by Brynn Paulin
What would Leo and Nic think of her scars?
Good lord! Why would she even think that?
With a disgusted sigh, she reached for her cane and stood. An affair with them would be more dangerous and ill-fated than her calamitous trip down the ski slope almost twenty years ago.
She headed for the shower, determined to reclaim her thoughts and her serenity in her classroom. There was comfort in calculations. Some understood that, some did not, but to her, the numbers were friends waiting to show her a puzzle. If only they could help her through the puzzle claiming her attention now. No matter how she turned the figures in her head, the inch separating her mouth from Nic’s returned to her. An inch divided by half, then half, then half then—soon there’d be nothing left to separate their lips.
Growling with frustration, she hurried through her morning routine. By the time she arrived at the college and strolled into her classroom seconds before the start of the session, her resolve was in tatters. Maybe she shouldn’t have said no to Nic and Leo in the first place.
The thought of spending the night in their arms, coupled with her dreams the night before, immediately assailed her.
Not now! Good Lord, how could she teach if the fantasy of two super-hot hunks filled her every thought? She had it bad.
Frowning as she walked to the podium, she vowed to end her dry spell. She’d had offers—from men her age who weren’t students. There was no reason to go through this. What would Nic and Leo want with her anyway? Her stomach seemed to twist upon itself. If they were playing with her…
Please, please, please don’t let it be that. How humiliating. At least she hadn’t fallen for it.
“Good morning, everyone,” she said as she reached podium and dropped her satchel on the table beside it. She pulled out the textbook with the lessons they were reviewing for the upcoming exam. “We’ll resume where we left off on Wednesday. If you’d like to follow along with the examples, turn to page—”
She broke off as she looked up. Nic and Leo sat in the first row looking at her as if they could see through her clothes and liked what they saw.
Briony’s book dropped onto the podium with a thud and slid to the floor. Yeah, she was shocked to see them. The surprise attack had been a good choice.
Nic jumped to his feet and had the book before she could react. Looking up at her from his kneeling position, he held out the text. “Here you go, Professor Swift.”
Soon, very soon, he’d call her Briony again and that would be all he ever called her. Well, unless he called her luv. His words taunted her, promising illicit acts with just a few innocent syllables. If he leaned forward just a bit, he’d be inches from her body. He wanted to smell her arousal. To taste her. To feel her slick warmth surrounding him. He hoped she saw it all in his look. There was no disguising it.
A hank of her light brown bob swung forward, blocking his view of her delicate features. He had no doubt she still gazed at him with her whisky-brown eyes. He could lose himself in them—hell, he could drown in them.
She let out a shaky breath and took the book. Oh yeah. She’d read his intent.
He grinned then headed back to his seat.
“Smooth,” Leo muttered.
“I’m sorry,” she said to the class. “If you’ll turn to page one-twelve, you can follow along with the lesson.”
She glanced at Leo and him as if to ask, ‘what the hell are you doing here?’ Since they’d dropped her class, they shouldn’t be sitting in her classroom, listening to her teach. They hadn’t even bothered to bring their books.
They planned to break past her defenses, and textbooks wouldn’t be needed for that.
Studiously ignoring them, Briony reviewed the lessons she’d taught earlier in the semester. A slight southern drawl added a sweet lilt to her voice as she spoke. He could listen to her for hours. She talked and the blood rushed to his cock.
He wished he could peel away the cardigan she’d donned that morning. The thick fabric disguised her nipples and barely allowed the true curve of her breasts to be seen. It would be the first thing to go when he got his hands on her. His palms itched to smooth over her soft skin as he bathed her hidden peaks with his tongue.
She limped from the podium to the white board to demonstrate equations, and Nic’s fist closed on his desk. He glanced over at Leo. His hand was clenched tight as well. Her disability didn’t bother them as it might other people, but it pained them to see her suffer, and this morning, she leaned heavily on her cane, her limp more pronounced than normal.
He wanted to sweep her into his arms and carry her everywhere, to never let her endure discomfort again.
She glanced at her watch. “Okay, everyone, here we go. X times pi…”
Nic traced a line in the desk as she spoke and tuned in to the sound of her voice rather than the words themselves. He couldn’t care less how to figure out the diameter of a circle or whatever the hell the lesson revolved around today. He preferred Briony plus Leo plus Nic equals three. If three equals perfect, then Briony, Leo and Nic equal perfect. Perfect… Yeah.
He let his mind drift to what he wanted to do with her—something that had nothing to do with school and everything to do with the future. In his daydream, Briony lay on a huge four-poster bed. Leo was on one side of her while he was on the other. Their hands roamed over her while she moaned her pleasure. He kissed his way over her shoulder to her breast—
“Mr. Phelps, Mr. Potter,” she said, breaking into his fantasy. “I’d like to see you in my office after class. Everyone else, you’re free to go. Remember to study. The exam is Monday morning.”
He glanced at his watch in surprise. Had his thoughts drifted off that long? Was it already time for class to be over? No. She was releasing them twenty minutes early. Well, that never happened.
She’d moved back to the desk while he’d zoned out. Again ignoring him and Leo, she shoved her textbook into her satchel then headed for the door where she joined the throng of students already exiting the classroom. They parted like the Red Sea to let her through. In moments, she’d disappeared from sight.
“Are you going to sit there staring at her ass, or are you coming?” Leo asked, already standing.
Nic frowned at him, then shoved his notebook in the backpack at his feet. Leo was his best friend, but he was always so irritatingly down to earth and laid back. Nic felt as if his whole world teetered on a precipice.
“I’m comin’,” he muttered, rising. “What do you suppose she wants?” Probably not the same thing he wanted so badly he couldn’t sleep some nights.
“Judging from her look earlier? To kick our asses.”
“I bet she could beat the shit out of us if she wanted to. You saw her on the weight machines at the gym. I bet with her muscle and that cane she’s lethal.”
Leo laughed. “If she kills you, I vow to go on.”
Nic laughed as well. He didn’t mind sharing women with Leo, and Leo knew it. In fact, Nic realized that in any threesome relationship, Leo and their woman would sometimes be alone, as would he and that woman. It didn’t bother him. He’d like to watch Leo and Briony together. Damn. That would be hot…
Desperately, he hoped she planned more than a verbal dressing down in her office.
Though the hall was crowded, they easily spotted her as soon as they left the room. Anticipation raced through Nic. This was it. He knew this was the turning point—as long as they didn’t screw things up. He and Leo shouldered their way through the students around them, ignoring protests as they focused on Briony like heat-seeking missiles. They were on her heels as she entered her office.
Sensing them, she didn’t bother to shut the door. Instead, she continued to her desk and set down her satchel. Nic closed the door, trepidation filling him at the sight of her rigid back. Oh shit. This wasn’t good.
“Why were the two of you in class if you’ve dropped it? Are you playing with me?” she demanded.
“Playing?” Leo echoed beside him.
She turned then. The pain in her eyes nearly knocked Nic over.
“You’re not in my class any longer. I want you to stay out.”
“Briony,” he murmured. He couldn’t stop himself. One second, he was by the door. The next, his backpack had dropped to the floor and he’d crossed to her side.
Without waiting for permission, he swept her into his arms. Pleasure shot through him at the perfect way her petite body filled his arms and her soft breasts pressed against him. Her light floral scent swirled around him and his cock immediately reacted. As she looked up at him with her stunned whisky-colored eyes, he knew he’d never been as attracted to a woman.
Her cane clattered to the floor.
“Let go of me!” she demanded, shoving at his chest.
His arms tightened. He was probably screwing up everything, but he couldn’t force himself to let go—not until she understood. “We wouldn’t play with you. Not like you’re thinking,” he promised. “We want to be where you are. Since you kicked us out of your office last night, your class seemed the next best place to be even though we turned in our drop forms this morning.”
“Why me?” she asked.
“Do you believe in destiny? Soul mates?” Nic asked.
Briony raised an eyebrow at him, disbelief painted across her countenance. “Actually, I do. But surely you’re not suggesting that.” She paused and studied his face as he looked down at her with his most earnest expression. She had to see he was serious. Her eyes widened. “You are saying that. I’m a good six years older than you, for God’s sake.”
“Six years is nothing. Not when it comes to fate.” He was probably making a total ass out of himself by speaking his feelings, but like he’d told Leo the previous night, he said what he felt. Not that it was news to Leo. And hey, women loved that crap, right?
Briony punched his shoulder. “Let go of me, you lout! We barely know each other—you don’t know anything about me and I don’t know you other than what I see in class.”
“Then get to know us,” Leo urged. He stepped beside them and slid an arm around Briony, too. “Please. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” she snapped, but she stilled and went silent.
Nic held his breath as he watched her think. He could almost see her thoughts as she calculated the variables of the situation.
Her hand flattened on his chest, her fingers flexing slightly. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. “This is the most asinine thing I’ve ever considered.” She huffed. “When did you turn in your forms?”
“Eight a.m. on the dot,” he replied. Hope sprouted within him, and this time, when Briony pulled away, he let go. Her brow wrinkled as she contemplated them, but the fact that she wasn’t screaming for security encouraged him.
Reaching behind her, she grasped her desk for support. Slowly, she circled it. “Rhonda doesn’t let those things sit,” she said. “The requests will already be on the Dean Butler’s desk. He may have already signed them.”
“And…” Leo prompted.
“Then you’re no longer my students, I guess.”
Nic grinned. “That’s fantastic.”
She lifted her brow and tilted her head. “It’s more of a gray area actually.”
“Gray, how?” Leo asked.
“You were my students. You’ve just dropped. If anyone were to find out there was anything between us, there would be questions about when it started. If I pressured you.” She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. “If I’d met you in a non-academic setting, even if you were students at the college, there’d be less room for speculation.”
“Damn it!” Nic exclaimed and looked over at Leo.
“What?” Briony asked.
“The only reason we were in your class was to get closer to you. We didn’t need Algebra. We’re seniors. I tested out of college math and Leo finished his requirements during his freshman year.”
“Wait… To get closer to me?”
Leo picked up her cane and brought it around the desk. “Don’t hit me with this. I’ve seen you on the weight machines. I bet you could do some wicked damage. You see, we noticed you for the first time two years ago. You were leaving the gym. Little tendrils of your hair were sticking to your face—”
“He’s a photographer. He notices those things,” Nic interrupted. He elbowed Leo. “You sound like a stalker.”
“Me? You’re the one who went all dark and crass on her last night.”
Briony’s musical laugh stopped them. “You two…” She shook her head then tapped her fingernails on the desk as she visibly struggled with a decision. “Look. Nothing can happen here.”
Nic’s stomach sank to his balls, the acid eating away his lingering arousal. “Briony—”
“Come to my house. Around five. It’s the place with white siding where Marigold Street dead ends.”
Chapter Two
“This is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done,” Briony muttered to herself as she wandered through her kitchen for about the millionth time since she’d come home. Wine chilled in the refrigerator, a roast and vegetables cooked in the slow cooker, she’d gotten herself ready. She smoothed her hands over her jeans and blouse. They looked casual, but underneath she wore her sexiest red lace and silk panties and bra.
Everything was set for Nic and Leo’s arrival. Why couldn’t she calm down?
Because you’re about to have sex with two of your freaking-hot students.
“Ex-students,” she corrected herself aloud. And they weren’t just hot. Leo was quiet and almost brooding while Nic was outgoing and exuberant. They might look alike, but their personalities were polar opposites.
She liked that. Leo was an anchor while Nic was flight. A good combination. They evened each other out.
The doorbell rang and she nearly jumped out of her skin though she’d been expecting them since four.
Tell them you’ve changed your mind. Tell them to go home, her common sense urged as she hurried to the door. She swung it open and was struck by how breathtaking they were, dressed casually in jeans and sports shirts. For a moment, she wondered if they were insane to go without a jacket. It was March in Michigan. Winter had started to wane, but not enough to go without a coat. But they were her men, not her children. Warmth infused her at the thought. Her men. Soon. At least for tonight.
“Come in,” she said, stepping back and letting them inside. They stood uncomfortably in the entryway for a moment. Nic shoved out his hand, and she saw he held a book.
“This is for you,” he said.
“Thanks.” They’d gotten her a book? Okay. She scanned the cover. Four Years on the Road: The First Year. Interesting choice. Wait! The book was by Nicholas Potter and Leo Phelps. She looked up at them in surprise.
“After high school, we wanted to travel and see the States,” Leo explained. “So we did. I took pictures, and Nic wrote the text. Our publisher contracted all four books last year.” He shrugged. “Anyway, that’s why we didn’t start at Culver College until we were twenty-three.”
“They’ve already asked us to do more. When we graduate in May, we’ll be leaving to do a book on New England. You said you didn’t know us. This is part of who we are.”
She glanced down at the book again. Amazing. They were twenty-seven and already so accomplished. “This is incredible. I’m impressed,” she told them.
Nic took the book from her hand and set it on the table next to the door. “It’s not important. Just part of who we are. We want you to know that we support ourselves and don’t rely on loans or mom and dad. We’re grown-ups, Briony.”
Before she could respond that she knew that or they wouldn’t be at her house, his mouth was on hers. She sucked in a surprised breath that quickly turned to a moan as she leaned into him. He tasted of coffee and mint and…oh so good. A tingling started low in her belly, spreading until she couldn’t help but squirm against him. His rigid erection pressed to her abdomen. It heated her ev
en more to know he wanted her as much as he did.
Leo came up beside them, and Nic shifted her into his friend’s arms. As soon as Nic’s mouth lifted, Leo’s replaced it. The tingle spread up her body until her breasts felt too sensitive to touch, yet needed it so much. She pushed into Leo, loving the feel of his solid chest. While he kissed her, Nic came up behind her and pressed his lips to her neck. His hands settled on her hips, his body flushed to hers.
Held captive between the two of them, her senses exploded. The sharp pine-spice scent of them, the cinnamon taste of Leo, their heat, the rasp of their male skin to hers, the sound of their excited breathing, her heart pounding in her ears…
Distantly, she heard her cane crash to the floor as she reached for Leo. Her arms went around his neck and she lifted on the toes of her good leg to better reach his mouth. Nic continued to hold her, supporting her as one of his hands slowly inched over her side. His splayed fingers stopped just shy of her breast.
She moaned, wanting more as she met Leo’s tongue thrust for thrust. His hand spread on her lower back, pulling her tight to the ridge of his cock.
Oh God, oh God, oh God…
Two men. Two cocks. Two heated mouths. Illicit pleasure filled her, making her hotter with each move. The situation itself was erotic candy, but the feeling of them… It opened a door she’d never before dared to open. She never would have thought to.
Reaching back, she buried her fingers in Nic’s silky hair. His mouth continued its hot trail along her neck. He nudged aside the collar of her shirt to nip her shoulder, and she shivered in response.
Reaction vibrated through her, out of control like unchecked lava as it flowed to her pussy and dampened her panties. Her thighs, usually very firm despite her disability, seemed as wobbly as jelly. Neither man was letting her go. She didn’t fear falling. At least not physically.
As she pulled her mouth away from Leo’s to suck in a breath, she recalled the meal heating in the kitchen and the table set in the dining room. “I made dinner,” she said.