by A. K. Koonce
I slow us down, taking unsteady breaths between the press of gentle lips.
“I love you too,” I murmur against his mouth.
And that alone sends him back into a frenzy of adoring kisses.
“She’s awake,” Latham says from somewhere far off.
“Of course she is,” the arrogant stranger, Loki, says.
Aric pulls rather reluctantly away.
The bright yellow flower at my side dances as the pounding feet of two men stride to me. They slow with a façade of calm as they carefully kneel behind where Aric lies, covering my body with his own.
“Needs space to breathe,” Torben grunts at the dragon shifter, pulling at his friend’s shoulder until cool air wafts over my torso.
Everything feels heightened and magical. The breeze in my hair pulls at the locks as I sit up, wafting them around my face like I’m suspended in water.
“Stop it,” Latham spits angrily, glaring hard over his shoulder.
My eyes meet the gaze of a man who leans confidently against the trunk of a tree with long blue palm leaves . . . He picks at the unnatural tree’s sleek leaf that’s brushing his shoulder. And then, with a puff of swirling black smoke the leaf bursts into a feather. A long palm-leaf-shaped feather . . .
“I just thought the mood required some pizzazz.” Loki drops his hand, and at the same moment, the breeze releases my hair.
I blink slowly, taking in each aspect of the garden we’re lounging in. It’s all picturesque perfect. Yet… little aspects are too mythically beautiful. The feather tree Loki leans on isn’t the only object that has been altered by his magic. A bunny with a pink, twitching nose lifts up from the swaying grass to sniff the air adorably. His ear twitches before he sits back down. And then the little creature does it again. And again. And again. On an endless loop of cuteness.
What the fuck kind of magical realm have I fallen into now?
“You don’t have to change everything to fit your liking.” Latham’s more tense than I’ve ever seen him.
“You didn’t mind when I cured your lover’s wound and dressed her as a Goddess of Love should be.”
Aric nods this way and that in total agreement, and it’s then that I note the pure white gown that’s hugging my torso. It’s light and sheer at the bottom while being elegant and beautiful at the top. No straps hold the gown against me. A single emerald gemstone adorns the center just above my cleavage. The dress also seems to cover my breasts so tightly, they’re pushed up unnaturally . . .
Is this guy magicing my boobs now too?
Torben’s tongue slides over his lower lip and his attention flits from my plump curves to my mouth. A smile tilts my lips and I don’t know why it feels good to have him finally looking at me like that. Without hiding it. Without doubting it. All I want in this moment is to know what dirty things are in his head while he looks at me like he wants to devour me slowly.
“Can you just give us some time alone?” Latham asks on a tone of steely aggression.
“Take all the time you’d like, my son.” Loki stands abruptly, shoving away from his feather tree as he holds my gaze with a look of cruel curiosity. “You look like your mother,” he says quietly. “It’s a shame what that dog elf did to a woman of her stature.”
Dog elf?
“Go,” Latham growls, standing from his spot on the ground to turn and face his father fully with an unyielding, protective stance.
Loki slices his attention to his son then. “Remember what I said. Leave at dawn for the Realm of the Living portal. Never in the night here.”
Latham nods stiffly.
“The light elves respect my power, but they will not offer their kindness to an outsider in their realm.” The aloof smirk on Loki’s face fades as he looks off into the distance of the vast wildflowers. “Not after what the Light King did to them.”
My brow pulls low, not understanding the depths of the history of these realms I continue to stumble into.
“Thank yo—” Latham’s whispered words simmer on his lips as his father vanishes into thin air. The fumes of inky, black smoke drift in his wake.
All of us are looking at the spot the god of mischief just vacated. He’s nothing like I imagined. He seems cruel, yes, but not in the way the Light King or Hela does. I can sense there’s some good within him. Somewhere . . .
“Do you think it’s weird he dressed our girlfriend up all sexy, set the mood of his secret garden, and then just… left us to our own dirty devices?” Aric looks to Latham like it’s an urgent question.
“He’s not tricking us into fucking our girlfriend.”
“But how do you know?” Aric counters.
“Because Loki does nothing unless it benefits Loki.” Latham shakes his head, his messy, dark hair swaying rather magically around his handsome face. Latham does seem even more attractive than ever. His smooth skin is nearly glowing with its flawlessness …
Hmmm. It does seem like a weird, kinky trap.
“Maybe you’re right,” Aric whispers.
I peer around at the three of them and realize they’re all shirtless.
“Did he give you a size-too-small jeans too?” Aric asks curiously.
Torben grunts.
“Couldn’t even button mine.” He stands, the body of a warrior very much on display as he adjusts himself in the tight, black jeans. All three of them do it slightly awkwardly and simultaneously. The impressive bulges beneath the material are easy to see, and I can’t even make myself look away from the cock modeling they’re doing right now.
“Oh my god, your dad is tricking us into having sex!” I blurt like it’s the worst thing that could happen to me.
“What? Why? Why would he do that?” Torben glances to Latham who’s still shaking his head furiously.
“He wants us to like him.” Latham looks to Aric. “He may be a bastard, but he actually wants us to like him and be like him. Like when he healed Rhys without asking for anything in return. It’s his way of getting on our good side.” He rolls his eyes.
“Well, mission a-fucking-ccomplished.” Aric’s smile brightens as his gaze slips to the ends of my gown, up my thighs, over my stomach, and lingers on my outrageously perky breasts.
Then he meets my gaze. Smoldering heat burns in his russet golden eyes. Among all the ridiculousness of it all, I still shift at the heat of his attention. I can’t help it. The way my thighs tense to be around him, the fluttering in my stomach, the pounding of my heart: it’s all a reflexive reaction this man pulls out of me without even trying.
We’re going to fall right into the God of Mischief’s trap.
“That’s entirely ludicrous,” Torben says with a disapproving shake of his head. “We don’t have time for such distractions.”
A silence scoots its way in after that statement.
Aric and Latham peek at one another from behind Torben’s back. A silent conversation is had. Unspoken agreements are made. They both turn toward me.
A smile parts my lips, and the amusement is mirrored in their features.
We actually do have time though. For once.
Tomorrow at dawn, we’re going to have to sneak past the vicious light elves. We’ll find our way back to the Realm of the Living while trying to plot how to rescue my mother. And I imagine we’ll be hiding from the ruler of Hell for the rest of our long, tormented lives.
If we’re lucky.
Casually, I lean forward. I lift up on my knees, and as I confuse him with every move I make, I straddle myself over the warrior god. He feels good pressed beneath me. His hips between mine send a demanding want all through me. A line creases his brow. Bright eyes are shaded with a perplexed look in his beautiful gaze.
“We do have time, Torben.” I push my fingers through his thick hair, my thumbs brushing along his beloved beard as I go.
I hover above him, and he’s still shaking his head at me even as his big hands make their way to my hips. Fingertips tense there like he could throw me down and take what h
e wants.
“There’s never enough time,” he says adamantly. “We need to be alert. We may be in Loki’s protection right now, but we shouldn’t let our guard down.”
“Let it down,” I whisper, my lips whispering against his but never fully touching. A low groan hums through him. A war is very clearly going on in his constantly turning mind. “Please,” I add with another brush of my lips almost touching his.
His groan deepens then like a delicious sound I want to hear over and over again against the shell of my ear. His hands tighten on my hips, and I love how bad he wants me right now. I’ve never felt more powerful than I do with him like this.
A lazy look of lust consumes his hooded eyes.
Yes. I’m all powerful.
His palms push lower down my ass, pulling me closer with that simple move.
Feel my power.
Bow to my power.
He shakes his head hard and pats the side of my hip pleasantly. “I’ll take first watch tonight.” Then he shifts to slide me off his lap and gets up.
GODDAMMIT!
My mouth takes his so fast and hard, the press of our teeth against my lips hurts. But the hum of his approval feels oh so good along my tongue. He freezes in place beneath me. There’s a moment where I think he’ll let me down gently. Ease away from the spark that’s always between us. Be the responsible man he always is.
Until big hands slide up my hips, over my stomach, and push over my breasts in a needy and greedy way. He fills his hands with my curves. Loki may truly have enchanted my bosom too. Because Torben’s touch feels so damn good. It tingles from my nipples all the way down to my core in blooms of pulsing pleasure.
My gasp against his mouth is silenced as he deepens the kiss. He brushes one hand down my body to grasp my ass, aligning me firmly against the hard outline beneath his jeans. Ever so roughly, he rocks his hardness perfectly against my sex. Buzzing electricity shoots through me with a gasp tearing from my throat. His body against mine feels like heaven. It’s the most perfect embrace of lust and maybe even more . . .
I gasp once more at the thought of loving him . . . He pulls back just slightly at my sudden change. Our gazes explore the emotions written all across our faces.
I do love him. The one man who would never let anyone in is the one who took me down hardest, I think.
And I know that’s why I can’t tell him.
Ever.
Instead, I glance away from the intensity of his gaze. Just to collide with an all-knowing one. Latham sinks to his knees right in front of me. His curious features search out what I’m hiding.
He always knows.
“You don’t have to be afraid of us.” His hand lifts, and he cups my face in his palm. “You look as scared as the day I found you. You’re still just as good at hiding it too.” His smirk is both parts sweetly adorable and sinfully sexy.
How does he always know?
The urge to kiss him strikes fast, and I’m covering his lips with mine just as fast.
I expect his hesitation. Especially after last time. Our relationship is confusing. It might always be. So I wait for him to pull away. But something’s changed between us. Maybe he believed me when I said I’ll never choose between the three of them.
Maybe none of it matters. Because he doesn’t leave me. In fact, he kisses me harder. He isn’t sweet though. He never fully is, is he? Because the moment he gets his hands on me, they shove right past Torben’s wrist, and he’s skimming his palm up my leg like he’s claiming what’s his. My thighs shift around his demanding touch. It’s light along my flesh and it sends volts of pleasure all through me with barely a fingertips brush along my inner thigh.
How would he have ever survived as just my friend? He really thought the two of us could live the rest of our lives without wanting to fit together in the deepest way possible? His finger teases the edge of my panties, brushing over the thin fabric with a light touch that’s just the barest hint of teasing my senses until every single thing I feel and see is Latham. He’s everything in that single second and yet . . . he’s hardly even touching me.
I need more.
My fingertips trace the lines of hard-cut abs. The valleys of his stomach lead me down his beautiful body. The waist to his jeans is tight against his hips. And yet the button pushes away easily beneath my fingers. His tongue tangles with mine faster then. His kiss is fervent. Every little move the three of us make feels heightened and electric. Sparks could fly the moment my hand slips down Latham’s waist and smooth, rigid skin meets my touch. He feels so good. His dick pulses at the feel of my fingers wrapping slowly around his thickness.
I’ve barely began a leisure pace along his shaft when sharp teeth drag over my lips, hooded eyes meeting mine as my moan shivers over his. The press of a kiss along my collarbone pulls at my attention. But Torben simply watches everything around us. It isn’t his mouth doing sensual things to the curve of my neck.
“You’re so sinfully sexy, Love.” Aric’s whispered words brush across my ear, sending those hypnotic words right through me. They shiver all the way down to my core.
Right when Latham’s fingers finally slip beneath my panties and down my sex. My gasp is devoured as Torben kisses me. Aric skims long fingers up and down my thighs, sliding under my dress to tease my flesh even more. I’m trembling in their hands. All of my senses are trembling from their many touches. I’m on edge. I’m tight rope walking an unsteady line of lust. I’ll surely fall.
With two fingers, Latham makes me fall apart entirely. His palm arches against me, hitting a spot deep inside just right over and over and over again.
My pace against his smooth cock tries to mimic the way he touches me. The rhythm between us is like a dance. A game. A fucking war of pleasures.
And just when I think I’ll lose the fight, Torben lifts my hips, and slides right in to join Latham against me. The head of his cock slips across my clit, and I pull back from him to watch the gleam in his eyes as he teases me while Latham works me. At some point, my dress is pushed down savagely as long, diligent fingers roll across my nipples. The deep press of a demanding pace within me and the pressure of Torben’s thickness against me is all too much. The three of them push me too, too far.
Blooming sensations wrack my body, pulsing from my sex and sending out waves that drift on through every inch of my being. The rush is unending. Time is suspended. For a single beautiful moment. It’s just the four of us.
I barely catch my breath when the pressure between my thighs becomes fuller. Torben watches me with as much diligent care as he does when he’s on guard. Except he isn’t looking for the danger in our lives. He’s looking for the excitement in my eyes. And he finds it as he sinks in inch by inch, filling me entirely.
A moan trembles over my lips. He pumps into me, and I take that slow building pace and give it to Latham, sliding my palm up and across the head of his cock before slipping all the way back down. His stature weakens, and he’s soon leaning into me, letting his heavy breaths whisper across my throat with every move I make.
It empowers me to know I can make these godlike men feel as good as they make me feel. So much so that I’m reaching back to pull Aric closer. His chest is against my shoulder when my hand slides down his lithe body. The hardness of his chest flows in guiding valleys down his stomach to the deep veering lines of his hips.
“Mmmm, make me feel good, Love,” he whispers along my ear while still holding me and peaking my nipples into aching mounds.
I shove his jeans down, and his cock springs out against the back of my hand, waiting and ready. It’s hard for me to focus on just one of them when all three of them are touching and tasting and fucking me into oblivion. Lips brush against my throat. My chest. My nipples. Fingers caress so lightly, it brings every nerve in my body to a tingling awareness. Every single part of me is alive and thrumming for more.
The hours we spend sharing one another pass by with the wake of the stares above. It’s a blur sensual extasy. The
three of them start to take turns having me, seemingly seeing who can give me more than I can take.
The sky darkness and the marvelous beauty of the highlighted heavens is nothing compared to how good Aric fucks me from behind. It’s a quick and fast rush like needing to feel each other on the deepest level possible is the most urgent thing either of us has ever wanted. His hand covers my mouth from over my shoulder. It’s to silence my moans but it also leverages him in deeper. And deeper. And deeper. I cum around him in blinding colors that are painful behind my eyes. When my lashes flutter open and he’s still pounding into me, whisking vines shimmer with light. They flit about in a glittering, beautiful colors. They only emphasis the magic of the moment.
My release feels even more heightened when it slams through me, shaking and taking me down until I’m barely holding myself up beneath Aric’s pounding pace.
It’s the opposite of how Latham takes me. When hours pass and I’m entirely spent, he pulls me against him, guiding my hips up and down his length. I straddle over him but he very much takes control. He holds me tightly in his hands and rocks his lean hips beneath me. He sinks in so slowly that he grinds my clit fully against the base of his shaft with every meticulous thrust he gives me. The pace is like a climb that I’ll never reach the top of. It simply teeters higher and higher with every diligent move of his sexy body against mine. It’s a winding of building energy deep within me. It keeps going. My cries carry. I can’t stop the sounds he sends tearing from my throat.
It’s endless pleasure.
I want more.
And more.
And more.
And then all that restless energy comes soaring out. I cum over and over again in rapid bursts of stars behind my eyes.
And as the four of us keep going again and again, it’s hard to remember which are the stars of our own creation and which are the ones passing time above us. Because time does churn on.
Despite how much we try to cling on to this blissful moment, it’ll pass.
And the dawn will surely come.
