“And you never told anyone?” he demanded.
“I was scared,” she said. “I was in training for the Olympic tryouts and I thought it was a rival, someone jealous. I was afraid they’d try it again, come after me, so I quit swimming.”
“She was only eighteen,” Nash added.
West closed his notebook. “Due to the circumstances, the DA has decided not to charge you as an accomplice after the fact for the murder of Brandy Hamlet.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened.
“But that won’t stop any litigation the Hamlet family might seek in the wrongful death of their daughter,” West continued.
“We won’t be pressing charges,” came a firm voice from the doorway. Everyone turned.
Walter and Ruth Hamlet stood in the doorway. Ruth held flowers and there was a peace about her that hadn’t been there the first time Charlotte had met her. She still looked sad, old before her time, but now Ruth looked at her with concerned eyes. She walked over to Charlotte and handed her the flowers.
“You found the man who took Brandy from us,” Ruth said. “And you almost lost your life in the process.”
Charlotte didn’t know what to say so she buried her nose in the fragrance to give herself a moment to bring her fragile emotions under control.
“Thank you,” she managed to choke out.
“No, thank you,” Walter murmured.
Ruth nodded in agreement. “Good-bye, Miss Perth.”
She walked back to her husband, who put his arm around her shoulders. They departed as quickly as they had appeared. The two LA detectives shifted feet.
“All right, Miss Perth,” West finally said. “If we need anything else we’ll be touch.”
Simon had a disappointed look about him but he didn’t say anything as the two men trailed after the Hamlets. Charlotte wondered if the man was unhappy because she wouldn’t have to face a trial and civil suit or if he was unhappy because the bad guy was dead.
“Was I that pompous when we first met?” Jonas asked.
“Oh yes. Worse. You picked up a chair and threw it at me,” Charlotte reminded him.
He frowned. “I did not. I threw it on the floor.”
“Right next to me.”
He rolled his eyes and then grinned. “You almost burned down my kitchen.”
“I did not!”
“You can cook?” Nash asked.
“Of course I can cook,” she answered indignantly. “I bake chicken very well when there’s not a talking fire detector.”
Nash frowned and shot a worried look at Jonas. “Talking fire detector?”
“It’s a love-hate relationship,” Jonas answered, using one of her old statements.
Charlotte laughed even though it made her chest ache. “Thank you,” she told them. “For saving me, and not just from the water. I…I want us. No matter what people say, no matter what people think. No matter how unconventional it is. I once thought this couldn’t work, but even if we have to have separate houses and a shared backyard, I want us.”
Nash frowned. “Separate houses? Who said anything about separate houses?”
“Never mind,” she said, shaking her head. “That wasn’t the crux of my statement.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Jonas promised her. “We’re better together, all three of us, than separately. Just rest, get well, and then we’ll decide what to do when you’re out of here.”
“When can I leave?”
“Doctor said he wanted to keep you overnight for observation,” Nash reported.
“Will you guys stay with me?”
“Wild horses couldn’t drag us away,” Jonas promised.
* * * *
Charlotte awoke with a start. The room was dark but the lights from the nurses’ station illuminated through the open door, allowing her eyes to adjust quickly to the room. She immediately saw Kira sitting next to her, wrapped in a blanket, staring at her with haunted eyes. She was sans makeup and the harsh fluorescent lighting made her blue eyes and usually creamy complexion look pale and drawn.
“Kira?” she questioned, pushing herself into a sitting position.
“I’m sorry for waking you up,” her sister softly said. “I just needed to make sure you were okay.”
Charlotte held out her hand. “I’m okay.”
Kira looked at the hand for a moment before reaching out shakily with her own. She grasped Charlotte’s as if it were a lifeline. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been so mad at you for so long. I’ve been so selfish.”
“Shh,” Charlotte said back. “It doesn’t matter. I love you.”
A sob escaped her and tears began to stream down her cheeks. “I stayed away because I was mad at you, and then he showed up and I had coffee with him because it was Tucker. But he…he must have doped me, because when I woke up, I was at the pool, tied up.”
“It’s okay,” Charlotte told her.
But Kira only shook her head. “When he fell with you into that water all I could think about was getting you out. But I couldn’t! I—”
She broke down, crying heavily and loudly. Charlotte got out of bed and pulled Kira into a tight hug.
“It’s okay,” she soothed.
“I felt so helpless,” Kira choked out. “I kept thinking that I was letting you drown. I didn’t know what to do. And then Nash and Jonas showed up and I felt relief, because I knew I could let them do it, let them save you.”
“And they did. See? I’m still here.”
Kira shook her head. “I couldn’t do what you do. You stared him down, you fought him. I…I was too terrified.”
“I was scared, too, but we made it. We’re good, Kira. I love you. You’re my little sister.”
That made Kira give a watery laugh. “We should probably use the word younger.”
Charlotte relaxed. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Sensing eyes on her, she looked over Kira’s shoulder and saw Jonas and Nash watching them from the doorway. Love bubbled up inside her. Life was just perfect.
Chapter Seventeen
Charlotte stood on the deck surrounding the pool in her parent’s backyard. She still had no desire to swim but the water no longer terrified her as it once did. Yet even though she’d been able to put the past behind her, there weren’t angels on high shining the golden light of redemption down upon her. There’d been no emotional release of her fear. All she felt now was ambivalence. Swimming had once been her life but now she was so much more, and she liked the person she had become.
The doors opened and Holly stepped into from the kitchen to join her. For a moment, Charlotte heard the boisterous noise of her family and it calmed her because now she knew she would be back. And that she would never be ambivalent about. At least she had her home again.
“So, I’ve got two questions for you,” Holly said. “One, what’re you doing out here all alone for? And two, what’s with the trench coat?”
Charlotte glanced down at herself and shrugged, deciding not to answer the second question. “Just thinking.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“How can a phobia be cured just like that?”
Holly didn’t answer for a minute, not until Charlotte turned to look at her.
“Are you cured?” she asked.
Charlotte sighed and turned completely around so her back was toward the pool. “I can stand by this pool. Does that answer your question?”
“Dive in.”
Charlotte pursed her lips. “This is Delia’s trench coat.”
“Baby steps,” Holly murmured. “It’s okay to go slowly, Lottie, to ease back into the water. You’ve had two traumatic experiences so a little bit of emotional healing isn’t wrong.”
“I don’t have survivor’s guilt,” Charlotte told her. “Brandy gave me my life back so I guess teeny tiny baby steps it is. Listen, can you cover for me to the brood in there?”
“Where’re you going?”
“Jonas and Nash are back at the hotel, packing.”
> “And you want to give a booty call?”
“No,” Charlotte said with a huff. “I need to talk to them about, ah, things.”
“And will you be discussing these things with clothes on or off? Do you really think the trench coat doesn’t scream I’m naked underneath?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes and just walked away. “Real mature, Holly,” she called out.
“Look who’s talking!” her sister called back.
With a chuckle, Charlotte hurried down the deck steps and exited out the side gate, pulling out the keys to Delia’s car. It only took her a few minutes to drive to the hotel and she gave the keys to the valet as she hurried inside.
As she rode the elevator up, she sent a text to Jonas, asking to meet her in Nash’s room. Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the thought of what she was planning to do and she absently tightened the belt at her waist. This was a first for her, not just seducing a man but seducing two.
She knocked on Nash’s door once and it opened immediately.
Her skin felt on fire, but it matched the fire in her belly. She might be nervous but damned if the thought of both men touching her, kissing her, fucking her, didn’t make her juices run.
“Charlotte,” Nash murmured. “Are you all right?”
She nodded and gathered her courage. She knew they had to be wondering why she asked them to meet her here. Before she could think of anything else to help her procrastinate, she untied her black trench coat and slipped if off her arms. It fell into a puddle at her feet.
Jonas and Nash stared at her, their mouths dropping open as they took in her near state of undress. She wore a black lace demi-bra, a black thong, and thigh high elastic stocking so sheer it was like wearing liquid silk. Her four-inch black Louboutin wannabes completed the outfit.
“Holy fuck,” Nash murmured as his eyes ran up and down her barely clad body. “I don’t even remember buying a lotto ticket.”
“Did you come here dressed like that?” Jonas asked a bit breathlessly.
“I think I saw a trench coat,” Nash answered him. “But who the fuck cares?”
He was the first one to move, walking right up to her and holding her face as he bent his head to kiss her. She opened her mouth and his tongue slid in, dancing with hers. A moment later she felt Jonas at her back, his large hands starting on her waist and traveling up to cup her breasts. His thumb flicked over the lace and her nipples instantly swelled. His mouth brushed her neck and she couldn’t control a small shiver. Need gripped her, causing her juices to flood the scrap of material barely called panties. She pushed her hips back and felt Jonas’s hard cock greet her.
She broke the kiss and pushed Nash back as she turned a little to hold onto both men’s shirts. She looked each one in the eye.
“While both of you have been playing out your fantasies, I’ve had one of my own,” she told them.
“Anything,” Nash told her.
She pulled on their shirts to bring them down far enough so she could whisper, “I want you both to take me, at the same time.”
“Oh my god,” Nash whispered back. “I almost came right now.”
Charlotte smiled and glance at Jonas. His eyes were glittering like dark obsidian, burning with raw desire. She saw his gaze shift for a moment and then nod at Nash, and she knew immediately that her boys would take very good care of her.
As if they’d been partnering for years, both men moved to sandwich her. Jonas turned until she faced him. As he began stripping, Nash’s hands worked their way up and down her body, skimming so lightly over her skin she began to shiver in anticipation. But she kept her eyes on Jonas, watched as he undid button after button, watched as the shirt slid off his shoulders. Her gaze followed his hands as they worked the zipper on his pants. He hooked his boxer briefs in his thumbs and pulled everything down, leaving him bare to her inspection. His cock was long and hard, waiting, and she licked her lips. He gave a groan and bent his head to kiss her again. She raised her arms to encircle his neck, barely hearing Nash shed his clothes but feeling when his lips began kissing their way down her back. His hands unclasped her bra and it slipped off her breasts. She moved her arms until the bra came off.
Nash had fallen to his knees behind her, his lips now trailing down her lower spine. He pulled her thong down her legs and then helped her out of them. All she wore now were her stockings and high heels.
“Spread your legs, sweetheart,” Nash murmured.
When she was a little slow to respond to the command, Jonas actually helped her, using his foot to spread her legs apart. And then Nash’s tongue was washing over her hungry pussy, from front to back. Her knees almost buckled at the intense feelings but Jonas helped hold her up. He played with her nipples, tweaking them with his fingers as he continued to kiss her. All the while, Nash was licking her into a frenzy.
“I need to prepare her,” Nash said and for a moment Charlotte had no idea what he was talking about. But Jonas obviously did because the next instant, he had stepped from her to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Suck me,” he ordered, guiding her toward him. “But stand and bend over, let Nash work on your ass.”
Apprehension sucked the air from her lungs but she did as she was told. As she bent over, she slid Jonas’s dick into her mouth while Nash worked on her from behind. One finger eased into the rosette, eliciting a moan. Charlotte stiffened, not sure if she liked the feeling. The finger stopped and after a moment she moved, adjusting to the odd sensation. Slowly, another finger went in, widening her, and the burning thrust took her breath away.
“Oh!” she groaned. “It burns!”
“Relax, baby,” Nash murmured in her ear. “I have to stretch you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He started manipulating her body, adjusting her. His other set of fingers slid toward her swollen pussy and a finger slid forward, easing its way in. He began to pump her in both holes she had to release Jonas’s cock to give a little moan before resuming her bobbing action. Her tongue licked away a little dribble of pre-cum as she moved up the shaft and swallowed him.
“Oh Christ, Charlotte,” Jonas said in a thick, deep voice. “Take it deep, baby.”
The words inflamed her and she began sucking harder. Nash had added another finger and now the burn didn’t even bother her. She was tingling all over from a myriad of stimulation, balancing on a precipice.
“Stop, or I’m going to come,” Jonas muttered, easing her back. Nash also followed his lead and eased from her body, much to her displeasure.
“Please,” she said with a gasp. “I need you both.”
“Get on your hands and knees,” Nash told her, “over Jonas.”
Jonas scooted back onto the bed and beckoned for her. Charlotte crawled forward over his body until she found herself looking into his dark eyes. His hands came up and gripped her hips.
“Ride me,” he ordered.
She held his cock and straddled him. She felt the blunt tip of his cock resting against her slit and sank onto him. Her hips began riding him up and down so it took a moment for her to realize that Nash was right there behind her. He bent her over until her mouth hovered right over Jonas’s.
She felt Nash’s cock against her back entrance. As he eased his way into the tight channel, the burning returned and Charlotte held her breath, completely filled and stretched to the limit. For a second none of them moved, allowing her to adjust to the feel of being filled in both places. Then Nash pulled out of her a little to give Jonas more room. Jonas pushed in all the way up. Charlotte gasped, unable to believe the feeling of being totally consumed. This was beyond words. Beyond anything she had imagined.
They started moving in tandem, as one went in the other went out, like a well-oiled machine. Panting and moaning, Charlotte knew they were moving toward an unbelievable crescendo. In and out, Charlotte wound tighter and tighter. Suddenly the spring recoiled, flinging her off into space. Stars literally lit up behind her eyes as she cried out in abandonment.
> “Not gonna last,” Nash muttered from behind her. “She’s so fucking tight.”
Incredibly, the pressure rose again, so sharply she couldn’t help but move with both of them.
“Yes,” Jonas ground out and their cohesive movements began to break apart. Each man began pumping as fast and as hard as they could. Sweat poured from their bodies.
“Oh shit, oh shit! Fuck!” Nash cried out.
Charlotte felt a rush of hot liquid pump into her ass just as Jonas shouted and found his own release. She could feel both cocks pulsing deep inside her.
“Uh!” she groaned just as the world tilted off its axis and she splintered into a thousand pieces.
They collapsed upon one another and Nash seemed to have just enough energy to roll off her back. For a long time they simply lay there while the cool air dried their sweaty bodies. Nash’s arm draped over her hips while Jonas held her hand to his chest.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?” Nash asked.
“For both of you loving me enough.”
Jonas squeezed her hand. “Always.”
* * * *
Charlotte didn’t like cemeteries. Knowing which graves held souls that had been murdered tended to overwhelm her with depression. Solving cases only made her hunger to find justice for all the others whose lives had been stolen from them. Walking through the rolling green land with tombstones and crypts and bouquets of flowers, she pushed all the pulls aside.
She was here for Brandy.
Nash and Jonas walked next to her, one on each side, and she drew on their strength. She wore a long black skirt with a black blouse. She had draped a black scarf over her hair to honor the passing of the vibrant girl who Charlotte could never, ever, in a million years repay. She sighed, knowing that the guilt she carried wouldn’t dissipate one hundred percent, but she knew she’d go forth in whatever she did in honor of the gift that Brandy gave her.
Literally, the breath of life.
They came to the grave, the layer of dirt disturbed and dug up where Brandy Hamlet had been laid to rest. She was on a hill, overlooking the valley, and Charlotte rather thought it was a beautiful place to spend eternity. She laid the bundle of red roses in the mass of flowers already decorating the mound and then slipped her hand in each of the Nash’s and Jonas’s, holding tightly.
Breathless [McKnight, Perth & Daire 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 16
