Saint James, Elle - Unbridled and Unbound [The Double Rider Men's Club 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

“Thanks.” Stella felt the heat rising in her cheeks again. He stared at her good and hard for several seconds. Stella thought he was very attractive, but adding a third man to her weekend might send her over the edge of insanity.

“Are you hungry? I could whip something up.”

“No thanks. I ate before I came home. It was a treacherous trip, but I was worried about them not having any food. Between them, they can’t even boil water without a major kitchen disaster.”

“I know. I’ve been cooking for my keep.”

A grin shaped his sensuous lips. “That would be an amazing feat of skill. I know there wasn’t much left here to work with in meal prep.”

“I made do.” She eyed him carefully and took stock of his features. He possessed dark eyes that pierced the soul, a complexion as dark as a perpetual sunbather’s as if he’d come straight out of the ocean and crossed a Caribbean beach. He’d likely have dark hair too, if his head wasn’t shaved. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Extremely Dangerous-looking made for an interesting package. If she weren’t so engaged with Dominick and Tyler, she might be attracted to Clay as well.

But she just knew she couldn’t add one more man to her life. Not even this extraordinary fantasy life.

As if he plucked the thoughts right out of her mind, he said, “I’m not going to do anything sexual to you. Not even if you throw yourself at me. Or lay naked and exposed on the kitchen island again.”

Stella tilted her head to one side. How had he known that was exactly what she was thinking? “I’m grateful, but is it because you’ve already seen what I have to offer and you’re just not interested, or worse, put off?”

“Not even close. I’m sort of on a sabbatical from sex. Don’t get me wrong. I still love to watch what this club has to offer, but I’m working through something personal. I’m not ready to jump back into a physical relationship. Not quite yet, anyway. I promise, you’re completely safe from me, no matter how many times you flash me wearing that shirt.”

Stella took the opportunity to button the very top button. She considered what he said for a long moment. “Good for you.” She held up a hand as if ready to swear to tell the whole truth in a court of law. “And I swear not to tempt you anymore with any naked poses.”

“Thanks. You were very tempting. I’m not unaffected. Not even close, but I think we should strike up a friendship instead. Deal?”

“Deal. Thanks, Clay.”

“And what should I call you?”

“Oh.” She grinned. “I’m Stella.”

“Very nice to meet you, Stella.”

They finished putting all the groceries away and retreated to the great room. Stella knew she blushed as they approached the fireplace. Memories of her first double penetration lovemaking came easily to mind.

Abundant embers still red from earlier helped Clay get a blazing fire going in no time.

“What led you here?” he asked once the fire was stoked and roaring.

“I was on my way to an appointment for work. But I obviously didn’t make it.”

“Well, they are calling this the storm of the century.”

“My supervisor has little use for those who can’t produce magical results. I already got a hate text from her earlier. I tried to send a message, but the wisp of signal that allowed the text to come to me evaporated before I could respond.”

“If it was for work, don’t they have to cover any accidents? You should at least try. They shouldn’t have sent you out into the storm. Nothing is
that
important.”

“Claudia the Bitch has her own set of rules.”

He laughed. “Does she know she’s a bitch?”

“Yes.”

“Well, does she have a boss you could complain to?”

Stella contemplated her supervisor, Claudia, and her boss, Mr. Cock Sucked, and all those long lunches they’d shared in the past year. “I’m pretty sure she sucks his cock on a regular basis. So no help for me there.”

“Does her boss have a boss you could talk to about being reimbursed for your vehicle? Or is she sucking his cock as well?”

“No. Claudia’s boss, Mr. Fuller, is the son of a named partner. The senior partners are semi-retired and getting their pleasures elsewhere. As long as the company shows a profit, those left behind to run things are left alone.”

Stella had a sudden thought about one of the senior partners, Mr. Baker. He’d hired her long ago. He’d been either an old friend or old employer, or both, of her mother’s. Five years ago she’d needed a job, and hadn’t cared about the affiliation with her parent.

Eighteen months ago, he’d also been the one Stella turned to when her mother had taken a turn for the worse. Mr. Baker had helped her arrange for a better place for her mother to die. She owed him a lot. He was the primary reason why she felt like she couldn’t quit this horrible job.

Three more years of Claudia the Bitch and she’d be free of the debt she’d incurred to keep her mother in a “nice” place for her last few months. It had been worth it even if her mother didn’t express her gratitude in words. Or actions.

“Any brothers who are bodybuilders, or better yet your father, who could go put the fear of God into your boss the whore, I mean, the bitch?”

“Nope, it’s just me. No parents left alive. No siblings.”

“Too bad.” He suddenly snapped his fingers. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll pretend to be one of your close, yet protective, older relatives.”

With her skin as fair as a shaft of moonlight hitting a snow bank, and light blonde hair to match compared to his darkly dangerous looks, they couldn’t be more different in appearance if they made a special effort.

“We don’t look
anything
alike.” The difference in physical comparison made her smile.

His shoulders lifted. “So? Maybe you adopted me into your fair family. I’m only there to help her understand she shouldn’t abuse my little sister, cousin, niece, pick your title, in the workplace. Or better yet, I could be your bodyguard. I have experience.”

Stella laughed. “Thanks, but don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She’d done pretty well for herself this past year in the wake of losing her final parent. Stella had been sad when her mother passed just under a year ago, but the truth was Stella had been closer to her father. Until his sudden death in an automobile accident seven years before, she and her mother hadn’t even made much of a pretense of a relationship.

Stella’s mother wanted her to settle down and get married to someone very rich and have several children. That was her American dream. But Stella had a bit of a restless spirit. She didn’t want a conventional existence. She didn’t want to be a hausfrau, or anything close. At least her domestic side hadn’t ever made an appearance until this weekend.

For the first time in her life, Stella considered embarking on a romance. Dominick and Tyler had touched her. She was getting used to the idea of an unconventional lifestyle, including two men instead of one. But it wasn’t like she was going to marry the two of them.

From across the house a door to the outside burst open.

“Clay!” Tyler shouted. “Are you in here?”

“We’re by the fire!” Clay shouted back.

And that’s how they found her. Seated next to their roommate in front of a roaring fire, Stella looked up at Tyler and Dominick as they came in from the cold. Marriage promises or not, how could she ever leave them? She still wore Clay’s shirt, and he didn’t move from beside her when Dominick walked up, fell to his knees, and kissed her like he hadn’t seen her in months.

“Miss us?” he whispered against her lips.

“Yes.”

Without taking his gaze from her eyes, Dominick asked, “What are you doing here, Clay? With the storm of the century piling snow on us in record amounts, thought we wouldn’t see you until tomorrow at the earliest.”

“Turns out, I’m just
that
good. Can you believe it, I felt sorry for you and your lack of food stores? At least until I arrived to see your new special guest. I understand she saved you from starvation.”

“I hope you didn’t scare her or otherwise make her uncomfortable.” Dominick’s tone had deepened, but he still stared at her. His tone of voice suggested the possibility of pain or death if he had. Likely Clay wasn’t afraid, since he outweighed him by a good fifty pounds.

“Of course not. She just helped me put the groceries away and we’ve been chatting about her bitchy boss with the oral fixation.”

Dominick smiled. “I see.”

Stella reached out a hand to stroke his face. Tyler approached them, leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Do you?”

He nodded, and his smile told her all she needed to know. He wasn’t at all jealous about her being with Clay. How extraordinary. And still, the call of her busy life sent an urgent message to her lovesick brain that maybe it was time to come back to reality.

“Now that the roads are better, maybe Clay should take me home.”

“No,” Tyler and Dominick said in unison.

* * * *

Tyler didn’t know what he expected to find inside once they saw Clay’s truck by the garage on the way back from checking the newest building on the ranch. But Stella looking like a rumpled sex kitten perched next to him by the fire wasn’t even close.

“Why do you want to leave?” he asked. Tyler found he couldn’t keep the forlorn sound at bay, either.

“I don’t ‘want’ to leave, but I have a broken car, a boss who hates me, and a life I need to get back to for a variety of reasons. If Clay can get me back home, I should go.”

“I thought we’d have at least until tomorrow.” Tyler didn’t want her to go this year, let alone any time in the foreseeable future.

“To do what?”

“Convince you to consider us on a more permanent basis. We don’t want to end this relationship.”

Stella stood up slowly. Dominick rose with her. “This has been great. But it was just a fantasy for me. I need to go back to my reality.”

“And there isn’t any room for us in your reality. Really? Because I’d love for you to reconsider.”

Dominick cupped her face in his hands. “We won’t pressure you, but just know this has been more than just a hookup for us.”

She smiled. Dominick kissed her lightly. She turned and slid her arms around Tyler’s neck. He hugged her tight to show her he didn’t want to ever let go. He truly didn’t.

The kiss he gave her was sensuous and demanding and carnal, and making his cock hard again. She pushed her hips forward into his wily erection. He started to lose himself in the connection. The heat of the fire licking at his legs didn’t even sink in. Everything fell away around them. They kissed and kissed and kissed for what seemed like an hour.

Clay cleared his throat and finally they broke the decadent, luscious kiss.

Tyler never wanted to let her go. Not today. Not ever. Now to convince Stella and Dominick what a powerful trio they’d make.

Chapter Eight

Stella kissed Tyler like it would be for the last time ever. A sadness rose inside her because she wasn’t ready to say good-bye to them. Although it sounded like they wanted her to hang around for more than just this weekend. But that was crazy, right? She shouldn’t think this was more than just an opportunity to be wild and wicked and act out amazing two-men double penetration fantasies.

“Let’s go upstairs,” Tyler whispered, then resumed the luscious kiss.

Stella broke the kiss. “I was about to make something for us to eat.”

“We can eat later.” Tyler’s gaze fairly seared her eyeballs with scorching heat. He looked like a man completely in love. She didn’t ever remember feeling so cherished before. Mentally she shook her head.
Keep cool. No promises about a future
. She was trying to be practical. Surely they didn’t really want to start a relationship with her.