Brick by Brick by Maryn Blackburn Read Free Book Online Page A

James?”
    James yawned. “Fine, but I need to go to bed soon. Can you stay?”
    “I can’t,” Gage said. “If I do, none of us is going to get enough sleep, and I have a teleconference first thing in the morning.” He sighed. “Sorry. It’s what I want now more than anything, but I can’t let my dick make the decisions.”
    “Not just your dick.” Jamie’s hand found Gage’s buttocks, one fingertip disappearing between the halves for an instant. Gage smiled at him.
    I might as well not have been there.
    James remembered me. “Come on, Natalie. Find some clothes. Let’s get the man home.” He handed Gage his pants, then got up to get his, dropping a condom in the wastebasket.
    Gage took his cue and deposited his used condom there as well, then pulled up his underwear and trousers in a single motion.
    “Just a minute, Jamie. I lost an earring.”
    James paused, standing on one leg, the other foot poised above his trousers. “I see two hoops.”
    “No, my little pearl.” Freshly self-conscious, I put on my panties and bra as fast as I could.
    “It’s here somewhere.” James pulled up his pants and turned his back, zipping. “We’ll find it tomorrow, when the light’s good. Where’d my shirt land?”
    Gage, already wearing his suit trousers, pressed his ruby earring into my palm, then kissed me. “Natalie, there’s no way I can thank you enough for making it all happen. You were so beautiful, and it was so fantastic.”
    Blushing like the naive young woman I once was, I put on the earring before my dress, and before James turned around.
    Gage slipped his shirt on, then stepped in front of James and kissed his cheek.
    Considering what he and Gage had just done, James’s sheepish look at a mere kiss on the cheek was adorable. He scraped back his blond hair with one hand and delivered the smile the Cotton Council had paid for.
    Gage’s was equally radiant. “You, on the other hand, were so fantastic and it was so beautiful. One of the finest experiences of my life. Thank you too.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “Before we go, can I use your bathroom?”
    “Sure.” James pointed toward the door to the little powder room off the kitchen.
    We put on our shoes and stood waiting in silence, pretending the sounds of Gage peeing didn’t reach our reluctant ears.
    I could barely hear James’s soft voice over the flush. “What does this make me?”

Chapter Eight
    “A large, please, for here. Just black.” While the girl at Crave poured my coffee, I fished in my purse for change for the tip jar.
    “Make that two,” Cynthia called. “I’ve got to tell you, Natalie, I was relieved when you suggested this place. I refuse to go anyplace that calls itself a coffeehouse but doesn’t have ordinary coffee.”
    The girl set heavy pottery mugs on the counter and grinned. “I hear that a lot. Something to eat?”
    “Is that a cheese Danish? Warmed, with two forks, please. Let me get this, Natalie.”
    “Next time’s on me.” I put two dollars in the tip jar anyway. “Where do you want to sit?”
    Cynthia led me through the half-empty seating area to a corner table. We settled, tasted our coffee, and gobbled the pastry, laughing at our appetites.
    “Well, I hope it’s not rude to make the observation,” Cynthia said, pulling two glossy-covered hardbound books from a tote bag and setting them on the table, “but something about you just glows. Are you always like this when you’re not around crowds?”
    “Glowing? Hardly.” I considered for a moment, then decided to tell her. “You know how it is. Sometimes your marriage has a really good stretch, where you rediscover how attractive and wonderful the other person is. It’s practically like dating again.”
    “Oh, I understand the glow now. You’re getting laid.” She covered her mouth with one hand and glanced around, but nobody was near enough to have heard. “So it’s glow-level good?”
    “Better. I don’t usually talk about this.” Why