The Bodyguards' Princess

by Mayburn, Ann

  Running her hand through her short hair, Lalita examined the room and then began opening doors. She sighed in gratitude when she found the bathroom off a large bedroom.

  "You hungry, Princess?" Kent called from the kitchen, his voice echoing oddly off the curved ceiling.

  "Yeah, but I'm going to take a shower first."

  Lalita took a moment to admire the bathroom. A stainless steel vent hung from the ceiling in the center of the small room. Redwood cabinets complimented the smooth stone walls and a large multi-head shower dominated most of the space. Quickly stripping out of her clothes, she adjusted the dial and waited for the hot water. A quick inspection under the sink revealed shampoo, conditioner and other personal hygiene items.

  Steam began to billow into the room and she quickly stripped out of her old clothes. Hot water beat all over her body, and she tipped her head back with a sigh of delight. The warm water relaxed her shoulders and she rotated her neck under the spray. Squeezing some orange scented soap onto a washcloth, she scrubbed her skin and tried to keep her tired thoughts on the task of getting clean.

  Unfortunately, her mind refused to let the question go of why Kent and Asher got kicked out of the military. It seemed so out of character for them. They followed every rule and were honest men. She couldn't imagine what they would have done that was bad enough to get a dishonorable discharge. Even more baffling, why would that discharge have made her father hire them.

  They owed her some answers, and she was going to get them.

  After applying some deodorant she found in the cupboard, she toweled off and slipped on an oversized T-shirt and some men's sweatpants tucked away in a cedar dresser drawer. Asher came in as she was pulling the drawstring around her waist.

  "I'm going to jump in the shower. Food’s almost ready." Instead of moving toward the bathroom, he stood there staring at her with his eyes darkening.

  Feeling self-conscious, she fiddled with the T-shirt. "Okay. When you get out, we need to talk."

  His lips tightened. "Yeah, we do." With that, he went into the bathroom and closed the door with a soft click.

  Kent came in a second later and gave her a warm smile. "I need to wash up. Can you strain the spaghetti for me in a minute?"

  "Sure." As she made her way across the massive main room, she wondered how both men were going to shower at the same time. Maybe one would shave while the other showered. Heck, they shared her in bed. Obviously seeing each other naked was no big deal.

  After searching the cabinets in the kitchen area, she found a strainer and turned off the noodles and drained them. Soft classical music played in the background from hidden speakers and she relaxed further. The smell of good food, the lingering heat of the shower, and the safety of the solid rock allowed her to relax and think. The expiration date on the jar of spaghetti sauce was still good, and she wondered how frequently Mr. and Mrs. Jerry came here. Seemed like an odd place to vacation, but you couldn't beat the privacy.

  She found a bottle of red wine in one of the cupboards, and opened it. She took a deep swallow and poured the rest into some water glasses. After tossing the pasta and sauce together, she heaped it onto the dinner plates and added an extra helping for the men.

  As she was putting out the napkins, the men came back into the room. She couldn't help the silly smile that curved her lips at the sight of them. Kent's wet hair was a deep brown color with a natural wave. Asher's freshly shaved skin gleamed in the lights and his white teeth flashed as he returned her smile. Neither man wore a shirt, and she totally appreciated that fact.

  Taking a seat, she crossed her arms over her chest. Without a bra, her hard nipples stuck through the cotton, revealing her attraction. Asher picked up his water glass and sat across from her, taking a deep drink before loading his fork with noodles. Kent did the same, digging into the food with a happy sigh.

  Her fork lay unused in her hand as she watched their muscles move and bunch beneath their skin as they ate. Who knew such a little movement as lifting a glass could do such amazing things to their bodies?

  Kent broke the silence. "Princess, you need to eat."

  Blushing, she dropped her gaze to her plate and swirled her fork into the mass of noodles. If she couldn't see either of them, she wouldn't be distracted.

  "Mr. Jerry sent an email while you were in the shower. He thinks he managed to keep the police off our trail. As far as they know, his wife was drunk and imagined terrorists attacking the house."

  "What?" She coughed and Kent thumped her on the back.

  "Mrs. Jerry drank a good deal of brandy before the police arrived. She puked it up all over the floor when they questioned her." Kent snickered. "They left soon after."

  She must have been hungrier

  "Gotta admire her dedication to the cause. We owe her a new carpet though," Asher added as he sat back with a sigh and stretched. Lalita's mouth went dry and her pussy wet as she followed the hard curve of his pectorals down to his dark nipples.

  Kent stood from the table, and she found her eyes drawn to the perfect ridge of his abdominal muscles beneath his light dusting of hair. Lifting a finger under her chin, he tilted her hungry gaze to his face. "Let's have our talk so we can relax and get some sleep."

  Nerves tightened in her stomach at the serious expressions on both men's faces. She forced herself to eat the rest of her pasta. After draining the rest of her wine, she followed them into the lounge area. Flopping back into a deep blue chair, she examined the men as they sat across from her. Their cold poker faces were back and they watched her warily. Whatever they had to say, they were very afraid of how she would react.

  Her stomach clenched again and she rubbed her belly. "Why were you kicked out of the military?" The words came out in a rush, and Asher sighed.

  "I promise I'll tell you, but first we need to explain some things." Kent stroked the back of the couch and looked over at Asher.

  "You know Kent and I met in the Marines, right?" Asher asked and leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

  "Yeah. You said once that you've been friends for seven years."

  Maintaining eye contact, Asher carefully said, "Our wives were best friends. That's how we met."

  The breath left her lungs in a whoosh. Glancing at their hands, she looked for any sign of having worn a ring. No tan lines and no indentation. Either they never wore their rings or hadn't worn them in a long time.

  "We were both stationed at Camp Pendleton and lived next door to each other." Asher looked back at Kent and grinned. "Young, in love, we were living large and loving life."

  She watched them carefully, drawing her knees to her chest against the wounded feeling in her heart. "Are you still married?" she asked in almost a whisper.

  Asher closed his eyes and shook his head. "No."

  Kent filled the silence, his voice rough. "While we were over in Asia dealing with the anarchist attacks in Japan, our wives…"

  With his eyes still closed, Asher continued, "Our wives were killed."

  "Oh my god. I'm so sorry."

  She leaned forward to go to them, but sat back when Kent held up his hand. "We need to tell you the rest. Then you can decide what you want to do."

  Nodding, she ran her hand through her short hair and watched them. Her heart hurt for them both, and talking about this obviously reopened old wounds.

  Kent put his hand on Asher's back and stroked his shoulder. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gunned down at the mall by a bunch of stupid gang-bangers who decided to have a turf war in the middle of the food court."

  Kent rubbed his face, and Asher hugged him close. The sorrow in his gaze brought an answering hurt from her heart. "I think I almost lost my mind when I found out. If Kent hadn't been there, going through the same thing…"

  His pale hand continuing to move over Asher's shoulder in gentle circles and he blinked back tears. "It took a long time, but we learned to deal with the pain and get over blaming ourselves for not being there."
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br />   "It never went away, but we found…" Asher looked back at Kent, and he nodded. "We found that we were able to love again." Asher carefully pulled Kent's hand off his shoulder and held it in his own, black and white skin standing out in sharp contrast. They looked at her expectantly. Puzzled, she tilted her head at them and scrunched her eyebrows.

  Blowing out a breath through his nose, Kent said, "We fell in love with each other."

  "What?" She slumped back into her chair, staring at them. "You're gay?" Even as she said that, she realized how silly it sounded. Of course they weren't gay. They'd proven it … repeatedly.

  "No, we're bi-sexual." Asher's grip on Kent's hand tightened. "I've never felt an attraction to a man before Kent, and no one after. We both love women and have had female partners join us over the years. But we love each other too much to ever consider having a relationship that didn't include both of us. We haven't found the right woman for both of us … until now."

  Kent nodded in agreement. "Which brings us back to you."

  "Me?" The smile she gave them felt weak and unsure. She tried to wrap her mind around what they were saying, but all she could do was stare at their fingers laced together.

  "Kent and I could never go through the loss of a wife again." Asher kissed Kent's knuckles gently. She watched in fascination as his lips moved across Kent's skin. Warmth filled her body at the sight and her mind was suddenly filled with forbidden fantasies.

  "We agreed long ago that any woman in our future would have to accept both of us. With one woman to love and care for, we can always keep her safe and satisfied." Kent gave her his wicked grin. "We're a package deal."

  Turning this over, she rubbed her eyes. "Is that why you were kicked out of the military?"

  Jaw tightening, Asher nodded. "Yeah." He obviously wasn't going to go into any further details.

  "Which was one of the reasons the Sanjit picked us as your live-in bodyguards," Kent added. "He thought your virtue would be safe with us." He gave her a lewd wiggle of his eyebrows that made her giggle despite all the shocks to her overtired mind.

  "We want you to consider being our woman." Asher stood and glanced back at Kent. "I know this is not the best time, but you deserve to know the truth. We think you're perfect and could not imagine being with anyone else." Kent nodded as Asher's words swept through her in a warm wave.

  Asher pulled Kent from the couch and drew him into his arms. They stood before her, both men wrapped around each other and gently caressing the other. Her nipples drew to hard points and she shifted in the chair. The sight of them together, touching with restless desire, left her wet with arousal.

  "We're going into the bedroom," Kent said and hooked his thumbs into Asher's shorts, drawing them down a bit over his dark hips. He traced his fingers beneath the waistband and Asher arched toward him.

  "If you wish to join us, we will be waiting for you." Asher tugged Kent after him and they shut the door.

  Tilting her head back, she stared at the ceiling. Of all the things they could have possibly told her, this was on the bottom of the list. It certainly explained a lot. Her father's trust in leaving the men alone with her. The way they seemed to be an extension of each other. The lack of steady girlfriends despite being as handsome as Greek gods.

  Hugging her arms around herself, she considered their proposal. To have both men, with her and loving only her, was a dream come true. What woman wouldn't want to be the center of all that attention? All that love?

  Chewing on her thumb, she considered the other side of it. What if she got jealous? What if they got jealous? What would her father say? The last part made her grin. At this point, he would probably be happy to have her off the top ten most wanted lists.

  Standing up, she wiped her sweaty hands on the edge of the T-shirt. A hesitant step led her closer to the bedroom door. She wondered what they were doing in there. Her hand hovered over the doorknob as she tried to listen through the thick wood. A muffled voice gave no indication of what was being said. Pressing her face to the wood, she tried to hear more.

  A deep chuckle rumbled inside, and she sighed. After all they had faced together, the decision to go further still rested in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pushed the door open and kept her gaze on the sapphire and mint Persian rug.

  Now she needed to find out if she could handle the whole package.

  Chapter Seven

  "Hello, Princess," Kent said in a soft sigh.

  Pleasure wove into his voice and Asher added, "Would it be easier for you if we turned off the lights entirely?" As it was, only a soft low-watt lamp glowed on the dresser.

  Shaking her head, she let her feet carry her to the edge of the bed. Like a froth of sea foam, the bed skirt brushed the carpet. The skirt moved as one of the men shifted on the bed and stroked the side of her face in a soft caress that released some of the tension in her neck.

  The mattress moved again and another hand, rough and warm, traced down the side of her neck. "We'll take it slow," Asher said in a low voice.

  "Nice and easy," Kent added and gently stroked his hand down her arm to her wrist. His fingertips rested against her pulse and she was sure he could feel the race of her heart.

  Tilting her head slightly, she found herself staring at the hard erections of both men. Eyebrows rising in shock, she quickly peeked at their faces Silly, yes, but she couldn't help feeling like a pervert for looking at their cocks before their faces.

  Both men gave her an almost identical wicked grin. Dark and light, they were still the most handsome men she had ever seen. And they wanted her.

  "I love it when she blushes," Kent said and stroked her palm with his thumb.

  "I love it when she comes," Asher said in a rough voice and traced his finger over the swell of her breast.

  The sensations made her nipples tight and aching, joining her already wet pussy's response to their presence. "What do you want me to do?"

  "Enjoy everything we have to offer," Kent said and captured her other breast in his hand. His long fingers pinched and tugged on her nipple hard enough to sting. The answering hiss of pleasure she gave made his blue eyes darken with desire.

  Asher took her hand and placed it on his chest. The feeling of all that hard muscle available to her made her knees weak. Beneath the strength, his heart beat as hard as hers. For all of his bravado, he was as nervous as she was.

  Asher's dark hand slipped beneath her T-shirt and traced her ribs in a soft caress that made her shiver. He turned and began to kiss his way over Kent's shoulder, pausing to lick the hollow of his collarbone. Hunger made her greedy for their touch and she leaned closer, examining the sight of Asher's ebony lips on Kent's creamy skin.

  Her gaze followed Asher's lips as they moved up the column of Kent's throat, pausing to nip at the muscle there. Kent's fingers became rougher, more demanding as he cupped and teased her nipples. Their lips finally met, and her pussy clenched as desire surged through her.

  The sight of the men kissing had to be one of the most erotic sights in the world. They were so attractive, so strong, and the way they moved against each other really turned her on. The fact that both of them touched her with a passion that almost bordered on greed only added to the heat of the moment.

  Breaking their kiss, they hauled her onto the bed between them and stripped off her shirt. "You have no idea how many times I've dreamed of having you both," Asher said as he wrapped his arms around her and Kent.

  Kent rubbed his face against the top of her head. "Watching you day after day, not being able to touch you, it was torture."

  "I thought you didn't like me," she confessed in the safety of their arms. "I wanted you so badly, and you didn't seem to notice me as anything but a client."

  Kent laughed and Asher said, "How could we not fall in love with you? You're a strong, smart, and oh-so sexy woman."

  "Why do you think we chased away every guy that tried to date you?"

  "You what?" She stared at both men who tried to
appear innocent despite being naked and wrapped around her.

  "That night you went to the club? We had a little talk with any guy that you showed interest in." Asher looked totally unapologetic.

  "The thought of those little pasty-faced emo boys touching you when we couldn't." Kent's voice dipped to a low rumble, "It drove us crazy."

  To emphasize the point, Asher grabbed a handful of her ass and squeezed. "Even in all that Goth makeup, you were the most beautiful woman there. So sensual and tempting."

  Kent ran his hand down her ribs and teased at the edge of her pants. "And when we sparred with you--shit, you have no idea how much I wanted to fuck you until you couldn't walk."

  With those words, Kent's hand slid down into her pants and stroked her swollen flesh. "Oh, honey. You're so wet." He sighed and smoothed her cream over her labia.

  Leaning her head back onto Asher's chest, she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensation of their touch. Lips softly brushed against her ear and a warm breath made her shudder. Gentle fingers parted the engorged lips of her pussy and coated themselves in her cream, spreading it across her mound without touching her clit. She spread her legs wider and relaxed into Asher's arms. "That's it, Princess. Let us love you."

  His words melted her heart as their hands melted her body. Reaching out, she ran her fingertips over the soft hair on Kent's chest. Warm and firm, his skin was silk over steel beneath her touch. While the overwhelming desire of her trigger was amazing, this sensual seduction was as mind-blowing in its own way.

  She wanted more. "Kent, lay back, please." She pushed him onto the mattress, eyeing his thick cock. Behind her, Asher pulled off her pants and nipped at her bottom with his teeth. The sting of his bite made her groan He began to kiss his way down the curve of her ass, but she wanted other pleasures first. "Want to join me?" she asked in a low voice, keeping her gaze on the shadow of Kent's hipbone.

  Both men sucked in a breath and Asher said, "Are you sure?"

  Instead of answering, she reached back and held his hand, drawing him toward them. A soft tremble shook her fingertip as she traced the head of Kent's cock. Asher moved next to her and ran his hand down her arm, hovering above her fingertip. Tilting her head to look at Kent, she watched his face as Asher's fingers joined her own.