She swung around, straddling him. “I’m not wearing any underwear. Don’t you think you should do something about that?”

In moments he had his pants undone and his c**k out.

She leaned in and spoke in his ear, her breath sending shivers down his neck. “I want you in me naked. It’s time. We’ve been careful and tested. Give it to me.”

Across from them, he heard Todd groan and get up to walk behind the small couch he and Erin were on.

Ben swallowed hard and, without much finesse, thrust up, into her, and nearly died at how she felt. She made a needful sound, low and deep, and squirmed on him as he banded her waist with his arm and held her so he could control the pace.

“Open up.” Todd spoke from where he stood behind Ben and soon the wet sounds of Erin’s lips wrapped around Todd’s c**k began to echo against them. Her fingers dug into his shoulders to hold on and keep her balance.

Ben licked up the side of her neck and loved the soft sound she made in response. She rocked against him, grinding her clit against his pubic bone.

“That’s the way, gorgeous. So wet and hot, you feel better than I could have imagined. And you have to know I’ve imagined a lot.”

She laughed, Todd’s c**k still in her mouth. Ben leaned his head back in order to watch the way her mouth worked Todd. Fuck, that was hot. Her eyes were open, locked with Todd’s. One of Todd’s hands cupped her cheek gently, reverently.

Yes, it was complicated. No, Ben had no idea how he’d even begin to describe what they had to anyone other than Cope and maybe a very few others. He didn’t know what they’d do about kids when they came along. But he knew he cherished this with everything he was. He’d protect it with his life, and he’d love Erin until he drew his last breath. What they had was special and wonderful. He knew how lucky he was.

One of Todd’s hands landed on Ben’s shoulder and squeezed as Todd groaned. Ben watched as Erin closed her eyes a long moment before opening up again and turning to Ben.

“Your turn.” Erin waggled her brows at Ben.

Todd laughed and kissed the top of Erin’s head and then Ben’s before moving back to watch the two of them with a lazy smile.

“Should I play with your clit, gorgeous?” Ben whispered into her ear and she nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder.

The cool, slick surface of the barbell met his fingers as he began playing his fingers against her. The corresponding tightening of her cunt around him told him she was as close as he was.

“I can feel so much more this way,” he managed to get out in a strangled whisper.

“Me too,” she said, nuzzling into his neck and kissing him. He pressed a bit harder and her teeth grasped the meat of his shoulder as she came all around him.

It was too much, her body hugging him like liquid fire. He pushed into her one last time and came for what felt like fifteen minutes.

She kissed his mouth, tasting of herself and of Todd too. He tasted her, taking what she gave like the gift she was.

“Okay, now we have to go eat with everyone. First dibs on the bathroom,” she called as she pulled up and off his c**k and ran into the bathroom.

Ben crowded in with her, liking to watch as she touched up her lip gloss and finger-combed her hair again. She was a bundle of contradictions, incredibly feminine but with an edge. Ink on her back, rings in her ni**les, funky hair and rock and roll written all over her. Somehow, on her, all those edges and contradictions combined to make the kind of person who drew your attention when she walked into a room.

That she loved him seemed a miracle.

“I know how you feel,” Todd said as they let her out into the hallway first. “Every day, at least five times a day I have the same thought.”

“Am I that obvious?”

Todd shrugged. “With us, yes. But I haven’t seen you slip in public. It may happen one day, but whatever. We’re adults and we can make our own choices. If and when it comes, we deal with it.”

“You boys want to stop whispering and get over here? The elevator is here.”

“As my lady commands,” Todd said and they went to her.

29

“How’s the construction going?” Ella asked when Erin arrived to work.

“The contractors are awesome. Turns out they’re related to Ben and Cope, so the project is ahead of schedule right now. They should be done with the basic stuff by Thanksgiving. They’ve already torn out the wall between the condos and have finished the arching and all that jazz. Now they’re working on the office space for Todd’s and Ben’s apartments. They’ll start on our master bedroom when they’re done with that. It’s all very noisy and dusty, but I can’t wait to see the finished project.”

She began to stir the soup for lunch. A new recipe she’d gotten from Todd’s mom. Pumpkin.

“Who knew pumpkin soup would taste so good?” Ella murmured as she took a spoonful and sighed.

“Lorie Keenan is no slouch in the kitchen, let me tell you. We went over for dinner a few weeks back and she made fresh pasta. Butternut squash ravioli! My parents died when I was twelve, but I remember enough to know my mom never made butternut squash ravioli.”

Erin turned and checked on the sandwiches. She had two different kinds of panini, veggie and black forest ham. Panini were a bit time-intensive due to the toasting, but worth it.

“I’ve decided to take the promotion and I was wondering if you’d be willing to go with me to all the trial stuff,” Ella said in one long stream of words.