Chapter 17
“You doing okay back there?” Reid called over the headset as the plane accelerated into the air.
“Yes, quite fine thank you,” though he could not see her due to the position of her seat behind his, Reid could easily pick up the clip in her tone. “I’m glad I was able to get a window to look out of this time.”
Reid looked over at the copilot seat next to him and caught Zane’s wary look. For the past few days, Everly was a ball of emotions, some were her usual sweet self, occasionally quiet and despondent, or sometimes downright snappish. Guides that listed what to expect during pregnancy mentioned the increase in hormones that could lead to mood swings, but Reid didn’t want to rely purely on that info. With each snappy little comment from the beautiful brunette, he was starting to think there was a deeper cause. But dammit, she didn’t make it easy to figure out. Just that morning she was all smiles and warmth as they showered together just the two of them. And now… now she was in a mystery mood.
“Are you excited about your illustrator convention?” Zane asked as he flipped a switch on the flight control panel.
The quick trip to Toronto was actually for all three of them. He and Zane both had a meeting they needed to attend together, and Everly had an event of her own to attend thanks to Zane’s quick damage control. Over dinner earlier that week, Everly announced to them that she received a reply back on a job offer she submitted. Reid had to clap Zane’s back a few times as he choked on his food in response, as usual, Zane’s dramatics allowed Reid to hold his own shock in check as she finished explaining the position was completely virtual. The mistake, however, had already been made, Everly had seen the shock on Reid’s face despite his attempts to hide it and called out Zane’s reaction for exactly what it was. Like two chastised puppies, they sat helpless as she accused them of wanting her to just be a stay-at-home mom and not wanting her to work. Of course, she was absolutely right, but Reid wasn’t that much of a fool to admit that was exactly what he hoped she would be.
For the rest of that week, they spent it assuring her they wanted whatever she wanted for her career. Zane even went so far as to research and sign her up for a Digital Artists and Illustrator’s convention that was being held during the same time as their meeting in Toronto. At times it felt like the topic was completely put to bed, but sometimes Reid would catch her accusing stare or found himself on the receiving end of a flippant remark and realized they were back to square one. And to a degree he could completely understand, she wanted to work and feel a semblance of independence, she wanted to know if they truly released their restraints on her so she could really feel that she was free. And goddammit the answer was no. Not yet, not until they knew if they opened up that gilded cage would she fly back into their arms.
“Yes,” she answered quietly.
Zane, not to be deterred, God bless him, persisted. “So, I was thinking, since we will be in the city and all, maybe this will be the perfect time to do some nursery shopping.”
Both men waited in tense silence, waiting to hear her feedback over the headphones. Zane began to turn in his chair to look back just as she spoke.
Cautiously she asked. “What theme did you guys have in mind?”
Reid sighed in relief as he heard the smile in her tone.
“Okay so I was thinking of a few,” Zane launched into various themes that all revolved around a princess one way or another. “You could even do the yellow floppy bunny theme you mentioned with little tiaras painted on the bunny, but I’m telling you if we go with the name Zelda,” a name Zane had been pushing practically day and night since he found out they were having a girl. “We’re going to have to do a Princess Zelda theme.”
“Why exactly do we have to have a princess theme, Zane?” She questioned.
“Wha…” Zane began to speak, but Reid cut him off.
“Yeah, I’ve been wondering the same thing. What about a warrior theme?” Reid chimed in. His daughter was going to be strong, Reid couldn’t quite imagine her being a frilly princess type.
“A warrior?!” Zane threw him an appalled look. “What little girl’s room is warrior themed?”
“You know, like Wonder Woman or…” Reid began.
“Wonder Woman was also a princess, by the way,” Zane retorted snidely.
“Or,” Reid yelled over the mic in emphasis, “as I was trying to say, or like an Amazonian warrior.”
“Well I guess she could be a warrior princess,” Everly tried diplomatically.
Both men snapped their heads up and looked each other directly in the eye.
“Xena the Warrior Princess,” they yelled at once.
“Who?” Everly leaned forward in her seat sticking her head between their seats, looking at them both in confusion. “Who is that?”
“Oh, dear God,” Zane was practically giddy. “Reid, she doesn’t know… Reid, we have to…”
“Calm down,” Reid commanded tersely. He had to try to think, did his flash drive he pack have any of those seasons on it? It didn’t matter he could find it online one way or another. “We will watch at least one season tonight.”
“Is it a show?” Everly was still confused.
Turning in his seat, Zane kissed her. “It’s not just a show! It’s the namesake of our future child. Of course, we will spell it with a Z, and it’s the only show will be watching for the next few weeks.”
±
Leaning with one foot on the window’s ledge, Reid took a heavy gulp of water from his water bottle. Behind him, he could hear the metal clang of the barbell being placed back on the rack as Zane finished his last set. The spacious gym their condo offered overlooked the busy downtown Toronto streets. Upstairs in their penthouse, their bedroom enjoyed the same view, Reid wondered if Everly was up yet from her nap to even enjoy it.
That morning, all three of them attended her digital artists convention with her at the nearby convention hall. Thousands of people walking from booth to booth, attending various panels and discussions, by the time they left Everly was practically dead on her feet.
Taking his position next to him, Zane leaned backward on the window wiping the sweat from his face with the tail end of his shirt.
“So, are we going back to the convention tonight? I know Everly said there was a guest speaker talking this evening she was interested in.”
Reid thought about the image of her exhausted sleeping face when they left her a couple hours ago and shook his head. “I highly doubt she has it in her to go again tonight.”
“Mmm,” Zane agreed as he cracked open his own bottle of water. “Well, that leaves this evening free, and tomorrow she goes back to the convention on her own while we do the meeting with the clients and then if we want we can fly home tomorrow night.”
Reid just stared at the skyline as he downed the rest of his water, the plastic bottle crackling in his hand as it emptied. Zane’s attempt at dancing around his not so secret desire to go home earlier than planned was painfully obvious. Zane wanted Everly back home in the safety—captivity—of their cabin. When Reid told him that Everly would be attending the convention on her own tomorrow the man visibly paled. For Zane, he wasn’t ready to put his faith in her not leaving them, and nor would he until Zane heard the three words from her they both have been dying to hear. Until then Zane didn’t want her out of his sight.
Reid liked to think he was far less psychotic than his younger brother. Not that the severity of his love for her was any less, Reid just understood that they needed to let go of some of the chains of their love or else they were going to crush her under the weight of them.
“I would rather fly during daylight hours for safety reasons,” Reid replied evenly.
Zane stepped away from the window with a grunt. “Well, I want to finish watching Xena tonight, so let’s order from the Mediterranean place.”
“Everly may want to go out tonight since we are rarely in the city,” Reid added.
Zane looked thoughtful for moment. �
��Then we can go to the Mediterranean place.”
Selflessness was not one of his brother’s strong points. Shaking his head, Reid began to head towards the locker room.
“Hey, I have been meaning to talk to you about something,” Zane’s change in tone steeled Reid’s nerves immediately. He knew that serious tone, and it normally predicated an argument.
Turning around Reid crossed his arms and waited. “Mmm.”
Zane gave him a grin, knowing he was preparing for the worst. Internally the grin only made Reid warier. What was he up to?
“I fucking hate how you are the alpha bastard in the bedroom.” The matter-of-fact statement combined with Zane’s sudden forlorn expression dazed Reid.
Blinking for moment, Reid dropped his arms from their folded position and thrust his hands into his pockets. Looking around again, Reid was thankful the gym was still empty. Sex with Everly wasn’t really something they ever discussed, it was always just something they did instinctively with her. The most they ever discussed was the time they realized doing it—or doing her to be crudely specific, at the same time would resolve their violent jealousy issues.
Stepping forward Zane continued. “I swear to God, you can force and command her to do just about anything and she gets wet for it. If I do some shit like that, those pretty brown eyes go wide as saucers, and she gives me a look of genuine fear.”
Scratching the back of his head, Reid grinned. “We are both only playing the role she needs and wants from us. And from you, she wants the playful teasing Zane she gets all the time.”
Zane gave him a deadpan stare.
“So, are you trying to tell me she needs me to be my normal self but she needs you to push her face down on the bed and drill into her from behind?”
Both men shifted uncomfortably on their feet at that. Reid’s voice was rougher as he responded, “exactly.”
Standing in tense silence for a couple of moments, both men stared up at the ceiling instinctively, as if they could see through the separating floors to the woman sleeping in their bed above.
Zane coughed. “Okay now I’m hard as a rock, I’m going to go up and interrupt whatever the hell she is doing.”
Holding up a hand, Reid gave him a narrow look. “We can’t just attack her like a pair of dogs whenever we get horny. “
“You’re right,” Zane sighed. “What if we go up to her all nice and slow like and rest our heads on her lap and stare desperately at her until she relents?”
“That might work.”
±
She relented. And God was it good.
Laying with his arms behind his head Reid stared up at the ceiling as his heart rate settled down. The bed was a mess, the pillows and comforter were strewn across the floor while the only sheet was wrapped around Everly’s waist. Laying partially on his chest as a pillow and diagonally across the bed, Everly was bare from the waist up. Leaning on his side with one arm supporting his head Zane lazily caressed her breast with his other hand.
“God, have I ever told you how much I love your breasts?” Zane asked aloud not particularly caring if he got a response or not as he continued to fondle her distractedly.
Moaning, Everly shifted on top of Reid underneath Zane’s touch. “Well, you show me mostly by action.”
“God, the times I used to watch you lotion up those beautiful brown nipples, I swear I was no good for the rest of the night,”
“What?” Confused and on the verge of outrage, Everly sat up slightly against Reid to stare at Zane for answers. “What do you mean, watch me?”
Reid groaned to himself, “Here we go.” Zane just had to bring this up.
“Exactly as I said,” unapologetically, Zane meet her stare with an evil gleam in his eye. “watch you, as in we hacked your laptop camera when you were at your shit-ass apartment.”
“Zane, how could you?!” Stunned, Everly seemingly didn’t know how to respond.
“You were ours regardless," Reid decided to answer. "Though, it started accidentally to be honest."
“Sometimes you would leave that damn laptop open with your webcam facing you. We wanted to see you, and just chatting wasn’t enough sometimes. We had to have more. And one night you undressed while still chatting with us to take a shower, and that's when we first saw you do your nightly ritual of lotioning up.
Both men groaned in memory.
“Fuck, I beat my dick like it stole something that night.” Zane confessed.
Though he could not see her face clearly, Reid knew Everly’s eyes were wide with shock. "You...you masturbated to me?" She accused breathlessly.
"It was the only thing to alleviate the pressure," Reid grumbled guilty. He wasn’t particularly proud of the lack of willpower he had when he watched her, but what man could not after witnessing such a beautiful sight.
Zane had no such qualms. "It was either that or crash in like a mad man and take those perfect goddamn nipples into my mouth right then and there." Zane’s eyes glowed with familiar promise. "Oh, and I would have too. That tiny fucking bed of yours has been destroyed many-a-time in my dreams."
“You two are horrible,” Everly whispered, but they could both hear her breathless arousal.
Zane let out a low grumble as he leaned forward and popped one of the dark swollen buds into his mouth. Fuck, Reid thought, all of this was making him hard as fuck, frissons of arousal shot down his spine.
“Zane, no,” the moan was halfhearted, and both men could hear that.
Popping the nipple loudly out of his mouth, Zane gave her a heated look. “By the way, you do know we have every intention of enjoying the same fine dining experience our princess will be enjoying, right?”
Reid couldn’t help but smile as he listened to her surprise. Though he still could not see her face in this position, Reid had a pretty good idea that those beautiful brown eyes were wide with scandal and her plump lips were parted.
“No, you can’t! That’s for the baby!”
With his dick back up and ready to go, Reid joined his brother’s noble fight. Lifting her up and laying her back down flat on the bed Reid leaned in on her other side. “Don’t worry my love, if everything goes according to plan you should make plenty of milk.”
Outrage and shock mingled in her eyes as she tried to sit up, but Reid held her down firmly. “No, you two just…oh.”
A moan escaped her lips as Reid gently suckled the other dark bud. “Mmmm,” he growled against her, letting her feel the vibrations, “maybe we should get some practice in first.”
“Oh God,” she whispered as Zane ripped away the sheet.
±
Yawning, Everly waved at Zane and Reid from the convention center’s entrance as they pulled off into traffic the next day. Turning in his seat to look out the back window, Everly could see Zane’s uneasiness from where she stood. It didn’t have to be said aloud, it was easy to see that he did not want to leave her unchaperoned.
Walking into the convention, Everly flashed the door attendant her day pass for admittance as her thoughts stayed focused on Zane’s uneasy behavior. Did he think she was going to leave? Squeezing through the crowds, Everly noted there was a lot more people here today than there was yesterday. Fanning herself with her pamphlet she debated taking off and carrying her thick coat. Sitting down in the steadily crowding panel room, Everly looked around at the other attendees. There were lots of young women around her age in attendance, laughing and talking with one another. Ignoring the flare of jealousy, Everly focused on the panel speakers taking their seats on stage. Still, Zane’s face popped into her head no matter how hard she tried pushing it out.
By the time the panel discussion ended, Everly’s nerves were absolutely frayed, she was hot and had too many things on her mind to enjoy this any longer. Stepping outside she breathed in the cool air deeply, it felt so much better outside than inside the convention, there was no way she was going back inside. Looking at her watch, she had little less than two hours before the convention ended,
and Reid was scheduled to pick her up. Taking a cab, she headed back to the skyrise condo, she needed time away from crowds and more importantly away from the brothers to think. Day in and day out, she was surrounded and consumed by them, she needed time to just think on her own.
With no key to the condo, Everly sat in the far corner of the bar on the first floor. Sipping at the glass of cranberry juice she ordered, Everly finally let herself relax.
The bar was trendy and posh just as she imagined any downtown bar would be. The walls were covered in deep royal blue velvet wallpaper while gold sconces barely lit the place enough to see. She should be pulling out her laptop. She should be applying all the tips she learned in the panel today, to her new online commission she received. When she got the email last week that she was accepted to work on a children’s book, Everly was ecstatic. Without thinking she rushed to tell Reid and Zane. But what surprised her the most was Zane’s reaction. She expected him to be over the moon with the news, what she did not expect was the look of terror that flashed through his blue eyes.
Back to Black: A captive ménage romance Page 21
