“What do you want to do?” Lucas asked, startling her a little.
She glanced back at the bemused woman and smiled, receiving a smile in response before the brunette turned her gaze on the silver-haired man.
“I don’t have to go upstairs now. I could spend time with you.”
“Both of us,” Josh murmured. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
She knew she didn’t have the heart for no-strings-attached hookups. Bodie Cox had provided all the proof she needed of how dangerous those were to her heart. But Josh and Lucas were different. When they looked at her, she felt like the center of their attention. That feeling was going to get addictive, but she couldn’t find it in her to put on the brakes. She wanted what she saw in their eyes, wanted to explore this attraction. If it didn’t work out, when the fantasy weekend was over, they could walk away.
Right.
* * * *
Lucas glanced around the room as the guests wandered out, some still negotiating while others appeared ready to find a nearby play surface, horizontal or otherwise.
Her hand felt delicate in his big paw as he and Josh led her through the lounge to the French doors looking out over the back of the mansion. The lighting had been dimmed, and music with a sensual rhythm played. Couches and love seats had been set up into groups, with screens and tall plants giving the illusion of privacy, and several couples and groups had already found comfortable spots to talk quietly, setting the scenes to come.
His cock thickened at the thought of having such a conversation with her, exploring her limits. She gazed out the windows in the doors, seeming oblivious to the room surrounding her, and then she glanced at him and turned the knob.
The “backyard” was broken up into several gathering areas, with outdoor lounging furniture interspersed throughout, among potted trees and shrubs. The pool was an enormous affair surrounded by bedding platforms. Torches were lit and placed throughout the outdoor living spaces, providing flickering, golden mood lighting at a safe distance from the beds and the sheer drapes hanging from them. The drapes were tied back for now but could be loosened and closed, giving the illusion of privacy, along with the tantalizing prospect that voyeurism was as welcome as exhibition.
If attendees wanted total privacy for their lovemaking, there were spaces set aside for that as well as the privacy of their own bedrooms if they so desired. Several couples were already out there. The atmosphere was a sensual one, and no one seemed in the mood to rush. Alluring music filtered out through hidden speakers.
Lucas caught her watching the couple from the dining room again, smiling as he noted her interest. He had a feeling she identified with the pretty brunette, who looked as much like a fish out of water as Violet seemed to. The brunette’s man had eyes for her only as he slid one shoulder of her open-necked blouse down and kissed her there before he pulled her gently into his lap.
Violet looked up at them and then down at their joined hands. Josh tugged her close to him and nuzzled her collarbone above the round neckline of her dress. Lucas moved in behind her, wrapped her long hair around his hand, and moved it so he could kiss the other side of her throat. Her breathing turned into panting, and she shuddered, unintentionally rubbing her warm, luscious derriere against his tingling cock. Her sudden intake of breath told him she’d noticed the way she affected him.
“Come with us for a little walk,” Lucas murmured, and they tugged her down to the steps leading into the garden and the thickly wooded park behind the mansion. The sun had already set, and the growing shadows might ease her self-consciousness.
“It’s all right to be down here?”
“Of course.”
The lights were subtle, mostly directed at the paths to assure no one tripped. It was the flickering torchlight that set the mood. Lucas shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders to ward off the possibility of her getting chilled. She gazed up at him with those rich brown eyes, and his marshmallow center went a little softer for her.
A gasp and a moan carried from a shadowy alcove to their left, and in the dim light, he saw it when her lips parted, and then she bit the succulent lower one. Josh smiled when he glanced at him. Maybe the atmosphere was affecting her as much as it was him.
Lucas realized where Josh was leading them when he veered from the path and directed her to a shadowy corner where ivy grew thickly on a retaining wall. There was barely enough light to see the shadowy recesses of an outdoor bed, with drapes tied back to the posters.
Violet pulled back for a second. “Aren’t these for the others?”
“This is ours, baby girl,” Josh said as he tugged her to him. “Trust me?”