For a while there was nothing but a gentle crackle and the faint drift of wood smoke from the fire. Matt threaded his fingers into her hair, pulling tight and making her gasp with the touch of pain. He rubbed with the pads of his fingertips and eased the smarting, keeping their lips in contact.

Kissing wasn’t enough. She should suggest heading to his trailer so they could fool around, but she was reluctant to leave the warmth of the house. Lazy relaxation mixed together with rising desire. Hope curled her body against Matt’s and enjoyed all his long lean muscles pressed against her. Enjoyed the stroke of his lips over her cheek and the slow slide of his hand up her rib cage as he snuck a hand under her top and found her breast.

She should feel embarrassed to be groping like teenagers, all of them in the same room, but it felt too damn good to stop. Besides—no one was watching her and Matt. They were all into their own partners. Intimate kisses, nuzzling bodies. Motion caught her eye and she twisted toward the fire, a small gasp escaping.

Jesse was still with Zoë, but Joel stepped past and lay down on her other side. The woman rolled and eagerly kissed him as well, and a shiver raced over Hope’s skin.

Matt followed the direction of her gaze then chuckled lightly. “Those boys are going to be in a heap of trouble some day.”

There was nothing to say—besides, Hope’s tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth, her breath stolen as she watched the twins touching one woman between them. She couldn’t tear her gaze away, not even when they removed Zoë’s top. Joel drew a hand down her torso and followed the motion with his lips.

Hope swallowed hard. Holy shit.

Matt twisted himself around, sitting up and facing her. “You like watching, do you?”

Hope hesitated for a second, then nodded.

“Come here.” Matt tugged her into his lap, arranging her legs on either side of his strong thighs. “I’ve seen it before. It’s not my kink, but if you want to watch, you go ahead. In the meantime, I’ve got my own things to play with.”

Hope stared over his shoulder for a moment, amazed that the boys were just going right ahead, right there. Licking and sucking Zoë’s breasts, fingers slipping over her now naked hips.

They certainly weren’t shy. Well, she wasn’t usually either, in terms of dancing, but this—this—was a whole ’nother beast altogether.

Her own top was untucked and lifted away. A cool breeze hit her heated flesh, but it wasn’t enough to make her want to stop. She gazed into Matt’s face and smiled. He only had eyes for her—fingers dancing delicately along her bra and bare skin. He traced the edge of the cups before moving over the center where her nipple was taut and tingling.

“You object to me taking this off? I want my mouth on your tits…”

Hope paused, glancing the opposite direction where Travis was disappearing into his room, a hand curled around his partner’s waist.

She looked back at the twins, and a sliver of her sister’s tirade returned.

Just wait until he suggests you have a threesome.

She’d given him complete control to do what he wanted with her, but she hadn’t meant that. Opening the door to unlimited sex with Matt wasn’t the same thing as allowing more people to play with them.

And it wasn’t as if there was another guy she had to worry about right at that moment. But he obviously wasn’t stressed by his brothers’ behavior.

Maybe it was stupid to start qualifying things, but…

Matt stopped his thorough exploration of her neckline with his tongue. “What’s wrong? You’ve gone as stiff as a fencepost.”

His whispered question was accompanied by a caring expression. Hands gentle on her body, along the back of her neck.

“I…” Honesty. Damn it. “I don’t want to share you. Or be shared. You’re not going to ask me to do what…” Hope tilted her head toward the twins.

Matt glanced at his brothers then swore under his breath. The next second, he was carrying her out of the main room into the bedroom to the right of the stairs.

He sat on the bed and held her close, tighter than she understood why. He finally leaned away and shook his head. “No, a thousand, a million times no. There is no fucking way I’d let anyone touch you. No bloody way I’d accept you giving yourself to another man. Not while we’re together.”

“I didn’t think you… I mean, it’s just… I thought, maybe…” She squeezed her eyes closed and hoped she hadn’t mucked it all to hell and back. “Someone brought it up.”

Matt dragged a hand over his mouth then shook his head in frustration. “Tell me. Helen?”

She was ashamed she’d given into the doubts. Let the horrible seeds her sister had planted grow so quickly. “I’m sorry.”

Matt caught her by the back of the neck and pressed his lips to her forehead. He held her, stilled her. Controlled her and let her know he wasn’t angry just by the way he touched her.

He dropped his forehead against hers. “She told me that you’d be asking. When she accosted me in the back hall? Said that it was your idea in the first place for her to ask me to arrange a threesome between us.”

Hope sucked in air.

He didn’t let go. Didn’t let her run away from him. Her anger was there, burning at her sister in a brand-new way. “She’s wrong. Totally and completely wrong.”

“I know.”

Matt tilted her head to reach her better, kissing her eyelids, brushing a row of gentle caresses across her face.

They were alone, and yet not. Through the open door she saw his brothers with Zoë, heard the noises of pleasure they made. Watching still turned her on, and now that he’d assured her sharing wasn’t in his plans, she wanted nothing more than to allow him to take the reins.

He’d asked for one thing already. She could give him that.

Hope reached behind her and opened the hooks of her bra. The cups fell away and she was exposed, firelight trailing in the doorway to flicker over her. A faint memory of dancing in front of the gang flashed back—she’d had on the teeny seashell cups then, and basically her undies—it wasn’t the first time she’d been nearly naked in public. She wasn’t in public, but they weren’t completely private either. The door might be open, but she doubted Jesse or Joel would bother looking their way.

But it was different than being alone in her apartment or Matt’s trailer. What made it so much more meaningful this time was Matt, who stared as if he was a starving man and she was the first full meal he’d seen in days.

Inspiration hit—along with the desire to be a little more risqué. Behind them the twins were working on a very pleased woman, if the sounds rising from their direction were any indication. They wouldn’t care.

She stood and shimmied off Matt’s lap. A furrow appeared between his brows for a moment, confusion over what she was doing. Hope cupped her breasts and started a slow undulation of her hips, rocking from side to side. Matt’s eyes lit up, and he leaned back, his gaze darting over her. His stare hovered on her fingers when she lowered them to the snap on her jeans. Popped it open. Peeled the fabric down. Twisting and turning and baring her ass as she pivoted and preened.

She stepped forward clad only in her undies, and Matt grasped her hips, tugging her closer. He slipped to the floor, working his way along the line of her panties, licking with tiny butterfly-soft strokes. Then he grabbed the fabric in his teeth and tugged.

Hope laughed. “Let me help you.”

Another twirl allowed her to strip bare. She was close enough he kept his hands on her, the warmth of his palms heating her up. When she was vertical, he took control and adjusted until his mouth and her sex were directly in line.

The first touch of his tongue through her curls made her gasp. The next moment the gentle exploration grew more intense, and he spread her with one hand and thrust his tongue in deep, eating her hungrily.

Over his shoulder Hope clearly saw the twins both making love to Zoë, her blonde hair flying as they moved on either side, one being ridden, one riding her ass. A curl of desire tightened inside, and Hope had to admit the sight was hot. But as she threaded her fingers through Matt’s hair, confirmation that all she wanted was him hit strong and true.

She closed her eyes and ignored everything but the crazy-violent passion surging through her veins because of the man giving so willingly to her.

Another stroke of his tongue. Another. Matt pressed a finger into her and did some twisty thing, and stars floated in front of her closed eyes. Hope widened her stance, pushing her hips forward. She thrust against his mouth rhythmically to try and find the final edge she needed. She cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples, loving the physical excitement that rippled around her. Matt sucked hard on her clit, abrading his teeth over it, and the first wave of pleasure approached.

“Oh yeah. Matt…”

He added another finger to the first, the thick digits pushing her over the top. Full, and breaking apart, Hope sighed happily as her climax surged through her.

He kept on for a moment, slowing a little, then brought her down to his lap. She was shocked to find he’d opened his jeans and her ass landed on his strong thigh muscles, her still-pulsing sex nestled against his erection.

“Hmm, what’s this?”

Matt laughed. “If I have to tell you, you’ve not been paying attention. Now put me inside you, darling. I’m dying here.”

Hope lifted her hips and slid forward, rocking over his shaft. The broad head slipped through her folds, hard and wonderful, and she pressed down slowly, the exquisite sensation of him filling her too good to rush.