Tearaways Read online

  His to-do list. Of course. He was keen to work through it, had been since they’d set sail on Temptress. She hadn’t realized kinky sex with her was on it, though she should have guessed.

  “But I’ve got you thinking about it, haven’t I.” He ran his hand from her ass to her hip and held her firm. “Got you wondering what it would be like to go over my knee and be spanked?”

  She was silent.

  “Haven’t I?” He raised his eyebrows.

  She nodded.

  “Good.” He released her and stepped away. “And next time you think it’s fun to tease me with your sexy little strut, remember you’ll get an extra swipe of my palm for every step.” He turned and plucked up a box of the maple syrup pancakes. “Come on. This way.”

  She stared at his wide shoulders and cute butt. How the hell had that happened? She’d started off wiggling her ass to turn him on, and now he’d left her damp between her legs and with a whole myriad of hot-as-hell images going through her mind.

  Her plan had totally backfired.

  And to top it all, she couldn’t imagine anyone other than Harrington Vidal being able to do that.

  She grabbed some of the free pancake and followed after him, munching it.

  A group of girls at the end of the cookie aisle appeared to have noticed him and were staring his way.

  So much for staying incognito.

  Harry headed for the checkout. Raul and Evan were paying for items, Mason and Lucas adding to the pile. There seemed to be some debate going on.

  “We don’t need rum,” Mason was saying.

  “It is for recipe.” Raul frowned.

  “On what bloody planet does paella have rum in it?” Mason held up his hands. “Seriously, man.”

  “It is small bottle, medicinal.”

  “No.” Mason removed it from the conveyor. “No fucking rum.”

  “Huh.” Raul watched the last few items go through.

  “Fifty nine dollars,” the woman said, glancing nervously between Raul and Mason.

  “See,” Mason said. “We couldn’t have afforded it anyway.”

  Raul was silent.

  Olivia pressed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll earn some cash tomorrow and get some.”

  “Si. Okay. But it does not matter really. Just a treat.”

  “We all like treats.” She stepped past him to the end of the checkout and began helping Lucas and Evan bag up their purchases. She hoped there’d be room in the storage boxes on the bikes.

  Harry walked past her and stared out of the window at the lot, toward their bikes.

  “Hey, you’re Harrington Vidal, right?” One of the girls from the cookie aisle stepped up to him. She wore a pink dress and her brunette hair was piled high.

  “Er, yeah.” He turned to her.

  “Cool, can I have a selfie?”

  A flash of irritation went over his face. But it was so fast, and so small it could have easily been missed, and was by the girl standing in front of him. “Sure.”

  She gave a little squeal, turned to her friends and ushered them over.

  As they arrived in a simpering gaggle, she pressed up against Harry and held her phone high.

  He smiled, not the smile Olivia was used to seeing, but one she recognized from magazines. It didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Oh, me too, me too.” Another girl in a frilly red top with white dots rushed forward. “Let me.” She elbowed the first girl out of the way and pushed her body against the side of Harry’s and held up her phone.

  Irritation clawed at Olivia. Why did these women think it was okay to commandeer her boyfriend?

  Three more girls were around him now, all touching him, stroking his leather jacket, batting their eyelashes and licking their lips.

  The first girl was taking a group photograph.

  Harry glanced at Olivia. His smile faltered then, “That’s it, ladies. Sorry, I have to get out of here.”

  “Where you going?” Red Top Girl asked.

  “Just hitting the road.” He nodded at the bikes.

  “Can we come?”

  “Yeah, can we join you and your friends?”

  “No, sorry.” He untangled himself from a girl in super skinny jeans, who’d linked her arm with his and was hanging on limpet-style. “I have to go. Have a nice day.”

  “Would be nicer if we were with you,” Limpet Girl said, reaching for him again.

  Harry stepped away, fast, toward Olivia.

  Suddenly she found herself in his arms. “Oh,” she gasped, clinging to the collar of his jacket as he tipped her backward—low, lower and lower still. “Harry.” If he let go, she’d crash to the floor.

  “Sorry about that,” he said, bringing his face close to hers. “Happens sometimes.”

  “Yes, I guess it does and—”

  Her words were cut short as he pressed his mouth to hers. A firm, sexy kiss that screamed intimacy between them. He added to it by gripping her ass and squeezing.

  She bent her leg up, pressing her knee to his hip and found his tongue with hers. She was lost to him and everything else.

  Eventually he pulled back. His eyes flashed and his lips were damp. “That should let them know I’m taken.”

  Taken. Yes. By me.

  “Them and everyone else. It’ll be all over social media, Harry.” Her heart was thumping and she was a little dizzy as he tugged her upright. She kept hold of him for balance.

  “I won’t see it. Advantage of not having access to Twitter.”

  “I guess.”

  “Nice meeting y’all,” he called to the girls with a wave.

  They were staring open-mouthed. They all had their cells held high.

  “Have a good day now.” He wrapped his arm around Olivia’s waist, dragged her close, and led her from the store.

  Chapter Eight

  They rode the rest of the day fueled by pancakes, bananas and cereal bars.

  As the sun began to set, Evan indicated they should head off the highway and travel south.

  Olivia was happy to go with his decision. He wasn’t usually wrong when it came to geography.

  Within minutes the main road was a distant memory. Tall pine trees lined their way and as they wound down an even smaller road it felt as if they were leaving civilization behind.

  Olivia liked it—more than liked it. It didn’t bother her to be distant from the rest of the world.

  The trees slanted upward as the road wound through a valley. They met one car, heading in the opposite direction, then nothing else for several miles until they spotted a couple of horse riders heading onto a track.

  Eventually they came to a clearing and Evan pulled to a halt. Harry stopped next to him, then Raul, Mason and Lucas. Olivia slotted in at the end and peered through the rod-straight tree trunks. She was greeted by a glittering surface.

  “There’s a lake,” she said, tugging off her helmet then her jacket.

  “Cool.” Mason nodded, stepped from his bike and stretched his arms over his head. He groaned as he linked his fingers and clicked them.

  “Should be somewhere to set up camp down there.” Evan removed his helmet and dragged his neck scarf from his face. His usually wild curly hair was flattened against his head and he shoved his fingers into it and rubbed.

  “Good spot.” Harry was already yanking the two tents from the back of the trike. “Let’s go make a home for the night.”

  “And cook,” Raul said. “We all need food.”

  “I’ll second that,” Olivia said. Paella by the lake, watching the sunset, was going to be perfect.

  After securing her bike, she opened her storage box. Amongst other things was a pair of gray sweats, a fresh white t-shirt, towel, and a small bag of toiletries that also held a pack of Calvin Klein bikini briefs. She gathered the sweats and bedding—a roll mat, pillow and sleeping bag—and made her way through the trees.

  The scent of pine filled her nose and her ears rang in the silence after the rumble of the
bikes.

  “This is beautiful.” She stopped on a sandy bank and stared at the glassy surface of the wide lake. “So serene.”

  “A million miles from New York,” Lucas said, standing next to her, his arm touching her shoulder.

  “I can’t say I’m sorry. The volume of people there was intense.”

  “I agree. Claustrophobic.”

  “Our sort are more used to this, eh.” She gestured forward. “The great outdoors.”

  “Wasn’t expecting to be here, though,” he said. “Thought we’d still be on the Pacific.”

  “Best laid plans and all that.”

  “Mmm.” He paused. “Olivia.”

  Something in the way he’d spoken her name made her turn and look up at him.

  Lucas was identical to Mason, yet he wasn’t. There was a vulnerability to his eyes, and despite his strong straight nose and square jawline, she saw softness in his features when she studied him this close. “Yes?”

  “Will you…?”

  “What?”

  “Will you…?” He paused. “Sleep in our tent tonight, with Mason and me? Not because we want to… you know… do it, but… well we do.” Color was rising on his cheeks. “Of course we want to do that, but only when you want to and it doesn’t have to be tonight. But if you want, only if you want, no pressure, you can sleep with us and stay warm. There’s two tents, each fits three people so I thought maybe you would like to… but you don’t have to. I don’t mind and—”

  “Lucas.” She cupped his jaw and pressed her thumb over his lips. The way he was gazing at her was so intense, so powerful, a shiver went through her. This man had so many depths; depths she didn’t think he’d revealed to anyone before.

  But I’ll find them, eventually.

  “Of course I will.” She smiled. “Makes sense to have two karate kids looking out for me in the wilderness.”

  “Hey, who are you calling a kid?” Mason said, dumping his bedding on the ground next to them.

  She smiled up at Lucas then lightly touched her lips to his flushed cheek. “Thank you for asking.”

  The others arrived and soon the tents were being set up and Evan was nursing a fire.

  “Here,” Raul said. “A seat.” He’d dragged a log from the treeline and dropped it on the sand next to the fire.

  “Cool,” Harry said. “Any more of them?”

  “Si, up there.” Raul pointed.

  “I’ll get another, then we can all sit.” Harry grinned and stomped off.

  An image of him lounging on the designer white leather sofa in the penthouse the day before filled her mind. Anyone who’d seen him then, wouldn’t think Harrington Vidal would be equally happy with a sandy log, but it seemed he was.

  Soon Raul was stirring paella and moaning about the quality of the pan and the spatula Riley had given them.

  Harry and Evan were discussing the route by drawing in the sand with a stick, much the way the men used to on Elysium when guessing shipping lanes.

  Mason and Lucas had stripped off their leather pants and put on gray sweats. They were down by the lake, performing a series of moves, kind of like a synchronized dance. Both men were topless, the evening sun highlighting their toned muscles and stretching their long shadows up the beach.

  Olivia sipped on a bottle of water and was content to watch them. Each move of their arms, be it upward, sideways or down, held grace. Every kick and squat possessed power, and although most of the moves were done almost in slow motion, occasionally they whipped out a leg or threw forward a fist, grunting as they did so.

  It was clearly a well-practiced routine and it fascinated her to see. Never had their mirror image of each other been so obvious.

  For a moment she wondered how their brother felt. He was older, she remembered, and his name was Paul. Was it strange for him to have twins as siblings? Two people who were connected so deeply? A part of her would like to meet him, and ask him. Perhaps she would when this was all over.

  I don’t want it to be over.

  She sighed and replaced the lid on her bottle.

  “You okay?” Evan asked, looking up.

  “Yes, fine. Might take these boots off and go for a paddle.”

  “Go for it, no gators up here.”

  “Just grizzlies,” Harry said.

  “What?” She hadn’t thought of that.

  “No, there isn’t.” Evan winked at her.

  Harry chuckled.

  “Wanker,” she muttered.

  “Wanker!” Harry tipped his head back and roared with laughter. He slapped his hand on his thigh.

  “What’s so funny?” She scowled at him.

  “Oh, Liv. That was on my to-do list, to be called a wanker by a British person. Thank you.”

  She huffed. “You and your bloody to-do list.”

  He was still chuckling as she wandered to the tent Mason and Lucas had claimed. She removed her boots and socks. Once inside she lay out her roll mat between theirs, shook out her sleeping bag and plumped up her pillow.

  It took a little wriggling to rid herself of her leather pants, but it was a relief when they were off. She did the same with her bra, suddenly finding it constricting.

  Wearing only her panties and t-shirt, she found a wide trunk, hid behind it, and had a much needed pee.

  Then, with thoughts only of cooling her hot legs, she ambled down the sandy bank to the lake.

  Miniscule waves lapped the edge, nothing like the ones on Elysium, and she stepped into them, enjoying the cool on her ankles. She went deeper so the water covered her shins, admiring the way the dipping sun had turned the smooth surface golden. The pine trees were darkening, their vibrant green of the day fading as if on a dimmer switch.

  The water was blissful and she waded until it hit her mid thigh, her feet sinking into the sandy base.

  “Is it good?” Harry called.

  “Yes, lovely.” She swished her hands through it. Her fingers were stiff from being in one position most of the day. The coolness spread up her arms and over her chest, tightening her nipples.

  “Do not be long. Dinner is ready,” Raul called.

  “I won’t. Just a few minutes more.”

  “Don’t fall over,” Evan shouted. “Looks like it gets deep just beyond—”

  She didn’t hear him finish the sentence. The lakebed disappeared from beneath her feet and her body plunged downward. Bubbles rushed into her ears, the sound deafening and the stabbing chill of the lake spread over her torso, shoulders, face and scalp.

  She kicked out and pushed upward to the surface, gasping for breath. Not because she’d been under long, but the shock of it.

  She pulled in a lungful of air and swam a couple of meters closer to shore until she could stand.

  “You okay?” Harry called. He’d taken several steps toward the beach.

  Mason and Lucas had stopped their training and were staring at her.

  Raul held his spoon aloft.

  Evan sat casually on the log, elbows on his knees and a grin on his face.

  “Yes. I’m fine.” It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in water before.

  She smoothed her palms over her forehead, scraping her hair from her face. Her t-shirt was clinging to her and her panties had ridden up her butt.

  She was cool enough, it was time to get out.

  “Fucking hell, hen,” Mason muttered as she walked out the water and past him and Lucas.

  She glanced at him, then his twin. Lucas’ eyes were wide as his gaze slipped from her face to her chest.

  Her nipples prickled. She looked down.

  Bloody hell!

  She could have been auditioning for a wet t-shirt competition. “Oh.” Quickly she pressed her hands over her breasts.

  Harry met her. “Don’t cover up in front of us,” he said, taking her wrists and tugging.

  She resisted at first, but then allowed him to pull her arms away. She felt exposed, though not in a bad way.

  “Most of us have seen your be
autiful naked body already,” Harry said.

  Unable to resist, she glanced at Mason then Lucas. They were her two men who hadn’t seen her naked. The two she hadn’t had sex with.

  “And I wouldn’t imagine it will be long until we all have,” Harry went on.

  She swallowed and a shiver of both cold and excitement went through her. Her nipples seemed to twist and get tighter still, as if the twins’ attention on her breasts were stimulating them.

  “Yes,” she said. “Soon.”

  “We’re yours,” Harry said. He stroked the back of his index finger over first her right nipple, then her left.

  She drew in a breath as a shiver traveled up her spine.

  “That’s what you want, isn’t it? All of us.”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “I want all of you to be mine.”

  “We are your men.” Raul stood at her side. He held a towel wide. “Each of us. It is how it is now.”

  “Good.” A sense of power mixed with relief washed through her. It was out in the open. It had been spoken. She was a woman with five gorgeous, devoted boyfriends and not one had argued the point. In fact, they all seemed pretty damn pleased about it judging by their expressions.

  “Get out of those wet clothes,” Harry said. “Before you get sick. The temperature is dropping.” He tipped his head and his eyes sparkled.

  She knew what he wanted. For her to strip now, here, and not disappear into the tent.

  I can do that.

  Keeping eye contact with Harry, she tugged her t-shirt up, slowly, then pulled it over her breasts and head. She handed it to him.

  His mouth curled in an appreciative smile and his attention dipped to her naked chest.

  Mason and Lucas seemed to have frozen as they stood nearby, staring at her. She imagined they both had a rush of heat down below.

  “These are wet too,” she said, hooking her fingers into the waistband of her panties.

  “I would say so,” Harry said, then bit on his bottom lip.

  She glanced at Raul, who was still holding the towel wide. “What do you think?”

  “Take them off, mi niña hermosa, and let us all see our woman’s beautiful body with no clothes.”

  The way he’d said ‘our woman’ in his sexy accent gave her the courage. After all, why should she be shy in front of these men she was either having sex with or wanted to?