Becca relaxed a little. It appeared Josh hadn’t felt any more zing than she had. “I heartily agree to your suggestion. No one wants to get smacked in the head.”
Josh’s expression suddenly turned concerned. “Hell. I’m so stupid when it comes to women. You want to be in love like that, don’t you? Do you have any candidate in mind?”
“No, of course not! It’s just…oh, never mind.”
Josh gave her an encouraging smile. “Do you want me to try and make him jealous? I’d be happy to. It sounds like fun. Of course, if he can’t see how wonderful you are for himself, then he probably doesn’t deserve you.”
Becca could only close her eyes and think of Mark and Travis. Mark and Travis…the couple. They were so happy together. Their love for each other radiated from them. “You’re right. Idiots. I’m much better without them. Now how about a latte?”
Josh gave her an appraising look. “Them, huh? I was right, wasn’t I? You’re a ménage type.”
Becca felt her face get warm. “I’ve never…Okay, I’m the ménage type. Don’t feel obliged to alert the media.”
Josh chuckled. “Your secret is safe with me. Let’s get you that latte—with a drop of something stronger. I don’t know about you, but I could use it.”
Becca knew it would take more than a coffee and a shot to get over her embarrassing crush on Mark and Travis. She would see them in a week at the wedding and was going to have to play it cool around them. It wouldn’t be easy. Every time she saw them, she fell harder for them. She was just going to have to find another man and avoid Mark and Travis as much as possible.
Chapter 2
Mark sat at the granite island in the kitchen he’d shared with Travis Andrews for the last ten years surrounded by moving boxes. He and Travis had worked hard at decorating the palatial high-rise condo to create the home they had envisioned. Somehow it had never quite worked. They finally realized the condo didn’t lack a new painting or a comfortable sofa. It lacked the warm, loving presence of a woman.
They hadn’t been actively looking. They had given up on finding anyone. They loved each other and were happy with each other and the life they’d built. But their recent trips to Plenty had put thoughts of a woman front and center in their minds. One woman in particular—Becca Parks. They were both smitten. They had spent quite a bit of time with her on their two visits to Plenty and they were convinced she might be the woman they had given up on finding.
Becca was feisty and funny. She challenged them and wasn’t impressed by their high-flying careers and money in Chicago. In fact, she seemed quite unimpressed. She judged people by how they cared for others, not their title or bank account. Mark remembered one particular conversation at Thanksgiving when Becca had asked Travis about the pro bono work he did for battered women. She hadn’t asked about Travis’s law partnership, his high-profile clients. She’d asked about his charity work. The way she looked at life and people made her even more attractive than her dainty blonde beauty.
And she was beautiful. But it took a back seat to who she was as a person. Mark and Travis were looking forward to getting to know her much better in the coming months. They wanted to see if perhaps this relationship between the three of them might really work.
Whenever they were with Becca, she seemed interested in them. Her body language told the story. She was attracted to them and they to her. They just wanted a chance to see if the relationship could go anywhere.
Mark rolled up a glass in packing paper and placed it carefully in the cushioned box before starting all over again with the next glass. Packing up a home they had lived in for the last ten years really sucked. It seemed like he and Travis had done nothing but buy crap for the last decade. They needed to do some serious purging before they moved to Plenty. That’s what this move was about. They wanted to simplify their lives.
They had been talking about this for the last five years. Their lives had become one thing—work. They rarely had time for each other. It was when they were in Plenty that they rediscovered fun and their relationship. When they returned to Chicago, they looked around their condo and knew what they had to do.
The fact that they could get to know Becca was a major bonus, but they would have made the move anyway. She was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Mark hoped their instincts would prove to be correct. Finding someone they both liked and were attracted to had turned out to be impossible until Becca. And she had no idea how attractive they found her.
She was blonde, blue eyed, curvy, and a total sweetheart. She had charmed them from the first moment they had seen her picture. Jillian had e-mailed them a picture of herself, her friend Cassie, and Becca in their Halloween costumes. Becca had been dressed as a naughty nurse. Mark had since fantasized about spanking her for various behavior infractions. His dick was getting hard just thinking about it.
A warm male body pressed into his back. “Hmmm…you have quite the look on your face. What dirty thoughts lurk in the mind of my husband?”
Mark and Travis weren’t legally married but had spoken vows to one another on the spur of the moment during a very romantic vacation in Hawaii. They were married in their hearts, if not in the state of Illinois.
“I was just remembering Becca in the nurse outfit. Do you think we can convince her to wear it again and play doctor?”
“Maybe we should start by convincing her to take a chance on an old married couple, babe. Jillian said that Becca has dated Josh a few times. You know, the guy who owns the coffee shop?”
Mark remembered him. Josh was handsome and charming. Fuck.
“I remember him. He’s no competition. You’re way sexier.”
Travis stepped back and did a bump and grind with his hips. “I’m sexy and I know it. I think you’re pretty fucking sexy, too. Especially when your sexy mouth is sucking my cock.”
Mark laughed. “Is that a hint? Not very subtle.”
“I’m not trying to be. Seems like we don’t get to fuck very often these days. Always working. Oh wait, that’s why we’re moving to Plenty. To work less and fuck more.”
“Seriously, Trav. You don’t think Becca is serious about this Josh guy, do you?”
“Jillian said they weren’t serious, babe. We have to believe her.”
“We need to get moved and get down there before someone realizes how wonderful she is and steals her right from under our noses.”
“You really want her, huh?”
Mark stiffened. “Don’t you? I thought you were attracted to her, too. We both have to be for this. I don’t want to screw up what we have. I love you.”
“I am attracted to her. But you know me, babe. I’m a lot more cautious. We got to know her pretty well when we visited Plenty, but we need to spend more time with her. We need to court her.”
“I know that. We need to get to know her, date her. But I’m hopeful, aren’t you? We’ve wanted a woman to complete us. Becca’s the first one we’ve agreed on.”
They’d slept with women together before but never found a woman they would consider spending more than a weekend with. Becca was different. She wasn’t a fling kind of girl. She was the real-thing kind of girl.
“I’m hopeful. But I’m also realistic. What are the chances she can love both of us and both of us love her? That’s a tall order. Don’t get me wrong, babe. I want this as much as you do. There are so many happy ménages in Plenty. I want us to be one of them. I’m just being cautious. The statistics aren’t on our side.”
“I know the numbers aren’t on our side, but the numbers have never seen Becca. You’re such a doubter. You need to believe, Trav. It’s going to happen for us.”
“I do believe, babe. I believe Becca might be the one. I believe time with her will tell us what we need to know.”
Travis was a cautious, thoughtful man. It made him an amazing attorney who lost very few cases. His caution was also one of the things Mark loved about him and one of the things that made Mark crazy. Travis balanced Mark’s gung-ho, gra
b-life-by-the-balls personality perfectly.
“I believe this move is good for us, Trav. You’re becoming a cautious old man. You need to have a little carpe diem in your soul.”
Travis grabbed the next glass and began helping Mark pack. “I have carpe diem. Just the other day, I decided to not call an opposing council when he expected me to. It made him sweat blood. By the time he called me, he was putty in my hands.”
Mark rolled his eyes. “First thing we do when we get to Plenty is ask Ryan Parks to take us skydiving. You need to take a freakin’ chance once in a while.”
Travis laughed, but Mark was serious. He and Travis needed to take a chance on Becca Parks. If they didn’t, they would always wonder if they had passed on a woman who would complete them.
* * * *
Becca parked her car in Ryan and Jack’s driveway and dragged her suitcase behind her as she headed to Jillian’s car. Ryan’s SUV was in the shop, so they were driving Jillian’s sensible four-door Honda Accord. Jack was making a fuss that they couldn’t take his pickup truck. It was a double cab, so it had plenty of room, but the truck bed wasn’t covered for their luggage.
“The luggage will be okay, Ryan. We can take my truck.”
Ryan barely glanced at Jack. “It’s supposed to rain. If Jillian’s suitcase gets wet, along with her maid-of-honor dress, she’ll kick your ass and mine, plus we’ll be in the doghouse again. Fuck, we just got out. I’m not climbing in again because you don’t like sedans. Suck it up, little brother.”
Jack snorted but then smiled when he caught sight of Becca. “Hey, little sis. Ready to go?”
“I think so. Where’s Jillian?”
Ryan pointed to the next car. Becca caught her breath as she realized it was Mark and Travis. She hadn’t seen them since the week after Christmas. She was taken aback again at just how handsome they were. It looked like Travis was wearing his hair shorter, and Mark had grown a goatee, but they still looked basically the same. Devastating.
Jillian saw her and waved excitedly. “Hey, look who’s moved here! Mark and Travis got in last night.”
Becca walked toward them as if pulled by a magnet. She couldn’t have walked away if her life depended on it. “Welcome to Plenty, guys. Did you have a good trip down?”
She congratulated herself on sounding casual and nonchalant.
Both men’s faces split into grins, and she couldn’t stop herself from returning their smile. She really was happy to see them.
Mark wrapped her in a bear hug. She breathed in his masculine scent, his muscles hard under her hands as she hugged him back.
“Missed you, pretty girl. Did you miss us?”
She felt his warm breath as he whispered in her ear. She felt a zing of electricity shoot up her spine and down to her pussy. Before she could answer, Travis was tugging her away from Mark for his own hug. His scent was just as tantalizing but slightly different, warmer. His muscles felt just as firm and they held her tightly, lifting her off the ground and twirling her around.
“Say you missed us, pretty girl, or I’ll twirl you until you do.”
“I missed you! I missed you! Please put me down!”
Jillian smacked Travis on the arm. “Put her down before she gets nauseous. I swear, men just never grow up.”
Travis placed her gently on the ground and brushed his lips quickly over her forehead. Her body responded by dripping more honey from her pussy. He had kissed her as if she was a child, but her body responded all grown up. Man, she needed to have sex. It had been way too long.
Mark grabbed her suitcase and started loading it into the trunk of their high-end SUV.
“Wait! I’m riding with Jillian and my brothers.”
Travis grinned and threw his arm over her shoulders, sending sparks of pleasure through her body. “You’re riding with us. Since JJ and the guys have the Accord, they don’t have as much luggage space. We have the SUV and have lots of luggage space. Plus, Mark and I would be all alone for the drive down to the Keys. You don’t want us to be lonely, do you?”
She was going to spend the next eight hours in close quarters with them. So much for the avoidance she had planned.
“Of course I don’t want you to be lonely. I’d be happy to ride with you. Jillian, are you okay with me riding with Mark and Travis?”
Jillian gave her a knowing smile. “No issue here. Have fun with the boys, but make them promise to stop if you ask. Mark’s been known to avoid exits and rest stops at all costs.”
Mark gave Jillian a mock scowl. “Only because you want to stop every hour. You can’t get anywhere if you keep stopping.”
Jillian rolled her eyes. “See? Make him promise.”
Becca crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. “Promise me.”
He started to protest, but Travis gave Mark’s shoulder a shove. “Promise her.”
Mark sighed. “I promise. I will stop no matter how often and unneeded.”
Travis shook his head and ushered Becca into the car. “You’ll get used to him after a while. Mark is extremely goal oriented. When he’s in pursuit of something, nothing stands in his way. Just wait until he starts pursuing you.”
Becca’s mouth hung open as she buckled herself in the car. They’re pursuing me?
* * * *
Becca walked along the moonlit beachfront of the hotel, her sandals dangling from her fingertips. Dinner had been a happy affair with many toasts to the bride and grooms’ happiness. Somehow, Becca couldn’t help but feel a little melancholy despite the jovial atmosphere. Everyone was in a loving relationship but her. It felt a little lonely. Perhaps she should have asked Josh to come with her, just as a friend, of course. She would have felt less out of place with an escort.
The ride from Plenty to Key West earlier today had taken around eight hours. Eight hours of pretending she hadn’t heard Travis drop his bomb regarding Mark pursuing her. She hadn’t screwed up enough courage to ask him what he meant, of course.
She had simply filed his matter-of-fact statement away in a corner of her mind, all the while chatting with them about their drive from Illinois, selling their condo, and the house they had purchased down the road from Ryan and Jack in the historic district.
Coward.
She was a great big wuss who was going to spend the next two days drooling over two men who were drooling over each other.
“Looking for Hemingway, pretty girl? You shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”
Travis. His voice was deep, sending shivers up and down her spine. She turned, and he wasn’t alone. His hand was laced with Mark’s.
They’re going for a romantic walk. Together.
“I can take care of myself. I’m a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.”
They both stopped in front of her, their wide shoulders blocking out the moon. Mark gave her a lopsided grin.
“Really? I love a woman who can kick some major butt. Go easy on us, okay?”
Becca pushed down her irritation. It wasn’t their fault she felt like this about them. They were just being nice and probably felt a little sorry for her since she didn’t have a partner.
Yet, she couldn’t help feel frustrated. She was a woman who hadn’t had sex in over a year. She had a major crush on two men she had just spent eight hours with confined in a car. She had breathed in their heady scent and gazed at their handsome faces. They had made her laugh and made her think. She didn’t want to be their little sister or their pal. She wanted to be their woman.
“I’m trained to only use force when absolutely necessary. Are you going to make it necessary?”
“No, ma’am. Trav and I are going to behave.”
Damn. That’s a real shame.
Chapter 3
Travis gently entwined his fingers with hers and tugged her closer, a zing of awareness running up his arm. It was hard to be his usual cautious self when Becca was around.
“Let Mark speak for himself. I’m not sure I can behave, personally.”
Her face turned
up to his, and he could feel his heart clench. Her creamy skin was bathed in moonlight, lending it a luminous glow. He let his gaze wander over her mouthwatering curves, her long golden-blonde hair that hung to the middle of her back, and then it rested on her face that at the moment looked back at him with an uncertain expression. Travis could feel his frustration rise in his chest. He couldn’t throw her over his shoulder and carry her to his hotel room. She was far too young and innocent for such shenanigans.
He gave Mark a quick glance and saw his own frustration reflected there. They wanted to do this right. They had planned endlessly about deepening their relationship with Becca slowly. They wanted to date her, get to know her, woo her. She deserved to be courted.
Travis gave her an encouraging smile. “Becca, we followed you out here to talk to you. When we saw your picture on Halloween, you intrigued us. Then when we met you and spent time with you at Thanksgiving and Christmas, well, we really enjoyed it. Did you enjoy spending time with us?”
“Of course I did. We’ve had fun. I’m glad you’ve moved to Plenty.”
Mark smiled. “We are, too. Trav and I have wanted to simplify our lives for a long time. We’ve been working too hard and not enjoying life. We want to slow down and really live every day.”
Mark was having trouble expressing their feelings. Travis tried to help him.
“What we’re trying to say is that we’re going for a brand-new start in life. We love each other. We have since our first date. But we’ve always felt there was one thing that would make our life more complete.”
Becca looked from Travis to Mark. “What’s that?”
Travis couldn’t back out now. They were going to tell her what they wanted and hope she wanted the same thing, too.
“A woman to share our lives with, Becca.”
Becca looked surprised. “You moved to Plenty to find a woman? I guess I…oh, shit. What I’m trying to say, and badly, is that I didn’t know you, um, liked women.”
Plenty of Love Page 2