Both men laugh at my obvious discomfort.
“I’ve known his little sister since we were kids and Riley still shocks me sometimes.”
“Yeah, I have to agree with Hunter. Motherhood has done nothing to slow her down.” Jake chuckles before continuing. “She might be single, but she has the dirtiest mind.”
“His sister said so many things that made you blush during dinner, I lost count. It was amusing to watch you change color.”
“I noticed you guys didn’t do a thing to come to my rescue.” I shift my body on the couch.
“Sorry, we were in stitches.”
“Yeah, buddy, I’m sorry, but the funniest was that last story your sister shared right before she served dessert. It’s not the first time I’ve heard it and I was there when it happened, but it’s still hilarious.”
“Oh my God, Hunter. I nearly lost it when she shared the story of how little four-year old Erika found her vibrator by mistake and dragged it to Jake’s house during a Sunday afternoon lunch.”
“I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to stop laughing that day.”
“So it really did happen? Riley wasn’t trying to be colorful?” I say.
Jake shakes his head, fighting off a smile. “Oh, it happened all right. As things were winding down, Erika declared it was time for karaoke and my little niece pulled Riley’s vibrator from her Hello Kitty backpack and started singing like a diva. I squinted to take a better look at what she was holding in her tiny hands and it hit me. Riley’s face was so horrified I had to bite my tongue to avoid laughing aloud. I mean, you don’t want to traumatize a child for trying. Hunter was kicking my leg under the table, incredulous about what he was witnessing. Their reaction nearly sent me over the edge.”
“Riley is so expressive. I could see the scene as vividly as if her daughter was standing in front of me pretending to audition for The Voice or American Idol using her mom’s vibrator as a mic.”
“You have no idea.”
“So you knew it was a vibrator?”
Did I actually ask that question or was that my inner voice? Both Jake and Hunter are as surprised as I am by my question. Yup, it came out of my mouth.
“Uh-huh.” Jake pinches his lips and nods.
“We’ve bought our fair share of vibrators. It was pretty unmistakable since I know that model really, really well.”
“Hunter.” Jake hits his best friend’s arm and I instantly turn beet red.
“What? She asked a question and I answered.” Although Hunter is speaking to Jake, his eyes are riveted on me and suddenly I’m burning up.
Holy hell. He has to stop looking at me as if he wants to devour me.
Without thinking I sweep my hand from my neck all the way down to my chest in the hopes of containing the fire that’s ignited between my legs. When I realize how suggestive my actions might seem, I attempt to remove the hand resting at the swell of my boobs, but my finger gets caught and a few of the buttons pop open.
Shit.
I quickly sit up, trying to pull myself together, hoping they don’t think I’m flashing them, but my fingers tremble as I try to cover up. To make matters worse, my hair falls into my face, making it impossible to see. I brush my long mane back and when I look up, I nearly gasp.
“This is so embarrassing,” I manage, but neither of them say a word. They simply stare at me like they’ve been doing pretty much all night long.
I swear both men have been checking me out all evening. When I arrived, Hunter’s expression turned shocked when he saw me and he tapped Jake on the shoulder to catch his attention as Riley hugged me. Both men were beaming like boys who had been granted permission to stay up late to play video games. It was only when my new boss made a fuss of my hair that I clued in.
Throughout the evening, I could feel Hunter’s gaze on me. Every time I glanced in his direction, he’d hold my gaze for a few seconds, searing me with his brown eyes—just like he’s doing right now. I found myself holding my breath every time that happened. Jake, on the other hand, had this almost boyish grin on his face every time he answered one of my questions. I became so paranoid, I excused myself to run to the powder room for a quick inspection, worried I had salad stuck to my teeth, but the only things staring at me were rosy cheeks and an air of blissfulness I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“You guys don’t have to look so freaked out. It’s not as if you could see anything.” I’m desperately trying to redeem myself, but Jake and Hunter simply bounce their gazes from my flushed face to each other.