Caught in the Middle

“What’s so damn funny,” she demanded.

“Sorry, sugar. You just look so cute standing there breathing fire at me.” He swung the door wider. “Come on in.”

She shook her head. “I have no intention of coming into this den of sin. What I have to say can be said right out here on the porch.”

He grinned. “Den of sin, huh? Sounds like fun to me.”

Why, oh why, did he have to look so temptingly sexy?

Lanie cleared her throat and drew herself up to her full five-foot-two height. “I saw naked people by your pool last night.” She wished she didn’t sound so much like a fishwife. “Indulging in sex acts I didn’t even think were possible.”

“And you’re upset you weren’t invited,” he teased.

“No, damn it. I want to tell you this is a decent neighbourhood, and we don’t tolerate things like that.”

All traces of humour left his face. “Let me remind you, Miss Burrell, I own most of this neighbourhood, and you have your house only because I’m a nice guy. What I choose to do is my business. There’s no law that says you have to look, you know.”

“But there is a law against disturbing the peace.” God, all she needed to do to look more ridiculous was shake her finger at him.

He looked at her for a long time, his sexy as sin mouth twitching with a repressed grin, his sapphire-blue eyes lit with a fire that threatened to burst forth any minute.

“All right,” he said at last. “You’re my only neighbour and I believe in peaceful coexistence, believe it or not. I have a lifestyle that obviously offends you so I’ll do my best to keep it off your radar.”

“Exactly how do you plan to do that?” she demanded.

“How about if I give you warning whenever I’m having…company, and you can lock yourself up in your house or go out for the night. That sound fair?”

Lanie was torn between arguing with him and wishing he’d invite her to join him. For Cody Hawkins she could lose a lot of her inhibitions. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fine. That’ll work.”

As she turned to leave he said, “But you have an open invitation, sugar. I’d sure love to do wicked things to that sweet body of yours.”

She was shaking as she marched back across the street to her house, sure that he was silently laughing at her the entire time.

--

“Lanie?” Cody snapped his fingers. “You in there, sugar?”

She realised she’d dropped into some kind of trance, remembering that first confrontation, and mentally shook herself.

“Sorry. I must have spaced out for a minute.”

“Probably from that hot book your reading,” Cody chuckled.

In which you always play the hero.

She dug her fingernails into her palm to keep herself from blurting out her thoughts. “Thanks for letting me know about tonight. I think I’ll take in a movie.”

“If that’s what you want.” His eyes burned like blue flames. “Or, you could come to the party. If I’d known you were interested in things like this,” he indicated her book, “I would have invited you long ago. I thought this kind of stuff turned you off.”

“I don’t…I can’t…” She clamped her lips together, feeling like an idiot.

Cody cupped her chin with his lean, strong fingers. “Not chicken, are you?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just…I mean, I’ve never…”

“You read about it. Don’t tell me you’ve never thought of trying it. Any of it.” He ran his knuckles lightly along the line of her jaw. “’Fess up, Lanie. Haven’t even thought a little bit about it? Hmm, sugar?”

Her skin burned where he touched her and a feverish sensation skittered along her spine. His masculine scent surrounded her, stealing her ability to think.

“N…no. I mean…” she swallowed. “I saw some of the things you do. That night. I don’t know if I could…you know…in a crowd like that.”

My god, I sound like an addled teenager.

“You won’t know until you try it. Group sex can put a spark in your life.”

“I’m not much into the wild life, Cody. You know that.”

“Listen. We monitor alcohol intake and don’t allow drugs.” His wicked fingers trailed across her shoulder, pausing at the hollow of her throat where her pulse threatened to burst from her skin. “You may not believe it, but you conjure up sinful thoughts in my mind. We’ve got chemistry, Lanie. Admit it.”

“I don’t know…” She wet her lips. “That is, I…”

“Tell you what, sugar. You think about it. If you decide to give it a chance, come on by about eight o’clock.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “If you do, you’ll be my personal date for the night, okay? I’ll be your guide. Whatever you like is fine. Whatever you don’t…” He shrugged. “Maybe you’ll try it, maybe not. But I’ll be with you the whole time.”

She shivered at the thoughts running around in her head. “I don’t know, Cody. I’ll see.”

He tapped a finger on her nose. “Eight o’clock. Don’t be late.” That warm chuckle rumbled up from his chest. “You don’t want to miss anything. And Lanie?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t know how much I’d love to have something going with you.”

--

Cody wasn’t sure if he’d just done the smartest thing or the dumbest, inviting Lanie to the party. Sudden immersion in freewheeling group sex could be enough to shock her back into the closet, never to emerge again. But Jesus, in that teeny weenie bikini, she made his dick so hard he could have pounded nails with it.

The first time he met her at the realty office, he’d thought, Hmm, another good looking but uptight broad. Hope she doesn’t freak out at the neighbourhood activity.

But after that first-not unexpected-confrontation, he’d made it his business to drop in as often as he could. Never for more than a few minutes, and always with a logical excuse, like telling her it was party night.

But he’d discovered she was bright, funny, maybe a little shy or maybe it was just that she wasn’t out there like every other woman he knew. The problem was, she tripped some kind of switch inside him that made him think of things besides who he was going to fuck that night and how many people would be sharing with him. He’d never been with a woman who made him think of picnics and sailing and walks on a breezy day, but Lanie Burrell was conjuring up these images and more.

At thirty-eight, he knew he’d have to think about settling down before long. After all, his lifestyle was going to take its toll on him if he didn’t slow down, no matter how careful he was. But the women he met bored him, except when they had fun and games, and they certainly never made him think of the future.

Seeing the book Lanie was reading today had not only surprised him but nudged his mind in a risky direction. If she read about high-flying sex, was she also interested in participating in it? He’d had to work to conceal the instant hard-on the thought had given him.

He knew what he’d just done was a dangerous thing. What if she didn’t-or couldn’t-think of him in the same way? What if his lifestyle was too much for her? And worse than that, for the first time in his life, the thought of sharing a woman with someone else lit an unfamiliar fire of possession inside him.

Shit, Hawkins. You’ve got your dick in a wringer now.

He sighed, mentally kicking himself, yet feeling anticipation build as he set out the equipment for the evening-bowls of condoms, tubes of lubricant and baskets of brand new toys. He had high hopes for tonight, and he hoped he wasn’t riding for a fall.

Face it. He didn’t even know if she’d show up. But if she did, he was determined to see what she could handle, how far he could push her, and if there was the possibility of a relationship beyond party night. The unfortunate thing was, if it all turned to shit, which one of them was going to move?

--

He meant it. He didn’t mean it. He was teasing. He was serious.

Lanie stroked the brush vigorously through her hair while she continued to argue with herself. Not in this lifetime did she ever think she’d have a chance at a relationship with Cody. And she couldn’t read him well enough to know if she was about to make a fool of herself or step into something wonderful.

She’d taken great pains to prepare for the evening. First a long shower then meticulous shaving of her legs, under her arms and around her pussy. She trimmed her public hair much closer to the lips than usual, but she decided to leave only the barest hint of it. Then a long bubble bath with scented beads, accompanied by two glasses of chilled wine to steady her nerves.

At least a dozen times as she rubbed lotion into every area of her body, she told herself what a stupid mistake she was making. She hadn’t actually told Cody she’d be there for sure and thought about just not showing up, sure he’d understand. Maybe, just in case he was sort of looking for her, she could think of a logical excuse and back out gracefully. But through all her hours of preparation, her mind was filled with a jumble of images of Cody naked, Cody and her naked, Cody and her and others naked, and non-stop arguments with herself that she was getting in over her head. She still remembered the day she’d marched across the street like Righteous Ruby and chewed his ass out. What on earth must he have thought? Since then, they’d gotten to know each other a little better. Cody had been scrupulous about informing her when he was expecting company, and she’d unbent enough to realise she couldn’t dictate other people’s lifestyles.

Not to mention the fact that the more she got to know him, the greater role Cody played in her erotic dreams. Even with all the other people around, just thinking of what might happen with him tonight made her crotch wet and her nipples stiff and hard.

“He’s just a man like any other man,” she said out loud.

Yeah, right.

“And I can get up and leave any time I want to.”

But she knew that wasn’t going to happen. She’d accepted his invitation-challenge-and her curiosity was almost at the same level as her anticipation. No way would she let him see her chicken out.

And if they managed to be alone together…

She took a deep breath and centred herself. She had a rough idea what to expect. In addition to everything Michele had told her, she’d certainly read enough about people who were ‘swingers’-swapping in groups-in the books she reviewed. The idea both aroused her and frightened her. If not for the fact she’d developed such an unexpected case of lust for Cody, she’d