The Naughty List by Jodi Redford

Dazzled, she licked her lips and attempted to form a coherent thought. “I—I don’t understand. What’s going on here?” She’d been certain they’d be freaked out by the email. Having them all but devour her was the last reaction she’d been expecting, for damn sure.
    Bram caressed her hip. “We want to give you that threesome, Lace. Along with everything else on your list.”
    Shock and a hot wave of arousal careened through her at Bram’s declaration. She panned her stare between him and Ry, taking in the twin expressions of determination on their flushed features. In her mind’s eye, she pictured the three of them naked on her bed, living out the fantasies she’d barely been brave enough to commit to typewritten words.
    Panic began to set in. A fantasy was one thing. Actually exposing herself—in every sense of the word—to her best friends was a whole other matter. She swallowed past the words sticking in her throat. “I think that would be a bad idea.”
    Bram frowned. “Why? We thought that’s what you wanted. Your email…”
    “Was something you were never supposed to have seen.” She gave Ry a sheepish look. “Yeah, you were right about that much.”
    “I also told you there’s no going back now that we know.” Ry brushed her hair away from her cheek. His fingers lingered on the side of her neck, the warmth of his touch creating pleasurable tingles.
    Despite her firm resolve to ignore the sensation, she still shivered. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship. Not to mention the business we’ve created here.”
    “Neither do I.”
    “Same goes for me,” Bram echoed, squeezing her waist.
    She battled the desire to lean into Bram’s tempting embrace or to snuggle into the hand Ry still had curved around her nape. Instead she took a fortifying breath. “Then it’s better not to risk it, right?”
    “At one time I would have agreed with you.” Ry’s focus lowered to her mouth. His irises contained enough heat to stoke a campfire. “But now that I’ve kissed you, tasted you, I’m not willing to settle for what-ifs. I want to explore the possibilities beyond friendship, Lace. And I know Bram does too. Maybe it’s time to stop playing it safe and just see where this takes us.”
    He made it sound so…reasonable. Like giving in to this insanity wouldn’t inevitably result in a big crash and burn for the three of them. The knowledge that he seemed far less freaked out than her about the idea of a threesome stirred her suspicions. “Have you guys done this sort of thing before?”
    Ry’s gaze flicked toward Bram. “Not exactly.”
    She scooted out from between them and crossed her arms over her chest. “Either you have or you haven’t.”
    Bram’s broad shoulders lifted with a resigned inhale. “There was a woman. One time, Lace. That’s all.”
    She gaped at him. His answer probably shouldn’t have stunned her, particularly considering how he and Ry frequented that sex club in Pontiac. Maybe threesomes were old hat to them. No bigger a deal than going on a double date. Rather than reassure her, it only reinforced how out of her league she was with all of this. She took another step back and rubbed her arms. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”
    Ry walked forward, a challenge glinting in his eyes. “How can you know if you don’t try it?”
    She nibbled her bottom lip, uncertainty gnawing inside her. “If this goes bad, there might be no recovery for us.”
    “It won’t.” Ry pulled her toward him, his palm curving low on her tailbone. He’d held her many times before, but the intimacy in his touch now was nearly as overwhelming as his kiss earlier. And undoubtedly that’s what he’d intended, to get under her skin and storm her defenses. “We’ve always been the three amigos. That’ll never change.” His voice held an unwavering determination.
    She peered into his eyes, desperately wanting to feel the same confidence he did. Bram approached and took her