by Jory Strong
Savannah pressed against him, rubbed his cock with her lower body and sent fire through his shaft and up his spine. “Are you talking about food?” she asked.
Kye slid his hands down to palm her buttocks. “For starters.”
“Hmmm, it might be a good idea. Especially if we’re going to have a repeat of the marathon sex event we had last night.”
Kye laughed, thrusting gently against her mound, his cock head beading with moisture as it rubbed over her flat belly. “I believe I’m up for it.”
“I can see that. I can feel that.”
He leaned down and captured her mouth in a brief kiss. Afraid that if he deepened it, he would soon be pulling her back to bed. But as much as he wanted to do just that, they needed to talk and he feared the conversation would not go well—despite her having agreed to go through the binding ceremony.
“I’ve got a question for you,” she whispered, her expression piquing his curiosity and holding his trepidation at bay long enough for him to say, “Ask it.”
“In the truck the other day, you said you’d never shared a woman before.”
“That is true,” he said, his mind racing, trying to determine the direction of her thoughts in case he needed to head them off. Failing.
“Draigon likes anal sex. And you like it. Obviously. Since we did that last night.” She cocked her head, eyes sparkling though a trace of color was making its way across her cheeks.
“What you say is true. I enjoy taking you in that manner,” he answered, hearing the caution in his own voice. Her smile telling him Savannah had heard it as well.
“So, now that the three of us are together, do you think you’d like to both fuck me at the same time?”
Kye stiffened and felt the heat rise in his face. Felt Draigon’s amusement along the link they shared and knew the other man was awake and listening to the conversation.
When he didn’t answer, Savannah gave a husky laugh and hugged him. “Forget I asked. From the expression on your face I’m guessing the answer is no, and I can guess why. It’s probably a little bit too much male-male contact for straight guys. And from what I can tell, you’re very straight,” she said, rubbing against his thick erection, the conversation and her actions very nearly causing him to come.
He groaned and dug his fingers in her buttocks, stilling her movement before he coated them both with his seed. “Draigon and I will take you together during the binding ceremony.”
“Speaking of which…” Savannah said, glad he’d brought it up though the fleeting expression on his face and the sudden nerves rippling through her gut told her maybe it would have been better to eat first, play some more and then tackle this subject. But rather than retreat, she plowed forward. “Want to tell me exactly what you and Draigon persuaded me to agree to?” She loosened her grip on him enough to lightly rub one wristband against his lower back. “I’m guessing that these things are your version of engagement rings. Right?”
“Yes,” Kye said, glancing at the bed.
Savannah’s attention followed his. Heat and love and desire settling in her cunt when Draigon rose and padded over to join them. His cock full, the tip already glistening.
She groaned when he pressed against her back, kissed along her shoulder in a repeat performance of the previous night. “It’s not going to work this time,” she said, making no effort to push either man away but resolved not to let them use her body against her. “We need to talk. About a lot of things.”
Draigon’s hand slid between her chest and Kye’s, finding her breast and cupping it, sending spikes of fiery pleasure through her nipple as he rubbed against it in slow circles with his palm. “We have a lifetime for discussion. Once you agree to go home with us, we can join with you in the manner you were speaking to Kye about, and then we can leave.”
Savannah closed her eyes, savoring the feel of them against her even as her heart skipped a beat before resuming in a thundering rush as her cop-mind processed exactly what Draigon was saying. The suspicions she’d had from the first—when she accused Kye of belonging to a cult—crashing in on her.
She took a deep breath. Forced a tiny measure of calm into her body.
They might not play fair when it came to getting her to agree to wearing their bands and going through a ceremony with them, but she didn’t think they’d abduct her. She trusted them. And she trusted her own instincts.
“By home,” she said, “I hope you mean—home to meet the relatives before coming back to Reno where Savannah has a job and a life and a large extended family. Not that I’m opposed to living and being a cop somewhere else, after we’ve discussed and agreed on it. But I don’t intend to disappear off the face of the Earth with you guys. No matter how crazy I am about you.”
Their sudden tensing told her she was on target. Their stillness reminded her of all the times she’d seen them with identical expressions, so completely focused inward they might as well be carrying on a private conversation. Or doing the Vulcan mind-meld.
She shook her head when the theme song from Star Trek segued into The Twilight Zone. She did not need this right now.
“Say you will come home with us,” Draigon said.
“I’ll come home with you,” Savannah told them, unable to continue for several long moments because Kye’s mouth covered hers, preventing it. But when the kiss ended, she added, “For a visit.”
Her cell phone rang, halting further conversation. She pulled out of their arms and answered it.
“Look, I got to make this quick,” The Ferret said. “Here’s the address of that place I was telling you about. It hasn’t come up yet and Becky hasn’t volunteered it to Vaccaro and Kelleher.”
Savannah scrambled for a pen and paper and wrote it down.
“You got it?”
She read it back to him.
“That’s it. They’re back. I gotta go.” He paused. “Thanks for the save yesterday.”
“Anytime,” Savannah said, the line going dead, the memory of killing a man rushing in. But instead of threatening to overwhelm her, she found she could examine the event and then put it away in favor of focusing on a plan of action.
“That was Ricky,” she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she looked at yesterday’s clothing and decided they had time enough to buy or recover something clean before they did anything else. “He called to pass on the address of a place Becky had for clients who wanted privacy while they partied with her girls. It’s a long shot, but I want to check it out.”
Draigon’s frown was immediate and earned him a small headshake from Kye, along with a warning. Don’t. You will not sway her. Consider this interruption a blessing. A chance to regroup and determine what to do next. What to say next. I have already mated with her so many times the Ylan stones now pulse in warning against my wrist.
With a grimace, Draigon gave a slight nod. Mine as well.
“I thought your informant was now with Kelleher and Vaccaro,” Draigon said, pleased he sounded so reasonable when his mate was very nearly driving him crazy with her disregard for danger.
“He is.”
“Then why not pass the information to them and allow them to follow up on it? I thought you were now on administrative leave. Free to do what you want with your time.”
Savannah shot him a glance. “I am. And what I want to do, besides get some clean clothes and some food, is to check out this address.”
“Beloved—”
She held up her hand to stop him. “This is non-negotiable. If you would rather stay here or go back to the cabin—”
“I will do neither,” Draigon growled, closing the distance between them, crowding her against the wall, his fingers digging into her upper arms in frustration. “I am trying to understand why you are not only willing to put yourself in danger but are willing to break rules you are sworn to uphold.”
Fire flashed in her eyes. True anger. And for a split second, Draigon feared he had gone too far. Had driven a wedge between them.
/> His chest tightened and not for the first time he cursed the primitive nature of Earth, where the psi ability to communicate mind-to-mind had been suppressed and allowed to go fallow. Where all that he felt, all that he was, had to be communicated through body language or words alone.
Savannah sighed, relaxing against him and leaning her forehead against his chest. “Okay, those are fair questions.”
She stroked his side and his cock responded by pulsing and leaking. The Ylan stones at his wrists echoing the warning Kye had spoken of. Vibrating, denser now in readiness for separating and migrating to the bands Savannah wore.
“Why are you willing to put yourself in danger? Why are you willing to break the rules over this?” he asked again, feeling calmer with her touch.
She exhaled, a burst of warm air against his chest. “First, I’m not sure this qualifies as dangerous. Based on what Kelleher said, and what The Ferret said, the blackmail scheme is either the girls operating solo, or them working with Becky or Steven Traynor, or both. And since Becky is now in protective custody, Kelleher and Vaccaro probably have everything they need to tie Traynor to laundering drug money. So I doubt Traynor’s thinking too much about the girls right now. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear he’s suddenly out of the country and unavailable for comment. Now for your second question, that’s a little trickier.”
Draigon rubbed his cheek against her hair when she didn’t immediately say anything. Enjoyed the closeness he felt to her, a closeness that was more than the touch of skin to skin.
“If we were strictly going by the books, then I know I should just call Kelleher or Vaccaro and let them check out the address. If this was just about Camryn and Ivy, then it’d be a slam dunk and I would have already passed on the information. But the problem is Holland. When I hauled her in the other day, there was some kind of a connection. Maybe it was one-way. Maybe I’m just kidding myself and it’s too late for her.” Savannah shrugged. “Maybe she just reminds me so much of Krista and me when we were her age that I’m seeing what I want to see. I don’t know. But my gut tells me to find her first and do what I can to keep her from either disappearing on the street or ending up in juvenile hall.”
“You intend to make her part of your family?” Draigon asked, his own emotions vacillating between pride and dismay.
Savannah laughed. “I’m winging it here, Draigon. One thing at a time.” Her hands slid to his hips and she leaned into him, giving him a kiss. “Ready to get dressed and head out?”
His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her face to his for a longer, deeper kiss. Finding humor in the knowledge that slowly but surely his bond-mate was corrupting him.
* * * * *
The address turned out to be a house built near a manmade lake. It was smallish, designed for privacy and coziness, and weekend stays instead of everyday life. Or so Savannah guessed, given that the majority of the neighboring houses had a nobody-home, this-is-a-rental feel and look to them.
“I’m going to knock on the front door,” she said as Kye turned the SUV around in a driveway several blocks from the house. “Who wants to cover the back?”
There was the usual strange hesitation then Draigon answered. “I will enter through the back of the house. Kye will attempt to enter through the front door. You will remain in the car until we have secured the premises.” His tone suggested he was not only serious but thought she’d go along with his suggestion.
Savannah shook her head. “No. The girls will recognize me. They may not be happy to see me, but my showing up won’t scare them.”
“As you wish,” Draigon said.
Savannah turned in the seat next to him so she could read his expression. His calm answer making her suspicious. A suspicion that panned out a moment later when Kye drove by the house and kept going, telling her without words that he and Draigon were on the same wavelength.
“Would you like to reconsider my suggestion?” Draigon asked. Masculine amusement and superiority in his voice and scraping across Savannah’s nerves.
Savannah closed her eyes and counted to ten. This was something she’d never contemplated when she fantasized about two men at once—how they might conceivably gang up on her!
Unfortunately she didn’t have time to nip this problem in the bud. At least not right now.
“Okay, I’ll stay in the car,” she said, consoling herself with the knowledge—though in Holland’s case she hated it—that the girls in question were used to strange men showing up and doing a hell of a lot more than making sure the place was safe.
Kye pulled into another driveway in order to turn around. Draigon cupped Savannah’s cheek and forced her to meet his gaze. “Promise you’ll stay in the car until one of us signals for you.”
Savannah sighed. It was impossible to be pissed at him. Not when he radiated concern. Not when she saw love in his eyes, worry. “I promise.”
He gave her a brief kiss and resettled in his seat. She put her hands on their thighs, squeezing. “You guys be careful, okay? There’s no car out front, so it’s possible no one’s home.” She sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d feel better if you had guns.”
Kye covered her hand with his. “Do not worry. This is child’s play for us.”
“Child’s play, huh?” But she didn’t ask them to elaborate. And she didn’t break her promise.
Even when Holland answered the door, Savannah waited for Draigon to appear and signal for her to join them.
“Something’s happened to them,” Holland said, arms wrapped around her body, shoulders hunching against the news she thought Savannah was bringing. “They’re dead, aren’t they? That’s why they’re not answering their cells.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Your sister and Camryn?” Savannah asked, heart wrenching at how vulnerable Holland seemed. How young, despite everything she’d seen and done.
Holland’s arms dropped to her side. Surprise flashing in her eyes. Hope. Uncertainty. “You’re not here because of them?”
“More because of you,” Savannah said. “The blackmail scheme is about to unravel, Holland. The FBI is looking for you, your sister and Camryn. You can’t hide out forever. You’re smart enough to know that. I think there’s room for cutting a deal.”
Holland crossed her arms again, this time digging her fingers into her skin with enough force to leave tiny indentations. “I’d rather be locked up than go back into foster care.”
“No you wouldn’t.”
“You don’t know that!”
Savannah hesitated then nodded. “You’re right. I don’t know what your life has been like. I can guess, but I don’t really know. The only thing I know for sure is that I’d like to help you.”
“What’s it going to cost me?” Holland said, expression becoming world-weary, too old, hopeless as she glanced at Draigon and Kye.
Savannah went with her instincts, the same as she’d done in the truck stop with The Ferret. She grabbed Holland’s shoulders and gave her a little shake. “They’re both mine and I don’t share. Keep your eyes to yourself or you’re going to piss me off royally.”
Surprise replaced the jaded acceptance on Holland’s face. Her mouth gaped for a second before she said, “Both of them? But you’re a cop.”
“Yeah and cops don’t have a personal life. They’re both mine but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t spread the information around.” Savannah paused for a second, before adding, “Which is why they’re with me. I’m not on duty right now. I’m just following up on the offer I made you the other day. To help you get out of the situation you’re in.”
Holland dragged her hands down her arms, leaving red streaks where her nails touched. “There’s no way out. I’d rather stay with Ivy and Camryn than go back into the foster care system.”
Savannah glanced at Kye and Draigon, wishing they’d discussed possible outcomes if they found Holland.
Their relationship was so new. The phone call from The Ferret had interrupte
d the conversation about a binding ceremony and the exact terms of going home with them and they hadn’t had a chance to get back to it.
She had no idea how they would feel about being responsible for a child who wasn’t their own, and she was honest enough with herself to admit she wasn’t ready to promise anything long-term when it came to Holland. She was just… Hell, she was just winging it, same as always. But she’d come this far and all she really needed was to buy some time. “Do you like horses?” she asked, grimacing at the prospect of arriving at her grandparents’ homestead on the Bar None with Kye and Draigon in tow. But she needed a place to park Holland, one where she couldn’t panic and run and one where there would be adult supervision.
“Horses?” Holland asked, looking at Savannah strangely.
“My family owns a ranch. You could stay there until things get sorted out.”
“What about Ivy and Camryn?”
“We’d need to talk to them and see what they want to do,” Savannah answered, avoiding the real question because she wasn’t willing to lie to Holland. But there was no way either of the other girls was going to set foot on the Bar None.
Holland rubbed her arms. Her gaze flickering from the ground to Savannah’s face, darting to Kye then Draigon before once again settling on Savannah.
Savannah pressed. “I told you the truth earlier, two FBI agents are in town looking for you. It’s only a matter of time before you’re caught and charged.”
The silence lasted for several long minutes before Holland said, “Why do you even care?”
Savannah shrugged. “I don’t know. I just do.”
Holland squeezed her arms until her knuckles were white, finally loosening her grip and allowing the blood to return, offering a tentative smile. “I’ll go with you.”
“Do you need to get your things?”
“There’s not much. We bailed as soon as we left the police station the other day.”
Savannah was glad there was no anger in Holland’s voice. Then again, a trip to the station probably seemed a hell of a lot better than having to service the pervert Camryn had sent into the room with Holland and the other girl.
