Friends With Benefits (15 page)

“We weren’t too much for you?”

“At times, maybe.” He watched her throat move as she swallowed. “Is he gone?”

“Yeah, he’s gone home for the night.” Pushing away from the door, he walked across the room and settled at her feet. His gaze dropped to the book. “What are you writing about?”

“Journals are supposed to be private.” A soft smile curved her lips. “But if you must know, I wrote about our evening.”

“In detail?”

“Enough so I’ll remember it.”

“So, you do want to remember it?” He held his breath. She tilted her head to gaze out the window. She didn’t say anything for a long moment. He studied her face, trying to decipher her thoughts before she turned back to him.

“Tyler, it…the last few days have been some of the most erotic in my life.” She dropped her gaze. Her fingers plucked at imaginary fluff on the pillow. “Please don’t misunderstand. We have a great sex life. I
love
our sex life. But, the past weekend, and then tonight…well…tonight was something altogether different.”

Tyler chuckled and picked up his wife’s hand. Holding it in his own, he grazed his thumb over her knuckles. “Sweetheart, that was the whole idea. That’s what fantasies are. If they’re normal, vanilla even, then what’s so fantastic about them?”

“When we spoke a few weeks ago, you were thinking about this, about tonight, weren’t you?”

He cleared his throat. “Umm…yes, and no. I mean, it started out as pillow talk, but the nugget stayed in my head. When I found out Connor had plans to move to the area, I thought it might be fun to test the waters.”

“Speaking of Connor, did you really have a threesome? You, him, and a woman?” Angela’s right brow arched high over her eye.

“Yes.” Tyler took a deep a breath. “Back in school, we sometimes shared girls.”

“But you never had sex with Connor?”

“No, never. It wasn’t like that at all. We discovered, by accident, that two guys making love to a woman could be one hell of a turn-on for everyone involved. We enjoyed the tag team approach, but we also liked to sit back and watch. Watching another guy make your woman feel good can be very exciting. Frankly, it also takes a little of the pressure off. The whole experience can last a lot longer, too.”

“How do you
accidently
discover such a thing?”

Tyler detected a note of humor in her voice. “Another story for another time.”

She pouted. “Fair enough. But what did you do? I mean, what types of things did you try?” She inched closer to him.

“Some very light bondage, like we did with you tonight. Ties, blindfolds, a little spanking. Nothing too out-of-the-box, I promise.” Tyler watched his wife’s eyes brighten with curiosity. If he wasn’t mistaken, the possibilities turned her on. “Did you enjoy tonight?” Because of the angle, and the lack of lighting, he couldn’t see her blush, but he knew a pink stain tinged the skin on her face.

“Yes.” She peered down at her hands. “Did you?”

“Look at me.” She raised her head. “Watching my best friend touch my wife, kiss my wife, and fuck my wife, all while my wife lay spread eagled and tied to my bed; watching my wife suck her bottom lip, moan, and writhe in ecstasy, and seeing the look of unadulterated pleasure on her face as another man made her come…” He reached out, took her right hand and placed it over the hard bulge in his pants. His voice came out low, husky, filled with desire and emotion. “Oh, hell yeah. I’ve never been so fucking hot for you, sweetheart.”

The moonlight splashed over her, giving her eyes a sensual, secret glow.

“Would you like to do it again?”

Her tongue came out to run across her bottom lip before she sank her teeth into it. She nodded.

Tyler shivered. “You do understand I would never suggest this with somebody I didn’t know and trust? I don’t want you to get hurt or feel ashamed in any way. I could never tolerate an actual stranger touching you.”

“I know.” She dropped her gaze. “But, where do we go from here? We call, he comes running, we fuck like bunnies, and he goes home? That screams wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. I don’t think I’m comfortable with that—for many reasons.”

“Connor and I spoke after you came up here. He’s eager to play with us. I say we go for it. Would you be willing to let him stay here with us?

“What about the house he’s renting?”

“That’s only a temporary solution until he decides his next move. But I do think if he’s right here with us, things can happen more naturally.”

Tyler watched as she let the idea roll around inside her head. If things went according to plan, this wouldn’t be temporary at all, but he pushed that thought from his mind for now. One step at a time.

“What will the neighbors think?”

“They’ll think we have company staying with us. If anybody asks, my friend recently moved to town and is thinking about his options. It’s the truth.”

“Will he sleep in our bed?”

“Do you want him to?”

She shook her head and then shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Then he’ll stay in the guest room. We can play wherever, but we sleep in separate bedrooms until
you
decide otherwise.”

“Do I have to feed him?”

Now Tyler outright laughed. “You sound like we just bought a puppy.” She giggled. “Unless his cooking skills have improved, you may have to entice him with some of your fabulous cooking.”

She grinned. “I’m OK with that.”

“Good.” He stood and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her.

She burrowed into his chest, smothering a yawn.

He chuckled. “Let’s get some rest. Morning will be here before you know it, and I suspect you’re a little sore, and a lot tired.”

Tyler knew his friend was larger than him in girth, and he was no small man himself. Taking the two of them in the same night had its consequences.

“I love you, Tyler.”

“I love you too, Angela.” He placed a soft kiss against the top of her head, and then tilted his head to rest his cheek against her hair. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fruity scent of her shampoo.

“Tyler?”

“Yes?”

“I can’t wait to do it again.”

His chest vibrated with laughter, which ended with a groan. He pushed his erection against her. “Oh, baby, don’t worry. I don’t think you’ll have to wait long.”

Chapter Fifteen

“Did you leave
anything
over at the other place?” Tyler dropped the last of Connor’s boxes into the corner of the spare room, and then stretched, rubbing an ache in his lower back.

“Of course.” Connor tossed a look over his shoulder, one that implied Tyler had a few screws loose. “All the furniture and my tools are there. I brought only the necessities.”

“Well, you pack like a girl then.”

“Fuck off.” Connor laughed.

Tyler enjoyed hearing the laughter in his friend’s voice. Since their first night with Angela, three weeks ago, any time he’d spoken with his friend, the conversation had been strained. He’d tried to arrange opportunities for the three of them to get together again, anxious to move the relationship along, but Connor had always declined, citing meetings with his crew or the boss, or problems on the job. Tyler worried it might be something more, but didn’t want to press his friend.

Then Connor had shown up at their front door with some of his stuff early this morning, saying he wanted to take them up on the offer of their spare room. They’d spend the rest of the day moving him in and setting him up in the spare room.

“Come on. Let’s go see what Angie’s got for supper. I’ve got plans for the hot tub later, too.”

Striding out of the room and down the stairs, with Connor on his heels, he followed his nose. The mouth-watering scents of onion, roasted garlic, and tomato beckoned him.

Nearing the kitchen the not-so sweet sound of his wife’s singing stopped him in his tracks. She sang along to some top hit that played on the local radio station. The poor girl couldn’t carry a tune, but she loved to dance, and he wouldn’t hurt her feelings for the world. So rather than embarrass her, he switched directions, heading into the dining room to shut off the source, which would end the audition before he and Connor made an appearance in her domain.

Connor laughed under his breath. Tyler turned, glaring, daring him to say a word. He zipped his lip, but Tyler noticed a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Hey, honey,” Tyler called out before they rounded the corner. Pots, baking dishes, utensils, and food cluttered the counter. “Ah, are we hosting a dinner party?”

Angela’s eyes narrowed to slits. “No. I just wanted to make something special for tonight. To welcome Connor into our home.”

“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble on my account, Angela.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble.”

Tyler glanced around the kitchen. He wasn’t so sure about that. “So, what’s for supper?”

“Lasagna, garlic bread, a salad. And I’ve made an apple crisp for dessert.”

Tyler’s stomach grumbled. His wife may not be able to sing, but she sure knew how to cook. “Sounds great. Need any help?”

“Nope. All under control. Why don’t you guys go for a swim? By the time you’re done, supper will be ready.”

“Sounds good to me. Lugging all this guy’s crap from his rental to here tired me out.” Connor punched him in the upper shoulder. “Ow.”

“Crybaby.”

Angela snickered. “Connor, would you mind passing me that glass bowl down from up there?” She pointed to the shelf far out of her reach.

“Absolutely.” With ease, he lifted the dish and handed it to her. She smiled at their new housemate.

Tyler noticed the excited glow in her eyes, the flush in her cheeks. He loved to see her happy. He hoped she’d soon see the benefits of having two capable men around the house.

* * *

After dinner, Connor helped Angela tidy up the kitchen while Tyler set things up outside. He grabbed a bottle of wine, glasses, towels, and condoms. He lifted the lid off the hot tub, and steam rose from the water’s surface, the smell of chlorine stinging his nose. A perfumed fragrance pack would fix that.

He set up three chairs around a small table and placed a large citronella candle on the deck to supplement the stars that had begun popping out and to keep the mosquitoes at bay. All he needed now was some soft music.

“Tyler? You out here?”

“Back by the tub, Angie.”

The murmur of her voice, together with Connor’s, emerged from the darkening night and into his little oasis of light.

“Honey, this looks fabulous.”

“We have Connor here to thank for that. You did a great job, pal. I’m impressed.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Grab a chair and I’ll pour some wine.” Tyler uncorked the bottle and poured three glasses. “So how’s the project going?”

Connor cleared his throat and sipped his wine. “Fine. The construction trailers arrived earlier this week, and I’ve signed a contract with a local general contractor. He’ll arrange for the sub-trades we’ll need. The client and I still have a few things to work out, but the shovel hits the dirt next week.”

“Good to hear. How long do you really think this one will last?” He hoped it would keep him around long enough to cement this new side to their relationship.

“Eighteen months for sure. It’s a big job. In the past, I’ve gone in to do the initial planning and set up, and left the leads in place to co-ordinate while I traveled to other job sites. But this time I’m sticking around.”

“Why’s that?” Angela’s soft words stroked along Tyler’s senses, igniting them. She always did that to him. Didn’t matter what she talked about. Just the sound of her voice turned him on.

Connor paused. Tyler noticed his jaw clench for a moment before he answered.

“I’m planning to start my own company. This area is ripe for infrastructure money, so there’s going to be lots of work to go around. I’ll need this client’s support, though, if I’m going to make a go of it here.”

Odd. Why that would be? Tyler would have to ask him about it later. His wife settled back in her chair, tasted her wine, and peered at Connor over the rim. He wondered what thoughts ran through her mind.

“So, sweetheart, ready for another fantasy tonight.”

“What fantasy would that be? I thought we’d covered most of them already.”

“So you’ve had sex in a hot tub before?”

“Ah, no.”

He grinned. Connor grinned. Angela blushed. In the dark, the candles gave off enough of a glow to highlight the stain creeping up over her cheeks.

“Why don’t you stand up and take off your clothes.”

She gasped. “Right here?”

“Nobody can see. Connor did an excellent job creating a nice private haven for us back here.”

Connor stood, walked over to the gate, and secured the latch. “There, now nobody can walk in on us.”

“But…but, they’ll hear us.”

“Didn’t bother you in the pool that day.” Connor grinned. A wicked gleam shone in his eyes as he stared down at Angela.

“You’re not helping,” she sputtered.

“I wasn’t trying to.”

Angela snorted.

Tyler chuckled. “Honey, it’s just of the three of us back here. It’s dark enough. Nobody will see, and unless you plan to scream to the heavens, nobody will hear.” He leaned forward, placed his forearms on his knees and spoke in a husky tone. “But if you want to scream, I won’t stop you. I could, however, have Connor try to capture it with his mouth if it will make you feel better.”

* * *

Oh, lord. These two guys would be the death of her. Could somebody die from too many orgasms? They both watched her. The shadows created by the flickering candles darkened their features, but the intensity in their gazes scorched her. Crickets began serenading them, competing with the occasional hum of distant traffic.

“Angela, stand up and take your clothes off.”

Tyler’s deep voice reverberated through her. He wanted a strip tease did he? Could she do that? Outdoors? God, these past few weeks and been a stream of firsts for her. But she had to admit, they made her feel pretty, sexy—that extra bit more comfortable in her body.