Melt Into You (15 page)

A jolt of desire sliced through his tangle of emotions, dimming everything except the need to see Evan let go again. He wanted to fall to his knees with relief.
Thank God
. Finally a reaction that made sense!
This
he could work with. Screw all the rest of it. He’d shove the other stuff down and grab on to the desire.

Jace set the cup down, his palms suddenly hotter than the coffee inside it, and moved a step closer to Evan, making himself focus on what the kiss was doing for her rather than worrying that it wasn’t him on the other end of it.

Andre continued to work her over, the good-morning greeting morphing into a lust so palpable Jace could taste it in the air. His cock stirred to awareness, thickening at the erotic sight. Evan had one hand threaded in Andre’s hair, but the other one was gripping the edge of the island as if it were the only thing holding her back from climbing across the counter to get closer. He half wished she’d just let go and hop up there. He couldn’t think of anything better for breakfast than Evan sprawled out on that island like a hedonistic buffet.

A little mewl of pleasure escaped her, and Jace tamped down the remaining whispers of hesitation. He stepped up behind her, nestling his growing erection against her backside and sliding his hand onto her abdomen. She tensed in surprise, then softened, not breaking the kiss but melting against him. God, she felt good. Pliable. Trusting. Totally fucking into it.

He moved his hand lower, teasing at the band of her underwear, stroking her bare skin. She rocked against him, fitting the cleft of her ass against his cock. He groaned at the friction and kissed the back of her neck, inhaling the scent of both her apple shampoo and Andre’s lingering cologne. “
Hmm
, seems like you want more than coffee this morning, sunshine.”

She eased away from the kiss and untangled her fingers from Andre’s hair, her movements as languid as a sleepy cat. She peered over her shoulder at him, a wicked glint in her eyes. “I never want
anything
more than coffee.”

The halt in action had his body protesting, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re a vicious tease, you know that?”

“I’ve been called worse.”

He gave her ass a playful swat, enjoying the flash of lust the move incited from her. “Go ahead. You can have your caffeine. We have all day to taint you with our lecherous demands.”

She spun to face him and smiled, her lips tantalizingly swollen from Andre’s kiss. “Guess I better make a fortifying breakfast for all of us then.”

“Now hold on,
bella
,” Andre said, settling back onto his stool, his movements a little jerky, no doubt from a monster hard-on. “Just because you’re the submissive in this arrangement, doesn’t mean you’re the kitchen bitch, too. We’ve been bachelors a long time. We know how to put a meal on the table.”

She moved around Jace and headed for the fridge. “Oh, hush, I’m not offering because I’m your slave or whatever. I’m offering because I enjoy cooking.” She stuck her head in the refrigerator and her voice became muffled. “Plus, I’ve had bachelor fare. I’ll pass.”

Jace sniffed. “Hey, Andre can make some mean
chilaquiles
. And I can . . . Well, I kick ass at making toast and coffee.”

She emerged from the fridge and set her treasures next to the stove. “Have a seat, Iron Chef. I got this.”

“Our sub is kind of bossy, Andre,” he said as he slid on the stool next to his friend, trying to ease the earlier tension between them.

Andre smirked. “Yeah, but if it involves me getting to watch her flit around the kitchen half-naked, cooking something better than burnt toast, I’m all for it.”

“Good point.”

Jace watched her as she moved with efficient grace from one task to the other. Breaking eggs, lining up bacon in the pan, stirring a pot of grits, tasting a bit on the tip of her finger before tossing salt into the pot. She was beautiful. And more at ease than he’d ever seen her. Like she felt right at home with them, casually cooking breakfast and teasing them with the easy sway of her hips.

Andre set his elbows on the island, apparently as fascinated by the scene as he was. “So what do you like about cooking?”

She shrugged, keeping her back to them and stirring the grits. “I remember my mom cooking for me. Never anything fancy, but all really good, comforting stuff. Baked macaroni and cheese. Chicken and dumplings. She worked overnight shifts, so she always made sure I had something good to eat before she left for work. I looked forward to that time every day. Watching her prepare everything and having her listen to my chatter.”

She paused as if lost in thought, her spoon still. Jace frowned, knowing the story wouldn’t end well.

“She died right before I turned seven. And pretty much everything in my life, including those home-cooked meals, stopped.” She started stirring again. “So I figured when I got older, I would learn how to do it. Make the people around me feel as well taken care of as I did back then.”

The thought of everything warm and comforting in her life disappearing when she was still so young made Jace’s chest ache, made his own family drama seem ridiculously petty in comparison. He’d never gotten the full story from her, but his parents had told him Evan’s background when she’d come to live with them. Her mother had been killed on her way home from work by a drunk driver, and her father had completely fallen apart after her death. He’d spiraled into depression during the years following, had neglected Evan completely, and had eventually taken his own life, leaving his daughter with no one in the world.

Jace shifted on the stool, searching for what to say. He wanted to pull Evan onto his lap, tell her he was sorry she had to go through that, that no kid should have to experience such tragedy. But he knew she’d resist any attempts at sympathy from them and would see it as pity. He was surprised enough that she’d even shared the story about her mother. When he’d last known her, all discussions about her past had been strictly off limits.

He cleared his throat. “Well, we’re honored that you deem us worthy of taking care of this morning.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder, giving him a thank-you-for-not-pushing smile. “No worries. I don’t get to do this too much lately with all the travel we’ve been doing. Plus, Daniel’s more of a restaurant guy than an eat-at-home person, so it’s nice to get back to it.”

Just the mention of her fiancé’s name set Jace’s teeth on edge, but he refused to let his opinion show on his face. Dr. Dan was sounding more and more like an idiot every second. Obviously the man wasn’t satisfying Evan’s sexual needs. And apparently he wasn’t appreciative of her nurturing side. What the fuck did she see in the guy?

Money? Fame?

He didn’t picture Evan as the trophy wife type, but what did he know. He hadn’t pegged his ex-wife for that either, and it had turned out to be her life’s mission. Maybe growing up like Evan had made those things too tempting to pass up.

Andre drummed his fingers against the counter, and Jace could feel his friend’s agitation. Uh-oh. Something was on Andre’s mind, and he wasn’t one to hold his tongue. Jace shot him a warning look, but Andre’s mouth was already opening. “I know it’s not my business, but do you really love this guy, Evan? It seems like you two don’t have a lot in common.”

Jace kicked Andre under the counter, giving him a what-the-fuck look.

Evan stiffened, and Jace wished he could see her face. A few seconds passed before she answered. “You’re right, it’s none of your business. But yes, I do.”

Andre frowned. “Shit, I’m sorry. That was out of line. Sometimes my mouth opens before the filters get involved.”

She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Now you just owe me an answer to a wildly personal question of my choice later on.”

“Uh-oh. Why don’t we just forget I said anything?”

“Not a chance.”

Silence fell between the three of them while she finished cooking, and Jace worried that Andre had pushed Evan back into her shell with that ridiculous question. But when she divvied out portions onto plates and turned around, her easy smile had returned. She set a plate down in front of each of them and rolled her eyes as she took in their expressions. “Relax, guys. I’m not going to run out the door because you asked me a question. I’d just rather not discuss my relationship while I’m here.”

That made two of them. Jace would rather forget Dr. Dan existed at all, at least for the weekend. “We promise not to tread there again, Ev.”

“It’s fine. Now eat before it gets cold.” She pointed at their plates, and they both obliged her. She joined in, taking a few bites from her own plate as she studied the two of them. Her gaze turned serious. “Listen, I know this is an odd situation, and I’m still figuring things out as I go along here. But I want you both to know that when I’m with you, I’m fully with you. I’m not thinking of anyone else or anything outside of here. Okay?”

Her declaration had Jace wanting to be
with her
again right at that moment, but he forked a bite of scrambled egg instead. If he jumped her every time he had the urge too, they’d never make it through a meal. “Same here, babe. You’re our sole focus this weekend.”

“Our obsession, really,” Andre added, his expression comically solemn. “I doubt either of us could even conjure up the image of another woman if we tried.”

She laughed and pointed the piece of bacon she’d lifted off her plate at him. “You’re only obsessed because you’re the one who hasn’t gotten laid in the last twelve hours.”

Andre looked her up and down with unabashed appreciation. “Don’t sell yourself short,
mamacita
. Me wanting you has nothing to do with a few hours of deprivation. If it were only about a stiff dick, I could’ve gone back to the main house last night.”

Her nipples became noticeable points beneath her shirt—Andre’s words as good as a pinch—and Jace’s mouth went dry. Andre leaned forward on his elbows and peered into her mug. “Well, would you look at that? Seems you’re all done with that coffee.”

Evan licked her lips, obviously registering Andre’s meaning. She peeked over at Jace, checking in with him, giving him the reins whether she realized what she was doing or not. The rush of power it gave him was like a needle full of adrenaline. She was stunning regardless, but when she slipped into the sub role, it tore the air right from his lungs. He didn’t deserve the gift, didn’t deserve that level of submission or loyalty from her. But hell if he was going to turn it down right now.

He shoved his plate aside. “I think you’re done with breakfast, pet.”

“Seems so, sir.” The corner of her mouth quirked up, but Jace also sensed nervous energy rolling off her.

Nice. He liked her a little on edge. It would only make things better for all involved. He opened his mouth to give her the next command, but Andre’s hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him. “Let me top her this time, J.”

Jace choked back the groan of frustration before it made its way out. Leave it to Andre to immediately push him right to the limit. Andre rarely asked to be the lead dom in a ménage, so Jace had a feeling this was more about their conversation this morning than anything else. Knowing Andre, he’d probably relegate Jace to a watch-but-don’t-touch role just to prove a point.

Jace glanced at Evan, who was observing their exchange intently, and reminded himself that this weekend was about her. He loosened his fists, which had automatically clenched. “No problem. Evan agreed to be submissive to both of us, so go ahead.”

He said the words with what he hoped was a relaxed tone, even though it was going to be a tortuous test of will to watch Andre dominate her and not be the one controlling the situation. He could do this. He wanted Evan to have the experience of being shared—of knowing what it was like to pleasure and be pleasured by two very different men.

And despite the possessiveness he’d been wrangling with, he knew he could trust Andre with Evan. The guy could piss him off, but he was also one of his best friends and would never do anything out of line. Andre’s restraint with Evan up until this point had proven that.

Plus, Jace knew if he could focus on the right things, seeing Evan submit to Andre would turn him on. Beyond the sheer forbidden aspect of watching two people fuck, Andre’s method of dominance brought out a different side of a woman than Jace’s more in-your-face style. The guy turned it into an art form and it was sexy as hell to watch a girl get worked over by him.

Many women suspected Andre’s smoother approach would make him an easier master. But Jace knew better. Andre was velvet-gloved seduction, but he also was filled with unnatural amounts of patience. He’d seen some of the toughest subs break down into desperate tears, outright begging for release by the end of a session with Andre.

Of course, Andre never denied a woman that reward. He just didn’t rush to get there.

Though based on the hooded gaze Andre shot Evan, Jace wondered if she had even managed to drive Mr. Slow Hands to his breaking point. Every man had his limits.

Jace just hoped that Evan wouldn’t push him past his own.

*  *  *

Andre knew it was killing Jace to not be in charge right
now, but he was doing it this way for the guy’s own good. Hopefully, this would force Jace to get a grip. Because whether Jace wanted to admit it or not, he looked at Evan differently than he had any other woman Andre had ever seen him with.