by Carew, Opal
She leaned her chin on her hand. “But then you changed your mind and decided to take part in a sexual fantasy with me? That’s an interesting way to contact an old friend.”
“That’s just it. You and I have never been friends.”
A flash of pain slashed across her eyes, totally startling him.
“What I mean is we were always more than just friends.”
She gazed at him, neither confirming nor denying. Unspoken words hung between them. Damn, it would make it so much easier if he knew what her feelings were about this damnable attraction between them.
* * *
Janine’s heart thumped. So he admitted there was something between them. If only he could have done that after Ben had died. If only they had acted on their attraction then.
But it never would have worked. They were just so different.
Still, she couldn’t help asking the question burning in her mind.
“So when you showed up last night … was it a surprise? That it was me. Or did you know beforehand?”
She wouldn’t put it past him to pull a stunt like showing up with Derek to teach her a lesson. Catch her red-handed and call her on her behavior.
But then, his kiss still tingled on her lips … and his tortured words. Oh, God, I can’t do this, he’d said. As if he’d really wanted to follow through with the fantasy.
That wasn’t the Sloan she knew, though. He wouldn’t have sex with a total stranger—if that’s what he’d thought she’d be—and certainly not with another man there.
Unless he’d changed more than she knew.
“I knew it was you.”
She nodded. So he hadn’t changed.
“So you came along just to—”
He held up his hand. “Stop. Before you get all worked up, it wasn’t about checking up on you.”
“Or criticizing my lifestyle? Or trying to change me?”
He smiled. “Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned in life it’s that I can’t change you. You are an unstoppable force.”
“Why did you do it then?”
“Because I want to have sex with you.”
Three
At her widening eyes, Sloan swore to himself. “I mean, I’d like to explore this attraction between us. Start dating. See if things could work out between us.”
“And you wanted our first time to be with another man?” She sank back in the chair. “Well, you have changed.”
“In fact, I have. Despite getting off to a bit of a rocky start the other night, I wanted to prove to you that I can embrace … the wilder side of life.”
She raised an eyebrow and her eyes glittered. “Really? Yet you backed off.”
“Okay, sure. But that was because I realized I couldn’t just have sex with you blindfolded like that.”
She grinned. “Got something against blindfolds?”
“No. I mean, you were expecting a stranger, not someone you knew. Not me. I realized it would be … dishonest. Like I was taking advantage of you.”
“And you didn’t think of that ahead of time?”
Actually, he had. His conscience had nagged him repeatedly. But his rampant desire to be with her, to feel her soft body wrapped around him, to revel in the sweet heat of her depths surrounding his hard shaft made him lend a deaf ear. He’d wanted her. Desperately. He had for years.
“I was afraid you’d turn me down. I thought if I took advantage of the fantasy … then you found out it was me … you’d agree to keep going with the relationship.”
She grinned. “You figure you’re that good? Fuck a woman once and she’ll want you forever.”
He cringed at the rough word, but he knew she was using it just to push him, to see how he’d react. She always tried to keep him off balance. Hell, she always succeeded in keeping him off balance.
Now it was his turn. He stared her straight in the eye.
“Actually, yes.”
* * *
Janine stared into Sloan’s piercing blue eyes and felt her composure crack. Under his compelling gaze, she became intensely aware of his strong masculine presence. He was taller than Derek, his shoulders were broader, and his thick, wavy dark brown hair was a little longer. His lips were full and his nose strong and straight. And that square chin of his … so sexy. Her insides began to quiver and her breasts swelled. Suddenly, he wasn’t her old friend Sloan. He was a strong, vibrant male, all rigid muscle and broad shoulders. Imposing. Authoritative. Powerful.
Oh, God, she could jump him right now.
She gripped the armrests of the chair.
He stood up and stepped toward her, his muscular body lithe and agile. He took her hand and drew her to her feet. The heat of his body overwhelmed her even before his lips captured hers and she melted against him. His tongue drove past her lips and curled into her mouth, then swirled inside. Her tongue danced forward and curled around his. Her nipples puckered, pushing against his solid chest, and heat washed through her.
Finally, he released her mouth and smiled down at her, obviously confident he’d proven his point.
And he had. He was that good. She knew she’d remember that kiss forever. Just like she had their first kiss. And the one last night. If he actually made love to her …
She sat down again and he returned to the couch, still smiling.
“I see,” she said. “Well, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not really into relationships. At least, not the way you probably mean. I like to be free. I have relationships with several men at a time. They’re all casual, and they all understand that I see other people.”
“And sometimes more than one at the same time.”
She drew her shoulders back and held her head high as she stared into his eyes. “Exactly.”
“Okay.”
Her heart sank. Was that, Okay, that means we’re dead in the water before we even start or …
“How’s Saturday for our first date?” he asked.
“Saturday?” She toyed with her ring, pivoting it back and forth.
This was moving so fast. She needed to get used to the idea of … oh, man, having sex with Sloan. It was such a weird concept, yet … totally compelling. Especially after that kiss.
Actually, every kiss he’s ever given me. There had only been three. Her first kiss ever. The kiss last night. And this one. The first one, there’d been the issues with Ben. The one last night had quickly been followed by his lecturing. Tonight’s, though, had opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
She gazed at his intense blue eyes, knowing that despite their powerful chemistry, he’d never be able to accept her type of relationships. Maybe giving him a chance would prove to him once and for all that it would never work between them. Maybe it was the only way she would ever be able to convince him.
“Janine? Is Saturday okay?”
“Sure, Saturday will be fine.” She gazed his way. “But I have a few stipulations.”
* * *
God damn it! The woman always had to have her own way.
Sloan tapped his fingers on his knee as he stared out the back passenger window of the moving car.
Sure, Janine had said she’d come on a date with him, but she wanted Derek and Jonas, a friend of Derek who was visiting from out of town, to join them. It wouldn’t be much of a date with those two tagging along, and he sure as hell didn’t need chaperones.
Derek, who sat in the front passenger seat, pulled out his cell phone and called Janine when they were about a block from her apartment building. She stood at the front door when they pulled up. Sloan’s body tightened at the sight of her in a snug-fitting black dress, which accentuated her curves and was short enough to show most of her incredibly long, shapely legs, augmented by the black spike heels she wore. The strap around her ankles glittered with rhinestones.
Sloan hopped out of the car. “You look sensational.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“You know I would have come up to get you.”
He ushered her into the backseat and closed the door, then rounded the car, climbed in the other door, and settled in beside her. She set her black wrap and small purse on the seat between them.
Jonas, their designated driver for the night, pulled back onto the road and, fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the tavern Janine had suggested.
Derek opened the tavern door and Janine entered first, followed by Sloan and the others. They settled into chairs at a round wooden table and ordered drinks and nachos. Sloan snagged the seat beside Janine.
“It’s nice to see you again, Janine,” Jonas said, smiling at her across the table.
Janine smiled back. “You, too.”
The waitress returned with a tray of drinks and set them on the table.
Janine leaned toward Sloan. “Jonas is a good friend of Derek’s. He comes to town every few weeks or so for a visit. Derek introduced us last time he was here. About a month ago.”
Sloan nodded. Had that meeting led to Janine and Jonas having sex? Had both Derek and Jonas made love to Janine at the same time?
The thought troubled him, but at the same time, his cock stirred a little.
“What do you do for a living?” Sloan asked.
“I’m a cop, too. Derek and I worked together until he transferred here two years ago. I’ve got a sister in town, so now I’ve got two good reasons to visit.”
“He also went through a nasty breakup a few months ago,” Derek added, “so I like to do what I can to help him keep his mind off it.”
“Like introduce him to me.” Janine grinned.
“Well, you do have a way of putting a little excitement into a man’s life.” Derek sipped his beer from the frosty glass mug in front of him.
“I’ve heard that,” Jonas said, grinning as he gazed at her. “I heard you have something interesting planned for us tonight.”
“Derek made the suggestion and I thought it would be a great way to break the ice between us.”
“I’m looking forward to it, whatever it is.” Jonas’ eyes gleamed.
Derek also watched her a little too closely for Sloan’s liking.
Sloan had to stop himself from grabbing her hand and dragging her from the table and the two other men showing such intense interest in her.
Damn it, could he really share her with two other men? For fuck sake, he hadn’t even been with her himself. Their first time together should not be a shared experience.
Jonas slid his empty mug aside and stood up. “When the waitress comes back, order me another soft drink. I’ll be right back.”
Jonas headed toward the restrooms, passing the waitress as she returned with a plate of nachos and set them on the center of the table. Derek pointed toward Jonas’ empty glass and she nodded and took it with her.
Sloan turned to Janine. “So, have you and Jonas … uh…”
“No, not yet,” Derek answered. “Tonight will be their first time.”
Jonas’ first time, too? Damn it, Sloan didn’t even get to be unique in that tonight.
“Actually, I was a little surprised that you agreed to tonight,” Derek said. “After that false start the other night, and then when I found out your history and … stuff.”
“I’ll be fine,” Sloan answered stiffly, wondering exactly how much of their history Derek knew. Did he know Sloan had never had sex with her? Did he know they’d been fighting an incredible attraction for more than a decade?
Janine patted Sloan’s shoulder. “Sloan tells me he’s totally okay with dating on my terms. I think he feels it will add a little excitement to his life.”
So she hadn’t painted him as a lovesick ex-beau, or worse, a wannabe beau. Instead, it sounded like she’d painted a picture of old friends hooking up for fun and games.
* * *
Janine was very aware of Sloan sitting beside her. His closeness. His masculinity. Excitement stirred as she wondered what it would be like when he finally touched her … intimately. Kissed her … in private places. When they finally stepped over the line they’d drawn in the sand years ago to explore the wild passion they both knew would explode between them.
Jonas returned and sat across from her.
She had to go slowly with Sloan. Walk him through a few things before going too far. Maybe she shouldn’t have set up a date with him tonight, when she’d already committed to a date with Jonas and Derek … a date where she and Jonas, who had hit it off wonderfully when they’d met on his last visit, were going to have sex for the first time. She had been looking forward to sex with Jonas ever since the first night she’d met him. Handsome. Sexy. A great sense of humor. And he made her insides tingle.
She absolutely couldn’t have sex with Jonas and with Sloan for the first time on the same night. Tonight was about Sloan finding out exactly what going out with her meant. He needed to experience that, to really understand it, before she’d go to the next level with him. She was pretty sure he couldn’t handle it, and why put both of them through the heartache if it was never going to work between them?
That’s why tonight was actually the perfect night. No matter how tempted she became to have sex with Sloan tonight, the fact that it would be her first time with Jonas would keep things in perspective. She wouldn’t diminish the first-time experience for either man. So Sloan could watch, could see what sharing her with other men really meant, but she’d make it clear that she didn’t think tonight was the right time for him to participate.
Of course, Jonas wouldn’t mind sharing her with other men—that was part of the excitement for him—and he would assume she had been with Sloan before, but Sloan would know. And she would know.
The waitress returned with Jonas’ soft drink. Janine sipped her white wine and glanced at Jonas sitting across from her. He was shorter than Derek and Sloan, but had the same broad shoulders and great physique. His dark blond hair was cut short but still long enough to curl a little around his face. When he smiled, his lips turned up a little more on one side than the other, giving him an adorably crooked smile. And she could lose herself in those hazel eyes ringed with dark brown. He glanced at her, caught her staring, and smiled. She almost giggled at the sight of his crooked smile and glowing eyes.
Tonight would be the night with Jonas. And it added a special excitement that Sloan would be there, too. No doubt about it. The evening would be weird but definitely exciting.
“What do you do for fun?” she asked Jonas, then grinned at the gleam in his eyes. “Like hobbies, I mean.”
“I volunteer at a local cable company. I used to be part of the stage crew in my high school and enjoyed it, and continued that in college. I missed it after I left school, then found out a lot of jobs at the cable station are volunteer, so I signed up.”
“What do you do for them?” she asked.
“Lots of things, really, but usually camera work. That’s what I like best. And lighting. What about you?”
“My favorite hobby would have to be reading,” she said. “I read a lot and … I like to socialize.”
Derek chuckled. Sloan grabbed a nacho from the plate in the middle of the table and munched it.
“What about you, Sloan? Any hobbies?” Jonas asked.
“Not really.”
That was it. He didn’t say any more. Typical Sloan. Didn’t reveal himself to anyone. Not even as simple a thing as talking about his interests.
She wondered if he still liked classic cars—or had that been a teenage phase? Did he still enjoy video games? Like going to the movies, especially action/adventure? He’d never shared her passion for books, but she’d always enjoyed going to the movies with him and discussing the story line afterward, usually over burgers and fries at their favorite diner.
She turned her gaze back to Jonas. His gaze slid to the swell of her breasts, accentuated by her deep neckline. Her nipples hardened at the thought that he’d soon be touching her breasts, licking her nipples … and more. And s
o would Derek.
Sloan, on the other hand …
Damn, she had to find a way to break it to him—privately—that he would not be participating exactly as he might have hoped this evening.
Four
Sloan followed Janine into Derek’s town house, with Jonas and Derek trailing behind. Anxiety gnawed at his insides. How would this work exactly?
“So what is this interesting plan you have for tonight?” Jonas asked as he followed her into the living room.
Janine twirled around and grinned. “I thought it might be fun to play some cards.”
“Cards?” It wasn’t exactly what Sloan had expected Janine to suggest with three men at her disposal.
“That’s right. You like poker, don’t you?”
Ah, that’s what this was about.
“I’ll get the poker chips,” Derek said.
Janine draped her wrap over the back of one of Derek’s dining room chairs, then sat down. Jonas sat beside her. Realizing that this would probably turn into a game of strip poker, Sloan decided to sit across the table from her. With the round glass dining table, it would be a spectacular view. He gazed at the sexy sight of her long legs crossed at the thighs. Actually, the view was pretty damned hot right now.
Derek returned with a wooden case and set it on the table. He opened it to reveal brightly colored poker chips with white stripes along the edges. He started stacking the casino-quality chips on the table, sorting by denomination. Red at five, green at ten, blue at twenty-five and, finally, black at a hundred.
“Jonas, would you distribute one of each color to everyone while I grab some drinks?” Derek asked.
“Sure.” Jonas stood up and began setting out the chips into four equal stacks.
Janine rose. “Sloan, I’m going out on the deck for a minute. Want to join me?”
Sloan stood up and followed her across the living room and out the sliding door onto the back deck, then closed the door behind them. Janine leaned against the railing and stared at the stars glittering above them. Sloan noticed that the cool night air sent goose bumps along Janine’s naked arms.