Private Property hp-1 Read online

  Now. Now. His essence erupted, molten lava into a white-hot cavern, an explosion of love and anger and jealousy.

  He collapsed on top of her, laying there for a few minutes, his breathing rough. Resting his forehead against hers, he stroked her face, crooning to her in Spanish knowing she wouldn’t understand, and his tone gentle so she wouldn’t know he cursed Sam, cursed himself. His touch trailed down her neck, stroked her shoulders, while his head dipped to kiss the reddened flesh of her breasts.

  “Te amo,” he whispered. Had he said that earlier? He’d been thinking it. And had she said she loved him too? Not wanting to take the chance that she might not have understood, he repeated it in English. “I love you, Jodi.”

  “I love you too,” she whispered.

  He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks, and a vow that he’d never again allow another man to touch her the way Sam had. The way he’d invited Sam to.

  Desperate to remove any trace of the other man from her skin, Mark touched everywhere Sam had touched. Everywhere Sam had tasted, Mark tasted. The memory of watching Sam’s fingers on her soft flesh, of his cock stretching her pussy, and knowing he’d actually been the one to suggest it would be something he’d never forgive himself for.

  Jodi tried to lift her hips but failed to move him. No way was he going to let her go until he’d made things right between them.

  A flicker of pain crossed her face and she squirmed beneath him again.

  “Aw, baby, did I hurt you?” He lifted his weight from her, but kept his arms stabbed into the mattress on either side of her, trapping her.

  Her eyes fluttered open, a dazed and exhausted look filling them. “I think I’m lying on the nipple clamps.”

  Damn things. Mark reached beneath her. With a flick of his wrist, he withdrew the offending clamps and tossed them across the floor.

  Mark rolled over and pulled her beside him, wrapping his arms around her in an iron grip. “Sam, this is en-”

  He trailed off when he realized they were alone in the room, Sam nowhere in sight. Another stream of curses directed at both Sam and himself echoed off the walls.

  “Mark?” Jodi said quietly, her eyes veiled as she glanced down at his chest. “Did you want me to tell Sam no when he asked? Did I screw things up between us?”

  He cursed himself again, softer this time, when he realized she thought he would blame her, that he might be angry that she’d agreed to Sam’s suggestion. “I know it was my idea originally, but I couldn’t…”

  He averted his gaze, glancing at the mountain of pillows surrounding them. “When Sam and I discussed tonight’s…entertainment…I thought I’d have no problem watching you with Sam. You know how I love to watch you play with yourself. And he wasn’t lying about what we used to do back in college.”

  He took a deep breath and forced himself to look at her. Damn it, she still wasn’t looking at him. Was she angry with him? Or had she found more pleasure with Sam?

  “When it came down to it, to actually sharing you…” Words that usually flowed easily for him lodged in his chest. What if she thought about what he’d asked of her? What if she realized how he’d violated her trust by failing to protect her? “When Sam talked about penetrating your ass, when he touched you, this wave of anger started burning in my gut.”

  No shit, he’d felt like a caveman who wanted to grab her by the hair and carry her back to his cave. To beat Sam until his best friend lay bloodied and unmoving at his feet.

  Her eyes squeezed shut as she turned her head away from him. “You are angry that I agreed.”

  He could have lost her tonight. He could still lose her.

  He stroked the side of her face until her eyes opened and she slowly turned her head back to look at him. “No, babe. I’m not angry that you agreed. I could never be angry about that. It was my stupid idea, remember?”

  “Not stupid,” she said softly.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for tonight and what I put you through.”

  She pushed away from him, shaking her head. “Sorry? For what? Because I have to tell you, I’m not.”

  “I behaved like a jerk. I should have asked you if you really wanted a threesome. I should have asked if there was anyone you wanted more. I should never have pressured you. I should… I…” His Adam’s apple jerked as he swallowed, remembering the anger that had engulfed him when Sam had tied him to the bed, when he’d been forced to watch. “I was insane thinking I could share you.”

  “Ssshhh.” She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. Her touch was soothing, as if she could sense his fear, his feelings of inadequacy. “You did give me a choice, remember? So did Sam. It’s not like he hurt me or anything. We had a safe word-I could have used it any time.”

  He didn’t want to remind her that a safe word was only good if the other person backed off. But Sam would have stopped-or he never would have trusted the bastard in the first place. Some of his anger bled away. And he had the rest of his life to make it up to her. For now, it was enough she forgave him.

  For someone who had seen the worst life could throw at a person, she was so forgiving, so open. He was going to buy her the biggest diamond ring he could find. A diamond that would tell every other guy in the world “hands off, she’s mine!”

  If she’d wear it.

  Chapter Ten

  His stomach grumbling, Mark eased his arm from under Jodi and pulled the silk sheet over her. She squirmed, tugging her pillow closer beneath her but stayed asleep.

  He picked up the remote Sam had used earlier and turned off the big screens one by one. Finding his blue jeans was more of a challenge-he ended up unearthing them from under the comforter they’d kicked off the bed. And his underwear was nowhere to be seen. Hell, he’d just go commando.

  “Be right back, babe.” A soft mewl escaped Jodi’s lips when he bent down to brush a kiss across her forehead.

  Barefoot, he padded from the room and climbed the stairs to the main level. A green-tinged light spilled from the office into the hallway. The creak of the leather chair, and a snap and hiss of a can opening told him where Sam had disappeared.

  Time to settle that account.

  His feet on the desk, ankles crossed, Sam leaned back in the chair, staring at the flat- screen television on the far wall, a Heineken in his hand. His leather pants had been traded in for a pair of grey fleece track pants, and, like Mark, he wore no shirt.

  Muttering, Sam lifted the glass in a salute to the screen. The screen with an image of Jodi sleeping.

  Mark cursed under his breath. Sam had been watching them this whole time?

  With a snort of disgust, Mark walked into the room and flicked off the television. “And you accused me of being a voyeur.”

  Sam scratched idly at the scar on his chest. “Considering the glass house you live in, you shouldn’t be tossing stones at me. ’Sides, I didn’t have the sound turned up.”

  As if that made a difference.

  Mark stared down at his friend. “Do you want to tell me why the fuck you thought it necessary to tie me up, old buddy?”

  Sam placed the can on the desk, turned it until a dark circle of moisture imprinted on the blotter. Lifted it and placed it beside where it had been. Turned it again, making another circle.

  “I did what I had to,” he said finally.

  Mark folded his arms across his chest. “You want to explain that?”

  Another circle joined the others on the blotter. Then a fifth and a sixth. Sam finally lifted his gaze and met Mark’s. “I didn’t want to see you toss away a sure thing playing the games we played in college. You’re not cut out for that lifestyle, Mark. And from what I’ve seen of her, neither’s Jodi.”

  “If you thought it was wrong, you could have walked away. You could have not agreed in the first place.”

  Sam met his gaze evenly. “You said if I didn’t help you, you’d find someone else. Couldn’t take that chance.”

  “So you took control by tying me u
p.”

  Sam lifted the glass halfway to his lips then stopped. “Only way I could think of to prove my point.”

  “That having a mйnage is a college game? Just how did tying me up prove that?”

  “My point was that you love that woman.” Sam stabbed his hand through the air toward the television. “And she loves you. Didn’t you see how she was looking at you when she asked you if she should continue? Shit, man, it was soul-deep love. Jodi’s a one-man woman. She deserves a one-woman man. Someone who’ll protect her. Love her. Who won’t share her with anyone else. She’s too damn special to have you offer her around to your friends so you can get off.”

  Mark snorted, but his anger evaporated as fast as a water drop on a hot griddle. He slumped into the chair on the opposite side of the desk. “You’re right. I do love her. But I didn’t realize that until tonight. What tipped you off?”

  “Every time you said her name you got this goofy look on your face.” Sam took another sip of his drink, then held up the can and glared at it, frowning. “But you were so damned determined to bring me in as your third, kept telling me it was just like ‘the old days’. That you two were just partners having a little fun. You were trying too hard to convince yourself, ya know?

  “And then tonight…when I touched her…I’ve never seen that look on your face before. You looked like you were ready to tear my head off.”

  “I was,” Mark conceded.

  “Yet you let me continue. Let her think you were cool with sharing her. And that was flat-out wrong.” Sam set the can down and gave Mark a hard stare. “So I figured I had to do something to get through that thick skull of yours. Make you realize how good you got it.”

  Mark ran a hand over his scalp. “Yet this conscience of yours didn’t stop you from fucking her, did it? You want to explain that one?”

  One of Sam’s shoulders pulled up in a halfhearted shrug. “It was all her choice. She could have used the safe word at any time. And don’t forget that when I put the proposition to her, she asked you and you said-”

  “I told her she could trust you. I let it go on.” Mark scrubbed at his face, then dropped his hands into his lap. “I get your point. No more mйnages. I don’t think I could hold myself back if another man touched her. I’d probably rip his head off.”

  Sam closed his eyes and exhaled noisily. “Thank the good Lord above for that! She’s a special lady.” Sam leaned forward, planted his elbows on the desk. He pointed at Mark as if his fingers were a gun. “But you hear me, Mark, and you remember me well. If you mistreat her, if you fuck around on her, I’m gonna be on your ass like a hound dog on a hare. We straight?”

  “You’d have to get in line,” Jodie said from the doorway.

  “Thanks for the offer, Sam, but if Mark ever fools around on me, I can take care of him myself.” Jodi scissored her fingers together. “And I’ll be more brutal than Lorena Bobbitt. If he fools around on me, Mark won’t have any balls to tuck into his jockeys by the time I’m done with him.”

  Both men immediately crossed their legs.

  Sam barked a laugh and pounded his fist on the desk so hard the phone jumped out of its base. “I think you’ve finally found someone who can keep you in line, ol’ buddy.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Mark grinned back. “Come over here, Lorena.”

  Jodi sauntered over to Mark, conscious of the hungry look in his eyes as he tracked her. She bent to kiss him but stopped an inch away from his lips, murmuring, “Oh, and by the way, if you think I’m going to invite another woman to our bed as a quid pro quo for tonight, I should warn you. It ain’t gonna happen.”

  “I don’t want anyone else.” Mark pulled her onto his lap and nuzzled her neck.

  “Man, if you two are going to get all mushy on me, I’m leavin’,” Sam drawled then drained the remainder of his drink.

  Jodi pulled away. “Don’t leave, Sam. I want to thank you for what you did tonight.” Color rose up her neck. “I mean, about tying Mark up-that was to make him jealous, wasn’t it?”

  He glanced away, as if unwilling to meet her gaze. “Yeah, well…”

  “I appreciate what you did-especially since it could have backfired on you.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then cocked her head and looked at him. “You know, I’ve got a friend I think you might like…”

  He held up both his hands in mock surrender. “No thank you. I’m not desperate enough for a blind date.” He grew serious as he glanced between them. “Look, if later on, down the road, you two decide you want a third in bed again, you call me, all right? And, Jodi, don’t let Mark here ever force you to do something you don’t want to do. He does, you call me and I’ll pound some sense into his head.”

  “Thanks.” She laughed and patted his hand. “You’re a good friend, Sam.”

  “Man, how’d that sonuvabitch get so lucky in snatching you up?” He hung his head and shook it. When he lifted it, a sly smile crept over his broad face, lighting a twinkle in his eyes. “You sure you wouldn’t consider coming to work for me back east? I’m always on the lookout for a good security consultant.”

  Jodi laughed and looped her arms around Mark’s neck. “Nah, not a chance.” She sobered. Sam’s request reminded her of something that had been bugging her all night. “You know, Sam, I’ve been wondering…”

  “Why am I thinkin’ I should be worried?” Sam quirked an eyebrow.

  “I’ve been wondering why you left the combination to the safe where I could find it. You did that deliberately, didn’t you? Were you testing my competence? Do you think I’m not good enough for your company?”

  Mark swore under his breath. “No wonder you took that bet that you could crack it in under two minutes. You had the combination the whole time, you cheater.”

  “You know I never bet unless I’m absolutely sure I can win.” She turned back to Sam. “I could have cracked the safe without the combination, you know.”

  Sam shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, I know.”

  “So why make it easy on me? Why leave the combination where anyone could find it?”

  The shoulder hitched up again. He crushed the can and tossed it in the trash. “You might not have found it.”

  She paused, watched him deliberately avoid her gaze. “There’s something more here, isn’t there?”

  When he didn’t answer, Mark straightened. “Sam? What are you hiding?”

  Sam turned the chair sideways, eyed the door. “It’s no biggie. Just forget about it, okay?” He opened the door to a small fridge built into the credenza. “Y’all want a drink? I’ve got ginger ale, beer, you name it.”

  “Sam?” Mark persisted.

  “Oh, all right.” Sam picked up another beer can then exchanged it for a bottle of Pellegrini. “It was part of a bet. Satisfied?”

  Jodi turned to Mark and raised one brow in query. “Don’t look at me, babe.”

  When both sets of eyes turned on him, Sam continued, “I told my assistant to let you in without the usual security check so you’d buy into Mark’s story about the place needing an upgrade in its security. But that woman was like a starving dog with a T-bone and wouldn’t let it go until I explained exactly why I wanted to let you in.”

  Heat crept up Jodi’s neck as she thought of the straitlaced assistant and what she might think if she knew what had really gone on that evening. She pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Please tell me you didn’t tell her what you really had planned for tonight.”

  Sam scowled. “I do have some discretion, you know. I told her I was checking out the efficiency of Mark’s employees as part of the merger agreement. Told her I’d challenged him to have you break into the safe.”

  “But that doesn’t explain why you left the combination for me to find.”

  Sam eyed the door again, reminding her of how she’d felt trapped earlier that evening.

  “Well, you see, I figured being a former cop and everything, you weren’t a real girly girl.” He slid down in his ch
air, his chin on his chest, then grasped the handles of his chair, until it groaned in protest. His next words came out in a rush. “I figured you wouldn’t really clean things the way a maid would. Figured that you’d sort of dust around things, you know. But Sandy…Ms. Janssen, she said if you were as good as Mark claimed, you’d be…” He shifted his weight again.

  “That I’d be what?” Jodi asked, trying to hide the laughter caused by seeing the big man squirm in discomfort.

  “That you’d be…you know…snoopy.” The words left him in a rush.

  “Snoopy?” Jodi laughed aloud. “Sam, I was reconnoitering for security flaws. Of course, I’d be snoopy!”

  Obviously relieved that she wasn’t offended, Sam let his shoulders drop and leaned back in his chair. “Sandy bet me that if she wrote the combination on the blotter-”

  “-I’d find it.” Jodi finished for him. “Which I wouldn’t have unless I actually cleared the desk when I dusted.”

  “How much d’you lose?” Mark asked. Jodi could feel his muscles rippling as he tried not to laugh aloud.

  Sam’s cheeks turned bright red as he mumbled, “I have to enter myself in the annual bachelor auction to raise money for the homeless women’s shelter.”

  Mark’s laughter exploded, nearly unseating Jodi. “Oh, that’s fucking perfect! Jodi, we have to go to that auction. I want to watch him squirm while all those women ogle his ass.”

  Sam looked up, a look of hope flickering in his eyes. “Hey, Jodi, maybe you could bid on me. You know, save a poor helpless bachelor from those biddies?”

  Mark shook his head. “Not a chance! You made the bet, you suffer the consequences.”

  “I don’t…” Jodi started, then hesitated as a thought struck her. But would her plan work, especially with the two huge egos these men had? “Maybe we could come to some arrangement.”

  “Jodi,” Mark groaned. “Don’t you dare buy into his ‘poor bachelor’ crap. I want to watch him strut his sorry ass down a runway like a frickin’ supermodel-it’s the perfect payback, babe.”

  Jodi bit her bottom lip. “I’ll make the highest bid on you if you promise me something.”