Kate's Crew (3 page)

Mike deposited her in the antique, bent-pine chair in her breakfast nook. Somehow, he’d managed to get redressed before whisking her away from detection. He reached behind his back, grabbed a handful of his black T-shirt then hauled it over his head. The supple cotton radiated his warmth when he threaded her arms through it.

The fabric that had hugged his muscular shoulders draped around her like a baggy dress. He crouched on the linoleum by her feet then patted her knee. “Fun, right?”

Fun? Blood rushed through her veins even minutes later. It throbbed in the engorged tissues of her pussy and fluttered beneath the flushed skin of her wrists.

She stammered, “That was—”
Rough. Free. Primal. Hot. Generous.
“—beautiful. But no wonder you laughed at me this morning.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Kate?”

“They’re gay.” She wanted to sink into the earth. How conceited could she be? “I must have imagined the guys hitting on me because I was so attracted to them.”

Mike’s palms cupped her flaming neck. His thumbs tipped her face up with slight pressure on her jaw. “The universe has more shades than black and white. Believe me, they want you almost as much as I do. I’m no jealous prick, but I’ve had to watch my temper lately. You make me break al my rules, babe.”

“Rules?” She couldn’t imagine someone so uninhibited imposing self-restrictions.

He grimaced then shook his head. “Sorry, brain’s not firing on all cylinders yet. Massive blood flow diverted.”

She blinked when she confirmed the tent in his crotch. How could he be hard? She would have feared she’d never again see an orgasm the likes of the ones he’d given her if just thinking about the dirty deeds they’d exchanged in the laundry room hadn’t fired her libido once more. Maybe their encounter hadn’t satisfied all his needs?

“Um… Do you… Have you ever…”

He laughed, “Are you trying to ask if I’m bi, too?”

She nodded.

“I’ve tried just about everything once, but it’s not really my thing. I’ll admit, though…I’ve accepted more than one blow job from the crew members.” He shrugged. “I’m a guy, I like getting head. For me, if it’s just about having a good time, then a mouth’s a mouth as long as I respect the person it’s attached to.”

Her knees went weak imagining his come spraying down another man’s throat.

“But, I definitely like your parts best.” He winked then laid his lips on hers with aching tenderness.

She bowed into his hold, soaking in every modicum of sweetness he was wil ing to impart. All too soon, he broke the embrace. He dusted butterfly kisses over her checks and eyelids before rising to his feet.

“Sorry to fuck and run, but we really do need to get the patio laid today if we’re going to finish up by tomorrow night.”

“Finish the patio?” Panic twisted her guts. Their skills had guaranteed their progress on the complete overhaul would be ten times faster than her snail’s pace for even the simplest tasks, but they couldn’t be done already.

“Yeah, it’s the last thing on our list. The longer we hold the house, the less profit there is in turning it. So, before we start every job we set a date. If we make our deadline, we throw ourselves a wild party. Definitely keeps us motivated.” He waggled his eyebrows.

It figured she’d discovered the perfect way to expand her horizons right before she lost the opportunity.

Kate pasted on a phony smile to cover the dread freezing the lingering heat from her core. If she felt anything other than disappointment over the lost opportunity, she forced herself to bury it. There would be plenty of lonely nights to examine her foolishness later.

“The pool inspector cleared our upgrades this morning so we’re planning a cookout. You know, we’d love to have you as our guest of honor.” He picked an imaginary piece of lint off his paint-splattered jeans.

She might have laughed if his sudden vulnerability hadn’t stunned her silent.

“If you’re stil interested after today…”

“I’l think about it.”

“That’s al I can ask, babe.” Mike brushed his lips over her forehead then turned away. “Stay off that ladder.”

The wooden blinds tapped against the window as he shut the door tight behind him.

They’d slaved beneath the beam of spotlights until nearly midnight, then picked up again at the first light of dawn. Kate cursed the weather gods who hadn’t answered her call for rain. Instead, the thermometer had spiked close to a hundred degrees by lunchtime. The crew dragged ass for the first time since they’d carted their equipment onto the lawn next door.

Before she could consider the consequences, she squeezed a dozen lemons into her grandmother’s pitcher then grabbed a tray. As she arranged store-bought cookies on a plate, she wished she’d thought to make some from scratch.

The rays of the afternoon sun scorched her cheeks. She squinted, catching sight of James indulging in a timeout under the dense canopy of the massive oak in their yard. When he saw her coming, he patted the ground.

“As if I didn’t already crave your goodies.” He beamed. “Pour me some of that lemonade, and I’ll be your slave for life.”

She sat cross-legged beside him but didn’t laugh. Somehow, their games had turned serious in the past twenty-four hours. As usual, James tuned in to her mood in a flash.

“Ah, sorry, Kate. I’d give you a hug but sweaty doesn’t begin to describe me right now.”

He accepted the glass she handed over then drained it in one long slug.

“What? Do I have concrete dye on me?” James scrubbed at his neck.

Thank heaven for the bright light. The heat climbing her cheeks had nothing to do with the thinning of the ozone layer. Still, she couldn’t meet his curious gaze. Why hadn’t she considered the guys’ privacy before she spied on them?

“Oh. I see.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t think you’d judge me.”

When he began to rise, she grabbed his forearm. “What? James! It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. But how did you know I was there?”

“Oh shit, were you feeling guilty?” He plopped onto the lush grass with a chuckle. “For a second there you really worried me. Katiebug, you couldn’t keep quiet to save your life. Plus, you forgot these…”

From one of a dozen pockets on his cargo shorts, he withdrew her favorite thong. Mike must have gone back to grab the rest of her discarded clothing.

“So you’re okay…”

“Honey, knowing you were watching turned me on beyond belief. Couldn’t you tell?”

“Well, you did look like you were enjoying yourself.” She rested her head on his shoulder, sweaty or not.

“Sounded like you were, too.” He rubbed his cheek over her hair. “So, you’l be there tonight then?”

“I…I haven’t decided. Do you want me to be?”

“Hell, yes.” He didn’t hesitate even a fraction of a second before answering. “In my mind, sexuality is a continuum. Let’s take Mike. Based on the ten years I’ve known him, I’d say only one out of a thousand people he finds attractive are men. And I’m not talking go-to-bed-with-them attractive but, you know, some kind of spark. For me, it’s the opposite. I don’t want to lose the chance to act on that rare opportunity.”

It seemed so simple when he put it that way.

“I guess I just don’t know how to do this. How do you know what everyone wants? Each of you must fal somewhere different. Like Neil… I could tel he wasn’t into sucking Joe.” Her curiosity pushed her beyond embarrassment.

“Yeah, each of us has boundaries. We respect everyone’s right to do or not do as they please. No one would ever hurt you or force you to go further than you want.”

Kate feared she would be the one who needed to go further than the rest. Beyond physical pleasure. At least when it came to Mike.

“But aren’t there rules? Mike said something about breaking his rules?” She’d be mortified if she violated some principle out of ignorance, but Mike had dodged her follow-up questions.

“He only has one rule that I know of.” James grinned. “And it’s stupid. If he’s in danger of breaking it, I think we’re all in for a treat. He refuses to mix emotions with pleasure. Or, at least, he has in the past.”

Hope blossomed in her soul, but she was scared to let it run rampant. “If he wanted me as something more than a plaything, why would he want to share me?”

“There’s a difference. Do you know Neil and I consider ourselves life partners?”

“You do?” Could she really have it all?

“Yep.” His grin faded as he became serious. “I’d give anything for that man. I love him unconditional y, and so I accept that he likes both men and women. He accepts that I enjoy sex with multiple partners. We never have sex without each other but, sometimes, we like to indulge in the pleasure that only comes from sharing.”

They sat in silence for several minutes as he allowed her to absorb the possibilities.

“Look, Mike deserves to be as happy as I am. You two are great together. Please, Kate, I’m begging. Come tonight.” James winked. “Come a lot.”

Kate paced the squeaky hardwood planks in front of the bay window. She took another pul of the Corona with lime she’d intended to take over to the crew’s barbeque. Not like those guys would drink light beer anyway.

So why am I still inside? Chicken.

As she watched, Dave and Joe roughhoused. They wrestled, attempting to dunk each other in the crystal blue waters of the refinished pool. James and Neil huddled together on the sidelines while Mike tended the grill.

She reminded herself that he couldn’t actual y see her every time he glanced in her direction.

After today, the manscape outside her window would disappear forever. The soft orange hues generated by the dusk blurred. She’d let herself get used to their laughter, but now they were leaving. Tonight was her last chance. If she didn’t take it, they’d be gone when she woke.

Regret would destroy her.

Before she could harp on every possible disastrous repercussion—and Lord were there plenty of those—she grabbed the remainder of her six-pack, squared her shoulders then sashayed across the lawn in her best imitation of a supermodel swagger.

Five smoldering stares latched on to the bared skin between the strings and diminutive cloth panels of the itsy-bitsy bikini she’d bought this afternoon. Water drops trickled from the statuesque bodies of the men in the pool. Neil’s jaw dropped open and James nodded at her. But only Mike’s reaction could capture her interest for longer than a glance.

Kate inhaled then held her breath as she raised her gaze to his. How she kept from stumbling when the force of his hunger hit her dead-on was a mystery.

The silence stretched a little longer than comfort allowed so she raised the carton in her hand. “Brought some beer.”

So lame.

He eyed the half-empty container and grinned. “Nervous?”

She gulped around a lie, “Not a bit.”

“You’re safe with us.” He took the liquid courage from her then set it aside. His thick arm banded around her waist as he drew her into his sheltering embrace. The scent of charcoal and hot man made her mouth water.

Puffs of air danced over her temple a moment before Mike’s lips pressed against it.

Then he whispered in her ear, “Al you have to do is tell me it’s too much and I’l take you out of the game in a second. No questions, no hard feelings. Understand?”

Light fur brushed her cheek when she nodded against his chest.

“Good girl.” He separated them just enough to catch her chin then tip it up. His lips caressed her mouth, which curved in a smile. The prodding tip of his tongue coaxed her mouth to open. A wave of desire made her forget her worries as she got lost in sensation. “Damn, I’ve wanted this since the moment I met you.”

His strong hands landed on her waist, lifting her until her toes dangled several inches above the new flagstone pavers. She flung her arms around his neck, matching the intensity of his kiss.

Mike carried her to the edge of the pool. As he stalked closer, the motion bumped their hips together. The solid length of his erection singed her bared abdomen through his swim trunks.

A cool breeze washed over her feet as it danced across the water below. Then slippery fingers encased her ankles, guiding her descent. Water engulfed her calves then her knees. The refreshing relief from the blistering heat of the man holding her didn’t last long. Kate squirmed when Dave’s teeth scraped her ass. It passed before his face as Mike lowered her into the pool. Then Dave took hold of her beneath her left arm while Joe grabbed her right.

She whimpered when Mike untangled her fingers from his nape then transferred her weight to the other men.

The soft protest transformed into a squeal at the icy caress of the tiny waves on her pussy. Instinct had her draping one arm around Dave’s massive shoulders and the other around Joe until she tread water between them.

Half her torso had been submerged when Neil and James joined Mike poolside. Her two supports headed into deeper water, causing her to rely entirely on them to keep her afloat. She wouldn’t be able to reach the bottom here.

“Look at how hard you make them.” Joe cupped her breast, the nipple peaking in seconds beneath his dripping fingers. He painted cool droplets over her satiny bathing suit until it adhered to every ridge and contour of the puckered flesh.

It became a lot easier to see what he meant as the three men shucked their trunks. Mike crouched, put one hand on the intricate tile work then leapt graceful y into the pool with minimal splash. He inched toward her, never taking his eyes from her.

James sat on the edge, dipping his feet, stroking himself as he scanned the men bracketing her. “I’m so glad you decided to join us, love.”

Neil brushed James’s hair away from his face. He smiled when James kissed his palm then said, “What are you waiting for? Go play. I want to watch for now.”

The graceful arc of Neil’s arms as he raised them above his head drew James’s attention as wel as hers. His muscles rippled as he leaned forward to dive into the pool. She followed his progress beneath the glassy surface as he torpedoed toward her. When he was just a few feet short, he slowed, his hair swirling around his head.

Kate didn’t realize his intentions until Dave jerked the string at her hip. A moment after the panels floated away from her bare skin, Neil’s lips scorched her pussy. She didn’t have time to feel awkward about being touched so intimately by more than one man at once.

Dave and Joe each hooked a wrist beneath one of her knees then spread her like an offering for their submerged crew member. Neil braced one hand on each of their thighs, then buried his face in her pussy. Her eyes widened at the sensation of his hot tongue licking her followed by the cool water rushing behind his touch.

Mike’s groan had her searching for him. He swam closer, taking in the decadence before him. “That’s right, babe. Let them give you pleasure. It turns me on to watch you burn. They can give you so much more than I could alone. I want you to take all you can.”

Neil’s lips closed over her clit. He sucked with gentle pulls that had her sighing before he placed one last tender kiss over her mound and surfaced. He flung his head back, sending water arcing from his Roman features in a glistening spray. Visions of erotic mermen fil ed her mind. James gasped behind them, apparently as impressed by Neil’s primal display as she was.

“Sweet,” he panted against her lips, sharing the taste of arousal tinged with chlorine.

Mike appeared over his shoulder. Her ability to focus on anything but the raging need in his eyes dissipated.

He nudged Neil to the side as he claimed her lips. She sucked on his tongue, the hammering of her pulse going double time. While he occupied her, nimble hands untied the remaining strings of her bikini, baring her.

Then he, too, sank beneath the surface to tease her swollen folds with his mouth. She tipped her head back, sparing a fleeting thought for the spectacular sunset, almost as bril iant as the way the crew made her feel.

The motion exposed her neck to Dave’s tongue. Neil latched onto her breasts—licking, nibbling and squishing the globes together to nuzzle between them.

Just when the swirls of Mike’s mouth instigated the pre-orgasmic clenching of her pussy, he swam between her legs to surface behind her. She groaned at the loss, her head now resting on his chest. The two men holding her tipped her, raising her feet out in front of her. Mike cradled her neck and head, kissing her with leisurely swipes of his lips.

Kate’s toes curled as touch after touch drove her higher. Dave and Joe slid their massive hands along her body until they supported her back and legs. She floated on the surface, her breasts heating in the humid air while the rest of her bobbed, held steady by the light grasp of her lovers.

“I need to taste more of you. I want to make you come.” Neil groaned when his friends adjusted her thighs. He swam between them, inviting Dave and Joe to drape them over his shoulders. He homed in on her core. She sighed when he stopped just a fraction of an inch away from fulfil ing the promise of ecstasy.

“Would you like that?” Mike’s harsh breathing assured her that he would like to see it.

“Yes! Please.” Her fingers dug into the thick pads of muscle covering Dave’s and Joe’s shoulders. The restless movements urged them to bend over her, to soothe the ache in her breasts. They complied with her wishes. Dave bit her lightly while Joe sucked her nipple tight against the roof of his mouth. The variations in their touch drove her wild.

“Relax, babe.” Mike took her mouth in another scorching kiss. “We’re going to give you all you can take.”

Neil spread the lips of her pussy. Mike released her mouth, allowing her to watch the awe on the other man’s face as he probed her saturated flesh with the tip of one blunt finger. She shook beneath the eight masculine hands stroking her. But the pleasure that raced up her spine when Neil’s finger penetrated her burned brightest.

He worked her open, adding another digit to her greedy pussy. She savored the grimace of passion on his face when her muscles clamped around him. When he’d lodged his fingers in to the second knuckle, he bent to flick the tip of his tongue around her clit before kissing his way up her thigh.

She gasped then bucked so hard she nearly jerked away from his fingers. Dave’s, Joe’s and Mike’s muscular arms banded around her, securing her in place when Neil’s touch returned.

“I think she liked that, buddy.” Joe’s gravelly hum of appreciation ratcheted her need higher. “Do it. Make her come on your face.”

This time Neil consumed her with less preparation. Neither one of them could wait for pleasantries. Mike tipped her face up. “Watch him. Look at his expression when you explode.”

Three of Neil’s fingers slid inside her. He pumped them with liquid glides. “You’re so soft.”

He groaned before transferring his mouth from the inside of her knee to her clit. He sucked the bud between his lips, sending pulses of pleasure through her body. Kate’s eyelids drooped, but someone pinched her nipple. Hard.

“Keep your eyes open. Watch.” Mike’s command seemed impossible to obey.

Neil’s rapture escalated her own. She moaned as every muscle in her body tensed, straining for release.

When Neil added the slightest rasp of his teeth on her pussy she couldn’t resist. She spiraled over the edge into a mind-shattering climax. He continued to eat at her until the pleasure renewed, cresting again and again.

Still, he refused to let her rest.

“You can take more, can’t you, babe?” Mike pet her even as he demanded she go further.

“Yes.” She would have begged him to show her how to if she could have formed the words.

“I gotta fuck her, Mike. Let me fuck her,” Joe begged as he and Neil switched places.

“Do you want his cock in you?”

She nodded up at Mike, hoping he wouldn’t be upset. Of course, he wasn’t.

He took a deep breath then kissed her. The second their lips fused, he sank below the surface of the pool.

The rush of water fil ing her ears sounded surreal. She should have panicked, being cut off from oxygen, but they would never let anything happen to her.

She opened her eyes. The water burned a little but couldn’t overpower the renewed sense of wonder saturating her. Mike met her gaze, completely in control. He continued to kiss her, doling out his supply of air between nips of his teeth and the soothing rasp of his tongue.

After several long seconds, he squeezed her hand then rose. A tiny prickle of unease sent even more adrenaline pumping through her system but—before she could freak—he returned, kissing another breath into her lungs. They fel into a rhythm of fulfil ment that left her head spinning.

Just when she grew accustomed to remaining submerged, a few inches below the surface, the men lowered her another foot or so. Dave’s and Neil’s cocks bobbed against her hips. She surrounded the stiff flesh with her fists, loving the way they jerked in her grasp. Before she could gloat, Joe appeared between her spread legs. His hard-on looked huge through the distortion of the water.

Mike fetched another breath of air just as Joe set his erection against her stil -throbbing flesh. She moaned, surrendering the last of her reserved oxygen. The instant the bubble broke on the surface, Mike returned. He claimed her mouth as Joe buried himself inside her then began fucking her in short, fast strokes that had her poised on the edge of another orgasm in minutes.

Kate squeezed her fists around Dave and Neil. She tried to stroke their cocks but sensory overload left her uncoordinated. Instead, they began to thrust between her fingers in time with Joe. His cock shuttled in and out of her pussy. She arched her spine, trying to rub her clit against his pelvis but the harder she pushed, the farther away he got.

Dave’s hand plunged into the water, landing low on her bel y. His fingertip teased her clit as Joe began to fuck her faster. Mike braced her shoulders against the motion, keeping her still to accept his partner’s pounding thrusts even as he continued to feed her oxygen at regular intervals.

When Dave’s finger circled her engorged flesh, she knew she couldn’t last long. If the quickening pace of Joe’s thrusts were any indication, she realized she wasn’t alone. When Mike returned, she bit his lip, trying to tell him how close she was.

He smiled and nodded before rising once more. Then Dave’s finger tapped her clit in an irresistible pattern.

She exploded around Joe’s pistoning erection. Contractions milked his cock. She couldn’t tear her gaze away as he whipped out of her. His shaft flexed. Spurts of fluid jetted from the tip to float in the liquid before her.

As though she’d triggered a chain reaction, Dave’s cock bulged in her grip. Then he too sent ribbons of pearly come spiraling into the whorls and eddies made by their writhing bodies. She trailed her fingertips down the two cocks in her grip—one spent, one not—to fondle their bal s.

The men raised her to the surface. Their harsh breathing, groans and awed compliments were distant in her ears. She curled into Mike’s outstretched arms, seeking refuge for a moment, trying to catch her breath.