by Marla Monroe
“Watch the steps. We salted them, but you never know when the temperature is near freezing,” Kyle said.
Once inside, she shed her outerwear and wiped her feet on the mat before following Kyle into the living room.
“Hey, Quinn, we’re here,” Kyle called out.
“Coming.”
Seconds later, Quinn walked into the room and pulled her into a hug. “You look great. Hope you’re hungry.”
“Actually, I’m starved. I only had some cheese and crackers for lunch. I was at a sensitive spot in the book and didn’t want to stop to fix anything to eat,” she admitted.
“Yeah, I do that sometimes, as well,” Quinn said. “As for Kyle. That man could work twelve hours straight and not eat if I didn’t take him something.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t cook, and anything I can fix would only make me mad. I’m happier finishing what I’m doing than eating,” Kyle said.
“I have a built-in alarm that goes off every eight hours no matter what. Her name is Felicity. She digs at my legs when it’s time for her to eat. I won’t get another word written until she’s fed and petted, so I grab something before I settle back down to write,” she told them.
“Maybe you need a cat out in the shop,” Quinn suggested.
“Hadn’t thought about it, but maybe. I have mice out there. Found a damn mess in my stack of blankets I use to cover my work up,” Kyle fussed.
“It’s worth a thought,” Quinn said.
“You can adopt them at the local shelter. You should go look and see if any of them suit you. If you’re getting it for the mice and for a little companionship, I suggest a female that has had a litter of kittens but is fixed. She’ll have that drive to hunt. Also, even if she doesn’t, just having the scent of a cat in the place will probably drive the mice out,” Diana said.
“You sure know a lot about cats,” Quinn said.
“Comes from having them all my life. I grew up with cats and dogs. Then I would volunteer at the local shelter after school on up until I sold my first book. Now I’m just too busy to do it.”
“I’m going to seriously think about it,” Kyle said.
“Ready to eat?” Quinn asked, clapping his hands together.
“Starved. Whatever you’ve cooked is making my mouth water,” Diana admitted.
“Lasagna,” Kyle said. “He makes a killer lasagna.”
“Yummy. I love that. Lead the way, guys.”
“Ladies first,” Quinn said, holding his arm out.
Diana walked into the eat-in kitchen and gasped at the table. There was a table cloth with what looked like fine china on the table and candles. She hadn’t expected this.
“It’s beautiful. You really went all out,” she said.
“Nothing but the best for you, darling,” Quinn said. “Have a seat. I’ll bring the food in here.”
Kyle held her chair then followed the other man into the kitchen area. When they returned, it was with a tossed salad, garlic bread, and a big pan of lasagna that smelled heavenly. Diana inhaled and smiled.
The men set everything on the table then took their seats. Quinn passed the salad bowl to her followed by the plate of bread. Then she passed her plate to Kyle to dip out some of the lasagna onto her plate.
“God, this looks amazing. Lots of cheese. I already love it just smelling it.” She took a bite after blowing on it and closed her eyes in ecstasy.
“Good?” Quinn asked.
“Mmm. Amazing. Can you come to my house and cook for me?” she asked, only half kidding.
Quinn chuckled. “I kind of doubt either of us would get much writing done.”
Diana opened her eyes and felt her cheeks heat. She was sure he was talking about more than just cooking and eating.
“Eat all you want, babe. He cooked enough for an army. Always does.” Kyle took a sip of his tea.
“That’s so I don’t have to cook all the time. We can eat leftovers for a day or two,” Quinn said, narrowing his eyebrows.
“Leftovers are just as good, too.” Kyle winked at Diana.
She couldn’t help but smile at the man. He was the playful one of the two. Quinn was a bit more reserved, but just as caring. He’d made sure she’d been served first and that she had everything she needed.
After dinner, she tried to get them to let her help clean up, but Quinn shooed her away. “Kyle cleans up. I cook, he cleans. That’s our routine. I’ll put away the leftovers and be right in. You go settle on the couch and watch some TV. We’ll pick out a movie to watch.”
Diana walked into the living room and picked up the remote to look for something to watch. She settled for a mindless sitcom she’d never seen before. A few minutes later, Quinn walked in and sat next to her.
“I think Kyle wants to take you out to see his wood shop before we watch a movie. That okay with you?” Quinn asked.
“That’s great. I really want to see it.”
“He’s been excited about it all day,” Quinn said with a grin.
“I want to see your office, too. See how it looks next to mine,” she said.
Quinn chuckled. “I bet they are entirely different.”
“Maybe. Are you a neat freak or a hunt and curse writer?” she asked.
He winked. “Just have to wait and see for yourself.”
A few minutes later Kyle walked in rubbing his hands. “Want to go check out my shop?”
“Absolutely. I just need to put on my boots,” she said.
“I’ll get them. Wait right there,” Kyle strode across the living room to the entrance hall where he’d left them then returned with them seconds later. “Toe off your shoes, and I’ll put them on for you.”
Diana felt like a princess as Kyle put her boots on her. No, they weren’t glass slippers, but it felt just the same as she imagined it would have to Cinderella. She stood and followed Kyle to the kitchen and the back door where he helped her walk across the deck and down the steps.
“We salted the deck and steps, but the ground is a little mushy with some slick places here and there, so hold on to my arm,” he said.
The trip to the building out back of the house only took a couple of minutes due mostly to their being so careful walking. Diana was thankful that Kyle was insistent that she hold on to him since she’d slipped a few times. She really hadn’t wanted to land on her ass in the mess. Plus, she didn’t want to injure herself.
Once they reached the shop, he opened it and indicated with his hand that she should go first. Diana stepped inside and instantly knew why Kyle smelled like pine and wood. The building smelled like a forest with hints of varnish and lots of cedar.
She looked around at all the different carvings he had sitting around the big room. Then there was the line of keepsake boxes lined up on one shelf. She pulled off her boots with Kyle’s help then padded over to the shelf to look at them. They were amazing and so pretty. She didn’t know how he could make such intricate carvings in them. She traced some of the patterns with her fingers.
Turning, she looked up at Kyle. “These are amazing. I don’t know how you do it. They look too perfect to have been handmade like this.”
“I have sets of tiny blades that make it easier. I just have to keep my fat fingers from applying too much pressure is all.” He smiled and grabbed her hand. “Come over here and look at the hope chest I’m making for a family in Austin who want it for their daughter’s sixteenth birthday. What do you think?”
Diana looked down at the chest and just shook her head. “It’s awesome. She’s so lucky her parents are getting this for her. What is next now that you’ve carved the top?”
“I still have some scroll work that goes down the corners, then I sand it down as smooth as possible and stain it. The entire inside is made of cedar. Actually, they’re coming here to pick it up when it’s finished. I’ll start sanding it tomorrow then hopefully get a coat of stain on it by the weekend.” Kyle ran his hand over the top.
Diana could tell that he loved what he did a
nd had a relationship with each piece he made. Someone that serious and excited about his work was a true craftsman. She’d be over the world excited to have something he made. She’d have to commission him to carve Felicity. From the looks of some of the animals on the shelves, he was just as good at doing that as he was at making the boxes and hope chests.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, Kyle. You’re amazing. I love all of it.”
“Thanks. I’m lucky that I can do what I love doing and still make money doing it,” he said.
“That’s how I feel about my writing. It started out as a part-time thing while I worked as a coder in the hospital, but once my writing took off, I was able to quit my job and do it full-time. I don’t regret that one bit,” she said.
“Come on. I better get you back into the house before Quinn comes looking for us.” Kyle let her hold on to him as she stepped into her boots again.
The trip back to the house took just as long, but once they were back inside and had removed their coats and boots, she was thirsty.
“Can I have a glass of water?” she asked.
“I’ve got it,” Quinn said from the kitchen.
She accepted the bottle he handed her and drained half of it right away. “Don’t know why I’m so thirsty.”
“It’s the woodshop,” Kyle said. “All that dry wood saps it out of you.”
“Hadn’t thought of that,” she said.
“I have a fridge over there that I keep stocked with water and juices.” Kyle leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Thanks for going out there with me. I’m glad you liked my work.”
“I think you’re amazing that you can turn wood into works of art,” she said.
“Go see Quinn’s office. I call it his dungeon,” Kyle said.
She chuckled. “I bet you’d call mine the same thing if you saw it.”
Quinn took her hand and led her around the living room back through the entrance hall around the staircase to a closed door. He opened it and switched on the light so that she could see. She smiled, not at all surprised to see how he worked.
“You’re a bit of both,” she laughed.
“Yep. Look anything like yours?” he asked.
He had a relatively messy desk and a bulletin board on a stand next to him that was an explosion of sticky notes while the rest of the room was neat as a pin. He had three screens set up with more sticky notes covering the edges of all three.
“A little. My desk is cleaner than yours, but I have two monitors instead of three, and a board next to my desk that has pictures of my characters so that I can refer to them when I’m writing description. There are papers spread out all over a table near my desk, and my bookshelves are messy. You have a mess around your desk and an immaculate rest of the room.”
“Can’t wait to see your office. I hadn’t thought about two monitors. How does that work for you?”
“I had to have two when I worked, so it just came natural for me in writing. I use one for my notes that I need to be able to refer to and the other I write on. On my little side table, I have my laptop open so that I can keep up with social media for advertising my books. I have all the different media sites on that I try to keep up to date.”
“How do you keep up with your word count?” he asked.
“I use a spreadsheet and keep track of my words that way,” she said.
“We have a lot in common with how we write, but we write entirely different genres,” he said.
“I know. It’s funny.”
Quinn smiled then leaned down and kissed her. He held her shoulders as he licked along her bottom lip then sucked it in. Diana’s head swam with desire at the way he was seducing her with his mouth. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, massaging hers as he did. She moaned into it as he slowly released her. She wanted to pull him back for another kiss but didn’t. Oh, she wanted to, though.
In fact, she wanted to do a lot more than just kiss. It was good that he’d pulled back. Diana wasn’t sure what was going on with her that she wanted to find out what it would feel like to be in his arms for more than just an innocent kiss. No, she needed to step back.
“Come on. We have a movie to watch.” Quinn took her hand and pulled her along behind him back to the living room where he indicated the couch. She sat next to Kyle who squeezed her hand before kissing her lightly on the cheek.
“Any requests in particular?” Quinn asked.
“No, other than no horror please. I’m not into the slasher movies,” she said.
“No problem. I doubt we have any of those,” Kyle said.
They settled on an action-adventure much to the guy’s excitement. She didn’t mind a girly movie every once in a while, but for the most part she was a blow-it-up girl. Quinn sat on the other side of her, and they laughed and cheered for the hero and heroine throughout the movie. When a love scene came on, both men kissed her and nibbled on her neck until she squenched it up and giggled.
“You’re not supposed to giggle when we do that,” Kyle said with serious expression on his face. “You’re supposed to moan.”
“It tickled,” she claimed.
They finished watching the movie. As the credits rolled, Diana stretched and yawned. She’d had a wonderful time. They guys were fun to be around. They obviously got along great together, and that was good. She didn’t like a lot of angst.
Kyle stood then pulled her to her feet. She expected him to say that he’d take her back home, but instead, he pulled her into his arms and lowered his head until his lips pressed against hers. He delved inside and stroked over her tongue until she licked along his with hers.
Quinn pressed against her back and began nibbling along her neck to her shoulder where he moved her sweater away. He licked and sucked as he moved his hands to rest on her hips. He pressed his hips against her back, and she could feel his erection against the small of her back. He was long and hard and felt oh so delicious.
Kyle’s cock pushed against her belly as he held her face between his hands while he plundered her mouth with his tongue. He stroked her, drawing her into a back and forth with it until she felt lightheaded with their double onslaught. She moaned at the delicious feel of them caging her in with their bodies.
Just when she was sure she’d pass out from pleasure, Kyle pulled back and lowered his head to rest against her forehead. He sighed.
“You taste amazing, babe. I could kiss you all night, but I’d rather worship your body. I want to suck on your tits and lick your pussy until you come,” Kyle said.
“Oh, God. You’re killing me,” she said.
Quinn massaged her shoulders but kept her pulled flush against his front as Kyle ran his hands down her neck to her breasts. He massaged them with his hands and kissed her forehead.
“Will you let us make love to you, Diana?” Kyle asked.
“I don’t think I will survive if you don’t,” she admitted as she rested her head against his chest.
“Thank fuck,” Quinn whispered behind her.
Chapter Eight
Quinn rested his hands on her hips and turned her around and claimed her mouth. He licked along the seam of her lips until she opened for him. He plunged his tongue inside and mapped the inside of her mouth before pulling back. Taking her hand, he pulled her around the den to the stairs. She followed him up the stairs with Kyle bringing up the rear.
Quinn led her down the hallway to a set of doors off to the left. When he opened them, she gasped. The room was large with a king-sized bed against one wall covered in warm oranges and browns. She could see three doors on one wall that she assumed led to closets and the bathroom. Hardwood floors complemented the soothing colors they’d chosen for the room.
“Wow. This is awesome,” Diana said.
“Thanks. I’m glad you like it,” Quinn said.
She turned to find both men looking at her with hunger in their eyes. Their expressions excited her, dampening her pussy with anticipation of what was to come. Diana wanted the
m just as much as she thought they wanted her. She swayed toward them, mesmerized by the darkening of their eyes.
“Come here, babe. I need to see you,” Quinn said.
She took a step toward him then another, and he ran his hands up her sides beneath her sweater. He slowly pushed it up until he could lift it over her head. Once her sweater was off, Diana shivered as the cooler air made contact with her skin.
Kyle ran his hands up her back, massaging it as he did. The calluses on his hands felt delicious against her sensitive skin. She couldn’t help but imagine how they’d feel on her breasts. She prayed she’d get to find out and soon. Already she tingled all over just from them touching her bare skin.
Quinn pulled her bra down beneath her breasts and leaned over to pull one nipple into his mouth. He squeezed her breast with one hand as Kyle took the other nipple into his mouth and flicked his tongue back and forth the sensitive tit. Diana couldn’t help but moan at the sensations that thrilled over her skin. Her pussy pulsed at the gentle tug of their mouths.
“You taste sweet like cherry pie,” Kyle said.
“You’re driving me insane,” Diana hissed out.
“We’re not even close to doing that, darling. Just wait until we get you on the bed with one of us between your legs, eating that sweet pussy of yours,” Quinn said, pulling away from her breast for a moment.
“I don’t think I can stand it. I’m already on edge. God, I feel like I could come just like this.”
“Love that you’re that sensitive, babe. Maybe one day we’ll see if we can do that for you, but I’m greedy right now. I want to taste you,” Kyle said.
He knelt in front of her and began to unfasten her jeans as Quinn reached around to unhook her bra. Kyle removed her shoes then pulled her pants down, holding her hand as she stepped out of them with quivering legs. Her muscles were weak with her arousal. She swore she was going to go off like a rocket the first time they touched her clit.