by Marie Carnay
Devin licked lips. “I don’t know if I’d go that far. Seeing the two of you together…It does something to me.”
“But?”
“But nothing.” He reached up and took her face in his hands. “Ivy and I are long over. She’s with Ian. It’s all in the past.”
“So are we.”
“Not anymore.” He closed his eyes and Summer melted into him.
Lips. Body. Fear. It all turned liquid and she stopped thinking. Worrying.
Devin and Blake were stronger than she remembered. Intense and thoughtful. Full of more life than anyone back in New York. The wedding wasn’t until tomorrow night. That gave her all afternoon and half the next day to soak them up. Drown in their bodies.
She could still feel the ghost of Blake’s chest as he pressed her into the rock. The crush of their bodies together as he slipped his hand over her mouth. The high when he came inside her.
Summer shuddered and twisted her hands in Devin’s t-shirt. Surfer body. Jeans slung low across his hips. Abs flexing beneath her hands. Damn. Had he always been this built? This sexy?
The way he brushed off his relationship with Ivy like an empty bag of chips. The way his eyes raked up and down her body. A pause on her chest. Hips. A squeeze of her ass in his hands.
Devin pressed her body close. He held her until her heart and his fell in rhythm. One tangled up mess of beats and longing.
“I want you.” Her words were bold. Daring. So unlike her last four years. Was this who she was? Was this the real Summer Crenshaw?
“Mmm.” He pressed his smooth cheek against hers. So different from Blake. Instead of a square jaw and short beard, he was all angles and skin. Instead of short hair she could rub, it was a mop she could weave her fingers through.
“Tell me you want me.” She licked a trail from his ear to down his neck. Tasting the salty dried sweat. The hint of musk. Devin.
He plumped her ass and ground his hips against her. The unmistakable ridge of an erection dug into her belly and she grinned. “Guess you don’t have to.”
“I’ve always wanted you, Summer. Since the first minute I saw you all those years ago.”
She swallowed. “Then what are you waiting for?”
He kissed her forehead. “I don’t want to rush you into anything.”
“You’re not rushing me.”
“You say that, but—”
“I mean it. I wouldn’t have been half-naked in the Cove today with Blake if I wasn’t sure.”
Devin’s eyes clouded. “You what?”
Damn it. Summer closed her eyes. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
She bit her lip and blinked her eyes open. “Don’t get mad.”
Devin’s face was stony. Impassive. Shit. Might as well spill it.
“I might have let Blake…we might have…Oh, hell. We had sex back in the rocks. On the beach by Captain’s Point.” She waited with a trapped breath.
Devin twisted up his mouth.
“Are you mad?”
“No. Jealous. That’s for damn sure.”
“Is that why you were freaking out earlier?”
He dropped his arms to his sides. “Yes? I thought—” He ran his hand through his hair and glanced at the door.
“It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“I thought you were choosing him over me. First the kiss yesterday. Then the two of you alone together. I—I know I’m not the most sensitive guy. But don’t think for a second I’m only in this for a fling.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I’m not.”
Summer exhaled. “Then come back here. You don’t need to take it slow with me. I’m a big girl. I know what I want.”
“And what is that?”
“Your cock.” She giggled when she said it. Cock! These men brought out the inner diva. She sank to her knees and grabbed his waistband before Devin could say a word.
The button came free, the zipper opened and Summer shoved his pants and boxers down.
“Summer—you don’t—”
“Shut up. I want to.”
She pushed harder and Devin’s cock sprang free. It bounced in the air, long and straight. Yes.
Summer rose up and wrapped her hand around his shaft as she leaned close. A bead of fluid smeared across his tip and she licked it up, tasting his salty goodness before opening up and taking his cock deep.
With a groan, he pushed into her, sliding to the back of her throat until she pulled back and lapped his head. She licked circles around his velvet skin, tracing the ridge and bumps and veins until he groaned again.
When it’d been her and Blake, he’d taken over. Dropping to his knees and shooting stars behind her eyes. Spinning her around and fucking her against the rock wall. But with Devin? It was her turn.
She was in control. She was turning a grown man into putty. She was calling all the shots.
As he slid his hands into her hair, Summer slid forward and coated his veiny shaft in her saliva. With a little moan, she bobbed her head again and again.
Over and over she worked him, just lips at first. Then tongue and teeth. Hands. He pumped into her in shallow thrusts and she flattened her tongue. Opened wide.
The first shot of his release splashed on her tongue and she swallowed it down, sucking his spit-slicked tip until he shuddered.
At last, Summer let him go.
He staggered back. “You’re spectacular.”
She wiped her mouth with her hand. “Thanks.”
Devin pulled his pants up and grinned “Now it’s your turn.”
“No way.”
“What? No—that’s not fair.”
He reached for her, but she side-stepped.
“Like I said, I knew what I wanted. Now it’s time to paint.” She flashed him a smile and picked up a paint brush. “I’ve got to get this out before I lose it.”
Devin’s eyebrows creased. “You’re sure?”
“Very. But you can stay and watch, if you want.”
The dimple reappeared. “If you finish tonight, there’s a bed downstairs that’s big enough for three.”
Summer paused. “Three?”
Devin shrugged. “What can I say? I’m feeling generous. At least more so than Blake.”
Her cheeks flushed scarlet. “When you put it that way, we sound like sex-starved teenagers.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” Devin kissed her shoulder, lingering until his lips warmed her skin. “I’d love to watch you. I’ve always wanted to see you work.”
With the promise of a kick-ass reward, she was more than ready. “Okay. But don’t freak out if I get paint all over you.”
He held up his hands. “I promise.”
Summer picked up a paintbrush and turned to the painting. When she’d started, it had been violent—brutal. A storm that matched the need Blake lit inside her. The fire rocketing through her veins. But now?
Now she saw hope. Light. A break in the clouds. Instead of a swirling whirlpool battering the little boat around, there was a shot at salvation. A ray of sun breaking through and hitting the red hull. She dipped the brush in a pale yellow.
Devin and Blake. Two men who managed to come together and satisfy all her desires. Stoke and calm the flares at the same time. Light and dark. Rain and sun.
In minutes, she’d lost herself to the muse. Paint splattering. Canvas filling. The sun outside sank lower and lower and lights turned on inside. Devin. Even in real life, he was lighting the way.
She painted and painted. Until her arm ached and her shoulder screamed and her hair was more rainbow than brown.
At last she stepped back. Midnight Cove. Battered on one side by a raging storm. Illuminated on the other by the golden sun. A sailboat in the middle. Strong and tall. Balanced and thriving.
Footsteps sounded behind her. “It’s beautiful.”
Summer started. “Blake? When’d you…?”
“Get here? About an hour ago. Devin let me know. H
ope you don’t mind. It’s been an honor.”
She smiled at the ground. “Thanks.”
Devin stepped over. “How about we clean up and head downstairs? I’m guessing you want to wash all that paint out of your hair.”
Summer pulled a lock in front of her face and grimaced. “God, I must look like a train wreck.”
“You look like an artist.”
Summer’s eyes widened and she gave Devin a quick nod. An artist. She bent down and grabbed a tube of paint before he caught the shimmer in her eyes.
CHAPTER TEN
BLAKE
“YOU DIDN’T SHOW her the shop, did you?”
Blake huffed in annoyance. “No. We’d agreed. I wouldn’t go back on that.” He pulled out a barstool and sat down. As soon as they’d headed inside, Summer had hustled off to shower in their guest room. She was probably covered in lather, scraping the paint off her skin and out of her hair.
The shower water echoed through the pipes and Blake wished he were in there—soaping Summer’s back and ignoring the tension between him and Devin. But they had to face each other. Now was as good a time as any.
Devin walked past him and opened the fridge. Anger radiated off him, furnace hot. He ducked down to pull out a beer and his voice carried over the door. “So you keep your word on the shop, but fuck her as soon as you two get alone? That’s great.”
The fridge door swung shut and Devin stood up with a scowl. “On the beach, even? Seriously, Blake. That’s fucked up.”
Blake clenched his fist but kept his voice even. “And your little show last night wasn’t? You should have seen Brad this morning, man. He was a fucking powder keg. If I’d said anything out of line, he’d have found a way to arrest me.”
Devin popped the top of his beer. “That’s not the same thing.”
“Yeah? Well, if it weren’t for you, I’d have never run into Summer. Or had to do damage control.”
“What are you talking about?”
Blake let out a breath. “Your ex-girlfriend.”
“Ivy? What’s she got to do with any of this?”
“Ian asked me to track her down at the spa. Something about wanting her to meet with Brad. When I pulled up, she was ripping into Summer something fierce. Blaming her for the permit fiasco.”
Devin paused, beer midway to his mouth. “That’s none of her fucking business.”
“No shit. But there she was, waving her fake nails all over the place, being a total bitch. They’d been going at it for a good while, it looked like. If I hadn’t shown up, who knows what would’ve happened. Summer might be on a plane back to NYC.”
With a curse, Devin set his beer on the counter. “We shouldn’t have agreed to let Ivy into the deal.”
“A little late now, don’t you think?”
Devin exhaled. “I figured Ian could keep her on a leash.”
Yeah, right. From what Blake had seen of Ivy, she was only interested in one thing—herself. Trading up in boyfriends like most women changed shoes. Always looking for the next big thing. The next way she could put her name in lights. “She’s bad news.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m not still pissed.”
“About me and Summer?” Blake rolled his eyes. Here we go again. It was still the same after all these years. Devin gets first dibs. Devin calls the shots. Devin runs the show. “Maybe I’m sick of being second fiddle.”
“What?”
“Don’t you remember what it was like before? You were always first in line. Coming up with ways to hang out with Summer alone. Leaving me in the dust. I was just a sidekick to the two of you.”
His best friend cocked his head. “No, you weren’t. It was equal. The three of us. We were the fucking musketeers.”
Blake ran his finger over a scratch in the counter. “Didn’t seem that way to me.”
“So what? You slept with her to even the score?”
Anger flashed through Blake and he snapped back without thinking. “No, you asshole. I slept with her because I love her.”
As soon as the words slipped out, everything stopped. Devin’s mouth hung half open, Blake’s hand froze on the counter.
After a beat, Devin stepped back. “You what?”
Blake licked his lips and looked Devin in the eye. “I love her.” Saying it the second time didn’t seem so insane. It was the truth, even if it took him four years to admit it. “Don’t you?”
Devin retreated until his ass hit the counter. His chest swelled as he stared at Blake. It seemed like forever. Both of them watching each other. Letting the past four years fall away to find the truth.
At last, Devin exhaled and his chest deflated. “Yeah. I—I think I do. But—”
“But what?”
His best friend broke eye contact and toed a scuff on the floor. “Do you think she feels the same?”
Blake thought about the two of them on the beach. How she melted into him. How a current of emotion dragged her closer with every breath. “Yeah. She does.”
“You think she’ll ever admit it?”
“That she’s in love with us?” Blake shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s worth it to try.”
Devin nodded and pushed himself off the counter. He picked up his beer and drank half of it without a pause.
For four years, they’d never gone there. Never talked about what Summer meant to them. Whether she was the one they couldn’t live without or just what might have been. But there they were, standing in the kitchen with her showering down the hall. Finally honest with each other.
“How much does she know?”
The question caught Blake off-guard. “About what? You and Ivy?”
“No.” Devin drained the rest of the beer and tossed it in the trash. “What happened when she left.”
Blake swallowed. “Nothing, I think.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
“I don’t know, Dev. She hates secrets. Maybe we should tell her.”
“No. We all agreed. She never needed to know.”
Blake frowned. That’s not how it should go. If Devin loved her, he’d see that. “What if it gets out? What if she hears from someone who’s not us?” Blake could see the look on her face already. Hurt. Anger. It’d be a disaster.
“That’ll never happen.”
He exhaled through his nose. “I hope to God you’re right.”
* * *
SUMMER
“You can do this.” Summer looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and forced herself to breathe.
Blake and Devin. The first time around, it’d been fun. Playful. Hanging out at the bar until close. Splashing in dark ocean water at night. Friends. Lovers. Not real life. But now?
They ran a business and were about to open their own bar. All Summer’d managed was an apartment her mom paid for and a handful of exhibits around the city. Nothing like the pair of them. They’d moved on. Grown up. And Summer?
She glanced down at her hands and the faint smudge of crimson still on her palm. According to Ivy, she was nothing more than an interloper. Back to mess to it all up.
Was she right? Summer raised her head to examine her reflection. The girl who’d tied her hair up in a topknot, yanked on an apron, and carried trays full of beer and wine all summer in Midnight Cove was gone. In her place was a woman.
One just as confused as ever. A single night with Blake and Devin all those years ago and she’d ran. Because she felt herself falling into way more than friendship. More than lust. She’d been falling in love.
Summer closed her eyes and saw the beach. Her toes curling in the sand while Blake ran his hands up her hips. His hot breath tickling her ear as he thrust inside her. His body crushing her against the rock. Muffled screams as she came.
And Devin. His fingers lacing through her hair. His thighs shaking as he released deep in her throat. His kisses so desperate and raw. She gripped the edge of the sink and opened her eyes.
It wasn’t college anymore. This wasn’t a pit stop on t
he way to real life. They were down the hall, right now. Waiting for her. And she loved them.
She blinked and the green eyes in the mirror blinked with her. I love them. I’m in love with them. The words bounced around in her head and part of her wanted to scream. You can’t! You can’t love two men!
But her heart didn’t care. Her muse didn’t care. She’d spent four years painting the ghost of Blake and Devin on every canvas. Acrylic. Oil. Mixed media. Didn’t matter the form, the image was always the same.
Midnight Cove. Empty and longing. The men she’d left behind with a piece of her heart.
Her eyes widened and she smiled as she thought of the painting drying upstairs. The new one that didn’t showcase faded memories. It wasn’t a mediocre landscape. It was her fucking soul. All because of Blake and Devin.
Damn it. Could she upend her whole life and date two men? Did they even want to?
Summer flicked off the light and opened the door. There was one way to find out.
* * *
BLAKE
The door opened in the hallway and Blake cut Devin off with a wave of his hand. The last thing they needed was Summer hearing them argue over her.
Keeping secrets, telling the truth—whatever choice they made—it didn’t matter right then. Not when she was padding down the hall in bare feet, wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts. The fabric barely skimmed her thighs and she yanked it down with one hand to keep from flashing them everything.
Blake grinned. “You don’t have to hide from us, you know.”
Her cheeks flushed and Blake’s tension eased. “I know. It’s just—I—”
Devin reached for her and she let the t-shirt go to take his hand. He tugged her close, lips grazing her cheek as he whispered in her ear.
Blake’s jealously flared hot, but as Summer glanced up with big eyes and parted lips, he forced the green monster back down. If he was going to share with Devin, he needed to accept it. Come to terms with moments like that. Whether he was a witness or not.
Besides, he’d done the same without a second’s thought. He remembered the way she moaned out her release and he stepped forward. Hands on bare thighs. Sliding higher and higher. So soft. Silky. Still warm from the shower.