Second Chance Summer: Menage Romance Novel (Midnight Cove Menage Book 1) (10 page)

“Like I said, I knew what I wanted. Now it’s time to paint.” She flashed him a smile and picked up a paint brush. “I’ve got to get this out before I lose it.”

Devin’s eyebrows creased. “You’re sure?”

“Very. But you can stay and watch, if you want.”

The dimple reappeared. “If you finish tonight, there’s a bed downstairs that’s big enough for three.”

Summer paused. “Three?”

Devin shrugged. “What can I say? I’m feeling generous. At least more so than Blake.”

Her cheeks flushed scarlet. “When you put it that way, we sound like sex-starved teenagers.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” Devin kissed her shoulder, lingering until his lips warmed her skin. “I’d love to watch you. I’ve always wanted to see you work.”

With the promise of a kick-ass reward, she was more than ready. “Okay. But don’t freak out if I get paint all over you.”

He held up his hands. “I promise.”

Summer picked up a paintbrush and turned to the painting. When she’d started, it had been violent—brutal. A storm that matched the need Blake lit inside her. The fire rocketing through her veins. But now?

Now she saw hope. Light. A break in the clouds. Instead of a swirling whirlpool battering the little boat around, there was a shot at salvation. A ray of sun breaking through and hitting the red hull. She dipped the brush in a pale yellow.

Devin and Blake. Two men who managed to come together and satisfy all her desires. Stoke and calm the flares at the same time. Light and dark. Rain and sun.

In minutes, she’d lost herself to the muse. Paint splattering. Canvas filling. The sun outside sank lower and lower and lights turned on inside. Devin. Even in real life, he was lighting the way.

She painted and painted. Until her arm ached and her shoulder screamed and her hair was more rainbow than brown.

At last she stepped back. Midnight Cove. Battered on one side by a raging storm. Illuminated on the other by the golden sun. A sailboat in the middle. Strong and tall. Balanced and thriving.

Footsteps sounded behind her. “It’s beautiful.”

Summer started. “Blake? When’d you…?”

“Get here? About an hour ago. Devin let me know. Hope you don’t mind. It’s been an honor.”

She smiled at the ground. “Thanks.”

Devin stepped over. “How about we clean up and head downstairs? I’m guessing you want to wash all that paint out of your hair.”

Summer pulled a lock in front of her face and grimaced. “God, I must look like a train wreck.”

“You look like an artist.”

Summer’s eyes widened and she gave Devin a quick nod.
An artist.
She bent down and grabbed a tube of paint before he caught the shimmer in her eyes.

“
Y
ou didn’t show
her the shop, did you?”

Blake huffed in annoyance. “No. We’d agreed. I wouldn’t go back on that.” He pulled out a barstool and sat down. As soon as they’d headed inside, Summer had hustled off to shower in their guest room. She was probably covered in lather, scraping the paint off her skin and out of her hair.

The shower water echoed through the pipes and Blake wished he were in there—soaping Summer’s back and ignoring the tension between him and Devin. But they had to face each other. Now was as good a time as any.

Devin walked past him and opened the fridge. Anger radiated off him, furnace hot. He ducked down to pull out a beer and his voice carried over the door. “So you keep your word on the shop, but fuck her as soon as you two get alone? That’s great.”

The fridge door swung shut and Devin stood up with a scowl. “On the beach, even? Seriously, Blake. That’s fucked up.”

Blake clenched his fist but kept his voice even. “And your little show last night wasn’t? You should have seen Brad this morning, man. He was a fucking powder keg. If I’d said anything out of line, he’d have found a way to arrest me.”

Devin popped the top of his beer. “That’s not the same thing.”

“Yeah? Well, if it weren’t for you, I’d have never run into Summer. Or had to do damage control.”

“What are you talking about?”

Blake let out a breath. “Your ex-girlfriend.”

“Ivy? What’s she got to do with any of this?”

“Ian asked me to track her down at the spa. Something about wanting her to meet with Brad. When I pulled up, she was ripping into Summer something fierce. Blaming her for the permit fiasco.”

Devin paused, beer midway to his mouth. “That’s none of her fucking business.”

“No shit. But there she was, waving her fake nails all over the place, being a total bitch. They’d been going at it for a good while, it looked like. If I hadn’t shown up, who knows what would’ve happened. Summer might be on a plane back to NYC.”

With a curse, Devin set his beer on the counter. “We shouldn’t have agreed to let Ivy into the deal.”

“A little late now, don’t you think?”

Devin exhaled. “I figured Ian could keep her on a leash.”

Yeah, right
. From what Blake had seen of Ivy, she was only interested in one thing—herself. Trading up in boyfriends like most women changed shoes. Always looking for the next big thing. The next way she could put her name in lights. “She’s bad news.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not still pissed.”

“About me and Summer?” Blake rolled his eyes.
Here we go again.
It was still the same after all these years. Devin gets first dibs. Devin calls the shots. Devin runs the show. “Maybe I’m sick of being second fiddle.”

“What?”

“Don’t you remember what it was like before? You were always first in line. Coming up with ways to hang out with Summer alone. Leaving me in the dust. I was just a sidekick to the two of you.”

His best friend cocked his head. “No, you weren’t. It was equal. The three of us. We were the fucking musketeers.”

Blake ran his finger over a scratch in the counter. “Didn’t seem that way to me.”

“So what? You slept with her to even the score?”

Anger flashed through Blake and he snapped back without thinking. “No, you asshole. I slept with her because I love her.”

As soon as the words slipped out, everything stopped. Devin’s mouth hung half open, Blake’s hand froze on the counter.

After a beat, Devin stepped back. “You what?”

Blake licked his lips and looked Devin in the eye. “I love her.” Saying it the second time didn’t seem so insane. It was the truth, even if it took him four years to admit it. “Don’t you?”

Devin retreated until his ass hit the counter. His chest swelled as he stared at Blake. It seemed like forever. Both of them watching each other. Letting the past four years fall away to find the truth.

At last, Devin exhaled and his chest deflated. “Yeah. I—I think I do. But—”

“But what?”

His best friend broke eye contact and toed a scuff on the floor. “Do you think she feels the same?”

Blake thought about the two of them on the beach. How she melted into him. How a current of emotion dragged her closer with every breath. “Yeah. She does.”

“You think she’ll ever admit it?”

“That she’s in love with us?” Blake shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s worth it to try.”

Devin nodded and pushed himself off the counter. He picked up his beer and drank half of it without a pause.

For four years, they’d never gone there. Never talked about what Summer meant to them. Whether she was the one they couldn’t live without or just what might have been. But there they were, standing in the kitchen with her showering down the hall. Finally honest with each other.

“How much does she know?”

The question caught Blake off-guard. “About what? You and Ivy?”

“No.” Devin drained the rest of the beer and tossed it in the trash. “What happened when she left.”

Blake swallowed. “Nothing, I think.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

“I don’t know, Dev. She hates secrets. Maybe we should tell her.”

“No. We all agreed. She never needed to know.”

Blake frowned. That’s not how it should go. If Devin loved her, he’d see that. “What if it gets out? What if she hears from someone who’s not us?” Blake could see the look on her face already. Hurt. Anger. It’d be a disaster.

“That’ll never happen.”

He exhaled through his nose. “I hope to God you’re right.”

“You can do this.” Summer looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and forced herself to breathe.

Blake and Devin.
The first time around, it’d been fun. Playful. Hanging out at the bar until close. Splashing in dark ocean water at night. Friends. Lovers. Not real life. But now?

They ran a business and were about to open their own bar. All Summer’d managed was an apartment her mom paid for and a handful of exhibits around the city. Nothing like the pair of them. They’d moved on. Grown up. And Summer?

She glanced down at her hands and the faint smudge of crimson still on her palm. According to Ivy, she was nothing more than an interloper. Back to mess to it all up.

Was she right? Summer raised her head to examine her reflection. The girl who’d tied her hair up in a topknot, yanked on an apron, and carried trays full of beer and wine all summer in Midnight Cove was gone. In her place was a woman.

One just as confused as ever. A single night with Blake and Devin all those years ago and she’d ran. Because she felt herself falling into way more than friendship. More than lust. She’d been falling in love.

Summer closed her eyes and saw the beach. Her toes curling in the sand while Blake ran his hands up her hips. His hot breath tickling her ear as he thrust inside her. His body crushing her against the rock. Muffled screams as she came.

And Devin. His fingers lacing through her hair. His thighs shaking as he released deep in her throat. His kisses so desperate and raw. She gripped the edge of the sink and opened her eyes.

It wasn’t college anymore. This wasn’t a pit stop on the way to real life. They were down the hall, right now. Waiting for her. And she loved them.

She blinked and the green eyes in the mirror blinked with her.
I love them. I’m in love with them.
The words bounced around in her head and part of her wanted to scream.
You can’t! You can’t love two men!

But her heart didn’t care. Her muse didn’t care. She’d spent four years painting the ghost of Blake and Devin on every canvas. Acrylic. Oil. Mixed media. Didn’t matter the form, the image was always the same.

Midnight Cove. Empty and longing. The men she’d left behind with a piece of her heart.

Her eyes widened and she smiled as she thought of the painting drying upstairs. The new one that didn’t showcase faded memories. It wasn’t a mediocre landscape. It was her fucking soul. All because of Blake and Devin.

Damn it
. Could she upend her whole life and date two men? Did they even want to?

Summer flicked off the light and opened the door. There was one way to find out.

The door opened in the hallway and Blake cut Devin off with a wave of his hand. The last thing they needed was Summer hearing them argue over her.

Keeping secrets, telling the truth—whatever choice they made—it didn’t matter right then. Not when she was padding down the hall in bare feet, wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts. The fabric barely skimmed her thighs and she yanked it down with one hand to keep from flashing them everything.

Blake grinned. “You don’t have to hide from us, you know.”

Her cheeks flushed and Blake’s tension eased. “I know. It’s just—I—”

Devin reached for her and she let the t-shirt go to take his hand. He tugged her close, lips grazing her cheek as he whispered in her ear.

Blake’s jealously flared hot, but as Summer glanced up with big eyes and parted lips, he forced the green monster back down. If he was going to share with Devin, he needed to accept it. Come to terms with moments like that. Whether he was a witness or not.

Besides, he’d done the same without a second’s thought. He remembered the way she moaned out her release and he stepped forward. Hands on bare thighs. Sliding higher and higher. So soft. Silky. Still warm from the shower.

He curled his fingers around her hips and eased his body closer. “What’s Devin been whispering in your ear, hmm?”

Summer’s head fell back onto Blake’s shoulder and he kissed her cheek. “He reminded me how much better two men can be.”

Blake smiled and his dick throbbed to life. His best friend had a point. Sex was better with the three of them together.

He eased his fingers beneath the t-shirt and around the front of her hips. All that moist skin begging to be caressed. Kissed. Blake leaned down and kissed Summer’s ear. Neck. Jaw.

She angled her head and he found lips. Lush and full and so damn kissable. His hands slinked up her body on auto-pilot and before he knew it, her nipples were hardening against his palms.

Damn
. Up and down, around and back again. Little circles against the tight, rosy buds he wanted to suckle all night. Summer arched her back and Devin reached out. He peeled the t-shirt off her body and over her head and Summer’s chestnut tresses fell around her shoulders as the shirt landed on the floor.

Yes
. Naked and willing. Turned on and ready. Blake would never get tired of her. Never be sick of the way the three of them fit together so well. He looked up as he twirled her nipples between his fingers and met Devin’s stare. Fire. Passion. Lust and love for the woman between them.

It was all there reflected right back. They might fight over her affection. Vie to be the first kiss of the night. But she was more than enough for both of them. She was Summer.

Devin captured her lips with his and Summer pulled away from Blake.
Mmm
. From his vantage point, her round, soft ass teased him and he reached out to stroke her. She shivered at his touch and Blake grinned.
So sexy
.

As he ran his hands up and down her hips and around her ass, she fumbled with Devin’s clothes. Tugging on his shirt. Unbuttoning his pants. He stripped while she touched him all over. Hands on his chest and abs. Up over his shoulders as he kissed her.

When Devin’s pants fell to the floor, Summer reached out and touched his cock. Blake bit back a groan as he watched her stroke Devin’s hard length. He wanted to be the one in front of her. Devin reached for her legs and in an instant, she was airborne.

She cried out as he hoisted her up, louder as Devin impaled her on his shaft. Blake groaned. Every time was better than the last.

Oh my God
. It was one thing to drop to her knees and take Devin’s cock inside her mouth. But to have him pick her up—like she weighed nothing—and thrust inside her? Altogether different.

Summer hooked her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and Blake slid up behind. His hands gave her support—a pair of buoys beneath her thighs—as Devin rocked her in his arms.

Wow
. One man thrusting, gentle and slow, like waves on a calm ocean. One touching and kissing and driving her wild from behind.

She thought of the little red boat she’d painted upstairs and reached behind her. She wanted Blake, too. Not one at a time like last time. Both of them. Together.

It’s what she’d been dreaming about for four years. The crush of both her men. Cocks filling her up. Making her soar. She ran her fingers over his short hair and turned to whisper in his ear. “I want you, too. Fuck me, Blake. Right now.”

Devin grunted and looked up. “You heard her, strip.” He gripped her thighs tight and spun them both around to find a barstool. It was narrow and flat—curved wood without a back. Perfect for this. While Devin stroked her skin and thrust inside her, Blake undressed. Clothes hit the floor one after the other and Devin spread her legs to take her deeper.

Cabinets opened and shut behind her.
What the…?

Before she could ask, Blake was back, stepping up and slipping his hands around her hips. He tugged her back until Devin’s thighs hit the barstool and her ass hung off the end. The wood supported and left her exposed in all the right places.

She groaned with pleasure as Blake stroked her ass, coating her backside in something slippery and wet. Cooking oil? Lotion? She didn’t care. It meant he was serious.

A thrill rushed through her as he circled a finger around her puckered hole.
Yes! Please!
As Blake leaned close, he eased his finger inside, higher and higher until his knuckles grazed her ass.
Ah!
He pumped and the moan of satisfaction from his throat had her relaxing back into him.

“You’re sure you want this?” He pumped again—thrusting his finger in and out of her ass—and she bucked on the stool. “It’s been a long time.”

Summer might not have had another threesome since Midnight Cove, but she couldn’t claim to be a good girl. “You won’t hurt me. I want you.”