Stay with Me

by Maya Banks

  Logan’s dark eyes were unreadable.

  “You don’t want to be here, so why are you?” she challenged as anger bubbled free. She had to swallow and breathe deeply through her nose. The urge to scream at them, to make them bleed as she’d bled, was strong.

  “Because you’re here,” Logan said quietly. “And you belong with us.”

  She couldn’t control the flood of hurt as she yanked her gaze up to his. He actually flinched, and guilt crept into his expression.

  Strong hands curled over her bare shoulders. Rhys moved in from behind, his lips pressing against the curve of her neck. Logan reached for her hand, and she pulled it away.

  He ignored her rejection and closed the distance between them, reaching around to retrieve the hand she’d hidden behind her back.

  Without saying another word, he tugged her away from Rhys and led her into the bedroom. His finger slid up her spine, eliciting a delicate shiver. He stopped when he reached the thin tie of her top. With a tug, the scrap of material fell away, baring her breasts.

  The finger wandered back down her spine until it reached the small of her back. Then his hand caressed the bare skin of her bottom, cupping and kneading one cheek, then the other. He pulled the G-string from the cleft of her ass, running his finger down the length.

  With a quick yank, he broke the strap and let the material fall down her legs.

  “Logan, I don’t think—”

  He put a finger to her lips. “Shhhh.”

  She stared at him, praying she didn’t look as vulnerable as she felt. With one hand splayed over her ass, he moved the other hand from her lips down to cup her breast in his palm. His thumb rubbed lightly over the nipple, causing it to tighten and pucker.

  “Don’t move,” he commanded as he turned and walked out of the room.

  He was back in seconds, one of her scarves in his hand. Her eyes widened as he quickly wrapped it around her wrists.

  “Logan—”

  “Shhhh,” he said again. He finished restraining her wrists then nudged her toward the bed. The back of her knees met the mattress, and he pressed until she was forced to lie back. He raised her hands and secured them to the bedpost.

  She stared at him with wide eyes, nervous as Rhys came to stand beside the bed. It had been so long. And she was weak. How could she welcome them back into her bed when they’d ignored her for so long? She closed her eyes, refusing to allow them to see the need and the longing.

  “We both need a shower,” Logan said in a low voice. “We’ve been traveling forever, haven’t changed our clothes. And I want you to be here when we get back.”

  Beside her Rhys ran a finger over her shoulder, around the sensitive skin of her neck, into the hollow of her throat and then lower to her breast. He circled her nipple until it puckered and stood taut.

  Need burned between her legs, tightening her pussy until she fidgeted and twisted restlessly. When was the last time either of them had touched her? Looked at her with lust in their eyes?

  They’d sworn never to take advantage of her and that they’d always take care of her. Love her. Give her what she needed. Only they’d lied.

  She turned her face away, not wanting them to see her pain. Rhys bent and kissed her softly on the temple. The simple gesture was nearly her undoing.

  “I’ll be right back,” he whispered. “And then I’m going to love every inch of you.”

  She looked up to see them walk away, one into the bathroom adjoining the bedroom and the other back toward the living room and the other bathroom.

  She tugged at the scarf binding her wrists, but it held firm. Closing her eyes, she heaved a heavy sigh. This is what she wanted. Had wanted, she corrected herself. It was what she’d spent the last months longing for.

  It was too little, too late. Would they be here if she hadn’t left them without a word? If they didn’t fear she’d walked out on them?

  It was a question she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the answer to. She still hadn’t decided what exactly she wanted to do. She’d taken the trip to give her time to think about what her next step would be. She hadn’t counted on them showing up. At least not so soon.

  Chapter Four

  Rhys leaned his forehead against the shower wall as water pelted his back. He’d seen something in Cat’s eyes he never wanted to see again. Had never imagined seeing.

  Pain. Pain that he’d caused. And worse, a loss of hope. As if she’d given up on him and their marriage.

  He clenched his fist and pushed himself off the wall. How could he undo several years in a matter of a few days? How could he make her see that he loved her and didn’t want to lose her? It wasn’t as simple as apologizing. He could sense the difference in her. The resolve.

  In a hurry to return to her, he washed and stepped out, dragging a towel over his body to dry it. His balls ached, and his cock was stiff as a board.

  Naked, he walked back into the bedroom where Catherine still lay, her blond hair spread over the pillow. She looked at him as he approached, her expression wary, a mixture of sadness and desire in her eyes.

  He sat down on the bed beside her and reached out a hand to touch her cheek.

  “I know we need to talk,” he said quietly. “But I’m no good with words. Let me show you, Cat. Let me love you. Then we’ll talk. I promise.”

  Her eyes were shiny, brimming with moisture.

  “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

  The softly spoken words signaled her surrender, and he closed his eyes in relief. Then he reached up to untie her hands.

  She turned fully on her back, watching him beneath her lashes. He could see her indecision, and he didn’t want to give her a chance to change her mind.

  He stood beside the bed and trailed his fingers over her breasts, stroked her puckered nipples then caressed his way over her soft belly.

  “Spread your legs,” he said.

  She hesitated just a moment before relaxing her legs, allowing her thighs to part, giving him a tantalizing view of her pussy.

  Silky blond curls guarded her tender pink flesh.

  “Touch yourself,” he said huskily. “Open yourself for me.”

  Her right hand glided slowly down her stomach until it hovered over the soft mound. After a brief pause, her fingers slid into the folds, spreading until he could see the opening to her pussy and her swollen clit.

  Her middle finger stroked once then twice over the quivering bud. She moaned softly and closed her eyes. God, she was sexy. Head thrown back, hair streaming over the sheets, her lips parted as a sigh escaped them.

  He crawled onto the bed, positioning himself at her feet. He bent down and pressed his lips to the inside of her ankle. Gently grasping her slender leg in his hand, he kissed a path upward, licking and nibbling.

  When he reached the juncture of her thighs, he scooted down to her other foot and began again, giving this leg the same tender treatment.

  Her breath caught when he nipped the inside of her thigh. His lips hovered over her pussy, and he smiled as he felt her hold herself in anticipation.

  He moved instead to her belly and blazed a wet trail up her taut abdomen to the swells of her breasts.

  “Oh…” The gasp escaped her lips as he sucked her nipple between his teeth.

  Her hand left her pussy, and she dug her fingers into his hair, holding him to her breast.

  He tugged himself away and moved his body up until his face hovered over hers. He kissed her, wanting to taste her, wanting to capture her sweet sounds into his mouth. He wanted to absorb every inch of her, make her forget everything but the fact that he was here with her.

  Catherine broke away with a ragged breath. She sucked in mouthfuls of air before Rhys captured her mouth once again. He moved with urgency. He touched her, kissed her like he hadn’t since they’d first been married.

  Hot, wild, she wanted to crawl right out of her skin. Restless and aching, she could no longer remain still, no longer allow him control.

&nbs
p; She pushed at him, rolling him off her. He looked at her with bewildered eyes as she rose over him, letting her hair spill onto his chest.

  Placing both her hands on his shoulders, she lowered her head and consumed his lips in a hungry, carnal kiss. Too long had she gone without the close physical intimacy she craved, and now she wasn’t content to lie back and allow him to call the shots.

  When she pulled away to gasp for breath, she saw the surprise in his eyes, but she also saw something else. Want. Need. Curiosity. Desire.

  A smile curved her lips. A wicked smile she hoped.

  She straddled his body, shoving his arms upward. He arched one brow but allowed her to dictate his movements. When his hands were above his head, she trailed her fingers down the undersides of his arms until she reached his broad chest.

  She shifted her body until she cradled his cock between her legs. Hard, thick, it brushed against her wetness, and she rubbed up and down, loving the electric currents that raced through her body every time her clit nudged the head of his penis.

  “Tease,” he gasped out.

  “This is my show,” she murmured as she continued to rock back and forth.

  She leaned forward and nipped at his neck. Lightly at first, then she sank her teeth into the corded muscle behind his ear. He groaned and shifted underneath her. He started to lower his arms, but she sat up and put both hands on his chest in protest.

  “Don’t move.”

  He grinned and slowly let his hands fall back to the pillow. “I think I like you this way.”

  “Maybe I should have done it sooner, then,” she whispered. “Maybe you’d want to spend more time with me if I had.”

  His eyes darkened into what looked like regret. “Cat—” he began.

  She put a finger over his lips as he had done hers earlier. She reached between them with her other hand and grasped his swollen cock. With a twist of her hips, she positioned him at her entrance and slid down, engulfing him.

  His entire body tensed and he moved his hands up, paused then let them fall back to the bed as if remembering her earlier dictate.

  “Oh God,” he groaned. “You feel so good.”

  “Tell me what you want,” she said breathlessly. She stared down at him, stilling her movements. Then she arched, sliding nearly off of him.

  “Cat…”

  “Tell me,” she commanded.

  “I want you to fuck me,” he growled. “I want your hands and lips on me. I want my dick so far in your pussy that I’m drowning.”

  She slid her palms over the hard muscles of his chest and slowly lowered her hips until he was fully within her again.

  “Harder,” he said.

  “I want you to beg,” she countered, her eyes locked with his once more.

  A sound had her turning her head to see Logan standing in the doorway to the bathroom. Naked, his cock stiff and distended, his hand curled around it as he stroked back and forth.

  He watched silently as she stared at him, her body still, Rhys buried deeply within her.

  His fingers rolled over his engorged penis, coaxing the foreskin toward the head, pausing, then pulling downward again.

  She knew he liked to watch. It aroused her too. There was something primal, forbidden, about belonging to two men, having one watch while the other pleasured her.

  Slowly, she turned her attention back to Rhys. His hands were still above his head, and she leaned forward, gripping his shoulders as she lifted her hips, sliding up his cock with a leisure that contradicted the edgy need boiling just under the surface of her skin.

  She trembled, shaking with the force of her desire. It had been too long, and she craved him. Craved them both with a desperation that frightened her. How was she supposed to survive the decision she must make? How was she supposed to exist away from them?

  How could she remain with them when she was never a priority?

  She let her chin fall to her chest in a gesture of defeat. She was fooling herself. Yes, she wanted them. Loved them with every breath. But it wasn’t enough. They had to want and need her every bit as much.

  Rhys reached up to touch her cheek, light and seeking, tentative almost as if he feared what he’d see in her eyes.

  “Cat, I love you,” he whispered. “Please believe that.”

  Warmth seeped through her veins, lighting hope in its path. She wanted to believe him. Wanted it more than anything.

  One hand fell to her hip. The other hand crept to the opposite side, then down, cradling her buttocks in his firm grip.

  No. This was her moment. She was in control. She wanted to hear him beg. She wanted him to feel the desperation she did. Wanted him to ache every bit as much as she did.

  Pulling his hands away, she pushed them back up above his head. As she leaned forward, she purposely brushed the tips of her breasts across his mouth.

  She felt his sigh blow over the taut peaks as she turned one way then the other, teasing him. He loved her breasts. Logan was more of an ass man. Her cheeks heated as she recalled how much he loved her ass. Rhys, on the other hand, spent a lot of time touching, licking and sucking her breasts.

  When they did it at the same time? Heaven.

  She nearly groaned aloud as the image of Logan fucking her ass while Rhys devoured her breasts came to mind.

  She lowered herself another inch, fitting a puckered nipple to Rhys’ lips. Her pregnancy had brought changes to her breasts, and she inhaled sharply as he took the nipple in his mouth. He sucked at it greedily, drawing it between his teeth. The sounds he made, like a man starving, drew in her stomach, clenching every muscle. Hot. Erotic.

  She pulled away when the sensation became too much, locking her hands over his arms when he tried to move to hold her down. Remembering her plan, she rose and fell against him, taking him deeper into her pussy.

  He closed his eyes, strain evident as his face creased in near agony. His breaths tore from his mouth, and he bucked upward with his hips.

  “Beg,” she whispered. “I won’t end it until you beg.”

  When she felt him tense underneath her, she stopped completely, staving off his impending orgasm.

  A tortured groan spilled from his mouth. “Cat,” he gasped. “Please.”

  She leaned down and pressed her tongue to the center of his chest. She licked upward, leaving a warm, damp trail to his neck. When she nuzzled into the hollow of his throat, she clamped down with her teeth, nipping sharply.

  His jaw went slack, and his pulse sped up. His heart pounded against her. One long delicious lick, up over his chin to his lips and then she took him, hard, in an aggressive kiss. All of the frustration came rushing out. Months of longing, painful need.

  She dug her knees into his side and began to ride him. Her body undulated as she rose. She threw her head back, closed her eyes and concentrated on the pleasure rolling like the waves at the beach.

  His hands skimmed over her belly, then up to cup her breasts, much more sensitive now. Her nipples were darker, and any stimulation was almost painful to bear.

  She put her hands over his, holding them in place as she arched over him again and again.

  Remembering that Logan was watching, she glanced over her shoulder. He met her gaze, his fist pumping at his swollen cock. But he wouldn’t come.

  She smiled. No, he’d find his release after he made her come. For a moment, she slowed, wanting to prolong Rhys’ orgasm, thus making Logan wait longer.

  “Finish it, Catherine,” Logan growled.

  She turned back to Rhys, a slight smile curving her lips.

  “You’re such a tease,” Rhys said in a strained voice.

  His thumbs brushed over her nipples, and she flinched. He frowned.