“We’re done playing games, Belle,” Tate vowed solemnly.
“Speak for yourself.” Kellan’s words rumbled low, his breath hot against her neck. How close was he? “I’ve got some games to play with her.”
Dirty games. Sexy games. She knew what he meant—to dominate her. Again, not for more than a night, but at least she would know how the flat of Master Kellan’s hand on her ass stung, the way that dark voice commanded her to do things she’d only ever fantasized about.
“I don’t understand.” Her mind raced. Her blood hummed. She wanted this so badly, but she knew exactly what a one-night stand with them would mean. She would be devastated if she woke up in their bed tomorrow morning and they again treated her like a kid sister. After that, she wouldn’t be able to work with them. “This has gotten out of hand and gone too far.”
“It’s going where it should have in the first place.” Eric touched her first, just a brush of his hand on her shoulder. Nothing overwhelming, but she shivered at the heat flashing through her. “Straight to you with the three of us. We’ll take it slow if you need, Belle. But we want you.”
Really? They wanted her? After a year of almost no hint of any desire on their part, this revelation blew her mind. Unless seeing wedding guests group off to get it on had an effect on them too… She shook her head again. The alcohol might not have affected her judgment, but the arousal they coaxed from her damn sure had.
“We always have,” Kellan said. “But you should know that I’ll be a lousy boyfriend. I shudder at the word. I’m not built for the whole commitment thing, but I want you right now. I’ll be good to you in bed.”
Because some woman had damaged him. She was pretty sure it was his ex-wife, but she hadn’t pried.
“Boyfriend?” Didn’t they just want to sleep with her tonight?
“I’ll be a good boyfriend, but I’ll want a lot of sex,” Tate said. “The average person has it one hundred three times a year, which is one point nine eight times per week. That’s not enough.”
“But we don’t have to work that out tonight,” Eric insisted, glaring at Tate. “Let us take you to bed and show you all the affection and pleasure we can offer you. We’ll satisfy you so completely that you won’t want to walk away tomorrow.”
Belle heard the speech, but it didn’t make any sense. “I don’t think the question is whether I’ll walk away. Isn’t that what you usually do the morning after?”
Eric looked stunned. “You think this is just a fuck for us?”
Wasn’t it? “I don’t know. You tell me.”
“We want a relationship.” Tate’s expression was so earnest, it stunned Annabelle. “The average male is age—”
“No numbers,” Kell cut in. “You agreed.”
Tate clapped his mouth shut for a moment, then apparently decided he had something else to say. “This is more than sex for me. Way more.”
“Exactly,” Eric added.
Amazing. She looked at Kell expectantly. If he didn’t think he’d be much of a boyfriend, where did he stand on this relationship business?
“You’re a remarkable woman,” he murmured. “There’s no way I could use and discard you.”
“I don’t understand.” They’d kept their distance for over a year. “What changed?”
“In some ways, everything,” Eric said. “But in other ways, nothing at all. We don’t want to let you go, Belle. We’ve always wanted you, but what would you have done if we’d asked you out your first day at the office? Or the second? Or even a month after you’d come to work for us?”
She winced. Okay, so she’d been a bit scared of them in the beginning. After the way her last boss had treated her, who could blame her? The thought of working for three big, gorgeous men had terrified her. After they’d offered her the job, she’d thought of turning them down, but she’d desperately needed the income. She had been living paycheck to paycheck. Her mom didn’t have extra funds to help her get back on her feet, and Belle refused to be a burden.
“I might have been a little…intimidated at first.”
“A little? You wore turtlenecks in August.” Tate’s face softened. “We all knew you were scared of us, so we did our best to make you feel comfortable. We fell into a pattern of keeping our distance. You should know I wanted to offer you my penis the minute I saw you.”
“Tate!” Eric barked at him.
She heard Kellan sigh, but Tate’s ridiculous honesty broke the tension. Belle laughed at the mental image those words painted and relaxed into him, leaning on his big body for strength. She imagined Tate wrapping a red bow on his penis and gifting it to her like most men would a dozen roses. She giggled even more.
He bent and curled his thick arms around her tentatively, like he was terrified she would balk. He wasn’t lying. The rapid beat of his heart gave his feelings away. This big, gorgeous, unbelievably gifted man wanted her. As he urged her against his body, he nestled close to her in a sweet hug, and she felt every inch of what he planned on offering her brush against her stomach.
Whoa. That was not some small penis. Tate was built on big lines—everywhere.
“I would miss you so much if you left, Belle. I understand you want a career that makes you happier, but please don’t leave altogether.” He sighed as if a profound worry had just settled on his shoulders.