The Office Slave (Erotic - Red Hot Fantasies) (6 page)

"Oh, God," she whimpered.

He tugged down the other cup, exposing her
second nipple to the cool air, then covered it with his mouth and
sucked. His fingers found the first nipple, still slick with his
saliva. He toyed with it, sending wild spikes of sensation through
her, shooting straight to her pussy.

This man-this
stranger
-was licking
and… oh, God, sucking, on her nipple. Leaving her trembling in
need.

by Opal Carew

How far would you go for a taste of
ecstasy?

Crystal never dreamed her engagement would
end this way. With her fiancé breaking her heart the day of the
wedding…and the best man stepping in to mend it. Now she's about to
embark on her dream honeymoon with the sinfully sexy best man.

But when the groom shows up determined to
win her back, she ends up in a highly unusual situation…on a
honeymoon for three.

Caught between two gorgeous
guys
—
each determined to win her hand by showing her the most
pleasure
—
Crystal has an impossible decision to make. Who
will she end up with once the honeymoon is over? And how can she
follow her heart when it belongs to two men at once?.

Chapter 1

Evan watched Crystal walk down the stairs in
her satin gown, her face glowing, and his heart compressed. God,
but he loved her. His hands shook at the thought she'd be uttering
her wedding vows in front of a minister and a huge congregation of
family and friends in a very short time.

Too short a time.

He'd spent all last night thinking about it.
Realizing this was his last chance. If he didn't do something now,
then the events that had been so long in the planning would
proceed, and the future would be set.

And he would be miserable.

He had to talk to her. He had to tell her
how he felt. Explain why he hadn't told her sooner. Why he was
ruining her wedding day. And probably ruining their relationship
forever.

But he had to do something. Because in less
than an hour she would marry another man—Evan's best friend.

And Evan couldn't let that happen without
speaking up and telling her how much he loved her. Because maybe .
. . just maybe . . . she felt the same way about him.

No matter what Evan did, his friendship with
Brent was probably over. And certainly, if Crystal turned Evan down
. . .
oh, God, please don't let her turn me down
. . .
things would always be strained between them. But he had to know.
He could not spend the rest of his life regretting not telling her.
Not at least reaching out for the happiness he so desired. Being
with the only woman he had ever loved.

She laughed at something her older sister,
Renee, said to her, then they both disappeared into the study. The
wedding was taking place at her family home, a big old sprawling
house on the lake, with a couple of acres surrounding it. The groom
wouldn't arrive for another thirty minutes, so Evan knew he had to
make his move now.

Damn it, he wished he'd talked to her
sooner. He'd had months to speak up, but he hadn't wanted to do
anything to hurt his friendship with Brent or to potentially hurt
Crystal's happiness. But as the wedding had drawn nearer, he'd
realized that his happiness was every bit as important as Brent's.
And Crystal deserved to know how Evan felt about her. She might
turn him down, but at least she would be offered the choice. If she
chose Brent, Evan would understand, no matter how much it shattered
his chance at happiness. He would respect her choice. But he had to
at least offer that choice.

His hands shook and he curled them into
fists. Renee left the study and Evan took a step forward. For a
split second, thoughts of abandoning this insane idea flashed
through his brain, but he quelled them and took another step, then
another, until he was almost at the door.

"Hey, Evan. You look absolutely dashing in
that tux."

His gaze shot to Renee, who walked toward
the door with a glass of water in her hand.

"Uh . . . are you taking that in to
Crystal?" he asked, feeling like an idiot asking the obvious.

She grinned. "Yeah. You know, you look as
nervous as the groom probably does."

"It's a big day," he said, repeating what
he'd heard echoed around him all morning.

He'd been here for two hours helping to set
up and hoping to get a chance to talk to Crystal, but she'd been
off to the hairdresser, then holed up in her room getting ready. He
had never intended to leave it to the final moments to talk to
her.

"Do you mind if I take it in?" he asked. "I
wanted to talk to her before things begin."

"Want to wish her luck?" She handed him the
glass. "Sure, go ahead. I'll go find the bouquets and distribute
the boutonnieres to the guys."

"Great. Thanks."

Renee turned and headed toward the big
country kitchen at the front of the house.

Evan sucked in a deep breath, then knocked
on the door.

* * *

Crystal stared out the sliding doors that led
to the large wooden deck overlooking the lake outside. She'd grown
up in this house, enjoyed the pleasures of living in a big rambling
home with lots of room to play with her friends and her three
siblings, all older than her.

Sunlight glittered on the rippling water. It
was a beautiful day for a wedding.

Her wedding. She could hardly believe
it.

Soon she and Brent would be husband and
wife. She smiled at the thought of walking down the makeshift
aisle, among all her friends and family, and joining with the man
she loved. And she had loved Brent for a long time. She couldn't
believe this day was finally here.

Her stomach quivered, and she patted it.
Nerves. Not due to second thoughts about the life-altering events
of today. She just worried that something might go wrong. Of
course, that was every bride's fear, but it kept niggling at her no
matter how much she tried to brush it aside.

A knock sounded at the door. Renee would be
returning with water, but she wouldn't knock. Could it be Brent? As
much as she'd love to see his smiling face, it was bad luck for the
groom to see the bride before the wedding. That's why she'd asked
her mother's friend and neighbor, Georgia, if Brent and his sister,
Lily, could stay at her house last night.

"Yes?" she asked, not willing to risk
answering the door.

"Crystal, it's Evan. May I come in?"

She smiled. Evan. He was Brent's best
friend, and over the past two years, she had gotten to know him
well. He was a real sweetheart. And sexy as all get-out, but she
felt guilty for even noticing that.

Geez, I'm not dead. There's nothing wrong
with noticing. It's doing something about it that's wrong.

The door opened and Evan peered into the
room. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

God, he was gorgeous. And every time she got
near him, her insides quivered. She patted her stomach again.

It's okay to notice. It really is okay to
notice.
That had almost become a mantra for her. So she felt an
attraction to Evan? She
loved
Brent. And that wouldn't
change, no matter how many men made her heart go pitter-pat.

She'd just thought that once she found her
true love, the pitter-pat thing wouldn't happen anymore. But this
was the real world, not storybook land. The reality was that an
attractive man could make her take notice.

But she loved Brent.

"I brought you this." Evan handed her a
glass of water. "Renee was bringing it to you."

"Thanks." She took the glass from his hand,
ignoring the ripple of awareness that quivered through her when
their fingers touched.

It's okay to notice.

* * *

Evan's stomach twisted, but he had no time to
let nerves slow him down. If he started thinking about how close he
and Brent were, how much damage this would do to their deep
friendship, then he knew he'd back down. But he had to do this. For
the
good
of their relationship. If this went unspoken
between him and Crystal, it would eat away at him and their
friendship until it all fell apart.

"I . . . uh . . . wanted to talk to you, if
you've got a few minutes. I mean, I know the wedding starts soon,
but—"

Another knock sounded at the door.

"Yes?" Crystal said.

Renee popped her head in the door. "Crystal,
Mom wants to go over some details with you again, and Dad's anxious
to use the den. I think he wants a quick drink before the ceremony.
He's nervous . . . it's so cute. I think I can hold Mom off—they're
things you've been over a dozen times already—but I suggest you
make yourself scarce or you'll keep being interrupted." She smiled
brightly. "Maybe take a walk. That'll keep you calm and
relaxed."

"In my dress?"

Renee came into the room with a robe draped
over her arm and dangled a pair of sandals in front of her. "I
would think you'd be more concerned about those high heels, so I
brought you these, and a robe." She closed the door behind her.

"I'll walk with you, if that's all right,"
Evan said.

He would be more comfortable—or rather, less
uncomfortable—talking to her about this somewhere other than her
family home.

"That's a great idea. You can run
interference." Renee turned and winked at him, as though they
shared a secret.

Damn, did she know? He'd met Renee once in
San Diego, when she'd come to visit Crystal, then he'd spent a
little time with her over the past week while he and Brent had been
staying in her home town of Emerald Haven. Had she somehow figured
out his feelings for Crystal?

"I wouldn't mind getting some fresh air,"
Crystal said, "but Evan has to be here when Brent arrives and—"

Renee waved away her words. "That's almost
half an hour from now. Don't worry about it. Just go for your
walk."

Crystal glanced at Evan, but Renee just
smiled. "Evan, turn around, okay?"

Evan felt his face drain of color as he
realized Crystal was going to strip off her wedding gown right here
in the same room as him. He turned around as instructed. The sound
of her zipper gliding down, then the rustle of fabric, made his
breath come quicker.

"Okay, done," Renee said. "You can turn
around again."

Evan turned to see Crystal now wearing a
long white satin robe and sandals.

* * *

Crystal watched Renee hang her gown on the
satin hanger she'd brought with her, then turned to Evan. "Okay,
let's go."

She followed him to the sliding doors in the
den that led to the deck so they could slip away without being
pulled into last minute preparations. As she stepped outside, the
soft breeze brushed across her cheek and she breathed in the fresh
air. The house was filled with the aroma of bacon left over from
the big breakfast Mom had prepared for everyone this morning, so it
felt good to clear her lungs.

"Renee's right. If Mom sees me, she'll start
asking all kinds of questions, because that's what Mom does. She
wants everything to be perfect, so she fusses over every detail."
She lifted the skirt of her robe as she walked along the wooden
deck.

Evan took her hand as she approached the
stairway, which she appreciated as she negotiated the six steps
while lifting the long robe so she wouldn't trip. The robe was
actually Renee's, so it was a little big on her. Finally she
reached the bottom, then stepped onto the granite patio. Her dad
had built the patio himself, with the help of her and her brother
Tim. Not that they'd been that much help, at only seven and ten,
but they'd tried, and Dad seemed to love having them underfoot.

As they walked across the lawn toward the
water, she realized Evan hadn't let go of her hand yet. And it felt
nice enveloped in his.

Too nice.

She tried to draw it away, then stumbled on
the robe. He tightened his hold as he steadied her. He was leading
her to her favorite place. Nestled in the trees, overlooking the
water, it was a perfect place to find solitude and think things
over. She'd shown it to Brent and Evan this week while taking them
around her childhood haunts.

But going there now with Evan . . . alone .
. .

Her stomach fluttered again. Nerves for
sure, but something more bothered her. Because her insides hinted
that she'd love to do more than talk to Evan right now.

As they stepped through the opening between
the trees, the thought shocked her.

She loved Brent. Why did her body always
react this way to Evan? And why would her thoughts turn to how
exciting it would be to feel his full lips on hers? To be held in
his arms?

At first, she'd been sure it was just
because she feared the same thing happening that had happened when
she'd first met Brent. It had been in college when she'd been
engaged to someone from back home. She'd felt guilty about the
attraction she'd felt for Brent, even though she'd never acted on
it. Right after graduation, she and Gary got married, but the
marriage didn't last very long. She came to realize that her
feelings for Gary had been more a desire to keep a connection with
home than they were for the man. And Gary must have felt the same,
because he'd been more than happy to throw in the towel on their
marriage. She'd moved to San Diego to start a new life. Crystal had
looked Brent up right after the divorce finalized and discovered
that what she'd always felt for Brent had been real desire. And
that had turned to real love.

So when she'd met Evan, Brent's best friend,
and felt the same racing heart and heated attraction, she'd ignored
it, assuming a part of her was trying to sabotage her relationship
with Brent because she was afraid she'd fail again.

She knew she loved Brent, so there was no
reason for her to fall for another guy.