Under My Skin (Skin Deep) (3 page)

I needed to head home so I could get some things done before tomorrow. I usually spent most of my Sundays catching up on paperwork when I got back from breakfast at Emma’s mom and dad’s house. It was tradition, but we missed out on it today because they’d decided on the spur of the moment to go and visit Emma’s mom’s sister and brother-in-law in
Texas.

“Where do you think you’re going?”
Brandon asked me.

“Home,” I replied. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Just wondered. Got any plans tonight?”

Ummm…yes. Finishing what you guys started.
“Not that I know of. Do you?”

He stretched, leaning back in his chair as he answered, “Yeah, I’m assuming Jackson and I will be over in a little while. Are we staying at your house tonight? Hey! What size bed do you have anyway?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “King size, and do I get a choice if you stay or not?”

“Nope.”

Didn’t think so.

I finally got to leave about fifteen minutes later, but only after promising that they could come stay with me tonight, AND that I would cook them dinner. Oh yeah, did I mention that I had to kiss him like twenty times before he let me go? I could get used to that.

I headed home, shaking my head as I passed the welcome sign heading into town. It’d been changed again, but this time the lovely misguided youth completing the defacement of public property had added a drawing of a large, misshapen penis at the top. I’m assuming it was a penis, anyway.

I pulled my car into the garage and headed inside. I love my house; it’s cute, comfortable, and most importantly, mine! It looks like a cottage but it’s got a wide front porch, and a screened in back porch with a fenced in yard. It seems small from the outside, but it’s surprisingly roomy on the inside with three bedrooms and two baths.

It was perfect for me to have an office in one of the rooms, an extra guest room, and then, of course, my bedroom that I’ve decked out with a huge four-poster canopy bed and lots of pillows! I’d forgone the typical heavy drapery around the bed, and instead had draped it with white tulle netting, gathering it around all of the posts. It looked like a fantasy all in white and I loved it.

With a sigh, I threw my keys on the kitchen counter as I passed through, making a beeline for my office so I could get a head start on the paperwork I needed to get done before tomorrow. I own my own thrift store in a quaint little strip mall in town. I named it Twice As Nice, and I think the name fit it perfectly. I do take in donations, and I carry the usual thrift store items, but my inventory tended to lean more toward vintage and unique.

I worked in my office for a while and by the time I got it all finished, Brandon and Jackson were pulling up. They each had a small duffel with them and I couldn’t help but tease them as they walked into the house.

“You guys moving in or something?” I asked, smirking.

Jackson and Brandon both grinned at me and nodded. I rolled my eyes at them and shut the door behind them. I barely got turned around when I heard the
thump thump
of two duffels hitting the floor and I was surrounded. Jacks claimed my lips, kissing me deeply for a minute before Brandon, who was at my back, cupped the back of my head in his hand and turned my face to meet his kiss over my shoulder. They released me after one last peck each, and I had to lean against the door for a second to compose myself.

“Well, hello to you, too…” I mumbled, still halfway dazed.

“So,” Brandon said cheerfully. “What’s for dinner, dear?”

Chapter 3

“Whoa…who pissed in your oatmeal this morning, sweetie?”

I turned from where I’d just slammed the register drawer shut to see my mom coming in the door of my store, holding a large, oddly shaped piece of wood. I moved quickly out from behind the counter to take it from her.

“What is that, Mom?” I asked her, choosing to avoid her question.

“It’s a quilt hanger rack thingy,” she replied with a smug smile.

“Is that the technical term for it?” I asked, being a smart ass on purpose.

I leaned over to kiss her cheek and laid the rack across the counter to check it out. It was a decent piece, no cracks or splinters, so I went back behind the counter to get a tag for it before moving it to the back counter out of the way. I’d find somewhere to hang it after a bit.

Turning, I spied my mom thumbing through a rack of old romance novels I had set up by the counter. “See something you like, Momma?” I asked.

She sighed and shook her head, turning around to look at me. “Nah…who needs romance books when I have your father at home?” She grinned at me as I pretended to gag, holding up my hand in the universal sign for ‘Stop! Don’t say another word!’

“TMI, Mom, TMI. So what are you up to today?”

Mom shrugged. “Just out and about, thought I’d stop by on the way to your grandparent’s house. And I wanted to drop that off, see if you could sell it. Bernice next door brought it over to me to see if I would bring it in. Well, I’ve got to get over there. You know how they are…” she rolled her eyes and blew out a breath.

I laughed at her. “Yes, I know how they are, and we all completely love them anyway. Nanny being ‘Tank’ again?”

Mom nodded. ‘Tank’ is what we call my grandmother; she’s cantankerous sometimes, hence the name. Poor Poppy has learned just to turn his hearing aids down and nod when she says something to him. He seems to stay out of trouble that way.

“Did you go to Sunday breakfast with Emma’s family yesterday?” Mom asked.

“No, Jan and Ben took off to visit Jan’s sister in
Texas on the spur of the moment,” I replied.

Mom cocked her head and made a pouty face. “Awww…my poor baby didn’t get to eat breakfast yesterday? You should have come see us! I would have cooked for you.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Mom, in case you failed to realize it, I am a grown woman with my own house. I am perfectly capable of cooking breakfast for myself. Besides, I spent the night out at Emma and Luke’s.”

Mom’s cell phone chimed. Without even looking at it, she groaned. “There’s your Nanny now. I swear she times me and if I’m ten seconds outside of the time she thinks it takes to get there, she’s calling me and cussing me up one side and down the other.” She shook her head at me and gave me the same line she always does. “I’m saying sorry now just in case I get that like down the road. Always remember that I love you!”

I smiled at her, nodding in agreement, and gave her a big hug. She waved as she barreled towards the door, rushing to get to my grandparent’s house before they called out the search party.

I leaned against the counter when she left, a little relieved that she was distracted so quickly. I really didn’t want to answer her as to why I was out of sorts this morning. Brandon and Jackson had stayed with me last night, but it might as well have been Emma and her sister, Leah, in bed with me for all the good it did me.

Meh…okay, maybe not Emma and Leah. That might have ended up a little awkward! Brandon and Jackson cuddled me and kissed me and got me all hot and bothered again before they wrapped themselves around me and ordered me to go to sleep.

No, I didn’t stutter. I said
ordered
. They’re lucky they woke up this morning with all of their appendages attached. I don’t know what the hell their problem is. They wanted to give this thing a try and I agreed, but now they’re playing hot and cold? What the fuck?

I straightened as the bell above the door to the store chimed, signaling a customer’s entrance and got back to work. My day passed pretty quickly, even though I was still fuming in the back of my mind. I kept replaying this morning over and over in my mind…

They leaned over me, one on each side, both snugged right up against my hips. And from the feel of things, they were both wide awake now! I took a deep breath and it shuddered out of me as their gazes both traveled south, roaming over  the length of me pressed between them.

“So,”
Brandon began. “This is how it’s supposed to be. You here, nice and soft and warm between us.” He leaned in and softly pressed his lips against mine, silently entreating me to open for him.

My lips parted on a sigh when I felt a hand stroke up my thigh to rest lightly on my bare stomach where my shirt had ridden up.
Brandon took advantage of the moment and slipped his tongue between my lips to dance with mine. The hand on my stomach slid higher, stopping at the underside of my breast, and I squirmed.

I broke the kiss
Brandon and I were sharing and turned my head to the other side, taking in the heat blazing in Jackson’s dark eyes. He leaned in and, not bothering to be gentle about it, nipped at my bottom lip before thrusting his tongue inside, kissing me deeply.

I felt
Brandon shift a bit before his hand was sliding up my thigh, caressing the other side of my body at the same time that Jackson’s hand began moving again. They slid their hands up and down my stomach and sides, lightly over my thighs and back up, neither venturing anywhere near the areas now aching to be touched.

They were torturing me…doing nothing more than caressing my body and kissing me, and I felt like I was going insane.

After a while, they’d kissed me goodbye before leaving, Brandon to head to the shop and Jackson to his house to oversee something the contractors were doing today. Neither of them mentioned getting together tonight, or staying again…frankly, I was completely confused at this whole relationship thing. It was not going anything like I imagined it would.

When they said they wanted to try it, that they wanted me and basically wouldn’t give up until they got me, I figured I was about to get the smack down put on me. I was ready for the mind-blowing, toe curling, hair pulling, ass slapping, screaming out until I passed out moments that I thought for sure were headed my way. So what gives? I wanted to stomp my feet and scream in frustration, but managed to contain myself. Barely.

I got home about six-thirty and, since I still hadn’t heard from Brandon and Jacks, I decided to soak in my tub. The whirlpool jets and detachable shower head were calling my name, if you know what I mean…wink wink!

Twenty minutes later, I was very engrossed in my ‘relaxing’, not bothering to suppress the moans and gasps emanating from my lips.

“Mmmm…yessss…” I hissed through my teeth, not caring that my voice echoed through the room.

“Yeah, baby…keep going…oh, God,” a deep, male voice said breathlessly. “Do you want some help with that?”

I shrieked, bolting upright in the tub and holding the shower head protectively in front of me, water spraying out all over the floor and Brandon, who just so happened to be standing in my bathroom. Where I was
naked
in the tub. And
masturbating
!!!

All of a sudden the bathroom door crashed open and Jacks filled the doorway, his eyes wild, panting as he yelled, “What? What’s wrong? Allie!”

I finally found my voice. And let it rip. “
GET OUT
! Oh, my God! Just go! What the hell are you doing here?” But my words echoed ineffectively through the room because they just stood there, both of their gazes locked on my wet, naked body. Did I mention I was
NAKED
?

The irony of the situation hit me suddenly and I started laughing uncontrollably, even if a little bitterly, dropping the showerhead into the tub and reaching to shut the water and the jets off. Here I am, trying to finally get some relief from the sexual tension the two asses standing in front of me had ramped up, and I’m
STILL
not getting any relief
BECAUSE OF THEM
! Argh!

But enough is enough! Their time of controlling the situation is done; I’m taking control now, and judging by the way their eyes are roving over my bare skin, it’s not going to be too hard to do.

I stood up after pulling the plug on the tub, reaching out for the towel I’d left on the counter before stepping out. Brandon was so close that the tips of my breasts grazed his chest before he swallowed loudly and took a step back.

Glancing over to the door where Jacks was still standing, frozen, I licked my lips as I started running the towel down the length of my body, deliberately turning slightly away from them as I bent at the waist to dry my legs. I heard twin gasps as my position afforded them a view of bare, tender pink folds peeking out from between my thighs and the soft globes of my ass cheeks, both begging for their touch.

‘
In for a penny, in for a pound, right?
’ I thought to myself as I dropped the towel, all pretense, and, still bent over, ran my hand up my leg until I touched that tender flesh, running my fingers lightly back and forth over my slit. I widened my stance and allowed the tip of my middle finger to slide between my nether lips, moaning softly as I encountered the wetness seeping from my flesh.

I heard a harsh groan behind me, followed by a low growl, and then I was being lifted into the air against the hard wall of
Brandon’s chest, my fingers slipping away from the apex of my thighs. My hand was instantly caught and my head spun when Jackson stepped forward and slid my finger deep into his mouth, sucking off my juices.

I went limp against
Brandon as he swung around and headed for my bedroom, Jacks following close behind. He’d lost his grip on my hand when Brandon had moved, but the heat in his eyes as they locked on mine over Brandon’s shoulder made me shiver in anticipation.

Finally
! Yes! This was happening…no way in hell were they stopping before we were all a breathless, tangled mess on my mattress, or so help me God, there would be fucking hell to pay.

Brandon
dumped me unceremoniously on my bed and I bounced once before I was surrounded by the unwavering heat of two pumped up, sexy, alpha-males, one on each side. I sat up, finding Jackson’s lips with mine and kissing him wildly as I blindly reached out to grab for Brandon’s shirt, desperately tugging at it, wanting it off and his bare skin against mine. He complied immediately and my hand was suddenly tracing the hard muscles of his chest. I moaned and broke the kiss with Jacks, tugging at his shirt with my free hand, wanting him bare to me as well.

Panting, I moaned, “Clothes
off
, NOW!”

Both of them sprang into action, jumping off the bed and shucking their jeans in an instant. I learned rather quickly that neither of them bothered with underwear apparently, so they were bared to my gaze, and sweet baby Jesus, what a sight! The Ha
llelujah chorus began blaring in my mind and my mouth watered.

Blinking, I sucked in a breath, taking in the beauty of them. Both of them were very well endowed, Brandon just a tiny bit longer than Jacks, but Jackson’s girth more than made up for that. Both were also clean-shaven…score!

“You sure about this, baby?” Jackson asked me, his voice ragged and low.

“You stop and I’ll castrate you both. You both wanted this relationship and you have not held up your end. You’ve only tortured me,” I growled, narrowing my eyes at them.

Jackson chuckled and held up his hands in surrender; Brandon shook his head and grinned at me. They were both so amenable to this now that I had to open my mouth and ask.

“Why the hell haven’t you touched me, then? How the hell can you sleep next to me and not want to do more? You guys said you wanted me so bad, but…” I broke off, my voice cracking and surprising me. Damnit! I didn’t want to turn into an emotional wreck, begging for attention.

Brandon’s grin slipped off his face immediately, and he was beside me in an instant, Jacks right behind him.

“No, baby, no…”
Brandon soothed. “We want you. So bad. Seriously bad, to the point that we were afraid we’d scare you off. And we wanted to be sure that this is what you really want, that we’re not forcing you into anything.”

“Why didn’t you say anything, sweetheart?”
Jackson asked. “The last thing we want is for you to pull away from us. And before you say a word, I know that’s what you were doing. You didn’t call or text me today, and I’m pretty sure it’s a no for Brandon, as well.”

I shook my head, done with the conversation. I wanted to get back to the good stuff, because I seriously was about to go postal if I didn’t get my rocks off! “Less talking, more touching,” I said, firmly.

I didn’t give them a chance to say anything more, reaching out and encircling both of them with my fingers. I heard Brandon gasp and he jerked slightly in my grip. Jackson inhaled sharply before releasing his breath on a groan.

Without stopping the smooth glide of my fingers up and down the smooth, hot, hard flesh jutting from each of their bodies, I slipped off the edge of the bed to my knees in front of them. I’d never dreamed of doing something like this in my life…well, okay, maybe dreamed about it, but never imagined that it would come to fruition. A headiness coursed through my veins, making me bold, and I felt sexier than I’d ever felt in my life as I leaned in and kissed the tip of each of them in turn.