THE RULE OF THREE: A.C.H.E., MOTO, and TRINITY

by Never , M.

  “Comes with the job description.” He pops one gorgeous, hazel eye open.

  I’m not amused. I don’t want him acting around me.

  “Come back to bed.” He reaches a hand out. “That sour expression is going to give you wrinkles.”

  “Since when do you care about wrinkles?”

  “I don’t, but it sounded good.”

  I laugh. Idiot.

  “Hey.” Alec pops his head up and rests on his forearms. “If we’re gonna do this, we’re investing in a bigger bed.”

  My face splits with a smile. “Are we really going to do this?” I ask the question that has been burning a hole in my brain all morning.

  “Why not? What’s that old saying? Two dicks are better than one?”

  I crack up. “I don’t think that’s the saying.”

  “It can be our saying. Now get your ass back to bed,” Alec orders.

  I relent. There is no place I would rather be than trapped between those two men.

  I scurry across my small room and hop into bed, landing right between them. Neither of them hesitates for a second to put their hands or lips on me, each claiming a piece of my body for themselves.

  “I haven’t seen you naked in eight years. Don’t ever put clothes on again.” Tage rips my T-shirt right off me.

  “Food shopping might be an issue.”

  “We can order in.” He attacks my neck while Alec drags hot kisses across my abdomen.

  “It’s going to be a long day, isn’t it?” I moan.

  “Yes,” they answer in tandem.

  21

  Tage

  A fuckfest is exactly what I needed.

  It’s exactly what Everly and I both needed. Sex may not be the answer to all our problems, but it sure helps to relieve some serious stress.

  I towel dry my hair then wrap the pink terry cloth around my waist. I inspect myself in the mirror. I need a serious haircut. I pull the wavy strands straight up through my fingers. Four inches too long, at least.

  Everly doesn’t seem to mind the length. She was pulling the shit out it every chance she got. I smile at the memory.

  Whatever makes her happy. And whatever gets her off.

  I stroll out of the bathroom to find Everly and Alec half dressed in her barely there kitchen. I got her this place when she first moved to the city. Decent neighborhood, rent-controlled, and fairly spacious for New York. It was just one of the many ways I tried to take care of her. I have always just wanted to take care of her.

  Ever is sitting on the counter with an open container of chocolate hazelnut spread. I swear she can eat that shit by the gallon. Alec is teasing her, dotting chocolate on her nose and cheeks, then licking it off. She’s giggling like a child. Like a carefree child, and for some reason, the sound hits me square in the chest. It’s like I can feel it. Feel her happiness. It’s . . . uncomfortable. I spent most of my life suppressing my feelings. Walking around numb so I could do my job. But Everly has always managed to break through the barrier. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her, including sharing her with the other man she loves.

  I could never take that smile away from her. Not again, because once upon a time, she smiled at me exactly like that.

  “Take a ten-minute shower and I miss all the fun.” I walk over and stick my finger in the jar.

  “We were just buying time until you got done,” Everly flirts.

  “Well, I’m done.” I suck the chocolate off my finger then give her a firm, sugary kiss.

  “I noticed.” She exhales, lightheaded.

  “Dinner should be here in a little while. I ordered from this fantastic Mexican place uptown.” Alec smiles, then it fades. “Guess I should have asked if you like Mexican.”

  Yeah, it’s definitely apparent there are going to be a lot of “get to know you” moments in the immediate future. Alec and I may have Everly in common, but who the hell knows what else? Maybe nothing. From the little I know about him, definitely nothing. He’s a high-powered, hoity-toity lawyer who likes the finer shit in life, and I’m an undercover nomad who doesn’t exist on paper. And I couldn’t care less about the finer shit in life. All I need is a bed, a shirt, a gun, and I’m all good.

  This mix should be interesting.

  “Tage?” Everly waves her hand in front of my face. “Whata’ya thinkin’ about? You got scary quiet there for a second.”

  I shake off my internal analysis. “Just hoping the guac is good.”

  Everly arches an eyebrow. She’s questioning my bullshit. It seems Alec shares her suspicions, but he doesn’t care enough to question me, too.

  Alec and I are going to have to have one serious heart to heart. Just the two of us. Mano y mano.

  He looks pretty on the outside, but I get the feeling Mr. Alec M. Prescott, Esquire, doesn’t mind getting dirty one bit.

  “Ever,” I address her seriously. “There is something all three of us need to discuss over dinner.” I hate to be the party pooper, but there is still the issue of her mother, what she wants, and exactly what lengths she’s willing to go to get it.

  For the last several years, Vicki has been off the grid, popping up here and there when she tanked out of rehab or ended up in jail. I’ve always kept tabs on her and Gunner, but this recent appearance has me concerned. It looks like she has some money and power behind her, but I can’t be completely sure. It could all be an act. I’m going to find out either way. And I’m going to keep Everly as far away from her as possible while I do.

  “About what my mom wants?” She was never a stupid girl.

  “Yes. You said you might know?”

  She chews on her lip. With her hair a mess and the freckles on her nose, she looks like a scared little girl. But she’s anything but. Her appearance doesn’t reflect the person inside. It never has. I often wondered if that’s why Gunner was so obsessed with her. He saw how rare she was. As fragile as a petal on the outside but as fierce as a lion within.

  “I heard them fighting that night. Before everything happened. Outside my bedroom door. My mom, she was screaming about a key. That she wanted it. It belonged to her, not him,” Everly recalls painfully. The scrunch of her nose and dimples between her eyebrows scrape at my heart. “She sounded crazy. Not that that was too far off for my mom. She was always a little unstable, but she was extra upset that night.”

  “And what was Gunner saying?”

  “Not much, just yelling, ‘Shut up, bitch. You’re high.’ But I heard her say ‘key’ clearly. She wanted a key.”

  “A key?” I pace the tiny kitchen. “Key to what?” I wonder aloud, racking my brain. It was a long time ago, but I don’t remember Gunner ever mentioning any kind of key or lock box or car. What else can a key be used for?

  “Tage?” Everly calls my name, worried.

  “I’m just thinking.”

  “What I want to know is why she approached me?” Alec chimes in. “If she wants Everly so badly, why go through all the trouble to use me? Why not just grab her and be done with it?”

  “Because just grabbing her would gain too much attention. My attention. But grab both her and her boyfriend. They could do a lot with that.”

  “How?” Alec is pessimistic.

  “Manipulating social media, for one. Create an alibi for the two of you. Pretend to be on vacation? A romantic getaway. Who would question that?”

  “Our bosses, for one,” Everly scoffs.

  “Maybe, but that’s the least of Vicki’s worries. Once she had you, and then got what she wanted, neither of you would go back to work, I’m sure,” I insinuate the inevitable. A six-foot-deep ditch in the ground and two warm bodies.

  A phone begins to ring, and we all pause. “That’s probably dinner.” Alec swipes his phone off the coffee table and then curses. I don’t think it’s dinner.

  “Who is it?” I rush over to him.

  “Her.” He holds up the screen. Caller unknown flashes.

  “What do we do?” Everly directs the question right a
t me.

  “Don’t answer it. Let her call. She’s not getting anywhere near any of us.”

  The buzzer rings, and Everly nearly jumps through the roof. “Relax.” I place my hands on her arms and try to soothe her as Alec answers the door.

  “I thought this was over,” she nearly cries.

  “Me, too, but I’m here, and I’ll end it once and for all. I promise.”

  Everly nods as the smell of warm spices fills the room.

  “You need to eat something.” Alec places a kiss on her neck as he walks by.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Don’t let her get in your head.” I shake her lightly.

  “How can I not? She has done nothing but ruin my life, and now she’s back for more. To do more damage. To take away the first shred of real happiness I’ve had in a long time.”

  Jesus, she’s killing me.

  “She’s not going to take a goddamn thing.” Alec steps behind Everly so we are sandwiching her body. “We won’t let anything happen to you or your happiness.” Alec looks directly over Everly’s head and straight into my eyes. He’s communicating to both me and her. I nod in agreement. She’s ours, and we’ll both protect her in our own ways. “Your mom doesn’t intimidate me.” He tilts her chin up. “And whatever it is she thinks you have, she can just try to come fucking get it.”

  “She threatened you. Your career.”

  “Who gives a fuck about my career? I can be a lawyer anywhere. There is only one you. One us. That’s more important than anything.”

  I stare at Alec as he gazes down at Everly. His lip is still a little swollen from our roll around yesterday, and his hair is messy from an earlier shower. At the moment, he looks more street than superior legal counsel, and for some reason, my respect for him grows. He’s formidable. Much tougher on the inside than he looks on the out, which is exactly who I need in my corner right now.

  Vicki has a knack for getting wrapped up with the worst kind of people, and I’m positive she isn’t working alone.

  “What do we do?” Everly asks into the void.

  There’s only one thing to do.

  “Tap the source,” I foretell.

  22

  Everly

  When Tage said we needed to go see Gunner, I nearly shit. Go see the man who locked me away from the world for three years? Who kept me prisoner in his house like an animal in the zoo?

  It was a fight, to say the least. I thought my past was behind me. Way behind me, but I realize now it’s not. It never will be, not with my mother walking around society freely or Gunner living out his days in jail.

  After Tage made several phone calls to God only knows who, and three ignored calls from my mother by Alec, we are boarding a private jet in New Jersey headed straight back to the heart of darkness. The place I grew up and hoped never to return to again. Chicago.

  I’m antsy, distressed, and a little disturbed. This plane ride is going to be two hours of sheer hell.

  “You’re so tense you’re giving me knots.” Alec massages my shoulders as we climb the jet stairs.

  “I can’t help it. I don’t want to see him. I don’t want any of this. I just want to go back to bed,” I complain.

  “And hide under the covers with Tage and me?”

  “Yes, exactly that.”

  “Soon enough, baby.” He kisses the top of my head. “When this is all over, you’re barely going to be able to climb off the mattress,” he promises.

  “Hoorah!” Tage agrees.

  “Service man?” Alec asks as we step inside the spacious jet. Jesus, this thing is a house with wings.

  “Army brat all my life. Spent a little time in, too, before I was recruited for bigger and badder things.” He winks, clicking his tongue.

  I take a seat on the plush leather couch beside the windows. It’s big enough for all three of us to sit. Tage and Alec both claim a spot beside me, trapping me in like I’ve noticed they like to do. How strange has my life become? Loved by two men who are completely content sharing me? I steal looks at them both, and true to their perceptive nature, they both notice.

  “Something on your mind, Ever?” Tage asks.

  “A million things,” I reply.

  “Want to share a few?” Alec inquires.

  “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

  “Getting used to the new dynamic?” Tage offers.

  “Yes,” I confirm. “Is this completely crazy? The three of us?”

  “Yes.” Alec barks a laugh. “It’s insane. But it also feels right.” He lays his hand over mine. “And we want you to be happy.”

  “I am happy.” I can barely believe it. My heart is filled with more love than I ever dreamed capable.

  “That’s all that matters.” Tage slips his arm around my shoulders.

  “I want both of you to be happy.” This all can’t be about me. If it is, it will implode with disaster in the end.

  Tage and Alec share a look. I wish I could read their minds. “We’re happy,” Tage puts my fears to rest.

  “Trust us,” Alec smirks wickedly.

  “I’m placing all my trust in the two of you.” The plane begins to taxi, and my insides wobble like Jell-O.

  I close my eyes and breathe deeply. I can do this. As long as I have them, I can do this.

  “I’ll die before I let you down again,” Tage pledges.

  “Yeah, and I’ll kill him if he hurts you,” Alec threatens.

  “You could try,” Tage scoffs.

  “And succeed.” Alec just has to have the last word. I should warn Tage, arguing with a lawyer is a waste of time. He should conserve his energy for more important things. I’ve seen Alec in a courtroom. He’ll suck the life right out of him.

  Tage just laughs Alec off as he gets comfortable, resting his head back on the top edge of the sofa. “I’m beginning to like you way more than I thought I was going to.”

  “Once you get past his asshole exterior, he’s pretty awesome,” I feel compelled to comment.

  “Thank you so much for the compliment.” Alec peers down at me pretending to be miffed.

  “You’re welcome.” I smile sweetly.

  He rolls his eyes, but I know he isn’t mad. He’s fully aware he’s an asshole sometimes, and that's just the way he likes it.

  Once we’re in the air, we unbuckle our seatbelts, and Tage attacks the mini fridge.

  “Snacks?” He pulls out three different types of candy, soda, water, and some small bottles of rum.

  I go straight for the alcohol. Because why the hell not? I crack it open and down the whole thing.

  “Easy, killer.” Tage chuckles.

  “I need something to take the edge off.” I stand up and start pacing the plane.

  “Relax,” he tells me yet again, but I can’t. I wasn’t prepared for any of this. Not the two of them, or my mother, or a road trip to see Gunner.

  I lift a curtain toward the back of the plane and come upon another room. A bedroom. Fancy. Looks like a queen-sized bed and enough room for two end tables on each side.

  “Tage? Whose plane is this again?” I voice.

  “Endeavor’s. They own all kinds of fun toys.”

  Fun toys? I eye the neatly made bed. Maybe that’s exactly what I need to relax. A little fun, with two of my toys.

  “Did you know there’s a bedroom back here?” I pop out of the curtain.

  Tage shrugs. “Sometimes we fly far.”

  “Is that all it’s used for? Sleeping?” I pull my T-shirt over my head. Both Tage and Alec freeze.

  “I’m sure it’s been utilized for other things.” Tage watches me intently, like a cat stalking a mouse.

  “Have you ever used it for other things?” I unbutton my jean shorts and slide them down my legs.

  “I haven’t . . . yet.”

  I turn around and glance over my shoulder at them as I lift the curtain. “You two coming, or are you going to leave me to my own devices?”

  Tage and Alec both spri
ng to their feet, pushing and shoving each other in a race to get to me first.

  “Leave you to your own devices?” Alec gives me a little shove onto the bed. “No. But we’d be more than happy to watch you play with your devices first.” They both stand over the mattress with me half-naked and horny.

  “I’ll touch myself, but I want you to take your clothes off while I do.” A double strip tease? Yes, please.

  There’s not one ounce of hesitation on either of their parts. Eyeing me like two starving wolves, I slide my hand into my panties and massage myself until my cheeks begin to heat.

  “If we’re getting naked, so are you.” Tage rips the black silky material away from my hips. They have a bird’s-eye view of my bare pussy now. Just how they want it.

  I tease myself, using just the tip of my middle finger to circle the dewy pink flesh.

  My inner thighs quiver as I pleasure myself all while watching two of the hottest men I’ve ever laid eyes on strip away each piece of their clothing. They’re styles are starkly different. Alec pulls off a polo shirt and a pair of khaki shorts while Tage discards a beat-up t-shirt and worn jeans. Both so different and yet so equally hot.

  “Oh,” I moan as my clit aches. The altitude, the temperature, and the arousal are going straight to my head.

  Both men lose their underwear at the same time, and it is now an even playing field.

  “Don’t stop touching yourself.” Alec climbs onto the mattress and drops his head between my legs. Using his tongue, he follows my ministrations, chasing after the path my fingers are taking.

  “Oh, God,” I mewl as the added pressure and smooth caress adds fuel to the kindling fire.

  Tage watches as together Alec and I both work my body over. We make eye contact, a flaming connection linking the two of us. He jerks his shaft slowly, possessed by the show.

  I’m possessed, too. By the two men who are about to ravish me. I want them to make me forget. Forget about the past, the present, and the all the unknowns of the future. I want them to seize my mind and force me to think about only them. About only us. The three of us.

  “Flip her over.” Tage’s voice is husky as hell. It sends shivers straight to the tips of each of my fingers and toes.