She’d never come this fast. It just wasn’t in her to do so, yet she climaxed with a sharp, intense burst of pleasure that rocketed her into his arms. His mouth covered hers, his tongue plunging inside her as he thrust so hard her back scraped the pool edge. She welcomed the pain, enjoyed his groaning orgasm almost as much as her own.

  They panted together for a few seconds, then Seth laughed.

  “That was a quickie,” he murmured against her neck.

  Abby laughed and leaned back, grinning at him. “But a great quickie.”

  He kissed her, and this time it was sweet as he savored her lips with slow, measured kisses that felt . . . emotional. Abby’s heart clenched, her stomach tumbling at the way he held her, touched her, his mouth moving over her in tender caresses.

  When he pulled away, his gaze was so intense she held her breath.

  “Abby, I need to say something here—”

  “Have you two been fucking without me this morning?”

  She jerked her head up and stared into the harsh sunlight. Mike’s form was shadowed, tall and imposing against the bright light. “Hey.”

  “Hell yes, we were fucking without you,” Seth replied, pushing away from her and pulling himself out of the water. “You didn’t think I was going to wait for you, did you?” He grabbed a towel and dried himself off.

  Abby wondered what Seth had been about to say to her before Mike interrupted. From the serious look on his face, it seemed as if it was something important.

  “No, I guess you weren’t going to wait. Hell, I wouldn’t have, either,” Mike said, winking at Abby.

  She smiled and reached for Mike’s extended hand. He hauled her out of the pool and handed her a towel.

  “You look like a mermaid, all wet and freshly fucked.”

  She giggled. “Well, thanks.” He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. “How’s the patient?”

  “Doing fine. I brought breakfast. You hungry?”

  She followed him into the kitchen. “Starving. And, uh, naked. I need to take a shower and get dressed.”

  “Toss on one of my T-shirts for now. Top drawer of the dresser.”

  After a quick shower, she pulled on one of Mike’s oversize T-shirts that was so big it fit her like a dress, skimming the top of her knees. When she walked back into the kitchen, Mike had set out warm croissants with jelly, juice, and another steaming cup of coffee. Mike and Seth both looked up from the kitchen table with a look of hunger in their eyes as they watched her walk in.

  Geez, her hair was a mess, damp and uncombed, and she had on one of Mike’s T-shirts that was ten sizes too large for her. She was hardly a walking advertisement for sexy.

  Figuring their hunger had to be for the food on the table, she grabbed a croissant and a chair and dug in. Her stomach growled a loud complaint at the delicious scents. Obviously, copious hours of sex worked up an appetite.

  After she’d satisfied her appetite for food, she wondered what was going to happen next. The only clothing she had with her was the skintight dress from last night. And while she was loath to end this magical fantasy, like Cinderella, the clock had struck midnight, and the ball was over. It was time to turn back into dreary old Abby and return to the drudgery that was her normal life.

  “I need a ride home,” she said as she downed the last sip of orange juice.

  “I can drop you off,” Seth offered. “I have some paperwork at the office.”

  “Great.”

  Mike leaned back in his chair and smiled at her while he sipped his coffee. Seth did the same thing. She suddenly felt as if she were on a stage, the first act in a comedy show, and she were about to get the hook because she couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.

  They stared at her expectantly. But why?

  Because it’s chess, and it’s your move, idiot.

  Wow. This was awkward. How was she going to handle this? Uhh, thanks for the great ménage, guys. Best fuck of my life. Nah, too cold. And she felt way too warm and cozy inside to make it sound so . . . unemotional.

  But what, really, did emotion have to do with it?

  Sometimes the best move was just to concede defeat. Admittedly, last night was all about fantasy and role-playing. In the harsh light of morning, she was still Abby Lawson, and she had no idea how to handle two gorgeous, virile men who stared at her with expectation on their faces.

  “Let me clean this up, then I’ll . . . get dressed. I have so much to do at home.” She bent her head to her task, swiping away the napkins and plates and remnants of breakfast, hoping to hell neither of them spoke or, God forbid, moved from their chairs.

  Last night’s bravado had fled. In its place, her customary sheer terror. She was so out of her league here. Tongue-tied and nervous, her hands shook as she emptied the garbage in the compactor, then rinsed the dishes and piled them in the empty dishwasher.

  “Abby.”

  She froze at the sound of Mike’s low voice behind her, not even realizing he had snuck up behind her. When he snaked an arm around her waist, she jumped and whirled around.

  “Damn, woman. You’re tense this morning.”

  Blowing an errant hair out of her face, she smiled brightly, hoping to mask her discomfort. “Sorry. Just thinking about my to-do list. I have a final paper due in a few days, and need to get started on it.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Casting a look toward the table out of the corner of her eye, she realized Seth had left the kitchen. “Nothing’s wrong.” Other than the fact your nearness makes me realize I have no idea what I’m doing. She needed to get out of there.

  “Your heart’s beating like a racehorse at the end of a quarter mile. Calm down and tell me what’s the matter.”

  She was staring at his chest, realizing her breasts were flattened against the hard planes of his pecs. No wonder he felt her heart hammering. She inhaled deeply, which only filled her senses with the crisp scent of whatever soap he used. She wanted to bury her nose in his neck, wrap her legs around him, and beg him to fuck her again, wanted to deny her reality and boring existence and live in this fantasy world forever.

  Exhaling, she palmed his chest and gently pushed him back. He took the step, reading her signal. Then she looked at him, as always, immediately lost in his blue eyes. “I’m just feeling the reality of all this.”

  His knowing smile and nod helped. “It’s okay. We had a great time last night. No strings.” He cupped her neck and drew her forward for a kiss that started out gentle and friendly but quickly turned into something more. God, how she could get lost in him so easily. His magnetism was overpowering, the way he took control and led her to a dark place within her own head where this wild, untamed creature lived. In seconds she was wet, her clit pounding, her pussy aching with need for his cock. He pressed the length of his shaft against her thigh, insistent, demanding, rocking against her until she clutched his shirt and whimpered into his mouth.

  “Yes,” he whispered against her neck when he pulled his mouth away. “Here. Right now.”

  He lifted the T-shirt she wore, cupping her bare pussy with his big hand. She arched into his touch, mindless of their location and not even caring if Seth was going to walk in.

  “You’re so fucking wet already, Abby. You want my dick in your pussy?”

  “You know I do. Fuck me.” She spread her legs, chewing her bottom lip while he unzipped his jeans and jerked them partially down, freeing his dick. He cupped her buttocks with one hand and lifted her, impaling her on his cock.

  She slid onto him, discarding the thought that she could be so easily taken by either of these men, that they could snap their fingers, and she was wet and ready for them. Right now she didn’t give a shit. She was being fucked and loving it.

  “So hot. Christ, you’re tight, Abby. One of the best fucks I’ve ever had.” His voice was gritty and dark, ratcheting up her desire tenfold. She braced her hands on the sink ledge behind her and lifted on and off his cock, letting her clit drag along the ridges of his shaft. Splintering shock waves gripped her pussy, tightening around her.

  “Harder,” she demanded, her gaze locked on his, watching the pained expression on his face as he squeezed her ass cheeks, his fingers digging into her flesh. He pulled back and slammed against her, striking her clit, making her cry out with pain and ecstasy. “Yes, like that. Fuck me hard.”

  She gritted her teeth and held on, her arms shaking, her clit swelling as the tightening spirals grew ever stronger. “I’m going to come on your cock, Mike.”

  He made her wild, made her feel naughty. She loved it.

  “Come for me, Abby. Come on me.”

  “Yes. Yes, I’m coming!” Then she couldn’t hold back as torrents of waves crashed inside her, flooding him with her juices. She screamed at the power of her orgasm. Mike grabbed onto her and pulled her against him, grunting as he came, burying his cock deep inside her while he shuddered and rocked through his climax.

  Panting, she pushed off the sink and locked her arms onto him, licking the salty sweat from his neck until he set her feet on the ground. Still trembling, she held onto him for a few seconds, wondering what the hell had just happened to her.

  God, she’d lost control. She had been about to get dressed and leave, and he whispered her name, and she fucked him.

  “Seth went to take a shower. He’ll be out soon. You can clean up in the other bathroom if you’d like.”

  She could barely meet his gaze, though he looked unaffected by what just happened, whereas she wanted to crumple to the ground and sob. “Okay. Let me just grab my clothes.”

  With as much nonchalance as possible, she shot him a casual smile and took off down the hallway, snatching her dress from the living room and finding her way to the guest bathroom. After a quick shower, she shimmied into the dress, finger-combed her hair, then took a few seconds to catch her breath.

  A knock on the door had her whirling around, her heart pounding.

  For the love of God, Abby. Get a grip. “Yes?”

  “It’s Mike. Can I come in?”

  “Uh, sure.” She leaned against the bathroom counter, trying to appear calm and relaxed, offering him a smile as he walked in and shut the door behind him. “I’m almost ready to go.”

  “You can stay if you’d like. I’m not trying to run you off.” He leaned against the closed door, his arms crossed in front of him. “Though I get the idea you’d like to get the hell out of here.”

  “No! That’s not it at all! I just have a lot to do at home.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  She was failing miserably at this nonchalance thing. “I had a great time, Mike. Honestly. Thank you. It was . . . beyond my wildest fantasies. Having this night with you and Seth was—”

  “I want to see you again.”

  She halted midsentence. “You do?”

  “Yes. Go out with me tonight.”

  She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she honestly hadn’t expected this. “With you.”

  “Yes.”

  “Tonight.”

  “Yes.”

  “Just you and me?”

  He arched a brow. “Did you want another threesome?”

  Now there was a million-dollar question. Did she want a threesome? Did she want to go out with Mike? Hell, at the moment her brain wasn’t functioning at all. Mike had just asked her to go out. She assumed just the two of them.

  What did she want?

  “I need to think on this.”

  “Really.”

  “Oh! Not in the way you think. I mean, I’m honored you asked me out. Any woman would wet her pants being asked out by you, Mike. I think you know that. But honest to God, my synapses aren’t firing right now. I need to go home and regroup.”

  He laughed. “Okay. I’ll call you later.”

  She hoped she hadn’t just insulted him. But she really didn’t know what she wanted right now. She knew what she needed, though. Distance and some time to think.

  Mike opened the door and let her out. Seth was waiting in the living room, tilting his head curiously when she and Mike came out of the same bathroom.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She turned to Mike. “Thank you again. For everything.”

  He kissed her lightly on the lips, dragging his thumb across her bottom lip afterward. “I’ll call you later.”

  Her lip throbbed where he touched her, and she shuddered her next breath. “Okay.”

  Strangely, the ride back to her place with Seth was silent. And not a comfortable silence, either. She sensed he was irritated about something, but she didn’t want to be the one to bring it up.

  Surely he wasn’t jealous that she’d spent time alone with Mike, was he?

  Oh sure, Abby. You’re just so incredibly desirable that both these men are now going to fight over you.

  It was utterly unbelievable the amount of time she could spend in fantasy land.

  When Seth pulled into her apartment complex, Abby was convinced he was simply in a hurry to dump her and be rid of her. But when she unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed the door handle, he put his hand on her arm.

  “Abby, wait.”

  She paused, knowing he was going to say something nice, like Thanks for a great night.”

  “Go out with me tonight.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “I know it’s stupid, but I tried to figure out the right way to pose this question the whole way over here, without it sounding like I just wanted to fuck you again. But it’s more than that. Though I do want to fuck you again,” he added with a sexy grin.

  Her throat constricted, and she fought for breath. Okay, this couldn’t be happening to her. Mike asked her to go out with him. Seth did, too. Her brain was a muddy mess, and she didn’t know what to make of all this.

  Did she want to see either of them again? And what did it all mean?

  “I . . . I guess that would be fine,” she blurted, then realized Mike had asked her first. Was there some sort of protocol for this? Was there some reason she had just said yes to Seth but she had told Mike earlier she needed to think?

  Her brain cells needed repowering. No doubt about it.

  He snorted. “Well, that was enthusiastic.”

  She rubbed the spot between her eyebrows that throbbed with the beginnings of a headache. “I’m sorry. I think I need a nap.”

  “I’ll call you this afternoon, and we’ll figure it out. Go rest.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, his breath crisp and tasting like cinnamon. She wanted to stay in the car and lick his lips, dive into his embrace, invite him inside her house. Anything. She didn’t want to let go. Yet she needed space, too.

  Conflicted much, Abby?

  She opened the door to her apartment, closed it, threw her purse on the floor, kicked off her shoes, and collapsed in the nearest chair.

  She’d just agreed to go out with Seth tonight. And Mike was going to call her later for an answer on his proposal for a date tonight.

  Fucking both of them was one thing. Dating both of them another thing entirely. And obviously she sucked at multiple-guy dating because she’d already screwed it up by not answering Mike first.

  Now what the hell was she supposed to do?

  ten

  Abby stared at the phone, waiting for it to ring. She still had no idea what she was going to say to Mike when he called.

  She supposed to she could try the truth. She wasn’t much of a liar. That was Chad’s area of expertise, and he’d been damn good at it. Maybe she should call her ex-husband and ask for some lessons.

  She snorted at the thought.

  That would never work. Unlike Chad, she was terrible at hurting someone’s feelings.

  Of course, Mike would have to care about her to be hurt, right? And he didn’t really care about her, so how could she offend him by turning down his offer of a date tonight?

  Simple, really.

  The phone rang, and she nearly fell off the arm of the couch.

  “Honestly,” she murmured to herself. Her pulse raced, but she forced calm into her voice as she picked up the cordless and pressed the button.

  “Hey, babe.”

  “Hi, Mike.”

  “Get some rest?”

  “Yeah, a little,” she lied. Instead of resting, working on her paper, or doing something to eliminate her pounding headache, she’d fretted the past four hours about what to do about Mike and Seth.

  “Good. So, how about tonight?”

  Despite how easy she thought this was going to be, she wasn’t good at letting someone down. Hell, she had no practice at it. “Seth asked me out, too,” she blurted before she ended up accepting a date with both of them.

  “He did, huh? And you said yes.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “Because I know you. It’s okay, Abby. We’ll do it another night.”

  She stared outside her window, watching little kids play on the gym equipment in the park across the street while she rubbed her throbbing temple. “I feel awful about this.”

  She heard his soft laugh on the other end. “Why? It’s no big deal. Quit worrying about it, okay?”

  Guilt pounded at her stomach like a jackhammer. She’d never quit worrying about it. “Okay.”

  “I enjoyed fucking you last night.”

  His whispered voice, low and dark, sent shivers running through her. And just like that, she was wet. Her nipples tightened, and she felt the urge to place her hands between her legs and rub her clit. How did he do that to her? “I enjoyed it, too.”

  “Later, Abby.”

  The click in her ear was a shock to her system. He turned her on and left her hanging. Aroused, needy, and primed. With one fucking sentence.

  Dammit.

  She was so easy.

  Shuddering out a sigh, she placed the phone on the table and forced herself into her work, though it was damn hard to concentrate. What she really wanted to do was call Blair or Callie for some advice. But she wasn’t going to do that. It was time to make her own decisions about her life, without her friends’ input.

  Whatever those decisions were. It wasn’t like she was in total control of what to do about Mike and Seth.

  Then again, maybe she was. Maybe she really was in charge. They both asked to see her again. Why couldn’t she admit it was possible they were both interested in her? Had Chad beaten down her self-esteem so badly she couldn’t even admit that two fabulous men found her interesting enough to want to see her again? That this ménage thing they’d shared last night had sparked their interest enough to want to pursue her individually? That maybe there was more to their interest in her than just sex?