Chapter 4

Shayla Black Decadent 1

Shayla Black Decadent Decadent

Two men are better than one…

How can a virgin seeking happily-ever-after with a hot pop star who has a penchant for

threesomes win her fantasy man? Kimber Edgington desperately needs a plan to convince Jesse McCall, who’s been her friend and secret crush since they spent a summer together as teenagers, that they are meant for each other. But all the tabloid stories about his sexual escapades make her feel oh-so inadequate.

Determined to prove she’s woman enough for Jesse, Kimber turns to bodyguard Deke Trenton for sexual education. Bold and brash, Deke warns Kimber that playing 2

with him is playing with fire. But he can’t bear to imagine the innocent beauty in someone else’s arms. So Deke and his super-sexy friend, Luc, take Kimber under their wings and dangerously close to the edge of ecstasy. Though she’s saved herself for Jesse, Kimber soon learns, he’s not the man adept at stoking her aching, endless need.

That’s Deke, and he can’t resist when Kimber begs for more–and more…

Shayla Black Decadent

CHAPTER 1

Normally, Kimber Edgington didn’t have problems asking for a favor. If her father happened to be in

town, asking him to pick up dry cleaning didn’t disturb her. Or bugging one of her brothers to stop for milk, no problem.

Today, she wasn’t asking her family for their help. And this favor she planned to request was anything but average. Deep breath. She could do this. No, she had to do this if she wanted to fulfill a seven-year fantasy.

Easing out of her car and into the humid afternoon, Kimber studied the red brick house. From the

outside, it looked well groomed with a riot of colorful azaleas and a well-manicured lawn.

Elegant with its partial stone façade, pristine white trim, sweeping balcony, and Doric columns. And without a single noise disturbing the green East Texas 3

countryside, the place appeared sedate. No one would guess exactly what depravities went on here.

In fact, Kimber had come to discover them for herself.

And see if she could embrace them.

Curling her shaking hand in a fist around the strap of her purse, she gathered her nerve and

approached the heavy oak door. Sparing a passing thought for the beauty of the inlaid stained glass

window of a seascape, she knocked.

Perversely, she hoped Deke Trenton wouldn’t answer. Ugh! She hadn’t seen the man in…what? Five years? Maybe more. Kimber wished like hell she could go for another five—at least—without having

contact with him. His crass, in-your-face way of doing everything made her want to grind her teeth

and take him down a peg or two—or ten. When she’d been seventeen, he’d roused a curiosity that

scared her, yet she’d been unable to ignore. The one time she’d tried to act on it by Shayla Black

Decadent starting a simple conversation, he’d rudely rebuffed her. For a long while, she’d hated him for it.

Now, instead of avoiding him, she was going to have to ask him for the favor of a lifetime. And she’d do whatever it took to make him say yes.

Tossing a stray auburn curl behind her shoulder, Kimber resisted the urge to check her lip gloss again.

Her mascara wasn’t smudged; she’d glanced just minutes ago. The olive cargo pants had been a

stupid choice, but one that brought her comfort. She’d offset the look with a prissy, breast-hugging white eyelet top. The low, rounded neck ought to snag his attention. She’d polished off the look with strappy white heels she knew men loved, but damn it, they made the balls of her feet ache.

There wasn’t any reason to put this task off for another minute. With a hard swallow, Kimber

knocked.

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Deke? It had been so long, and she’d blocked out as much of the grating man as she could. But she’d never quite forgotten his rough, gravelly voice.

A battalion of butterflies jostled in her stomach as she heard the sound of padding footsteps

approaching the door. She’d rehearsed this speech. Multiple times. Deke was cut from the same

military cloth as her father and brothers. They didn’t want stalling or sugarcoating. So she’d just

throw it out there, hopefully without screwing it up. Abruptly, a man jerked the door open.

He wasn’t Deke. Not even close.

Inky hair hanging loose around lean shoulders. Soulful dark eyes. A strong jaw dusted with a five

o’clock shadow. A tight charcoal gray T-shirt and scrumptiously Shayla Black Decadent faded jeans

hugged a tall, swimmer’s sort of body. The man could model and make a fortune. He looked oddly

familiar, so maybe he did.

and didn’t mind in the least. He’d done some reciprocal scoping.

Kimber laughed. Clearly, she hadn’t been subtle or good with her directions.

wrong turn…”

In terms of looks, the two men were night and day—literally. The one before her was a sultry, sexy

midnight, all dark and wanton looking. Deke was tawny hair and 5

skin, all discipline and hustle and hard noon.

He shrugged. “Second cousins. There are times I’d like not to claim him, but he does pay half the bills so he has a place to crash in between assignments. I’m—”

She sent him a self-deprecating smile. “Oh, wow! I love them…even though I’m still a disaster in the kitchen.”

Luc’s hearty male laugh resonated in a warm echo in her belly. She liked him right away. He was

good people, down to earth, despite his success. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

Shayla Black Decadent

I’d love your beautiful company while I finish tonight’s roast.” The man was full of southern charm.

Kimber felt immediately at ease. “Thanks.

Do you expect him soon?”

Everywhere she looked classical and Italian influences reigned…but with an interesting mix of rustic cabin and modern technology. Distressed hardwood floors with warm-shaded plaster walls. Cognac

leather chairs with wrought iron tables—

and a fiftyinch plasma TV. Tasteful and plush…but still very masculine.

6

Her smile fell. The mission. How quickly a pair of magnetic dark eyes and a few suave words nearly

made her forget… A part of her could hardly believe her reason for coming here. It was wild. Crazy.

Gutsy. Imperative to her future. And Luc wasn’t worming the truth out of her, no matter how delicious his scones were.

Deke would probably tell Luc the minute he laughed her out the door, anyway.

subject.

Rich cherry cabinets with furniture detailing, a European feel, and stainless hardware, backsplashes, and appliances. A gorgeous mix of the old and new. The six-burner gas stove, granite countertops,

and double ovens made this a chef’s dream. Luc looked perfectly at home here.

Deke decorating? The very idea made her laugh. Deke would hang gun racks and litter the floor with

shell casings. In his eyes, infrared binoculars would be the perfect coffee table conversation piece.

TV trays, any old couch, and a bank of security cameras, period. He’d never need anything else for

entertainment.

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He sent her a considering smile. “Glad you like it. Raspberry tea?” What the heck was that expression about? “Sure. Thanks.” Luc placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her to a wrought iron chair with plush, mossy-shaded cushions. His touch warmed her. Kimber had no doubt that plenty of

women found the well-known chef sexy. He was. But something about him also set her at ease. He

cooked and decorated and made her feel immediately comfortable. Maybe he was gay. Another

glance at him, and she Shayla Black Decadent revised that thought. Doubtful. He was just naturally polite and easygoing. Totally unlike his cousin. Deke had always set her on edge, even before hello.

used to work for my dad.”

Kimber took a sip of the tea and moaned. “Wow. This is great!” Luc frowned, then recognition

dawned. “Ah, you’re Colonel Edgington’s daughter?”

She nodded. “Deke’s mentioned me?”

charm. “If he was hoarding you all to himself, I’m going to be very unhappy with him.”

A heated feeling crept up her neck, to her cheeks. A blush? She never blushed.

Ever! But Luc and his smooth tongue weren’t something she’d ever encountered in her years of

dealing with nothing but military men.

sensual features. “So out of the blue, you decide to surprise a man who, unless I’m totally off base here, you aren’t really fond of. Anything wrong?”

Kimber paled. Damn, he’d figured that out quick. “I—I just need to talk to Deke.

It’s…urgent.”

#

Deke hovered just outside the kitchen, jaw clenched. Damn, he’d know that sweet, little-girl voice

anywhere. High-pitched, lilting, usually delivered with a hint of mischief. Kimber Edgington. She made his dick itch for action. Always had. Every day he’d worked for the Colonel, he’d seen her. Just the sound of her voice had been enough to send a mad rush of blood straight to his cock. One glance

from those sweet hazel eyes made him as ready as a jackhammer.

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Adjusting himself, Deke grimaced. Damn it, she still had that power. At least she wasn’t seventeen

anymore, tempting a man who was old enough to know better and nearly too horny to care. Five years

ago, he’d quit working for her father before he’d done something stupid. Something he was sure he’d

regret every bit as much as she would. But why the fuck was she here now? Hell, only one way to

find out…

She gasped as he stepped into the kitchen. Deke leaned against the kitchen island to hide his raging hard on. By Luc’s amused smile, he knew he wasn’t fooling his cousin. But it was Kimber’s face he

focused on. More mature lines. Fuller lips. The freckles had faded. She wore a hint of makeup. The

air of innocence remained, still begging corruption.

Deke would bet every last medal he’d ever earned that she was still a virgin.

Crazy. The girl had to be twenty-two, twenty-three. In his gut, though, Deke knew Shayla Black Decadent he was right. Shit! He had to get her the fuck out of here. Fast. Head-spinning desire and virginity were a bad combination.

His name fell from her glossy, rosy lips. The husky sound only made him harder.

Then she bit her cushy lower lip, and all he could think about was watching his dick slide over that lip, then deep inside the wet silk of her mouth while she looked up at him with those innocent eyes.

If he didn’t stop thinking like this, he was going to have to go into the bathroom and jack off before he could have a decent conversation with the girl so he could send her on her way.

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She nodded. It was jerky, nervous. He hadn’t heard much of Luc’s conversation with Kimber, just

enough to know his cousin had some whacked-out imagining that he’d been keeping the beauty to

himself. And that Kimber thought she had an urgent reason to be here. Since they only had one

acquaintance in common, this had to be about the Colonel.

for a client is out now and threatening him, but that’s nothing new.”

In their line of work? “No, it’s not.”

Shayla Black Decadent Finally, his erection abated enough for him to cross the room and plant

himself at the fussy Italian table. A smile still tugged at the corner of his cousin’s mouth, and Deke sent him a warning glare.

Damn it, her unconscious, innocent flirtations were making him hard all over.

Her gaze bounced back up, and he saw fortitude there.

Interesting…

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Personal? Deke had no idea what to say. She’d come to him for something personal? He’d done his best to be an ass to her when he’d worked for her father.

Not too difficult when he’d been knotted up by sexual frustration on a daily basis.

A moment passed in silence. A pause.

Luc rose and approached Kimber. “I’ll give you kids a few minutes alone. I have to make a phone

call, anyway. There’s more raspberry tea in the fridge. Don’t let Mr.

Glower scare you off.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “And don’t leave without saying good-

bye.”

Deke watched the exchange, and realized that he was grinding his teeth. Bastard.

Kimber was everything his cousin pursued with single-minded vigor: the promise of sweetness, white

lace, and innocent sighs. The fact she had a healthy hint of red in her hair was just a bonus.

Shayla Black Decadent Not this woman. Not this time. If Kimber was off limits to him, Luc wasn’t getting a piece of her ass, either.

The muted slam of a door down the hall let Deke know his cousin was safely ensconced in his office.

He turned his attention back to Kimber. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

teach me about sex, the way you like it?” Generally, Deke’s expression conveyed none of his

thoughts. His line of work made a poker face essential. But Kimber had his jaw dropping on this one.

He couldn’t have been more stunned if she’d asked him to dig a hole the size of the Grand Canyon

with his bare hands.

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Something here was wrong. Very wrong. Virginal Kimber couldn’t possibly want what he wanted. It

shouldn’t even be in her vocabulary. Hell, maybe it wasn’t. She probably didn’t have the faintest idea what she was asking for.

With that sobering thought, irritation doused his manners, and he shook his head. “Why the fuck would you want that?”

Kimber didn’t bat an eyelash at his language. Deke gave her credit for that—and having the guts to

come here in the first place. Growing up with the Colonel and two older brothers, likely she’d heard every four-letter word known to man, and a few they’d probably made up on their own. He wondered

where she’d come up Shayla Black Decadent with the fortitude to ask him to…what? Be her sexual

tutor? He damn near snorted at the thought of all the things he’d like to show her.

your brash attitude, you’re an honorable guy. You’d never hurt me—”

was easy. As if he could just draw her a picture. He held in a 13

bitter laugh. “Let me get this straight: You want to learn how to fuck me, but you have no clue what that means, do you?”

She bristled. “I do. You’re into ménage.” How the hell had she learned that? Surprising. Perplexing.

Disturbing. So damn arousing.

But the way she said the word ménage, like it scared the hell out of her. Deke laughed. Long and hearty, out loud and totally at her expense. “Kitten, you’re in way over your head.”

Everyone starts from scratch. I’m trying to learn. I’m not asking you for a commitment or a lot of your time. I’m talking an evening or two. What’s your hang-up?”

Shayla Black Decadent So the little kitten still had claws. He found that wildly exciting. She’d look mighty fine spread out on this gleaming round table, parted legs dangling, swollen pussy open to him, while she mewled, a pant away from orgasm…

He cleared his throat and forced himself to focus. “Forget for a minute that you only have a vague

idea what you’re asking for. Let’s get to the bigger question: Why? Why do you want to learn about

ménage?” Kimber folded her hands in front of her and hesitated. She was trying to decide how much to tell him, formulating and discarding plans. He gave her a minute to get her head together. He could wait. It wouldn’t take long for him to get to the bottom of all this shit.

McCall.”

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You could say our romance blossomed. We’ve both dated other people, but it’s just not the same. And

our relationship has only grown stronger over the years. We’ve kept in constant touch via e-mail and phone calls. We share our hopes and wishes and dreams. I’ve had a lot of years to think about him,

about us, and I believe he’s the one for me.”

Someone hand him a barf bag. She honestly believed that, while Jesse was churning out hits and

banging a different woman on every stop of his concert tour, their friendship had some special

significance in his life? He supposed it was possible—on the twelfth of never following a blue moon

right after hell froze over.

whole ménage scene. I know what I need to do to have a future with him. He says he doesn’t want to taint me and thinks I couldn’t cope. I need to prove to him that I can be everything he needs.” Holy shit. Was she completely out of her mind? She wanted him to tutor her in pleasuring the pretty-boy crooner and some unknown asshole. Did she really still have a teenage crush on the celebrity, the kind that made her squeal each time she heard his name? An immediate denial bit into his gut.

15

where our relationship is going. It’s my chance to prove to him we still have that special connection.”

Special connection? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

Shayla Black Decadent She raised her chin. Pride. She had it in spades. Just another thing that made him hard for her.

Why the interrogation? How difficult can this be?”

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She frowned, her frustration clearly rising as fast as his arousal. “If that’s the case, I need to know it now, before I commit to Jesse. A small demonstration—”

Deke’s eyes widened in surprise. Kimber even knew about such things?

Kimber, this isn’t the sort of sex a virgin has.” She paused, pondering. Then she stood. “Okay, I get it.

I don’t…light your fire or whatever. Fine. I’ll figure something else out.” 17

He should let her believe that and let her go, but Deke couldn’t. She had to understand that she lit his fire—and was now playing with it.

Deke stood and blocked her path. “You think you don’t light my fire?” He looked down toward his

cock, thick and hard and straining the front of his jeans. A moment later, her gaze followed suit. Her little gasp only made him harder. “Kitten, you have no idea the thoughts that have been running

through my mind since your request that I teach you all about sex fell out of that pretty, fuckable

mouth. I doubt you want to know.”

Fresh color stole up her cheeks. She glanced at his crotch again. Bit her lip. She did that when she was nervous and thinking.

Shayla Black Decadent Annoyance spiked in Deke. If he ever touched Kimber, big if, she wouldn’t be thinking about that pansy-ass pop star. She’d be too damn busy coming.

But saying no to her felt like he was turning his balls inside out. Hell, she was serving herself up on a platter for his lust. The lust he’d been harboring for over five years. Lust that created a nagging ache in his cock and clawed at his gut to be quenched.

Innocent. Virgin. Danger!

Time to put a stop to this now. She thought she was adult enough to handle ménage? Yeah… He could

scare her off in about two seconds. And he’d better, before he did something crazy like grab her,

touch her, drive her to the brink, then stuff her full of cock.

painful for a woman. It can require a spine of steel and a lot of stamina.” Kimber tensed, swallowed again. She was nervous—but intrigued. Curiosity swirled in those pretty hazel eyes. Finally, she

nodded. “Go on.” Deke stepped closer. He couldn’t resist. Now he could smell her. Peaches and

brown sugar and a hint of female arousal. Were his words making her hot—or was it knowing she

could turn him on that got her wet?

Another foot forward, and he leaned into her personal space, putting his lips near her ear. “In my

bedroom, ménage means two men simultaneously pounding a woman to orgasm and driving her so

insane, she forgets her name and screams the roof down.”

Deke leaned away to gauge her reaction. Her mouth opened on a silent gasp, but no sound came out.

Her eyes widened, pupil dilating just as quickly. Oh, shit. On Shayla Black Decadent some gut level, the idea appealed to her? His cock was ready to do the tango, despite his brain doing its best to shut off the music.

pleasure. And I get off having a front-row seat.” More color bloomed in her face. The scent of female arousal now hung heavy in the air. Her nipples peaked, even as her tongue danced nervously across

her lips.

His gut clenched at the sight of that little pink tongue. “Do you?”

works. Um…what—what about emotional bonds?”

He must be from Mars, because that question was definitely from Venus. What about the curiosity

he’d expected? Stuff like: Where did the cocks go? How did a woman handle two men at once?

Those he could answer. In detail. He’d love clueing her in about the dueling slide of dicks, one in her tight pussy, the other in her untried ass.

Damn, he had to stop thinking like this before his jeans strangled his erection.

Decadent

he didn’t want to think about the nightmare that had happened next.

Still? “Are you serious?”

Kimber clutched at her purse and squared her feminine little shoulders. “I drove over a hundred miles today to talk to you, a man I haven’t seen in five years. One who’s never liked me much. I swallowed my pride to admit to you why I want this and the fact I’m still a virgin. Would I have bothered if I wasn’t very serious about 20

learning to please Jesse and deciding if this is something I want in my life?” Jesse. There was the prick’s name again, right from her mouth. Stupid Backstreet Boys copycat son of a bitch. He and his

melodious falsetto constantly topped the charts. Deke couldn’t imagine why any man wanted to sound

like a female with the whole world listening.

His assertion hadn’t shocked her in the least. Her questions stunned the hell out of him. Wasn’t she freaked? He sure the hell was.

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Who did you hang out with when you worked for my dad? Oh, Adam Catrell. I remember hearing

whispers about him. He lives near here, doesn’t he? I’ll just go look him up. And if he’s not

interested, wasn’t Justin Wheeler a friend of yours, too?

He might be willing to help me. See you later.” She bolted toward the door.

Deke bristled. Oh, yeah. Both Adam and Justin would be more than happy to help her—right out of

her clothes and right onto her back. But neither was known for being gentle. Virginity wouldn’t mean a damn thing to either of them. They’d see fresh, sweet meat and dive in, teeth bared, like hungry

dogs.

It’s her choice…her problem. Deke tried to tell himself that. Yeah, but if he just let her walk out the door now, she’d get mauled by that pair of ravenous rottweilers.

The thought really pissed him off. She’d be overwhelmed in minutes…and for some damn reason, he

just couldn’t let that happen. Residual loyalty to the Colonel or something.

Shayla Black Decadent Damn. He was going to have to dissuade her from pursuing this path before he sent her on her way. Grinding his teeth together, he mentally sorted through the ways in which he could do that. They were, unfortunately, limited. And so far, talking hadn’t done jack shit.

Time for action.

Deke grabbed her arm and pulled her against him. Her breasts, sweet and firm, burned his skin as if

his shirt didn’t exist. He hissed at the contact. Fuck! The girl had always gotten to him. Five years later, her affect was only more pronounced.

Kimber gasped as their bodies brushed. Her gaze skittered up to his. Awareness burned across her

face, glowed in those dilated hazel eyes. From her expression, Deke wondered if this was the first

time she’d felt something for him beyond annoyance. The possibility wasn’t comforting.

This plan better take three minutes or less…

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She swallowed. Her pulse jumped. God, she had no idea how perilously close she was to being laid

out on the kitchen table for his afternoon snack.

Luc took that cue to saunter into the kitchen, with a sultry smile and a hard-on that was impossible to miss. So his good ol’ cousin had been listening? Deke turned Kimber to face him.

Shayla Black Decadent Deke felt Kimber tremble in his arms as she met his cousin’s stare. He fought

an instinct to soothe her. The point was to show her exactly what she was getting into, make it so fast and furious, she’d dismiss the plan on her own. Comforting the girl was the last fucking thing he

should do.

Even her exhalation trembled. She was nervous. Good.

Finally, something had gotten to her. Now it was time to ramp up her hesitation into a full-blown no.

Deke glanced up at Luc, sent him a warning expression and a nod. His cousin responded with a ghost

of a smile, then strolled toward them.

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Shayla Black Decadent

CHAPTER 2

Kimber shook, despite Deke’s huge hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

Burning her.

The idea of two men seemed wild, daring—something out of a sexy novel. Now about to become her

reality. Could she handle it? Could she accept it as a permanent part of her life?

Luc strode slowly in her direction, wearing a shark’s smile and a hungry stare.

Excitement and erotic fear sucked the air out of her lungs. Deke was right: Words couldn’t possibly

prepare her for the reality of these two men. He had barely touched her; Luc was still two feet away.

The testosterone oozing in the room was already overloading her senses, making her brain buzz. Her

nerves sizzled so hot, she trembled.

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Being a virgin, Kimber was a bit intimidated. But not scared. Nervous…yes, but it wasn’t going to

stop her. She had to know if she could be the woman Jesse needed, if she could deal with the touch of two men at once. Her calm was probably the result of being raised by mission-minded men. Fear

wasn’t an option. Just do it.

But curiosity…yes. Suddenly. What would it be like to have Deke’s raw power and Luc’s playful

finesse devoted to her pleasure at the same time? She burned to know that answer. Want churned in

her belly, along with curiosity and fascination, to create a potent brew.

Stop. She swallowed, remembering why she was here. The answer to her question was irrelevant. It didn’t matter how Deke and Luc made her feel. She was here to learn for Jesse, so he would see her

as a woman. Someone he could make his woman when he held her and shared her with… Who did he share with? Band Shayla Black Decadent members? Other fans? Jesse had refused to give her details

about the sex life the tabloids all called lurid and beyond shocking.

Then Luc touched her, his hands sliding onto her hips. The question dissipated under the slow burn of his fingers as he gripped her gently and turned her back to Deke. Over her shoulder, her gaze collided with Luc’s. With his hold on her, he eased her against him, her back to his chest—his very healthy

erection nudging her.

She barely had time to react with hot shock and a blistering curl of desire in her belly before Deke’s fingers tangled in her hair and he dragged her gaze back to his blue eyes, the mesmerizing color of

barely washed denim.

tightened. Without further warning, he descended. With one touch of his 25

mouth, he breached and invaded her lips, dazzling her senses as he slid his tongue inside and

dominated everything he touched. A languorous sweep, a lingering slide.

She’d expected Deke’s kiss to be harsh, to the point, with no concession to her inexperience. Not so.

Hungry and demanding, yes. But good. So good. A wild tangle of lips and breaths and hunger.

Kimber had been kissed, but never like this. Never without hesitation or an invitation. Deke didn’t

bother with either. Suddenly, he retreated, leaving behind an ache she already couldn’t fight. Oh, God. And his taste. Spicy and male. Addicting.

Kimber craved more. In a single kiss, he stripped her defenses, turned her body inside out, stole her control.

His lips brushed hers again, and Kimber opened to him a little more. He sank in, deeper than before.

He tasted, teased, withdrew. No! She needed more, and Shayla Black Decadent pressed her palms up the solid slabs of his chest, where she felt his heart beating wildly under her palm.

Deke rewarded her with another flirty caress of his lips, which melted over hers into a firm taking, a wild possession. Though she’d been expecting him, the spiced slide of his tongue still blindsided her defenses. Her hands rose from his chest to his hair. She tried to grab the very short strands with her fists and pull him closer, but his hair, like the man himself, was elusive. She craved. She clawed.

Barely breathing, dizzy, she reveled as heat curled in her belly. Her nipples tightened.

Wild. So good…

A hot palm curled around her arm and slid upward in an unhurried caress. Luc.

She’d almost forgotten… But when he moved closer, the heat of his chest blanketing her back, his

hardness still pressed against her backside, he became impossible to ignore.

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With a sweep of his hand, he brushed the hair off her neck. The gentle press of his warm mouth and

hot breath fell there next, like soft rain on sensitive skin.

Sensations exploded, tingles skittered. She shivered, but Luc continued. Her ferocious response

stimulated her senses right in concert with the soft, ragged demands of Deke’s kiss.

Strong hands slid up her ribs. Luc again. Teasing fingers brushed the sides of her breasts. Unexpected sensations bolted straight to her nipples, making them beyond hard. She moaned— right into Deke’s

next kiss. He took the sound into his greedy mouth, tilting his head, positioning his lips over hers perfectly and delving deep for a long, lingering stay.

Kimber melted, mewled. She burned, just like Deke warned. As desire swamped her, her blood

heated to blistering temperatures. And she ached. More. More!

Shayla Black Decadent Clutching her hips, Deke arched into her, pressing his impressive erection

into her in a move deliciously suggestive of sex. It didn’t soothe her—only inflamed. She moaned.

Bending at the knees, he grabbed her thighs and lifted her off the ground. Kimber barely had time to gasp before he pushed her back into Luc, whose dick now pressed even tighter against her. But he

wasn’t done…

Deke tore off her pants and her thong, then spread her legs, holding them wide with his huge hands.

Luc helped him by supporting her knees in the crooks of his arms, which held her open to his cousin.

Heart pounding so fast she couldn’t hear anything but its frantic beating, Kimber watched as Deke

looked at her, all spread out like a living, breathing invitation before him, those dark blue eyes

shimmering with scorching heat.

He paused, waited. Stared. Drove her crazy with anticipation and broiling want.

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Then he slipped between her spread thighs and notched his denim covered cock right against her wet

folds. Intimately. At the contact, her clit jumped, then pulsed greedily. Deke grabbed her hips, taking her from Luc’s grip. He wrapped her legs around his hips and he rocked against her again. Kimber

cried out. Masturbation was never this sharp or intense. Decadent. Overwhelming.

Before she could assimilate or think beyond their next touch, Luc’s hands slid from her rib cage to her abdomen, then up. Straight up. He enveloped her breasts in his hot palms. Kimber melted on a long

moan. His thumbs and forefingers pinched her gently, but the jolt of desire jumped all the way to her clit. Her nipples sprang to painful tightness at his touch, and he rasped at them with his thumbs.

Shayla Black Decadent It took Kimber a moment to realize that Deke was watching Luc fondle her,

his stare nearly black with hunger. A quick glance up, and those burning eyes promised to devour her.

Thick need slid through her belly, punching her gut with a sharp spear of arousal.

button and tore into it.

Male hands worked at her little buttons, cursing, exposing her to their devouring gazes so rapidly, she could barely assimilate. She watched, dazed, her skin too tight on her aching body until all the buttons came free of their moorings. As Luc pulled the shirt off one shoulder, Deke peeled it off the other and raised his gaze to hers.

28

Intense. Ferocious. Determined. A fist of desire clenched in her belly, closing off air, rational

thought…

With his hot breath on her neck making her shiver, Deke reached behind her and unclasped her bra in

a single pinch of his fingers. Oh my! Oh, damn. Stark naked.

This was getting serious.

And overwhelming…felt too wonderful. She couldn’t stop. Not yet. Soon…

screamed along the nerve endings between her breasts…all the way to her begging clit. The sensation

doubled when Luc pinched the other sensitive nub at the same time he nudged her lips apart and

leaned in for a kiss.

He more than kissed; he seduced without words. Luc was an artist, a master. He didn’t rush or

demand. He cajoled, toyed, promised with a hot sweep of his tongue, only to back away and leave her

needing. His kiss alone would be enough to make Shayla Black Decadent her lose her head and melt

like hot wax. Coupled with the erection against her thigh, the sensations were downright combustive.

Deke continued to lave her nipple, switching to the other, pushing Luc’s fingers away to take the

sensitive bud inside with a hard suck, a gentle bite, a flat-tongued lick, at the same moment he pressed that iron-hard ridge of flesh right against throbbing clit.

This time, Luc’s mouth absorbed her cries. The hot tease of his kiss took the sound and asked for

more. And she gladly surrendered another gasp when Deke nudged her in just the right spot again

while suckling her nipple with a hard ferocity. Then Luc moved in for the kill, a kiss of soft demand that infused her with a sublime jolt of pleasure. Her lips tingled when they backed away to take harsh breaths. A line of electric pleasure darted between her breasts and her vagina, lighting up her entire body.

29

nipple still wet from Deke’s sucking. “Sweet as you dissolve.”

That talented mouth swept across her jaw, over her cheek, pausing to seize her lips again and sink

deep. He inflamed with his kiss, sending her hotter, higher, silently promising each time he touched her that he’d deliver satisfaction—in his time. In his way.

To add to the mounting sensations, Deke continued to ride her clit in steady, friction-furious strokes, igniting everything from the waist down. He pinched her nipples, twisted, turned, engorging them

further, lifting her senses high. When she panted and clutched at Deke’s arms and swore she might

come, he backed away.

Luc did the same.

Kimber cried out in frustration.

Shayla Black Decadent Deke flashed her a merciless smile and scraped her sensitive nipple. “You

want more, kitten?”

He was toying with her. They were. But at the moment, Kimber didn’t care. She’d never felt anything like the pleasure Luc and Deke were saturating her with.

Sensations were like quicksand, drowning her. The more she writhed, the faster she went under. And

she loved it.

Luc slanted one of his devastating kisses across her mouth in his next breath.

Deke continued his rhythmic friction of his cock against her clit, the merciless nips of his mouth at her nipples.

Every time they touched her, fresh sensations poured over her like warm honey—that quickly became

liquid-hot lightning. She was floating, sinking, 30

begging…

Deke kissed his way up from her breasts, breathing over her neck. She shivered, and Luc pinned her

with another haunting kiss. The man’s mouth seemed to say with every swipe of his tongue that he

wanted something only she could give him.

Deceptive, but oh so effective. Once he got his mouth on a woman, Kimber bet they never said no.

As wonderful as it was, when Deke nibbled on her earlobe and wrapped his arms around her, the

sensation was even more intense. She arched into his hard-hewn chest, suddenly hating his shirt—any

shirt—that stood between his skin and hers.

Kimber had never imagined that she could so badly want a man she thought annoyed her so much. But

she did. Why?

Shayla Black Decadent

wet spot that ached most for him.

How did he do that? With just a whisper, how did the sound seem to go straight to her clit? Luc lifted his head to hear her answer.

any details they didn’t know for themselves.

Better? God help me… Usually, Kimber was made of stronger stuff. The only sort of contest she’d never won at least once against her brothers was a pissing contest.

Pain, drinking, speed, endurance—she’d beat them at least once. Yet this pleasure was crushing her

will.

31

table. She could picture the scene. Too easily. She’d never given a man a blow job, but she’d try. In fact, she’d love to make Mr. Tough weak at the knees. And if Luc’s kiss was heaven, she could only

imagine how fabulous he would be with oral sex. But the challenging tone of Deke’s words bothered

her. Did he still think she was afraid?

The hunk and a half of blond muscle stopped him with a raised hand. “She should hear everything.”

Shayla Black Decadent Zeroing in on her again, Deke grabbed her cheeks and forced her gaze to his.

scream and come. While he’s at it, I’ll work into your sweet little ass so we can both fuck you.

Together. Hard. All night. Until you’re sore and wrung out and exhausted.”

Heat and alarm tore through her at once. The idea appealed in a forbidden way.

She’d never really fantasized about two men…but she just might now. These two could give pleasure,

no doubt. But she wanted to preserve her virginity—no matter how badly her body ached otherwise.

And still, something about Deke’s words bothered her. He sounded like he wanted to just…use her.

Like she could be any woman he picked up in a bar and brought home for a quickie.

more, so hard and deep you won’t walk or sit for a week. How about 32

it, kitten? Wanna say yes now?”

The look on his face was pure predator. He wanted. To fuck. Nothing more. He could give a shit

about helping her.

She swallowed, trying to process through desire and anger and confusion.

Separate fact from emotion. Dad had taught her that. From where she stood, Deke looked like an asshole, proving that maybe first impressions were right.

Deke shrugged. “Favor…fuck. It’s the same thing in this situation. If you can keep up with Luc and me for a night, you might be ready for whatever your pretty singer can dish out. You game?”

Luc?”

Kimber flipped her gaze to the tall, dark, seductive one. He paused a long moment. “I’d never take

anything Kimber didn’t want to give.”

Nerves set in. Bullshit. They bit her like a pack of halfstarved wolves, nipping mercilessly at her

bravado. He just…expected her to hop up on the table like she was offering herself up for an

afternoon snack? He thought she’d just spread her legs and shove his dick in her mouth and—no.

33

She hadn’t come here for happily ever after. But she’d thought they would explain how this sort of sex worked. If there was touching involved, that they’d go slow, make sure she was comfortable. That

pleasure would be something she’d give and receive. Not be crude, rude and try to scare her off.

Kimber understood Deke’s point about words not sufficing.

But now that her body was cooling—more with every word he spoke—logic was reasserting itself.

Like, as long as I have a…wet hole of some variety that you can get into, you’re going to be happy.”

Deke paused, seeming to think it over. “That’s pretty accurate. You get to learn.

We get to come. It’s a win-win. Get on the table.” Shayla Black Decadent Now he thought he was

going to order her around? Kimber watched as Deke reached for his zipper. Luc ripped his shirt off

over his head and threw it on the floor, exposing swirls of dark chest hair and miles of firm olive-

skinned muscle.

Her frantic heartbeat and wild breathing signaled something deeper. Fear. Yeah, there it was now.

Vicious and unrelenting. No matter what her father had taught her, this wasn’t going to simply be

pushed aside. She couldn’t keep going forward in the face of it. If she let them, they’d lay her out, use every part of her damn near to exhaustion, then send her on her way without a backward glance.

They’d overwhelm her and expect her to keep up. They’d be fast and furious. Strike, pound, fuck. Luc might care that she was inexperienced, maybe; she didn’t know him well enough to say for sure. Deke

had made it perfectly clear that he only saw it as the loss of pussy, and he’d work around it.

Bastard!

34

She grabbed her clothes from the counter, hopped into her pants, and slung her shirt over her breasts.

She clutched her undergarments like a lifeline. “I came to you for a favor.” Damn, she hated the

trembling in her voice.

we’ll scratch yours. Get on the table.”

when you worked for Dad, always aloof. But you never seemed heartless and mercenary. Was I ever

wrong.”

Luc stepped forward. “Kimber—”

Shayla Black Decadent

The nerve of the unbelievable asshole! “You’ve got a palm and five fingers. Figure it out.”

She marched to the front door. The sound of the door slamming reverberated into the peaceful East

Texas afternoon until she laid rubber on the road and sped away.

#

35

Damn the perfect digital cell phone signal.

In the old analog days, he could have pretended he hadn’t heard. “Yeah.” Deke had found Kimber, all

right. And just like she had at seventeen, she’d tied his gut up in knots so crazy an Eagle Scout with Houdini ancestry couldn’t get them undone.

reminded.

Deke didn’t want to. He didn’t. But as Luc had rationally pointed out, scaring the crap out of Kimber was only a temporary solution to a problem that wasn’t going to just go away because he wanted it to.

Kimber was too tenacious to simply give up. She’d track someone else down to help her in her quest

to catch Jesse McCall—

Shayla Black Decadent someone who, at best, would cause her discomfort because they didn’t know

what the hell they were doing. At worst, they would take total advantage of her and hurt her.

The Colonel would kill Deke if anything happened to her because he’d had his dick in a knot. Her old man was scary, too. Tough SOB. Mean when he needed to be.

Not that he’d condone Deke and Luc introducing his baby to the joys of anal sex…but somehow he

figured the Colonel would pick that over Kimber picking up a very minor acquaintance in a bar and

doing— he couldn’t think about what she might do with two other guys. He gripped the thin wooden

table in front of him and didn’t let go until he heard it crack.

But it wasn’t his old boss who motivated him now. It was Kimber herself. He’d had vivid fantasies

about her once upon a time, great for jacking off to. But reality was far stronger, like comparing a gust to a category-five hurricane. She’d tasted 36

like sugary innocence. Sweet in his mouth. So damn perfect. Bright in his arms, like a summer day.

She was white heat and soft skin and…

God, listen to him. Fucking pathetic, going on about the girl like he was Keats or something. Hell.

One fact he couldn’t escape, however: Kimber was the sole temptation that, as much as he hated to

admit it, might be stronger than his self-control. He should be pushing her away as fast as he could, before he swallowed her whole, like a snake does its prey.

Before he destroyed her. But she wasn’t going to give up her quest, and he wasn’t going to let anyone else tutor her. Blowing out a breath with a short, ugly curse, Deke lifted the longneck to his mouth and swallowed. And he stared.

Kimber was currently on the dance floor at Adam Catrell’s bar, The Hang Out, swaying her sweet

hips to a Shakira song about that very part of her anatomy. With Shayla Black Decadent thighs bared

by a skirt so short it neared indecency, a strip of pale belly bared, she danced—sandwiched between

Adam and his brother, Burke. The club was smoky and crowded and just getting loud. And despite all

that, Deke couldn’t mistake the lust on either brother’s face.

He gripped the phone tighter. “You made yourself real clear last night, cuz. I’m going to play Sir

Galahad and ride in to save the day.”

Luc sighed. “Tell her we’ll help. Nicely. No mention of using her ass so harshly that she won’t sit for a week.”

37

Deke winced. He’d treated her badly, hoping to dissuade her from this foolish, reckless idea. Luc

knew that, but admitting it out loud would only give him more ammunition. He already had right on his side…

And it’s a favor we’re both dying to grant.”

That was just dirty pool. Deke gripped the phone, pissed at how low this conversation had become in

the space of a heartbeat. “She has nothing to do with this. Kimber just isn’t my type.”

Shayla Black Decadent Luc laughed in his ear. “Really? Who is your type?” Deke paused. Hell, he

could barely remember another woman’s name for thinking about getting inside Kimber. “Alyssa

Devereaux.”

thought.

she’s ‘safe.’”

38

Deke felt a flush crawl up his face. “Invest in some fucking earplugs. Yeah, Kimber got me hot. So

what? She’s a virgin. Man, I’m telling you, they’re bad news.”

Deke, you weren’t responsible—” Shayla Black Decadent

Apologize. Tell her we’ll help.”

He took another long swallow of his beer and stared as Burke Catrell grabbed Kimber’s hips and

gyrated his cock against her ass. The bastard apparently wanted to wear his nose somewhere in the

middle of his forehead. Deke would be happy to make it happen if Catrell didn’t get his fucking hands off her. His blood was beginning to boil, and the fury rising in him was about up to his eyeballs,

ready to overtake his brain.

39

Yeah, she had. Damn Luc and his logic. And Kimber was putting on this show for his benefit, he’d

guess, given the way she kept sneaking glances in his direction.

it.”

Deke wanted inside her. Bad. Damn bad. Not just her ass, though he’d enjoy it.

Not just her mouth, though he was sure a blow job from Kimber and her lush pink mouth would be

mindblowing. He wanted her—all of her—and suspected that bypassing her pussy just wasn’t going

to be an option.

Shayla Black Decadent In a way, he supposed that was true. They were truths, in his book. He didn’t

have any business teaching Kimber anything about sex. He would want in her pussy if she came back

to their house. She drove him out of his ever-lovin’ mind with desire, and his self-control would be shattered. And she scared the hell out of him.

What if the past repeated itself? She wasn’t Heather…but close enough.

Given all that, he still couldn’t stay away. Refusing to dwell on that reality, Deke lifted his bottle and emptied it. Then slammed it down on the table. “All right, I’m on it.”

Home. As if she belonged to them. As if they could just claim her like some stray kitten. Luc wanted to. His cousin was hearing wedding bells and babies crying, which made a nice little soundtrack for

his picket fence fantasy where he and Luc and the girl of their dreams lived happily ever after. Deke snorted. Still, he pushed 40

his chair back, stood, staring as Kimber did an X-rated rumba with the Catrell brothers. With a

glower, and hoping for a fight, he crossed the room.

Shayla Black Decadent

CHAPTER 3

On the dance floor, the elder Catrell brother reached for her again. Kimber gyrated, turned, hips

swinging, as she edged away from him. She’d forgotten his name. Oh, he was handsome. Damn good-

looking, in fact. Blue eyes, sandy hair, ripped body. Once upon a time, she might have been attracted to him, but now learning how to please Jesse so they could live happily ever after was her mission.

Determining if ménage was something she could handle was key.

But another man, one with military hair, hungry eyes, and a furious stride, had seized her attention in some darkly fascinating way, much like he had five years ago.

Uh-oh. Deke was definitely headed her way. What the hell did he want? At his house yesterday, he’d gone out of his way to humiliate her. Was he here for round 41

two?

Suddenly, Adam Catrell wrapped his arm around her and dragged her close, lowering his head

toward her. Kimber’s first instinct was to panic. Did he intend to kiss her in the middle of the dance floor? She didn’t know him. As she discovered about thirty seconds into this dance, she didn’t want

him. Especially not with everyone—with Deke—staring.

Not that she could manage to forget her afternoon in his kitchen, when he and Luc had kissed her

and… Better to forget it. Or try to. Lord knew, she hadn’t had much luck with that so far.

Shayla Black Decadent In a way, it was her own fault. In retrospect, she realized that military men

weren’t built for eloquence, but brute force. He’d tried to say no to her request.

When she’d pushed, Deke had stopped talking and simply acted, intentionally scaring her off with his crude words. Damn if it hadn’t worked.

Then she’d compounded her mistake by coming here and assuming that if being with Deke and Luc

had aroused her while being “educational,” then being with Adam and…Brad-Brian-Brock-whatever

his name was—would be equally enjoyable. Nope. Almost since this dance started she’d wanted out.

But running away like a coward with Deke looking on just wasn’t an option. With her thoughts

whirling like a salsa dancer on speed, Kimber tried to decide her next move. Then Deke had risen

from his chair and marched her way, looking more than ready to take the decision out of her hands.

She risked another glance in his direction. God, he was close now. Close enough 42

that she could see a muscle ticcing in his jaw as his sharp gaze zeroed in on Adam’s hand, now riding low on her back, almost on one cheek.

didn’t move his hand—and turned to greet their mutual friend.

talk outside?”

Deke had phrased his words into a question, but his glare said he wasn’t asking at all. Kimber

swallowed. Wearing a pair of fine-fitting jeans, black boots, a khaki T-shirt with the word ARMY

stretched in black above his solid left pectoral, and a demanding glare, Deke looked like a man on a serious personal mission.

Everything about his demeanor seconded that. He hadn’t greeted his buddy and Shayla Black

Decadent had barely answered Adam’s question. He hadn’t said hello to either of them. No

pleasantries; just down to business.

What more did he have to say that he hadn’t said to her in his kitchen yesterday?

In a few words, he’d both annoyed and spooked her, and she’d run like a girl in over her head. Just

like he claimed she was. Since nothing in his expression looked remotely apologetic, she couldn’t

imagine what he had in mind, other than more humiliation. No thanks.

Buck? Something like that.

43

She flashed the blond club owner a smile and swiveled her hips—all too conscious of Deke’s gaze

drilling into her back.

As soon as the nameless Catrell brother smiled back, the song ended. The DJ

announced a Jell-O shot special and his intent to take a break.

Deke grabbed her wrist and whirled her around to face him, golden brow arched.

Damn it! Kimber fisted her hands on her hips. “Say whatever you came to say, then.”

The command in his tone raised her hackles. “Is this going to take long?”

Shayla Black Decadent

He hesitated. “I don’t think you want an audience.” Or he didn’t. For reasons she could only guess at, he didn’t want the Catrell brothers, each now staring at Deke intently over her shoulders, to hear what he was about to say. If he said more of the filth he’d spouted to her a mere twenty-four hours ago, then he’d come off smelling like shit. He should know that…but maybe he didn’t. Deke was hardly a

master of the social graces. The chance to give him enough rope to hang himself made her smile.

counter with our mouths on your—” 44

The brother whose name she couldn’t remember chuckled in her ear. Deke smiled smugly. Bastard!

He’d come to fight dirty and had gone straight for the jugular. Why hadn’t she seen that coming?

That muscle in Deke’s jaw began working again. “Come outside with me so we can discuss this.”

Did the man just not know when to quit? “I don’t belong to you and your cousin, I’m not coming near

your kitchen counter again, and I’m certainly not going outside with you.”

Shayla Black Decadent

One second, Deke stood two feet away, not touching any part of her. A blink later, he crowded in and hovered toe-to-toe with her, one arm around her waist, the other tangled in the hair hanging halfway down her back.

Kimber didn’t waste the breath necessary to say, “You wouldn’t.” She knew better.

45

Irritation poisoned her thoughts. He was a high-handed SOB. Even as she thought it, though, her belly fluttered with something… No, that could not be arousal.

He shrugged. “I’ll sure enjoy it.”

Adam shoved his way between them. “As much as I’d like the view, there’s no violence or nudity in

the club, y’all. You’ll have to take it outside.” She whirled on him, jaw dropping. The jerk was

letting her go and feeding her to the wolves all in one sentence? Figures the men would stick together.

Blood raging with fury, she stormed toward the exit.

Shayla Black Decadent Assholes, the lot of them! And she wasn’t stupid enough to believe that Deke would leave it at that. He was following her; she felt him about two steps behind.

Damn the man.

As she reached the club’s door, the music started up again. Kimber found the biggest, meanest

bouncer of the trio clustered around the door and smiled his way.

him where to shove his comment and inform the bouncer that he was an annoying stranger, deranged

stalker—something—Deke hauled her against him, dropped his head, and trapped every furious word

on the tip of her tongue with a blistering kiss.

46

She struggled, but within moments, all she knew was Deke. Warm male, ripe with persuasion, soaked

in sin, invaded her senses. His mouth coaxed her. Kimber resisted. She really tried. Despite the fury swirling through her, Deke incited a familiar leap of pulse, a surge of want, that doused her protests.

With a brush of his lips, a slow caress of tongue, the soft slide of his palm down her back, he

enveloped her in desire—and not just hers. His own was so tangible, she tasted the tang of his arousal on her tongue.

His kiss melted her with the restrained urgency of his own need, softened into a tangle of lips,

breaths, and tongues she would never have imagined Deke Trenton capable of. Timeless, weightless,

thoughtless, Kimber let herself float away into the heart-racing, heat-pooling power of his kiss.

Shayla Black Decadent Until he nipped at her lip, soothed it with a tender lick, then slid a soft brush of his mouth over hers. Without thinking, she leaned into him, seeking more kisses, more contact,

more him.

Deke grabbed her shoulders. “I’m sorry about yesterday. Come home with me, kitten.”

While she tried to think of a good comeback, Deke took her hand and led her outside, into the humid

summer night. A car spilled into the parking lot, headlights bobbing up and down on the dirt road, and cruised to the far end. Somewhere near, a pair of frogs croaked to one another. Crickets sang and

mosquitoes buzzed as the parking lot’s halogens combined with the full moon to rain silvery light

down on them.

47

Now that Deke’s persuasive mouth wasn’t obliterating rational thought, Kimber rolled her eyes at her stupidity. Damn it, she hadn’t intended to heel after Deke kissed and stroked her. She may as well

have been doing her own imitation of a bitch in heat. Well, she’d wanted to leave, anyway. Now was

her chance.

She fished into the hidden pocket of her skirt for her car keys. “Okay, I’m not staying with the Catrell brothers. You got your little way. Happy?” A sly smile quirked up the side of his mouth. Before she

could wonder what mischief he was up to, Deke snaked out a hand and snatched the keys from her

fingers. They disappeared deep into the pocket of his jeans. The only way to get them back was to

slide her hand into his pants. Lovely. Considering the erection bulging the front of his jeans, she

didn’t think he’d be at all opposed to having her hands fishing around in his pockets—or anywhere

else down there.

Shayla Black Decadent

anywhere until we finish this chat.” Kimber sighed with frustration. “Look, you high-handed son of a

—”

She paused. Did he mean what she thought he meant? “You came here to say that you’ll teach me

about sex? You and Luc?”

He paused, not looking terribly happy. “Yeah.”

Relief or irritation—they ran a close race for her reaction. Relief eventually won, since she wasn’t going to win Jesse’s heart without an education. Letting the Catrell brothers teach her, despite how willing they’d seemed, wasn’t something she 48

wanted.

But she wasn’t about to let Deke know that. “Maybe it’s too little, too late.”

the older brother’s name apparently.

dad.”

Kimber snorted. “You would never even have thought about me in a sexual context if I hadn’t come

knocking on your door.” Shayla Black Decadent He stilled. “You’re naïve if you believe that.”

Who was he kidding? Kimber frowned. Big, bad special ops man turned bodyguard couldn’t have

thought about her sexually before Luc had invited her into his kitchen.

what, eighteen? Nineteen?”

back then was illegal in every state, Kimber. My thoughts haven’t changed. I’m just damn glad I won’t go to jail for acting on them now.” Deke looked serious. Dead serious, with those dark blue eyes

burning her.

49

Bad.”

Kimber sucked in a shocked breath. Oh my God… She sent a long stare toward the obvious erection about to burst out his zipper. “So you still want me?”

She licked her bottom lip. As his hot gaze zeroed in on the action, her belly clenched, her nipples

tightened. Fantasy flashed her a vision: Deke leaning over her, sliding into her with hard insistence.

She’d come under her own fingers last night to that mental picture. Heat flooded her cheeks. It made no sense, being aroused by a guy who was nothing more than a tutor to her. Temporary insanity, she

supposed. Stress after a hectic school year or lingering adolescent curiosity. It would pass. But

suddenly, a few things made sense.

Shayla Black Decadent

badly as I do.”

Kimber gnawed on her bottom lip, suspecting that he was right. She understood—in an abstract way

—what being involved in a ménage a trois would mean. She’d read an erotic book this morning and found herself aroused by the story of one woman loved by two men totally devoted to her pleasure.

What redblooded woman wouldn’t be?

But, despite what Deke had said about emotion easily not being a factor in a ménage, Kimber knew

better. Already she felt a tug toward Deke that made no sense. Probably because she’d always been

curious about him. He’d repelled her as much as he’d compelled her back in those days. The bigger

factor was Jesse. She Shayla Black Decadent really missed him after his nearly four-year absence.

Even though they didn’t look alike, she was probably using Deke as a subconscious substitute. That,

and Deke had already done more to her sexually in fifteen minutes than Jesse had in years.

Kimber sighed.

Practical here, she would look like a groupie chasing a star, like a teenybopper with some silly

adolescent, happily-ever-after fantasy. He couldn’t possibly understand how her relationship with

Jesse had grown and evolved in the last few years through faithful e-mail and telephone

conversations.

Kimber shrugged, trying not to be annoyed. “You’re entitled to think that. But like you said, it’s my life.”

51

Stay with us for two weeks. We’ll show you what you need to know.”

Relief slid through her. She’d won. It was tempting to tell Deke to shove it, but her pride wasn’t going to solve her issue with Jesse. He’d insisted she couldn’t be what he needed, was too innocent for his lifestyle. She was going to prove him wrong by learning everything. It was the only way to secure a

future with the man she adored.

And despite the crappy way Deke had acted yesterday, she knew he was a man of his word. He

would teach her everything necessary. Still, she had questions about his plan…

Shayla Black Decadent Deke nodded. “Part of learning to deal with a ménage is satisfying two horny

men. Sex with two men at once isn’t easy. Some men also have individual demands they’ll want you

to fulfill. Some guys are partial to morning sex. Others to midnight sex or anything in between. You’ll have to learn to deal with two sets of demands.” His explanation made sense. Two men would

definitely be more taxing than one.

Odd to be thinking about having sex multiple times a day when she’d never had sex at all, but this was Jesse’s reality.

Deke shook his head. “Luc is a morning man. My favorite time for sex is every time Luc is in the

mood and you’re willing. I won’t fuck you alone. Ever.” Like before, he was totally serious. He

wouldn’t have sex with her if Luc wasn’t 52

there and participating. What was that about? His face gave away nothing, but his expression was too empty, almost painfully blank. Was he trying to hide something? With Deke, who knew?

Lust glowed bright and blue from his eyes. “If Luc is ready and you say yes to us both, I’ll be there.”

The suggestion of his words created a heady, melty feeling that swirled delicious heat through her and settled a dangerous ache right between her legs.

He grimaced. “No.”

Shayla Black Decadent

He’s out of town right now, anyway. I can be back tomorrow and—”

A rule? There were rules about a three-way? “Like…?”

problem.”

53

his taut body closer. The intent glow of his eyes said that he was desperately resisting the urge to kiss her. “And Kimber, they will get hot.” A sizzling shiver stole through her. “I won’t forget or change my mind.”

Kimber tore away from his grasp. “When I beg?”

My, someone thinks a lot of his prowess.

Deke’s grim smile went straight to her nerves. “One of the joys of a ménage. We can make you willing to do anything. But since we’re agreed now that there won’t be any straight sex, then there

won’t be any risks.” Shayla Black Decadent What sort of sex would there be, then? Oral. Anal. She

hadn’t done either. In two weeks, she’d become a pro at both. The thought made her suck in a sharp

breath at the dangerous jolt of

Deke’s mouth tightened. “That and entanglement. Taking virginity is accepting a responsibility in my mind. A man shouldn’t fuck a virgin he doesn’t intend to claim and keep. And I’m not in the market to claim any woman, not in the forever sense.” Amazing. The old-fashioned and commitment-avoidant

all in one breath.

Deke merely crossed his arms over his chest and stared, his expression closed.

Unreadable. Taut jaw, unapproachable body language. His mouth flattened into a 54

grim line. And those deep blue eyes of his, they looked flat, matter-of-fact…at first glance.

Kimber looked again.

Bleak. Everything about him screamed it. A stiffness in his posture, coupled with some yearning she glimpsed the longer she looked. Deke blinked, shifted his weight, took a step back. Whatever she’d

seen was gone.

Kimber frowned. Lord, she was losing it. It wasn’t possible to see that much from a single glance.

And Deke was the last man she should attribute any real emotion to. That look…she’d probably just

mistaken his annoyance that he had to wait until tomorrow for her to ease his hard-on or that he

wouldn’t be getting any vaginal sex from her. The subject of virgins and claiming didn’t actually upset him. She doubted much ruffled him, in fact. He’d probably thought next to nothing about the

commitment.

Shayla Black Decadent

demons, but if he did, she didn’t want to know them.

Deke didn’t smile. In fact, he looked as cheerful as a man facing death row. “We’ll be ready.”

#

Deke nursed a beer just inside the kitchen as he watched Luc open the front door.

Kimber stood on the other side, looking so damn innocent in a white lace shirt and flirty flowered

skirt, he gnashed his teeth. Having her here had “bad news” written 55

all over it. Damn.

The hint of mischief in her eyes didn’t make him hard— just the thought of her had managed that

twenty minutes ago. But the excitement flushing her cheeks slammed a fresh rush of blood to his cock as Luc invited her into the house. She accepted with a smile and stepped her strappy-sandaled feet

into the hall.

His good ol’ cuz had been like a panting puppy with the promise of a new toy all afternoon. He’d

sweet-talked Wiletta, their old housekeeper, into a midweek sprucing up. Luc had also spent the last four hours preparing some gourmet chicken dish Deke couldn’t pronounce. And dessert—some

complicated chocolate torte thing with strawberries. Deke shook his head. Luc had bought four

cartons of the berries and handpicked a mere few for the confection.

Deke doubted they’d make it to dessert.

Shayla Black Decadent He didn’t have to ask why all the effort on Luc’s part. His cousin wanted to

believe they’d finally found the woman who could complete them, discounting the fact that no sane

woman would want to play house permanently with a former Army Ranger and a temperamental chef.

Apparently, Luc had also forgotten the thousands of times Deke had insisted he didn’t want a

permanent relationship.

Still, his cousin persisted in hoping Kimber was theirs.

Who knew why? Deke had pointed out repeatedly they wouldn’t be sinking their cocks into Kimber’s

sweet pussy. That she was, in fact, coming here merely to experience a ménage so she could be

prepared to please another man. None of that mattered. Luc was still convinced Kimber could be The

One. Sweetly curious, soft on the outside with a tough inner core, Kimber was everything Luc insisted was perfect for a life with two difficult men.

Deke snorted. Yeah, this sure was headed for a fairy-tale ending. Not. But Luc 56

would have to figure that out for himself. Deke was tired of pointing out the obvious. Still, he

admitted privately there was something about Kimber that utterly flipped his switch.

Grimacing at the hard-on straining the fucking slacks Luc had insisted he wear, he lifted his beer for a long swallow. Hell, he was as hard as he could ever remember being and he’d done nothing more

than watch Kimber walk through his door with a hesitant smile.

Her voice was breathy, soft, a little shaky. Good. She had every reason to be nervous. He was. His

insides were like a lit powder keg on a short fuse. What would happen to his restraint and self-

control after he and Luc laid her out on the bed?

Kaboom.

Shayla Black Decadent He was all jacked up on adrenaline, just as he was after a mission. He needed

to fuck, and he could only deny it for so long. Worse, the need seemed fixated on her.

It wasn’t a matter of if she begged to be fucked, but when. And when she begged for a hard cock in her pussy…could he keep to his vow to leave her a virgin?

Despite his tough talk, he wasn’t sure.

Could he fuck her, claim her, and risk the consequences?

Hell no! No more risks where virgins were concerned. Abso-fucking-lutely not.

Never again. She’d learn what they could teach in two weeks and be gone. He’d resist…somehow.

hall. “We’re glad you’re here. I’m thrilled you’ve agreed to stay with us.”

57

And if Luc had his way, Kimber would never leave.

She looked self-conscious, tucking her silky reddish hair behind one ear, her hazel eyes darting

around the living room and into the kitchen.

Her gaze found his, and their stares connected. At the visual jolt of electricity, she sucked in a breath.

He felt her gaze like a sucker punch to the gut and a hard tug on his cock.

Oh, hell. He was in major shit here.

Luc tucked Kimber’s hand in his and led her to the kitchen.

Shayla Black Decadent Thanks for the public hanging, cuz.

Luc slanted a chastising glance his way. What the fuck did his cousin want him to do? Deke didn’t

like wine. Luc was the slick one with all the verbal skills, so Deke 58

was letting him do the talking. It was smart, since Deke only spoke caveman.

Besides, he had nothing to say. If he touched Kimber at all right now, Luc would only hear two

sounds: him ripping her clothes away from her body and her scream as he covered her clit with his

mouth until she came.

Smiling with all the charm of a damn talk show host, Luc handed her a glass of wine. “I hope you’ll

enjoy it. Make yourself comfortable. Or, if you prefer, hit Deke up for a tour of the house.”

Kimber took a sip of the chardonnay, then cut another anxious glance in his direction. Her tongue

dragged along her plump lower lip—nearly sending him to his knees. “I’d love a tour.”

Shayla Black Decadent What he’d really love was to see that tongue sliding across the head of his

cock.

He swallowed at the image gnawing across his mind and right through most of his self-control.

He made his way across the kitchen and, because he couldn’t stand not touching her for another

minute, he molded his palm to the small of her back. Warm, firmly curved. Responsive. Deke glanced

her way and couldn’t miss the fact her nipples hardened the instant he touched her. And her smell…

he inhaled peaches, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Homey, spicy, comforting, and arousing. Another

sniff. Holy shit, if he got any harder, his zipper was going to leave permanent indentions on his dick.

With a gentle push, he took his hands off her and urged her out of the kitchen, back into the living room, then down the hall, grabbing her bright blue duffle bag.

59

Hoisting it on his shoulder, he looked back at her. “There are two bedrooms and an office at the end of the hall. Luc’s is the larger, since he lives here full-time. I’m only here when I’m between

assignments or, like now, recovering from an injury.”

Deke couldn’t mistake the concern in her voice or the way it made him want to pin her to a wall and

kiss her. Not just fuck her. He still wanted to—bad. But her little show of care lured him in a way he wasn’t familiar with, but was still every bit as effective as a top-of-the-line rod and reel.

If he wasn’t careful, he would fall for her hook, line, and sinker, to quote a cliché.

He’d been there, done that with Heather, and he’d love to burn his souvenir T-shirt, but his memories wouldn’t let him. Instead, he hung it in his mental closet, determined not to fuck up again.

Shayla Black Decadent

stitches and a tetanus shot later, I’m good as new.”

Deke couldn’t help the smile tugging across his mouth. “Damn straight.” A few steps later, he shoved a door open to reveal a smallish bedroom with white walls. It held a double bed, a chair, a reading

lamp, and a desk with a laptop. It would never win interior design awards, but it worked for him.

60

smell of her was rushing all his blood south. Damn, Luc always made dinner with company a grand

affair. How the hell would he make it through the whole meal without throwing Kimber up on the

table and eating her instead?

Stupid. Wrong. Not happening. He’d taste her sweet kiss before he fucked her ass, but affection—out of the question.

Kimber would take it the wrong way. Hell, he might, too.

With its deep burgundy walls and dark woods, etched glass and brass accents, it resembled an elegant gentleman’s establishment of old—but with a cutting-edge desktop, speaker phone, and a

printer/scanner/fax machine. A tobacco-colored desk chair in leather presided over a masculine

walnut desk and bookshelves, inlaid with lighter woods on the top and sides with something Luc had

called a medallion.

61

that? Normally, men with “wonderful taste” were gay, but he knew firsthand that Luc was as straight

as he was.

For the first time in ages—no, ever—Deke regretted Luc’s heterosexuality. If not for that and his

interest in Kimber, Deke might find a way to have her all to himself, legs spread from one end of the bed to the other while he alone climbed between them and fucked her.

No! In all the ways that mattered, she was his worst memory come back to life.

Not that she actually was Heather, but…close enough. Like he had for the past twelve years, since

that terrible summer, he was going to share the woman and just be happy for the great sex.

Shayla Black Decadent

Deke shoved aside a prickle of irritation. Luc was damn good with cooking and decorating, so of

course, she was going to be impressed. But she’d come here for sex, and he vowed that when it came

to that, he’d impress the hell out of her.

Pivoting, he exited the office and made his way to the end of the hall. He shoved the door open and

tossed her duffle bag in.

Spacious, an eclectic blend of modern and Tuscan, technology and Old World.

Taupes, olives, and gold with a splash of red, along with a cozy king-sized bed, invited women to

come in and get…comfortable. It bothered him like hell that Kimber wouldn’t be the exception.

She glanced at her bag on the floor of Luc’s room, then at his bed. “I’ll be staying 62

here?”

Deke swallowed and tried not to picture Kimber naked on Luc’s bed, tried not to picture the two of

them alone sleeping, touching, fucking, while a few walls separated him. The thought charged a

violent surge of fury all the way to his fists.

He clenched them to keep still.

Kimber sleeping with Luc…it was better this way. Less temptation. Luc slept like the dead most

nights. Deke didn’t have that luxury. And if he wasn’t lying right next to the woman who’d most

revved his libido in the last decade when the next sleepless midnight rolled around, he couldn’t

caress her silken skin, whisper naughty suggestions to her, and sweet-talk his way into her pussy. And he’d want to. Hell, he wanted to now.

Bad, bad sign.

Shayla Black Decadent

awake.”

Kimber turned slowly and shot him a considering stare. “I know you think I’m making a mistake, and

that you’re not thrilled about helping me…” She was both right and wrong. Her being here, learning

from him and Luc, it was a double-edged sword. Deke did think she was making a mistake. Kimber

just didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who could make ménage a way of life. But to indulge his purely selfish need to touch her, he’d give her a thorough education.

Still, he hated like hell that she wanted to learn all about ménage so she could please pretty-boy Jesse McCall—a rock star who likely had a willing hoard of groupies in every city around the globe and

would eventually break her heart. Hell, as long as he was being honest, he didn’t even want to share her with Luc.

Whoa! They were more like brothers than cousins, and since that disastrous 63

summer with Heather, he and Luc had shared damn near everything, damn near every woman. And

here he was admitting that he wanted Kimber all to himself.

Confession couldn’t be good for his soul, Deke decided, since he felt like shit.

Kimber reached out, touched his arm, making him want to crawl out of his clothes and put her flat on Luc’s bed. Fuck dinner. Some crazed part of him was nearly ready to ditch his resolution never again to take a woman to bed alone.

No, he really did want her here, way more than he should. And Kimber was a smart girl; she’d figure

that out before too long. “It’s fine.” Shayla Black Decadent He shut the door to Luc’s bedroom—and

the disturbing images of his cousin and Kimber entwined alone together—then stomped back down

the hall. They passed through the living room again, then down another hall.

managed to have enough class to avoid looking like it belonged in a bachelor pad.

gaming consoles—and perfectly masculine window treatments.

Leave it to Luc to think that a man’s domain needed freakin’ drapes.

time will be devoted to that, at least when we’re not…busy.” Color flushed her cheeks again. Her

perfectly pale skin didn’t allow her to hide from much. The thought thrilled him. The more aroused

she got the rosier her skin would turn. Damn, what a fucking turn-on.

Deke ducked behind one of the sofas to hide his erection and grimaced. How the hell was he going to

hold it together through the two-hour affair Luc liked to make out of dinner? At the moment, he’d give anything for fast-food burgers—as long as everyone was willing to eat them naked.

much the whole house. There’s a hot tub outside.” She frowned. “Dang it, I didn’t bring a suit.”

Shayla Black Decadent

then bit her lip again, and Deke was damn near ready to leap over the couch, pin her to a wall, and get her out of her clothes.

Yeah. He was going to do a lot more than see it. That moment couldn’t come soon enough for him.

Thankful to commence the next two hours of razor-sharp anticipation so they could get on to the big

show, Deke walked Kimber back to the center of the house.

Luc waited there for them, with a full spread waiting. His cousin seated Kimber, 65

pushing in her chair like a gentleman. Damn, why hadn’t he thought of that?

Trying not to sulk, Deke dropped down into his seat, watching as Luc dished up her food, refilled her wine, smiled, flirted, casually touched—and made him mad as hell. Kimber blushed and smiled and

hung on his every word, which only pissed him off more. He needed to get a grip and get over her.

She was here for sex.

Period. Who cared that he wasn’t Sir Galahad?

But later, when they got naked and in bed, Deke intended to prove that while Luc’s nicer qualities

were all well and good, they weren’t going to flip her switch.

Deke was tuned into her. He could damn near see her eagerness escalating, clawing through her body.

He’d use her desires to make her come so many times she’d lose count. And he vowed that his name

would be the last word on her lips.

Shayla Black Decadent

CHAPTER 4

Dinner was scrumptious—and entirely too long.

Luc could cook, no doubt about that. He’d mastered an art that amazed Kimber, since she could barely boil water. Most of the “feminine arts” had escaped her. The by-product of growing up with men

always on top-secret missions and paranoid about safety.

Honestly, she was shocked that the lace top and skirt she’d worn tonight hadn’t given her hives. But the reality was, she knew more about firearms than couture.

More about martial arts than makeup.

That had made romance everything from challenging to a big joke in the past. She only hoped that,

since Deke and Luc were tutoring her, not dating her, that they wouldn’t mind the same way Jesse

didn’t mind.

66

Like it? She was totally impressed by Luc’s culinary expertise. He’d earned his international

reputation. But after nearly two hours of rich food, small talk, and everyone avoiding the unspoken

topic hanging heavy in the room, the coming night and what it would bring, Kimber’s nerves were

sharper than any of Luc’s fancy kitchen knives. She couldn’t take the building anticipation inside her, the bubbling testosterone all around, the thick heat sliding between her legs.

Based on the monosyllables Deke had replied with for the past hour, she guessed he was more than

ready to adjourn to the bedroom. Either that or he still wasn’t happy to have her there.

Kimber shrugged off the unpleasant thought. “Dinner was wonderful. Thanks for a lovely meal, Luc.

Everything was truly spectacular.” Shayla Black Decadent

he’d asked the question merely to toy with her.

A ghost of a smile curved that full, sinful red mouth of his. Luc was beautiful, sensual, playful, easy to talk to, cultured, curious. Shocking that some bright woman hadn’t snapped him up ages ago.

But right now, she wanted to strangle the man for prolonging her agony.

Luc stood and cleared his plate, setting it on the counter and reaching for some decadent chocolate

confection. “Dessert? I can make coffee, if you want. I have 67

cinnamon hazelnut, Frenchroasted vanilla—”

Oh, no. Had she misread the vibes? They’d seemed interested. Deke had barely managed civil

conversation, and those burning eyes of his had damn near charred her appetite. Luc had flirted,

touching her hands, bumping her knee, feeding her from his fork.

Kimber glanced across the kitchen. Luc had hardened, damn near bursting the front of his slacks. To

her left, a chair scraped across the floor, disturbing the dead silence. Deke stood, and she discovered he was in the same state as his cousin—

tense, erect, ready.

Shayla Black Decadent That meant she hadn’t misread the situation, right? Or maybe not… Maybe

Deke’s desire hadn’t totally tackled his reluctance. Maybe Luc was having second thoughts.

Damn it, she didn’t know. Inexperience wasn’t helpful just now.

family never does, so I—”

Deke did want her. Excitement jolted her, screaming through her blood. Now. The 68

time had come. She was going to learn about men and sex and something beyond self-pleasure—and

she was going to learn it at the hands of two of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen. With the

arousal bubbling in her body now, she didn’t think accepting a ménage would disturb her in the least.

She’d learn all about it so that when Jesse returned to Texas in a few weeks, she would know exactly what he needed and how to give it to him. He’d race to pursue deepening their special connection

because she’d no longer be too innocent to deal with his lifestyle.

Luc tried to look put out. “I spent a lot of time making this torte.” Kimber tossed a teasing glance over her shoulder. “It’ll make a great midnight snack.”

Shayla Black Decadent She sent him a giddy laugh. “Only if you promise to lick off every crumb.”

Luc said something and started after her, but she couldn’t hear, since Deke was already pulling her

down the hall, toward Luc’s wide bed. In less than thirty seconds, she was flat on her back, with

Deke’s big body covering hers, his knees spreading her legs wide.

His mouth swooped over hers before the bed stopped bouncing. He nudged her lips apart and plunged

deep into the kiss, engaging her, igniting her. Kimber threw her arms around his neck and lost herself in his spiced flavor and his touch.

Demand tinged with desperation; she tasted it. His impatient lust flowed with every hot swipe of his tongue against hers, every bunching of his hard shoulders under her fingers.

He urged her legs apart even more and settled his cock directly against her. Oh, he felt good. No,

more than good. Wildly arousing. He fit as if he’d been made to 69

occupy the cradle of her thighs. And when he pushed against her, bumping her clit, she gasped into the kiss, stunned that he could raise such sexual havoc in a handful of heartbeats. He swallowed her

response, and with another grind against her, demanded more.

To her right, the bed dipped again. Heat blasted her, coming closer with each second, until another

hard male body plastered itself against her side. Luc.

Shirtless, she discovered as she reached out to touch him.

Her fingers encountered skin as soft as suede over steelhoned muscles. Then his midnight hair,

gloriously loose and hanging around his wide, bronzed shoulders.

Luc planted a series of soft kisses on her cheek and down her neck as he worked a hand in between

her and Deke, until he found the hard point of her nipple through her shirt and caressed her. A sweet ache pooled there, tingling, lingering.

Moisture gushed between her legs. Oh wow!

Shayla Black Decadent Deke tore away from his possession of her mouth long enough to taste the skin

of her neck, nibble on her collarbone.

A shaky sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes fluttered open, settling on Luc and his boiling chocolate eyes melting her, watching her, inviting her to sin. She threaded her fingers through the loose, inky hair.

Luc looked like a gentleman pirate—barely tamed, sensual, promising pleasure—willing to take

whatever he wanted. Kimber’s breath caught as he moved closer.

Then Deke distracted her as he plowed into the buttons of her lacy blouse, swept both halves of the

flimsy garment aside, then shoved her bra up, exposing her to his ravenous gaze. He covered her

breast with one huge palm. Kimber sucked in a sharp breath at the lightning contact. Deke didn’t

pause to let her catch up. He simply lifted her breast, testing its weight, then brushed his thumb over the taut tip. Tingles erupted again.

70

Kimber had almost no time to be overwhelmed by Deke’s fondling before Luc’s mouth settled over

her own. Like a maestro, he played her with his kisses. Soft strains at first—a gentle brush of lips, a teasing lick of her bottom lip, a sexy sigh as he pressed her mouth open, taunting her with the notion that he might take the addicting kiss deeper. But he didn’t.

Moaning restlessly, she lifted her mouth to Luc. He merely smiled, then nipped at her bottom lip with a playful bite. He was gentle, teasing building the anticipation, filling her with a tender swell of want.

Still at her breasts, Deke didn’t build a gentle anything—and made it clear he didn’t intend to be

overlooked or overshadowed. Instead, he sucked her nipple into his mouth with a hard pull, drawing

desire directly from the aching point, which hardened like a rock against his tongue. Then he bit

down, enough to sting. Enough Shayla Black Decadent to send a fireball of want through her breast,

jetting down her belly, to crash right between her legs. She whimpered and arched up to him in

offering.

under the praise, but found herself holding her breath, waiting for Deke’s response. Would he agree?

It didn’t matter, really. Learning for Jesse was the goal. But somehow, it did matter. Though it was hard to decipher why when Deke lifted his mouth, transferred it to her other breast, and created

another fireball of need, which had her gasping and wet.

Am I? Why did his opinion matter, damn it? Maybe because the thought of the man teaching her about sex not finding her attractive was distasteful. She wanted him to see past the tomboy. That had to be it.

71

His words vibrated deep inside her, straight to her swollen folds. God, she wanted. She throbbed…

Then Deke’s hands were at her skirt, pushing, lifting, sliding the soft material across her skin. The sensations didn’t arouse half as much as the sheer knowledge that Deke’s rough palms followed.

From her calves, to knees, to thighs, up her hips.

The touch of his calloused skin over her sensitive flesh lit her up even more. The fireball multiplied and settled between her legs, right under her clit. Luc unhooked the front clasp of her bra and laved at one nipple, while Deke tore off his shirt, sat back on his heels, and stared.

Shayla Black Decadent

so she’d have something sexy to wear.

Before she could take hold of the waistband and peel them off, Deke grabbed one side. With hot male

eyes in a face shouting that he was strung out on lust, he wrapped the wisp of fabric around his fist and pulled. A surprised gasp and a soft rip later, and Kimber was basically naked. Luc made

basically a fact by pulling the blouse and bra down her shoulders, then sliding the skirt down her hips, to the floor.

Deke hissed in a harsh breath as he looked down at her, his stare unabashedly focused between her

legs, on the sparse dark reddish curls. A glance to the right showed her that Luc was taking the scenic route to the same view, as his gaze traveled over her dips and swells, starting with her breasts, down to her waist, over the flat of her belly. Then lower.

72

Luc looked ready to savor every moment. Deke…those glowing blue eyes of his told her that he was

ready to dive into the feast. Now.

Kimber’s breath hitched. Her heart pounded, pulsing through her body, making her clit throb madly.

This pause of Deke’s, it must be unusual. Kimber could see Luc’s confusion under his lust. She didn’t have time to ponder or frown before Deke’s gravel voice vibrated inside her, stroking her desire a

notch higher.

If Kimber hadn’t already known she damn near dripped with desire, Deke proved it by sliding his

thumbs up her swollen labia and parting them wide, the pads sliding over her slick skin. His touch

was electric as he forced her flesh apart for his and Luc’s gazes.

Knowing the two of them watched and wanted her sent Kimber’s desire soaring, almost hurtling her

beyond her ability to breathe.

One of Deke’s thumbs slid closer to her weeping opening, and Kimber felt her emptiness acutely. She

ached for him to fill her empty sex with the stiff length of his cock—badly. Dangerous, yes. And

wrong. But with every touch, her body fell under his spell until it was his to control, not hers. Of its own accord, her body raised its hips to him in silent pleading.

Denied but more feverish because of it, her thoughts whirled. Was he annoyed by her attempts to

experience more of what he could give her? Or that his unraveling self-control was already hanging

by a thread?

Lovely thought that she, inexperienced Kimber, a girl whose pigtails and karate classes he used to

ridicule, could test him so thoroughly. A glance at Luc proved he was in no better shape.

Eyelids half closed, she sent the men a slumberous stare, then focused on Deke’s penis. It tented his slacks. Hard, thick—and growing, even as she looked at him.

Kimber sent them a kittenish smile, and before she thought better of it, she lifted her hips to Deke again.

He snarled at her and reached for his zipper. “You’re begging for what you don’t want me to give

you. Stop now.”

Shayla Black Decadent

asking for.”

She frowned. She did know what she was asking for—relief! Deke wanted her; his unflagging

erection made that clear.

But he was saying no, just like he’d said no to vaginal intercourse during their conversations. Why?

He liked women, she knew. Jesse. She couldn’t forget Jesse.

She needed to experience sex his way, but still come to him a virgin, as she’d said she would.

Deke had vowed that he wouldn’t take a virgin. He didn’t want to claim anyone.

Now she recalled… Somehow, his stance disturbed her.

Deke’s fingers curled into fists. He swallowed. The effort to resist her was costing him dearly.

74

rush. No pressure.

Okay?”

She sent him a shaky nod, barely able to focus her thoughts away from Deke and his promise. He was

going to make her come. Kimber had no doubt he could. In about thirty seconds. Or less. Would it

erase the aching emptiness inside her?

Swinging her gaze back over to Deke, she took in his flushed cheeks, the harsh rise and fall of his

heavily muscled chest, the sinew and veins roping his thick forearms. Sleek, powerful, all male.

Fresh want pulsed in her belly, in her sex.

Shayla Black Decadent No. Think about Jesse. Whatever pleasure Deke gave her was for

instructional purposes. It would have to be enough. No big, pulsing, more-than-ready-to-do-the-job

cocks inside her.

Oh, God. Did he mean that? Her body hoped he did, every word.

She swallowed a burning lump of lust. “Please.” Unable to stop herself, she lifted her hips to him one more time.

Deke didn’t turn down the invitation to touch her. He slipped a thick finger into her wet depths,

swiping his thumb over her clit with the other. Electric sparks 75

blended with pure magic to brush her skin with want, fire her blood with pure need. She mewled.

When he repeated the process, and Luc bent to take her mouth in a kiss ripe with sensual demand, her mewls became low moans.

Luc swallowed the sounds and lifted his hand to cover her breast, fingers toying with her nipple,

gently pinching, turning, awakening. He sent more bolts of lust south, down low, to join the heavy

pulse of demand her body pumped out at each brush of Deke’s thumb over her clit.

Legs taut, back bowed, Kimber felt the edge of climax drawing near. And they’d what, touched her

for less than two minutes? She was drowning, flying, aching desperately—and didn’t want it any

other way.

Deke pushed a second finger inside her, fighting to slide his thick digits in. A sting became an ache as he muscled his way deeper inside her. Finally, her flesh swallowed him up and clamped down on

him. He swore.

Shayla Black Decadent

Luc nodded, breathing against her neck as he took her earlobe between his teeth.

Hedonistic Luc was encouraging Deke, trying to drive her over the edge with wicked words, flirting

dangerously with Deke’s ragged control.

Deke gasped and began to slide his fingers in and out of her tight passage. “Can’t stop. Too fucking good to stop.”

nipples.

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Kimber felt swollen everywhere. Strung tight. Ached inside her own skin. Damp with perspiration,

wet with need, blood raced through her body. Her heart pumped. Her skin tingled. And still Deke kept that incessant, merciless thumb strumming her clit. His fingers slid in and out, plying some sensitive spot inside her sex she’d never found on her own.

Luc whispered against her mouth, “You look beautiful. I can’t wait to watch you scream in climax.”

Then, with insistent fingers, he plucked at her aching nipple.

Too much. It was all too much to resist. Holding out wasn’t an option.

Heat built. Blood roared. Kimber held her breath, whimpered, moaned—before the pleasure

condensed between her legs into a concentrated burst of energy that exploded like a supernova,

sending her hurtling deep into a realm of ecstasy she’d never imagined.

Shayla Black Decadent

releasing, caressing him again.

She moaned. “I don’t think I can.”

Luc laughed, low and amused and thrumming with sensual promise. “We’ll take care of you.”

Deke shook his head with sharp military precision or anger—or a bit of both.

Unconscious? Kimber opened her mouth to argue, though she really didn’t have 77

the energy. And couldn’t quite focus with his thumb continuing to play over her clit, making her twitch and pulse, prolonging her pleasure until her head spun.

Until it slowly built to more. Until she ached again.

Then he bent down to her. No preliminaries. No waiting. No warning. His tongue lashed her clit,

assuming the same teasing movements as his thumb.

The sensations matched those he’d incited before, but felt more intense. Kimber filled with need, as if she’d never come at all. Only this time, the pleasure was stronger. Her body was primed, his mouth

determined, and his will iron. She would come for him again. He would not take no for an answer.

And she watched, the visual of him feasting on her aroused her nearly as much as his actual touch.

Within moments, the question of whether she’d come again Shayla Black Decadent ceased to be,

morphing into a question of when. Kimber knew from her tensing body, the thickening pleasure, the

way her legs spread wider all on her own, inviting Deke in deeper, that the when would be soon.

into his mouth for a long, sensual suckle.

Kimber’s breathing climbed, hitched.

words. He approved. No, he enjoyed. His rough voice and uninhibited devouring told her that. He

wasn’t going to stop until he’d wrung every drop of pleasure from her that he could.

Luc rose above her then, his gaze penetrating her. Desire hardened his features.

78

Dangerous. Predatory. He wasn’t content to just watch. He expected his turn.

Her pleasure climbed, ratcheting up, every lick ramping her euphoria higher than before until it strung her so tight, she felt her clit fill with blood, pulse, moments away from incredible orgasm…

Kimber did, her gaze helplessly fixed on his black stare. Grabbing the sheet, Kimber arched up as the pleasure began to overwhelm her. “Luc…”

Then Deke’s tongue flicked her clit, devastating her control. “Oh, God. Oh… Deke!” Shayla Black Decadent Ecstasy ripped the sound from her throat as light, color, sensation, and heat all rushed

inside her, detonating through every nerve in her body. She jolted with the force, shook, perspiration making her body damp, her muscles turn as liquid as water.

As she lay back, trying to catch her breath, struggling to recover, Deke looked up from between her

legs, his mouth red and wet and set in a determined line. “Once more, kitten.”

Then he licked her again.

She didn’t want to say no. Could she, even? Kimber doubted it. But she was so tired, turned inside

out, and spent after two monster orgasms. And Luc still hadn’t had a turn to send her flying into

pleasure. And he wanted his chance. The way he stared at her even now told her he was done

waiting.

79

for.”

Other things? Kimber couldn’t make her exhausted body support her lethargic thoughts so she could ponder what those other things might be.

But Deke apparently agreed—reluctantly—as he slid off the bed and disappeared to the other side of

the room. She began to tip her head back and follow him with her gaze, but Luc snagged her attention by caressing a pair of elegant fingertips through her steamy, swollen slit, then slowly, so slowly,

sliding them deep inside her.

Tingles erupted, shocking her with their insistence, flaming to bright new life.

She’d never believed that she was very sexual. She masturbated, yes, but rarely Shayla Black

Decadent came more than once. Who knew she had two hard orgasms in a row in her? And the way

she felt now, a third wasn’t out of the question.

Kimber’s eyes slid shut, and she let out a shuddering breath of tortured pleasure.

Lie back and enjoy. Luc wasn’t taking no for an answer. And she wasn’t inclined to say it, anyway.

He prodded that sensitive spot inside her that Deke had quickly found as well and plied it—softly,

yes, but without mercy. The need spiraled again, faster, hotter.

The walls of her sex tightened, tingled, ached.

His words made her clench with helpless arousal. Then he stimulated her clit with a long, lagging

drag of his tongue.

80

Kimber cried out and clutched the sheets again.

addicting. Which only makes me want to taste you more.”

had managed to take her to a place where rational thought ceased, sensation ruled—and drove her

completely out of her head.

another crash, for something even bigger, more powerful. The undertow of this one might knock her

unconscious, but suddenly she was sure it would be worth it.

Shayla Black Decadent Then Deke muttered something low and unintelligible near Luc’s ear. Her

lashes fluttered open in time to see Luc nod. Then Deke’s hands disappeared between her legs.

Her gaze connected with his. He burned, broiling her with the demand in his expression. He wanted

to see her come again, under Luc’s tongue. It was all there in his harsh stare. And he was going to

help push her over the edge.

Not that Luc needed help, she thought, as he sucked her swollen clit into his mouth. Kimber clenched her teeth against the rush of sensations, but one piled on top of the other. The coming orgasm packed power, gnawed into her composure with sharp teeth, and began to unravel her. Then…oh, Luc’s

tongue flirted with the ultrasensitive tip of her clit, now peeking out from its protective folds. She screamed at the sensations, nearly climbing out of her skin.

They weren’t done.

81

Sensing that her climax hovered moments away, Luc released her clit and backed off. “Not yet,

sweetheart. Soon. There’s more. And I want to savor you.”

Luc chuckled. “Have a little patience.”

She focused on him as he leaned closer.

Shayla Black Decadent With a slow nod, the dark-haired hedonist reached for her legs, caressing his

way up, up. “With pleasure.”

Do what? They weren’t going to make her come again. Yet. No matter how badly her body ached and needed, arched and yearned and turned to fire.

Luc answered her question when he curled his palms under her knees and lifted her legs, spreading

them high and wide until her legs were folded against her body, resting above either hip. Leaving her wide open. For anything.

She breathed harder at the thought.

They both stared at her exposed sex, eyes hot, determined. No doubt, they were up to something.

Something new. Wondering what that something was tied her 82

stomach into knots of apprehension and need.

kitten. You want your virginity intact. That means we’re going to invade that delectable ass.”

Anal penetration. Now. She could see that fact in their eyes as their stares tumbled across her body, lingering on the swollen flesh between her widespread legs. Secretly, she’d wondered after

overhearing one of her brothers wax practically poetic about anal sex. Yes, of course Deke and Luc

were going to penetrate her there. How else could she take two men at once?

Shayla Black Decadent

much.”

Deke cut to the chase. “We won’t fuck you here. Yet.” But soon, they would.

Kimber felt faint at the very thought of taking them into her body in the most primitive way possible and giving herself completely to them, letting the pleasure—and likely, the pain— drown her.

She sent them a shaky nod. “Okay.”

suitcase in hand.”

Deke, again. And he sounded angry somehow. Or maybe he was just on the edge.

83

The enormous erection still tenting his slacks had to require attention… And he was still staring at her sex hungrily, savage need lighting his deep blue eyes. A part of her wanted to protest his arrogant

speech. The presumption. Kimber bit her lip, logic telling her that he was right. And that his sexual frustration was doing the talking.

Some of the tension left his body, then he looked down at Luc with a nod. “Finish it.”

impression that he didn’t care. But she sensed that he did care. Very much. They didn’t leave her

wondering for long if she would respond. Moments Shayla Black Decadent later, she felt something

cool and slippery nudging her back entrance. She tensed, having second thoughts.

No, make that third and fourth thoughts. What were they invading her with?

What if she didn’t like it?

Until the fire in Deke’s eyes skyrocketed. Until he was forced to rip off his pants, take his cock in hand, his stare all the while glued to Luc’s gentle probing.

That she could get to him, force him to stroke his own flesh because she aroused him so much, made

Kimber want to give him more of a show. She’d imagined she’d 84

be hesitant and shy around Luc and Deke, but the feminine power of knowing she drove them to

undeniable arousal burned away any timidity. She wanted to tease them.

Concentrating on Luc’s instruction, she did as he suggested, and suddenly, something slender slid up, up, up into her ass. A gentle click later, and that something began to vibrate.

Oh my God!

Pleasure wound up again in seconds, tearing through her, soaring, shoving her hard toward ecstasy.

Luc slid the vibe in and out of her gently, letting her adjust to the feel of the little wand rapidly destroying her sanity as she watched Deke stroke his own cock in a harsh fist. When Luc bent his head again to take her clit back into his mouth, the blaze between her thighs roared into an inferno,

streaming fire into her belly, down her legs.

Shayla Black Decadent Her back arched as she panted. This climax was big. Huge.

When it swelled over her, she feared the loss of consciousness they’d forewarned her about would

come and suck her under and leave her there for hours. Days.

She’d never imagined pleasure so consuming she couldn’t take a breath, couldn’t stop the black edges from closing in on her vision.

ready to come?”

Kimber couldn’t answer, couldn’t do anything but whimper as the climax began to steamroll her.

Through half-opened eyes, she watched him lean over her. He fused his mouth to 85

hers, plunging his tongue inside, deep, then deeper, as if trying to get closer.

Moments later, he stepped back to gasp in a desperate breath and continued to pump his cock. The

sight was unbearably erotic. Totally arousing. Then Deke leaned in and kissed her again like a

starving man, with savagery and demand, licking her deeper into the flames. Knowing he couldn’t

stand not to stroke himself while he touched her filled her with erotic fascination and a heavy pang of need.

All the while, Luc was driving her mad with the vibe in her ass, his fingers inside her, and his mouth on her clit. Along with that kiss of Deke’s… He possessed her, urging her on, silently begging to give him her cries of passion—all while driving himself toward ruthless orgasm.

And it was so much, too much. She couldn’t stop it, couldn’t fight it, and didn’t want to.

She screamed into his mouth as the world blasted into tiny pieces all around, detonating her body,

blowing her mind. The hard slam of contractions clenched the Shayla Black Decadent walls of her

channel again and again, and she clamped down on Luc’s questing fingers, making her moan into

Deke’s mouth all over again.

Suddenly, Deke broke the kiss, panting, frantically fisting his erection with a tight jaw and taut

abdomen. Then he threw back his head and roared so loud, the sound bounced off the walls. Then

warm jets of semen splashed on her belly, and another wave of sensation slammed her at the thought

that she could make him come so powerfully.

#

Kimber’s cry of pleasure was still ringing in Luc’s ears when she closed her eyes and her body gave

way to an exhausted sleep. Grimacing at his painful erection, he gently extracted the vibe and

withdrew his fingers from her swollen, rippling sex.

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She felt exquisite and tasted better. But she’d had all the excitement she could handle for one evening.

And she’d called Deke’s name out in her passion. Not his. Deke’s.

Swallowing a boulder-sized lump of envy, Luc reminded himself it was all for a good cause and

turned to gaze up at his cousin.

Deke stood frozen over Kimber’s prone body, half-hard cock in his fist, satisfaction relaxing his

features. He let go of himself on a long sigh, his shoulders falling, his breathing returning to normal, his eyes damn near rolling into the back of his head. Still, he stared at her.

He’d come—hard—holding nothing back, which was unusual in itself. But if Kimber could do that to

Deke without his dick actually being somewhere inside her, Luc could only imagine the fireworks that would ensue if Deke allowed himself to make love to her. To admit that Kimber was more than a play

toy. To confess Shayla Black Decadent that this woman mattered to him. And she did. Luc could see

that all over his cousin’s face.

Luc looked away, turning his attention back to Kimber’s sleep-soft form. Sweet, beautiful woman.

Kimber was it. The One. The woman he and Deke had been wanting for years. Luc hid a smile of sheer joy. He knew Kimber was everything they needed: soft and yielding in bed, take no shit when she was angry, smart, warm-hearted. She responded to their touch beyond his wildest fantasies. The

fact she was a virgin would be cathartic for Deke.

87

As for the rest of the issues that could trip up their future…she’d understand—

eventually.

But he’d deal with those later. First, he had to convince his cousin that happily-ever-after wasn’t a cross between toxic waste and bullshit. Slowly. Luc knew that if he started his campaign tonight, it would be too obvious. Deke wasn’t stupid. He knew that Luc wanted them to share a wife and

children someday. If he focused too much on Kimber now, Deke would run screaming in the other

direction. Best to move slowly and give Deke a gentle nudge here and a sharp nip there…then let

nature take care of the rest.

meringue, and my dick isn’t much better.” Deke grunted, glanced at Luc’s tented slacks, then Kimber’s silvery-wet abdomen.

Shayla Black Decadent Jaw tight, Deke cursed. “I’ll take care of her.” I thought you might. “When you’re finished, tuck her in, will you? I’m going to shower.”

Deke hesitated, then finally nodded.

Unless there’s sex involved, I don’t want to be near her.”

88

No big surprise there. Luc had his work cut out for him if he wanted to create a big, happy family.

Luc turned and left the room. He didn’t look back, but had no doubt that Deke was already reaching

out a hand toward the forbidden fruit of Kimber’s pale skin—

just for the pleasure of touching her. To remind himself he could touch her. To fantasize about

touching her again.

Smiling, Luc eased the door to the bathroom shut, knowing deep in his gut that Deke wouldn’t be able to resist doing far more than touching her for long.

Shayla Black Decadent

CHAPTER 5

Sweat filmed Deke as he rolled out of bed, gray fingers of dawn pushing their way beneath his

shutters, mocking him. A night gone without sleep, spent alone, knowing that just down the hall, Luc and Kimber had shared body heat—and probably a lot more—without him.

Something ugly and hot surged inside him, cramping his gut. Deke didn’t want to identify it. Then

again, he didn’t need to. Jealousy was damn near impossible to mistake.

Rolling from his bed, he crept down the hall, toward Luc’s room. Stupid. Torture, self-inflicted no

less. But he had to see. Had to know…

And now he did. Fuck. He grimaced at the sight of Kimber curled up on her side, her back cuddled to Luc’s front, their legs entwined. The pair of them were tangled 89

in soft white sheets, and Luc’s sleep-slack palm rested just under her breast.

They looked peaceful. Domestic. Content.

Three things he would never be. Not that he deserved it. He’d destroyed Heather, so innocent—

Breaking off the thought with a curse, Deke stalked back down the hall to his room. Exercise. This

day was like any other, despite Kimber’s presence here and his crappy mood.

Push-ups first. He dropped down and started his first fifty. Sweat coated him as he counted out each one, then he rolled to his back for a hundred crunches. All the while, he could hear every rustle of sheets down the hall, every murmured good morning, every lazy stretch Kimber and Luc made. Every

forbidden intimacy that Deke didn’t dare partake in.

Shayla Black Decadent Don’t whine. It’s done and past, he told himself.

True, except… Luc always woke up horny, so Deke knew what would happen next. Why the hell

hadn’t he ever bought an iPod or put even a simple radio in his room, so he wouldn’t have to hear it?

Deke grabbed free weights and quickly worked through biceps, triceps, lats and pecs, reminding

himself that Luc deserved any happiness he found with a woman.

Luc always saw the good in people, always tried to help, took time to laugh, put his heart on the line to love time and again. And Deke… Well, he knew better.

Suddenly, Kimber laughed. The soft lilting floating down the hall as Deke dropped down for another

set of ab crunches. He gritted his teeth. Then Kimber’s sighs reached his ears. First one. Then

another, deeper, longer—one that went straight to his cock and felt like a stab in the gut at once.

90

The twisted surge of jealousy stabbed him again, doing absolutely nothing to improve his mood and

everything to multiply his desire to hit something and do damage.

Focus. Squats and hamstrings in alternating reps. The usual drill. But concentrating on the usual felt impossible, when he imagined Luc’s hands caressing their way up the sleek lines of Kimber’s torso to toy with her flushed rosy nipples, while he inhaled the peach-spiced fragrance of her skin and waited with his signature patience, whispering a few well-placed words that would make her beyond wet.

Then, with tongue swirling around the hard buds of her breasts, he’d smooth his way back down her

abdomen, urge her to spread her sweet thighs for him, then slide his fingers into the slick haven of her pussy to feel her tight walls close around him like paradise.

Deke’s gut clenched. Doing squats while his cock was hard enough to pound nails wasn’t happening.

Especially when Kimber’s sighs suddenly became cries.

Shayla Black Decadent Fuck this. He stripped off his sweat-drenched clothes and headed for a cold shower. Ten minutes alone in the Italian-tiled box with water just shy of freezing and a healthy lather perfumed with Luc’s fussy scented soap only pissed him off more.

Growling, Deke stepped out, praying they be done in their quest for a morning orgasm by now. He

hadn’t even finished toweling off the beaded moisture on his chest and abs when he heard Kimber cry

out in a sound lush, sensual, tortured.

Pleading.

Well, hell. There went all the benefits of a cold shower. Deke finished drying off, concentrating on the pattern of the Venetian plaster wall. But he couldn’t block out the sexual sounds of the pleasure Luc was giving Kimber.

The door between the bathroom and Luc’s adjoining bedroom was ajar, and Kimber’s needy moans

invaded mercilessly. First breathy, then keening. She was 91

getting close.

Fuck. And that’s exactly what he wanted to do to her, settle right between her sweet thighs and be the first one to sink deep inside her. That wasn’t going to happen. She didn’t want that; he couldn’t let it happen.

But you can join them. Damn if he wasn’t sorely tempted. He had every right. Full and equal sharing; he and Luc had agreed to it over a decade ago, and they’d never wavered. So why was he begrudging

Luc his oneon- one pleasure with Kimber?

He’d never minded this before. And why turn down the chance to join in this morning?

Kimber Edgington was too tempting, too sweet and responsive. Too innocent and vulnerable. Too

dangerous for his peace of mind. Too…everything he’d wanted for Shayla Black Decadent years. If

he marched in Luc’s room, all naked and demanding, he’d get sucked into her allure and start

drowning. Last night, the urge to spread her legs, settle between them, and claim her had beat at him relentlessly. If anything, that urge had grown, like some freaking weed in a perfectly manicured

garden. He had to get control of it before it took over. Before he touched her again and lost control and did something crazy and irrevocable. Fatal.

Snarling, Deke reached for sweat shorts and a T-shirt, then tossed them on over his unrelenting

morning erection. Coffee. He needed it now.

He started down the hall, then faltered as he passed Luc’s room. The sight of them punched him like a battering ram to the gut. Luc with his dark head bent in the crook of her neck, his long hair trailing over her porcelain pale shoulders and breasts. His artistic fingers toyed between her spread thighs.

From Deke’s viewpoint, Kimber’s arousal was obvious, considering her slick, swollen, nearly red

92

folds.

Her head thrashed from side to side. “Can’t take more.” Kimber’s pleading clawed at Deke’s gut.

Luc withdrew his fingers from her wet, swollen pussy to caress her thighs, her abdomen—and

ignoring her hips when she thrust them his way. Deke couldn’t Shayla Black Decadent ignore it.

Wouldn’t. He took a step into the room, hand pushing at his sweat shorts, shoving them down to his

hips, intent, savage with hunger.

Fuck her. He needed to—had to get inside her and sink deep. Be the first one.

Now.

Her throaty cry seared Deke, bringing him out of his daze of desire. She’d asked for his cousin to

touch her, not for him to fuck her. Holy shit. What was he thinking?

Nothing he should be thinking. In fact, he shouldn’t be here, wanting to be inside her. Claiming her.

Worse, hoarding her and taking her from the man whose name she called. Only bad things would

happen if he had sex with Kimber. He’d taken a virgin before and knew that for a fact.

93

Deke yanked up his shorts, turned, and stalked down the hall, barely holding in an ugly curse. Two

weeks with Kimber here… He’d never last without fucking her, without destroying her.

The kitchen tile slapped cool against his bare feet as he entered the room and grabbed the coffee

beans from the pantry. He glanced at the bag. Chocolate caramel truffle. Pansy-ass flavored coffee.

Whatever happened to just coffee? He slammed the pantry door.

Tossing the bag on the counter next to the coffeemaker, Deke paused.

Another plea from Kimber. Hell. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a ragged breath.

Shayla Black Decadent A moment later, he flipped open the coffeemaker’s lid; it cracked and popped

off, making a plastic crunch sound that couldn’t be good. Then the damn thing tumbled to the floor.

Cursing again, Deke grabbed the edge of the counter. Every muscle in his body was tense, all the way from his brows slashing down over narrowed eyes to his toes curled into the Italian slate beneath

them.

Get your shit together, he castigated himself and fit the lid back on the coffeemaker, filled it with grounds and water, then flipped the on switch.

At the same time, Luc apparently flipped Kimber’s switch.

hands, fueled by Luc’s touch. Why the hell did that make Deke want to hit something? Or someone?

He’d be better off not examining it too hard.

94

Instead, he watched the coffee drip, doing his best to keep his mind perfectly blank and focused on the task at hand—nice little Special Ops trick he could thank the army for.

A few minutes later, Luc emerged from his room in crisp jeans, shirt in hand, and wandered down the

hall, his posture relaxed. And no visible raving hard-on.

could stop it. It wasn’t any of his business. Knowing wouldn’t change Kimber’s moans of pleasure

still ringing in his ears or the visible satiation softening his cousin’s face.

Luc propped his hip against the kitchen counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and quirked a dark brow. Before Luc could answer, Deke said, “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

Shayla Black Decadent He busied himself grabbing cups in the cupboard above, then retrieving the

sugar and cream for Luc. All the while, he felt his cousin’s gaze on him, sizing up the situation,

deciding how best to reply. Crafty bastard.

Something of a nonanswer. And damn it, Luc’s face gave away nothing. All of Kimber’s pleading…

Luc hadn’t been working his way inside of Kimber when he’d peeked in on them— but he also hadn’t

stayed for the grand finale. Had he…?

And she’s still in bed. Go. I’ll babysit the coffee.” 95

Deke hesitated. Show that he could resist or march down the hall—by himself—

and get as much of Kimber as Luc had? If he could, he’d take even more.

He’d take everything.

The coffeemaker beeped, and Luc extracted the fresh pot off the burner and poured a cup, wearing a

faint smile, as he knew exactly the options Deke was weighing.

This game playing was bullshit, and he didn’t want to be on either team.

That would be for the best. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, just make her go away.

Shayla Black Decadent

what we have to teach her.”

Deke rolled his eyes. “Don’t play stupid. She can learn. Obviously. I know she’s not scared. She

should be, but for some crazy reason, she isn’t. But that isn’t the issue.”

slid him a considering stare. “We never hashed it in the 96

first place, which is part of the problem. But fine, you don’t want to discuss Heather. Tell me what other reason you have for avoiding Kimber?” Deke hesitated, then realized he wouldn’t be telling

anything Luc didn’t already know. “Nothing I didn’t warn you about before. She’s blowing past my

self-control.

If she stays, I’m going to disrespect her wishes. Sooner or later, she’ll beg, and I won’t have the will to say no. I will fuck her.”

feel as if his guts had been churned in a blender then spit back out. But he could never take her,

especially not alone. Ever.

Shayla Black Decadent Luc responded slowly. “Anything is possible. I’m hardpressed to believe that

a woman would respond so perfectly the very first time if, in her heart, she belonged to someone

else.”

quickly.” Freakin’ amazing. Deke shook his head. “You’re delusional, you know that? At best, Kimber is really applying herself to learning all about ménage so she can live it with someone else.

At worst, she’s just horny. But you’ve got to get rid of this idea that there’s some perfect woman out there who wants to play house with us until death do us part.” 97

hall. We don’t know yet.”

Deke shook his head, poured himself a cup of coffee, and counted to ten. Which did absolutely no

good. The frustration still boiled up inside him, rising, drowning good sense and restraint.

her anxiety about being here and forgiven you for the terrible way you treated her when she first

arrived.” Shit. Luc didn’t just state that they couldn’t go back on their promise to teach her all about ménage. But he implied it in every syllable.

Shayla Black Decadent

brothers?”

No. The sight of Adam and Burke with their hands on her was burned into his brain.

had him by the balls—in more ways than one.

far too much about to kid ourselves,” Luc said.

Yeah. They were hard on their women. The tag team that never quit. They’d use her, grind her into

little pieces, and spit her out when she couldn’t keep up.

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Basically, he was screwed if he let her stay and screwed if he let her go.

shirt, took another swig of his coffee, and shuffled over to the sandals he kept by the back door. “I have to run to a local radio interview. We’ll have this chat again in thirteen days. In the meantime…

Kimber is all sleep-soft and very sweet this morning”—he licked his lips—“help yourself.” As Deke

watched his cousin grab his car keys and head out the door, he restrained the urge to hit walls, blocks of wood—Luc’s head—and cursed.

Help himself? Deke would love to. But it wasn’t going to happen. There was way more at stake than

Kimber’s virginity and sophomoric crush on Jesse McCall. Way more than petty jealousy. And damn

if Luc didn’t know it and plotted to tempt him.

Shayla Black Decadent He might as well start counting the days, probably on one hand, before he

wound up breaking through Kimber’s barriers—mental and physical. It was inevitable.

And when it happened, everyone was going to suffer, Kimber most of all.

#

She woke for the second time that morning alone in Luc’s cozy, downy bed, tossed on someone’s

discarded shirt—Luc’s?—and padded down the hall. Heavy-limbed and flushed, Kimber made her

way toward the smell of fresh coffee. But she couldn’t pretend anxiety didn’t claw her.

When she reached the kitchen, the sight of Deke hunched over a cup of coffee, lost in his thoughts,

brought her to a stop. Especially since they didn’t look like happy thoughts. Of course they weren’t.

She was underfoot, and he didn’t want her here. She hadn’t heard any other part of his argument with Luc, but that sentiment 99

had come through loud and crystal clear.

Which explained why she’d fallen asleep last night with Deke by her side, only to awaken twenty

minutes later to find him gone. And why each time she’d awakened during the restless night, she’d

found only Luc beside her. Not only had Deke chosen to sleep elsewhere, but he’d refused to come

within five feet of her this morning when Luc had devoured her. The why behind that pressed sadness

and shame down into her chest with crushing intensity.

Despite Deke’s seeming eagerness last night, after the orgasm, he’d apparently lost interest in her.

Because he still saw her as a teenager? Because he liked and respected her dad too much? Maybe.

But those hang-ups would be easy. A little nudge from her would get him past either. He wouldn’t be

staring morosely into his coffee about those issues. The real problem would be harder to get past,

especially if it was the one she’d had her entire dating life.

Shayla Black Decadent

His head snapped up, and he drilled her with a stare that seemed at once hot and accusing. He drew in a deep breath. Bracing himself?

wondered what to say next. What was there to say? Should she apologize for the fact her tomboy

ways seemed to turn him off? Once the skirt and lacy underthings had come off and he’d seen the real her, maybe it had been too…masculine. He wouldn’t be the first guy in her life to think that—just ask her prom date.

100

Cursing reality wouldn’t do a bit of good. She couldn’t escape the fact that after being raised

motherless by military men, the Colonel and her two Navy SEAL

brothers had been her role models. She liked fatigues, enjoyed a good five mile run at o-fivehundred, hated panty hose, lace, and makeup. Most guys swore she had testosterone running through her veins.

But the fun of flipping one over her shoulder and straight onto his back or drinking him under the table had lost appeal long ago. She wanted men to see her as a real female, not one of the guys who

happened to have breasts. With Deke and Luc, she’d been as girly as she knew how.

By all appearances it hadn’t been enough. All that want Deke said he he’d been harboring for her for years… More than likely, she’d cured him of it last night.

Changing wasn’t an option. She liked herself. Screw anyone who didn’t, Deke included. Yes, he

turned her on. A lot. A hell of a lot. Even when she’d been seventeen, he’d fueled some dark fantasies in her adolescent brain. But in two weeks, she’d be with Jesse. He accepted her tomboy ways, even

told her he found it Shayla Black Decadent adorable. This…fear eating at her hardly mattered. So

why couldn’t she shake it now?

She noticed he didn’t ask her in turn. Probably didn’t care.

Deke grunted and sipped his coffee. He avoided looking at her.

Damn, she had to get this off her chest. Stewing in selfdoubt wasn’t her style.

Taking a fortifying sip of her own coffee, she sank into the chair across from him.

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He paused, and those deep blue eyes flashed with something—anger?—but he dropped his gaze to his

half-full coffee cup before she could be sure.

he Shayla Black Decadent didn’t want to repeat last night. His honor, along with Luc, had bullied him into letting her stay.

Fine. Just fine. She could live with that. Revel in it, in fact. All she cared about was what he and his cousin could teach her. Deke didn’t have to actually desire her. It was probably better if he didn’t, since she was responding to him more than physically.

But she couldn’t just leave it. Not her style. “I probably won’t like the answer, but if it’s going to effect your ability to live up to your end of the bargain to teach me—

”

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But Kimber’s relief was both uneasy and short-lived.

fucked-up notion that you’re going to fall in love with us and want to ditch your pop star boyfriend to marry us and have our babies.” Marriage? Babies? Kimber gasped. She did want those things

someday, but she was set on Jesse. He’d known the real her for years, accepted her as is. That wasn’t true of Deke or Luc.

Deke nodded sharply. “I don’t want to encourage that notion. You shouldn’t want to, either. So that

means, unless there’s something sexual going on at the moment, stay the fuck away from me.”

Shayla Black Decadent No one would ever fault Deke for beating around the bush.

Kimber had known from the start that he was anti-relationship. Not that she wanted one with him, but if she was going to allow him incredible intimacies with her body, touch him skin to skin and live

under his roof, shouldn’t they at least be able to talk?

Kimber frowned. “He can’t get the wrong idea if we talk while he’s gone.”

best friends, I don’t give a shit what you think about, and I’ve got nothing to say.”

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Defensive and closed. Those were the best words to describe Deke. Oh, the offense came through, but that was his defense. He wasn’t just morning crabby; she knew him well enough to know that he liked

mornings. He hadn’t been troubled by anything last night. He hadn’t been troubled until he’d gotten a firsthand taste of how feminine she wasn’t.

His instinct had been to refuse her request. Now he was probably kicking himself for letting her and Luc manipulate him into this arrangement. He was probably thinking it was going to be the longest

two weeks of his life. Her brothers often congratulated her on being one of the few females they knew who could contain their emotions, but the unruly things snapped up and bit her now. And she felt

wretched. Hurt. She hated it.

Shayla Black Decadent Kimber stood and waltzed past Deke, toward the exit.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her down damn near into his lap. “Kitten, I’m going to be the best

tutor you could possibly imagine. Don’t you doubt that.”

#

Dinner passed in silence, despite the fact Luc had grilled damn fine pork chops and brushed them

with a delectable maplecranberry glaze. Luc shrugged off the 104

chilled silence. The army had taught Deke to eat anything—mess hall grease, MREs, the side of a raw

goat—as long as it kept him alive. Luc’s palette was a bit fussier.

And Kimber… The way she darted venomous glares at Deke through the meal told Luc that she and

his cousin had exchanged unpleasant words earlier that day.

And the way Deke watched her told Luc that his cousin’s hunger wasn’t going to be sated by

scrumptious pork or the blackberry-peach crisp he’d baked earlier.

Behind his napkin, Luc smiled. Cross words aside, everything was falling into place perfectly. Time

to add a little fuel to the fire…

Luc reached across the space separating him from Kimber and caressed his way up her arm, which

was bared by a small spaghetti-strapped tank top. Then he brushed the back of his knuckles over her

cheek. Hmm, soft. So sweet. And so pissing Deke off, a slanted glance in that direction told him.

Shayla Black Decadent

He leaned in to steal a slow, gentle kiss right on her lips, still tasting faintly of the tangy glaze he’d prepared with the meal. Across the table, Deke tensed. His fork clattered to his plate. Luc ignored

him.

Kimber pushed back and shot Luc an uncertain glance. Worry; he saw that in her 105

gaze. Uh oh, what the hell had Deke said or done to put her on edge?

napkin. “If you want your tutoring tonight, kitten, it’s now or never. I’ve got better things to do than sit here and chat.” Luc registered Kimber tensing under his hand. Oh, the fireworks are about to begin.

Shayla Black Decadent The stunned look on Deke’s face was priceless. His cousin spun around and

followed Kimber down the hall. Luc scrambled to follow them. He wanted them riled, but not so

furious they’d fight, rather than fuck.

Kimber nearly made it to Luc’s bedroom door before Deke grabbed her, shoved her back to the wall,

and covered her body with his. “I promised we’d teach you all about ménage, kitten. That means

three. I’m not going anywhere except to bed with you.”

She opened her mouth to protest—no, more likely to issue a scathing retort—but Deke preempted her

with a scorching kiss, covering her mouth with his, invading and devouring. Hell, just the sight of

them turned Luc on, especially since he could see Kimber’s tense rejection changing and softening

with every lash of Deke’s tongue against hers. She moaned when one of his cousin’s hands sailed

down her back, curled around her ass, and lifted her hips right up to his.

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No doubt, Deke wanted inside her—bad. Perfect.

He tore his mouth away, but his body still covered hers, drilling her into the wall.

And he stared, panting as if he’d run twenty miles. He didn’t look away.

Luc forced his way between them and put an arm around each, filing them through his bedroom door.

Around him, Deke shot Kimber a tense stare. What the hell was going on?

Her gaze skittered to him before going to back to his cousin. At that point, her skin was flushed, her nipples like enticing hard candies. Luc did his best to focus on the long-term goal, rather than rushing Kimber out of her clothes now.

Shayla Black Decadent She visually clung to Deke, eyeing him with reluctant hunger. With every

moment that passed in thick silence, Deke grew more tense. Very interesting…

That one word was all it took to send Deke into action. He snaked a hand across Luc’s body and

reached for Kimber. One arm he wrapped around her waist and brought her against him. The other he

used to push the spaghetti straps off her shoulders and shove the garment down her torso. Leaving her breasts and rosy, swollen nipples bare to their gazes. Luc had been hard before, almost uncomfortably so. This pushed him firmly into unbearable territory.

Deke looked back at him with eyes so burning with sexual need and frustration, they were damn near

glowing. “Now.”

His cousin couldn’t wait to touch her and wouldn’t waste his time stating the 107

obvious. And as much as Luc enjoyed savoring a woman, something about Kimber and the way Deke

responded to her simply didn’t allow for the sort of cool distance that made patience possible.

Instead, Luc sent his cousin a terse nod.

As he approached, Kimber gasped, her eyes wide and dilated. Hesitation stamped her face, but need

followed, as if sensing it was too late to stop the hungry seduction her body was about to endure.

Tonight, they’d take her further, push her harder. Eagerness sang through his bloodstream like good

wine.

When he reached Kimber’s side, Deke had positioned himself at her right. He settled on her left.

Shayla Black Decadent Did she feel the barely leashed violence of their need hovering in the air? He bet she did. And that it frightened and thrilled her at once. She had good reason for her fear. In the decade plus that he and Deke had been sharing women, Luc had never seen his cousin more intense,

more driven. He would take everything she was willing to give. Right now. And push for more.

Deke’s need fed his own, until Luc felt primal and deliciously aroused.

finished the sentence before Deke bent down, cupping her breast in one hand and lifting it to his

descending mouth. Luc followed suit, sliding her other nipple against his tongue. He glided gentle

fingers over the curve of her hip to counteract the tingle of hard pulls and nipping teeth he knew they were both unleashing on her turgid nipples.

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Kimber gasped, back arching. She stood on tiptoes as if she was trying to absorb the sensation or get closer to their suckling mouths—or both. She reached a fist into his hair, grasping, holding him

against her breast. Luc reveled in the little sting on his scalp, her fingers clutching at him, helpless against the onslaught of pleasure.

The sounds of constant laving, voracious sucking—her hard breathing—

punctuated the still air. She was perfect, her nipples hardening against his tongue with every fresh lick…

Suddenly, at his side, Deke snarled, “Let’s get on with this.” Ah, the plan, the one they’d worked out while Kimber had been holed up in the den studying and Deke had been pacing the kitchen, acting as

if he were about to crawl out of his skin with impatience, while Luc cooked.

Shayla Black Decadent Reluctantly, he lifted his head from the sugared perfection of Kimber’s breast.

There would be time later. If things worked out, a lifetime of it. As soon as he appeased the hungry beast beside him. Truth be told, the thought of what could happen tonight roused the beast in him, too.

Knowing it was way too soon for that, he pushed it back down.

At the loss of their touch, Kimber moaned, the sound small and pleading. Luc risked a glance at her

breasts. He swallowed. Already her nipples were deep red, visibly swollen, and so damn hard. The

sight made him want to forget his plans and instead spend his night giving her beautiful breasts

constant attention.

Down, boy, down. Luc sent his cousin a warning stare before turning back to Kimber. Gently, he eased off her miniskirt and removed her thong. God, she was gorgeous. Slender, but with curves.

Lean and athletic without looking masculine.

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Tall enough to be graceful, but not so tall that she looked awkward.

Just…perfect.

Luc smiled at the thought and took her shoulders in his hand. “Sweetheart, last night was all about

getting you accustomed to accepting the touch of two men.” Despite dazed, slightly dilated eyes, she nodded. “I know.”

be more challenging since you want us to leave your virginity intact and you’re not yet ready to accept one of us in that sweet backside.” Kimber paused, clearly puzzling his words out. “I don’t know