by Leah Brooke
Of course, she’d needed him.
Jake just hadn’t anticipated how much it hurt to hear it out loud.
He started to turn away, reluctant to eavesdrop on their conversation, coming to an abrupt halt when Nat spoke again.
“Hoyt, you’ve been an important part of my life forever, and I’ve loved you for so long. But, now I need Jake so much. He’s a part of me now.”
The fist around Jake’s heart loosened, making it easier to breathe.
Hoyt chuckled. “That’s how it should be, baby. He’s always been there for you. I just want you to know that I plan to be there for you, too. The three of us are going to have a good life. Together.”
Grinning, Jake forced himself to walk away, not wanting to interrupt their time together.
Making his way to the kitchen, he paused in front of the sink, staring unseeingly out the window above it.
He should have known better.
His wife had a heart bigger than he suspected even she realized, and he should have known there was enough love in it for both of them.
The underlying tension that he’d experienced for years seemed to melt away.
Even the only other man in her life whom she loved—her first love—couldn’t diminish her love for him.
He had the answer he’d been looking for.
She belonged to him, and no one could take her away.
* * * *
Nat laughed and pushed Hoyt’s hands away. “Enough! I’ve got so much body lotion on that I’m going to slide out of bed tonight.” Knowing that she escaped his hold only because he allowed it, she grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed as she twirled and danced away from him, unable to take her eyes from Hoyt’s naked, muscular body.
Hoyt stepped closer, reaching out a hand to trail his fingers down her arm. “Since you’ll be sleeping between Jake and me, we won’t let that happen.”
Finding her gaze drawn to where his cock pressed against his gray sweatpants, she froze, her smile falling as desire beaded her nipples and made her clit stir with awareness. “Damn, you’re hot.”
“No.” Smiling, he bent to touch his lips to hers before taking the robe from her and bundling her into it. “I’m sure Jake’s waiting for you. This is hard on him, baby, and I’m sure after the way we took you in the playroom, he’s anxious to hold you. Aren’t you, Jake?”
“Very.” Jake strolled into the room, his gaze holding hers. “How is she?”
Nat turned to frown at him. “She’s right here.”
Hoyt ran a hand over her hair and took a step back, his eyes never leaving hers. “She’s settled, but tired. Aroused again.”
Jake grinned and unbelted her robe, sliding his hands inside. “Yeah, once her motor’s running, it runs for quite a while. Do you need to come again, honey?”
Grinning, she reached for him, a low moan escaping when he lifted her against him. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pressed herself against him. “I want your hands on me.”
Something about Jake seemed different—more relaxed.
There was something more confident about him, a mischievous quality that made her heart beat faster.
Silently questioning him with her eyes as he carried her to the bed, she ran her fingers through his dark hair, her pulse tripping at his ready smile.
“Oh, my hands are definitely on you. Damn, you’re slippery.” Placing her on the bed, he followed her down. “You trying to make it hard for me to hold on to you, darlin’?”
“Never.” Wrapping her legs around his waist as the bed shifted beside her, she moaned at the feel of his hands moving on her skin. “Hoyt insisted on rubbing my lotion on me, and he went a little overboard.”
From beside her, Hoyt chuckled, running a hand over her thigh. “I couldn’t resist the chance to slide my hands over her skin.” His eyes narrowed, a small smile of satisfaction playing at his lips. “She was afraid she was so slippery that she’d slip out of bed.”
Lying beside her, Jake slid a hand down the center of her body. “We won’t let that happen.”
On the other side of her, Hoyt propped his head on his hand and stared down at her. “That’s exactly what I said to her.”
Lying between them felt like a dream. Running her hands over their chests, she smiled at each of them. “I’d forgotten how much the two of you always thought alike.”
Jake smiled and nuzzled her jaw. “So, it shouldn’t be surprising that we both fell in love with the same woman.”
The phone rang, the shrill sound startling her.
With a groan, Jake rolled away from her, reaching out to answer it. “Hello?”
He stilled beside her and sat up abruptly. “Okay. Thanks.”
Disconnecting, he rose and grabbed the television remote. “That was Clay. He said to turn on the news.”
Nat sat up, surprised to see Ace’s face on the screen. “What the hell?” The news report went on to the next story, but not before Nat saw that he had Debra Smith, the teller from the bank, in handcuffs. “Holy shit. He arrested her!”
Jake nodded grimly. “It looks that way. I’m going to go talk to Ace.”
Hoyt had already stripped off his sweatpants and stepped into a pair of well-worn jeans. “I’ll go with you. Something about this whole thing makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.”
Chapter Fifteen
Standing at the sink, Hoyt turned when Natalie rushed into the kitchen. “Problem, baby?”
Frowning, he glanced at Jake, seeing the same worry in his friend’s eyes.
She hadn’t slept much, tossing and turning most of the night. The bank robbery still haunted her, and every mention of it angered her, and made her restless.
Leaning back against the counter, he attempted to appear nonchalant. “I know you were upset last night, but I told you not to worry about her. Ace is putting her on a forty-eight-hour hold while he does some more checking. That’s all there is to it.”
Nat gulped down the cup of coffee he’d poured for her and slammed the cup on the table. “Yeah, and if he can’t find anything on her, he’ll have to release her again. It pisses me off that I get nauseous at the thought of going into the bank again.” Waving a hand, she plopped into the chair and started to tug on her boots. “Fuck it.”
Jake reached for her. “Nat, honey—”
She finished zipping her boots and jumped to her feet. “Damn it. I can’t believe I overslept. Why didn’t you two wake me up? I’m gonna be late. Jesse’s counting on me. I’ve got to fill the body butter jars and label them. I’ve got to cut the soaps. I need to place an order for more oils and bottles and God knows what else. I didn’t finish getting the list ready yesterday.”
Jake got to his feet and went to her, his arms tightening around her when she would have pulled away. “You’re so outspoken most of the time, but you always try to hide it when you’re afraid. I know it pisses you off and you don’t want to talk about it.”
Her eyes snapped at him. “Exactly. I don’t want to talk about it.”
He smiled down at her, but Hoyt could see the concern in his friend’s eyes. Sliding his hands inside her jacket, Jake nuzzled her neck. “You smell delicious. Anything you want to talk about?”
As he poured her coffee, Hoyt looked over to see her sharing an intimate look with Jake, shaking her head in exasperation even as she fought not to smile. “Other than the fact that I have to deal with you two every day now?”
Pleased to see that Jake’s teasing seemed to ease some of the tension from her shoulders, Hoyt placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of her, lifting her chin to drop a quick kiss on her dark pink lips. “Hmm. Peppermint.” Straightening, he ran a hand over her hair, sharing a look of understanding with Jake over her head. “I didn’t hear you bitching last night when you were filled with cock and screaming your pleasure.”
Pulling a material-covered elastic from inside the sleeve of her sweater, she lifted her arms above her head. After a few deft moves, she lowered her ha
nds again, leaving her hair pulled back in some kind of intricate knot. Smiling, she poked him in the stomach. “Just because you’re good in bed doesn’t mean that you’re not a pain in the ass.”
“Like I was last night?” Hoyt bent to nuzzle her lips with his own, delighted that her eyes danced with amusement. “I’ve got news for you, baby. I’m going to be a pain in your ass every chance I get.”
Inordinately pleased that he’d managed to make her blush, he went back to the stove, glancing at her over his shoulder as she snuggled against Jake. “Stay put and I’ll fix you some eggs.”
Shaking her head, she grabbed the small wallet she carried and stuck it in her jacket pocket. “No time. Jake, give me some money. I’m broke, and I’m going to be too busy to go to the bank today.”
Jake lifted her chin, holding it when she tried to turn away. “You don’t have to be embarrassed because you’re not ready to go back to the bank, and you don’t have to make excuses. You’ll go when you’re ready, and if you want me to go with you, all you have to do is say so.” Holding out his wallet with one hand, he cuddled Natalie with the other. “I want my kiss first.”
Hoyt stiffened, turning slowly to see Jake grinning as he reached into his pocket. “Natalie, you know you can ask me for money.” He sighed, shaking his head at the surprise widening her eyes. “I’m here for you, too, for whatever you need.”
Natalie tucked the bills into her back pocket, reaching for her coffee. “Sorry. I’ll try to remember.”
Fighting to remember that this was new to all of them, he moved closer, touching his lips to her forehead. “I want more than just the sex, baby. I want all of it.”
Shrugging, she wrapped her arms around herself, her cheeks pink. “Hoyt, I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m used to asking Jake. I never even thought about asking you.”
Pushing her hair back from her forehead, he grinned. “Maybe I want a chance to earn a morning kiss, too. Maybe I can earn one by making you some breakfast.”” Turning back to the stove, he began to break eggs into a bowl.
“I’m sorry, Hoyt. Look, I don’t want any breakfast. I’m already late.”
Regretting that he’d made her uncomfortable, he sighed. Turning in time to see her shrug into her coat, he closed the distance between them and started to button her into it, struggling to hide his frustration. “You’d better eat something or you’re not going to have the energy to do what you have to do today.”
Wrapping a red scarf around her neck, she paused at the doorway. “Look, Hoyt. I’m sorry. This is all still new to me. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I’m used to asking Jake for things.”
Hoyt nodded, trying to tell himself he couldn’t have expected more. “And you’re not comfortable asking me. I get it. I just don’t like it.”
Her smile looked forced as she glanced at Jake again. “I’ll work on it, okay?”
Bending close, he brushed her lips with his again, letting his hands run over her hips. “You do that.”
Hiding his irritation at the quick peck on the cheek she gave him, he watched her rush out the door.
“She didn’t mean anything by it, Hoyt.” Jake picked up his coffee again. “It’s going to take some time for us to settle down into some sort of routine.”
Hoyt sighed and poured himself another cup of coffee. “I know. It just doesn’t make it any easier. I’d hoped that having a physical relationship with her would automatically lead to the kind of intimacy I want.” Turning with his cup, he moved to the table and dropped into a chair, staring down at his cup. “Stupid, I know, but she’s got me all jumbled up. It’s not the same as it was with her before. When we were younger, we could finish each other’s sentences. Intimacy, I mistakenly thought, would be easy to reestablish, but it appears intimacy is harder for her.”
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he looked away. “Christ, she’s the only person in the world that can tie me up in knots.”
“She loves hard. You know that. If she hasn’t gotten over you in all this time, I don’t think she ever will.” Getting to his feet, Jake finished his coffee and took the cup to the sink before turning. “That’s why we’re in this situation, remember?”
Smiling faintly, Jake went to the row of hooks on the wall and retrieved his coat. “I knew she wouldn’t let you touch her without my interference, so I initiated it, but I can’t help you much with the rest. It’s taken years for Nat and I to build the trust and closeness we have. That’s why it’s so precious.” Pausing with a hand on the door, he met Hoyt’s eyes. “That’s why it’ll be precious to you, too.”
Hoyt nodded. “I’m beginning to see how much it cost you to do this.”
Jake opened the door. “She loves you. I did it for her.”
Sitting at the table long after Jake left, Hoyt thought about what Jake had said. He wanted Natalie to be able to relax around him.
To play.
To depend on him, and count on him to be there for her.
He knew what he wanted, and was determined to have it.
Even if it took him the rest of his life.
He got up to wash the dishes, staring out the kitchen window.
The niggling sense that something was wrong continued to plague him, causing a hard knot in his stomach that wouldn’t go away.
Despite his impatience to be closer to Natalie, things between them were working out better than he could have hoped for.
She’d let him into her life again.
Jake’s support meant the world to him, and other than a few minor issues, the three of them seemed to be settling into their new relationship.
Natalie was being very accepting. Reasonable.
It made him nervous as hell.
She loved his touch.
He could see it in her eyes—feel the way her muscles quivered beneath his hands.
He could hear it in her voice—in the way she breathed his name.
But, she never reached for him, or came to him for anything.
He’d known it would take time to build anything deeper. He’d known there would be compromise from all of them and a lot of adjustments.
He just hadn’t anticipated how gut-wrenching it would be to have to deal with it.
The phone rang, yanking him out of his depressing thoughts, and with a sigh, he crossed the room to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Dad?”
Grinning, he leaned back against the counter, a surge of pride making his chest swell. “Of course. How’s school? Did you get the check I sent you?”
“Yeah, thanks. School’s good, but I called to see how everything was going at home.”
Disturbed at the concern in his son’s voice, Hoyt forced a chuckle. “Everything’s fine here. I’m ecstatic to be back in your mother’s life again. You know how much I love her.”
His son had become a young man so quickly that Hoyt still found himself adjusting to it.
Joe sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just that Mom and Dad are so happy together, and everything’s been okay with you visiting—”
Hoyt’s stomach clenched. “And you didn’t want them to fight about this, and you didn’t want them to be mad at me about it. I know, Joe. I want you to understand something. If they get mad or this doesn’t work out, I don’t want you to blame them. I’m the one trying to change things.”
“It’s working, though, right? I mean, you’re living there and everything’s okay?”
Not liking the concern in his son’s voice, Hoyt injected a confidence in his tone he wished he had. “It’s working just fine. It’s slow, but your mother and I love each other very much. There are going to be a few bumps along the way, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Fisting a hand at his side, Hoyt turned to stare out the window, smiling at the sight of two bright yellow flowers braving the cold weather to bloom for Natalie. “You know I had to do this. I couldn’t go on without knowing if I could have your mother back in my life.”
Joe sighed, his maturity
and caring filling Hoyt with pride. “I know that, Dad. You always go for what you want. You always know how to handle yourself. Have I mentioned lately that I’m proud of you?”
Touched, Hoyt found he couldn’t stop grinning. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he nodded. “I’m proud of you, too, son.”
Damn, he never got tired of saying that.
Knowing his son well, he purposely lightened the atmosphere. “You wouldn’t be saying that because you need more money, would you?”
Joe laughed as Hoyt had hoped. “I never could slip anything by you, could I? But no, Dad. I’m good.” A brief silence followed before Joe spoke again. “Dad, please don’t tell Mom that I was worried about this, okay? She’ll get all weird about it. You know how she is. She gets upset but tries to hide it. She thinks nobody can see through that hard shell of hers.”
Hoyt couldn’t help but smile, pleased that he was one of the few who could. “But those of us who love her can see the marshmallow underneath. Don’t worry. This conversation is our little secret.”
Joe breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I’m just glad the three of you are working everything out. I can’t wait to get home for spring break. It’ll be nice to have my mom and dads all together again.”
Hoyt couldn’t wait either, anxious to have his family together as a real family. “Yeah, well, we’re pretty happy about it, too. Don’t worry about us. Concentrate on school, and tell your cousins I said hi.”
“Will do. Gotta get to class. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”
After the conversation with his son, Hoyt paced the house, irritated at the restlessness that didn’t seem to be easing.
He couldn’t get over the feeling that something was wrong, and because of his preoccupation with making things right with Natalie—he was missing it.
* * * *
Juggling the bags from the diner, Nat walked through the back door and straight to the kitchen table. Disappointed to find the kitchen empty, she set the bags on the table and listened for Hoyt, smiling at the unmistakable sound of clicking on a keyboard.
Unbuttoning her jacket, she grinned, deciding she could easily become accustomed to coming home to a man in the house. “Hoyt, I’m home!”