Double Dippin' (2 page)

Everything
about the woman was feminine. A real girly-girl, which was the opposite of the sporty women he’d always preferred. Sure, in high school he’d noticed how gorgeous her hair and eyes were. Half the school had. But recently she’d started tormenting the hell out of him with those skirts, heels and low-cut blouses.

She’d caught him
looking more times than he could count, and if he wasn’t wrong she was looking back.

Alex’s
boot heels thudded as he entered the workroom.

Loren didn’t look up, just dug the tool into the leather and carved out a sliver.

Alex stopped on the other side of the station. “What the hell was that?”

“What?” Loren set his features into a neutral order. He didn’t know whether to punch Alex or kiss him.
If they both wanted Posy, the lines of this triangle would be skewed into many shapes.

Alex
slowly circled the workstation, crowding close to Loren. His heart rate spiked.

For months they’d been sleeping together. Now Loren
couldn’t imagine not waking up to Alex’s handsome face on the pillow beside him. Trouble was, they shared everything except words. They didn’t discuss anything but the business.

That meant emotions
—and Posy.

“If you want her,” Loren jerked his chin toward the front of the warehouse where Posy sat, “go get her.”

Alex hooked a hand around Loren’s nape and held him so they stared into each other’s eyes. “Seems as if you’re the one who’s wanting.”

Yeah, he’d daydreamed
about bending Posy over that desk almost hourly since she’d started the job, but taking any action seemed wrong. “First of all, she’s our
employee
.”

Alex’s lips were hard—and too close. “And second?”

Loren palmed the front of Alex’s jeans. His bulge swelled, the thick ridge of his cock fitting his hand as well as the tool he used daily. “There’s this.”

Rocking
his cock into Loren’s hand, Alex’s eyes glittered. “This is us.”

He dropped his hand. “And Posy?”

Alex took a step back. “That’s working in close proximity to a gorgeous woman.”

“
A gorgeous,
smart
woman.” Loren took up the tool and made another cut in precise parallel to the first one. The geometric design was a challenge he was happy for.

“You’re right. She’s revolutionized the place. Neither of us can get involved with her. She’s too precious to lose.”

Loren met Alex’s gaze, searching for the meaning behind his words. “You mean the business would suffer.”

“Of course that’s what I mean.” But Alex’
s expression told another story.

In the years since high school Alex had packed on muscle
from manual labor, and his face was more angular, his jaw harder. In juxtaposition, Posy had filled out. A few extra pounds had settled in all the right places.

Loren knew the way Alex responded when he touched him.

After her breakup with that douche-bag, her teary eyes had affected Loren. He’d spent more time talking to her, and now that he truly knew her, he didn’t want to back off.

“
Valentine’s Day is coming.”

Loren didn’t glance away from the leather. “Yeah. You getting me chocolate?”

“Nah, too cheesy.” Alex’s tone was amused. Loren looked up and they shared a smile.

“Ever hear of Steak and
Blow-job Day?”

Alex’s brows shot up. “No.”

“Valentine’s Day is for women. The day after is for men, and what do men want?”

“A steak and a
blow-job.”

Loren let his gaze tick
down over Alex’s sculpted torso to the ring of muscle just above his low-riding jeans. His tight T-shirt left nothing to the imagination. “I know what I’m getting you,” he said with a crooked grin.

Chapter Two

“Posy, did you place that order yet?” Alex’s muscles rolled as he approached her desk. For two days he and Loren had been parading through her office area, driving her wild with their sexy struts and syrupy drawls.

She sat back, dumbstruck as always by his good looks. Her gaze roamed over his biceps
barely contained by the cotton of his shirt and down to the coarse hair on his forearms. When she found herself staring at his hands and imagining those callused fingers twisting her nipples, she released a low sigh.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes. No. I mean, I haven’t placed the order yet. Did you think of something to add?” Every time she went to place the order, one of the guys would come in with something else to add. She crossed her legs, and he tracked the movement.

When his gaze ticked up to hers, her breath caught. The look in his eyes tugged an invisible string connected to her pussy. The knot tightened. After forgetting to breathe
for several heartbeats, she dragged in a breath.

“Let me see your catalog again. I was thinking
about trying a new saddle oil.” He moved forward, making the bulge behind his zipper quite evident.

“Sure.” She tried to
keep her voice smooth as she flipped through the contents of her drawer to locate the catalog.

When she handed it to Alex, he shot her that deadly smile. The one that
would buckle her knees if she weren’t sitting.

While Alex leaned against her desk and scanned the catalog, Posy tried to focus on work. She had several pending orders. Falls Creek
saddles were an investment, and after the initial meeting to design their heart’s desires, many customers were reluctant to commit to the expense.

Often Posy could place a few phone calls and remind them of why they’d come to the saddlery in the first place—for one-of-a-kind, high-quality saddles.
Usually she came away with credit card numbers and hollered into the back for the guys to begin work.

She tapped the order before her with a pen. She needed to
contact the customer, but with Alex hovering nearby, she’d be tongue-twisted.

He held the catalog out to her and pointed to a description of a new brand of saddle oil. “What do you think
about this?”

She skimmed the words, not ingesting a single one. “Looks good. Might be worth a shot for the price.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” His hat brim was slightly worn where he touched it so often. Posy had never wanted to be a hat so badly in her life.

He glanced up and caught her staring. The blush that was becoming too familiar crept into her face.
To cover it, she said, “I heard my mom talking about inviting your family over this weekend to watch the PBR championship.”

“That’s cool. Watching it on the big screen should be fun.”

Should she risk asking if he’d be there? It had only been about a month since Johnny had ended their four-year relationship. Her family was almost more broken up than she’d been. Johnny had been the son-in-law they’d expected.

Hell with it.

“Will you come over too?” she asked.

He reached out and brushed his knuckles over her shoulder. She froze, heart tripping out of control. The ache between her legs increased until she fought to keep from squirming.

Alex pulled his hand back, eyes dark and his lips tense. “There was a…piece of lint.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

He placed the catalog in front of her. “Put that oil on the order.”

“I’ll do that.” She
almost added “boss” to her response. At this moment putting some distance between them seemed imperative. When he’d touched her, tingles had spread over her skin.

Alex retreated to the workroom again, and Posy drew
some violent doodles on her notepad to dispel her nerves. Then she picked up the phone and dialed a customer.

For several minutes she immersed herself in her work.
Talking to customers and vendors was one of her favorite tasks. Besides, right now she’d do anything to forget about the throb in her core.

When she’d first taken Alex and Loren’s offer to work for them, she’d been in a long-term relationship. Sure, she’d noticed how gorgeous both men were, but she was committed.

Now that Johnny was out of the picture, her imagination worked overtime.

“I think you’ll be very pleased with your decision, Mr. Davidson.”
She glanced up and did a double-take. Faced with Loren’s bulky chest, she could hardly gather enough air to end the call. “Yes, thank you for your business. We’ll be in touch when your order is ready.”

Loren nudged his hat back and gave her what she called “the smolder
”. His blue eyes were as bright as twin flames as he stared into hers. It felt as if he looked straight into her soul.

Shaking
herself, she stammered, “Do you need something?”

“Well, I was just thinking
about tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?”

“Valentine’s Day.”

She jerked. The annoying holiday was the last thing she had on her mind. Her breakup had ensured she
wouldn’t receive gifts, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. If Johnny wasn’t that into her, she was better off alone. She didn’t need a diamond tennis bracelet anyway.

Loren dragged up one of the wooden crates they used to ship saddles. He perched on the e
dge, one muscular leg dangling.

Oh Mother of God.

She fiddled with her pen to keep from looking where she shouldn’t be. In high school, Loren had been friends with her friends but hadn’t interacted much with Posy. In fact, only since her breakup had Loren spent much time talking to her.

“You doing okay with the upcoming
holiday?” He pitched his voice low.

She waved a hand. “Of course. It’s no biggie. Johnny and I
probably wouldn’t have made a big deal out of the holiday anyway.”

Loren narrowed his eyes. “Then he’s a bigger douche than I thought.”

Her lips twitched, and it was impossible not to giggle. “You think he’s a douche?”

“For letting a woman
like you go, hell yes.” Loren stared into her eyes for a long minute before letting his gaze travel over her hair.

Self-conscious, she fluffed it, wondering if she looked as disheveled as she
felt. Between Alex and Loren, she was a hot, sweaty mess. All she wanted was to strip off her work clothes and slip into cotton shorts and a tank top and have a beer.

But according to her watch, she had three hours left in the work day.
At this rate, she’d be a puddle of want by the time they locked up.

“Well, he’s long gone,” she said.

She looked down at her hands. Funny thing was, Loren seemed to be the only person who gave a damn that Johnny had dumped her. In the few short weeks she and Loren had discussed it, she’d come to realize how far she and Johnny had drifted apart.

Loren opened his mouth to say something, but Alex barked his name.

She and Loren looked up. Alex strode forward, jaw bulging at the crease, which meant he was upset.

“
Are we having a pow-wow or are we working?”

“
Pow-wowing about work,” Loren answered, still seated on the crate as if he didn’t have a care in the world—or six saddles to get to work on.

When Alex flicked a glance at Posy, her nipples puckered under her royal blue
sleeveless blouse. Alex paced in front of Loren. The muscles on his spine rippled, reminding Posy of a caged tiger.

“We
’ve got work to do, and so does Posy.  She doesn’t need you asking her about her love life or Valentine’s Day.”

Loren’s boots hit the floor. “
She doesn’t need you eavesdropping.”

Do something.

Posy got up and came around her desk to stand between them. “What’s going on with you two? Did you have a fight?” They weren’t acting like their normal good-natured selves, and she could see by their poses that the knot in their friendship was strained.

“Alex thinks he runs more than half of this business.”
Loren folded his arms, and veins snaked over his forearms.

“You’re delusional. We
’re equal
partners
.”

Some
electric thread connected the pair, and the hair stood up on Posy’s arms. She looked from one to the other, trying to puzzle it out.

That little voice inside her urged her to try to bridge whatever fissure had opened between them. She placed a
hand on either man’s chest and held her breath as hard steel met her fingers.

* * * * *

As soon as Posy touched him, Alex’s anger vanished. He couldn’t remember them touching since childhood. She splayed her fingers as if enjoying the feel of him beneath her hand. And damn if he wasn’t getting hard.

She stood so close he
could bury his nose in the fragrant crook of her neck if he leaned forward. It was impossible not to notice how her blue top and black skirt fit every curve as if they’d been made for her. And she was wearing the shoes he loved—black strappy high heels. Every time she wore them he fantasized about seeing her in nothing but those shoes.

The ache in his balls grew.

Loren made a low sound in his throat, drawing Alex’s attention again. Every ounce of possessiveness he had for Posy rushed up. These little discussions he and Posy had been having since her breakup had drawn them closer.

Alex didn’t
like it.

Yet maybe she’d needed to confide, and Alex wasn’t equipped to handle a teary female.

He stared at her slender fingers resting on Loren’s chest. Was it his imagination or had she just stroked him?

Alex pushed against her hand, and she swung her gaze to his. He bit off a growl, fighting the need to claim her
—to capture her rosebud lips, to nip and taste until she melted under him. Then he’d plunge his tongue deep and take what he wanted.

She curled her fingers against his chest.
“Should I make you guys talk this out?”

“No,” they said at once.

What was there to say? Alex didn’t want Loren getting too close to her. Alex’s gut instinct was to scoop her up and plunk her onto her desk, then banish all thoughts of anyone but him.

But on the flip side, he wanted Loren too.

Hell.

Posy looked between them, amusement etched on her features. She dropped her hands, and Alex immediately missed her touch. Loren’s brow wrinkled.

“We need to get this saddle finished,” Alex said.

“Then get in there and finish it.”

Alex ground his teeth. “I’ve finished my part. That’s why I came out—to see what the hell you were doing.”

Loren cocked a brow as if urging him to
admit he couldn’t stay away from Posy. But both of them knew Alex wouldn’t. She was their employee, and whatever tension between Alex and Loren couldn’t be aired in front of her.

“Guess we’d best get to work.” Loren gave Posy a
bad-ass smile. When he turned and walked away, Posy watched him go. Damn the man for getting under Posy’s skin as well.

After
she finally redirected her attention to Alex, she gave an apologetic smile.

I know the
feeling. I can’t take my eyes off him either. Or you.

He wanted to ask if she
was
having difficulty dealing with Valentine’s Day after that dickhead had dumped her. But what could he say that Loren hadn’t already covered?

Alex
just gave Posy a smile and walked back into the workroom. As he went, he swore he felt Posy’s gaze on his ass too.

Grinning, he
made up his mind. He didn’t have words to show Posy how special she was, but he had another way in mind.

* * * * *

Loren listened to Posy’s car engine fading away from the building, and his heart gave a little squeeze. Sure, she was the sexiest woman alive, but his interest went deeper than simple lust. Their chats had allowed him to delve into her mind. Now that he’d glimpsed what made her tick, he craved more.

Pivoting
his head, he glanced at where Alex stood at another workstation, roughing out a saddle. He sank a knife into the leather and cut it into an arc that would be molded to fit the horse.

Since their tug of war over Posy
in the office Alex had been silent. Not that he talked much, but Loren missed their banter.

He smoothed his hand over the leather, wishing it was Alex. Then again
...why not?

Loren abandoned his station and
slowly approached his lover. The hard planes of Alex’s back flexed as he moved. He’d removed his hat, and his tanned nape drew Loren. To bite into it while driving into his tight body would be the ultimate pleasure.

He wrapped an arm around Alex, and his lover fell completely still.