Muscling In

by Lily Harlem

  “Oh yes, of course.” I headed out of the kitchen and into the living room. Coben didn’t need to listen to our chatter while he was having his first cup of coffee of the day. “How are the preparations going?”

  “Well Belinda Jones is supposed to be judging the vegetables but she’s gone into hospital with a broken hip, so I think I might be taking on that role. Not that I’m an expert.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

  We talked for half an hour. I filled her in on what I’d been doing at work, told her about the nice meal at the Sterns’—though I didn’t mention Ed—and finished our weekly round up by telling her I was going shopping with Stella.

  “Give Stella my love.”

  “I will, Mum. Bye, and I hope it all goes well at the fete.”

  I hung up and wandered back into the kitchen. Coben was standing at the window, staring out into our long, thin back garden. He was holding his phone.

  “You okay?” I asked, unused to seeing him so motionless.

  “I just called Edward.”

  “You did?” I was surprised. I didn’t think he would even though I’d given him the opportunity. “How did that go?”

  “He’s coming here.” He turned to face me.

  “Oh, that’s good, then. You can talk in private.” I paused. “When is he coming?”

  “Now. Said he’d be here in twenty.”

  “Wow, that’s keen.”

  Coben shrugged, then poured more coffee. “I guess he just wasn’t doing anything else today.”

  I glanced at my watch. “Well I’m heading out soon anyway to meet Stella. There’s some steak and sausages in the fridge if you want to light the BBQ and cook something up. Why don’t you have a beer in the sunshine while you chat?” I gestured to the sunny sky outside. “Might as well make the most of it.”

  “Mmm…yes. Might do that.” He set his coffee on the table before striding to the back door. He flung it open, letting in the breeze and the sounds of the birds and the distant growl of London traffic. He breathed deep.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes, it will just be strange to spend time with him again. I didn’t think I would.”

  “I guess it’s like that for lots of your old colleagues.”

  “Yes.” He paused. “Edward is different, though. We were close. When I left the military…”

  “Go on?”

  “I really thought his chosen path would…well it’s a dangerous one. I often wondered if he was still alive.”

  “Oh, Coben.” I stepped up behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against the dent between his shoulder blades. “That must be so hard.”

  “But he is alive, so that’s good.” He rested his hands over my arms. “Though he didn’t have that scar on his face last time I saw him.”

  “Well maybe you can ask him about it.”

  “I doubt he’ll tell me.” Coben spun and circled his arms around my waist. “Classified and all that.”

  “He might. If you were close before.” I swept my lips over his. “Listen, I have to go or I’ll be late for Stella. You have a nice time with Ed okay.”

  He nodded and released me. He faced the garden again as though deep in thought.

  I headed upstairs to freshen up. Twenty minutes later, as I was coming back down, the unmistakable gutsy rumble of a motorbike rattled around the hallway.

  Ed.

  I slipped into my shoes, grabbed my handbag, and as I went to open the front door the bell rang.

  I pulled it open.

  Ed was standing there. Dressed head to toe in black leathers and holding a shiny black helmet. He had a few days’ stubble on his jawline and his mouth was tipped into an easy smile. “Hey, Sian. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, you?”

  “Good. Nice place you have here.”

  “Thanks, we like it. Come in.” I stepped to one side.

  Ed moved past me and set his helmet on a low table. “That be okay there?”

  “Yes,” Coben said.

  I looked past Ed. Coben stood in the kitchen doorway, feet apart, hands shoved in his jeans pockets. He wore a solemn expression.

  “Hey.” A seriousness came over Ed. “Thanks for the call this morning.”

  “It made sense,” Coben replied.

  “You reckon?” Ed raised his eyebrows slightly.

  “Come through, there’s coffee on.”

  “I’ll see you later,” I called. “Have a nice time.”

  Neither of them replied as I stepped out and shut up the door.

  ****

  Three hours later, laden down with several bags containing a birthday present for my aunt, a new shirt for Coben and two new pairs of jeans for myself, I let myself into our home.

  The hallway was in shadows, the back of the house and the garden getting the best of the sunshine at this time of day. The summery scent of the smoky charcoal drifted toward me.

  I dumped my bags down and headed in search of a much-needed glass of water.

  As I filled a tumbler from the tap in the kitchen sink I stared out of the window. Coben and Ed stood by our shiny chrome BBQ. Each held a bottle of beer and Ed had changed into jeans and a black t-shirt. He must have brought them with him because they weren’t Coben’s.

  Their deep voices filtered my way. I saw Coben tip his head back and laugh at something Ed had said. My husband certainly looked more relaxed than he had for several days.

  I took a long drink. I’d clearly done the right thing by getting that phone number. He’d needed to spend some time with Ed, hash through old adventures and reminisce. Likely chat about fallen comrades and memories that could only be shared with each other.

  Ed reached for a fork, stabbed a charred-looking sausage and took a bite.

  Coben watched him, his beer held halfway to his mouth, as though fascinated. He then set his hand on Ed’s shoulder and I lip read him asking if it was good.

  Ed nodded and smiled, still chewing.

  I pulled a bottle of beer from the fridge, flicked off the lid and headed out to join them.

  “Hey,” I called.

  They both spun to look at me.

  Coben stepped away from Ed and poked at the smoldering embers beneath the sausages.

  “Hi.” Ed smiled at me. “Good shopping trip?”

  “Great, thanks.” As I stepped up to him I got a whiff of his delicious aftershave over and above the BBQ scent. “I got everything I needed and a bit more.”

  “Sounds expensive,” Coben said, setting down the prongs.

  “The most expensive thing was a new shirt I bought for you.” I laughed.

  “Oh well, can’t complain, then.” He set a quick kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”

  “Listen, I should get going.” Ed drained his beer.

  “Don’t go on our account,” I said, “not much happening here, lazy Saturday in the sunshine.”

  “I should.” He set his attention on Coben. “It’s been good, though, catching up. We needed that.”

  “Yes.” Coben nodded.

  “Maybe we’ll do it again sometime?” Ed raised his eyebrows slightly.

  Coben paused, then, “I’d like that.”

  “Okay.” Ed nodded at the house. “Well, I’ll just go and throw my leathers on.”

  “Sure.” Coben took Ed’s empty beer bottle from him. “I’ll get rid of this.”

  Ed headed across our small lawn. His ass looked damn cute in his denims and I admired it for a moment before turning to Coben.

  He too was watching Ed walking to the back door. His eyelids were heavy, his lips slightly parted.

  Is he looking at his ass too?

  “You had a nice time, then?” I asked, a little bubble of something like excitement popping in my stomach. Had they been into each other? Years ago?

  He snapped his attention to me. “Oh, er, yeah. Thanks.”

  “Thanks for getting his number or thanks for leaving you alone?”

  “Bo
th, I suppose. We had lots to talk about.”

  I smiled and hooked my hand through the crook of his elbow. “You chat about everything you needed to? Got stuff off your chest?” Had they talked about them? Their relationship?

  I was getting ahead of myself. Just because I thought the idea of Coben with another man was hot, it didn’t mean I could force the situation and it didn’t mean he’d ever been intimate with Ed.

  Coben hesitated for a moment. “Yes. I think so. Come on. I should go say goodbye at the door.”

  “Okay.”

  Coben moved the last few sausages off the heat. We wandered into the house. Ed was in the hallway, looking big, bad and seriously sexy in his leathers. His shoulders were almost impossibly wide and the tight trousers hugged his legs and groin, highlighting every muscle and bulge.

  “Goodbye, Sian.” He pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.

  His stubble scratched my skin.

  Goodbye. I hated that word. It sounded like we’d never see him again. For some reason the thought shot unease right through me. “Why don’t you come to the beach with us tomorrow?” I said, the idea coming to me suddenly. “We’re going to Brighton. There’s plenty of room in the car and the weather forecast is lovely.”

  Coben’s eyes widened at my sudden invitation.

  “Well…I…” Ed looked at Coben.

  “You’re probably busy,” Coben said.

  “No, not really.” Ed tilted his head a little.

  A small smile tugged at Coben’s mouth. “So come, then.”

  Ed also smiled. “Yeah, might just do that, but I’ll bike there. Drop you a text when I arrive.”

  “Great.” I grinned. Tomorrow I’d have not one hot guy to lounge on the beach with but two. I was a lucky girl. Plus it would mean I could do a bit more digging. Find out exactly what Ed had been to my husband. “I’ll see you there.” I turned and went into the kitchen, planning already what to pack as a picnic.

  I reached for the wicker basket I used for such occasions, then surveyed the contents of the fridge. There was plenty to make lots of delicious goodies for the three of us, and Ed wouldn’t want to bring anything on the bike, it just wasn’t practical. I decided to go tell him not to worry about towels too. We could take extra of everything in the car.

  I froze in the doorway, hand against the frame.

  Ed and Coben were hugging. But it wasn’t a quick, back-slapping hug. There was something deeply intimate about it. Their bodies were pressed close. Ed cradled the back of Coben’s head with one hand and the other was wound around his waist. Coben had his arms hooked beneath Ed’s, his hands on his shoulders, fingers spread as though trying to touch as much of him as possible.

  I couldn’t see Ed’s face but I could see Coben’s. He had his eyes shut tight, his lips pressed together.

  My heart raced and a pile of thoughts tumbled through my mind.

  “It’ll be okay,” Ed said.

  “I know. It’s just so good to see you. Didn’t think I ever would.”

  “You thought I’d be dead in a ditch? I’m too fucking sharp for that.”

  “I know.” Coben pulled back and opened his eyes. “But shit happens.”

  Ed released him and stepped away. He scooped up his helmet and a black bag.

  Coben’s arms hung at his sides.

  “Tomorrow. The beach,” Ed said. “I’ll text when I hit Brighton.”

  Coben nodded and opened the door.

  Ed stepped out into the sunshine, his movements swift and efficient. For a big bloke he moved with ease and grace.

  It seemed Coben admired the way he moved too, for he studied him for several seconds before shutting the door. He rested back on it, eyes again closed, and blew out a long breath.

  “So,” I said as gently as I could because I knew he had no idea I was standing there. “Are you going to start explaining this to me, soldier, or what?”

  His eyes shot open.

  “You and him.” I nodded at the door as the rumble of the bike vibrated around the four walls.

  “Me and him?” He frowned.

  “I’m not stupid, Coben. Please don’t treat me like I am.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He pushed away from the door and went to walk past me into the kitchen.

  I grabbed his arm. “Oh no, don’t run away and clam up. Me and you…now. We need to talk.”

  Chapter Five

  I led him into the lounge and we sat side by side on the sofa. He was perched on the edge, his body tense.

  I took his hand, spread out his fingers and pressed a kiss to the center of his palm. “Coben, please, we’ve always been honest with each other about everything.”

  “I know.” A small tendon flexed in his cheek beneath his blond stubble.

  “And I know there’s more than meets the eye to you and Ed.”

  “But—”

  “And it’s not a problem.” Again I kissed his hand, then rested it against my cheek. “I love you. I have from day one. You’ve got me, big time. Nothing is going to change that.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” His mouth twitched into a smile.

  “And you told me way back that you’d flirted with being bi, that you’d had feelings for another man before. I’m hardly shocked to my core. I knew this about you before we married.”

  He nodded, shoved his hand through his hair and rested back on the sofa. Some of the tension seemed to seep from his body into the cushions.

  “Bi,” he repeated. “I suppose everything has to have a label these days.”

  “Not for me. I just want you to know it’s not an issue in my world.”

  “I know it isn’t. Really I do.” He stroked my cheek, then down my arm, took my hand in his and clasped it.

  “So are you going to tell me about Ed?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…well, it was a long time ago.”

  “It was about two minutes ago.” I raised my eyebrows. “And hey, the guy is seriously hot. Who the hell wouldn’t fancy the pants off him?”

  “You think he’s hot?”

  “Hell yeah!”

  “He is.” Coben chuckled, though it was a bit strained. “But let’s just say the military are not quite as understanding as you are, Sian.”

  “But you’re not in the military, not now.”

  He went deathly serious again. “No but he is, and he’s high ranking. Society might have moved on but the Air Force, certainly some sections of it, aren’t so free spirited.”

  “So he is gay?”

  “Well, I’ve known him to have his fair share of fun with ladies so…”

  A small thrill went through me. So Ed wasn’t totally off limits, out of range, off the radar. Maybe he liked me a little too? Perhaps that threesome fantasy…

  I shook my head. I was getting ahead of myself, again. “He’s bi?”

  “There’s that label, Sian.”

  I shrugged. “So tell me more.”

  “I think he’s only ever had feelings for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think I’m the only bloke he’s ever, you know, kissed, but of course that might be different now. I didn’t ask.”

  I leaned forward and set my lips on his—lips that had kissed Ed! I wished I could have seen them kiss. Just the thought made me tingle between my legs. “So this kiss, was it when you were both serving?”

  He swallowed. “Yes, but it was hard. We had to keep it a secret that we were into each other.” He reached out and cupped my cheeks. His brow creased into a frown. “And you must too, Sian. It’s not fair on him if anything gets out about his sexuality. That would be his choice not ours.”

  “Of course I wouldn’t say anything. Why would I and who to?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just saying.”

  “But don’t you get it?” I shifted and straddled him, my knees bent against his thighs and my pussy, pressing through my knickers, over the creases in his den
ims and onto his cock. “The thought of you and Ed together turns me on.” I sank a little lower onto him. “I’ve told you that before. I can’t explain it, but the thought of you, and another man, him…”

  He ran his hands up my thighs, bunching my skirt. He watched it ruck around his wrists and appeared lost in his thoughts.

  “Tell me,” I said quietly. “What else did you do other than kiss? What else had to be kept secret?”

  Oh God, will he give me details?

  He shook his head slightly.

  “Tell me.” I ran my hands beneath his t-shirt and slipped them over his pecs, leaned forward and kissed him. “Did he suck your cock? Did he suck it the way I do?”

  His breathing hitched.

  I sank a little lower on him and was rewarded with a hardening. “He did, didn’t he? Suck you, that is.”

  “Yes,” he whispered onto my lips.

  Fuck, he’s admitted it.

  “But not the way you do it.”

  That surprised me. How many ways were there to suck a cock? “Explain.” I pulled at his t-shirt.

  He slipped it over his head, threw it to one side.

  “Just different.” He reached for my top, tugged it off and dropped it next to his.

  “How?”

  He licked his lips and looked at my breasts. “I dunno, it’s just more…rough with a man, more raw.”

  “You mean you didn’t worry about his gag?” I could see it now. Ed on his knees, Coben, my husband, ramming his cock in and out of that gorgeous mouth, ecstasy all over his face—Coben loved being sucked off.

  “Yeah, I guess, real…deep throat.”

  “Fucking hell,” I murmured, capturing his mouth in a kiss and pushing my tongue against his. I wanted him. My body was buzzing for his. He was hard now and I writhed against him as I fumbled with the button on his jeans.

  “And you sucked him?” I asked, my lips moving against his.

  “Sian.” He shoved at his jeans, pushed at his boxers and his cock jutted upward.

  “What?”

  He pulled the gusset of my knickers aside and lined his cock with my entrance.

  I sank down. “Ah, yeah…tell me…tell me everything.” I gasped. He was stretching me so much, this position, it felt wonderful for that first entry.

  “Yes, I sucked him. We were…lovers,” he said, pushing up my bra so he could cup my breasts.