Divine Phoenix (24 page)

It was no surprise to her that the customer waiting at the rear sales counter was picking up an order from the personal jewelry website. Tabitha ignored the customer as she swept by, and Lily smiled at the tremendously tall, dark-haired man.

“Hi, I’m Lily. How can I help you?”

The man switched his gaze from the solid gold jewelry in the display case to her, nailing her with eyes like pale-blue laser beams. The smile that crossed his lips was genuine and friendly as he replied, “You sure can. I’m Richard Warner. We ordered a couple of custom-made pieces for our wife, Maya.”

He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder as two other men walked up and flanked him. She stood there, behind the counter, blinking for a couple of seconds at the two tall, equally handsome blond-haired men. One of them had a playful twinkle in his eyes, and the other seemed much more serious, judging by his intense gaze. There were subtle similarities in their facial structures leading her to believe they were relatives.

“Warner? Oh!
Warner
! You’re related to Jack, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Richard replied. Gesturing to the left at the playful-looking cowboy, he added, “This is Kendall.” He gestured with the other thumb. “This is Boone. We’re brothers.” Both men nodded and smiled at her.

“I’ve met your wife before, at Doctor Guthrie’s office.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Richard affirmed discreetly, glancing over at Tabitha, who was dusting a case.

“Maya’s very sweet and she’s a good nurse. Let me find your order.”

She knelt down to search the cabinet hidden beneath the display area for their order.

Three gorgeous men, all to herself?

What must that be like? Standing there with them, she’d felt afloat in a sea of testosterone.

How does Maya make a relationship with three men work?

Lily had the sense that these three men, although they were brothers, were each very different individuals. How did Maya manage? Feeling a little flushed, Lily decided she’d find out when she saw Maya that weekend.

She stood after locating the white velvet boxes and opened them for the men. One revealed a gold nipple ring set. The rings were joined by a gold chain from which dangled three sparkling ruby gemstones, set at even intervals, to add weight and movement to the piece.

Richard looked at his brothers. “What do you think?”

Kendall said, “I think she’ll love it.”

Lily gestured to the matching gold clit hugger with ruby dangle in the other opened box. “I’ve had instructions typed up for this piece, since it can be adjusted for a snugger or looser fit, and there’s also a new FAQ section on our website. Of course, if you need help you can always call me or Clay.” She slipped a neatly folded pamphlet under the box.

Boone said, “This is a big improvement from the last time we purchased something. I looked at the website and approve of the changes Clay’s made around here. I assume they have something to do with you, yes?”

Lily couldn’t deny the urge to avert her eyes as she replied, “Yes, sir. Clay’s trusted me with this part of his business.”

“Did you make these pieces?” His question was muted but carried a hint of authority in it.

“I made the nipple dangles and the dangle for the hugger. Clay still makes the huggers himself but he’s teaching me.”

“They’re very well done, Lily.”

Why did Boone’s words fill her with such elation? “I hope so.”

“What do we owe you, Lily?” Kendall asked as he pulled out his wallet.

“The transaction was handled over the Internet already. I’ll just wrap these for you,” she said as she pulled out the supplies and began gift wrapping them in gaily printed foil paper. Glancing at Richard to give herself a chance to recover from the twittery-ness Boone somehow inspired in her, she asked, “I was wondering if I might ask a favor of you gentlemen.”

Smiling at her as though he understood how she felt, Richard replied for the three of them, “Sure. Ask away.”

“I’m redoing the photography for the website and I was planning to ask the ladies attending the sleepover if they might be interested in modeling some of the pieces. But I’d also want the approval of their husbands.” At the glint that came into Boone’s eyes, she added, “It would be mostly the nipple ring designs and some of the other matching pieces.” Indicating the clit hugger, she said, “Nothing quite this
personal
.” He smiled and nodded, as though she’d satisfied his concern. “Would you mind if I asked Maya?”

The men glanced at each other in silent communication, and Boone replied, “It would be fine with us, if it was from the neck down, and nothing too provocatively posed, if she’s interested.”

Lily grinned and said, “How about if I give you proofs from the shoot and you get final approval. I’ll shoot them head to toe and crop all identifying features out for the website.”

A broad smile appeared on Kendall’s face, and in his deep, Texan drawl, he said, “That sounds like a fair deal.”

Smiling, Lily reached out and shook hands with each of them in turn. “Gentlemen, it’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

The rest of Lily’s afternoon was back and forth between helping postholiday shoppers in the store and working alongside Clay, filling orders for Internet customers. She was jubilant that the improved website seemed to be drawing more attention. Tabitha’s mood was cool the rest of the afternoon, but Lily had grown accustomed to it, feeling grateful if she was the most difficult person Lily had to deal with nowadays. Tabitha was a walk in the park compared to JT.

On her return from her latest trip up to the front, Clay smiled at her as he held his phone to his ear. After he ended the call, he said, “That was Del. He’s at the hardware store. He’ll be by to follow you home in about ten minutes. Are you done for the day?”

She felt like she’d suddenly run out of time for all the questions that had been brewing in her mind. “Just about. Clay, what if…”

Clay turned to her, watching her closely after her words trailed off and she had difficulty swallowing.

What if something happens between Del and me?

She felt perched on a precipice, and she was so afraid of making a mistake. The usual boundaries didn’t apply in Divine, but that didn’t mean she could count on a happily ever after just because so many women had found them there. In the past she’d learned she didn’t have that kind of luck.

“What if
what
, baby?” he whispered as he glanced at the security monitor and reached out to her, grasping her by the hips and drawing her to him. She looked at the monitor, too, and gave in as she watched Tabitha stride across the store to help a customer who had just entered.

He lifted the hem of her top and kissed the bare flesh above her waistband. His lips left a searing trail of kisses as she shuddered and tried to get her lips and tongue to work together to form words. His touch rendered her incapable, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his heat and nearness as he wrapped his arms around her hips and nuzzled her belly button. Wicked, lustful tremors rippled through her pussy, and she knew if they were alone, he’d have her naked in a heartbeat, tattoo or no tattoo.

“What if you see that Del needs affection?” he asked softly as he flicked her navel with the tip of his tongue. “What if he needs a hug or someone to talk to?”

“Uh…”

“What if he needs a kiss?” He drew her more tightly to him, and she felt the stiff ridge of his erection against her thigh. “How about if you just want to hold him tight or…” His lips lightly suctioned below her left breast as he pushed the hem of her top higher. She held on to him tighter as her nipples hardened into tingling points of sensation. “Or more? Is that what you want to know?”

Incapable of speech, she moaned out an assenting sound, and he looked up at her with smoldering green-gold eyes. “I trust you to give him whatever he needs. The same as I trust him to give you what you need. I know it’s not easy to wrap your mind around what I’m suggesting but I think we can be happy.”

“The three of us?” she whispered. At his nod she said, “But I’m scared to risk what’s started between
us
. I need you, Clay. I don’t want to ruin it. What if it doesn’t work for us like it has for the others?”

“This can work if we trust each other. And love each other.” His eyes practically blazed. “You have no idea how much I wish we had more than ten minutes.”

Lily moaned as a shudder of need passed through her. “Oh, I have an inkling. Are you sure you can’t come out to the ranch tonight?” The longing in his eyes pulled at her heartstrings as she echoed his words. “
Love?
”

A slow smile played across his handsome face, and she wanted to kiss every millimeter of those sensual lips. She could barely hear over the pounding of her own heartbeat in her ears.

He nodded and gave her a tender smile. “Of course, I love you. I’m sure it’s more important to hear it from him but I’ll bet Del’s in love with you, too, Lily. He’s struggling with something right now, but I don’t doubt that he has feelings, deep feelings, for you. I think we both always have. You’re one in a million and the years have done nothing but refine that about you. I love you, baby.” He nestled his face between her breasts and squeezed her to him tightly and growled. “Give us a chance?”

With her fingertips, she stroked the short blond strands at his forehead and smiled when he gazed into her eyes again. “Of course. Just know that I’m scared I’ll end up alone, if we try and it goes south. My heart would break, Clay.” He nodded slowly, and she whispered, “I love you, too.”

Their romantic moment was interrupted by the opening of the back door. Del came in, stamping his booted feet on the mat as he rubbed his hands together. “Hey. The temperature is dropping out there. I hope you brought your coat, Lily.”

Lily smiled as he came to her and leaned down to kiss her brow as though it was the thousandth time he’d done it. She noted that he lingered there instead of pulling away immediately. “Hey, yourself. Did you get your errands all run? I have a ton of stuff for you at the house.”

“I did. You smell good, and look at your hair. It looks gorgeous.”

She smiled and stifled a girlish giggle as he stroked the ends of her hair. “I feel ten pounds lighter.”

Clay coughed and said, “No more of
that
.”

Lily smiled at him, acknowledging his sentiment. “No more of that,” she echoed.

“Did I interrupt anything?”

Clay shook his head. “No, I was just telling Lily I’ll miss her.”

The sincerity was plain in Del’s eyes. “Bro, you know you’re welcome out there.”

“I know but I have an errand to run and it might be nice for y’all to have a little time together.”

Lily saw the yearning in Clay’s eyes and wasn’t quite convinced but took him at his earlier words. She allowed it when Clay stood, drew her to him and kissed her deeply, right there in front of his brother. His velvety tongue slid against hers as she parted her lips and savored his slightly minty natural essence.

His hands at her hips were gentle, not demanding or territorial. The only time JT ever kissed her in front of other men was as a means to mark her as his and never because he’d just wanted to show her affection. She’d grown to dread those times because there was no love in JT’s kiss. This was different. This kiss spoke to her heart.

He was willing to give up time alone with her to give a ménage between the three of them a chance. She knew she’d never afford a sister the same kind of access to Clay…or Del, for that matter. It boggled her mind that there was a chance this could work, but all the other ménage relationships in the community proved it could.

The ringing of the phone shattered her contemplation. She reached for the extension and saw that Tabitha had already picked up the call out in the shop.

“Ready to go?” Del asked quietly as Clay released her and urged her toward Del with a gentle hand at her lower back. Del entwined his fingers with hers as she placed her hand in his, offering a smile. There was some unspoken emotion in his gray-green eyes as he gazed at his brother.

* * * *

Tabitha stuck the handset between her ear and shoulder as she rifled around in the drawer under the register for her nail file. “Clay Cook Jewelry. How may I help yooouu?”

“Well, hello there, darlin’. I was wonderin’ if I could chat with Lily.”

Tabitha’s lip curled up on one side.
Lily this and Lily that. Lily’s so wooonderful. Blabbity-blabbity-blab! Rot Lily!

“I’m so sorry, sir.” She watched Lily drive off in her piece-of-crap car with Del following along behind her like a good puppy dog. “She just left for the day. May I ask who is calling? I could leave her a message, if you’d like? Or…” She attempted to lower her voice to sound more appealing to the sexy voice on the other end of the call. “Perhaps
I
could help you with something.”

“Well, darlin’, you might just be able to help me. This is Lily’s husband callin’.”

Tabitha shredded her cuticle, and the phone landed on the floor when her jaw dropped.

* * * *

Del carried the grocery bags into his grubby kitchen and said, “That’s the last of it.” He felt bad that it had not occurred to him to clean up the kitchen for her since she might want to use the stove or countertops. “Sorry it’s so messy.”

Lily peeped at him over the door of the new refrigerator and smiled at him. Her amber eyes sparkled, and she replied, “I love a challenge, Del. I’ll have it whipped into shape in no time.”

He pulled open the freezer and discovered that she’d stocked it full of homemade, foil-wrapped frozen meals and…Girl Scout cookies? “Where did these come from?”

Lily laughed and replied, “You’d be doing me a huge favor if you ate these. Clay has no idea how much of a temptation they are to me. There are plenty more where that came from.”

“All right, then. I’ll leave you to it, I guess. If you need me I’ll be in the barn.” Lily looked up at him, and he saw a trace of some emotion in her eyes. Hesitancy? “As far as I’m concerned, Lily, you can treat this as though it were your home, the same as at Clay’s. Make yourself comfortable here.”

Her amber eyes seemed to glow when she smiled at him. “I’ll bring you something to eat.”

Her words were innocuous enough, but just the sound of her voice, since picking her up earlier, was having a deeper effect on his body, and he worried that there was a chance he’d make a fool of himself.

He turned away from her, for the second time, feeling like a dumbass yet again, wondering if he should’ve stayed. But work needed doing outside. Were it any other woman, he would’ve followed his instinct to kiss her right then and there, but this was Lily and he was afraid of making a mistake, bowling her over, or scaring her off.

He beat his hat against his thigh as he walked out to the barn and got to work. Things were looking a little better around the ranch. He’d had to tear down one shed because the rotted wood made the structure unsafe, but the rest were coming along. He knew it was time to start looking for a hand to help him around the place. Once he had cattle on it, it would be a necessity, so he might as well break them in beforehand.

All the dust he’d stirred up was coating his throat when he heard her step into the barn. “Hello! Del?”

“Back here, Lily.”

He stepped out of the horse stall he was fortifying and saw her standing just inside the doorway, backlit by the sunset. The silky waves of her freshly cut hair wafted in the breeze and red highlights sparkled in the strands as she moved toward him. She stepped into a beam of light from an open window which shown through her amber irises, making them appear luminescent as she looked him up and down. His cock responded to her gaze, and he suppressed a groan. It was going to be hard to squat in that corner of the horse stall, hammering that board when his dick was ramrod stiff wanting to hammer her instead.

She grinned at him when he stood there dumbfounded and finally asked, “Are you hungry?”

Del noticed the covered plate, glanced at his watch, saw that it was almost six o’clock, and groaned in apology. “I’m sorry. I was going to come in to eat so you didn’t have to go to the extra trouble. I lose track of time out here.”

“That’s okay. It didn’t take long to prepare and I told you I’d bring it to you. Where would you like to eat?”

Del wasn’t sure how she’d respond if he answered from his heart. He knew he was hard up when he had to suppress another groan as he watched her walk to the workbench and set the plate down.

In just the last couple of weeks, she’d dropped a significant enough amount of weight so that her clothes were noticeably baggier on her. Even so, he longed to wrap his arms around her and grip her sweetly rounded ass and squeeze her up against him. His cock twitched as if agreeing.

She handed him a bottle of water and utensils wrapped in a paper napkin and looked around for a place to sit. Del smiled and walked up to her. She looked up at him with rounded eyes and squealed lightly as he gripped her waist and lifted her so she could sit on the workbench while he leaned up against it and removed the warm aluminum foil from the plate. There was a thick, juicy chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and green beans on the plate, along with a fresh, buttered dinner roll.

“Lily Bell, you could’ve just heated up something you’d already cooked. You didn’t have to go to all the trouble.”

“I wanted to. It was no trouble.” She giggled when his stomach growled ravenously. “Eat up. You must be starving.”

He was used to eating on the run, grabbing meals that were convenient while on the go. The fact that she’d gone to this trouble, on top of all the food she’d brought with her, touched his heart.

He cleared the lump in his throat. “Thank you.”

He hopped up on the workbench beside her and talked with her while he ate. She asked about the ranch, and he told her his plans to run cattle and maybe a few horses. Beyond getting things fixed and started, he hadn’t really given it a lot of consideration, but he could picture himself with a family, complete with kids and pets, running all over the place. He might even add on a couple of spare bedrooms to the house if they were needed. He could picture Lily in his home on a permanent basis and not just temporarily.

Reaching for his empty plate, she said, “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Dessert is waiting for you on the kitchen counter when you come in. The kitchen is cleaned up so I’m going to work on the bedroom and then take a bath and turn in a little early. It’s been a long day.”

He put his hands at her waist and paused, thinking how nice it was to have someone there to talk to, even about inconsequential things like what color to paint the barn. She sat looking at him, an encouraging smile on her pretty, full lips.

Instead of lifting her down, he nestled between her thighs and whispered, “Thank you, Lily.”

He did as he’d wished before and squeezed each cheek of her derriere as he pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. She sat frozen, and for a moment he thought he’d fucked up big time. But then her arms snaked around his neck, and she kissed him back. She shuddered delicately when he slid his hand over her long hair and she tilted her head, deepening the kiss almost tentatively. Was she as concerned about making a mistake as he was? What would it hurt if he went inside with her right now?

Normally, he worked until he was ready to drop each night in an effort to exhaust himself and possibly avoid the nightmares that had plagued him since that horrible night in Kandahar. The sound of weeping women and the horrified cries of a blameless victim seeped insidiously into his thoughts.

Lily pulled back from him and whispered, “Are you all right? I’m sorry if that was—”

Del shook his head as he lifted her from the workbench. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Lily. It’s just memories. Sorry.”

“Bad memories?” Del nodded, and she said, “Del, I’ll listen if you ever want to talk. The counselor told me that I have PTSD and that it would help me to talk about what happened with JT. I’m not a licensed therapist, but I can listen if you need me to.”

Del doubted that she would want to listen to the stories that he could tell and knew she would wish that he’d kept them to himself even if she claimed otherwise. Every day he wished he could erase his memories. He’d tried working himself into a stupor just so he could sleep and wound up making it even harder for him to fall asleep, and when he had, he’d discovered that he was a sleepwalker, waking up out on the front porch. It was a relief that the driveway to the ranch house was a long one because there was no telling how far he might have gotten in that state. That’s when he’d started having a couple of beers at night, hoping it would help him relax. Nothing worked, and the truth was that he was unfit company. He felt sorry for Lily having to second-guess him like that.

“I appreciate it, Lily. I’ll just be out here a while longer.”

Seeming to understand, Lily nodded and backed away, holding the dishes. “Dessert’s on the kitchen counter when you come in.”

Smiling, he asked, “What is it?”

“A surprise,” she responded in a teasing tone as she sauntered away.

He watched her hungrily and wished that he was whole so he could give her what she needed. Instead, he returned to his work, knowing he’d be up half the night thinking of her asleep in his bed while he slept in his recliner, unless he was bone-tired exhausted.

The scent of rain was in the air and his boots were dragging when he walked in the house at eleven thirty. The first thing he noticed while he wiped his feet on the doormat in the kitchen was the smells. The odor of cleaning products lingered in the air, overlaid by the scent of the chicken dinner she’d prepared. As he pulled off his boots, he also noticed the fragrance of fresh laundry and saw the stacks of towels and clean clothing lined up on the dryer in the utility room off to the right of the back door, ready to be put away. She’d accomplished in one evening what he hadn’t in two months. For the first time, the ranch house felt like a home.

He padded on silent feet to the counter and paused in confusion when he saw the large, familiar metal tin sitting there. Feeling like he was having a flashback, he slid the lid from the old tin and peeled back the wax paper inside. The scent of vanilla and brown sugar filled his nostrils and made his mouth water as he was transported back to his mother’s kitchen. Lily must’ve found his mom’s recipe for pecan pralines which were his favorite sweets. He grabbed the tin in one hand and reached into the fridge for a beer with the other. He paused when he saw the old pitcher on the top shelf.

He set the beer aside and lifted the pitcher from the fridge then reached into a cabinet. He poured a tall glass, grabbed the tin, and forgot altogether about the beer as he walked into the living room and sat down in his comfy recliner. Savoring the anticipation, he set the glass on the end table and slipped the lid from the tin. He breathed in the sweet aroma and lifted a praline from the container.

The sugary candy melted on his tongue, bringing back a deluge of memories as he sat back and rocked. His mom had made those pralines for every big event and any time the boys had begged her to because they loved them so much. He lifted the sweating glass to his lips and took the first sip of real homemade sweet tea that he’d had in…forever.

He held it in his mouth like the finest wine and slowly swallowed, reveling in the sweetness. Did Lily have any clue what such blatant reminders of home…what it
meant
to be home, did to him? Maybe it was time to rejoin the world of the living and leave this limbo he existed in.

He took another bite and gratefully swallowed past the lump in his throat. She had to have known how this sweet gesture would affect him. He got up and padded down the hall to the open bedroom door.

Del had given her the master bedroom since the other smaller bedroom was used for storage and more often than not he slept in his recliner. There was a deep part of him that was glad she was sleeping in his bed, even if he wasn’t in it with her.

The moon shone through the old lace window curtains, illuminating the satiny skin of her shoulder. She lay diagonally in the bed, on her side, with her arms wrapped around one of the bed pillows. Her head was nestled into it with her hair mussed and lying over her cheek.

He wanted her, that was true enough, but the feeling that coursed through him went so much deeper. The lure of Clay’s earlier words pulled at him. What if a ménage wasn’t a pipedream? What if they acted on the attraction that burned between them? Could they build something strong, or were they on the precipice of destroying a long-standing friendship? He’d believed he wasn’t the sharing kind, had said as much, but now he found himself wanting to believe that he was.

Lily shifted in her sleep and rolled to her back, revealing the curve of her unfettered cleavage through the silky material of her nightgown. He wished he’d come in sooner. He could’ve thanked her for all her thoughtfulness and care. He would’ve kissed her good night and rocked her in the comfortable confines of the recliner for a while. Maybe she might not have gone to bed alone. Next time he was going to stop and think before he screwed things up right about the time they were getting good.

He left her to her dreams and returned to the recliner and his treats before falling asleep and,
for once
, he slept the whole night through.