Necessary Lies (Men of Phantom, #1)

by Jacki Renée

  “Mommy, are you feeling better?” Kourtney meets me at the bottom of the stairs. She wraps her arms around me.

  “Yes, sweetie.” I beckon for Emma to give me a hug too.

  “Will you watch a movie with us?” Emma looks up at me.

  “You two pick out the movie and I’ll see if Marie has popcorn.”

  They run to the family room and I continue down the hallway to the kitchen.

  The breath catches in my throat. This is my dream kitchen. Every modern appliance I could ever want is in here. Thanks to my foster father, I love to cook. Even the view of the snow- covered yard is as I described it.

  “Marie, do you have popcorn?”

  “We have microwave popcorn. Is that okay?”

  “That’s fine.”

  “It’s in the pantry. I’ll pop a couple of bags for you.”

  I sit at the table while Marie goes to the walk-in pantry. I love this kitchen. He couldn’t have done a better job.

  “We found a movie, Mom,” Kourtney says, running into the kitchen with Emma right behind her.

  “Tomorrow is my birthday party. Will you and Kourty be here?” Emma asks.

  “Of course we will,” I assure her. “I’ll even help out if you want.”

  “Yes.” Her excitement is contagious and I wrap my arms around her.

  Marie pauses mid-step, and a warm smile spreads over her face.

  “Want to join us for movie night?” I ask, as she fills a bowl with popcorn and puts another bag in the microwave.

  The irritation she showed upstairs is now gone. “I’d love to.”

  Emma tells me about the plans for her party while we wait for the last bag to finish popping.

  Armed with juice boxes and a big bowl of popcorn, the four of us settle down on the sofa in the family room.

  The room is cozy. It’s decorated in soft tones with bold accents. A massive fireplace adds warmth to the room. A big picture window faces the pond. I would say the family room is the focal point of the house because it looks to be the most used room. But there are no framed family photos in here.

  The movie the girls picked is one that I’ve watched a thousand times with Kourtney. We sing along with the characters and act out our favorite parts. Before the end credits roll, the girls fall asleep.

  Marie helps me get them to bed.

  I run a hot bubble bath in the big tub and slip in. Leaning back. Closing my eyes.

  ***

  “Dani?”

  My eyes flutter open. I stare at the forehead of the man I was dreaming about.

  “Are you okay?” he asks. He’s squatting next to the tub.

  “Yes.” I smile, then look down. The bubbles have dissolved and Bryan is staring at my naked body submerged under cold water. “What time is it?”

  “A little after one,” he says, licking his lips.

  I’m instantly aroused.

  Cupping my cheek in his hand, he leans in to kiss me. Without hesitation, my mouth opens for him. Our tongues brush.

  “Daddy?” Emma’s sleepy voice calls from the bedroom.

  He exhales. He kisses my bruised shoulder before leaving.

  The bedroom is vacant when I come out of the bathroom. I climb under the covers and turn off the lamp on my side.

  James’s frowning face haunts my dreams.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The next morning, I wake up alone in bed, but I hear Bryan’s voice. I crawl to the edge and watch him pace back and forth on the deck with his cell phone to his ear. Shoulders squared, one hand fisted. Bryan is upset about something.

  The bedroom door swings open without warning.

  Rotten fish and dirty gym socks assault my nose. I’m taken back to the walkway of my old apartment in Arizona. Leering eyes watching me from an open door. Filthy, stained wife-beater barely covering a sweaty protruding abdomen. Dirty cutoff jeans unzipped and unbuttoned.

  “Hey, Bry.” The owner of that deep, Italian-accented voice strides into the room.

  My defense mechanism kicks in.

  He stops in his tracks when he sees me perched on the edge of the bed. “Sorry. I forgot Bryan had company. How do you feel?”

  I squint. “How do I look?”

  He cases the bump on my forehead and the bruise on my cheek. A teasing smile creeps across his lips. “Like shit.”

  “Jokes from a little mitch?”

  “Mitch? My name’s Vin.”

  “Male-bitch.” Adrenaline spreads through my body, overshadowing the soreness in my shoulder. I jump off the bed, prepared to strike.

  Bryan steps in the middle of the warpath. I didn’t hear him come in. The need to protect myself tunneled my vision.

  I’m scooped up by Bryan, carried back to the bed, and dropped on my butt. He’s in alpha mode.

  I stand, in defiance.

  Bryan blocks my path and glances over his shoulder. “Back off,” he commands.

  Vin takes two steps back.

  I storm toward the bathroom.

  “What the hell happened?” Bryan asks.

  “I don’t know...” The rest of Vin’s sentence gets drowned out by the door slamming and the click of the lock.

  Stomping to the shower room, I leave a trail of pajamas. I blindly select options on the control panel and manage to shove my hair in the shower cap before hot water pours on me like a heavy rainfall from tiny clouds.

  I reach for the body wash on the pedestal, pop the top open, and squeeze it until liquid soap oozes in my hand. Right away, the stench that provoked self-preservation is chased away by a more pleasant masculine scent.

  Bryan’s scent.

  Adrenaline ceases to feed my anger. A sensual hunger flows through my veins.

  Using my thumb, I snap the rounded cap into place, tracing the circumference. The bottle drops from my hands. Essence of sandalwood, Tonka bean, and vanilla wrap around my body like a lover.

  Bryan’s tender fingers emerge from the mist to slide down my neck. Cup my breasts. Seduce my nipples into hard, brown, sensitive buds.

  His imagined fingers flow over the smooth surface of my stomach, spreading the seduction to the triangle of my thighs. One finger brushes that little sensitive nerve. Circling it. Enticing it. My clitoris pulsates with excitement.

  Two mystical fingers reach the opening I’ve allowed only one man to enter. They slip inside. A slideshow plays through my mind as sexual suspense builds in my body.

  In. Out. Fingers slide.

  Circle. Circle. A finger traces.

  My head falls back. Steamy water drops rain thousands of tiny kisses upon my face and neck.

  Close to release, my knees quake. I fall into the hardness of his body. The frosted glass protests as we bump it. I moan, loudly.

  Right there. Oh yes, just a little more...

  “Dammit! Dani, answer me!”

  Pound!

  Pound!

  Pound!

  Bryan’s voice chases away the fantasy fingers, breaking up the pleasure cloud. Why is he pounding on the door?

  “Dani, are you okay? Unlock this fucking door before I fucking kick it in!”

  I rinse off and step out of the shower room, wrapping a warm towel around my body.

  Thump!

  Thump!

  The wood creaks in protest.

  I whip off the shower cap and cautiously tiptoe across the tiled floor. I reach the door just as another pound! thump! Hits the door again. Creak! The wood protests louder.

  The bathroom door swings open the second I disengage the lock. It ricochets off the wall but is forced to stay open by Bryan’s hand. He rushes in with Vin following close behind.

  I step back.

  Concern and fear battle for dominance on his face. “Are you okay?” Bryan grabs me, preventing my retreat.

  I wince. He’s squeezing my bruised shoulder.

  “Yes.” I squirm to loosen his rough hold.

  “Did you fall? I heard a bump on the glass and you cried out. Are you hurt?” His eyes roa
m over me.

  I can’t tell him I was masturbating while thinking of him.

  “I bumped my shoulder on the shower wall. The shoulder you’re squeezing.”

  “Why did you lock the door?”

  “I apologize for worrying you. If you two will excuse me...” I’m dripping wet with a towel wrapped around me and two men assessing my alleged injury. Could this be any more embarrassing?

  Bryan gestures with his head. Vin leaves, closing the door behind him.

  “I want you to step out too.” My focus stays on a small white button on his shirt.

  “You don’t get your preferences when I have to damn near break down the door to get to you.”

  “Again. I apologize for worrying you, Bryan.”

  His fingertips gently lift my chin. Most of the tension is gone from his face. “I thought something happened to you and I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”

  Sincerity shines in his eyes. My soul is warmed by his actions.

  “I really need to get dressed. Marie’s waiting for me to help her in the kitchen.”

  Bryan steps back until he’s leaning against the counter with his arms folded across his chest, feet crossed at the ankle.

  He can’t be serious. But the set of his shoulders. His body language. The look in his eyes. He’s keeping an eye on me.

  They say the truth is better than a lie. Let’s hope they’re right.

  Eyes closed, I take a deep breath and whisper the embarrassing truth as I exhale. “I was thinking about you and pleasuring myself the moan you heard was from me about to... I bumped into the glass now please leave.” Out of breath, my confession is fast. I hope he understood because I refuse to say it again.

  There’s a moment of charged silence. I stand in the middle of the bathroom with my eyes shut, waiting for the sound of the door closing behind him. Instead, I’m gripped at the waist and pulled forward. I crash into his body.

  Bryan’s lips find that spot behind my ear.

  My hold on the towel loosens. It drops to my feet as I wrap my arms around his neck.

  His hands slide down my wet back to cup my butt, then lift me off my feet. My legs wrap around his waist. The wickedness of his tongue does things to my neck that makes my sex jealous. I’m floating.

  The cool marble countertop welcomes the heated skin of my backside. Eyes open, I watch Bryan lower to his knees. From underneath those eyelashes, he questions me with his eyes, silently waiting for consent to proceed.

  My legs drape over his shoulders.

  Knees relax. My thighs part.

  He leans in. His tongue slides along my sex.

  One. Slow. Long. Lick.

  Hypnotized by the sight, I clear my mind and just go with it.

  He licks me again. The tip of his tongue swipes the hood of my clitoris.

  My stomach jumps.

  “You taste like sunshine,” he murmurs.

  Bryan takes another slow, long, lick. And I shake. My fingers tangle in his hair, to speed along the pace. His tongue circles my clitoris again while a finger slips inside. My walls grip it. My hips rock, welcoming the feel.

  “Did you come?”

  “Nooo,” I sing.

  Mr. Tall-And-Sexy smiles, pulling me closer to the edge. “Do you want to come?” He slides a second finger inside while his tongue flicks my clitoris.

  “Yes!” I jump.

  “May I make you come?” he asks.

  Bryan’s lips wrap around my nerve, tickling it with his tongue. My inner thighs tremble.

  “Yes,” I hiss. My body prepares for that moment when all else ceases to exist.

  He pulls back, just enough where he’s no longer pleasuring me, but close enough so I know the pleasure is near. “I need you to promise me something or else I can’t make you come.”

  I part my thighs wider, a blatant invitation. The fervent need for sexual release is intense and I’ve lost all inhibitions.

  He flashes that sensual smile. A small wave of anticipation adds to the building pressure of the big one.

  “Promise you’ll stop fighting my friend.” That smile coupled with that vocal inflection causes a tremor from the imminent orgasm to roll through my sex.

  Releasing his hair, my fingers drift to my palpitating bud.

  Smack!

  Bryan swats my hand away. “As much as I’d love to watch you play with yourself, I’m not letting you come until you promise to not fight Vin anymore.”

  I’m even more aroused.

  “Please make me come.”

  Bryan gives my clitoris a butterfly kiss.

  I shudder.

  “Say the words.”

  “Please... please, Bryan.” Is that me whining? “Bryan, I can’t... I need to...” I’ve lost the ability to complete a sentence.

  “Tell me, Dani.” His lips brush my sensitive nerve. “Say the words.”

  “I won’t fight your friend anymore. Please!” My fingers grip the edge of the counter.

  He seduces my passage with his fingers. His tongue dances over my clitoris. The pressure is liberated and I climax for several wonderful heartbeats. Bryan keeps me safely on the countertop.

  The orgasmic aftershocks are just as pleasurable. I grab his hair, pulling him up. I have to kiss him. His lips meet mine. I need to kiss him. The taste on his tongue is naughty.

  He breaks away and stands. A confident smile on his face. Bryan licks his fingers as he backs away. He picks up the towel off the floor and tosses it to me before walking to the door.

  Mr. Tall-And-Sexy-Alpha-Male gives me a warning glance, points to the lock, then leaves me alone in the bathroom.

  I’ve got to get a handle on this thing with Vin. But I have to admit, the consequences chased away the aches of five years of celibacy.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Children and adults crowd the downstairs for Emma’s birthday party. I help Marie keep food and juice boxes on the tables set up in the sitting room and help the face painter draw characters on children’s faces in the family room. I use a stencil. I’m not an artist.

  Circulating between the two rooms, I talk to parents and do my best to ignore the Three Horny Toads lusting after the man who pleasures me. I’m still on a sexual high. There’s an extra bounce in my step.

  “Don’t overdo it,” Bryan warns.

  “I love doing this for Emma,” I say, shifting a tray of juice boxes to avoid a collision with a boy not watching where he’s going.

  “Come—with me.” Bryan’s suggestive tone triggers a quiver that makes me squeeze my thighs together underneath this ankle-length skirt. “I want to introduce you to another friend.” He takes the tray from my hands, setting it on the table.

  We walk over to the three well-dressed men standing off to the side in the family room.

  “Danielle Edwards, this is Anthony Paul.” He gestures to the man with a big, flirtatious smile on his face. “You’ve already met Ignacio Acosta and Vincenzio Ricci.”

  “Danielle.” Anthony takes my hand.

  “Hello.” I shake his hand and let go. He doesn’t. I tug against his hold. “How long have you guys known each other?”

  “Second semester freshmen year at CU,” Anthony croons.

  “Let me see if I can guess your college personalities.” I look them over. “Ignacio, you were the innocent-faced ringleader.” I yank my hand free. “Anthony, you were the sweet-talking peacemaker.” I take a slight step closer to Bryan. “Mr. Hawk, you were the handsome-faced hustler.” I place my hand on his muscled arm encased in a fitted lightweight sweater. He changed for the party. “Vin, you were the mitch who started crap, but couldn’t back it up without your friends.”

  “Ouch,” Anthony laughs.

  Ignacio claps his hands.

  Vin stands up straight. “You can’t kick my ass.”

  I know how to end his little macho attitude. I raise my right pinkie-finger waving it at Vin. “You’re boring me.”

  Vin puffs out his chest. If it were possible, steam would
be shooting out his ears.

  Anthony steps closer to me. “Damn girl, you’ve got a pair on you. I don’t know too many women who dare challenge Vin.”

  “Mom.” Kourtney pats my arm. “Dylan Hill pulled my hair and messed it up.” She holds her hair bow in one hand and points.

  “Let’s go upstairs and fix it.” I lead her out of the family room. “I owe you a trip to the teddy bear store.”

  “You told me I couldn’t hit him again.”

  “No, sweetie. You have perfect timing.”

  She gives me a strange look as we walk upstairs.

  I grab the brush from the bathroom, and when I come back, she’s sitting on the bed with Mr. Cuddles in her arms. Tears trail down her cheeks. I sit next to her.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  “I’m tired of Dylan being mean to me.”

  “How’s he being mean?”

  “He pulls my hair. And sticks his tongue out. And one time he pushed me.”

  “Did you do anything to him?”

  “Not since that time I punched him in the stomach for hurting Emmy.”

  “Have you told Ms. Williamson?”

  “Yes, but she said that’s how second grade boys show they like girls.”

  “May I come in?” Bryan knocks and pokes his head around the open door. He comes in. “Kourt, don’t cry. Do you want me to fix your hair?”

  “No, thank you,” she sniffs.

  “I may not be as good as your mom and Marie, but I know how to comb hair.” He takes the hairbrush from my hand, holding the end with the bristles, and runs the handle over her hair.

  Kourtney doesn’t laugh.

  Bryan sections off her hair, twisting it into a ponytail. The tip of his tongue pokes out the corner of his mouth. He takes the hair tie, wrapping it around the end of the messy ponytail. Taking the hair bow from her, he fastens it to the top of her head.

  “There,” he says.

  I play along. “Not bad, Hawk.”

  “I still won’t go back.”

  “That boy won’t bother you anymore.” Bryan sits on the bed drying her tears with his thumbs.

  “How do you know?” she asks.

  “I told him he’d have to deal with me.”

  “You did?” Her eyes fill with hope.

  He nods. “I had a talk with his dad too.”