by Leah Brooke
He pinched her nipple lightly through the material, sending a flare of heat straight to her slit. Steve’s hands firmed, his thumbs stroking her inner thighs, controlling her rocking hips, but still wouldn’t move any higher.
Julianna moaned as Nick’s lips covered hers once again, lost in sensation as he took her mouth with mind-numbing passion. Kissing him back, she whimpered in her throat when he changed the tone of his kiss to caress her lips softly once again.
Every time she tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled back just enough to break contact before starting over once again.
With his thumb still caressing her nipple and Steve’s hands on her thighs, they both held her, keeping her from moving more than an inch or two in any direction.
Her breathing became harsh as the race to the edge continued, but neither seemed to be in a hurry to take her there as they had earlier. Trembling uncontrollably, she ached for the touch on her clit, her whimpered pleas loud in the confines of the jet’s plush interior.
Every time they’d made her come so far, the passion had been fast and furious. They’d never played like this with her before, taken the time that she’d always dreamed a man would take with her.
Now that she had it from them, she didn’t think she could stand it.
She burned everywhere and found it impossible to remain still. Her clit throbbed with alarming strength, each throb making it tingle even more and burn even hotter.
Nick’s lips hovered over hers as he waited, his big hand over her waist stroking her slowly to help her settle once again. “You are definitely the most feminine and submissive woman I’ve ever had the pleasure to hold. You also need to be bound at times, and I’m going to thoroughly enjoy decorating you for my pleasure—and yours.”
Julianna gulped, her hands tightening on his shoulders when Steve’s hands moved to the fastening of her jeans. Her stomach muscles quivered and tightened in anticipation. “I’m not submissive. I don’t want to talk, be tied up, or decorated.”
Nick’s hand went to the hem of her T-shirt and slowly lifted it, his fingers tracing lightly over the skin he revealed, making her stomach muscles clench. With a flick of his fingers, he undid the front closure of her bra, his caress soft as he brushed it aside to expose her breasts, making her nipples bead even tighter. “You definitely are, and I’m going to learn all of your secrets.”
Steve’s eyes darkened as he sat forward and looked hungrily down at her breasts, reaching out to stroke a nipple, his eyes flying to hers when she gasped at the strong jolt to her slit. “I could spend hours just petting you.”
Nick bent and took her mouth with his again, swallowing her cries as he covered her bare breast with a hot hand, his rough palm sending a barrage of tingling sparks to her pussy and clit.
Lowering her jeans to her thighs, Steve groaned softly and ran his fingers over her mound. “Beautiful. Jesus, she’s so soft.”
Nick lifted his head, taking both of her hands in one of his and lifting them over her head, caressing her hands at her instinctive struggle. “Did you get yourself waxed for us?”
Julianna arched, panicking slightly at the riot of sensation. “No. Before. Oh, God. I can’t do this. It’s too much.”
Nuzzling her jaw, Nick murmured softly. “You’re all right, darling. Just relax and let us explore you a little more. I want the chance to watch your face and test your reaction to different strokes on your nipples, and Steve’s dying to play with that soft little pussy.”
Bare from her shoulders to her thighs, Julianna lay across their laps, shifting restlessly as Nick ran a hand over her breasts, tweaking her nipples experimentally. She wondered if he knew what talk like that did to her, and decided they must as they continued with their conversation.
Nick’s eyes narrowed on her face. “Her breasts are very sensitive, her nipples especially so. We’ll have to be careful with them. I know just which clips she’ll need.”
Steve slid a finger through her folds and into her, making her gasp and clench on him, the shock of his abrupt invasion satisfying a decadent need inside her she didn’t fully understand. “She’s soaking wet. She tightens every time you pinch her nipples.” Steve leaned on the denim between her thighs, effectively holding her legs still as he slid his finger deep and began to manipulate her clit with his thumb. “She likes this. Her little clit is swollen.” His other hand slid up her body to her breast. “Soft, firm, and just the right size.”
Nick cupped his palm over her other breast. “Perfect.”
They both looked her over, speaking to each other in low tones about her as though she was an object to be inspected.
Prepared to be disappointed, she found herself pleasantly surprised that, instead of feeling cheap the way she had with David, the dark possessiveness and flare of need in their eyes made her feel like a precious possession, something she’d never admit as long as she lived. Reveling in their attention, she squirmed, arching into their hands as much as their holds allowed.
With both men caressing her breasts and Steve massaging her clit while holding a thick finger deep inside her, Julianna didn’t stand a chance of holding back anything. Her entire body became suffused with a pleasure so intense it curled her toes. She bucked in their arms, crying out as big, decadent waves of it washed over her. Her cries as she tightened on Steve’s finger sounded strange to her own ears, a tortured whimper that went on and on as the pleasure mounted and crested. Her own body felt strange to her, twitching and burning in a way she’d never before experienced.
She mewed, for God’s sake.
Tears of ecstasy burned her eyes as they brought her down slowly, so slowly she thought she would die of it. Jolting at each slow caress, she continued to whimper, sounding like some poor creature being tortured.
And torture it was, the kind of erotic torture she never thought she’d find, and that lasted long after the last shimmers of her orgasm faded away.
She lay drained and limp, splayed over them like some sort of offering, admitting only to herself that she loved the fantasy of it. It took several minutes of their long, slow caresses and soothing murmurs before her brain started functioning again. When it did, she groaned and reluctantly opened her eyes to find them both eyeing her indulgently.
Possessively.
Groaning, she closed her eyes again, unable to believe how easily they got to the core of her being, forcing her to succumb to desires she wasn’t yet ready to deal with.
Her face burned as she looked up at the ceiling, swallowing a moan as Steve’s finger caressed her intimately again before withdrawing. “Please let go of me so I can get dressed.”
Nick released her hands but didn’t allow her to sit up, instead running his hands over her breasts again before pulling the two sides of her bra together and refastening it. He pulled her shirt back down, all the while watching her face, a half smile curving his lips. “You’re really incredibly beautiful. If not for the night you’ve had, I’d take you right here. Right now.”
Julianna struggled to get up, hardly able to believe she’d almost forgotten her attack. “Hey! Let me up. Oh, God!” She spun toward the doorway. “Someone could walk in.”
Four warm hands moved over her, their touch knowledgeable and firm. Nick’s warm breath caressed her ear as he lowered her back down, bending with her and brushing her lips with his. “No one but us will see you this way. Now be still so we can get you dressed again.”
Steve smoothed his hand over her mound once more before helping her into her jeans. “I like your pussy waxed. Nice and soft. Next time, I’m going to get my mouth on you.”
As soon as Steve snapped her jeans and released her, Julianna scrambled to the other seat, stunned and a little scared at her complete loss of control.
It was something she’d always dreamed of, but she hadn’t expected the strength of their complete dominance over her senses or how vulnerable it would make her feel, not like herself at all.
If anyone had walked in and seen her like tha
t, she’d been so far gone, she wouldn’t have cared. “I don’t think—”
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to find what you’re looking for if you don’t have the courage to try. I never would have labeled you a coward.”
Angry at both herself and them, and still dazed from the most mind-blowing orgasm she’d ever had, Julianna glared at each of them. “I work for you.”
Nick sat back, looking anything but relaxed. “Are you going to use our interest in you to try to slack on the job?”
Offended, Julianna jumped to her feet. “Of course not! I’m a professional. I take pride in my work.”
Nick turned and reached for his briefcase. “Good. Then we’ll have no problem. Go ahead to the bedroom and get some sleep.” Looking up from his papers, he smiled. “Rest up, darling. You’re going to need your strength.”
* * * *
Steve looked up from his laptop as Julianna closed the door to the bedroom behind her. “I didn’t want to say anything to you in front of Julianna, but someone’s been watching the hotel since Julianna left. It’s someone who knows what he’s doing.”
Nick looked up from his work, the confidence he had in Steve shining in his eyes. “And you think it’s Paul Munson?”
Swiveling his chair, he faced Nick, the bitterness of betrayal like acid in his stomach, stronger now after the attack on Julianna. “I know it is. Nitro got a quick look at him, enough to recognize his moves. How the fuck did he figure out my interest in her so damned fast?”
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “Our interest.” Sitting back, he shrugged. “So you’ll catch him and do whatever you have to do.”
Steve hid a smile. Nick’s easy acceptance of his need for revenge humbled him. Both he and Nick had colorful pasts, Nick’s a hell of a lot more colorful, and both learned early in life how to get what they wanted. That’s probably why they’d become such close friends so quickly.
But he couldn’t let this endanger Nick in any way. “Yeah, and in the meantime, you’ll have someone with you at all times.”
Nick raised a brow and picked up a folder Steve recognized as one from the new island resort. “No. But you’d better watch yourself. He’s after you, not me. Keep someone on Julianna at all times.”
Getting the answer he’d anticipated, Steve sighed. “Look, just let me have someone on you. If he can’t get to me, he might try to kidnap you to get me where he wants me.” Being perhaps the closest person in the world to Nick, he understood the way his friend thought. Pouring coffee for both of them out of the pot the steward brought in, he grinned. “Think about how bad I’d feel if something happened to you because of this. You’d never let me hear the end of it.”
Chuckling, Nick studied the papers in his lap. “Then I guess you’ll just have to get to him before he can get to either one of us. Twelve years is a long time to spend looking over your shoulder. He’s getting careless. He already disappeared. A smart man would have stayed gone. Now he apparently thinks he needs someone else’s help to get what he wants, and Julianna said he limps now. He’s getting desperate, and desperate men make mistakes.”
Scrubbing a hand over his face, Steve leaned back, staring blankly at the ceiling of the cabin. “He’s crazy. Snapped when they murdered his wife. All he cared about was revenge. It put us all in danger. If he’s gotten worse than that—hell, I have no idea how he thinks anymore.”
Nick raised his eyes and looked at him pointedly. “He’s jealous, and he’s bitter. You and your friends had the audacity to survive when he led you into an ambush designed to get the men responsible for his wife’s death. You’re the only one who saw him and reported him when he escaped, and now his need for revenge has ruined his life. In the meantime, you’ve made a good life for yourself while he’s been on the run.”
Steve smiled at the underlying worry in Nick’s voice. “You afraid I’ll get shot again?”
Nick looked back down at his papers, frowned, and made a notation in the margin. “You’re a terrible patient.”
During the next few minutes of companionable silence, Steve regarded his friend closely. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman shake you before.”
Nick glanced up, a flash of surprise in his eyes before he quickly masked it, the small slip telling Steve his friend was even more unsettled than he’d thought. Turning his attention back to his papers, Nick took a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Intrigued, Steve crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, you do. You didn’t take her to bed. You let her go alone because she shook you up and you wanted some time alone.”
“A lot of good that did me. You haven’t shut up since she went to bed. Totally out of character for you. I think you’re a little shaken, too.”
Steve said nothing, staring at the door to the bedroom, trying not to imagine the way Julianna would look naked between the crisp sheets with her long, blonde hair draped over the pillows.
Staring in the same direction, Nick leaned back, running a hand through his hair. “She’s exhausted, and she’s had a hell of a night. Having an orgasm will make it easier for her to fall asleep and she needed the cuddle.”
When Steve just smiled and stared at him, he sighed. “Okay, we both did. I think she’s adorable as hell. Prickly, but adorable. The way she responded to being kissed in the elevator should have warned me she’d be trouble.”
Dropping the papers he’d been looking at, he sighed again. “She’s so damned lovable, especially when she’s trying so hard not to be.”
Stunned, Steve straightened in his chair. “Are you saying you’re serious about her?”
Nick shrugged, surprising Steve even more. “I don’t know. Ever since the night we met her I’ve been mentally rearranging my life. All I know is that she’s…different. She fascinates me. I don’t know her well enough, and this weekend will be a perfect opportunity to get to know her better, but every new facet I uncover only makes me want her more.”
Raking his hands through his hair again, he looked toward the bedroom. “She’s scared. She tries to hide it, but you can see it in her eyes when she comes. Her own response frightens her, and she fights it. Damned irresistible. She needs a delicate touch, but would likely punch me in the face if she heard me say that. You’ll have to be careful with her.”
Steve’s temper flared. His body still trembled with the need to take her, and he wasn’t in the mood to be told how to handle her. “And you think I don’t know this?”
Nick flung the folder, scattering papers everywhere and startling the hell out of Steve. “I don’t want you treating her like just another lay.” Blowing out a breath, he came to his feet. “Fuck this. I’m going up front.”
Steve watched in stunned disbelief as Nick walked away, disappearing through the door to the front of the plane.
Barely a minute later, Mike appeared, scowling as he watched Steve pick up the scattered papers. “What’s wrong with Nick?”
Taking his seat again, Steve shoved the papers back into the folder and tossed it aside. “Nothing.” Julianna was personal, too personal, and he wouldn’t talk about her with anyone but Nick.
Mike opened his mouth as if to say something, before snapping it closed again and turning away.
Irritated with himself, with Nick, and now with Mike, he snapped. “What is it, Mike?”
Lowering himself into the seat Nick just vacated, Mike shrugged. “Well, I’ve worked for both of you a long time and knew you quite a while in the Rangers. Your affairs are none of my business, but I have to admit, I’m a little worried. I’ve never once in these last ten years seen Nick’s temper flare like that, and I’ve never seen you so preoccupied.”
Steve turned to look out the window, knowing Mike saw far more than he’d like. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just a personal disagreement.”
Mike sat forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “You can’t afford to get careless with Munson closing in.”
“I won’t get careless.”
“You’ve both been distracted since the night you met Miss Lovette. I don’t like the timing, but I have to admit, it is interesting.”
Steve narrowed his eyes at Mike’s grin. “What the hell are you smiling at? Every time I look at you lately, you’re grinning like an idiot. What’s so funny?”
Mike didn’t even bother trying to hide his amusement. “It just occurred to me that I haven’t seen either one of you with another woman since you met Miss Lovette. Usually there’s two or three a week. Even when Nick took that other woman to a party, he couldn’t wait to leave the party and take her back home. He practically ignored her the entire time, staring out the window, deep in thought. After we dropped her off, we sat outside Miss Lovette’s apartment for an hour with him just staring up at her window. I have to say, I never thought I’d ever see the two of you share a woman.”
Steve glared at him, surprised to hear what Nick had done, and a little angry at himself that he hadn’t realized the intensity of Nick’s feelings toward Julianna. “None of this is any of your concern, is it?”
Mike’s expression went blank as he stood. “No, sir. It isn’t. I apologize for overstepping my boundaries.”
Steve cursed inventively. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Mike. I didn’t mean that. You know you’re more than an employee to us. You’re a good friend. This new hotel, Munson, and the plans we’re working on have us both distracted. Neither of us planned to get involved with anyone, and we sure as hell never thought we’d fall for the same woman.”
After a moment, Mike nodded and sat back down, wordlessly accepting the apology. “I’m worried about both of you. You’ve never stayed while a hotel was being redone. You fly in and out to check progress and that’s it. You’ve both been rescheduling appointments or handling things with emails and phone calls. I’ve never seen either one of you even postpone the most trivial appointment for a woman before. This past week you’ve both rearranged your entire schedules for a woman you just met. You’re making yourselves easy targets.”
