Caught in the Middle

by Desiree Holt

  “But not there,” she whispered, as sharp tingles skated across her flesh, tempting her to arousal. Images from the night before teased her, as she recalled every wicked way he and Roarke had pleasured her, but Gabe had never once slid between her thighs and claimed her as a woman.

  “Why, Gabe? Why are you so afraid to take me there?”

  “I’m not afraid,” he said, his hand clutching her hips tighter, but she knew he was still lying, she read it there on his face.

  He tried to push her away, but she clamped her thighs tighter, her hands pressing him against the bed, as she leaned over him, her unbound hair brushing his cheek.

  “Get up, Collette,” he growled, the blue pupils of his eyes flashing red as his incisors lengthened. But his attempt at intimidation did not frighten her, because she knew Gabe would die before he ever hurt her.

  “Not until you take me there. If you’re not afraid then do it,” she taunted, her voice husky with need, and she released her hold on him just long enough to lift her hips, shift the few inches down the length of his body and settle the mouth of her pussy against the tip of his cock.

  “Collette,” he ground out in warning, but it was too late. She slid down hard, impaling herself fully on his cock, burying his hard length deep inside her sheath.

  As soon as he was inside her she understood the reason for his hesitation, and she was furious, but it was too late. Tiny explosions ricocheted in her head, and she closed her eyes trying to ease the sharp crack of fireworks that seemed to burst all around her as a scorching bolt of heat sliced through her heart, marking it for eternity. She cursed herself and her damn impulsiveness. Although, the sun was now out, the moon was still full until it entered the waning phase an hour from now. It was too late.

  Yet, even though she realised it was futile, she still tried to scramble off Gabe. Maybe if she got off now—

  It’s too late. Now, you will finish what you started.

  She closed off her mind completely to Gabe. She was furious with him. He’d known, but he hadn’t told her, and he knew she’d deserved to know.

  Oh, when she was done, she was going to kill him. Right now, her body didn’t care how angry she was as her channel filled with slick, sticky warmth, and her hips instinctively rocked against him, setting a lazy rhythm.

  He rose up to meet her on each stroke, driving deep into her pussy until she swore she could feel him in every corner of her body. His hands slid along her skin, teasing her smooth back, before moving around to cup her breasts that bobbed before him. Taking them within his hands, he massaged them gently, tugging on her nipples until they rewarded him by hardening to tight buds. She faltered, losing her rhythm for just a moment when he drew one nipple into his hot, wet mouth and sucked gently.

  She clung to him, her hands clutching the back of his head as he moved between both nipples, sucking and nipping gently until she was nearly mindless with pleasure. Lost in his erotic torture, and distracted by his hot mouth, her movements became erratic as her hips jerked wildly.

  “I think you need some help there.”

  Roarke. She’d forgotten all about him, but it must have been impossible for him to stay asleep beside them, with them writhing and panting like wild animals.

  She wasn’t sure if he thought she needed help with the pace of her strokes, or if Gabe needed help handling her, but she didn’t protest when he moved behind her and pushed her against Gabe to settle the head of his dick against the pucker of her anus.

  He surged forward at the same time Gabe shoved her hips back, and he slid into her on one smooth thrust.

  Her body stretched to accommodate both men, as they slammed into her with urgent strokes.

  She twisted her hands into Gabe’s hair, struggling against the tidal wave of emotion and pleasure that assaulted her senses. Closing her eyes, she knelt between them as they held her imprisoned between their hot, hard bodies, straining towards the pinnacle of climax.

  Their hard lengths filled her with each desperate stroke, their hips moving wildly as they surged into her at a frenzied pace.

  She unfurled a single hand from its tight grip on Gabe’s hair to slide between her thighs and stroke her engorged clit. She could feel them on the verge of climax. Their hard poles pounded furiously inside her, and she did not want to be left out of the wild volcano of bliss that was so close to erupting she could almost taste it.

  She fingered her clit harder, faster, her fingers mimicking the fierce pace Gabe and Roarke had set.

  Sweat dripped from their bodies, mingling together as the musk of sex permeated every single space in the room. She sniffed the air, losing herself to the primal, masculine scent of them, as their essence clung to her.

  Every nerve ending strained within her, begging for completion and she strummed her clit faster, until the raging storm of her orgasm claimed her. She stiffened against them, her pussy clenching tight as it flooded with wet warmth to coat Gabe’s pistoning cock.

  Her climax triggered his, and he grunted out her name, his hands tightening against her hips as he held her still against him while he pumped his hot seed deep inside her, drenching her channel with his essence.

  She slumped forward against Gabe, her new position aiding Roarke who rode her ass hard, shoving his hard length into her until he tensed above her before filling her with his warm semen on a strangled groan.

  The harsh sound of their breathing filled her ears, and she remained locked between both men, until Roarke pulled out of her, and padded across the room into her bathroom.

  As soon as he disappeared inside, she instantly became aware of the fact that she and Gabe were now alone, and with that awareness, came her anger.

  She shifted off Gabe and stood. Reaching for her robe at the end of her bed, she quickly donned it, shielding herself from Gabe’s searching eyes. Folding her arms across her breasts, she stubbornly refused to meet his gaze.

  “Collette—”

  “Get out.” She wasn’t ready to talk to him, not when all he would do was make excuses for his behaviour. She didn’t need excuses, she needed answers, but not from him, at least not now. Maybe after she’d calmed down, she could face him, but she wasn’t so sure. Gabe was her partner, her best friend. Until that morning she would have trusted him with anything, including her life, but now she knew she couldn’t trust him at all.

  He released a heavy sigh as he rolled out of bed and donned his clothes.

  “Collette—,”

  “I don’t want to talk to you, not right now. You knew all along, and you never told me, and it’s just unconscionable to me that you would keep something like that a secret.”

  She still refused to look at him, as she stared out the window instead, but she could feel the anger radiating off his body like a heat wave in the desert. Well good, that made two of them.

  She sensed he still wanted to plead his case, but knew his pride held him back when he stomped angrily across the room and stormed out slamming the door behind him.

  It was as if the crashing of the door knocked all of the wind out of her, and she slumped down onto her bed with a weary sigh, but she didn’t wallow in self-pity long when the door to her bathroom swung open and Roarke shuffled out, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips and a sexy grin.

  But his grin quickly faded when he realised they were now all alone in her room.

  “Uh oh. This can’t be good.”

  “Did you know?” she asked softly, hoping that at least one of them was decent. Although, it would certainly be ironic if Roarke were the more decent of the two.

  “Suspected,” he said quietly as he crossed the room to stand before her, his hand shooting out to grasp her chin, tilting it upward so she was forced to look at him.

  “I suspected the truth, but didn’t know for sure. I know you’re angry right now, but don’t blame Gabe.”

  Don’t blame Gabe? Why the hell not when he deserved all the blame! Fury heated her blood, and she parted her lips, all set to lash out a
t him, but he never gave her the chance, especially when his next words completely knocked her flat on her ass.

  “You knew, Collette.” He whispered. “You just didn’t want to admit it, but I know you had to have felt something. It’s easy to blame Gabe, but ask yourself why he didn’t tell you. Then ask him, because I’m sure he had a very good reason.”

  ———

  She was prideful and stubborn. That’s the only explanation she could come up with for why, after spending two weeks on sick leave, she’d refused to heed Roarke’s word. She’d ignored calls from both him and Gabe, only to end up back in her office, hastily shoving all of her belongings into a cardboard box before Gabe arrived for work. She wasn’t quitting, she just needed more than two weeks. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

  Yes, pride and stubbornness, that had to be it. Or it could just be fear.

  “I’m going to say fear.”

  She froze at the sound of the familiar voice, before she pulled herself together and whirled around to face the one man she’d been hoping to avoid.

  Gabe.

  “Get out of my thoughts.”

  A tight smile tugged at the edges of his lips as he stepped inside her office and closed the door behind him.

  “You know that’s hard to do when we’re near.”

  She glared at him, hating that he was right.

  “Look, I still don’t want to talk to you—”

  “Well that’s too bad, because it’s past time that you do.”

  Her nostrils flared in anger, and she clenched her hands into tight fists as she fought back her fury. He couldn’t force her to—

  No, but I can force you to listen.

  “Damn it! Get out of my head!”

  “I can’t help it. I’m sorry.” He dragged a hand through his loose mane, a ragged sigh falling from his lips. “I’m sorry for everything. I should have told you when I first realised it. Believe me, I was going to. I just wanted to wait until it seemed like the right time.”

  “Waiting for a right time is one thing, but not telling me at all is another. I deserved to know.”

  Damn it. She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet, but he’d trapped her, leaving her no other choice. Forcing out a calming breath, she pinned him with a hard stare.

  “I trusted you Gabe to always tell me the truth. But when it came to the most important thing to tell me, you didn’t. You knew you were my heart mate long before I did, and you should have told me instead of letting me find out the way I did.”

  “I wanted to, Collette. Believe me I did. But you didn’t want a mate, you didn’t want any distractions from work. You certainly didn’t want me.”

  She narrowed her eyes. What was he talking about? “What do you mean I didn’t want you?” Hell, out of that entire list, he was the only thing on it that she actually did want.

  “Oh, come on Collette. I see the way you are with Roarke. It was very obvious to me that you two were interested in each other.”

  Was he serious? Her mouth nearly fell open when she realised he was.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. Roarke will hit anything that moves, and yet you somehow think that’s what I want.”

  His eyes darkened, and she sensed the anger rising in him. She didn’t care how angry he got, because on top of everything he’d done, he’d just insulted her character and her taste. She snorted. Roarke? Never!

  “You know what, Collette? To be honest, I don’t know what it is you want, at least not from me or a mate. Since I’ve known you, you’ve never been in a serious relationship, always claiming that you were too busy and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  She frowned at the mocking tone of his voice, the sound grating on her ears.

  “The Collette you’ve always shown me would want a man like Roarke. No strings, no complications, just carefree laughs and fun.” He stalked towards her, closing the distance between them to clasp her arms in his hands. With nothing but mere inches now separating them, she swore the air in the room had vanished, because all of a sudden, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

  “The Collette I’ve seen wouldn’t want a man like me. There is nothing carefree about my life, and I come with a host of strings and complications. I want a mate, and eventually, I would like to ease up on my work schedule in order to have pups or kittens, even if that means I don’t get that next promotion, or I have to turn my city over to another vampire. But the Collette I know doesn’t want any of these things, so forgive me for not telling you the truth, but I figured it was for the best.”

  “Best for who? You or me?”

  “Both of us.”

  A lump formed in her throat, as she read the truth in his eyes. He’d feared she would either resent him for messing up her perfectly ordered life or reject him outright, because finding a mate just didn’t fit into her master plan. She couldn’t blame him. She hadn’t shown him much else. But that was because she’d been afraid to openly want such things, to hope for something that, if it didn’t happen, would have people pitying her. So she’d convinced herself she didn’t want a mate, or a litter, because then when it didn’t happen, she wouldn’t be crushed. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Although, she was still mad at him, the raw emotion in his eyes finally made her realise the truth of her sister’s warning. All the signs that Gabriel was her heart mate had been there, but she’d been so determined not to see.

  Instantly, Roarke’s words came back to haunt her—Gabe wasn’t the only one to blame. She deserved her fair share, too.

  She wound her arms behind his neck, pulling him deep into her embrace.

  “I know the Collette you think you know, but I am telling you that I don’t want a man like Roarke, who is nothing but fun. I want someone who I can trust.” She stared him straight in the eyes, so he understood how serious she was about that. “I also want someone who I can confide in, and him in me. I want a partner, Gabe, in all things. That’s all I ever wanted.”

  “And I can be all those things. I want to be that person for you Collette, and so much more,” he said quietly, his hand lifting to cup her cheek.

  “I know,” she said softly. Just as you can expect the same from me, she whispered in his mind.

  His eyes darkened, and before she could take her next breath, he dipped his head to place a tiny kiss against her lips. She instantly melted into him, but fought to keep a lid on her burgeoning desire. They were at work, and they’d promised Captain Moliker no more antics. If he caught them again, it was patrol duty for a week. But then he’d only mentioned the break room. He’d never said anything about an office.

  She pulled back from Gabe, a mischievous smile curling her lips.

  “Collette.” He warned, reading the devilish twinkle in her eyes, more so than her thoughts.

  “Lock the door.” Before he could say another word she undid the buttons of her blouse and dropped it to the floor.

  He couldn’t bolt the door fast enough.

  About the Author

  Nadia Aidan lives, works and writes on the West Coast in the United States. Under her real name, Nadia holds a PhD in Political Science and Public Policy and by day she works as an Assistant Professor. She is the self proclaimed NEW FACE OF INTERRACIAL AND MULTICULTURAL EROTIC ROMANCE and writes across all genres, from historical, to fantasy/sci-fi to contemporary.

  In addition to writing erotic romances Nadia enjoys reading other authors, playing flag football, studying muay thai, working out, listening to music, scuba diving, and target shooting. Her other interests include collecting Top Cow comics, especially Witchblade and Tomb Raider. She loves professional football and soccer. Her favourite teams are the Washington Redskins and Manchester United, respectively.

  Nadia loves watching, reading about, and writing about strong, assertive heroines which is why she is an enduring fan of Fight Girls, Xena, Buffy, American Gladiators--New and Old, and La Femme Nikita! Nadia also loves interacting with people so feel free to visit her at h
ttp://nadiaaidan.com/ for more information about her, her new releases, and how to contact her!

  Email: contactme@nadiaaidan.com

  Nadia loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com/.

  Also by Nadia Aidan

  On a Dare

  Sleeping with the Enemy’s Daughter

  Every Desire

  MAGICAL MENAGE

  Crissy Smith

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my editor Jess, for all her hard work

  and encouragement that never goes unnoticed.

  Chapter One

  For the residents of Grand Falls, Colorado, their town was a haven, a safe place to be themselves. A mixture of the supernatural world that can be found in one place. The sheriff was a werewolf, the town mayor was a vampire, and the fire chief a witch. All the creatures who call this place home had the protection of not only the town but of all of its residents.

  Madison Montgomery watched as the first snowflakes of the year fell outside the door of her bookstore. She loved this time of year—when the end of fall came and the first days of winter were upon them.

  The town sheriff drove by in his SUV, and Madison stepped away from the window. She’d been avoiding Sheriff Tom since last winter, when on New Year’s they’d shared a deep sensual kiss. It had heated her blood and body and left her aching for more. By the look on his face, he’d also been surprised by the kiss.

  Normally this wouldn’t have a problem, but Madison had also shared a kiss with another man—Dante—and that had thrown her through a loop.

  Dante was the Master Vampire to the others in the area. He was like a father to them, connected by the sharing of blood.

  Madison’s best friend and business partner, Angie, was a shifter who was dating a vampire Chad. Madison had come to love Chad as a brother. It wasn’t the vampire thing throwing her off with Dante, or not all of it anyway. Madison couldn’t figure out how she could have such a strong reaction to two very different men.