Double Dare (24 page)

“Thirty thousand.”

Though he hadn't yelled, everyone heard it. A collective gasp ascended from the crowd.

Peter openly gaped at the two of them. He looked up at Quinn, shook his head, then sat down abruptly.

As if the auctioneer suddenly awoke from a coma, he cleared his throat and lifted the microphone. “The bidding is at thirty thousand dollars, ladies and gentlemen! Are there any other bids for this lovely lady?”

Quinn wanted to sock the dude in the gut. Ty and Logan were winning, and the last thing she needed was to have someone else jump in on the bidding. To bring the bids up even higher.

Thirty thousand dollars. Quinn's chest ached. She became aware of her nails digging half-moons into her palms. She tried to relax but failed.

It was too much money. She couldn't let them do it. They needed the money for their irrigation system.

She looked over at Peter, who folded his arms over his chest. She willed him to outbid the boys. She cursed silently; she didn't want Peter to win. But damn, she was torn.

She'd just pay them back. That was all. She'd make sure she paid them back every penny. No matter how long it took her. Even if it meant selling off her diamond tennis bracelet her father had given her. She didn't need it. She'd even pawn off every other useless piece of jewelry she had. Except her grandmother's necklace. She couldn't bear to part with that.

The auctioneer yelled out the thirty-thousand-dollar amount several times and asked the crowd if there were any more bids. Not one person stood up or yelled out.

“Sold! The date with the young lady, for thirty thousand dollars, to the gentleman at that table.” He pointed the microphone toward Ty.

The eerie silence was deafening. When there should have been clapping and cheering, there was none.

Those freaking rich snobs should be glad the charity was receiving such a great amount of money on her behalf. But instead of as a good thing, they were seeing it as a scandal. Quinn sighed in disgust.

Ty moved up toward the stage. She guessed to claim his win. Nothing like auctioning off live flesh for a good cause, she thought bitterly. When Ty approached, he held out his hand. Quinn took it and let him guide her to the steps and help her down to the dance floor. The spotlight followed her, as if the auction wasn't over.

As Quinn stepped down off the last step and reached solid ground, Ty swept her up in his arms and made a show of giving her a kiss. His broad, soft lips captured hers, and he cupped her hips against him. He took the quick brush of their lips and deepened it until his head tilted, and his tongue searched her mouth, sweeping against her tongue until she felt the pull of desire from deep within her.

For a few seconds she forgot they had an audience. Until a low murmur started. And the longer Ty and she kissed, the louder the event goers got until she heard a roar in her ears. Whether the roar was actually from the crowd or from inside her head, she didn't care. She broke away and looked around. All eyes were on them, and she was sure they had shocked everyone who knew her family. Not only was she showing unrestrained passion in public, but she had been locking lips with a black man. A cardinal sin for these country-club members.

She threw her head back and laughed loudly enough for everyone to hear.

She looked around until she found Logan. She grabbed Ty's hand tightly and dragged him to where Logan was, still standing at their table. Without releasing Ty's hand, she snagged the back of Logan's head with her free hand and yanked him down until she brushed her mouth against his. She wanted to give him as good of a kiss as she given Ty, but Logan kept his lips closed, making her keep it chaste.

When she let Logan go, he shook his head slowly at her but gave her a wicked grin. She returned it and snagged his hand too, so she had both of her men in tow as she approached her mother.

Her mother, appearing almost as pale as the tablecloth, sat stiffly at her table, surrounded by her snobby friends. She looked extremely disappointed that her plan had backfired. She couldn't be happy with the fact her club had made a nice chunk of change for the sponsored charity. No, that would make too much sense. She'd rather dwell on the fact Peter hadn't won Quinn. That Peter wasn't getting a second chance with her daughter.

Quinn stopped at the table and tilted her head at her. “Mother.” As the guys flanked her, Quinn tucked her arms in theirs. “I would like you to meet…”
My lovers.

She hesitated. As much as she wanted to throw that fact in her mother's face, she couldn't. Not in front of everyone. Not tonight. No matter what, the woman was still her mother, and she still loved her. Faults and all. Her mother would figure it out soon enough anyway. “I'd like you to meet my good friends Ty White and Logan Reed.”

Her mother's mouth opened, but no sound came out. One of the other ladies at the table knocked over her water glass, crying out when water sloshed into her lap.

Logan nodded his head at her. “Mrs. Preston, we'll make sure you get the check for the charity as soon as possible.”

As her mother still sat there wordlessly, Quinn tugged on the boys' arms and led them toward the exit.

The night air was a bit cooler than expected, and Quinn gave a little shiver. Ty shed his jacket and slipped it over her bare shoulders. He curled his arm around her, holding the oversize jacket in place.

“Better?” he asked.

She gave him a warm smile. “It's all better.”

Logan stepped in front of them, giving them both a serious look. He tugged the lapels of Ty's jacket snuggly around Quinn.

“We—”

“Quinn!” Her mother trotted after them out of the double doors.

Not again. She could not take another berating from her mother again. Though she should have expected this one too.

Especially after the display the three of them had given to all her mother's peers.

Quinn quickly dug into her clutch and shoved her valet ticket at the wide-eyed young man. He gave the men a fleeting glance and then took off to the parking lot.

“Quinn, damn it!”

Quinn turned in surprise to meet her mother's angry gaze. Her mother never cursed. At least, Quinn couldn't remember her mother cursing. Ever.

“Quinn. I can't find your father. I think he has died of embarrassment.” She looked at the three of them, her hands planted on her hips, anger twisting her face. “What is the meaning of all of this?”

Did her mother really want to know? They were no longer in front of a crowd. There was no time like the present for Quinn to get her point across. “Mother, these are my lovers.”

“I don't understand.”

Logan grabbed her upper arm through Ty's jacket, but Quinn ignored his unspoken warning and yanked her arm from his grasp. “What don't you understand? They're both my
lovers
.”

Her mother clasped a hand to her chest and stumbled back.

Logan rushed to assist her, but she stepped away from him, holding him off with a hand. “No, don't touch me.” Her gaze pinned Quinn, who was still being held tightly by Ty. In fact, it was more like Ty was holding her back now. As if he was afraid of what Quinn would do to her mother if he let go.

“Quinn, this might not be the time,” Logan warned.

“Are…are you saying you have sex with these men at the same time?”

“I didn't say that, but you can assume it.”

“So they have sex with each other? They're gay?”

Logan backed stiffly away. “She's on her own.”

“Mother, that's one thing you don't get. You shouldn't label people like that.”

“Get real, Quinn. People are labeled all the time. That's life. If you think you can go through life and not be labeled and judged, you need to face reality.”

Quinn jerked forward, trying to pull away from Ty. He tightened his arm around her, holding her in place. “So how would you label me?”

“You tell me,” her mother countered.

Quinn heard the unspoken words between them.

Slut. Whore.

She could see it in her mother's face.

“Why, Quinn? Why would you bring these gays with you to my charity event?”

These gays.

“Why not? Why shouldn't I? Maybe they are a big part of my life. Maybe they are important to me. Maybe—”

Quinn's voice cracked, and she took a shaky breath as she fought back the sting of tears.

“Mother, these
gays
, as you so eloquently put it, are the best thing that has ever happened to me. They love each other. They cherish me. They don't judge me. Not like my family does. Maybe they mean more to me than you'd ever know.”

“More than your father and I?”

Quinn kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to slam all doors shut tonight. She really didn't. But it was going that direction, and she had known it might when she decided to invite Ty and Logan.

“I see. Well, I guess if you keep this up, don't expect for me or your father to be there for you when you need us. The charities would be more than happy to get your inheritance.”

“Money isn't everything.”

“No. It isn't. But how about some sense of pride? Decency?”

The valet pulled Quinn's Infiniti around the curved driveway to the entrance.

Quinn felt all the fight leave her body. She was drained. She needed to crawl into a corner, lick her wounds, and reevaluate.

She hadn't wanted to alienate her parents. She had only wanted to teach them a lesson about trying to control her life.

Quinn straightened her spine. “I have plenty of pride and decency. That's why I am not running back to Peter.”

The valet finally found the nerve to exit the car. He stood by the open driver's door, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. Logan finally took pity on him and moved around the car, shoving a tip into his hand. Ty tossed his keys to the young man and told him to retrieve his vehicle, giving him a description of his SUV. With a look of relief, the kid couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Logan went around to the passenger side of her car and opened the door. “Let's go, Quinn. Ty, take the SUV back to the farm.”

Ty just nodded his head and steered Quinn over to Logan.

“C'mon. I'll drive you home.” Logan helped her into the passenger seat, Ty's jacket still wrapped around her. The fabric held Ty's mix of woodsy, musky scent, comforting her somewhat.

Logan shut the door and moved around to the driver's side. The black SUV pulled up behind them, and Ty climbed in.

Quinn looked out of the window at her mother. She stood there, alone, watching her daughter, her only child, leave with two men she did not approve of, did not accept, and probably never would.

Quinn felt a pull of great sadness in her heart. If she thought she had disappointed her parents before by not accepting their choice in a mate, she couldn't imagine the disappointment her mother felt with her now.

Logan placed a comforting hand on her knee as he pulled away from the curb.

“It's a shame we are missing out on that dinner. Especially since it was a thousand bucks a plate.”

Quinn pulled her eyes off her mother and turned to face Logan's profile.

There was no reason they should walk away from this evening with empty stomachs.

“Hold on.”

He slammed on the brakes. “What?”

“Pull around to the back.”

With her direction, he steered the car around to the back kitchen.

“I'll be right back.”

Logan had spread out a picnic blanket in front of the fireplace. A mix of light contemporary hits and oldies drifted through the speakers strategically placed around the open great room. Because it was too warm, instead of lighting a fire, Ty had placed candles around the hearth and surrounding tables. Their light gave the room a soft romantic ambience.

The empty doggie bags Quinn had retrieved from the country club's kitchen littered the middle of the blanket.

The boys stretched out on the floor, digesting their meal of honey-orange duck breasts, wild-mushroom raviolis, and green bean amandine. Ty lay on his back, his arms folded under his head. He had stripped down to just his black suit pants and white tux shirt, the shirt unbuttoned, exposing a tight undershirt hugging his muscular chest.

Logan reclined on his side, his head propped in his hand, his eyes occasionally drifting shut. He had released his hair from his ponytail, and it draped softly around his face. His lips had a slight, satisfied curve to the corners. He was bare chested and barefoot, a pair of worn jeans pulled over his hips but not fastened.

The boys looked like the ultimate examples of relaxation, while Quinn gnawed on her bottom lip with anxiety.

She felt in limbo. Even two glasses of the champagne she had hijacked from one of the waitstaff hadn't seemed to take the edge from her nerves.

“That was sure some expensive takeout.” Ty's voice was low and sounded groggy.

Quinn released a drawn-out breath before murmuring, “This whole evening ended up costing too much.”

In more ways than one.

Logan brushed a palm over the short whiskers on his chin. “I don't want to tell you I told you so, but…” His voice drifted off.

“You told me so,” Quinn finished for him. “I know. I know. Deep down inside, I knew what my mother's reaction would be, but I was hoping… I don't know what I was hoping for.”

Actually she did. She had hoped her parents would finally see her as an adult, see she could make her own decisions, and most importantly, they would realize her happiness should be more important than having the
perfect
son-in-law.

Well, that had been a colossal failure. Times two.

Just like her relationship with Peter had been.

But no matter what her parents thought, her happiness was important. And if it meant being with Logan, being with Ty, then that's what needed to happen.

Ty sat up, reached for Quinn, and pulled her in between his legs. He cradled her against him, her back nestled against his chest. He stroked a hand through her hair, plucking the bobby pins out one by one. Tress by tress, he released her hair, until it fell around her shoulders. It felt good to have those nasty contraptions out of her hair and away from her scalp.

Ty tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Your parents will get over tonight. You'll see. Before you know it, they'll be calling and bugging you again.”

Quinn inhaled deeply through her nose. “I don't think so. I made a scene in front of everyone who matters to them.”

“Parents have a tendency to forgive and forget,” Logan added. He frowned. “I can't believe I just said that. My mother never forgave me—or forgot.” He released a long groan. “Sorry, I didn't mean to make it worse.”

“I feel bad for my father. I know he loves me and only wants the best for me.” She absently stroked her hands slowly up and down along the strong tendons in Ty's arms. A rhythm that soothed her.

“Then he should know that Peter wasn't what, or who, was best for you.”

“But the way I went about making that point clear to him and to my mother was not best for you two.” She tilted her head back, nestling it in the hollow between Ty's muscular pec and his collarbone. It was a perfect fit. She sighed. “I promise, I'll repay you every cent of that money, no matter what I have to do to get it. I know you need it for your business. And if you lose business, I'll go out and drum up some more. I don't want you two suffering for something I did.”

“We did,” Ty corrected her, curling a finger around a tress of her hair.

“What?”

He gave her hair a gentle tug. “Something that
we
did. We made the decision to go and be there with you. We all made a conscious choice tonight.”

“But I proved tonight that I'm as bad as my mother. I used you to get what I wanted. I'm selfish.”

“Then so are we. We want you. We didn't want to lose you. We want to be there for you, no matter what. Whenever you need us and for whatever reason.”

“But—”

Quinn could feel Ty shaking his head above her; his chin brushed against her hair. “No buts. No regrets. What's done is done.”

Ty picked up the closest champagne flute and took a sip. He handed the glass, which looked overly delicate in his large hands, to Quinn. Instead of taking the glass from him, she wrapped her fingers around his and lifted it to her lips. The bubbly alcohol tickled her nose when she sipped it.

She let Ty put the flute back on the hearth, and she leaned her head back into his chest as his strong arms came around her, making her feel secure. Wanted.

She had removed her heels earlier, but she still wore his tux jacket over her dress. She moved forward just long enough to remove the jacket and toss it on a nearby stuffed chair. She sank back into his arms.

She could stay like this forever.

This made her happy.

Seeing Quinn in her sexy little dress, enveloped in Ty's arms, made Logan catch his breath. He couldn't believe he could feel this way about a woman. Not again. At least not since Ty.

He never would have thought there would be a woman who would fit so nicely into his life. And it wasn't only his life. It was their life. Ty's and his.

He had been thinking about asking her to move in with them ever since she'd kicked them out of her condo. The sense of loss he had felt when he walked out that door that night had made his head spin. It was one of the reasons he decided to risk all by going to the benefit. He needed to show her they loved her. That all three of them were in it together. Or at least, that was what he had hoped.

He had discussed the new living arrangements with Ty, who at first seemed hesitant. But when Ty considered her not being in their lives at all, he'd quickly reconsidered.

Ty just needed some assurance Quinn wouldn't change their—Ty's and his—relationship. Logan couldn't promise that, but he did tell him inviting Quinn into their lives permanently might enhance it.

Now, after all that happened tonight, Quinn needed some assurance. Or even some reassurance.

She had just turned her life upside down and inside out. Logan remembered how that felt. When he came out. When his wife had discovered the truth about Logan's bisexuality.

He knew every day would not be perfect. A relationship was hard—it was real work—just with two people. And with three?

But as long as all three were willing to try…

“It amazes me…” Quinn said, breaking into his thoughts.

Logan rolled up to a sitting position. “What?” He shifted over until he was lounging next to Ty and leaned back against the larger man's powerful arm. Ty lifted his arm, an unspoken invitation for Logan to cuddle closer. Logan did just that.

“How you two can freely say you love each other.”

Feeling content with Ty's arm hugging him, he reached out to brush back a wild lock of Quinn's honey-colored hair. “Why? Why is it amazing?”

“I've never—” Her voice cracked. She looked down into her lap and played with the hem of her dress. “I've never told anyone besides my parents that I loved them.”

“No one? Not even Peter?” Her little confession surprised Logan. From what he understood, Peter and Quinn had been together for quite a while. Years, he thought.

“No. That's what amazes me so much, I guess. That you two can be so open with your feelings. There are no games between you.”

Logan sighed. “A relationship shouldn't be made up of games. It should be made up of trust and honesty.”

Ty brushed his fingers lazily down Logan's bare arm. “And telling someone you love them isn't necessary.”

“But it's nice.”

“Yes. It's nice,” Logan agreed. “However, if you truly love someone, they'll know it with or without the words.”

Ty's deep voice vibrated against Logan's back. “It's the respect you show them, the actions you take. It's all the little things that count more than words.”

“Words are nice. But words can be empty,” Quinn said.

Ty let out a long, low whistle. “Tell me if these words sound empty.” His voice got low and husky. “Lo, I love you.”

Logan turned his head and gave his lover a small smile. “I love you too.”

Quinn protested, “But—”

Logan shushed her, putting a finger up to her lips. He rose to his knees, turning to face Ty. He gripped Ty's jaw and leaned in, his lips meeting the other man's. Ty's mouth parted, giving Logan access to his tongue. He tasted like champagne and the strawberries Quinn had added to their champagne flutes. He tasted wonderful.

Ty sucked Logan's lower lip and nipped gently, causing Logan to harden, his cock brushing against the rough zipper. Since Logan had never bothered to pull on a pair of boxer-briefs when he'd changed out of his monkey suit, his cock peeked from the top of his unfastened jeans. Ty's thumb found him and brushed against his sensitive head, capturing the drop of pearly precum on his finger.

“Ah fuck.” Logan groaned, grinding his mouth harder against Ty's.

Ty wrapped his warm fingers around Logan's neck to keep him there, but Logan pulled away, leaning back to see Quinn's reaction.

As he expected, Quinn's breathing had become quick and shallow; her nipples were hard nubs under the pure white fabric of her dress.

“Undress Ty,” he ordered her.

Quinn didn't hesitate. Like Logan, she rose to her knees and turned to face the darker man, while staying nestled between his thighs. She swept Ty's open dress shirt over his broad shoulders and threw it on top of the discarded tux jacket. She grabbed the bottom of his undershirt with both hands and slowly pulled it upward as if she were unwrapping a gift. Ty's dark skin gleamed over his lean, hard muscles, the black flames of his tattoo hardly visible against his skin tone in the low light.

The backs of Quinn's fingers brushed over Ty's nipples as she lifted the shirt higher. Ty ducked his head as she tugged the tee upward and off him completely. She tossed it onto the growing pile of clothes.

Quinn leaned close and captured one dark nipple into her mouth as she reached for the clasp on his tux pants. She struggled a bit to release the zipper, as Ty's cock was hard and ready, pushing tightly against the fabric. But after a couple of attempts, she had the zipper down, and Logan could see the impressive bulge in Ty's black boxer-briefs.

Logan would not feel that large cock in him tonight, but he would be taking advantage of Ty's tight hole. He planned on claiming his man tonight. And possibly his woman.

Quinn dipped her hand into his briefs, pushing them down, releasing Ty's cock. Her hand looked tiny in comparison, so pale against Ty's polished ebony shaft. She stroked up and down along his smooth length as she teased his nipple with her lips and tongue.

Logan's balls tightened painfully in the crotch of his jeans. He stood, his eyes never leaving what Quinn was doing to Ty, and he stripped the denim down his legs and over his feet. He tossed the jeans, not caring where they landed, before he dropped back to his knees, clutching the root of his cock tightly. He squeezed himself with the same rhythm as Quinn squeezed Ty. The head of Ty's cock was now shiny and slick with his fluids, something Logan wanted to taste. He imagined Ty's hard, smooth cock in his mouth, and Logan stroked himself faster.

Before he lost it completely, Logan jumped to his feet and said, “I expect you both to be naked when I get back.” And with that, he went to the bedroom to gather condoms and lube. The thought of what the two of them were doing out in the living room without him made him want to rush. He forced himself to take his time, though, even take extra time. The anticipation made him painfully harder.

Logan slowed his breathing as he moved back down the hallway, and when he saw Ty and Quinn, he was pleased. They were just as he had told them to be. They were naked, their skin glowing in the light of the candles. Ty's tight, round ass was in the air, tempting him as Ty knelt between Quinn's legs, his head buried between her thighs.