"Serious, Dev." The cords in his neck stood out and the corner of his eye twitched. "On the edge."

And suddenly so was she. He filled her beyond belief yet handed over every ounce of authority without flinching. No one deferred to her that easily. Youthful and tiny, she was too easy to dismiss. Maybe that was what she loved about Dave. He'd never done that to her. His size probably made him all too aware of how much people a.s.sumed based on appearance.

How many people had expected him to be bold and in control simply because he was huge? She'd give him this if she could.

"I'll tie you up and ask Joe to teach me how to spank you properly." She bit his lip.

"No, no, no." He might have denied it, but his c.o.c.k bulged. It said, yes, yes, yes.

"You're going to break. Do it." She set him free. "Come inside me. There's no room left. You're going to make us sloppy. Flood me. Force it out around us so it soaks your b.a.l.l.s."

Devon had no idea where the stream of graphic portends came from. Dave seemed to appreciate it, though. He roared. His eyes flew open wider and his head snapped up. Across the room, Kayla screamed. James and Neil too. The cycle of shared desire paid forward to her as Dave capitulated.

He f.u.c.ked upward with short jabs as he overflowed her p.u.s.s.y with gushes of s.e.m.e.n. His hands locked on to her shoulders, pulling her tight. The juncture of their bodies ensured her c.l.i.t strummed across his hard muscles.

An o.r.g.a.s.m of epic proportions threatened to rip her apart.

Through the typhoon of emotion and sensation, she heard Mike, Morgan, Kate and Joe join them in release. Together they celebrated their bonds. To each other-their spouses, their friends and their lovers.

When Devon floated back to Earth, a long time later, she realized they'd ended up on the rug in front of the fire. Their heads all together, they lay in a circle with their bodies pointed out like the spokes on a wheel or maybe the rays of a glorious star.

James held her and Neil held him. Behind her guys was another couple and another and another. Or maybe that last one was in front of her. They snuggled in an infinite loop.

Someone whispered, "I love you."

They all echoed the sentiment.

Chapter Seven.

The twenty-seventh of January came pretty d.a.m.n quick. Dave hadn't looked forward to his birthday this much since he'd turned seven. That year, his father had promised him a red Schwinn if he was good-also known as staying quiet and fetching more beers whenever the jerk's current drink came close to empty. He always figured he must not have made the grade. Either that or the old man had been too hammered to remember his bribe by the time Dave's birthday rolled around.

But today had the potential to make up for all of that disappointment and then some.

The crew had shared his favorite dinner, then put candles on one of Morgan's sinful creations and even sang him a horribly off-key rendition of the birthday song. Still, he drummed his fingers on the table, barely containing his antic.i.p.ation.

"I think somebody better suck this guy off before he explodes," Mike joked when he caught the raging hard-on pointing straight up on Dave's belly beneath the bar. "So what's it going to be, Davey-boy? An eight-person BJ?"

Since they'd held the party at his and Kay's house, everyone was already naked. Saved time too. He liked being efficient.

"What if I don't want to be the centerpiece?" He scrubbed his cheeks, unable to believe something so ridiculous would pop out of his mouth.

"Then I'd say there's a hospital twenty minutes down the mountain. We should take you to the emergency room and find out what's wrong." Joe's raised eyebrows would be comical if so much didn't ride on the line.

"It's my birthday. I think I should decide what I want my present to be." Dave tapped one finger on his cheek.

"Uh, you're turning down a chance to be ravaged like a dirty pinata at this soiree?" Neil looked at him like he'd gone crazy. "We're talking about four gorgeous, h.o.r.n.y women and guys willing to suck, f.u.c.k or bend over for your beast of a c.o.c.k."

Dave thunked his forehead onto his curled fist. "You're not helping."

"What do you want?" Mike stared at Dave, then smirked. "I can only think of one thing better than being the centerpiece."

"Yeah." He nodded. "That."

Crewmates exchanged glances. Devon still didn't understand their silent communication. "Okay, stop with that spidey-sense s.h.i.+t. What's going on here?"

"I'd rather give my present to Kay." Dave slipped from the barstool to crouch next to Devon's chair. "I'd love to watch you and her together."

Caught off guard, Devon sputtered. Neil and James flanked her in an instant. Their erections seemed to second Dave's proposal.

"Are you positive?" Kayla tugged Dave to face her. "You've never seen me with another woman."

"Exactly. I'd sure as h.e.l.l like to remedy that."

"No, seriously." Kay wouldn't let him misdirect her concern.

"I know what it's like when I need one of the guys. It's a fire that starts low and dim but builds until it's raging out of control. As much as I love you and want you with a ferocity that will never die, you can't give me that. Do you know what it's like to know there's something you need that I can't give you? Something you're not getting at all? It's been growing stronger lately. You wake me when you dream about it. You cry out in your sleep. I could tell how bad you wanted it the day we swapped partners. I'll help you however I can. You don't have to hide your needs from me."

Kayla didn't deny his claims.

He returned his focus to Devon, clasping her tiny hand between his. "You can do this for her. For both of you. I see it in your eyes when you're near her. You wonder...like I used to before I met Mike. Please. That's all I want for my birthday. Make my wife happy. Yourself too. Please."

"Dave..." Kayla might have said more if tears hadn't sheened her eyes and clogged her throat.

"It's okay, baby." He tugged her into his lap and nuzzled her neck. "I understand. Totally. I do. Let me give you this. And if Devon can't, we'll find someone else."

"I love you." Kayla smothered him with kisses.

Devon wondered if the couple would forget about the rest of the crew, who admired their friends and shared in the harmony they generated. She stamped out the wave of jealousy that Dave's promise to Kay had instilled. She didn't care to think of someone outside their circle with her friend. Silly, yet true.

"I love you too." Dave finally broke their make out session, his forehead resting on Kay's as they both attempted to catch their breath. "Now get over there and seduce that girl before she balks again. You're so s.e.xy you'll have her tripping over her own tongue if you quit holding back. I should know."

Kayla grinned. She hugged Dave tight, then climbed off his lap.

Air whooshed from Devon's lungs when the alluring naturist focused her attention on Dev like a laser beam.

"Holy s.h.i.+t," Mike cursed under his breath as Kay stalked closer. From the corner of her eye, Devon saw Kate and Morgan shove their men to the couch and kneel between their knees. If they were going to put on a show, she'd better make it good.

"Will you go easy on me because I'm a virgin?" Devon did her best imitation of a simper.

"Not likely." Kayla's feral grin shot adrenaline straight into Devon's heart. It beat a crazy tattoo against her ribs. "It's been too long."

Devon nodded. "I should have approached you after Kate's wedding, but we were tipsy and I didn't want it to go down like that. With readymade excuses, I mean. And then I got scared. I couldn't stand the idea of ruining our friends.h.i.+p. The more time that pa.s.sed, the weirder it seemed to bring it up."

"You think too much." Kayla closed the last of the s.p.a.ce between them. She wrapped Devon in a tender hug. Softness to softness. That alone rocked her world, so different than the firm men who'd come up behind her.

Trapped between the heat and hardness of her men and the gentle warmth Kayla generated, Devon had no chance at escape, not that she wished for one. Dave couldn't resist approaching for a close-up view of the action. He cuddled up to his wife's back, supporting her as she embarked on a new adventure. The three men slung their arms over each other's shoulders, forming a larger ring around the two women who embraced at their center.

Utterly protected, Devon felt free to explore.

"Kiss me," Kayla whispered. "So I know you need this too. It's not my desire coloring the situation, is it?"

"You've worried you're imagining the chemistry between us?" Devon cursed. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I put you through that kind of doubt. It's not one-sided, Kay. I've thought about doing this for a long time."

Devon stood on her tiptoes. She looped her hands around Kayla's neck and tugged until the statuesque woman bent. Their mouths lingered a hairsbreadth apart for the span of several heartbeats. Dev could smell Kay's signature organic cherry lip balm from this close. She reached out her tongue and stole a tiny taste.

Kayla's lips parted on a sigh.

That sweet, simple sound of relief was all it took to motivate Devon. She rocked forward, sealing her mouth over Kay's. The other woman responded immediately. Not with the vicious insistence of one of the crewmen when they were taunted beyond their control. Rather with an aching tenderness that inflamed Devon all the more for its affectionate restraint.

Kayla nestled their lips together with gentle caresses that had goose b.u.mps dotting Devon's skin and raising the blond hairs on her arms. Kissing a woman was nothing like kissing a guy. She couldn't tell if it was Neil, Dave, James or some combination of all three that chaffed her with consistent brushes of their hands that only revved her higher.

Pleasure suffused her being as she sank deeper into the fine, delicate kiss. It reminded her of the first time she'd framed a house and knew she'd become hopelessly addicted to the experience. Awe ran rampant through her system.

Kayla flirted with Devon's mouth, employing tiny licks and nips. When she sucked lightly on Devon's lower lip, she thought she might o.r.g.a.s.m from kissing alone. So much attention was paid to each glance of tongue and teeth, the simple exchange mutated into a complex symphony of pa.s.sion.

"d.a.m.n." The reverent curse sounded like it came from Joe. Devon peeked in his direction long enough to discern the slow bobbing of Morgan's head in his lap. Beside him, Mike enjoyed similar treatment as they watched the show. "That's so f.u.c.king sweet."

Devon agreed one-hundred percent. She found herself needing more. When she writhed against Kayla's lush frame, her friend grinned where their mouths were still joined.

"You're easy, Dev," she whispered. "I figured it'd take me at least five or ten minutes to have you begging."

"b.i.t.c.h." Devon tweaked the nipple ring gracing her friend's breast. She'd often admired the jewelry, and wondered if it enhanced her pleasure as much as it seemed to when her husband flicked his tongue around the fittings and tugged them gently with his teeth.

If Kay's sharp inhalation was any indication, the answer was a resounding yes. She'd have to remember to ask Kay later who'd done them for her and if she'd accompany Devon for an appointment. She'd grown so much over the past year since she'd met the crew she could hardly believe how much of herself she'd hidden away. For the first time, she felt like she had come into her own.

The real Devon.

The complete woman was here to stay.

"Hey." Kayla stroked her cheek with the bent knuckle of her index finger. She separated their mouths long enough to ask, "Still with me? Too much?"

"No." Devon hated the tear that spilled over her friend's hand. "Perfect. Exactly right. I can't believe I wasted so much time."

"Maybe you weren't ready." James petted her back. "When you came to us, we pushed you hard. Fast. It was a lot to adjust to and you did great. You're sure now. Totally confident and so d.a.m.n flawless I can't begin to deserve you. There's nothing to get in the way or trip you up. I'm so proud of you, Devon."

"We love you," Neil murmured in her other ear. "We're here for you. We have forever. No worries. Just enjoy the moment. No one could understand this better than James and me. It's not always easy to take what you need."

"What they said, runt." Dave propped his chin on Kayla's shoulder. "Everything we've shared has led to this moment. Go ahead. Claim your reward."

Devon smiled through her tears. Bundles of nerves unknotted in her gut. She savored Neil and James kissing her neck and the rea.s.surance in Dave's gaze as he presented his wife for their shared pleasure.

This time when their lips collided, it was with greater urgency. The soft, sweet swipes still rocked her world, different completely from the fierce claim one of the men would make on her mouth. Devon s.h.i.+vered when Kayla advanced, pressing their torsos more tightly together. The mounds of her friend's b.r.e.a.s.t.s landed above hers.

Dev lowered her hands to Kayla's waist, her fingers grasping at Kay's tight a.s.s, begging for what she wasn't sure.

Mike groaned from behind them. "Give me a minute, Kate, or I'm going to lose it. Let me grab the feather bed from the closet for them. If I can still walk with this monster hard-on."

Musical laughter accompanied the foreman's grumbling. Kate always told them how much she loved to torment her husband. Driving him wild was one of the highlights of her life.

Kayla reclaimed Devon's focus when the other woman planted her palms on Devon's a.s.s. Dev slung one thigh as high on Kay's hip as she could, then hopped. The guys supported her as she clung to Kayla like a baby koala. Both of them moaned when their torsos aligned better.

"Shorty." Kay nipped her chin, then licked a trail down Devon's neck.

She might have been embarra.s.sed about the slickness she painted across Kayla's belly if the other woman hadn't encouraged her to continue her gyrations with that unflinching grip on Devon's rear.

A cool breeze wafted over them, followed by a dull thump that could only come from a thick feather mattress. She'd know that sound anywhere since they'd each agreed to purchase one for their living rooms after their partner-swapping session. They'd had enough of bruised knees and rug burns in critical areas when an innocent movie night turned into one of their smoking group sessions.

The pad bounced a little, knocking into James's and Neil's ankles. The guys tumbled backward onto the puffy surface with matching grunts. Lacking their support, Kayla tipped forward. They landed in a tangle of limbs. Dave piled on for fun, squis.h.i.+ng Neil. He also rubbed his rock hard c.o.c.k against his friend in the process, if their sighs and l.u.s.ty oaths were any indication.

Kayla and Devon giggled at their antics. They laughed together even as they writhed, their bodies connected from toes to fingertips. Devon spread her legs wider, welcoming Kayla into the cradle of her thighs. The pressure of Kay's pubic bone riding her mound surprised a whimper from her.

"Have you ever wondered about tribbing, Dev?" Kayla whispered in her ear.

"What?" She blushed. "I don't know what that is."

"Don't worry. I'll show you." Kayla rocked against her again. "It's my favorite. Like this. Or scissoring."

Devon didn't care what she called it as long as Kay continued to inject pure pleasure into her veins. They reveled in their clinch, using every part of their bodies to communicate their longing.

"She feels great, doesn't she?" James brushed stray hair from Devon's forehead and tucked it behind her ear. "I love it when your eyes turn dark like this."

"So amazing." She gasped, and dragged her nails from Kay's a.s.s to her shoulders, begging her silently to move.

"More of that later," Kayla promised with another kiss. Each of her touches showcased an economy of motion that concentrated pa.s.sion to its purest extract. "First, I want to taste you. All of you."

Devon's p.u.s.s.y quivered at the idea. If Kayla ate her out half as well as she kissed, Dev might die of ecstasy overload before the afternoon was over. Because she admitted James had been knocked from that coveted best kisser spot by Kay.

Would she expect Devon to return the favor?

She wasn't sure she was ready to be the aggressor yet. She had no skills. What if Kay had waited forever and Devon couldn't deliver a satisfying experience?

"No pressure, Dev." Kayla petted her belly. "It's your first time. Let me make it good for you. Believe me, I'll enjoy this as much as you."

Kay didn't hesitate. She licked a trail down Devon's neck, torturing her with the measured glide of her lips across Dev's collarbone. As though she had a map of all the most sensitive spots along her route, she detoured to every single one. One of the benefits to being with another woman, Devon supposed.

She recalled watching James suck Mike or how Joe could make Neil come in record time by jerking him off while riding him hard. It was clear the men fed off each other but also that they had a better understanding of how to push each other's b.u.t.tons.

Kayla had the same intrinsic knowledge of Devon's anatomy. She put it to good use. Her fingertips fluttered over the peaks of Dev's b.r.e.a.s.t.s, teasing her nipples into hardened pebbles without pinching them too tight.

Kay's ideal manipulation had Devon's chest swollen and aching for more contact. She bucked her hips against Kayla's softly rounded tummy, moaning when her c.l.i.t slid across the damp skin there.

"In good time, Dev." Kayla continued her unhurried a.s.sault. "There's no rush. Though, if you want to come, go ahead. We'll feed off each other's o.r.g.a.s.ms. It's not like being with a man. Climaxing isn't the end. It's just a peak on the journey to the summit. I bet I could give you a dozen. And the same for you to me."