The Promise of Two [Riverbend, Texas Heat] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

  “Thanks, I’ve got it.” She picked up a small box and carefully slipped up next to the demolished bed where the tree had been removed and a tarp draped over the hole in the roof.

  “Be careful, baby. That area doesn’t look safe to me. I’ll just stand here in case something happens.”

  “Really, Vernon. There’s no need. They assured me that everything was safe for me to go through now.”

  “I’ll feel better, though, if I’m close by.” He stepped just to the side so that he could see into her bedside table without appearing to be looking.

  She seemed to gauge this and decide it would do because she started pulling out the drawer with her toys. He grinned then quickly hid it when she looked up after stuffing a silver bullet into the box at her feet. He missed out on the next object but didn’t miss out on the wand or the dual-channel dildo. It wasn’t by any means a good representation of their sizes, but it was a start.

  When she finished filling the box, she started to close it up, but he stopped her. He couldn’t let her miss out on the two things left in the back of the drawer that he could see, a pair of nipple clamps and a clit clip. He pulled them out and handed them to her. Her face turned an amazing shade of pink then blossomed into red.

  “You’ve been watching me the entire time.”

  “Easy, baby. I really was just making sure you were safe. They’re just toys. Everyone has them.”

  “But they’re my toys. You weren’t supposed to know about them.” She sounded almost like she would cry. He worried that he’d gone too far.

  “Why not? We know everything about each other.”

  “It’s not fair that you know. I don’t know if you have toys or not.”

  He chuckled. “Baby, we’ve got our hands. We don’t need toys.”

  She rolled her eyes and sighed. He relaxed, satisfied that he’d diffused the situation so that she wasn’t upset anymore.

  “Hey, you two, are we going to take towels and such or just the personal stuff?” CJ’s voice rang out from the bathroom. Jill’s face cleared up, and she looked annoyed again instead of hurt.

  “Pack the towels up, and I’ll store them in the other bedroom until they finish. I don’t want anything left in either room that is going to stay. I want them to trash the bed and the dresser and all in the bedroom as well. They were secondhand anyway.”

  “We’ll help you pick out a new bedroom suite.” CJ grabbed another empty box off the floor in the bedroom and disappeared into the bathroom.

  “I’ll put the toy box in the truck.” Vernon couldn’t help labeling the little box she still held in her grip.

  “I can do it.”

  “Nope, you need to start on your underwear drawer before I get my nasty little hands on them.”

  This had her nearly throwing the box at him as she climbed over the broken bed to the other side of the room. He winced. He really was worried about the safety of the room despite the building inspector giving her an all clear to clean out her things. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. Not even a splinter in her finger.

  After nearly two hours of packing and fussing, they had all of her personal things out of the bedroom and bathroom of the little house. Most of it was in her SUV with a few boxes of books and odds and ends in their truck. She followed them over to their house and helped them empty the two vehicles into their master suite. Like they had said, there was plenty of room in the walk-in closet for all of her things, including the boxes. She quickly and discreetly unloaded her bathroom items and then just left the toy box closed up in the top of the closet. Vernon had no doubt that she wouldn’t touch that box the entire time she was staying with them. Well, he and CJ would have something to say about that when the time came.

  “It’s nearly one thirty. Are you hungry?” CJ asked.

  “Starved. How about pizza?” Jill suggested their favorite treat.

  “Out or in?” Vernon asked.

  “I need a shower, so I vote we order in. You guys know what I want. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”

  Vernon couldn’t help it. He hollered back up the stairs. “Need some help?”

  “I’ve got it covered.”

  He just bet she did. He could almost see her in the shower already, soaking wet with water flowing off her sun-kissed skin. He would love to lick his way from one little freckle to the next across her shoulders then down to her berry-tipped nipples. He knew she was a true redhead from when they were teenagers before she had learned the art of waxing. He and CJ had spied on her every chance they had gotten back when they would skinny-dip at the pond. Then once she had gone off to school, she’d gotten into the delightful habit of getting waxed, something both he and CJ were particularly excited about.

  CJ bumped him in the shoulder. “Better go take care of that boner before she gets back downstairs and sees it. You’re sporting wood big enough to scare the shit out of her.”

  “Fuck, I can’t help it thinking about her up there all wet and needy.”

  “Spare me, man. I’m handling it. You go get a handle on it and don’t come down until you do.”

  Vernon groaned and hurried upstairs toward the bathroom he and CJ shared. It was just down the hall from where Jill would be buck naked bathing herself in the master shower. He wanted to turn in to that one, but he kept going until he was locked safely inside the other one. By the time the water in the shower had warmed up to a suitable temperature, he was nude and stepping inside the glassed-in shower stall, one hand fisted around his aching cock.

  He squeezed at the base of the stalk and groaned. He could easily imagine wrapping his hand loosely in Jill’s shoulder-length, red hair and gripping it as she stretched her mouth wide to accommodate his thick dick. Her lips would barely encompass the width of him, but she would swallow him deep.

  He could feel her tongue wrap around his cock and tease up and down the thick meat before rimming around the mushroom-shaped head. She would pull off the cockhead with a little pop and then lick across the slit to taste the pre-cum gathered there for her delight. He hissed as he ran his thumb over the slit, rubbing the sticky substance across the top of his dick. Then he began to pull up and down his cock in a tight, almost punishing grip. He needed to make it last. God knew when he would be able to take her for real. He wanted to feel her soft skin against the steel-hard spike of his dick as he sank inside her over and over.

  A low groan erupted from him as he tugged on his cock in a slow, hard rhythm. He imagined her going down on his balls. She would gently maneuver them around in her wet palm then draw first one, and then the other one into her hot mouth. She’d gently tug on the skin between them then release them as she licked her way back around to his cock again. There she would rasp her tongue up and over his dick until he held her head still so that he could fuck her like he wanted to. She would let him, let him carefully plunge his thick meat in and out of her tight mouth even as he was sure she would let CJ tunnel in and out of her tight ass when the time came. He couldn’t wait.

  Fire began to burn deep in his balls and at the base of his spine. He was so fucking close. He tightened his grip and almost melted his cock in the heat of the burn as he pulled faster, harder. Just as he threw his hand against the back of the shower stall, he shot cum down his cock from the base of his balls and onto his abdomen and hand. He hissed out a broken breath as he slowly brought himself down, rubbing his cum all over his belly, wishing it were Jill’s breasts. Soon.

  Chapter Three

  CJ paid off the pizza delivery guy and set it up on the bar in the kitchen. They had two large and one medium pizza like always. They each liked everything on them except olives. Sometimes Jill managed to eat all but two pieces and sometimes she didn’t. Either way, nothing was ever left by the end of the day or night.

  He grabbed a beer and popped the top before heading up to see if he could catch her half-naked in the bedroom. To his disappointment, she was mostly dressed when he walked in. She had on a pair of shorts and her sport
s bra.

  “What are you doing just walking in like that?” She frowned at him but took the proffered beer.

  “Figured you were dressed by now. Even you aren’t that girly.”

  “Smart-ass. Pizza must be here. You’re hungry.”

  “Yeah, you could say that.” He grinned before grabbing her by the wrist. “Come on. I’m starved, and Vernon hasn’t made it downstairs yet.”

  “He won the toss for the shower, huh?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’ll get it after I ease off the hunger pains. Have a heart and come on downstairs so I can at least get something inside of me before I die.”

  “I need to finish dressing.”

  “You’re dressed. You’re basically wearing the same thing you had on when you went upstairs.”

  “Under my sweatpants. Not on top of them.”

  “Big deal. We’ve seen it all, baby. Just help me out here. You can run back up and dress after Vernon sees that I haven’t eaten out of each of the pizza boxes.”

  “You two are so spoiled. You’ve eaten bugs together and you fight over pizza.”

  She let him lead her downstairs, much to his amazement. He didn’t push it by copping a feel or sneaking a better view. Instead, he waited while she picked out her pizza and then handed him a slice of hers. Less than two minutes later, Vernon joined them. CJ was glad that he managed not to show any surprise that she was down there in nothing but a sports bra and shorts. Instead, Vernon took his piece from her and relaxed in just his jeans against the couch.

  CJ turned on the TV and they settled on the couch much like always, eating pizza and watching House Hunters on HGTV. They were all crazy about the channel. They argued over who had the best shows and which houses the young couples should choose.

  “You two are going to have to get back to work soon. I’ve been really lucky you were off these last few days.”

  They worked as security experts for several small firms around Dallas and, unbeknownst to her, they had arranged to be off as soon as she’d had the tree land through her roof. They could afford to be choosy on what jobs they took. Missing out on a client or two wouldn’t hurt them.

  “Yeah, well, we have time coming so we can afford to take off some. It’s more fun to take off with you anyway. You’re always into something you need help with.” CJ yelped when Jill pinched him. “What was that for?”

  “I’m not always in need of help, you guys. You two just poke your nose into my business more than you should. Besides, who has helped you out of a jam or two?”

  “Yeah, well. We groveled nicely for the help.”

  “Yeah, I suppose.” She grinned at them then turned her attention back to her pizza and the show.

  CJ wanted to up the stakes some. He had come back downstairs without his shirt as had Vernon. Neither man had ever blatantly rubbed themselves against Jill in an effort to arouse her. He decided to give it a try on a small scale.

  “How about another beer?”

  “I’m good.” Vernon lifted an eyebrow at him but didn’t say anything.

  “Yeah, that would be good. I’m thirsty. I ate more pizza than usual.”

  He leaned up against her and grabbed her empty bottle then leaned over her and rubbed against her again with his shoulder to her thighs when picking up the empty pizza boxes. She actually sighed then gasped but didn’t move away. CJ took that as encouragement. He returned with two beers, one for her and one for him. He leaned over and placed hers on her coaster, making sure to rub his shoulder against her breast. She hissed in a breath but didn’t say anything. He decided he had better back off for now.

  “Drink it while it’s got that good chill.”

  “Um, yeah. It’s a little warm in here.” She grasped the beer and sipped it for a few seconds before setting it back on the coaster.

  “I’ll check the AC.” Vernon stretched out his arm along the back of the couch, tapping on her shoulder before standing up. He nodded at CJ. They were in agreement. Tonight they would push a little, but not much. She was finally in their domain for more than a few hours. They didn’t want to screw it up.

  When Vernon returned, he’d grinned at CJ. No doubt, the air would be coming on frigid soon enough. Between the cold beer and the colder air, she’d have raised nipples for sure. He couldn’t wait to see them poke through that fancy sports bra. God, what he wouldn’t give to suck them through it, hell, to suck them straight up.

  “I can’t believe they have to bust up all of that kitchen when someone could really use those cabinets and counters. I mean, they aren’t beautiful, but considering that beggars can’t be choosers and all.”

  “They don’t have the time to waste getting it out. It would take several days to remove them so that they could use them again. They only have two days on these shows.”

  “They could make them last longer.” She shivered.

  “Cold, baby?” CJ pushed a little closer to her on one side while Vernon did the same on the other side.

  “Just a little chill. I guess the beer was colder than I thought.” She didn’t seem to notice that they were almost hugging her as she joked about the TV host’s ability to soothe the worries of the couple whose kitchen had just been demolished.

  “I bet that was how you felt when you saw your little house after the storm,” CJ pointed out.

  “Yeah, you were there. You know I freaked. I mean that’s my shelter, guys. I had just lost my ability to stay dry.”

  “You know we would never leave you out to get wet, baby.” Vernon chuckled.

  “You were a little upset yourself.”

  “Hell, yeah! You weren’t supposed to be working that night. We thought you were in that mess when we first drove up. You scared the crap out of us.”

  “I was really lucky to have been called in. I like to think that I would have been up fixing something in the kitchen when it happened, but knowing me and how much I like storms, I probably would have either been sound asleep in the bed or staring out the stupid window when the tree came through.”

  “I don’t want to even think about it anymore.” Vernon blatantly wrapped his arm around her bare shoulders and hugged her.

  CJ wasn’t going to be left out. He plastered himself to her chest and slowly lowered his mouth to hers, giving her plenty of time to withdraw if she wanted to.

  Please don’t let her want to.

  When his lips softly touched hers, he didn’t press or push. He just left them there and waited for what she would do. He felt Vernon press a little closer to her on the opposite side. What would she do?

  “CJ?”

  Her lips feathered over his soft as silk when she spoke.

  “Yeah?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “We’re just exploring, Jill.”

  “Exploring what?”

  “Us—the three of us.”

  She slowly drew back from their kiss, her eyes searching his as she did.

  “What about the three of us? We’re friends, right?”

  “We’re the best of friends, Jill. Nothing changes.”

  “Sex changes everything, CJ. Vernon. You know that.” She turned to include the other man in on the conversation that had started out so intimately.

  “It doesn’t have to, baby. We’re not looking for fun and games, Jill. We want it all.”

  CJ could see she was pulling away. “We want forever with you, Jill. We love you. We’ve loved you for years. Don’t say no without at least giving it a try.”

  “You act as if I’d be trying on a shoe or something. It’s not that easy, CJ. If we go any further, it will screw up everything we’ve been together for the last fifteen years. I don’t want to lose you guys. You’re my best friends.”

  “You won’t lose us, baby. We’re not going anywhere.”

  “It won’t be the same, though.”

  “How do you know if you won’t even try? I love you, Jill. I want to spend my life with you, and Vernon feels the same way. We know we can make you happy. Just gi
ve a relationship a try.”

  * * * *

  She slowly pulled away from them and stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. Suddenly the cold wasn’t just skin-deep but bone-deep. This was it. They were forcing her to choose. She hadn’t wanted it to ever come to this.

  “I can’t do it. I can’t jump into bed with you as if it didn’t mean anything.”

  “We know that, Jill. Neither can we. You mean everything to us. Let us show you. We don’t have to have sex to show you how much you mean to us. Sex isn’t everything there is to it, Jill.” CJ sounded as if he were begging. Maybe he was.

  “I need to think about this. You’re asking me to take a chance on something that may not work out. Hell, something I don’t really believe can work out.”

  “Don’t overthink it, baby. You’ve known this was coming for a long time. You can’t deny it.”

  Vernon didn’t say anything. He just stood back and waited for her to decide what she was going to do. It was almost as if he expected her to trash their dreams from the beginning. Was she that easily read? Of course she was. They had grown up with her. They would know all her secrets.

  A flashback to her toy drawer had her face heating up again. She ducked and turned toward the stairs.

  “I’m going upstairs for a while. I’d go for a drive, but I’ve had too much to drink.”

  Vernon finally spoke up. “Baby, we’re not going anywhere. We both want you.”

  “What happens down the line when one of you finds someone else? How am I supposed to deal with losing one or both of you?”

  “Is there any guarantee with a traditional relationship, Jill? Why does this one have to be all that different? We love you—both of us love you. That’s not going to change.”

  Chapter Four

  She swallowed around the massive knot in her throat. She didn’t turn back around to face them. She just nodded and headed toward the stairs. Once she was inside the bedroom, she let the first tear fall. God, she wanted them so much. She had been fighting the attraction for a long time but hadn’t let herself think of them together. She’d only fantasized about them separately. Somehow thinking about them together made it too real.