Men Times Three (6 page)

Marnie was driven to succeed. Obviously she expected the same drive in a man she was interested in. But to assume that because he'd chosen to build a business on the Peninsula he was somehow lacking, piqued his pride.

He hated that pride would get in his way, but there it was.

She'd dangled herself like a carrot all day and the move with his fingertip had been the clincher.

After dinner, he'd noticed a slight flush to her cheeks and her nipples on high beam. Then he'd realized that she wanted the byplay, the press and retreat, the game, as it were.

So, was he up for a full-court press? Damn straight.

He turned the door handle and walked in.

T
J stepped into his guest bedroom and closed the door behind him. Marnie yelped and scrambled to a sitting position with her back to the headboard. “What are you doing?”

“You want to be in control of where and when with us?” He pressed his back to the door because if he moved so much as one more inch into the room, he'd lose this round. To a woman like Marnie, winning was more important than sex, or need or attraction. If she won now, he'd be nothing but a convenient partner.

He would not be relegated to
convenience
.

The pretty skin of her neck flushed as she gathered the sheet to cover her breasts, just visible in the gloom. He caught a scent exotically, erotically, hers. The burn of need thrashed him, nearly bringing him to his knees.

But the door at his back grounded him as he squeezed the doorknob in both hands.

“Get out. This is private.” Her fevered glance slid down his waist to his crotch. “I'm a guest, not a convenience for your pleasure.” But her knees were still splayed open and with her right leg still exposed. A rhythmic rocking screamed invitation.

“I would say the same to you. But you're a tease and I'm not.” To succumb would be so damn easy, so fun for both of them. “Question is, what should I do about it?”

“Do what you want.” She lifted a four-inch silver vibrator into the air and turned it on. Hypnotic buzzing filled the space between them.

He waited to see if she'd lift the sheets and continue, but her eyes took on a hard gleam of daring and he laughed. If he walked out right now, this moment, he'd win.

She'd lose.

And that would make her nuts.

“Think I'll take a shower,” he said. “Just so you know where to find me.”

He walked out, leaving the door open as he moved down the hall, fighting his raging hard-on all the way. The slam of the door made him grin.

Soon, she'd come to him and plead. Maybe even beg.

If the pressure in his balls didn't kill him first.

With a cock as hard as iron, he could barely slide his jeans off. There was only one thing to do if he wanted any sleep tonight. He didn't need an appliance, not when he had the five sisters.

He turned on the water in the shower stall and stepped in. Warm water sluiced down his body, washing away the grime of the day. He bent his head into the spray as he soaped up. When he got to his cock and balls, he nearly spewed immediately. An image of Marnie slid sexy and hot through his mind and he went back to her on her knees in front of him behind the registration counter. Except this time, the outcome was more in keeping with what he wanted. She smiled and gripped his cock with a firm hand then slid her mouth down, down, down until he felt the back of her soft throat. He groaned and increased his strokes as her mouth worked his shaft. She took his sac and squeezed until he shot deep into her wet, hot throat. He had to slam his hand on the cool tile to stay upright while he shot a full load into the pulsing jet of water. Shudders racked his body while he came.

When he was done, he turned off the water and hoped to hell this was the last time he'd have to take care of himself. He was damned tired of coming alone.

As he dried himself and walked through his dark room to climb into bed, he heard Marnie's steady descent down the stairs.

Naked, he walked to his door and opened it a crack to see what new torture she was bringing to the game. He could just make her out as she walked through his great room and into the kitchen. The fridge door opened and the light made her body glow. Straight square shoulders, fine trim waist, long legs. She wore the short robe again.

She helped herself to a small glass of milk by the fridge light, drank it quickly then rinsed the glass and set it in the sink.

He breathed deep into his lungs and held it while she drifted absently back up the stairs and down the hall to her room, apparently unaware of him watching. Apparently unaware, but probably fully aware, as he was of her.

Then he headed back into the shower for round two.

 

The next morning, edgy and out of sorts, TJ stood in the checkout line at the hardware store. He'd left Marnie at the inn, deep in a phone conversation with some guy named Dennis. Something about her club. They were apparently in the midst of a staffing crisis and she'd been laying it on pretty thick that it was Dennis's turn to step up and handle things in her absence.

An unreliable partner. He wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. The stress of covering for him, doubting his word, double-checking his work, putting out fires he'd made, all of it sucked. Working with family wasn't ideal, not by a long shot, but having Deke home, even as broken as he was, was better than being on his own. Eli would settle down soon enough. A good woman would anchor him.

As long as Eli met his woman on the Peninsula, everything TJ wanted for him and his brothers would come to pass. Full-on partnerships in O'Banion Construction. Homes and families would come along in time and their lives would build into something of lasting value.

When his turn to cash out came, he slid two boxes of security lights on the counter at the front of the hardware store.

“G'morning, Thomas John. Lighting up the night?” He was caught midthought by Alice, one of the local single women. She grinned, overbite gleaming in the fluorescent lights overhead.

“The Friendly Inn's had some late-night partying since Jon died. Now that we're working there, I don't want my equipment vandalized the way they've ruined the interior.” He shook his head in disgust and Alice clicked her tongue in sympathy.

“You're finally adding those cabins?”

He nodded and handed over his credit card. He waited, knowing she'd wind herself up, wishing she wouldn't.

“I hear the old man cut all his kids out of his will and left it to someone in the city.” She leaned in close. “That's not all I heard.”

He steeled himself. Right here, in this moment, listening to her giggle in anticipation of sharing her insight, was the reason Alice was off-limits. He held a distinct dislike for stupid women. He let the muscles in his face drop to blank. She didn't even notice, just barreled on, listening to her own voice.

In the typically gleeful voice reserved for the juiciest gossip, she kept to a stage whisper. “I hear he left it to a group of lesbians and that they're going to move in. Think they'll bring a bunch of gays here? Huh? What d'ya think?” Her avid expression turned his stomach. For a moment he wished what she said were true.

“I think that's as true as the last rumor I heard. That the place was haunted by the bodies of
thousands
of hitchhikers old Jon had cut up in the woods behind his house.”

Her off-colored eyes went wide with shock. “Really? Is that what that old man was up to?”

“Know what else I think?”
Alice should have hitched a ride with the old man.

Avid Alice paused, caught by the image of Jon slicing and dicing innocent kids.

“I think you should take payment for these lights and let me get back to work.” He forced his jaw to unclench. “Alice.”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

Barry Fogarty snickered behind him and TJ cut him a glance. The snickering stopped. Barry always was a dickhead.

On his way out the door, he felt the unmistakable relief of seeing Marnie again. Not only was she unbelievably easy on the eyes, she was smart and witty. Being with her made his steps lighter and his day brighter. And God, what a challenge she'd become. He hadn't had this much fun with a woman outside of bed in, well…since that summer with Marnie nearly fifteen years ago.

He wondered what she'd think of Alice and the inane chatter that made up most of his days in town. Putting Marnie in a place like this seemed a sacrilege.

Some women were meant to live in the thick of things, in high-powered careers and stilettos. Marnie was one of them. Which meant even if they did share some good times, she'd be gone and he'd be here.

Shit.

He opened his truck door, but Barry called his name. He might be a dickhead, but they'd made a lot of money together over the years, so he turned and plastered a welcoming smile on his face.

Barry hustled over. “God, that Alice can talk. Sucks a good dick, though.” He slipped his hands in his pocket and adjusted himself. “Maybe I should head back in?” He chuckled.

TJ waited, trying to blank out the image of Alice and her overbite sliding over Barry's distended skinny cock. Sometimes high school gym showers gave a guy too much information.

But the whole thing made him think of getting head.
Marnie.
“Not a bad idea, Barry. Alice always liked you and right now, she's peeking out the door. If you hurry you might get lucky.”

Barry actually jumped and turned to look while TJ laughed and climbed into his truck. Christ, he just wanted to get out of here. Normally, he was fine with the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the people he'd known all his life.

But not today. Not when Marnie was at the inn and his workday had just begun. He shouldn't have left Deke there with her. His brother wasn't blind. Any red-blooded male would want to take a crack at Marnie. And Deke, with his new plan to
fuck 'em all
, may just go for it.

Barry put a hand on his truck door and stopped him from closing it. “You going to have any work for me this summer?”

Barry ran a painting crew, and since construction starts were down, he was suffering. “Probably. I'll let you know.” He'd sit the cousins down this evening and talk about the plans for the cabins and his schedule for completion. He wasn't sure of the details of the will, but if he got two-thirds of the owners to agree, then that should probably be enough.

If he could think straight with Marnie in the room.

He nodded a good-bye to Barry and backed out of his spot. He chuckled when he saw Barry glance left and right before he reentered the hardware store. It looked as if he really was hoping Alice would oblige the way she always had in high school.

She must be pretty good at blow jobs by now; she'd certainly had enough practice.

 

The racket outside the inn was unbelievable. All morning while she worked in the great room, earth movers shook the foundations of the building, roaring and chugging out back. No birds tweeted, no squirrels scurried, no deer came to graze the way Marnie remembered.

TJ and Deke were in their glory as they tore out the massive stumps left behind by the tragedy they called progress. So okay, it was a churlish thought, but who could blame her?

TJ had rushed in here unbeknownst to the family and started a project of which they'd had no prior knowledge. The whole thing smacked of underhanded greed.

Midswipe, she shifted her shoulders because the weight of the idea didn't settle well. A man who'd challenged her to a duel of wills in a blatant need for dominance over their sexual relationship wasn't underhanded. He'd made an agreement with Grandad and he had honored it. To TJ O'Banion, it was simple. To her, his honoring an agreement with a dead man was a disaster.

Damn it. Holly seemed not to mind about the cabins in the least, which irritated her all over again.

Irritated, frustrated. Horny. She really needed to make up her mind how she felt about the construction, and about TJ. Why he hadn't just slipped into bed with her last night was beyond her understanding. She didn't know of any other man who would be able to resist.

Irritated, frustrated and horny didn't begin to cover her mixed-up feelings for TJ. So mixed up in fact, that after he'd eased out of her room last night, she'd put away her toy. The fun had gone out of the whole evening when he hadn't taken the bait.

She wanted to deny that the land out back should be developed. With only ten rooms to let, the inn was a joke. With development of resorts rampant around the world, a tiny inn had no hope of competing. Ten rooms wouldn't support one person let alone the three cousins.

To buy out Dennis she'd need a sizable chunk of money. That wouldn't come her way with a one-third split on a too small, dilapidated inn with a clear-cut out back.

Traitorous thoughts intruded as she climbed down from her step stool. If those cabins were built with half the skill she'd seen in TJ's magnificent home last night, then guests would flock to visit the Friendly Inn
and Resort
.

No way. She refused to entertain the notion of adding
resort
to the name of the property. To build a proper resort, they'd need to add a spa, a pool, maybe a string of horses for riding, wireless Internet in the rooms and a hot tub on a private deck. Not to mention more than three tiny cabins.

She would not let ambition get the better of her here. She had plenty of ambition for BackLit.

She would not let TJ O'Banion get the better of her, either. He'd watched her from his bedroom door when she'd gone downstairs for a glass of milk. She'd felt the heat of his stare as she'd moved down the stairs and across the great room. She was sorry she'd slipped her robe on. If she'd been naked, he might have stepped out into the hall. He might have followed her to the kitchen, kissed the nape of her neck, cupped her breast and made her shiver when his hand slid to her pussy. She shivered now, just thinking of it.

She rubbed the back of her neck and felt the sheen of perspiration. TJ O'Banion had her on a low sexual boil.

Last night she'd wanted to turn toward his room and capitulate, but pride had come to her rescue. She'd kept her head and had a fitful night with disturbed dreams of TJ wrapping her up in his arms and holding her against her will.

She shivered with nerves at the memory. She wasn't into bondage, so what could the dream mean? What weird thoughts and emotions was her subconscious attempting to sort through?

She rarely recalled her dreams. Most of them were mundane, colorless things, mere meanderings through her daily chores.