Sliding into the raised booth across from the counter space, Hope bit back a groan of frustration. Julie wasn’t the only one who kept wanting to read more into what was going on with her and Miles than was there, and she blamed Sandie for that. She and Sandie had bonded almost right away when she’d shown up at the shelter looking like she could really use a friend. Since then, Hope had come to know her friend’s tenacious nature, and had always gotten a kick out of it until Sandie aimed that dogged determination her way.
“He’s still… helping me deal with this whole submission thing.” Hope waved her hand, a light gesture indicating what the two of them were involved in was no big deal.
“Uh, huh,” Julie returned with sarcastic inflection. “I haven’t known Miles nearly as long as you, but just from the way I’ve seen that man look at you, I’d say it’s a whole lot more than that, at least for him.” Then she frowned in sudden thought. “If you’re just playing, you should let him know.”
Sheesh. “I see the over-protective tendencies these guys have in common have rubbed off. I assure you, Miles and I are on the same page with our relationship. He doesn’t want a committed or long-term involvement any more than I do.”
“Sorry. I guess since I’ve been so elated with my reunion with Jackson, I just want everyone to be as happy. Let’s go topside and veg out on a lounge,” Julie said as the powerful motor revved to life and the large boat shifted away from the dock.
“I don’t get much time to veg out, so I’m right behind you. Maybe you can tell me what it’s like to have another man touch you when you’re with Jackson.”
Julie put her foot on the first rung of the spiral stairs leading to the third tier and averted her face, but not before Hope caught the pink flush staining her cheeks. “Let’s just say a ménage is every woman’s fantasy for a reason. That doesn’t mean I don’t prefer Jackson, or that I’d want to add someone else very often.”
Hope followed her up, repeating Julie’s words. “I may not have known Jackson nearly as long as you, but from the way I’ve seen him looking at you, I’d say he feels the same.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “He does.”
Miles watched Hope wind her way up to the top deck behind Julie, irritated with himself because the tail end of their conversation downstairs that he’d caught rubbed him the wrong way. Instead of continuing into the galley to grab a snack, he had turned around and now stood pouting. He refused to dwell on the reasons why right now, but knew he’d have to soon.
“It’s a beautiful evening and there are two just as beautiful women cruising with us, so why the scowl?” Jackson asked, striding toward the aft to join Miles at the rail.
“The sun’s in my eyes.”
Jackson snorted and leaned his forearms on the rail, his gaze switching to the vast expanse of ocean spread out before them. “The sun’s too low and not bright enough to bother your eyes. If you don’t want Trevor touching your girl, just say so.”
Miles felt his irritation falling away as fast as it had reared its head. “On the contrary, I’m looking forward to seeing Hope’s reaction to the extra stimulus. No penetration.”
“It seems we have all drawn that line. Trevor won’t care, but he did just tell me he hoped whatever disease has infected everyone so far doesn’t spread to him.” Jackson chuckled, but Miles wasn’t amused.
“Zach, Dax and you may have caught a bug, but not me. Hope and I are just playing.” And maybe if he said it often enough, he’d start believing it and he wouldn’t find himself annoyed when she said the same thing.
Rising, Jackson slapped him on the back with a laugh. “Whatever you say, bro. Now that Trevor’s cleared the harbor, I think I’ll go strip my sweet Julie. Coming?”
God, he certainly hoped he would be sometime in the next hour or two. Miles’ first glimpse of Hope in a bikini was as enticing as her bare body. Sprawled on a lounge, looking content with her eyes closed as she conversed in quiet tones with Julie, he had the urge to shock her out of her comfortable complacency. He loved watching her expressions when she responded to his commands, as if her body’s pleasurable reactions continued to surprise her.
The creamy swell of the sides of her breasts spilled out of the miniscule top, and he had the urge to see the full mounds and turgid tips wet and glistening. “I think my sub looks a little tense,” he drawled loud enough the girls could hear. “A soak in the hot tub will help.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Jackson returned.
Hope opened her eyes to see Miles standing at the foot of the lounge, his dark eyes trailing up her legs until they landed on her face. Dressed in his usual attire of thigh-hugging jeans and a body molding tee, she’d bet he would look as good as Jackson in a pair of shorts.
“It’s a little warm to use a hot tub,” she countered, even though all her girl parts perked up at the idea.
Stepping to her side, he reached down, grasped her upper arms and plucked her off the lounge as if she weighed nothing. “It’s about to get warmer. If Julie didn’t show you, it’s on the bow.”
“We did a loop around the deck. The mermaid fountain looks interesting.”
“It is.”
Hope rolled her eyes at the short, cryptic response, then widened them when he reached behind her neck and tugged the tie of her top loose as soon as they came to the large spa bubbling with a multitude of jets. Her breasts spilled free just as Jackson and Julie joined them, Jackson’s appreciative gaze heating her insides almost as much as Miles’ had. The only experience she’d had with exhibitionism had been at the one visit to the club in Atlanta, and that had been limited to baring her butt, but her response was just as titillating as she remembered. But then Miles hooked his fingers in her swimsuit bottoms and she recalled her new wax job.
Her eyes flew to Julie as she placed her hands over Miles’. “The water looks awfully hot, maybe I should leave these on.”
“Don’t you take hot showers or baths?”
Damn it, does he have to be so logical? “Yes, of course…”
“Then you’re good.”
With a tug, he sent the bottoms to her feet and Hope forgot her embarrassment at the stunned look on his face when Miles saw her denuded folds for the first time. She held her breath as he ran one finger over the soft, tender flesh, the simple stroke sending shivers of delight straight up her core. It helped that Jackson had turned his attention to stripping Julie, but then Miles raised his eyes to her face and that sense of exposed awareness set off another shiver of pleasure.
“You’ve been holding back on me, Hope. I never knew you enjoyed wax play.”
Both Julie and Jackson chuckled, but as his meaning sank in, Hope shook her head. “This was bad enough. Don’t even go there, Miles.”
“We’ll see.” He swatted her ass then admonished, “Address me properly, or next time I’ll let either Jackson or Trevor punish you.”
“Oh, me, me please,” Trevor quipped, coming up to the hot tub and blatantly looking his fill of both girls as Miles and Jackson lifted them into the swirling water.
Hope wasted no time sinking down onto a bench, hiding as much of her lower body as possible from yet another pair of male admiring eyes, regardless of how much her body seemed to enjoy the extra attention. The hot water came to just below her breasts, leaving them exposed to bob on top of the spraying swirls, just like Julie’s next to her. From the looks on the three men’s faces, they were quite pleased with the picture the two of them made.
“Behave. We’ll be back soon,” Jackson warned.