Brown Siblings - 01 Laid Bare (21 page)

“You write using a guitar, though? Not a bass?” Ben asked and then looked shy. “Sorry, I don’t want you to feel like I’m nosy. I just love your music.” Erin leaned out to drop a kiss on his cheek. “Nothing to apologize for. Really, I’m flattered you’d actually care.”

“Good. I do care. I find the whole process fascinating.” Ben stood, clearing his throat. “I’m grabbing a beer. You want one? That is, if I’m welcome for dinner. I do smell something really good.”

Erin laughed and a rush of love poured through Todd for her. For Ben too. How fortunate was he to have such people in his life?

“Of course you’re welcome. I always make enough for you guys too. And I’d like a beer.” Ben brought back a beer for everyone and sat back down again.

Erin took a drink and then wiped her hand off, tracing a fingertip across the strings of the guitar before picking it up. “This Gib son was a gift from Adrian after our first CD went platinum. It’s very earthy, it fits me right. But Adrian is the real guitarist. I can plunk around enough to write songs though.”

Ben snorted. “Puhleeze. Adrian is really talented, no doubt. But you’re no slouch.”

“He and I have complementary talents. Which is why working with him has always been such a joy. Don’t get me wrong; we’re siblings, and there have been plenty of times when our fights would clear a room.” She laughed. “But in the end, we’re family, we share a vision and that simply works out even if I want to punch him sometimes.” She stood, grabbing her beer. “Okay, I’m going to toss the salad for dinner. You two need to set the table. Just three, Cope’s got a date.” Erin laughed when they looked surprised.

“How do you know?”

“He came by the café earlier to ask my opinion on places to take her to dinner. Why do you act so surprised? It’s not like he and I had a mad tryst in the four minutes I wasn’t rushed off my feet today.”

She began to shuffle around in the kitchen and Todd snorted. Of course Cope would seek her out

to talk to her. She was his friend too, and Cope was outgoing and friendly.

“I like that he sought you out.” Todd shrugged and began to put plates on the table. Ben followed up with silverware and began to ferry in food Erin handed him.

“What’s this?” Todd forked up something lovely with tomatoes and ribbons of something green.

“Tomatoes I got fresh from my favorite stall at The Market earlier this week, with some fresh mozzarella, aged balsamic vinegar and basil I grow on my balcony.”

“Holy crap, is this eggplant parm?” Ben mowed through his food with gusto and Erin smiled at him, clearly pleased he enjoyed it.

“My condo is air-conditioned, and I had all this fresh mozzarella and tomato. It seemed a good way to use it, and if you have a nice cool kitchen it’s not too hot to bake. I made strawberry rhubarb crumble too. It’s cooling.”

Todd looked at her. “You’re the sexiest woman to ever draw breath.” She laughed. “I also brought vanilla ice cream.”

He sighed happily and continued to eat.

After dinner they retired to the TV room to watch a movie. They all collapsed onto the big couch.

Erin tried not to be aware of the building sexual tension in the air, wondered if perhaps she was just imagining it after the episode earlier when Todd ordered her to suck him off so Ben could hear.

Maybe she was projecting. Ben probably hadn’t heard at all, and even if he had, there was no reason to think anything sexual was building between the three of them.

No, she was being horny and stupid.

So of course the movie Todd rented had to be one with lots of sex in it. She drank her beer and tried not to squirm too much. He hadn’t yet made her come. That was it. She was tipsy and sexually frustrated. Damn that alcohol and sexual frustration!

She snuck a look at Todd, who was already looking at her quite hungrily.
Well.

“What?”

He slid his fingers through her hair. “Just looking at you. I like to, you know, in case you hadn’t noticed. Looking at you and fucking you are two of my favorite things.” She blushed. “Um.”

Ben laughed and she realized how close they were all sitting. Ben’s arm was hard and very warm against her side.

Something passed between Ben and Todd then; Erin
knew
it as she caught the interplay.

“So, anyone want to share with me what’s going on?” She meant to sound pissed, but instead her voice came out breathy and aroused.

“Funny you should use the word
share
,” Todd said as he moved closer, banding her waist with his arm. His lips hovered just barely above hers. “Because sharing is what’s on my mind. What do you think about that?”

She blinked. Ben had moved so she rested, her back to his chest. His broad, muscley chest. Todd couldn’t possibly mean what she thought he meant.

“What do I think about sharing what?” Her voice was breathless.

Ben laughed but didn’t touch her any more than his chest to her back.

“Sharing our bed with Ben.”

The breath rushed from her lungs. Cope was hot. Of the two brothers, she’d often watched his tight belly and ass more, because he was more in your face with his sexuality and attractiveness.

And also, she knew it was harmless. He wasn’t her type.

But Ben was something else altogether. A total package of guh inducing looks, but he was also smart and thoughtful. He didn’t say something unless it needed to be said. He was tall and imposing and had a sort of smoldering hotness she instinctively responded to. She’d developed a friendship with him, but she’d been very careful not to flirt the way she did with Cope. Because Ben
was
her type. She’d often thought, the way Todd was in Ben’s presence, that the two of them played a sort of sexual game with each other without coming out and actually saying so.

But fantasy was not reality. Reality had consequences.

She took a deep breath. “I think we should tread carefully here.” Erin pushed Todd back and scrambled to sit on the low table so she could face them both. Christ, they were like sexy bookends.

“Why?” she asked Todd.

“I want to give you that, to share that with you and with him. I see how he looks at you.”

“Would you feel more comfortable if I left?” Ben asked her.

She shook her head. “No, I think since Todd brought it up in your presence it’s important to include you now.” Erin looked back to Todd.

“Our relationship isn’t a tourist destination, Todd. Inviting someone in takes a lovely fantasy”—

she looked over Ben slowly and fanned herself—“and makes it reality. Reality is complicated.

Reality has consequences you can’t begin to understand until it’s already happening. I love you, Todd. I’m attracted to Ben, yes. Lord, look at him, how could you not be? But are you going to be able to handle it? Seeing me with someone else?”

He nodded eagerly and she wanted to laugh.

“I know I am, and that’s why it’s so fucking hot. I can’t explain it; it just makes me hard every time a man looks at you and wants to fuck you. I want to see you with another man eating your cunt.” He blushed and she licked her lips.

“You’re blushing. Just when I think you can’t surprise me anymore, you blush. We can do this in ways that don’t involve your best friend. We can fuck when people can hear, or even see. Like this afternoon. There are clubs, things like that.”

“I don’t want you to fuck a stranger. I want you to fuck someone I know and trust. I know and trust Ben. I know and trust you. If it’s too much, it’s okay. I understand. I just wanted to be honest with you. To share that fantasy.”

“You don’t know how much it makes me want to crawl up your body and impale myself on your cock right now just hearing that. Since we’re discussing particulars and all, let me say I don’t want to see you with another woman. I’d have to hurt someone, you too.” She shrugged. “It’s not fair, I know. But I don’t want you with any woman but me.”

“Good. I don’t want any other woman but you. But I’m not talking about me being with another woman, and now that I know you don’t want it, we’ve gotten that out of the way. But what if Ben and I . . . if we were together too?” He paused, waiting for her to speak again.

A flush bloomed over her at the idea of her man and Ben all over each other. “I can’t lie and say it doesn’t turn me on to imagine myself sandwiched between you and Ben. Or um, imagining you and Ben. But what does this mean? Have you been together before? Do you envision this to be a one-off or what? What do you think, Ben?”

“I haven’t thought it all out down to the combination of sexual positions. To be honest, I haven’t really had fantasies about men before, but I’m not ruling out a kiss or a touch. Three people naked in a bed, it’s only natural that people would touch. I just want to know what you’re okay with.”

Erin did like that answer a lot. Showed her he wasn’t just all
whee—three-way
, but was really thinking on what may happen and how to keep it okay for everyone.

“You’ve done this before?” Todd asked her.

She burst out laughing. “No. Why would you say that?”

“Aren’t threesomes like communion to rockstars?”

She snorted. “The whole rockstar thing—that’s
dude
rockstars, or so I hear. But I’m not a dude. I did suck a guy off in full view at a club in Amsterdam. That was before fame. Once I got famous I had to be very careful. And in truth, I’d only want that with someone I felt very secure with. I like being watched.” Now it was her turn to blush. “I used to finger myself in the tour bus when I knew Jeremy could see me but couldn’t do anything.”

Todd made a desperate sound and Ben groaned.

“He didn’t like it. He was always too worried. It was his job though.”

“Did you finger yourself like the way you did at the tavern playing pool the other day? Feel free to finger yourself anytime you want in my line of vision. Or anyone else’s vision as long as I’m with you. I don’t want you unsafe. You like being watched, honey, I like watching. You’re perfect. My perfect little artsy-fartsy freak.”

She wasn’t offended by his words; it pleased her that he felt comfortable enough to tease her, and she liked that she was an artsy-fartsy freak.

Ben cleared his throat. “You asked what I thought? I’ve been attracted to you since day one. I love that Todd loves you. He’s my best friend, which makes me care about you all the more. But I adore you independent of that too. Todd and I have never been together like that, but I can’t lie and say I don’t find him attractive that way. You should know I’m bi, so I’m certainly not against a true three-way between us. But I don’t think Todd is ready to jump into sucking cock.” Erin laughed and Todd rolled his eyes. “And you envision this as?”

“Let’s take it one step at a time. It could be horrible.” Ben laughed. Erin sincerely doubted that part. “I lived in a triad for several years. I enjoyed it. I know it’s possible with a great deal of negotiation and communication. But that may not be what you two want. I think it’s important to talk about it but to keep our expectations minimal for the time being. I want to fuck you, Erin. I can’t lie.”

She licked her lips, unable to deny how much the idea appealed to her. God how it appealed to her. “All right then.”

Todd nodded. “Go in the bedroom. Take off your clothes, get on that bed and wait for me. I need to talk with Ben a bit more.”

Todd turned to Ben once she’d left the room. “Did I make you uncomfortable?” Todd asked carefully as he opened another beer. “You seemed to be into it; it was pretty clear you knew what was going on.”

“Uncomfortable in that my dick is so hard I can’t walk. Dude, your woman is on-fire hot. I like how she confronted this head-on. Any good D/s relationship—hell, any relationship, period—

won’t work without communication. I just wanted to be sure she was into it and not just saying yes because you topped her into it.”

Todd took a deep breath and nodded. “She and I had it before but I ran. I’m not running from what I am anymore. I’m lucky to have her, lucky she loves me.”

“You are. I’m into it; I’ve said so. I just want to be sure this isn’t something you’ve ordered her to do.”

Desire, like a fever, heated Todd’s skin. “I’d never do that. I like to dominate her. I don’t want to humiliate her or treat her like a thing. It’s something I’d like to give her. Something I’d like to share with you.”