The Birthday Gift (3 page)

She had no
doubt of that. Jake’s imagination and spontaneity kept their sex life hot and
spicy. He often surprised her in the kitchen, or the laundry room, or the barn,
with passionate kisses and lusty lovemaking. Just the thought of it made her
clitoris throb. “Where’s Patrick?”

“I sent him
to the store for steaks. I’m going to barbecue tonight.”

“So he’ll be
gone…how long?”

Jake moved
his hands from her hips to her buttocks. “Long enough,” he said before covering
her lips with his own.

Amanda
groaned deep in her throat when Jake’s tongue slipped past her lips. One kiss
from this man was all it took for dampness to form between her thighs. While
she hadn’t had a vast number of lovers before her marriage, none of them had
affected her as strongly as Jake. Never had she wanted a man as much as she
wanted Jake. She arched into him, moving her hips from side to side, getting as
close as possible while still wearing clothes. His hands kneaded her buttocks
while his tongue stroked, caressed, tempted her.

She was more
than willing to do whatever he wanted.

Her
willingness had to be apparent to Jake, so it surprised her when he stopped
their kiss. Still in the throes of passion, she struggled to open her eyes as
he cupped her face in his hands. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he
whispered.

His
expression was so fierce and serious, Amanda didn’t know what to say for a
moment. “Of course I know you love me. I love you, too.”

“I’d do
anything for you, do you know that?”

“Yes, I know
that. I’d do anything for you, too. Jake, what—”

“I just want
you to know exactly how I feel about you, how much you mean to me.”

“I have no
doubts about how much I mean to you. Now cut out all this talk and kiss me
again.”

He obeyed her
immediately. Amanda moaned softly when Jake’s tongue slipped past her lips
again. Parting her lips wider, she drew his tongue deeply into her mouth and
sucked on it. Her action drew a groan from Jake.

“God, I love
kissing you,” he whispered.

She didn’t
get the chance to respond for he kissed her again before moving his mouth to
her throat. Amanda tilted her head when Jake lightly bit her neck. A single
lick of his tongue soothed the tender nip, then he covered her lips with his
again.

Cool air
brushed against the back of her legs and slowly climbed upward. Amanda felt
Jake’s warm, calloused palms cup her buttocks. Through the fog of desire
clouding her brain, she realized he had pulled her dress up to her waist.

“Mmm, I love
it when you wear these tiny little thongs.”

“I know you
do. That’s why I wear them.”

His fingers
slid into the cleft between her buttocks. “Are you wet?”

“You know I
am.”

“Maybe I’d
better find out for sure. Maybe I should bend you over the table and—”

The back door
opened. Amanda glanced to her left as Patrick stepped inside.

Her first
instinct was to pull away from Jake and jerk down her dress. The hot look in
Patrick’s eyes stopped her. She watched his gaze travel to her buttocks and
linger there for a long moment before he looked at her face.

“Sorry,”
Patrick said. “I forgot my wallet.”

The sound of
his voice shattered Amanda’s trance. She tugged down her dress while warmth
climbed into her cheeks…partly from embarrassment, and partly from the heat
still in Patrick’s eyes.

“No problem,”
Jake said. “I was just telling Amanda about the horse sale.”

Amanda
whipped her head toward Jake. He didn’t sound the least bit concerned that
Patrick had seen her bare bottom. In fact, with the way he was pressing his
still-hard cock against her, it appeared he’d actually
liked
it.

“Horse sale,
huh?” Patrick asked with a grin. “Looks to me like you two were making out.”

“That too. I
love making out with my wife.”

“If I had a
wife like Amanda, I’d love making out with her, too.”

She didn’t
understand this conversation, but she’d had enough. She was embarrassed…and
still incredibly aroused. “Patrick, go get your wallet.”

He nodded
once, then turned and left the room. Jake took Amanda in his arms again. “Now,
where were we?” he asked before kissing her neck.

“Do you want
to explain that?”

“Explain
what?”

“What just
happened here. Patrick walked in on us with my butt hanging out, and you did
nothing.”

Jake looked
at her. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Cover me
up!”

“Amanda, he
got a two-second glimpse of your butt. Why are you so upset about it?”

“Doesn’t it
bother you that your cousin
saw
me?”

“Does it
bother
you
that my cousin saw you? You told me not two months ago that
your fantasy is to be with two guys at once.”

Amanda knew
that little bare-all session would come back to haunt her. “Well, yeah, I said
that, but it’s just a fantasy. I don’t expect it to ever happen. We have a
wonderful sex life.”

He cupped her
face in his hands. “We have an
amazing
sex life, but is there anything
else you want?”

Amanda didn’t
answer his question for her cellular phone rang from her purse. She did all her
real estate business on her cellular phone, so she couldn’t ignore it. “I have
to get that.”

“I know you
do.” He tilted her face up and kissed her lips softly. “I’ll go to the store
with Pat and make sure he buys sirloin and not chuck.”

Amanda
watched him leave the room. His previous actions confused her. He hadn’t been
the least bit concerned that Patrick had walked in on them. And she didn’t
understand him bringing up their conversation about her fantasy. They’d had
that discussion two months ago.

Unless he
planned to…

No, of course
not. Jake would never share her with another man, despite her silly fantasy.
Not even his cousin.

The phone’s
third ring made her scramble for her purse.
Business now, sex later, Amanda.

“You did a
great job on those steaks, cuz,” Patrick said as he wiped his mouth with a
napkin.

“Thanks.
Cooking on the grill I can do, but I’m not so good with a regular stove.”

“I don’t mind
that you aren’t a great cook,” Amanda said, “since you do other things
so
well.” She bobbled her eyebrows twice before dropping a kiss on his lips.

Patrick
chuckled. “I think we’re getting into that T.M.I. territory.”

“Sorry.”
Amanda grinned, then stood and began gathering up their plates. “Since you
cooked, I get to clean.”

“You do not.”
Jake also stood and took the stack of plates from Amanda. “It’s still your
birthday and you aren’t allowed to do anything that might be considered
housework. Pat and I will clean up. Why don’t you go ahead and take your bath?”

“I’d like
that.” She touched his face, letting her fingers glide over his cheek. “Will
you come up and wash my back?”

The
invitation in that simple question made his cock swell and almost tempted him
to say yes. Jake frequently joined Amanda in their garden tub. He loved to wash
her back…and whatever else she wanted washed. But not tonight. Tonight, he had
other plans for her. “I’m going to clean up the kitchen while you bathe. Take a
nice long one and enjoy yourself. When you’re through, come back down and we’ll
have your birthday cake.”

Her eyes lit
up like a child’s at Christmas, erasing all traces of the desire he’d seen
there a moment ago. “Birthday cake? What kind?”

“Now, what
kind do you think?”

“Chocolate?”

“Of course.”

Amanda
grinned. “I’ll hurry.”

Jake watched
Amanda leave the dining room. She was such a delight to be with, and not just
sexually, although he had no complaints in that department. Simply being with
her made him happy.

Patrick
picked up the glasses and silverware from the table. “Need some help with this
stuff?” he asked, following Jake into the kitchen.

“Nah. I’m
just gonna rinse them off and stick them in the dishwasher. Amanda doesn’t run
it until there’s a full load, but she hates to see dirty dishes in the sink.”
He set the plates on the counter next to the sink. “Is everything ready?”

“Everything
you asked for. It’s all in the closet under the stairs.” Patrick placed the
glasses next to the plates on the counter. “I’ll bring the rest of the stuff
from the dining room, then I’m gonna take a quick shower.”

“Go ahead.
I’ll grab one after I finish here.”

Patrick
turned as if to leave the kitchen, then stopped and faced Jake again. “Do you
think she suspects anything? I mean, I almost blew it today when I came in and
caught you two.” He grinned. “By the way, she has a great ass.”

Jake
chuckled. “Yes, she does.”

Patrick
quickly sobered again. “You know, we haven’t seen each other in a long time
since we’ve both been busy building our careers. Even though I haven’t seen you
in five years, I still consider you my best friend. I don’t want anything to
mess that up, Jake. If you think Amanda and me having sex will mess up you and
me, maybe you should find someone else to do this.”

“I feel the
same way, man. I’m sorry we let so much time pass without getting together, but
we’re still solid. That isn’t going to change. And it’s you or no one as far as
Amanda is concerned. I won’t let another man touch my wife, no matter how much
I want to please her.”

“So you’re
really okay with this? As long as
you’re
sure,
I’m
certainly
willing. Celibacy sucks.”

“Yeah, I’m
really okay with this.” He motioned toward the door. “Go take your shower so I
can take mine.”

After Patrick
left the room, Jake returned to his clean-up duty. As he rinsed the dishes and
loaded the dishwasher, he went over the conversation he’d just had with his
cousin. Yes, he was okay with this, more than he thought he would be. Ever
since Patrick had walked in on them this afternoon, Jake had been fantasizing
about this evening. He imagined all the things the two of them would do to
Amanda…and he imagined the things he’d watch Patrick do to her.

He never
thought this would happen. He loved the fact that he and Amanda were so wrapped
up in each other, no one else could ever come between them. But he wanted to
see how she’d react to another man touching her, kissing her, sliding his cock
inside that beautiful, wet pussy…

He had to be
honest with himself and admit the idea of watching another man fuck his wife
was arousing as hell.

Jake wiped
off the cabinet and draped the dishcloth over the faucet. Amanda would be
surprised at first, perhaps embarrassed, but also very turned on. That’s
exactly what he wanted. This birthday would be one she wouldn’t soon forget.

He heard the
water in the main bathroom stop, so Patrick must be through with his shower.
Glancing at the clock on the stove, he saw that Amanda had been in the bathtub
for about fifteen minutes. She loved to soak until the water started to cool,
so he figured he had at least ten more minutes to grab his shower before she
came downstairs.

* * * * *

Amanda tugged
down her T-shirt over the waistband of her shorts as she descended the back
stairs into the kitchen. She expected to find Jake and Patrick there, getting
her cake ready to serve. The kitchen was empty.

“Jake?”

No answer.
Amanda saw no sign of a cake anywhere. Maybe Jake had decided to serve it in
the dining room.

Masculine
laughter greeted her as she stepped through the kitchen doorway. She followed
the laughter to the living room. She was about to ask about her cake, but
stopped in her tracks when she saw the two men sitting on the couch. Both Jake
and Patrick wore denim cut-offs…nothing else.

Amanda had
never seen Patrick in only cut-offs. She’d caught a glimpse of him without a
shirt when he was going into the bathroom, but only once. This was the first
time she’d seen him wearing so little.

Her heart
began to thud in her chest.

Stop it,
Amanda! Patrick is gorgeous, but he’s not your husband.

She took
another step into the room. The soft light from the lamps on either end of the
couch reflected off their hair. It was damp, as if they’d both recently
showered. That surprised her, since Jake hadn’t used their bathroom to shower.

They were
obviously up to something.

“Hey, babe,”
Jake said with a smile. “C’mere and we’ll have some cake.”

Amanda glanced
at the coffee table. A large chocolate cake sat in the center, with a large
knife, saucers, and forks next to it. She returned her gaze to the two barely
clothed men. Both had tan chests and legs sprinkled with dark hair. Both had
broad shoulders and muscled arms. She let her gaze wander farther south. Both
filled out the crotch of those cut-offs very nicely.

Amanda could
sit either on the couch between them and be surrounded by all that
testosterone, or on the floor across the coffee table from them.

She chose the
couch.

Once she was
seated, Jake picked up the knife and held it over the cake. “How much?” he
asked.

Amanda arched
one eyebrow. “It’s chocolate and you have to ask?”

“Sorry. I
lost my head there for a moment.” He proceeded to cut a generous slice for her.
“How’s that?”

“Perfect.”

After serving
Amanda, Jake looked at his cousin. “How much, Pat?”

“I can’t let
Amanda eat more than me.”

Jake’s damp
hair still puzzled her. She touched it as he cut Patrick’s cake. “Did you take
a shower?”

He glanced at
her before returning to his task. “Yeah.”

She ran her
fingers through the damp strands, releasing the scent of shampoo and man. “You
didn’t shower in our bathroom.”

“I didn’t
want to bother you.” Jake placed the cake slice on a saucer and handed it to
Patrick.

It sounded
like the type of considerate thing Jake would do, but Amanda was still
suspicious. Jake usually took his shower right before they went to bed. “You
wouldn’t have bothered me.”

“Great cake,”
Patrick said.

“Yeah, it
is,” Jake said after taking a bite of his own slice. “Mrs. Scheerer is a great
cook.”

Well,
that’s an obvious change of subject.
Amanda thought about questioning Jake further,
then mentally shrugged and took a bite of cake instead. So he’d showered early.
It wasn’t the first time he’d done that, and it certainly didn’t mean anything.

Amanda
settled back on the couch to have her cake while she listened to the two
cousins talk about Patrick’s ski resort. She’d often thought about learning to
ski. She loved the snow, and she imagined the Colorado mountains would be
breathtaking. She and Jake had taken several weekend trips to different places
in Texas and states to the east, but never to the west. Jake had mentioned
taking her to San Diego to show her where he’d grown up, yet they’d never
managed to fit it into their schedules.

Having
Patrick for a ski instructor would be fun. And she’d love to have Jake all to
herself in a hot tub after a day outside in the cold. She glanced at Patrick.
Maybe she could have
both
of them in the hot tub…

She jumped
slightly when Jake touched her knee. “You’re awfully quiet,” he said.

Warmth spread
into her cheeks when she realized where her thoughts had been. Having such a
lusty lover for a husband meant sex was a big part of her life, but she couldn’t
remember a time when it had been on her mind so much. She’d never had another
handsome man living in her house for several days, either. She glanced at
Patrick again. It was all his fault. He was so good-looking, and so close, and
her fantasy kept popping into her head…

Clearing her
throat, Amanda nodded toward her empty saucer. “I was busy.”

“I see that.
Would you like another piece?”

“I don’t have
room for it.” She leaned forward to set her saucer on the table next to Jake’s
empty one. “But there’s always tomorrow.”

“True.” She
felt his hand encircle her nape. “You’ve had your bath and chocolate. The only
thing that’s left is a massage.”

Amanda loved
getting a massage from Jake, but it would have to wait until they were alone in
their bedroom. What started out as therapeutic usually ended up as a prelude to
lovemaking. “That sounds…mmm.” She moaned when Jake pressed his thumb into her
shoulder. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“Lean back.”

Not able to
resist, Amanda did as Jake suggested. Her eyes drifted closed when his fingers
began rubbing her shoulders and neck. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“You said
that already.”

“It’s worth
repeating.”

“Too bad I
can’t do a foot massage at the same time, huh?” Jake said next to her ear.

The only
thing better than Jake’s back massage was his foot massage. “Yeah, having both
at once would be wonderful.”

“Hey, I can
help with that,” Patrick said.

Amanda’s eyes
popped open.

“I give a
great foot massage.” Patrick patted his thigh. “Put your feet right here.”

She couldn’t
do that, not with the sexy fantasies she’d been having lately. Besides, a foot
massage seemed…personal.

Patrick made
the decision for her. Slipping his arm underneath her calves, he lifted her
legs until her heels rested on his thigh. Caught off balance, the sudden move
made her lean farther back so she was practically in Jake’s lap. She chuckled
nervously from the awkward position. “Hey, guys, I don’t think this will…” She
stopped when Patrick pressed his thumb into the arch of her right foot. It felt
so good, she almost groaned aloud.

“You don’t
think this will what?” Jake asked.

“Never mind.”

She could
feel Jake’s rumble of laughter against her back. “So, you like all this
attention, huh?”

“What’s not
to like?” She drew in a sharp breath when Patrick touched a sore spot on her
instep.

“Sorry,” he
said. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. It’s
just a little sore. Too much time in high heels.”

“It would be
easier with some lotion or oil.”

“And if you
were lying down,” Jake said.

Lying down
was not an option…not when two gorgeous, practically naked men were talking
about using oil on her skin. Amanda had willpower, but she was only human. “I’m
fine.”

“This
position can’t be comfortable for you, babe. Pat, go get a quilt and we’ll move
this to the floor.”

The floor.
Okay, she could handle the floor. If Jake had said “bedroom,” she would’ve put
an end to this right now.

But having
her back and feet massaged at the same time sounded so tempting…

Patrick came
back a moment later carrying one of her older quilts and a white plastic
bottle. He set the bottle on the coffee table before spreading out the quilt on
the floor. Amanda wondered how he’d found the quilt so quickly in the upstairs
linen closet, and where he’d gotten that bottle.