Page 63 of An Indecent Longing

Her lips parted but she could only suck in air as Ian sat back on his heels again so he could pull her dress over her hips. But unless Ian moved, that dress wasn’t coming off.

Ian apparently had the exact same thought at the same time. Standing, he stripped her dress down and off her legs in one second and scooped her into his arms a second later.

Cooler air hit her skin as he began to walk but a wave of heat swept through at being held against Ian’s bare chest.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this but that damn couch isn’t big enough.”

Breathless from the sudden movement and her brain scrambled from being in Ian’s arms, she looked over his shoulder to find Ben close on Ian’s heels.

“Such big eyes.” Ben’s voice held a distinct growl. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We won’t completely devour you. We’ll save a little for tomorrow morning.”

“Christ, Ben.” Ian’s voice so close to her ear made her shiver. “Where the fuck do you come up with this shit?”

“You can’t see her eyes right now. She looks like a kid at the zoo, staring at the wild animals. Except these animals aren’t caged, are they, Dorrie?”

No, Ben and Ian had definitely slipped their leashes, which made it so much more wonderful. And so much more nerve-wracking.

How was she supposed to handle two of them? Nerves made her heart pound a little harder, which Ian apparently noticed.

He stopped midway up the stairs to the second floor. “Dorrie. Look at me.”

Blinking, she looked up into Ian’s steady gaze. “You don’t have to take his shit. You want me to tell Ben to shut up, just say the word.”

“She doesn’t need you to protect her.” Ben stopped just below them, arms crossed over his chest. “Do you, babe? You can protect yourself. You’ve got claws. Use them. Do you want me to stop?”

Glancing up at Ian, she noticed his eyes had narrowed and his mouth had set in a line. Ben was not only pushing her but he was pushing Ian, too. And Ian wouldn’t take it.

Ian would think he was protecting her by sending her home. She didn’t want to go home. Not now.

She also realized Ben was going to continue to push her farther and harder. He’d stop before he broke her or pushed her to do something she didn’t want. But he wouldn’t give up on her right away.

She looked back at Ben. “No, you don’t have to stop.” Then she looked up at Ian. “You need to stop treating me like I don’t know my own mind.”

A tiny muscle in Ian’s jaw jumped but he stayed silent as he continued up the stairs. And picked up his pace.

Within seconds, she found herself back in his bedroom and flat on her back on his bed, with a very intense-looking Ian staring down at her. She couldn’t see Ben, but she knew he’d followed them. Then the bed shimmied and she turned to see Ben settling back against the footboard. He’d kicked off his shoes but he was still dressed. He looked comfortable, relaxed. But the gleam in his hooded eyes and the half-smile on his lips gave away his intention to devour her.

As did the thrust of his erection against the zipper of his dark pants.

He was hard because he wanted her. How utterly amazing was that? Two men wanted her enough to share her.

Yeah, but are you sure you can handle them both?

No, she wasn’t. She only knew she wanted to try. So she needed to get her rising anxiety under control. That tight little ball deep in her chest, which she normally caged tight, tried to escape.

Her heart began to pound harder, her lungs tight, making it hard to draw in air. If she didn’t bring this under control, she’d have a panic attack and that would be devastating. Because she didn’t want this to end. She wanted to spend the night with these two men and enjoy the hell out of it.

Shifting her focus from Ben back to Ian, she stared into his narrowed eyes. Ian watched her like a hawk so he had to see that she was fighting off nerves. But he didn’t say anything as she sucked in breath after breath until finally she felt steady enough to lift her hands to his chest.

Rock-solid muscle beneath warm skin anchored her back into the moment. Ian might look civilized in a suit and tie. He could actually pass for nonthreatening when he wanted.

But strip him down to the skin and the veneer fell away. He had scars, knife wounds and gunshot wounds and a few that looked like he’d been hit by shrapnel.

She wanted to kiss those scars, wanted to lick him from head to toe. She’d never wanted to do that to another man in her life. Especially not while she lay beneath him half naked.

“Tell me what you want, Dorrie.”

Ian’s voice stroked along her skin, raising goosebumps. And when he said her name, she wanted to purr and rub her nose along his neck.

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