Lick Is A Four-Letter Word (14 page)

Troy
crowded right up behind her as she fumbled in her purse. He nuzzled into her
neck and she shivered, even in the warmth of the evening. She bit her lip,
trying to calm down. He was large and strong and she’d never get the door open
if he kept distracting her. She pushed at him with her hip, trying to make more
space, but he just groaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder. Felicity
huffed out a laugh.

“Josh
is going to be upset if we start without him,” she said, shoving her own libido
back into its box. It didn’t work very well. What she really wanted was to turn
around and rub herself all over him.

“He
should hurry up, then,”
Troy
muttered, but he stepped back, giving her a little more room. “How long does it
take to get Aunt Min home? She only lives ten minutes from your house.” He
looked around. “Nice place, by the way.”

“I bet
she’s berating him for not introducing us sooner.”

“I
won’t take that bet because I know you’re right,”
Troy
laughed.

Felicity
grinned. “And how can you tell what my house looks like? It’s dark.”

He
shrugged. “I think I’ve been down this street before. You have pretty flowers
planted by the maple near the sidewalk.”

She
stared at him. “You noticed my flowers?” Even in the dark he was gorgeous.

He
rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I like flowers.”

She
laughed and kissed him, quickly backing away when he tried to deepen it. If
they started necking on her front stoop, he’d have her half-undressed before
she could blink.
And all my neighbors would be peeking out their windows,
scandalized
, she mused, still scrabbling around in her purse. She blew a
few strands of hair out of her eyes as
Troy
ran a hand down her back.

“Not
helping,” she said, inching away.

He
laughed. She shook her head at him, mock-glaring. Back at the restaurant,
Troy
and Josh had been
throwing her heated looks the entire time Aunt Min had talked. Felicity had
felt flattered and aroused and embarrassed, in equal measure. It had been all
she could do to keep from squirming. The only thing that kept her from teasing
them back was Aunt Min, who’d been sitting right next to her. There was nothing
more lust deflating than having an elderly relative looking over your shoulder.
She was glad for it, in a way. They’d never been able to keep their hands off
each other long enough to actually talk. Of course, now that she’d met Josh’s
aunt, and knew more about the two men, she felt even more attracted to them.
What had been just a fun little fling in her head was fast turning into a major
falling-in-love crush.

And
I’m even more of a nervous wreck now,
she thought,
imagining what was going to happen. She’d only ever made love with one other
man, her husband. What would it be like to let not one, but two other men into
her life? She frowned, ignoring
Troy
’s
questioning look. If either of them was serious about her, they’d have to take
her as she was: bum ankle, nerves, everything. Her hand closed over her key.

“Are
you sure about this?”
Troy
asked, once again demonstrating a level of perception that surprised her. Both
men kept surprising her like that. She didn’t know when she’d grown to expect
men to be jerks.

Probably in high school, when the boys taped my
backpack to my chair. Or when they made fun of my glasses
, she mused, resting her head on the door. In the dark, it was hard
to see the deep red color she’d painted it this spring. “I don’t know if I’m
sure, or insane.”

“You’re
not insane,”
Troy
said, stroking her hair.

She
turned around and leaned back. It was a clear night, but she lived on a quiet
street with a lot of trees and space between the houses, so it was dark. Peter
had liked the privacy, though now the yard work was nearly impossible for her
to tackle on her own. She managed, but not easily. There was only one
streetlight, on the corner, and it was far enough away that
Troy
’s face was in deep shadow.

“Why
does it feel like every time I’m with you or Josh I have to touch you or I’m
going to go crazy?” She laughed, but it came out all wrong.

“Oh
baby,”
Troy
said, gathering her up. “Didn’t you feel like this with your husband?”

She
shook her head.

“If you
broke Felicity, I’m going to be pissed,” Josh said from the sidewalk, startling
her.

“She’s
not broken,”
Troy
retorted, tightening his arms. “She’s perfect.”

Josh
came closer. Felicity could see the look of concern on his face. “Are you
okay?”

She
nodded into
Troy
’s
chest. He smelled good. “I’m just a little
weirded
out, I guess.”

“About what?”
Josh asked.

“Why
don’t we take this inside?”
Troy
said.

Josh
gave
Troy
a
look she couldn’t interpret. “Okay.”

Felicity
held her key out to him, making no move to get away from
Troy
. He was warm.
Comforting.

Josh
took her key, then lifted her hand and kissed it. “Relax. We would never hurt
you.”

She
smiled and pulled out of
Troy
’s
arms, suddenly feeling much better. How did they always know exactly what to
say? “I know.”

Josh
unlocked her door. Felicity pushed it open and flicked on the light switch.
Cool air wafted over them as they stepped into her tiny foyer. The
air-conditioned space was in sharp contrast to the humid weather they’d been
having lately.

“This
way,” she said, leading them across the tile and toward the steps. She lived in
a bi-level on steep property. The living floor was at the top of the stairs.

“This
is gorgeous,”
Troy
said as he followed her, looking up at the vaulted ceiling and the wooden beams
that stretched over the space.

“Thank
you,” she said, walking past the kitchen and into the family room. This room
was her favorite place in the whole house. One wall was paneled in dark wood
and had a stone fireplace in the center. She’d put an enormous white vase near
it, liking the contrast of the smooth porcelain against the rough, dark stone
and wood. The right side of the room held sliding doors that went to her deck.
Trees surrounded her back yard, so the view was lush and private, at least in
summertime. She’d had the sofa set in front of the fireplace covered in a soft
purple fabric. Peter had hated it, but she loved it. It was cozy and
comfortable. She flicked on the single lamp in the room, bathing the space in
warm light. The hardwood floor gleamed underfoot.

“Wow,”
Josh said, setting her keys on the console table next to the doorway. “This is
beautiful.”

“It’s
my favorite room,” Felicity said quietly. She didn’t often let people in here,
preferring to entertain in her kitchen or dining room, instead. For some
reason, though, she wanted Josh and
Troy
to be here.

“The
moon is rising,”
Troy
said, walking over to the glass doors.

She
dropped her purse on the table and joined him. His hazel eyes glittered in the
cool moonlight, while the warm lamplight lit his hair with gold.

“Your
hair is really light,” she murmured, reaching up to touch. “Isn’t that
unusual?”

Troy
grinned.
“Yeah.
My dad’s skin was a lot darker and he
had dark hair, too, but I got this color from my mom.”

“His
eyes, too,” Josh said, joining them.

“Pretty,”
Felicity said, knowing it would bug
Troy
.

“What?
Guys aren’t pretty,” he retorted, growling at her.

She
laughed. “You are.” She glanced at Josh, loving the way his hair fell over his
forehead. “And so is Josh.”

“Hey!”
Josh mock-frowned at her.

She
grinned.

“Josh
looks like a clone of his dad—everything boring brown. His mom has blue eyes,
believe it or not,”
Troy
said.

“I like
the way he looks. His eyes are gorgeous,” Felicity said.

“What
is it with women and your eyes?”
Troy
mocked his friend. “I swear, every girl he’s ever dated swooned over the eyes,”
he said to Felicity. “Then they found out about his video game addiction and
dropped him like a hot potato.”

“Chick
dig the Asian eyes, deal with it,” Josh joked, grinning. “And my love for video
games turned into a lucrative company, one that feeds you, I might add, so stop
your complaining.”

Felicity
smiled. The two men continued to bicker good-naturedly, but their amusing digs
at each other weren’t enough to completely dispel the nervousness she still
felt. Josh and
Troy
were
here
.
In her
house.
In her private space.
She put a hand to
her stomach, trying to get the butterflies to calm down. Josh caught her
movement and his expression faded into concern. Felicity knew she hadn’t
succeeded in deflecting either man from her disquiet.

“What
are you so
weirded
out by?” he asked gently.

She
sighed. “I’m not used to this.”

“Not
used to what?” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and cupped her face.

“To feeling so… overwhelmed.”
She
nuzzled at his palm.

Josh
exchanged looks with
Troy
.
“What about your husband?”

She
shook her head and stepped away. “We were friends first. It was never like
this.” She kicked off her low-heeled sandals and dropped onto the sofa,
relaxing into the soft cushions. Her ankle felt okay today, but even on good
days it ached at night.

Troy
walked over and dropped to his knees in front of the sofa. “You’re not used to
feeling like this?” He ran a finger down her arm.

She
shivered. Just that one little touch was enough to arouse her, especially when
paired with the heated look in his eyes.
“Exactly.”
She fiddled with the soft pink silk of her dress. She was wearing another one
of her all-in-one sheaths. They were comfortable, even in the summer heat, and
drew the eye away from her ankle. She still couldn’t believe neither
Troy
nor Josh seemed at
all bothered by her scars.
Or her
nerdiness
.
Or her less-than-thin curves.
She just didn’t get it,
at all.

Josh
toed off his shoes and pulled his shirt out of his slacks before kneeling down,
too. Felicity watched him take off his socks. When he touched her knee, she
jumped, staring at his hand on her leg. It looked so masculine against the
pretty fabric.

“Easy,”
he murmured. “We would never do anything you don’t want.”

Felicity
twisted her lips. “That’s the problem. I want everything. I scare myself.”

Troy
had taken off his shoes now, too. “We’re right here with you.”

“I
know,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Kiss me.” She looked into his hazel
eyes, reassured by what she saw. He wasn’t taking this lightly anymore, either.
He felt something too. Something more than just fooling around warranted. When
she glanced at Josh, the same realization filled his expression. This was
getting serious.

Troy
leaned in anyway, face angled up, and Felicity met him halfway. As soon as
their lips touched, she gasped. He tasted as good as she remembered. He licked
into her, going from slow to a hundred miles per hour in a split second.
Felicity let him, moaning with just how much she wanted this. He broke off the
kiss, but before she could complain properly, Josh was there. His mouth closed
over hers and she fell into him, sprawling on his lap. He tilted her down onto
the soft area rug in front of the sofa, covering her with his body.

Felicity
grabbed at him, needing more. “Closer,” she begged, opening her legs. He
slotted his hips right up against her core. She arched her spine when the
heated length of his erection made contact with her clit.

“God,
she’s smoking,”
Troy
said to Josh, lying down beside them.

“Come
here,” she managed, snaking an arm out and pulling him into a kiss.

Troy
groaned into her, pressing closer. His cock pushed on her hip. Josh moved aside
a little.