by Marie Carnay
She liked her dates on the active side. If Mitch didn’t agree, good to know now and tell him goodbye. Her eyes slid over to Clark once more. She could focus on her other option. “I like dates where we’re doing something. I don’t like to sit still. Too much time to stare at each other with nothing to say.”
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “Something like…”
She shrugged. “Bowling?”
He raised an eyebrow “You bowl?”
Here we go. Maddie palmed her hips, ready to defend her mad skills in the lane. “Of course I do. You can’t grow up in the Midwest and not know how to bowl.”
Mitch boomed out a laugh, clutching his sides and practically doubling over.
Maddie frowned. He was laughing at her? Shoot. She’d read him all wrong. It shouldn’t sting, but it did. She really liked him. A lot. Knowing he was the kind of guy to laugh at her instead of going along…
She crossed her arms over her chest as Clark arrived.
“What’s so funny?”
“My bowling skills, apparently.”
“You bowl?” Clark’s stoic face broke into a grin and Maddie threw her arms up. Here we go again.
Being made fun of by two guys who she’d imagined naked and doing all sorts of naughty things to her was not how she expected this night to go.
She pouted. “Why is liking bowling so funny to both of you?”
Mitch managed to straighten up and stop laughing long enough to answer. “Because you’re looking at the two champions of our law school bowling league, three years in a row.”
Maddie blinked, the anger draining from her as fast as it came. “You’re not laughing at me because bowling is stupid?”
Mitch shook his head. “No. I’m laughing because you couldn’t be more perfect if you tried.”
“He’s right.” Clark stepped up, his blue eyes vibrant and sincere. “Maddie, you’re everything Harlow promised and more.”
Oh. A hot blush crept up her cheeks, and Maddie didn’t know what to say. Not only were they gorgeous and capable, they liked the same things she did and weren’t embarrassed by them at all.
How would she ever be able to choose?
She swallowed and did the only thing she could think of. She held up the darts. “Ready for another round?”
Chapter 5
MADDIE
The dart sailed through the air and landed smack on the red bullseye in the center. Maddie squinted at the scorecard in the dim light as she found Mitch’s name and penciled in his score.
After finding out Mitch and Clark not only knew each other before that night, but had shared a house together in law school and even dated a few of the same girls back then, Maddie relaxed. The multiple rounds of beers hadn’t hurt, either.
Now they were the last people left in the bar, in the middle of their tenth round of darts, and she’d never had a better first date.
“Last call! Bar closes in ten!” The bartender’s voice rang out and Maddie sagged against the barstool.
“Want another beer?”
She shook her head. The imminent lack of beer wasn’t what had gotten her down. It was the end of the date. How was she ever going to sleep tonight after this? She glanced up at Mitch sitting next to her. “I’m surprised it’s so late, that’s all.”
He nodded. “Same here. So who’s winning?” He motioned at the scorecard and she focused on it, running up the numbers in her head.
A laugh slipped out as she did the calculations again. “I am, I think.”
He waited until she looked him in the eye. “Lucky you.”
“Why?”
“Winner gets a kiss, remember?”
Maddie glanced away in a rush. She’d forgotten all about the bet. They’d been having such a good time laughing and learning about each other that the competition had taken a backseat. At least for her.
She frowned and looked back at the scorecard. “You two aren’t losing on purpose, are you?”
Mitch covered his heart with his hand. “Us? Never.” But the grin on his face and the gleam in his eye said they had done exactly that.
Oh my God. They want me to choose. Maddie drank a swig of her room-temperature beer and grimaced. “I… I…”
“Something the matter?” Clark strolled up, darts in his hand.
Mitch slid off the stool and clapped him on the back. “Maddie just figured out she’s in the lead, that’s all.”
Clark grinned down at her as her mouth hung open in shock. “Mitch has the last turn. Maybe he’ll find a way to pull it out.”
She didn’t think so. Not with the way he was holding the dart and aiming for what looked like the restroom door instead of the board. Maddie watched, a trapped breath burning her lungs. They couldn’t make her choose.
It wasn’t fair.
Mitch threw all four darts, barely hitting the board at all. She added up the numbers three times. I won.
Crap.
The lights in the bar came on as Mitch walked back over. Maddie sat on her stool in a daze. I can’t pick. They can’t make me. She chewed on her lip while the men settled the tab with the bartender, both glancing back at her every few seconds.
Various escape routes ran through her head. A sudden migraine. An allergy to kisses. A nasty, invisible cold sore. Something. Anything to keep her from disappointing one man and herself.
Clark leaned down and helped her off the stool. “Something the matter?”
“Um… no? I’m just tired.”
“Then let’s go.”
She held back, tugging against his hold on her arm. “I don’t think any of us should drive.”
Clark smiled. “We’re not. I ordered a car. It’s waiting outside.”
“You ordered a car?”
Mitch appeared on her other side and slipped his arm through hers. “One of the perks of big business. We’ve both got drivers.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing against her ear. “Don’t worry, there’s privacy glass in this one. Once we’re in the back, no one can see or hear.”
She let Mitch and Clark steer her out of the bar and into the promised car. Sleek and black, the stretched town car went on for days. She clambered into the back, her ass falling onto a black leather seat.
A driver sat in the front, smiling at her in the rear view mirror. “Good evening, miss.”
“Evening.”
The men climbed in after her and before she could wrap her brain around what was happening, Clark had asked for her address, instructed the driver to go there, and the privacy glass slid up into place.
They were alone.
Mitch spread out, his arms taking up miles of the back seat. “So about that kiss.”
CLARK
As soon as the idea came to him, he’d known it was genius. Leave it to a litigator to figure out the solution to a problem.
He reclined against the seat, waiting for Maddie to make up her mind. It didn’t matter which one of them she chose. The other wasn’t giving up. They’d decided that hours ago. It hadn’t taken more than a bathroom break for Mitch and Clark to hash it out.
Hell, neither one of them even had to act like a lawyer and posture and preen and demand concessions. No. One look at Mitch’s clenched jaw and tight shoulders and Clark knew the man had it bad for Maddie. Just like Clark.
They were hopeless, the pair of them. Whomever she chose tonight might have won this round, but it wasn’t the end. Clark wouldn’t give up until she told him to get lost. Mitch wouldn’t either. They might have drifted apart over the last few years, but Clark knew the competitive streak in his old friend went deeper than bones.
Maddie would be the one choosing between them, whenever that was. Until then, it was game fucking on. Court was in session and Clark had a case to present.
She glanced over at him and he smiled. That’s it, pick me. Show Mitch how behind he is in this match.
Her gaze slid to the right. Mitch puffed out his chest, waiting.
“I… um…” She stalled,
tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Damn. Nerves only made her hotter. The way her cheeks tipped pink and her tits heaved up and down with each breath. Her knees knocked together with every bump in the road, and Clark fought the urge to pull them apart and wedge himself between them.
Maddie ran her tongue over her lips, licking off her lip gloss as she tugged on the hem of her dress. At last, she found her voice. “I can’t choose.”
Mitch slid his arms off the back of the seat and scooted forward. “What does that mean?”
Her eyes darted back and forth before she focused on the floor beneath her feet. “Just what I said. I can’t choose. So…” She looked up, eyes bright and certain. “I declare it a tie. You both get a kiss tonight.”
Clark grinned. It wasn’t what he’d expected, but he’d take even a partial victory.
MADDIE
This is insane. As soon as the words slipped out, she covered her mouth with her hand. I just asked two men to kiss me. I am such a tramp.
Clark broke the silence. “Who goes first?”
Mitch crossed the space between the seats, sliding up next to her. “I do. You picked the bar, I get the first kiss.”
Oh my God. Maddie’s heart thrummed in her chest, a wild gallop of hooves against her ribs. His hand reached out and snaked along her arm, leaving a trail of tingles in his wake.
Clark stared the whole time, his blue eyes never leaving her face. Maddie’s lips fell open and at last Clark relaxed. He leaned back on the seat with a hint of a smirk. “That’s fine. I’m a better closer.”
As Mitch leaned in, Clark winked. He winked! Maddie didn’t know what to do. Her fingers shook, her knees knocked together, and Mitch slipped his hand behind her head. He turned her face toward his and Maddie willed herself to focus, not on the sexy man across the limo staring her down, but on the equally sexy one leaning in to kiss her.
His stubble grazed her cheek and a little moan slipped past her lips. Mitch smiled. “I’ve wanted to taste you all night.”
The first press of his lips against hers sent her eyelids crashing shut. She could still feel the weight of Clark’s stare, his determined gaze boring down on her as Mitch stole her breath and deepened the kiss.
His tongue swept across her lips and she opened for him, easing back onto the seat as he pressed closer against her side. His hand snaked down the front of her dress, lingering over her breast. As his thumb flicked across her nipple she arched and gasped, the sound stolen by his lips.
This wasn’t just a kiss. It was a million times more intimate and sexy. Knowing Clark sat a few feet away, staring… Maddie reached for Mitch, her fingers sifting through his short hair as another hand eased between her knees.
What on earth? Her eyes flew open and she pushed on Mitch’s chest, but he refused to yield.
Clark kneeled on the floor in front of her closed legs, easing them apart with his hands. She stared at him, her eyes bugged out, imploring him to stop.
He grinned. “You didn’t specify where I could kiss you, Maddie. Like I said, I’m a closer. Isn’t that right, Mitch?”
Mitch broke their kiss long enough to respond. “You were in law school. The jury’s still out on whether you’ve still got it.”
“Just wait and see.” With a commanding thrust, Clark shoved Maddie’s legs apart.
“We shouldn’t—”
Mitch kissed away her protest, tugging her closer with one hand behind her head. His lips ran across her cheek and over her ear lobe before he nipped the soft pad with his teeth. “We can and we will, Maddie. Remember, it’s just a kiss.”
Mitch licked a trail down her neck as Clark’s fingers found her panties beneath her skirt. His fingers slipped beneath the lace and he groaned from between her legs. “You’re soaked for us, Maddie. Absolutely soaked.”
Tugging the fabric to the side, Clark disappeared beneath the hem of her dress, his head covered by the red silk as he sought the molten core of her. Maddie couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think or talk or come up with a single word in opposition.
Mitch’s lips landed back on hers as Clark’s tongue flicked through her folds, a deep rumble of satisfaction sounding from beneath her dress. His tongue danced across her clit and Maddie’s legs fell open wider, unable to keep up the pretense of indecision a moment longer.
She wanted this. Needed it. Had to have it.
Damn if Mitch and Clark Hill weren’t the answer to her midnight prayers. The secret longings she’d whispered to no one except her vibrator and a naughty book late at night.
Four hands. Two tongues.
Twice the skill.
She cried out through Mitch’s kiss as Clark drove her toward an orgasm, his tongue an expert in more than lawyer-speak and courtroom drama. He was a damn master at this, and as Mitch cradled her head in his hands, she came.
Hard and quick, an orgasm built out of excitement and shock, wonder and bliss.
She shook in Mitch’s arms, riding the wave of pleasure Clark gave her as they bounced and rolled down the road to her place. Mitch released her and she sagged against the leather.
Clark pulled back and tugged her panties into place as the car slowed, his lips and chin still slick and shining. “I believe we’ve arrived.”
Maddie blinked. Oh my God. She glanced out the window. The car idled in front of her building, just a few steps from the front entrance and the twenty-four-hour security guard, Dave.
He couldn’t see her like this. She couldn’t invite two men up to her apartment. She turned back to Mitch and Clark as the panic set in. “Thank you for everything. I… had a great time.”
“Aren’t you going to invite us in?”
Maddie grabbed the door handle and shoved the door open. “No. No, I’m not. I have to go.”
She crawled out of the car, her lips swollen from making out with Mitch and her sex throbbing in a combination of satisfaction and lingering need. Running toward the front door, she ignored the calls from Mitch and Clark, and ignored the sound of the car door slamming and feet pounding the pavement behind her.
Dave opened the front door and Maddie bolted through it and into the waiting elevator. She turned as Mitch and Clark made it to the door, throwing up a halfhearted wave as the elevator shut them out.
Chapter 6
MADDIE
Could down pillows burst under pressure? Maddie was well on her way to finding out. She clutched her bright pink couch pillow to her chest, squeezing the life out of it as she glowered at Harlow.
“Everything is your fault.”
“It doesn’t sound like they’re complaining.”
“They should be!” Maddie crushed the pillow tighter to her chest, the little tips of the goose feathers poking through the cover and jabbing her in the arm. “You sent two guys on one date!”
Harlow sighed. “I know. And believe me, I’m mortified.”
“You! You’re mortified? You’re not the one who had one between her legs and one shoving his tongue between her lips in the back of a limo!”
“I thought it was a town car.”
Maddie launched the pillow into the air, aiming for Harlow but coming up short. It landed in the bowl on the coffee table and sent the little chocolates inside in all directions. She picked one up with a scowl, unwrapped it and shoved it in her mouth, chomping instead of shouting.
Harlow picked one up and took her time, unwrapping the foil and sniffing the dark chocolate piece before popping it in her mouth and groaning in delight. “These are delicious. Where did you get them?”
Maddie exhaled. “Mitch. He sent them this morning.”
“He sent you chocolates?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What about Clark?”
“There might be some expensive wine in the fridge.”
“Oh, Maddie, they really like you.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Why on earth not?”
Maddie couldn’t believe it. After she’d run out on Mitch and Clark like a scar
ed little teenager, she’d been too embarrassed to do anything but crawl into bed and tug up the covers.
But dreaming about their expert hands and wicked tongues all night hadn’t given her the escape she’d hoped a good night’s sleep would bring. She couldn’t believe things had gone so far, so fast. Worse, she couldn’t understand why Harlow thought it was a positive.
“I shouldn’t have let things go that far. I can’t date two guys, Harlow. And I can’t pick one of them. It’s terrible.”
Her best friend frowned at her, but said nothing.
Maddie tried to ignore it, but after a minute, she caved. “What?”
“I think you should go for it. You like them and they like you. Maybe I goofed by sending two guys out on a date with you, but if I’d sent just one, then you’d have never met the other one. Would you prefer that?”
Maddie opened her mouth to say yes, but closed it first. Harlow had a point. “I’m still mad at you.”
“Fine. Stay mad at me if that makes you feel better, but you need to stop hiding out in your apartment and figure out what you want to do next.”
“That’s easy. I’m going to take a cold shower, throw this candy in the trash, pour the wine down the sink, and forget last night ever happened.”
“You’re being a coward.” Harlow picked up her phone and swiped it open, reading her email and ignoring Maddie’s indignant expression.
The nerve of her. Maddie crossed her arms and sulked, staring at the empty chocolate wrappers littering the coffee table. Mitch had been nothing but a gentleman. Sending her chocolate the day after their first date, asking for a chance to see her again…
And Clark. Instead of a Lothario hell-bent on satisfying his own needs, he’d given her pleasure in spades. When she’d run out on him, he’d sent her wine. Fancy wine!
She picked up the pillow and hugged it once more to her chest. “I can’t see them again. One look at either one of them and I’ll die of embarrassment.”