She was worried enough as it was. He didn’t want to put more stress on her shoulders. “How do we tell her we think her grandma might have been involved in something criminal?”

“Maybe it wasn’t criminal,” Eric said.

Eric was being naïve. “Something went on in this house, and you know damn well it’s not about ghosts. Spirits from the beyond didn’t plant that device. A person did, obviously a while back. But someone wanted to keep tabs on Marie Wright. If that bug belongs to the feds, then she was involved in something nasty. If it doesn’t, then it’s very likely she was still involved in something nasty. Completely innocent people don’t normally have bugs in their houses. I don’t want to tell Belle anything until we at least know what Grandma was involved in.”

“Belle doesn’t have much family.” Tate looked back toward the door. “She’s been reading her grandmother’s journal. I think she’s really starting to admire the woman. I would hate to crush that. Kellan’s right. I’ll see what I can find out before we say anything.”

“What are you going to tell her when you walk through the house looking for bugs?” Eric asked.

“That I bought a ghost hunting kit and I’m looking for evidence,” Tate shot back. “Which is kind of true. I’m looking for spooks.”

The door creaked as it opened. They turned to see Sir running by as Belle let him out of the house. She smiled a little. “If you need fresh air, you could always open a window.”

That restless feeling was back. The minute she walked into a room, he felt antsy, anxious. There was so much he wanted from her and so much he didn’t deserve. “It got crowded in there.”

She joined them. “Well, the good news is, the whole house is empty now. Mike got an emergency call. The draper left. Everyone else went to lunch. We should be quiet for a few hours.”

Eric sighed with obvious relief. “Thank god. I have a conference call in five minutes. I thought I would have to yell over the sound of that saw whining.” He strode back into the house.

Tate leaned over and gave Belle a kiss. “I have errands to run, baby. I’ll be back in a few hours. I’ll be here in time for the cleansing.”

She nodded. “Okay, but she said I needed to clear out the house. The fewer people here, the better.”

Tate left, and he was alone with Belle. How could it be more awkward to talk to a woman than to make love to her? He hated the fact that he felt anything but comfortable with her. She was one of the few people in the world he could really relax around, and now all he could think about was the fact that he was going to be the outsider, the interloper. Tate and Eric would be here with Belle—live with her, love her. They would be her family, her men. He would be back in Chicago with new partners. He’d be alone again without friends. Without a woman. He’d have nothing.

“Hey.” Belle approached him, putting her hands on his waist and tilting her face to his. The sun hit the glowing brown hue of her skin, making it come alive. So fucking gorgeous. “We have the whole house to ourselves. What should we do? Have any ideas?”

He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to lay her out and take her over and over again, as many times as he could until she shut him out in favor of the men who gave her love and forever. His cock twitched, but his heart took a nosedive. “Belle, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

He’d never made love to her without Eric and Tate around. He wasn’t sure he should. They knew what they wanted. They wouldn’t hesitate to tell her they loved her, worshipped her, and wanted to spend the rest of their lives with her. He was a sad sack who could never give her what she deserved.

Belle went up on her tiptoes, brushing her lips against his. A light touch, almost a whisper, but it made his cock go instantly hard as a rock. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. It’s the best I’ve had all day. Tate and Eric won’t mind. They’ve got things to do.”

He wanted nothing more than to toss her against the wall and force his way deep inside her body. When he was inside her, everything made sense.

She took his hand, and before he had time to protest, she was pulling him into the house. They walked through the kitchen, toward the hall.

“Eric!”

What the hell was she doing? She pushed through the kitchen door and led him out into the main hallway.

Eric stepped out of the living room, his cell phone in hand. “Yeah, baby?”

She wasn’t going to ask him, was she? “Do you have a problem with me taking Kellan upstairs and blowing his mind for an hour or so? It’s been a stressful morning. I could use a little relief.”

What the hell was wrong with her? He shook his head. “Man, I…”

Eric grinned and winked at Belle. “Go for it, baby. If I can knock this call out in less than an hour, I’ll join you.” He nodded Kellan’s way. “Take care of our girl, man.”

Belle blew him a kiss as she started up the stairs. Kellan found himself following, dumbfounded. Were they all out of their minds?

She was making their problems sound easier than they really were. She was taking something complex and making it so simple, as though all they had to do was love each other to make this work. As if the other guys wouldn’t mind because she was their girl and all that mattered was working together to make her happy.

The trouble was, she wasn’t his girl. He hadn’t earned her. She belonged to Eric and Tate.

Belle grabbed the bottom of her shirt as she entered the room and pulled it up and over her head, tossing it to the side. Every inch of skin she revealed made his cock jerk.

His mouth started to water as she unhooked her bra and her breasts bounced free. She gracefully stepped out of her pants. What the hell was he supposed to do? Turn her down? Maybe she wasn’t his, didn’t belong to him, but she wanted to be with him. He hadn’t lied to her, hadn’t told her one untrue thing. Why shouldn’t he take her?

He came up with a hundred reasons why he shouldn’t leave the bedroom now, but only one of them really counted. He had so little time left. He couldn’t waste a minute. He wanted her more than he wanted just about anything.

“Undress me.” He didn’t know how long he would last. They didn’t have the time to do all the things he really wanted, like tie her up and spend hours torturing her with pleasure. Clamping those magnificent breasts would be the first on his list. He would use diamond clamps because they would set off the deep, rich color of her skin. A platinum chain would run between her breasts and down to the clamp he would affix on the jewel of her clit. It would bite into her, a pleasurable pain that would lead to the sort of orgasm that made her cry out and twist and plead for mercy. When it came to her, he didn’t have any. He’d love to keep her on the edge all afternoon. She would scream his name out over and over again.

But the freaking contractors would eventually show up after their lunch break, and Belle would be angry if she got caught naked and tied up and bejeweled like the BDSM princess she was. He had an hour with her—max. Greedily he wanted to spend every second of it inside her.

Belle sauntered to him, lifting her shaking hands to the buttons of his shirt. Every second she worked to bare him, she blinked up at him, her unwavering stare allowing him to see the honest desire in her eyes. Gone was the shy girl who hid her emotions. He could see them playing out, could feel the caress of her hands over every inch of skin she uncovered. This wasn’t a selfish girl trying to take her pleasure, but a woman offering all of herself to him. Kellan was suddenly humbled by her.

He caught her hand, some unnamable emotion welling inside him. “What are you doing, Annabelle?”

A glance around confirmed that this wasn’t a mere haphazard encounter. She’d already turned the bed down. He could see a box of condoms lying on the nightstand. She’d planned this.

Her rich chocolate gaze never faltered. He’d taught her well—and she’d learned quickly. “I’m seducing you.”

“You don’t have to. You know I want you.”

A little grin curved her lips up. “It’s harder than you think. You’re still fighting me.”

“Did you send everyone away?” How far did her plotting go?

“Yes.”

He sighed but let her hand go. She immediately went back to working to free him of his shirt. She pushed it off his shoulders, then dropped to her knees, touching the button of his slacks. It was the first time she’d broken eye contact, and he found himself breathing again. When she watched him with her big dark eyes, he got lost in her.

“Why the big production number, love? I admit, it worries me that Eric and Tate might think I’m being presumptuous, but other than that, I’ll take a nooner.”

He purposefully used casual words. Nooner. Quickie. Roll in the hay. Hookup. He could toss those words out all day long, but deep inside he knew where this was heading. He was making love to the only woman he would ever care about. Might as well admit it… She was the only woman he’d ever love.

Belle lowered his zipper. It hissed in the silence, broken only by their ragged breaths. He sighed as she pulled his boxers past his hips and toward the floor. She knew exactly how to make a man feel good. He would give her that. Over the course of a week, she’d tossed aside her inhibitions and become the lover of his dreams. Giving. Open. Honest. Passionate.

How was he going to leave her and not fucking fall apart?

“Eric gave you permission.”

He felt his jaw clench as his cock sprang free. “I’m sure Tate would like to have a say. He’s a possessive bastard.”

She tilted her head up, giving him a brilliant smile. “He is, but he’s okay with this. Who do you think plugged me earlier today? He took me into the bathroom and spent a lot of time working this plug inside my ass. He talked about you and Eric the whole time, about how he hoped we’d eventually all be together. But he also knew what I wanted today. He thought you would find it hot.”