“Rebecca, you asked me how you fit in this thing with Manny and me—like you were custom made for us, sweetheart. I know it’s not an easy thing to live with…the scrutiny, the intrusions—but I hope you think we’re worth it.”
Rebecca didn’t just feel like crying, a few tears actually streamed down her cheeks. She giggled through them. “Damn right!”
Kyle came to them then, hugging them both and landing a kiss on each of their lips, despite the shocked gasps from the crowd. To Rebecca’s surprise, the gasps gave way to the sound of someone clapping from the corner of the room. The three of them looked over to find Gavin applauding slowly at first and then quicker as he stepped forward so everyone could see. More applause erupted, until much of the room was clapping for them.
Kyle thumbed a tear from Rebecca’s cheek. “Why are you crying?”
“Let’s go home and I’ll show you.”
“You don’t want to stay?”
She shook her head. “No. I think we caught the best part of the opening. The exhibit will be here tomorrow.”
Rebecca registered the look of relief on both of their faces. They linked hands, and the crowd parted for them. At the back of the room the press clamored for a statement and camera flashes lit the room. This time, Rebecca didn’t cover her face or bow her head. She walked as tall as possible between Manny and Kyle, each of them now with an arm around her shoulder. The reporters followed them onto the grand limestone steps and down the street. There was no need to say anything further. Kyle had said it all. They took off down the block, as though none of the persistent gossip peddlers existed, to retrieve Holly from the lot and head home.
But whose home?
“Let’s head downtown. Your bed is bigger,” Manny said, as soon as he was behind the wheel.
Kyle shook his head. “As of ten minutes ago, I don’t live there anymore.”
“Huh?”
Rebecca was just as confused.
“My parents own that place. I’m not going to stay there and have to answer to them.”
“Your dad seemed to support your decision.”
“Wait until my mother gets to him. No. I’m moving out tomorrow.”
Manny stole looks at him while he drove. “I didn’t mean for you to walk out on your family, Kyle.”
“If the impenetrable Senator Olivia Hunter can’t accept us—” Kyle turned and caught Rebecca’s gaze. “—all of us—then she’s the one walking out on me.”
Rebecca touched his shoulder. “Give her a chance, Kyle.”
He didn’t answer, but offered a weak smile and a kiss to the top of her hand.
Kyle’s phone rang. “Ah, speak of the devil,” he said.
“Not nice, Kyle,” Rebecca warned, halfheartedly at best.
“You know what?” he said. “I’m off the grid…at least for tonight.” He turned the phone off, making a show of holding it up and putting it in his pocket.
Rebecca did the same and took Manny’s phone from him when he handed it over, powering it down as well. Then Manny suddenly turned Holly left onto 51st Street, well short of his Upper West Side neighborhood.
“Where are we going?”
“North. What do you think about getting out of the city?”
“I love the idea! Let’s go to a bed and breakfast for the night. Ooh, I know the perfect one too—from my research. It’s next to the old lakeside cabins where your great-great-grandparents honeymooned.”
Manny turned on Holly’s GPS. “What’s the name?”
“Bennett House. It’s about an hour away in Orange County.”
Manny programmed the search. “Perfect, except—”
“Except, we need to call ahead to see if they have rooms.” She powered her phone back on.
Kyle swung around in his seat. “Except we can’t hold out for an hour, sweetheart.” She watched him lean over and put his hand in Manny’s crotch. His arm moved up and down. “Fuck, he’s already hard as a steel rod.”
Manny licked his lips. “Yeah, an hour ride is out of the question right now. Not without a small detour.” He shifted into fifth, peeling off into the left lane and around the car in front of them. “After that whole thing at the library, I need a few moments alone with both of you.” He cut around another car. “I mean, if you’re good with that, Rebecca. I know you said you wanted to take things slower.”
Rebecca could barely remember why she’d felt that way. She was high again, up on that carnival ride, and this time the drop didn’t look scary. This time she wanted to hold her hands up and scream with joy all the way down. How could she want to dull this feeling? People would spend their last dime to feel this way. She had two sexy guys who only had to look at her the right way and her head was spinning.
“Hmmm, did I say that?” she said. “I must have been talking about your driving.”
Kyle and Manny laughed.
Manny winked at her in the rearview mirror. “Sorry. Holly has a mind of her own sometimes.” He eased his foot off of the gas pedal a bit. “The municipal heli-port is up ahead and it has a fuel silo. Hell of a view from on top of it.” Manny waggled his eyebrows at both of them.
Kyle asked, “Is it secure?”
“Yes. Railing all around the edge.”
Rebecca asked, “Is it private?”
“No one is supposed to go up there, but I have a buddy who gives me the key when I have a few hours between flights sometimes. If he’s working, we’re good to go.”
“Manny the badass trespasser,” Kyle joked. “I like it.”
They had already turned off the highway and onto the pier. As soon as they were parked, Manny hopped out of the car and jogged toward the office.
Kyle squeezed himself between the front seats and shimmied into the back with no amount of grace, wriggling and turning like a spastic hokey-pokey, until he at last plopped down next to her. Rebecca couldn’t help but giggle.
“Hey,” he said with a brush against her lips.
“Hey,” she whispered back with a big grin, taking a nice deep breath of him and savoring the scent of his eucalyptus aftershave. His blue eyes simmered, and she forgot what was so funny.
“Missed you.” He sipped at her bottom lip and toyed with it, using the tip of his tongue.
“Mmmm…me too,” Rebecca said, feeling the flood of heat rushing south through her body.
“This is for real you know—the three of us.” Another sip of her lip and then his hand took hold of her jaw. His fingers stroked at the soft wisps of hairs by her ear. “Are you scared?”
Leave it to Kyle to be completely direct about how she was feeling. She looked him in the eye, hoping the worry didn’t play in her voice. “Is there a reason I should be?”
He flashed her that confident, cocky smirk that had been driving her crazy since they first met. “Besides the fact that tonight we are probably going to fuck you within an inch of your life?”
She laughed softly, swallowing at the sudden wetness in her mouth at his promise.
The smirk faded into something more tender as he shook his head. “No, sweetheart. You don’t need to be frightened. I meant every word that I said at the library. I love Manny, and I’m falling in love with you. I can’t believe I almost fucked it all up.”
“Almost,” Rebecca said with a whisper. “It’s only been a few weeks but, I…I think I’m already in love with the two of you, if that doesn’t sound crazy.”
“Sound crazy to who? To me?” He shook his head, again. “First thing we all need to do is stop giving a shit what anyone else thinks.”
“You’re right.”
“It’s not crazy.”
She flashed him a wicked smile. “Crazy hot, maybe.”
“Oh, definitely,” Kyle said, and nipped her lip playfully. “But seriously, it’s more than that for me. I never felt so certain about where I wanted to be in my whole life.”
“With Manny?”
“And with you. Rebecca, I knew I was a goner when I skipped the ballgame to listen to you read every last one of those letters to me. Even when you were finished, I had to tear myself away from you to go jerk off like some kind of sad, pubescent teenager.”
She made a funny grimace. “TMI, Kyle.”
He shrugged. “I’m just being honest.”
“You sure it wasn’t the letters?” Rebecca giggled.
“Ewww. My great-great-grandparents wrote those letters. Who’s the sicko now, huh?” He jabbed her with a tickling finger in a spot guaranteed to make her break. “Huh? Huh?”
She burst out laughing.
The trunk slammed behind them, and then the door flew open. Manny dangled a key with a blanket tucked under his other arm. His hazel eyes looked a little wild. “Got it! Let’s go.”
* * *
Manny was glad that Indian summer hadn’t yet surrendered the city to autumn’s pursuit. He led the way up the spiraling staircase ascending the side of the silo. Up top they must have been a hundred feet in the air. Blue began to give way to purplish pink, as the sun gave its first hint that night was just around the bend. It turned the Hudson River amber before their eyes and washed the Jersey tree line in warmth.
“Are you sure there aren’t any cameras up here?” Rebecca asked.
“Don’t worry. We wouldn’t be up here if there were.” A cool breeze off the river rippled over Rebecca’s blousy shirt. That needed to come off.
While he was busy pulling it over her head, Kyle got right to work on her bra. Manny smiled at him over her shoulder, and Kyle stole a kiss from his lips.
“You look happy, Manny,” Kyle said.
Rebecca’s head emerged from the conservative peasant-cut top he’d carefully selected for her to wear to the opening. She pulled a few ornery locks from her face and beamed up at him. The choke in Manny’s throat was completely unexpected, but fuck it, that’s what love did to you apparently.
“I am happy. I feel like I could be happy for a long time.”
Kyle pulled him into a searing kiss, clawing at him desperately. When they separated, Manny was out of breath.
“Kyle…”
“Yeah?”
“I need your cock in my mouth right now.”
Kyle unzipped his dress pants in a hurry and pulled his erection free. It rested heavy in his hand as he offered it. Manny knelt down, the mere sight of his darkened flesh made his mouth water. He opened wide and wasted no time gobbling it to the back of his throat. He needed him. God, he hadn’t let himself think that in so long. Even when they’d gotten back together he’d kept that thought at bay, measuring the amount of his heart he was willing to give.
Kyle moaned, and it was like an engine roaring to life. He grabbed Manny’s head and began to pump his hips, shuttling his cock to the back of Manny’s throat again and again. Manny dug his fingertips into the light wool blend of his trousers, barely denting Kyle’s flexed glutes. His zipper dug into Manny’s chin, but Manny didn’t give a shit. He wanted to swallow all of him, wanted to take everything he had.
Rebecca moaned too, drawing his eyes her way. She had sought the support of the railing and eased her fingers under her skirt. Kyle bent down to take a pert, pink nipple into his mouth. After a moment of laving it up and down, Kyle pulled away. “Let’s spread out the blanket. I want both of you on all fours.”
Manny stood up and retrieved the blanket. They placed it on the sunbaked aluminum, and Rebecca was first to do as Kyle commanded. Manny had barely loosened his jeans when Kyle pulled him down to his knees again. With both hands Kyle raked the denim over his hips and pushed him forward, baring his ass to the evening light while his cock hung close to the flannel beneath them.
Rebecca moaned again, louder this time, with a note of gratitude lilting high at the end. Manny looked over his shoulder at her flouncy skirt flipped up onto her back. He watched the way Kyle’s fingers disappeared into her panties. Impatiently, he used the other hand to pull them down her thighs, causing her pale skin to redden slightly. Another moan erupted, and Kyle switched hands, taking a few more passes inside her and tasting her juices from the fingers that had just been there.
Manny stroked his cock as he watched. Then the fingers that had been encased in her sweet pussy only moments before were inside of him, slick with her juices and sliding easily to the knuckle. Manny stroked himself harder, clutching the blanket with his other hand.
“Oh fuck.” He was building inside, something powerful.
Kyle curled his fingers and pressed in further, grazing Manny’s prostate and making his world turn hazy. He heard Rebecca start to pant and could hear the wetness of her cunt sucking on Kyle’s fingers. She reached clumsily for Manny’s hand, stumbling upon it on the blanket. Manny leaned over to her and kissed her hard and sloppy, with no ability to be suave and slow at the moment. His balls tightened and seed leaked from his cock as a guttural moan eased into her mouth.
Kyle flipped Rebecca over and dove headfirst between her legs. He returned his fingers to shuttling in and out of her cunt, and she pushed all of her fingers into his hair, turning it into a crown of spiky blonde. Her hips rose off of the blanket, and she bit down on her bottom lip, whimpering.
“Oh, oh! Kyle! Stop…stop! I can’t take it!”
Kyle sat up on his haunches with a glistening grin. He licked his lips and never looked more pleased with himself.
Rebecca sat up, and the evening sun caught her strawberry-blond hair afire. Topless, she rested on locked elbows behind her, her slender neck stretched long as she gazed out to the New Jersey piers.
“Gorgeous,” Manny said, realizing the first thought to cross his mind had also passed his lips.
“Mmmm….I love summer sunsets,” Rebecca said.
Kyle swiped at her cheek. “He means you, silly girl.”
She turned pink where his thumb rested, and she curled her shoulders in a gesture of shyness.
“You’d better get used to hearing that,” Manny said and stole a nip at her shoulder.
Rebecca didn’t get a chance to answer before her stomach growled.
Her pink face turned bright red. “Oh God, why does it have to do that at the most embarrassing times?”
Kyle looked amused. “Did that come from you, honey?”
Manny chuckled. “Kyle, let me introduce you to Rebecca’s stomach. It’s pretty vocal about when our girl has neglected to feed it.”
She slapped at his arm. “Stop teasing me.”
“The last time you ate was…?”
“I had like half a yogurt around seven…this morning,” she said guiltily. They both looked horrified. “I just didn’t think about eating. I was distracted.”