Ain't Misbehaving (38 page)

Packed and ready to go, Marie paused at her bedroom door, traces of anxiety unfurling inside. One or both of the men were already up. She could hear the clatter of dishes in the kitchen. Marie took a deep breath and unlocked her door. The scent of coffee wafted through the air. Marie hesitated before heading to the kitchen. She couldn’t hide. No longer a child, she was responsible for her actions. If she slinked away like a coward she’d come to regret it later. Besides, Kelvin and Shane both cared for her. They’d worry if she went off without telling them her destination.

Kelvin was seated at the breakfast bar and nursing a mug of coffee.

Marie cleared her throat. “Good morning.”

“Morning, sweetheart. You okay?” When he turned his head the first thing she noticed was his black eye. Slightly puffy, it looked tender. Her breath caught and she bit down on the cushion of her bottom lip to stem her distress.

Shane entered the kitchen from the deck. His bottom lip had a split and distinct swelling. A bruise slashed across his cheekbone.

Marie sniffed, forcing back her pain and attempting to replace it with anger. They had no right brawling over her. “I’m fine. I’m going to spend a few days at Christie’s beach house.”

Kelvin frowned. “Alone?”

“Yes, alone,” Marie snapped.

“What about work?” Shane grabbed two mugs and poured coffee into each of them. He topped up Kelvin’s mug before returning the carafe to sit on the heated element.

“It’s a long weekend. If I decide to spend longer I’ll ring in sick at work.”

“But you’re never sick,” Shane said.

“I might be on Tuesday,” Marie muttered, reaching for the coffee. Strong and black, it was what she needed.

“Have you thought about Shane’s proposal?” Kelvin asked in a tight voice.

“Yes.” But thinking about it made her want to cry.

Shane winced when he tried to smile. “We could even get married, babe, if you want.”

“You and Kelvin both had sex with me yesterday,” Marie said. “How can you want to marry me when you’re happy to share with Kelvin?” She caught Kelvin’s nod while they waited for Shane to answer.

“Kelvin is my best friend,” Shane said.

“Do you envisage sharing me in the future?” Marie’s stomach churned and black fear swirled through her mind. It was Kelvin and Shane together. She couldn’t imagine being with other men. How the heck could they ask her to choose? It wasn’t fair.

“Hell no. You’d be my wife,” Shane said.

“And what if I don’t want to choose?” Marie said, relaxing a little.

Kelvin set his coffee mug down with a thump. “It’s too late for that, sweetheart. You have to choose. Me or Shane.”

Chapter Four

You have to choose. Me or Shane
.

The words pounded through her head. The end of an era. That’s what it spelled because Marie couldn’t choose, not when she loved them both. Yeah, a dilemma. She loved both men equally. She wasn’t blind. Both men had their good and bad points, just as she had hers. But couldn’t they see? Together they were stronger.

A tight unit.

Except not solid enough. Tears misted her eyes, muddying her vision. She swiped the moisture from her eyes and blinked rapidly to concentrate on the road. Negotiating a series of bends, she steered her car into a straight. Usually she loved the drive to the beach, a route alongside the river, passing hills and green pastures dotted with dairy herds, horses and an alpaca farm. Today held none of the magic or the companionship. A sob emerged. The idea of starting over, finding a new place to live…not seeing Shane each day. Or Kelvin. Marie bit down on her abused lip, the jolt of pain helping to steady her emotions.

Half an hour later she pulled up outside the holiday house, chest aching and throat tight. Thankfully the tears had dried. She grabbed the bags of groceries and hauled them inside, pausing to open windows as she went.

The small rustic house wasn’t on the beach but she could smell the sea air.

“Friends with benefits. Huh!” Marie muttered while she put the perishables into the fridge and freezer.

The smooth rumble of a car outside brought a frown. A door slammed and footsteps echoed on the deck when someone prowled to the door. A knock.

“Marie, are you there?”

Before she could come to a decision, the door opened and Kelvin stood framed in the bright sunlight.

“Why didn’t you answer?”

“You didn’t give me a chance,” she said dryly, surveying his puffy eye. Marie continued to unpack the groceries she’d brought with her—enough for a week even though she needed to return to work in three days. Change. She hated it. Continuing to live with Kelvin just wouldn’t seem right. It would be unbalanced. She’d made a big mistake when she’d let herself care for both Shane and Kelvin. Emotional attachment. The kiss of death for a friends-with-benefits scheme. No, there was only one way to deal with Shane’s proposal. She had to say no and move on without either of the men.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you. We heard you crying last night.”

Marie placed a packet of breakfast cereal into the cupboard and closed it with a slam. “I have a phone.”

Kelvin stepped inside, closing the door after him. “I wanted to see for myself. You were upset.”

“Give the man a badge.”

“Do you want to go for a walk? I won’t talk if you want to think.”

Anger slashed through Marie, hot and vicious. “Here’s a novel concept. You could leave me to walk on my own.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t mean that.” Kelvin pulled her stiff body into a loose hug and an ache sprang to life at the back of her eyes, a harbinger of tears. More bloody tears. Heck, she’d cried enough during the night and knew her bronzing powder and the dash of lipstick didn’t do much to hide the evidence.

“I don’t like change,” she muttered.

“Change doesn’t have to be bad, sweetheart.”

Showed what Kelvin knew. From her experience, change meant bad things happened. For example her parents’ deaths and being put into foster care, being moved from family to family. Look how well that had gone. After the last creepy foster father she’d been so screwed up she’d run away, lying to get a job. No, in her experience, change meant loss of security.

“Walk,” Kelvin said firmly.

Knowing by his tone he wouldn’t give up, she grabbed a straw basket and chucked in a bottle of water and two towels. She also grabbed a pair of sunglasses and a straw hat with a broad brim. Disguise in place to hide her red eyes, she turned to Kelvin and forced a smile. “I’m ready.”

Kelvin took the basket from her and, without speaking, they walked down the road to the beach.

As usual, the area near the lifesaving club bustled, full of people, partially naked bodies in all shapes and sizes sprawled on the shimmering black sand. Breakers crashed to shore and several people waded between the patrolled area of the beach, indicated by the yellow and red flags.

Kelvin took her hand and they walked past the crowds, their sandals keeping the heat of the black sand from burning their feet. One end of the beach was rocky, waves crashing over the outlying cliffs with a wash of white spray. The other end went as far as the eye could see, a long expanse of black sand, edged by sand dunes with clumps of grasses. They chose to walk in this direction, away from the crowds. With the sea breeze in her face and the scent of salt in her nostrils, Marie’s tense shoulders relaxed. Kelvin’s presence brought a sense of peace. At least she was with one of her men. She halted abruptly, aghast at the thought. One of her men.

“Marie?”

“I love you,” she blurted.

Stark relief crossed Kelvin’s face before a smile bloomed, lighting his brown eyes.

“I love you too, sweetheart. Come on. Let’s find a spot to sit.” He squeezed her hand gently and started to walk again.

Marie frowned while she wondered what he wanted to discuss. She was acutely conscious of her hand in his and the faint whiff of his decadent citrus aftershave.

Kelvin stopped when they came to a break in the dunes. “How about here?”

“Sure.” Marie waited while he spread the beach towels on the sand. She sat, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them to stare out to sea. Far out on the horizon a container ship sailed, and to their right, a lone surfer rode the waves.

“You love Shane,” Kelvin said dropping onto the sand beside her. “That’s why you’re upset.”

Damn, when had she become so transparent? “Of course I love Shane. I love both of you. You’re my best friends. I’ll miss Shane when he goes to Wellington.”

Kelvin shot her a sharp look. “Are you going to marry him?”

Not a question she wanted to answer. “What do you think I should do?” Not one she should discuss with Kelvin either. Oh boy, talk about confused. No matter which way she looked at the problem, Marie couldn’t see a solution.

“Shane didn’t ask me to marry him. He asked you.”

“I don’t want him to leave.”

“It’s a big promotion for Shane. He’s worked hard to get to this point.”

“And now you’re making me feel selfish,” Marie said. “You’re right. Shane has worked hard and deserves this chance.”

Kelvin reached out to squeeze her upper arm. “We’ll still live together. And it isn’t as if Wellington is at the other end of the world. It’s only an hour flight from Auckland. If you decide to go with Shane we’ll still see each other.”

“But it won’t be every day.” And that was the problem. It was getting to the point where she didn’t like waking alone in her bed. She liked waking in Kelvin’s arms. Or Shane’s. And having sex with them both at the same time, being the sole focus of their attentions felt even better. Heck, she wasn’t just turning into a whore. She was one!

“Marie, stop worrying. You have a few weeks to think about things. Shane doesn’t need to start his new job until next month.”

Marie snorted. Give her two years and she still wouldn’t be able to choose between them. Fighting tears again, she leaned into him, seeking comfort. His arm came around her shoulders, drawing her against his side. Marie burrowed closer, savoring both his closeness and his masculine scent.

Kelvin kneaded her shoulders, brushing the tension away with each flex of his fingers. Marie let her head loll back against his chest, the stress in her muscles melting away while she enjoyed his strength and comfort. Lucky. That’s what she was. Instead of sulking about losing what she had, maybe she should celebrate her luck in finding two such great men and good friends, how lucky she’d been to enjoy spending time with them.

“I love the heat and the sunshine,” Kelvin whispered, his breath hot against her ear.

“Me too,” Marie breathed. Each touch and stroke of his fingers had turned languid and unhurried, edged with sensual energy. Heat flowed from his touch and settled between her legs. He paused, removing his hands and a cry of protest escaped. Mortified, she froze.

“Just taking my shirt off, sweetheart. Why don’t you take off yours as well?”

“I’m not wearing my bikini top.”

“So? Hardly anyone comes along this end of the beach. We’ll have plenty of warning if they do.”

Temptation roared through her. Skin on skin. “I’ll burn.”

Kelvin chuckled. “You have suntan lotion. Besides, we can both last an hour before we head back to the house.”

Marie nodded and let Kelvin help her off with her top.

“Take the bra off too.” Kelvin leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “I dare you.”

The clear challenge in his voice pulled her nipples to achy points. “All right,” she said. Before she could change her mind, Kelvin unhooked her bra and peeled the straps down her arms.

“I love touching you. You’re soft and always smell nice.” His fingers drifted across the underside of one breast and traced around an areola. As she watched, it puckered, drawing tight. “So responsive.” Kelvin tugged on her shoulders so she draped across his lap. They stared at each other for a long moment. Marie swallowed, desperately wanting him to touch her, to love her. Needing to burn away the pain and replace it with good memories.

“You’re beautiful, Marie.” Heat and passion simmered in his brown eyes. Slowly, he dipped his head to kiss her. The instant their lips touched, sparks flared in her body, heat building layer upon layer. This was what she’d miss when Shane left because his kiss fired her body in exactly the same way. Double trouble. Marie pushed the thought away, determined to go with the moment. She needed to enjoy every second, every encounter now before their lives changed.

She gasped when Kelvin licked a path across the rounded upper curve of one breast and dipped his tongue down into her cleavage.

The sun blazed, heating her skin and making her wish she could strip her clothes off and rub against Kelvin’s naked body. At home they sunbaked in the nude during the summer, but here in a public place they needed to be more circumspect.

“Do you know what I’d like to do?” Kelvin asked in a growl.

Her heart hammered in anticipation, warned by the heated rumble in his voice.

“What?” Her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip. Kelvin watched avidly.

“Damn, it’s so sexy when you do that.” A wolfish grin curled across his lips. “I’d like to fuck your breasts,” he murmured, holding her with his gaze the entire time. “And have your mouth as a backstop, so each time I thrust, your lips and tongue would kiss and lick me.”

“Yes.” Heck that sounded like a fine idea. Thinking about it made her wet and willing, eager for him to fill her with long, slow strokes. “Tell me,” she said. “We can’t do it now but later. Describe what you’re going to do to me and how it will make you feel.”

His eyes glittered and she fed off his hunger, letting it fuel the sweet ache in her pussy.

“First, I’d kiss you. Rub our lips together and taste you. I’d lick and nibble until your sweet honey taste filled me. Then I’d kiss a trail down your neck.”

“Would you detour?”

“Hell yes,” he murmured, pinching her nipple between finger and thumb. He rolled it and tugged, sending a jagged streamer of pain to her cunt. She gasped, heart jumping while she waited for him to continue with both words and actions.