Feeling the Buzz (5 page)

“Um, what time do you guys need to leave
for work?”

“When we’re ready,” Wayne said.

Okay.

“I’ll take you home after breakfast,”
Sebastian said.

“We’ll pick you up for dinner at six,”
Wayne said.

Breakfast. Dinner? “Why?”

“Jen, think,” Wayne said in a gentle
rumble. “We’re courting you.”

“But…” She glanced at Sebastian, saw the
watchfulness in his pale eyes. Her attention wandered to Wayne. “But…”

“We want you to come to dinner and spend
some time with us. If it will make you feel better we’ll invite Gaby, Fletch
and Liam too,” Wayne said. “Gaby will help you keep us in line.”

“Do you want to take a shower?” Sebastian
asked. “I can give you some clothes to wear home.”

“Ah, thanks.” Clothes, dinner, dating.
Things were moving way too quickly for her brain this morning. She couldn’t
think of a single reason to refuse. And if Gaby was there too… Maybe she could
ask Gaby a few questions about how she and her men managed to interact together
on a permanent basis without things turning weird. Her mouth dropped open.
Cripes, was she actually considering climbing into bed with both of them?

Sebastian jumped out of bed and rummaged
through a set of drawers. He produced a pair of board shorts and a pale blue
T-shirt, silently handing them to her.

“There are clean towels in the bathroom
cupboard,” Wayne said.

Jen glanced at both of them again and
nodded. She suddenly felt superfluous and accepted the clothes from Sebastian
with a curt nod before making a rapid exit.

She scurried down the passage, entering the
bathroom and locking the door with a loud click. Only then did she slump
against the wall and attempt to even out her breathing. Was she really going to
do this? Wayne and Sebastian—both of them?

Sebastian waited until he heard the lock of
the bathroom door slide home. Good. Jen wouldn’t interrupt them for a few
minutes.

“What the hell was that?” The words erupted
from him, carrying every ounce of the confusion swirling around inside him.

“An experiment.”

He paused, willing Wayne to expound. He
didn’t. Instead he stared at him, making Sebastian want to shuffle his feet. A
reversion to his uncomfortable schoolboy days when he’d stood in front of the
class and stammered like an idiot. The other kids had jeered him.

“I’ll go and start the coffee.” He took two
steps toward the door.

“Coward.”

Sebastian spun around to glare at Wayne.
“What do you want from me? What do you want me to say? That we’ll braid each
other’s hair?”

Wayne spluttered, the seriousness leaving
his brown eyes. “Mate, you don’t have enough hair to braid. But Jen has long
enough hair for both of us to plait at the same time.”

The
oomph
in Sebastian’s argument
popped. “Is this a good idea?”

“I don’t know,” Wayne said, sobering. “But
I like Jen, and it felt right holding her while she climaxed. I liked sharing
that with you.”

“Just because it felt good that doesn’t
make it right.”

“Of course not. All three of us need to be
in agreement.”

“And that’s why you—” Sebastian gestured
with his hand, unable to squeeze the words past the lump in his throat.
Wayne
kissed me
.

“Kissed you. I figured you were right last
night. I don’t want to go into this with reservations. I might quiz Fletch and
Liam tonight.”

“I…you can’t!”

“Why not? Didn’t you like the kiss?”

“I’ll go and put the coffee on. Jen will be
finished in a moment.” Sebastian fled, knowing it was cowardly but unable to
stay a moment longer in his room when Wayne was in his bed. Naked.

In the kitchen he realized the only item of
clothing he wore was his boxer-briefs. God, between the two of them they’d
scare Jen away before they’d even started. He took two steps down the passage
before coming to an abrupt halt. Nope. He’d stay the way he was. He wasn’t
ashamed of his body but he was worried about his control. Christ, Wayne had
flaunted himself, then leaned over to kiss him as if he did it every day.

Sebastian’s stomach flipped, and he
couldn’t decide if it was fear or excitement. Messages of lust raced through
his veins at the memory of Wayne’s lips teasing his, the friction of morning
stubble against his chin. He hadn’t realized how sexy that would be, how the
sandpaper sensation would fire his cock to life.

With a shaky hand he reached for the
coffeepot. He managed to fill it with cold water despite the continuing
tremors. Wayne had kissed him.
Wayne kissed Jen too.
Damn, why did his
brain have to broadcast that particular thought?

But Wayne wouldn’t play him.

That was one thing he knew without a doubt.

Footsteps heralded an arrival. Sebastian
fought the urge to glance over his shoulder. Wayne— No! He forced himself to
collect eggs from the pantry. Scrambled eggs and bacon. If he focused on
cooking he might make it through the next hour until they left for work without
doing anything stupid.

* * * * *

Jen let the warm water pour down over her
shoulders. She’d seen the wet room at Gaby’s house but had never used one
before. The wide, open spaces of the bathroom made her glad she’d locked the
door, but she had to admit that not having to watch herself while stepping into
the shower was excellent. Way less potential for stubbed toes. And she didn’t
have to worry about water splashes because that was what the bathroom was
designed for with the waterproof tiles on the walls and floor. And the extra
shower heads. She twisted a lever and water massaged her from a different
angle. Pure decadence. The entire room was modern and sleek and she loved it.
So much room. Without warning her mind stepped out of line and flooded her with
images of two men sharing the shower with her. Wet, naked limbs. Roving hands.
Teasing mouths…

A husky groan slipped from her as arousal
zipped the length of her body, settling between her legs with an insistent hum.
One hand crept up to cup her breast before she jerked it away in disgust. She
didn’t have time for romance or sex or any of the other emotions that came hand
in hand with a man. Men.

She grabbed a face cloth and lathered it up
with shower gel. A burst of citrus surrounded her, a tonic to her scattered
senses. She briskly cleansed her body. Thinking about one man, let alone two,
rated as plain stupidity.

She had a plan for the rest of her life and
the next year didn’t include any wild sex.

So there!

Her body didn’t take the slightest bit of
notice, ignoring her decision by softening and aching for a hard cock.
Grumpily, she turned off the water and toweled herself dry. Five minutes later
she padded down the passage to the kitchen, enticed by the scent of coffee and
cooking bacon. The borrowed clothes rubbed against her skin as she entered the
kitchen. She tugged at them and furiously averted her mind from everything
related to sex.

Wayne sat at the breakfast counter, reading
the local paper while Sebastian was busy cooking.

Wayne looked up at her arrival. His brown
eyes studied her warmly, his slow smile making her clothes start to itch again.
“Would you like coffee?”

She shuffled about trying to get
comfortable. “Thanks.”

“Black?”

“A little milk, please.” So polite. With
her pulse racing, she selected one of the other stools at the breakfast counter
and perched.

“What are you going to do today?” Wayne
asked, placing a mug of coffee in front of her.

Glad of something to do, she seized the
coffee and took a cautious sip.

“How’s the hand?” Sebastian asked, his gaze
settling for an instant before returning to the pan in front of him.

“What did you do to your hand?”

Sebastian set plates in front of both of
them. “She punched Giles in the nose.”

“I’m not sorry,” she mumbled, her cheeks
heating with embarrassment. Even though her hand still ached a bit, she’d do it
again.

“He deserved it,” Sebastian said. “I wanted
to hit him but she wouldn’t let me.”

Wayne smirked. “Giles had it coming. I wish
I’d been there.”

“He’ll probably press charges,” Jen said.

“You forget I was a witness.” Sebastian
grabbed the third plate and the last remaining stool. “He’s probably too
embarrassed to tell anyone what really happened.”

“Your day sounds more exciting than mine. I
played rugby with the relations and ate lunch. If Giles causes any trouble let
us know. Okay?”

Jen nodded even though she didn’t mean it.
She was an adult and more than capable of taking care of herself.

“I see Ms. Knowall has a column in the
paper this week,” Wayne said.

Sebastian snorted. “Who is she darting with
her poisonous pen this week?”

“Evidently the Children of Nature Cult is
in disarray. Some of their women of marriageable age are refusing to marry
within the cult. And there’s mention of new products coming from Fancy Free in
time for Valentine’s Day.”

Jen took a sip of coffee. “Does anyone know
who is writing the column these days? It was Gaby’s sister, but she promised
not to write another column after the debacle with Gaby at the supermarket.”

“We’ll have to quiz Gaby tonight.” Wayne
whipped his cell phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial. After a brief
conversation with Fletch, he hung up. “Fletch said he’d check with Gaby and
Liam, but he thought they could make it.”

“Do you want me to make a dessert?” Jen
asked.

“Sounds good,” Sebastian said.

Gradually some of the tension lifted from
her. Wayne and Sebastian were nice. Spending time with them wouldn’t be a
hardship, especially with Gaby to help bolster her nerves.

Chapter Five

This barbeque had been a bad idea. Gaby had
been sending her speculative looks ever since she, Fletch and Liam had arrived.
So far she hadn’t managed to get Jen alone to quiz her. Judging by Gaby’s
determined face it wouldn’t be long until Jen faced an inquisition.

“I put my house on the market today.” As
far as diversions went this was a good one.

“What?” Wayne asked.

“Why?” Gaby demanded.

Sebastian just stared at her, flanked by
Liam and Fletch who appeared equally interested.

“It’s too big for one person,” Jen said,
squaring her shoulders. “The house needs a family.”

“But what will you do? Where will you go?”
Gaby asked.

“I’ll buy an apartment or something smaller
eventually. The real estate market is flat at present. The agent said sales are
slow in Sloan, and it might take a long time, but selling makes sense.”

“And now?” Wayne asked.

“I’ll look for a suitable flat, not far
from school.”

“Anyone want another drink?” Sebastian
asked.

“I like this song,” Fletch said. “Dance
with me.” He grabbed Liam and yanked him into his arms, smooching as he started
to dance. Liam laughed and relaxed against Fletch, his lips grazing Fletch’s
cheek. They murmured in undertones, clearly at ease with each other.

Jen stared, their intimacy reminding her of
that morning when Wayne and Sebastian had kissed.

“Don’t gawk,” Gaby said.

“They look happy.” Jen had seen them interact
before, but this time seemed different. Not that she thought any less of the
two men. It was kinda sexy, and she was flattered that they liked her enough to
feel comfortable. Both men were equally affectionate and demonstrative with
Gaby.

A masculine arm slipped around her
shoulders. “Feeling left out, Jen?” Sebastian whispered, his breath warm
against her ear. “Come and dance with me.”

Jen found herself slow-dancing with
Sebastian out on the deck. “Do you think any of them feel left out?”

“I don’t know. Ask Gaby,” Sebastian said.

Something in his voice made her move back
so she could see his face. “Are you okay?”

“Confused.” Chagrin chased across his face
at the admission.

Jen glanced around, head turning, gaze
darting, but no ready answer pounced out at her. “You and me both. I feel as if
I’m on a rollercoaster without a safety belt. I don’t like it.”

“You can always get off.”

Jen sucked in a hasty breath, giving a
slight shake of her head. This was so new, but she’d regret walking away from
Wayne and Sebastian. “I don’t think I can.”

“This situation scares you.”

“Doesn’t it worry you?”

“Hell yeah.” Sebastian’s grasp tightened on
her shoulders, his face displaying the same turmoil that traversed her mind.
“I’m taking each day one at a time. I don’t like the out-of-control feeling.”

Jen nodded, a wave of sympathy filling her.
She understood the off-balance sensation. Heck, she was living it right along
with him.

The song ended and another took its place.

“My turn,” Wayne said.

Jen stepped away from Sebastian and turned
expectantly to Wayne. Wayne winked at her and put his arms around Sebastian.

“Right, that does it. We’re going to talk.”
Gaby grabbed Jen’s arm and dragged her inside into the kitchen. “What’s going
on with you guys?”

“Nothing,” Jen said, going with the truth
because it was easier. “I spent the night here last night.”

“
Nada?
” Gaby almost screeched.
“You’re telling me I’m imagining things?”

“I hurt my hand. Sebastian drove me to the
doctor.”

“Old news. My mother rang me this morning
wanting deets.”

Jen blinked in shock even though she was
aware of the gossip vine in Sloan. “Everyone knows?”

“Yeah, well fight out in the street and
that’s what happens,” Gaby said, waving it off as inconsequential. “Although
from what I hear, Giles deserved it.” She paused, her eyes widening. “You’re
not going to distract me. If nothing happened then why are you here tonight?”

Jen frowned. “They asked me, and I said
yes.”

“And what are you going to do next?”

“Refuse to answer nosy questions. It’s not
as if I know the answers anyway. What’s the story about the new sex toy coming
out? The one the cult is protesting about.”

“Top secret,” Gaby said, tapping the side
of her nose with her forefinger. “I could do with someone to test out the
design I’m working on at present though.”

“A vibrator?”

“Of sorts,” Gaby said with a laugh.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s a vibrating butt plug.”

“I guess I could try that.”

“Your men might like it too.” Gaby’s black
curls danced as she laughed. “Liam and Fletch do. I’ll drop it off after work
tomorrow.”

“What are you doing?” Sebastian demanded in
an undertone.

Definitely testy. Wayne bit back a grin.
“Going with my gut instinct.”

“Which is to flirt with me? You’re lucky I
didn’t punch you in the nose.”

Yep, now was not the time to smirk. Wayne
moved in time to the music, not much more than a sway really. Dancing with
Sebastian was fun. Fletch and Liam hadn’t reacted with anything other than
grins, and after the initial shock Sebastian had gradually relaxed in his
embrace.

“Don’t be silly. You want me.” Aw, hell.
Blabbermouth
.
This wasn’t the best time to force this conversation. He sure as hell didn’t
want to give Sebastian a chance to run. But having their friends around acted
as a kind of a buffer. At least for this initial conversation.

“I’m sorry.” Sebastian’s throat worked in a
swallow, his shoulders hunching, and Wayne could see the fear in his friend,
the shame.

“No!” Fuck he didn’t want to make Sebastian
uncomfortable or to make him think he should run. “Don’t apologize. It doesn’t
scare me.” His fingers bit into Seb’s biceps. “This doesn’t scare me.”

Sebastian checked the whereabouts of the
others before leaning closer. “You’re not worried about the fact that I want to
touch your cock?”

“I liked kissing you this morning. Besides,
I’ve seen your cock. There’s nothing scary about it.”

“Yeah, well.” Sebastian averted his gaze,
and Wayne noticed a tinge of pink creeping into his cheeks. “What about your
family? What will they think?”

“It’s none of their business. I’ve told you
that.” Wayne hesitated, then decided to spit out the question uppermost in his
mind. “Have you had sex with a guy before?”

A choking sound came from Sebastian, and
Wayne widened the distance between them to scan Sebastian’s face. A whole raft
of emotions flickered for him to see, not that he could understand shit.

Sebastian’s mouth worked but there was no
sound.

“Seb?”

“Jesus, no!” Sebastian snapped.

“So it’s only me you want.”

“Stop making fun of me.”

“I’m not. Look we’ll talk later tonight
when everyone has gone. Just you and me.”

Sebastian shrugged without looking at him.
“Whatever. I thought you’d want me to leave.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Wayne grinned,
feeling good about the decision. “So, it’s a date.”

“It’s not a date.”

“Yes it is. We can even have a drink, but
don’t think you’re gonna get lucky. I don’t put out on the first date.”

“Jesus,” Sebastian muttered. “I need a
drink.” He pulled away and stomped off, leaving Wayne standing alone. A slow
grin broke free. This dating business could be fun.

During the rest of the evening Sebastian
waited for smart-ass comments from Fletch and Liam. They didn’t come, not one
of their friends passing judgment or even commenting.

Sebastian fought the trepidation stalking
him, the anxiety that settled on his shoulders like a heavy bag of cement. He
didn’t know what Wayne wanted from him, was worried about what it might mean.

Gaby, Fletch and Liam left just after
eleven, taking Jen with them.

Sebastian frowned after the tail lights of
the departing vehicle. “I could have dropped Jen at her place.”

“I didn’t want to give you the opportunity
to duck out. You’ve looked petrified every time I caught your gaze,” Wayne
said.

“I am,” Sebastian mumbled, frightened to
even look at Wayne.

“You want another drink?”

“Nah, we need to be on the job site at six
tomorrow morning. I don’t want to do it with a hangover.”

“Let’s go to bed then.”

“Together?” Damn, his voice had squeaked
like a teenager’s. He scuffed one bare foot over a black mark on the tiles. It
didn’t shift.

“I want to kiss you again. Come on.” Wayne
grabbed his hand and towed Sebastian from the kitchen, turning off lights as
they went. He dragged Sebastian into his room, his bare feet noiseless on the
tiled floor.

“What are we doing?”

“We’re getting comfortable with each other
because I want to know if my hard-on this morning was a one-off.”

“You’d just kissed Jen.”

Wayne started to unbutton Sebastian’s
shirt. Sebastian’s heart tried to escape his chest, battering his ribs with
hard knocks and the accompanying sharp pain reminded him to breathe.

“Don’t you worry,” Wayne said. “I’m clear
about what I want from Jen. You like her, right?”

“Jen’s amazing. Not many women her age
would give up so much in order to look after their mother.”

“See. Jen’s not the problem. We need to sort
out whatever is going on with us. And I’m done talking.” Wayne ran his palm
across Sebastian’s chest. The calluses from his years of doing manual work
dragged across Sebastian’s pectoral muscles, pulled at his nipples. A moan
spilled from his parted lips and he shivered at the illicit pleasure skittering
through him. Wayne slipped the shirt off Sebastian’s shoulders and tossed it
aside. Rough fingers unfastened his belt and tugged at the zipper of his jeans.

And Sebastian let him.

All the time Wayne watched him closely
until Sebastian felt like one of their new building apprentices on their first
day of the job.

Sebastian’s breaths seesawed from his
lungs, harsh and loud. Finally self-preservation made him jerk from Wayne’s
touch. “What are you doing? You’re starting to make me feel uncomfortable.”

“Not awkward enough to leave my room,”
Wayne said with a trace of smugness.

“Smartass.” Sebastian bit back a verbal
reaction when Wayne’s fingers skimmed his cock as he lowered the zipper. Even
through the layer of denim and his boxer-briefs, it felt intimate. Too much.
Not enough. Wayne tugged his jeans down his hips and urged him to step out of
them.

“Do you want to keep your underwear?”

Sebastian hesitated. It wasn’t as if his
boxers were doing a good job of hiding his growing erection.

“Executive decision,” Wayne said, and
before Sebastian could react, his friend whisked them down his legs. “On the
bed. You can get under the covers if you want.”

Sebastian followed the orders blindly, even
as he silently debated the wisdom of remaining in Wayne’s bedroom.

In his bed.

Naked.

He watched Wayne undress and didn’t sense
any of the nerves that he, himself, struggled with. Wayne always made his
decisions quickly and once he’d made one, he never swerved from his goal. Never
second-guessed his actions. He’d always been the same, for as long as Sebastian
had known him.

The sheets and duvet smelled like Wayne,
and if anything the familiar scent ramped up his stress levels. Though try
telling his cock this was wrong. Maybe that was why he was feeling so
lightheaded. All the blood that normally helped his mind to function had zapped
south for a fiesta.

Wayne strutted to the bed. While he didn’t
have a full-blown erection like Sebastian, he was getting there. Sebastian
swallowed in an attempt to lubricate his mouth and throat.

“You look like a cowering rabbit about to
get jumped by a predator.”

Sebastian huffed out a short laugh. “Not
far wrong.”

“All I’m doing is taking your idea and
running with it.”

“Because you want to or because you want to
placate me?” Sebastian’s sharp tone cut through the air, charging the
atmosphere yet again, changing it to something prickly and explosive.

“Seb, you have to decide if you trust me or
not. I can’t make up your mind for you.”

“That’s true.”

“And you’ve been thinking about this for a
while.”

“Yeah.”

“All I want to do is kiss, touch and sleep
together in the same bed for the rest of the night. There’s nothing daunting
about that.”

Sebastian gulped as Wayne climbed onto the
bed and arranged the duvet over his lower body. They stared at each other and
moved at the same time. Hands grasped shoulders. Flesh met flesh and lips
joined in a kiss. It was a hesitant yet surprisingly sensual kiss, the caution
lighting a slow flame within Sebastian.

Wayne squirmed closer. Heck Sebastian
couldn’t argue with that. The urge to plaster himself against Wayne gripped
him. Might as well go for broke. He pushed past his caution, deepening the
tentative kiss, rimming Wayne’s mouth with his tongue. With his actions, he
silently requested Wayne to give way and open to him. Wayne moaned and suddenly
they were touching from mouth to knee. Their cocks brushed.

Pleasure grabbed Sebastian by the scruff of
the neck. Too much yet not enough. His tongue dueled with Wayne’s. A hard,
muscular chest rubbed against his. Wayne pulled away, breathing hard. Sebastian
grew rigid, suspecting that Wayne intended to shove him away.

Too much. Too fast.

But instead Wayne trailed kisses down
Sebastian’s neck. He sucked a couple of bites of the tender skin, jolting
Sebastian to the core.

“Damn, that feels good.” The combination of
raspy stubble and the hard draw of a mouth did things to his cock. Sebastian’s
hips jerked, sliding their cocks together.