The First Time is the Sweetest (9 page)

The heat that flashed between the two men made Sabrina shiver. It was gone in a moment, but she knew that even after several years, nothing had changed between them. She wondered how she would fit into this situation. Maybe she should just back out of this thing with Jimmy. She didn’t want to. She
really
didn’t want to back out. She thought about how both men looked at her.
Could it be possible?
she wondered. Two guys? Sabrina knew that if it could be done, she wanted to try. She didn’t want to keep Jimmy from having what he’d lost so long ago, and she didn’t want to give him up. She tried to imagine making love to both of them at once and found the idea so erotic, a flash of heat pooled between her legs. And then she remembered that she was still naked under her skirt. She took a deep breath, trying to control herself, belatedly realizing both men were staring at her. She tried to remember what they were talking about.

“Well, you
are
an old friend of Jimmy’s,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt. Gabriel looked at her intently as she spoke, his expression tight with some complicated emotion. She glanced down at his hands. He’d shoved them in his pockets. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking from his face, and his body language was very controlled. Doubt moved through her as she waited for his response. She noticed that the men avoided each other’s gaze.

“I am,” he replied, then laughed. “This is insane. We’re standing around talking like we’re complete strangers.” Gabriel moved toward Jimmy. Sabrina didn’t know what to say as she watched her boyfriend stare at the other man in shock for a split second before his face broke out in a grin.

“Yeah, man, come here.” Jimmy let go of her to reach out to Gabriel. The two men moved together awkwardly for a moment; then they both relaxed into the hug. She was struck by how good they looked together: Jimmy just a bit taller than Gabriel, both of them strong and graceful. Jimmy ducked his head down into Gabriel’s neck just as Gabriel turned to bury his face in Jimmy’s hair, breathing deeply.

Sabrina flushed. They didn’t let go as fast as most guy friends do from an embrace. In fact, it looked like neither one wanted to let go as their strong bodies touched from head to toe, neither one ashamed to push closer. She could see Jimmy’s hands trembling against Gabriel’s body. There was definitely more going on under the surface than she could see from where she stood. They moved apart, smiling, and she wondered what had really happened between them two years ago. Was it ever more than just a kiss? She trembled, thinking of them together. What would they look like kissing? They stood there smiling, both looking a bit disheveled. Gabriel glanced at her, then turned away as the front door opened.

When Agent Patrick came back in with the bags, she showed Gabriel upstairs to the guest room. Jimmy returned to the den, saying something about calling his editor. There were four bedrooms on the second floor. Her dad’s room was the largest, sitting at one end of the house, a bathroom and windows on either side of the room, facing both the front lawn and the backyard. Hers was one of the bedrooms at the opposite end with windows facing the front and side yards. The room Jimmy was using sat at the back and side of the house. The steps leading upstairs rose from the foyer near the front door beneath a high ceiling, and her bathroom stood directly across the stairs at the top of the landing. The other guest room was to the right of the stairs.

“Here you go.” Sabrina showed Gabriel up the stairs. He looked around intently, and she saw his gaze linger at the high window above the foyer before noting where each of the other rooms was located. She waited for him in the doorway of the second guest room. It was a simple space with a futon and one dresser, where she stored their spare sheets. He set his bag down to the side of the futon and checked out the small closet on the wall near the hallway. It was mostly empty. Sabrina kept some shoes in there and a few extra blankets and sleeping bags.

“It’s not much.” Sabrina pulled open one of the drawers to get some clean bedding, “but it’s cozy.” She placed the blue sheets on the futon. Then she went into the closet to get out a matching blanket and an extra pillow.

“Thanks.” Gabriel waited as she crawled back out of the closet. The blue blanket she wanted had been on the bottom of the pile, and as she stood up, Sabrina suddenly remembered she wasn’t wearing any panties.
Oh man!
she thought.
Could he tell?
She hoped her skirt hadn’t slid up. She stepped back from Gabriel, awkwardly trying to smooth the fabric down along her thighs. It was long enough that she didn’t usually have to worry when she wore it, but still, she’d never walked around without underwear before. Gabriel smiled at her, but his gaze flicked from her face to her legs and then back to her eyes. He seemed amused, and she tried to convince herself he hadn’t seen anything as she held out the blanket. He took it from her, his gaze speculative, and she left the room, muttering a quick “excuse me” as she dashed to her bedroom, shutting the door firmly. She’d just fished her torn panties out of her pocket when Gabriel opened the door without knocking. She squeaked, turning to him indignantly.

“I didn’t get a chance to check out this room, I’m sorry,” he said, looking apologetic when he saw the outrage on her face. “I want you to be safe and I need to see where the windows are.”

“You could have knocked.”

He looked at her calmly.
I’m probably red as a beet
, she thought angrily, then glanced down at the panties in her hand. She nearly died of embarrassment. She looked back up, and her knees went weak at the look in his eyes. She couldn’t move. His smile was masculine and knowing without being at all cheeky. He was so sexy she couldn’t stop herself from responding, despite her lingering irritation over the situation. She smiled back reluctantly, still flushed but willing to forgive him if he didn’t ask any questions. Smart man, he didn’t.

“Okay.” Sabrina stepped back so that he could walk further into the room. She tried to toss her panties in the trash on the other side of her dresser without being too obvious about it.
Where the hell is Jimmy?
she thought distractedly as Gabriel prowled around, checking each window, walking around her bed and opening her closet door. What was he looking for in there? She wondered what he thought of her room. It was painted a pale yellow and though she didn’t keep piles of stuffed animals or posters around, her space was definitely feminine. The cream damask bedspread was slightly rumpled beneath the colored pillows she liked to pile on top. The rest of her room was filled with photographic equipment and her desk. She watched him close her closet door and stare out the window for a while, pulling aside the curtains. The late afternoon sun streamed in through the sheer white fabric, giving the room a soft glow that she enjoyed and making his dark hair shine.

“Pretty room.” Gabriel turned around. Sabrina could tell he liked the space. She was proud of how she decorated it: feminine without being overwhelming. Although, it smelled like her and she couldn’t help thinking that he could probably smell her perfume in the small room. For some reason, despite her embarrassment at having a man in her private space, she liked that he liked it. She watched him finger the curtains.

“Thanks.” She watched him back away from the window. His hair was a bit mussed from the curtains.
Good lord!
she thought. She needed to get a grip on herself. Her libido was on overdrive!

“The windows are high enough that it would be difficult to get a shot inside from the ground. Since the property across your street is wooded, I think you’re mostly safe in here.” Gabriel walked past her and back into the hall. He gestured toward Jimmy’s closed door.

“Is that Jimmy’s room?” he asked. Sabrina nodded, waiting to see what he’d do. Not surprisingly, after the way he had entered her room without knocking, he opened the door and went right in. Jimmy’s room was bathed in shadows at this time of day. His room was painted a deep blue, and his bed had matching green-blue bedding. There wasn’t anything very personal in the room since Jimmy didn’t really live here, but he’d unpacked his stuff for the summer and set out a few pictures of his dad on the lone dresser. She knew he didn’t own a lot of things, but he’d managed to haul in a tall bookcase and a pile of books and binders a few days ago. She waited as Gabriel lingered by the bookcase, a faint smile on his face as he spotted the photos. He checked every inch of Jimmy’s room and closet the same as he did with hers before coming back out and closing the door.

“Is that your dad’s room?” he asked, pointing down the hall. Sabrina nodded. As he left to examine the master bedroom and bathroom, she hurriedly closed her door again and fished a fresh pair of panties from her dresser. She heard Jimmy walking up the stairs as she slipped them on. She opened her door just as Jimmy reached it.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Jimmy asked, slipping his arms around her. Sabrina hoped he wasn’t worrying too much, but from the way he tugged her into his chest she knew he couldn’t help it. She sighed softly to herself as he held her close, enjoying the way their bodies fit together.

She relaxed into his warmth, sighing tiredly. “I’m okay,” she murmured, breathing in his fresh scent and tightening her arms around his back. She noticed an unfamiliar but attractive spice tickling her nose. She turned her head into his neck and sniffed. Was that Gabriel? He smelled like cinnamon. She snuggled closer, savoring the combination of the two men’s scents and the feel of Jimmy’s smooth muscles under her hands. Then she hitched her hips against his and felt him inhale sharply against her hair.

“What are you doing, Sabrina?” he asked, amused.

She laughed and stroked her hands along his back innocently, savoring the feel of his slowly hardening cock against her stomach. “Nothing.”

“Sure feels like something to me,” he muttered, trying to move his groin away from her. Sabrina let him go but not before she rubbed her hip against his cock. He looked down sternly, opening his mouth to scold her when Gabriel walked out of the spare bedroom. Jimmy and Sabrina both watched him come closer. He’d changed into old jeans and a black T-shirt that outlined his sleek muscles.

“Damn he’s hot,” she muttered under her breath.

Jimmy chuckled at her. “I agree,” he whispered back and she laughed. Her life had certainly been turned upside down in the space of two days. It appeared Jimmy had decided to relax into this situation. She wasn’t sure what that meant but when he winked at her, she couldn’t help but smile back at him. He looked pleased with himself.

“Everything looks relatively good up here,” Gabriel said as he reached them. “Of course, an intruder can still get in if he’s determined, but this floor, at least, is safe from the casual break-in.” He hitched his jeans a bit higher on his hips, drawing her gaze. There was no sign of his gun, but the hilt of his knife stuck out of his pocket. He glanced at her and then his eyes slid down Jimmy’s body, lingering on the other man’s legs. She smirked until Gabriel looked at her breasts, then her face. He smiled, and she flushed at the heat in his expression.
Definitely bisexual
, she thought, fighting for indifference as Gabriel causally hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his jeans, highlighting his cock through the worn denim.

“I, uh—I guess I should call my dad,” Sabrina stuttered, trying not to look. Jimmy agreed and Gabriel nodded. Then her stomach growled.

“And let’s figure out what to do for dinner,” Jimmy said, smiling but not looking directly at either of them. Sabrina thought he must be trying to bring his body back under control as he released her and headed downstairs. Gabriel watched him go, then waved his right hand at her, motioning for her to descend first. She obliged, wondering how she was going to explain this situation to her father.

* * * *

Later, after they’d eaten some turkey sandwiches and were comfortably lounging in the kitchen with a bag of cookies, Sabrina pulled out her cell phone to call her dad. The three of them sat together at the breakfast nook. She was tucked between the two men, and she enjoyed the warmth of their bodies as she munched, not caring about the crumbs that fell onto her lap.

She didn’t know how she was going to carry on a coherent conversation like this. It was odd, but she found it more disconcerting to have two gorgeous men pay attention to her than having a killer after her, maybe because knowing that someone wanted to kill her just didn’t seem quite real yet. On the other hand, she felt both Jimmy and Gabriel’s muscled thighs warming the length of hers as they sat there. She sighed, swallowed the last of her cookie, then caught Gabriel smiling at her sympathetically as she eyed the phone in her hand.
Nothing to do but get it over with
, she thought.

Jimmy put his arm around her, which she appreciated. She knew he sensed her apprehension. He didn’t look worried, but it wasn’t his dad they had to explain the situation to. She knew her dad would worry about her.

“Don’t worry, Sabrina, your dad will understand.” Jimmy hugged her tightly and Sabrina turned her face into his neck for a moment. She felt him kiss her head, then turn to look at Gabriel. She tilted her face up just in time to see Jimmy brush his fingers over the other man’s shoulder. She could feel Jimmy’s smile at Gabriel’s reaction, part amusement, part arousal. Gabriel looked flushed and he wouldn’t meet Sabrina’s eyes, instead busying himself with a cookie.

Even through the jitters in her stomach, Sabrina sensed what Jimmy was doing.
I guess he’s okay with this threesome thing
, she thought. They would definitely need to discuss this at some point, but right now she had to call her dad, and she was having trouble concentrating as Jimmy deliberately stroked his fingers up and down once more. The breakfast nook in the kitchen wasn’t very large, and with the three of them sitting there together it was a bit of a tight fit. Jimmy glanced at her, smirking slightly as Gabriel unconsciously leaned into Jimmy’s touch. She smiled inside as she saw that, imagining them together yet again. Maybe, maybe…