Hotter Horizons (7 page)

“Fuck!” Alec shook. His cock reacted with a deep
throbbing, more so to Levi’s graphic description than his skilled touch. His
groin knotted, burning with a heat that had to be unleashed. His balls emptied,
firing ropes of heat as Alec took off and soared into a realm he’d never
visited before.

****

The next morning Alec was off to work. Fern had just
finished the breakfast dishes. She was becoming harder and harder to sidestep.
Not that Levi wanted to avoid her, but a man had to get his work done. The
displays of affection at the nightclub knocked at his thoughts repetitively.
Was Fern thinking about it? How did she feel? Or were her overtures just to
appease Timothy? Had she moved on while Levi was still so stuck on the idea?

He and Alec had been up to all hours of the morning
discussing what was next for them and Fern. Alec still warned that they needed
to tread carefully. Levi was more than ready, but the thought of her packing
her little satchel and running out the door petrified him.

They needed a plan, and by lunchtime he thought he
had one. Levi sent Alec a text and then sat back in his chair, waiting for his
answer.

His phone chimed. Levi felt his lips ease into a
smile as he read Alec’s text.

Okay,
but remember
…
subtle. LOL

After a few hours of managing scheduled conference
calls, Levi went downstairs for lunch, planning to tell Fern what he and Alec
had planned for the evening. When he entered the kitchen she was leaning
against the counter, his sandwich already made and waiting for him. His eyes
ingested her instead of reaching for his lunch.

A pair of weathered jeans sheathed her delectable
hips. A sunny, yellow t-shirt clung to her breasts, her feet tucked into a pair
of white
Keds
. Her eyes caught him making his perusal
when she glanced up from her cell phone. Her mouth tipped into a wide smile.

“My friend Jada texted me.
She wants
to
come
visit.” Her words rushed on in an excited
breath. “Is that okay?”

Levi’s libido sank like the Titanic. He was sure to
maintain the returned grin on his face
.
She’s too fucking cute!

“Sure, tell her to come for dinner. Alec is bringing
home lobster and scallops, some over-inventory debacle at the club,” Levi told
her, sitting down in front of his sandwich, realizing food was all he was going
to get to consume today.

He’d be patient. Observing Fern’s joy was almost as
pleasant as the feel of her kiss the evening before. Levi found it interesting
that she’d leaned into Alec first. He smiled internally at the thought. Alec
always made a good coach for their three-way encounters. He had the gift of
compassion and patience—something Levi often lost when his urges became too
great.

Fern set a glass of water in front of him, the lemon
slice floating. Levi lifted the glass to his lips, needing to cool down. He
looked up. Fern’s back was to him at the sink, doing the dishes. His voice rang
out between them.

“I’m glad your friend is coming. We don’t want you
getting homesick,” he said. Fern shut off the faucet and joined him at the
counter.

“Thank you for allowing her to come on such short
notice. Her schedule is so crazy. I don’t know when she’ll have another
chance.”

“She can come anytime, Fern.
Like I
said.”
Levi swallowed, his eyes lowering to the smooth skin of her neck.
“We don’t want you getting homesick. We love having you here with us.” His
admission was a rough whisper.

He knew he was prodding, feeling her out, but he
kept it contained. Alec would be proud. Her arched brows rose in question as
Levi bit into his tuna salad sandwich.

Chapter
Thirteen

“I can’t believe you brought my stereo!” Fern
squealed. “Thank you so much.” She pulled Jada in for a hug. The sharp angled
edges of Jada’s blonde hair grazed her cheek. Fern held her arms, stepping back
to see her friend’s dark-brown eyes, the color of teak.

Levi and Alec had just helped them carry the remains
of Fern’s belongings up the stairs, leaving them to visit before dinner.

“I have a feeling you’ll be staying here for good,”
Jada said, her tone dipping. Her perfectly waxed brows waggled. Fern slapped
her arm playfully.

“Shush.” Fern giggled. Jada shook her head, tucking
sleek strands of hair behind her ear.

“You’ll see. I’ve only been here for twenty freaking
minutes. If you can’t see it after a month, you need help, girl,” she told her.
“I love this room, and this widow’s walk is awesome. It must be nice to sit out
here at night.”

Jada opened the doors, allowing the late afternoon breeze
to move through the room. They walked out onto the perch, staring out into the
front yard lining the quaint, quiet street. Jada’s voice eased through the
reflective pause.

“It’s so nice here,
Fern,
wow,” Jada said, turning to lean on the railing. “You know how lucky you are?”
Jada smiled weakly, her eyes heavy with emotion. “I’m so relieved that you’re
here, safe and with normal people.” Jada chuckled, shaking her head. She glanced
over at Fern.
 
“What could possibly be
wrong?” Jada asked, her arms crossing in front of her chest.

“They took me to a bisexual nightclub last night,”
Fern said, whispering. She glanced through the door, her eyes squinting through
her tiny room, trying to see out into the hallway. Alec and Levi were
downstairs in the kitchen fixing what Levi was calling “Fern and Jada’s reunion
dinner.”

Jada grabbed her hand, her eyes wide.

“I knew it!” Jada’s hoarsened whisper was strained.
Jada rushed to close the French doors to the window’s walk and spun around, her
gaze direct. “Tell me what happened. I mean … what led up to this outing?”

Fern relayed all the events of the previous weeks to
Jada, as well as Alec’s invite while she was doing their laundry. She went into
more detail, describing her night at the Double Deuce as well as the situation
involving Timothy. Her friend grinned, biting her lip in thought.

“I had a feeling,” Jada said, her words connected
like a song. “The energy’s pretty strong. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt it? I
could feel it right away, while they were giving me the tour, and that Levi,
the way he looks at you,” Jada said, suddenly lowering her voice, as if thinking
her enthusiasm could be overheard. “Holy shit, Fern.”

Fern diverted her eyes, needing to escape the
reality she’d been trying to put off. Jada’s hand on her shoulder brought her
back.

“How are you
gonna
handle
this?” she asked hesitantly. “Jesus. Those are two beautiful men down there,
fixing our dinner, I might add,” Jada said, her admission laced with sarcastic
laughter.

Fern intercepted Jada’s inquiring gaze head-on. A
calm breeze moved between them, holding the scent of freshly cut grass.

“I’m not really sure.” She sighed. “If I said I
wasn’t interested I’d be lying. I’ll tell you this.” Fern lowered her head into
her hand, kneading her eyes. “I’m scared shitless,” she whispered
,
 
glancing
up at Jada
through vented fingers.

“Hey, listen,” Jada said softly. “Whatever happens …
I can tell these two guys respect you, and that’s what you want and deserve.
We’ve been around a lot of assholes, so we should know, right?” Jada laughed.
“If they respect you, and you trust them, then it’s not wrong—”

“Girls.”
Alec’s voice carried through the air, reaching them through the closed doors.

“Oh God.”
Fern
flinched, seeing Alec’s face behind the glass panes. He smiled, waving, doing
that sweeping thing with his hand again,
moving
the
hair out of his eyes.

“Fuck! He’s hot,” Jada said through tight lips.

Fern opened the doors. Alec’s calm and level voice
washed over them.

“Sorry to intrude, but we’ve got dinner ready,” he
told them, his smile blowing them to smithereens.

“Thanks, Alec, we’ll be right down.”
 
 

“No problem.” Alec turned on his heel, quickly
exiting the room. Fern saw Jada’s naughty smile in her peripheral vision. Fern
reluctantly glanced over at her. Jada’s lips stretched into a massive grin. She
shrugged.

“You’ve got your hands full, and this time we aren’t
talking about dealing with dysfunctional bullshit.” Jada nodded knowingly.
“This is a horse of an entirely different breed. You better think fast, Fern.” Jada’s
eyes blazed.
 
 
“The male libido isn’t very patient.”

Chapter
Fourteen

Jada was the Marilyn Monroe of the new millennium.
That was the best way Alec could describe her. She was very beautiful in a
glamorous way, not as earthy as Fern. She also had a great sense of humor. Jada
wasn’t the type of woman who held back. She spoke what she thought, and Alec
liked that. He also thought she was a good balance for Fern.

Alec was still trying to get a read on Fern. Though the
interpretation was somewhat clearer, he didn’t want anything going wrong. He
and Levi had piqued her curiosity, Alec knew that for sure. He was proud of the
way Levi was conducting himself. Alec was already well aware that Fern had
spoken to Jada about them both. He’d seen it in their eyes when he’d gone
upstairs to summon them for dinner. Alec could feel it in the air: information
had been passed between them, and Fern was ruminating. He hoped Jada was a
strong advocate for him and Levi. The girls’ laughter pulled him out of his
thoughts. Levi was always entertaining.

“I’d like to stay,” Jada told them, “but I’ve got to
work a double tomorrow. Hey!” Jada’s eyes brightened. “Maybe you all could come
out to visit me next time. I’ll get you free tickets to the next big show,”
Jada said. Her eyes darted among the three of them.

“Jada works at the casino,” Fern said.

“Sounds like a good field trip. Let us know. I’ll be
sure to put in for a few days off,” Alec said, noting the change in Fern’s
facial features. Jada then tossed Fern’s worries right out on the table, her
actions reflecting her personality.

“Fern is worried about Johnny, her ex.”
 
 
Jada’s
mouth twisted in disapproval. “With you two in tow, I don’t foresee a problem.”

Levi stood and began removing the dishes.

“This Johnny character sounds like a buffoon,” Levi
said harshly.

“That he is,” Fern said wearily.

“Unstable is more fitting,” Jada said.
 
“But he’s gone, you’re here, and all is well.”
She grinned.

“That’s right, so let us know about the casino. We’d
love to come out.” Alec grinned
,
 
eager
to make plans that involved Fern.
Any slightest commitment was a start.

The remainder of the evening was spent in the living
room with coffee, éclairs, and then a night cap of Sambuca. When it came time
for Jada to head back to Easton, both he and Levi gave the girls some privacy
to say goodbye.

Alec tied up the garbage and took it out to the
small adjoining garage. As he lowered the bag into the can, he heard Jada’s
firm, yet considerate voice drift through the night air, the two girls leaning
against the hood of Jada’s small compact.

“You need to take the tinted glasses off, Fern.
Those two guys are on a mission, and you’re it.”

Alec shuddered, slipping back inside the house. Jada
had read them quickly. A nervous excitement barreled through his body. Graphic
images careened around in his brain. Alec felt his face flame with heat, his
dick shifting in his jeans. As he entered the kitchen, Levi’s eyes landed on
him like a pouncing tiger.

“What’s with you?” Levi asked
,
his eyes lit with amusement.

Before Alec could release the anxious words off his
tongue, Fern came in through the front door. She leaned against the threshold
of the kitchen, her smile arousing.

“Thanks, guys … for everything,” she said. Her eyes shone,
pooling with tears.

“Oh, honey.” Levi tossed the sponge in the sink,
closing the space between them. “Don’t cry,” Levi said soothingly, draping his
arm over Fern’s shoulder. Alec’s heart swelled, seeing Levi react with such
empathy, especially since they’d been dealing with such a forceful urge for
Fern. Alec’s throat grew tight.

“We’re glad you could see her.”
 
Alec reached for her, resting his hand on her
shoulder.
 
 
“It’s not easy leaving the way you did.” He
looked to Levi for support. “It takes a lot of courage.”

“That it does.” Levi nodded. His fingers threaded
through Fern’s hair briefly before he pulled his hand away. Fern wiped her
eyes.

“Thank you again. I am lucky to be here,” her tone
strained with emotion.
  

“We’re lucky to have you.” Levi’s tone was warm. “It
goes both ways, doll.” He grinned.