Illicit

by Opal Carew

  Erik’s lips compressed. “I’m sorry, I thought you understood. The invitation was just for the weekend.”

  Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. “But I didn’t accept the invitation to a fantasy sex weekend. I accepted an invitation for a date with you. I thought … I mean, we seemed to connect so well. I thought we would keep seeing each other.”

  Erik shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

  Her stomach clenched. This couldn’t be happening. With all that had happened between them, with the way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her … she’d been sure he had felt something special between them, too.

  She glanced at Connor, but he avoided her gaze. Travis stared at his feet, his head shaking.

  “Come on. I’ll drive you home,” Erik said.

  Connor picked up her overnight bag, and he and Travis followed them to the elevator. They rode in silence, and Connor and Travis gave her warm hugs before she climbed into the car.

  Shock tingled through her as she directed Erik to her place, then he pulled up at the front entrance of her building.

  She shook her head and gazed at his expressionless face.

  “Just tell me why?” The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them.

  He shrugged. “I’m already in a relationship.”

  The blood in her veins turned to ice. “You are?” Had he been cheating on a girlfriend this weekend? Just like Glen had cheated on her?

  “With Travis and Connor.”

  “Oh, well, they seemed to enjoy having me.” Her cheeks flushed a little at the wording, but she forged on. “Couldn’t we continue the way we were this weekend, with all three of us?”

  “So you’d be dating three guys at the same time?”

  She smiled. “Sounds pretty good to me.”

  He sighed, and the hope that had been building in her dissipated.

  “Connor, Travis, and I have known each other for a long time. Although I’m fine having the odd woman join us for a short time, what we three men have together works. Adding a female element for a longer term changes the dynamic.” He gazed at her with unsettling intensity. “Lindsay, you’re a beautiful, vibrant, sexy woman. But my commitment is to Connor and Travis, and I don’t want to endanger that.”

  She wanted to protest—to convince him it would work—but instead she pushed her shoulders back and reached for the door. “Okay.” She pushed it open and climbed out of the car.

  Erik hopped out of the car and grabbed her overnight bag from the back. “I’ll carry this up for you.”

  “That’s okay. I can manage.” She took it from his hand, careful not to touch him. She did not want to feel that electrical attraction. Then she turned and headed for the door.

  * * *

  Erik’s heart ached as he watched her walk away. The flicker of rejection in her eyes had nearly been his undoing, but he had made his choice long before she came along. He did not want a woman in his life. Sure, they’d experienced a strong connection, and he could understand why she might expect him to suggest they continue seeing each other, but specifically because of that connection, he couldn’t chance it. If he allowed it to build, then the pain of losing her would be even more devastating than it had been with Cyndi.

  And if he lost her, and Connor and Travis were even more attached to her than they had been to Becci, who had almost torn the three of them apart, then he was in real danger of losing the two of them, too. His relationship with Travis and Connor was everything to him. He wouldn’t risk that for a woman, no matter how strong the attraction.

  Still, he drank in the sight of her until the glass doors closed behind her and she disappeared around a corner. Then he started the car and drove away.

  * * *

  Erik woke up with a huge hard-on. He’d been dreaming of Lindsay. Her lips around his cock. Coming in her mouth. Then her gliding into his arms and kissing him until uncontrollable passion flared and he made love to her until she wailed his name in ecstasy.

  Fuck, he could deal with that, but it was the gnawing need to have her in his arms, to see her sweet face on his pillow and the glow in her eyes when she gazed at him that had his gut tied in knots.

  He’d spent half the night tossing and turning, the image of Lindsay’s forlorn expression in the elevator haunting him.

  Damn it, now he was lying here, hot and hungry for her, and getting more depressed by the minute. What a lousy way to start a week.

  He wrapped his hand around his erection, deciding to take care of his physical need, then realized there was another option.

  Fifteen

  Naked, Erik pushed himself from the bed and wandered out the door and down the hall, then tapped on Travis’ door.

  “Huh?” came the raspy reply from behind the door.

  “Travis, it’s me. Erik.”

  “Yeah, come in,” Travis said in a sleep-roughened voice.

  Erik opened the door and stepped inside.

  “What’s up?” Travis asked, then saw Erik’s stiff cock. “Ah, that’s what. Need a little help?”

  “I was hoping.” Erik crossed the room and climbed into bed.

  Travis pushed himself to his knees, then wrapped his hand around Erik’s cock. “Been dreaming about me?”

  Erik chuckled. “You know it.” Then he sucked in a breath as Travis’ lips surrounded his shaft.

  Travis tongued his cock-head, licking it all over, then under the ridge. He sucked a little, then glided deeper. It was so hot and tight in Travis’ mouth, and Erik was already so turned on by his dreams, he knew he wouldn’t last long.

  “Fuck, man, that feels so good.” Erik tucked his hands behind his head as Travis worked on him.

  Travis cupped his balls and sucked hard, then bobbed up and down. Damn, it felt so good being touched by Travis. Heat steamed through him from his dreams, then boiled to a rising frenzy. Erik stiffened as he felt his balls tighten. Travis moved faster and Erik suddenly shot straight down his throat. Travis sucked and swallowed several times as Erik rode his climax.

  Finally, he lay sprawled on the bed as Travis sat up. He plumped the pillows and sat stretched out beside Erik.

  Erik sighed deeply, enjoying the dissipating pleasure, then pushed himself to his knees and grabbed Travis’ cock, which had risen to full attention. It filled his hand with its girth. He stroked a couple of times, admiring the length of it. The way the veins pulsed along the shaft. Then he leaned forward and licked the tip, then swallowed the big cock-head. The hard, hot flesh in his mouth felt incredibly erotic. He squeezed it, pleased at Travis’ moan. He glided down, taking it as deep as he could, at the same time stroking his balls.

  He bobbed up and down, glancing up occasionally to see the rapt look on his friend’s face. He glided off and sucked his balls, teasing them with his tongue, then he returned to sucking his cock.

  Travis began to arch forward, filling Erik’s mouth with cock. He continued thrusting while Erik sucked, and stroked his balls in the palm of his hand.

  “Oh, God damn.” Travis thrust again and hot liquid filled Erik’s mouth.

  He swallowed and sucked until Travis stopped spurting and collapsed on the bed. Erik stretched out beside him. His eyes closed and he felt fully relaxed for the first time since he went to bed last night. Why hadn’t he thought of seeking out Travis or Connor earlier?

  “Hey, Erik, you have to leave for work soon.”

  Erik’s eyelids snapped open. A quick glance at the bedside clock and he realized he’d dozed off.

  “Don’t worry about breakfast. Connor’s already up and making it.”

  “Great. I’ll go grab a shower.” Erik pushed himself from the bed and headed toward his bedroom.

  “How about I join you?” Travis followed him.

  As Travis slipped into the large tiled shower with him, Erik wondered what was up. Travis didn’t usually do the shower-together thing.

  * * *

  Travis followed Erik into the shower, steeling himself for
the conversation to come, but knowing he had to broach the topic.

  “So, I wanted to talk to you about Lindsay.”

  “What about her?” Erik turned the water on.

  “Well, it’s clear you two had a thing going on between you.” Travis had actually been encouraged by the fact. He really believed Lindsay could be the one to help Erik get past his issues with women.

  “We all had a thing going on with her.” Erik stepped under the steaming water.

  Travis picked up the soap and started scrubbing Erik’s back.

  “Sure, but there was a real chemistry between the two of you. It was clear you were fighting it, but it was there.”

  Erik shrugged. “Chemistry is overrated.”

  “Erik, I know you’re gun-shy where women are concerned, and that you don’t want another incident like with Becci, but I really think Lindsay is different. I think you should give her another chance and—”

  Erik spun around and lightly shoved Travis against the tiled wall, then covered his mouth with his, driving his tongue deep inside. The powerful thrusts of Erik’s tongue as he held him tight against the wall made Travis melt. He wanted to push back—to straighten things out about Lindsay—but, damn, he could never resist Erik as an authoritative cop.

  Erik leaned against him, their wet, hard chests pressed tight against each other. Erik swirled his tongue in Travis’ mouth until Travis’ breathing turned deep and erratic, his groin tightening with need. Erik’s hand glided down Travis’ hip and between their bodies until he found Travis’ rising cock and grasped it, his big fingers firm around him.

  He pumped as he drew his face away. “I don’t need a woman to keep me happy.”

  Travis stared at Erik’s intense blue eyes, his own eyelids at half-mast. Erik chuckled. They both knew if Erik wanted to shut Travis up, all he had to do was step into the dominant role. Erik grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, then surged forward, pinning him to the wet, tiled wall. He grabbed the bottle of lube he kept on the inset shelf and smeared it on, then Travis felt the head of Erik’s hard cock press against his ass. Erik slowly pressed forward, and Travis groaned as the broad head pushed into him. Erik eased inside until his shaft filled him.

  “You like my big cock in your ass, Travis?” Erik coiled his fingers in Travis’ long hair and tugged back, turning his face until they were eye to eye.

  The intense hunger in Erik’s eyes drove Travis’ desire into high gear.

  “Fuck, yeah,” Travis groaned.

  “Good. I do, too. Now shut up while I fuck you.”

  Erik released his hair and Travis leaned his face against the smooth wall as Erik drew back, then thrust deep into his tight ass. Travis moaned as Erik thrust again and again. Erik’s groans of pleasure spiraled through Travis, driving his own pleasure higher. Suddenly, Erik’s cock exploded inside Travis. That triggered Travis’ own eruption. Erik jerked into him until his cock was totally spent, then he collapsed against him.

  As Erik leaned back, his cock slipped free.

  “Well, that was fun.” Travis turned around and stepped under the water. As always, he’d enjoyed the sex with Erik, especially the part where he became the big, bossy cop, but disappointment surged through him that Erik had decided to avoid the Lindsay conversation.

  He grabbed the shampoo and squeezed out a little, then began lathering up. “So I’m getting the message that you won’t reconsider the situation with Lindsay.”

  Erik nodded approvingly. “Good.”

  * * *

  Travis sipped his coffee. Breakfast between the three of them had been quieter than usual.

  Erik stood up and placed his dishes by the sink. “I’ve got to get going.”

  Travis watched Erik, so sexy in his full uniform, walk through the kitchen doorway. Not only did Travis enjoy the physical relationship with Erik, he also admired him deeply. How many people would continue working, especially in such a dangerous career, once they inherited as much money as Erik had from his dad? Erik could easily retire, but he felt he was doing something important with his life and didn’t want to give that up.

  “So what the hell is going on between you two?”

  Travis glanced at Connor, sitting across the table from him.

  “I broached the subject of Lindsay with him this morning.”

  “I take it you didn’t get very far with that.”

  Travis shook his head.

  Since Erik had been so adamant about it, Travis didn’t feel he had a choice but to drop it. He wanted to see Lindsay, but this was Erik’s place and even though Erik had insisted that it was their home, too, Travis couldn’t bring Lindsay here if Erik didn’t agree to it. And he didn’t.

  “Did you tell him how important it is to you?”

  Travis stood up and placed his cup by the sink, then opened the dishwasher to start loading the dishes. “I didn’t really get into it.”

  “He pulled the dominant cop routine, right?”

  Memories of being pressed against the tile wall by Erik’s hard body sent quivers through him.

  “He does it so well.”

  “Sure, but that doesn’t mean he should ignore your needs.”

  Travis grinned. “Oh, he satisfied my needs.”

  “Travis, I’m serious. If he doesn’t want to have a relationship with Lindsay, that’s his choice, but there’s no reason you and I shouldn’t keep seeing her.”

  “You want to keep seeing her, too?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  Travis shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of leaving Erik out. Especially after what happened with Becci.”

  “Becci was a totally different situation, and we’re not leaving Erik out. You asked him and he declined. That’s his decision, but he doesn’t get to decide what you and I do.” His eyes narrowed. “I’m assuming you’d like to pursue a relationship with Lindsay and me.”

  Travis saw the anxiety in Connor’s eyes. He was the type of guy who didn’t seem fazed by anything, but Travis could read him, and he was definitely worried.

  “If I pursued a relationship with Lindsay, I would love for it to work out with the three of us.” Travis was pleased to see the tension in Connor dissipate. “But as long as Erik’s against it, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  Connor leaned forward, his intense gaze locked on Travis. “You told me that the way you feel about Lindsay is different than you’ve ever felt for a woman. Is that still true?”

  Travis hesitated, but finally nodded.

  “Okay, that’s all I need to know.”

  * * *

  The elevator doors opened and Erik walked into the penthouse, greeted by the delicious aroma of dinner. Smelled like stew. Connor’s specialty.

  Erik kicked off his shoes, then strolled into the living room and settled on the couch. It had been a long stressful day at work and all he wanted to do right now was unwind. Part of him wanted to head out to the pool for a swim, but it was just too much effort.

  “Hey, you’re home.” Travis appeared from the hall and sat on the chair across from the couch.

  “How’s it going setting up the office?” Erik asked.

  “Well, I have the wireless router connected to the Internet gateway now and all four computers are communicating through the local network. For the past hour, I’ve been talking to tech support about the problems we had connecting the network drive and I think I’ve got what I need to get that going. Now my brain’s fried and I need a break.” He put his feet up on the wooden coffee table. “You look tired.”

  “Yeah, no kidding.”

  “I hope you two aren’t too tired to enjoy the dinner I made.” Connor popped his head out from the kitchen. “I’ve been slaving over the stove for hours.”

  “He has, too. I was tempted to chain him to the stove.”

  “Well, we still could. I’ve got my cuffs with me.” Erik toyed with the leather handcuff case on his belt.

  “Let’s wait until after dinner, when he’s done the dishes
.”

  “I cooked, so it’s your turn to do dishes,” Connor protested.

  Erik just chuckled. Connor and Travis shared the chores around the house. Erik tried to insist on taking a share, but Connor convinced him that Travis needed the arrangement to feel he was contributing enough to the household, since Erik wouldn’t let them pay rent.

  “But you wanted the development environment ready to go by tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, okay, I’ll do them. But no chains.” Connor disappeared into the kitchen.

  “He says that now, but I’m sure we could convince him otherwise.” Travis stood up. “You want a beer?”

  “Sure.”

  Travis appeared a moment later with two beers and handed one to Erik. He took a deep swig, enjoying the cold liquid in this throat.

  Connor appeared with a bottle in his hand. “Dinner in forty-five minutes.” He slumped onto the easy chair beside Travis. “How was your day, Erik?”

  “Long. But I got a text from Cheryl today. I called her after my shift and she invited me to this thing on Friday.”

  Cheryl had been a woman the three of them had shared a nice, casual weekend with and she periodically called for a date with one or more of them.

  “Yeah, she called here and I told her she should ask you. I figured it would help distract you from your Lindsay withdrawal.”

  Erik frowned. None of them had discussed Lindsay since Travis had brought it up in the shower over a week ago and he had hoped it would continue that way.

  Connor grinned. “Knowing Cheryl, this ‘thing’ will keep you out until Saturday, or even Sunday.”

  “Cheryl’s the one who loves threesomes, right?” Travis asked.

  “Right. With two women,” Connor answered.

  “Sweet.”

  “She invited me to a birthday bash for a friend of hers who’s turning thirty,” Erik said.

  Connor sipped his beer. “And she’ll invite one of her girlfriends to join the two of you at her place afterward.”

  “And you will be the filling in a very sexy sandwich,” Travis added.

  Connor laughed. “Yeah, he’ll be filling them all right.”