Part of the reason her teenage social life had been so dismal. Why so many nights, including Saturday nights, had been spent at home studying. Although it had been important to her to get good marks, she’d also felt an obligation to help out and look after her dad.

“It was really hard on my mom, looking after him all by herself while I was away at college, but she was managing. But then she got breast cancer. I’d been hoping to go to law school, but that was okay.” It really wasn’t. She’d wanted to practice law pretty much her whole life, had done well in college, and had aced her LSAT, but when she’d had to come home to Mapleglen, she’d pushed away the disappointment to do what had to be done.

Tyler stroked her hair.

“My mom didn’t discover the cancer until it was too far advanced to do anything. I don’t think she looked after herself very well. After she died, I had to stay home to look after my dad, but a few years later he had a stroke. Probably a consequence of the brain injury.” She closed her eyes remembering the loss of her parents so close together. It had been a few years, so it wasn’t as painful as it once was.

“I’m sorry.” Tyler said the words, and Nick added, “Me too, Kaelin.”

“It’s okay.”

“What about going back to school? Ever think of that?”

All the time. “Sometimes, yeah. But I like my job. And you know what they say—a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I figured I was better to hang on to what I had here—a job, a home, friends—than to give it up and go after something unknown.” Something scary.

The men were silent.

“I know that’s not how you live your lives,” she whispered. “But it’s how I live mine.”

Tyler rolled to face her and his blue eyes studied her. “As long as you’re happy,” he said. “That’s what counts. Are you happy here, Kaelin?”

She stared back at him, a tightness in her chest, an ache deep inside.

“Of course I am,” she lied.

He nodded, looking as if he didn’t believe her, but pulled her up against him, Nick warm and big on her other side.

“What about you two?” she asked. “You’re happy in Chicago?”

“Yeah. I love it there,” Tyler said. “So much energy, so much happening.”

“And your business is going well.”

This time Nick answered. “Pretty good.”

She turned back to him. “That didn’t sound enthusiastic.”

Nick grinned. “We’ve only been in business a year. It takes a few years to get going, but we’re doing okay. We actually made money the first year, which is unusual.”

“He’s the numbers guy,” Tyler said. “I’m the creative. We’re in the middle of trying to sign a big new client, but we’re having a…hmm…difference of opinion on it.”

“Who’s the client? What’s the problem?”

“The client is Healthy Solutions.”

“Wow. Big company.”

“Oh yeah,” Tyler said. “Huge. This would really establish us in the advertising business in Chicago.”

“In the whole country,” Nick said, but his mouth twisted.

“So what’s the problem?” Kaelin looked back and forth between them, rolling her head on the pillow.

Tyler propped his head up on an elbow. “What’s the problem, Nick?”

Nick also rose, and the two men looked at each other across her. Oh-oh. She hadn’t meant to start a battle here. There was clearly some tension between them over this.

“The stuff they sell is useless crap,” Nick said.

“Oh.” Well that was blunt.

“Their image is all natural and healthy and herbal products,” Nick continued with heat in his voice. “But that stuff doesn’t do shit. They’re taking advantage of people, selling dreams.”

“That’s what advertising is,” Tyler said. “It’s not up to us to judge the products.”

“I think it is.”

“We can’t do that in every case! You think we should never advertise condoms because of moral reasons? Come on.”

“We’re not talking about condoms, which is a whole other tricky issue. We’re talking about creams that will increase a woman’s bust by two cup sizes.”

Kaelin perked up. “There’s a cream that will do that?”

They both gave her a look.

“I’m kidding,” she said, relaxing again. “Healthy Solutions sells that?”

“Yeah. Along with herbal pills for erectile dysfunction and whole bunch of different cures for cancer.”

“Oooh.” Yeah, that was low. “But don’t they sell vitamins too? They’re in all the drugstores.”

“Yeah, and their vitamins are legit. Which is probably why the company has a good reputation.”

“This contract could make us financially secure,” Tyler said.

“Make us or break us,” Nick said. “We need to have some ethics.”

“You’re saying I have no ethics?” They locked glares.

“I see the problem,” she said.

“What’s your advice, Kaelin?” Tyler shifted his gaze to her, and it softened, a teasing light in his eyes.

“I don’t know anything about advertising,” she said, eyes flicking back and forth between them. “Other than you do make people buy things they don’t need.”

“Oh!” Tyler’s eyes widened. “You’re a critic of the advertising business too!”

She smiled. “No. But we live in a society that values consumption. Build more, manufacture more, sell more. Go into debt more buying things you don’t need.”

Nick laughed. “You are so right, honey. That’s what I’m talking about.”

“It’s the American way,” Tyler said.

She laughed. “Nick’s right. You have to have some ethics.”

Tyler sighed. “You’re so sweet, Kaelin.”

Sweet. Even after all that, they still thought she was sweet. Ah well. She snuggled down in between them again. She may have drifted off to sleep for a little while, and maybe Tyler and Nick did too, she wasn’t sure. When their hands started moving on her body in slow caresses, she floated on an erotic cloud of sensation. Hands on her shoulders, sliding between her breasts, over her arms. Her body stirred, her legs shifted on the smooth sheets. Fingers brushing over the curls at the juncture of her thighs, tracing around her navel, cupping her breast. She sighed.

A mouth opened on her shoulder in a hot kiss. A hand lifted her hand and she dragged her eyes open to watch Nick kiss her fingers. His own eyes heavy-lidded, he watched her face. She smiled.

Tyler moved beside her and she turned to him as he bent his head to one breast, taking her sensitive nipple between his lips and sucking. Heat spiraled from nipple to womb and she gasped. Then Nick sucked her other nipple, as they had before, both at the same time. Two mouths on her tender nipples. The overload of sensation made her shudder and her pussy clench as heat rippled through her body. But this time she looked at their two heads, so close together, Tyler’s tousled gold hair next to Nick’s short dark bristle. This time she set her hands on their heads, holding them there as they suckled her, and when they lifted their heads she gently pushed them together.

Tyler shot her a look, but he kissed Nick again, right there in front of her, only inches away, another long deep kiss and his tongue licked over Nick’s bottom lip. Kaelin moaned.

“Yes,” she whispered. “That’s what I want.”

“Mmm?” Tyler’s mouth slid off Nick’s. He lifted an eyebrow. “You want to watch us, sweet baby?”

She licked her lips and gave a short nod. “You can…touch each other. You know.” She searched for words. “Do whatever you want. With each other.”

Heat flashed into her face at her stumbling attempt to tell them what she wanted.

They both knelt beside her. “But this is all about you tonight,” Nick murmured, kissing her collarbone.

“It doesn’t have to be,” she protested, lifting her head from the pillow. Tyler pushed her back down, gently, with a smile.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “Thank you, Kaelin.”

He was thanking her? For wanting to watch them together? Her mind was a little fuzzy with lust, but, okay, whatever.

“Are you sore?” he asked, slipping his fingers between her thighs.