Skin Deep (16 page)

The stranger (Jackson, apparently) grinned
back at Luke, replying, “I know, man, but damnit! I was not
expecting to see that much of you, you fucking fiend!” He glanced
my way, winking at me and I gasped in outrage.

What the hell was wrong with these
people?

Luke and Jackson continued with their
reunion, ignoring me as I sat quietly on the couch. I sighed, got
up and grabbed my clothes, and headed down the hall to find the
bathroom.

Chapter 11

An hour later I was sitting at the kitchen
table, my chin resting on my hand as I listened to Luke and Jackson
trading tales back and forth. I had found the downstairs bathroom,
but not before I found Brandon’s bedroom (which looked like a
disaster area), and I had put my jeans and panties back on,
choosing to keep Luke’s shirt on instead of changing back into
mine. Brandon was due back any time now, and I was hoping it would
be soon so I could talk him into carving pumpkins with me, since
Luke had obviously forgotten that I was there.

Jackson was talking to Luke, and they both
were laughing. I took a moment to study him. He was hot, definitely
another stack of deliciousness. He was about six-four, broad
shouldered, and fit, with soft, deep brown eyes framed by long
lashes that did nothing to detract from his masculinity, close
cropped black hair, tanned skin, and the cutest dimple in his cheek
when he smiled that gave him a boyish air.

I figured that I should be embarrassed
because, hello, he definitely caught us in the act! But honestly,
they hadn’t paid any attention to me since Jackson had winked at me
by the door. I sighed and then gave a weak smile when I realized
that they were both staring at me.

“Bored, Emma?” Luke asked, smiling at me, his
eyes dancing. “Sorry, baby, I’ve been rude. Jackson is an old
friend of mine from high school. We were inseparable back in
the

day but I haven’t seen his sorry ass in a
while!”

“Hi, Emma. So nice to meet you,” Jackson
said, his voice deep and even toned. “Forgive me for intruding
earlier. I wanted to surprise Luke, but I think I’m the one who was
surprised!” He started laughing and Luke joined in, apparently not
embarrassed in the least at being caught with his pants down.
Literally.

I felt myself blush and sighed in relief when
Brandon walked through the door, Doug hot on his heels. I jumped up
out of my seat and ran to Brandon, who took a step back at my
exuberance.

“Hey!” I crowed at him, “Ready to carve
pumpkins?” I knew I sounded like a kid, but Halloween was one of my
favorite holidays. My other was Christmas, but I think that’s a
given. Who doesn’t like presents? I have no shame, I’m a present
whore.

Brandon grinned at me, nodding his head and
saying, “Yeah. Sounds good, just let me change.” He took off toward
his bedroom and I wondered how long it would take him to find
something in there. If he could…

“Emma?” Luke said behind me.

I turned around slowly, not sure I was ready
to face them again. I raised a questioning brow at him.

Luke was standing right behind me and he slid
his arms around me, kissing me lightly on my lips. “Jacks is going
to stay here for a few nights, so are you cool with us sleeping
here rather than your place?”

“Oh, no, Luke, you don’t have to worry about
that. You guys can stay here and hang out. You haven’t seen each
other in a while and I’ve got to go to my mom’s tomorrow. We’ll
just carve pumpkins and, if you don’t mind, you can run me home and
then spend some time with Jackson.”

Luke’s face went hard. “Emma, you aren’t
leaving. I want you in my arms, in my bed tonight, sugar, and I’m
getting’ inside you again, too. We’re not done.”

I shivered at his words, but kept my mouth
shut. I didn’t want to argue in front of Jackson and Brandon, who
had found something to change into a lot quicker than I would have
thought. They were grinning at each other and doing the same manly
display of affection that Luke and Jackson had engaged in earlier.
I shook my head.

Luke found some newspaper and we spread it
out on the table before plunking the pumpkins down on it and
divvying up the carving tools. Brandon and I argued over my
pumpkin. It was one I had picked out specifically for myself
because it was the perfect carving shape, and Brandon knew it, too.
He tried bribing me with everything under the sun to get my
pumpkin, but I wasn’t budging. Nu-uh, no way, no how!

Then we argued over the designs we each were
going to do. I was nice and gave Luke first pick, and, after
offering Jackson one of the smaller pumpkins I had picked out, gave
him second pick, which pissed Brandon off again. At least until
Jackson declined a design pattern, simply stating that he wanted to
free hand it.

Brandon crowed in glee and grabbed the book
from my hand; I didn’t fight him. Then I laughed until I thought I
would piss myself when I pulled out the second book we had gotten
at the store and calmly flipped to the design I had already picked
out for myself. Brandon saw the book and, like a five year old,
yelled, “Cheater! Luke! Emma’s

cheating!”

Luke just shook his head and laughed.

Brandon shut up real quick as I picked up the
long sharp knife I had gotten out of their kitchen to cut the lid
holes in the pumpkins and pointed it at him. (Which is a no-no,
kids. Do as I say, not as I do!)

Carving pumpkins is messy, and even more so
when Jackson and Brandon are involved. That’s why, two hours later
when we were standing outside looking at the pumpkins all in a row
along the front porch, each glowing brightly from a small votive
candle in its belly, we were all (and I mean all) covered in
pumpkin guts. Doug looked like he had an orange spaghetti wig on
top of his head, Brandon’s face was orange (Ha! Served him right
for putting pumpkin in my hair), and both Luke and Jackson had
pieces of pumpkin and seeds stuck to them everywhere. The kitchen
looked like the pumpkins had exploded and we Rock, Paper,
Scissor-ed to see who would get stuck with cleanup. Fortunately for
me, Jackson was the one who actually lost and now has to clean the
mess. He tried to play the guest card, and he would have gotten
away with it if Luke hadn’t reminded me that he was actually the
one who started the pumpkin fight.

We all headed inside to clean up, Jackson
tackling the kitchen first, Brandon heading to the downstairs
shower, while Luke pulled me upstairs, gave me another one of his
shirts to wear, and then got me naked in the shower. No, we didn’t
have shower sex, because we were supposed to meet Jackson and
Brandon back downstairs for pizza, beer, and maybe a movie. But I
was still hopeful to experience that one.

Luke threw my clothes into the washer with
theirs when we got downstairs, and I folded myself onto the couch
with a light flannel blanket covering my bare legs, leaning into
Luke’s side. Brandon had ran into town to pick up the pizza and
grab some beer, and Jackson was finally in the shower downstairs.
Luke was flipping through the channels on the tv when I heard my
cell phone ringing in the bottom of my purse, which was sitting on
the coffee table. I grabbed it and answered without looking at the
caller display before they could hang up.

“Hello?”

“What’s up, Em? How’s tricks, woman?” The
voice was slurred and I pulled the phone back from my ear to look
at the number. It wasn’t one I recognized.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“What? You don’t know your man’s voice? Wha’
tha fuck, Emmy?”

It clicked in my head then. It was Douche Bag
Brad. Why the hell was he calling me?

“What do you want, Brad?” I asked shortly. I
felt Luke tense beside me.

“How’s about you come over here and be a good
lil’ girl like you’re s’posed to? I got things that need tendin’
to, woman. And pick up some beer on your way and maybe I’ll be nice
and fuck you.”

“Brad, we broke up a year ago. You slept with
your next door neighbor and I caught you two in bed, at which time
you told me I was a whore and then called me a frigid bitch. You’re
drunk, lose my number, and fuck you.” I hung up and powered my
phone off.

I could feel Luke’s gaze boring into me, so I
turned to look at him. I held up my hand, stopping him as he opened
his mouth to speak. “That was Douche Bag Brad, my ex. I don’t know
why he’s calling me now, he hasn’t changed, and I want nothing to
do with him.”

“So what exactly was he saying to you?” Luke
asked, his voice quietly menacing.

“Well, I guess he wanted me to come bring him
beer, and be a good little woman like he always expected me to be.
And then he told me he’d fuck me if I was a good girl,” I told him,
my voice flat.

Luke’s eyes flashed and his lips tightened
even more before he asked, “Was he always like that with you? Do as
your told? Be a good girl? And are you serious about him calling
you frigid?” His voice rose in disbelief. “You are the furthest
thing from frigid!”

I shrugged and nodded my head at him.

“Why did you stay with him then? You’re so
much better than that, sugar.”

“He was good to me at first. We met when I
was in college, he took me out on the most romantic date I’d ever
been on, treated me like I was really special. I didn’t realize
that he was just reeling me in until it was too late; I fell for
it, hook, line, and sinker. Things were good for a while, then he
turned into some archaic caveman who wandered around thumping his
chest, grunting ‘me he-man, you my bitch’ to me all the time.” I
shrugged my shoulders again, shaking my head at my own
stupidity.

“God, what a douche bag,” Luke muttered.

“Yeah, that’s why I call him Douche Bag Brad.
He snapped his fingers at me and expected me to jump…literally. And
then I came home one day and caught him in bed with the neighbor.
And I’m sure you heard what he told me after that,” I replied.
“It’s so weird that he called me out of the blue like that. I
haven’t talked to him in a very long time, and I for damn sure
don’t want anything to do with him! Okay?”

“Okay, Emma, but I’m telling you what. He, or
anyone for that matter, talks to you like that again, I will hunt
him down and hand him his balls personally.” Luke’s tone was
menacing, his face hard.

In the silence that followed Luke’s
statement, Jackson’s voice rang out, yelling, “Holy fuck, dog!
That’s not yours! Get out, get the fuck out!”

Luke and I looked at each other and busted
out laughing, the tension permeating the room dissolving
immediately. We were still chuckling when Jackson emerged from the
bathroom (bare-chested, barefoot, and jeans undone, oh my!) glaring
at the lab trotting happily by his side. When he came into the
living room, he moved his glare to Luke. “Your dog…” he growled,
“there’s something wrong with him. I think he’s gay! I stepped out
of the shower to dry off and he tried to lick my dick! He did lick
my thigh, but what the fuck, man?”

Luke burst out laughing again. “He was trying
to get the water droplets, you ass! He used to push the door to the
bathroom open when he was a puppy and when I’d step out, he’d go
crazy trying to lick the water off my feet and legs. He quit doing
it, mainly because we learned to keep the doors tightly shut so he
couldn’t get in, but you must not have latched the door!”

We were still laughing at him when Brandon
walked in the door, balancing three large pizza boxes and a case of
beer. I jumped up from the couch to help, tugging Luke’s shirt down
my thighs so I didn’t give anyone a show.

A few minutes later, we all had platefuls of
pizza and ice cold beer, and Brandon was putting a movie in. We
argued over which one we were going to watch, and finally all
agreed on No Strings Attached, which the guys all said was really
funny, but I hadn’t seen it yet. Luke lounged in the corner of the
couch and I sat beside him. Brandon took the overstuffed armchair,
plopping his feet up on the coffee table, Doug jumped on the love
seat and sprawled out, and Jackson was left with the remaining spot
on the couch on the other side of me. He clearly wasn’t going to go
anywhere near Doug to fight for a seat!

We ate, drank, and watched the movie,
laughing at parts, but holy mother of hotness! There was a lot, and
I mean a lot, of sex scenes!

About halfway through the movie, our empty
plates were stacked on the table and we had worked our way through
almost all the beer. I was leaned into Luke’s side, my feet curled
up beside me on the couch. Brandon was stretched out in the chair
still, and Jackson was lounging back in the opposite corner of the
couch. My legs were starting to get stiff from sitting curled up
and I began to stretch them out. I accidentally kicked Jackson’s
thigh, glancing at him to apologize, but he just shrugged and
grabbed both my feet, pulling them into his lap. My body twisted
and my back ended up pressed against Luke, his arm still wrapped
around my shoulders, and Jackson started rubbing my feet.

I tensed and began to pull my legs back, but
Luke snuggled me closer to his chest, glanced over at Jackson,
shrugged, and smiled down at me before turning back to the movie.
It took a while, but I finally relaxed as Jackson’s hands worked
magically over my feet and ankles, and Luke’s heat seeped into me
as he lightly ran his fingertips up and down my arm. I closed my
eyes, so warm and comfy, and must have dozed off.

I woke up a while later, not sure what time
it was until I saw the digital clock on the cable box. It was
almost three a.m. The tv had been turned off and the lights were
all out, and in the faint glow of the clock, I could make out the
empty chair where Brandon had been sitting. I stretched a bit
before closing my eyes again, enjoying the warmth of Luke
surrounding me. I was on my side, curled between Luke’s legs with
my cheek resting against his chest as he half-reclined on the
couch. My hand was pressed to his chest by my cheek and my other
arm was wrapped around his waist behind his back against the arm of
the couch.