Burning Up Read Free Page B

bracketing her jaw. The next thing Pam knew, his lips were on hers.
    Softness. So much softness. She should have expected it from Rob, the nice guy, but she hadn’t. She’d imagined him passionate and out of control. But this kiss…it was lovely. He brushed his lips against hers, requesting her compliance before working her mouth open. Too shocked by the turn of events, Pam didn’t resist as Rob slid his tongue into her mouth. Her heart pounded as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over hers, stroking her waist…
    No. That was Steve stroking her waist, Steve’s hand moving upward, and upward, until his fingers encountered the underside of her breast through the thin cardigan and silky camisole. Her nipple beaded, anticipating his touch. She wanted him to touch her there, to stroke her flesh to a hard point while Rob kissed her into a state of dreamy desire. She wanted it so badly, she arched her spine, writhing now not in protest, but in invitation.
    “Surprise!”
    The loud chorus that erupted from the assembled group startled Pam as surely as an electric shock. The lights came on and, blinking at the brightness, Pam saw the stark reality of their little tableau. Steve had her pulled close to him, so close she could feel the jut of his arousal against her ass, and his hand was closed around her breast, his thumb mere millimeters away from her nipple. Rob drew out of their kiss quickly, but with obvious reluctance. The full outline of his sensual lips and the acute longing in his deep-brown eyes made Pam’s heart thump hard against her chest—against Steve’s hand.
    Dear God, they were in a crowded room. What on earth was she doing?
    Pam pushed against Rob’s chest and twisted her body so sharply Steve was forced to release her. She darted a look around, but thankfully everyone at the party seemed much more interested in Griff’s reaction to his surprise than in her. No one had noticed her highly inappropriate clinch with two men.
    Relieved about that at least, Pam let out a shaky breath. Pushing her hair back from her face, she at last mustered the courage to meet Rob’s eyes, then Steve’s. “I don’t know what that was, but it can’t happen again.”
    “Why not?” The question came at her in stereo, uttered by both men. Rob was looking at her like a puppy that had been told he couldn’t have his favorite treat, and Steve had raised one eyebrow in an aggravating challenge. Frowning, Pam cast a look between them. “It just shouldn’t. It’s weird.”
    Steve folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes. “You think Erica’s relationship is weird?”
    “That’s not what I meant.” At first she had thought that, or at least that a triad relationship like the one Erica had was unusual. That wasn’t a judgment, it was simply a fact.
    But as the months had passed and Pam had had the opportunity to see her friend and her two lovers together, she’d come to see their union as the beautiful, uniquely special bond it was. It wasn’t dirty, it wasn’t weird, and it worked for them.
    Yet Pam’s acceptance of her friend’s choice didn’t make it the right choice for her.
    Your body seems to think it would be more than right, Pam.
    Steve lifted a finger and traced a line along her jaw, causing tingles to radiate outward from that scant touch. “We’re not talking about moving in together. Only about having a little fun.”
    Rob settled a hand on her lower back, close enough to her ass to make Pam’s pussy clench. “You admitted you’ve thought about it,” he whispered.
    Why, oh why couldn’t she have kept her big mouth shut about that? She couldn’t deny what she’d said any more than she could deny she’d responded to Rob’s kiss a few moments ago, or that she’d arched into Steve’s touch, hoping he’d stroke her breast. She couldn’t deny what she wanted, so her only option was escape. “I’m going to go wish Griff a happy birthday, something you two should be doing