Taught (Cypress Springs Trilogy Book 1)

by Tarilyn Sparks

  Pain flashed on Kara’s face. No one had been there for her, not like Uncle Manny had been for me.

  “Kara, please. Let me honor my Uncle Manny’s memory by helping you out until you find another option. We have the space, and we want to do this for you.”

  Kara half laughed, half sobbed. “Okay fine, I’ll stay here.”

  “Awesome,” Jack said. He did a little victory dance in his seat.

  Kara lightly punched me on the arm. “That was a low blow bringing your dead godfather into it.”

  I shrugged. “He did the same to me—constantly keeping me in line by telling me what my parents would have wanted.” Remembering how he used to do everything in his power to make sure I grew up right brought a smile to my face. I looked around and realized Kara and Jack were smiling too.

  Chapter Seven

  Kara

  It had been two weeks. Two long agonizing weeks. I’d gone through two sets of batteries on my vibrator. Two! Did Teddy and Jack know how thin their walls were? They obviously didn’t, or they would lower the volume on their sex life.

  The first time I heard them, they woke me up from a dead sleep. At first, I thought I was dreaming but no, I was listening to the hottest men I’d ever known fucking each other.

  I slid my hand down the front of my pajama pants and pressed on my clit. I just needed a little counter pressure to counteract the throbbing. But the sounds coming through the walls intensified, and before I realized it, I was fingering myself in time to the sounds of their moaning and flesh slapping against flesh.

  I bought fresh batteries for my vibrator the next day. I felt like such a voyeur, but was it my fault their sex noises invaded my space morning and night? It had been so long since I’d gotten laid, and it had never sounded as amazing as what was going on in their bedroom. It was so hot and such a turn on, I couldn’t help myself, but no matter what I did for myself, I was unsatisfied.

  I needed to be touched. This constant buzzing with sexual need was distracting and interfering with my concentration.

  Maybe I just needed to get out of the bubble of the house and school. I needed to see my girlfriends. I pulled my phone out and texted Sydney and Lauren. Time to reconnect with the rest of my life.

  We met up the next day in the coffee shop just off campus. The polished concrete floors and shining glass counters bounced warm light around the room. Syd and Lauren were already there, leaning over the cases full of lunch offerings. I walked up next to them and peered into the case with them.

  “Are we having eight-dollar sandwiches for lunch?” I asked.

  Sydney laughed and shook her head. “Absolutely not. We just like to look. Unless you’re buying?” She quirked an eyebrow in a mischievous look.

  “Yeah, no. I wish! I’m saving for a car. Remember, I sold my other one.”

  Syd’s face fell. “I’m so sorry about that.” She looked quickly at Lauren and they exchanged guilty looks before placing their coffee orders.

  After I’d paid for my own coffee, I returned to our conversation. “It’s okay. How are the dorms?”

  “Loud,” Syd said, pressing her fingertips to her temples. “So loud. And full of drama.”

  Lauren nodded. “I’m sorry we couldn’t have you come stay with us, but...”

  I waved my hand. “No way, that would have been against the rules and then we’d all be kicked out. It’s fine. I found a place to stay. For now...”

  Syd and Lauren looked at each other and turned back to me. Their eyes were huge and full of questions. I grinned. “Yes?”

  “Are you really staying with Dr. Dickman?” Lauren asked. “What’s that like? Is it terrible? Tell us everything!”

  I frowned. I’d come so far in my thinking about Teddy—I almost forgot how I used to feel. He’d be very unhappy if I called him Teddy to my friends, though. “Don’t call him that. Theo’s actually a nice guy.”

  Sydney’s mouth fell open. “What?”

  Lauren looked between us and narrowed her eyes. “You finally realized he’s hot!” she crowed.

  Heat burned into my cheeks and I looked around while the barista called out our names. The last thing I wanted was to be observed talking about this in public. After we’d all grabbed our drinks, I pulled them over to a small table at the furthest corner of the room.

  “It’s no big deal. I want to hear about all this dorm drama.”

  Sydney raised an eyebrow. She was studying to be an accountant, but her attitude screamed lawyer. “You’re not changing the subject. Tell us how you ended up there.”

  I rubbed my fingers all over my scalp and looked longingly at the exit sign.

  “Kara,” Lauren said. “You know you’re dying to tell us. Come on!”

  “Okay, well you know the old drama building? The apartment I found was actually there.”

  “There’s an apartment in the drama building?” Lauren echoed, her big blue eyes confused.

  I shook my head. “No, there’s not. But I was sold a fake lease and ended up sleeping there until I could figure out what to do.”

  Sydney, always the fast study, figured it out. “But they demolished that building!”

  “Exactly,” I nodded. “There I am, fast asleep in the corner of the prop room when boom! Plaster started raining down on me. I jumped up, grabbed my duffel bag, and ran out of the building as fast as I could.”

  “Smart,” Lauren said. “I think I might have sat there and cried.”

  “So smart, I almost ran into the direct path of the wrecking ball,” I said, starting to enjoy telling this story. “I was wearing nothing but slippers and Betty Boop pajamas.”

  “Can you imagine that’s what you’re wearing when you die?” Lauren asked. “I always think about that kind of thing.”

  Syd stared at her and then shook her head in amusement before redirecting her attention to me. “So, then what happened?”

  “So then this construction guy, he was in charge, he tackled me and saved me from being smashed by the wrecking ball.”

  “Ooh, tackled?” Lauren leaned forward.

  I nodded, the heat creeping up my cheeks. “Yes, and he’s hot too.”

  Syd shook her head. “So why aren’t you staying with him instead of Dickman?”

  I raised my eyebrows and grinned. “I am staying with him. And Theo. They’re a couple.”

  Both Syd and Lauren raised their eyebrows in unison. “Dr Dick… er… Whitman is gay?” Syd asked.

  Lauren leaned back in her chair. “I knew it. He’s so good looking.”

  I grinned. “Let me finish. So, Jack—that’s the name of the guy who saved me from the wrecking ball—he insisted I go home with him until I figured out what to do next. And Theo was there.”

  “His boyfriend,” Sydney said, connecting all the dots.

  “Yes,” I nodded.

  “Hrmph,” Lauren said. “That’s disappointing. I was hoping you had a sexier story than that.”

  I bit my lip and took a sip of my coffee.

  “You’re smiling. She’s smiling!” Lauren gasped. “What? You have to tell us.”

  Unable to control my face anymore, I let it all out. “So, Dr. Whitman insisted I call him Theo, because otherwise, it was too weird at home. He’s actually a nice guy, I swear.”

  “And?” Sydney pushed.

  “And he may have kissed me,” I said. My heart pounded from the memory of it. I’d gone all these weeks pretending like it hadn’t happened, like I hadn’t enjoyed it. Saying it out loud to my friends made it suddenly real.

  “What did you do then?” Lauren leaned forward and bit her lip as though she were on the edge of her seat as she eagerly motioned for me to continue.

  I shrugged. “Then Jack walked in.”

  Lauren’s mouth opened wider and she blinked at Syd.

  Sydney, all business, laced her fingers in front of her. “What did Jack think of you kissing his boyfriend?”

  “First of all, I didn’t kiss Theo. He kissed me. And second...” I
looked between my two friends. Would they think less of me if I told them?

  Syd made the come here motion with her hand. “Out with it, you know you want to tell us.”

  “Jack wanted to know what it was like to kiss me,” I said. “And then Theo offered me a threesome.”

  This last bit sent Lauren into a coughing fit.

  Syd sat still, unreadable. She was definitely accountant or lawyer material. No doubt about it. “You should do it,” she said, her eyes glittering.

  “What?” It was my turn to be surprised.

  Sydney nodded with conviction. “You should definitely do it.”

  “I expected to hear something like that from Lauren, but from you? You’re so proper and by the book. You are advising me to have a threesome.”

  Lauren giggled and she glanced at Syd in delight. “It’s always the quiet ones,” she said.

  Syd raised an eyebrow and took a long pull on her coffee. “You only live once. It sounds like they’re bisexual, and open to that kind of thing. Just think how good it could be.”

  My core flushed and I crossed my legs in protest. “I don’t know. It seems like a bad idea.”

  “Pfft,” Sydney waved her hand. “When are you ever going to have another chance to experience this?” She waved her finger back and forth in the air at both me and Lauren. “No, drunk frat boys don’t count. We’re talking about men here. Men who probably know what they’re doing.”

  My breathing deepened and I envisioned both Teddy and Jack naked. Together. With me.

  “Exactly,” Syd said. “Seize the day.” Both she and Lauren had glazed looks in their eyes. I probably had the same face. Two men at once. What would that be like?

  I shook my head to clear away the haze. “He’s my boss, and I’m staying there. It seems like a terrible idea. What if something went wrong?”

  Syd shrugged. “Whatever,” she said, her voice light. “I bet you’re pretty frustrated by now. How many sets of batteries has your vibrator gone through?”

  I narrowed my eyes, trying to hide my smile. Syd knew me so well.

  Lauren nodded and chewed on her thumb. “If you do it, you have to tell us all the details,” she said.

  I straightened back and tilted my head back. “I’m not going to do it. There won’t be anything to tell.”

  Sydney’s words echoed through my mind all day, even as I was at the campus bookstore buying another set of batteries. You only live once. They probably know what they’re doing. Seize the day.

  I clutched my bag of purchases close to me during the drive home with Teddy. We didn’t always talk in the car, but usually, I wasn’t so quiet. I couldn’t think of anything normal to say, so I stared out the window and imagined the possibility of sex with him and Jack.

  “How was your day?” Teddy finally asked me. He hated small talk, so he must have sensed my unease.

  “Do you ever use that hot tub in your backyard?” I blurted out.

  Teddy’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Sure, we do. I take it you’d like to soak?”

  My face burned and I pushed ahead. Seize the day. “I thought maybe we all could?”

  Teddy raised his eyebrows and he flashed me an enormous unfiltered smile. “Let’s do it,” he said, and sped up a little. Suddenly he was in a rush to get home.

  Chapter Eight

  Jack

  I looked forward to Teddy and Kara coming home every day. I’d always looked forward to Teddy, but now Kara with him added a new dimension of greatness. And she somehow calmed him down a little by the time they got home.

  It wasn’t that Teddy was a raging monster or anything, but the stresses of the day tended to pile up on him and he would be a little grouchy by the time he got home. These days, he was a lot more relaxed and loose, and they’d tumble in the door all smiles and ready to see me.

  Something was different about today.

  “Need any help with the salad?” Kara asked the moment she walked into the kitchen.

  Teddy was right behind her. Something was up. I glanced at him and he gave me his important look and motioned for me to follow him.

  Kara was already rummaging through the fridge and pulling out salad ingredients. I admired her round little ass, and Teddy grabbed my hand and pulled me out into the back yard.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, glancing back toward the house.

  Teddy put both hands on my shoulders. “She’s ready.”

  My eyes widened and Teddy nodded, a huge smile on his face.

  “Ready?”

  “She wants to get in the jacuzzi,” he said. He started toward the hot tub. “We need to fire it up.”

  I trailed behind him. “Teddy, wanting to get in the jacuzzi doesn’t mean she’s ready for us.”

  Teddy nodded. “Yes, it does. She said she’d like to soak. With all of us.”

  The blood drained out of my face and went straight to my cock. I’d not allowed myself to think of Kara’s ripe body since that day I’d tackled her in the parking lot. But soaking in the hot tub? The three of us?

  “This was her idea?”

  Teddy put both hands up. “I assure you. She brought it up. She said the three of us. I didn’t push her.”

  I put my hands on my hips and shook my head. “Well, how the fuck am I supposed to get through dinner now?”

  “She might still be a little skittish. We have to play it slow. She might just want to soak in the hot tub, and that’s it,” Teddy said. “Test the water.” He grinned at his own pun, and I rolled my eyes in a good-natured way.

  I ran my hands across my stiff cock trapped in my jeans. “I’ll get the hot tub going if you’ll go back in and pull dinner out of the oven when the timer rings. I gotta cool down before I’m fit for dinner anyway.”

  Teddy looked relieved and moved aside for me. Mechanical things were not his strongest suit. Me, I can fix and maintain anything. Hell, I’m the one who installed this jacuzzi. I watched Teddy’s lanky body speed-walk across the lawn and back into the house. I could see him and Kara interact through the kitchen window. They looked so easy and friendly together. She really was good for him; good for us.

  I tinkered with the tub, willing myself to think about filters and water pH. I couldn’t go walking into the house with a full erection. I didn’t want to scare the girl away. After making sure everything was just right, I set it to heat up. We had a little time before it would be to temperature, hopefully, Kara wouldn’t change her mind during dinner.

  When I got inside Kara was already seated in the dining room. Teddy shadowed me as I walked to the sink to wash my hands. “I think she’s still into it,” he whispered. He traced his finger along my neck and I shivered.

  “But she takes the lead,” I said. “No pushing her.”

  “You’re the one who offered her a threesome.” Teddy slid his hands up and down my upper arms.

  I leaned back. “Really? You’re the one who kissed her.” I shook my head. Usually I was the one making all the moves, but Teddy had surprised me, and probably Kara, with his impromptu kiss in the garden.

  Teddy grinned. “No regrets. You’ll see.”

  “If you two don’t get in here, I’m going to start without you,” Kara called.

  Our eyes locked. My imagination instantly went to a different image of Kara “starting without us.”

  “Perfect gentlemen,” Teddy said, and kissed me emphatically. “That’s what we are.”

  “Always,” I said, adjusting my half-hard erection in my pants.

  Until the moment she asks us not to be.

  Kara was extra animated through dinner. Tilting her head, flipping her shiny brown hair, touching our hands. We hadn’t had anything to drink yet, so we couldn’t blame it on the wine. It was all her.

  She was wearing this little flippy halter dress that plunged well below her cleavage. I tried not to stare at that space between her breasts. I wanted to kiss it. Taste it.

  My cock throbbed in my pants, and I had to will it to at least hal
f-mast several times. This girl—there was just something about her. When the meal was over, Teddy jumped up and started clearing dishes.

  Kara rested her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her fists. “Tell me about your work,” she said. “I’m not clear exactly on what you do.”

  I smiled at her. “You know I knock down buildings.”

  Kara laughed lightly, tipping her head back. Tendrils from her loose ponytail played across her shoulders. “That much I knew, but surely you must do other things. For example, do you ever build anything?”

  “Of course. I oversee all kinds of construction projects.”

  “He worked his way up,” Teddy chimed in. He was back and looking through the wine cabinet.

  Kara raised her eyebrows. “Is this true?”

  I shrugged. “Somewhat. I started working construction when I was a teenager and never stopped.”

  Kara’s eyes widened. “And now you’re in charge?”

  Teddy held up a bottle of red wine and three glasses with question marks in his eyes. I nodded enthusiastically at him.

  I turned my attention back to Kara. “In charge? Not hardly, but I’m not the bottom of the totem pole either. It wasn’t just on-the-job training. I have a degree in civil engineering.”

  I grinned as Kara processed this fact. I worked outside a lot, had developed a healthy tan, and was good with my hands. This made people assume I wasn’t the classroom type. I didn’t love going to school the way Teddy and Kara obviously did, but I’d done okay.

  “He also has a masters degree in project management,” Teddy said, a smile quirking at his lips. He was doing his whole wine ritual, and Kara and I both watched him with interest. The wine was always good when Teddy was in charge.

  I checked Kara’s reaction, but she looked preoccupied. Worry lines creased her face.

  “Are you okay?” I reached out and held her hand. It was so small in my palm. So delicate and smooth. What had her so unhappy?

  Kara chewed on her lip and avoided eye contact. Teddy stood on the other side of the table, watching, stock still. Was our Kara okay? Finally, she blushed and looked up slowly, a pained expression on her face.