by Marla Monroe
“If you’ve never read her books, Lana, you’ve got to get one.” Caitlyn grinned. “Do you read erotica?”
“Um, I read romance novels, but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like what ya’ll are talking about.”
“Do you have a Kindle?” Beth asked.
She nodded her head, glad that she’d gotten one for herself before her mom died. She’d used it to read to her mom when she wasn’t able to rest.
“I’ll lend you one from my Kindle. Then if you like it, you can get more. There are a lot of good erotic romance authors out there. Tymber Dalton, Reece Butler, Melody Snow Monroe…”
Caitlyn took up the list. “Jan Bowles, Allyson Young…”
“Whoa, I’ll need to make a list.” She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Honey, once you’ve started reading them you won’t be able to put them down.” Lexie giggled.
They continued talking until the men called out that the burgers were ready. Then everyone started fixing their plates. Lana didn’t have to look around for Justin or Paul, they came and got her. She hadn’t expected that. She thought they would leave her on her own with the other women, but she found that all of the men sought out their wives. They were all very attentive and made sure the women had everything they needed.
Justin and Paul treated her the same way, getting her a Diet Coke and helping her make her hamburger like she wanted it. They even added potato salad and baked beans to her plate for her. All of the attention she received from them had her a little self-conscious. She wasn’t used to it.
While she and the other women had been talking earlier, several others had arrived. Justin filled her in, pointing out Silas Atkins and Jace Vincent, Mac’s deputies, as well as several others.
“You should recognize them in case you ever need help and we’re not around,” Paul said.
She didn’t say anything, just nodded and continued to eat. She hoped she wouldn’t need anyone in law enforcement for any reason. She was surprised that nothing had been said about the recent murder. It was all the talk at school and The Burger Hop that week. Maybe these ladies didn’t gossip like some of the other women did.
“Have you found anyone to help you with your office yet, Paul?” Caitlyn asked.
“Not yet. We need someone good with organization and maybe even some marketing skills to help us promote the business.”
“What about you, Lana? You said you had degrees in business and marketing. Wouldn’t that be better than working at The Burger Hop?” Lexie asked.
“Oh, well, I’m sure they’re looking for someone full time, and I have my job at the school.” She was appalled, worried that the guys would think they had to consider her since she was with them.
“We thought about it, but weren’t sure we could convince her to leave her job to work for us. It would be perfect for us,” Justin said.
“What do you think, Lana? Are you interested?” Paul’s deep voice startled her.
“Well, I–I don’t know.”
“We’ll talk more about it later.” Justin seemed to understand that she felt trapped.
She was certain that they wouldn’t be able to afford to pay her enough to leave her job with the school. Besides, working for them when she was sort of seeing them wasn’t a good idea. What happened when they got tired of her? She’d lose her job, she was sure.
Once everyone was finished eating, the women all worked to straighten up and put away the leftover food while the men cleaned up the patio and grill. Then they all began taking off their clothes right out on the patio. Lana’s mouth fell open, but she quickly closed it. They were all wearing swimming trunks underneath. She slipped off her shoes and sat on the side of the pool, dipping her feet in the cool water.
“Hey, didn’t you wear your suit under your clothes?” Paul asked as he folded his jeans and sat them next to his boots.
She couldn’t take her eyes off of his sculpted body. Justin stepped into view, and she had to draw in a deep breath to keep from hyperventilating at the picture they made. Muscular arms and well-defined pectorals gave way to washboard abs and thick thighs. She slowly lifted her eyes back up to rest on Justin’s.
“Um, I didn’t have one and didn’t get time to go shopping.”
“Hey, I’ve got one you can borrow.” Beth grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “Come on.”
Lana found herself following behind the other woman as she walked inside the beautiful house. The kitchen was ultramodern, and she caught a glimpse of a formal dining room to the right as she walked into the den.
“I’ve got several, so you should be able to find one that will fit well enough. You’re about my size.”
“I appreciate it, Beth. I don’t mean to be a bother.”
“Nonsense. It’s no bother. You won’t have any fun if you’re sitting on the sidelines while the rest of us are in the pool.”
Beth laid out several suits in various styles and colors. She quickly chose the only one-piece and slipped it on in the bathroom. It fit her well enough that she didn’t think she would be too embarrassed by the way she looked in it. When she walked out of the bathroom, Beth smiled and nodded.
“That’s perfect. Come on and let’s have some fun.”
She grabbed her clothes and hurried behind Beth back outside. Everyone was already in the pool when they made it out. Justin immediately held out his hands for her to jump in. Appalled at the idea of him trying to catch her, she shook her head.
“I’ll get in at the ladder.”
When she backed down the ladder, it was to find Paul waiting on her. He pulled her back into his arms and walked toward the middle of the pool. At least in the water she wasn’t as heavy. Justin joined them and gave her a quick kiss before she knew what he was doing.
“You look delicious in that bathing suit.” His gaze grew heated.
Mac and Mason stretched a net across the width of the pool and the women all got on one side with the men on the other. They played pool volleyball for nearly an hour before everyone began to stretch out and lounge around in the late afternoon sun.
Lana found herself on a lounge chair with Paul on one side of her and Justin on the other. They seemed to take great pleasure in applying sunscreen that they had brought with them. She’d put some on before they picked her up, but she was sure it was long gone by now. It gave her a funny feeling that they had thought about her and brought it. Men didn’t normally think about things like that.
The touch of their hands on her bare skin felt wonderful at first then it became arousing as they skimmed her breasts and the tops of her thighs near her mound. She was sure the bathing suit was wet from her pussy juices by now. She was glad when they had her turn over so they could do her back. It hid her protruding nipples.
Once they had finished, she remained on her stomach to give her body time to cool off. Who knew she could become so aroused from just their touch? She had about convinced herself that the last Sunday had been a fluke, but now she knew better. They did this to her.
“Lana?” Justin’s sexy voice roused her from the comfortable lethargy she’d drifted into.
“Yeah?” She opened her eyes to find him leaning over her so close that she could feel his breath against her face.
“Ready to call it a day?”
She smiled and started to sit up. He stood up and helped her to her feet.
“Let me change clothes.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. You can wear it home, and I’ll get it another time. It’s not like I don’t have several to choose from.” Beth waved at her.
“Thanks, I’ll wash it so it will be clean.” Lana quickly pulled on her blouse but didn’t bother with the pants. She had her underwear folded up inside them.
“I had a great time, Beth. Thanks for having me and for the use of your bathing suit.”
“It was our pleasure. We enjoyed meeting you.” Beth, Mac, and Mason saw them out to the truck.
Justin helped her up then slid in next to her.
Once Paul had settled in on the driver’s side, they all waved and he backed out of the drive and turned them around. Lana couldn’t remember another day where she’d enjoyed herself so much. She hated for it to end.
The idea that she might not see them again after this weighed heavily on her heart. She knew she didn’t need to get involved with them, but there was something about them that caused her heart to flutter. There were feelings that she hadn’t thought she was capable of when they were near.
She closed her eyes, wishing that things were different. She wished that for once she could just enjoy herself without worrying about what would happen next. Unfortunately she was a creature of habit, and it was her habit to worry about consequences and there would be those if she spent any amount of time with the two men. Lana didn’t think she was strong enough to survive the aftermath.
Chapter Six
By the time they arrived back at her apartment, Lana was fighting sleep. The lazy afternoon in the sun had zapped all of her strength. Paul put the truck in park and turned off the ignition. Justin chuckled next to her and she wondered what was so funny.
“I think she’s asleep.”
“Naw, she’s awake, but she’s fighting it.”
“Not asleep.” It took all her strength to push the words out of her mouth.
“See.” Paul opened his door first.
Justin reached over her and unfastened her seat belt before pulling her toward him. When he lifted her onto his lap, she gasped and jerked awake.
“Hey! I’m awake.”
“Sure you are, sweetheart. Let us get you inside.” Justin chuckled once again.
He leaned out of the truck and passed her over to Paul. He held her tightly against his chest as Justin got out and led the way to her door.
“Where’s your keys, babe?” Paul asked.
“In the pocket of my pants.”
“I’ve got them.” Justin was sticking the key into the lock.
Once he had the door unlocked, both men walked into her tiny apartment and Justin closed the door.
“I know you’re sleepy, Lana, but you’re going to have to lock up after us, so wake up.” Paul slowly lowered her feet to the floor and let her slide down his body until she was standing up.
She hadn’t been able to ignore the large bulge of his cock as she slipped past it. It felt huge. That alone served to wake her up.
“Um, would you like some coffee before you go home?”
“Sure. Let me help you.” Justin followed her into the tiny kitchen.
“That’s okay. There’s not a lot of room in here. I can manage to make the coffee without help.”
Justin seemed to ignore her, because he situated himself inside the little alcove while she set up the pot. She was hyperaware of the two men in her apartment just as she had been all day long. Every touch of their skin against hers set off fireworks inside of her. It was no wonder she was shaking as she tried to pour the water into the coffee maker.
“There, shouldn’t be long.” She turned from the counter and ran headlong into Justin.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. “You smell like soft summer rain.”
“It’s probably the chlorine from the pool.”
She heard Paul chuckle in the other room. Justin stared deep into her eyes for a few seconds before he let her go and pulled her back into her tiny living area.
“Would you be interested in working for us, Lana?” Paul’s question came out of nowhere.
“We could really use your help, Lana. Neither one of us is very good at handling the business end of things.” Justin continued the offer. “Caitlyn is going to do our taxes and will set up our books for us, but we don’t have anyone to take care of it on a day-to-day basis. We don’t have time.”
“It sounds like you need someone full time, and I already have a full-time job.”
“That doesn’t pay you enough so you don’t have to work two jobs.” Paul’s voice was harsh.
“It’s not bad, but I have my school loans, and I’m still paying some on Mom’s hospital bills.”
“We can afford to pay what you’re worth, sweetheart. “ He named a salary that had her blinking.
It was much more than she was making at the school along with her part-time work at The Burger Hop. Surely they were kidding.
“Believe me. You’ll work for your salary, Lana. There’s a lot to running a business. You’d be responsible for scheduling jobs and the materials for that job as well as handling the marketing for the business.”
“I–I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes.” Justin took her hands in his and squeezed them lightly.
She fought to think beyond the emotions swirling inside of her. Being near them every day would be hell to deal with. She was much too aware of them and attracted to them to be able to mask her feelings for long. They would eventually tire of her unless she could manage to keep everything on a business level.
“I need to think about it. It’s a big step for me to change jobs like this.”
“Just think about only having one job to deal with every day.” Paul reminded her of one of the pluses of taking their offer.
“Um, I think the coffee is ready. Let me get it.”
“I’ve got it.” Justin slipped past her into the kitchen. “How do you like your coffee, sweetheart?”
“Black.” She couldn’t take her eyes from Paul’s. They were mesmerizing in their intensity.
Justin returned with three cups of coffee in his big hands. He passed one to her and handed another to Paul. She took a quick sip and nearly scalded her mouth. Paul took a seat on the loveseat, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Justin sat next to him. It left the rocking chair for her. She carefully sat down, wondering how she was going to get through the next few minutes.
“When do you work next week?” Paul set the cup on his knee.
“I work Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.”
Paul grunted then frowned. He obviously didn’t like her schedule. There was nothing she could do about it. They didn’t have to see her home at night. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. The memory of the night her car had not started slammed back into her. Well, as long as her car worked she could take care of herself.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” Justin suddenly asked.
“Um, just some housework.” She couldn’t think fast enough to come up with anything else to make it sound like she was busy.
“Why not come over to our place and we’ll show you the office and what has to be done. That will help you see more of what you’ll be doing if you come to work for us.”
Lana quickly glanced over at Paul. It didn’t look as if he cared one way or the other. She would like to know more about the job. Was she really thinking about taking it?
Lana, you’ll end up heartbroken without a job if you do.
“I suppose that would be a good idea.”
“Good. We’ll pick you up around ten in the morning. We’ll make a day of it and show you around our place.”
She nodded as they both stood up. Justin took Paul’s empty cup and walked over to the kitchen sink. He rinsed the cups and left them in the sink.
“We’d better go and let you get some sleep if we’re going to be picking you up in the morning.” Paul walked toward the door.
Lana set her cup on the little table by the rocking chair and followed him and Justin to the door. Paul turned at the door and pulled her to him. He bent over her and took her mouth in a kiss so soft and tender she ached from wanting more. It was so unlike the intense man she was used to. When Justin moved in behind her and began nibbling along her shoulder, she moaned into Paul’s mouth. The sound seemed to ignite him. He deepened the kiss until she was clinging to him.
His tongue swept into her mouth through her parted lips and plundered her, twisting and turning with hers. He sucked her lower lip in and nipped it before soothing it with a soft lick. Her han
ds fisted in his shirt as the kiss made her burn for more. Then Justin was turning her toward him and it was Paul’s hard body at her back as he ran his hands up and down her arms, whispering naughty suggestions in her ear.
When Justin finished kissing her, she didn’t think she could stand up without help. There was no disguising the huge bulges in either man’s jeans. When she pulled her eyes away from the tempting treats, Paul’s knowing look almost did her in.
“Lock up behind us. We’ll pick you up at ten in the morning.” He stared down into her eyes one more time before pulling the door open and walking through it.
Justin winked at her and followed behind his brother. Lana had to make herself move to close the door behind them. She slipped the locks into place and walked over to where she’d set her cup and picked it up.
By the time she’d washed up the coffeepot and the cups, she was in a little better control of herself. What had gotten into her? She’d acted like a lovesick teenager. There was no way she could work for them if they had that kind of power over her. They would have her in their bed in no time and then what would happen? No, she couldn’t work for them.
As she pulled off her T-shirt and then the borrowed swimming suit, Lana began to relax. Having made the decision not to take their offer, she wondered if she should call them and decline to visit them the next day. She checked the time and noticed that it was pushing midnight. No, she wouldn’t do that. She needed to tell them in person that she couldn’t take their offer.
It occurred to her once she’d finished her shower that she would be alone with them on their territory tomorrow, and just because she wasn’t going to work for them didn’t mean she wasn’t going to sleep with them. Somehow that didn’t worry her nearly as much as it should have.
* * * *
Paul and Justin picked Lana up right on time and drove her out to their home on the opposite side of town from where the Tidwells lived. When they pulled up into their drive, Lana nearly gasped out loud at the lovely two-story home with the wraparound porch. It was much nicer than she had expected and could have popped out of one of her daydreams of what her perfect house would look like.