Harper was as thankful as the woman between them.
Chapter Thirty-Four
It was rare for Elijah to feel exhausted.
Forcing a woman with a heart like Brie’s to submit in such a way had not been easy for him.
However, it had been necessary.
The moment she casually stated she’d rather die than endanger them, it drove home how different she was from the women they’d known in their pasts.
Everything inside him had recoiled in true fear, an emotion he didn’t recognize at first.
That she meant what she said without understanding what it would do to him if anything happened to her told him that she didn’t give herself much of a priority in his life.
She believed she was disposable.
Such a belief could not be allowed to stand.
All his life, he’d known and accepted that he would die to protect Harper. His lover, his friend, the first person to make him feel love, Harper shared space inside him.
Both of them were broken for different reasons.
It was a reality they’d always recognized and, for the most part, ignored until Brie started putting those shattered pieces back together accidentally.
For Elijah, it changed his entire outlook.
Away from her, he worried, ached, and was often distracted. Near her, he felt a calm he’d never experienced. She settled the rage he’d carried since his first memory and slowly knitted together the wounds that continued to bleed.
Unwilling to risk Harper’s safety, he’d taken the best men from each of his teams and started training them to back him up.
Those watching Brie were equally competent. Two of the team she didn’t really understand that she had were already bonding to her. They’d requested permanent assignment to her detail.
Elijah understood.
Many thoughts filed rapidly through his brain as he regained control of his mind and his heart. Tears slipped from beneath her closed lids to Harper’s chest.
Gaining her submission had cost them both. He’d broken her down. Now it was time to build her back up.
“Brie.” Thick black lashes fluttered open. As the sun moved into the skylight above the sanctuary, it made her skin glow and made the blue of her eyes more obvious. “Are you alright?”
She nodded. Her fingers petted Harper’s skin.
Carefully gathering her in his arms, he brought her back to his chest. Harper reached over and pulled a wipe from the box. Sitting up, he wiped her face while Elijah gathered her hair to one side.
When he was done, Harper bent his head to suck her nipples and her head dropped back. Both of them were seated deep in her body, throbbing against each other as her muscles spasmed around them.
Hypersensitive to stimulation, Elijah stroking his fingers over her belly to her clit slammed her into another climax.
Moaning, shaking, as her body responded, Harper released her nipples and reclined again. Together, they lowered her to rest on him. He braced her as they started to move.
Elijah withdrew until only the head of his cock was clasped by the snug muscles of her ass. As he pushed deep again, Harper stroked out.
The friction of her body and their friction against each other was not unfamiliar. They’d taken more women than Elijah cared to remember in such a way.
Familiar, yet different in every way that mattered.
They took her up gently and heard her sigh as another orgasm crashed over a body primed for them. Moving with her, supporting her bodyweight, he stared into Harper’s eyes.
“Have you missed each other?” The barely audible question took both of them by surprise. “How lonely you must have been, Harper. I’m sorry.”
“It’s better now.”
“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy. I want that for you.”
“What about you, Gabriella? What about your happiness?”
“I’m blissfully happy in this moment, right now.” She reached back with a shaking hand and stroked her fingers over Elijah’s thigh. Turning her head, she kissed Harper’s chest. “I feel grateful to have you both inside me, filled up with touch I’ve craved for months.”
The women who’d found themselves between them over the years were cold, disconnected. Touching them, being touched by them, hadn’t been expected or desired.
Without speaking, the friends took Brie slowly and they touched her. Hands slid over her hair and skin, massaged muscles taut with tension, and kissed flesh they could reach.
She soaked it up, giving back as much as she could, as tired as she was. Brie touched them with her heart and communicated it through her body.
Another climax stole control and she went limp between them. Still they took her, fucked her, loved her. Gave her what she deserved as Harper met his gaze and smiled.
Elijah returned it and they braced her as they went harder, faster, deeper in the body of a woman who welcomed what they offered.
Pushing her, pushing themselves, she shook powerfully between them as they provided counter thrusts.
Inclining his head, they ramped up the force and she moaned low in her throat.
“You’re so hard and hot. This, I could get addicted to this.” The words were murmured almost incoherently. “I’ve never felt as complete as I feel right now.”
“Focus down, Brie. Absorb every sensation. Hold back if you can. Let it build.”
“Yes.”
The sun was fully over the sanctuary, bathing her in light that turned her skin caramel and made her hair shimmer. She panted, whimpered, as she let them drive her higher.
Open, exposed in a way no woman had ever been.
Harper’s eyes glowed silver as he struggled to hold back, to wait for Elijah’s signal. His jaw was tight, clenched against the very real stimulation from Brie’s repeated orgasms.
A few minutes later, she whispered, “Elijah…h-help.”
Circling her upper body, Harper wrapped her close to his chest. Elijah slid his arm between them, crossing to Brie’s shoulder and wrapping his hand there.
Their heart rates were through the roof, pounding against the sides of his forearm.
“Bring your thighs in, Brie.” Harper grunted as she followed instruction and sealed herself to his sides. “Feel every inch of Harper buried in your pussy. He’s desperate to come, to fill you up. Do you want him to fill you?”
“Please. Please.”
He stilled his own thrusts and smiled at Harper with a small nod. Taking her harder from beneath, Elijah braced her for the force of his thrusts. “Watch his face. Tell him, Brie. You can give him permission.”
“I want to feel you. I want your come. Please, Harper. Let me have it. Let me please you.”
“Gabriella…” Upper body rising from the chair, jaw clenched, he gasped as he let go after hours of holding back. Pressing her hips to him, he groaned as he gave her everything.
Harper was a beautiful man.
He was even more so in the grip of passion.
Jerking against the chair, he held her to him, trying to breathe as pleasure stole the ability and her body milked him dry. Slowly recovering, nostrils flaring, he moved enough to cup her face and kiss her aggressively.
Raking her damp hair away from her face, Harper murmured, “Rest here. Hold on, Gabriella. You’re strong. One more.”
Lying back, he scooted his body lower to give Elijah better access to her. “I can feel how he throbs in your ass. He wants to coat you, fill you up.”
Weakly, she replied, “Let’s enjoy him fucking me together.”
Hugging her hard, Harper stared at him. Feet flat on the floor, Elijah placed his palm in the center of Brie’s back, stroking her gently. She glistened with sweat, panting with her lips slightly open as she held back until he gave her permission.
Pulling back, he thrust forward until his pelvis met the cheeks of her ass. Gradually, he raised the tempo until she was shaking, mumbling, and trying to hold on, hold back.
Every stroke was as deep
as he could get in her ass. Hot and tight around his cock, his balls pressed against Harper’s with each push. She was so tight with tension and he forced himself past natural resistance.
“Tell me how you feel, Brie.”
“Loved. Safe.”
The words sank deep, clawed their way into his soul, and he dropped his head back on his shoulders. Inhaling deep, he bent over her body and nuzzled against her ear.
“I want to feel you take your pleasure, to feel you fall apart for me, so I can pump my come into your stunning ass. Come for me, Brie. Come for me.”
The feel of her removing control over her muscles fascinated him. He watched her inhale slowly as she allowed herself to feel the effects of their attention.
Then she screamed his name and he drove hard into flesh that tightened like a vise. His climax crawled through his thighs, his ass, his low back, and around to his groin as he gave her every scalding drop. Thrusting, thrusting, thrusting.
Brie passed out cold.
When he trusted himself to move, he carefully pulled from her body, lifted her from Harper, and carried her to the bed.
Quietly, they worked together to clean her of their combined fluids and covered her in satin as they straightened the room and walked to the shower.
In the enclosed space, Elijah slammed Harper against the tile and claimed his mouth with force.
Moving back slightly, he stared into eyes filled with renewed passion. “I won’t push you. You’ll know when you’re ready.”
“I throb for you.”
“Eventually, you’ll let me soothe you as Brie watches. She’ll come harder than ever before, no aphrodisiac cream required.”
Breathing rapidly, he whispered, “How do you know?”
“She loves me, loves you, and desires us both. Her reaction when we touch each other is open and honest. I trust her.”
“I’m…not there yet.”
“When you are, I’ll destroy you with pleasure.” He smiled tightly at the thought, a spasm in his balls. “I wonder if she’ll touch herself while she watches us.”
Harper rested his head against the tile and closed his eyes. “To have a woman who…accepted us. I refused to hope for such a thing.” He ran his hands up Elijah’s chest and opened his eyes. “Give me more time.”
He nodded. “Wash. Rest a few hours. Then we take her downstairs for food and to prepare.”
“She won’t be pleased with me. She won’t like being forced to interact publicly. Not here in Washington.”
Grinning, Elijah replied, “She protects you, not herself. Going public with her is different and you know that.”
He nodded. “Let’s show her why it isn’t necessary for her to protect me.”
Stepping from the shower, they kissed again before drying and returning to a woman who slept soundly in the room they’d always called a sanctuary.
It had never felt more of one until she entered it.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Blinking against the fading light of the room, Brie took stock of her surroundings, her body, and the men on either side of her in bed.
She felt incredible.
Sitting up, she raked her hands through her hair and pronounced herself gross. Careful not to wake them, she went to use the bathroom and shower.
Without company, she took her time scrubbing her skin and deep conditioning her hair. They’d made sure to include her favorite products.
In the main space, she wrapped a towel around her body and took her time detangling and drying her hair.
By the time she returned to the sanctuary, she felt sparkling inside and out. Both men were gone.
In the living space, the men met her at the door. They were fully dressed in slacks and dress shirts.
Harper took her towel and wrapped her in another silk robe. As he tied it snugly around her waist, he bent to kiss her.
“You have clothes downstairs. We’ll move some here.” His palm stroked inside the robe, over the skin of her side, and added, “Or not.”
“I can paint naked.” Silver eyes flared. “Kiss me stupid again. I like when you do that.”
Grinning, he gripped the hair at the base of her neck and pulled her up on her toes to claim her mouth. Curling her fingers around his forearms, she took him deeper into herself.
Elijah slipped powerful arms around her midsection and bent to kiss his way up her neck as Harper lightly bit her lower lip.
“How are you, Brie?”
Leaning back against him, she said honestly, “Better at this second than any other in my entire life.”
Lifting her face up and back, Elijah ate at her mouth. “We have to take you downstairs. First, you have to eat. We ordered real food.”
They sat at the tiny table and enjoyed fresh tuna steaks, vegetables, and fruit salad. Receiving a glass of one of her wines made her smile.
When they were done, they moved closer, watching her eat. She sighed in happiness and consumed every bite.
“We’re going to have to figure out this food thing. I need fuel to keep up with the two of you.”
“You’re a machine, Gabriella. No one else received more than a few hours of our time and far less of our sexual attention.” Laughing, Harper added, “You remain fresh and lovely.”
“Do what you love, love what you do,” she quipped. It made them laugh. Leaning her elbow on the table, she rested her chin in her hand. “Does it bother you that I represent many firsts for both of you in regards to women?”
Harper tilted his head. “You represent every first aside from actual marriage.” Her eyes widened. “I didn’t like Danielle. It’s something I’m not proud to admit. I didn’t eat with her, sleep with her, fuck her more than what I deemed necessary, and I wasn’t faithful.”
“Did she know?”
“Possibly. I was cold to her, Gabriella. The moment her pregnancy was confirmed, I put her out of my mind and went about my life. Looking back, the isolation and lack of care made things so much worse. I drove her to kill herself.”
“Every person makes their own choices, Harper. She could have left you. She could have called a friend. She allowed it to go on, just as you did. She chose to ignore it, to sacrifice happiness for standard of living.”
Reaching out, she held his hand. “You may have been cold and unfaithful to her but you didn’t shove her over that railing. It wasn’t your fault. In the end, it was the culmination of bad choices, chemical imbalance, and simple sadness that did it.”
He stared at her for a long moment and tugged her closer. “Thank you.”
She kissed him, smoothing her hand along his face.
They cleaned up and Elijah took her hand, leading the way from his space to the third floor.
Harper opened the door to a room at the end of the hall. “I meant to show you this room yesterday.” Glancing over his shoulder, he grinned. “You distracted us.”
“Amen,” she said deadpan.
He laughed and told her, “This was Elijah’s room until he graduated high school.”
“I love that you put me in here.”
“No one else has used it. The staff knows it remains closed.”
Blinking rapidly, she whispered, “No one has slept here since Elijah slept here?” He shook his head and she hugged him tightly. “That means so much to me. Thanks.”
Walking with her to the closet, her eyes widened. “You’ll find everything you need in here. Riya and Natalia ordered what they thought you’d need and instructed we not judge your need for leggings and t-shirts while you paint.” She snickered softly.
Clearing his throat, he added, “We laid out what you need for tonight. Natalia had the gown designed to your measurements. A woman will be here to do your hair and makeup in half an hour. She’ll help you dress as well.”
In the closet, spread across a circular bench, was a gorgeous silver ball gown shot through with deep blue threads.
“Harper…”
He turned to her, his hand along her neck. �
�What did you say to me, Gabriella? Fuck all that shit. Let’s do what we want.” His fingers tightened. “Did you mean that?” She nodded. “Then get dressed and show me how brave you are.”
Kissing her roughly, he left the room.
Staring at the floor, she took several deep breaths. She was having a bit of a panic attack.
Elijah hugged her from behind. “You’ve got this.” She nodded. “Tell me why you’re afraid.”
“You know why.” Turning in his arms, she hugged him tightly. “Let’s not talk about it.”
He cupped her face, kissed her slow, and waited for her to ease. The moment she relaxed, he lifted her into his arms. She wrapped around him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I love you, Elijah.”
“I love you, Brie.”
Lifting her face, she stared into his eyes. Dragging her fingers through his hair, she massaged his neck and shoulders.
“I-I need…will you to stay with me for a few minutes?”
Walking into the bedroom, he sat down in a comfortable chair near the window and held her close. She hugged him as hard as she could.
“Brie.” She sat up to look at him. “I’ll play for you tonight.”
It was impossible to stop the tears that welled in her eyes. All she could do was nod and grip him in desperation. “That would mean so much to me, Elijah.”
He held her, stroked her back, and finally, she was able to find stability. She asked herself the worst that could happen by attending a gala. Taking a deep breath, she kissed him until he moaned in her mouth and started to slide his hands beneath the robe.
“We don’t have time.” Leaning back with a smile, she tugged her lower lip between her teeth. “Unless…”
“Nice try.” Standing, he set her on her feet. “Get dressed. Take your time and let me know when you’re ready.”
She nodded and he left her with a wink.
Dressing quickly in the outfit they’d chosen for her, she smiled at the lovely underthings and hissed at the delicate flats. The gown draped to the floor, hugging her curves and crossing her back while leaving most of it bare. If she knew where her cell phone was, she’d text Natalia a “woot” and a photo.
Radiance Page 28
