He waved at the organized chaos stacked on his other desk in the corner and on the overflowing bookcases. “I know where things are. If they’re disturbed I’ll lose track. Of course you’re welcome in here. You are a beautiful distraction.”
Tyler held out his arms and she walked over for a hug. He left his hand on her waist and pointed at the laptop screen. She struggled to focus on what he said. The feel of him touching her was a beautiful distraction.
“Why don’t you tell me what you think? Read this chapter and give me your opinion.” He gently pulled her into his lap, keeping a hand on her thigh.
Not that she minded in the least. She looked at his keyboard and tapped the PgUp button until she reached the beginning of the chapter. With her elbows propped on the desk, she read.
* * * *
Tyler closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was the sweetest agony ever bestowed upon a man. Fortunately she wasn’t far enough back she could feel his rock hard cock throbbing in a painful way. He fought the urge to lean forward, put his arms around her waist, and kiss the nape of her neck. With her hair pulled up in a ponytail and leaving her neck perfectly accessible, it wouldn’t take much for him to sweep his tongue and lips over her flesh.
He watched her, her long index finger tapping the PgDn button to scroll through the text. She could read the whole damn manuscript sitting in his lap if she wanted.
* * * *
It took Nevvie a minute to focus and she had to re-read the first five paragraphs three times. She could lean back against Tyler, put his hands on her breasts, and beg him to make love to her. Not that he would, but it was a favorite fantasy. The only thing more perfect would be Thomas standing in front of her, slowly unzipping his slacks while she lay nestled between the two men…
She took a slow, deep breath, trying to quell the uncomfortable ache between her legs. They were so cute. They treated her like a princess and made her feel loved. How would she ever meet someone who would make her feel the way they did, and they weren’t even sleeping with her!
The thought she didn’t want to consider, what would happen if they got tired of having the poor, pitiful straight girl hanging around?
Time to clear her mind. She wanted to live here and now, with them, and not consider the future one way or another.
She finally got into the story, holding her questions until the end. When she finished she sat up and thought for a moment.
* * * *
Tyler didn’t speak, patiently waiting.
Nevvie turned sideways across his lap and casually slung an arm around his neck. He hoped she didn’t lean too close or…
“Okay, before I offer my opinion, I need to ask a few questions.”
Unable to speak without moaning, he nodded.
“Does Abernathy survive the chapter?”
Tyler nodded again. Thank you God, a yes or no question.
“The shadow you referenced, I’m assuming that’s a person watching from outside?”
Tyler nodded once more. Blessed fortune smiling upon him.
“Okay.” She absently worked her lower lip and tongue under her upper teeth as she pondered a few things. He tightly gripped the chair arms, forcing himself not to kiss her. Then she turned to face him and their eyes met.
He was helpless under her gaze, totally in her power.
* * * *
Tyler had the deepest blue eyes. No wonder Thomas fell in love with him. Nevvie almost lost her train of thought and realized he was waiting for her to speak. She licked her lips to form spit because her mouth had dried up.
“Would it be possible to delay Abernathy’s entrance? Either that or have him make a phone call before he gets there that keeps him outside, drag it out for a while so the reader isn’t sure if the shadow is Abernathy or not?”
Her heart dropped at his sudden shocked expression, sure she’d made an ass of herself. “I mean—”
“Brilliant!” He pulled her to him, deeply kissing her on the lips. Before she had time to enjoy it he hugged her, then stood and whirled her around the office in his arms, a huge grin on his face. “Absolutely brilliant!” He kissed her again, long and passionately—that one she had a moment to savor—before releasing her. He plopped down in his chair, fingers flying over the keyboard, an ecstatic smile on his face.
“Nevvie, my sweet muse, you are fantastic! It’s so simple. You are amazing, sweetheart, it’s absolutely perfect!”
She stood there for a moment, unsteady, grabbing his desk for support. If he was gay and he could kiss her like that…holy crap! That wasn’t the gentle good morning kiss of a few weeks earlier. That was a full-on, someone’s-getting-fucked-good-tonight, spit-swapping snog.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “No problem, Tyler. Glad I could help.”
He was already lost in the story, a wild gleam in his eye. She recognized that look. He’d be working for hours.
Once she knew her knees wouldn’t give way she stumbled out the door and pulled it shut behind her. He’d want privacy. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath.
Da-yum. With a capital da and emphasis on the yum!
She made it to the kitchen and poured a glass of ice water, then quickly downed it. She regained her wits and the desperate ache between her legs eventually subsided. There was plenty to do, and at lunch she was hesitant to interrupt him. She’d paused by his office door and heard him muttering, fingers racing across his keyboard, on a roll. If he wanted lunch he’d ask for it, but maybe if he heard her in the kitchen he’d take a break.
She fixed them turkey wrap sandwiches. She’d started the kettle to make a pitcher of iced tea when he suddenly swooped into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the back of the neck and making her shiver in a pleasant way.
“Nevvie, my love, my precious angel, you are never leaving us!” He spun her in his arms, leading her around the kitchen in a silent waltz.
She laughed, his exuberance contagious. “Boy, you’re in a good mood.” He was a good dancer.
“You have no idea. I wrote over three thousand words, and that’s more in a few hours than I’ve written in months on that story.” They came to a stop but he didn’t release her, looking deeply into her eyes.
“I mean it, Nevvie,” he said, his voice dropping. “Please don’t ever leave us. I—we need you, sweetheart. I told you, we’ll do anything to keep you, give you anything you want. You have no idea how much we love you. Promise me you’ll never leave us, please.”
Had her heart stopped? Was she dreaming? What he meant and what she felt had to be two totally different things, right?
Still she nodded, unable to speak.
Then he smiled. She knew even if it meant never getting laid again in her life it was worth it to stay with these two men and keep feeling the way she felt at that moment. Tyler gently kissed her on the lips and enveloped her in a long, nearly desperate hug.
“Anything you ever want, Nevvie, I mean it. Anything.”
She couldn’t stop the words before they left her mouth. “I love you,” she whispered.
His smile widened, beaming. “We love you too, Nevvie.” He gently kissed her one more time.
Oh, boy. She knew their love wasn’t the love she meant, but she wasn’t too proud to take what she could get.
And she was damn happy to have it.
* * * *
An hour later, Tyler appeared in the kitchen with an inch-thick sheaf of papers and a mechanical pencil.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I want you to go make yourself comfy and start working on this for me.”
“What?”
He pushed in close. “My sweet muse, I want your opinion. Nits, logic and plot flaws, grammar, all of it, mark up the manuscript, anything you have questions or comments on.”
She tried to back away but he cornered her. “Tyler, I don’t have any experience doing that.”
“What grades did you get in English?”<
br />
She blushed. “Straight A’s.”
“Then you’ll do fine.” He waited, the papers outstretched.
She reluctantly took them. “Okay, fine. You might be sorry you asked.”
He kissed her cheek, his eyes beaming. “You can do no wrong, sweetheart. Seriously. Even if you aren’t sure of yourself, jot it in the margins anyway. Let me be the judge.”
He returned to his office and she sighed. Obviously the rest of the items on her to-do list for the afternoon were pre-empted.
* * * *
Thomas arrived home and found her curled up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and the manuscript. He walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “What’s that?”
“Tyler’s newest. He wants me to edit the rough draft.”
“He’s trying to horn in to get more time with you.” Thomas grinned. “Sneaky bastard, making more work for you.”
“He’s calling me his muse. I think you’re in trouble.”
Thomas found Tyler in his office and gave him a kiss. “Did Nevvie get a promotion?”
Tyler leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face. “She’s brilliant, Thomas. She read one chapter and made a few simple comments that totally cleared my writer’s block.”
“You still have to share,” Thomas teased.
“I know, my sweet. I will. I need her to look through that draft, another set of eyes on it. I know you hate editing.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s worth it just to have her doing that, no offense, sugar. I love your books, you know that, but I’m not an editor.”
“And you benefit from my improved mood.” He winked.
Thomas grinned. “Then it’s definitely worth it.”
* * * *
The next day, Thomas had already left for work and Nevvie prepared to start her morning cleaning before tackling Tyler’s manuscript and email. His fan mail ranged from glowing to downright creepy. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out which rare ones to save for him to personally answer, which to answer for him, and which—most—to delete unanswered. She found her thoughts slipped into a British accent when she answered for him, conjuring his voice in her head and typing what he’d say and how he’d say it.
She’d started the dishwasher when Tyler walked into the kitchen to refill his coffee mug. Smiling, he leaned against the counter.
She recognized that playful look. “Okay, what did you do?”
He handed her a sheet of paper and she took it, puzzled. She read it and her jaw dropped. “You didn’t?”
He grinned.
She squealed and threw her arms around him. “Center ice? Oh, Tyler, that’s fantastic!”
“You’re more than welcome, sweetheart. I want to keep my muse happy.”
“Wait.” She re-read the paper. “There’s only two tickets.”
He sipped his coffee. “I like hockey well enough, but I’m not a fan. You and Thomas appreciate it. He’ll be home around four to pick you up, and then the two of you shall make an evening of it.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve got a hot date with Abernathy and the shadow.” He grinned. “I plan to turn my music up loud and pound at the keyboard all evening long.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“Shh.” He took her into his arms. “I bought the tickets. Don’t you think I’d get myself one if I wanted to go? It’s not that I don’t want to go, but frankly, it’d be like me dragging you and Thomas to watch Manchester United. You might have fun, but your hearts wouldn’t be in it. In the nearly twelve years we’ve been together, if nothing else Thomas and I have learned it’s perfectly okay to do things alone instead of being joined at the hip. The things we do together we take great joy in.”
His eyes. Those damned blue eyes. With her arms around his neck she could pretend he was her boyfriend and not her boss. Sexual harassment? Ha! Could she sue them for not sexually harassing her?
“Okay.”
His smile melted her heart. Whatever he wanted, anything, she’d give it to him. She spent more time with Tyler, but she knew she loved them both. She could spend the evening with Thomas without guilt. Riding the bike together was one thing, but a whole evening without Tyler was something else.
“Good.” He kissed her forehead and patted her on the bum. “That’s settled then.”
Chapter Eleven
She was ready to go when Thomas arrived. It took him a few minutes to change clothes. At the door he hugged Tyler and gave him a goodbye kiss.
They noticed her expression.
“What’s wrong, sugar?” Thomas asked.
She stuck out her lower lip in a fake pout. “I don’t get one?”
Both men laughed. Thomas, then Tyler, gave her a kiss. She closed her eyes. Between her fantasies and her right hand, if she could live like this forever, she would. Just to feel like this all the time.
“Sorry, dearest,” Tyler apologized after he stepped back. “Didn’t mean to leave you out.”
“That’s better.”
Thomas offered her his arm. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
“Have fun, you two,” Tyler said. “I hope they win.”
They arrived over an hour early and snagged a great parking spot. Thomas held the truck door for her and offered his hand for the walk to the box office. She didn’t want to let go, enjoying the feel of his warm, strong fingers around hers. Her fantasy that he was her boyfriend could survive a few moments longer. Thomas retrieved their tickets from Will Call and escorted her upstairs to eat.
The restaurant was expensive. As if reading her mind, Thomas caught her eye. “Anything you want, Nevvie, you order it. Don’t worry about the price. My treat, seriously.”
She nodded and forced her eyes from his. Tyler’s eyes set her heart and soul on fire while turning her body into a puddle. Thomas’ smoldering look melted her heart while setting her body ablaze.
After dinner they made their way to their seats, center ice, three rows up from the glass, behind the Lightning bench. Tyler had done damn good for a man who didn’t appreciate hockey.
She risked resting her hand on Thomas’ thigh and nearly moaned when he put his arm around her shoulders. Game? What game? Who cared about hockey! All she cared about was Thomas’ arm around her and her hand on his firm, solid thigh.
Eventually the action on the ice pulled her in. The Bolts scored against the Hurricanes two minutes into the game, then again with thirty seconds left in the first period, two unanswered goals that rocked the nearly-full house.
During the first intermission they settled back in their seats, Thomas’ arm once again around her. They watched the festivities on the ice and laughed at the antics of two people wearing inflatable sumo wrestler suits, slipping and sliding, racing to win a set of tickets to a game.
Then Thomas tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the scoreboard video display hanging over center ice. The Kiss Cam was pointed at them.
She smiled and looked at him. He laid his palm along her cheek and bent in for a deep, passionate kiss that took her breath away, the audience cheering their approval. When he lifted his head his eyes remained locked on hers. Without thinking she reached up and touched his face, pulling him down for another kiss.
With the fans around them cheering, drowning out her words, she whispered, “I love you.”
He caressed her chin. “We love you too, sugar.”
* * * *
Thomas couldn’t focus on the game. Tyler had nearly exploded the night before in his eagerness to get him alone in their bedroom and tell him what happened in the kitchen.
“She said it, Thomas! She told me, ‘I love you!’”
He fought the slight pang of jealously that she’d said it to Tyler first, but it didn’t matter. Tyler was with her a lot more, had been with her at the doctor. It was natural she’d spontaneously say it to him first.
“What did you say?”
“I told her we loved her too.”
“‘We?
’”
“We.” Tyler stepped back. “Oh, stop.” He handed Thomas the paper with the ticket information. “Don’t worry, lover, you will hear her say it, too. I see the way she looks at you.” Tyler smiled and stepped in close. “When the time comes, I want her to feel you inside her first. I want to hold her and watch you make her ours.”
Thomas studied the floor. Tyler knew him too damn well. Getting tickets was a stroke of pure genius. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop.” Tyler tilted Tom’s chin and met his eyes. “She loves us. She wants both of us. I will make sure of it.”
Thomas looked at the paper. “Evil genius.”
“You love it.”
Thomas grinned and pushed him to the bed. “You better believe it. You’re so much better at this stuff than I am, you know that.”
Nevvie’s voice brought him back to the present. She’d said something.
“I’m sorry, sugar, what?” He leaned close, his arm still around her shoulders.
“I said, you look deep in thought.”
“Just relaxing. Enjoying the company.” Tyler had been right.
Again.
Thomas hated himself for his earlier jealousy. Of course Tyler would make sure she wanted both of them. Tyler loved him, loved her. If nothing else, he knew Tyler would put everyone before himself. Tyler was the one who bought presents for others, picked out the cards. Tyler twisted himself in knots to make everything perfect so people were happy.
He showed Tyler his love by loving him. By making sure his oil got changed and the roof didn’t leak. He fixed the garbage disposal and mowed the grass, all the things he knew how to do. Tyler never tried to change him, loved him as he was. But if Tyler told him to do something he knew it needed attention.
Like going to find Nevvie that morning. Tyler wasn’t an unnecessary worrier. He planned far too carefully for that. Tyler rarely asked for things, and it was sometimes difficult to do or get things for Tyler to truly show him how much he loved him. Back rubs for sure, he adored those. Thomas loved giving them to him, felt connected to him, enjoyed knowing he was giving him so much pleasure that wasn’t even sexual.