She shivered, and he scooped her up, carried her to the hot tub and placed her carefully on the rim.
“Are you going to swim with me?” she asked again. The bottoms of her feet tingled as she lowered them into the heated water and a groan of pleasure escaped her lips.
Kane stared into the cabin. “I think I’m going to skip it right now.”
Dara leaned over to see what Kane was looking at. Inside the living room Jack gestured madly at Kane. She laughed out loud. “You getting his sign language or shall I interpret?”
“Fucker.” Kane yanked open the door. “What?”
“Kiss her already.”
Kane gave Jack the finger and shut the door in his face. Dara fought her giggles as she settled farther into the water, leaning back in the molded plastic of the hot tub. Kane sauntered over slowly and stared down at her. She watched his face, watched his gaze as it traveled over her body, lingering on her breasts. The water was no obstruction to his vision and he seemed to like what he saw.
“You sure you don’t want to join me?” Crap, was that her voice? Breathless, sultry. Kane pulled one of the deck chairs closer and sat beside her, his arms resting along the top of the hot tub.
“All things considered, I think I should stay out here for now.”
Dara deliberately stretched, arching her breasts higher. “So…?”
Kane sucked in a deep breath. “You sure know how to make a holiday special, don’t you, girl?”
“You mad at me, Kane?”
He played with her hair, twirling her nearest pigtail around his finger again and again. “Not mad, just thinking things through. I’m sure Jack already asked if you were sure you wanted a ménage, and I’m not going to insult you by asking again.”
Dara turned and knelt on the seat, raising her torso slightly above the level of the water as she faced him. “Again, so…what you going to do?”
He traced a finger down her nose, along the side of her throat. He carried on the motion until his fingertip scraped her bare nipple. She let go of the little cry of need begging to escape.
When he lifted his gaze to meet hers, she knew everything was fine. He was in—all the way—and he’d do everything to make this good for her. Just like the time he taught her how to mountain bike rails, or the kayak-rolling lessons. All the way, all-out effort, all the time.
The ache between her thighs increased. She snaked out her arms and clasped his neck and pulled their lips together.
He wrapped his fingers around the back of her head to control the kiss, keeping it soft and gentle. Barely a whisper—his lips over her skin, against her throat, over her eyes. He didn’t ravish her mouth, but stroked and teased with his tongue until she shook with need.
He slid a hand down her body to cup one breast, and she moaned. A delicate touch, his fingers against her nipple, stroking and drawing the tip to a tight point. All the while he kissed her, their tongues meshing and exploring. Why had she never taken the chance and done this before? He pinched forefinger and thumb together lightly, and she squeaked with pleasure. The hard surface of the hot tub against her belly annoyed her. She tried to rise higher but he held her in place, drawing her as close to him as possible with the barrier between them, her naked wet breasts pressed against his chest.
She tore her mouth from his. “Please…” She wasn’t sure what she was begging for.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Kane leaned his forehead against hers. “We gotta take it slow. Trust me, I’ll make love to you, and we can check out all the naughty things in your book to your heart’s content, but I’m not taking you this instant.”
“Bastard.” Fine. She tried to regain his lips, but he pressed his finger against them. She growled and muttered against the single digit. “Why not?”
Kane cleared his throat. “Because I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy? One step at a time.”
“I’ll totally let you run the bases before you hit a home run with me.”
“Fuck.” He closed his eyes. “Bloody hell. You got any condoms, woman?”
“In my bag.” Her heart beat like crazy. Was he really going to make a move?
He laughed. “In the same bag as the dirty book? Very appropriate.”
Another kiss, his arms dragging her hard against him. This time he wasn’t as gentle. His teeth bit into her bottom lip, sending a sharp tingle all the way down to pulse in her clit.
By the time he reached into the water and plucked her out she was half-crazy with need. The ache between her thighs grew by the second, her climax with Jack a distant memory. Kane carried her dripping-wet body into the cabin and stormed his way into the back bedroom.
“You kids going somewhere?” Jack lay on the second bed wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. Dara clung tightly to Kane’s neck.
“Grab a towel and throw it on the bed for me, will you?” Kane growled.
Jack put down the book in his hand and darted out of the room. Dara noticed the cover and laughed. “You jerk—that’s my book.”
He paused on his way back to drape a towel around her and kiss her nose. “Consider it research. I didn’t want to miss out on any kinky activities you were hoping for.”
Kane shouldered past Jack and laid her on the bed. The steamy look in his eyes made the goose bumps on her skin disappear as she flushed with heat. He dried her carefully, taking extra time over her breasts and between her legs.
Jack sat on the bed next to her, using his fingertips to join the gentle exploration of her body. “You have no idea how good it feels to be able to finally touch you.”
Dara sucked in air, desperate to maintain her composure and keep things light. “I would never have guessed.”
“You’re our friend first and foremost, Dara,” Kane said. “We don’t want to fuck that up.”
She struggled onto her elbows, blushing slightly under the combined stares of the two most important men in her life. This was it. This was the moment she had to get right to make the ménage work and set the tone for the future. For if she picked one of them, and not the other. Something to keep it light, and keep them together as friends.
“You’re not going to mess anything up. Come on, guys, we’re all grownups. I don’t see why we can’t enjoy another aspect to our relationship and still kick each other’s butts on the ski hill. Or wherever else we want to go together.”
Kane nodded, his dark curls falling around his face as he looked her over slowly. “Friends, and more. You’re right, we can do this.”
“You can do me, you mean.” The guys laughed. Kane stripped off his shirt and Dara hummed with approval as she admired the chiseled muscles before her. A faint trail of hair began at his belly button and led south. “Oh yes, very nice.”
She reached out to help him with the snap on his jeans and found herself blocked by Jack. He eased her back on the bed, pinning her wrists above her head.
“Starting right now, we’re in charge. You want the two of us in your bed? You got it. But you get us, not some idea of who you want us to be. You comfortable with that?”
Her nipples hardened to rocks. She wiggled slightly, testing his hold and something thrilled inside when she discovered she couldn’t move. Okay, this was hot. Hotter than she’d expected.
Kane and Jack exchanged glances. “She likes a little restraint?” Kane asked.
Jack nodded. “Looks that way. You want to get her legs?”
“Hey guys, she’s right here, listening to you…holy—”
Kane pulled her knees up and to the side. With no further preamble, he dropped his head between her legs, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Her heart raced as he licked her slit, circling the tender area with his tongue. The tight grip he had on her ankles kept her spread wide to him. Rather than being embarrassed, she found the sensation exquisite—mind-boggling even.