The Art of Love [Hedon Falls 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (18 page)

“Holy fuck!” she whispered. That meant Jack had offered fifty thousand for each picture, a sum that was unheard of for a new artist. “Why so much?”

“I think it was because he heard someone else offer me one hundred thousand for the collection, and he was determined to have them. They seem to be quite popular.”

“Why won’t you sell the one of me?” Melanie asked. “That’s a lot of money.”

Justin’s grin faded and his deep-blue eyes seemed to trap Melanie’s gaze. “I do not mind having the picture here to display your beauty to the world. But I could not bear to part with a single copy. It means too much.”

Melanie’s heart beat wildly as she continued to stare into his eyes. He began to lean toward her and she found herself standing on her toes to meet him. Their lips touched and she felt the desire whip through her, like a flame to dry grasses, consuming her almost instantly. She clung to his arms as his mouth moved against hers, their tongues caressing each other passionately. She could feel her panties dampening as her pussy ached to feel him inside her again.

“People are staring,” said a low voice behind Melanie and she jumped in surprise. She saw Garrett standing there, smiling at her. “You may want to tone it down a little. I don’t think anyone was expecting a live display.”

Melanie hesitantly darted her eyes around the room to see that many eyes were indeed focused on her and the man in her arms. She smiled weakly at Justin before stepping away from him. “I need to get some air,” she mumbled and hurried to the door. She ran outside without pausing, and the frigid air enveloped her, causing goose bumps to rise on her exposed flesh. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She knew she should go back inside, but she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone just yet. Her stupid hormones had gotten the better of her again. She couldn’t seem to control herself when she was around those men.
Why can’t things just be simple and uncomplicated? Is it really too much to ask?

“Melanie?” said a voice behind her.

She turned to see Lance standing there with the wrap she had worn earlier. He brought it over and placed it around her shoulders. Melanie smiled at him as she pulled the thick fur close around her. “Thank you, Lance.”

“No problem,” he replied. “It looked like you ran out without thinking, and it’s pretty cold out here. It is December, you know.”

“I know, I know. I thought the air would help to clear my head a little.”

Lance nodded at her. “I hope you’re not upset, but Serena has told us a bit about what’s going on. If you want to talk, I’m willing to listen.”

“I figured she would have,” Melanie said. She sighed heavily. “You’re a man who’s sharing a woman with another man. How did you decide that was the kind of relationship you wanted?”

Lance paused for a moment before answering. “Liam and I had both asked Serena out and she turned us both down. When we talked about it, we realized that neither of us would have been happy if she was with the other. It seemed like she was attracted to both of us, so we just decided to try for it.” He smiled. “It wasn’t always easy, but it helped that Liam and I were so close to each other anyway. I don’t know how people in these relationships normally make it work. We were kind of the pioneers here in Hedon Falls.”

Melanie had listened intently. “It seems as though Justin and Garrett are willing to have a relationship with me. But David keeps sending mixed messages.”

“Maybe you should just try talking to him. Tell him why you want a ménage relationship and why loving the other two doesn’t mean you love him any less,” Lance suggested.

“I may have to do that,” Melanie said thoughtfully. Maybe David was afraid she didn’t love him as much as the other two. It made sense given the way he had acted up until now. She wondered how she could convince him.

A shiver ran through her as the wrap began to lose its effectiveness. “I think we should go back in,” she said to Lance. He went to open the door for her and she walked back into the warm gallery. She would talk to David later tonight after all the guests had left.

Melanie spent the rest of the evening mingling. She was introduced to many wonderful people, and most of them loved the artwork. Everything went off without a hitch and by the time everyone had left, most of the pieces had been sold. Melanie was thrilled at the positive reactions to her gallery, and she was happy that her artists had been able to sell their work, in some cases for exorbitant sums.

When the artists, Serena, and her husbands were the only ones left with her, Melanie collapsed onto one of the café chairs. “I’m so glad this is done!”

“It was a wonderful evening,” Serena said as she carefully lowered herself into the seat beside Melanie. “And we have a surprise for you.”

Melanie looked over to see her friend holding a small gift. “You guys didn’t have to get me anything! You already treated me to the spa, drove me in a limo, loaned me gorgeous jewelry. It’s too much!”

“It’s mostly from your men over there,” Serena said as she nodded her head toward David, Garrett, and Justin.

“It’s from all of us,” David said. “Please, open it.”

Melanie took the tiny package and carefully unwrapped the flat box. She lifted the lid to see a shining key on a chain with a large M engraved on it. She looked up at the others. “What’s the key for?”

“Your apartment,” Serena said with a huge grin.

“What do you mean?”

David came over to her and took her hand. He pulled her to her feet and led her to the circular staircase at the back of the café. “Let us show you.”

They carefully ascended the stairs, followed by Justin, Garret, Serena, Liam, and Lance. At the top was a landing with a balcony overlooking the main gallery. A small table and comfortable-looking chair sat beside the glass railing. To the side of the landing was the door to the apartment. An apartment that was supposed to be unfinished. There was a huge bow on the door and a sign that said,
Welcome home!
Emotion washed through Melanie as she looked down at the key in the box and then the door. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and her throat constricted. She took the key and attempted to unlock the door, but her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t get it in right. David chuckled softly and took it from her, and then opened the door himself.

Melanie stepped over the threshold and into a small entrance hall, with a closet to one side. The entryway opened up into a cozy sitting room with two love seats and a chair grouped around a low coffee table in front of a fireplace. To one side of the sitting room was a tiny kitchen, with gleaming stainless steel appliances and a granite countertop. On the other side of the sitting room were two doors, both of which stood open. Melanie could see that one led to a bathroom. She went to the other door and looked into a bedroom that took her breath away. In the center of the room was an enormous bed. She had no idea how they would have gotten it in here in one piece. A dresser and vanity stood on the far wall, and there was another door leading to the bathroom.

Melanie turned to look at her friends and lovers, who all smiled widely at her. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “You did all this?”

“It was a joint effort,” Garrett said. “Serena contacted us and asked if we would help. David made the bed, using pieces of an older one. He did all the lamps as well. Justin painted, and I picked out the rest of the furniture. We all chipped some money in, but the Daltons paid most of the costs.”

Melanie couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, and they began to roll down her cheeks. She went to Serena and hugged her tightly. “You didn’t have to do this! I was happy at the cottage!”

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Serena said. “We felt badly that you couldn’t finish this the way you wanted, and since you wouldn’t let us invest, we decided to do this for you. It didn’t even cost as much as you thought it would.”

Melanie released Serena and then went to hug Liam and Lance. “Thank you.”

“I think we need to be getting home,” Serena said to her husbands. “I’m really tired. Melanie, did you want to come back with us or do you want to sleep here tonight?”

Melanie looked around at her apartment. She could scarcely believe it was hers. And she was eager to check out that huge bed. “I think I’ll stay here. I’ll call you in the morning.”

Serena, Liam, and Lance each hugged her once more before leaving. Melanie looked at the three artists who stood before her. Her stomach knotted with anxiety as she realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to ask all of them to stay. But she needed to talk to David alone first.

“David, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” she asked.

He looked a little surprised, but he nodded. Melanie took his hand and led him into the bedroom. “You two stay here,” she said to Justin and Garrett before closing the door. When she turned to back to David, she saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. She went to sit beside him.

“Melanie—” he began.

“Let me talk,” she interrupted. She took a deep breath before she continued. “David, I love you. You know I do. I also love Justin and Garrett. I never planned for it to happen this way, but it has. I want you all, and I can’t imagine being with only one or two of you. It seems right to me that we’re all together. I need you to be totally honest with me about why you’re having difficulty with that. I want to work it out.” She looked at him and waited for him to say something.

David stared down at his hands. He was silent for a long time, and Melanie was afraid he wouldn’t talk to her at all, when at last he said, “I had a crappy childhood, Melanie. I know it sounds old and clichéd, but it’s true. I never knew who my father was and my mother died of a drug overdose when I was four. I moved in and out of foster homes until I was eighteen.”

“You told me that,” she said as she reached out and squeezed his hand. “Were your foster parents bad?”

“They were never cruel or unkind, but they never really seemed to love me the way they did the other kids. And everywhere I went, it was always the same. I never got adopted, and when I was a teenager, I got into drugs and booze, which made it that much harder for the foster families to cope with me.” He stopped for a moment.

Melanie felt badly for him. His life could have been worse, but it could also have been much better.

“My art teacher that I told you about really helped me to find a purpose. I loved art. Creating things helped me escape when things got tough. I learned to turn to that rather than the drugs, and I straightened myself out. By then, I was living on my own. I had a couple girlfriends along the way, but I never felt as strongly for anyone as I do for you. I guess seeing you with Garrett and Justin reminds me that I’ve had to compete for attention before. I’ve been to therapy and thought I was over it, but maybe not.”

Melanie wrapped her arms around David and held him for a few moments before she said, “David, thank you for explaining that to me. It makes it easier when I understand why you feel the way you do. We have to be honest with each other.”

“I know. I’ve already explained most of that to Justin and Garrett.”

Melanie blinked. “You have?”

“When we were planning this apartment out, we had to spend a lot of time together,” David explained. “They want this to work because they want you to be happy. I’ve gotten to know them better, we’ve talked, and I think I’m ready to try.”

Melanie’s heart felt as though it was expanding in her chest as hope filled her. “I love you,” she said. “I want this relationship to work, too. You need to tell me how to do that.”

He was silent for a moment. “I enjoyed watching you with Justin, and the thought of you with all three of us is very arousing. But I’m going to want time alone with you as well.” His eyes had a questioning look, as if he were afraid of what she would say.

“I can arrange alone time,” Melanie said with a smile. “As fun as it is to be with two guys at once, I like one-on-one, too.”

David leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. They were warm and soft and the touch sent a thrill through Melanie’s body. She shifted against him, opened her mouth to him, and her heart began to race as his tongue darted into her mouth. She responded eagerly and clutched his arms. When she moved her tongue against his, a small moan came from the back of his throat. The sound made her pussy clench and drip. David moved his hands to her breasts and her nipples hardened almost painfully as he stroked them through the thin silk of her dress.

“Unzip me,” Melanie whispered breathlessly. He complied quickly and she stood, pushed the straps down her arms, and let the dress fall to the floor. David pulled her close, his mouth perfectly level with her breasts, and sucked one nipple between his lips while he stroked the other with his fingers. Melanie shivered with pleasure, and gripped his hair to keep his head at her breasts. Her ears were rushing, and she felt dizzy with need as he switched nipples and slid his hand to her panties. He tugged them down past her knees and she stepped out of them. His fingers moved between her legs and slid between the slick folds of her pussy.

“Yes!” she cried. “That feels so good!” She parted her legs to allow him better access. As he buried his fingers further within her, his thumb began rubbing her swollen clit. Melanie cried out at the intense feelings. She began to pull at the buttons on his shirt. The need to get him out of his clothes was suddenly desperate within her, but the sensations he was creating with his mouth and fingers distracted her, and she couldn’t seem to make her own fingers work properly. Frustrated, she pulled back and said, “Get out of those clothes.”