* * * *
“Whitney?”
“Out here,” she called when she heard Ryan’s voice. She’d been in their home for two weeks, and they had already established somewhat of a routine. Brett and Ryan kept their days opposite so one of them was home with her all the time. Today was the first day both of them had been gone, and she loved having the house to herself for a change. Now, she could get around a bit on the cast and could at least take a nice sponge bath. What I wouldn’t give for a long, hot shower! I bet I’d smell a lot better. She lifted her arm and sniffed.
“Hey.” Ryan leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“Hi. How was work?”
Grabbing the patio chair across from her, he straddled it with his lean, hard-muscled thighs, and she stifled a sigh.
“Long and grueling, especially knowing you were here alone.”
“I’m a big girl, Ryan. I did just fine before I met you.”
“So, what did you do all day, princess?”
She cocked an eyebrow at his title for her. That’s a new one.
“I watched television, made some lunch, came out here, and sat in the sun for a while, and listened to some of the CDs in Brett’s cabinet.”
“Uh-oh.”
“What?”
“You touched Brett’s CDs.”
“Did I do something wrong? He said to help myself to whatever.”
“I’m kidding, Whitney. Relax.”
“Ass-wipe.”
He flashed a wide grin, which sent shivers down her arms.
“What are we having for dinner?” she asked.
“What are you making?”
“Me?”
“You don’t know how to cook?”
She had to think about that one. Actually, she liked to putter around the kitchen, but she didn’t think she had that much freedom in Brett’s home. “Yes, I can cook. In fact, I love to cook.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
“It’s not my house.”
“Brett wouldn’t mind.”
“As meticulous as he is? You’re kidding again, right?”
“No. I’ll even take you shopping since I’m home early, if you’d like.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
Ryan swept her up in his arms, and even though she grumbled that she could walk, really all she wanted to do was cuddle up next to his warm skin and press her nose to his neck. The urge to run her tongue along the tanned column almost overcame her until he set her down in the living room.
He didn’t drop his arms from around her waist, and they stood chest to breast for what seemed like hours, both breathing the same crackling air surrounding them. She’d known he’d wanted her from the first time he kissed her. But this was the first time he’d shown any inclination to kiss her again.
“Ryan,” she whispered, tipping her chin up.
His head dipped toward her, and she could almost feel his lips when the phone rang.
He growled low in his throat, pressing his forehead against hers for a second before he dropped his hands and moved toward the table.
“Hello?”
Whitney leaned against the arm of the couch, listening to the one-sided conversation. From what she could hear, she gathered it was someone for Brett.
“No, he’s not here.”
She cocked her eyebrow with a little tip of her lips into a smile.
“Sorry, Pam. He won’t be home until later. He’s at work.”
Ryan rolled his eyes, and Whitney fought the giggle bubbling in her throat.
After a few moments, he finally hung up and moved toward her. She tipped her head back and looked up when he stopped in front of her, spread her legs with his knee, and gave her a wicked grin.
“What’s the smile for?”
“Mmm…nothin’. I’m disappointed we were interrupted by the phone.”
“Do you want to kiss me?”
“Oh, I want to do a helluva lot more than kiss you, princess.”
“Maybe I want that too.”
“Do you?”
Dropping her gaze from his, she shrugged. She wouldn’t, couldn’t do anything about her attraction to the two hunky men who currently lived with her—not until Eric was no longer her husband.
“Let’s get some groceries. I want to see what kind of culinary delight you can whip up,” he said, grabbing his car keys. One arm snaked around her waist to help her out to his car.
“Not taking the Harley?” The motorcycle had fascinated her from the first time she saw it, but to think of Ryan straddling the heavy bike with his powerful thighs made her almost cream her panties.
A warm chuckle left his mouth, and she had to grin. “I’ll take you for a ride when that cast comes off. The thought of you behind me, cradling me with those luscious legs, makes me harder than marble.”
Her gaze wandered slowly down his muscular form, loving every dip, plane, and rock-hard surface she encountered.
“For now, we take the car.”
“Damn,” she murmured.
A roar of laughter left his lips, and she felt heat rush up her neck in embarrassment.
Unfortunately for me, I’m sure he knows exactly what he does to me. Brett, too.
Once they were done shopping, they returned to house, and she set about making the best meal she knew how to make. It’s the least I can do for them since they’ve been so good to me.
“What’cha makin’?”
“I’m not telling. You’ll find out when it’s done and on the table.”
“Tease.”
“Brat.”
She loved sparring with Ryan, but she wasn’t going to give in and tell him what dinner consisted of. He’d have to wait.
“What smells so good?” Brett asked, walking in from the garage and setting his duffle bag on the granite countertop.
“Whitney’s cooking.”
“You cook?”
With a heavy exhale, she blew the hair off her forehead in a sigh. “Of course I cook. Why is that so hard to believe?”
“It’s not, sweetheart. You’ve never mentioned it before. That’s all,” Brett said, and then lightly brushed her cheek with his lips.
He reached over to lift the cover off the pot on the stove, but she wacked his hand with the wooden spoon she held.
“Ouch!”
“No peeking.”
Ryan grinned from where he leaned against the island.
“You could have warned me,” Brett grumbled, rubbing his knuckles as he glanced at Ryan.
“Why? She’s already done that to me. Twice.”
“You are both incorrigible. Now. Out of my kitchen until I call you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ryan answered, but quickly kissed her on the lips as he passed by.
Brett continued to stand there with his arms crossed over his chest, a wicked twinkle in his eyes and a twitch on his lips as he fought a smile.
“Your kitchen?”
She blushed and dropped her gaze, but peeked at him through her lashes. “Well, for tonight it is.”
He sauntered toward her with a tempting roll of his hips and stopped in front of her. The scrub shirt stretched across his chest did nothing to hide the muscles beneath, and her mouth watered at the thought of running her tongue across it.
“I’ll leave you to your culinary experimentations, but I want something first.”
“What would that be?” she whispered, already wanting to lean in and press her mouth against his.
“To taste.”
“Taste?”
“Uh-huh.”
Before she knew what he was about, he captured her mouth in a desperate kiss, sliding his tongue along the crease of her lips until she opened them for him. He groaned softly when she tentatively slid her tongue along his.
When he finally pulled away, he murmured, “Mmm…I can’t wait to have more.”
Whitney didn’t know whether he meant the foo
d or her when his words penetrated her passion-fogged brain.
Giving her a wink, he turned around and left the kitchen while she struggled to bring her racing heart back under control and finish dinner.
Thirty minutes later, the three of them sat around the dining room table, enjoying the pasta and chicken parmesan she’d prepared.
“This is fabulous, Whit,” Brett said, cutting another piece of the juicy white meat and sticking it inside his mouth with a satisfied groan.
“Thanks.”
Ryan sipped his wine and watched her over the rim of his glass, his eyes skimming over her face in a caress. She shifted on the chair as her belly quivered with need.
He can send my thoughts between the sheets with nothing more than a look. She glanced at Brett and remembered his kiss in the kitchen. Shit! Both of them make me wet and needy.
“What shall we do after dinner?” Brett asked as a wicked grin played on his lips.
“How about a movie?”
“Anything in particular you want to see?” Ryan added.
“No, not really.”
“Action, romance, or slasher? I know Brett has some of each in that collection.” He nodded toward the massive amount of DVDs against the wall. “If he doesn’t have it, I probably do upstairs.”
“Leave it to a man that two out of three choices will be guy flicks.”
“What?” Ryan asked with an innocent look.
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Nothing, Ryan.”
“I could show you my collection.” Ryan waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and she had to wonder at his provocative look.
“I haven’t seen your place yet.”
“Kind of hard to do with the cast, princess. The stairs would be a bit difficult to maneuver, but I could carry you up there.”
I love it when he holds me against his chest, but… “Alone with you isn’t a good idea. Alone with either of you is a really bad idea.”
“Mmm…Why?”
“You’re both at least one of the seven deadly sins in a finely wrapped package. A temptation I don’t need right now. I’m still married, remember?”
“Unfortunately, and yes, I do remember.” He glanced at Brett. “I’m sure Brett realizes that, too.”
“Definitely,” Brett murmured as his gaze slid from her face to her breasts, making her nipples pucker against her shirt. She clamped her teeth together, forcing the moan in her throat back down. Resisting the urge to rub the tight nubs to calm them, she shifted in the chair. Damn! How in the hell am I going to fight this attraction for several more weeks?
Chapter Four
The following Saturday all three of them were in Brett’s car, zipping along the winding roads north of Flagstaff. “Where are we going?” Whitney asked. They’d given nothing away when Ryan had handed her a sexy black, strapless dress and told her to get dressed. It didn’t surprise her that it fit perfectly, molding to her curves like a second skin. He’d handed her a pair of low heel dress shoes to go with it, even though she could only wear one with the cast. After she’d become their guest, they’d forked out a small fortune for clothes since she didn’t have any. A quick check of the hotel where she and Eric had rented a room revealed he’d taken her suitcases with him when he’d disappeared.
“You’ll see, princess,” Ryan said with a secretive smile curving his tempting lips. Warm fingers brushed her bare shoulder, sending shivers down her back.
“I’m not one for surprises, you know. By the way, who picked out this dress?”
“Me,” Ryan replied.
“How did you know what size to buy? I’m pretty sure I didn’t tell you dress sizes when you bought clothes a couple of weeks ago.”
“I’m a pretty good judge of a woman’s curves.” Ryan chuckled softly.
“I bet,” she grumbled.
A quick glance from Brett had her nipples puckering. The wicked grin he wore got bigger, and his eyes turned even darker brown.
Damn it!
She looked out the front windshield again and watched the pine trees whiz by the car windows while she shifted uncomfortably on the seat.
A sign came into focus, and she glanced quickly at Brett and then Ryan.
“We’re going to the canyon?” Apprehension rolled down her back. The last time she’d gone there, Eric had tried to kill her.
“Relax, Whit. Nothing will happen. You can trust us,” Brett answered.
“I know,” she whispered, gripping her fingers together in her lap until her knuckles turned white.
He reached over and grasped them in his hand. “We only wanted to take you some place special for dinner. El Tovar is one of the best restaurants around. The view of the canyon when the sun goes down is spectacular, but if you’re uncomfortable, we can go somewhere else.”
“No. It’s fine. I’m being silly.”
Brett pulled the car over to the side of the road and slipped it into park.
“You’re scared, sweetheart. It’s completely understandable,” Brett murmured.
“I could kill Eric for doing this to you, Whit,” Ryan grumbled and gripped her free hand.
Exhaling forcibly, she replied, “I’m not going to let him ruin this for me. I’ll be fine. I know you two will take care of me and I’ve never seen the canyon when the sun is setting. Let’s go.”
“Are you sure?” Brett asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay then.”
Once he pulled back out onto the highway, she forced herself to relax against the seat. I can trust Brett and Ryan. They would never do anything to hurt me.
When Brett parked the car and came around to help her out, she had to giggle as she stood between them. The sight of her hobbling along toward the hotel between them, with a hand in the crook of each arm, must have been hilarious. The looks she got as they made their way inside had her chuckling and the two gorgeous men beside her smiling like Cheshire cats.
“Can I help you?” the maître d’ asked when they approached the dark wood podium. The man was dressed in a tuxedo, and Whitney had to silently thank Ryan for getting her the sexy dress. It fit in perfectly with the dark suits the two of them wore and the attire the other patrons sported.
“Yes, sir,” Brett replied. “Reservations for Novak.”
The man skimmed his finger down the list. “Of course, sir.” He turned and retrieved three menus. “Right this way.”
Brett led the way behind the host while Ryan held onto her hand and helped her maneuver between the tables. The man directed them to a beautiful table by the window overlooking the rim of the canyon and pulled out her chair.
“Wow,” she whispered, peering out the glass. The sun reflected off the rocks in the distance in bright orange, yellow, and deep red in different layers. The pale blue of the sky above was a stark contrast to the rich colors as the shadows shifted and slowly encompassed the canyon with the coming night.
“Beautiful,” Ryan murmured next to her ear.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she replied, finally turning her attention back to the two men with her.
“That’s why we wanted to bring you here,” Brett answered.
“I’m glad you did.”
She picked up the menu and opened it to study the selections. With a good variety of food to choose from, she bit her lip, trying to decide what to eat.
“My name is Gregory, and I’ll be your waiter this evening. We have wonderful appetizers available in the front of your menu, and might I recommend the Deviled Crab Cakes with Sonoran Remoulade?”
“Sounds yummy,” she answered.
“All right,” Brett replied. “One order of the appetizer with our drinks, please.”
“Wonderful. What might I start you off with this evening?”
Brett ordered coffee, Ryan ordered a beer, and she decided on water. The crisp, white linen tablecloth beneath their plates, impressive silverware, and crystal goblets were a stark contrast to the dark wood of the interior of the restaurant. Muted lights
over their heads kept the atmosphere cozy and quaint but still gave off enough light so she could see Brett and Ryan clearly and read the heat in their gazes.
Clearing her throat, she sipped her water and tried to focus on the menu in front of her. “What’s good?”
“Pretty much everything,” Brett replied.
“Been here a few times?” she asked, not liking the feelings creeping into her conscious thought.
“A few, yes,” Brett answered.
Ryan nudged her ear with his nose. “What’s the matter, Whit? Jealous?”
“No.” She swallowed hard. Her toes curled when his warm breath flittered over the skin of her neck.
“You’re a liar, too, but that’s okay. I kind of like you being jealous of me and Brett with someone else.” With a chuckle, he sat back in his chair and draped his arm across the back of hers.
The waiter returned and took their order, disappearing shortly afterwards as conversations from the other patrons floated around her.
“Once we are finished eating, we can go outside near the edge and watch the rest of the sunset,” Brett said. “The canyon is breathtaking at night. Shadows moving around you, the vast expanse of the whole thing, the rustle of the pines over your head, the sounds of the animals while they scurry about finding their shelter for the night—it’s kind of eerie actually. I think you’ll like it.”
Shivers rolled down her arms, puckering her skin with goose bumps. The thought of being held by one of these two made her weak with need. Eric wasn’t the romantic kind, never had been. His idea of romance encompassed watching television together. Now that she had something to compare it to, she definitely realized the two of them had been having problems for a long time. She could see clearly the way he’d held himself back from her, not wanting to cuddle, hold hands, touch, or kiss unless he wanted sex. Does he do those things with Mallory?
“What are you thinking about, Whit?” Ryan asked, stroking her arm with his fingers.
“Eric.”
“Why?”
“I realize now how bad things were for so long, and I wish I’d seen it earlier.”
Sullivan, Sandy - Unexpected Lovers [Between the Sheets 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5