Summer's Indiscretion (14 page)

“Not according to my folks,” she said as she slowed to follow Ace’s indecently wide Hummer through a turn onto a long driveway that led uphill. “I’ll tell you all about them sometime.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

They rode along the curving driveway that snaked around the hill until they were on the backside of it and into the heavily treed area at the top of the hill. Kemp was right when he’d said earlier that the house was not visible from the road. The prolific growth of oak and pecan trees was too thick to allow it. It gave the area around the house a shady, green, haven-like feel.

The house itself was more of a small mansion made of dark gray stone and beautiful natural timbers. It was two stories, and the front of the house faced away from the road. Upstairs was a deck that ran the full length of the house and could be accessed by three different doors as well as a staircase at the far end. Wide windows filled the upper story, so the view from inside must have been spectacular. The large garage doors opened, and she pulled in, parking alongside Ace.

He climbed out of the Hummer and lifted her bags from the trunk after she hit the trunk release. Kemp unfolded himself from the front seat, came around to her side of the car, and held out his hand. She smiled and took it, impressed as ever with their gentlemanly manners as he helped her from the vehicle.

He held on to her hand, and Ace led the way to a door. He opened it and allowed Kemp to help her over the threshold. They entered the kitchen, and she gasped when she saw the interior of Ace’s home.

With the exception of the walls necessary for the kitchen cabinets and stainless steel appliances, the floor plan was completely open downstairs. In front of her, beyond the kitchen, were the large, heavy dining table and windows that looked out over the shady backyard. To her right were the huge living room and what appeared to be a hallway leading back to other rooms. The front entry was to her far right, and next it was an office, judging by the furniture, desktop computers, and other work-related paraphernalia inside.

“Welcome home, kitten,” Ace murmured, and she noticed he watched her as she looked around, taking the interior in.

The large space had high, hardwood ceilings with beautiful exposed beams, walls all painted in the same muted shade of light tan, and ceramic tile flooring. The countertops were a beautiful, contrasting dark red marble that gleamed in the light from the overhead fixtures.

She held on to Kemp’s hand and reached for Ace’s as well and said, “This is gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.”

Kemp said, “Ace renovated this place. He did a lot of the work himself.”

Summer turned her gaze from the comfortable-looking brown leather sofa and loveseats in the living room to look at Ace. “You did? I’m impressed. You have a lovely home.” And it did feel like a home, not a showplace. There was minor clutter on one counter in the kitchen, and a hastily folded newspaper lay on the large upholstered chair by the sofa.

Kemp murmured, “Why don’t we give you the quick tour of downstairs and then get you situated in the big tub upstairs, darlin’?”

Twist my arm, handsome.
Summer nodded, and they showed her the rest of the first floor then ushered her up the stairs to the second story. There was a large, open living area upstairs, and a large window that looked out onto the front deck.

Summer’s heart pounded in her chest inexplicably as Ace opened a door. “This is my bedroom.”

Summer met his warm, brown eyes as he said it, and she knew by the heat she saw there that he wanted to say more. She looked around in awe at the luxurious interior of the master suite. In keeping with the rest of the house, the room was huge and encompassed one entire end of the second story. Ace placed her bags on the luxurious navy-blue-and-gold patterned comforter at the end of the massive bed, which had to have been custom made. She recalled that Grace’s friend Rosemary was married to two brothers who designed and built custom furniture. Ace was probably friends with them as well.

Matching bedroom furniture lined the walls, and Summer couldn’t ignore the urge to squeal when she saw the huge curving divan situated at an angle in front of a huge plateglass window. The divan looked like a perfect spot to curl up with a book or take a nap. The manner in which a person could recline in it also suggested it would be ideal for making love. She giggled, thinking that she was seeing it from the perspective of someone who worked within the pleasure-related industry. She glided a palm over the smooth, upholstered headrest of the wide divan as she walked behind it.

“I love this.”

“A couple of friends made it,” Ace replied. “They also built the bed.”

“The Garners?”

“Yes. Both pieces were designed and built to hold more than two people,” Ace added quietly as he came around the divan and Kemp joined them on her other side.

Her core warmed and her pussy quivered as she turned to look out the window. Their solid presence and body heat on each side drew a soft sigh of delight from her.

Ace said, “I liked the look of their workmanship when I saw similar pieces at Grace’s and Rachel’s homes and decided to have a few things built for me. Now I’m glad I did. There would be enough room for all three of us on this.”

Her hands trembled slightly as she brushed a lock of hair over her shoulder. His words resonated in her mind, and she grew curious. “A few? I only see two pieces of furniture.”

A crooked smile formed on Ace’s sexy lips, and he said, “There are other rooms you haven’t seen yet, kitten.”

That thought made her whole body quiver, and she wondered at the secrets yet to be revealed in this house.

Kemp placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and murmured, “I’ll start your bath.”

She smiled at him as he slipped away, and then she looked out the large window again. The tops of oak and pecan trees formed a green, leafy carpet below, framing a lovely view of the Hill Country around them. The sun was setting, and the diffused light cast everything in a romantic glow. It was that, or she was just really turned on by these two gorgeous men and it affected her vision.

“I hope you’ll be happy here,” Ace murmured as he looked out the window with her.

“The view is spectacular. How long have you lived here?”

“About two years. I bought it as a foreclosure and put the money I saved on the purchase price into upgrading the grounds and the house. The house itself had been here about twenty years and had not been well maintained. I gutted the interior and started fresh. I’m glad you like it. Would you like to go on the deck for a few minutes?”

She put her hand on his forearm. “One second. I need to give Kemp something.” She went to her bag and removed the container of oatmeal bath and took it in the immense bathroom. “Wow. This is a dream bathroom.”

Kemp smiled at her. “I helped him with all the bathrooms and the kitchen. My dad was a plumber, and he used to put me to work during summer vacation.”

“Well, that was nice of him.”

“Nice for him is more like it. I was basically unpaid slave labor, but I did pick up a few useful skills. He had a friend who had a tile business, and I got to work with him, too. That came in handy when Ace wanted help with the tile work.”

“So you really had a hand in how the house turned out?”

“A bit, yeah.”

“It’s gorgeous.” Handing the container to Kemp, she said, “This helps with the poison oak. Would you add some?” The bathroom was scented with a delicate herbal fragrance. “You can add it to whatever is already in the tub.”

He took the box and looked at the label. “How is your rash?”

“It’s not quite healed in more sensitive areas, but it’s so much better than it was. It will probably be healed by next weekend.”
Or at least that’s what I’m hoping, handsome, because I sure do want you.

“Ace has an aloe vera plant outside on the deck. That might help the healing process. I’ll cut some and scrape out the gel if you’d like.”

“I didn’t have an aloe vera plant at home, so I’ve never tried that. It may even work faster than the oatmeal bath. Would you mind?”

Kemp measured out the amount on the label and added it to the bathwater, then gazed up at her with serious eyes. “I’ll even help apply it.”

Chapter Fourteen

Summer bit her lip and nearly groaned with longing at the idea of Kemp ministering to her body. The thought of his gentle hands on her was enough to cause her pussy to swell with desire. But it wasn’t fair to tempt him like that knowing she couldn’t reciprocate.

“You know I can’t—”

Kemp caressed her chin as he smiled at her. “I’m perfectly capable of waiting until you’re ready, darlin’. I know it will be worth it, in the end.”

Neither of them had shown the least trace of impatience with her off-limits status, and it endeared them to her more and more.

“If that’s something you’d like, I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.” Lust surged in her heart as heat flowed through her pussy in agreement.

“I’d like to,” he murmured as he leaned toward her and kissed her lightly. “Ace is waiting for you. I’ll catch up with you on the back deck after I get a knife for cutting the aloe vera.”

Summer nodded and hugged him silently before retracing her steps to Ace, who waited for her outside the bathroom. He smiled at her, and she saw the desire in his eyes. Under his gaze she felt naked and vulnerable but not scared at all.

Two men.
Two
men
waited on her and wanted to take care of her tonight. She didn’t know how long it would last, but one thing was certain—her heart was deeply entangled. She’d be a fool to think otherwise.

Ace opened the French doors, and she stepped out into the fading afternoon light. The deck was deep, allowing plenty of room for the large hot tub that sat outside the master bedroom with space to walk around it to the stairs. Ace walked with her to the railing and admired the view. The tops of the trees formed an undulating, variegated carpet down the hillside. She wondered what it would look like in the fall with the other varieties of trees that were mixed in with the oaks, going through their autumnal color change. Hills rolled through the wide-open vista, and Summer sighed with pleasure.

“Can I ask you a question, Ace?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t think I’m prying or unappreciative, but you’ve spent a lot of time away from your business lately. I just wondered at the enormity of this place and how expensive it must be to maintain. How can you afford to keep…” Her words dwindled away when he looked in her eyes.

“To keep taking care of you? The same way I would if you were mine in reality and not just in fantasy. We’ve worked really hard over the years, kitten. We cater to a wealthy clientele and we charge a premium price for our services. We’ve managed to invest our earnings successfully and both lead comfortable lives. This house is great and I loved working on it for the last couple of years, but the end result isn’t worth much if I knock around in it alone. I felt very proud, bringing you into my home a few minutes ago and seeing your reaction. I hope that you love it here as much as I love having you in it. This is your home now.”

“For now.” She couldn’t afford to go where he was leading right now. Reality needed to set in slowly. They needed time to get used to each other. She needed to ease into this so if it didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be so painful to leave. She steeled herself to ask the next question, hoping it didn’t come out wrong.

“Ace, since I can’t—do anything until this weekend, wouldn’t it be better if I slept in a guest bedroom? Don’t take that wrong. I love your bedroom, I think it’s beautiful, but until I’m better, maybe I should sleep in another room.”

Ace leaned his elbows on the railing and clasped his hands together, holding one of hers in between his, keeping her at his side. He stroked her palm with his thumb in a soothing gesture that made her draw nearer to him. So near she was enveloped in his manly fragrance and his body heat. God, she wanted him so badly. He turned his steadfast gaze on her.

“Scared?” He saw right through her.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to disappoint you or tempt you with what you can’t have.”

“Kitten, you tempt me right now. Being near you is a temptation. I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes on you. Today is no different. If you’re uncomfortable and want a separate room until you feel more secure then I’ll move you to another room. But I don’t want you to leave out of some misguided notion that removing yourself to another room will mean you are tempting me less. At least if you sleep with us we can hold you and feel you snuggling up to us.”

Summer giggled, remembering that morning. She’d awakened to find that they’d both gravitated to her during the night. That was fine by her because she was cold natured when asleep and had enjoyed snuggling into their body heat with just a sheet for a covering. She’d latched on to both their arms in her sleep to keep warm.

“And, kitten, let’s just see how things go over the next few days before you decide when to move into the apartment above the shop,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her forehead before adding, “If ever.”

She smiled but felt a hint of trepidation, knowing that the excitement of moving in together would soon be overshadowed by the reality. It wouldn’t be romance and roses all the time. The daily grind would wreak its havoc, and then where would she be? Still jinxed. But hopefully not heartbroken and jinxed.

Lost in her own thoughts, she plastered a smile on her face when Ace gently tipped her chin up with two fingertips and gazed into her eyes. She knew he could read her as easily as a book.

“Give it time, little kitten, and you’ll see how it will be. Trust me?”

She didn’t look away from him as she nodded, determined to give it her best try. Kemp came out of the French doors and joined them at the railing. Her heart lurched when she felt him stand so near his body touched hers, and he pressed his lips against the top of her head.

“Darlin’, your bath is ready.”

Ace smiled and asked, “Would you let us be your bath attendants?”

Oh, she was a goner. An absolute goner. Determined to trust them both, she bit her lower lip and nodded.