And One Makes Three (Carnal Coeds) (6 page)

“But all three of you are teaching assistants now, right? It’s not just you.”

“I know but…” She waved her hand in the air between them. “Whatever. We’ll work it out, I’m sure. Even if I have to take on an extra job, it will be worth it. The apartment is perfect.” She sipped her coffee. “We’re not here to talk about me, anyway.” She pushed her cup to the side. “So what’s going on?”

Becca toyed with the edge of her paper cup while she tried to think of the right words. “How have things been going with Declan and Quinn?” she finally asked.

“Great, why?”

“There hasn’t been any…jealousy?”

Hannah thought about it for a moment. “There’s some, mostly from me. That’s because Declan and Quinn have been together for a long time. Sometimes it feels as if they’re speaking in their own language.” She chuckled. “But that’s mostly my own insecurities. They both know what I’m like and go out of their way to make me feel, well…wanted. Why?”

Becca took a sip of her coffee and decided that honesty was probably best. “Gabe and I are having problems.”

“Oh no, honey,” Hannah reached across the table and grabbed Becca’s hand. “What happened?”

Becca told Hannah about Gabe’s strange behavior, starting with his odd questions about threesomes, to his jealousy over Lane and her flirting, to the awesome sex in the beach parking lot after Lane kissed her.

“I suspect Gabe thinks he’s losing me,” Becca concluded.

“Is he?”

“No, of course not.” Becca sighed. “Gabe is just what I need. We have so much in common, and he’s so thoughtful.”

“Handsome too,” Hannah added.

“Yeah.”

“Then what’s the hang-up?”

“I honestly don’t know. I can’t help but feel something is missing.”

Becca raised her brows. “In the bedroom?”

“Partly,” Becca admitted. “It’s not just me. Sometimes I feel Gabe expects more from me, like he’s disappointed somehow.”

“Maybe he’s interested in a threesome.”

Becca frowned. “I highly doubt that.”

“Why?” Hannah shrugged when Becca remained silent. “He’s brought up my relationship with Declan and Quinn. You mentioned that he behaved rather odd after seeing you with Lane. And he likes it kinky in the bedroom, we’ve discovered.”

“True,” Becca admitted.

“Well, then…” Hannah waggled her brows and picked up her coffee mug. “I think it’s obvious.”

“Really?”

“You’ll never know unless you ask.” Hannah took a sip from her cup. “That’s what Declan and Quinn did with me.”

“They just asked you?” Becca asked.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Color stained her cheeks. “They can be rather persuasive when they want to be.”

The conversation moved to less weighty subjects, such as professors, classes and projects, but all the while, Hannah’s words were never far from Becca’s mind.

Just ask them,
she had said. But how does one approach the subject without offending? And would she put her entire relationship at risk for something she wasn’t even sure she’d like?

Becca thought back to Lane’s and their almost-kiss the other day. The third person couldn’t be just some random person. It had to be someone special, someone they both approved of. Would Gabe consider Lane? The thought of those two men naked and surrounding her, caused her whole body to heat with desire.

Perhaps she should arrange for the three of them to meet again. Then she’d know for sure if her secret fantasy had any chance of becoming reality.

Gabe couldn’t believe his luck. When he told Becca that Lane agreed to help him teach her to paddleboard she jumped at the chance. Not quite what he was expecting from someone who had blown off opportunities to paddleboard in the past. Still, he wasn’t going to press his luck by questioning her motives.

Lane’s next day off was three days away. Three long days of waiting and wondering. They had been texting each other since the boardwalk incident, mostly about how to go about seducing Becca on the big day.

Gabe was thrilled to learn that Lane was not only gorgeous, but hilarious as well. He had a quick wit that made him laugh out loud and embarrass himself numerous times. Their texting had soon turned into sexting and part of Gabe felt a little guilty that Becca was missing out on the bonding experience.

I’m doing this for her,
he reminded himself. All of this was for her.

Or was it?

Gabe couldn’t deny his affection for Lane. He could still remember how unbelievable Lane’s cock felt against his tongue. Over the past few days the connection between them had become stronger. The fact that they were both planning Becca’s seduction made him feel closer to Becca, too.

It’s possible for two people to share just their physical bodies.
Gabe’s own words seemed so stupid and hollow. He hadn’t heeded his own advice. Somehow, Lane snuck past all of his defenses. With each passing day, Lane was becoming more important to Gabe.

Fuck, he hoped that a threesome was what Becca wanted. If not, then he’d be forced to give up Lane, and Gabe wasn’t sure if he could go through with it.

“You ready?” Gabe tried to hide his excitement as he put his arm around Becca. Becca and paddleboarding, two of his favorite things in the world in one afternoon. And if this whole thing with Lane worked out, his life would just get better and better.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Becca seemed more nervous than excited, which worried Gabe. Then again, she had no idea what he had planned.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be great. You forget—I do this for a living.”

She flashed him a wry look.

“Okay, so this isn’t my primary job.”

“It’s not even a full-time job.”

“Ah.” He waved his hand in front of them. “I might not have many people right now, but my website is hopping with potential clients, and I’m booked solid through July and most of August already.”

“Really?”

Gabe nodded. “Once the tourist season gets into full swing I’ll have more clients than I can handle.”

“I didn’t realize paddleboarding was so popular.”

“I think it’s because some celebrities out West have picked it up. It made the gossip magazines and now everyone wants to try it.” He grinned and tugged her in the direction of the beach. “Come on.”

As they moved toward the beach, Gabe’s thoughts turned toward his fledgling business.

He had always felt conflicted over his company. While he loved science, he also loved the sea. He had hoped to combine both of his loves to do marine research, but the schooling to become a scientist was long and grueling. To help fund his work, he had started teaching water sports on the side during the summers. He had no idea how much his side business would grow or how much time it would require. He knew that without help he’d soon have to sacrifice one of his dreams for the other. The thought made him ill. He’d just try to hold onto both as long as he was able.

“What's Lane doing?” Becca asked.

Gabe snapped out of his thoughts and looked over where Becca indicated. Lane wasn't waiting by the boards like Gabe had instructed, but heading toward the lake.

“I think he got tired of waiting for us.”

Gabe and Becca reached the paddleboards as Lane hit the water. It was incredible. Lane's long, lithe body had no problems getting up onto the board or paddling out into the open water. Gabe watched the muscles ripple in his friend's back as he remembered their encounter in the alley. Desire gripped him hard, causing his cock to swell. He glanced over at Becca to see if she noticed.

If she did, she didn't say anything. Her gaze was just as riveted on Lane as Gabe's. A gentle breeze rose up and blew her dark hair from her face. Her eyes had widened slightly and color stained her cheeks.

Perhaps convincing her of a threesome wouldn't be as difficult as he thought.

Lane spotted them and waved. Gabe waved back and squeezed Becca's waist. “Looks like fun, doesn't it?”

“Yeah.”

He wasn't sure if she was talking about Lane or paddleboarding. Gabe didn't mind. Either would be fine with him. He glanced around the beach as Lane paddled back toward shore. It was still early in the morning, early enough so only a few people scattered along the beach. Later, when the sun got higher in the sky, the sand would be crawling with locals and tourists. If he and Lane wanted to seduce Becca, they'd have to do it sooner, rather than later.

Lane reached the shore and waved them down to the water's edge.

Gabe slipped his hand down to Becca's ass and gave it a gentle slap. “You go on. I'll bring the other equipment and catch up.”

Becca cast him a sideways glance. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Gabe nodded to Lane. “Go on.”

She looked at him for a minute, as if considering. “Okay.”

Gabe stood still for a minute and watched her make her way down to Lane. Damn, the girl had a wonderful ass. It was his favorite feature. So round and firm...

He watched her greet Lane. They joked about something and then he gave her a hug. She stiffened for a moment and glanced over her shoulder at Gabe. It was obvious that she thought he might be jealous of their close interaction.

Gabe realized that he
was
jealous, but not in the way that Becca thought. He didn't want Lane to have her all for himself. He smiled at Becca and picked up one of the paddles. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her relax and joke around with Lane.

As Gabe picked up a board, his cock swelled to almost painful levels. God, it would be a miracle if he could get through this without embarrassing himself. He took a deep breath. This was it—the moment of truth. If he could somehow convince Becca to give this threesome thing a try, all of Gabe's sexual fantasies could come true. If she wasn't into a ménage with two men....

No, he wouldn’t think about it. She’d be into the ménage, he’d make sure of that. Gabe hurried down to the water with the extra board. He could hardly wait to get started.

Chapter Six

Becca wasn't sure what to think about all of this. The thought of paddleboarding terrified her. She was so uncoordinated. When Gabe told her that he and Lane wanted to give her a lesson together, she couldn’t resist, however. Gabe had explained that he ran into Lane on the boardwalk and had gotten to know him better. A few brief apologies were exchanged, and after they became friends.

After seeing them together for the past hour, it seemed as if they had done more than make amends. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that they were flirting with each other.

They had taken turns helping her, and goofed around on shore. She wasn’t sure what to make of it but didn’t have much time to dwell on the matter. The men worked her hard, and at the end of the hour, she collapsed on a nearby blanket.

“I don't know how you guys do it,” she said to Gabe as he approached.

He slid a towel around her shoulders and sat next to her. “Lane and I have been paddleboarding for a few years. You're actually doing quite well for someone who has never tried water sports before.” He patted his hand on her knee and held it there as she huddled under the warmth of the blanket.

“Are you kidding? She looked great.” Lane sat down on the other side of her and rubbed her back. “She did fantastic.”

Becca became hyper-aware of how close each of them was sitting with her—and how they were touching her body. Lane's hand was light and reassuring. Gabe's fingers rubbed her bare skin, causing it to heat with excitement.

Becca’s conversation with Hannah replayed in her mind. She, Gabe and Lane had all worked so well together. They had fun too. They all had this natural chemistry that made her feel close to them. It also made her realize that she wanted what Hannah had for herself, if only for a little while. Becca didn't delude herself into thinking that she could have a permanent threesome like her friend. An hour or two would be nice, though. Or perhaps a long, leisurely afternoon.

“So what did you think?”

Becca pulled herself out of her fantasy and blinked at Gabe. “Think about what?”

Gabe chuckled and glanced at Lane. “I don't think she's been listening to us.”

“I don't think so either.” Lane inched closer to Becca and leaned in closer to her ear. “He asked you if you enjoyed the lesson.” His breath was warm against her skin.

Becca resisted the urge to close her eyes and let her imagination run wild.  “I loved it.

“Good, we're glad.” Gabe slid his fingers up her leg. They felt a little rough and very masculine. A tightening formed in her lower abdomen, as she became aware that both men were looking her intently. “Is there something wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Gabe said as he dropped his gaze to his hand on her leg. “I just want to ask you a question, but I'm not sure to phrase it.”

“More like he's afraid of your answer,” Lane murmured into her ear.

Becca turned to Lane, forcing him to inch back. “He's nervous? Why?” She returned her attention to Gabe. “If you want to know something, then just ask.”

Gabe glanced at Lane, and then refocused on her. “I'm glad that you enjoyed the lesson today. We all get along so well together. It got me to thinking...” He cleared his throat.

Lane slid his hand down her back and around her waist. Becca’s heartbeat quickened at the intimate contact.

“I've seen how you look at Hannah when she's with those two other men,” Gabe said. “And I saw how you were with Lane the other day. It got me to thinking. I know that we've been having problems and such...”

“He wants to know if you want to give a threesome a try,” Lane whispered in her ear.

“He what?” She turned to face Lane. “A threesome?”

Lane raised his brow and glanced at Gabe. “It doesn't interest you?”

“No, it's not that, it's just...” She turned back to Gabe. “You got so jealous the other day.”

“Yeah, about that.” Gabe cleared his throat again. “You kind of caught me off guard. Then I got to thinking about how hot a threesome could be.”

Becca widened her eyes and waved her hand between the three of them. “You want to try a threesome…us three.”

Gabe glanced at Lane. “I think you've been thinking about it, especially since Hannah started dating her guys. You're wondering if a threesome could be for you, too.” Gabe shrugged and met her gaze. “I've talked to Lane, and we're willing to give it a try.”