Damn it, she was still attempting to sort out her feelings and gauge this situation of Nate and Tristan being in such close proximity for two weeks—along with the fact that she’d be more geographically aligned with them when they returned to England and she decided on a band.

All things considered, Liv wasn’t quite prepared for yet another rush of desire through her body. A wave of lust that was as intense and taunting as the sensations she’d experienced when just chatting on the phone with Tristan. As vibrant as when she’d seen them both at the yacht club.

But the exhilaration trilled through her again. Especially as Nate’s fingertips pressed into her hips in an erotically expressive way. His breath was warm and tantalizing against her neck. The scent of sandalwood from his cologne and his natural heat infiltrated every nook and cranny within her. The feel of his rigid angles conforming to her softer curves was sublime, and all she could think about was him stripping her bare and sliding into her from behind.

Despite not fully having her feet beneath her with their intimate scenario, she couldn’t stop the instantaneous flashfire.

She said, “I really do need to get out of these wet clothes.”

His lips glided along her throat as he told her, “I can certainly assist with that.”

“I’d be very appreciative.” And there she went, breaking the seal on that can of worms. She simply couldn’t help herself.

His hands shifted, easing up her back to her shoulders. His fingers curled into the material there and he dragged the sweater down her arms and tossed it onto the wooden work table in front of her. Then he gripped the hem of her tank and pulled it over her head, adding it to the pile.

“I should get some damp paper towels and clean myself up,” she muttered vaguely as her pulse drummed in her ears, in her veins, between her legs.

“Why don’t I just lick it off you? I smell cinnamon.”

“Iced skinny cinnamon dolce latte,” she said on a wisp of breath. “Quite tasty.”

“Then we shouldn’t let it go to waste.” He turned her to face him.

Liv gazed up into his grass-green eyes and liked the sexy invitation in them, to hell with all her unanswered questions and theories on celestial orchestrations that shouldn’t be tampered with.

She said, “It wouldn’t be neighborly of me to get any of my coffee on your shirt. We should probably take it off.”

“Definitely.”

Liv worked the buttons and then quickly divested him of the black material that went with his obsidian jeans.

“You’re very Dark Lord these days,” she teased lightly. “All edgy and mysterious and . . . hot.”

Her fingernails skated over his cut abs, the grooves rippling under her touch. Her hands eased upward and she splayed her palms across his defined pectoral ledge, her thumbs grazing his small nipples. Back and forth until they pebbled.

Nate’s head bent to hers and he said, “You turn me on like nothing I’ve ever known before.”

Her hands skimmed higher, along his corded throat, the veins pulsing against her skin. Her fingers threaded his lush hair and her lips brushed his as she said, “To quote one of my favorite actresses via her character . . . ‘I’m a sure thing.’”

Liv wanted him. More than Julia Roberts had ever wanted Richard Gere in Pretty Woman.

Nate’s gaze smoldered as he told her, “I remember exactly how you felt. Beneath me. On top of me . . . Squeezing my cock with your tight pussy until I couldn’t take any more . . .”

Her soft gasp filled the otherwise quiet room.

“I get off thinking about you sucking my dick, or screaming my name when I made you come.”

Excitement shot through Liv. Her nipples puckered and her clit tingled. “I had more orgasms that night than I could possibly count.”

“You were so damn wet . . .”

“I’m wet now,” she whispered, then nipped his bottom lip. “So wet.”

Nate groaned. “I want to taste you. All of you.”

His mouth swept over her jaw and slowly down her neck, his tongue teasing her skin as he slowly licked at the coffee. Then his teeth tenderly bit her flesh. A dull throb started in her core, intensifying as Nate’s head lowered and his lips glided over the tops of her breasts. His fingers coiled in the straps of her bra and he eased them down her arms. The flimsy cups of lace collapsed under the weight of her full breasts and Nate tucked the material beneath the mounds just as his mouth closed around one taut peak.

Liv’s breath caught.

Nate suckled deep. So fucking deep.

Her fingers twisted in his hair and a small cry was wrenched from her lips as he paid the same attention to her other nipple. Drawing the hypersensitive bud so far in that the suctioning action sent electrifying vibrations along her spine.

He tongued her nipple as one hand slipped between her slightly parted legs. His fingers pressed to her mound, dipping into her despite her white capris and French-cut panties. He rubbed insistently while still toying with the tight little pearl against his tongue.

“Nate,” she said in a provocative whimper. “Oh, God . . .”

He suckled again and it was all Liv could do not to call out his name from the flood of euphoria he elicited.

His hand at her apex shifted. He deftly released the button at her waist and then whisked the zipper down its track. His long fingers slipped underneath the lace of her panties and he stroked her dewy folds with just the right pressure, at just the right tempo.

“Yes,” she whispered. Dying for more—so much more—and knowing instinctively, and from past experience, that he would give her everything she longed for.

He eased two fingers inside her and the heel of his hand stimulated her clit as he aggressively massaged her inner walls.

“Nate,” she said on a sigh. Her head fell back, her eyelids closing.

He pushed deep into her, finding that perfect spot that he caressed as she barreled toward climax.

His other hand cupped her breast, his sweeping thumb keeping her nipple as hard as the one his mouth pleasured.

Liv hadn’t felt this sort of blazing arousal in longer than she could remember—or maybe she actually could pinpoint it. Five years ago, with this man. And his stepbrother.

Yet Nate seemed to possess even more talent, more determination, than when she’d last been with him.

And with that resolute technique of his . . . Liv lost it completely.

“Oh, God! Nate!” She shattered.

“Liv,” he said in a gruff tone. “Fuck, you make me hot.”

Her body hummed like a live wire as he gripped her waist and hoisted her onto the table, atop his discarded shirt. He quickly removed her capris, underwear, and bejeweled sandals. Then he spread her legs wide, bent down, and swiped his tongue along her damp flesh, caressing her folds as anticipation mounted within her.

He was going to make her come again. In a heartbeat.

Liv flattened a palm against the workstation to stabilize herself; the other she tangled in Nate’s hair. Her hips lifted as she pressed herself against his mouth, silently demanding more.

Nate’s tongue fluttered over her clit in light butterfly strokes, teasing her, amping up her excitement.

Then he got serious. He slid his hands under her ass to keep her hips raised. His lips tugged on her folds, then his tongue flitted along the knot of nerves again. He alternated the ministrations and her breathing escalated. He suckled the sensitive bead, making her pant and moan.

His tongue dipped into her and stroked, then quickly fluttered againt her clit once more.

“Oh, God!” Liv’s nerve endings ignited and she cried out as another orgasm erupted deep within her.

Nate nipped at her inner thighs while the flames consumed her. Her flesh quivered and her breaths were staccato beats as he kept her highly aroused . . . and desperate for him.

“Fuck me,” she quietly commanded, needing to feel him inside her, hungrily craving another powerful release.

Nate stepped back. His green irises burned with desire and his own desperate need. His jaw was set and his chest heaved as rapidly as hers did. It was obvious to her that he got a rush out of making her come.

He pulled his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and extracted a condom, then dropped the wallet on the table. His gaze still locked with hers, he unfastened his pants as she slipped to her feet. She knelt before him and took over, lowering his fly and carefully peeling away his black boxer briefs, the material bunching mid-thigh.

Tearing her gaze from his, she admired his full, thick shaft. Her excitement ratcheted several degrees. Her fingers coiled around his wide base and her head lowered to him. She licked one side of his cock, from root to tip.

Nate drew in a sharp breath.

Her tongue swept over his cockhead, teasing the small indentation at the tip before gliding along the groove. His hand combed through her hair, whisking the strands away from her face so he could watch her.

“Suck my dick,” he said in a low, rumbling voice. “You are so fucking good at it.”

She licked the other side, making his hips jerk.

“Liv,” he demanded in a strained tone.

She peered up at him under thick lashes and the corner of her mouth twitched as she fought the grin. He was magnificently built and sexy as hell. And she had him rock hard and pleading with her. A wicked thrill raced through her as she thought about getting him hotter, working him up until he reached the boiling point and had to have her.

Her head dipped again and her lips grazed his sac, then she gently massaged his balls with her tongue. His fingers tightened in her plump curls and a strangled sound tore from his throat. Her mouth skimmed along the steel rod she still held in her hand, taunting him further.

“Fuck,” he murmured. “You’re evil, woman.”

Now she gave him a soft, triumphant smile. “You know I’m good for the follow-through.”

“Not too much follow-through,” he warned. “Don’t make me come, sweetheart. Not yet.”

It was a difficult-to-resist temptation. She’d done it before with Nate and had reveled in the feel of him, the scent of him, the taste of him . . . and the fact that she’d nearly brought him to his knees.

But she wanted precisely what he wanted.

She kept a firm grip on him as the tip of her tongue flitted against the indentation once more, evoking a bead of pre-cum. She felt the tremors along Nate’s powerful legs and decided she’d tortured him enough. Her mouth closed around him and she took him deep, sucking hard.

“Yes,” he ground out. “Like that, Liv.”

She lifted her head, almost fully relinquishing him, toying with his cockhead with her tongue before drawing him into her mouth again, continuing her suckling. Her hand slid from his base and cupped his balls, lightly rolling them as her head bobbed and she stroked with her mouth.

“You make me half out of my mind,” he told her. “I need to be inside you. Now.”

She was as rapt as he was, which made her reluctant to stop when the notion of getting him off like this was so damn intoxicating, keeping her wet and ready for him. But she recalled quite vividly how amazing it felt to have Nate filling and stretching her, pumping heartily. A contrast to Tristan’s slow, scintillating lovemaking. It was no wonder she’d fallen under both their spells in Paris—they were the ultimate combination of insistent roughness and sensuous gentleness.

At the moment, however, Liv was completely fixated on the rough. She released Nate, stood, and took the little foil packet from him. She ripped it open and rolled the condom down his shaft. All the while, his muscles were rigid and his breathing agitated. Anticipation and lust flashed in his eyes, a hot, raw expression that thrilled her even more.

Because he knew exactly how she liked it when he fucked her.

Nate clasped her upper arm and spun her around, pressing her against the beveled ledge of the waist-high table. His wide, chiseled chest covered her back, his body practically curling around her. One of his arms snaked around the front of her and he palmed her breast. His other hand hooked her thigh and lifted her leg just as he thrust into her from behind, pushing the air from her lungs.

He was huge inside her, throbbing and thick, plunging deep. His hips bucked as he instantly fell into a steady, forceful rhythm that rocked Liv to her core.

“Yes!” she cried. “Oh, God, yes.”

His hand squeezed her breast, his strong fingers and warm skin keeping her nipple pebbled tight. The hairs of his arm grazed her other breast, making her tingle.

“You feel incredible,” he said between clenched teeth. “So goddamn good, Liv.”

His cock stroked assertively and her inner walls contracted around him, holding him firmly. His mouth wreaked havoc on her neck, biting her, then tonguing the tantalizing stings, then suckling.

Liv couldn’t catalog the multitude of sensations running rampant. She hadn’t forgotten how wonderful it was to be possessed like this, by Nate. To be taken with such abandon that all thoughts fled her mind, with the exception of the most primal, carnal ones. Thoughts that made her beg for more. The words tumbled from her lips in harsh pants that were laced with throaty moans.

Nate drove wildly into her, rubbing against her g-spot, stroking it just so, setting her ablaze. The firestorm raged through her and Liv loved how it burned in her veins, consuming her again.

The erotic sensations burst wide open and she screamed as the climax incinerated her.

“Oh, fuck, yeah,” Nate said. “Squeeze me tight, baby.”

She milked his cock as she rode the high from her orgasm. She felt him surge inside her, then tense. A breath later, his body convulsed and Nate called out her name as he exploded.

More ripples of pleasure kept her soaring as he gently eased her leg down so she was sturdier on her feet. Every inch of her seemed to pulse with radiant life and she marveled over the intensity of the moment, the way Nate so easily, innately, owned her when he was inside her.

He excited the hell out of her with his confidence, his virility. Her toes pressed into the hardwood floor as more ribbons of delight tickled her senseless and sparked an effervescence that lightened her heart and soul.

God, how she’d needed everything Nate had just given her!

And she was even more pleased that he seemed to be in no particular hurry to unravel from her. His mouth was on her neck again, his soft lips leaving feathery kisses.

He told her, “I have a hell of a time keeping it together when we’re like this. You naked does the craziest damn things to me.”

“I like how you don’t hold back,” she said. “You know exactly how I want you.”

“And I like how you can handle anything I give you.”

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

He chuckled. “So adventuresome. That’s a huge turn-on.”

He kissed her temple, then withdrew from her and ducked into the bathroom. She watched him over her shoulder, sneaking a peek at his retreating backside. The man had a killer ass.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip. She’d thanked her lucky stars Nate and Tristan were in town for the wedding and serving as her escorts. But the chemistry the three experienced was even more titillating.

Liv had never sparked so intensely with anyone else. She’d never wanted other men as much as she’d wanted the two of them since their first time together.

Perhaps she’d been attracted to Nate and Tristan even before that.

Long before they’d turned into gladiators from their rigorous workouts, they’d intrigued Liv with their intellect. Granted, she could never represent herself as being cerebrally inclined—she’d needed Fallon to help her through Chemistry, Nate to tutor her in Algebra, and Tristan to decipher Shakespeare for her. But Nate and Tristan had always fascinated her with their clever minds and quick wit. Apparently, she was still deeply entranced . . .

As she dragged on her panties and capris, then slipped into her sandals, she considered that a quick, explosive romp with Nate was but a temporary fix for her addiction. There’d been an immediate yearning between them, but Liv would be fooling herself if she said her lust for Nate had been sated by a few decadent orgasms.

She grabbed a fresh white tank top and Oxford from hangers on the clothes rack in the corner and was just putting them on when Nate returned from the restroom and propped a shoulder against the doorframe.

Liv’s pulse jumped. He really didn’t have to be bare chested and recently sexed-up to be so damn irresistible. She’d been trapped in the vortex he’d created when they’d been at the yacht club—he’d been fully clothed then, and still so unbelievably arousing. That arousal had been multiplied by Tristan’s presence. A fact she couldn’t overlook.

She collected Nate’s shirt and handed it to him. Not that she was rushing him to cover up. Oh, hell no.

Her stomach fluttered as she took him in from head to toe, her gaze mostly stuck on his abs, his chest . . . every sculpted, exposed inch of him.

Her voice was faint as she said, “You’re positively mouthwatering. I seriously could spend hour upon hour worshipping this body.” She took a step, closing the gap between them. “It’s next to impossible to keep my hands off you.”

Her fingertips slid over his midsection.

“Notice I don’t mind.”

Liv gazed up at him. “I was on the phone with Tristan the other day. We started to talk about what happened in Paris. But . . . I don’t know . . . Maybe it’s a conversation the three of us should have together.”

“You’ve never wanted to discuss it.”

“Neither have you.” Her hands glided to his pecs. “I’ve always mentally contended that it was sexier to keep it a secret, to let it be a perfect moment in time. But . . . I could also have avoided talking about it with you two because I was a little fearful of how I might have altered your perception of me.”

“Liv.” His fingers swept through her hair and his thumb hooked under her jaw to keep her staring up at him. “We’d never judge you. Don’t think it for a second. Ever.”

“I kissed you, Nate. In my hotel room. In front of Tristan. And then I kissed him, because I was dying to know the variations between the two of you. I could say it was the champagne that stole all my inhibitions, but I’ve never been particularly inhibited to begin with. And the fact is I wanted you both. I was eyeing you over the rim of my glass when you sat across the table from me at brunch and all I could think was, ‘goddamn, they’re gorgeous.’” She sighed. “It was more than that, really.”

A hyperawareness of them she’d never felt before.

She swallowed hard, then confessed, “I’ve always been captivated by you both. And I didn’t want one of you over the other—I was equally hot for both of you that day. I’m the one who initiated the sex. So it wouldn’t surprise me if you thought I was—”

“Don’t,” he murmured. His head lowered and his lips tangled with hers, softly, seductively. Then he told her, “Tristan and I wouldn’t change a single thing about Paris. He did, however, say after he’d been on the phone with you just recently that he’d asked you how you felt about Fallon’s situation with Dev and Morgan.”

She gave a small nod. “I really haven’t put a lot of thought into how it all works. Dev and Morgan are pure alphas, yet they share the same woman. It seems like a lot of emotions would get twisted up.”

“It’s not a competition. Tristan and I learned that with you.”

“I’d never been with two men,” she told him. “Not before and certainly not after that night. I trusted you both—I don’t think I would ever be that willing with anyone else. I knew, while it was a bit scandalous, it was safe. Because it was you and Tristan.” She paused, wondering how smart it was to continue this discussion when she clearly hadn’t sorted it all out in her mind.

“You’ve always been a fantasy, Liv,” Nate said, making his own confession. “For me, for Tristan. Unattainable in so many ways.”

“That’s not true,” she insisted, her heart constricting. “Fantasies are ethereal entities that exist in your imagination. I’m standing right in front of you, Nate. Very much flesh and blood. And that type of spontaneous combustion we just experienced . . . that’s what Paris was all about. It was unrelenting desire that couldn’t be ignored.” The epiphany came to a screeching halt when she said, “The only problem was that, as always, we immediately went our separate ways.”

A tinge of pain made her realize that she’d spent a hell of a lot of time saying goodbye to two people who’d meant so much to her from the first days she’d met them.

“That’s always been inescapable, sweetheart.”

She did not miss the torment in his voice.

So maybe she was a fantasy. Because she didn’t possess the ability to stay in one place for long. Except . . . that was all about to change.

Liv perked up considerably. She said, “You know, there might actually be an opportunity for us all to see each other more frequently.”

“Tristan and I have batted that around ourselves.” Nate’s expression turned contemplative as he added, “Is that really something you want?”

Liv wasn’t sure it was sensible to do any wishful thinking, but she had to admit, “I miss you guys. The phone is a shitty substitute for in-person get-togethers.”

“Agreed.” He kissed her. Leisurely and languidly at first, until Liv was melting into him and all reasonable thought drifted away.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tight as he deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into her mouth to tease hers and set her pulse pounding. She easily got lost in the moment. Felt his erection swell. Knew there was so much more to explore than anything she’d fully allowed herself to consider. Because in the past, there had been no real, viable solution to her friendship with Nate and Tristan.

But as Nate’s kiss went on and on and her entire body liquefied—and memories of their ménage flashed through her brain—Liv suspected she’d reached the point where she should honestly assess her feelings for these two men. And face the fact that perhaps she’d whittled down her band choices to the New York–based ones for a reason. One that had subconsciously simmered, but which now bubbled to the surface.

When she finally pulled away from Nate, she was breathless and lightheaded. Tingling from head to toe.

He grinned cockily. “Nice to see I can steal your breath.”

“You did more than that. I’m wet again.”

He groaned. “I’m more than happy to do something about that . . . again.”

Liv’s blood flowed a bit quicker, warmer. She reached for the button on his jeans just as the chime out front rang.

“Shit,” she mumbled and jumped back. “That’s Vanessa. She opens the store during the week.”

“Bad timing for us.”

“Actually, I have to get a move on,” she hesitantly said. “Still so much to do, starting with getting these boxes over to the bakery. They’re delivering the bubbles with the cake.”

“I can handle that for you,” Nate said as he slipped into his shirt.

She smiled at him. “So helpful.” Then she called out, “Hey, Ness, I’m in the back—don’t be startled.”

“Did you find what you needed?” her friend asked as she rounded the corner. And abruptly drew up short. “Oh! Hi there.”

Vanessa’s cheeks flushed at the sight of Nate. Not a surprise to Liv. He was certainly her idea of a masterpiece and she suspected every other woman on the planet who had the good fortune to meet him felt the same.

Liv said, “This is Nate Dalton.” To Nate, she explained, “Vanessa Parks was a senior at the academy when we started our freshmen year.”

They shook hands. Vanessa all but swooned. “So nice to meet you,” she said. “Um . . . for the first time?”

“It’s okay that you don’t remember me. We wouldn’t have run in the same crowd.”

“But you’re a friend of Liv’s . . .” Vanessa said, looking a bit perplexed.

“Sure,” Nate said. “Just different cliques, that’s all.”

“Nate and his stepbrother, Tristan Reeves, were in the honors program. Into which I was never invited,” Liv said with a laugh.

“That makes two of us,” Vanessa told them.

“So, I think I have everything Fallon left for me.” Liv bundled up the boxes in oversized shopping bags for Nate, then collected her soiled clothing. “I’m off to the dry cleaners to get this iced coffee taken care of, then I’m meeting Chloe at the florist.”

Liv and Nate said their goodbyes to Vanessa and left the store. Outside, Liv mused, “Here we go again . . . opposite directions.” She tried to make a joke of the glaring reality, but didn’t sound the least bit convincing.

Nate kissed her on the forehead and told her, “You’re not the only one who has considered increasing the frequency of our visits.”

Her eyes narrowed on him. “That’s a rather cryptic thing to say.”

“Tristan and I are in town for a while. We’ll talk more later.” He grinned suggestively.

Liv’s pulse continued to reverberate throughout her. But she forced herself to whirl around and head off toward the dry cleaners while Nate went to the bakery.

Her mind, however, was not on the wedding. It was on Nate . . . and Tristan. And what they might be up to . . .