STORY EXCERPT

She finally opted for a grouper sandwich. As Rhys and Korbin talked at her more than with her, she nodded where she felt it appropriate, made the right conversational noises as they started babbling on about a sci-fi movie franchise she knew nothing about, and did her best to not focus on the noises around them.

Surprisingly, she found her sandwich and the homemade potato chips to be as delicious as the men had promised they would be. Other than the crowd and having to be careful about taking sips of tea because of other patrons bumping into her as they stumbled past to go to the restroom, the meal was good.

Manny was still working on her sandwich, while Rhys regaled her with a story about some book he was reading, when Korbin excused himself to the bathroom.

With her attention on Rhys, she didn’t realize someone had taken Korbin’s barstool until she heard him speak up.

“Um, that’s my seat, dude.”

She sat up straighter and turned. The guy looked to be in his early twenties, and from the smell of him, he’d already had a few.

The guy glared at Korbin. “So? It was empty.” He looked at her and smiled. “Hello, baby.”

“He said move it. It’s his chair.”

“And what are you gonna do about it?” He started to lean in with a lecherous smile.

Manny didn’t realize she was up and moving until she felt her good foot connect with the side of the barstool at the perfect height to send the drunk flying backward off it and onto the floor. She smoothly reached out and hooked the stool with her foot before it hit the floor, righted it, looked at Korbin, and pointed at the barstool.

He sat without hesitation.

When the drunk came up off the floor at her, she stepped forward and stood toe-to-toe with him, almost hoping he would take a swing at her so she could satisfy the annoying itch inside her to beat the crap out of something.

“What the fuck you do that for?” he yelled.

She didn’t move, didn’t blink as she looked up at him. He had at least sixty pounds and six inches on her, but she knew as drunk as he was she could have him on the floor in seconds.

Again.

Only the second time, a lot more pain would be involved...for him.

In a low, calm voice she said, “You leave. Now. Or you explain to your buddies how a woman cunt-punted you, ripped your balls off, and fed them to you.” She sweetly smiled. “Or you can take a swing at me and let me totally revoke your man card right here and now.” She shrugged. “Your call, dude. I’m good either way.”

He swayed a little on his feet, obviously considering her offer for a moment before taking a step back. Someone grabbed him and dragged him outside.

As Manny turned to retake her seat, she realized most of the noise in the bar had stopped except for the music. Everyone’s attention was now focused on her. Especially Rhys and Korbin, who looked even more wide-eyed than anyone else.

She grabbed her purse off the bar, where she’d left it by her plate. “I’ll wait for you two by the car,” she mumbled before heading out.

Practically at a run by the time she hit the parking lot, she belatedly remembered she was supposed to be protecting the two guys.

“Argh!”

She turned around to head back to the restaurant when Rhys scurried down the sidewalk toward her. “Where’s Korbin?” she called out to him.

“Paying the bill.” He caught up with her and they headed back to Korbin’s car. “Wow.” He let out a laugh. “That was bloody brilliant!”

Manny crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the side of the car. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that. He was just a stupid drunk. Sorry.”

“No!” He playfully grinned. “Don’t apologize, please. I thought things like that only happened in movies.” His smile faded. “I wish I’d had someone like you around in college.”

“My dad’s retired Army. Despite my mom’s feelings on the matter, he enrolled me in martial arts when I was a kid. I’ve done some kickboxing training too, as part of my physical rehab.”

“The sad thing is he’ll probably be too drunk to remember the lesson in the morning.”

She took a deep breath of the muggy sea air, held it, and let it out again. “Fortunately, he doesn’t have any reminders of it to take home with him.”

“Like a bloody nose?”

She slowly nodded. “Sure.” More like an entrance wound. But she didn’t say that out loud. She worried it might scare him.

Korbin finally appeared just as she was about to go back and look for him. “Sorry, their credit card machine took forever. You all right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“Sorry?” He looked incredulous. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I don’t have much patience for jerks like that. Sorry I lost my temper.”

Korbin grinned. “It’s okay. I’ve been on the losing end of enough battles in my life. Felt good to be on the winning side for a change.”

Another pang hit her as she contemplated his words while getting in. These two poor schmucks weren’t bad-looking, but instead of growing out of their geekiness in college, it’d settled in deeper and more strongly, tying them closer to the culture of the stereotypical smart wimpy nerd than that of the evil supervillain.

They’d obviously accepted their lot in life and put up with it rather than try to change it.

Or maybe they’d tried one too many times and just gave up.

As they headed back toward the campus so she could pick up her vehicle, she took a chance and spoke up. “Can I ask you guys a question?”

“Sure,” Korbin said.

Nut the fuck up, girl. “Do you think you could install a scanner for me?”

ADULT EXCERPT

They had cooked her a delicious dinner and hooked up her new turntable and stereo system. After putting a record on, Korbin reached down and caught her hand, pulling her up off the couch and to her feet. “Dance with me,” he said.

She draped her arms over his shoulders and realized for the first time he was several inches taller than her. Comfortably so, that she had to look up to stare into his blue eyes.

Gorgeous blue eyes.

How had she missed that factoid before?

As the record played, the soft, warm hiss of the needle coasting over the grooved vinyl melded with the mellow jazz. She didn’t resist as he pulled her closer, the warmth from his body washing through her as they slowly danced.

Rhys set down his wine glass and joined them, his body pressing against her back. Now bookended by them, she also realized Rhys was taller than her and how comfortably his body felt against hers.

His breath, warm and sweet from the wine, brushed against the nape of her neck, sending a delicious shiver through her.

“Do you realize how beautiful you are?” he whispered, his lips nearly touching her ear.

Her eyes dropped closed. God, that is a damn sexy accent.

“Very beautiful,” Korbin agreed.

In the back of her mind, a whole bank of warning alarms went off, that she was about to do something reeeally fucking stupid, that it could jeopardize her assignment, her job, and worse, maybe even her heart.

Or her pride.

Korbin slid one hand outside her shirt and up her spine until his hand cupped the back of her head. Gently, he tightened his grip on her hair, firmly, seductively, and made her meet his gaze.

She knew what he was about to do and let it happen, tried to stifle her soft moan as he closed the short distance between them. Then his lips closed on hers and his hand in her hair tightened. The firmer his grip, the more like jelly her spine and will turned until she realized she was grinding her body against his.

And that bulge in his shorts wasn’t anything to sneeze at.

Neither was the one pressing against her ass through her jeans, courtesy of Rhys.

Korbin didn’t demand, he didn’t insist, waiting until her lips parted before tracing them with the tip of his tongue, so gently she thought the heat would scorch her.

Nerve endings came alive in parts of her body she’d thought had gone dead years ago. Her nipples, for one, where the friction of her shirt as she rubbed against him started them tingling in ways she hadn’t felt in too damn long.

And between her legs her clit throbbed, waves of need coursing through her pussy.

She felt the men’s confidence build the more she responded. Cycling through a whirlpool of sensations and emotions, she let go, softly moaning again when Rhys hooked an arm around her waist and together the three of them danced as one.

Lots of excuses rolled through her brain why this was a really, really bad idea.

Only one reason why it was a good idea—it would make her and them both feel better, at least for a little while.

She kicked the excuses to the curb and reveled in the feel of them pressed against her, solid, warm walls of flesh, real and there, something to keep her nightmares at bay for a few hours.

And still Korbin kissed her, stealing her breath along with her will to resist. As if he took strength and courage from her.

Rhys traced a sweetly steamy trail down the side of her neck, from behind her ear to where her shirt covered her shoulder. When he lightly nipped her on his way back up to her earlobe, she thought her knees would unhinge. Was she really that sensitive back there?

Hell, it’d been so damn long since she’d been with someone she couldn’t remember.

Rhys’ grip around her waist grew more solid as he felt her respond, supporting her as the one explosive nibble turned into a series of them, up and down, back again. It felt like she couldn’t get a breath between what they were each doing to her and the unfamiliar and totally pleasant sensations flooding her.

Korbin reached up with his other hand and palmed her cheek. When he lifted his lips from hers, she forced her eyes open again to meet his sultry blue gaze. “Will you please let us show you what you do to us?” he whispered.

From behind her, Rhys paused his nibbling. “Please, love?”

She closed her eyes again and nodded, hoping if this was a dream that it didn’t end, and that if it was real that they got to the even better stuff before the wine wore off and they came to their senses.

Or she did.

Either way, if things ground to a halt before she got to have her first non-solo orgasm in years, she knew she’d burst into tears in front of them.

And that she definitely didn’t want to do.

It felt like someone else talking through her body. “Okay,” she whispered, afraid maybe this was a bad prank, that any moment they’d step away, laughing, and tell her they were just kidding.

But they didn’t.

Rhys’ fingers closed around the hem of her T-shirt and lifted it, Korbin letting go of her only long enough to let her raise her arms as Rhys lifted the garment up and off her. He tossed it to the couch before his hands settled on her waist. Heat flowed through his hands into her flesh.

Korbin began kissing her again. Her nipples now rubbed directly against his shirt, sending more enthusiastic jolts of tingling desire straight to her clit.

The men turned her in their arms, and now it was Rhys who kissed her. With a will of their own, she found her hands buried in his shaggy mop of black hair. He kissed her differently, but just as eagerly and well once his initial reticence burned off and passion took over.

Korbin wrapped his arms around her again. When his palms settled over her breasts, cupping them, she let out another soft moan. He acted like he was exploring a great unknown, prepared to stop if she gave the word, tentative fear mixing with his own excitement and passion.

She knew she had no worries about them stopping if she said the word. Her biggest worry was them stopping before she was ready.