Velvet Steel (8 page)

Shane brushed his fingers down the side of Noah’s cheek. “Think about all the fun we’d have together.” His gaze flicked to Noah’s lips. “All the exploring and touching…”

Noah needed to stop this; he knew that. There was no way in hell this weekend could end well for any of them. And yet…

“Do it for S&N Steel.” Shane left Noah’s cheek and cupped his neck. The touch was tender, and Noah shuddered as an old, familiar longing twisted around his heart. “Do it for us.”

Noah focused his gaze on the one man—the only man—he had ever loved and wondered who was the bigger fool: Shane for proposing such a risky plan or Noah for accepting it. “Just this once—for you.” He cringed at how his words lit up Shane’s face. “After this weekend, no more sexual adventures with the Velvet girl.” While Noah liked his kink, he craved a stable, caring relationship more. He wanted that relationship with Shane. Sure, Kitty was a sexual goddess—the way she responded to his touch was like magic—but she was also manipulative. Just look at how she’d gotten them into the limo and then finagled them into a weekend of sex. No, she wasn’t right for either of them.

“No more sexual adventures.” Shane glanced down at Noah’s lap, and Noah’s cock jerked in response.

“It will be just like old times.” Shane focused on Noah’s lips as he curled his fingers in Noah’s hair. “Remember how much fun we had with that woman in Baltimore?”

“Yes. It was one of the best nights of my life.”

“Mine too.”

It had been a good night. They had just closed on a big deal and gone out to celebrate. They drank too much and tumbled into bed with the curvy waitress from the bar. It had been a wild night, and when it was over, Noah and Shane caressed each other over the woman between them. It had been so tender and intimate. So right.

Noah moistened his lips and dragged his gaze to Shane’s mouth. Time stood still. He held his breath.

That was when the door opened.

Shane jumped back to the other side of the seat as Cain popped his head inside. “We’re here.”

“Great.” Shane scrambled over Noah and stepped outside.
So much for intimate moments
. Noah slowly got out of the car after him.

Cain folded his arms over his chest and stared at each of them in turn. “I don’t know what you two are up to, but I don’t like it. I won’t have you hurting Ms. Kitty.”

“We aren’t up to anything.” Shane held his hands in the air. “Honest.”

“Hmm.” Cain unfolded his arms. “Go get ready. I’ll pick you up in this parking lot in a few hours.”

As Cain got into the limo and drove off, Noah sighed. “Are you sure about this, Shane?”

“Don’t worry. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“We could lose Velvet Steel.”

“No, the worst that could happen is that we don’t get sex.” He chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Maybe Noah was just fooling himself. Shane was never going to own up to the fact that there was something between them. Denial was a part of who they were. But how could Noah pour all his energy into something for the past five years and then just walk away? Their lives were intertwined now with the company and a couple of other new ventures. Walking away would be like losing an arm.
Better your arm than your pride.

“Come on, I’ll drop you off.” Shane strode toward their car on the other side of the lot, a popular midlevel sedan specifically chosen because it was inconspicuous. Noah glanced at the night sky and gave a silent prayer for strength before following.

Shane could hardly contain his excitement as both he and Noah handed their bags to Cain and climbed into the limo. The thought of spending time alone with both Noah and Kitty made him hard. There was something different about Kitty. She was more than the CEO’s daughter. She was
their
woman. He had seen how her eyes lit up when they explored her body. Shane had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life. Closing the deal with Velvet Steel was just a bonus.

Kitty was the real prize in this situation. All five feet four inches of spitfire. When he and Noah had her in the back of the limo, when they worked together toward a common goal, it had been wonderful. He always felt a deeper bond with his friend in times like these, something that both pleased and unnerved him. Over the past few years, they had been working more closely together, and Noah hadn’t made it a secret that he wanted to take their relationship to the next level. There was no denying the special connection Shane shared with Noah, and his growing attraction. Deep down it scared him. The handful of times Noah had gone out on dates with other men, Shane had stayed up all night, jealousy burning in his gut. Shane was pretty sure Noah knew. He was perceptive about stuff like that.

Shane had always dated women, always slept with women—except for the couple of times he had shared a woman with Noah. Somehow being with his friend made everything more intense, more special. That was the real reason why he wanted to go up to the cabin and see Kitty. He had to know if what he felt for Noah was real or just a result of spending many hours in the office together. Spending time with a beautiful, strong woman like Kitty and working with Noah to please her should help him decide what to do about his close friend and partner.

After a while, the limo pulled into a driveway, and a motion-sensing light cut through the night and illuminated the landscape around them. Shane climbed out before Cain could open the door.

“Wait—take this.” Noah held out a duffel bag from the interior of the car.

Shane took the bag and stared at the cabin before him. The whole building had been raised on a platform of sorts, presumably to protect it from flooding. The cabin was triangular in shape, with a large wraparound porch. Trees had grown up beside it, and bushes with brightly colored flowers dotted the landscape, shielding part of the structure from view. Everything looked overgrown, and Shane wondered why someone with so much money would let a beautiful cabin like this go uncared for. This simple structure didn’t seem to fit with what he knew of Kitty and her father. Was this some sort of game? Apprehension tingled over his skin. Shane turned to Cain as Noah got out of the car.

“This is it?” Shane asked.

“The place looks more like an abandoned summer cabin than anything a wealthy CEO would acquire,” Noah muttered behind him.

Shane cast him a frown. “Behave.”

Noah shrugged and hoisted his duffel onto his shoulder. “I thought I was.”

Cain pointed to a path, overgrown with vegetation. “That way leads down to the lake.” He nodded behind them. “You’ll find the key under the mat.” He turned back to the limo.

“Wait a minute.” Noah put his hand on Shane’s shoulder and edged him out of the way. “Kitty isn’t here?”

Cain shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.”

“But we’re late.” Thanks to Noah’s renewed uncertainty, they had gotten a late start. “Surely she would have arrived by now. You told her we were running late, right?”

“Of course.” Cain opened the front door. “Have a good weekend.”

Shane and Noah stared as the long, white limo backed out of the driveway.

“I can’t believe this,” Noah muttered. “There isn’t even another car in the driveway.”

“Ah, come on, Noah. It really isn’t that bad.” Shane made his way up the small, winding path toward the house. “She could have had someone bring her here and then have them leave, just like us.”

“Don’t you think this is odd?”

Shane dropped his bag and felt around under the mat. “What do you mean, odd?”

“I mean it’s almost two in the morning, and
she isn’t here
.” Noah turned around in a slow circle. “I don’t think anyone’s here. It certainly doesn’t look like anyone has been at this house in at least a year. It’s a mess.”

“Aw, come on, Noah. I’m sure it’s just that the Velvets’ lawn staff hasn’t gotten around to this place yet. It’s still spring.” He found the key and put it into the lock. “Besides, it’s just the outside that needs a little touch-up. The inside is probably more up-to-date.” He heard a soft
click
and opened the door.

Noah walked past him and into the cabin. “Yeah, you’re probably—” He stopped a couple of steps into the room and stared. “What the hell happened in here?”

Shane stepped inside. Shock whipped through his body and numbed his mind. “I don’t know,” he whispered.

Noah put his hand on Shane’s shoulder. “I think we’ve been had, my friend.”

“No.” Shane shook his head, unable to believe the soft, wide-eyed girl in the back of the limo would pull off such a scam. “There’s no motive.”

Noah walked a little farther into the room and turned to face him. “Then how do you explain all of this?” He swept his hand to the side, indicating the sparsely furnished room and drab décor. “This.” He slapped the back of the faded burgundy couch behind him. A cloud of dust blew up into the air and made him cough. “This.” He walked over and tugged on the white, lightly stained curtains hanging from thin metal rods. “And this.” He slid his hand over the whitewashed walls, then bent low to touch the gray carpeting. “These are not furnishings of a multimillion-dollar family.” He rubbed the dust from his fingers in disgust. “This reminds me of a dorm room that’s just opened up after a long, hot summer, not a socialite’s hideaway.”

“There has to be an explanation.” Shane dropped his bag as his heart thudded in his ears. Had Kitty figured out who they were and laid a trap for them? No, it was impossible. Even if she did know their identity, he had seen the way she’d reacted to their touch. She was as excited about this weekend getaway as he was.

He moved into the kitchen. The honey walls and white counters were more cheerful than the living room but still spoke of simplicity and functionality. There was nothing even remotely extravagant. Noah was right; the place didn’t look like it was owned by a wealthy CEO. Uncertainty rippled through him.

“Kitty?” His voice echoed off the walls.

“Admit it, Shane. She found out about us,” Noah called from the living room.

“I can’t see how that’s possible.”

Noah shook his head as he entered the kitchen and put his hand on Shane’s shoulder. “I don’t know, but she did. This is our punishment for trying to manipulate her. I say we gather our things and head back to town. We can still salvage what’s left of this weekend.”

“No.” Shane shrugged out of Noah’s grasp and stormed back into the living room. She had to be here, she had to. If there was no Kitty, there was no weekend, and Shane would never be able to do the soul-searching he needed and figure out what to do about Noah.

“Kitty, are you here?” Shane walked around Noah and headed back into the living room. It was quiet, too quiet. A hollow feeling centered in his stomach.

Noah sighed as he came up from behind. “Face it, Shane. She’s not here.”

No, it couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. Shane marched through the living room, down the small hall, and into the bedroom. “Kitty?” The light blue walls and simple flowered bedspread didn’t answer. Had she really pulled one over on them? How could he be fooled so completely? He trudged back to the living room, where he found Noah reclining on the sofa.

“Told you.” His friend patted the cushion next to him. “She bailed on us.”

Shane sank down next to Noah. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s like we always say, women aren’t worth the trouble.”

Most women weren’t worth the trouble. Kitty was different. Watching that strong woman hover on the brink of ecstasy had almost made him come himself. He had studied her a lot in the past year. He knew her favorite foods, how she liked to jog in the mornings, how she took cream, no sugar in her coffee. He knew he could please her if given a chance. He wanted that chance. Kitty’s beautiful smile was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

Shane leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “I don’t understand. Things were going so well.”

“Hey.” Noah rubbed his hand over Shane’s back, right where Shane liked it: between his shoulder blades. “It isn’t the end of the world.”

No, it wasn’t. He and Noah could just go on like they always did, talking but not really saying anything about the sexual tension running between them. Even now, Noah’s gentle touch on his back made his cock ache and his skin heat. Flashbacks of their time in the limo peppered his mind. God, that had been so fucking good. He and Noah were always the closest when they worked toward a common goal, both in and out of the boardroom. It was when they were at their best. That was why Kitty was so important. Only with her could Shane sort through his feelings and figure out what he really wanted.

Shane suppressed his growing desire and shook his head. “Yeah, I know it’s not the end of the world.” He straightened and smiled at his friend. “I’m sorry I behaved like such an ass back in the limo. I didn’t mean to pressure you into this. It’s just…”

“It’s okay.” Noah rested his arm along the edge of the couch and visibly relaxed, making Shane feel even more like a heel. “Hey, I was there, remember? I thought there was a connection too.”

“I don’t know what happened.” Shane leaned back and rested on Noah’s arm, placing his head dangerously close to his lover’s hard, muscular chest. He could smell Noah’s scent, feel his body heat. Shane’s cock thickened, and sexual tension heated the air around them. He wanted to reach out and touch the smooth planes of Noah’s chest but didn’t dare. It didn’t feel right, at least not now. Nothing with Noah had been feeling right lately. Shane contemplated moving away, but doing so would make everything even more awkward and strained. Besides, Shane had no desire to move farther away.

“Shh.” Noah slid his fingers through the thick strands of Shane’s hair. “It doesn’t matter.” He smiled, showing off that dimple Shane loved so much. “I’m just glad you came to your senses.” He shifted his gaze to Shane’s mouth. “You know, there’s no rush to get back to the city.” He inched forward. “We could make use of the cabin.”

A rush of desire swept Shane’s body, even as his mind screamed at him to stop. It was too soon, his feelings too much of a jumbled mess. Noah’s gaze was warm and accepting. It felt nice. Every time he and Noah had been intimate, there had been a woman between them. More than once, Shane had thought about what it would be like to be with Noah alone, to bend his friend over the desk in his office and sink himself into Noah’s body. “We could.” Maybe they didn’t need Kitty; maybe he could find out what he needed to about Noah right here, right now.