by James Tate
"Sorry. Shit, sorry. I shouldn't have hugged you. Sorry." She was tripping all over her words and looking all kinds of embarrassed, and it was throwing me for a loop.
I shook my head. "It's fine, seriously. You just took me off guard. I'm not really a hugger." Which was true, with the exceptions of my three loves. With them, I could hardly get enough of the feeling of being wrapped up in their arms.
The girl smiled at me again, her whole face lighting up. She was really pretty and seemed around my age. Maybe a bit younger. "I'm Seph," she introduced herself. "I bet these fuckers have never even mentioned me too." She rolled her eyes dramatically, and I bit back a laugh. Archer had, in fact, mentioned her to me.
"Seph," Zed growled from across the table. "You're not even supposed to be here. You want me to call Hades?"
Seph's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare. Just let me have, like, five minutes of harmless fun, Zed. God, you're such a fucking buzzkill."
"You're underage, Seph. Get the fuck out of here before you land in more trouble than you already are." Zed pulled his phone out of his pocket, and Seph let out a small scream of protest.
"Zed, don't be a fuck-nugget. Madison Kate is underage, too!"
Zed shrugged, a teasing grin playing across his lips. "And yet it's you who will get my ass chewed out by Hades later." He nodded his head to Cass, who'd just arrived at our table. "Cass, do you mind escorting Seph home?"
Cass gave me a nod of greeting, then turned his dark eyes to the vibrant girl beside me. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I could have sworn his gaze softened with affection. "My pleasure, Zed," he rumbled, holding out his hand to the girl.
"Screw you, Cassiel," she snapped back, folding her arms under her breasts. "You all need to stop treating me like a little kid. I'm seventeen, not seven. I want to hang out with Madison Kate and Kody."
Cass and Zed exchanged a look, and Kody seemed to be trying not to laugh. Man, I wanted to understand how all these pieces connected.
"You don't wanna be treated like a kid, then stop acting like one, Seph," Zed replied, sounding tired. I got the feeling this wasn't the first time they'd had this argument. "Go with Cass, or I'm calling." He held up his phone, showing the call screen cued up with Hades.
"Sorry, girl," I whispered to her sympathetically. "It was nice to meet you, though."
"You too," she mumbled back to me. "Maybe one day I'll be let off my damn leash and we can hang out properly. I already know we could be good friends." Her smile was wide, and I couldn't help returning it. Weirdly, I thought she could be right. I remembered all too clearly what Archer had told me about this girl, Persephone. He'd saved her from being sold as a sex slave at age thirteen. No wonder Hades was overprotective of her, considering she was only seventeen now.
"Come on, Seph," Cass growled, "I've got better shit to do than babysit your bratty ass." Except, I knew that grumpy fuck, and he didn't seem annoyed by the job at all. Curiouser and curiouser.
Seph's jaw tightened, and her eyes narrowed at the big, tattoo-covered Reaper. "I'm not going with you, Cass. I'll find my own way home." She turned to me and smacked a quick kiss on my cheek, then did the same to Kody. "Say hey to Arch and Steele for me."
"Will do," Kody promised her.
She flipped Zed and Cass off, then started to make her way across the bar. Zed just gave Cass a silent look, and Seph only made it another couple of steps before she found herself thrown over the Reaper 2iC's shoulder. She kicked and screamed as he carried her out of the club, but I wasn't worried for her. Cass wouldn't hurt a girl like that. He was a good egg, and he clearly held some level of affection for Seph.
Oh. What if she was the girl he'd been pining for? His "placeholder" had been a redhead too.
"Sorry about that," Zed said, addressing me. "Seph knows she shouldn't come into the clubs, but she's going through a rebellious phase." He grimaced, and Kody laughed.
"Yeah, good luck with that," Kody scoffed, sitting back down beside me and wrapping his arm around my waist.
Zed just rolled his eyes and took another sip of his Champagne, then hit call on his phone screen. Raising it to his ear, he grimaced. "Boss, Seph was here. Cass is escorting her home now." He paused a moment, and he winced at whatever was being said on the other end. "I needed to stay so I can debrief when Archer gets here. Cass has it handled; he won't let anything happen to her." Another pause, and Zed scrubbed a hand over his clean-shaven face. "Yes, sir. Understood."
He ended the call, then downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.
Kody just grinned and offered him a refill. "You're playing with fire, Zed," he commented lightly, and the older guy just shrugged.
"Nothing new there, Kody." He flashed a grin, then shifted his attention to include me once more. "Now, you guys wanna tell me who has enough money and motive to put out a hit that hardcore? Someone really wants you dead, Madison Kate."
I wrinkled my nose. "No shit."
34
Archer and Steele arrived about an hour later, and I almost tripped over the table trying to launch myself at the two of them. I hugged Steele first, my arms banding around him and my face buried in his neck. He hugged me back just as hard, then loosened his grip slightly.
"Hellcat, I'm fine," he whispered in my ear, then kissed my cheek. "We all are. Promise."
I huffed. "That's not true." I let him go and turned to face Archer with my hands on my hips. "How the fuck did you get shot, Archer D'Ath? You're supposed to be invincible!"
His full lips curved in a grin. "Am I? Huh, I didn't know that. Sure would make these gunfights easier if I were." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, but used his left hand.
My eyes narrowed, and I patted him firmly on the right arm, taking a guess. He flinched and hissed in pain, so I glared harder. "That doesn't seem like you are, D'Ath. Start talking."
He grimaced, then shot Steele a dark look. "Steele shot me. Get mad at him instead."
My jaw dropped, and I spun around to give Steele an accusing glare. But he was just shaking his head at Archer in disappointment.
"Smooth, bro. Real smooth. Just push me right in front of the bus, why don't you?"
Archer snorted a laugh. "Well, you did." Leaning into my body, he pressed a kiss on my cheek. "But I'm fine, Princess. Stop stressing." With a quick kiss to my lips, he moved over to our table and let Kody pour him a Scotch from the bottle he and Zed had been sharing.
"Max Steele," I snarled, spearing him with my glare. "What the fuck?"
He just smiled at me and reached out to grab my hand. "Hellcat, it's not as bad as it sounds," he said with a laugh, tugging me closer, then lifting me into his lap as he sat.
"Uh-huh, so you didn't shoot Archer?"
His gray eyes met mine, full of amusement. "I didn't. I shot the guy who was about to stab Archer in the kidney, and his fat arm just happened to be in the way of my headshot. It's really his own fault."
I blinked at him in disbelief. "You... hang on. Wait. You wanna tell me you deliberately shot Archer?"
"Grazed at best," Steele corrected with a small eye roll. "He's just being a baby about it. Better a grazed bicep than a knife in the kidney, I'm just saying."
"Max Steele!" I shrieked in outrage. "You could have killed him!"
"My point exactly," Archer agreed with a smirk at Steele. Clearly, I was the only one freaking out about Steele literally shooting Archer.
Steele just grinned and kissed the tip of my nose. "That wasn't even a possibility, Hellcat. Have you seen me shoot? I don't miss."
Zed and Kody were chuckling quietly, and I just threw my hands up in frustration.
"Hey," Steele whispered, tightening his arms around my waist. "You did well with the plan, Hellcat. I saw you cap that guy in the head."
A stupid amount of pride rolled through me, and my lips quirked in a smile, despite how mad I was at him. "Yeah?"
"Yep," he replied, kissing my neck, "hottest thing I've seen all week. Don't even get me started on that perfectly ex
ecuted tuck and roll you did." He let out a sexy sort of moan that went straight to my cunt. Damn him, using my libido against me like that.
"Max..." I groaned in protest, then gave up on my anger. I turned my face, cupped his cheek in my hand, and kissed him hard. His lips curved into a smile against mine, and he deepened our kiss to the point that I was squirming in his lap and desperate for more, despite our audience.
Hell, I'd totally forgotten Zed was even there until Steele released me and I spotted him eyeing us with curiosity.
"Poly relationship, huh?" he murmured to Kody with a raised brow.
Kody shrugged. "Don't knock it until you try it, friend."
Zed snorted a laugh, shaking his head. "You're braver men than me, that's for sure."
Archer refilled his Scotch, then clapped Zed on the shoulder with a grin. "For the right girl, Zed, you'd be surprised what you'd agree to."
I caught Archer's eye across the table, and the look he gave me was pure adoration. It made my pulse race and my insides warm, and I smiled back at him with total infatuation. The fact that he'd accepted our unconventional relationship constantly blew my mind.
He and Zed slipped into a casual debriefing about the mission, and I snuggled back into Steele's embrace as we took some time to just enjoy the party.
The boys had all moved on to Scotch, leaving the Champagne for me, so it wasn't long before the warm buzz of drunkenness started rolling through my limbs. The music was catchy, and without even meaning to, I found myself swaying in Steele's lap.
His fingers tightened on my hips, and he let out a small groan some moments later. "Hellcat, you keep grinding on me, and I'm gonna have to fuck you in the bathroom."
I laughed but rolled my hips against him harder. "Maybe we should go dance," I suggested. "I need to work off this energy somehow."
"Take Kody," Archer told me before Steele could accept.
I cocked a brow at him. "Why?"
"Because," he replied with a smirk, "for one thing, Steele can't fucking dance. For another, he shot me and doesn't deserve rewards."
Kody snickered and stood up, holding out his hand to me. "Come on, babe, you know I love dancing with you." The wink he shot me said it all. Every time the two of us had danced together, we'd ended up making out or more. Perfect.
We made our way over to the busy dance floor, giggling together as I tripped on the edge of my dress. Kody caught me before I could fall, of course, and dipped me like it had been an intentional dance move. Smooth as fuck.
"Hey babe?" Kody said as he pulled me into his arms and started moving with the music. We were pressed close together, and I was already cursing the amount of clothing between us. He'd ditched the bulletproof vest, but even so... naked would have been better.
"Hmm?" I looped my arms around his neck and gazed up at him with adoration. I was so fucking smitten with my guys it was insane.
He grinned back at me, like he knew exactly what I was thinking. "I noticed Arch gave you a gift this morning. Does that mean you're not filing for divorce?"
My eyes widened, and I brought my hand between us to look at the ring in question. It fitted me so perfectly it felt like it had been made for me. It was unquestionably stunning, too, and clearly a priceless antique. Yeah, that ring was more than just a casual trinket.
"I..." I had no words. Is that what it meant? What did it say for our whole relationship if we started out with a divorce? Ugh, then again, it shouldn't have started with a forced marriage. But still... what harm was there in leaving things as they were for the time being?
Kody took my hand in his, brought it to his mouth, and kissed my ring finger. "It's okay," he murmured. "I was just curious to see where your head was at."
I gave him a lopsided smile, my heart pounding at the tender way he'd just kissed my ring—like it was a ring from all of them, not just Archer. "Right now?" I said with a laugh, changing the subject, "right now, my head is a bit fuzzy from Champagne but also laser focused on how I can drag you into the bathroom for a quickie before anyone notices."
Oh yeah, I was drunk. Kody's brows rose at my confession, and a sly smile crept over his face. "Is that right?"
"Yup." I licked my lips. "But also, I'm so in love with you three it actually scares me. Can we just make it through this whole, you know, assassin and stalker shit before we start thinking long term? Let's just stay alive for now."
Kody's eyes searched mine for a long moment, our bodies still swaying together in time with the music. "We can stay alive," he agreed, "but you deserve so much more than just surviving. You deserve to thrive, babe."
"We all do," I replied in a soft voice.
He gave a short nod, like we were both on the same page. "Good. Then let's start now."
He didn't give me a chance to question him, linking our fingers together and pulling me through the crowd on the dance floor. I let out a laugh as I spotted the direction we were heading.
"Kody, we can't." It was a weak protest at best, and I was still laughing as I said it. He just shot me a smirk and pushed the door to the ladies’ restroom open.
"We definitely can." He spun me around and kissed me like a starving man. I moaned into his kiss, parting my lips to let him claim my mouth in a possessive, desperate way that made my knees weak.
Then someone flushed a toilet, and we broke off our kiss in shock. A woman exited one of the stalls, then did a double take when she saw Kody standing there with his hands on my waist. Yeah, it was pretty damn obvious what we were up to, and Kody seemed to give zero fucks. Aside from that initial surprise of realizing we weren't alone, he was relaxed as ever, his hands still holding me tight against him.
The woman cast her eyes over my man as she washed her hands, then she met my gaze and smirked in an approving way. "The last stall has the most space," she told me with a wink, then quickly dried her hands and left the restroom.
My jaw was hanging open with shock, but Kody didn't need to be told twice. None of the other stall doors were closed, and he wasted no time pulling me into the one on the far end. Sure enough, it was larger than a normal stall, with a little bench seat tucked behind the door and a mirrored shelf on the wall as though the club was condoning drug use. Oh wait, it was a Timberwolf club, they probably were.
"Kody," I said on a laugh as he pushed me against the wall and started kissing my neck, "we really shouldn't fuck in Hades' nightclub. It seems super disrespectful or something. Even if it was my idea."
He just laughed and kissed my penguin tattoo again—apparently his new favorite thing—sending shudders of toe-curling desire shooting through me.
"Trust me, babe, Hades won't care. At least we've taken it to the bathroom; Zed is known for fucking girls right out in the main club." He was so unconcerned it was easy to let my own apprehension drop.
Screw it. We were already in here.
"Gross," I commented in mild disgust at Zed, but at the same time I reached for my dress zipper and shucked the heavily beaded gown from my shoulders.
Kody groaned his appreciation as the garment slithered to the floor and cupped my bare breasts with his hands. "Fuck yes," he murmured, bending to suck one of my nipples into his mouth.
"We better be quick," I told him in a breathy sigh. "Or someone will come searching."
"Let them," he growled back, his voice pure sex.
I grinned, biting my lip at the hungry, lust-soaked look in his gaze. My fingers made quick work of the buttons on his shirt as we stared into each other's eyes, then I pushed both his shirt and jacket off in one movement.
His body was insane. Before meeting the guys, I'd thought all bodies like his were a trick of photoshop. But nope, he was just straight up cut, and I could safely say I wasn't ever going to get enough of all those hard muscles and chiseled lines.
"Fucking hell, you're perfect." I trailed my fingers all over his inked chest and washboard abs. I was too damn turned on to drag out the foreplay much longer, so the second I reached his waist, I tugged his bel
t and pants open to free his straining erection.
Kody groaned as I palmed his dick, my fingers closing around his sizable girth. "Fucking hell, babe," he whispered into my neck, his lips moving against my skin. "I need to be inside you so bad it hurts."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" I hitched a leg up around his waist in invitation. He took the hint, moving his hands under my ass to lift me up and pin me to the wall, and I crossed my ankles behind him.
He let out a small groan as he held me with one hand, using the other to line his huge cock up to my soaking core. Once he’d pushed his tip just inside, he moved his hand to my face. He gripped my jaw in a way that forced our eyes to lock, and held eye contact as he surged forward, filling me and stretching me in the most delicious way.
"I love you so fucking hard, MK," he told me in a gruff voice when his cock was fully seated. "So. Fucking. Hard." He punctuated that statement with several rough thrusts that almost saw me coming already.
Tightening my grip around him, I tilted my head back to seal my lips against his. We probably needed to be quiet, and Kody's tongue seemed like as good a gag as any. Well... in the absence of Steele's or Archer's dick, that was.
Kody kissed me the same way as he fucked me: Hard, fast, and deep. His thick cock lit up every damn nerve in my pussy, striking me at the best possible angle that saw me clenching and writhing all over him in a matter of seconds. I was so lost in ecstasy that I didn't even hear the main door open as someone came into the restroom.
He heard them, though. His pace slowed and his kiss gentled as he whispered a warning.
"Stay quiet, babe," he urged me. "Not a sound, okay? We don't wanna get thrown out by security or something."
Worry zapped through me, making me gasp and tighten up around his dick. He just groaned softly and kissed me again.
"Shh," he breathed with a laugh. "Be silent, and I promise I'll make you come again before we leave this club tonight."
My eyes rolled back with a silent groan. How the hell could I refuse an offer like that? Kody knew it too. He let me have his lips once more, keeping me quiet, then went to town fucking me into a quivering mess. His fingers snaked between us, finding my clit and shattering my whole damn world as I came all over his dick.
