Page 28 of Nailing Studs

“You saw that?” I asked.

Taylor pointed to the railing. “It’s a loft. I can see you guys from the stairs, remember?”

“Ah, yes.” Funny, I didn’t feel embarrassed he’d caught me in Dom’s arms. In a way, I already felt free to be natural around them. They were a package deal, and the sooner I got used to thinking of them that way, the more possible it all seemed. “I’ll expect you to carry me everywhere in the future. Understand, Dominic?” I joked.

“Yes, Kayla. As you wish.” Dominic tipped an invisible hat at me.

“And what about me?” Taylor cocked an eyebrow. To my shock, he marched over, leaned down, then thrust his massive arms under me. In a flash of a second, he’d slung me over his shoulder as ifI didn’t weigh a thing.

“What are you doing? Taylor!” I laughingly shrieked. Taylor carried me out of the roomas Dominic chuckled and followed us out. God, it felt good to laugh, to shriek. Took my reservations right out of me.

Taylor headed straight for my bedroom, and I knew why. My heart revved up, thumping against my breastbone.

“Are we… I mean, I’m...I’m…” Not ready, is what I almost said, but I cut the words off before they could exit my mouth. I was ready—mostly. I just didn’t know how to navigate this unusual pathway.

At the doorway to my bedroom, Taylor’s hand gripped my hip, fingers digging into my flesh. Images of him fucking me as he dug fingers into my thighs flashed through my mind.

“Just returning you to where Dom found you,” he murmured.

“Oh, okay.” Did I sound disappointed? I must have, because he patted my hip and laughed.

“Everything in due time, Kayla.”

The room swirled for a moment, and not because Taylor was carrying me, but because my brain reeled. The fact that he was saying this with intentionthat I now had to wait for it was starting to drive me insane. Yes, Taylor. Teach me your ways.

These guys were so ripped, both of them could toss me about like a rag doll. I shuddered to think what would happen if we ever started getting it on. Still on Taylor’s shoulder, I looked over at Dominic and gave him an apologetic face, but he flashed me a smile in return.

No hard feelings.

This really could work out.

They didn’t get jealous when one paid me attention, like taking turns with the lady of the house was normal. Was this crazy? Or was this perfect?

I clung on to Taylor for dear life until he planted me down on the edge of my bed with a little thud, the springs squeaking below me.

He panted a bit through his smile. I couldn’t help but imagine him naked, hovering over me, out of breath in much the same way.

“Have you had fun at my expense? Pleased with yourself?” I pouted playfully.

“Yep. I made you scream, and that alone made my day.” He chuckled, all that cocky charm going straight to my groin. He was standing, and I was sitting. I couldn’t help but notice what I was on eye level with. I looked up at him slowly, letting my eyes trail over his body. I had no interest in being demure. I had just as much confidence as he did and wasn’t afraid to use it.

Taylor brushed back a strand of hair that had escaped from my ponytail. I closed my eyes and tilted my head into his hand, letting him know I wanted more. When I opened them again, I was sure I could see the outline of his cock pressing against his jeans, and things got real as fuck. We were going to do this. Whether now or tonight or tomorrow, we—two or more of us—would be exploring our chemistry. My head felt woozy. His fingers grazed me softly, as they trailed over my cheek and down my jaw, but I didn’t want soft and gentle.

I wanted him.

I wanted both of them.

But I couldn’t just rush into a decision as momentous as this one.

“You guys are good at convincing,” I said with an exasperated laugh, then I sobered. “It’s not a hundred percent certain that I’ll do it, but pretty darn close.”

Taylor’s serious face was as sexy as his gorgeous grin. “Happy to hear it, Kayla. Take your time—no pressure.” For a moment he was silent, casting a glance back over his shoulder at Dom, then he turned back to me and asked, “What about the other proposal we gave you? Are you in with us renovating the house and using it as a showroom? Reimbursing us for the fifty percent I quoted you when you sell?”

I was pretty sure I wanted to. They were big boys, astute businessmen, and they knew what was worth their time as far as work was concerned. Given that, their proposal seemed too generous to pass up. But my desire to say yes was more than that, more than just the house, I realized. My entire adult life I’d felt like I’d never belonged. Never belonged as just me. Grant had made me feel like I had to act a certain way, look a certain way, be a certain way to fit in as his ideal image of a girlfriend. “Are you sure you want to eat that fry?” “Are you really going to spend Saturday night baking?” “Don’t you want to put more make up on before we leave?”

But Taylor and Dom seemed to accept me for me. Hell, the first time they laid eyes on me I’d just rolled out of bed, hair a mess and not a wink of makeup on my face, and yet they’d found me beautiful. Maybe I was being a sucker. Maybe I was being played. Maybe this was all fake.

But I know it made me feel something real. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time: belonging.

---