Chapter Six
Jack and Dean were working on a leak in one of the third floor bathrooms. Actually, Jack was. Dean was pacing around the room talking aloud and generally driving Jack bug fuck.
“I don’t like the storm they’re predicting.” Dean opened up the window and looked out. “The surf is getting pretty gnarly.” He called back over his shoulders.
“Stop with the surfer talk. It makes me hard.” Jack tightened the pipe, but the fucking thing was still leaking. If he didn’t get this locked down, it could drip all over the new cabinets and cause mold. Not to mention, if it ruined the tile flooring Dean had laid down, he’d never hear the end of it.
“What doesn’t make you hard?” Dean secured the French doors.
“This pipe.”
“They’re talking hurricane force winds and severe thunderstorms.”
“Really? You let a pipe innuendo go? You must be worried.”
“In your end go?”
“That’s better,” Jack said, grimacing as the pipe still leaked. He wiped it dry and then tightened it further. “The weathermen have nothing better to do than scare the shit out of everyone. It’s a little rain. Stop being such a candy ass.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Dean stood over him. Jack liked the view. Dean’s jeans clung to his muscled thighs. “What if the storm surge floods the inn?”
“Have to be a hell of a storm surge. It’s not hurricane season.”
“What if the shutters don’t hold? What if the inn gets hit by lightning?”
Jack finished with the pipe and sat up, rubbing his hand over Dean’s crotch as he did so. The soft material of the denim felt good over Dean’s cock. “Shut up. If Paige hears you talking like that, she’ll freak out. You need to stay calm for her.”
“We’re staying here tonight.” Dean stepped away and helped Jack to his feet.
“If we stay here tonight, there’s no way I’m not fucking her in that big bed she has in her room.”
Dean shook his head. “Not until we’re done here. Or she asks for it.”
“Leave it to me,” Jack said. “I’ll have her begging for us. I would have been in her pants last week if it wasn’t for you cock blocking me.”
“I wasn’t cock blocking you,” Dean argued. “Let me do you on the boat was an awful way to ease into a complicated relationship.”
“There’s nothing complicated about this. All it has to be is sex. Just sex.” Jack pushed by him and gathered up his tools.
“It’s not going to be just sex and you know it. Our hearts are involved.”
“Her parents hold her purse strings and they’re ultra-conservative. You can put any Valentine’s Day bullshit spin on it that you want.” Jack shrugged. “But she’s another Stephanie. I’m not getting burned again. Which reminds me, if you’re that worried about the storm, I should go look at our house on Dune Street. We really should put more effort into getting that rented out again.” Jack would have liked to give up the house on the mainland and move here permanently, but Dean didn’t feel comfortable with all the judgment from the locals. Jack couldn’t give a fuck. As far as he was concerned, the only way they’d accept them is if it was shoved in their faces on a daily basis.
Dean grunted, but it was obvious his mind wasn’t on real estate. “We have to go easy and take our time with this. Get to know how Paige feels. She was so fierce to protect you the other night. She cares about us. Hell, if this was just about sex, I’d suggest we take the train into Manhattan and get our freak on.”
“Did you just honestly say ‘get our freak on’?” Jack narrowed his eyes.
“I want Paige. But I want her in our bed permanently.”
Placing his hand on Dean’s arm, Jack squeezed it. “I want that, too. But we’re not going to get it, so let’s put all of this sexual tension away and just have fun.”
“What if she tells us to get out of her life?” Dean whispered. “What if those douchebags blackball her inn because of us? She’s worked so damned hard for this. What if we finally get her into our lives and the inn fails because of some narrow-minded idiots?”
Jack tamped down a flare of anger. He didn’t like that Dean was overthinking this and getting hurt over what might happen. “If we fuck her right, she’ll never want us to leave. Until her parents show up. Who cares what the townspeople think? Unless we’re fucking in the town fountain, they can piss up a rope.”
“You’re such an asshole sometimes.” Dean groaned.
Jack rubbed him through his jeans. “If we stay tonight, we’re telling her exactly what we want from her. If she says no, then we have our answer. I can shrug off any embarrassment and make it better so we can all still be friends.”
Stroking the hair off Jack’s shoulder, Dean pulled him in for a kiss. Jack speared his tongue into Dean’s mouth, feeling Dean’s cock twitch and harden under his palm.
“She’s not going to say no,” Jack said. “But you need to protect your heart. I had to learn that the hard way with Stephanie. She’s your Stephanie.”
Dean shook his head. “No, she’s my Paige.”
…
Paige frowned at the storm clouds rolling in and zipped up her hoodie against the powerful wind coming off the water. Ducking into the general store, she decided to pick up some supplies in case she lost power.
“Better batten down those hatches, Paige,” Caillie Berns said. Caillie was the local potter and always dressed like she was going to dance in a gypsy caravan. Caillie had been a good friend of Paige’s mother. She remembered the two of them drinking wine on the porch all day long during the summer. Or at least it seemed like all day. Back then she didn’t understand why they didn’t go fishing or swimming or play volleyball. Now, she could appreciate just swinging on the glider and emptying wine bottles like it was her job. Today, Caillie had on a patchwork blouse that billowed out when she walked, and a flowy gauze-like skirt. In the basket slung over her arm was a bunch of celery, almond milk, and two avocados.
“Stocking up on the essentials?” Paige asked.
Caillie nodded. “The ferry is leaving early today. If the storm’s bad, we might be isolated for a few days.”
“Oh crap,” she said. “I’ve got to get back and tell Jack and Dean so they can beat the storm home.” Paige had plenty of bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper. All she needed was some candles, matches, and D batteries. For her flashlight. She put another set in her basket, too. For Mr. Buzzy.
Caillie hung around while Paige gathered her products. “How are things going with the renovations?”
Paige looked up from trying to decide between the apple cinnamon jar candle and the fresh linen scent. She got both. “Good,” she said with a sigh. “We’re going to get everything done with a week to spare.” She hoped.
“You should have started earlier,” Caillie said, swaying in the aisle to music that only she could hear.
“Yeah, well legally I couldn’t until the closing was final. I was lucky Jack and Dean had time to help me.”
“Lucky, huh?” Caillie drawled.
Paige brought her things up to the front to check out while Caillie continued to dog her steps. “How’s the pottery going?” Paige asked, trying to make small talk, even though she just wanted to get back to the Nutmeg Inn. “Do you have enough inventory to last the summer?”
“Oh yes, definitely. Let me know if you want to add to the serving platters. I can do mugs to match.”
Not this year. Her budget was stretched super thin. But Caillie was very talented and matching mugs would look polished and professional. Maybe she could squeeze a few more bucks out of the budget. “Okay, I will.”
“How do you like Jack and Dean?” Caillie asked.
Paige brightened as Mrs. Milligan scanned and bagged her items. “They are truly the best. I would be lost without them.” She handed Mrs. Milligan her credit card. “I can definitely give them a good reference if you need anything done around the studio.”
Aside from being excellent handymen, they were smart, funny, and the best friends she could ever hope for. The fact that they took all the glares and frowns from the townspeople without ever being snarky or rude made them saints in her book. They had really helped her through a difficult time in her life, and she would never forget that.
“I wasn’t talking about their handyman gig. I was speaking more intimately.” Caillie waggled her eyebrows.
Paige almost dropped the bags that Mrs. Milligan handed her. Had Caillie watched Jack and Dean in the pavilion? Maybe it wasn’t the first time. Maybe they did that every Thursday and she was the last to know. “What do you mean?” she asked, needing to make sure it wasn’t all in her wild imaginings.
Grabbing her arm, Caillie tugged her into the alley between the general store and the fish market. “Everybody knows they’re swingers.”
“Playground swings?” Paige’s brain couldn’t comprehend her words at first.
Caillie groaned. “Don’t play dumb.”
Paige’s face heated up when she realized what Caillie meant. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
“They’re pretty kinky. They used to date a local girl a few years ago.”
Paige blinked. “Which one?” She didn’t think the guys were bisexual, but she wasn’t surprised.
“Her name was Stephanie. I don’t think you ever met her.”
“No, I mean who dated her? Jack or Dean?”
“Both of them. At the same time.”
“What?” The bags slipped out of her fingers and the jar candles smashed on the ground. “Oh shit.”
“You should have gotten tapers,” Caillie said.
“Were they seriously dating?”
Caillie looked around to make sure no one was looking. “I’ll say. Until she got pregnant. She wanted Dean to marry her. But he wouldn’t. He married Jack instead.”
Paige wasn’t sure her legs would support her if she received any more shocks. “Where is she now?”
“She left the island. I haven’t seen her in two years. Her parents, though, live on a sailboat half of the year, but the other half they live in the big house on Dune Street. You might run into them over the summer. They should be coming back any time now.”
“What about the baby?”
Caillie shrugged. “Haven’t heard from Stephanie since she left. I asked her whose baby it was and she said it could have been either of them.”
“I can’t believe it.” Paige shook her head.
“So, with all the times the three of you spent together, they didn’t once come on to you?”
Thinking back on the little kisses and caresses, Paige sighed. Those were more affectionate rather than the boys trying to escalate a situation. Still, her heart wouldn’t slow down at the thought that it was possible. “Maybe they don’t do that now because they’re married.”
“Maybe,” Caillie said, sounding disappointed. “I guess it’s for the best. You don’t want any type of scandal or gossip marring your opening day.”
Frankly, Paige didn’t think sex with consenting adults could be a deal breaker for people who wanted a nice place to stay on the shore. If her blueberry pancakes weren’t up to snuff or if the beds were lumpy, now those would be a problem. “Why would anyone care?”
“People around here would care. You want to stop getting the freshest fish?”
Paige balked. “The fishermen wouldn’t sell to me if they didn’t approve of who I was dating?”
Caillie snorted. “They’re the least of your worries. People eat up these little details. Do you want your private life on social media?”
“No, of course not. But I still don’t think anyone would choose where to stay on their vacation based on my sex life.” Or lack thereof.
“You’d be surprised. If you want to attract families, your reputation has to be pristine.”
It was like talking to her mother.
“Not to mention your mother would be mortified.” Caillie trilled a little laugh.
“I try to avoid discussing my sex life with”—anyone—“my mother,” Paige substituted.
“Have you spoken to her today? She and I had a lovely conversation last night.”
Forcing her eyes not to roll, Paige could only imagine what was discussed. It probably had to do with how she hadn’t worked hard enough to hold on to her ex-husband.
“Not yet,” Paige said between her teeth, and then forced her grimace into a tight smile. “Why?”
“I asked her when she was coming down to visit, and she said you hadn’t gotten back to her yet.”
“I’m still booking last minute reservations,” Paige said, backing up. “I should really get those tapers.”
“You do that.” Caillie waved. “And don’t forget to call her. I’m looking forward to seeing your parents again.”
Paige left as quickly as she could. She tossed out the bag with the broken glass after retrieving her batteries from it then stocked up on scentless candle tapers. Her mind was flitting all over the place. Jack and Dean might have a daughter or son out there. They liked women. They’d shared a woman. Her heart was thudding in her chest as a haze of lust came over her.
She remembered how they stood waiting for the ferry. So she hadn’t imagined their erections, after all.
“Oh crap. The ferry.” Paige had to get home and make sure they were on the last one and safe and secure in their beautiful home on the mainland before the storm hit.