1
I wake up and stretch out in the bed, wishing I could stay amongst the soft sheets and silky pillows. But I can’t, so I drag myself out of bed and ready myself to see Tobias and Preston. This is only day two. I've been here a single day, and yet it feels like weeks. My nerves are so frayed that the thought of seeing them has a knot forming in my stomach. I still have not the faintest idea of what's coming in the next six days, and it's the not knowing—the inability to even ask—that has me so on edge. I dress with a pair of lace panties and a linen sun dress before venturing out into the empty hallway.
The rich smell of coffee draws me to the kitchen, but I freeze the moment I reach the doorway, standing in silence, watching the two of them. Both men are topless, their torsos coated with a thin sheen of sweat. I swallow hard as I study the way they move around each other, the way they casually brush against one another and share the occasional look. They're more than business associates… I remember the way Preston licked my chest yesterday, the way his eyes darkened as we watched Tobias stroke his hard dick, the pair of us completely enraptured. And the fact that he was right there with me only made it more intense.
When I step into the kitchen, all their attention focuses on me.
"Hey," I say quietly.
Tobias drags his eyes over me and, as always, I want to shrink from his gaze. He drags a hand through his dark hair, and every single muscle ripples and flexes with that simple movement. With two men as beautiful as Tobias and Preston, it's easy to want them, to crave whatever twisted sexual play they come up with next. It's all too easy to forget that this is a game and I am nothing more than a toy here for their amusement. And I shouldn't forget that. Ever.
Preston walks over to me and holds a mug out in front of him, the steam swirling up with the rich flavor. When I take it, my fingers brush his, and a soft smile touches his lips before he backs away.
"Thank you," I whisper.
Tobias drains a protein shake and then moves toward the door, stopping before he passes me. He takes the coffee from my hand and presses the mug to his lips, winking at me as he swallows. The pair of them are so peculiar. Without a word, he passes me and I watch his retreating back as he disappears through the doorway.
I feel the heat of Preston's body at my back a second before his bare chest presses against me. My skin breaks out in goosebumps as the red-hot heat of his skin seeps through my dress. He wraps one arm tightly around my waist. His breath blows across my neck, and in some ways, this is more intimate than having his fingers buried inside me because it's so innocent, and yet, it elicits so much. My body craves this simple comforting touch. He spins me around, backs me against the breakfast bar, and takes the coffee from my hand, setting it on the counter. And then, he scoops me up into his arms and sets me on the edge of the bar. The skirt of my dress rides up when he steps between my legs, and the bare skin of my inner thighs meets his narrow waist. My heart pounds in my chest, my skin tingles with an electricity that seems to crackle from him to me.
"Always so beautiful, Ella." His fingers sweep across my cheek just as he leans in to press a tender kiss to the side of my throat. I shiver, tilting my head to the side slightly as I relish in the way his warm lips feel against my skin. His large palm spans my waist, making me feel fragile compared to him. I close my eyes and I wait to feel his hand sink between my legs, but instead, he steps away.
"Milk?" he asks.
"Uh...yes, please."
He opens the fridge and grabs the milk, pours it in my coffee, and puts it away before handing the mug to me. "You behave yourself today, sweet Ella." Leaning in, he presses a lingering kiss to my lips, slow and gentle. It’s enough to make my heart speed up, and then…he just walks away.
Tobias comes out of the back room, his hair damp from a shower. The suit he’s dressed in clings to him as though it were tailored specifically for him, and it most likely was. He looks rich and powerful, unstoppable. The moment he steps into the kitchen it’s like a light switches off and the air in the room changes instantly. Something swirls heavy in the air, it thickens with tension and a sweltering heat, the same way it does just before a lightning storm. Preston is unpredictable and changeable, but Tobias is a constant, that power that churns around him ever present. They glance at each other as they pass in the doorway and there's this exchange, this kinetic energy that bounces between them, rebounding around the small space as they feed off each other. Tobias heads straight to the counter, grabbing The Wallstreet Journal and flipping it open. My eyes trail over his broad back. He is the epitome of sophistication, but it's the memory of what lies beneath, the dangerous edge that I believe wants to consume him that house my mouth going dry.
“We’re going out. You should get changed,” he says without even turning to look at me, and I, without question do as I’m told.