Saving Treasure (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

Treasure took comfort in the feeling of his warm fingers on her skin and smiled at him before registering that he had asked her a question. “I feel fine right now. Have a good day at work?”

His fingers continued skimming the skin on her arm before venturing farther to her shoulder. A hum left his throat along with a nod of his head to answer her question. Her breath caught as she waited to see what he was going to do.

* * * *

Chad watched as his touch began to affect her body. Her nipples hardened, and her face flushed. It was a reaction that he savored.

Her lower lip protruded just a pinch as if offering itself to him, and he didn’t want to resist that type of temptation. He took it between his own lips, tasting it before using his teeth to draw in more of her flavor. That tiny taste only satisfied him for a palmful of seconds. He applied his tongue to gather more of her taste and to give her some of his own.

He groaned as she responded enthusiastically, stroking his tongue back and pressing closer to his body. Her hips ground into his. That action gave him the proof that she was definitely enjoying the kiss. He used his body to tell her what he needed—what he was sure she needed.

He worked his hand into her jeans and stroked her through her panties. His cock dribbled pre-cum when she moaned. Her panties were soaked in no time. And that called to his painfully and pleasurably achy dick. He couldn’t wait to bury himself inside of her.

“Oh fuck, Treasure,” he grounded out once the pads of his fingers touched her after slipping around the fabric in their way. He pressed his hardness farther into her even more forcefully, making it abundantly clear that he wanted to remove the barriers and not stop.

She ground against him and dug her fingers into his back to keep the tight contact. He continued to rub her, bringing her closer to plunging over the edge. She got louder and louder, moaning at the pleasure he was giving her. A noise broke their fondling and made both of them look toward the man standing near them.

James was leveling a black look at Chad before his expression softened to look down at Treasure.

“I was going to ask if you both just wanted to call in an order for supper,” he stated, his eyes grabbing Chad’s gaze in a warning that needed no words. There were a few places that delivered a bit past midnight.

Treasure looked between the two men and started trying to extract herself from Chad’s embrace. He sighed and released her with obvious reluctance, but he kissed her cheek before he allowed her to slip away completely.

Chad hated the tension that bounced between James and himself, saturating in the air. If the way she tightened herself could be used to judge the way she felt, Treasure was sensing it as if it were flashing in neon lights. She started to come toward them, hesitating as if she was thinking about what she would and could do. She aimed her sight straight at James as she spoke, trying to get him to center his attention on her rather than Chad. Chad found the stern set of her jaw cute and admirable. She was trying to act as the buffer to a problem he was sure she didn’t truly grasp as a whole. He bit back a smile. She would be perfect with him and James.

“Take-out sounds fine. If you prefer, I don’t mind cooking. I’m heading to the kitchen. Let me know what you want me to do,” she said. She curled her sweet finger in a way to beckon James to follow her. It was effective, as his best friend followed her, looking as if he were under some sort of siren’s song. It gave them both the time to cool down and think. Chad was going to have to talk to James about the touchy subject of their relationship soon. And, he would have to persuade James that Treasure needed to be a part of it, too.

* * * *

James watched her descend the stairs before he turned back toward Chad. He could tell that Chad was almost pissed off, almost but not quite.

“Chad…” James was unsure what he intended to say, but he trailed off after only saying his best friend’s name. His best friend’s tight face betrayed his awakening lust. On top of that, he was angry and aroused by the scene he had interrupted, and he could tell that Chad knew it, too. James wasn’t sure which emotion was the dominant one at the moment.

“Don’t tell me that you don’t want her, too, James. I’ve noticed how you’ve been caring for her and doting on her and watching her,” Chad challenged him in his normal, blunt manner. James knew that there was no way that Chad would allow James to lie to himself for any significant length of time. Except they had been avoiding his and Chad’s relationship. Chad wouldn’t allow this to continue any more.

James and Chad looked one another up and down, not sure what to make of the situation. James had to acknowledge that they had never been with a woman at the same time despite what they did together. James knew that it was something Chad had always wanted to try with him though. James exhaled sharply before turning around and practically fleeing the room. Hell, he wanted to try it now. He wanted to know what it would feel like to have Treasure between the two of them.

He felt himself being pushed further than he could resist after seeing her with Chad on the sectional. He had been jealous, but he had to admit that it was hot. He was actually scared of being pushed out of whatever he had with Chad. He also didn’t want to lose that something he had with Treasure so soon after finding her. He turned from his friend, wanting to think. Was he ready to confront Chad about their more-than-friends relationship? He had to be if he wanted to keep him, especially if he wanted to add Treasure to their relationship.

He found himself in the kitchen, studying Treasure as she went through the cabinets. She had her hair wrapped around a pencil and would stand and write on a sheet of paper after looking through each cabinet. She was compiling a list of some sort, but he was more focused on the view of her ass, back, and thighs.

She continued glancing through the cabinets. When she had finally opened the last cabinet in her counterclockwise circuit of the kitchen, she stood and turned his way, exposing her flushed cheeks.

James took one step toward her even though he was unsure of his intent.

After that step, he took another one, then another one, until he was standing directly in front of her and she was inclining her head to meet his eyes. The look held, and their bodies shift closer. James slipped an arm around her shoulder, letting it slide down to cup her shoulder blade, with his thumb stretching to rub the strap that held her tank top up. His cock hardened further when her breath hitched.

* * * *

Treasure licked her lips, still tasting Chad on them as James, standing so close and staring so intently, made her mouth run dry.

Something was wrong with her. She rarely responded to guys since she had been generally revered as the little-sister figure. None of the boys around her age ever got too close because of her dad’s rank. The few boys who hadn’t been daunted were the ones from whom she shied away. She’d had boyfriends, but she never really experienced anything from the physical side with the exception of the rare kiss on the cheek until she had started college. The two guys whom she had gone further than that with never had this effect on her.

As she soaked in the sensations that shimmered over her skin, James leaned down and covered her lips with his. The kiss was fast and hot, finished before she pulled in enough of his taste. Whereas Chad’s kiss had lasted, James’s burned fast and furious.

Treasure turned to see the luscious sight of his lips and studied them. Her fingers unconsciously lifted to his full and soft skin there, and her finger pads pressed against the soft skin she found there.

She watched his eyes drifted closed as he seemed to enjoy the torture she inflicted upon them while taking in the feel of him, the smell of him, and the taste of him. Her hands continued to drift down from his face to stroke over his chest through his shirt, her fingers slipping between the buttons.

He kissed her again, more thoroughly, and she felt his hands hoisting her up his body and wrapping around her to pull her more into him. She had gotten so hot and wet that she was sure he could feel it through her jeans and his.

She finally came to her senses and extracted herself from the embrace as his hands squeezed her bottom roughly, grinding her into his hard length.

These guys were too much temptation, and she couldn’t stay indefinitely, no matter how they kept asking her to.

Treasure busied herself while waiting for the Chinese food they had ordered not long after her encounter with James that left her breathless. Her body still tingled from just the thought of it. She shivered as she reveled in the delicious feelings bubbling in her lower belly. She grinned as she let the feeling overtake her for just a moment.

She had opted to stay hidden in the kitchen since there was nothing else that needed to be cleaned in the house. Before she had stretched on the couch and accidentally nodded off, she had finished all of the housework there was to be done without doing a full spring-cleaning. She laughed at the thought since it didn’t seem the thing to do right now. She dug around the kitchen and decided to use the ingredients for the only type of cookies she could find at that moment. As she allowed the dough to chill in the fridge to be baked in the morning, she added plenty of other ingredients to her grocery list for later.

She put away the peanut butter and the sugar along with the other ingredients for peanut butter cookies and sighed, still thinking about those kisses. Her tongue licked her lips again, searching for more of Chad’s and James’s taste.

She tried to ignore the fact that she was still really wet. That was something she didn’t need to think about at all.

Her thighs rubbed together, trying to relieve the aching slickness drenching her panties.

She jumped when both James and Chad strolled into the kitchen, each carrying a sack with the logo for a Chinese restaurant. She had to snap out of her thoughts. She never even heard the door.

The smells wafting her way told of savory yummy-ness that she couldn’t wait to dig into. She busied herself by grabbing plates, forks, serving spoons, and glasses. Chad walked to the fridge and pulled out the beer that was stored there, gesturing one her way in offering. Treasure nodded, accepting. A beer would be good to calm her body. She didn’t drink often, but the effect of the alcohol would be a welcomed influence.

Dinner was quiet and stiff, concluding with both men exiting. Treasure lingered in the kitchen as she washed the few dishes and put them away. She checked the dough for the cookies she would bake in the morning. Finally, there was nothing left to do in that room.

She made her way upstairs and slipped through the empty TV area, noting that the bathroom door and James’s door were closed. She slipped into Chad’s room since her bags were put in there earlier and grabbed the clothes that she used as pajamas—a sturdy tank top that had a shelf bra and a pair of boot-cut leggings. She wasn’t very sure where he had slept last night, but she wasn’t going to take it from him tonight.

She slipped back into the TV room and contemplated the sectional. It had been very comfortable when she had napped on it earlier. She began to glance around, looking for a pillow and a blanket.

The shower was running in the bathroom, so she knew she had a little time before Chad was finished.

She walked into Chad’s room and looked around. He had two pillows on his bed. She didn’t really see any extra blankets in there though. She grabbed one of his pillows and tossed it onto the sectional. Next, she started checking the closets in the hallway where she found sheets and blankets earlier in the day, selecting a comfortably soft blanket. Taking a deep breath and feeling shivers race down her back, she noted it smelled like James. It was a smell that she was starting to associate with safety, security, and comfort. It was the scent of a home.

She settled down, waiting her turn in the shower.

A few moments later, the door opened, and Chad stepped out, dressed in a pair of sweatpants, with a bare chest and feet. His hair still dripped a bit. He moved down the hallway and walked into his room. Her mouth started to dry out as other parts of her started to drip, yet again.

Gathering her clothes and bathing supplies that had been in her bag, she went into the bathroom for her turn in the shower. It was tempting to linger since she had been hot and wet all day because of them.

The bathroom wasn’t fogged with steam. Her wandering thoughts started dredging up images of Chad taking a cool shower and trying to control himself, causing her to grin.

It gave her a sense of satisfaction to know that she had affected either one of them as much as they had affected her.

She got into the shower and moaned as the warm, but not too hot, water trickled down her skin, teasing the nerve endings. Shampooing her hair felt refreshing, but her nipples hardened as she soaped each inch of skin, washing off the accumulation of sweat and arousal. She finally dropped the rag she had in her hand and stroked her skin. Her fingers started on her abdomen and gently touched the skin there, trailing up her ribs and toward her breasts.

Her breasts felt more sensitive to her touch as the image of James and Chad drifted into her thoughts. Her touch became their touch. Her nipples hardened more as she stroked and pinched them, bringing out more wetness between her thighs. She played with the hoops in the buds and bucked her hips at the shivering heat it sent throughout her body.