Changing all the Rules

by Fran Lee

  * * * * *

  She bit her lip and hesitated, not wanting to answer the phone. It was Josh—and she had decided not to go meet him tonight. Not after the last two days she’d spent making hot, earth-shaking love to Harry. She couldn’t risk losing what she had barely found after ten long years of making stupid mistakes.

  The man she’d married had come to life as she opened up to his needs and her own. Just last night, Harry had stripped her and dragged her into the shower. He had kissed her senseless, his thick, delicious cock pressed hard into her soft belly as he ran his hands over every inch of skin he could reach.

  She had reached for his cock, planning to enjoy giving him pleasure with her mouth and hands, but he had whispered against her temple that he thought it was about time he returned the favor, and he'd slipped to his knees before her, lifting her so that she was settled astride his powerful shoulders, his mouth pressed to her aching pussy while he had painstakingly given her the most shockingly orgasmic ten minutes of her life!

  She had leaned back into the corner of the tiled shower, her head thrown back against the cool tiles, her hands threaded tightly in his dark hair, her screams of delight egging him on as he fucked her with his strong tongue, sucking her throbbing clit and bringing her to so many shattering orgasms she had lost count.

  Afterward, he had murmured into her hair that he had wanted to try that for a long time. And he did it again as she lay naked on their king-sized bed, her shoulders on the pillows and her legs over his broad shoulders as he sucked and nibbled and tongued her until she begged him to stop before he killed her with sheer pleasure.

  Oh yeah…things had changed. And she knew exactly what had brought the change about. Joshua Barnes had taught her what it was like to give herself, unreservedly, to a man. He had taught her that her body was something that a man could worship…treasure…devour. And he had taught her how to make a man feel just as much pleasure as he gave her. Josh had given her a gift so precious, it would forever change her life, and Harry’s. And now she faced the fear of losing what she had found.

  Josh had been the heady, marvelous catalyst, but she still loved Harry, and didn’t want to chance losing him if he ever found out she’d taken a lover for a night. So she let the phone ring, and when she let it go to voice mail, she figured it would let him know she had changed her mind. But when the phone rang again a minute later, then again and again, she hissed out a curse and answered. Covering the phone with one hand to muffle her voice, she rasped “I can’t come over.”

  Josh’s deep voice grated, “Then I’m coming there.”

  She stiffened. “You can’t! Harry is here. Please—I can’t do this.”

  “I’m on my way.” He hung up, and she gasped and dialed back instantly.

  Josh picked up after one ring. “You coming here, or am I coming there?”

  “Please, Josh, I can’t hurt Harry. I love him too much to hurt him.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  She heard Josh take a deep breath, and then he ground out, “Okay, he’s your husband, and I know that you love him...but does that mean I can’t love you too? Because I do, Hale. I fucking do! I can’t just let this go! Not after Friday night. You want me, too. I know you do, Hale."

  Haley couldn’t get a breath. Dear God! Josh was saying that he…loved her? Shock washed through her. What was she going to do? She was about to answer, when Harry’s quiet voice came from the door behind her.

  “Tell him to come over.”

  Haley turned her gaze to Harry’s handsome face, and she went pale. “Harry, I—”

  Harry shook his head and startled her by smiling slowly. “If that’s the man who gave me my wife back, I want to meet him.”

  She bit her lower lip. “Look, it was only a one-time thing, and it won’t ever happen again, but I desperately…” And then his words kicked in, and her eyes widened in shock. ”What? You mean…you’re not angry about this?” Her voice was a shaky squeak. She stared at him foolishly for a moment, almost losing her hold on the phone. Josh’s deep voice came through the receiver, but she couldn’t focus on his words. She started to lift the phone back to her ear, but Harry reached for the phone, taking it from her numb fingers.

  He drew a deep breath and said quietly, “This is Haley’s husband—Harry Gregory. I know this may sound pretty damn weird, but would you please come over?”

  Haley could hear Josh’s deep voice coming through the phone. “Look, Harry…this wasn’t Haley’s fault. It was all mine. If you have a bone to pick with anyone, let it be with me.”

  She watched tensely in as Harry lifted a calloused hand and ran it through his hair. He sounded amazingly calm about the whole thing. Was this the jealous, dangerous man who had nearly beaten Greg Haworth senseless just for asking her to dance at the Junior Prom? He glanced at her pale face and smiled tightly.

  “Thanks for that, but this isn’t about me being pissed at you or Haley. It’s about what Haley needs. Will you come over?”

  When he handed her back the phone a minute later, Haley took it and stared up at him, shocked—and not a little confused. “Why, Harry? I was never going to see him again. I made my choice. I don’t need another man. I only want you.”

  Her eyes were wide with fear…whether for Josh, for Harry, or for herself, she wasn’t certain. She had seen Harry nearly kill someone in rage. But Josh was bigger, and he might hurt Harry in a fight. And if either one of them got hurt, she would just want to die! She shook her head at that confusing thought. How the hell could she be worried about both men at the same time?

  Harry sank onto the chair opposite hers, and reached out to run one long finger down her cheek to her mouth, watching her flushed face. “Up until last Friday night, I was thinking about asking you for a divorce, Haley.”

  Haley stiffened. He lifted his hand to halt her reply, and shook his head slowly. “But then, some miracle awakened in you the things I didn’t seem to be able to. Brought my beautiful, sexy, hot wife out of her cocoon, let her spread her wings, and let her fly.” He shook his head and drew a shaky breath. “I wondered a bit after that night. I wondered what had happened to change your mind. I guess I realized from the first that it had to have been a man." His eyes looked tortured, and she just wanted to reassure him that she loved him, but he stopped her and continued to speak.

  "My ego felt the blow…but you were suddenly everything I had ever dreamed you would be. You let me inside that shell you’d built around your heart, Hale. And I figured, what the hell? If this is the man who did that, then I owe him. I owe him big time. If you could only imagine how long I waited for you to make love to me like you did that night—even knowing he’d had you first—I knew I would rather share you than lose you.”

  Haley couldn’t believe her ears. She couldn’t believe what Harry was saying to her. She shivered with reaction, and then whispered, “I desperately needed him, Harry, making love to me, doing the things you never wanted to do to me, giving me so much intense…pleasure.” She closed her eyes at the memories. “But when I came home, and saw you getting ready for bed, I knew that I still wanted you. I realized how much I needed you, Harry—you!” She lifted her eyes to his face. "I know that sounds so…wrong! I felt so…guilty! You’re my husband, and I cheated on you. I want Josh…but I want you. What’s wrong with me?" She ran both hands through her hair.

  Harry smiled crookedly at her pained expression. “I know you love me, baby, but I love you just as much, and if this man can give you something I can’t, then I want you to have that.”

  “But—” she started to protest, and his mouth came down hard on hers, cutting off her words, stopping her protest, making her forget her own name. His kiss set her afire. His soft but firm lips teased, nibbled, opened to invite her tongue to invade his heat. And she took his offer, exploring his mouth voraciously as her hands burrowed under his shirt to slip hungrily over his lightly hair-roughened chest. Here he was, telling her had had planned to ask for a divorce, and she was practically
molesting him? She struggled to control her need.

  When he lifted his mouth from hers, he whispered hoarsely, “I’m pretty damn pathetic, baby. I got to the point where I wasn’t even trying. I let a few things you said stop me from wanting you. So I found someone—a temp from the office—and I fucked her a few times.” He shook his head when she started to speak. “I did things with her that I would never do with you. It made me…realize…understand a lot more about what a woman wants. What you wanted. What I wanted from you. After Sheila, I knew that I was doing everything wrong, baby! But by the time I got my head screwed back on, you were moving away from me and I was losing you.” He rubbed his temple with his fingers. “And no, I don’t see her anymore. I haven’t seen her in over a year. But she opened my eyes wide and clear to what women need in bed. I just didn’t think you wanted that. Maybe I should have tried harder. Worked at trying to please the woman I love. But I let my ego and my pride stop me. Well, never again, Hale. Never again.”

  Haley bit her lip and breathed softly, “I was afraid you’d found someone else. I guess I halfway expected it. I had closed you out. And after that, you just stopped asking. And so did I. We both screwed up royally. But now we both have our heads screwed on straight—so what are we gonna do about it?” She gazed at him, and realized that she was almost holding her breath. He pursed his lips and reached for her hand, playing with her fingers as he seemed to be considering her question. When his answer came, she could hardly her ears.

  “He loves you too.”

  “What?" Now she was totally confused!

  “The man you were with—he loves you too.”

  “How on earth can you know that?” She gasped, frowning at him. “He enjoyed some mind-blowing sex with me—nothing more. He doesn’t love me.” She shook her head. But she knew better. Josh had admitted how he felt just minutes ago. Why was it so hard for her to believe that two men wanted her? Harry’s deep voice cut into her thoughts.

  “He wanted me to know this wasn’t your fault. He took the entire blame for it. I don’t know many men in his position who would risk getting his head blown off by a jealous husband just to protect a woman’s reputation.” Harry’s lips twisted wryly at her astonished look.

  She nodded slowly. “Yeah…I can believe he might have done something stupid like that.”

  “Yeah. He sure did. And that makes him someone I know would never try to hurt you. So, if he shows up—and if you still think he’s hot—I’m gonna make you both an offer you can’t refuse.” Then his eyes softened. "This wouldn't, by any chance, be that kid who always used to follow you around and drool over you all the damn time...would it?"

  She swallowed hard and bit her lip nervously. He knew the answer without her having to say a word. He had that look in his eyes…the look that told her Harry was about to do something drastic. She prayed to God that he wasn’t going to put a bullet through both their heads and bury them in the basement!

  Chapter Six

  Josh climbed the steps to the porch with a wary stride. Am I fucking nuts? What the hell was he doing, walking right into a jealous husband’s trap? The bastard might be waiting to blow his damn brains out! Or worse, castrate him! He winced at that unpleasant thought.

  But as he jabbed the doorbell and stood back to wait, he realized that he would rather take a bullet through the brain than never see Hale again.

  He waited, wondering if he should have worn a flak jacket to this meeting. From what he remembered of Harry Gregory, he was gonna end up with a couple of busted bones, no matter how good he was with his fists and feet. He just hoped one of them wasn’t his fucking neck!

  The bastard has been the fastest son of a bitch on two legs in high school, and had the thick head of a mule. He’d seen the man almost go down under half a dozen linemen and tackles in that last homecoming game in Haley’s senior year, and he’d shrugged them off like they were ants, then finished with a fantastic touchdown run of sixty-five yards.

  Harry Gregory was one mean, nasty, junkyard dog of a SOB, and he didn’t doubt that this was gonna hurt…a lot! He sure as hell wasn’t gonna get many return shots in, so he steeled his resolve and rolled his head on his neck, loosening up for that first hard punch.

  The door swung inward, and he found himself warily staring nearly eye-to-eye with the man who’d up and married Haley ten years ago. At six foot six inches, few men could meet Josh at eye level, but Harry Gregory was a good six foot four inches or better, and it was pretty damn close to even. And the man carried an attitude with him everywhere he went…the kind of attitude that screamed “don’t fuck with me”.

  He waited for the violent reaction to his presence, and nearly stumbled over his own feet when the man stuck a hand out and said, “You’re Josh Barnes, aren’t you?”

  Harry stared at the kid who used to trail Hale around like a drooling puppy, and his gut clenched with a clawing jealousy. The son of a bitch wasn’t a gangly kid anymore, and he could see exactly what his wife had seen when she’d fallen into bed with the younger man. But he could also see clear, honest eyes, a firm, strong grip, and the power that this man exuded. The kid nodded, and said quietly, “Been a long time, Harry. Sorry it had to be a meeting like this. I always sort of idolized you.”

  Harry twisted his lips into a wry, tight smile. “Come on in. I’m not packing my .45.”

  The kid stepped though the door. Haley stood in the hallway arch, twisting her hands together and biting her lip uncertainly. Josh hesitated, then asked tightly, “You okay, Hale? He hasn’t…”

  “Down, boy—she’s fine. No beatings. No stonings. I happen to love my wife very much. That’s why you’re here, and not lying on your sorry ass in the street with all your teeth missing.” Harry’s voice was taut.

  Haley stepped quickly between them, her hands resting on their broad, hard chests. “Stop it! I don’t want either of you to get hurt. I…care about you…both.”

  Josh blinked and stared down at her, then lifted his eyes to stare at Harry. Harry lifted one dark brow and twisted his lips. “You heard right, kid. And that’s why you’re here. There’s coffee in the kitchen. Come on in—you, too, Hale. Move it.”

  Haley poured three cups of coffee and sank into the chair between them at her white-painted wooden table, her mind whirling and her body shivering. Here she sat, sandwiched between two big, menacing, sexy-as-hell males who were looking each other over like they were taking each other’s measure. She had half expected Harry to challenge Josh to a duel at noon, but her husband just took a sip of coffee and looked up, asking softly, “Are you in love with my wife, Josh?”

  Josh almost choked on his mouthful of coffee, and raised his gaze to Harry’s. “I’ve loved Hale since before you married her, Harry.”

  “That why you came back here?” Harry’s question startled her. She glanced at Josh curiously. Could Josh actually have come back here just for her? She shivered at that thought. A girl could get a fat head over this conversation!

  “Yes.” The answer almost floored her.

  “You ever been married?” Where the hell was Harry going with this conversation?

  “Came close once. But I couldn’t get Hale out of my mind, and I didn’t figure it would be fair to Helen to marry her when I could never really love her.” Josh’s quiet admission made Haley almost fall off her chair, and Harry twisted his lips.

  Harry’s eyes moved quietly from Josh to her, then back. “You know I’m never gonna give her up, don’t you?”

  Josh nodded slowly. “You’d be a fucking fool if you did.”

  Harry nodded. “So that leaves us in a difficult position, don’t you agree?”

  At that moment, Haley said in frustration, “Look, you two, I’m sitting right here! Stop talking about me as if I’m not in the damn room!”

  Both men shifted their eyes to her and waited. She swallowed hard to ease the tightness in her throat. She turned to look at Josh. “Look, I’m married to Harry. I love Harry very much. I care a lot about you
too—but I don’t believe in sleeping around. What happened—happened.” Her eyes moved back to Harry. “It doesn’t ever have to happen again.”

  Josh clenched his teeth. “Like hell. I can’t walk away. I did that ten years ago, and I won’t do it again. Not when I know you love me too.”

  Harry nodded. “And I have no intention of walking away, either...so let’s get a deal on the table, shall we?”

  Josh lifted one brow and shifted his glance from Harry to Haley, then back. “What kind of ‘deal’?”

  Harry reached out and caught her hand, lifting it to his lips. Not to be outdone, Josh caught her other hand, and ran his lips and tongue over her fingertips. Haley gave a yelp and jerked her hands back from them, her face bright red as he rose from the table.

  “What the hell are you two doing? Are you both insane? Am I up for bids now?” She glared from one to the other.

  Harry shook his head, his eyes hot and intense. “No. But since neither one of us wants to give you up, and you don’t want to be realistic about Josh’s need to be around you, I’m gonna take the initiative.” He shifted his gaze back to Josh.

  “We have a spare bedroom, kid. As long as you don’t interfere with my time with my wife, you’re welcome to move in. And when she…needs to be with you, I’ll clear the hell out for the night. Sound fair to you?”

  “Now wait just one minute here!” Haley’s shrill voice cut in as she made the signal for time out. “Why the hell don’t we all just share one big bed? One of you in back, one in front—all I have to do is roll over to switch partners, and we can all have a great time!” she snapped sarcastically, glaring down at both men.

  Harry pursed his lips and smirked at Josh. "Did she just offer what I think she’s offering, kid?”