by Marla Monroe
“We need to get one for you. It’s not safe to be without a way to call for help in case you need it.” Gunner handed her his phone.
Peggy answered on the third ring. “Hey, girl. How are you feeling? Did you get some rest?”
“Yes. Thanks Peggy. How is Tommy doing? Is he ready to come home?” she asked.
“Actually, we were going to call and see if it would be okay if he spent the night. He and Jeremy are having a great time. I hate to break them up. We’d love to have him, Darla,” Peggy said.
“Are you sure?” Darla asked.
“Oh, yes. I promise to take good care of him. Do you want to talk to him?” she asked.
“I know you will, Peggy. Yes, let me talk to him and if you’re sure it’s okay, he can stay.” Darla hoped she wasn’t making a mistake, but Tommy had never had a sleepover before and so rarely got to play with other kids his age.
“Hey, Mom. I’m having an awesome time. Jeremy and I played ball for a while then he showed me his computer games and we’ve been playing those all afternoon. It’s awesome!” Tommy’s excited voice sealed the deal.
“Okay, hon. You can spend the night and I’ll come get you in the morning. Be good and don’t give Mrs. Peggy any trouble.”
“I won’t, Mom. I promise. This is so neat!” He didn’t even say bye before he hung up the phone.
She briefly thought about calling Peggy back and making sure she was really okay with it, but that would have given the other woman the idea that Darla didn’t trust her with her child. That wasn’t the case at all. She was just nervous about letting him grow up. Sleeping over with someone was a big step he probably should have already taken. Her baby was growing up.
“Hey, Darla. What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Tommy?” Gunner pulled her into his arms, searching her face for something.
“No. Tommy is fine. He’s going to spend the night with his friend, Jeremy. It’s just that he’s not my baby anymore. He’s growing up. I hadn’t realized how much I was holding him back until now and I guess I’m a little scared and a little sad all at the same time.” Darla felt the tear roll down her face.
Gunner stopped it with a thumb, wiping it away before he kissed softly on the nose and hugged her. It felt so good to have someone to share this with. She wasn’t on her own trying to cope with a major life event.
“So he’s going to be gone tonight, huh?” Gunner said.
Darla stilled in his arms before leaning back to look up at him. There was an odd light in his eyes. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked excited.
Hell! Of course he’s excited. I’m so stupid. This means the three of us will be all alone tonight.
“Gunner?”
Chapter Twenty
Scope climbed out of the truck and stretched his arms over his head. Then he moved his shoulders and neck, trying to work the kinks out after almost twelve hours of manipulating his body to get to hard to reach areas inside the big diesel engines. Man he couldn’t wait to get a shower and a beer and something hot to eat. Maybe not in that order, but definitely all three.
As soon as he walked in the door he could smell something amazing cooking in the kitchen. It smelled so good it felt like his eyes crossed. Scope frowned. Darla didn’t need to be cooking with an injured hand. What in the hell was Gunner thinking?
“Darla? Gunner?” He stomped into the kitchen only to stop and stare at the sight before him.
“Oh, hi, Scope. I didn’t hear you come in. Would you like a cold beer?” Darla jumped down from the stool shed been sitting on near the stove and opened the fridge to pull out a bottle for him. “Here you go. You looked bushed.”
“Hey, sweetness. How are you feeling?” he asked, still staring at what could only be described as comical and scary all at the same time.
“Great! Why don’t you go have a nice hot shower and dinner should be ready when you get back down.” She kissed him on the chin and let Gunner settle her back on the stool.
“Go on, man. You’re nasty. I don’t want dinner to get cold after I’ve worked this hard to fix it.” Gunner stared at him with the closest thing he’d ever seen to a real death threat issued from a pair of intense blue eyes.
“Okay, then. I’ll be right down.” Scope quickly turned away before he broke into a huge ass grin and embarrassed himself by rolling around on the floor laughing his ass off.
He all but ran for the stairs to get behind closed doors before he lost it. He’d never seen Gunner in an apron in his life. The fact that it was a frilly pink one with white ruffles and barely covered the front of his body only made it that much more ludicrous. On top of that, he was cooking—really cooking.
“He’s going to kill me for this. I didn’t do a damn thing but see his ass in a frilly apron and he’s going to wipe the floor with me.” He burst out laughing as he turned on the shower. “But it was totally worth it. Darla is the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
Scope stripped out of his greasy clothes and stuffed them in the laundry basket he’d been using for that purpose. It didn’t take him long at all in the shower though he made sure to scrub his hands and nails to get as much of the dirt and grime off as possible. Hell, this was a surprise. He shook his head and finished rinsing off.
I can’t imagine what she did to get that much out of Gunner. It must have been amazing. I sure wish I’d been here just to see it.
He briefly wondered where Tommy was. Normally he would have been sitting at the table reading or something. He hadn’t seen him there or in the living room. He would ask once he finished dressing and joined them back in the kitchen. He sure hoped the kid wasn’t sick.
Thirty minutes later he walked into the kitchen to find Darla sitting on the counter top with Gunner between her legs, his hands planted on either side of her hips and her hands resting on his shoulders. They both turned to look at him when he walked in.
“So what’s for dinner?” he managed to ask without snickering.
Gunner didn’t have the apron on anymore and Scope didn’t see it anywhere in sight. He bet Darla had fussed at him for taking it off.
“Gunner learned how to make shrimp scampi,” Darla told him.
“Wow. That’s a big step up from canned soup or canned chili,” Scope teased.
“Fuck you, Scope. The only thing you can cook better is spaghetti. Don’t gloat, man. It doesn’t look good on you,” Gunner snarled.
“Unlike that pretty pink apron I saw…”
“Don’t even think about it, man.” Gunner’s snarl turned even deeper.
“So, where is Tommy? He isn’t sick, is he?” Scope asked, changing the subject.
Darla had been trying to hide her laughter but straightened up now. “He’s staying the night with his friend, Jeremy. He went there to play today and asked to stay the night.”
“He won’t be here all night?” Scope asked, praying he didn’t have a heart attack the way his pulse had picked up.
“That’s right,” Gunner said quietly. “We’re on our own tonight. Any questions?”
“Huh?” Darla asked.
“Nothing. So. Is it ready? I’m starved,” he said, walking over to look on the stove.
“You two go have a seat,” Gunner said. “I’ll serve it.”
All through the meal, he caught Gunner staring at Darla like she was the most important person in the world to him. Scope resisted the urge to gloat. He’d known that she would win him fully over given a little alone time. As much as he wanted to know what had happened while they’d been alone that afternoon without Tommy around, he wasn’t about to ask. If Gunner wanted to share, that would be great, but he was too excited that everything was going so well to stir up any trouble.
“You two go and relax. I’ll take care of clean up. That was amazing,” he told them. “I think the two of you should become the house chefs.”
To his surprise, Gunner smiled at him. When he thought about it, Scope realized that meant he was in some kind of deep shit. It was the only tim
e he’d smiled at him in the past. Well damn.
“Scope. You get to cook with me tomorrow night. I’m going to teach you how to make a basic meal like meatloaf and mashed potatoes,” Darla said with the worst innocent expression on her face he’d ever seen.
“You know, sweet pea, you can’t lie worth shit,” he told her with a sigh.
He turned his back to them and started rinsing dishes, praying no one ever saw him wearing a frilly pink apron, because he was sure that was what was in store for him. Women. Why had he thought Darla was sweet? She was a piranha. Scope immediately chastised himself for thinking that. She was just Darla, intent on enjoying herself and making the best of a difficult situation.
No doubt being injured during a robbery and worried about how to care for her son while she couldn’t work had to be riding her hard. It didn’t matter that both he and Gunner had told her they would take care of her and Tommy. She was ultimately the boy’s only known living relative and that made it her responsibility, not theirs. They had to convince her to be their woman sooner rather than later. Not only to settle things between the three of them, but also to relieve the pressure she would be under. He didn’t like knowing she was scared and worried deep down inside.
As soon as he finished cleaning up the kitchen and turned the dishwasher on, Scope strolled into the living room to find Gunner sitting on one end of the couch massaging Darla’s feet while they watched something on the Discovery channel. Scope just shook his head and nudged Darla down a little bit so he could sit at the opposite end of Gunner.
“You can put your head in my lap while we watch TV, sweetness. I’ll massage your scalp,” he told her.
“Massage her scalp? What are you talking about? Why would she want you to do that?” Gunner asked.
“It feels good, Gunner. I’ll do yours later. It’s relaxing,” she said with a smile as she lay back in his lap. “I love it when it’s time to get my hair trimmed. They massage your scalp while they wash your hair.”
Gunner shook his head and returned to watching something about meerkats. Scope listened to the narrator. He hadn’t known they were a member of the mongoose family. They were cute little buggers.
“I’d love to have one of those. They’re so cute,” Darla said as he rubbed her scalp with the pads of his fingers.
“I bet they have sharp little teeth that would hurt when they bit,” he said with a grin.
“No doubt. Doesn’t matter though. I still think they’re cute.” Darla grinned back up at him then turned back to watch the show.
This felt so good. It was how he’d imagined it back when they were overseas. It didn’t hurt that he’d always used Darla as the face for the woman he and Gunner shared. Now he didn’t have to imagine it. He was living it and if everything went like it should, they would have this for the rest of their lives. That was his and Gunner’s dream. Having Tommy added to the mix only made it that much better. They would be a real family, have family dinners and take family vacations. He remembered growing up like that and missed it. Gunner had never had that before and Scope was eager to watch him experience it for the first time.
“What do you think, Gunner?” Darla asked him.
“What? I’m sorry. I was watching the show. I missed what you said.”
“I was saying that I’m tired. I’m ready to go to bed now. What about you?” she asked without looking at him.
“Of course, sweetie. Let’s get you upstairs and tucked in.” Scope waited while Gunner lowered her feet to the floor before he helped her sit up so that she didn’t put any pressure on her left hand.
“Are you okay to walk, babe?” Gunner asked as he stood up.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
Scope watched as Gunner took her right hand and led her toward the stairs. It amused Scope to watch the bad boy act like a tiger that could change his stripes. His friend was falling in love if he wasn’t already ass-deep in hearts and flowers.
He followed behind as they climbed the stairs. His friend opened the double doors of the master suite for Darla to enter first. He followed right behind her and Scope brought up the rear.
“Close the doors behind you, man. Make sure they’re locked. I already checked all the doors and windows downstairs.” Gunner knelt on the floor at the foot of the bed and began taking Darla’s shoes and socks off.
Close and lock the doors? They didn’t sleep in here, yet. Did they? He closed and locked the double doors then turned back around. Gunner caught his attention and that familiar half smile reached his eyes. He was trying to tell him something, but Scope wasn’t sure what it was.
As he stepped closer to the bed, Darla smiled up at him and reached for him. He didn’t understand what she wanted until she patted the mattress next to her. When he sat down, Darla leaned into him.
“Take off your shoes and get ready for bed, Scope.” She smiled at him.
When he looked over to where Gunner was pulling off his boots, Scope realized that something had happened that afternoon to change things. He wasn’t going to argue though. He could find out what happened later. All that matter now was getting in bed and holding the woman of his dreams. He owed his friend a case of beer for whatever he’d done to make this happen.
“Hurry up, Scope,” Darla told him again.
He managed to completely undress before Gunner had finished and the other man had started before him. Maybe he appeared too eager, but Scope couldn’t help it.
“You two look like kids about to get a double dip of your favorite flavor of ice cream.” She shook her head and started pulling off her shirt. “I’m not agreeing to anything other than giving this a shot, Scope. I care about both of you a lot and like how I feel when I’m with you. I just don’t know if I can be what you need, but I’m willing to see.”
“That’s all we ask, sweet thing. I know it’s probably too soon to say this, but I need to get it out.” Scope helped her pull the shirt over her head then cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Darla. I think I always have.”
“Oh, Chester. I was stuck on you for years before I realized that it was more than just an infatuation. You were all I thought about for so long, and then you were gone. Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said.
“I won’t.” She hadn’t told him that she loved him in so many words, but he heard it in her voice and figured she needed time to be able to say them out loud.
“Okay, you two love birds. Darla needs to finish undressing and I’m ready for bed. This has been a long, eventful day,” Gunner said, staring at Darla.
They quickly finished ridding her of her clothes and tucked her in between them. She felt so good there, like she had belonged there all along. Somehow they had to find a way to compromise on what everyone needed. Darla was a submissive though she thought she wasn’t. She’d had to take care of Tommy and make every decision for so long that she was afraid to give up any control now. He got that, but they could help her now and she could relax and enjoy life with them and Tommy without the worry choking her all the time.
“Stop thinking, Scope. I can hear you.” Darla pressed her naked body against his back, her injured hand draped over his shoulder.
“Sorry. I’m just wound up,” he said without elaborating.
“Well relax and get some rest,” she said.
“Night, Gunner,” he said as he attempted to settle down with the feel of Darla’s naked flesh firmly in his mind.
Good-night, John Boy,” his friend said.
“Asshole.”
“Scope, Gunner. Really?” Darla asked.
“He started,” Scope said.
“Boys. Stop it and go to sleep. I feel like a counselor at a Boy Scout camp. Sheesh!”
Scope smiled. This was everything he’d dreamed of and more. Life was looking up.
Chapter Twenty-One
“You can stop whispering now. I’m awake, guys.” Darla had listened to them for the last five minutes try and decide how to wake her up.
“Sorr
y, sweetness. I guess we woke you up.” Scope sounded suitably contrite until she rolled over to her back and saw the grin on his face.
“Somehow I don’t think you’re all that sorry.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he lost the smile.
“I, for one, am not one bit sorry. I’ve been hoping you’d wake up for the last thirty minutes. Scope wanted to let you rest a little longer then wake you up with kisses. Screw that. I wanted to wake you up with my mouth on your nipples.” Gunner demonstrated, taking her off guard.
“Oh, yes!”
Then Scope licked the other nipple before blowing on it, sending a cool draft that only made the little nub pucker even tighter. When his hot mouth enclosed it seconds later, she could only moan. Two different men working their individual magic on her at the same time was going to drive her mad with pleasure if she didn’t figure out how to handle it pretty damn soon. They’d have her doing whatever they wanted just to have their hands and mouths on her.
“So tasty, ripe, and plump.” Gunner nipped then soothed with his tongue before sucking in as much of her breast as he could manage.
Scope did the same thing, circling her flesh with his tongue until just his breath against her overly sensitive skin had goose bumps erupting up and down her arms. Darla wanted this with them, but it didn’t stop the worry that she was making a mistake from itching inside her. What would they want from her once they’d seduced her into their grasps?
Together the two men licked and sucked their way down her body, leaving no spot of visible flesh untouched, unexploited. She felt as if they’d already branded her as theirs though nothing had been said. Despite knowing she’d never be the same once the three of them had made love, Darla refused to listen to reason from her brain and instead went with her heart, which said this was what she needed.
“You’re killing me. I can’t think with you touching me like this,” she admitted.
“Don’t think. You shouldn’t be doing that anyway. Let us do the thinking for you. We’ll make sure you’re safe and satisfied, babe,” Gunner whispered from between her legs in a harsh voice.