Men Times Three (19 page)

“Check with Deke or TJ O'Banion. Tell them you talked to Holly. They may not have work for an untrained laborer, but it can't hurt to ask.”

“Okay! Thanks!” He turned and left with the spring of hopeful youth in his step.

She secured the tank with a couple of stretch cords and closed the tailgate. Burgers tonight, with a sideshow of Eli and Kylie ignoring the fireworks between them. She smiled. She and Deke were smart to have their arrangement.

“Who you playing house with Holly?” Jack's soft voice startled her.

“Jesus, Jack, you scared me.” She jerked and spun to face him. Jack never used a soft tone. He used his arms to trap her against the tailgate.

“Don't bother lying, wife-of-mine. I already know his name.”

“Back off.” She shoved him off her and stood her ground. She glared at him, fighting hard not to scream that she wasn't his wife. Instead, she used the same calm no-nonsense tone he used. “You have no right to be here, no right to question me and no right to put your hands on me. Do it again and I'll call the cops.”

She turned to raise the tailgate, but a painful yank on her arm stopped her. “I mean it, Jack.”

Instead of letting go, he pulled her back against his body. His hard cock pressed into her ass. “Feel that, Holly? You want it, I know you do. You always fuckin' want it.” His hand slid to her crotch and pressed her there while he kissed her on the neck. His teeth nipped hard enough to hurt.

He was quick with his hands and had the tab of her jeans undone before she realized his intent. His fingers delved into her pants and found her clitoris. He rubbed her with a lover's knowledge of the perfect stroke, the perfect pressure. “See? You're wet already.”

“Not for you, Jack.” This was a physiological reaction to stimulus, nothing more. She hated that she moistened, hated that she had so little control over her own body. Hated that she'd given herself to him after her affections had fallen away.

She pulled back from his hand, but that brought her into contact with his cock. She had no choice but to talk her way out of this.

“Jack, you're hurting me. We're not into pain, Jack, and this hurts. I don't want you this way, not anymore.”

He eased back and stilled his fingers but instead of removing his hand he cupped her mound. “Holly, you don't mean that. I'd never hurt you. I love you.”

“This is love? Taking what I don't want to give?” She knew his next move. “And don't do that jiggling thing you do.” But it was too late, she felt the shimmy in her mons, along her slit and labia. “Stop it, Jack.” She tried pushing his hips back but he didn't budge.

She dragged in a couple of deep breaths while her belly began to sing with response. Not so long ago, she'd have opened herself to him, taken what she needed and given him what he wanted. But this ugliness shamed her.

“Jack,” she coaxed. “I'm sorry. I was wrong to keep sleeping with you. The sex was a mistake. We should have ended our marriage clean, but we—
I
—didn't. I'm to blame for letting you think…” her voice went husky, as she opened to the tap, tap of his forefinger. “Stop that.”

He kept up the pressure, and her hips moved involuntarily. If she didn't stop him soon, she'd come and she'd never be free of him.

“Don't, Jack. I
don't
want this.” She relaxed against him and kept her voice reasonable. “You're not a man who hurts women. Please. Step back.”

Her heart stampeded blood and the first frisson of fear made her break into a sweat, but she forced her muscles to loosen. She wasn't sure she could hold on long enough to escape her own body. But she had to. She turned her mouth into his biceps and bit.

Hard. Before orgasm rose and swamped her.

“Jesus!” He stepped back and she stepped forward, pulling his hand out of her pants. She buttoned and zipped quickly, dragging in three deep breaths to steady herself. She slammed the tailgate closed and held on to it for dear life.

“What'd you do that for?”

“You weren't listening.” She searched for any sign of another customer or the gas jockey looking their way. No luck.

Jack was busy rolling up his sleeve and didn't answer. “Are you okay? I didn't break the skin. I couldn't have.” He had on a long-sleeve sweater and light jacket.

None of the gas customers looked her way and she'd parked next to a stand of trees. If she wasn't careful, Jack could drag her out of the parking lot and no one would see a thing. She stepped around the side of Deke's pickup in full view of the other people going about their routine.

But this was Jack and he'd never actually been violent. Even now he looked more confused than angry. She'd hurt him.

“I'm sorry, Jack. This isn't working anymore.” She waved her hand from his chest to hers. “You have to move on. Please. For your own good.” She hesitated, then touched his cheek. He dropped his gaze to the ground and for a flash she saw the man she used to want a life with. But not now.

“There's so much good in you and another woman can bring that out. It's time to find her.”

He shuttered his eyes against her, let them go cool and assessing. “So you can fuck this guy”—he rattled the tailgate—“with a clear conscience?”

“This has nothing to do with Deke. He's not important right now. You are. Your dependence on what we used to have is misplaced. Set yourself free, Jack. You deserve to be happy, not trapped in our past. If you think about it enough you'll see that you weren't happy, either.”

He nodded and backed away. Relieved, she turned and scooted around the front of the truck and climbed into the driver's seat. Thank God Deke hadn't come with her. She wouldn't have had a chance to be reasonable and all kinds of shit could have gone down.

With a little thought and time, Jack would see reason and finally move into his future.

She could tell everyone to stand down now. Jack wouldn't bother her again.

The best part was, she'd managed the whole thing without Deke or her family getting involved. She locked the door and started the truck, finally at peace. Jack still stood where he'd been and she watched him grow small in the rearview mirror.

“Good-bye Jack. Take care,” she whispered, and meant it.

K
ylie and Holly parked themselves at the foot of the staircase to take a break from painting the back bedrooms. Kylie held her hot mug of tea with blistered fingers. She showed them to her cousin with pride. “Blood, sweat, tears and blisters. Does this prove I'm committed?”

“Nobody's ever doubted you,” Holly responded with a sympathetic moue. “And thanks for the tea. I like it.” She held her cup in a salute.

It had been a week since Holly's successful confrontation with Jack and the worry had eased for all of them. They'd had a full week of peace, hard work and bonding. Trust had built and Kylie's comfort level over sharing confidences had evened out. Marnie had told them about her partner's idea for BackLit. She hadn't asked for opinions, so neither Kylie nor Holly had offered theirs. “TJ's happy to have Marnie back,” she said, “and Deke finally seems back to normal.”

Holly smiled a private smile at the mention of Deke's name. “That man can hold a grudge. It took him two days to get over the fact that I sneaked away with the propane tank.” She bumped Kylie's shoulder. “But the sex was smoking hot.” Holly shivered theatrically then took a sip of tea. “I'll have to remember to tick him off every once in a while. It was like he needed to put his stamp on me.”

“Sounds hot.”

“Believe me, it was. A focused demanding lover creates all kinds of fantastic opportunities. He dragged me around the bed, put me into positions without asking, he even caught me in the laundry room off the kitchen while you were serving lunch for the work crew. Hot, dirty, sweaty sex with people in the next room—” She broke off with a quick loud sigh.

“And I thought the dryer was overloaded.”

“It was.” She sighed.

“TMI, dear cousin.” Kylie held up her free hand, mind ablaze with possibilities. “Too much information.”

Holly chuckled. “How's it going with Eli?”

“There's nothing to
go
. He insisted on staying here because we weren't sure what Jack's next move would be. But now that Jack's gone home and he's stopped calling you, Eli doesn't need to stay here. I'm fine alone.” She always had been.

“Do you want him to leave?”

Kylie shrugged. “It's no bother having him around. He stays at his end of the hall and I stay at mine.”

“No accidental collisions in your nightie? No trips to the kitchen at the same time? No bathroom doors open a crack while you shower?”

“No!” She wasn't a fool. Eli would see any one of those things as invitations. And the man was difficult enough to deal with in the daytime. “Well,” she confessed, “last night we ended up in the kitchen at the same time. He always gets a glass of milk and I had to wash my favorite teapot.”

“Had to? Right when he happened to be in the kitchen?” Her gleeful expression said she read a lie.

“Yes, and I got there first. I hate the brown tea stain at the bottom of my best teapot. Makes me think my tea won't taste fresh.” Eli had walked in on her while she'd been at the sink, hands deep in soapy water. “Come to think of it, he did brush up against me when he got a glass for his milk.”

Holly eyed her with suspect humor.

When Eli's hips had caught her backside, her nipples had responded and she'd shifted to avoid another brush, but he'd also moved and they ended up colliding again. She hoped he hadn't been able to see the flush that had moved up her neck.

Marnie called downstairs. “The logs are here!”

Sure enough, they heard the sound of trucks arriving in a rumble of squeaking brakes and powerful diesels. Marnie flew downstairs to join the race to watch the delivery. All three women careened to a halt on the back porch.

The first of three trucks arrived and the women were awed into silence as the driver backed into position behind the inn. Some logs were notched in half moons close to each end, while others had angled ends and square notches. Some were short, some long, but each was of similar girth. The sun split the clouds and turned the logs to a buttery color. “Beautiful,” Marnie sighed. “Aren't they beautiful?”

Kylie nodded. “It feels like a dream come true. The only problem is, it's Grandad's dream. He ordered these cabins.”

Holly wrapped her arm around Kylie's waist. “Maybe, but he knew we'd be the ones to see the dream fulfilled.”

Marnie's arm settled across Kylie's back from the other side, and for the first time since her mother's death, she didn't feel bereft. She felt connected. “This is a good thing, then, right?”

“Right.”

Marnie blew out a breath. “Right,” she agreed. “A good thing.” She looked at Kylie's profile, then tucked a lock of hair behind Kylie's ear. “I'm glad you're here. I'm glad we're together to watch this.”

The truck settled, the brakes sighing, and Eli and TJ took up positions on the first foundation. Deke climbed into the crane.

Holly spoke in a heavy breath. “How do they know which log goes where?”

“Eli told me they're marked. The cabins were preassembled and each log will go back into the right place. They're like kits at this point,” Kylie explained. She'd asked Eli the same question last night when they'd bumped into each other in the kitchen before bed. When they talked about anything that wasn't personal, they managed not to snark at each other too badly.

The more impersonal the conversation, the better they got along.

“Wow.” Marnie put her head on Kylie's shoulder in a show of solidarity and affection. “Did you ever imagine we'd be here, like this, watching this?”

“You mean the logs or the men?” Holly asked, her mind seemingly never far from sex.

“Both.” TJ was in red plaid, Deke in green, and Eli in blue. “Good thing they're color-coded, I can hardly tell them apart. Look at those tool belts.”

“And hard hats,” Kylie agreed with a sigh, as TJ stopped long enough to roll his sleeves to his elbows. He lifted his hard hat and smoothed his hair off his forehead.

“Oh, mama,” Holly breathed. “With any luck it'll get hot enough to take those shirts off.”

Three fervent prayers drifted upward.

An hour later, the four walls were outlined and the notches made sense as each log settled on top of the one below, guided into place by Eli and TJ. Deke handled the crane like a master and didn't release a log until TJ gave the sign.

The brothers weren't the only men on the crew, but to the cousins, they were. Kylie couldn't tear her gaze from Eli. He performed impeccably, taking the end of each log and guiding it, notch down to its proper resting place.

Soon, shorter logs were manhandled into place and the openings for the windows became clear.

The women settled into chairs and watched from the safety of the porch, their feet up on the sturdy log railing. The split in the clouds had grown and now the sun blazed down in one of those rare Northwest moments of dazzling sunshine that heated the air.

“Hallelujah,” Marnie breathed.

Kylie agreed and opened her knees and closed them again when she realized her unconscious action. She bit her lip to keep from moaning as first TJ and then Eli stopped to remove their shirts.

Their muscles bulged and bunched as another log lowered toward their heads. Their strong legs stood braced on top of the previous log as they reached to position the newcomer. Perspiration brought their lightly tanned skin to a high sheen. Gentle as a bird landing, the log settled into place and TJ released the straps so Deke could pick up the next log.

The other crew members attached the straps and the process began again.

“Dear heaven,” Kylie murmured. Eli was a god. A titan, perfectly sculpted and shiny with the heat of exertion. She loved the shadow of hair on his chest that fanned wide at the top and narrowed to his waist. It took little imagination to
see
what lay beneath his heavy leather tool belt. She sighed. “If we're lucky, they'll ask for water and douse it over themselves. Like Hugh Jackman in the movie
Australia
. I think I've hit rewind on that scene six hundred times.”

Holly laughed. “Is that all? It must be a thousand times for me.”

“Ditto,” Marnie murmured.

Kylie wanted to hoot, to catcall, but she feared the men would put their shirts back on or be distracted enough to get hurt.

The work continued for another hour, with Kylie moistening more with every log that Eli manhandled into place. She dipped her fingers into her iced tea and took out an ice cube to run over her overheated neck. The sudden shock was more exciting than calming. Her only ease came from the butterfly motion of her knees. The press and release of her upper thighs eased the pressure momentarily, but then Eli's back muscles would bunch and he'd bend over and she'd be lost in a haze of desire again.

She moved her glass to sit on her mons and pressed lightly, convinced she'd pass out without some small measure of relief. An icy trickle of condensation slid under the thin crotch of her cutoffs. Dear heaven she was so
hot!

“If they don't stop soon, I'm going to walk out there, grab Deke and fuck his brains out in the crane. I'll crawl onto his lap and have at him.”

Marnie hooted and high-fived her. “You do that and I'll take TJ out to our favorite pond. There's a nice flat rock out there that catches the afternoon sun. Mmm-mm.”

They both looked at Kylie simultaneously with twin expressions that screamed for a comment. She shrugged. “Well, if the chance were to come up, so to speak, I—ah, hell—I'd have at Eli, too. But I'm not sure he feels the same way.”

Her cousins looked at each other and burst into laughter, which drew TJ's attention. “Hey, ladies, you going to hog that iced tea all afternoon?” he called. “Everyone take twenty.”

The crew scattered into the shade of the surrounding trees while Deke jumped down from the crane, shirtless, and joined his brothers. The three of them walked in step toward the porch, shoulder to shoulder, talking about the morning's progress. They looked animated and happy, oblivious to the effect they were having on the women.

Incapable of speech, Marnie, Kylie and Holly watched their advance.

Eli glanced Kylie's way and caught on her position on the porch immediately. She kept her feet up on the railing, short cutoffs exposing the backs of her thighs. This time, when she opened her knees she knew exactly what she was doing. And why. When Eli's step faltered, she did it again, more slowly: a direct and blatant invitation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noted her cousins weren't far off from her own behavior. Marnie slid her fingers along her thighs while Holly pressed her breasts together.

Clearly, men in tool belts operating big machines, manipulating logs large enough to crush them in near ballet precision was a major turn-on. Not to mention the bare chests and hard hats.

“Gentlemen, start your engines…” It was Holly, naturally. She finished off with a low-pitched purr.

Kylie chuckled and did another butterfly that stopped Eli in his tracks. A hot spear of desire bolted to her sex as he narrowed his gaze from ten feet away. For a measured moment there was no one in the yard for her but Eli.

Her pussy melted for him as she let him look his fill as her knees opened and closed as delicately as fluttery wings. She had good legs and she'd caught him watching them before, so now that she had his attention, she meant to keep it.

She'd let go of her attitude toward him as the days and nights alone in the inn with him had worn on. He'd been polite and completely nonsexual all week.

But tonight would be different. Tonight would be hers.

He advanced to the porch slowly. At five feet away, he lifted his hard hat and ran his forearm across his forehead to swipe at the sweat on his brow. He replaced the hard hat, leaving her wondering how his sweat would taste.

Tonight. Yes.

She'd find a reason to call Eli down to her end of the hall. If she worked things just right, he wouldn't leave again until they were both wrung out and useless.

A sexual shiver let loose inside as she realized his eyes were boring into hers. She accepted his look and gave it back tenfold.
Tonight.

 

Eli watched Kylie's curtain of ebony hair swing forward as she dropped her feet from the porch railing and stood. Whenever they were within yards of each other, she couldn't move without him noticing. She laughed, he heard her. She walked, he saw it. She showered down the hall and he smelled the fruity soap she used, felt the steam when she walked out.

Problem was when she spoke, he more often than not disagreed. Maybe his back got up because he didn't like hearing, seeing, smelling her twenty-four seven. Especially when he knew touching was out of the question.

The Himalayas were looking better every day. Maybe there he'd put her out of his mind.

As she stood, she wrapped a knot in her hair with a deft flick of her wrists and threw it over her shoulder. Even that motion irritated him. Did she never use a clip? The knot always eventually slipped south, until it disappeared and she'd have to do it all over again. The inefficiency and wasted effort piqued his anger.

With a sway in her hips and a determined gleam in her eye he'd never seen before, she walked toward him while his brothers skirted past her to get to Marnie and Holly. The gleam intrigued but couldn't be good. She was up to something and Kylie on a mission was a dangerous woman.

His cock had twitched to life as she'd opened and closed her legs at his approach. Now, seeing her stride with her breasts fluid and unrestrained, his cock engorged to full. Her cutoffs were the shortest she'd worn since arriving and the bottoms of her pockets peeked out at the top of her thighs. Her nipples jutted like erasers, small and tight.

Even so, it was her gaze that caught his. He couldn't look away as she approached.