by Petrova, Em
Abe collapsed to the sofa beside her, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. She returned his grin and looked to Levi. She did a double-take. Was that a blush she detected on his handsome face and scorching the tips of his ears?
She drew a sip of the cold brew into her mouth and contemplated this living arrangement. Abe and Levi seemed to get along, but what happened if she came between them?
Or Levi comes between you and Abe. Immediately, she slammed the door on that thought. Yeah, her breasts ached heavily whenever he was around and they’d shared more than one electric encounter, but she’d never leave Abe. Without a doubt, she knew he was it for her.
As she nursed her beer, Abe switched on the TV and flipped through a few channels until he landed on a romantic comedy.
She stared at him open-mouthed. “What’s that?”
He rubbed his knuckles over his jaw. “What? Do I have burger on my face?”
He was so cute, she couldn’t help but smile. “No, the television show. Why are you watching that?”
“For you. I said it’s your evening.”
“Baby, you don’t need to do that.”
“ I can’t focus on a movie tonight. Why not watch the game?”
“But will you enjoy it?”
Ten minutes later, she was more than thrilled with her decision, because Abe and Levi were on their feet, fists swinging and cursing at the flat screen when a play didn’t go their way. The alcohol hit her system full force and she watched their muscles work beneath their tight-fitting t-shirts and jeans. Her breath caught and her nipples pinched hard beneath her lacy bra cups.
They were some damn fine specimens. Any woman who found herself with one of these virile males would count herself lucky. But two…
Abe passed her another beer. She stared at the label, wondering if it was wise to drink it. She had a low tolerance, and a bit of her control had already been nicked away. If she drank more, she wasn’t sure she could be held accountable for any remarks she might make. Especially since Abe’s jeans were hanging low on his hips and Levi had run his fingers through his hair so many times, it stood up in spikes.
At that moment, Levi met her gaze fully. Again that pinging sensation ripped through her, followed by a pooling of need in her sex. Abe slipped an arm around her and started to nibble her earlobe.
Levi’s eyes flared, then he dragged them away and launched to his feet. “I’m going to shower.”
With that he disappeared, leaving her with a confusing ache that was akin to longing.
Abe threaded his fingers into her hair and drew her mouth to his. The first brush of his hard lips ignited the passions she’d kept suppressed most of the evening.
“Ohh.” She moaned softly and stroked his tongue with hers. His delicious flavors burst on her tongue. She wriggled closer to him.
His groan rumbled against her lips and he palmed her breast into a stiff peak. “Damn, baby, you’re so soft. Come here.” He pulled her onto his lap, bringing her in contact with his shockingly hard cock.
She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and opened her mouth farther for the plunges of his tongue. The tip of his stroked the roof of her mouth and she lost control.
She shoved on his shoulders until he was lying across the sofa and then she straddled him. Her pussy swelled with want. A flood of cream soaked her panties, reminding her of his fingers deep in her pussy this morning. She ground against him and raised a guttural moan.
“Baby doll, you’re gonna have to stop that or I’ll come in my jeans.”
“No,” she said, inching down his body and unfastening his fly. “You’re going to come in my mouth.”
She caught a glimpse of his face before she extracted his cock from his boxers and swallowed it. She moaned. The thick length lay on her tongue deliciously. She mouthed the velvety head.
“God, Chapel, you’re so good.” Abe cupped her cheek and eased his cock deeper into her throat.
She swirled the sensitive underside with her tongue. Each pass thrilled her to her core. A dark heat captured her. At this moment, she was so hungry for Abe, she couldn’t care less if Levi walked in on them.
The mere thought made her wild.
She sucked Abe’s steely shaft hard, then softer, varying the pressures. A drop of pre-come oozed from the tip and coated her tongue. She gulped it down, reveling in the special musky taste of it.
He jerked his hips upward and she took him deeper. She deliberately let the head skim the inside of her cheek. He moaned.
“Fuck, baby, that’s so hot. You’re so good.”
She flashed her eyes at him and her need threatened to burn out of control. She was seconds away from stripping down and riding his cock to completion. To hell with propriety or privacy or any of the other “p” words.
Stroking his shaft with her tongue, she gently lashed his balls to his body. She rolled them back and forth as she swallowed every tasty inch, imagining him sinking into her body.
Suddenly a vision of Levi buried in her pussy as she sucked Abe’s cock flashed in her mind like a fucking Fourth of July firework. She groaned around Abe’s shaft. Her pussy was burning with desire now. If she didn’t get some relief soon…
Abe stiffened and in three hard jerks, he pumped his hot come into her mouth. She sucked it down quickly. A drop escaped the corner of her mouth and she caught it with her finger, eager to lick it off when she was finished drinking in his orgasm.
He gripped her face and drove his cock between her lips again and again. His rugged cries hung in the air. Fleetingly she wondered how much Levi could hear. From this distance, she couldn’t hear the shower, so maybe they were safe.
She slowed her movements, mouthing Abe’s shaft and balls softly as he relaxed against the couch with hooded eyes. He gathered her hair over her shoulder and watched her for long moments.
“You’re amazing. Beautiful woman.”
She lifted her face and smiled, still pumping the root of his shaft lightly. “You’re delicious. Hot man.”
He yanked her up his body and claimed her mouth. The smoky flavor of his body mingled with the lighter taste of his mouth. Her senses reeled all over again.
Abe pinched her nipple through the fabric of her blouse and bra. “Your turn soon.”
The sound of the bathroom door opening made her shoot upright. Abe fumbled with his jeans, packaging away his cock and zipping around it with a lopsided grin.
“Does it look like I just sucked you off?” Remembering the drop on her finger, she stuck it into her mouth.
He mussed her hair. “Yes, and you’re so fucking sexy Levi will want you too.”
A gasp rose in the back of her throat. Did he recognize an attraction between them? Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to stay here tonight. The more she was around Levi, the faster that interest would grow. Abe might catch a moment when she and Levi were locked in one of those magnetic moments.
She smoothed her hands over her hair and fought her searing blush as Levi entered the room.
Clean shaven.
And moist from his shower.
Oh, fuck.
He was more beautiful in this groomed state than the dirty boy she knew. “See you got attacked by a razor,” Abe joked.
Levi nodded. A smile twisted his lips, which were so much fuller and more vulnerable in the pale oval of his face. His jaw was more angular than she’d originally thought. “Appears that way.”
He was barefoot and wearing only low-slung jeans that were ratty at the pockets and knees but perfect on him. When he lounged on the sofa, Chapel wondered how the hell she was going to get that brief fantasy of giving Abe a blowjob while Levi fucked her out of her mind.
“What do you two say to a game of cards?” Abe’s low drawl sent new shivers through her.
“I could try my hand at some cards. Some say I can hold my own,” Levi said. He gave her the full blazing glory of his hazel eyes. “What about you, Chapel? You in?”
A bolt of lightning from his gaze stole he
r breath, but she managed to recover. “Sure. Daddy taught me a trick or two.”
Too bad she wanted two tricks up her sleeves. Or in this case, peeling off her sleeves.
She drew a deep breath and dropped her gaze. Hell’s bells, this was going to be a long night.
***
Abe stared at the moonlight filtering through his bedroom window until his eyes burned from not blinking. The air was stagnant but wonderfully scented with Chapel’s sweet perfume. It was hot, but not hot enough to move an inch away from her delectable body, which was curled against him.
He traced the uppermost knobs of her spine. During the nights when she slept here, he felt whole. Without her, a crater hollowed out his chest and he could do little but think of her. How many sleepless nights had he spent like that? Too many to count.
It was time to find a way to pay off these bills quicker so he could ask her to be his wife. Even if he had to work a second shift. Or a second job.
How the hell you going to manage that? You’re half-dead when you’re finished with the single shift you work.
But the voice in the back of his head said he could do it. Maybe a little extra caffeine…
He heard the sofa creak as Levi turned over in the living room. They’d stayed up too late, and four-thirty a.m. would come quickly. In fact, Abe could hear the birds waking now from beyond the window pane.
As the sky lightened, he let his gaze caress every dip and angle of Chapel’s face. Her brows were fine and pale, her warm brown hair flowing from a widow’s peak and cascading over her narrow shoulders. He brought a tendril to his nose and inhaled the crisp notes of her shampoo. But not hairspray. She was a shower-and-go kind of girl, and he loved that about her. She didn’t need manicures or mascara or mousse to make her beautiful. She simply was beautiful.
He sighed heavily. What the hell am I going to do about you, baby? I need you like I need air and water, but I can’t provide everything you deserve.
His nose burned with emotion and he pinched the bridge of it hard, fighting it back. There had to be an answer to his financial troubles—something to sell or an old unknown aunt who kicked the bucket and left him a fortune.
Hell, he didn’t need a fortune, just enough to pay back that loan and maybe stash a bit for a rainy day.
When he thought about the type of wedding Chapel would want, he couldn’t picture the tiers of white ruffles or the big reception in the church hall. He only saw the pair of them at the J.P., gazing into each other’s eyes and pledging their lives to one another.
But if she wanted the big wedding, she deserved to have it, and that meant he needed cash.
You’re getting ahead of yourself, man. She hasn’t said yes, and you’re too far in debt.
He did a quick mental calculation. With Levi’s share of the rent, Abe would have an extra couple of hundred a month to sock on the loan. Helpful, but not enough. By the time he paid it off, he’d be in need of Viagra, and Chapel would be long gone, married to another man.
What a fuck-up he was. Why had he thought he could build a successful business without any experience? Sure, he’d managed the clerical end as well as the operations, but no one wanted to entrust an entire forest of trees to a no-name company.
His heart throbbed hard and he flexed his arms around Chapel, bringing her nearer.
He didn’t deserve her, but he’d be damned if he let her go.
As this thought flitted through his head, he pondered the narrow looks Levi had shot her. Any warm-blooded male would sniff after her. Besides being sweet and witty and absolutely stunning, she had a heart of gold. Men couldn’t possibly look at her without seeing their soul mate, wife, and mother of their children.
Hell, he was looking at her that way.
Still, it didn’t bother him that Levi liked to stare at her. This knowledge had tempted him to rev things up on the couch in front of the guy just to see what he’d do. You’ve lost your mind, Abe Gardner. Touching her in the forest in front of Levi was screwed up. Fucking her in the same room? That’s the end-all to both relationships.
He’d known Levi only a few short days, but he felt as if they were long-lost friends. Work gave them common ground, but there was something more. He suspected Levi possessed a secret. He avoided questions about his past, but judging from the books the man had lugged into the house, he was smarter than the average logger. Volumes of Homer, Dickens, Shakespeare. A dozen more authors Abe had never seen or been exposed to.
And Levi carried a cloud around him. It might be depression or grief. Abe hoped that over time his housemate would open up to him. After all, he carried a weight too.
Chapel shifted in her sleep and a little mewl escaped her lips. Abe’s body reacted instantly, his cock growing stiff against her hip. He ached to wake her and take her again, maybe leave the door open this time and let Levi share her little moans—
The thought sent spikes of lust through his groin. But it shocked the hell out of him. Where was this kinky bent coming from? He’d never suspected it lived deep inside him. One thing was certain—it turned him on like never before.
He rocked his hips so his cock rubbed Chapel’s silky flesh.
Suddenly, her heated fingers wrapped around the shaft and her eyes gleamed at him through the darkness. The dusky tone of her voice ratcheted up his need another notch. “Already, lover?”
He reached between her thighs and stroked the soaking seam of her pussy. “Mmm. Always, Chapel.”
With that, he rolled atop her and sank into her tight body. His financial troubles flowed away and he gave what he could to her right now. His body. His soul. His heart.
But in the back of his mind he wished the bedroom door was ajar.
***
Levi stood back as Abe applied the final cut to the twelve-inch maple. The top shifted, new spring leaves fluttering. The peppery scent of crushed ferns filled his head. He drew a deep breath and reveled in his freedom. Not only was he free from prison, but in the past few weeks he’d let go of the tight rein he’d always kept on his emotions.
Being around Abe and Chapel, it was impossible to remain aloof. Abe’s down-to- earth attitude had Levi talking about himself more and more. Their mutual love of baseball resurrected his childhood—a time in his life he’d thought dead and buried. Seven years in the slammer tended to strip away the tender memories.
And Chapel…everything about the woman mesmerized Levi from her round ass to the way she’d begun to tease him.
Lately he’d given up a bit of his struggle to stay away from her and found he flocked to her side whenever she was around. She accepted him unconditionally, and Abe didn’t turn a hair at the development.
All of a sudden, the tree snapped back. Leaves and small branches rained down, and the enormous trunk kicked back.
Toward Abe.
“Whoa!” Levi dropped his saw and ran full-tilt for his friend. His heart hammered his chest wall like a mindless animal seeking escape. Images burst inside his mind. Abe injured. Or killed. Chapel’s devastated face.
Abe dove out of the way just as the tree hit the ground. He twisted and his frantic gaze lit on Levi. “Get the fuck back!”
But Levi didn’t falter. He had to get to him.
The treetop ripped through the branches of the tree beside it. Several big lengths plummeted around Abe. He whipped his arms over his head to protect it.
“Get outta here!” Levi bellowed as he reached him. He sank his fingers into Abe’s biceps and yanked him away. The tree slipped farther in their direction. “It’s hung up, Abe, but it can go any minute.”
“I know, I know! Back out. Another cut and it will fall freely.”
Levi stared up at the huge canopy. A puff of air could send it reeling to earth. He’d seen it before in Washington, when he’d worked with KeerSaw. One man had been badly injured during such an incident.
He shook his head hard. “I don’t like it. Let’s get out of the path, and you can go after the rigging to haul it down safely.�
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“I’m telling you, Levi, one cut and it’s down. No time wasted.” “Yeah, but I’m thinking of lives lost.”
Abe’s jaw hardened and Levi knew nothing was going to budge him. He was determined to take down the tree without the aid of heavy equipment or chains.
Levi gave a sharp nod. “All right. Tell me what to do.”
Abe grabbed his saw again and circled the tree. “We’re going to make a cut here.” He let the blade glide across the bark at a slightly higher place than the original cut. “It should fall that direction.”
“What if the bottom kicks out again?”
“I don’t think it will. It’s dug into the ground under two-thousand pounds of weight.”
“Will it break free of that other treetop?”
They both craned their necks to see the uppermost branches. A light breeze rattled the leaves and a shiver of foreboding trickled down Levi’s spine. The last thing he wanted was to haul another dead man out of the woods. Sure, Bryan Keer had done himself in with his huffing addiction, but it wouldn’t look good for Levi.
He swiped his nose with the back of his hand and tried to gain some calm.
Abe rapped the tree with his saw blade. “Yeah, I don’t think it’s hung up too bad. It should break right free.”
Levi held out a fist and Abe tapped it with his knuckles. “Let’s roll.”
With a worry line etched deep between his brows, Abe revved up his saw. Levi hung back, every muscle in his body tensed to grab Abe and haul ass out of there if needed.
The hum of the saw blared in his ears and dust began to spray around them. It clung to the damp hairs on his forearms and created a pile at his feet. As Abe placed the first precise cut, Levi breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they could achieve this. He’d never seen it done, but Abe had a lot of experience.
As long as we both walk away in one piece, I’m happy.
He kept half an ear cocked for the sound of Chapel’s Jeep. She was known to pop up at any time of day. If ever there was a moment he prayed she’d stay away, it was now.
Just work, goddammit. I can’t live with myself if Abe’s hurt or killed.