No chance of that happening, now, is there?
Shit.
At least a minute passed as they both caught their breath. Finally, her eyes opened and stared straight into his.
“Are you going to introduce me to the other person in the room now or are we going to continue to pretend he’s not there?”
He didn’t feign surprise. From what he’d learned from Carol, Jules was a smart lady. Intelligent, perceptive and sexually adventurous. Fucking perfect in his book.
She didn’t seem shocked or morally outraged. She looked curious.
“Why do you think there’s another man here?”
“Because I can feel him watching.”
He thought about his response, considered simply outing Erik and letting him deal with the consequences. But he wouldn’t do that to his friend. Still, he wasn’t going to lie to the woman when she’d asked him a straightforward question.
“I’m not going to introduce you. He has to do that himself. But I don’t think he will.”
Would that taunt be enough to pull Erik out of the shadows? The challenge had been thrown. She knew he was here.
He didn’t think Jules would turn out to be one of those women who flinched at the sight of Erik. If she did… well, then she wasn’t the person he thought she was.
Sure, she’d be shocked. But he thought she’d be able to see beyond the scars. Maybe even to the person Erik had been before the fire. The one who’d actually enjoyed life. It pissed Keegan off to know Erik had lost not only his looks but also a shitload of confidence.
And that was the hardest part of all this—for both of them.
Jules’ gaze narrowed on his just before she looked out into the shadows on the other side of the room. Where Erik sat.
She couldn’t see him. Keegan knew that because he knew where Erik was and couldn’t see him either.
Jules sat up, no hint of embarrassment about her partial nudity. “Are you going to join us or are you going to hide there are all night?”
Silence.
Damn it, Erik. Just fucking—
“Maybe you won’t like what you see.”
Erik’s terse reply made Keegan’s mouth drop open in shock. Maybe there was hope after all. And it all depended on Jules.
Keegan watched her consider her next move. She took her time before her attention returned to him. “Can I have my panties back? I’m feeling a little chilly.”
“Of course.”
He didn’t want to give up the silky bit of fabric but he understood why she wouldn’t want to sit here with her pussy on full display. After he’d handed them over, he reached for the chenille blanket lying over the back of his chair and draped it around her shoulders.
She gave him a grateful smile then stood, holding the blanket together between her breasts. Walking forward a few steps, she paused at the side of Keegan’s chair.
“Maybe you should let me make that determination.”
She spoke again to the shadows, responding to Erik’s earlier statement.
Another silence held for several long seconds.
Keegan couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood beside Jules and stared into the darkness.
Come on, Erik. Take that first step.
“I’m not a pretty sight for a pretty woman.” Erik’s voice held a hard edge of self-loathing. “You’ll probably be happier if I stay back here while you and Keegan get to know each other better.”
“While you watch?”
“Yes.” He paused. “Unless you want me to leave.”
She didn’t hesitate. “I don’t want you to leave. I want to see the man who’s watching me fuck his friend. At least,” she looked at Keegan, “I’m assuming you’re friends?”
Keegan couldn’t keep his smart-ass comment to himself. “Only if the bastard manages to grow a set and get out here.”
A longer silence this time and Keegan’s jaw tightened. Son-of-a-bitch. Erik wasn’t going to—
The shadows began to move until they solidified into the form of a man.
Chapter Four
Erik almost couldn’t help himself.
He wanted to join Keegan and Jules so bad, he swore he could taste it. Still, he knew there was a high probability his scars would prove too much for her and she’d run.
He wouldn’t blame her. He couldn’t. There were days he couldn’t bear to look in the mirror.
But the need to touch her, to actually participate in fucking her… He couldn’t pass it up. With steady strides, he made his way into the dim circle of light from the fireplace. Gaze glued to her face, breath frozen in his chest, he watched her response.
Her head tilted to the side as he came into view, her eyes narrowing as if she couldn’t quite make sense of what she was seeing, then widening as she did.
He stopped as her shock became evident, her mouth parting to draw in a sharp breath. He wanted to keep walking straight out of the room.
Fucking hell, he should’ve stayed in the shadows where he belonged—
Jules stepped forward, hands reaching out to him. She stopped before she touched him but her gaze held his steadily. “May I?”
She wanted to touch his face? Most women couldn’t even look at it. The only people who had touched his face since the fire had been doctors and nurses. No one else had asked or even considered it.
“Why?” His voice emerged like a rough bark, revealing way too much about his mental state.
She didn’t appear to be put off by his tone. “Because you need to see I’m not afraid of you. Are you in pain?”
Seriously? “The only pain I feel right now is between my legs. But, no, my scars don’t hurt.”
If he’d thought she’d stammer or be embarrassed by his crude statement, he’d thought wrong. Her expression never changed.
“How long ago were you hurt?”
“It’s been two years. When they wanted to do a sixth reconstructive surgery, I said no. I’d had enough.”
He was never going to look like he had before the surgery. Why put himself through the agony? The men and women who worked with him had gotten used to his appearance. Well, they no longer stared, at least.
Large crowds were a different story. He hated that everyone seemed to be looking at him, even if they tried not to. The few women he’d met the very few times he’d ventured out into society had practically run screaming. They couldn’t look him in the eyes because all they saw were the scars on the right side of his face.
And those who actually could look at him stared with morbid curiosity instead. They wanted to prod at him, ask questions, dig into his psyche. He felt like a damn sideshow freak.
But he didn’t get that vibe from Jules—and the lust pumping through his veins had to be ten times as strong because he hadn’t felt it in ages.
Except for the night he’d seen her.
“I understand recovery from reconstructive surgery can be brutal.”
Her voice held no pity, which would’ve turned him off more than if she’d gasped at his hideousness and run for the door.
“It had its moments.”
“Is your body scarred too?”
“Yes. Both arms and hands and my left leg. Some on my torso.” He paused, another thought occurring to him. “Are you asking if everything still functions correctly?”
She didn’t respond, just continued to look at them.
He held out his hand. “I have an easy way to prove that to you.”
She didn’t reach for him right away but kept staring into his eyes as if searching for answers to questions she hadn’t asked. He didn’t know what else she could possibly want to know. This wasn’t a date. It was more of a business transaction than anything else.
Since he was the one paying, he refused to answer any more questions. If she wanted to walk, now was the time. He opened his mouth to say that but before he could get the words out, she reached for him.
She didn’t go for his hand, though. She reached for his cock, already hard agai
n and straining against the zipper of his jeans.
“I guess that answers the question then, doesn’t it?”
The sexual innuendo infused in her voice made his lungs tighten until he thought he wasn’t going to be able to breathe. It’d been ages since a woman had looked at him like Jules was—with passion in her eyes.
Then she squeezed him, not hard, not to hurt, and he had to restrain the urge to grab her like Keegan had before and kiss her. Instead, he held himself still and let her explore him. With her gaze glued to his, she found his shaft and rubbed her palm against it. A slow steady tease that made his breath rasp in his lungs.
“How long has it been?” she asked. “Have you had sex since the accident? Or will this be your first time?”
Shock made him silent. He hadn’t believed anyone could do that to him anymore. A flush rose in his cheeks.
God damn, he refused to be embarrassed here but he couldn’t get his brain to come up with a reply. Why the hell would she want to know that?
“I only ask because if the first round is…brief…I can plan for a second. Wouldn’t want anyone to be left disappointed.”
Seriously? He didn’t think she could disappoint him if she tried. Especially not when she reached between his legs to fondle his balls, rolling them with her fingers and making his dick throb.
“Then make your plans,” he managed to say. “I think seconds are definitely on the menu.”
Julianne would’ve been lying if she’d said she hadn’t been shocked when this man first revealed himself.
But she’d taken care of her mom after her surgeries and she’d learned outward appearances didn’t matter as much as most people thought.
Or, more specifically, men like her father. He hadn’t been able to look at her mom after the double mastectomy. He’d only seen a woman no longer worthy of his time.
Fucking prick bastard. She’d called him that to his face after he’d blown through most their savings, spending the money on prostitutes and blaming his need for them on her mom’s inability to see to his needs.
She’d had cancer, had barely made it through chemo and he wanted her to perform in bed.
Luckily, he’d left or someone would’ve had to call the cops to save his worthless ass from the Taser she kept in her pocketbook. The Taser she would have used on his pride and joy—his dick.
Her mom had survived. She’d beaten the cancer. She’d even managed to get back to work and attempt to pay off her bills. She’d gone through hell and come back.
This man had been through hell but was still stuck there.
Yes, his scars were ugly but he wasn’t ugly. At least she didn’t think so.
Or maybe that was the money talking.
Still, if she hadn’t forced him out of the shadows, she could’ve fucked Keegan and taken the money. But her mom always told her she was like a dog with a bone. When she got hold of a puzzle or riddle or mystery, she couldn’t let it rest until she’d figured it out.
She’d known someone else was in the room with them. She couldn’t ignore it. She’d had to know. And now that she’d met Erik, she wasn’t going to allow him to sneak back into the dark. She was baring herself in ways she’d never thought possible tonight. It was only fair that he and Keegan do the same.
“Do you and Keegan do this a lot?”
“What? Pay women to come to the house and fuck us? No. You’re the first.”
Her first instinct was to take offense at the sneer in his voice. She had a kneejerk reaction to slap him. But he was only answering the question she’d asked. And she heard the soul-deep hurt behind the sneer.
Keegan obviously didn’t because he shoved Erik so hard, he stumbled backward.
“You utter, fucking bastard! What the fuck are you doing?”
“Keegan, no!”
She grabbed his arm, pulled him away Erik, who’d held his ground.
Glaring at Keegan, Erik let his hands curl into fists at his side but didn’t raise them. “She asked the question. I told her the truth.”
“You son-of-a-bitch.” Keegan’s voice had dropped to a vicious, angry growl, his accent thickening even more. “Do you really want me to tell her why you felt you had to pay her?”
Erik’s jaw tightened until she thought it might snap and his mouth drew into a thin line.
“Nothing to say?” Keegan taunted when Erik didn’t respond. “No, you don’t because you’re too much of a damn cow—”
“Stop! Now.” If Keegan said anything else, she was afraid it would break something between them. “I already know why I’m here.”
Both men turned to look at her, Keegan still furious, Erik with the wariness of a trapped animal.
“You think the only reason I would even consider sleeping with you is for the money, don’t you?”
Silence fell until the only sound in the room was the crackling fire and the men’s heavy breathing.
Erik blinked first, his throat moving as he swallowed. When he turned away from her, she saw the muscles on the undamaged side of his face jump.
He must have been a gorgeous man before the accident. Women had probably fallen at his feet.
Now… he wasn’t hideous. Yes, he was scarred but that didn’t make him a monster. It didn’t make him a charity case either.
“I think we should start over.”
Both men looked at her as if they had no idea what she was saying.
Maybe they didn’t.
If Keegan had tried to pick her up in the traditional way—without paying her hundreds of thousands of dollars to do it—she probably would have let him.
He seemed sweet and, though that didn’t usually do it for her, he also made her want to get him dirty. Or at least try.
Erik… Erik had an edge.
She’d always gravitated toward guys with an edge. Guys who didn’t always watch what they said around women and rode motorcycles that tore through the streets with ear-splitting roars and worked with their hands. Guys who drank beer and didn’t say “Pardon my French” every time they dropped the f-bomb around a woman.
She wanted to see what happened when she pushed Erik past that edge. According to, well, everyone who knew her, she was good at pushing people past their limits.
Crossing her arms under her breasts so they pushed over the top of the corset, she was impressed as hell when neither man’s eyes dropped to her chest.
“Start over how?” Erik finally said. “Do you want me to stick out my hand and introduce myself and say how nice it is to meet you when I’ve already watched you get yourself off?”
If he wanted to make her blush, he was going to have to work a lot harder than that. “Did you enjoy watching? Did you come too?”
Erik’s gaze narrowed. “I did. All over my hand.”
Smiling at the surly tone of his voice, she took a step closer. He didn’t back away, didn’t move a muscle. “Next time I want to watch you.”
The corners of his mouth curled into the slightest bit of a smile. The sight made her heart beat faster. “Next time, I want to be inside you when I come.”
She lifted a challenging brow at him. “Then you’re going to have to change your attitude or you’ll be relegated to the shadows for the rest of the night.”
Erik’s chin lifted. “So you’re staying?”
She paused and she swore she heard Keegan draw in a deep breath and hold it. Erik flat-out refused to give her the satisfaction.
“I’ll stay. For now. But I expect you both to make it worth my while.”
“You mean—”
“Shut up, Erik. Just…shut up.”
Keegan shoved at Erik’s shoulder but Erik didn’t budge. He didn’t finish the thought either.
“Jules, would you like another drink?”
She gave Keegan a smile and watched him return it slowly.
Heat bloomed again between her legs, already so turned on she wanted to wrap her body around Erik and she how all that aggression translated into sex. And how the two of
them would feel taking her at the same time.
And that had nothing at all to do with money.
As Keegan moved toward the bar in the corner, Erik threw himself on the coach by the fireplace.
He tried not to stare as Julianne walked back to the fireplace, hips swaying with mouth-watering grace. He knew she was exaggerating for him. Jesus, the woman could convince the pope to give up his vows.
She had a world-class ass that he wanted to smack while he knelt behind her and fucked her so hard she passed out. Lust boiled through his veins like lava and he forced himself not to squirm like a teenager with a hard-on in the hot teacher’s class.
He needed a drink. Maybe more than one.
His cock already at attention, it thickened even more as she sank onto the chaise and laid herself out on her side, one hand holding up her head. She’d dropped the blanket she’d had around her shoulders onto the floor. This close to the fire, she didn’t need it.
Long, dark hair fell to the chaise and pooled there. He wanted to wrap the length around his hand as he kissed her. Then he wanted to wind it around his cock.
She looked relaxed, in charge. And so damn sexy, he had the overwhelming urge to go over there and fall on her like a beast.
He managed to restrain himself. But only barely.
“So tell me, Erik. Do you and Keegan usually do one woman together? Is that the only way you can get it up?”
Keegan coughed from the bar area. Bastard. His so-called best friend was enjoying the hell out of watching her tie him in knots.
The corners of her mouth twitched, as if she knew Keegan was laughing.
He considered ignoring her but found he wanted to talk. Wanted her to talk, as well. “No, it’s not the only way. But we’ve learned women can be very…grateful for the pleasure we can give her together.”
“And how did you discover this?”
“In college.” Keegan answered as he returned with a glass in each hand. He handed one to Julianne and the other to Erik then made a return trip for his own. “And we found we were good at it.”
She took a sip of her drink. “Do you two have a thing for each other?”
A Very Naughty Xmas Page 23