Kiss Is a Four-Letter Word (5 page)

"It's our turn." She smiled at Sherry and elbowed her friend, who giggled.

Eli's cock deflated so quickly he felt lightheaded. The woman had orange hair atop a face full of wrinkles.
At least she doesn't smell like tequila
, he thought in a sudden burst of relief.

"Stop hogging the pretty boys, young lady. You can kiss your boyfriend later. You wouldn't keep an old woman from having a quick peck, would you? It's for a good cause."

To Eli's dismay, Sherry grinned and stepped back. "Oh, no problem. I told my mom I'd meet her by the pony rides ten minutes ago anyway."

He opened his mouth, trying to say something, anything, that would keep her from disappearing, but he couldn't get his voice to work. Was she upset by the kiss?

"I'll see you guys around," Sherry said brightly, waving as she turned and walked away into the suddenly busy crowd milling around the booth. Shit.

"Wait!" Simon called. Sherry didn't hear. Or maybe she was ignoring them. Either way, she didn't respond.

Eli grimaced. He didn’t understand the last ten minutes of his life. He and Simon kissed a gorgeous woman. Then he and Simon kissed each other. They both liked it. Except, Eli wasn't gay. Or bi. Neither was Simon. What the hell had just happened? Eli pinched the bridge of his nose, trying not to freak out.

"Shit," Simon muttered under his breath. "We didn't even get her number."

Eli nodded dumbly and shoved his panic down into a little ball. Simon seemed perfectly fine. He wasn't going to lose it in front of his friend or anyone else.
You can cry into your pillow like a little girl later. Right now chill the fuck out
, he told himself. "We are two of the stupidest men who ever lived." He didn't dare look at Simon. He didn't want to know what his friend was thinking.

"Who's going to go first?" the old woman's shrill voice penetrated Eli's turbulent reverie. He pasted on a professional smile and turned to the woman.

"Who would you like to go first?" he asked. He ignored Simon's careful sigh as his friend casually patted him on the shoulder. His heart skipped. What did that pat mean? Simon wasn't angry? Simon knew how he felt and sympathized? Simon wanted to kiss him again? Jesus. Eli shoved his thoughts to the back of his head. He had to get a grip.

"I pick you," the old woman said, pointing at Eli. He nodded and stepped forward. Closing his eyes, he thought of his mother. She owed him, big time.

Chapter Three

The third time Sherry ran into Eli and Simon was when her car broke down at a rest stop on the NY State Thruway. She cursed the old piece of junk. She wasn't far from the Woodbury outlets, just over the border from New Jersey where she was supposed to be meeting up with some friends.

Fat chance of that,
she thought bitterly.
So much for a fun weekend.
They'd planned on staying in a hotel overnight and then driving to Niagara Falls the next day. She wasn't going to make it. When she pulled into this stupid rest stop everything was fine. When she tried to start her car again, the engine wouldn't turn over. She was stuck. And it was late. Nervous, she glanced up at the sky, startled by how many stars glared down at her. The sun was just setting but it was already dark enough to see constellations. Shit.

"Gorgeous, aren't they?"

Sherry jumped as a strangely familiar male voice spoke from behind her. Her heart knocked against her ribs as fear shot through her. Except, wait. Was that Simon? She spun around. Whoa. He and Eli stood next to a sleek little Mercedes Roadster. Red, of course. Even in the darkness Sherry could tell that car was way more expensive than hers. Hell, it was probably more expensive than her mother's
house
.

"Simon? Eli? What are you doing here?" she asked, still staring at their car. Never in a million years did she think she'd run into them again. And never in a million years would she have thought they could afford to drive something like that.
Or wear zillion-dollar Italian suits, holy crap.
All the clothes she'd seen Eli wear were frayed and ripped. And while Simon usually had on things that hadn't been attacked by badgers, his t-shirts and shorts were normal, everyday clothes. Not designer threads. What the hell?

"We're headed home from a business trip up in Albany," Eli explained. He pocketed his keys and walked over to Sherry. He peered down into the open hood of her car. "It looks like a grease bomb exploded in there."

Sherry wrinkled her forehead. Eli wore a dark grey suit with a light purple shirt and dark purple tie. It fit him really, really well. Even in the dark she could see how the purple complemented his green eyes. She glanced at Simon who was smiling at them. His suit was black. He wore it with a crisp white shirt and dark blue tie. He looked delicious. She was officially confused. How could they afford those clothes and that car?

"Yeah, well, I'm not in the habit of washing the inside of my car's engine. It won't start." She threw a black look at her old, beat-up Chevy Cavalier. It didn't so much as tick back at her. Stupid thing.

"Well we can give you a hand with that," Simon said, walking over to their Mercedes and popping the trunk. He rummaged around and Sherry stared at his ass. His jacket covered most of it. Pity.

She glanced up at Eli and found him staring at Simon's ass too. Whoa. When Simon stood up again, jumper cables in hand, Eli's eyes darted away. Hmm. Clearly they hadn't worked out that mutual attraction thing they had going on the last time she saw them.

Simon threw the cables at Eli, who caught them neatly. "I'm just going to pull up the car so these reach your engine," Simon said as he slid into the driver's seat.

Sherry nodded and leaned back against her Chevy. It was dusty, but her jeans certainly wouldn't care. She'd already ripped out one knee crawling around on the ground trying to figure out what was wrong. She thought back to the kiss she'd forced Eli and Simon into at the booth last month and blushed. Shit. That kiss was the hottest, most insane thing she'd ever seen. She wasn't sure why, but seeing two sexy men kiss like that right up close really turned her on. She glanced at Eli, wondering if he could tell she was blushing only to catch him looking at her, a strange look on his face.

"You okay?" she asked, biting her lip. The setting sun made his eyes look so freaking green. She couldn't help staring at him. The slight bit of stubble gleamed in the light and softened the strong lines of his face. Clearly, they'd had a long day.

"You're just really fucking beautiful," Eli said.

Sherry blinked.
What?

Eli lifted a hand and touched one of her curls. He bent his head and pressed the lock to his lips. Sherry stared at him, dumbfounded. Holy shit. Eli had his eyes closed and looked blissful. Sherry was suddenly, shockingly aroused. Her body felt like someone had shot her full of rocket fuel. Her pussy ached.

"You have the most gorgeous hair," Eli said, not letting go. He wound the long strand around his finger, forcing Sherry to move closer to him. He kissed her lightly and she moaned as he rubbed his lips over hers. He felt so good. Tasted even better. When a car door slammed behind them, they broke apart, dazed. Eli dropped the cables on the ground and leaned against the car as if he couldn't stand up any longer.

"Don't stop on my account," Simon said in a low voice. His eyes looked black in the darkening twilight. His hair was tousled from rummaging through the trunk of their car.

She licked her lips. She wanted to kiss Simon, too. What the hell was wrong with her? Ever since she'd met these two men she'd been thinking about them. Dreaming about them. She thought again about her older brother Zeke and his two lovers, Eric and Carrie. The three of them lived together. Had a child together. They shared everything, including their bed. Sherry's stomach twisted as she abruptly realized just what it was about Eli and Simon that made her so crazy. She wanted them both. She wanted to keep them forever, which was insane. She barely knew them. She closed her eyes and willed her heart to calm the fuck down. If she gave even the slightest hint of what she was thinking, she knew Eli and Simon would speed away from her so fast they'd leave skid marks on her heart. Shit.

"Hey, Sherry, it's okay." Simon touched her cheek. He was being so incredibly gentle with her she couldn't process it. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Her eyes flew open. "Upset me? You didn't." She searched his face. He looked worried.

"If you don't want me to watch you kiss Eli, I'll just go hook up the jumper cables." Simon jerked a thumb toward her car's open hood.

"What? No, Simon, don't," Sherry grabbed his arm, stopping him mid-motion. "I, um, wasn't upset. I was—" Dammit, what should she say? How to explain her intense desire to ravish the both of them? Right now? At the same fucking time?

"I don't think she wants you to go, Simon," Eli said, a hint of laughter in his voice. Sherry saw him looking at her hand clenched around Simon's arm.

"Yeah. I don't want you to go." Sherry tried to make her fingers let go of Simon, but just couldn't do it.

Simon frowned and put his hand over hers. His palm was very warm. Sherry shivered.

"What do you want, Sherry?" Simon's voice was deep and a little gravelly.

Sherry's gaze zeroed in on his lips. His full, red, firm lips. She licked hers, trying to figure out how to get him to kiss her but then he groaned and stepped closer, crowding her up against the car. And up against Eli. She trembled, not sure what was happening. Eli didn't move away. She could feel him like a hard, muscled wall up against her left side.

"Do you want me to kiss you too?" Simon asked.

Yes, please
. Sherry nodded, barely able to breathe. Simon's hips angled into hers. His cock was hard and firm and hot. She wanted to slide her hands around his waist and grab his ass, but couldn't let go of his arm. He smiled and her heart stuttered. He gently pulled her fingers off him and put her hand against his cheek. He was warm and stubbly. She swallowed then Simon dipped his head down and grazed his lips over hers, rubbing until she thought she'd scream from the teasing pressure. When she opened her mouth, gasping, Simon growled and dove in, his tongue twisting inside.

"Jesus," Eli murmured. The sound of his voice as he watched them spiked her arousal. She whimpered, sliding her hands into Simon's hair to hang on. He kissed her and kissed her until she thought she'd pass out, but suddenly he grabbed her by the hips. He angled her body into Eli's. She nearly stumbled but Eli caught her, sliding his hands around her waist. His hands bumped against Simon's on her body and both men froze.

Sherry stood there between them, panting. Eli's cock was slotted up against the small of her back while Simon's pressed against her abdomen. She shook, her knees weak. Both men moaned.
Oh my God
, she thought.
Every time I move they feel it together
. She searched Simon's face but he was looking over her shoulder. Sherry let go of his hair and ran her hand down his cheek again, rubbing her thumb on his lips. He gasped, hips jerking. The motion pushed her into Eli, who groaned.

"Do that again," Simon said.

Sherry watched him watching Eli. Deliberately, she pushed her thumb into his mouth and he bit down as he ground his erection into her, staring all the while at his friend. Eli growled and gripped her harder, one hand slipping down to her crotch. Simon closed his eyes and swallowed, hard. For a split second Sherry was confused, then Eli had his fingers on the seam of her jeans. She gasped as he pushed the fabric directly over her clit.

"Jesus, Eli," Simon whispered.

Sherry's breath caught. Eli's hand bumped against Simon's hard-on. He moved his fingers again, making her hips jerk. Simon's head tipped back. Eli was doing that deliberately. The thought made her whole body tingle. He leaned down and kissed the back of her neck.

"You smell divine." Eli mouthed over the tender skin just beneath her ear. His palm cupped her core and she knew he could feel how damp she was.

"Eli, please," she said, asking for more. Simon shoved against her and Eli moaned into her skin. His cock felt thick and hot even through all his clothes. Simon kissed her again. She couldn't think straight. Eli's hand rubbed at her, teasing the swollen bundle of nerves. Every time his fingers moved, Simon thrust against her and Eli's wrist slid across his friend's erection.

"God, Eli, this is crazy," Simon muttered when he broke the kiss. Sherry hung between them, trying to get her bearings. She was on the verge of orgasm. What the hell? She'd never been this aroused in her life. Never. Simon gripped her hips and looked down at where Eli's hand still idly flicked at the seam of her jeans. Sherry trembled.

"You're killing me," Simon grated. He lifted his head and stared over Sherry's shoulder again. She knew Eli was staring back. He deliberately cupped her, the nail of his thumb pressing against her pussy.

She writhed on his hand. "He's killing you? He's killing me," Sherry said, her voice high and breathy. She squirmed, trying to get Eli to move his fingers again.

Simon grunted and closed his eyes. Sherry watched a bead of sweat slide down his temple. When he looked down at her, the heat in his eyes floored her. He glanced at Eli. "I thought we weren't going to do this."

Eli shrugged. Sherry felt it and so did Simon. His hips jerked against her, pushing Eli's hand over her clit. She shuddered.