Five Alarm Lust by Elise Whyles (popular books to read .TXT) 📕

“I’m busy, Mother. I’ll call you back later.” Gillian paused, her face turning red, shame darting into her eyes. “No! I am not. I don’t need your input, Mother. No. I’m not having this conversation. My date is—” Gillian tensed, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip on the phone as she pressed it against her other ear. “God help me, Mother, how could you? No! I told you before, I don’t want to hear from him at all. He can rot where he is. No. Whatever.” Her cell creaked as she slammed the top down before she tucked it into her purse, a strained smile crossing her lips.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes, no.” Gillian heaved a breath, her shoulders sagging. “I hate my mother.”

“We all do at some point,” Luke pointed out.

“Yeah, not like this. Sorry, I don’t mean to be a party pooper. I think it’s best if I just go home.”

“Certainly not.” Jack cupped her jaw, his thumb tracing over her cheek. “Baby, it’s on her, not you. Now, I promised to feed you, so forget about her and just enjoy the moment. Right, Luke?”

“Right.”

Jack smiled, his jaw clenched. Rage a slow boiling acid in his belly as he stared at Gillian’s face. Every time her mother called, she retreated, acting as if nothing were wrong. Lenny’d been firm in his statement Gillian was simply playing him, but he couldn’t rectify what he knew of the woman before him to his words.

“I suppose it would be a waste to leave my supper.”

“And how else am I going to get you where I want you?” Jack spoke just loud enough for Luke to hear. “Those pool tables are calling our name, and I want to have the pleasure of teaching you to play.”

Gillian shook her head. “Who said I wanted to learn to play pool?” She blinked seductively. “Maybe I just want to watch.”

“Oh, be still my heart, you wound me with your barbed tongue.” Jack clutched at his chest. “I may never recover.”

She laughed and snuggled closer to him, the shadows gone, at least for the moment. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he closed his eyes, surrounding himself with her scent, her feel, his body stirring. He was going to keep her, no matter what.

* * * *

Gillian rolled over, her hand slapping the alarm clock on her nightstand. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, spreading across the floor in a wash of gold. Kicking off her covers, she slid from her bed, her hands automatically grabbing her glasses, and turned.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips at the sight of both Jack and Luke camped out in her bedroom. Jack’s bare chest rose and fell with his easy breathing, his dark lashes lying against his cheeks. Stubble covered his jaw. He rolled over, one arm sliding across the bed toward her, his fingers flexed before he settled again.

Curled on the floor in her spare blankets, Luke snored softly, his white brief-clad behind peeking from beneath the blankets. Folded on her chair, his clothes were stacked beneath his shoes.

What on earth did we do last night? Gillian tip-toed from the bedroom. Her stomach rolled with each passing second as she hurried into the kitchen. Making coffee by habit, she frowned. They’d played pool, Jack tucked behind her, his hard cock pressed against the crack of her ass. His hands on her body, lips against her neck.

How much pool skill she’d learned she didn’t know. Spooned around her most of the night, he’d dragged her into the bathroom, locked the door, and kissed her. His lips and tongue crushed any hint of resistance from her as he pressed her against the bathroom door. She shivered at the memory of her stockings sailing behind him to dangle off the stall door. His fingers inching up her skirt to the pale lace she’d worn hoping he’d see it.

Luke insisting Jack needed a chaperone all night. His relaxed, teasing banter and warm manner had put her at ease. They’d argued over who would sleep where. They’d still been arguing when she’d fallen asleep.

“Morning.” Luke yawned, scratching his chest as he padded barefooted into the kitchen.

Breathing a sigh at the sight of his pants, Gillian reached for a coffee mug. Ignoring the butterflies in her gut, she forced a smile. “Morning. I’m sorry I made you sleep on the floor.”

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. Highlight of my night was seeing Jack in his tighty-whities. Besides, Jack wasn’t so sure of his control, and knowing my bro like I do … well let’s just say sleeping on your floor was a small price to pay for my peace of mind. And Jack’s.” Luke chuckled. “You want breakfast?”

“Uh, I’ll have some cereal.”

Luke brightened as he dug through the cupboard. “Frosted Wheat? I’ll have some of those.”

Gillian stared in horror as he pulled the blue bin she’d kept the cruel reminders of her childhood in and it slid from the shelf to the floor. The lid skidded across the tile, spilling the contents into a gruesome display of her shortcomings. Gillian dropped to her knees and began scrambling to collect the pictures, the letters. Physical reminders of her failures, of her ghosts.

“Gillian.” Luke’s warm hand on her arm barely penetrated the icy grip of emotion clogging her throat. She shook him off and crawled toward several pictures. Her fingers shook as she lifted them and stifled a sob.

“Gillian.” Luke pulled her into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“No, I have to…”

Luke tugged on the Polaroids and placed them face down in the bin. “It’s okay. Come on, how about a coffee and we’ll tuck this away.”

“I can’t.” Gillian pressed her fingers to her lips, uncertainty, shame, filling her. She stared into the bin and saw the battered face, the bruises, the cuts, and the horror that haunted her on a regular basis. The very idea someone else could see it was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“You