“Thanks, Kelly. I will. I appreciate it.” She left the other woman to unpack her box of jewelry and took Steve’s place out on the floor.
“I’ve already unlocked the door and the cash register is set up for you,” he said. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks. Sorry for freaking out, but I’m not used to people knowing everything bout you like that. Plus, I already feel weird about moving in with them like this,” she admitted.
“Don’t. They’ve been after you since the first time they saw you. It was only a matter of time. No one judges you, Tessa,” he said with a soft smile. “Now get to work.”
She laughed and turned when the bell over the door signaled their first customer.
Chapter Eleven
Tessa couldn’t stop the nervous shakes as she waited on the men to make it home Saturday afternoon. They’d talked her into agreeing to go downstairs to the basement after dinner that night. Why did she think she would be able to handle letting them play with her down there? Couldn’t they just move it upstairs?
I’m the one who told them not to. It’s ridiculous to move it. They went to a lot of expense to put it down there and it makes sense. Anyone visiting who wasn’t in the lifestyle wouldn’t accidently stumble in on it. Of course with the state-of-the-art lock on the door, they couldn’t have gotten in anyway.
And she was rambling in her own head. If they ever had children, it was safer for it to be down there under lock and key. She just had to get over her aversion to basements. Then she’d have to get over her aversion to being tied up.
She checked her reflection in the mirror one last time to be sure she looked decent to go out. They were going to a barbeque joint in a small town not far from them. Zander had assured her it wasn’t a dressy place so she could wear her jeans. They hadn’t gone shopping yet, choosing instead to wait until they’d gotten to know each other better. Of course it hadn’t stopped either of the men from bringing home little gifts for her every day. In fact, the top she was wearing now had been a gift from Tag the day before. She couldn’t fuss about it since she’d fallen in love with it.
Now as she hurried out of the bedroom to wait for them in the den, Tessa could admit to enjoying their thoughtfulness. They knew she didn’t have much in the way of clothes or anything else for that matter, but recognized her pride and independent spirit. Instead of pushing her about going shopping, they were slowly adding to her wardrobe with little gifts and presents.
The sound of a bike driving up the long drive set her heart to fluttering again. Would she ever stop feeling this way when one of them made it home? She sure hoped not. She enjoyed the feeling of anticipation. It reminded her of how much she loved them.
As soon as Tag opened the kitchen door, Tessa was up and all but running to the kitchen to meet him. His eyes lit up when she hurried toward him. He threw his arms up to ward her off.
“Whoa, there baby girl. I’m nasty. I was going to shower upstairs before I came home but didn’t want to be away from you any longer than I had to. Let me clean up, and then I’ll give you a hug.” His smile might have looked a little lopsided, but she knew from the look in his eyes that Tag wanted to hold her as much as she wanted to be held.
“Hurry up, but don’t fall,” she told him. “I’m going to wait in here for Zander.”
“Be sure he isn’t dirty before you go and jump on him. Sometimes he ends up with ink spilt on him. You don’t want that shit on you, baby.” Tag’s long stride took him out of the kitchen in less than a second.
As she waited for her other man to make it home, Tessa climbed up on the barstool and thought about cooking them something for dinner the next day. She knew they’d probably stay in bed till nearly lunch time, anyway. They’d probably eat a quick toast and egg breakfast to stop the hunger pains. That left dinnertime for her to cook for them. She was so caught up in recipes and grocery lists that she nearly missed the sound of Zander’s truck as it pulled into the garage.
Tessa jumped down from the barstool and waited to see if he was clean enough she could hug him or not. Heat immediately burned through her bloodstream when he stepped into the kitchen pulling off his shirt. Sculptured abs teased her as did his broad shoulders and hard, wide chest.
“Hey there, kitten. As much as I want to hug you, better hold off till I’ve had a shower. I had to work on the bathroom at the shop and got hot and dirty.” He eyed her up and down. “Don’t want to mess up that pretty top you’ve got on.”
“Hurry, Zander. Tag’s in the shower now. I can’t believe I got dressed to wait while you two shower and dress. I could have waited and shared it with you two,” she said with a pout.