Seduction Read online

  Jax said, “Let us admire the sight of you, Lily. The smell of that intoxicating perfume. The effect of your responsiveness to our music.”

  “But . . . what . . . ? I mean . . . I don’t mind being your muse. I’m flattered, of course. Yet this job is really important to me. I need it, as I told you already. So what happens if the inspiration suddenly flies out the window?”

  There was a hint of panic in her voice.

  “You’re not going to lose your job, Lily,” Lex assured her. “There’s some gray area here, obviously. A little bending of employer–employee rules. But for one thing, no lines have been crossed, other than for me and Jax to lay our cards on the table. To tell you what it is we want from you.”

  “Just to . . . admire me?”

  “At the moment, yes,” Jax said. And didn’t miss the hitch in her breath. The quivering at the corners of her mouth that just might reveal a smile if she’d let her guard down a bit more.

  Yet she was clearly concerned about her position in the mansion. It wasn’t at risk, and they’d do whatever they had to in order to convince her of that. But it wouldn’t be a secret that neither man intended to temper his desire for her if she truly was as sexually charged by them as they were by her.

  Jax and Lex hadn’t actually discussed between themselves a ménage scenario with Lily. Just the muse one. But given their past propensity for threesomes, the possibility certainly existed. If it was something Lily was amenable to.

  Jax felt they’d planted the seed. Not gone overboard with anything, given that this was all new and she really just needed to let everything they’d said simmer in the back of her head.

  Lex’s train of thought evidently ran the same track, because he led Lily back to the armless chair she’d occupied previously. She sat, still looking a little confounded.

  Lex squeezed her hand and said, “This in no way puts your job in jeopardy, Lily. Just relax and let us soak in the beauty of you. The effervescence that exudes from you.”

  Her forehead crinkled as she inquired, “Effervescence?”

  “Yes. You radiate a certain energy that’s very exciting and . . . alluring. Just make yourself comfortable and let Jax and me play some more.”

  She nodded. “If you really think this helps.”

  Jax grinned. “We’ve already come to that conclusion.”

  Chapter Six

  Lily dressed in her uniform every morning, hair in a tight bun, and then served Jax and Lex brunch at their location of choice, either on one of the many patios or on the terrace off the music room. She went about her duties while they worked on the sheet music. Then she changed, let her hair down, and slipped into an evening gown for their late-night practice sessions.

  She did exactly as they requested, attending to them when needed, but also sitting quietly, getting lost in the compositions and their creative process.

  Occasionally the two men went out for dinner and drinks with friends, but she could see with each passing day that they were determined to improve upon what they’d already built. And Lily admired and respected their dedication and commitment to perfecting each arrangement.

  It wasn’t just that she was lusting after both men—which was incredibly difficult to contain when she was still trying to be professional—she also genuinely adored Lex and Jax. Liked them more and more as she got to know them better. She was privy to their confidential discussions and she found their international travels enthralling, their views worldly and intelligent, and their philanthropic efforts generous.

  Which only served to intensify her desire for them to the boiling point.

  Though both gave her lingering glances and neither abstained from suggestive comments, even in front of each other, neither Lex nor Jax had made a physical move on her.

  Until one afternoon, toward the end of her first month at the estate.

  Lily was hanging Lex’s dry cleaning in his dressing room and returning his polished shoes to the shelves above one of the many racks. Or, at least, trying to. She really couldn’t reach that far even on tiptoe, but all the other spaces were spoken for.

  “Here, let me,” he said from behind her, catching her by surprise. And making her pulse jump.

  He took the shoes from her raised hand and set them where they belonged. In doing so, his body brushed hers, his chest pressing lightly to her back, his pelvis to her butt. Setting every nerve ending ablaze.

  “Have Greta get you a stepladder,” Lex told her in his casual, sexy tone.

  “Good idea.”

  He lowered his arm, resting his hand at the dip of her waist. He leaned close and drew in a long breath. “You smell so damn good.”

  Liquid fire rushed through her veins.

  Lily turned to face him. “You’re finally touching me.”

  “Yes.” His gorgeous blue eyes shimmered warmly. “And you don’t mind.” It wasn’t even a question.

  “No.” Otherwise she would have conveniently sidestepped him. And being a gentleman, he would have let her.

  Jax, however . . . She sensed that with his more aggressive nature, he’d cajole her into owning up to what she’d said to him on the terrace the night of the party—about her limited engagement at the mansion and the invitation that presented.

  Lex was more of the coaxing kind. And she found that equally stimulating. So she gave him a soft smile.

  His gaze dropped to her mouth. His expression morphed into a more contemplative one.

  “You had valid points that night we discussed you being our muse and how we feel about you. Does it turn you on that we both want you, Lily?”

  She swallowed hard. She’d practically been on pins and needles since she’d arrived at the estate. Following the evening when they’d expressed their interest in her . . . she’d all but waited with bated breath for one—or both—of them to corner her like this.

  Yes, she’d needed to process. They’d obviously grasped that. But Christ. The fantasies had run rampant night after night. And being in a suite between Lex’s and Jax’s—though additional suites separated them on either side of hers—had her brimming with excitement. She was in such close proximity to them on a floor that offered immense privacy. It’d taken all the willpower she possessed not to leave her bed and climb into one of theirs.

  But now here was Lex, pushing the envelope.

  So Lily brazenly confessed, “It does turn me on. Even more than when I met you individually. Which is certainly saying something.”

  “Good.” His lips whisked over hers in a feathery kiss that instantly tightened her nipples and ignited her insides. He murmured, “Because taking it slow with you has been much more difficult than we’d anticipated.”

  “I don’t just jump into things,” she told him.

  “We figured as much.”

  Lily’s breathing was shallow, her heart racing.

  Lex seemed to carefully catalog every reaction she had to him—every reaction he incited.

  His grin was a bit cocky now that she was all but swooning under his electric gaze, feeling a little light-headed at the nearness of him. At his mouth, still so close to hers that all she had to do was lean in for another kiss and fall easily under his spell of seduction.

  And he knew that was exactly what she was thinking.

  He nipped playfully at the corner of her mouth, making her toes curl.

  “You’re teasing me,” she whispered, her pussy throbbing at the way he toyed with her and the blatant need burning in his eyes. To claim her mouth? To claim her?

  Lily didn’t actually think he’d take her right here and now, in his dressing room in the middle of the day.

  But what an amazing fantasy to weave! Lex being so captivated by her that he couldn’t stand another second of the flirtation without giving in.

  She’d suspected Jax would be the one to get caught up in the moment and have his way with her if she gave him the right signal. Lex, however, seemed to enjoy the little cat-and-mouse thrill of the chase. Either approach would wo
rk with her when it came to these two men. The thought of how varied each would be in tempting her, drawing her in, excited her even more.

  She had a feeling everything about their foreplay and eventual conquering of her—if that was what they were both intent on—would provide the sort of double whammy that would leave her limp and boneless.

  And thoroughly satisfied.

  Prompting Lily to say, “I like the proposition you made. What you and Jax want from me.” She pulled in a long stream of air, looking for a little boost of courage, and then she daringly told Lex, “I’m more than intrigued by the way you two look at me. Not just when you’re taking in the sight of me in a different dress or watching me bend over to grab something from the butler’s pantry.” She crooked a brow at him, wondering if he’d deny it.

  Of course, he didn’t. Modern-day scoundrel that he was, Lex’s sexy grin returned.

  She should be forewarned by all the zings ricocheting through her body. Yet she wasn’t able to focus on any red flags this time. Especially the way Lex was currently devouring her with his hungry gaze.

  Then his head bent to hers again and their lips tangled in the sweetest, most sensuous tongueless kisses that instantly ensnared her. Until her arms were twining around his neck and she was clinging to him, lost in the scent of his delicious heat, the feel of his hard muscles melding to her soft curves and his hands sliding around to her backside, one palm resting at her tailbone and the other cupping an ass cheek.

  Bolts of lightning exploded in her core.

  “Lex,” she murmured against his mouth. “Are you feeling all of this?”

  His hand on her butt squeezed and he pressed her more firmly against his groin. “You have noticed how hard I am for you, right?”

  A soft moan fell from her lips.

  Lex added, “We’re hot for each other. And Lily”—his grin turned downright scandalous—“I really need to make you come.”

  Her breath stuck in her throat. She gazed up at him, eyes wide, her heart thumping mightily.

  And every fiber of her being screamed Oh, hell yes!

  As sinfully as Lex gazed down at her, Lily’s sensible reservations faded into oblivion.

  Her fingers plowed through his thick, light-brown hair, and she pulled his head to hers and said, “Kiss me, Lex,” a mere second before his mouth sealed to hers, their lips parted, and their tongues began an erotic dance that sent her pulse soaring and had her clit tingling.

  Lex was a master of the slow burn. His hand on her ass coaxed her to rub against his erection. The other wedged between them and he palmed her breast, massaging with a hint of urgency. As though heightening her arousal was as critical a goal as completing his CD. Like he really and truly meant what he’d said about needing to make her come.

  But she also felt the underlying agitation coursing through him at the barrier of their clothing. Hers, specifically, since she was all bundled up in a coat, shirt, and tie. So Lily popped the buttons on her jacket. Lex took over from there at her silent consent. He expertly loosened her tie. Unfastened her shirt. Slipped his hand behind the material and cupped her breast again. Caressing a bit more emphatically.

  Lily wanted to tug his polo off and feel every rigid muscle beneath her fingertips. But Lex seemed to be as caught up in the heat and the lust as she was and his hand shifted from her breast, grazing down to her thigh and then disappearing under the hem of her skirt. His fingers glided beyond the band of her tights and panties and whisked over her slick folds.

  Her hips jerked as exhilaration shot through her. She tore her mouth from his. “Jesus, Lex.”

  He rubbed the dewy flesh while staring deep into her eyes. So that all that registered in her mind was his intimate touch, the intensity of his need to pleasure her, and the amazing sensation of his hands on her body.

  Her fingers were still threaded in his hair. The other hand gripped his bulging biceps. He went back to the tongueless kisses that drove her wild—and allowed her to breathe as he continued stroking her. Relatively speaking, since he so expertly commanded her passion.

  He eased a finger into her pussy and she gasped. A wicked thrill trilled down her spine.

  “Fuck,” he whispered against her lips. “Lily, you are damn tight.”

  He pumped in a little farther and her nails dug into his muscles as she held on for dear life.

  Lex worked in a second finger. Plunged deeper, with determination.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned. “That feels so good.”

  He picked up the pace, and the heel of his hand rubbed her clit while his fingers stroked enticingly.

  “Lex,” she mumbled, her mind clouding with a passion-induced haze. It had been forever and a day since she’d experienced this sort of bliss. Intensified by Lex’s head dipping and his mouth skimming along her throat, his teeth nipping.

  Her head fell back as he pumped steadily and the pressure built within her, the sensations multiplying.

  “Come for me,” he quietly demanded, his warm breath teasing her skin.

  Lily was so damn close. But it was such a fantastic feeling to be crushed against his hunky body, his fingers more aggressively stroking her inner walls, that she just wanted to hold on to the moment awhile longer.

  But Lex was murmuring sexy words, his lips brushing against her throat, and she was quickly racing toward a release she desperately needed. And hadn’t fully known it until she’d met Lexington Alexander and Jackson Sterling.

  Lex said, “I love these breathy little noises you make. Jesus, I am so fucking hard for you.”

  That was as much as she could take. Everything blazing inside her erupted.

  “Lex!” she cried out as the climax consumed her. “Oh, God!”

  She clutched at him with her fingers around his strands of hair and curled into his upper arm. Her pussy clenched and released, drawing out every ounce of her orgasm as she savored every second of Lex pleasuring her.

  “Lily . . . damn it. You’re even more beautiful when you’re lost in passion.”

  He stared down at her for endless moments as she tried to pull in slower breaths.

  Then he scowled.

  Lily’s heart sank.

  “What?” she asked with a tinge of paranoia. The hint of Oh, my God, did I just make a horrific mistake by letting him in my panties?

  “I’m going to be late.” He withdrew from her and took a step back. “Fuck.” He jerked the hem of his polo from the waist of his black dress pants and whipped it off.

  Lily’s heart changed direction and leapt into her throat.

  She’d been right about Lex all along. He truly was as perfectly sculpted as Jax. Wide shoulders, solid chest, ripped abs, long, tapered obliques. All that tanned skin and rigid muscles made her mouth instantly water.

  His head lowered once more and he said in his low, rumbling voice, “You keep looking at me like you want to lick me from head to toe, Lily, and I’m not going to make it to the Junior League cocktail reception at the yacht club. Not that I’d mind, except that they’re honoring me and Jax for the million-dollar donation we recently pledged to help the homeless in some of the nearby inland communities.”

  “Then let me help you.”

  She tidied herself up, then selected a sky-blue dress shirt she knew would accentuate his eyes. As he slipped into it, she chose platinum cuff links with his initials monogrammed on the cubes and set them on the waist-high marble-topped dresser. As he buttoned up and stuffed the tails into his pants, she picked out a silk tie and a different belt than the one he was wearing.

  Handing over the latter, she said, “The silver buckle stands out more and will go nicely with the cuff links.”

  He worked one belt off and replaced it with the other while she wound the tie around his neck. He reached for the cuff links and worked them into place as she deftly knotted his tie. His strong arms were around her at her waist and she was practically pressed against every inch of him again.

  Every rock-hard inch of him. Including the
erection that taunted her.

  Lily could barely breathe. Somehow, she managed to shift away when they were both done and retrieve the suit jacket that she knew went with his pants. She stepped around him and assisted him into the garment from behind.

  Lex said, “I’m used to women undressing me, not GQ’ing me up.”

  A scintillating shiver chased down her spine as the image of him shirtless flitted in her mind.

  “Given the circumstances, you’ll have to settle for this,” she said, hearing the regret in her voice.

  He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Not complaining that it’s you in my dressing room. But given that it is you in my dressing room . . . I’d prefer it if you were trying to get me naked.”

  Heat flashed through her. “Behave,” she said, a bit too breathless for him not to notice.

  His cocky grin returned. “I don’t think that’s what you want at all, Lily.”

  She swept her hands over his shoulders and down his arms to straighten the jacket and alleviate any wrinkles. Then moved around to the front of him again and slipped the buttons through their holes, willing her pulse to level out and her fingers to keep from trembling.

  Christ, her entire body was about to turn into a quivering mess, she wanted him inside her that badly.

  When she lifted her gaze to meet his, the seductive expression on his face told her he was all too aware of how he affected her.

  But he had somewhere to be . . .

  “You’re going to be late, remember?” she asked in a tone that was sultry even to her own ears.

  “It’d be worth it.”

  “It’s the Junior League. You don’t snub them—especially when they’re trying to help the homeless.”

  He groaned. “Right. You just . . . distract me. Beyond all belief.” His gaze dropped to her mouth once more, then he seemed to realize that if he leaned in for even a brief kiss, they’d be going at it hot and heavy within seconds, to hell with the cocktail reception.

  “Go,” she urged. Because she was this close to caving herself.

  His jaw worked for a moment, then he said, “Tell Jax to meet me downstairs in five minutes.”