Truly Scrumptious Page 6

  The rubber duck on the side of the tub completed her guilt. Jane. Justin. Children would be eating at that island. The island where she had so thoroughly debauched herself that she might write herself out of her own will.

  It was worth it.

  She turned on the water and shook her head. Had it been? It was the most fantastic sex she’d ever had, read about, or watched on adult television. And it had gone on most of the night. With one noticeable absence.

  After that first time, Nate had stayed in the background, allowing Clay and Louis to rouse her to a fever pitch over and over again. He’d watched the two men take her. He’d encouraged her with his sensual words, but he hadn’t touched her again.

  Her first thought was that she’d done something wrong. That maybe he hadn’t enjoyed himself as much as he thought he would. But she didn’t really believe that was true. She’d felt his reaction, seen it. She knew he wanted her.

  And what he had done to her? She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. God, what he had done to her, she wanted again. And again. She’d even take more of the spanking. It was that good.

  She turned on the water and hopped under the hot shower spray, noticing with a happy grimace all the new aches and pains that came from being a fallen woman. She could definitely get used to it, though that wasn’t a healthy train of thought.

  Why though? Why was she feeling so guilty for having earth-shattering sex? Just because it was with three men? Who were her clients? Who paid her?

  “Ugh.” She planted her forehead solidly against the tile, hoping the water would wash away those particular thoughts.

  “Did you hurt yourself, honey?”

  “Be careful in there.”

  Truly jumped and slid on the shower floor, the metal rod inside the shower the only thing saving her. “Clay? Louis? What are you doing in here?”

  And why hadn’t she locked the door?

  The shower door opened and Louis’s blond head poked in. He smiled knowingly. “We didn’t want you sneaking away without making sure you were okay. Are you hungry? Clay makes some of the best crepes it has ever been my great good fortune to inhale.”

  He joined her in the shower, followed quickly by the massive Clay. Yep. Still gorgeous. He grinned, and she noticed the dimple on his cheek. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? How could she sleep with a man when she didn’t know he had a dimple? “I do make delicious crepes. I also make biscuits that people have been known to commit murder to sample.” His dimple disappeared. “What’s wrong, Truly? You look upset.”

  Her laugh was a little hysterical as she tried in vain to cover herself. “I don’t know, Clay. Maybe I’m just not as comfortable in my own skin as you are. I don’t usually take showers with two naked men after spending the night participating in an orgy.”

  Louis leaned against the far wall, giving her space. “That? Trust me, darlin’, that was not an orgy. We’ve been to—” Clay shot him a look that made him swallow his sentence. “I mean, you have nothing to be uncomfortable about. You were wonderful.”

  Clay cupped her shoulders and rubbed soothingly. “You were more than wonderful. And it was more than just sex. I think you know that.”

  The tone of his voice had her biting her lip. Was he saying that he felt something for her? That they did? “I don’t think Nate would agree. I think he’s hoping I’ll be gone before he wakes up.”

  Clay and Louis shared a look. Louis shook his head. “Wrong again, Scrumptious.” She glared but he didn’t pay attention. “I think for Nate, you are way more than just sex. And more than sex is scary. Especially after the last time. But then, that was mostly my fault. Not yours.”

  “What do you mean?” After the last time. The last time they’d shared a woman? Clay got behind her and picked up a washcloth, soaping it up before washing her back in sensual strokes. It felt good. Her shoulders started to relax.

  Louis crossed his arms, looking uncomfortable. “We shared the same woman a few times several years ago. I fell for her. She fell for Nate. It was messy. He doesn’t like messy emotion. At least, he didn’t back then. I think, when he realized we all wanted you, he was worried one of us would get hurt. He’s very protective of people he considers family. He always puts them first. Even before what he wants.”

  He said it as though it were well behind him, but Truly could tell the woman’s rejection had hurt Louis. “She didn’t deserve you.”

  But was she any better? She was attracted to all of them, drawn to them all in different ways, even found herself falling a little bit in love. But she had to admit, there was something about Nate that drew her to him. Made her crazy, ticked her off, but drew her. It was a feeling she wasn’t sure was mutual.

  Louis smiled his beautiful, bad boy smile at her and suddenly she found herself forgetting about Nate. Wanting to prove to Louis how irresistible he was. Both of them were. She turned toward Clay and took the washcloth from his hands, directing him to stand beside Louis in the crowded shower.

  Without a word she washed them, the cloth skimming over muscle and bone and hard, wet skin. She knew they were both aroused, but none of them wanted to break the spell as she cared for them, kneeling down at last to scrub their feet as though she were their concubine. Or wife.

  Clay grabbed the showerhead and took if off its hanger, handing it to her with a solemn expression. She hid her smile, staying on her knees as she rinsed them off one by one. Then she carefully laid the nozzle down, directing the spray behind them, and took Louis’s impressive erection into her mouth.

  “Oh damn, Truly. You do have a wicked mouth.” Louis pressed the back of his head against the tile, smoothing his hands over her wet curls as she tightened her lips around him.

  Her hand reached up blindly for Clay’s cock, but he gripped her fingers before she could reach him. “I have a better idea, angel.”

  She sensed him moving around behind her, unwilling to lift her mouth from Louis’s shaft to see what he was up to. A squeak emerged from her throat as his head appeared beneath her, between her spread thighs. His laugh was carefree. “My turn.”

  He pulled her hips down until her sex was pressed against his mouth, and began to feast. So good. Truly’s eyes rolled back in her head as his tongue thrust inside her. She took more of Louis into her mouth, sucking hard in time with Clay’s rhythm.

  Louis gripped her hair more tightly. “Honey, fuck yeah. Move your tongue like that again. Oh, sugar, yes. Swallow me down. Take it all.”

  The shower door slammed open, and Truly lifted her mouth with a surprised shriek. It was Nate. He looked wild, enraged. He took in the scene in a moment, grabbing Truly’s arm and pulling her to her feet and out of the shower with one strong, surprising movement.

  “Nate, what the fuck man?” Louis helped Clay up, stepping out of the shower.

  Nate ignored them, lowering Truly to the carpet floor of the hallway, half in, half out of the bathroom. “I thought you were gone. Thought you’d left me. But you decided to have a private party instead.”

  Truly was confused. A little angry. And aroused beyond belief. His erection pressed against her stomach, his eyes dark with need and something else. Something hopeful? “Why do you care?”

  He didn’t answer, bending her legs until her knees were pressed against her chest, and slipping inside her. “Christ, that feels good. You feel good. Truly—”

  He took her as though it were the last thing he could do before he died. Single minded, focused, intense. Neither of them closed their eyes, unwilling to lose sight of the other for a second. He leaned over her and slid his fingers through hers, nipping at her lips with his teeth, but never breaking eye contact.

  It felt intimate. Sacred. Truly knew tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she didn’t care. They came together with a cry of release, and Nate finally closed his eyes, burying his face in her neck, his body trembling.

  They heard a door open downstairs and a shout. “Nate, bro, are you here? The kids are still at Gram’s
, but I had to come right away when I got the message. A guy named Clive calling you back about an appearance on the show? Please tell me it’s not The Clive. Don’t try to hide. Too many cars are here. You guys upstairs?”

  The voice was coming closer, and Truly rolled, throwing the distracted Nate off her body. She was shaking. But this time the only emotions were anger and betrayal. “Calling you back? Have you been talking to Clive without telling me? Clay, give me my clothes.”

  She grabbed the T-shirt and skirt and dressed herself in record time as she waited for an answer, any answer.

  Louis, a towel wrapped around his waist, his expression deeply troubled, answered first. “No, of course no—”

  Nate held up his hand, stopping him. He looked up, and Truly flinched at the hardness of his expression. “Am I mistaken or are we paying you? You don’t own us. If we want to explore…other options, that’s exactly what we’ll do. We only hired you to gut out our restaurant and get us customers. Nothing else.”

  Clay swore, and Louis banged his hand against the wall, but neither man said a word. It felt as though Nate’d rammed a dagger into her stomach. Into her heart. “You are just a bastard aren’t you? But then, you don’t pay me to like you. I’m glad we got all this settled now, so there won’t be any confusion when I send you the bill.”

  She turned and took off at a run, crashing into Jane near the top of the stairs. “TS? Truly? What’s wrong?” She looked over Truly’s shoulder at the three half naked men in the hallway. “What the hell happened here? Why—?”

  Truly shook her head, pushing past Jane to get to her purse, her car. She had to get out of there before she made an even bigger fool out of herself.

  Impossible.

  Someone was knocking on her door. Again. Only this time they weren’t going away. The banging was giving Truly a horrible headache. Okay, maybe it was the quart of ice cream and bottle of pinot noir giving her a headache, but she’d rather blame the knocker.

  The last few days had been Hell. She’d finally had to answer the phone when her mother left a message threatening to visit. Other than that, she didn’t want to see or hear from anyone.

  How could he have done that? Made love to her like he’d finally come home and then look at her with the eyes of a cruel stranger? And why, after all he knew about the bastard, would he talk to Clive? She had more contacts than he did. She had plans. Why didn’t he trust her?

  Why should he? She wasn’t very professional when the chips were down, was she? A harlot with a business card. Did he have any respect for her? Did she deserve any?

  “I’m not going away, missy. So open up.”

  Oh, shit. It was Jane. The demon seed’s sister. Just what she needed. “We aren’t buying any. Go away.”

  “I knew you were drunk.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Well there’s an empty bottle of wine lying on your welcome mat, that gave me my first clue. If it makes you feel any better, I think Nate is probably worse off than you are right now.”

  She perked up. That did make her feel better. She walked over to the doorway, holding her head as her steps banged her brain against her skull like a pinball machine. She turned the lock and dragged herself into the kitchen. “Enter at your own peril.”

  She heard the door open and high heels clomping loudly on the floor before she saw the dark haired young woman she’d thought was her friend. “Hey, shoes off. Dying woman over here.”

  Jane slipped off her heels with a sigh. “Let me make you some coffee. We need to talk.”

  Truly sat down at her breakfast nook and buried her head in her hands. “Just tell me about the suffering. Please.”

  “You wanna know about the broken nose, the hangover or the fact that I kicked him out of the house until he sobered up?”

  Jane’s words had Truly’s head spinning. Or maybe it was just the room. “He broke his nose?”

  “No,” Jane’s tone was wry. “Sweet, gentle Clay broke his nose. Don’t ask me why, I didn’t snoop. But I was tempted myself. That man has been an ass since you left. Worse than that. A drunken ass. And he usually doesn’t touch the stuff.” She set a steaming mug of coffee down in front of Truly with a shrug. “We don’t have the best family history with addiction in general.”

  Truly took a grateful sip, her mind still reeling. “That doesn’t sound like Clay. Not that I blame him. I’d like to break something on your brother. But I don’t think I’d aim for his nose.” She rubbed her temple. “I don’t drink either. And right now I think I know why. There is nothing fun about this feeling.”

  Jane reached her hand out to take Truly’s. “We need you back at the construction site. Robert can’t do this without you. He thought he could, but he can’t. He needs you. Clay and Louis need you. Nate needs you.”

  Truly grimaced. “He doesn’t need me, he has Clive, apparently. And Robert is fired. Why is he still going to work?”

  “Because he knows you. And I know my brother.” Jane shifted in her chair. “Look, you don’t have to tell me about what went on between the four of you that night. But trust me, I’m not judging. I’ve always known about Louis and Clay. And I knew my brother had a past. Besides, Robert took me out to a dungeon…let’s just say after that outing I have no room to talk. About anyone.”

  Truly looked up at the blushing Jane with interest. A dungeon, huh? She didn’t look like the dungeon type. But then, Truly probably didn’t look like the one girl in an orgy porn either but, there you go.

  She leaned back. “I don’t know what happened. I thought it was going well. I mean, I thought he wanted…” She raised one shoulder. “I can’t do it. I’m obviously not sophisticated enough to handle the morning after with a client. I made the worst mistake you can make with the first person to hire me after the station debacle. Maybe my mother’s right.”

  “Oh brother.” Jane stood up and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t know if it’s the sugar crash or hangover talking, but I don’t let my kids pull a pity party on me, and I’m not about to let you get away with it either.”

  Truly watched as she buzzed around the room, taking out her aggression on dirty plates and trash. “My brother is in love with you. I know because he has never been in love, has avoided it like the plague. He loves his family. He loves Clay and Louis like brothers, but he has never fallen for a woman. And you can trust me, this was a hard damn fall.”

  “He had sex with me. He shared me with his buddies. Then he basically sent me packing. That doesn’t sound like love, Jane.” It sounded sordid. But it had been more than that, hadn’t it? At least, it had to her.

  Jane headed into the living room with a trash bag. “I am going to clean away your lost weekend here.” She waggled a half empty carton of Chinese food at Truly before tossing it. “And you will take a shower, get dressed and face your fate with all the courage I know you have. Those three men are important to me, Larkin. And so are you. I won’t allow you all to keep hurting like this.”

  Truly stood up, clutching her coffee mug like a shield. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I don’t think I can do it. Don’t think I can see them—him.” Especially not if they gave her looks of pity, or worse, disdain.

  Jane closed her eyes and shook her head. “Men are idiots. But we are women. Women are tougher than that. You’ll make that restaurant everything you imagined it could be. After that, whatever makes the four of you happy will make me happy. Love is never a mistake. Trust me. The worst kind of love gave me the best men in my life. My boys.”

  How could she argue with that logic?

  Chapter Seven

  It was perfect. Not country club. Not dive. But a masterful blend of both. She’d kept his pictures, though they were hung more like art. The walls were muted but still colorful. The floor was bamboo instead of peeling linoleum. The chairs were tasteful but comfortable.

  Nate looked toward the kitchen. She rebuilt half the wall in adobe brick, giving the space a warm, welcoming feel. There was en
ough of a window so that diners could watch the chefs in action but not too closely. And in the center of everything, chrome shining in the dim light was a classic motorcycle in mint condition. On its side had been etched three words in beautiful calligraphy. The Iron Horse.

  “The place looks phenomenal.”

  “You should be telling her that.”

  Nate turned warily as Clay entered the dining area of the restaurant. The big opening was tonight, and Nate hadn’t been sure his friend would be there. Not since he’d socked him in the nose for his drunken words about Truly.

  He hadn’t meant them. He’d been jealous. Petty and stupid and jealous. He’d wanted them all to hurt as much as he was hurting.

  He really was a bastard.

  Nate walked up to Clay and held out his hand. “I will. I’m sorry for everything, man. You’re more important to me than any restaurant, any woman. You know that right?”

  Clay nodded slowly. “I know it. But I shouldn’t be.”

  “What?” He didn’t understand.

  Clay shook his head and looked over at Louis, who’d been sitting in the shadows, watching his two friends. “He means that you shouldn’t give up something you want for anything. Certainly not for us.”

  Nate shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling uncomfortable. “This isn’t Amy all over again, Lou. This is us. The three amigos. Bros before—”

  “Don’t say it, or I’ll break something else.” Clay’s voice was low, but threatening. Nate didn’t doubt him. The man had a hell of a left.

  Clay ran a hand over his face. “You don’t get it do you? I…care about Truly. More than I want to admit. And I won’t lie. I wish things could turn out differently. She’s worth fighting for. She’s worth a little tension between friends.”

  Louis nodded, patting Clay on the back. “Yes. She is. And you’re right too, Nate. This isn’t like Amy at all. This is two people in love. With each other this time. Two good people who happen to also love their friends, and hopefully will let them join in on the love fest from time to time.”