agree. He turned and headed over to his recliner, figuring he’d keep his distance. For now.
When he turned to sit in his chair, he saw Sam had followed him. Piper still stood near the window, a good thirty feet away, but she hadn’t run yet, so that was a start. He got comfortable and waited. His patience would only go so far, but he knew in his gut he needed to pull on that virtue for all he was worth. He felt as though the woman across the room held his future happiness in her hands. The fact she didn’t have a clue gave him mild relief, but everything rode on the next few minutes.
He watched her closely, concentrated on the small movements of her body. Her breathing eased and the hands at her sides unclenched. Those breasts he so wanted to get his hands on rose with a deep, indrawn breath. Then she lifted her head, and shoulders back, walked in their direction. She perched her cute arse on the very edge of the couch, poised for a quick getaway, no doubt. But there wouldn’t be one. Nate had no intention of letting her get away from them. Not after she’d gone pliant in his arms.
“Let’s lay it out on the table, no games.” Nate looked at Sam. “We’ve watched you for weeks.”
Piper’s gaze snapped to his, big brown eyes wide in shock and her plush, pink lips parted.
“Yeah, we’ve seen you. This morning we decided to approach you tomorrow, except here you are on our doorstep today.”
“Best thing I ever opened the door for.” Sam said. “And then, when you fell into my arms…well, who could ask for more?”
Nate kept a close eye on her. Observed all the telltale signs her body gave off. If he wasn’t mistaken, Sam’s words pleased her.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything until we’re finished. Just listen.” At her nod, Nate continued. “We want you.”
She sucked in a breath and those lovely breasts thrust forward. He couldn’t miss the hard nipples pushing against her blouse.
“Together,” Sam added.
Her breathing hitched and she squirmed in her seat. With her gaze darting from one to the other, Nate decided to up the ante.
“We want you in our bed, Piper. We’ve wanted you for weeks. Neither of us has touched another woman since laying eyes on you.”
“You got under our skin long before we knew your name.” Sam moved forward in his chair. “We want to see where this could go.”
“But…”
Nate leaned forward in his seat. “Don’t deny you feel it, Piper. This thing between us has sizzled in the room all morning.”
When she pushed to her feet, Nate and Sam instantly came to theirs. Stepped closer. They left nowhere for her to go; the couch rested at the back of her legs and they stood in front of her.
“I didn’t—”
Nate placed a finger over her lips. “Don’t lie, Piper.” Moist air bathed his skin. “Don’t do that to us, or yourself.”
“We know you feel it too.” Sam brushed his fingers along her cheek, up around her ear, and down along her jaw. She shivered.
“I don’t—”
He trailed his finger back and forth over her bottom lip. “Yes, you do.” His fingertips caressed her feathery eyelashes. “It’s in the way your eyes go as dark as night.” Nate brought his hand down along her nose. “It’s in the hitch of your breath.” Pressing his fingers to the pulse beating in the hollow of her throat, he said, “It’s in the pounding of your heart.” He grazed his nails lower, into the shadowy depths of her cleavage. “And it’s in the quiver running beneath your skin when we touch you.”
A shudder rippled through her and she leaned into their caresses. Sam cupped her right breast as Nate weighed her left one in the palm of his hand. Her breath caught in her chest and the tight nipple drew up bullet-hard against his flesh. Nate smiled. He found her the most responsive woman he’d ever had the pleasure of touching, and he planned to do plenty of touching during their seduction of Piper.
Chapter Four
Sam’s hand trembled as he held Piper’s supple flesh. The warm, rounded underslope of her breast sat snug in his palm as if they’d been made for each other. He pinched the protruding nipple with thumb and forefinger, tweaked and twisted until the bud grew hard as granite and a whimper tripped off her tongue. The need to taste her sliced into him. First he’d sample her mouth and then every other inch of her luscious body. With deliberate slowness, he eased forward, brought their lips together in the barest of touches.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Nate drop his head to her left breast. The second his friend’s lips wrapped around her shirt-covered nipple, she gasped, and Sam dove deep. He stabbed his tongue between her parted lips and invaded her mouth. Moist heat laced with spice greeted him. Dark recesses had no defense against his assault. Sam stroked and nipped, teasing them both until urgency took hold, dragged them deeper into the carnal delight of their kiss.
Piper gave and took in equal measure. Her tongue tangled with his; her teeth scraped and those plump lips widened to draw him further in. He was lost. She surrounded him, filled him, pulled him in with moans and gasps. Sam felt Nate’s mouth next to his; moving aside slightly, he let his friend in. Three mouths meshed, three tongues dueled. For seconds he let himself slide down the slippery slope into bliss before it was snatched out from under him.
She pulled herself from their embrace. Panting for breath, Piper climbed over the couch and away from them.
“What the hell?” Nate moved toward her, but she scrambled out of reach, putting the large piece of furniture between them.
Sam stilled his friend with a hand on his shoulder. Putting the brakes on the lust ripping through his body proved difficult, but he knew he had to take a step back or Piper would run out the door, not just to the other side of the room. For long moments, the three of them stared at each other, the combined rasp of their fractured breaths the only sound in the room. With a small measure of fear, Sam stepped back and took his seat once more. Nate followed his lead, and he hoped their retreat would allow her to relax enough to talk to them. He’d known this would be a tricky situation to begin with, and after what had just happened, they would need to tread lightly.
Sam watched Piper. Her breathing and the trembling fingers covering her mouth told him she was just as stirred up as they were. Would she do something about it or walk away?
She eyed them both for a considerable amount of time, minutes that dragged over his nerves like a rusty nail. Finally, she moved around the couch to perch on the edge of the leather seat, ready to bolt at any moment.
“You kissed me.” The words were muffled behind her hand.
“Yes, we did,” Sam agreed.
“You both kissed me.”
He couldn’t help himself; he grinned. “Yes, we certainly did.”
“Together.” Her voice wobbled, whether from excitement, fear, or disgust he aimed to find out.
“We told you we both wanted you,” Nate added.
Piper nodded. “But you kissed each other.”
The astonishment in her words couldn’t be missed, but Sam thought she appeared shocked by their actions, not disgusted. He glanced at Nate, and at his nod, took the lead on explaining their complex relationship.
“We don’t do it often—”
“You’re gay?”
Nate let out a snort, and Sam couldn’t hold back his own chuckle. “Piper, we had our hands on you, our mouths on you. Christ, our tongues were down your throat, and we’ve both got boners we could use for hammers. Does that sound like we’re gay?”
“But…but…you kissed each other.”
“We’ve done more than kiss,” Nate murmured, and Sam silenced him with a look. One step at a time.
“We were kissing you. Together. We thought we were giving you pleasure. I know you liked it before your brain decided to throw up a road block.”
She nodded but didn’t speak.
He took a deep breath. “Nate and I sometimes share the woman we’re seeing, although not always, and we’ve never both wanted the same woman to the degree we want you.”
“I got that part, but you kissed each other.”
“While kissing you, Piper.” Nate fidgeted in the seat and Sam recognized his friends growing frustration.
“Look, it’s hard to explain the dynamics of our relationship. We’re best mates, have been for years, and at some point we stepped over a line into a deeper connection, first by sharing a woman and then by being with each other. But we’re not satisfied with just each other; that’s not all we need, and what we have isn’t like what we have with a woman.” Sam shook his head. “I’m not making this very clear.”
“What Sam and I share is rougher, more driven than what we’d share with you. It allows all the parts of our personalities to be satisfied. I don’t think you can fully understand it without experiencing it.”
Piper looked at Nate. “So you’re not gay. Bisexual then?”
Sam laughed. “Nope, no desire to be with any other guy but him.” He hooked his thumb in Nate’s direction. “Do we have to label what we are?”
She looked down at her hands. They were twisting in her lap, her knuckles turning white. “No, I guess not, but it’s a habit I have. I like to put things in the right place, and you can’t do that without knowing what it is to begin with.”
“Okay, so put this in the pleasure box.” Nate leaned forward. “Label it pleasure and just enjoy it.”
“Enjoy it?”
“Yes. Enjoy it with us.” Sam indicated both of them. “Let us show you how good it can be. You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, we won’t push you or make you do anything you don’t want
to, and it’ll all be about pleasure.”
“I don’t know.” She wrung her hands tighter. “I’ve never done anything…”
When she didn’t continue, Sam had a horrible thought, but before he could voice it, Nate almost fell out of his chair.
“You’re a virgin?”
“What? No!” Pip stared at Nate; heat flared in her cheeks and she quickly ducked her head again.
“Then what did you mean, ‘you’ve never done anything?’” Sam asked.
Her face flamed hotter. “I’ve had sex.” She swallowed over her dry throat and mumbled, “Just not much of it.”
Living her whole life in the same small town with three older brothers didn’t exactly lend itself to freedom of any kind. It was hard enough to date without everyone knowing about it, never mind actually having sex with a date.
“How old are you, Piper? Twenty-one, twenty-two?”
Piper’s head snapped up, her gaze locked on Sam’s. “Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight next month.” Her hackles rose at his skeptical look. “I can show you my driver’s license if you want proof.”
“No, that’s okay, I believe you. But to be honest I thought twenty-one was pushing it. I’d started to feel like a dirty old man.” He laughed.
She understood where he came from. Looking years younger than her age had always been a pain in the arse. Depending on what she wore, she still looked like a teenager, so her family treated her like one. She’d moved to Sydney to get away from the people who spent way too much time smothering her for her own good. The move had been about making her own choices and experiencing life how she wanted to, not how someone else said she should want to.
“So how many times have you had sex?” Nate asked. He’d been quiet since his last question.
“Umm…” Piper didn’t want these two sexy men knowing how few times she’d had sex. Crap, they’d definitely change their mind about wanting her if they knew, and she wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass her by. Two hot, gorgeous men wanted her in their bed. She could only imagine the things they could show her—do to her, with her. Moisture soaked her panties as her pussy clenched. She wasn’t a complete stranger to pleasure. Granted, most of what she knew she’d learned on her own, but still, she’d had orgasms.