by Roz Lee
“Ryan?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Did you. . . ?”
“Yes.” He pressed his lips to the pulse in her neck. The steady beat was as dear to him as his own. “I saw. It was beautiful. You’re beautiful. God, I had no idea how lovely your body is when you come. You get all tense, then it’s as if your heart stops.” He tasted her pulse again, just to reassure himself that she was alive, and safe in his arms. “I think mine did for a second, then the waves of pleasure tore through your body, and I was mesmerized. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed.” He rained a trail of kisses from her pulse to her shoulder. “Thank you.”
“I want to see you, too. I know Fallon will melt into a puddle for you. You’re incredibly good with your hands.”
“We’ll see.”
Candace twisted in his arms. Her eyes met his. “Just in case I forget later. Thank you. I know this is difficult for you, being with someone else.”
“I’ll do anything for you. Anything.”
Her kiss made him wish he could sink into her right that minute, but he’d promised her, and he wouldn’t go back on his word. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
* * * * *
He’d always thought Fallon looked like an angel, an impish one. When he and Candace emerged from the bathroom, Fallon stepped from Richard’s arms. Ryan glanced from her to Richard. His best friend stood like a warrior, poised to defend his woman, or perhaps himself. Ryan escorted Candace to the chair he’d occupied earlier and turned to his friend.
“Thanks. You took care with her, and I appreciate it.” He extended his hand, and Richard took it in a firm handshake.
“No problem. Candace is a lovely woman, and you’re a damned lucky man to have her.”
“I know.” He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at his wife, then turned back to Richard. “Well?” Richard looked like he was deciding between facing a firing squad or walking the plank. “We don’t have to do this.”
“No. Fallon wants this. I’ll deal.”
“Okay then. She’s mine until this is over,” he warned.
“I know. I’ll stay out of the way, but if you cause her a second of. . .”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Richard gave him a sharp look and stopped to press a kiss to Fallon’s lips before he took his seat next to Candace. Ryan sucked in a deep breath and turned to his best friend’s wife.
She came to him. He took her hand in his and led her a few steps away so they could have a moment of private discussion. He had to know she understood what they were doing, and fully agreed to it. “Fallon. I’m not a Dom. I don’t know how to be one. If you come to the bed with me, you’ll be an equal partner in what we do together. As a matter of fact, I want you to tell me what you want, every step of the way. Use whatever words you’re comfortable with, the clinical ones, or slang. I’m okay with either one. Can you do that?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good. There will be no restraints. Move all you want. Touch me as much as you want. I know you have a good understanding of what makes a man tick, so to speak. Use it. Your actions will guide me. My sole mission is to make you feel good.”
“And you?”
“I won’t have any trouble finding pleasure. I’ve wanted to do this with you for years, but it wasn’t to be. I’d be a fool to pass up the chance now.”
“You’re a sweet man, Ryan Callahan.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Sweet wasn’t what I was going for.”
“Sorry. You’re a sexy man?”
“Much better. Now, let me undress you. I want to see what you’ve been hiding from me all this time.”
It was impossible to forget about the other two people in the room, but the second Ryan slid the fastener loose and Fallon’s sarong slid to the floor, his focus riveted on the woman before him. “Beautiful,” he whispered near her ear. “I’m going to touch you, every inch of you.” Her breath hitched at his declaration, spoken for her ears only. He bracketed her hips in his palms and let his hands skim up, over the concave recesses of her slim waist and over her ribcage. Her heart thundered under his palm.
“Relax. I’m only going to touch you. Concentrate on my hands.” He learned every inch of her skin, leaving her most intimate parts for last. When his hands closed over her breasts, he had to steady her with one hand around her waist. “You like that? Tell me, Fallon. Tell me what feels good.”
“That.” He massaged the breast he still held. She moaned low in her throat, and he applied more pressure. “Yes, that feels good. Harder.” He did as she asked. Her hand closed over his, and together they pleasured her.
“You like a firm touch?” He slid his hand from her breast and pressed hers where his had been. “Don’t stop. I like to watch you pleasure yourself.”
God, she was lovely. She wasn’t the least bit inhibited. She understood the needs of her body and indulged them. The cleft in her mound called to him. He let his hand wander lower until he slipped a finger between her folds. She gasped and her head fell back. Her hips shifted toward him, inviting.
“You’re wet. I bet you’re all soft and aching, aren’t you?”
“God, yes! Please. . . .”
He dipped lower and swept his arm beneath her knees. Lifting her effortlessly, he carried her to the bed. Richard and Candace joined them, stretching out on either side of Fallon. Ryan felt their presence, but concentrated everything on the woman in his arms.
“I need to taste you.” He wedged his legs between hers and pressed his erection against the soft pad of her stomach before he took one breast into his mouth. Fallon arched her back and fisted her hands in his hair. Knowing now she liked a firm touch, he cupped her in his palm and squeezed. He sucked her nipple hard against the roof of his mouth and she held him close.
“Tell me what you want. Does the other one need attention?”
“Yes, please. Suck it hard. Now!”
Ryan obliged. She might be a sub for Richard, but with him, she was learning fast. Her commands came quicker now, and he followed them to the letter. She knew her body well, and her words provided him a roadmap to her pleasure. “Touch me. Here. Yes. Harder. More.” When he finally pressed his mouth to her heated core, she lost the ability to speak. He was on his own, but her body told him all he needed to know.
Her juices were like honey, and drove him to seek more. His tongue delved into her secret recesses and she poured sweet nectar for him.
“I need you. Now,” she cried. Her fingers fisted in his hair and tugged. He gave her clit one more hard pull with his mouth before he shed his wrap and settled between her thighs. He sat back on his heels and slipped his arms beneath her thighs, lifting her. Her words stopped him. “No. I want to feel you. On top. Cover me,” she pleaded.
Ryan glanced at Richard. His friend raised his eyebrow as if to question whether Ryan was going to do as his wife asked, or not. Ryan let Fallon’s legs slide to the mattress and settled atop her.
“Yes. Oh God, you feel good.”
His cock nudged her opening. “Tell me, Fallon. Tell me what you want.” He flexed his hips, pressing harder against her.
“Fuck me. I want you to fuck me.”
Her pussy gripped his cock. He slid in as slow as he could. If she wanted it faster, she’d have to ask. She did.
“Hard. Ryan, hard and fast.”
He wasn’t inclined to argue. She moved her hips in a rhythm he followed easily enough. With every thrust, she ground her clit against his pelvic bone. He nuzzled one breast into his mouth and she arched her back for him to take more. He did. He took. He gave.
Fallon responded to his every move. She offered him more. She offered him everything, and he took it all. Her body was alive beneath him. Demanding. Giving. He wanted to prolong their session, but she was too close. He read the signs. Her body tensed. She grew quiet and her breath came in short pants.
“I’m going. . . ”
“I know. Let g
o for me. Let me take you there.”
She shattered in his arms. Her body pulled his cock deep inside. Richard stroked her leg, wrapped high around Ryan’s waist. Then Candace touched Ryan’s shoulder and he turned to her. Her lips parted in invitation and he took what she offered. As soon as his lips met Candace’s, he lost his battle with control. He pumped his hips, driving deep in Fallon’s willing body, spilling his essence into her beauty. An unwanted and unexpected feeling swamped his senses as he gave himself to Fallon. He reminded himself it was just sex, but something inside him refused to believe it.
Shaken, Ryan leaned sideways, and Candace met him, pressing her warm body as close to him as possible. His wife’s touch banished his troubling thoughts. He was aware that Richard had moved as well so his torso replaced Ryan’s across Fallon’s chest. They must have looked like a giant pretzel, with Fallon and Ryan connecting all the twisted limbs in the center.
When the little aftershocks of her body faded, Ryan slipped from Fallon, rolling to his side to hold Candace in his arms. He clung to his wife. She was his anchor in all this crazy, insane storm. He’d just made love to his best friend’s wife, and he was still alive. And he felt more alive than he could fathom. He hugged Candace to him. Beside him, he sensed the tenderness Richard showered on Fallon.
Candace ran her hand along his arm, across his hip and his thigh. “That was beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You’re a special man, Ryan Callahan, and I love you.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, and he devoured her. His body was sated, but his heart hungered for this woman, his wife.
“I love you. God, how I love you, Candace Callahan.”
Her eyes held his, and his heart swelled. She was his. No matter what. Nothing, and no one could come between them.
“I should run a bath for Fallon.”
“I’ll help.” He didn’t want to let her out of his sight. They slid from the bed and he held fast to her hand as they filled the bath and set out two clean towels for the other couple. Candace tried to pull her hand from his, but he couldn’t bear to lose the contact. He needed her touch. Needed to have that physical connection with her. “Let’s get them in here, then I’m taking you to my bed, our bed.”
* * * * *
Richard carried Fallon to the bathroom, nodding a farewell to Ryan and Candace as he did so. There would be time to talk to them later, but for now, Fallon was his only concern. She lay between his outstretched legs, a limp, satiated mass. He bathed her with a tenderness he didn’t know he had. She was so strong when she was with him, taking his orders, obeying, submitting. But with Ryan she had been someone else, someone confident, in charge, even though Ryan had done his share of asserting his wants. In those moments she was as fragile as glass, and he was afraid now that his touch might shatter her.
“Richard?”
“Yes, love?”
“Thank you.”
What was he supposed to say to that? “Is that what you wanted?”
“Yes. I’ve never told a man what I wanted before. It was. . . different.”
“Is that what you want from me?” He could do it, if it meant seeing her body accepting as much pleasure as he had witnessed a few minutes ago.
“No. I love the way we are together. Don’t change.” His shoulders eased at her words. He hadn’t realized how tense he was, until her words released him.
“I would, if you needed me to.”
“This was nice, but what you do to me is. . . well, it’s you, and I don’t want to lose that.”
“You’ll never lose me.” He kissed the top of her head, her neck, her shoulders. “As soon as you’re ready, I’ll tie you to our bed and show you how high you can fly.”
* * * * *
Ryan held on tight. He and Candace shared a shower, touching and loving until they were both exhausted. Then they’d fallen into bed. Ryan pulled her close, spooning her in the tightest grip he could without hurting her. He couldn’t let go. Something inside him told him his world was shifting and he was deathly afraid of losing Candace, so he held on. She loved him. And he loved her. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind, or his heart. But something else nagged at him, remaining on the periphery of his understanding.
His life was shifting, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. He had to hold onto Candace. No matter what else happened in his life, Candace would be there, and that made it all right. He could weather anything as long as Candace was by his side.
In the wee hours of the morning, her sweet hand closed over his erection, and when she pushed him to his back and slid the covers past his hips, he closed his eyes and thanked whatever god had brought this angel into his life. She took him in her mouth and his heart almost burst with love for her. She made the sun come up in the morning, and she held the moon and stars in her hands at night. She was the center of his galaxy, the anchor in his universe.
When she offered her body to him some time later, sinking into her was like coming home after months wandering lost at sea. Her love caressed him, filled in the empty places he’d lived with for so long. That she loved him too was a miracle beyond comprehension. She gave herself freely. He took, and in return, he offered her everything he had, everything he was.
He fought off the sense of impending doom. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do with her by his side. As he took her body, he gave his in return, and he knew beyond any doubt he’d do anything to keep her.
Chapter Nine
Candace was through trying to understand him. After their first sexual encounter with Richard and Fallon, Ryan had retreated into his shell, and it had taken her a week to coax him back out. This time was different. This time he wouldn’t leave her alone. On some level, she knew it was a good problem to have, an attentive husband, but on another level, she wanted some time alone.
For two weeks, Ryan had dogged her steps like he was attached to her by an invisible cord. She couldn’t shower without him in the shower with her, or standing guard in the bathroom. The one time he left the island to check on the resort construction project, he’d insisted she go along. He was beginning to remind her of gum on the bottom of her shoe.
“Ryan, go away.”
“I’m okay here. Don’t mind me.”
“How can I not mind you? You’re making me nervous.” She waved the knife she was using to cut up the fruit for their lunch. “Go to the beach. Come back in half an hour. Lunch will be ready then.”
“I like watching you.”
Candace slammed the knife down on the counter. “I love you. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you get back. I promise.”
The man was beyond exasperating. He slumped in the kitchen chair and crossed his ankles and his arms. “I don’t want to go to the beach. I want to stay here.”
Candace walked around the kitchen island, pulled out another chair and sat. “Ryan, tell me what’s going on. Richard is e-mailing every day wondering when you’re going to do the Employee Performance Reviews. You follow me around like you’re stuck to my shoe. I’m not complaining about you being an attentive husband, but really, Ryan, is it necessary to be with me every second? What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just feel uneasy about being away from you.”
She gentled her voice and leaned in close. “I’m not going anywhere.” His eyes were hard, distant. “There’s something else going on. I can see it in your eyes. What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything. It’s. . . I don’t know. I can’t shake this feeling that our lives are changing and. . . I. . . I don’t want it to change.”
“Is this about the time we spent with Richard and Fallon? Are you afraid that changed things between you and me?”
“No. If anything, I love you even more than I did before, but yeah, this started then. I can’t explain it.”
“That was a special time, for all of us. Our relationship with them is different now because of it, but not in a bad way. I love you, Ryan. I love you more than I ever thou
ght possible, but a part of me loves Richard and Fallon too. I wish we could all find a way to be together, but. . .”
“Don’t go there. We aren’t going there. I made promises to you, and I’m going to keep them.”
“Is that what this is about? Are you afraid your feelings for Richard and Fallon are the same as breaking your promises to me?” His silence confirmed her analysis. “Don’t you see? The promises we made to each other are still valid. Nothing in those promises prohibited us from loving beyond just you and me. I know you won’t act on your feelings without my consent, and you know in your heart I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. That’s how strong our love is. I’ll do anything to keep you, even deny my love to expand to include Richard and Fallon.”
“I don’t want you to deny your feelings. I want you to have everything. I’m trying to wrap my head around this, but our lives are changing in a way I don’t understand. I can’t lose you. I can’t.”
Candace sank to her knees between his, and took his hands in her own. His hard eyes pleaded with her to understand. “You’ll never lose me. I would give up anything, but you. You are non-negotiable.” She flashed her wedding band at him. “I have a no-trade agreement. You’re stuck with me.”
He pulled her to his lap and held her tight. “Same goes. No-trade.”
“Good. Now, when the ship arrives on Friday, I want you on it. You’ve put off the Reviews long enough. Fallon and I have fabric samples and paint chips to sort through for the resort, so she can spend the week here with me. She doesn’t have any classes booked for a few weeks, so it’s a good time for her.”
* * * * *
