Going All In (2 page)

Julia’s stomach did a three-point turn. “And where will I sleep?” She eyed the couch dubiously.

“Spend the night with me, Four Eyes. You won’t sleep at all.” Hunter’s voice was a little lower than usual, and its timbre caught her between the legs and tugged.

Julia studiously ignored him. She packed away the cards and counted her chips, hoping her hand wasn’t shaking hard enough to knock everything over. “Two hundred and seventy dollars.” She smiled a haughty smile. Her highest winnings to date.

“Keep it. I won’t charge you for staying over,” Jay told her, deliberately misunderstanding.

“Cash ’em in please, Blondie. I need to get home.”

Jay threw his arms up in surrender. “Fine. This week you get to leave. Don’t count on it next Friday.” Before she could respond, he stood. “I’m going to make some coffee. Want some?”

“Love some,” Hunter said at the same time Julia refused. She had to go, before temptation overwhelmed her. The only thing stopping her from doing something dumb, like tackling one of the guys to the floor and throwing herself on top of him—naked—was her inability to choose which one she’d tackle.

Jay went into the kitchen, and Hunter walked over to Julia. He offered her the money, and she accepted it, keeping her arm stiff to hide her trembling. Before she could pull away, Hunter caught her hand in his.

“Take off the glasses, Jules.” This time there was not a hint of a smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

Julia looked at him, startled. Her heart began to beat in an irregular pattern.

He ran a thumb over the back of her hand, sending streaks of delight whizzing up her arm. “Take them off,” he said again, his voice a mere whisper.

“Hunter…”

He took the money and placed it on the table. Then he leaned over until his mouth was close to hers. “You said it, sweetheart. Men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.” His brown eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

She gaped at him. Quick comebacks had always been her strong point. So why, in the face of Hunter’s physical proximity, did she struggle to put together the simplest of sentences? Never mind coherent speech, why did she struggle to breathe?

His gaze was on her lips now. “Okay,” he conceded huskily, “maybe they do.” With that, he closed the space between her mouth and his.

Julia would have gasped out loud, but her lips—and her voice—were possessed by Hunter. His lips weaved their magic across hers, nibbling, stroking, caressing.

Her breath hitched in her throat. Oh, Lord. She’d spent months lusting after him, months fantasizing about him, and now Hunter was finally kissing her.

With a soft groan, he touched the tip of his tongue to her lips. Her mouth drew open as if by will of its own. Her acceptance of his silent appeal was all he needed. Hunter took control of the kiss with an expertise that wiped thought from her mind. All she could focus on were the exquisite sensations he evoked within. The warmth that suffused her body, the tingles that raced over her skin and the shivers that crept up her spine.

Sweet heaven, the man could kiss. Not that she’d expected anything less, but melting on a chair in Jay’s dining room was a most startling turn of events. One she’d craved for four months. One she’d only dreamed would transpire.

Hunter pulled away, inhaled and licked his lips. “Mmm. You taste as decadent as the wine you’ve been drinking.” He licked his lips again.

With his tongue engendering all sorts of wicked thoughts, Julia didn’t stop to think about her answer. She’d wanted him to kiss her since that first poker game. Since she’d looked at him and stars had exploded. “You taste like sex.”

With a groan he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with an ardor that made her pussy clench. Her dreams had never been this good—in her fantasies his lips had never been as thorough. Lord, he only need say the word and she’d strip naked for him.

But then, Jay need only say the word, and she’d strip naked for him too.

The thought of the brown-haired hunk in the kitchen brought a whimper to her throat. Hunter’s kiss was exquisite. Out-of-this-world amazing. But how could she kiss him back knowing she loved Jay too?

How could she not?

A rush of heat pooled between her legs. Her nipples tightened into hard beads. Damn! The man could kiss.

Without releasing her mouth, Hunter pulled her up and backed her across the room. Blinded by passion, she tagged along, her trust in him absolute. Besides, she wasn’t about to end the kiss just so she could see where he led her.

When her back touched the wall, he sighed and crowded into her, pressing his body against hers. Every inch of him was hard, from his muscular thighs to his powerful arms. From the solid wall of his chest down to the thick erection in his jeans.

“Miles,” a voice sounded behind Hunter. A low male voice that made her shiver.

God. Jay was here. Watching her with Hunter.

“Go ’way, Baxter,” Hunter mumbled against her lips.

“Not on your life,” Jay said. “I want me a taste of that.”

He did?

Hunter resumed the kiss, his mouth filling hers with delicious promises.

“Shift over, Blondie,” Jay said with quiet determination.

What the…? That hadn’t sounded like the chilled-out, laid-back Jay at all.

Hunter sighed and began to pull away. His lips clung to hers as his tongue gave a final sweep of her mouth. He pressed his rigid cock against her groin before taking a deep breath and stepping aside.

She didn’t have time to protest. Jay took Hunter’s place before she registered the loss of contact with him. He gave her a dazzling smile and claimed her mouth in another bone-melting kiss.

Jay. The guy who tempted her on a weekly basis with his shameless flirting but never quite carried through on his half promises, was now brushing her lips with his, teasing her with his tongue and igniting all sorts of fires in her belly.

Kissing him was nothing like kissing Hunter. While his lips and tongue tantalized, his body caressed, moving first this way then that, ensuring every part of her was stroked by every part of him. He was just as solid as Hunter—everywhere—but his height and her position threw Julia off balance. His hands spanned the width of her back and waist, and she stood on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life, never wanting to let go.

The kiss they shared wasn’t just temperature-raising, toe-curling unbelievable, it was a culmination of a year’s worth of teasing.

As horny as it made her—and man, was she ever horny—Julia wasn’t sure she was ready for this. How could she kiss Jay and Hunter? She’d spent months agonizing over her love for both of them. Months trying to choose one over the other—and now they were both kissing her.

On the other hand she wasn’t sure she was ready to pull away. Because no one had ever kissed her quite like Hunter or Jay. No one had ever evoked such a physical response from her in quite so short a time. In fact, no man had ever kissed her two seconds after another man had pulled away.

Jay lifted his head, catching his breath. God, she was kissing Hunter and Jay. Both of them!

Too much. It was happening too fast. She couldn’t let it go any further.

Could she?

Lordy, if she felt this good being kissed by two men, imagine how she’d feel making love to them both.

What the fuck? Was she out of her mind even considering the idea?

Her answer was a resounding yes. She had to be out of her mind. Good girls did not do that sort of thing, and she’d been raised to be a good girl.

Even as her mouth opened to welcome back Jay’s tongue, she used her hands to push him away. He let her go—but didn’t release her lips.

Hunter took her hand and twirled her out of Jay’s embrace, back into his own arms. Jay swore. The world spun out of control. Her chest hummed, her pussy clenched and she accepted Hunter’s greedy kiss again. For a second. A minute. An hour.

Then there was pressure at her back, another person melding his body to hers. His hips cradled the top of her butt, and his cock pressed firm against her lower spine. Her hair was pushed to the side, and feather-light kisses were pressed to her neck. Tiny nips attacked her ears, so light the sting was less like pain and more like darts of pleasure rushing through her.

Here she was, cocooned between the two finest-looking men she’d ever had the pleasure of meeting, being treated to a sensory seduction of lips and tongues, and damned if she wasn’t steaming past boiling point.

Why the heck did good girls not indulge in activities like this? It felt incredible.

If she didn’t put a stop to this, fast, there was no question where they would end up. And much as she fancied herself in love with both men, she couldn’t quite see herself sleeping with them at the same time. Sure, ménages were okay in erotic romance books, but in real life? Not even close.

Although God knew the thought of a three-way with Hunter and Jay had her perspiring. It had her heart smacking against her ribs so hard she feared it might cause permanent damage. And damn it, it had her knickers so wet the evidence might well show through her jeans.

With more reluctance than she would have liked, she drew away from Hunter’s kiss. “Stop,” she whispered. “Please.”

Her breasts ached, and her stomach rolled with rebellious anger. Her head might be telling her one thing, but her body spoke a very different language.

Brown eyes stared intently at her. The same brown eyes that seemed to look into her soul whenever they talked. “You sure that’s what you want?” Hunter asked.

Jay’s lips trailed delicious sparks down the back of her neck, making her shiver.

“N-no. I’m not at all sure,” she admitted, and was rewarded with a hand skimming the side of her breast. She closed her eyes as extreme pleasure fluttered through her chest. Whose touch it was, she couldn’t fathom. Either of them would have set off the same reaction. “But I can’t do this. It…it’s not right.”

“It’s…different, perhaps,” Jay said. “But it’s as right as you want it to be.” He nipped her earlobe one final time, and then he too stepped aside, freeing Julia from her exquisite prison.

She moved away from the men, her steps shaky and uncertain. How could two men seducing her, together, be right? Even if she did love them both?

Because it feels incredible, her body answered, still talking a different language from her head.

Yes, her head agreed. It felt bloody fantastic. But still, two men? At the same time. Uh-uh. She couldn’t do it.

Without saying a word, she grabbed her denim jacket and car keys and walked to the front door. She knew she’d left her winnings but couldn’t face going back for them.

“Four Eyes?” Hunter stopped her. She turned to face him. His bottomless brown eyes brimmed with desire. “It’s not true,” he told her, while Jay opened the door, making it clear he wouldn’t prevent her from leaving. “Men don’t give a shit whether girls wear glasses.”

“I cannot believe it.”

Julia cringed.

“Both of them?” Kim stared at her, perplexed.

“Don’t look at me like that. It was just a kiss.” Yeah, and the pope was just a priest.

“A kiss?” Her sister raised her eyebrow.

“Okay, a few kisses.” Julia studied her nails. “Is that so terrible?” God, she hoped no one could hear their conversation. The coffee shop they sat in was small, and other customers need only prick up their ears to listen in on them.

Kim set her cappuccino down on the saucer. “I don’t know. Is it?”

“Shit,” Julia bit out in frustration. “You’re supposed to be helping me out, not questioning me. Give me some big-sisterly advice.”

Kim looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry. You just, er, surprised me.”

“Yeah, well Jay and Hunter surprised me.” There was the understatement of the century.

Damn, she’d spent four months with the men, teasing and flirting. What had changed? Why had Hunter suddenly upped the stakes? What had inspired him to kiss her?

What if he’d never touched her? Would Jay have shown her his hand? Would he have taken the initiative and kissed her? And if he had, would Hunter have pushed him out of the way to lay his wager, like Jay had?

Did it matter? The cards had been dealt. Both Hunter and Jay had expressed their interest. The rules had changed. The game was different. The only question Julia was left with was did she still want to play?

“Please, help me,” she begged her sister. “Tell me what to do about it.”

“Hmmm…” Kim thought out loud. “Have you spoken to them since Friday?”

“I’m kind of doing my best to avoid them.” No way could she face either of them yet. “Jay phoned a few times to meet for lunch, but I made up excuses so I wouldn’t have to see him.” The last time he’d phoned, she’d stammered out some garbage about not being able to take time off work for lunch and still keep up her call rate, what with Christmas just around the corner.

“You can run, Jules,” Jay had told her with a husky laugh, “but you can’t hide.” He’d hung up, leaving Julia shaken and aroused.

“How about Hunter?” Kim asked.

Julia’s skin grew hot at the very mention of his name. “He’s phoned too.” Which was out of character for him. “But I was too chicken to answer his calls, so I texted back saying I’d see him at poker tonight.”

“Brave of you,” Kim said sarcastically.

“Hey, you kiss two men you have the hots for, at the same time, and then let’s talk about brave.”

“Russell might protest,” Kim pointed out.

Julia pulled a face. “See, you’re lucky. Being married and all, you don’t have to worry about these things.”

Kim frowned. “Even when I wasn’t married I never found myself in a situation like this.”

“I didn’t tell you about Friday night so you could get all righteous with me,” Julia snapped. “I’ve never been in a situation like this either. I thought you might be able to offer some sage advice.”

Kim laughed. “You’re talking to the Queen of Conservative here. Why on earth do you think I’d have any wise words of wisdom?”

Julia eyed her with an evil grin. “Because you’re weren’t always the Queen of Conservatism, Miss I-slept-with-three-different-guys-in-one-week Savage.”