by Lori King
“Fuck you, Stone. Is she attached or not?” Austin snapped, feeling cagey and horny all at once. He already knew that he wasn’t good enough for Gaby. She was filet mignon compared to his ground beef background, but damned if he wasn’t going to make a play for her anyway.
Jackson surprised them all by barking out a sharp laugh as he shook his head. “You still don’t blow smoke, do ya, Curtis? As far as I know she’s free. Her last ex was some New York bigwig that she left to come start her shop. Don’t fuck her over, she’s like a kid sister to me.”
“Yeah, Gaby’s a good girl,” Bannock said, giving Austin the stink eye. “Don’t play games with her.”
Austin wanted to make a smart-ass comment, but he decided it would be best if he let the subject drop for now. He didn’t think she would actually be interested in a blue-collar cop to begin with, so it didn’t make much sense to debate it. Turning back to face his brothers, he was shocked when Kendrick gestured him closer.
“I want her,” Kendrick said quietly. Austin just stared at him in shock. “I’m not joking, Austin. I want her, and I know that you want her. Mikey is the easy one. He looked like a lovelorn pup, he was drooling so much.”
Austin could see that Kendrick was dead serious. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever seeing Kendrick so determined to have a woman before. Maybe it was a sign. His cock sure seemed to think so as it pressed against his zipper like plaster in a mold.
“I want her, too,” Austin said under his breath. Kendrick’s face broke into a grin, and he sighed with relief so Austin continued, “We’ll talk later. If we’re going to have her, we have to all be on the same page.”
“A ménage?”
Austin gave a sharp nod, and the excited fire in Kendrick’s eyes turned into a roaring blaze. “Fuck yeah!”
And just like that they were on a mission to contain one sexy island beauty and convince her that three men were better than none.
Chapter 4
Gaby stood on the deck of her Catalina 355 sailboat wearing a tank top and shorts over her bikini and deck shoes on her feet. Her habit of being late for everything had been broken today as she reached her boat a full half an hour before the three men were supposed to meet her. She couldn’t kid herself about her interest in them after the sleepless night she had fantasizing about them. All of her issues with being used for sex seemed to fly out the window as she imagined letting those three men use her body to the point of exhaustion.
A frown spread over her face as her father’s voice filled her head.
“Polyamory is just an excuse to sleep with whomever they want. It’s not respectable, and I won’t see my daughter shaming her family. You are free to love whomever you want, but you will only be married to one man. Period.”
Yes, it was hypocritical considering how many times her father had cheated on her mother, but he wasn’t joking about it either. There was no way he would ever accept her having a fling or a relationship with three men at once. Shaking her head at her own wandering thoughts, she laughed out loud. It wasn’t like the men had asked her to sleep with them. She needed to stop worrying about the “ifs” and focus on getting her boat ready to sail.
A few more minutes passed before she finally saw them walking down the dock in T-shirts and loose-fitting swim trunks, and her mouth started to salivate. She had been face-to-face with the industry’s top models and actors, and none of them tripped her trigger like these three men did. Something had to be wrong with her. Maybe I’m having a hormone surge? Her eyes skimmed over the muscular trio and she sighed. Yep, her hormones were surging all right.
Standing on the bow of her boat with her legs spread and her hands on her hips, she felt like a sex goddess when all three raked their eyes over her body lingering on all of the right curves.
“Welcome, gentlemen, to the Lark’s Song.”
“Impressive boat, Gaby,” Michael said from the dock as they all admired the sleek black-and-white vessel.
“Thank you. It’s my baby. Now, climb on and we’ll get this show on the road,” she called out, and they all hurried to follow her instructions.
“This really is a beautiful boat, Gaby,” Kendrick said as he walked deliberately to her side and held his arms out expectantly.
She couldn’t have resisted the greeting hug if she had wanted to, and the moment her body pressed against his, her core exploded into a bonfire of need. She felt her nipples harden and her knees tremble just a bit. “Thanks! This was my college graduation gift from my Dad. It’s my escape when everything gets to be too much in the real world. Make yourselves at home.”
Michael stepped up next to hug her, and he pressed a soft kiss against her temple, making her breath catch in her throat. “Hell of a graduation gift! I’m not sure I would live on land if I had a boat like this.”
She flashed Michael a smile and then turned to Austin, but he stood a few feet away with that darned eyebrow quirked in challenge. Wondering if he was shy or arrogant, she waited on a half of a heartbeat before her legs carried her to his side and she reached up to hug him, too. The relief on his face told her that he had been waiting for her to make the first move, and she flushed with pleasure. These three men seemed unlike the ones she was used to, and it was throwing her off of her game.
Moving out of the middle of the circle of bodies, she rushed to distract herself from her nerves. “Let me give you guys a quick tour, and then we’ll set sail.”
She led them down into the cabin, where they politely oohed and aahed over the lush interior of the boat. The surprise and awe in Michael and Kendrick’s eyes was nearly enough to cover for the reservation in Austin’s. He still wasn’t speaking, and it was starting to make her nervous by the time they reached the top deck again. Instead of questioning him, she went over the side of the boat to the dock and quickly untied the mooring rope from the cleat.
“Anything we can do to help?”
She glanced over her shoulder to find Michael’s gaze locked on her curvy ass as she bent to complete her task, and she gave him a wink when he finally met her eyes.
“Have you guys ever been sailing before?” she asked as she wrapped rope around the rack back on deck to store it.
They all three shook their heads, and Michael spoke up, “Nope, this is a first for all three of us. Is it that obvious?”
She was a little stunned but had to remind herself that not everyone had the privilege of growing up on the edge of the ocean. “Wow! Thanks for letting me pop your cherries all at once, boys. I’m not sure I’ve ever had that pleasure before. Come on, I’ll show you how to set the sail, and then we’ll head out to open water. I hope none of you get seasick!”
Michael followed her over to the sails, and to her surprise he was a quick learner and seemed to be a born sailor. With a little help from the three of them, they were quickly gliding away from the marina and into the ocean. Gaby tipped her chin up and turned her face into the breeze as the boat cut through the water. The smell of seawater and sunshine filled her lungs, and she sighed with pleasure. There was no better place to be on a beautiful afternoon.
“You look like you were born on a sailboat.” The soft compliment came from Austin, catching her off guard. He hadn’t really spoken to her yet, and his voice coated her clit like melted butter. A small shiver ran over her skin, and she felt the hair prickle up.
“Thank you, but not quite.” She grinned at him. “This is one of my favorite places to be though, besides my shop that is. I come out here to think a lot.”
“What kind of shop do you have?” Kendrick sat on the bench beside Austin just behind her with his arms stretched out comfortably across the back of the seat. His earring glinted in the sun when he tilted his head in her direction, and she swallowed hard before answering.
“I own Design’s By Lark. It’s a boutique next door to Garrison’s Grocery.”
“I think I’ve seen it. Pretty popular with the tourists if I remember right. What kind of stuff do you sell?” Michael asked.
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“Mainly women’s clothes and lingerie, but I also have some accessories and shoes. I’m a fashion designer, and I create all of the items in my store.”
“A designer, huh?”
She nodded at Michael as he moved closer to her to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the boat. “Yeah, I went to school in New York, and I worked up there for a while. I guess it’s like they say, home is where the heart is. I came back a while ago to start my own shop, and I don’t ever plan to leave again. Where are you guys from?”
“Austin and I are from Apache Crossing, Texas, and Kendrick was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.”
“You’re a long ways from home!”
Michael shrugged, but Gaby could see the longing in his blue eyes. “This is our home now. We left Texas when we joined the Army, and when we retired from the military we tried to go back. It just didn’t feel like home anymore. Jackson Stone called and offered us the job here, and we jumped at the chance to start fresh.”
“So you were all in the military together?”
Kendrick stood and moved up to stand at her back, placing his arm on the shell of the boat behind her, wrapping her in his space. “Yeah, that’s how we met. I suppose you could say we were destined to meet up, because I feel like these two are my brothers. Stone seems to be destined to be our Lieutenant, as that’s the rank he held in the Sandbox, too.”
She looked at him curiously, trying to keep her eyes from straying to his full lips. “The Sandbox?”
“Afghanistan.” The one-word answer from Austin washed over her, dousing her libido for a moment. They had served in combat together. Risked their lives to protect her, and she hadn’t even known them. It was a humbling thought, and yet she felt proud to be standing with them now knowing that they had done so.
“Thank you for your service.” Her thanks was met by a three-way chest lift of pride. They were all very proud of their service, as they should be. A brief curiosity about how they looked in uniform brought her blood pounding into her ears, so she directed her attention to the man who still filled most of the airspace around her, as she asked, “Do you have any siblings, Kendrick?”
“No, and my mama passed while I was in Afghanistan, so I didn’t have anything holding me down anywhere. A job on a lush island paradise beating the shit out of other cops sounded like heaven to me.”
She laughed at Kendrick’s description and felt herself relaxing more. Michael and Kendrick were easy to talk to. Only Austin seemed reserved. It occurred to her that maybe Austin wasn’t as attracted to her as the other two were, and a tiny piece of her heart broke. Even if ménage hadn’t been on her radar before, it was a blow to her self-esteem to think that he might not want her.
Reaching the outer sea waters, she turned the boat with the wind and let it send them drifting around the eastern part of the island. Now that they were sailing smoothly there was less for her to do with her hands, and she fidgeted awkwardly. Kendrick was still standing very close to her back, and Michael stood equally close to her side. Austin remained seated on the bench just behind and to the side of them, but his eyes never drifted from her. She could feel them on her, searching her face and peering into her soul.
“What about you two? Any family missing you back home?” She directed the question at Austin to see if he would join in the conversation or if he was too shy.
He shook his head as a dark cloud seemed to fill his eyes, and when he finally spoke up, she regretted her question. “No. Our parents died when we were teenagers in a plane crash.”
She felt her face fall, and she gasped. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up sad memories.”
Michael reached up and ran his hand down the side of her face into her hair. “No worries, sweetheart. It happened a long time ago.”
“But this is supposed to be a fun day for you guys. What kind of a tour guide am I if I bring up sore subjects?”
Michael chuckled. “Austin is just a moody sort of guy. Ignore him or maybe flash your boobs at him to get him out of his funk.”
When Austin cracked a half smile at that, she gave a long, loud belly laugh, and was relieved that it broke the sudden tension. “Well that’s pretty one-sided isn’t it? You guys would get all the enjoyment out of that!”
Michael’s blue eyes darkened, and his lip curled up in a sinful smile. “I promise you would enjoy it, too. You see, a flash of boob will earn you all kinds of pleasure, Gaby.”
“Hmm. Well, I’ll give it some thought, but for the moment I’m not performing a striptease, I’m acting as your tour guide and sailboat captain. If you’ll look to your right, gentlemen, you’ll see the Eastern Cliffs of Sunset Point Island. It was a popular hideout for pirates hundreds of years ago, and now it’s a popular spot for lovers to go for necking. There is a small gravel ledge that sits just out of view from everyone on land. Teenagers like to visit it for private make-out sessions.”
“We might have to test that use out when we’re back on land,” Kendrick whispered next to her ear, making her shiver again. Her pussy clenched and then gushed into her bikini bottoms as he brushed his hips against her ass for a moment.
“Been there, done that, stud. If you’ve ever wanted pea gravel in your ass crack then it’s a jolly good time, but if that is an experience you would prefer to avoid, I would suggest you stick with the beaches instead of the cliffs.” She threw her cockiest grin at him, and the heat in his hazel eyes rocked her. Her heart stuttered in her chest, and her mouth went dry. There was no denying he wanted her, but would he make a move with his friends so close?
“I think I could take a little road rash in unusual places if the right woman was with me,” Kendrick said, pressing his face close to hers so that his breath whispered across her cheek, making her catch her breath.
Yep. He is going to make a move. Just when she started to lift her lips thinking that he was going to kiss her, Austin interrupted, dousing them with proverbial ice water.
“How big is the island?”
Disappointment flooded her followed by a wave of shame and irritation. She was supposed to be swearing off men. She hadn’t even managed to completely cut the strings with Tristan, and yet she had invited three enormous sexy men onto her sailboat alone. What was she thinking?
Trying to regroup and ignore Kendrick’s scorching stare, she turned around to face Austin. A shriek escaped her throat when she ran into him. How the hell did he move so fast, and why hadn’t she heard him? His hands came up to grip her waist, and to her astonishment, he tugged her closer. Her body reacted instantly, and she let out a heavy sigh. He was probably just trying to stabilize me so that I didn’t fall. One look into his gray-blue eyes told her that that was not the only reason his hands were one her, and a rush of elation filled her.
What a clusterfuck this was going to be. These guys were new to the island, so they probably didn’t know about the ménage lifestyle, and even if they did, she wasn’t sold on the idea.
A real ménage relationship just meant more opportunity for pieces of her heart to get stomped on, and she’d had enough of that for a while. Bringing her hands up to his chest, she pushed, trying to win some space back from between their bodies. Unfortunately the sensation of hard muscles rippling under her hands made her pussy gush, and her nipples bead up. They were showing clearly through her bikini top and T-shirt like a siren calling out to a sailor.
“Gaby? How big is the island?” Austin’s lip curled up in a smirk as his eyes slid down to her breasts and back up. He knew what effect he was having on her, and he was enjoying throwing her off balance. Pushing firmly, she managed to get him to take a step backward, and she gracefully stepped out from amidst all three of their hard bodies into the sunshine at the stern of the boat.
Moving towards the sail, she made busy work adjusting things as she answered him.
“About eight hundred square miles or so. It’s large enough to have the airport, but we can only handle smaller jet planes. Most of the island is
private property that has been passed down from generation to generation. My father purchased his property when he was in his twenties from an elderly woman who was dying and had no family to leave it to. It was supposed to be a vacation home, but when I was born my parents decided to raise me here to keep me out of the media spotlight.”
When she turned back, the three men had spread out, and Kendrick and Michael had both taken seats on the white benches that ran the length of the boat. Austin still stood next to the steering wheel.
“Is that such a problem for your family?” Austin asked gruffly, and she got the sense that he didn’t approve.
“Not any more. At one time perhaps.” She was intentionally vague. If he didn’t approve of her background, then he should just say so.
“Is there any conservation land on the island?” Michael asked, and when Gaby turned surprised eyes on him, he shrugged. “What?”
“I…you just caught me off guard. I didn’t take you for a conservationist.”
Kendrick laughed. “Yeah, Mikey might look like a muscle monkey, but he’s a greenpeacer at heart.”
Michael flipped Kendrick off but never took his attention off of her, and she beamed at him. “I love the island, and I want to see it stay whole, but to be honest I am a fashionista at heart. I’m not willing to give up leather shoes and wear burlap yet.”
Laughter sparkled in Michael’s blue eyes. “I suppose burlap would be pretty slippery on the deck of a boat.”
She relaxed a little at his acceptance. “Even though I won’t give up my Coach bags and Jimmy Choos, I have been working with my suppliers to get more natural materials for my clothing. I think that there is a great future for all natural products that don’t harm the earth. And to answer your question, yes, we have some land toward the cliffs that is all green space. Remember that ledge I was talking about? That’s one the edge of the green space. It’s all land that is owned by the Sunset Point township, and there’s some sort of law that it can’t be built on.”