Fever (Breathless #2)(8)

“Appreciate that,” Bethany said dryly.

Jace reached for her hand, curling his fingers around hers. It was . . . sweet. And strangely not in keeping with his badass look and those brooding stares he’d sent her way. This was a guy she would have expected Ash’s speech to come from. For him to lay down the law to her and tell her it was his way or the highway.

“We won’t hurt you, Bethany. What Ash means is that we like control. We like . . . submission. Not saying tonight has to be all about that. Just shooting you straight.”

“I get it,” she said softly.

“And?” Jace prompted.

“And what?”

“You good with that? Can you handle it?”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m good with it.”

“Thank f**k,” Ash muttered. “Now if we’re done with all the talking, can we get to the naked part?”

“Ash.”

Jace said his friend’s name like a warning. Then he turned back to Bethany, his hand still snugly circled around hers.

“Go into the bedroom. You can use the bathroom to get comfortable, do whatever you need to do. Undress and wait for us on the bed.”

The soft words whispered over her skin, making her entire body hum with arousal. The man was positively lethal.

Wordlessly, she found herself obeying his soft command and rising from her chair. Her hand slipped from his as she backed away and then she turned, tearing her gaze from his as she walked toward the bedroom.

Chapter four

She was sitting in the middle of the bed, naked, the sheets in a whirl around her, bunched as she pulled them to cover her nudity. Jace was the first to enter, his gaze immediately finding her. Ash followed behind, his fingers already going to the buttons on his shirt.

Even as Ash was undressing, making no bones of what he wanted, her gaze was riveted on Jace. Locked to him in a silent reverie that was unbreakable. His nostrils flared and his jaw flexed and clenched. There was a near-naked gorgeous man in the room and all she could do was stare at the fully clothed one, waiting and wanting so badly she hurt.

“Let go of the sheet,” he said in a soft voice. “I want to see you.”

It was soft, but no less of a command, one that sent a shiver over her skin. Carefully, she let the sheet slide from nervous fingers. It glided down her body to gather at her waist, baring her br**sts to his piercing stare.

“Up on your knees,” he said. “Push the sheets aside. I want to see all of you.”

If she were smart, she’d fear this man. This situation. It had been an impulsive decision borne of desolation and a need for a temporary reprieve from her reality. No one knew she was here, at the mercy of these two men. No one cared. No one would worry if she simply disappeared. Except Jack. And how would he know? She hadn’t told him anything other than she had a place to stay tonight, and at the time it had been a lie.

“Second thoughts?”

She glanced up to see Jace studying her intently, his expression indecipherable. Her gaze skated sideways to where Ash stood, naked, gorgeous, his erection jutting forward. When she peeked back at Jace, he frowned as though he didn’t like her looking away from him.

Her mouth dry, she licked her lips and then she shook her head. “No.”

It was another lie. She’d had plenty of second and third thoughts but she kept coming back to the fact that tonight she wanted the oblivion found in a different kind of drug. She wanted to be warm. To know a moment’s peace. Was it too much to ask?

Jace started toward the bed as she levered up to her knees, allowing the sheets to fall completely from her body. When he reached the edge, he reached for her and then hauled her into his arms, his mouth descending in a fiery rush over hers.

She closed her eyes and surrendered, melting into his strong arms. The air crackled around them. Their desire was a living, breathing entity that swelled to enormous proportions.

His tongue pushed in, soft and velvet, warm over hers. Soul-deep comfort. His hands skimmed down her arms, gripping her tighter and then pulling her even closer as the heated sounds of their kisses rose and filled her ears.

And then Ash was there, momentarily pulling her attention from the moment. His hands slid over her bare back and the bed dipped as he moved in behind her. She tensed against Jace and then Ash’s warm mouth pressed to the curve of her neck and she relaxed. He was going slow, not overwhelming her. He seemed content to allow Jace to take the lead.

Jace pulled away, and her mouth tingled from his rough possession. He stared down at her, his dark eyes scorching over her skin. Her breath caught and held. She stared back, her chest tight with anticipation.

Ash’s hands skimmed over her shoulders, his mouth at her neck, but she only had eyes for Jace as she waited for the moment he staked his claim. She wanted his hands on her body. His mouth on her skin. Him inside her, covering her. He was a man who would always make a woman in his care feel safe, and she was a woman who wanted to feel safe.

As Ash’s hands slid down her arms and then more firmly back up to grasp her shoulders once more, Jace began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt. Ash pulled her back against his chest, cradling her against his body as Jace slipped out of his clothing.

Awareness simmered low in her belly as Ash’s heat surrounded her. His palms slid up her belly to cup her br**sts. He lifted and weighed the slight swells in his hands and then he brushed his thumbs over her ni**les, causing them to go instantly and achingly erect.