Laid Bare
Page 84
His mouth found hers and took it. Claimed it because she was his and he’d said it out loud. Erin wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he possessed her, giving herself to him, soothing him even as that submission enflamed him.
“They’re nearly done next door.” Todd spoke softly and Ben pulled back.
“She won’t tell your mother,” Ben said to Todd.
“I know. And I understand why you did it. I know how hard it is for you to have to pretend to be the best friend while I get to be her husband in public.”
Erin just watched them both, her men. Christ, this was unexpected. She didn’t blame Ben for wanting to be in the open with his mother, but she cringed to think about spending the entire day with them all tomorrow and pretending his mother didn’t think she was the whore of Babylon. She’d never been ashamed of her sexuality before, but for the first time she felt embarrassed at what his mother might think. Yes, it was someone else’s hang-up, but that someone was important to her because she was important to Ben.
“Bread is rising. That’ll take a while. Stay out of everything in the fridge in here. If you’re hungry, go next door. I’m going to take a bath over in our new bathroom.”
Both men looked at her lecherously.
“Alone, you perverts.”
She gathered her clothes. She’d moved her bath stuff up there a few days prior. Important things first. She went up the stairs and headed down the hall. The new space was perfect and she loved it. The bathroom was a work of art. The sunken tub put her old one to shame. She’d hung up sconces and lit the candles in them, turning on some music and starting the water.
The bath was the place she’d always gone to think and escape her troubles. Even as a kid she’d done it, in the tiny bathtub they’d had in the house she’d grown up in and the apartments Brody could afford.
Now she could afford giant tubs and bathrooms the size of the shithole apartment they’d had in Hollywood.
She took some of the scented oil she hoarded zealously and poured it into the water and the scent of blood oranges hit the air. She’d found the stuff while in Italy and had charmed the woman who owned the small apothecary in the hill town into sending her some. A batch or three would come at random. Whenever Bartolla thought of it. But always when Erin had needed it.
Erin disrobed, slid into the silky, heated water and closed her eyes to think about everything that had happened in the last year.
She couldn’t fault Ben even though she wished he’d spoken with her first and had chosen a better time than the day before Thanksgiving. Annoyance and embarrassment surged through her and she had to breathe in deep again to find her center, to calm down. She realized she had a freedom neither of them had. Total acceptance from her family. And Todd was her husband. Everyone knew it and accepted it. But Ben had to hide and she understood his pain.
They’d started down this twisty path and she had to accept the consequences. She just hoped it didn’t end up hurting Ben or Todd, because she was pretty sure she couldn’t survive that.
She sighed and let it go. It would happen the way it happened, and in truth it was up to Ben and Todd to tell their families or not. How they might perceive her was small in comparison to how the men felt about hiding. The problem was how interconnected the Keenans and the Copelands were, but again, that wasn’t something she could do anything about except support Ben and Todd.
God, this bathtub was heaven.
There was a tap on the door and she smiled. They’d given her a good half an hour. Frankly, that showed a lot of restraint. The water was beginning to cool anyway. She was sure they’d danced around out there nervously, starting up the stairs and then going back down a dozen times.
“Yes, you can come in,” she called out, and the door opened, admitting two very lovely looking men. She stood up and enjoyed the way they watched.
“Are you mad at me?” Ben asked, handing her a towel.
She moved to him, cupping his face with her hands. “No.” Tip toeing up, she kissed him quickly, but he didn’t want quick. His arms slid around her and held her tight as he turned the kiss into something else entirely.
He broke the kiss and turned her into Todd’s arms, where she followed happily, enjoying the difference in his kiss.
“We knew this would happen at some point,” Todd said when he pulled back.
She shrugged. “Really, I’m not the one to decide this stuff. My brothers are fine with it. I don’t have to hide it. Ben has the biggest burden here. You and Ben have to deal with the fear of your families finding out. I don’t have that. I will support whatever you decide.”
She grabbed her sweater and pulled it on as they watched her hungrily. The testosterone level in the room made her sweat more than the heat from the water had.
“Come on. We can’t start anything right now. The workers are still here and I have bread to bake.”
“I’m going to die of a toxic overload of se**n.”
Laughing, she hopped up on the counter. “I just sucked your c**k a few hours ago, Todd.” She pulled on one thigh-high stocking, warm cashmere, a present from the man looking at her like a very bad wolf.
He stepped to her, and her gaze snagged on the movement of his hand as he popped his jeans open and pulled his c**k out, fisting it a few times.
“Perfect position. These cabinets are perfect for this. Open up.”
She scooted to the very edge and put her heels on the counter next to her hips. Yay for yoga!
“They’re nearly done next door.” Todd spoke softly and Ben pulled back.
“She won’t tell your mother,” Ben said to Todd.
“I know. And I understand why you did it. I know how hard it is for you to have to pretend to be the best friend while I get to be her husband in public.”
Erin just watched them both, her men. Christ, this was unexpected. She didn’t blame Ben for wanting to be in the open with his mother, but she cringed to think about spending the entire day with them all tomorrow and pretending his mother didn’t think she was the whore of Babylon. She’d never been ashamed of her sexuality before, but for the first time she felt embarrassed at what his mother might think. Yes, it was someone else’s hang-up, but that someone was important to her because she was important to Ben.
“Bread is rising. That’ll take a while. Stay out of everything in the fridge in here. If you’re hungry, go next door. I’m going to take a bath over in our new bathroom.”
Both men looked at her lecherously.
“Alone, you perverts.”
She gathered her clothes. She’d moved her bath stuff up there a few days prior. Important things first. She went up the stairs and headed down the hall. The new space was perfect and she loved it. The bathroom was a work of art. The sunken tub put her old one to shame. She’d hung up sconces and lit the candles in them, turning on some music and starting the water.
The bath was the place she’d always gone to think and escape her troubles. Even as a kid she’d done it, in the tiny bathtub they’d had in the house she’d grown up in and the apartments Brody could afford.
Now she could afford giant tubs and bathrooms the size of the shithole apartment they’d had in Hollywood.
She took some of the scented oil she hoarded zealously and poured it into the water and the scent of blood oranges hit the air. She’d found the stuff while in Italy and had charmed the woman who owned the small apothecary in the hill town into sending her some. A batch or three would come at random. Whenever Bartolla thought of it. But always when Erin had needed it.
Erin disrobed, slid into the silky, heated water and closed her eyes to think about everything that had happened in the last year.
She couldn’t fault Ben even though she wished he’d spoken with her first and had chosen a better time than the day before Thanksgiving. Annoyance and embarrassment surged through her and she had to breathe in deep again to find her center, to calm down. She realized she had a freedom neither of them had. Total acceptance from her family. And Todd was her husband. Everyone knew it and accepted it. But Ben had to hide and she understood his pain.
They’d started down this twisty path and she had to accept the consequences. She just hoped it didn’t end up hurting Ben or Todd, because she was pretty sure she couldn’t survive that.
She sighed and let it go. It would happen the way it happened, and in truth it was up to Ben and Todd to tell their families or not. How they might perceive her was small in comparison to how the men felt about hiding. The problem was how interconnected the Keenans and the Copelands were, but again, that wasn’t something she could do anything about except support Ben and Todd.
God, this bathtub was heaven.
There was a tap on the door and she smiled. They’d given her a good half an hour. Frankly, that showed a lot of restraint. The water was beginning to cool anyway. She was sure they’d danced around out there nervously, starting up the stairs and then going back down a dozen times.
“Yes, you can come in,” she called out, and the door opened, admitting two very lovely looking men. She stood up and enjoyed the way they watched.
“Are you mad at me?” Ben asked, handing her a towel.
She moved to him, cupping his face with her hands. “No.” Tip toeing up, she kissed him quickly, but he didn’t want quick. His arms slid around her and held her tight as he turned the kiss into something else entirely.
He broke the kiss and turned her into Todd’s arms, where she followed happily, enjoying the difference in his kiss.
“We knew this would happen at some point,” Todd said when he pulled back.
She shrugged. “Really, I’m not the one to decide this stuff. My brothers are fine with it. I don’t have to hide it. Ben has the biggest burden here. You and Ben have to deal with the fear of your families finding out. I don’t have that. I will support whatever you decide.”
She grabbed her sweater and pulled it on as they watched her hungrily. The testosterone level in the room made her sweat more than the heat from the water had.
“Come on. We can’t start anything right now. The workers are still here and I have bread to bake.”
“I’m going to die of a toxic overload of se**n.”
Laughing, she hopped up on the counter. “I just sucked your c**k a few hours ago, Todd.” She pulled on one thigh-high stocking, warm cashmere, a present from the man looking at her like a very bad wolf.
He stepped to her, and her gaze snagged on the movement of his hand as he popped his jeans open and pulled his c**k out, fisting it a few times.
“Perfect position. These cabinets are perfect for this. Open up.”
She scooted to the very edge and put her heels on the counter next to her hips. Yay for yoga!
