by Josie Dennis
If she had wanted a sign as to the end of the liaison among the three of them, this was most assuredly it. Stephen would leave—to marry, of all things!—and Gabriel would go back to treating her with affectionate derision. He would never want her as his wife, either. Not now that she had given herself so wantonly to both. She would end up with neither.
“Excuse me, Mrs. West.” She came to her feet. “I find I am quite thirsty. May I get you some refreshment?”
“No, thank you.” Mrs. West smiled. “Do promise me you will come visit me soon?”
Emmy managed to nod before venturing back out into the fray. Stephen was engaged! He would be gone from her and Gabriel would become to her what he had been the whole of her life. Years of loneliness stretched out before her.
Tonight, however? She would have the passion of her two lovers for one last time. They would never know how much she loved both of them, but she could most certainly show them how much she desired them. She had learned her lessons quite well indeed.
She saw Stephen immediately, standing among a group of young people she vaguely knew from around Highbury. She noted that the girls fawned over him, not that she could fault them their taste, as she approached the group. A smattering of greetings met her ears, which she absently returned. “Mr. Churchill, may I beg your assistance?” she asked.
Stephen’s laughing eyes crinkled but he sketched a pretty bow. “I am ever your eager servant, Miss Woodson.”
She took his offered elbow and they left the little group. “I want to go home, Stephen,” she whispered.
“Home?” he asked, blinking.
She flushed. “To Dunwell Abbey,” she returned. “Pray, find Gabriel?”
“I take it our dearest girl came unescorted as usual?”
“I am on my own, yes. I shall tell my driver to return to Hartfield.”
Stephen shook his head. “I’ll fetch Gabriel and we shall see to it.” He smiled. “Then we shall see you home, Emmy.”
She left his side to retrieve her wrap. She bade farewell to Harriet and to Mrs. Phillips and stepped outside to await Gabriel’s carriage. It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time but at last the familiar vehicle appeared before her. She boarded, fidgeting until Gabriel and Stephen joined her.
Gabriel directed the driver to the Abbey and faced her, worry clear on his features. “What is wrong, Emmy?”
She could not put her feelings into words, not with both of them so close to her in the confines of the carriage. She could smell each of their unique scents, knew with her eyes closed which belonged to which, and breathed in deeply. “I had to leave. I am sorry.”
“Why?” Stephen asked. He took one of her hands in his. “You looked quite upset, love. I do not like to see you in such distress.”
She longed to ask him about his secret engagement, of the girl who would have him forever, but she could not. “I had to be alone with you.” She grabbed Gabriel’s hand. “With both of you.”
A slow smile curved Gabriel’s lips and he pulled her close. “Both of us?”
“Ah, Emmy.” Stephen kissed her cheek, her lips. “We are at your mercy.”
They arrived at Gabriel’s home in but a few minutes. The two of them urged her inside and up the grand staircase to Gabriel’s bed chamber. There would be no teasing tonight, she knew. No bondage or spanking or delaying their pleasure until all of them nearly combusted.
Carnal desire was clear on both of their faces and she felt the urgency in her soul. Her pussy wept with juices and her breasts were heavy, her nipples begging for their touch. Quickly divested of her lovely ball gown she liberated Gabriel of his finery while Stephen stripped with lightning speed.
“Both of us.” Stephen stroked his cock, now thick and visibly hard. “Enlighten us, pray?”
She raised her chin, trying to affect a sophistication she sorely lacked. Standing there naked, trembling with lust for the two of them, she faced first one then the other. “The other night, when Stephen was in my bottom. I wanted…”
“Something in your pussy,” Gabriel finished. “Are you saying…?”
She clutched at him, stroking his cock and rubbing her breasts against his chest. “I want both of you to love me.”
Her words startled her, but it seemed they took her statement as a request for passion not devotion. She soon found herself flat on the bed, Stephen’s clever lips and tongue pulling delightfully at her nipples while Gabriel devoured her pussy. It was wild and fast, and she quickly crested toward pleasure. Stephen did not cease, teething one breast while manipulating the other as she cried out. Gabriel began to tongue her deeply, thrusting and licking and sucking until she seemed to take leave of all her senses but those focused on what they did to her. How she would miss this! Sobbing, she came in a rush. A hot flush spread over her breasts, and her pussy convulsed around Gabriel’s tongue.
“Now, Emmy,” Stephen said, lifting her off the bed. “We’ll both love you now.”
Oh, how she wished his words meant what she longed for in her soul. She buried her face in his neck to hide her yearning.
“Switch, come up here,” Stephen said as he climbed off the bed and went into Gabriel’s dressing room.
Gabriel ran his gaze over her, clearly inflamed with lust, and nodded. His body was taut, his mouth set, and his shaft was gorgeously erect. Settling on his knees, he grasped the headboard as he had that other evening. She bent toward him and quickly engulfed the head of his cock, earning a growl of pleasure before he lifted her from him. “Not this time, love,” he rasped.
Stephen returned. “Climb on Gabriel’s lap, Emmy.”
She did so, straddling his strong thighs. He clutched at her, bringing his skillful lips to her breast and tugging with persistence. The rough hairs on his thighs teased her swollen pussy and she dragged herself over him with delight.
“Ah, Emmy,” Gabriel said, leaning his head back. “Your pussy is so hot it fairly scalds me.”
She would not feel a lick of embarrassment. If she was to have only this last night with them she would experience every bit of pleasure, from twinge to burst.
Stephen returned, holding the jar she recognized from the last time he’d penetrated her bottom. Everything inside her clenched with need and she wriggled at him. “Quickly, Stephen.”
He cursed softly and inserted first one then two lubricated fingers into her passage. It pinched and she sucked in a breath, grabbing on to Gabriel’s shoulders.
“Easy, Emmy,” Stephen said softly. “This cannot be fast. Do relax.”
She attempted to do just that, and Gabriel’s drugging kisses soon aided in that regard. She opened her mouth to him, sucking at his tongue as if she could memorize his taste and texture. His hands stroked over her back as Stephen continued to probe her in ever-increasing speed. She pulled a bit inside when Stephen withdrew his fingers, letting out a gasp in the next moment as he pushed his cock deep within her.
“That’s it,” he said, his voice low. “Christ, this is incredible.”
She moved a bit, the oddly wonderful, full feeling seizing her again. Her pussy began to drip with need. Gabriel continued to play at her breasts, moaning his own delight as she felt his cock tease her clit.
“Oh, please…” she rasped.
“Yes, Emmy,” Gabriel said, his voice rough.
He fingered her and she felt a burst of ecstasy. It was not enough. Even the favored riding crop would not be enough to satisfy her tonight. “Your cock, Gabriel. Your big, beautiful cock. Please!”
“How could I refuse such a pretty request,” he ground out.
He shifted as Stephen held tight to her hips, hovering just at the entrance. With a grunt he lowered her onto his shaft. She squeezed her eyes shut as he was filled to bursting. It was incredible. She had both of them within her, Stephen easing in and out of her bottom as she rode Gabriel’s cock. Alternating, withdrawing and thrusting with a rhythm she knew she would remember forever, they both took her.
Stephen moa
ned behind her, reaching up to grab her breasts in both hands while Gabriel directed their movements now. He held her hips still, thrusting up into her as far as he could and withdrawing nearly completely. The two of them, giving her such pleasure and taking all she had, caused her to shudder toward climax again. Legs shaking, hands clutching at Gabriel as she felt the onslaught and cried out their names as she writhed between them.
Their movements became less measured now, Stephen fucking her with his full passion while Gabriel urged him on. “Ride her, Stephen. Deep.” He trembled beneath her, shaking as he obviously neared his own bliss.
“Are you there, Switch?” Stephen gasped. “Can you feel it? God, can you feel it?”
Gabriel gave a shaky nod. “Yes. Both of us. God, yes. Emmy! Dear, sweet Emmy!”
He thrust deeply one more time, shuddering violently as he exploded inside of her. Stephen soon followed suit, shouting her name as he flooded her with his cream. Inexplicably, she began to cry.
“Emmy, did we hurt you?” Gabriel asked, withdrawing from her. He cuddled her close. “Please tell me we didn’t hurt you.”
“I will never forgive myself,” Stephen said, out of breath as he slipped from her as well.
She sobbed loudly now, overcome with love for these two men. She would have to leave them, Stephen to his betrothed and Gabriel to his former contempt. Tonight they were hers but she knew it would never be enough.
Holding her close, they stroked and caressed and cherished her as she sniffled. Both of them loving her, at least physically, was pure bliss. She reasoned one could never envision a more perfect last night together.
Or a more perfect way to say good-bye.
Chapter 10
“What do you hear from her?” Stephen asked.
Gabriel shook his head. “She hasn’t responded to any of my missives. It has been nearly two weeks. I was thinking that perhaps that last night…” His voice trailed off.
“Were we too rough?” Stephen settled on the chair near the hearth. “I took as much care as I could, Switch. Even at the end, when all I wanted was to fuck her until she shattered.”
“I know.” Gabriel bit back a curse as he sank down on the settee. “She cried, Stephen. Our girl cried. I thought I’d die before ever seeing her cry.”
“It nearly broke my heart.” Stephen leaned back, raking his fingers through his hair. “I admit I was startled when she asked us both to take her.”
“I was not. She has done everything we’ve ever asked of her. And gladly. This was the next step in our minds. Perhaps she suspected as much?”
“She is a quick study. My God, it was incredible. I could feel every inch of you inside of her. I’ve never known such harmony.”
“It was amazing, and I for one refuse to believe that will be the first and last time we experience that with her.”
They were quiet for a long moment, each lost in thought as they tried to find a reason for Emmy’s sudden withdrawal.
“I saw Miss Stoat in the village,” Stephen said at last.
“And what information did she impart?”
“Nothing of consequence. She seems such a silly thing. She was flirting with me, Switch. As if I’d consider another woman with Emmy in my heart.”
“Thanks to Emmy’s encouragement it seems the girl is reaching high.”
“For a match? I thought Markham offered for her.”
Gabriel cursed. “He did, but Emmy convinced Miss Stoat that she could do better.” He looked at Stephen pointedly. “And can you imagine on which gentleman she’s set her cap?”
“The hell you say! I just extracted myself from an unwanted engagement. I’ll be damned if I get snared into another one.”
“No worries, Stephen.” Gabriel stood and began to pace. “I’m sure the girl will come to realize that she would be a fool to let Markham go.”
A knock came at the parlor door.
“Come,” Gabriel said.
The door opened and the Kingley butler bowed. “Forgive me, sir. A missive just arrived for you.”
Stephen sat up, his every muscle tense. Gabriel crossed and took the note from the servant, closing the door behind him.
“Tell me that is from Emmy,” Stephen said.
Gabriel nodded, turning the paper over and over in his hands. “At long last.”
“Open it!” Stephen growled.
Gabriel broke the seal and unfolded the letter. Stephen read the remarkable play of emotions over his friend’s face—first puzzlement then hurt then anger. Cold fear pooled in his belly.
“What does she say?” he forced himself to ask.
Gabriel crumpled the paper in his fist. “She has ended our liaison, as she words it.”
Stephen jumped to his feet. “Why the devil would she do that? Does she give a reason?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I cannot make any sense of it. She says you will return to Yorkshire to marry, and I will find a woman who hasn’t behaved like a wanton.”
“A wanton? Like hell. We’ll go to her right now and tell her we love her. That will make her see things straight.”
Gabriel grabbed his arm as he stormed past. “No. She won’t believe us. She must have heard of your engagement.”
“My broken engagement, Switch. It is of no consequence.”
“Emmy is stubborn, Stephen. She always has been. That damn spirit of hers was the first thing that attracted us.”
“After her beautiful face and figure.”
Gabriel gave a shaky nod. “We’ll have to tread lightly. I know she loves us. It is evident in all her looks and actions.”
“There, you see?”
“However I believe that is half the problem.”
Stephen sank back down into the chair, his heart in pieces. “We cannot lose her.”
“We won’t.”
“I have to set matters to rights, Gabriel. She needs to know that I am not engaged and that we love her.”
Gabriel studied him for a long moment then walked to the door. “Come, then.”
“Where?”
Gabriel grinned. “To declare our love to our one and only.”
Letting out a whoop, Stephen bound to his feet again and followed Gabriel to the stables.
* * * *
Emmy studied herself in the mirror, taking breath after painful breath as she sought to calm her nerves. It had been two long weeks since that incredible night at the Abbey, and an hour didn’t pass without her recalling every move, every touch, in stunning detail. Her father was blissfully ignorant of her downcast mood, of course. Mrs. Waltham saw to his needs while Emmy indulged in her melancholy.
Gabriel had written every day since the night of the assembly, but until today she’d avoided the permanent step she knew she had to take. Severing their liaison, setting them both free, had been the only thing she could do. Why, then, did it feel like her entire being was torn in two?
Her maid had wrought a miracle on her appearance today. She’d brought rosewater to soothe her complexion and used her skill with the brush and pins to make her presentable. It was the first day since that night that Emmy had even risen before the afternoon, and that was only because Harriet was to call today. Goodness knew she could certainly use the diversion. Perhaps her friend’s recounting of gossip in the village would take her mind off of Gabriel and Stephen.
Emmy stood and adjusted her fichu into the bodice of her pretty pink dress. It was the same gown she’d worn on the picnic, when her two beaux had teased, tormented and pleased her in the shady woods of the Abbey.
“Stop thinking about them,” she admonished herself.
Descending belowstairs, she found Harriet awaiting her in the parlor. She instructed the staff to bring tea and refreshments and settled on a settee.
“Do sit, Harriet.” She managed a smile for her friend. “It has been too long since we have passed the time together.”
“I know! I daresay we haven’t spoken since the assembly.”
She schooled her expre
ssion. “Yes, the assembly. That was a pleasant time.”
“Oh, indeed. So many eligible gentlemen about.” Harriet preened a bit, then dimpled a smile at Emmy. “You may be correct, Miss Woodson.”
“About?”
“My chances with someone other than Mr. Markham, of course. There have been several prospects about Highbury of late.”
This was a welcome topic. Surely Harriet would wax poetic about the blacksmith’s son or the new tavern keeper. “And who, pray, has caught your eye?”
“Not just my eye,” Harriet said. “He has captured my heart!”
She forced a smile at the girl’s dramatics. “Do tell me the identity of this fortunate gentleman, Harriet.”
“Why, none other than Mr. Stephen Churchill!”
Emmy gripped the arm of the settee to keep herself from falling to the floor in shock. “Mr. Ch–Church…”
“He is so handsome, Miss Woodson. Oh, he has a fine physique but it is his good humor and laughing eyes that won me to him.”
“Harriet, you cannot believe that he will offer for you.”
“And why not?” Harriet lifted her chin. “You have told me time and again I can reach higher than Mr. Markham. Why, I have even been considering Mr. Kingley. It seems that when last we spoke—”
“Mr. Kingley?” Emmy cut in. She surged to her feet. “Harriet, you will not set your cap for either Mr. Churchill or Mr. Kingley!”
“Miss Woodson!” Harriet gasped.
“They are not for you!” Emmy heard her voice, knew she was screeching like a harridan, but could not seem to stop. “Mr. Churchill is engaged to a young woman in Yorkshire, Harriet. And Mr. Kingley…Why, I have it on good authority that his emotions are secured elsewhere as well.”
Harriet frowned then raised her eyebrows. “Oh, Mr. Kingley and you are involved! I should have guessed, but at the assembly you seemed just as attentive toward Mr. Churchill.”
Emmy’s heart raced, her body filmed with sweat, as she tried to undo the damage she had just wrought. “Harriet, you mustn’t tell anyone what you assumed. It is simply not true.”
“Are we interrupting?”
She whirled to find Gabriel and Stephen in the doorway. Her mouth gaped, her breath seizing in her lungs.
