Jaded

by Anya Bast

  This is the second time I’ve found you broken and had to put you back together.”

  Lilya’s eyes came open and she looked up into Byron’s gently smiling face. Alek was beside him. The last thing she remembered was losing consciousness in Ivan’s dining room. Now she appeared to be back at Byron’s house.

  “Not broken.” Her voice came out rasping. “Ivan didn’t manage to do that a second time.” She smiled. “I’m just slightly damaged.”

  “Ivan is dead.” Alek cupped her cheek. “He’s not going to be hurting you ever again.”

  She leaned back into the pillows and let out a long sigh of relief. Closing her eyes, a tear squeezed out and dribbled down her cheek. The nightmare was over. Finally.

  “The doctor says you need to rest. He pulled out several large pieces of glass from your back and legs and you’ve lost a lot of blood,” continued Alek.

  She’d come close to losing so much more than that.

  Byron leaned over and kissed her forehead. “But never fear, Alek and I are here to pamper you until you’re well.”

  She laughed. “That sounds like heaven.”

  “Alek has been using his magick to heal you as well. Thanks to him, your scarring will be minimal.”

  She reached out, took Alek’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”

  He grinned. “I could think of better, far less scary ways you could have coaxed my magick from me, Lilya.”

  She smiled. “I’ll try and remember that next time. How did you two know where Ivan had taken me?”

  “When you revealed Ivan’s identity, Byron began gathering information about him and had him watched. He’d planned to take him down for what he did to you. He knew about all of Ivan’s properties. We just had to narrow it down. Once we did that, we gathered some reinforcements. Gregorio Vikhin was delighted to come out and arrest Ivan for kidnapping you, and the players from our crossball team were happy to come and crack a few heads.”

  She swallowed hard, remembering. “You came just at the right time.”

  “You killed Ivan, didn’t you, Lilya?” asked Byron.

  She was sure the rush of emotion she had at the memory made her face hard. “I did.”

  “Then the hard part is over. Alek and I are going to see that the rest of your life is easy and filled with love.”

  She closed her eyes, emotion making a hard lump in her throat. “I don’t know if I deserve it.”

  Byron touched her face. She opened her eyes and locked gazes with him. “We’re going to spend the rest of our lives proving that you deserve it.” He pulled a ring box from his pocket. “Now you have two, one for each hand.”

  She gasped and reached out to touch the ruby-and-diamond ring. It didn’t match Alek’s ring, but it did complement it—just as the men themselves complemented each other. She took the ring from the box and slid it onto her right hand.

  She held her hands at arm’s length, admiring the way the gems caught the light. “They’re the first rings I’ve ever accepted.” She looked up at them each in turn. “And they will be the last.”

  Byron moved closer to her, cupping her face in his hands. “Lilya, I love you. I began to love you the day I collected you off the ground of that alley and my love only grew as I got to know what an amazing woman you are.” He leaned in and kissed her softly. “I regret not telling you sooner. Can you forgive me for being afraid?”

  She stroked his cheek with her fingers. “Only if you can forgive me for the same.” She looked past him to Alek, who watched them with serious dark eyes. “I love you both more than I could ever have imagined I could love any man. How do you propose we handle this, the three of us?”

  “We’ll discuss that after you’re well,” answered Alek. “Until then, we’re going to take care of you.”

  And she believed them.

  Lilya looked up from her tea as Evangeline walked into the cook shop. Smiling, she rose. “You came without your babies?”

  Evangeline returned her smile, though it was weary. “They’re with Anatol and Gregorio. The men knew I needed an afternoon away. Thanks for dropping that note by and giving me the opportunity.”

  “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

  The serving girl came by and Evangeline ordered tea and a sugar bun. Evangeline peeled off her hat and gloves. It was unusually warm for early spring. “How are you feeling?”

  “Much better. It took some time to recover from the injuries I sustained, but I managed to heal without any scars thanks to Alek’s magick.”

  “You seem”—she studied her—“lighter, happier. In love?”

  “I am. Twice over.”

  A huge smile split Evangeline’s face. “And you said you never would be, but I remember the way you talked to me when I ran from Anatol and Gregorio. You wanted me to go back to them so much. You told me how much they loved me and wanted me.”

  “Ah.” She leaned forward and cupped her chin in her palm. “And I was right, wasn’t I?”

  “You were.” Evangeline paused as the serving girl set her tea and bun in front of her. “And I’m glad you were wrong about yourself. So, tell me, is it Alek Chaikoveii? That’s what Anatol thinks.”

  “Yes, it’s Alek and it’s also Byron Andropov.”

  She set her teacup down on the plate with a clatter and clapped. “Two!”

  Lilya felt her cheeks go crimson. “I wanted to ask your advice . . . about how you, Anatol, and Gregorio handle everything. I mean, a relationship between one man and woman is hard enough, add an extra partner and it’s that much more complicated.”

  “It’s not as complicated as you might think. Love seems to iron out the wrinkles. Not that there aren’t any. There will be jealousy from time to time. It’s only natural. You three will be a family, with ups and down, happiness and sadness.” She smiled. “You’ll find your way if it’s meant to be. Do you think it is?”

  This time it was a huge smile that split her face. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

  Thirty

  That evening Lilya stood at the window of the library in the house in Ulstrat admiring her rings in the evening light. She was smiling and she was certain she looked silly. She felt silly. Silly and content beyond belief.

  “How did I get so lucky?” she murmured to herself.

  Wonderful, she mused, now she was talking to herself. Maybe that’s something women in love did.

  “We think we’re the lucky ones,” whispered Byron, coming up behind her to pull her back against his chest. “I thought I would never have you in my life and now here you are.”

  She turned in his arms. “I never thought I’d end up with the men I love either.”

  “Love has its way, I guess.”

  “Thank Joshui, apparently it does. Of course, you and I owe a lot to Alek.”

  Byron nodded. “He was braver than us both.”

  “Who was?” asked Alek, walking into the room.

  “You,” Lilya and Byron answered together.

  Lilya pulled away from Byron and went toward him. “We were just saying that we three wouldn’t be together if it weren’t for you.”

  “Ah.” He gave her a saucy head-to-toe perusal. “And what sort of thanks will I be getting?”

  “Oh,” Lilya replied, turning her walk to a saunter and her voice to warmed butter. “I can think of a couple things.”

  “Can you now?”

  She reached him and began to unbutton his shirt. “Mmmm, very interesting things.” She leaned in and nipped at his lower lip. “Things that involve my mouth and my hands and my—”

  “What are we waiting for?” he growled, making her laugh. He dragged her up against his chest and slanted his mouth over hers, easing his tongue between her lips.

  He kissed her breathless before Byron scooped her into his arms and carried her upstairs to his bedroom. He set her down in the middle of the room and both men began to carefully undress her, their tongues and lips following in the wake of slowly revealed skin.


  She worked at their clothing too, pulling Byron’s shirt over his head and unbuttoning Alek’s pants. Soon all three of them were skin to skin.

  Kneeling on the plush carpet in the fire-warmed room, she drew Byron’s cock into her mouth while stroking Alek’s from base to tip with her free hand. She’d become adept at handling two men at once in recent days.

  Byron groaned and tipped his head back as she ran her tongue along the ridge of his crown, finding the tiny bundle of nerves just along one side that she knew was extra sensitive. She sucked him back into the recesses of her mouth and his fingers tightened in her hair.

  Soon she switched, giving Alek the same attention. It wasn’t long before she had two very aroused males on her hands.

  Alek eased her to the floor and positioned her so she half-sprawled in his lap, his hand roaming her breasts and teasing her nipples. “You have some work to do, Byron. Her pretty little cunt needs some attention.”

  “My pleasure.” Byron lowered himself to the carpet and spread her thighs. Meeting her eyes, he petted her, his finger slipping between her folds and over her clit.

  Her breath hissed out of her and her back arched. He speared two fingers inside her and she moaned, digging her heels into the carpet and shifting her hips impatiently. They loved to tease her until she was nearly incoherent with need. It was almost a competition between them.

  Still holding her gaze, he dropped his mouth to her clit and sucked it between his lips. She bucked in Alek’s arms when he pinched her nipples just enough to make her pant.

  “I do believe she likes that, Byron,” he murmured.

  Byron’s dark head bobbed between her thighs as he licked her, his fingers thrusting in and out of her. Pleasure poured through her, making her fidget. The men pushed her right up to the edge of a climax and held her there, making her insane with need. More than one time they’d made her beg and it appeared they were going to do so again.

  Byron pulled away from her, nearly making her sob. “On your hands and knees,” he ordered.

  Alek helped her to roll to her stomach. She raised her rear in the air while the men sought the toys they liked to use on her. Soon she felt the pressure of a lubricated ridged cylinder against the entrance of her sex and another pushing against her nether hole, each of the men controlling one of them.

  Byron used his free hand to stroke her clit as the men began easing both cylinders inside her at the same time. She cried out at the sensation of being so filled and stretched. The cylinder they pressed into her rear had a purpose, it made her ready for the girth of their cocks. The cylinder inside her sex they used just because they wanted to use it.

  Soon both toys were seated deep inside her and she was a mess of sexual need. While Byron stroked her clit with the pad of his finger, they began to thrust the toys in and out of her.

  Her climax hit her hard and fast, crashing over her body in waves of indescribable sexual bliss. She shuddered and bucked, crying out and digging her fingers into the carpet. The muscles of her sex convulsed around the toy as it went on and on until she was nearly hoarse.

  Then the men were pulling the toys out of her and lifting her up. She could barely walk from the powerful orgasm she’d just had. They guided her to a rope they’d had placed in the ceiling. It had a bar set in the dangling end for her to hang on to.

  She gripped the bar and hung for dear life as the men positioned themselves—Byron facing her and Alek behind her. Then she felt the press of their lubricated cocks against each of her entrances and they both slowly thrust inside her.

  Holding on to the bar, she kept perfectly still, their hands bracing her waist as they hilted within her body at the same time.

  “Oh, sweet Joshui,” she breathed.

  Having her rear stimulated this way brought to life all sorts of new pleasure she’d never before imagined. Having Byron so deep in her sex at the same time was an inexpressible ecstasy. It was pure sensation, and once they started to move, she wouldn’t know one from the other—it would simply be an endless arc of perfect bliss.

  They began to thrust and her fingers tightened on the handle of the rope that steadied her. The men found a rhythm that made her head fall back on Alek’s shoulder and a moan rip from her throat.

  Soon all that could be heard was the coming together of their three bodies. Sighs, pants, groans, and the gentle slap of skin on skin.

  Another orgasm rose within Lilya, flirted with her, and then crashed over her. Her back arched and she cried out as she shuddered her way through the waves of it. It wasn’t long before the men followed her, their cocks jumping deep inside her body almost in unison.

  It was usually this way, one of them came first and the eroticism of watching it happen triggered the other two.

  She could barely move. The men pulled from her body and Alek eased her into his arms and lifted her to the bathtub, where Byron was already drawing hot water.

  The three of them bathed and then snuggled into Byron’s huge bed, exhausted and satisfied. She snuggled between the two men, their skin still damp. Alek rolled her to face him and kissed her softly. “We love you so much,” he whispered.

  She reached out and cupped his cheek, Byron’s ring glimmering on her finger. “And I love you both more than anything.”

  Byron snuggled against her back. “I’m so grateful for this cold snap,” he murmured. “Gives us a good excuse to stay close all night.”

  She gave a low laugh. “We don’t need an excuse for that anymore. We’ll be married soon.”

  The date was set and the celebration was planned. She’d worried what people would think, Byron and Alek, both sons of wealthy houses, marrying a former courtesan.

  But Byron and Alek didn’t seem to care.

  Byron’s hand slipped over her abdomen and up to cup her breast. His fingers skated back and forth over her nipple, making her shiver.

  “Stop that,” she chided gently, “you’ll make me want you again.”

  He rolled her to her back and dragged her under his body. “Oh, no. Not that.”

  Alek moved on her side, lazily moving his hand over her breasts. “Yes,” he said drily. “I couldn’t possibly have enough stamina for another round.”

  She chuckled. “You have enough stamina for sixty rounds.”

  He saucily raised an eyebrow. “Why, yes, I do.” Then he leaned in to kiss her.

  It looked like it was going be a long, luscious night.

  The next morning someone knocked on the door. She answered it to find a well-dressed man carrying a sheaf of papers on her doorstep. “Miss Lilya Orensdaughter?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m the executor of Ivan Lazarson’s last will and testament.” He paused, peering past her to the two men who had entered the foyer to see who it was at the door. “You’re named.”

  She went very still, her hand on the solid wood of Byron’s front door. She used the sensation to ground herself as her mind hared off in several different directions. “I’m . . . named?”

  “I know it’s strange. It’s a matter of public knowledge it was your hand that killed him.”

  “In self-defense,” came Byron’s rumbling voice from behind her.

  “Yes, of course, self-defense. Yet this fact doesn’t change that you are named in Mr. Lazarson’s will.” He stood on the step looking expectant for several long moments. “Uh. May I come in?”

  She shook her head and forcibly broke the state of shock she’d been thrown into. “Of course, I apologize Mr. . . .”

  “Mr. Emil Corbinson.”

  “Mr. Corbinson, please come in.” She stood aside and allowed him to enter. “Please meet my intended husbands, Byron Andropov and Alek Chaikoveii.”

  The executor’s eyebrows rose into his thick black hairline. “Ah.” Arrangements of three in a marriage or relationship weren’t unheard of and were becoming increasingly common. Still, it wasn’t the most ordinary arrangement in Rylisk. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

  After the
introductions were finished, she led them all into the library, offered the executor something to drink, which he declined, and they all sat down and settled into business.

  He shuffled the papers he held. “In short, Miss Orensdaughter, Ivan Lazarson has left all his holdings and wealth to you. You are the only named person in his will.”

  Her eyes went wide and her hands clenched in her lap. How incredible that Ivan had done such a thing. He truly had been insane.

  “Now,” continued Mr. Corbinson, “some of that wealth is tied up in legal complications while the new government sorts through what due is owed various people wronged by Mr. Lazarson. Even so, when all is said and done, you will be an incredibly wealthy woman.”

  “No,” she answered immediately. “I will take not one penny from Ivan Lazarson’s estate.”

  The man blanched. “But, Miss Orensdaughter, this is a very substantial sum of money.”

  “I understand that. Mr. Corbinson, are you available for hire?”

  He blinked. “Available for . . . Yes.”

  She folded her hands in her lap. “Then I would like to hire you to keep tabs on the progress of the estate. When the government has taken its share on behalf of Mr. Lazarson’s victims, I want you to give the rest in its entirety to Angel House.”

  “Ah.” He paused. “As you wish.”

  She stood. “Thank you for coming by, sir.”

  The executor stood and gave her a large smile. “It was my pleasure. Have a wonderful day.”

  She followed him out of the house and closed the door behind him, resting her head against it for a moment. She still couldn’t believe that Ivan had left everything to her.

  Byron cupped her shoulder with his big, warm hand. “Are you all right?”

  She turned and smiled at him. Alek stood near the stairs, watching her with worried eyes. “At least Ivan’s presence on this earth is finally doing some good.”

  “Yes, my love, because of you.” Byron held out his hand to her.

  “Let’s not talk of Ivan anymore.” Alek stepped toward her, took her hand, and led her back into the library. “We have something we want to talk to you about.”