OvercomingtheNeed

by Zenobia Renquist

  She took up a position next to Damon, watching the encounter with him. “Hi, Damon.”

  “Hey.” His clipped tone didn’t inspire confidence.

  Naomie pressed on. “I love your new place. It’s gorgeous. I almost wish Dane and I had found it back when we were looking. That pool is amazing.” She chuckled lightly. “Not that I got a chance to get in it.”

  “Yeah.” He tossed back his drink and set the glass aside.

  Naomie decided small talk was overrated, especially since Damon wasn’t biting. “He’s having fun. Luke I mean.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Too bad you aren’t.”

  Damon jerked his gaze to her. His dark-brown eyes blazed with anger. Despite that, he said, “Don’t know what you mean.”

  Naomie placed her hand on his arm and said in a soothing tone, “If you’re going to get this pissed about it then don’t let him do it.”

  Damon ground his teeth together. He snatched up his glass and upended it but it was empty. He put it aside and blew out an annoyed breath.

  “Why so pissed?” Like she didn’t know but she wanted Damon to tell her before he chipped a tooth from clenching his jaw. She was used to mellow Damon. Pissed Damon was new and unknown and she had to handle him with care.

  “You’re telling me it doesn’t grate on your nerves, seeing your husband fucking another man?”

  “I think it’s hot but this is one of my kinks.” She grinned at his angered expression. “If you were going to get this worked up about it, you shouldn’t have told him yes.”

  “How could I tell him no? Dane’s his ex and Luke still loves him.”

  Naomie laughed. She waved at Damon to show she wasn’t laughing at him but the storm cloud on the man’s face worsened. She composed herself enough to talk. “Ex? As in ex-boyfriend? You’re kidding, right? Dane and Luke were never together.”

  “In college they were. They were roommates and lovers. How can I compete with that?”

  “In college they were roommates and fuck buddies. If Luke told you different, he was lying.”

  “Are you blind?”

  “Are you?” She held out her arms. “Wife standing right here. Does Dane strike you as the type of guy who would marry a woman he didn’t love to make himself look straight if he wasn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Well thank you for that. I met Dane in college. He and Luke never dated. Not once. They fucked. That’s it. And that was nothing monumental, not in Dane’s life. Let me give you some insight into my husband. He loves ass. He is a major ass man. He doesn’t care if the ass is attached to a man or a woman. He feels the same way about getting his dick sucked. A mouth is a mouth. All he cares about is technique.”

  Damon stared at her with his jaw open. Most of his annoyance appeared to be giving way to confusion.

  Naomie took that as a good thing. “Luke wanted to date Dane but Dane never led Luke to believe that would ever be a possibility. After Dane met me, Luke realized that truth. Luke hated me from that day forward.”

  “Luke adores you.”

  “Now. Back then he wouldn’t have shed a tear if I got hit by a bus after being gang raped by a pack of rabid wolverines. So far as he was concerned, I took Dane from him, ruining his chances at a happily ever after.”

  “Luke?”

  “Yup. Your Luke. And he is your Luke, you know?” She gestured to Dane and Luke. “This is because you’re letting him and I’m letting Dane.”

  Damon snorted. “Like we could stop them.”

  “I can. Say the word and I’ll say mine. If it’s going to hurt you this much, I’ll pull my husband off him. The second I tell him to, Dane will put it away. No questions asked or arguments given. That’s our relationship.”

  “I saw you being finger fucked by the poolside. You saying you would have ended that little good time if Dane got pissed about it?”

  “In a heartbeat with no issues.”

  Damon went back to watching Dane and Luke. “He would really stop?”

  “Not to be crass since Luke is your husband but, to Dane, Luke is a fuck. A good-friend fuck but a fuck. That’s what Luke has always been to him.”

  “So Luke hated you but he doesn’t now. Because you and Dane got married?”

  Naomie snorted. “Hardly. He hated me more at that point. It took a traumatic event in my marriage for Luke to stop seeing me as the enemy.”

  “Store run out of your brand of condoms? No, wait.” Damon snapped his fingers and widened his eyes in mock realization. “You got a yeast infection and had to abstain?”

  In a deadpan tone, Naomie said, “I found out I can’t have children.”

  Damon stared at her. He blinked and seemed to be waiting for her to tell him she was joking. “Oh shit. I’m sorry. I’m an ass.”

  She waved away his apology. “I’m over it. But back then it hit me really hard. I was devastated. My deep depression scared the hell out of Dane. He thought I might ‘suicide’ and was frantic trying to figure out how to stop me. Luke freaked out, seeing Dane like that. I think that was when Luke realized just how much Dane loves me and what love looks like when Dane is giving it.”

  She smiled as the old hurt made her heart ache but it was a dull pain that could be ignored. “Luke’s hate for me vanished at that point. He did everything in his power to help Dane so Dane could help me. Luke introduced me to Arisa, who is now one of my best friends.” She chucked her fist against Damon’s arm. “Luke met you around that time. I think he gave a relationship with you a chance because he finally admitted Dane wasn’t his, never would be and never had been.”

  Damon nodded. “I remember that. I didn’t know about you then but Luke being so forlorn drew me to him. I was helping him with his website. I wanted him to smile. He has a great smile. He told me his ex was freaking out but no specifics and I couldn’t understand why he would give a damn about an ex.”

  “That’s why you thought they dated?”

  He nodded.

  “Nope. Ex-roommates. That’s it and all it ever was.”

  Damon deflated, losing the tension in his shoulders and letting his jaw go slack. Naomie thought she caught a hint of a sigh but she couldn’t tell over Luke’s happy moaning.

  She asked, “Want me to stop him?”

  “No.” Damon opened and closed his mouth and then shook his head. “No. It’s a rare thing and it’s only with Dane. Let him enjoy it.”

  “Up to you.” She stroked his arm. “Do you do girls?”

  “You offering to make me feel better?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Naomie.” He dropped his gaze to her nipples and then raised his eyes back to her face. “But I’m strictly men. Thanks for the offer though.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

  Dane looked up at them then. His concentrated, hard stare startled Damon, who removed his arm quickly. Naomie waved at Dane.

  Damon said, “Okay, that look he gave me was fucking scary as hell. I thought he shared.”

  “He does.” Naomie shrugged. “Bend me over the counter and go to town, he won’t say a word. Fucking is fine. Affection, especially with men, bends him all out of shape. What can I say? The man is possessive. So believe me when I say if he and Luke had had something, there would be no you and Luke.”

  Damon nodded slowly and sidestepped, putting some distance between him and her. Feeling a little impish, Naomie chased him. She hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Are you trying to get me killed?” Damon looked from her to Dane, who was baring his teeth.

  She kissed Damon’s cheek.

  Luke came with a loud, satisfied cry. A few seconds later, Dane was crossing the room. He whipped off his condom, tossed it toward the trash can and stuffed his dick back in his shorts. Once he reached them, he glared at Damon. “Naomie.”

  She gave him an innocent smile. “Hi, Big D. Enjoy yourself?”

  “What are you doing?”r />
  “Getting you all worked up because seeing my Big D jealous gets me hot.” Naomie released Damon and pressed herself against Dane’s chest. He obliged her with a deep, searing kiss that stated for all in the room that she was his.

  Naomie was panting when he let her go. She clung to him to keep from falling on her ass…and then spreading her legs so Dane could work off some energy.

  Dane asked as he swiped at his chest, “Why are you covered in oil?”

  “Blame Logan.”

  “Uh huh.” He looked down her body and grinned. “I see why he did it. I’ll have to remember this for the next time.”

  “That would be Tuesday when the girls come over.”

  Luke joined them, leaning on Damon and grinning wide. “Hi.”

  Naomie said, “Someone is still floating on cloud nine. Need me to bring you down?”

  “Nope. I’m good.” His giggling belied his words. He looked around in a dazed manner and appeared so high off sex he probably didn’t see anything. “Where is everybody?”

  Damon said, “Out at the pool. Are you okay?”

  “Fine. Just really floaty.” Luke started toward the doorway but Naomie held out her hand and blocked his path.

  She said, “I wouldn’t go out there if I were you. I kicked off an orgy and they would eat you alive acting like that.”

  Luke tittered to himself but settled back against Damon’s side. He sifted his fingers through Damon’s hair while nibbling at his right ear.

  Damon appeared torn between enjoyment and confusion. “He doesn’t normally get this goofy after sex.”

  Naomie said, “It’s a Dane thing. He has that effect on most people, including me, but I’m used to it and can handle it. I’m thinking Luke’s like this because he hasn’t had Dane in a while.”

  “I’m not a drug,” Dane said.

  “Of course you aren’t, Big D.” Naomie stroked his arm in a soothing manner. To Damon, she said in an exaggerated whisper, “He totally is.”

  Luke nodded. “Totally.” After a sniff and a sigh, Luke stretched his arms over his head with a happy groan. “That was great. We should continue the house tour now that Naomie is here.”

  Naomie asked, “Continue? I figured you had already finished.”

  “We got as far as the entertainment room, which was the second room I showed him, and then…well…” Luke gestured to the couch.

  “Say no more. I understand.” Naomie knew exactly what had happened without having been there to witness it. With permission from Damon and a plush couch sitting right there, Luke probably hadn’t wanted to wait for his role as a host to end before enjoying Dane. She knew this because she would have been the same way. “Lead on, then.”

  Luke preceded everyone out of the entertainment room, walking steadier than Naomie would have thought him able. He pointed out the spacious kitchen equipped with stainless steel appliances, the more decorative than functional living room, and then guided them to the second floor.

  “This first room is Damon’s office. It’s the biggest of the four bedrooms after the master.” Luke opened the door and stepped to the side.

  Naomie didn’t enter but she did poke her head in to see how Damon had set up his office. His desk was in the middle of the room with shelves full of books and papers lining the walls. “Nice. We converted the smallest of our three bedrooms into the office or else I might think of redecorating.”

  Dane said, “Think about it all you want but we both know it’s never going to happen.”

  “I get busy.”

  “Yes, we know. The girls, the lawn guy, the mailman, the milkman, the plumber…” He laughed and dodged back when Naomie swatted at him. “Don’t get mad because it’s true.”

  “We don’t even have a milkman.”

  Dane said to Luke and Damon, “Notice how she doesn’t deny the mailman or the plumber.”

  Naomie shrugged. “They were there and I was horny. It worked out.”

  “Wait. What?” Dane snapped his gaze back to her. “When the hell did that happen?”

  “Remember when you tried to fix the dripping faucet in the master bath and made it worse?”

  “You fucked the plumber?”

  “And got us one hell of a discount. She also fixed some other odds and ends—minor things—around the house. That was a fun day.” Naomie let out a wistful sigh as she remembered how well Paige had snaked Naomie’s pipes with the help of a few items from Naomie’s toy box. “I think I should call her back to check on the kitchen sink.”

  Dane asked in a dry tone, “And the mailman?”

  Naomie grinned. “He had a package for me.”

  Luke laughed. “Too easy, man. You walked into that one.”

  Dane groaned but he was still smiling. “My wife, gentlemen. I’m just happy we don’t have a pool.”

  “That didn’t stop me.” Naomie licked her top lip. “The neighbors do have a pool and their pool boy sometimes stops by to give me his sales pitch. The last time, he almost convinced me to ask you about a hot tub. His demonstration of how the jets would feel…” She trailed off with an aroused shiver. “We should—”

  “No,” Dane said with finality Naomie decided not to question.

  She cuddled up to his side. “I love you, Big D.”

  Damon said, “I still can’t wrap my head around how you two can have the relationship you do and not drive yourselves nuts with jealousy. I was about to climb the walls earlier before Naomie talked me down.”

  Naomie and Dane said in unison, “Trust.”

  “I trust Luke.”

  Luke snapped, “I should hope so.”

  Damon said quickly, “That’s not what I meant.”

  Before Damon could dig himself any deeper, Naomie said, “Dane and I do get jealous but we don’t let it consume us. We have ground rules and we trust each other to heed them. We’re completely honest with each other about our partners and we treat everyone else as fuck buddies only. No emotional attachments.”

  “Except Mia,” Dane grumbled.

  “You leave Mia out of this. She’s a special circumstance.” Naomie hated to admit it but Mia would be more than a friend if Dane weren’t part of Naomie’s life. Mia felt the same way. They were lovers, not sex friends.

  Dane was well within his rights to tell Naomie to end it and cut off all contact with Mia to remove temptation. He hadn’t and wouldn’t. One of Dane’s major faults was his penchant for spoiling Naomie. She knew about it and he knew that she knew. She wanted Mia and Dane would let Naomie have her so long as what was between the women stayed at the intimate friendship stage.

  Naomie had no issue with that. Neither did Mia. Naomie loved Dane beyond reason and couldn’t think of leaving him for Mia. Mia felt the same way about Quincy. However, both women knew if the men in their lives hadn’t been in the picture—if Naomie and Mia had met first—they would be together. Dane probably suspected as much. Naomie wasn’t sure if Quincy did. It was one of those topics none of them wanted to broach for fear of changing everything.

  Sometimes Naomie wished Dane had someone like Mia in his life, someone close who would even things out and alleviate a little of her guilt. He didn’t. Naomie doubted he ever would. She also doubted she would handle it well if he did. Again, that was something Dane knew about her and didn’t test it.

  Dane said, “Naomie has a big heart. Huge. She’s capable of loving lots of people without neglecting any of them. I’m the lucky one that she’s in love with. I would hate to have been one of the crowd.”

  “That will never happen, Big D.” Naomie pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “All it took was one time for me to know we were meant for each other.”

  Luke said, “That’s how it was for me and Damon.” He smiled at his husband. “The first and only man to make me forget about my fantasy relationship with Dane. Being with Damon made me realize and admit everything I felt between me and Dane was my imagination and nothing else.”

  Damon pointed to his chest. “I did?�
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  “Yeah, you ass. Why did you think I asked you to marry me?”

  “I just figured I was lucky.” He smirked. “And you were really grateful because I fixed your website.”

  “Who the hell proposes marriage because of a website overhaul?”

  “You’d be surprised. Oh, and don’t look at my email.”

  Naomie laughed.

  Luke rolled his eyes. “Moving on. These are the two guest bedrooms.” He motioned to the doors on either side of the hall. “Or they will be. We haven’t gotten them furnished yet. We’re going shopping as soon as we both get some free time.”

  Dane said, “Naomie has the number for a furniture store. Tell them she sent you and they’ll give you a discount. We’re preferred customers.”

  Damon asked, “Slept with them too?”

  Naomie shrugged. “Two of the movers—Seth and Gabriel. Lovely men. They always deliver for us.”

  “Because she gives one hell of a tip,” Dane said.

  “It’s only right they test the bed to make sure it’s set up properly. The same goes for the couch and the dining room table.”

  Luke lifted one eyebrow. “Huh? I barely got the guys who brought our stuff to carry it up the stairs. Here you got them to put it together. Something to be said for putting out.”

  Naomie said, “You should have asked them. They would have done it.”

  “No, they wouldn’t have. Setup costs extra. Damon’s handy enough. He put everything together in no time.”

  “Costs extra? Since when? Seth and Gabriel said it was a complimentary service.”

  Dane snorted. “What were you wearing when they told you that?”

  Naomi frowned in thought. “We had just moved into the house. I was still living out of a suitcase and it was late spring, so I was probably wearing my halter-top romper. The one where the cowl neck dips down to my navel.”

  “The purple one with a back that stops at the crack of your ass?”

  “Yeah, that one.”

  Dane said to Luke and Damon, “The only thing keeping that top covering her breasts is modesty. All she has to do is bend forward and the girls are on full display. I’m thinking the movers were ready to give her a lot of things for free after seeing her in that.”