“Okay, so I figured it out pretty quickly, but it was a Jessi-type conversation, you have to admit.”
“Every conversation with me is a Jessi-type conversation.”
He rolled a condom on. “True. But not every one is a delightful meander through a myriad of topics until at last, the point becomes clear. After a while.”
Laughing, she pinched his side. Or tried, but because he was all muscle it was hard.
His hand splayed against her thigh, holding her where he wanted. So big and strong. She’d seen him punch people with that hand. The vivid color of his ink stood out against her skin. The leather cuff he wore on his wrist, a gift she’d given him for his eighteenth birthday.
“You think you’re not good enough for me because you work with your hands? Or because you find some measure of comfort and relief in using those hands to punch people for fun or in defense of those you care about? Because you say dirty things?” She knew she’d hit home when he closed his eyes a moment. “What you miss is that I say dirty things too. Things like, please put your cock in me. I need you to fuck me.”
His attention snapped into place as he paused, still only barely inside her.
“Please,” she added prettily because it got him hard.
He sucked in a deep breath and then thrust deep.
“You and Adam think I’m an angel, but I’m just as filthy as you two are. I can be that with you. I can beg you and know you’ll ease my pain.”
He snarled a curse as he tapped her mouth with his fingers. She sucked them inside, her taste on his skin. “Get them wet so I can finger your clit.”
She did.
He brushed his now slick fingertips against her, tugging just perfectly on the hoop she had in.
“You have no idea how many times you’ve saved me over the years in some way or other. You’re so fucking perfect and beautiful. That you love sex and trust us enough to tell us what you need is perfect and beautiful. That’s why you’re our angel. Who else but you shelters guys like me and Adam from the storms of our lives? Angels are warriors, you know.”
He did something fancy with his fingers that made her lose coherence for long enough that she could have let it go.
But she didn’t. “It’s the other way around. You two who save me all the time. Now, hush up with all this fancy talk and fuck me. Please.”
“Hands above your head and keep them there,” Mick said as he added a flick of the pad of his middle finger to her clit right before he squeezed it and then pulled back, tugging on her piercing. “All that sweetness makes the spice even hotter. We’ll be out and about and I’ll look over and remember your pussy is pierced. And then I have a hard-on at work and have to think about something gross.”
“Like when you think you’re biting into a chocolate chip cookie but it’s raisin?”
He snorted. “Or shredded carrots in Jell-O.”
“This is the weirdest conversation I’ve ever been turned on by,” Jessi said on a gasp as he sped his thrusts in time with whatever sorcery he had going on with his fingers on her clit.
“Wait until you see what’s next,” he murmured right before he did some sort of squeezy-rubby thing with his fingers and hit some sweet spot inside her pussy with his cock and it was too much.
She needed to back off, but it was so good she couldn’t work up the will to fight it. Jessi went sideways and upside down all at once and she let it, the orgasm rolling through her body so hard and so good she arched, squeezing his cock with her inner muscles, holding him deep with her calves wrapped around his waist, pushing him as hard as he’d pushed her until his head tipped back as his hips jutted impossibly further, getting so deep it nearly hurt.
Jessi watched muscles on his abdomen and chest flex and bunch, his neck and shoulders tense until finally he groaned her name as he came.
When he got back from getting rid of the condom he rummaged around in her freezer until he found the ice cream, bringing it back to bed with two spoons.
“Damn, you’re so handy,” she told him as she set the lid aside.
“I figured you earned a splurge. Have to keep your strength up for work.”
“One of the many reasons I love you.”
CHAPTER
Sixteen
Jessi opened the front door to find Adam’s youngest sister, Denise, standing on the doorstep. She barely spared Jessi a glance as she walked into the house, leaving the front door wide open.
“Can you fetch Mr. Gulati? I’m his sister,” Denise asked, looking over the room with a critical eye. It was still Adam’s cool guy house, but Jessi’s presence was clear, as was Mick’s.
Denise apparently didn’t know him well enough to understand how the house had changed, only that it seemed a little different.
“Adam!” Jessi called out. She could have easily gone to get him, but Denise had always been snooty. She’d ordered Jessi around without ever having looked her in the eye. Or saying please.
Apparently she hadn’t changed one bit from the spoiled young woman she’d been.
Startled, Denise turned with a gasp and then froze when she finally realized who she’d been ordering around.
Jessi waved. “Hi, Denise.”
“What, my love?” Adam said from the kitchen. He’d been retrieving something from a hall closet before they went to pick up Mick to head out for the ballet. He was amused by her bellow of his name, that much was clear in his tone and on his face.
“Your sister is here.” Jessi indicated Denise, who hadn’t bothered to reply to Jessi’s hello. Instead choosing to curl her lip slightly like Jessi had been picking her nose or something.
Adam noted Denise’s body language and lack of even basic manners in Jessi’s direction. He frowned at the sight before looking to Jessi again.
“I’ll get Mick on the way and meet you at the restaurant,” Jessi said and then kissed his cheek. “You’re okay?” she asked quietly, for his ears only.
He nodded. “Drive safely. See you in about an hour.” He walked her out and then came back into the house, where his sister waited, the look of shock still on her face.
“I’m sorry for my manners. Hi.” He hugged his baby sister. “Come on through. Want something to drink? We’ve got cider, beer, soda, water, wine.” Perhaps if he kept civil she would too.
“Why was that woman here? I thought you’d finally cast off Jessilyn Franklin.”
“I never cast her off. We broke up for a while, went our separate ways. But we never totally lost touch. We’re together now. She lives here.”
He considered telling her about Mick too, but figured he’d go for one step at a time.
“Lives here? Adam, you can’t seriously let that creature move in. Before long all your beautiful furniture will be covered in Day-Glo flower stickers and gurus will be setting up camp in your backyard.”
“Don’t be a snob. Our money isn’t old enough for that.”
“Those people are charlatans. Crystals and energy readings and chakras or whatever. She’s full of it. I thought you were dating real adults now.”
Adam repressed a sneer. Barely.
So much like her mother and their father. Cold and calculating. Everyone in her life went through that benefit-cost analysis. What could they do for her? Someone like Jessi didn’t care about that sort of capital, so she existed to be belittled and mocked.
“Enough. She’s with me. I’ve told you that. I don’t care to hear any more of your bullshit about her. Why are you here?”
“Touchy. I’m just looking out for my big brother.”
“I will always be touchy on the subject of Jessilyn,” he warned.
“Fine, fine. You haven’t let Mom know if you’ll be at dinner this weekend.”
He resisted the urge to remind Denise that her mom was not his mom. Katherine herself had reminded everyone of that fact enough in the years since Adam’s father had been married to her, so he left it alone. That and he was a grown man, not a boy in high school.
 
; “I don’t know. I told Katherine a month ago that my schedule’s pretty tight.”
“It’s your father’s seventieth birthday. You can take your girlfriend out but not give your time to the man who gave you life. Most people would be there. He wants you there,” Denise chided.
“I’m not most people. He’d be the first to tell you that. If he noticed my absence at all.”
“You’re his only son. Of course he’ll notice. What will people think if you’re not there? His friends from work will be at the party. Family from all over the country too. You can’t even spare a few hours?”
That’s what it was really. How it looked. Not how it was. Then again Paul Gulati had always preferred looks to substance, so it wasn’t so much of a surprise.
Adam blew out a breath. “Don’t count on me for sure. I have a business to run. I’ll let you know toward the end of the week.”
“We need a definite. That way we have enough. You know how this works. It’s not like I’m ordering a hoagie from the deli.”
Hell, if she did, he’d probably go.
“Bring your—whatever she is. Bring Jessilyn. Or not. If she needs clothes I can give her the name of a few places in town she could locate appropriate cocktail attire.”
“She’s a costume designer, so I’m quite sure she’ll find something to throw on.” He’d have said he was bringing Mick too, but Mick would loathe an event like this party, and he wasn’t much of a fan of Paul Gulati anyway. “I hate to push you out the door, but I do need to meet Jessi and Mick for dinner. He lives here too,” Adam told her as they went toward the front door.
He had no idea why he’d just said that. It would most assuredly cause a fracas. Which is possibly why he said it. Like a boy in high school.
Adam was better than this silliness. But he was relieved to have told her. Whether she believed him and how she’d react he didn’t know.
“Have you started operating as a B&B suddenly, Adam? Do these people need money? You’re suddenly their ATM machine?”
“ATM. Machine is already in the word, it’s the M,” he said absently. “And no they’re not in need of money. Though if they were, I’d give it to them instantly. Do you really want to know why they’re both here?”
Her eyes darted around the area as they stepped out onto the porch. “You’re making me nervous, now. What on earth are you talking about?”
“I’m in love with Jessi. I have been since I was fourteen years old. She’s given me another chance, and I aim to never make her regret that. And I’m in love with Mick. I sort of wondered if he’d be the guy who came along with Jessi, the one I had to share her with. But really, I absolutely love him. Funny how that works. I’m happy. Yes, it’s not what most people do. But it’s what I’m doing and it makes me satisfied. So. Anyway. He won’t be at the birthday thing. But Jessi will be.”
“What’s gotten into you? Are you on something?” Denise looked him over carefully.
“No. I’m sorry.” He hugged her. “I’m not on anything but love. I told you to poke at you. But now that I’ve said the words, I’m glad I did. I hope you’ll give Jessi and Mick a chance because they’re both worth knowing. And because I love them.”
Denise’s expression was sour. “You can’t be serious. Adam, this is absurd. You can’t live like this. It’s bad enough you’d live with a woman like her, but with a man? At the same time? There’s no way. It’s unacceptable. You’ll embarrass everyone.”
“Turns out I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re embarrassed by something that doesn’t involve you.” He’d wanted her to be happy. Even though it had been a long shot, it still hurt. “I’ll see you at the dinner party.”
She shook her head. “You can’t bring her. If you come, you can’t… not either one of them.”
“You’re uninviting me to a party? To our father’s birthday celebration you were just telling me I had to come to or I’d shame the family?”
“Yes I am.” She hitched her expensive handbag up onto her shoulder. “You can’t expect anyone to accept this… this whatever you’re doing. Get your act together, Adam.”
His sister stomped down to her car and sped away.
“Well. I guess I’m free of a whole lot of social obligations I never wanted anyway.”
Jessi made quite an entrance, Mick had to admit. Normally she was pretty. But that night she was fucking gorgeous.
Twisted Steel got pretty busy on Saturdays as people came in to finish up things. And that day was no different, only more. More as she walked—click, click, click—in sky-high heels. A switch in her step that sent her ass swaying from side to side.
The dress, a simple, dark gray number, seemed to caress every curve as it left plenty of her legs exposed.
She waved and he moved through the workshop floor, ignoring all the dumbasses he worked with who stared at her, besotted.
By the time he reached her, Duane had given her a hug and had made her laugh. But Mick noted the strain around her eyes. She was worried about something. As the three of them had begun to settle in to life together, Mick noticed each one had rough patches as they worked through things.
Any romantic relationship was complex, and theirs was most certainly that and more.
“You look beautiful.” He gave her a hug.
“Me? You worked in a garage all day and you’re in a suit, looking suave.” She linked her arm through Mick’s. “Adam’s going to meet us at the restaurant.”
Which most likely was connected to whatever had her looking worried.
“I’ll drive.” He held out his hand for the keys. With a roll of her eyes, she dropped them into his palm.
“See you later, Duane! Have an awesome date.”
Duane blushed and smiled. “Thank you, sweetheart. You enjoy the ballet.”
Several other guys who’d been working around the shop called out their farewells to her as they left.
“I have to beat them off with a stick every time you come around.” Mick held the door open for her and she got in.
When they pulled out of the lot, heading toward Queen Anne, Mick spoke again. “You knew I’d want to drive, so you brought my car on purpose. Didn’t you?”
Jessi snorted. “I pay attention. Nothing more than that.”
“You make it sound like it’s no big deal to pay attention when the sad fact is, most people don’t. It takes a lot of energy to listen.”
“You just finished with this car a few months ago and you love to drive it. It’s not motorcycle time anymore, and Adam will obviously bring his car.”
“Thank you for paying attention. What’s going on at home that made Adam have to meet us there instead of coming with you?”
“Right as we were about to leave, Denise showed up at the door. She wanted to talk to Adam, and so I told him to meet us at the restaurant. I didn’t want him to feel rushed into whatever they had to talk about.”
“His sister Denise?”
“Yes, that one.”
“She must have been thrilled to see you.” Mick laughed. The baby of the Gulati family had never been anything but unpleasant. Entitled. Spoiled.
“Honestly, I don’t know why she doesn’t like me. I’ve never done anything to her. Anyway, she didn’t even notice me until Adam came into the room. I was just this person she told to fetch Adam. Actually, she said Mr. Gulati. I guess I look like a butler? Or whatever.”
“Did you get a sense about whatever her issue was?” Adam’s mother’s family were good people. Warm and supportive. But the Gulatis were another story.
“She couldn’t even be bothered to say hello to me. Though, I should be fair and tell you she might have just been surprised to see me after all these years.”
“Maybe, if she was a normal human instead of a cyborg.”
Jessi laughed as they parked and he gave the car one last look. The ’65 Chevy Impala had taken him pretty much the entire year he’d been back in Seattle to restore. A lot of money. Thank god he’d been able to do a l
ot of the work himself on the side and had help when he’d needed it.
The tangerine paint had a metallic fleck and the chrome rims made it more than a restoration. It was Mick’s car. He couldn’t drive it every day, but he’d only had it done for just about a month and the joy of it hadn’t even begun to get old.
“So shiny.” She sighed the words and he got off on the fact that she loved it as much as he did.
“You also wanted to drive my badass car, and coming to pick me up gave you a reason.”
She laughed. “Just because I listen to you doesn’t mean it didn’t also suit my purposes. Your car has good energy. It pleases me to be in it and it’s totally badass. People just get out of the way for that car. And orange goes with the gray of my dress, don’t you think?”
In the alcove of the restaurant, Adam stood waiting, looking handsome in a deep blue suit.
Jessi smiled at him as he approached. “I didn’t expect you for a while more.”
Adam bent to kiss her quickly and then, much to Mick’s surprise, Mick as well.
“As it turns out, she didn’t need very much time.”
Mick waited until they’d been seated and drinks had been ordered before he pursued it. “What did she want?”
“They’re throwing my father a birthday dinner thing. She and her mother have been hounding me to say yes.”
Jessi sighed and then clamped her lips together. It was adorable and infuriating all at once.
But Adam didn’t miss it. One of his eyebrows, the right one, slid up very slowly. “So, I did say yes, and then I got uninvited.”
“What?” Jessi exclaimed before Mick got to say anything.
Adam explained that he’d said Jessi would be there but Mick wouldn’t and that he loved them both. His sister—predictably—hadn’t handled it well.
“That’s awful! I’m sorry. Go without me. I’m not offended. I know they don’t like me.”
Jessi would most likely be relieved because Paul Gulati was a braggart of the worst order. If you broke a leg, he was in traction once after climbing Everest. If you just bought a new house, Paul had a multi-million-dollar mansion built for himself.