by Lynn Tyler
She still didn’t have the words, and she was surprised she was having as much trouble saying them as she was. “So,” she said instead, “I was thinking…your society would probably benefit from having someone on Helan to teach similar classes to Thantos’s, right? Like, teaching Helans about human society?”
Thantos sat forward and looked at her intently. “I think it’s an inspired idea, Kim. Would you happen to know someone who would be up for the job? Of course, the applicant would have to relocate to Helan with us.”
This was it. Once she said the words, there was no going back.
“I think I would like to apply for the position.”
The butterflies that were fluttering around in her stomach became elephants knocking around in her gut.
Thantos reached out and stroked her cheek. “Are you sure, Kim? It’s a big decision. I mean, the chances that we would be traveling to Earth again would be pretty slim. Neither Kerek nor I will be posted on a star ship.
Kerek grabbed Thantos and yanked him back. “Why are you trying to talk her out of coming with us? Are you crazy?”
That brought a smile to her face. “Yes, I’m sure. And I’m ready to leave immediately.”
Strangely, the words that had been stuck in her throat since they got here didn’t seem to be so bad now. In fact, they had sort of rolled right off her tongue. “Don’t worry. I appreciate Thantos’s concern, but I’ve been sure since I watched you walk down the hall two days ago. I used the time to resign from my position at the university, paid out the rest of my lease on the apartment, donated most of my clothes and possessions, and packed up anything sentimental.”
Instead of smiling, Kerek scowled at her. “You knew you would be coming with us, and you didn’t tell us? Do you have any idea how much we suffered as we waited for your answer.”
A shaft of pain pierced her heart at the thought of what they must have gone through, but she raised her chin and held his stare. “I knew if I told you then, I wouldn’t have had the strength to do what I needed to. I couldn’t just leave things the way they were.”
When he didn’t seem to be moved by her reasoning, she knelt between his knees and looked up at him. “I’m sorry, Kerek. I just wanted to make sure that when I finally did tell you, I could leave right away.”
Kerek growled again and jerked her up so that his breath bathed her lips. “You’d better not have given away your bed yet, lira.”
He swept her up in his arms and marched her into the bedroom, practically throwing her on the bed. He pointed at her, deadly serious. “Do not move.”
Thantos had followed them into the bedroom, and he crawled up on the bed with her. “You’d better listen to him. He’s getting all possessive, and he needs to claim you.”
Kerek turned on the man next to her and stalked toward him. “Strip.”
Thantos shot to his feet and began shedding his clothes.
Kim watched as Thantos’s body was revealed one article of clothing at a time, her mouth watering for a taste. She reached out to stroke that beautiful behind only to have Kerek circle his fingers around her wrist and hold her still. “I said not to move.”
Surprise flowed over her when the sound of ripping material rent the air, accompanying the cool breeze of the ceiling fan drifting over her breasts. “Hey, I liked that shirt! And how come you didn’t rip off Thantos’s clothes?”
Thantos stretched out next to her and began working on the button of her jeans. “You have other clothes here to wear back to the ship. I don’t. And we don’t want anyone else to see us naked if we want to keep the body count down.”
Kerek yanked her pants off, taking the thong panty with them. She was glad that she hadn’t worn a bra under the cute tank because she had a sneaking suspicion bra straps might hurt if they were forcibly removed.
Stripping off his own clothes, Kerek joined them on the bed and rolled her over so that she was sandwiched between the two of them. “Kiss me, lira. Let me know that you won’t ever let us leave again.”
He mashed their lips together even as Thantos began peppering small kisses across the back of her shoulders.
A shock rippled through her as their bond came rushing back, and she was instantly bombarded by every emotion and physical sensation her men were experiencing. She grabbed Kerek by the chin and forced him to look her in the eyes. “Never again,” she swore as she poured as much sincerity into her bond with Kerek as possible.
Thantos chuckled and pulled away. “I think the two of you need some time to reconnect. I’m going to go and contact Jaron and let him know that you’re coming with us. And I’ll get him to talk to High King D’Arik about the position you’re interested in.”
“Don’t go far, talan.”
Thantos reached over her shoulder and stroked Kerek’s dark hair. “I’ll just be in the front room.”
She kissed Thantos’s hand before he pulled it away. “What about you?” she asked, pushing her butt back into the rigid cock he was grinding against her.
“I’ll be back, lira. I’m just going to give you and Kerek a bit of time,” Thantos soothed.
She could feel the truth of his statement in their bond and relaxed into Kerek’s arms, focusing on the pleasure that was washing between the two of them.
She barely felt Thantos leave the room, his presence was so strong through their bond. It was almost like he was still in the room with them.
“Hey,” Kerek said, catching her chin and angling her head toward him. “I need you so much. Tell me if I get too rough, okay?”
She nodded, and he pressed their lips together again. His kiss was at once possessive and freeing, the silken slide of lips smoothing against each other. Hard muscle and warm skin pressed against her from shoulder to knees, and the light smattering of hair on Kerek’s chest abraded her nipples deliciously.
The kiss grew more frantic with each second, as if Kerek was desperate to reassure himself that she was really with him. Their teeth clicked together, tongues dueling, and their bodies strained against each other.
Kerek rearranged them until they were lying on their sides, facing each other. He pulled on her leg until it was draped over his hip, and his erection was in direct contact with her pussy.
The contact seemed to mellow him, clearly telling him with the ease with which she accepted the bond between the three of them that she was sure of her decision to be with them.
Every move he made became slow and deliberate, calculated to drive her insane with need. The head of his prick rubbed over her swollen clit with every thrust of his hips.
He caught her nipples between his fingers and thumbs, tweaking and pinching them until her eyes rolled from the pleasure shooting through her. “Kerek,” she panted, “I need you.”
A hand suddenly ran down her back, smoothing over her spine and stopping to tickle at the top of her ass. “I couldn’t stay away any longer,” Thantos whispered. “The two of you made it very hard to concentrate while I was talking to Jaron.”
“Mmm,” Kerek purred, pulling a little harder on her nipples while he moved his hips just enough to wedge the head of his cock in her pussy. “Welcome back, Thantos. Get her ready, yeah?”
“Ready for what?” she moaned.
A wet finger wiggled around between her cheeks, tickling at her virgin hole. “For both of us,” Thantos answered.
That finger pierced her a little, sinking in halfway.
“Oh,” she gasped, wriggling at the invasion. The squirming caused her to lodge Kerek’s dick even further inside her.
God, she’d never felt so full before. There was a slight burn in her ass that did nothing but emphasize the pleasure that both of them were now lavishing on her poor, oversensitized body.
She rocked back and forth, unsure what felt better, the dick in her pussy or the finger in her ass. “More.” She meant the word as a demand, but it came out as a whimper.
“My pleasure,” Thantos whispered, adding another finger.
The breath cau
ght in her throat at the feeling. Kerek grunted as Thantos manipulated his fingers so that he was rubbing against Kerek’s prick through the thin barrier of skin separating her anus from her pussy.
The sensations of Kerek’s pleasure, combined with her own began bouncing back and forth between them, nearly overwhelming her with need. “Thantos,” she cried.
Thantos scissored his fingers apart, stretching her delicate flesh. Her muscles suddenly softened, and his fingers disappeared only to be replaced with the blunt, velvety head of his dick.
He wasted no time sliding in, and he and Kerek began thrusting in tandem, one pulling out while one pushed in, repeating the actions until she didn’t think she could take the pleasure anymore.
Oh, yes you can, Kerek’s voice growled in her head.
Tears gathered in her eyes at their mental connection, slipping down her cheeks steadily. She’d been afraid before, afraid of losing herself in the demands of her mates. But when their bond had gone silent, when she’d been alone with her thoughts and emotions, she’d found it incredibly lonely, like a huge gaping hole had been left where her men had once occupied. This was the way it was supposed to be, this connection, this thread bonding them all together. It was right. She knew it now.
Kerek began crooning to her, more sounds than actual words, and licked her tears off her cheeks.
Pleasure pounded through the three of them, crashing into them and rebounding until lights began flashing behind her closed eyes. She shattered first, screaming out her ecstasy even as Thantos tumbled over the edge with her, scalding her ass with his seed.
She vaguely felt Kerek shudder in her arms before the pleasure ratcheted up even higher. “I love you both,” she whispered before she blacked out.
The television was on when she woke up again, her own voice echoing back at her. “In summary, I had the opportunity to spend time on one of the Helan ships, to interact with both Helans and the women who have chosen to mate with them. I will tell you today that although signing the mating registry is not for everyone, the women I spoke to were very happy. I’ve learned that while Helan society has its flaws, much like our own, females are highly valued for their contributions in science, business, and politics.
“I will be stepping down as the leader of the revolution and recommend that females educate themselves on the Helan culture before making a choice instead of blindly writing it off. If I had continued with the course I was set on, I wouldn’t have met the Helan men that I fell in love with. I will be leaving with the two of them when they travel back to Helan.”
Kerek grunted, and the television switched off. “Were you even going to tell us that you were making a statement?”
His voice sounded grumpy, but the pride flowing through their bond told her he was anything but. “I kinda got side tracked by two very handsome, very sexy, and very demanding mates.”
Thantos sidled up to the mattress where she was still stretched out and leaned down to kiss her. “Bad mates,” he said against her lips. “Is there anything we can do to make up for distracting you?”
She stretched and looped her arms around his neck, letting him pull her up. “Yep. You can let me ride you while Kerek takes you.”
Kerek began chuckling. “Come on, you two,” he said as he rooted through her closet and began choosing clothing for her. “The ship is set to leave soon, and we’re needed back on Helan. Put these on, lira, and let’s get going.”
She glanced at the turtleneck and jeans. “You do realize that it’s ninety degrees out, right?”
Thantos laughed and buried his face in her neck. “He doesn’t want anyone to see you at all. You’ll have to give him some time to calm down. He made me wear a floor-length coat for six months after we first mated.”
She thought about it for a minute. Kerek, all jealous over the idea of people seeing her? Hot.
She tapped Thantos’s shoulder, and he put her down, helping her to slide on her clothes. Once finished, he wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Did you mean it?”
She could pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about, but that would be mean. “I did. I love you both so much. I just needed time to figure that out.”
“I love you, too,” Thantos said, letting go of her with one arm only to press her hand to his heart. “This only beats for you and Kerek.”
A muscular pair of arms wrapped around both of them. Kerek kissed Thantos first and Kim second. He didn’t say the three little words, but she could feel the emotions, true and strong, through their bond.
Epilogue
Thantos walked into the house and dropped his bag on the bench by the front door. It landed right next to Kim’s bag and Kerek’s vidscreen. He grinned at the sight. They had been on Helan for eight months now, and he was just getting used to seeing Kim’s stuff mingled with his and Kerek’s.
He stretched his back out and wondered if he could convince one of his mates to give him a back rub.
He wandered into the living space and looked around but found no one. The televid was on, so clearly at least one of his mates was home.
The floorboards overhead squeaked, and his heart sped up. He took the stairs two at a time and slid to a stop in front of the nursery. Kerek was rocking their infant son, one foot pushing the chair, the other extended to rest on the stool. Kerek looked up at him and put one finger to his lips.
Thantos crept over and gazed down at the baby. He was clearly Kerek’s biological child, with a shock of soft black hair and bright-blue eyes. He had the longest eyelashes and Kim’s cute little snub nose. And Thantos couldn’t love him any more, even if Pathar was his own biological son.
“He just fall asleep?” Thantos whispered.
Kerek nodded and smiled up at him. “Kim said he’s been up all day. I told her to go relax and I would give him his last bottle before bed.”
Thantos knew the truth behind the statement. Kerek adored their son and was somewhat of a baby hog. Luckily, Thantos had the day off tomorrow and would be able to spend the whole day with his son while Kerek and Kim went to speak with a group of human women.
He scooped up the empty bottle and ran one finger over Pathar’s soft cheek, smiling softly as the baby pursed his lips and sucked vigorously on his pacifier. “What’s Kim doing?” he whispered.
Kerek grinned and jiggled the baby slightly. “I believe she said something about taking a shower.”
Thantos felt his whole body light up. “Meet us in the bedroom when Pathar is settled.”
“Wouldn’t miss it, talan.”
Thantos jogged down the stairs and tossed the bottle into the sanitizing station, knowing the computer would take care of it. The thought of Kim in the shower had him rushing back up the stairs and into the huge bathroom off the bedroom the three of them shared.
The steam was billowing out of the shower stall, and he shed his uniform, thankful for the running water. After so long on the star ship, all three of them had been ecstatic with the hot shower.
He slipped in behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She instantly relaxed into him and leaned her head back against his chest. “Hard day?” he asked.
“Mmm. I love Pathar very much, but I was so glad when Kerek took over. Are you looking forward to your day with him tomorrow?”
“You know it.”
Okay. He was hard as stone and aching. Enough with the small talk. He nuzzled his lips behind her ear, nibbling and sucking until she was shivering in his arms.
Turning around in his embrace until she faced him, she looped her arms around his neck and leaned back a little, totally confident in the knowledge that he would never let her fall. Her utter and complete trust in him filled him with pride and love.
“I had an appointment with Dr. Sathon today,” she remarked, as if it was just a normal, everyday conversation. She couldn’t fool him though. He knew very well it was her eight-week postnatal checkup. He and Kerek had been going nuts trying to keep their hands to themselves un
til Sathon gave them the okay.
“And what did he say about Pathar?” he said teasingly. Two could play at that game.
Her eyes lit up, just like he knew they would. She loved discussing their son. “He’s gained another two pounds and is right where he’s supposed to be. Sathon was impressed by how aware he is.”
“Of course he was impressed. Pathar is our son. He’s probably the smartest, handsomest baby in the world.” He meant every word.
She pulled him down for a kiss, one that went from sweet to sultry in a matter of seconds. He groaned when her nipples hardened and scraped across his chest. He slid a thigh between her legs and tugged on her hips, encouraging her to ride him. “Did Sathon say anything else?”
The shower door opened again, and Kerek joined them under the water. “Yes, lira, what else did Sathon say?”
She giggled but kept moving on Thantos’s thigh. He groaned when the very top of her pussy bumped against the root of his dick, scalding him.
“Lira,” Kerek growled, crowding against Kim from behind.
Thantos knew she wouldn’t be able to keep the game going for long. Not when she’d had as hard a time keeping her hands off them as they’d had.
Sure enough, she sighed and melted against them. “He said I was ready for marital relations, as he called it.”
“Well, what the fuck are we doing in the shower?” Kerek said, tugging them out of the shower stall. “Don’t we have some catching up to do?”
“Can I pick?”
Thantos laughed as Kerek dried them off rather haphazardly. “Lady’s choice,” he agreed, letting Kerek usher them into the bedroom, and falling on the huge mattress the three of them had picked out the same day they’d landed on Helan.
Kim squealed and jumped on him, crawling up his body so she could kiss him. “Love you,” she said, dropping tiny kisses all over his face.
Kerek joined them on the bed. “So, what’s it going to be, my lira?”
Oh, I think you know exactly what I want, Kim said in their heads.
