Claiming Kara:Fate Harbor 3(11)

"That sounds great," she said with enthusiasm.

"Good," he said as he brushed another kiss across her lips, and then  went around to the driver's seat. Quinn got in beside her, and she once  again found herself surrounded by Shotbrooks. She liked it.

By the time they made the twenty-minute drive to their house, every one  of her nerves was on high alert. She had thought there was more room on  the bench seat of the truck. Apparently, however, it was smaller than  she thought because both men were crowded against her, arm to arm, leg  to leg, and she was breathing hard. She knew damn well her panties were  damp. Thank God she had worn a padded bra. Otherwise they could have  seen how hard her nipples were.

She was a little disappointed to not be greeted by the dogs when they  arrived at the house. But she supposed that it was for the best, if she  and Ben were going to …

Jesus, did they plan what she was thinking they might have planned? What she now was hoping they might have planned?

She stumbled on the way to the kitchen, but Quinn caught her. "Kara, are you all right?" he asked.

"Fine. Just admiring the view," she said, waving to the trees and yard  that could be seen through the sliding glass door that separated the  dining room from the deck.

"We'll be eating out on the deck," Ben told her as Quinn continued to  hold onto her arm, rubbing his fingers on the inside of her elbow,  making her tingle.

"That sounds great," she said weakly. "Is there anything I can do to help?

"You left your sketchpad here yesterday. Why don't you just sit outside  and sketch while Quinn and I get dinner ready?" Ben suggested. Kara  eagerly took his suggestion, pulling her arm from Quinn's grip. She  needed some time alone to consider this situation, and she suspected  that Ben understood that.

Kara got lost sketching profiles of both men, rather than the landscape.  She had often found that when sketching something, she was able to  discern the truth of it. She had done many sketches of Ben and found  only purity and goodness. When sketching Quinn, she found different  qualities, however. There was more hardness and strength. She suspected  that as the oldest, he had had to make tougher decisions by himself,  decisions that weighed on him.

When she heard the sliding glass door open, she immediately closed her  sketchbook and smiled. They handed her a plate. The salmon was cooked  perfectly, and they all enjoyed their meal while talking about random  things, the undercurrents strong. Kara had made up her mind while  sketching. She was never going to get a chance like this again to truly  follow her emotions and desires. Soon she would be going back to her  real life. It was a good life, but it would never present an opportunity  like this, and she wanted this. She needed this. She needed a memory  like this that she could take out and relive and relish, knowing that  there was one time she took a chance and she had been desired.
         

     



 
Ben and Quinn took the dishes back inside, then came back out and sat down. Ben joined her on the lounge chair.

"Kara, there's something that Quinn and I need to explain to you." Ben picked up her hand.

Quinn sat down in the chair positioned opposite Kara's, his knees  touching hers. He looked at his younger brother, and then looked  knowingly at Kara. "We don't need to explain anything to you, do we,  sweetheart?" he asked in his rough voice. In just one day, Kara was  halfway in love with this man and his voice that rubbed over her senses  like her favorite hard-bristled brush on her scalp, soothing and  stimulating at the same time. "Tell Ben that you understand," he said  with a hint of command, which roused her from her floating thoughts.

Kara turned from Quinn's golden-brown eyes and looked into Ben's dark  chocolate eyes that were filled with concern. "Ben, I understand what's  going on," she said softly.

"Yes, but are you okay with this? I-we-don't want to make any  assumptions that just because you grew up with parents in this kind of  relationship, that you'd be okay if both of us wanted you … in an intimate  manner." And that was the reason she was all the way in love with Ben  Shotbrook. Who wouldn't love a man so concerned and loving?





Chapter 4




Kara brought their clasped hands to her mouth and kissed the back of  Ben's hand, giving him a warm smile. Then she licked out with her  tongue, where their fingers joined, and let her eyes heat as she pried  out one of his fingers and sucked it into her mouth. She watched as his  brown eyes turned to black. She slid her gaze over to Quinn's and saw  that his caramel-colored eyes were dancing. She slowly released Ben's  finger, noting the quickening of his breath.

"Ben, you and I were definitely going to make love tonight." And despite  her bold teasing, he heard the slight hesitation in her voice.

"I was hoping we were, but only if you wanted to, Kara. I know it's only  been four days, but you already mean the world to me, and I don't want  to rush things … " His voice trailed off as he drew her in for a gentle  hug. Kara melted against him, forgetting the other man who was intently  watching their interplay.

"I want to, Ben," she reassured him. "It's just, I don't think … " She  broke off. "Look, I've only done this with one other man, and it's been a  long time," she tried to explain. Kara couldn't bring herself to  explain that the physical differences in the men intimidated her. That  was her problem and she just needed to push through it.

"And Quinn?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry," she started.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, we read the situation wrong," Ben immediately jumped in.

"No, we didn't, Ben," Quinn rumbled. "That's not why you said you're  sorry, is it, sweetheart?" Kara pulled herself out of Ben's arms and  looked over at Quinn. God, and here she was thinking that Ben was  physically intimidating. Quinn might not be taller, but he was massive.  He looked like he could wrestle a bear and win! He looked at her, not in  any threatening manner, just in a calm and knowing way. Where Ben  understood her artistic side, Quinn understood her bone-deep desires.  He'd seen her first spark of interest outside Ben's truck at the  restaurant this morning, and had been doing everything in his power to  fan that spark ever since, and he had quite a lot of power.

"Ben, I was apologizing because I feel bad for wanting this, for wanting  Quinn, too." She ducked her head, not wanting to see Ben's kind face.

Ben gently tipped up her chin with his knuckles, forcing her blue eyes  to meet his soft sable eyes. "I know you think this is only a vacation  fling, and maybe that is all it is. But Quinn and I have dreamed of a  woman that we would both care about enough to share. The fact that our  dream might be coming true makes me rejoice." Kara was enchanted by the  dimples that creased Ben's face. She leaned forward and settled her lips  against his, and he carefully brought one hand up to cup the back of  her head and urged her closer. As their lips parted, and the taste of  Ben filled her senses, she felt the warmth of Quinn's hand skimming from  the top of her back to rest at her tailbone. She pushed her hips  backward, just a little, to nestle further into the warmth of Quinn's  caress.

"Good girl," came the rough whisper at her back that had moisture  pooling between her thighs. Then, as if the two were working in tandem,  Ben's tongue plunged deep, and Quinn moved over to the same chair, and  she was now sandwiched between two heated bodies. She jerked in  reaction, and Quinn immediately felt her apprehension, both of his hands  stroking down her arms, his lips at her ear. "Easy, girl, we won't do  anything you don't want us to do. You're in control." It was as if he  knew the magic words to calm her down. She relaxed back into his muscled  chest.         

     



 

Her tongue tangled with Ben's, each seeking to taste and tempt the  other, his hand turning her head slightly so that she was better angled  for his kiss. She opened further for him, loving the feel and the  textures of Ben, tasting the blackberries that they had for dessert, but  relishing the deeper, darker flavor of the man who was going to be her  lover. Then she felt Quinn, and his hands weren't intent on seduction.  They were meant to plunder.

He pulled up the hem of her long-sleeved cotton shirt and slipped a hot  callused hand searching across her abdomen, up and up, until he found  the front clasp of her utilitarian bra. With a deft twist, it was  undone, and she felt both of her nipples pebble in immediate arousal.  Her mind and body were a little out of synch, because as much as she was  enjoying Ben's kiss and Quinn's touch, she was once again stiffening  up, and again, it was Quinn who understood. Between one heartbeat and  the next, his hands went from marauding to enticing, feathering softly  against the bottom of her breasts, causing her to gasp into Ben's mouth.  Ben pulled away with a smile.