And so I relaxed, let the small bit of whiskey mellow me. Enjoyed being held. Comforted.
It was such a new sensation to experience, in more ways than one. I had no support. My parents didn’t live nearby, and they were busy with their own day jobs and everyday lives. I had friends, but I wouldn’t have gone to any of them to tell them about the dead body. I was a loner. An introvert. I had no one to turn to.
So to have someone—two men—so willing to watch over me, not asking for anything in return right now, well, I just wanted to enjoy the moment. For tonight, I did. So, for at least a few hours, I’d take the shelter and warmth from them.
“Would you believe that Dane is into Shakespeare?” Leo asked. “He was into drama and shit in high school. Even performed in a few plays back in the day.” He shot his friend a wide grin. “Macbeth.”
“Shut up or I’ll tell her about the time you stumbled onto internet porn on one of the grade school library computers and was naive enough to show it to a teacher,” Dane shot back with his eyebrows raised and a smile on his full lips.
I knew what they were doing, making me forget. The thought of a young Dane spouting Shakespeare up on stage had me smiling. And Leo experiencing porn at that age. It was cute. A welcome distraction. They talked about their pasts, silly things that made me smile, made me relax, not forcing me to make conversation. At some point, Leo handed me back my glass of whiskey, and I finished it. Content and sated, I let their voices, their stories, soothe me into sleep.
Five
DANE
It was fucking torture, not being able to touch Harper while she rested between us, her head on my shoulder and her mile-long legs stretched across Leo’s lap. Although she was sleeping, having her in my apartment did something to me.
It overpowered me.
Ridiculous, since I’d only known her a few hours. She was different. I’d never brought a woman back here before. A night of sex was either at the woman’s place, a hotel or a quick lay in the back of a limo. My space was sacrosanct. Until now. Even Leo agreed about Harper, bringing her here without question. It was the only place we knew she’d be safe, and between us.
It only ratcheted up my urge to have more of her. I wanted the smell of her perfume in my bedroom, the citrusy fragrance of her hair on my pillow, or her sweet feminine scent infused into my bed sheets. And the sugary sweet taste of her on my tongue.
To do that, we needed to get her out of that restrictive dress. We’d be able to admire every curve and contour of her body. To touch every inch of her. To witness her intense reaction from head to toe when we took her. To hear every whisper, moan, and whimper that left her lips. To finally have her cry out our names when we made her come.
But we meant what we’d told her earlier.
We wouldn’t lay a finger on Harper unless she asked us to. Even if my dick hated me.
Leo and I had shared countless women before, but this was different. Those women had been casual hookups. One-night stands. Maybe two nights. Rarely three. I couldn’t remember seeing any of them more than a few times before we moved on to the next. It was just easier that way. Less complicated with no expectations. A woman barely ever got to close their eyes and recover for too long, let alone stay the night. Even at a hotel.
Already, Harper was different. The circumstance that led to her being here wasn’t sexual. Sure, we definitely would have brought her here for sex if she hadn’t found that damned body. In a fucking freezer.
But we’d skipped from initial attraction to having her stay over without all the steps in between. Like conversation over a meal or even foreplay. Only a bit of flirting in the kitchen, but she’d been working, and hell, we’d been in O’Sullivan’s house. And because of that, she was here with us for her protection. Not sex. This was potentially a life or death situation. She’d seen a dead body—Leo had confirmed the unlucky bastard was as cold as the quart of ice cream his head had been resting on—and that made her a big fucking liability to Shamus.
While we hadn’t shared a woman in a while, I realized now the reason why. We’d been waiting for Harper. Oddly enough, no other woman had interested us much anymore. Here we were, on a fucking couch and holding a woman. Letting her sleep. I felt more for Harper than all of the other women combined, and I barely knew her. Chemistry? Fuck, yes. But there was more, and when she was awake, we’d discover it. We’d discover it all.
As for Harper, I had to hope she’d want the same from us.
Everything.
As Leo had said, if she decided she really wanted us to share her, she’d have to beg for it. Because then we’d know we had her consent, that she was all-in.
As her head started to slip lower down the front of my chest, Leo glanced over at me. “We should probably put her to bed,” he whispered to avoid waking her.
“Sure. My room.” My voice was low, but bristled with a gruff finality I didn’t intend but wasn’t surprised to hear. In fact, I was glad it came out that way, letting Leo know that, in no uncertain terms, Harper was staying in my bed tonight.
His eyes narrowed as his gaze shot to mine. I could tell that he wanted to object at first. His eyebrows always furrowed together before an argument, the same way he’d always move his right hand behind his back to hide the fact that it was balled into a fist long before an argument turned into a physical fight.
But after a moment, he backed down and nodded. Stood. Reaching one hand to her upper back and the other behind her knees, he leaned forward and effortlessly took her from my arms, carrying her down the hall.
“Fine,” he grumbled as he went. “Yo
ur bedroom for now.”
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “We’ve never fought over a woman before. It seems we’re both a little possessive.”
“No fucking kidding,” he muttered.