“What about Michael’s house?” Seth asked.
“He could turn it into his practice instead of that tiny-ass office he has in town. ”
Dillon’s idea was solid. Michael did need more office space, and Dillon’s place was ideal for the four of them.
“What do you think, Lily?” Seth asked. “Are you up for staying here?”
Michael laced his fingers with hers and glanced over to see so much longing in Lily’s gaze that it hurt him. He lifted her hand and turned it over to press a kiss into her palm.
“Stay with us, Lily. You won’t regret it. ”
Lily in turn looked at each of the brothers, warmth shining in her eyes. “Do you really all want…me? Do you really want to do this?”
Both Dillon and Seth nodded.
“Absolutely,” Michael said.
“Okay then,” she said softly. “I’ll stay here with you—all of you. ”
Michael hadn’t realized his grip was so tight on her hand until he felt her flinch. He released her immediately and then rubbed his fingers apologetically over hers.
Then he glanced over at his brothers, silently asking for their commitment. There was determination in their faces, and their focus was entirely on Lily. But when they looked up at Michael, he knew they were every bit as committed to making this work as he was.
Chapter Eighteen
Dinner was fun. For Lily it was glimpse into the days ahead, something that filled her with hope and excitement. The brothers joked and ribbed each other mercilessly, but there was also a solid thread of loyalty and love. The same feeling she’d had when she first walked into their parents’ house.
She longed to be a part of that. Something solid. To be a part of a family unit again. To know there were people she could count on.
Dillon refused to allow her to help with the dishes, and instead he corralled Seth into helping with the chore while Michael returned to the living room with her.
As soon as they were away from the kitchen, Michael halted and pulled her into his arms. His lips found hers in a hungry, urgent kiss. Warm and so smooth. He nibbled at her lips and then slid his tongue between them, stroking sensually along her tongue until all she could taste and feel was him.
“It made me crazy today,” he murmured. “Knowing you were with them and I couldn’t be with you. It was the longest damn day of my life. ”
“You’re with me now,” she said as she feathered her fingers over his temple and then through his hair. “It’s fascinating. I would have imagined Dillon with his rebel image to have the long hair and you with the staid image of a country vet to have short, very neat hair. ” She pulled her fingers to the ends of his hair.
“You don’t like it?” he teased.
“I do. It’s just surprising. Like you, I guess. Seth seems so quiet and focused and then you came along and it was like being hit by a tornado. And then Dillon. I can’t decide, but something tells me that you’re more of a rebel than Dillon is, and that at heart, Dillon is really a homebody. ”
He blinked in astonishment and then laughed. “Don’t ever tell Dillon that. He’ll take it personally that you find me more exciting and dangerous than him. ”
“Well, I didn’t say that. ”
“But you’re thinking it,” Michael said with a grin. “That’s good enough for me. ”
“You’re incorrigible. ”
“Don’t call me things I can’t spell. ”
She laughed and leaned further into him. They were still standing in the middle of the living room, but they could be anywhere and it would be magic.
That was the word—the feeling—in a nutshell. It was magic. A miracle that she didn’t deserve but was so grateful and gobsmacked over.
Three men who seemed too good to be true. Three loyal, strong, devastating men. And they all wanted her. They wanted to make a life with her.
“I’d pay a lot to know what you’re thinking right now. ”
She realized she was smiling—no, beaming—from ear to ear. “I was thinking about you. And Dillon and Seth. I’m still just processing it all. It seems too good to be true. ”
“Believe it,” he said just before capturing her mouth again.
Oh, but she ached. Her breasts tightened against his chest and her nipples formed hard, tingling points that begged for his touch—his mouth. Her body was awash with heat. Her skin was flushed and desire pooled low in her belly, simmering to a slow boil.
She swayed in his arms. Her knees buckled and he caught her waist, hauling her firmly against him. It seemed she’d spent the entire day in a state of heightened awareness. She wanted to make love with these men, but she was at a loss as to how.
She twined her arms around his neck and slid her mouth down his jaw line to his neck where she nuzzled and licked at the area over his pulse.
He groaned and went tense against her, his arms like iron bands around her body. His erection bulged against her belly, and she rubbed enticingly, causing sweet friction between them.
She felt alive. Electric. Coming to life after a long period of dormancy. Forgotten was the past. Sorrow. Regret. Here, with these three men, she’d found herself again.
She turned when she heard a sound and saw Dillon and Seth standing in the doorway to the living room. Their eyes glittered, and Seth’s mouth was drawn into a tight line. She could feel their need across the room. It mirrored her own.
She glanced back at Michael and knew what she needed to do.
It wasn’t as if she had experience with this kind of thing. Honestly, the idea terrified her. What if they were appalled by what she wanted? She’d never been in such a precarious position. She felt like she was sticking one foot over a drop-off and praying for all she was worth that she found purchase.
Slowly, she backed away from Michael and her hands fluttered nervously to the hem of her shirt. Before she lost all her nerve, she raised the material over her head and dropped it to the floor.
It seemed important to her that this first time—especially the first time—they made love for it not to be a choice between one brother and the other. Now, she was glad she and Dillon hadn’t given in to the overwhelming heat and desire between them earlier in the day.
She wanted to give herself to all of them on equal footing. She wanted to show them she accepted and wanted the three of them and not one more than the other.
When her hands dropped to the waistband of her pants, she felt the sudden inhalations around her. The brothers glanced between each other, seemingly as hesitant and unsure as she was herself.
She eased her clothing from her body in slow, unrushed movements until finally she stood naked and painfully vulnerable in the middle of the room.