Sunrise For Three: A Military Erotic Romance (Sexy Siesta Series Book 3)

by Talina Perkins

  She peeled away the once white T-shirt and jeans and made quick work of using a corner of the towel to wash.

  Satisfied, Mia fixed her unruly strands as best as she could and pulled on the borrowed T-Shirt and sweats. There was no helping her eyes, but that was the least of her problems.

  Suck it up. No time for tears, chica.

  Mia made her way to the front of the cabin where Marc had joined them just as she closed in on where Colt sat with his laptop on one of the tabletops, already running information from the looks of it.

  “Final checks are almost done. Wheels up in ten. Hang tight.” Colt gave a nod, then returned to his work.

  Marc turned to her and his attention zeroed in on her eyes. She held his gaze, unable to move under the power his golden brown stare held over her. She swallowed and he closed the gap between them.

  Marc ran a hand around her nape, his fingers gently massaging her tense muscles. Ahí Dios, this man. He would consume her utterly and completely if given the chance. So much banked strength. But it was more than that. He held back from her.

  Her eyes closed if only to appreciate his touch on her skin with all her senses.

  He leaned close enough to whisper in her ear. Her eyes fluttered open, taking in the span of his wide chest up close. “When we’re in the air, all three of us are going to have that talk Colt promised. And when we do, darling, the only tears you’ll have will be of pure ecstasy.” Her mouth fell slack and she jutted out her tongue to wet her dry lips. Maybe she read him wrong?

  Back at her house, she could have sworn he pulled back from her emotionally, leaving Colt to step in.

  Her inner tigress didn’t seem to care about the details. His words sent a whirlwind of cold and hot flashes of clashing emotions to cascade over her. She wanted him. Wanted Colt. But if they did what his words promised, did they want her for more than a fling? If not, could she walk away when the time came?

  Marc’s attention fell to her mouth. He pulled back slightly, hiding himself from beneath hooded eyes, but she saw the fire that burst to life as he watched her. No way could he hide the heat that radiated off him. This close it almost scorched her…y Dios, she craved his kind of burn just as much as she craved her next breath.

  Marc dipped his head, taking her mouth with his for the first time.

  Warm. Soft. Bold and claiming. Her breath caught in her chest. She pressed closer. Everything Marc was as a man she felt in the way his lips devoured hers.

  Mia tilted her head back to allow better access. Desire replaced all the conflicting emotions battling for control over her senses.

  Marc’s tongue caressed across the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. She parted and he took over. He moved the hand from her neck and combed his fingers into her hair, gripping her locks, pulling her closer. Deeper, drugging her with his own brand of passion. His grip tightened.

  Heat shot straight to her core. Every feminine muscle south of her belt clenched with need. A moan tore from her and she broke their kiss.

  He consumed her to the very soul. Mí tiembla con pura adicción. Her whole body shook from the pure addiction he brought out in her. One taste and she already knew it wouldn’t be enough. What would happen if she let him claim her body? The thought made her center tighten with all the luscious possibilities. Dios, sálvame! God, please save me!

  Colt moved up behind her and rested his hands on her waist. Heat from both stalwart Marines engulfed her. Sí…pura adicción, chica. Pure addiction.

  She turned her gaze to him. By the hungry look he angled her way, Colt was on board with Marc’s plan. Lust danced in his eyes and he aimed it all at her.

  Colt peered over the top of her head and spoke to Marc. “If you got the first kiss, I want the first taste.” There was no misunderstanding what he meant.

  “I’m not throwing on the brakes here, but do you guys always move so fast?”

  With his hands on her hips, Colt eased her around to face him. “Oh Mia, in our line of work, we move fast when we know what we want. No time to waste. It’s taken this long for us to claim you as ours because we couldn’t get our act together. I think we have that worked out.” Colt flicked his eyes up to Marc as if driving a point home then returned his attention to her. Marc’s grip tightened on her waist where his hands rested close to Colt’s.

  She didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to sense the tension between the two.

  Colt cupped her face. “We plan to remedy our error. And now there’s really no going back for any of us from this point, no?”

  No.

  “He’s right,” Marc spoke up from behind her, his hands resting where Colt’s had just seconds before. Only his grip was firmer. Tighter through the thin cotton band of her sweats. ¡Que rico! She loved how possessive his touch felt.

  That was so like them. If she knew anything about her men it was that they would be straight with her. “So what now?” She sounded breathy, as if her words hung on the very air he inhaled. She bowed her head a second to gather her composure.

  Colt slipped a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to his. “First, I get a little taste…” He captured her lips, gently stroking her tongue with his. But she didn’t want the gentle test-the-waters kind of kiss.

  She pushed deeper. Where Marc was bold, Colt’s kiss was tender and unhurried. Fisting her hands in his shirt, she pulled him closer. He obliged. Seconds felt like minutes. Her world took on another dimension and she soared, intoxicated by the power both men infused in her. Kissing two men was like a shock of electricity to her body. Everything sparked to life within her, and her veins vibrated with their energy.

  Colt stepped back slowly from her and his warmth receded. She dropped her hands from his shirt, using the moment to gather her shattered thoughts.

  “Second—” Oh God that husky voice— “Get ready for takeoff, sweetheart. After that we get to work on finding out who’s behind today’s shit storm. Sound good?” Colt smiled down at her. He reached between them and clasped her hands in his, and then placed small kisses to the tops of each.

  “Ahí, Romeo, the name definitely fits,” she teased him about the nickname his men called him, topping it off with a wink of her own. She smiled when he plastered a shocked face on, grasping at his chest in feigned hurt.

  She turned to face Marc and Colt’s hand came down in a swift smack across her bottom. She gasped and Marc tightened his embrace to steady her. “Next time you say that I’ll give you Romeo, sweetheart. Think you can handle that?” His challenge damn near brought her to her knees. Goose bumps flushed her skin and heat tinged her face.

  Colt shifted his body closer, placing his mouth next to her ear. “When we claim you as ours, whisper that to me. I love it coming off your lips.” His warm breath feathered her hair against her ear. Shivers of excitement laced with a fine layer of desire intoxicated her.

  She lifted her gaze to Marc and he winked before depositing her in the plush chair next to Colt’s. “He’s a sucker for your beautiful voice, darling. It does strange things to a man’s libido.”

  Was that a nice way of saying she was a cock tease? She smiled. Good. They needed a little of their own medicine.

  “Mr. Dangere, we’re ready for takeoff, sir,” the pilot called to Marc from the direction of the cockpit, breaking the spell both men held over her. Demonios, they had a way of commandeering all her senses every time they were close to her. She didn’t even hear the pilot approach them.

  Marc leveled his attention on her. “Wait for me.”

  Colt gave her hand a gentle squeeze then returned to his seat across the aisle from her.

  “Not that I have anywhere else to go, right?” Mia tried for nonchalant but only mustered a half smile. Marc narrowed his eyes on her and Colt shook his head. Damn, she really needed a filter between her head and her mouth.

  “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I really appreciate all this.” She gestured to the plane and the data Colt had pulled up on his laptop which currently show
ed her employee profile. “It’s just a lot to take in.”

  “I read you loud a clear, Mia.” Before walking off to speak with the pilot, Marc smiled, a warm and inviting gesture that reached his eyes. She took a mental picture and tucked it away from those special occasions when she needed something positive to recall during all this craziness.

  She reclined against the head support and breathed out heavily. Marc and Colt were going to tie her in so many knots she’d never be free of them. Heat warmed her face and she pressed her knuckles into her cheeks and let her eyes drift closed. She needed to remove herself from the chaos a minute to catch her breath. Everything was moving so fast. They were moving too fast, sweeping her into a tailspin of desire at every turn.

  But she couldn’t shake a nagging question. What if all this lead to nothing more than a crash and burn? A quick fling brought on by the excitement of the night and the danger. She fantasized about being theirs, but at what cost?

  She’d spent plenty of restless nights thinking about them, but never thought anything would come of her fantasies. Now that they were way past first base and heading toward home plate, she needed to think, and fast. The guys seemed serious about protecting her. And there was no denying more came with the package.

  Warning bells sounded in her head about getting involved with her bosses. What would everyone think of her at work? Nothing good that was for sure. If she followed through with the connection she felt toward both men, she’d have to find another job.

  On that thought, she’d have to find another place to live too. Her stomach dipped. Thank God she’s skipped lunch and had no dinner to speak of or it might be all over the thick carpet at her feet right about now.

  Flashing orange lights zipped below her small portal window and she watched the last of the crew clear the area so they could take off.

  Colt’s cell rang, interrupting her train of thought. She turned to him and he motioned her closer with two fingers.

  “Hey, Sam, thanks for getting back with us. Sorry for taking you away from your family so late at night. Did Joel give you the run-down on what happened today?”

  There was a short pause before Colt spoke up again. “Good. Listen, Sam, I need you to run a partial plate number from one of the vehicles that was parked along the driveway to Mia’s.”

  Mia pulled out the folded piece of brown paper bag Joel and written down for her from her front sweats pocket and handed it over to Colt.

  “There’s more. Joel will take you photos of the vandalized car and the item left behind intended as a death threat for our client in the morning. We’d like to keep the car as evidence in our storage under lock and key until we get this all figured out. The less they know about what we have so far the better, know what I mean?”

  Colt paused a longer beat this time, his face turning grimmer with each passing second. Whatever he was hearing he didn’t like. He locked a dark gaze on her before continuing with the person on the other end.

  “Thanks for moving on this fast, Sam. Listen, I’ve gotta go. We’re wheels up in five and I have to get off here. Marc and I are heading to Mexico on a job. When you get something back, let us know. We’ll do the same. And if you need to get a hold of Miss Vega, she’ll be with us at this number or Marc’s.” He pressed end on the call and placed the phone on the table. “Son of a bitch!” Colt rubbed a hand across the scruff on his jaw and sat forward. His one expletive mirrored the hardened expression on his once relaxed face. Ah no, she wasn’t going to like this.

  “So?”Mia drew out.

  “Mia, it’s not good news, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”

  They’d left her house on fire and hightailed it out of there without a backward glance. She knew there was no way anything could be saved or that good news was coming her way. Not any time soon.

  She combed a hand through her hair, hitting several knots along the way. She gave up and crossed her arms across her chest instead. She might know what was coming, but her nerves were still on pins and needles. “No need to sugarcoat it, Colt. Give it to me straight.” A look of respect flashed in his eyes. Colt pushed up from his chair to kneel on the floor in front of her.

  He eyed her cautiously before continuing. “Everything’s gone. The fire department wasn’t able to get there in time, Mia. The police captain who works alongside us on special cases from time to time has already dispatched forensics to comb over the place for anything that might help in nailing the assholes that did this to you.”

  A stab of pain shot through her, but she swallowed past the sharp intrusion. She’d asked for it, she knew it was coming, but to hear it out loud sent another wave of anxiety straight to her heart. She had nothing but the clothes on her back. And they were borrowed at that. Acid burned the back of her throat. Knots tightened deep in her stomach and she bit down on her lip to force herself to focus.

  Marc walked toward them and his presence helped calm her rebellious stomach. Out of the corner of her eye she caught how his otherwise strong cadence broke slightly by the damage to his leg. He favored his right a little more than normal. The running must have irritated his injury. She offered a small smile and received one in return.

  He joined them in a chair opposite her and Colt’s and stretched his legs in the aisle. One of the perks of a private plane. Plenty of legroom for all that man. Instead of focusing on the bad and ugly, her mind took a detour for the easy. Marc Dangere in tight jeans and a black fitted T-shirt made a woman’s mouth water. When had he changed?

  “When should they have something for us? Marc reached over and plucked the laptop off the table for a closer look at the information Colt had pulled up on her and all the interactions she’d logged in at work over the past month. Several emails between Tech, a couple other secretaries on data reports and two new clients that wanted a security upgrade. All routine.

  It was fascinating to watch Marc’s mind shift into Rambo mode. She ducked her head and hid her smile. He’d probably threaten to spank her again if he knew what she’d mentally called him.

  He must have sensed her attention on him. His gaze shifted to her while Colt filled him in on his conversation with the sheriff. His gaze caressed her face then moved down to her breasts and settled on the apex of her thighs before returning to hers. A burst of excitement rushed up her body to pebble her nipples against the confines of her bra and shirt.

  “Sam said he’d be in contact within the day. From what he can tell so far, not much was left behind except a set of tire tracks from the one vehicle and a couple of boot prints along the bank of the lake, which confirmed what we thought about the ambush coming from that direction. Whoever was in the vehicle must have been there as backup. A second getaway car, I guess. Hell, none of this makes any sense.”

  “It’s a miracle they didn’t run into Joel.”

  “For them. That man is like a one-man assault team on two legs.” Colt rubbed a hand down his face. He looked tired. She felt tired. Marc looked anything but tired.

  Mia swiveled her chair to face away from the men toward the back of the plane and let their voices drop into the background. The plane taxied for takeoff and within a few short moments the city below became nothing more than twinkling lights in a blanket of darkness.

  She pulled her phone out of her sweats pocket and dialed her sister’s number from memory. The airplane leveled out just as the voicemail on her sister’s phone picked up. “Mí Amore Flowers. Leave a message and I’ll call you back shortly.”

  Her heart shed a pound of worry just by the sound of her sister’s voice. The play on her name and their native language was her sister’s idea for the flower shop and every time she heard it, she smiled. Her father had called her mí amor. She nibbled on her lip and shoved thoughts of her papa back into the tightly closed box of memories it escaped from unbeckoned.

  Her sister’s voice mail beeped. “¡Hola!, chica, I’ll be out of town for a day or two. I’m heading to Puerto Vallarta on business. Nothing big, just a meeting with clients. The gu
ys mentioned we’ll be staying at a place in the Mismaloya area a mile or so south of Vallarta. I lost my phone so you’ll have to call me on this borrowed number. I’ll call again when we land with more details. ¡Te amo! Chao.”

  She pressed the red button to end the call. God, what was she thinking? She’d just lied to her sister. But what good would it do to worry her? She pulled a lock of hair between her fingers and tucked her other hand around her waist. She would call her back when there was more information.

  Mia closed her eyes and sank back in the leather seat. The adventures of the day washed over her. She rolled her eyes at her own sardonic thoughts. Ha! Adventures.

  Her stomach growled, but a double shot of tequila would settle better than a plate of food right now.

  She took a deep breath and let it all go. Since she didn’t notice a bar on the way in, she accepted what there was—Marc and Colt.

  Their deep voices carried on in the background and she let the warm sound caress along her frayed nerves.

  Someone’s phone binged with an incoming message. Mia shoved away the pull of sleep lulling her and slowly turned back around to face them.

  Colt looked between the two of them. “IT has checked over your phone. They pulled nothing on the hang-up calls you received last night, but they did track down the server the pictures were sent from. They’re digging deeper to verify if it’s legit or a decoy server. They’ll get back to us on it.”

  Mia dragged her attention away from Colt when her phone vibrated in her hands. Her sister must have gotten her message. She flicked it on and caught an image loading on the small screen. Unlike her smartphone, this one she had to scroll to see the entire picture.

  Her heart sank to her feet and she had to wrangle her stomach back into place.

  Not again. Por favor, Dios. She stared at herself sandwiched between Marc and Colt boarding their corporate plane. She quickly scrolled to the end and read the large bold words at the bottom of the message.

  NO ONE CAN PROTECT YOU