“I don’t know what to say to you.” Cheri opened her hands. “I’ve had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that you might possibly be attracted to me. Most times, what that woman said? That’s how I’ve been treated—by men and women, alike, though not in quite as crude a manner.”
Because he understood her, Max slid his arm around her and brought her close. “That’s a damn shame. We understand what it’s like to be judged on just what’s on the outside. We’re both sorry you’ve had to go through that.” He saw her smile when he used her own words back at her. “Say yes, Cheri, to dinner and whatever might come after. And before you think that there was any truth to what that woman said, understand this. I’d already arranged for the three of us to share a table in the dining room because we’d already decided we really do want to spend more time with you and get to know you better.”
“Something about you has captivated us,” Tony said. “And that is us, Cheri—both of us. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. No, I have no problem with being attracted to both of you, or of being with both of you at all.”
“Good.” Max took her right hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. Tony did the same with her left. “Let’s go, Ms. Ambrose.” Max grinned because, in that moment, he felt happier, and more excited, than he had in a long, long time. “We can’t wait for our evening to begin.”
Cheri looked from him to Tony and back. “I can’t either. And suddenly, I’m really hungry.”
Max wondered at the aura of innocence that surrounded her and exactly how experienced she might be. Because that double entendre had been intentional, he was sure if it, but it had also made her blush.
It was going to be a very interesting night.
Chapter 6
The evening was magical.
Cheri sighed as that word floated into her consciousness. For the first time in her life, she didn’t mean magical in the literal sense.
She’d never had such a wonderful time. After the most delicious dinner of beef Wellington, preceded by a crisp spinach salad and followed by crème brûlée, Max and Tony had taken her to the top deck, where a live band played a mixture of pop and country selections, under the inky, star-strewn night sky.
The view reminded Cheri very much of home. There were places in her realm free from ambient light. When she’d been younger, she’d often lie out on a blanket under the stars and just be.
That was yet another thing she missed. Living in New York City, there was no chance at all to see the stars. Sometimes it was a challenge just being able to see the moon.
As the music played, Max and Tony took turns dancing with her, each of them holding her close, each one intoxicating her in his own unique way.
Max appealed to her sense of order, and his calm demeanor smoothed her slight jitters. She’d been nervous, knowing that two such handsome men were her mates. She’d made the assumption that they’d be like a lot of the men in this world, focused on appearances, and would, therefore, find her lacking.
How could she have known that they would have had experiences that had affected them so deeply? How could she have known that, as a result, for them, appearances weren’t all that important?
Tony, more impulsive than Max and with a fierce, edgy temperament, called to her sense of adventure. But he also had a hot temper easily tripped. So did she, when it came right down to it. Cheri could easily imagine, in years to come, that Max might be tempted to play the peacemaker between her and his best friend—and that he’d be an equalizing force between them, too.
No surprise that she could see that future so very clearly in her imagination. Nothing, of course, was written in stone. Both Max and Tony had free will—as did she.
Cheri wasn’t ashamed to admit that, if these two men who were meant to be her mates had seemed odious to her, she’d have been hard-pressed to give herself to them even for an evening, let alone a lifetime, despite that the prophecy hung in the balance.
And for all of the fun they were having together, for all that the three of them had connected, the men could still walk away at any time, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. They might just do that when they learn the truth.
“Do you want to dance some more…or shall we see if we can find a quiet corner somewhere?” Max’s question sent a shiver of arousal to tease her pussy and tickle her nipples. He’d asked it in that serious yet quiet tone he had, and Cheri could feel her juices gather to dampen the juncture of her thighs.
“I’d like a quiet corner somewhere. Some place where we can sit and talk, uninterrupted.”
Tony moved in closer. “We find what we’re looking for, baby, and there won’t be a whole lot of talking going on.”
No, there wouldn’t be a lot of talking. Maybe it was time to dip their toes into the water, as it were. The men had each kissed her, but those had been light kisses, meant to soothe away the confrontation with that awful woman—and likely meant to send a message to the shrew as well.
Cheri met each man’s gaze so they could both see she was serious when she said, “Good. We’ve done a lot of talking.” And now it was time for some action.
She knew they were both aroused, of course. How could she not when, with each succeeding dance, both men’s cocks became harder and harder? Though separated from those enticing erections by two sets of clothing, she could feel the evidence of her effect on them. And they could feel theirs on her, as they’d taken every opportunity to brush their chests against the distended nipples that pressed against her bra.
“We won’t bring you to our cabin or ask to visit yours. It’s too soon for that.” Max’s voice, pitched so that only she and Tony could hear him, did amazing things to her senses.
“Yes, it’s a little too soon for that.” Though she doubted she would worry about it overmuch if they did. That was the thing about destiny, about finding the soul mates that were to be her own.
Soul mates met, again and again through the mists of time, separated only by circumstance from one life to the next. She felt a sense that this was so, especially with them. There was something about both Max and Tony that felt wonderfully familiar, exciting, too, but definitely familiar.
So in some ways their first time together would only be their first time in this life.
Max held her gaze as he brought her hand to his lips. “Come, sweetling.”
The unusual endearment echoed in her, and for just a heartbeat, she felt as if she’d heard it before.
Destiny.
Once they were on the deck, Tony reached for her left hand. Her fingers, laced with both men’s, provided her a unique connection. The sensation thrilled her and filled her with a sense of rightness and of strength. Joined like this, she felt…more. As if the three of them together were truly greater than the sum of them apart.
She didn’t ask where they were going. Max led her to the stern end of the vessel, to a little area behind what appeared to be a giant tail. They’d passed the running track and a door, behind which, she knew, was the gym.
Cheri had a sense they were looking for one of the chaises or a couple of them. Inspired, she decided to make something perfectly suited to them. She envisioned what she wanted and sent a tiny tendril of power out into the cosmos.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” Max’s tone sounded pleased.
“What is it?”
“It appears to be a chaise built for two—but I think it will fit the three of us perfectly.”
Cheri knew, of course, that it would.
The two men made eye contact over her head. Then Tony moved the chaise farther into the shadows.
He stretched out on the right side of it. Then Max urged her onto the chaise. It was easy enough to scoot over and give him room to join them.
“Lie on your back, sweetheart. That way we can take turns kissing you.”
“I like the sound of that.” Cheri liked more than the sound of it. Heat began to seep into her, heat from the bodies o
f the two men bracketing her.
“I saw the look on your face when that bitch was spewing her garbage.” Max’s gaze held hers as his finger gently stroked just below her bottom lip. “Women like her—who trade on what they believe to be the great asset of physical beauty—they’re nothing compared to you. We’ve known our share of women like her. To me, the blonde wasn’t beautiful. She was ugly. And it hurt and angered me that you’d think, for even one moment, that what she said had any truth to it at all.”
“Max…I really do like myself. But there are a lot of people who look at me and think what that woman put into words.”
He met her gaze for a long moment and she knew he was looking for the right words. Finally, he cupped her face. “Then know this. I think you’re beautiful and sexy, just the way you are. And I really want to have you naked and between my best friend and myself.”
“I feel the exact same way, Cheri. In case you haven’t noticed, my cock is hard.” Tony had already been on his side facing her. Now he moved a bit closer until he pressed his erection against her. “We don’t care what anyone else thinks, and right now, baby, neither should you.”
The sincerity in their eyes bolstered her usually sufficient self-confidence. They were turned on by her. They wanted her. And she wanted them right back.
That really was all that mattered.
Cheri decided they’d talked enough. Still, she wasn’t going to make the first move toward intimacy. She’d just help it along—by having the last words. “Somebody better kiss me.”
Max’s grin sent a shaft of delight straight to her feminine core. Saying nothing, he simply lowered his head and covered her mouth with his.
Heat and arousal, need and joy flavored his kiss. His tongue stroked her bottom lip, and when she opened to him, he dove inside, tasting every bit of her.
The explosion of wondrous ambrosia made her heart pound, her blood race, and her sex slicken with liquid desire. Gliding and sliding, his lips worshipped hers while his tongue danced with her own, teaching her the moves to his own sexy samba. Heat swirled through her, but beneath the heat, she felt something more, a shimmering presence that arose in each of them, melding, expanding, sending tiny little electric pulses through her but through him, too. She felt what he felt and knew the time would come when it would be the same for him. While he couldn’t yet share her experiences, she knew he felt more, kissing her, than he might have felt kissing another.
They were destined mates, after all.
Max lifted his head, wonder in his gaze, then turned her head so she faced Tony. That man wasted no time in claiming his own kiss, and his flavor sent her inner woman into near spasms of pleasure.
His tongue thrust into her mouth, a commanding, demanding presence that she needed to answer, needed to serve. The heat of his hand cupping her face, the press of his body against hers, and the little zing of their powers meeting for the first time drew a groan of feminine hunger from her soul.
“My God.” Tony had lifted his mouth from hers. Resting his forehead on her, he struggled for breath. “I always knew there was something more.” His quiet words brushed her face.
“Deep down,” Max said. “Something…other. I’ve known it too, all my life.”
“Yes.” Cheri reached up, each of her hands stroking a masculine face. “It’s within you both, and the closer we become, the more it will grow.”
Max looked at Tony and then returned his gaze to her. “It’ll continue to grow now, regardless. I don’t know how I know that. I just do.”
Cheri hadn’t known it either, but she’d suspected. Once the lock had been opened, she couldn’t see how the ember of power within each man could do anything but grow.
“We won’t take you to our cabin tonight,” Tony said.
“But we need more than one taste.” Max nestled closer, and Cheri shivered from the wondrous sensation of feeling the outline of two hard cocks pressed against her.
“So do I.”
She slid her hand from Max’s cheek to around his neck and pulled him in. Warm and wet, his lips met hers, a familiar caress and one that churned the hunger pooling in the pit of her belly. Their tongues brushed and twined, dipped and delved, the music sultry for all it was silent. She weaned herself of his oral delights and turned her head to Tony, seeking and finding his taste, his wet and wild heat. For an instant she tasted both men together on her tongue, and she thought nothing had ever appealed to her as much, or touched her so deeply.
Hands smoothed down and then up, cupping her breasts, and the moan that escaped her communicated, heart to heart to heart. Soft sighs and low grunts stripped layers of civilization away. When cool air kissed her chest, she understood they’d opened her blouse and unhooked the front closure of her bra.
“We need to taste you.”
Tony’s whisper moistened the flesh of her breast, and then his lips enclosed her nipple. He suckled hard, and Cheri couldn’t stop her hips from undulating. Arousal like she’d never known proved the connection between her breasts and her pussy was real. She would swear she could actually feel her clit shivering with anticipation.
Max turned her face toward him. “Have you ever had two men at the same time, baby?”
“No.” Could she tell him she’d longed to know what it would be like? That she’d watched her parents, the way they’d come together in all things, the way they’d been a loving and connected unit and had hungered for that kind of love? Later. “I want to. You and Tony, I want you both.”
“You’ll have us both—one of us in your pussy and the other in your ass.”
Tony had released her nipple. Max lowered his head and treated her left nipple to the same kind of exciting attention.
Cheri lost herself to the heat and the heart. Her hips took up a rhythm as if she already had one of her lovers seated deep inside her pussy. A mew of sound escaped as desire bordered on desperation. She felt so very close to coming. Holding off, knowing she couldn’t find her satisfaction right then was an exquisite kind of torture. She almost said to hell with it, nearly willed them someplace, anyplace of her conjuring with a lush bed and their clothing gone.
“Shh.” Enticing caresses turned to soothing strokes. Cheri shivered as the men worked together to fasten her bra and close her blouse.
“That was further than we intended,” Tony said.
He turned her face and gave her a sweet kiss. Max copied the gesture, and then they both nestled her between them and held one of her hands.
The sea breeze, cooled now with no sunshine to heat it, danced across their bodies, shifting the ambience of a lovers’ bower into a place of warmth and tenderness.
Music drifted on the air from the other end of the ship, the sound amplified between the wide expanse of sky and sea.
“We dock in Hamilton tomorrow,” Max said. “We’d like to steal all your time—breakfast on board, and then exploring the area, and then the night. The ship will be there for four nights, so we’ll be free to do whatever we choose. Unless, of course, you made a commitment to spend some time in port with Mr. Ridgeway?”
“How did you…?” Cheri knew she hadn’t mentioned the elderly man by name, although they must have seen him with her on the fantail deck below before they’d set sail from New York.
“We shamelessly eavesdropped.” Tony grinned. “Before the ship even sailed. We saw you and something just…we couldn’t look away. So we listened in, hoping to discover that you and he weren’t…um…together.”
Cheri laughed. The idea that they’d worried she might have been taking a cruise with an older lover tickled her. “I don’t have any plans, no. I’d met him at one of the parent-teacher events the year before last. He’s the great-grandfather of one of my former students. At the time she and her mother were staying with him. But before the end of the school year, they got their own apartment.”
“It must have been a surprise for you to encounter him this morning.”
“It was. We came face to face during the li
feboat drill.” She appreciated that Max and Tony both seemed determined to help her settle, to shut away the arousal that had tempted her beyond reason. “I actually saw Mr. Ridgeway after lunch today. He’s found himself a group of people close to his own age, and they all seemed to be having a good time together.”
“That’s good, then. Not that we’d mind including him in our sightseeing if you’d wanted to do that.”
No, these men would never mind making room for, or changing their plans to accommodate, a lonely older person.
“Maybe we’ll see him at breakfast in the morning,” Cheri said. “I’d like to introduce the two of you to him.”
“We’d like to meet him.” Tony kissed her lips in a quick, light buss.
They stayed that way for a few more minutes, needing the dark to let their hormones go back to sleep. Cheri appreciated the opportunity to slide down from the heights of arousal, and she guessed the men would walk better for letting the heat between them cool.
They needed a bit of time for them all to decide if going forward, becoming more intimate, was what they really wanted to do. Cheri already knew what her answer would be tomorrow night, if they asked her to their bed—or wanted to join her in her own.
She just hoped they didn’t change their minds between now and then and asked the question she wanted to hear.
Chapter 7
“Well, if we had to be sent somewhere, at least it’s where there’re some hot pieces and good booze.” Emilio Fortuna knocked back his second shot of Patrón, even as he kept his gaze on the blonde on the dance floor. The red dress painted on her left little to the imagination.
“Father did give us premium accommodations.” Vincent had to agree with his twin. They knew they had work to do, although neither of them thought the situation was as dire as their father believed it to be.
They’d arrived shipboard just before dinner, appearing in the presidential suite as if they’d been there since sailing. Everyone they encountered—from the suite’s concierge to the ship’s captain—had memories of welcoming them aboard. They were, of course, treated with the deference they were due.
The Gifted 1: Passions Awakening (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6
