STRIPTEASED: A Standalone Reverse Harem Romance (Roommates Book 1)

“You two are weird, you know that?”

Since I had my head buried against Knox’s chest, I couldn’t tell which twin had said that. I shrugged it off, but one of Knox’s large, strong arms moved away from my back. I twisted my head in time to see him raising his middle finger in the twins’ direction.

It seemed so out of character that I burst into laughter. Craning my neck, I gazed up at him. He had a hint of a smile under that short beard of his. “Good one,” I mouthed as he let me go.

“Now that the Hugsie Twins are done, can we start the movie?” Tonio asked.

“They just wish they were twins,” Austin scoffed.

Denver laughed. “Is anyone else picturing a Knox who’s Emma’s height or an Emma who’s Knox’s height?”

“Well, now I am,” Tonio growled, and we all laughed.

On Sunday nights, the club was closed, so it was the only night we could all eat dinner together and hang out afterwards. Tonio and I had prepared a huge meal, and the twins had actually had some tortillas. Well, okay, it was mostly Tonio’s doing. And his mother had made the tortillas by hand earlier in the day and dropped them off. I’d been out back taking pictures with Knox at the time and missed meeting her. Though she was surely a nice woman—judging by how awesome her son was—I was a little bit relieved. What would she think about me living with four men, one of them her only son?

The twins were already on the sofa, one on either end, their long legs sprawled out in front of them. Knox sat down in a big sturdy recliner, raising the footrest and stretching out. For a moment, I had the impulse to sit on his lap. But instead I walked toward the couch, conscious of what the others might think about that.

Austin smiled when I neared and patted the couch right next to his thigh. Denver looked up and did the same. Since the couch was about eight feet long, it was impossible to sit right next to both of them. I hesitated in the middle, not wanting to offend either of them. Austin’s grin deepened while he looked up at me, aware of my dilemma. Denver looked amused, too. Finally, I turned on the spot and sat down on the floor, my back against the exact epicenter of the sofa.

The sofa cushions shifted behind me and I heard deep, masculine chuckling. Both twins scooted toward the center until there was a tan, well-muscled leg on either side of me. Grinning, I hooked an arm around each leg, hugging them against my sides.

From his position by the TV, Tonio looked over and rolled his eyes. “You look like you’re ready for a roller coaster ride with the world’s weirdest harness.”

“Doesn’t feel weird to me.” Their legs were made of perfectly sculpted, hard muscles, and I liked hugging them against me.

“When’s the movie going to start?” Denver asked.

“When it’s ready to stream.” Tonio sounded irritated. “If you’d let me upgrade our internet speed, we wouldn’t have to go through this each time.”

Austin leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “Someone’s crabby tonight.”

“I heard that,” Tonio said. Their behavior reminded me that they’d been friends since high school. That explained a lot. Sometimes they acted like teenagers. Not all the time, but sometimes.

“Finally.” The movie filled the large flat-screen TV. Tonio lowered the lights before settling into the recliner opposite Knox.

As we watched the beginning, I idly stroked the twins’ legs. It was nice being able to touch them without having to feel embarrassed about it like I would if I were touching some other part of them.

Just when I was starting to get into the movie, the screen went blank, surprising us all. Then an error message appeared.

“Son of a bitch,” Tonio muttered, hopping up.

The twins groaned, too. “Now what do we do?” Denver asked.

“Retell Star Wars?” Austin asked, and Denver and Tonio laughed.

I, however, was confused. So, it appeared, was Knox.

“It’s a Family Guy joke,” Tonio explained.

I nodded as if I knew what he meant.

“This is getting frustrating,” Tonio said. “Let’s just forget about it tonight and remember to get the damn upgrade sometime this week.”

“Agreed,” Austin said, and the others nodded.

“I can help pay for it,” I volunteered. I tried to pay for takeout and other things when I could, but it wasn’t often that the guys let me.

“Nah, we got it,” Denver said. “You help in other ways, like grocery shopping and straightening up.”

“And leg-stroking,” Austin added. He and Denver laughed, but it made my face go red.

Tonio had gone back to his recliner. “The twins get their legs stroked. Knox gets hugs. What do I get?”

“What do you want?” Austin asked before I could reply.

Tonio leveled a sharp look at Austin that I couldn’t quite interpret. Then he turned to me. “It’s a bit lonely over here on this side of the room. I could use some company.”

The way he said it made my heart rate speed up. Tonio patted his lap, which was clad in black jeans, and then shot me a direct look that made me gulp. Were we alone, I might have gone straight over there, but it felt weird to be considering it with the other guys here.

Austin, however, seemed to have no qualms about it. He nudged me with his foot, gently pushing me in Tonio’s direction. After a moment, Denver did the same.

Well… if they insisted. Placing my hands on their knees, I pushed myself up. Tonio grinned as I neared and reached for me. Somewhat self-consciously, I perched on the arm of the chair, my legs squashed next to his. But he just chuckled and grabbed me in a bear hug, pulling me against him.

Wow. This was far more comfortable than the floor. And a lot hotter, too. My ass was planted on Tonio’s strong thighs, and his arm was around my shoulder. I couldn’t quite figure out what to do with my hands, so I clasped them in front of me, but that meant I wasn’t helping to support my weight. “Am I too heavy?”

“Not at all,” Tonio said, his rumbly voice very close to my ear. “It feels good. Are you comfy?”

“Yes,” I breathed. It was true, too. It was nice to be pressed against him, to smell his crisp, spicy scent. Maybe it was sage? Or mint? Whatever it was, it suited him, and I inhaled deeply. So yeah, I was comfortable, but not exactly relaxed. There’s no way I could be relaxed while being that close to such a hot man.

“So what do we do now?” Denver asked. Since movie night obviously wasn’t happening, I suppose we could’ve all done our own things, but no one seemed to want to. It was rare that all five of us were home at the same time.

Knox had a plan, though. He hoisted his big frame off the recliner and strode out to the kitchen. He returned a minute later with five bottles of beer. I took the two he held out for me and Tonio. Denver tried to wave his off, but Knox simply dropped it in his lap and then tossed another to Austin. Then the bouncer returned to his chair. He was a man of few words, but he got his message across in other ways.

“All right, excellent start,” Denver said once we were all sipping our drinks. Mine instantly made me feel a bit dizzy. I’d also had a margarita with dinner. Knox had made a pitcher. “What’s next?”

“I have a question,” Austin said.

“Are you waiting for a teacher to call on you or something?” Tonio asked, and I giggled.

“It’s for Emma.” Austin acted as if he hadn’t heard Tonio. “I want to know how come you can always tell Denver and me apart.”

“I don’t know, I just can.”

“That’s not an answer,” Denver said. “Tonio had trouble when he first met us. Hell, Knox still has trouble sometimes.” Over on the other recliner, the big man nodded.

“Well, you guys said yourself that Denver’s hair is usually a bit longer. And Austin’s often wearing fewer clothes.” I gave a sheepish smile while I said that, but it was true. Even right now, Austin had on a sleeveless t-shirt and black running shorts while Denver had on a white shirt with a flannel top over the same kind of black running shorts.

But now Tonio was taking up the questioning. “They’re right. You knew which was which when they were riding their bikes the other day wearing identical clothes and helmets. What’s your secret?”

“I don’t know.” All the guys were looking at me, and it was making me nervous. “I guess… they have sort of a different energy to them.”

“Interesting. Like actual energy? Do you think one of us is lethargic or something? Or more like an aura?” Austin asked.

“No one who’s seen you perform at the club thinks you’re lethargic,” Tonio said dryly, but then he nudged me to continue.

“I don’t really know what it is. But Denver’s energy is kind of… serene. He radiates a kind of positive energy.” The twins looked at me as if I were nuts, and maybe I was. I’d certainly never talked this way before. But even though I wasn’t explaining it very well, it felt true.

“So what’s my energy like?” Austin wanted to know.

“Your energy has a swagger.”

The guys laughed, Austin included.

“That sounds about right,” Denver said.

“Let’s test that theory,” Austin said. He stripped off his shirt and motioned for Denver to do the same. “Tonio, cover her eyes.”

I squealed as Tonio’s hand descended over my eyes. The lack of vision made my other senses more aware of how close we were nestled together. Pretty much every part of my body was touching him, and now he’d taken control of one of my senses.

A moment later, he whipped his hand away, and I looked over at the couch. Both twins were shirtless, wearing only identical shorts and black baseball caps with the strip club’s logo on them. I couldn’t see their hair, but I knew. “Austin’s on the left, Denver’s on the right.”

“Damn, she’s good,” Denver said. “Again.”

Tonio’s hand covered my eyes again, but this time, he used his thumb to stroke my hair away from my forehead. It felt nice. From the sofa, I could hear rustling and movement. After a minute, Tonio let me see again. This time, the twins had their backs to me, their legs folded in front of them. I could still see parts of their faces in profile, though. “Austin’s still on the left, Denver’s on the right.”

“Shit, how’re you doing that?” Austin asked. Then he nodded at Tonio. “One more time.”

This time as I was plunged into darkness, I sensed a lot more movement around the living room. It sounded like a whole herd of men were tromping around. At one point, Tonio laughed. After what felt like ages, he whispered in my ear. “Ready?” I nodded, and to my surprise he planted a quick kiss on my temple. Then he uncovered my eyes.

Holy crap.

I did a triple take as I took in the scene in front of me. Both twins were standing in front of me, completely undressed except for the shiny black thongs they wore at the club. All I could see were those overstuffed pouches and their tan, bare legs because Knox stood behind them, his arms outstretched, holding a large blanket over their heads and torsos. From the waist down, they looked completely identical and amazingly sexy. Still… “Austin’s on the right, Denver’s on the left.”

Knox swore in disbelief and dropped the blanket on their heads. The twins laughed as they untangled themselves, the action making their dicks shake back and forth under the flimsy fabric. I froze, my eyes glued to their thongs, and Tonio chuckled. “Now there’s something you don’t see every day—even if you work at a strip club.”

Denver stared at me. “Are you a witch? I doubt our own mother could’ve done that.”

Tonio sputtered with laughter. “Would you have wanted her to?”

Denver grinned. “That didn’t come out right. But damn, Emma, that’s amazing. I really want to know how you do it.”

“I just know, that’s all. You’ve just got to accept it.” I smiled impishly up at him. “You don’t have to prove it with any further testing.” My eyes flickered to his thong and he laughed.

“So you’re saying you don’t want to try one more time with us naked?” Austin ran one long finger suggestively under the strap of his thong.

“No!” Tonio and Knox replied at the same time I said, “No comment.”

Austin winked. “Maybe later.”

There was no doubt these guys were flirting with me, but the surprising thing was that I was—kind of—flirting back. After all, I was sitting in one man’s lap and staring at two other guys wearing the least amount of clothing possible. Knox was being good, but he rarely took his eyes off me. I couldn’t tell if he was bothered by me sitting in Tonio’s lap or not. A flicker of guilt coursed through me when I recalled that I’d originally wanted to sit on his lap. Ever since the day he’d taken me out in the woods to take nature pictures, I’d been cognizant of the fact that he sometimes felt left out. I certainly didn’t want him to feel that way now.

I started to ease myself off of Tonio’s lap, but his arm snaked around my waist, stilling me. While he held me, he spoke to the twins. “Are you guys going to sit down or are you waiting for someone to stuff bills in your G-strings?”

Denver sat on the couch, but Austin’s eyes gleamed as he contemplated his best friend. “Are you offering?”

Tonio shrugged, and said, “I’ve got my hands full.” To emphasize his words, he squeezed me tighter.

“Cocky bastard,” Austin said, but in a good-natured way.

“Says the man wearing a tiny thong,” Tonio retorted, and I laughed. Austin sat back down on the sofa. Both twins had their legs spread, emphasizing the heavy pouches between their legs. Neither one of them seemed to have an ounce of shame. Across the room, Knox caught my eye and rolled his eyes in the direction of the twins. To someone so reserved, those two probably seemed like they were from another planet. And from the way Tonio was holding me, he could be pretty damn shameless himself. No wonder Knox was glad I’d moved in—I was the only other sane person here besides him.

That thought made me giggle as I sipped my beer. Austin raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing to her over there, my man?”

“Nothing, but maybe we’d better cut her off after one or two beers. Remember what happened last time you drank, Em?”

“Not really,” I said, and they all laughed.

Tonio’s chuckle was sexy in my ear. “So where were we before those two bozos decided to stage a strip show on their night off?”

“We were getting to know each other better,” Austin replied. “That’s why I asked Emma about her superpower.”

“That’s right. So it’s my turn to ask a question,” I said, sitting up and accidentally elbowing Tonio in the stomach. He groaned in an overexaggerated way, and I slapped my hand over his mouth to quiet him. Or at least that’s what I tried to do, but I missed and just sort of slapped him.

“Yep, we’re definitely cutting her off after one more beer,” Denver said.

“Okay, here’s my question,” I began, but then I wasn’t quite sure how to word it.

After a moment, Tonio said, “That telepathy thing only works between the twins. You have to actually say it out loud.”

“I’m working on it.”

“All right,” he said, raising his hands up in the air. “Don’t beat me up again.”

“But it’s fun to watch you two wrestle,” Austin said.

“Here’s my question,” I said again.

“She’s stuck on repeat,” Knox observed and made me giggle. When I caught his eye, he winked.

“My question is, why do you guys strip?”

“It seemed like the fastest way to get our clothes off,” Austin said.

“No, I’m serious.” I waved my beer around for emphasis, managing to slosh some on Tonio’s shirt. He was probably seriously regretting inviting me to sit on his lap. “What do you like about it?”

“It’s fun. It’s a rush,” Austin said. “And call me a pig, but I don’t mind women worshipping me.”

“You’re a pig,” Knox and Tonio said together.

“Probably. But don’t knock it until you’ve had a ton of adoring fans screaming your name, begging for your touch, and throwing their panties at you.”

At the moment, I wanted to find all those women and punch them. Then I realized that I’d been one of them that night at the club. Well, except for the panties thing. “Is that why you’re into it too, Denver?”

But it was Austin who answered. “Nah, he just loves to dance.”

“I can answer for myself,” Denver said, throwing a pillow at his brother. “But yeah, I’m in it because I love to dance.”

“Don’t forget about the money. Strippers get bigger tips than bartenders, that’s for damn sure,” Tonio said.

Austin snorted. “Except when the bartenders make puppy dog eyes at all the girls like you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, he does. Emma, watch out for that one. If he ever wants to convince you of something, he’ll look at you like a chocolate lab begging for table scraps. Don’t look into his eyes or you’ll be a goner.”

“Really?” I twisted around, rubbing my ass against the front of Tonio’s pants in the process. “Let me see.” I put a hand down to brace myself and must’ve pressed a little too close to his dick because he winced.

“Will you stay still?” Quick as lightning, he grasped my hands and pinned them behind my back. “If you treated real chairs this way, all the ones around the kitchen table would’ve run away by now.”

Wow. If having my eyes covered by him had felt hot before, his holding my hands behind my back was even hotter. The position made my chest stick out, and I could feel the other men’s eyes on me. To my surprise, it didn’t bother me. In fact… I kind of liked it. What was with me tonight? Normally I hated being the center of attention.

I squirmed on Tonio’s lap, trying to get my hands free. “I want to drink my beer.”

“Here,” Tonio said, lifting the bottle to my lips. “If I let you loose, you’ll probably spill it on me again.”

That made me laugh, and his declaration almost came true—I managed to spill it on myself instead. I shrieked, and Tonio pulled the bottle away. Both of us stared at my chest. “First a strip show, now a wet t-shirt contest,” he muttered. “If we keep this up, we’re going to drive down the property values in the neighborhood.”

“Worth it,” Austin said. He got up and padded to the kitchen to get more beers. Watching his bare cheeks move sinuously as he walked away was definitely a highlight of the evening.

He passed the beers out and Tonio freed one of my hands so I could take one.

“Whose turn is it to ask a question?” Denver asked.

“I think it’s mine,” I said quickly. The other guys exchanged glances and then shrugged. “We’re friends,” I began, aiming my words at the twins.

“That’s not a question,” Austin observed.

“Good point.” I took a long sip of beer. “We’re friends?”

“Absolutely,” Denver said, and Austin nodded.

“So how come you’ve never told me your names?”

Knox snorted. “How drunk are you?”

“If you’ve forgotten our names, we really need to cut you off,” Denver said.

“But those are your stripper names,” I explained. “Like that guy Dallas in the Magic Marker movie.”

Tonio and the twins dissolved into laughter. I didn’t know what was so funny, but I joined in anyway. Even Knox cracked a smile.

When he’d calmed down enough to speak, Tonio said, “It’s Magic Mike, not Magic Marker.”

Oh yeah. “And these aren’t our stripper names,” Austin said, still laughing. “I’m named for our dad’s hometown of Austin, Texas.”

“And I’m named for our mom’s hometown of Denver, Colorado.”

“Okay, that makes sense,” I said earnestly, and they laughed again.

“Whose turn is it to ask a question?” Austin asked.

“I think it’s mine,” I said, and the guys all started laughing again. I had no idea why, but that didn’t stop me from laughing right along with them. If every Sunday evening was going to be this much fun, I hoped they’d never get the internet upgraded.