Riptide [Kismet Cove] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (10 page)

Both of them had a thing for a woman’s feet, and neither of them had time yesterday to pay proper attention to Jess’s. Tonight, though, they were going to have trouble looking anywhere else. She had pretty feet, and her toes were painted a shade of purple Evan was certain matched the vibrant streaks in her hair. Evan’s cock was hardening fast and he knew he was in for a long, torturous night.

“Hi.” She greeted them both with a shy smile and hovered at the threshold for few seconds before stepping out onto the porch and reaching up to hug Rory. Her blonde head barely came to the middle of his chest and as Rory’s arms closed around her shoulders Evan had to bite back a bark of laughter at the lustful expression on his blood-brother’s face. At least he wasn’t going to be alone in his suffering tonight.

Still wrapped in Rory’s arms, Jess turned her head and smiled at Evan, and his blood heated further as he caught her scent. He smiled back at her and caught the feral gleam in Rory’s eye and knew both of them had reacted to her just as strongly as the day before. There was no doubting it anymore. Human or not, she was their true mate.

Rory released her and she moved into Evan’s arms with another of her sweet, shy smiles.

“You look amazing, sweetheart.”

Rory startled as if only just realizing he hadn’t said anything yet. “You really do, baby,” he drawled and grinned as she burrowed into Evan’s embrace. “So amazing I forgot how to talk.”

“You’re both sweet to say so, but it’s just that yesterday you hardly saw me at my best. Frozen and soggy is never a good look, unless you’re a mermaid, or maybe a seal.” She threw her arms around Evan and hugged him, and her cheeks flushed a bright pink as she rested her head on his chest for a sweet second. His arms were around her and he drew her even tighter against him, forgetting the flowers he carried as he buried his head in her hair and inhaled.

“Whatever perfume you’re wearing right now, I like it,” he whispered into the silken strands and lifted his head with reluctance.

Jess shifted in his arms, leaning back just enough she could look up at him. “It’s just body lotion, nothing special. It’s more likely you’re smelling dinner. Why don’t you two come inside and get settled? The food is almost ready, but we have time for a drink first if you’d like.”

“Drinks sound good,” Rory said and finally produced the bottle he’d been carrying. “We brought you something. We didn’t know what you were making for dinner, so we split the difference and got a blush sparkling wine.

“Oh!” She looked so pleased at the gift Evan wished they’d brought more, just to see her smile like that again. “You two didn’t need to bring anything. This was supposed to be a thank you dinner!”

Evan let go of her and presented her with the flowers. “We wanted to bring you something, sweetheart.”

“Oh! Oh my goodness, you got me roses!” Jess squealed and took the coral- and apricot-shaded blooms out of his hand and lifted them to her face to inhale their fragrance. “They’re beautiful! You are both so sweet.”

A timer went off somewhere inside the cabin and Jess glanced up. “Right, everyone inside and I’ll get dinner out of the oven. I hope you like roast chicken!”

“We love it,” Evan said and then hung back, letting Rory go in ahead of him so he could take a moment to adjust his slacks to accommodate the hard-on he was currently sporting. He was no stranger to sex, and he loved women in all their various shapes and sizes, but his reaction to a simple hug from Jess was more intense than anything he’d ever experienced before.
If you get this hard from a hug, what’s it going to be like when we’re both inside her, making her come?

The thought came out of nowhere and he had to bite back a groan at the erotic images that accompanied it. He was still in a daze when he heard Rory’s mocking laughter in the back of his mind and he knew he’d been projecting his thoughts.

“
Right there with ya
,” Rory’s mental voice confessed.

They were so screwed.

“Please leave your jackets on the chair and I’ll hang them up in a second. I just need to get this out of the oven!” Jess called out as she placed her roses carefully on a countertop and bent over to check on their dinner, inadvertently presenting both of them with a stunning view of her heart-shaped ass.

“You need some help in there?” Evan asked, shrugging out of his jacket and passing it to Rory on his way by. “Wow, nice kitchen,” he exclaimed as he came closer and realized that every appliance was modern and nearly new, right down to the espresso maker on the counter.

“My dad ordered a bunch of renovations a few years back. He said it was to increase the rental income on the house.” Jess lifted a roasting pan full of vegetables out of the oven and set it down on a silicone pad, then leaned back down to retrieve what Evan assumed was the chicken. He couldn’t see anything other than the way her jeans were hugging her curves as she struggled to lift their dinner out of the oven. He stepped up behind her and reached around to help her steady the tray, trying to keep his mind on dinner and not on the fact her ass was now rubbing up against the erection he’d been hoping to hide from her.

Well, too late to stop that horse from leaving the stable at a gallop.

He watched the blush climb up her neck as she realized he was wrapped around her, and Evan was tempted to brush a kiss over the heated skin just below her ear.

“I got it, sweetheart.” He finally looked at their dinner and burst out laughing. “Whatever the hell it is. I hate to ask, but why is our entree sitting up and looking like it’s about to take a walk?”

“It’s beer-can chicken.” Jess laughed as they managed to maneuver themselves over to the counter and set the tray down on another pad.

Rory came over to join them, staring at their dinner in some amusement.

“Does that bird have a beer can up his…” He trailed off and leaned over. “You’ve got a dark streak in you, sweet Jess.”

She just burst out laughing. “It’s not like I did that to it while it was alive! And the beer bastes the chicken from the inside out. You’ll see, it’s amazing.”

“Wait, so there’s beer in that can?” Evan asked. “You cooked us a beer for dinner? I think I’m in love.”

“Beer, garlic, and some of the dry rub I coated the chicken with.”

Rory grinned at Evan over Jess’s head. “She can cook. We’re saved.”

“You seemed to manage yesterday’s lunch just fine,” she pointed out, looking slightly puzzled.

Evan barked with laughter. “I’m afraid that’s as good as Rory’s cooking gets. Though he can manage a pretty mean omelet, too. He was pulling out all the stops in hopes of impressing you.”

Jess smiled at them and then left the circle of Evan’s arms to see to the potatoes. “Well, it worked, because I was impressed. Now I am hoping to impress the two of you with a proper thank you meal. Everything here needs just a few minutes. Shall I get us some wine glasses and we can open that bottle you gave me? Oh, and I need to get the roses in water before they wilt.”

Jess started moving around the kitchen like a hummingbird, flitting here and there with what he could clearly see was nervousness. Taking the bull by the horns, he stepped into her path just as she turned to hand him several wine glasses. She squawked with surprise and started to step backward, but Evan moved with her across the floor until she bumped up against the cabinets.

“Sweetheart, relax.” He took the glasses and set them down on the nearest countertop. He grazed his knuckles down her cheek and marveled at how soft her skin was.

“I’m not used to having anyone else in the kitchen, that’s all.”

“Liar,” Evan used his arms to cage her in as he stepped in close enough their bodies were connected from thigh to chest. “You’re feeling exactly the same thing we are, aren’t you?”

“I—what?” She blinked up at him, confusion and desire at war in the depths of her crystalline eyes.

Unable to resist, Evan dipped his head and feathered a delicate kiss over her trembling lips. She tensed and lifted her hands to his chest, but instead of pushing him away, her fingers curled into his shirt and held on.

“So what happened to our plan to go slow and easy?” Rory asked dryly from somewhere behind him.

Evan grinned down at Jess’s flushed face and stood up slowly, happy to note she didn’t move her hands from his chest. “Change of tactics.”

“You two had a plan?” Jess asked as her curious gaze darted between them.

“Not so much a plan, really. More a fervent hope you’d still be interested in getting to know us better,” Evan explained.

“Well, I think the answer to that is…” Jess flashed them both a grin and reached for a wine glass. “More booze. I am not ready to discuss this, at least not while completely sober.”

“Fair enough.” Evan stepped back and gave her enough room to move again, immediately missing her soft warmth.

“What can I do to help?”

“You could start by getting out of my way, blondie.”

“Blondie?” Evan reached out to tweak one of her purple-streaked locks. “What does that make you then, Barney?”

“Barney?” Rory asked, confused. “Why do you think she looks like one of the Flintstones?”

“Not Barney Rubble, Barney the Dinosaur. Big, purple, slightly creepy?” Evan shook his head. “You have to forgive him, sweetheart. He lives in his own world, and they don’t have much pop culture there apparently.”

“If you want dinner, you better not call me Barney.” Jess laughed and slipped past Evan to hand Rory the bottle of wine. “Could you please open that for me, Rory?”

“The streaks were my best friend’s idea. Coming here was supposed to be a fresh start, and she figured this was a good way to mark the occasion.” She touched the strands and nibbled on her lower lip. “Do you think it’s too much?”

“Just the streaks?” Rory asked as he effortlessly popped the cork from the bottle and came around to the other side of the counter to pour their drinks.

“Afraid so. The old lady hair is all me. It runs in the family.” Jess ducked her head, avoiding looking at either of them as she left the kitchen to scoop their jackets off the back of a chair and hung them up beside the door.

Evan glanced at Rory and let his concern for Jess flow along the connection between them. Rory nodded his understanding and Evan hung back as his blood-brother set down the wine bottle and crossed the room to where Jess was taking far longer than she needed to hang up their coats.

“Baby, you shouldn’t put yourself down like that.” Rory folded her into his arms, drawing their woman back against his chest.

“That’s sweet of you to say,” Jess murmured and started to move away from him, only to have Rory tighten his hold.

“Don’t you dare say ‘but’ and then argue with me. You’re beautiful. You have two men standing right here who are very much in agreement on that topic, so you’re already outvoted.”

That sweet blush crept up Jess’s cheeks again and Evan felt his cock swell in response. He couldn’t wait to teach Jess just how lovely he and Rory though she was.

Rory dropped a kiss to the crown of Jess’s hair and told her, “You’ve got gorgeous hair. It’s like moonlight dancing on the ocean.”

Evan’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
Moonlight on the ocean?
He wanted to interrupt and ask Rory who he was and what he’d done with the real Rory Frazier. Still, if Rory could keep up the charm, maybe they would have a shot at convincing Jess they were serious about wanting her in their lives.

Jess sat in her chair and watched in appreciation as the two men cleared the table. She’d tried to do it herself, but they’d each laid a gentle hand on her shoulders and guided her back to her chair.

“You cook, we clear,” they’d said at almost the same time, and she’d been too busy laughing to try to argue. The wine had been excellent, and she could still feel the slight buzz she’d picked up after her third glass. They’d tucked into the meal with relish, and she suspected she was glowing from all the compliments that had accompanied the meal.

Or it could be I’m glowing because I am having dinner with two of the hottest men I’ve ever seen, and both of them have made it very clear they want to date me. Together.

Evan went to put the cling-wrapped leftovers into the fridge and she watched his face light up as he spotted desert.

“You got lemon tarts from Sandy’s Bakery? Score! I get dibs.” He pulled out the tray and nearly ran back to the table with Rory close behind him.

“How can you possibly still be hungry?” she asked them both as Rory reappeared at the table, too, already reaching for one of the éclairs.

“You two just hang on a second and I’ll grab us some plates. Oh! I was going to make us some peppermint schnapps hot-chocolates, too, if you two think you’ll have room?”

She grinned at the instant reaction she got from the two of them as they both looked up from their dessert selections to nod enthusiastically.

“We’ll have room,” Rory declared.

“Want a hand?” Evan offered as Jess got to her feet.

“You’ve done more than you should have already, considering you’re my guests. You sit down and relax. I’ve got this.”

Jess brought a few plates to the table and then made quick work of combining all the ingredients and setting it on the stove to heat. She set three mugs onto the top of the espresso machine to heat, and she was just retrieving the whipped cream from the fridge when she sensed another presence in the kitchen.

“When you said you were making hot chocolate, I thought you meant hot water and a packet of instant mix. What are you doing in here, sweetheart?”

“I’m making you two a proper hot chocolate for dessert. It won’t take long.” She shooed Evan out of the kitchen with her hands. When one of them came close to her she found it hard to think of anything past their broad shoulders and the way their hands felt when they stroked along her…She stopped that train of thought before she forgot what she was doing in the kitchen at all.

Evan didn’t move, instead he folded his arms across his broad chest and crossed one leg over the other as he leaned back against the countertop. “Rory? You need to come see this. She’s got whipped cream.”