Liv touched my arm, and I caught her thoughtful gaze.
“This was my dad’s studio. I haven’t been up here since he died.” I swallowed over a grimace. “Sorry, Liv. We can go.”
“You don’t have to be sorry.” She scanned the untouched shadowy room. “Can I look around?”
“Sure.”
I imagined it all through her eyes. It must look like a real dump. Immediately I hated myself for letting it sit this way for so long. I opened the shades. Billows of dust floated through the air. Dozens of boxes of materials sat against one wall. Another wall was distinguished by an extended work surface where an unfinished project lay scattered. Vats, a short wine rack, and the rest of his winemaking operation filled one corner. Then, where the light hit the strongest, an entire wall of glittering color. His art, a lifetime of work that hadn’t made its way into the hands of friends or strangers. The pieces he’d kept for himself.
Liv went to them, walking along with wonder in her eyes. That wonder reminded me of the admiration I’d had for my dad’s art since I was a boy. That same wonder had brought me into the trade. Now I didn’t do it for the money but as a way to keep him close. She paused in front of one piece—a sun and a moon, joined. Shimmering gold and bright yellows blended into a night as cool and vibrant as Liv’s unforgettable eyes.
“You can touch them,” I said. I joined her and marveled at the piece that always seemed to be the centerpiece of his collection. “This one was always my favorite. Dad used to tell me it meant rebirth and strength. I didn’t get the rebirth thing for a long time. Had to grow up enough to appreciate what that really meant. But I liked the strength part. I remember always wanting to be strong like him.”
She turned toward me, her eyes soft. “You are strong.”
“On the outside, Liv. Not in all the ways that matter, though.”
She didn’t speak, and I cursed myself for getting too close to a topic I didn’t want to talk about. But for some reason, she made me want to talk, even if it hurt. Even if it was awkward like it was now.
“I’m glad you brought me here. Seeing this reminds me that some people don’t give up.”
I searched her eyes for meaning until she looked down and toyed with the small charm that hung from her bracelet.
“I used to paint in college. Majored in it, actually. But I haven’t picked up a brush since I left campus. It’s been years now.”
“Why did you stop?”
She shrugged. “I’m terrified, to be honest. I sketch sometimes, or I work on little crafty projects. I can decorate rooms all day long. But I look at my box of paints, and I’m petrified.”
“What are you scared of?”
“I’m not sure. Nothing ever feels right. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to be perfect, Ian. Art has nothing to do with perfection.”
“If you can understand that, you can get past it. You can rise above whatever is holding you back.”
“I’d like to think that, but it’s not so easy.”
I traced the wave of a sun ray, a path I must have traveled a hundred times while my dad worked here, a short train ride away from the home I’d grown up in. Liv was worried about perfection. I was already too broken to reach for those heights.
“Mosaics are born from imperfection. Broken pieces come together to make something beautiful, almost like they were fated to fit together and become what they are,” I said.
Knowing that Olivia had abandoned her art hit me in the same place where I felt my father’s death—the place where memories reminded me of all the days the cancer had robbed him of.
I let my hand fall back to my side. “After my dad died, I couldn’t work for a while. I decided I needed a break. I couldn’t stick white subway tile to a wall without thinking about him, let alone try to do him justice on something like this.”
“But you got past it.”
“Yeah. I missed him so damn much. I finally broke down and took a job, and when I did, I realized it was the only way I could keep him close enough. Nothing else gave me relief. Doesn’t take away the pain, but it keeps him close.”
“And your tattoo…that keeps him close too.”
I remembered her touch that morning in the kitchen, painful but oddly welcome. And without having to tell her, she’d known. The mosaic stretching across my skin was homage to him, to the pain I couldn’t quite let go of.
“It does.”
“It’s really beautiful. I’m sure you’ve made him really proud.”
Her words wrapped around me, seeming to crawl inside and make me want to have her even closer. I caught her cheek, reveling in her soft skin. I’d had her this way before, so close but just out of reach.
“You’re beautiful too, Liv. Inside and out. Perfection doesn’t exist, but if it did, it already exists inside you. All your doubts, your flaws, your fear. Use all of it. Don’t waste it because you think the world won’t love every stroke.”
She swallowed, and her eyes glistened with emotion. “I’ll try,” she whispered.
Whatever hurt was there, I wanted to take away, swiftly and completely. I pulled her into my arms and pressed my lips to hers. I flicked my tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened for me with a sigh. Then her tongue and her taste were all mine. I drank from her like she was cool water on a summer day…like she was the one thing I never knew I needed.
Leaning into me, she curved her soft body along the hard planes of mine. I guided her arms around my neck, and the kiss deepened. When she moaned, everything went out of focus but her. Heat ricocheted through me, hardening my cock. I wandered my touch over her curves, where her clothes molded tightly over her perfect body. Cupping her ass, I pressed her against my erection, adding more tension than relief to my current situation. She gasped, tightened her hold on me, and answered with the smallest movement of her hips, adding more friction between us.
I kissed her breathless, trying and failing to control my raging desire. I could have her here, somehow. But she deserved better, and I wanted to take my time with her. I longed to unwrap her, taste every inch of her incredible body, and fuck her slowly until she begged for more. I couldn’t do that here, even as my cock ached to find a place inside her.
“Liv…goddamn, I want you, but we can’t do this here.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Her soft words puffed against my lips.
“See me tonight.” My voice was need and desperation. I had to have her. I couldn’t wait much longer…
Her questioning gaze flickered up to mine. “What about Will?”
Goddamn Will. I didn’t especially want to share her, but if she hadn’t already been his, she wouldn’t ever be mine. Plus, he’d already warned her about us. The truth was I would have her any way I could…
“See us.”
Chapter Nine
OLIVIA
My hand shook as I hit the button that would take the elevator car to Will and Ian’s apartment. We’d talked about this, but that didn’t change the fact that I was scared to death of what I was walking into. A sexual situation with not just one dominating man that I couldn’t bear to resist, but two.
My mother’s slanted opinions and unfair demands echoed in my ears. They were quickly silenced by the bell announcing my arrival. I didn’t have room for her in my thoughts. Not tonight.
Will opened the door before I had a chance to knock. He looked freshly showered, shirtless, his hair falling in dark wet strands every which way. He smiled and pulled me close for a kiss that instantly took my breath away.
He stepped back enough to look me over. “Wow. I feel underdressed. You look…damn.”
His ravenous gaze worked me over from head to toe.
I had a closet full of cocktail dresses, and more times than not, no place to wear them. So tonight I’d chosen a satiny cream dress with thin straps and an almost indecent slit up the thigh. Late summer was quickly becoming early fall, but the days were still hot and I could pull it off. His gaze fell to my feet, where I wore matchi
ng cream-colored heels that laced up the ankles.
“Good God,” he murmured. “I think tonight’s going to be a real exercise in restraint, princess. I’m ready to fuck you through the door, but our friend has been waiting oh so patiently, and I can’t deny him now.”
My breathing became ragged, and my confidence wavered.
Will pulled me close again. “Shh, don’t be scared.”
I exhaled an unsteady breath. “But I am.”
His gaze softened with concern. “We’re not trying to take anything from you, Olivia. This isn’t about us. You’re the center of it all. You and your pleasure. If it’s not making you happy, it’s not what we want. Okay?”
I nodded, heartened by his words but still wary of the unknown. How could I please two men with appetites like theirs? I was one woman, perpetually frightened of falling short, historically out of my depth when it came to enjoying sex for the sake of sex.
“I don’t want to do something wrong.”
“It’s just us, here and now. Open yourself to it. Give in to it. If you do that, you’re doing everything right.” He stilled. “Do you want this?”
Was he asking my brain or my heart? Because they were of two opinions on the matter. “I don’t know what I want until I’m in the moment. I’m trying to feel my way through all of this, and even though it always feels right with you, sometimes it’s scary too.”
“Tell me what you’re afraid of.”
I reached for that honesty I’d promised him our first night together. “I’m afraid of getting hurt. Of feeling used. I don’t want to be someone you…fuck and dispose of.”
He winced, and his hold on me tightened a fraction. “I won’t hurt you.”
“And Ian?” His name left my lips in a whisper.
Will licked his lips, his gaze serious. “Olivia, I have a feeling this is new territory for all of us.”
“Not for you two.”
He shook his head. “You might be surprised. We’re all taking risks here. You have to trust me.”
“I do trust you,” I murmured.
He released a breath, relief smoothing his gorgeous features. “Ian’s in the living room. Do you want a drink?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine.” Three fingers of scotch would certainly have eased my nerves, but I wanted my wits about me. I had to know what I was going into.
“Go get comfortable. I’ll be out in a little while. You don’t have to wait for me.”
I nodded, but those last words had me shaky on my feet again. I inhaled a steeling breath and left Will’s embrace to find Ian sitting on the long leather couch in the living room.
I paused a few paces away. The heat in his gray-eyed gaze threatened to turn me into a puddle on the floor. That and he was sexy as hell—chiseled features carved by the gods and an enviable body. I bit my lip, suddenly scared and anxious by the prospect of seeing the man totally uncovered. All the way down to the substantial erection that he was already sporting through his jeans.
“You’re trying to kill me in that dress, right?”
I laughed and smoothed my hands down the slick material. I bit my lip, imagining his hands on me instead, the way they had been earlier. He’d barely left an inch of my sparsely clothed body untouched at his father’s studio. I hadn’t wanted him to stop, but he seemed to possess more willpower than I had.
“You look nervous.” His voice was low, as dangerous as his lascivious gaze.
I stared down at the floor, gathering my courage. “Guilty as charged.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about. You’ve got both of us by the balls, Liv. Enjoy it.”
He motioned me to come closer, and that small vote of confidence spurred me forward until I stood between his thighs. He gazed up at me, his jaw set tight. His tongue traveled along his lower lip as he drank me in.
“That first night, I heard you coming all night. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t think straight. I’d wanted you before, but that’s when I knew I had to have you.”
My heart hammered, and my nipples beaded under the dress. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the way he touched me at the studio hours before. I was on fire for the man, and nothing could soothe me except having his hands on me again.
“Touch me…please.” I was desperate for it.
He bent forward, bringing his palms to my knees and moving them slowly up my thighs and under my dress. He circled around to my ass, teasing the skin under the hem of my panties. Heat arrowed to my pussy, where I wanted contact more than anything.
He brought his lips along my thigh where the slit didn’t cover and teased a little circle around that small bit of flesh with his tongue. I grabbed his shoulder for leverage, sensing my knees might not hold out.
He stood abruptly, tugged off his shirt, and reached for me. Pushing the straps of my dress down, he devastated my mouth with a ravaging kiss. The lust and longing I’d felt before seemed so small compared to the sensations racking my body now.
My dress fell to the floor, and our flesh came together. Finally, skin against skin. He was scorching, his beautiful dark skin taut over slabs of hard muscle.
“I’ve wanted you for too long. More than you know,” he rasped.
He dropped back onto the couch, bringing me with him so I straddled his thighs. The friction of denim against my skin heightened my need.
“What about Will? How does this work?” I whispered, suddenly aware of Will’s extended absence from the room.
“Will calls the shots. And I do whatever the fuck I want in the meantime. Right now, I want your mouth on me, Liv.”
On cue, I separated from his mouth and trailed my lips down his neck. He smelled spicy, like smoke and musk. I sucked at his skin, marveling at his taste, and worked my way down.
I curved my palm over his broad shoulder and then down his rib cage to his narrows hips. I brought my knees to the floor between his muscular thighs and trailed my lips and tongue along his tattoo, half expecting it to taste different than the rest of him. The pattern of geometric shapes created an ornate mosaic that stretched over his pectoral and around his torso. It was deep reds, oranges, and purples—colors that reminded me of pain, but set together, created a breathtaking design.
I rubbed his erection through his jeans. He hissed between his teeth, and his gaze turned molten. Grabbing my hair, he angled me up. He leaned in like he was going to kiss me again, but instead hovered there, a breath away. He worked the button and zipper on his jeans and freed his thick cock.
“Is this what you want?”
I whimpered in reply. Of course I had to pick two enormously endowed men to take to bed at once. I tried not to think about how I could possibly please them both. Ian’s scent, the silky head of his cock teasing my lips, and his possessive hold on me had my head spinning with desire. Arousal pooled between my legs as I shifted my thighs against each other. Every sensation was on high alert.
“I want to know what you taste like,” I whispered.
He loosened his hold on me, allowing me to take him into my mouth as far as I could. His deep moan filled me with satisfaction. I twirled my tongue around the head of his cock and then lowered down his impressive length, each time trying to take more of him than I had before. I inhaled through my nose, taking in the scent of him. His breathing was uneven, and his fist tightened and released around my hair when I sucked him harder. I reveled in the little signs of his undoing, reminding me that even though I was on my knees, I had power too.
The sound of bare feet shuffled behind me. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Will drop into the leather chair adjacent to the couch. I closed my eyes, wanting to stay focused on Ian’s pleasure and not think too much about having an audience. Except when I did, the ache in my core became painfully acute. I sped up my strokes.
Finally, Will’s voice cut through the room. “Olivia.” That single word demanded all of my attention.
I let Ian’s cock slip from my mouth and looked to Will. He flicked a finger,
motioning me toward him. I looked up to Ian’s flushed face, his full lips parted through ragged breaths.
“Go,” he said.
“On your knees, princess,” Will ordered gently, before I could rise to my feet.
Slowly, I traversed the space between the two men. I knelt between Will’s thighs. Where nervous energy had pulsed through me before, I only trembled with lust now.
In Ian’s arms, I felt frantic, a mirror of fierce desire that threatened to overwhelm all my senses. On my knees, waiting breathlessly for Will’s next command, somehow I was free. When he challenged, I didn’t rile. I found an unexpected peace in his dominance. And I trusted that wherever he led me, unimaginable pleasure followed.
“Did you enjoy that?” His voice was gravel and lust.
I bit my lip with a smile. I did. Giving Ian pleasure was intoxicating, empowering. I couldn’t wait to do the same to Will.
“Let’s take your panties off.”
I stood and slid my lacy nude panties down my legs. I flicked them off my ankle and canted my head with a flirty grin. “Happy now?”
He shook his head with a smirk. “Why do I have the distinct feeling you’re going to put me in my grave with that smart mouth of yours?”
“I promise not to suck you to death,” I teased.
“I’m not sure I’d mind. Get back on your knees, princess.”
I dropped down and stared up at him. He brushed his thumb back and forth over my lips. They felt swollen and tingly. They ached for something between them. As if he sensed that, he pushed two fingers past my lips.
“You can suck on these while you take my cock out.”
I sucked the salt off his fingertips and worked to unfasten his belt. He gasped as I tongued him the way I planned to tongue his cock as soon as I got my hands on it. I tugged his boxers down, freeing his cock. Then I took him in my mouth as I had Ian.
Over the Edge: The Bridge Series: Book Three Page 10