Love Under Two Private Dicks [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10

  “How so, sweetheart?”

  Emily Anne looked up at Connor. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. She shrugged and said, “Momma didn’t like my last boyfriend, not one little bit. In her words, and I quote, ‘Emily Anne, even you can do better than Billy J!’ And she said that a lot, not just once or twice. But the last time I spoke with her on the phone she was telling me I needed to give that dirty rotten no-good louse—the descriptors are my words, by the way, and not hers—another chance.”

  “That does sound odd,” Connor said.

  “So, Bill Jay huh? Is that his last name? Jay? Or is it his middle name?”

  Emily Anne shook her head. Mel’s tone had been casual, but she sure wasn’t fooled one bit. She would have to make a note for future reference that these men got jealous at the drop of a hat. “No, his full name is Billy J. Cooper. And he does ranch work around the Comanche area, which is where I’m from. He’s twenty-two going on twelve, and has never held a single job more than six months. He has collar-length brown hair that he never managed to keep quite clean enough, and he drives a beat-up old Chevy pickup. Is there anything else you want to know about him?” She put a smile on her face that she hoped conveyed that she thought they were being silly.

  “What does the J stand for?” Connor asked.

  “Doesn’t stand for anything. His momma thought the name William J. Cooper sounded important, so that is what she called him.” Emily Anne thought about it for a moment. “I reckon that she kinda jinxed him, making him tend to be a boy who leaned toward being all flash and no substance, doing that.” The men seemed to be paying very careful attention. She shook her head. “Y’all don’t have to worry about Billy J. He’s never been a threat to anyone, near as I could ever see. And there is no way on God’s green earth that I would ever even give him the time of day, let alone ‘give him another chance,’ as my momma is urging me to do.”

  Mel and Connor seemed to be focusing on preparing the dinner. Mel opened the oven and added a few slices of potato to the roast pan, and Connor put the veggies he’d cut up into a pan with a bit of butter and turned the pan on low. Then they both sat down on either side of her and scooped up her hands into theirs.

  “I remember you said he dumped you, and you looked kind of fierce when you said it,” Mel said. “You sure he didn’t give you a hard time, precious?”

  She guessed she already knew these men pretty well, because she understood they were both being careful with her. It was nice to know that they would be her champions, if she ever had need of any.

  “Not in the way I think you mean,” she said. “The Saturday night he dumped me was just after the last set he and his band had played at The Waterin’ Hole. As we were working on breaking down the equipment, some recording company bigwig, who’d been there, apparently liked what he heard. Offered for Billy J to send in a demo tape, as a matter of fact. The guys were all real excited about that, because they’d all dreamed of getting their ‘big break’ and it looked like the moment had finally arrived for them.”

  “And Billy J’s response to that was to dump you?” Connor looked mad as hell. Emily Anne squeezed his fingers and smiled. “I was hurt at the time, but more on account of what he said when he did it. He told me he didn’t need a fat and frumpy girlfriend standing between him and all the eager groupies he was certain were in his future.”

  “So Billy J’s not only stupid, he has lousy taste.” Mel raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. He used his thumb to rub over the spot as if he wanted to work that kiss right into her flesh.

  She felt a greater sense of affection from these two men holding her hands than she ever had from Billy J, period.

  “I didn’t think that way at the time,” she said. “But the longer I spend with you, the more clearly I’m beginning to see the past as it really was.”

  “And your mother wants you to give this prince a second chance?”

  “I told her that it was not going to happen.”

  “Good. Because if anyone comes sniffing around our woman, we’d have to take exception to that,” Connor said.

  “Your woman, huh?” She kind of liked the sound of that.

  “Absolutely,” Mel said. He brought her hand up to his lips again. “Said ‘exception’ might prove painful—for Billy J.” He gave her a grin that let her know in no uncertain terms that Mel would most definitely enjoy the process of taking exception to Billy J’s unwanted attention.

  It occurred to Emily Anne that if her mother did tell her ex where she was, she wouldn’t have to bother the sheriff with her problem. She could just let her men handle the situation.

  Her men.

  Emily Anne guessed she liked the sound of those two words, but not near as much as she liked the reality of them.

  “What time do you have to work tomorrow, precious?”

  “I’m on the later shift. I don’t have to be in until noon or so.”

  “Good. Would you stay the night with us?”

  “There’s nothing we’d like better, angel eyes, than having you between us all night long.”

  She didn’t need to be convinced. The idea of getting out of bed and going home after more of their hot, steamy loving simply didn’t appeal to her. She wasn’t ready to move in with them even if they did ask her to today. But the occasional sleepover sounded better than fine.

  “It’s an amazing coincidence,” she said, “because there’s nothing I’d like better than to spend the night between the two of you, too.”

  Chapter 10

  The more time Connor spent with Emily Anne, and the more he learned about her, the more deeply he fell in love with her.

  He watched her eat, almost marveling at the dainty way she used her fork to spear the small pieces into which she’d cut her roast beef. He figured a man was pretty far gone when he became enamored of the way a woman ate her dinner.

  Connor thought about all the little things he’d known about her before he became her lover, and all the things he’d learned just tonight.

  When she’d told them about Billy J, and the way that asshole had dumped her, he recalled that moment during Carrie Rhodes Benedict’s wedding reception—that moment when Emily Anne took to the stage and brought the house down with her rendition of Faith Hill’s “Breathe.”

  “What about you, sweetheart?” He wondered why, all things considered, the question hadn’t come to him before now. “You’ve got some pretty awesome pipes on you.” When she looked up at him, confusion on her face, he elaborated. “When you sang at Carrie’s wedding, Mel and I were there, remember? You stunned everyone with your voice!”

  “He’s right, precious. You’ve got one hell of a voice,” Mel said. He seemed to get Connor’s point. “Is that a dream of yours? Maybe getting a recording contract of your own some day? I don’t know that much about it, but I think you’re good enough to get one, if that’s something you really wanted to do.”

  Her smile softened, so sweet in its honesty that Connor, who’d never once thought in such terms, could have sworn he felt his heart melt just a little bit. “Thank you, both of you. But no, that’s not something I’ve ever wanted.” Emily Anne shook her head as if to emphasize her words. She set down her fork and took a tiny, delicate drink of her sangria. Watching her drink her wine got him hard.

  God, Talbot, you have got it so bad.

  “I’ve never fancied a singing career of any kind. I do know I have a good voice, and I might get up and sing a song or two if the occasion presents itself now and again. I like the singing in and of itself—but it’s just something that I do for fun, or when I’m in the mood.” Emily Anne shrugged. “I wouldn’t want the pressure or the…the complications, I guess, that can sometimes go hand in glove with a career in the public eye.”

  “That’s fair enough,” Connor said. Suddenly everything he didn’t know about this woman seemed immense and he felt an almost-desperate need to begin filling in all the blanks. “Is there something else you’d like to do, though? Not th
at there’s anything wrong with working at Lusty Appetites. There certainly isn’t. But do you have a goal or a dream? Something in life that you want to have or achieve?” He wondered at the look that crossed her face, a shadow of emotion that came and went in a heartbeat’s worth of time. Then she gave him a smile that went straight to his cock.

  “Well now. Are we talking long-term or short-term goals?”

  “Either or,” he said. He understood the look in her eyes before she said another word. He looked over at Mel, who’d also been focused on her face. Clearly, he recognized that spark of interest, too.

  Miss Emily Anne Bancroft was aroused. It also crossed his mind that she meant to distract him away from the discussion about her goals and dreams with sex, but that was all right.

  They would return to the subject of the lady’s life goals eventually.

  “There is something I’d like to do short term. It has to do with that hot tub upstairs.” She looked at Mel, and then met his gaze again. “I’ve heard whispers about water sports, but I’ve never had the opportunity to explore the concept.”

  “Is that a fact?” Yep, his cock was getting harder by the minute. “I’m sure that between us, Mel and I can satisfy your curiosity when it comes to all things wet and wild.”

  “I do believe that between you is exactly where my curiosity—and appetite—are both likely to be satisfied. For all things…physical.”

  Connor loved it when Emily Anne got a little bit bold. She had the prettiest blush, and her eyes sparkled even more brightly than usual. It also did something to him to know that she was stepping outside of her comfort zone, daring to be daring, and doing it for them, for him and Mel.

  He didn’t need to be told this was a side to herself she’d never shown anyone else before them. He just knew it was so.

  Reaching out, no longer able to keep his hands to himself, he stroked her hair and then settled his hand at the back of her neck.

  “I need to taste you again, angel eyes.” He didn’t give her more than a second, but he didn’t need to worry because in her eyes he read a desire that matched his own. She halved the distance between them, reaching for him even as he bent toward her.

  He didn’t so much kiss her as he drank her in. Already the taste of her was something he craved, and that craving, he knew, would be his for the rest of his life. He used his tongue to explore her mouth, dipping in and around to scoop up every nuance of her flavor. He could taste a hint of the sangria she’d enjoyed, and the fruity sweetness just enhanced her flavor more. His right hand joined his left in touching her, a small caress to her cheek, then down to her neck so that he had the sense of holding her face—holding her—in his hands.

  He’d never been more conscious of his strength as a man, or more aware of being entrusted with something so precious and fragile.

  He lifted his lips from hers, pleased beyond words when her eyes appeared glazed as if his kiss had somehow short-circuited her brain.

  “Let’s clear up in here so we can spend the rest of the evening satisfying your…curiosity.”

  * * * *

  Emily Anne definitely liked the way these two men did things, even outside the bedroom. Neither one of them seemed allergic to pitching in to tidy the kitchen, and wasn’t that something? She’d been willing to do the job solo since they’d cooked the meal. Instead, they’d allowed her to think that they were letting her help. She’d pick something up only to have it snatched from her hands—gently and usually with an accompanying, very distracting kiss.

  By the time Connor turned out the lights in the kitchen and Mel took her hand to lead her back upstairs, she was hotter than she’d ever been in her entire life.

  He didn’t let go of her hand until they reached the master bathroom. He brought her to the hot tub and reached over to turn on the jets. When he faced her again, he used his index finger to trace the V opening of the robe she wore.

  “Are you too sore or too tired for more loving, Emily Anne?”

  “I’m not sore at all. I want you inside me.” It had become increasingly urgent to her that she have Mel’s cock inside her pussy, just as she’d had Connor’s earlier. She wanted both of these men with an equal intensity.

  Connor pressed up behind her and reached around to untie the belt that held her robe closed. He opened it, then eased it off her shoulders and kissed the back of her neck. “Have you ever had anal sex, Emily Anne?”

  The one time Billy J had tried with her—without asking first—had been a terrible experience. He hadn’t gotten very far before she’d managed to stop him. She hadn’t let him near her again for weeks after that incident. Now that she thought about it, she probably should have been the one to dump him right then and there.

  “No, I haven’t.” And she would have sworn the idea would just raise her hackles. But…ah, the idea of having both of these men inside her body at the same time tickled more than just her fancy. She could have sworn that her clit had just wiggled with excitement.

  “Your nipples just beaded,” Mel said. “Does that mean you’re interested?”

  “Can I be interested and leery at the same time?” Yes, she wanted these two men at the same time but she couldn’t forget that one horrible experience.

  “Of course you can. We can talk about it, and you can think about it, until you’re ready to try,” Connor said. He kissed her shoulder again. “You don’t have to be afraid, sweetheart. We’d make sure you were well prepared, first.”

  “How would you do that? Make sure I was prepared, first?”

  “We’d begin by using our fingers for a little anal play, and then we’d use butt plugs,” Mel said. “A series of plugs in graduated sizes that you could wear for a couple of hours at a time. They would work by stretching you so that when it came time to take one of our cocks in your ass, it wouldn’t be as difficult or as painful for you as it might be, otherwise. The very last thing we want to do is hurt you.”

  Butt plugs. Maybe one of the women at work could tell her about butt plugs. Or…Emily Anne nearly smiled. She had another idea about who she could talk to about butt plugs. She was planning on that trip over to Morehead and a certain “boutique.” From what Rebecca Jessop had told her about Discretion, Emily Anne was willing to bet she’d find everything that she needed there.

  “Okay. We’ll talk about it. I want to try, I really do. I’m just apprehensive.”

  Emily Anne felt Connor tense behind her. And then he kissed her shoulder again. “Sweetheart, did someone try to have anal sex with you without preparing you first?”

  Trust Connor to read her body language. “You could say that.”

  She couldn’t see the look on his face, but judging by the way that Mel looked up and seemed to meet Connor’s gaze, neither man was very happy to hear that.

  “We’ll take care of you, angel eyes. I promise.”

  “I believe you.” She didn’t want these men thinking for even one moment that she in any way put them in the same category as Billy J.

  The steam from the tub rose up, a light, fresh scent that made her want to get wet, wild, and very wicked.

  Mel reached out and stroked the underside of her breasts. Her nipples drew even tighter than they already had. She leaned back against Connor, making a little “mmm” sound when she realized his cock was hard, poking against his jeans and pressing against her back and bottom.

  “We can talk about butt sex later.” Mel gave her a grin that was full of fun and made her smile right back at him.

  “All right. What do you want to talk about next?” She looked over her shoulder at Connor, then met Mel’s gaze again.

  “Well now, precious, I think it’s safe to say that for the next segment of our program, words will be more or less superfluous.”

  Feeling bolder than bold, she reached out and used a single finger to draw an imaginary line down the front of Mel’s body. The cotton of his shirt and the denim of his jeans seemed a real travesty to her just then.

  “I reckon tha
t’s fitting. But, lover, I really think you have to lose the clothes before we can proceed.”

  “Hmm…I get the impression that you just want to see me naked.”

  Emily Anne grinned. “There’s that investigative genius of yours at work. A very impressive demonstration, sir.”

  “Why, Emily Anne Bancroft, you’re a smart-ass!”

  “And you, Melvin Richardson, are still dressed.”

  “So I am indeed, and will be so again, in a way, shortly.”

  She tilted her head to the side, letting him know she didn’t quite follow that particular verbal volley.

  The look that came into his eyes was pure lust, and Emily Anne’s heart began to beat faster.

  “I’ll strip so that I’ll be wearing nothing. And then I’m going to wear you.”

  He kept his gaze locked with hers as he reached for the hem of his shirt. It was up and off in a heartbeat, and then he began to open his pants.

  Standing behind her, Connor had stepped away from her for a few moments. She guessed he’d been busy undressing himself while she and Mel sparred. As soon as Mel began to undress, Connor pressed close against her once more. His heated flesh warmed hers, and his rigid cock pressed against her back. He took her hands in his and raised her arms, bringing her hands behind his neck. She laced her fingers together, guessing that was what he wanted her to do.

  “Good girl,” Connor said. “Keep your hands there for a while, angel eyes.”

  He slid his big, warm hands around her hips and let them rest on her stomach. He splayed his fingers there, and for the first time in a long time she didn’t feel self-conscious, having a man touch that part of her body.

  She felt incredibly sexy, having one man’s hands on her while she watched another one undress in front of her.

  Connor moved his hands on her and she smiled. His palms weren’t soft, either, and neither were Mel’s. When they held her, she felt every inch a woman being held by real men.