Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
“Keep these boys in line for me,” she said wryly and took off.
Darren walked her out to her car and then locked the front door. When he rejoined us, I took my plate to the sink and dropped my bottle in the recycling. We moved to the living room, and I piled on the oversized sectional with them. Rory put an arm around me and checked in on me.
“I’m okay, better now that I’m here,” I said wholeheartedly.
“I’ve put in a call to Eric’s parole officer,” Jeremy said, “and I’m looking into ways I can maneuver around his use of the ER where you work. Relative to his current address it’s not the closest medical facility. Two urgent cares, a clinic with walk-in clinic, and another hospital are closer to him. He’s not on file as having found employment yet, so there’s no documented reason for him to be in that neighborhood so frequently. If I can’t get him banned outright, I’ll have an ankle monitor on him by the end of the week.”
“Thank you,” I said, impressed by the lengths he’d already gone to.
“The guy’s a maniac,” Rory said. “He’s self-harming to get closer to you. That’s got to be against the law. It’s fucked up, and if Jer can’t make the law stop him, there are other ways.”
“Rory,” Darren interrupted. “You’re a city employee. You can’t go vigilante. You’ll never make chief. Jeremy here wants to be DA sometime. So I’m the obvious one to take care of the problem. My livelihood doesn’t depend on following the rules.”
“No one’s going vigilante,” I said. “You boys need to calm down, have another beer,” I suggested.
‘We’ll do whatever has to be done,” Rory told me. “You’re safe here, and we’re going to keep you safe. Jeremy’s the brains, Darren’s the enforcer—”
“And what are you? The court jester?” Jeremy teased Rory.
“You’re the thinker, he’s the fighter. That makes me the lover,” he said mischievously. I leaned into his shoulder and looked at them, feeling so comforted to be surrounded by them.
They were all looking at me kind of expectantly.
“Jeremy,” I said, deciding to take the leap. “Did you mean what you said the other day?”
Knowing at once to what I was referring, he nodded. “Yes. You don’t have to choose. We’re all in. It’s just up to you,” he said. My stomach swooped in excitement and relief.
I got to my feet. “Then I have a question.” I looked from one of them to another. “Will you take me to bed?”
It was like they’d been struck by lightning for an instant, just frozen in place and stunned. Then they sprang to life at once, Jeremy stepped forward to take my hand and kiss my cheek.
“Upstairs,” Rory said, bounding ahead of everyone. “I call Jeremy’s room. It’s the neatest.”
“My bed’s bigger,” Darren said. He had a point. We all exchanged a look, and I started giggling uncontrollably.
“Darren’s room it is,” Rory said, and we followed him up the stairs.
Darren opened double doors to a room on the top floor with a California king bed and not much else—a dresser, a big leather chair by a lamp in the corner. He switched on the lamp, soft light suffusing the space. I felt shy, unsure how to start. Jeremy had been holding my hand and led me to the bed to sit down.
“The only ground rules are this—be honest with each other and know that you never have to do anything you don’t want to. If you change your mind, if you want to go have time to yourself or whatever, need some space, just say so. We’re all in this and we want to make sure you’re comfortable. Nobody’s going to get mad or act stupid,” Jeremy said. “I’m choosing this because I know what I felt at lunch that day. I kissed you by the car, and it felt right. So I want to see how far it can go.”
“I started having naughty sponge bath fantasies the day you treated me in the ER,” Rory said cheekily. “And we all know Darren has already had the pleasure. No need to ask his reasons.”
“My reason is I never want to kiss anyone else again. Just you. Or no one.”
“Damn,” I said, getting a tingle of heat when he said it. “Two of you are all no pressure, let’s have fun, and then you have Mr. Intensity there.” His eyes darkened and my sex clenched in response.
“So let’s start you off easy. I bet you could use a massage after the day you’ve had,” Jeremy said. I nodded.
He reached out and lifted my top over my head, while Rory helped me out of the bottoms. I stood in my scrap of pink lace panties, my bra, and I crawled onto the bed. Jeremy joined me, peeling off his clothes as he went until he knelt by where I lay. He kissed my lips, ran a hand down my rib cage and over my thigh. He was masterful, diligent, everything you’d expect in an ambitious attorney—he had a strategy and kept a slow, steady pace as he turned me over and massaged my back, kneading tense muscles and making tightness inside me release. When he hit a spot that hurt near my shoulder and I made a sound, Rory’s hands ran up the backs of my thighs. I quivered, felt how my body responded to him. He had his hand between my legs as I lay face down on the big bed. My head was pillowed on my arms, eyes half closed, when Darren stretched out beside me. He stroked my hair and kissed my lips softly. “I’m right here, baby,” he said. “Anything you want. Just tell us.”