Goddess in the Middle

by Stephanie Julian

  But if she didn’t choose him, Rom knew it was gonna sting.

  He didn’t flirt. He wasn’t good at it. He’d found intensity worked better for him. Remy had learned how to use flirting to get beyond a woman’s natural aversion to his scars.

  But Remy didn’t have to lay it on thick for Amity.

  Maybe it was the fact of what she did for a living or maybe it was just who she was. Either way, she responded to his cousin with clearly evident warmth. And in the exact same way she responded to Rom.

  Which just made Rom like her that much more.

  And then she dropped her bombshell.

  “So, gentlemen,” Amity said after more than an hour had passed. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, why don’t we place our cards on the table? Are you here to talk? Or are you here to find a woman to share your bed for the night?”

  ***

  Remy nearly spewed his mouthful of beer.

  Luckily, he managed not to embarrass himself that badly, but holy hell… Had she really just implied that she’d be willing to share their bed? Or had he totally misread her statement?

  He glanced at Rom, who sat with his mouth hanging open, obviously thinking the same thing. Nope. He hadn’t misread her.

  Holy shit.

  Remy opened his mouth to say something, but Amity’s bright eyes, teasing smile, and the graceful way she held that beautiful body distracted the hell out of him.

  She truly wanted to know if they wanted to take her to bed.

  Oh, hell yes.

  Remy’s gaze shot to Rom again. Amazingly, Rom appeared to have been struck dumb. Which left Remy to fill the void in the conversation.

  Leaning forward, he looked directly into her eyes. “If I said that’s exactly what we were looking for,” Remy’s muscles tensed with anticipation, “could we buy you another drink first?”

  He was right. He saw no pity, only interest in her eyes as she smiled at him.

  “I’d love another whiskey sour, thank you.”

  Rom stood immediately, his expression a polite mask that had Remy battling back a frown as his cousin nodded at Amity.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  What the hell?

  He sent the thought directly at his cousin, knowing Rom could sense exactly what Remy was thinking. But Rom didn’t answer or look back.

  Remy wanted to smack his cousin on the back of the head. What the hell had shoved that stick up his ass?

  “I’m sorry. Did I scare him away?”

  Amity looked at Remy with a hint of regret in her eyes but Remy shook his head.

  “Rom doesn’t scare easily. And neither do I.”

  No, Rom wasn’t scared. They’d both had that gene crushed out of them years ago. He didn’t know what was up with his cousin. But he couldn’t dwell on that. They’d come to this crowded eteri bar with one purpose. Get close to Amity.

  “Brave words,” she murmured. “So, how did you find out about this place? It’s a little off the beaten path for the out-of-town crowd.”

  “One of our clients told us about it.” Which was kind of the truth, if you stretched the meaning of client to include a Malandante pawn they’d captured four days ago and had questioned relentlessly until he’d given up this woman’s name.

  The spell he and Rom had worked to pinpoint the demon’s whereabouts had led them to this bar, which shouldn’t have been a shock.

  The city of Reading and the surrounding county still held an old and powerful magic. Many in the magical Etruscan community, into which they’d been born, continued to call this area home. Many years ago, so had he and Rom.

  Better not dwell on that now.

  “So what exactly does a medical aesthetician do? I don’t think I’ve heard of that profession before.”

  She paused, her teeth biting into her lower lip before she smiled again. “I mainly work with cancer and accident patients. Look, I hope you don’t think I’m rude, but I’d rather not talk about work tonight.”

  He heard something in her voice that made him rein in his curiosity. Something painful. He didn’t want her to feel any pain while she was in their company.

  “No problem. Let’s make professions off limits. Why don’t we just agree not to talk about anything other than how much I want to get you naked and in bed?”

  She blinked and her eyes widened just the slightest bit. Shit. He probably shouldn’t have pushed that far that fast.

  Damn it, he should’ve left the seduction to Rom. He was gonna kick Remy’s ass—

  She laughed, a slow, deep sound that brushed against his cock like a physical caress. His hands clenched and he had a sudden, vivid image of her spread out on a bed crooking her finger at him.

  “I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I met a man who made me consider simply jumping into bed with him after a few minutes. Let alone two men.”

  Fierce, hot triumph licked through him. “And are you considering it?”

  Her smile answered for her.

  Yes. He wanted to pump his fist in the air. Wanted to toss her over his shoulder and find the nearest bed. Or maybe he’d just bend her over the table and take her now.

  Probably attract a little too much attention but, damn, it’d so be worth it.

  Shoving back the lust that threatened to swamp him, he took a deep breath and forced himself to remember why they needed her. She was a means to an end, one that had been coming for a very long time.

  But right here, right now, that need was not based on what they wanted her to do for them but what he wanted to do to her.

  “So, Remy, would you and your cousin like to come back to my house for a drink?”

  Oh, hell yes.

  Luckily, Remy didn’t blurt that out loud. And not because Rom had overheard Amity’s question from his place at the bar and sent a warning thought straight back to him.

  Remy half expected Rom to rush back and take over the conversation. Couldn’t say he’d blame his cousin. Remy didn’t normally do this, the pick-up stage. He usually left that to Rom.

  But there was something about her…

  “We would love to.”

  Chapter 2

  Conveniently, Rom hadn’t bought their drinks yet, and Amity watched Remy catch his cousin’s eye and motion him back to the table.

  If she hadn’t been watching Remy so closely, she would’ve missed it. She had the feeling these two were much more than business partners, though she didn’t get the vibe that they were lovers. Yes, they had ties, but they weren’t romantic in nature.

  Through her empathy, she felt emotion running between them, a complex mix of love and guilt and responsibility.

  Family, she decided. Not brothers. She didn’t sense that deep of a blood connection.

  But there was a connection. A strong one.

  And apparently, they’d both decided on her for this… whatever this was. Pick up. Hook up. One night stand.

  Am I really going to go through with this? What if—

  No. Mentally, she shook off that thought. She wasn’t going to talk herself out of this.

  She’d made up her mind. What could one night with two hot men hurt? She sensed absolutely no danger from them and she was a goddess, after all. They couldn’t hurt her. Even if they worked together, she still had enough power to knock them unconscious and kick their asses to the curb if they tried to harm her.

  But she felt absolutely no malicious intent from either of them. What she felt was desire.

  And it made her slightly intoxicated.

  “Amity?”

  She looked up at Rom, his dark eyes so intent, questions lurking. She let her lips curve in a smile that forced the questions from his eyes and replaced them with heat.

  “I’m ready. My car’s parked on the street. I don’t live far. Would you like to follow me?”

  “We can do that.” Rom exchanged another glance with Remy then extended his hand to help her up. The gesture made her smile. It was old-fashioned and sweet, totally c
ontradicting the lust etched into the handsome lines of his face and the leashed strength in his hand.

  A shiver ran through her and she knew, without a doubt, that these men had arus flowing through their veins, the power that was passed from generation to generation in the ancient magical races. It certainly explained the connection she felt to them.

  After collecting her purse from Jill, who said good night with wide eyes and a snarky grin that promised a full grilling tomorrow, she walked back to the men waiting by the door. They accompanied her to her car, the silence heightening her awareness of them.

  Remy walked by her side, close enough that she could feel the heat of his skin. Her head barely came up to his shoulder. Rom stayed slightly behind them, as if guarding their backs. Which was silly.

  What danger could be lurking in the streets of sleepy West Reading?

  Plenty. And not all of it from this world. She shivered, knowing she wasn’t as safe as she’d like to think.

  “Are you cold?” Remy asked. Before she could respond, Rom had draped his suit coat over her shoulders.

  The warm, masculine scent hit her low in the gut, made her thighs tighten and her sex moisten. If she wasn’t careful, she’d throw herself on them the second they entered her home.

  And what would be the harm in that?

  She didn’t abide by the dictates of eteri morality. As much as they liked to believe they’d liberated themselves from their puritanical past, many eteri couldn’t talk about sex without a guilty grin or a blush.

  They still believed sex without an emotional connection, or a legal piece of paper, was wrong. They didn’t realize how much energy sex created. Or how you could use that energy.

  “Warm enough now.” She turned to smile at Rom, who nodded then began scanning their surroundings with that sharp gaze. The man missed nothing.

  “My car’s parked down this street.” She pointed to her bright red Audi convertible about halfway down the block. “I’ll wait here for you so you can follow me.”

  “No need to wait. We’re parked right over there.”

  Remy pointed to a late-model blue Cadillac practically across the street from her car.

  Coincidence?

  Of course, it had to be. How would they have known which car was hers? Unless they’d been following her.

  No, that was her paranoia talking. If they’d recognized her as Munthukh, they would have identified themselves as Etruscan. And she would have recognized them from the lucani den, from the small Fata community to the north of the city, or from the general Etruscan population who still held to the old ways.

  The group grew smaller every year as their deities grew obsolete and wielded much less power. It was a vicious cycle and one she could do nothing about.

  Forcing those depressing thoughts to the back of her mind, she glanced up at Remy, who looked at her with a hint of speculation in his eyes.

  “My home isn’t far. You’ll need to turn around to follow me.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be right behind you.”

  Her mind automatically produced an image of her bent over a table while Rom fucked her from behind and Remy sat in front of her masturbating while he waited for his turn.

  She tried to hide her indrawn breath as she turned to open her car door, aware that neither man had moved. They waited until she got in her car and started it before they crossed the street to theirs.

  The drive to her home seemed to take longer than usual and when she finally pulled into the driveway of her cozy, brick Cape Cod in the small neighborhood next to the county’s Catholic high school, she wanted to run for the door, grab whoever came through first, and ravage them. Then, she’d start on the next one.

  They’d probably think she was desperate. They wouldn’t be too far off the mark. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this depth of need, this clawing ache.

  She knew she’d get to sate it soon, but that made her almost frantic. She had to force herself to slow down before she ran for the door.

  Remy and Rom were at her side before she reached the front door, two large, silent, strong men who looked at her with matching lust in their eyes.

  She aimed the key at the lock but missed the mark and had to try again. Her hand trembled as she managed to slide the key home on the second try. The door swung open with little effort and she stepped into the house, feeling the magical wards Salvatorus had helped her put on the house slide by her.

  She turned in time to see Rom and Remy exchanged a glance as they followed her.

  Definitely Etruscan. They’d sensed her wards.

  A question settled on the tip of her tongue but she never got to ask it.

  Remy closed the few steps between them, grabbed her shoulders, and settled his mouth over hers for a kiss that rocked her down to her toes, curling them in her pumps.

  Maybe she should have been frightened. Or, at the very least, startled.

  All she felt was the molten burn of lust as it blazed through her body. All she tasted was the desire on his lips and the lash of his tongue as he licked his way into her mouth.

  No intent to hurt or dominate through fear. Well, maybe she sensed a little domination, and she was totally okay with that.

  She lifted her hands to place them on his chest, feeling Rom’s coat slide off her shoulders. His dark, earthy scent still clung to her but now it blended with Remy’s heat and spice.

  Pure intoxication. And hard, hot muscle beneath her hands.

  Blessed Mother Goddess, she wanted to strip him to his skin right here in the tiny foyer of her house.

  She moaned into his mouth as his arms wrapped around her and his hands splayed across her back. His erection pressed against her stomach as he pulled her closer until they were plastered together from chest to thigh.

  And the man could kiss. No hesitation, no fumbling. Just a masterful touch that made her want to melt into him.

  She gave him all the control, let him kiss her until she could barely breathe and she saw stars beneath her eyelids.

  Vaguely, she realized her feet had left the ground and she moved her hands up to his shoulders then around his neck. Her fingers curled into his shaggy hair, lacing through the strands as if she thought he might try to get away.

  She couldn’t stand the thought, couldn’t bear to think she could be left alone to deal with this raging hunger.

  Slow down. Slow down.

  No, she didn’t want slow. She wanted fast. A flash fire, not banked embers.

  Remy seemed to know exactly how to give her what she wanted.

  Stepping forward, he put her back against the wall then crowded even closer. Pressed so tight, he seemed bigger. Harder. And infinitely more male.

  Now she swore she felt the beat of his blood pulsing in his cock and her hips arched forward. The ache in her sex demanded relief, demanded to be filled.

  She started a slow grind against his cock, needing that pressure, anticipating the burn when he’d fill her.

  Even through his clothes she could tell he was thick. She wanted him inside her.

  She tried to draw her legs up but her tight skirt had her legs trapped.

  And he seemed in no hurry to help her with that problem.

  Holding her against him with one arm around her waist, he used his free hand to cup her head. He tilted her head into the perfect position for his mouth to ravage hers, his fingers woven through her hair. The slight tug against her scalp only added to her pleasure.

  She moaned into his mouth, and his body hardened even more.

  When he pulled away, her immediate response was to pull him back to her. She wasn’t finished with his mouth.

  But then he looked into her eyes and said, “Where’s the bedroom?”

  Heat flashed through her body. Her clit swelled and her sex clenched in a burst of lust.

  “Up the stairs.”

  His gaze flashed away from hers for a brief second before he shifted his hold on her, swinging her into his arms and stridin
g toward the stairs. He stopped at the bottom to look over his shoulder and Amity followed his gaze to Rom.

  Rom stood by the front door, watching them. Arms crossed over his chest, Rom’s expression gave nothing away. Only his erection ruining the line of his pants let her know he wasn’t unmoved.

  Something passed between the men. The exchange lasted only seconds but she knew Remy wasn’t happy with Rom’s response, whatever that had been.

  And she knew Remy won when Rom’s mouth tightened just before he pushed away from the wall.

  Remy didn’t wait to see if Rom followed him up the stairs but he must’ve known he would.

  Looking over Remy’s shoulder, she watched Rom as he trailed behind them. He made brief eye contact with her, as if he were trying to tell her something. She had no idea what that might be but she was so glad he followed.

  Since her bedroom occupied the entire second floor, Remy had no trouble finding it.

  And when he saw her bed, his lips curved in a smile. This was the reason she’d had the walls removed up here after she’d bought the house.

  “Nice bed.” Remy’s voice held a distinct humor that lit her up inside.

  “Thank you. I—”

  He tossed her on it and she barely had time to laugh before Remy reached for her blouse and began popping open buttons.

  Her laughter stalled at the intensity in his expression. Her nipples tightened into painful points as her gaze dropped to watch his hands. Dark against the white silk of her blouse, his fingers made short work of the buttons then pulled the tails from the waistband of her skirt. He bared the nude lace of her bra. She expected him to put his hands on her breasts, waited for it with bated breath, but couldn’t exactly be disappointed when he reached for the side closure on her skirt.

  He opened the zipper with the same precise movements he’d used on her blouse. His fingers brushed against her skin, making goose bumps rise before he gripped the sides of the skirt and tugged it off her hips. With a deliberate shimmy, she let him pull the skirt off her legs. He tossed the skirt at the closest chair, an old, butter-soft leather armchair at the head of her bed. But Rom stepped into her line of sight and caught the skirt before it made it to the chair.