“Yes.”
“Remain where you are. Someone will be out to speak to you directly.” There was a click and no further noise.
“Hello?” she said uncertainly.
Nothing
. She watched three more minutes click by on her dashboard digital clock.
Before Jocelyn could dig out the card with their phone numbers on it, a door to the left of the gate swung open. The concealed entry had been so artfully blended into the wall, she hadn’t even realized it was there.
Kendall stepped through the space, but unfortunately, he did
not
look happy to see her.
After Jocelyn left them a week ago, Logan had spent the ensuing days in a particularly dark funk. Unwilling to believe that a woman had put him in this foul mood, he’d tried his best to forget her.
The fact that they’d not been able to enact that final round two of sexual bliss in favor of chasing all over the Old West Town park in the middle of the night searching for an annoying trespassing blogger had made the loss worse somehow. Like they’d missed a premium prospect by chasing after Reggie instead of tending to Jocelyn on that ill-fated night.
They didn’t know anything about her except the way that she sounded when she climaxed. Which was awesome. And the amazing way she kissed, and loved, and was willing to try scary, dark bondage sex with them.
While Kendall told him he viewed it as a lost opportunity. Logan knew he’d been more taken with Jocelyn than he was willing to admit. Now only a week later, it truly sucked to feel like something remarkable had slipped through their fingers.
“Logan, where are you?” Kendall called out.
He left his side of their large house, heading for the stairs. Kendall had just been talking to his brother, Clay. Likely he wanted to discuss security. Logan wasn’t particularly in the mood, but resigned himself to it.
“I’m here. What’s up?” Logan came out of his bedroom, expecting Kendall to be in the entryway, but he was on the stair landing.
“Meet me in the study.” Kendall looked completely devastated.
“What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer until they were both seated in the den. “That was Clay on the phone. He said that the hacker could only be one of a very few people with the necessary skills to get into our system without leaving a trace.”
“So?” Logan wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but after this discussion planned to ask him once more to consider looking up Jocelyn’s address from her credit card processed at the ticket office. It was wrong, but Logan truly wanted the chance to get in touch with her once more. Just to make sure there was no possibility that she’d be in the area anytime soon.
He wanted to hear her sultry voice again. He wanted any possible contact again.
“So, Clay gave me a couple of names off the top of his head of hackers who would have the skills to get into our system.”
“And?”
“And one of them was the name Jocelyn.”
Logan had only barely been paying attention until Kendall said her name.
“Jocelyn? What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that she might be the one who hacked us both times.”
“I don’t believe it. Why would she do that?”
“I don’t know. We weren’t very interested in more than getting her naked and tied down for our mutual pleasure. For instance, her occupation never came up when you were with her, did it?”
Logan stared at him for a few seconds. “No. I haven’t the foggiest idea of what she does for a living or where she’s from or really anything useful to help find her again.” He paused as a hopeful thought crossed his mind. “Does Clay know where she is?”
“Probably, but he’s not telling.” Kendall looked so disgusted, it made Logan laugh.
“Not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
“Did you see her near the computer when you came back here to take her to her car that early morning when she left?” Kendall took security very seriously. If Jocelyn had been the one to hack their system, it would be a crushing blow.
“No. But she
did
say her phone had died. At the time, if she’d told me she logged on to our computer to check her mail or something, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.”
Kendall nodded. “At the time, I probably wouldn’t have either. Then again, I was so
sure
that Reggie had hacked us that second time it never occurred to me anyone else had access.”
“And your brother is sure it wasn’t Reggie.”
“Clay says it’s not, but he’s checking further.”
Logan went to the next obvious problem Kendall likely wrestled with. Had she only slept with them to gain access to their private compound? Because that would be worse than a crushing blow. That might be skirting the realm of unredeemable. Logan didn’t usually trust his instincts especially where women were concerned, but Jocelyn hadn’t seemed devious in the least. Kendall continued to look more and more miserable.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Logan said, trying to keep Kendall from going down a dark rabbit hole of despair. They didn’t know she was the culprit. They were only speculating.
Kendall huffed. “Do you?”
“Yes, but I truly didn’t get any sense that she was using us.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Kendall, no one is that good of an actress. She was not using us as sex objects only to gain access to our computer files.”
“And you’re basing this on what?”
“My gut.”
Kendall considered that for a moment but didn’t have time to comment before the phone rang and interrupted them. He held his hands up with palms outward as if that would stay the problems they faced, and that he didn’t plan to answer it.
So Logan got up and snatched the desk phone, placing it to his ear. “Yes.”
“Hey, it’s Cooper. There’s someone at the private compound gate wanting to come in.”
He couldn’t have been more surprised. There were plenty of signs to discourage anyone from coming down their private driveway. “Who is it?”
“She says her name is Jocelyn. Wants to talk to either you or Kendall. What do you want me to tell her?”
Fuck me.
What were the odds? “Tell her someone will be out to talk to her in a minute.”
“Will do.”
Kendall made a face. “Who was that?”
“Cooper says that a woman named Jocelyn is waiting on the private drive at the perimeter compound gate wanting to talk to one of us. So are you going out there to lead her inside, or should I go?”
* * * *
Kendall walked through the door next to the secure compound gate with a very wary attitude. Seated in the driver’s seat of a small SUV, Jocelyn smiled warmly as he approached her car. A ripple of sexual awareness drove down his body in reaction to just seeing her. He needed to be stronger. He did his best to resist the temptation of her compelling sensuality until he discovered what she was here to do. Screw them senseless, hack their computer security, or both.
Her window was already down and she only frowned once she saw his stern face. He wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions. He operated on the slimmest of hopes that she either wasn’t the Jocelyn who’d hacked them or if she had done it, then the reason had been one of life or death. But he couldn’t fathom what that motive could be, or if any basis for her actions would be good enough to forgive.
However, not much else would provide the happy ending he truly wanted.
Once he got to within earshot, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Kendall didn’t respond until he’d gotten all the way to her door. He folded his arms and placed them on her window frame. “Maybe nothing.”
“I should have called you first, right? Is that why you’re angry? I’m sorry, I just wanted to surprise you. I have so many things that I need to tell you.”
Her entire countenance did not exude a single trace of deceit. She was excited. Her expressive eyes fairly said, “
Take me now, but maybe let me ramble a bit first.
” He fought the urge to be charmed. She still might have a lot of explaining to do.
“I’m not angry that you didn’t call,” he said carefully. He wondered what
many
things she needed to tell him, but dismissed it for later.
“Then what is it?”
If he admitted his—or rather his brother’s—suspicions, it was possible she’d back up, turn around, and leave forever this time. Did he want that? A one-second debate gave him his answer. No. Not really. He wanted to know why she was here. He wanted to lure her inside for further discussion.
“Why did you want to come back and surprise us?”
A wary smile appeared. “Well…I guess I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d missed with round two. I honestly didn’t expect to be back in this area anytime soon or really ever, but the truth is, I just couldn’t stay away.” She flashed a sexy grin which nearly undid him. He wanted to take her into his arms and forget he’d ever mistrusted her for a second.
A smile at her exuberance shaped his lips before he could stop it. He was already seduced by her mere presence. He wanted desperately to enact his previously thwarted round-two sexual domination plans from a week ago. He said calmly, “Is that so?”
She reached out a hand and clamped it over one of his forearms and squeezed a couple of times. “So tell me, is your offer still open?”
“Perhaps.” His tone was soft and he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist her much longer.
“I’m going to need a more decisive answer, Kendall. Either your answer is yes or no. If it’s no, then I’ll turn my car around and leave with no hard feelings. But a yes may well put me tied to your bed within the hour.” She was using his own words on him. He glanced at her eyes. Shining enthusiasm was fairly leaping out of her gaze. She wanted him. Wanted to discover the delights of round two. There would
too
be hard feelings if he turned her away. His.
A glimmer of the benefit of the doubt regarding her possible indiscretions suddenly turned into a blazing floodlight, and kept him from asking her to simply go. He couldn’t do it. She deserved a chance.
Without answering, he turned away and entered the ten-digit gate code into the keypad by the speaker. The massive metal gates started sliding open to reveal the ultraprivate compound that he, Logan, and the cadre of wealthy owners called home. He’d never brought anyone, especially a woman, through the front gates before.
He turned back. “Okay, get out and let me drive. I’ll take you to our house and we can discuss all your many
things
.”
She didn’t balk for an instant. She left her vehicle in park and running. Opening the door, she hopped out, planted a quick, sweet kiss across his mouth, and then rounded the front of the vehicle to slip into the passenger side.
Kendall inhaled deeply at the tingle from her lips, climbed in the driver’s seat, racked the seat back all the way to accommodate his long legs, and drove them to his house. Logan waited for them on the pathway leading to the playroom in the basement. It was clear what
he
already expected.
Jocelyn barely waited for him to get her car into park before she practically jumped out and ran to Logan. His expression was one of quiet contemplation, until he saw her running toward him. He opened his arms and allowed her to leap into his embrace and wrap her legs around his waist. Her lips fastened to his immediately, and Kendall’s only concern in the moment was that he wanted another kiss as exuberant as Logan was currently enjoying.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” Jocelyn said to Logan as Kendall approached them.
Logan shot him a look.
Kendall shook his head. He wasn’t exactly sure how to broach the subject of her possible duplicity without ruining the excitement she currently displayed.
“Why would I be mad at you?” Logan murmured. But even Kendall could hear the wary tone of his voice. Jocelyn obviously heard it, too.
She lowered her legs and withdrew from him. Once on her own two feet, she seemed to really notice their less than lively attitude about her sudden appearance.
Glancing over one shoulder at the shadowed outline of the mountains and the orange sky above the ragged line, she stared for a few seconds as if getting her bearings. The sun hadn’t completely set, and the air had a bit of a chill to it. She turned back with a serious expression.
“Either I am not wanted here, or I should have called because you have another woman hidden away inside, tied up, and awaiting your pleasure.” The fact that her eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears at the idea another woman was sharing their life seemed to indicate she was a little jealous.
Interesting
.
They exchanged another more serious look, but Kendall answered, “Neither of those things is true, Jocelyn.”
She pushed out a breath and eyed them each carefully once more as if searching for a clue to their reluctance. “Then what is wrong? I was hoping you’d be happy to see me again. I wanted to pay off the debt I owe you for the round two we never got to experience.” She looked at Kendall then Logan. “Somehow, I don’t feel like I’m completely welcome here.”