Erik and Jon and their amazing sexual games were quickly becoming her alcohol of choice. When it came time to leave, would she want to?
“Oh, boy,” she grumbled to herself. “The last thing I need to do is fall in love with them.”
It wouldn’t be hard. She fell easy. She was so insecure about herself when it came to sex and relationships. In a boardroom, she was as confident as her brother. In a bedroom, she floundered.
But she didn’t feel as though she floundered with Jon and Erik. With them, she was able to let herself go, to truly enjoy the things they did to her. Maybe that had been her problem all along. It wasn’t her, but the fact that she hadn’t been able to find a man who truly made her forget herself, who made her feel confident in the things she did to them.
Clark often complained of being too tired. Even if she tried to seduce him, he didn’t appear to be interested. The repeated rejection had made her feel bad about herself, insecure, uncertain, and not at all sexy. But when Jon and Erik growled their approval of the things she did it made her feel confident and powerful, and for the first time in a long time, sexy.
She could be a tigress in the bedroom, and the first opportunity they gave her, she would show them. Her body hummed at the idea of turning the tables and seducing them. Her mind ran through all the possible scenarios before she finally drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
Melinda awoke with a start, wondering what had pulled her from the sexy dream she’d been having. Glancing around sleepily, she tried to determine the source of the noise, but saw nothing. She pushed her hair back from her face and looked out the window toward the sun as it slowly rose over the ocean.
She let out a long sigh and said, “Oh, wow.”
She could wake to that view every day of the rest of her life. The sky was ablaze with red and gold. Even the ocean mimicked the colors as they reflected on the water. On the breeze, she caught the smell of coffee and noticed the cup sitting on the nightstand.
Reaching out, she stopped halfway and stared at her wrists, now free of the bindings. So that’s what had woken her. One of them must’ve brought the coffee and untied her. She grabbed the cup just as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.
The cup was warm, indicating it hadn’t been sitting there long. She took a sip of the rich brew and smiled. Jamaican Blue Mountain. Her favorite.
It was then she noticed the note on the table. She picked it up and read the neat scroll.
Shower and get dressed. We have a trip planned to the Mayan ruins.
No signature, so she had no idea which one had left it, but to be honest she didn’t really care at the moment. The thought of seeing the ruins had her heart skipping in excitement. She’d wanted to see them forever, but had never been able to get Clark to come with her, so she just hadn’t made the trip.
Taking one final sip of coffee, she set the cup down and practically ran to the bathroom to shower. Once dressed, she checked her hair and makeup in the mirror and headed to the second-floor veranda. She assumed that’s where they would be. From what she understood, almost all meals were eaten at the outdoor kitchen, unless the weather was too bad.
She approached the open doorway that led to the covered second-level patio and slowed. Jon and Erik sat at the table. Their voices were low, so she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Jon’s back was to her, but Erik’s profile was in clear view as he smiled at something Jon said. He was so handsome. They both were.
“Good morning, senorita,” Maria said as she passed by on her way to the veranda. “They’ve been waiting for you.”
Melinda followed Maria out the door.
“There she is,” Jon said as he came to his feet.
When she came close, he grasped her elbow, stopping her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. Her skin heated where his lips touched and for not the first time, she began to wonder if she was making things too easy for them.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he whispered, before releasing her elbow.
He held out a chair for her, and she sat. “Good morning,” she said. “And I’m not that much of a sleepyhead. It wasn’t quite dawn when you left the coffee on my nightstand.”
Erik grinned. “That was me.”
“Ah.” Melinda unfolded her napkin and placed it over her lap. “So you just slam the door as opposed to giving me a little shake?”
Jon returned to his seat and poured himself another cup of coffee. Erik rested his elbows on the table and folded his hands. “I didn’t dare touch you. If I had, you would’ve never left the bed.”
Her face heated, and she turned away to reach for the platter of fruit. “I appreciate that.”
“Thought you would,” Erik murmured in his usual deep, sultry voice.
“So,” she said, hoping to move the subject away from sex. Something she thought about way too much whenever they were around. “I understand we’re going to the ruins?”
“Yes,” Jon replied.
“Which ones?”
“Caracol,” Erik replied just before taking a sip of coffee.
“Isn’t that the largest site? I think I remember reading something about it once being home to over one hundred and fifty thousand people. Is it far?”
Erik swallowed and shook his head, then placed his cup back on the table. “It’s not far. Its south of San Ignacio in the highlands. You might want to change shoes, though. There’ll be lots of walking.”
Melinda glanced down at her sandals. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She looked back up at him, feeling just a little spunky. “Are the shorts okay, or should I change those, too?”
Erik smirked, but didn’t say anything.
“I happen to like the shorts.” Jon put his hand on her thigh and gave it a little squeeze. “They make your legs look longer.”
“Does everything have to be sexual with you two?” she asked, only half meaning it.
“I never said a word,” Erik replied, his lips twitching in amusement.
Jon put his finger under her chin, turning her face to his. “And yes, for the next couple of weeks, everything will be sexual. What you wear, what you eat, even what you say.” Melinda swallowed as she stared in Jon’s blue eyes. “For this time, you are our sexual plaything and sex could happen anywhere and anytime. So get used to it.”
He let go of her chin and returned his attention to his plate. Melinda blinked at how suddenly he and Erik had seemed to change personalities. Where had that come from? Usually Jon was soft, teasing. That little speech had been the most dominant she’d seen him since she’d arrived.
“Something tells me there’s more to you than meets the eye,” Melinda murmured.
Jon winked at her, making her heart skip a beat.
“Okay, so…” She began. “When are we leaving?”
Erik tapped the edge of her plate with his fork. “As soon as you finish eating and you have to eat more than just fruit. The eggs are good, try some of those.”
“Wow, you’re bossy.” Melinda shook her head and reached for the plate of eggs. “Trying to make me fat?”
“No, just want to make sure you don’t poop out on us this afternoon.”
Melinda fought a smile. “Poop out?”
Erik shrugged as he chewed on a piece of bacon. “What’s wrong with poop out?”
“Sounds like something a girl would say.”
“A girl probably did say it. Probably where I got it.”
She couldn’t look at him. For some reason his mentioning other girls made her chest tighten. She knew there had been other girls. Her brother had told her about some of them, about how Jon and Erik could take an insecure girl and turn her into a vixen, make her feel really good about herself. She wasn’t any different from the other, just a broken girl her brother had recommended that needed some reassurance and some really good sex. That was it; nothing more to it. She shouldn’t be jealous. She didn’t know them well enough to be jealous. Plus, it would be incredibly stupid.
This
wasn’t good. If she felt jealousy, she was getting way too attached emotionally. She’d never last two weeks with her heart intact. Her brother’s plan was setting her up for a heart break.
Chapter 9
Melinda climbed from Erik’s jeep and removed the clip that held her hair on top of her head. With the cover off the jeep, the wind had whipped through her hair so she’d pulled the clip from her purse and secured it on her head.
Brushing her hair back, she studied the expanse of ruins ahead of her. “This is amazing,” she whispered.
“How so?” Jon asked as he looked out over the ruins as well.
“Well, think about it. This place held more people than the current modern Belize City. It’s hard to believe there were truly that many people here. Not to mention how smart they were when it came to the stars.”
“They didn’t have television. What else were they supposed to do but chart the stars’ progression through the night sky?” Jon said, grinning.
Melinda smiled back at him. “Maybe it was aliens.”
She heard Erik’s laughter beside her and she spun to stare at him. She asked him, only half-serious, “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about the possibility.”
“Maybe for about a second,” he replied, as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Melinda liked the way amusement made his eyes appear lighter, younger. “How old are you?” she asked.
Erik’s surprised look let her know just how out of the blue that question had been, but he answered it anyway…sort of. “Not as old as the ruins.”
“Very funny,” she replied. “Seriously.”
“Thirty-two,” he answered.
She turned to Jon. “And you?”
“Thirty-one. Does it matter?”
She shook her head. “No, I just…I just realized I didn’t know and was curious.”
They were three and two years older than her. That made her feel a little better. If they’d been younger, she would’ve felt weird, no matter how good they were in bed. Cougar status was meant for older women who could seduce a younger man to her bed. Melinda didn’t feel as though she had that in her. At least not yet.
Jon took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips where he placed a soft, warm kiss against the back of her fingers. Melinda’s eyes couldn’t stop staring at his mouth as his lips pressed against her skin. Warmth traveled up her arm and settled in her breasts, where they became heavy and thick.
She quickly pulled her hand from his grasp. Jon’s lips twitched as though he fought a smile, and she narrowed her eyes. “Keep that up and we’ll end up finding a dark corner somewhere.”
“Really?” Jon asked, his eyes sparkling with a wicked gleam.
“Don’t give him any ideas,” Erik murmured close to her ear, and her heart raced at the sound of his deep voice. “Or me.”
“Both of you behave yourself,” she chastised and raised her chin a notch. “I have ruins to explore.”
Grabbing her camera from the front seat, Melinda turned and headed toward the center of what was once a major city. As she walked around, studying buildings and statues, she really began to enjoy their company. They were both incredibly smart and actually knew quite a bit about Mayan culture. Erik even knew a lot about ancient alien theories as well, despite his making fun of her earlier.
“There’re always colleges and university archeology students here who are more than willing to talk about what they believe or don’t believe,” Erik said as they came to a stop at the base of Caracol’s tallest structure, El Caana. It towered over them at one hundred thirty-seven feet.
“So you’ve been here often?” she asked in curiosity.
“This one, as well as Altun Ha and Calah Pech. Archeology was a hobby of mine in college. I even spent some time here during graduate school.”
She stared at him in surprise. “Really?”
“What?” Erik asked. “Jon was into art during his college years. He was actually quite good at it.”
Jon snorted. “That was a long time ago. I haven’t picked up a brush in years.”
“Why not?” she asked.
Jon shrugged. “Just lost interest, I think. The stock market drew my attention and then Erik got involved. Seems we have a natural ability to pick a winner.”
“Apparently so. But all your money isn’t in the stock market, is it?”
“No,” Jon replied. “Very little of it is now. We’ve invested wisely. Now we just play in the market for fun.”
“Yeah, but your fun usually comes out being worth millions.” Melinda began walking around the base of the tall pyramid. “Can we go to the top?” she asked.
Erik and Jon both chuckled in amusement, and she glanced at them over her shoulder. “What?”
“I just think it’s amusing how you jump around from one subject to another. You tire of one and it’s off to something different at the drop of a hat,” Erik replied.
Melinda shrugged and wrapped the strap of her camera around her neck. “I’ve always been like that. Short attention span. I get distracted easily…sometimes.” She grinned back at them. “Race you to the top.”
She took off up the stone steps at a run. She could hear one of them behind her, but she didn’t turn to see who it was. Instead, she kept her attention on the steps so she wouldn’t miss one and fall. At the top, she turned to see Erik top the last step just behind her.
Trying to catch her breath, she admired his muscular physique and nice ass encased in blue Levi’s. She expected Jon to be right behind him, but he didn’t materialize right away.
“Where’s Jon?” she asked as she walked over and peered over the edge.
She giggled as she watched Jon take his time coming up the steps. “What’s taking you so long?” she called down.
“I don’t run up million-year-old steps,” he replied as he stepped over the last step.
“They’re not a million years old,” she proclaimed with amusement.
“They’re close enough.”
Erik chuckled as he grabbed Melinda’s hand and pulled her to the other side. There, he pointed out the view from the top, which was absolutely breathtaking.
She lifted her camera and took a few shots of the jungle view. The few couples that were up there with them soon left, leaving her alone with Jon and Erik.
Erik wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. His chest was hard and his heat seeped through her shirt and into her back. It felt right being in his arms like this. She felt safe, cherished, protected. She could feel his heart beating in time with her own, and the synchronized rhythm made her smile.
Jon lifted the camera from her neck. He stepped back and took a picture of her and Erik.
“Now I need one of you and me,” she said, smiling at Jon.
Jon handed the camera to Erik as he pulled her from his arms. Instead of posing though, Jon cupped her face and tilted it up. He leaned down and gently brushed his lips over hers. She hadn’t expected him to kiss her, but she enjoyed his lips on hers. His kiss was sweet and slow as he slid his tongue past her lips and into her mouth.
With a soft moan, Melinda lifted her hands to his waist and held tight as he deepened the kiss. He made her head swim, and she tightened her fingers in his shirt to hopefully keep her knees from buckling. She’d never met two men who could do this to her so quickly.
She forgot everything: where she was, the fact that they weren’t truly alone. It all faded away at the feel of Jon’s lips on hers. He pulled away, and she stared up at him with what she knew had to be a dreamy expression on her face. It couldn’t be anything but dreamy.
Erik cleared his throat, and Melinda quickly stepped back just as three people began to clear the final steps to the top. She glanced over at Jon, who smiled wickedly. He could sometimes look exactly like Erik, especially when he had the devilish gleam in his eye.
Melinda frowned. “I think I make things way too easy for you two,” she grumbled.
“The
n fight us,” Erik murmured.
She turned to gape at him. “Excuse me?”
He stepped close so he could keep his voice low so the other sightseers wouldn’t hear them. “Then fight us…if you can.”
She crossed her arms over her chest in a show of indignation. “If I can? Are you saying I can’t?”
“You want me to prove it to you?”
She glanced around quickly. “Not here.”
“Chicken,” Erik purred, and Melinda fought a trickle of desire as it snaked up her spine. Erik feathered the back of his fingers down her arm in a slow, seductive sweep. “I bet I can find a dark corner in one of these open underground dwellings and have you begging in no time. Despite the possibility of someone catching us. The thrill of getting caught is a huge turn-on. Matter of fact, I’m getting hard just thinking about it.”
He discretely brushed the back of his fingers over her nipple and she shuddered.
“Stop it,” she snarled softly as she felt herself getting a little too excited.
“Nice try,” he whispered. “But no.” His mischievous gaze met hers. “Now what are you going to do?”
He pinched her nipple, and her eyes narrowed. “I could scream and bring those people over.”
Erik’s gaze held hers captive. “Go ahead.”
When she didn’t, he gave her a knowing smirk and stepped away, putting some much-needed space between her and that devil of a seducer.
“Both of you need to have your heads examined,” she growled.
Erik chuckled softly and then laughed louder as she smacked his shoulder. She looked over to Jon, who stood by watching them.
“Do something with your friend, please,” she said as she stepped up to take her camera back.
Jon raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t been able to up to now. What makes you think today will be any different?”
Rolling her eyes, Melinda put her camera back around her neck and began the slow trek back down the stairs to the grass below.
*
Erik watched the sway of Melinda’s ass as she descended the pyramid. He couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at his lips, so he didn’t even try.
Finding Her Fantasy Page 7