by Mari Carr
Before she could continue the fight—or ask him what that meant—Jakob rolled toward them, propping himself up on his elbow. “Let Walt look at you.”
Annalise sat up gingerly. Walt kicked himself for not demanding to examine her last night, but she’d been emotionally fragile and he hadn’t wanted to push.
She tried to take off the T-shirt, but stopped, unable to hide her wince of pain. Walt gently took her hand in his, holding it steady, as he stretched the material until he was able to pull her arm out.
“Shit,” he murmured, a similar curse coming from Jakob as well, when their gazes landed on the large black bruise covering one entire shoulder.
“Wine bottle,” she said quietly.
At Walt’s questioning glance, she elaborated. “He hit me with a wine bottle.”
Jakob growled. “He died too quickly.”
Walt sighed and shook his head. “Jakob,” he started, perfectly aware that he and the Ritter would never see eye to eye when it came to the value of a human life. Jakob saw the world in terms of good and evil, an eye for an eye. Walt, however, had sworn to preserve life—all lives—and the lightness or darkness of the souls within those bodies was immaterial.
Jakob didn’t give him a chance to contradict him. “He deserved to suffer more.”
The tone in Jakob’s voice told Walt he would never be convinced otherwise, so he returned his attention to Annalise.
That was when he saw the bite mark on her neck—and for the flash of a second, Walt found his own humanity wavering, his anger toward Axel and the pain he’d caused Annalise sparking a desire for payback.
Walt swallowed the foreign feeling down, digging deep for the clinical detachment that allowed him to do his job competently, without emotion getting in the way of the work.
He ran his fingers over the bruise on her shoulder, gently probing. Given the range of motion she’d already displayed, he was fairly certain she hadn’t suffered a break, but even so… “I want to get an X-ray of this arm. I don’t think it’s broken, but there could be a hairline fracture.”
She sighed. “Does that have to be today? I really don’t want to get out of bed. I just feel…”
“Numb,” he said, repeating her earlier assessment.
“And tired. Though I don’t know how after last night. I can’t remember the last time I slept so soundly. I didn’t dream and I didn’t roll over.”
Walt cupped her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “The X-ray can wait until tomorrow. I agree that bed rest is the best thing for you today.”
Reaching behind her back, he unfastened her bra, his eyes locked with hers, awaiting a signal from her that this was okay.
She gave him a slight nod and he gently pulled the bra off. There were several fingerprint-sized bruises on her breasts and her nipples looked tender. Axel had been rough with her, brutal even.
“Annalise,” he whispered.
“They’re only bruises. They’ll fade with time.”
Walt hoped that was true. While her body would recover within a few days, he worried the mental anguish she suffered would take longer to heal, and he didn’t even fool himself into pretending it wouldn’t leave a scar.
He continued his exam, lowering his gaze to her side. There was a small cut, but it was not too deep. He doubted it had even bled much.
When she realized what he was looking at, she explained, “He took me away from the hotel at knifepoint.”
“I should have protected you,” Jakob said, his expression filled with guilt.
Annalise shook her head quickly. “Don’t do that, Jakob. You were hurt. Badly. There was nothing you could do.” As she spoke, she rubbed a spot on her head.
Walt followed the movement, running his own hands through her hair, once again probing for bruises, lumps.
“He pulled my hair a few times. My scalp is a little sore. Nothing more.”
“What else?” Walt asked. “Where else does it hurt?”
“Just some more bruises on my shins. That’s the worst of it,” Annalise said. “You arrived before he…” She visibly swallowed, unable to speak the word.
Walt was grateful for that. He’d spent too much time this morning as Jakob and Annalise continued to sleep considering what would have happened if they hadn’t arrived when they did. She would have been raped, possibly disfigured. The bastard had been holding a knife, one he wouldn’t have hesitated to use if Jakob hadn’t reacted without hesitation.
Even so, it had been a close call. Too fucking close.
Jakob had remained silent through most of the exam, but now that Walt was finished, he stirred, sitting up next to her.
Jakob reached for her hand, lifting it gently to kiss the bruises around her wrist, left there from the cuff and the chain.
“Annalise—” he started.
“Please, Jakob. No more guilt. No more blaming yourself for things you had no control over.”
Walt reached out, placing his hand over Jakob’s, the two of them holding her hand. He’d never felt such an instant or powerful connection to two people, but there was no denying this pull, this desire. And it had less to do with sex—okay, the sexual attraction was definitely there—and more to do with who they were and how they made him feel.
While he’d grown up a triplet, Walt had always been the brother standing just a step or two away from the others, too focused on his career to join in on the more normal aspects of life, like friendship, dating…love.
“He’s gone,” Annalise whispered, the first sign that the magnitude of what had happened—ended—yesterday was beginning to sink in.
“He’s gone,” Walt repeated. “He can’t hurt you ever again.”
“I’m not sure I know how…how to live a normal life,” she confessed.
“Me either,” Jakob admitted.
“So what I think I’m hearing is that the two of you genuinely believe you were normal at some point?” Walt joked.
Jakob snorted, the uncharacteristic sound capturing Annalise’s attention.
“Wait. Was that a laugh?” she teased.
Walt was sorry she’d missed meeting drugged-up Jakob. That guy was a hoot.
Jakob smiled widely, but sadly, he didn’t speak, didn’t rattle off every thought in his head.
Walt missed the running diatribe and wondered how he could get Jakob to start sharing his thoughts again without having to inject him with another nerve blocker.
Annalise shifted slightly and Walt caught the glimpse of pain. Her shoulder was going to be very tender for a few days. He rose from the bed and rummaged around in his duffel bag until he found the bottle of ibuprofen. Tapping three out into his hand, he went to the bathroom and got a cup of water before returning to the bed.
“Here. Take these. They’ll help with the pain.” Walt handed her the tablets.
Annalise took them, then her stomach growled loudly.
“You need food,” Walt said, reaching for the room service menu he’d spotted earlier on the small desk in the corner of the room. He’d run down for a bag of ice later.
The three of them passed the menu around, called in their order, then settled on the bed, sitting with their backs against the headboard to wait for it to be delivered.
“I still don’t even know his name,” Annalise said.
“Axel Richen. Age twenty-nine. A software developer,” Jakob informed her.
“Did he mention anything about how he knew you?” Walt asked, curious. Apart from the few details she’d given them in regards to her injuries, Annalise hadn’t told them anything about the hours she’d spent as the man’s captive.
She shook her head. “No. And I couldn’t ask him without triggering his anger. His delusion allowed him to genuinely believe we were in a relationship. I didn’t do or say anything—well, I tried not to—that would contradict his belief. Asking his name or how we met would have disputed his worldview.”
“Now that we have his name, I bet Jakob can figure out where he met you or sa
w you,” Walt said, hoping, for her sake, there would be some kind of closure.
“In the end, it doesn’t really matter. He could have seen me on TV, or at a conference, being interviewed…” Her voice trailed off, and her expression turned almost rueful.
Jakob nodded, then looked to Annalise. “Intimacy seeker.”
She grinned. “Very impressive, Mr. Bauer.” Annalise leaned to bump her good shoulder against Jakob’s. “You continue to be my best student.”
“Well, that has some kinky potential,” Walt said.
“What?” Annalise asked, laughing.
Walt soaked up the sound. Annalise had a great laugh.
He kept smiling as he said, “Jakob nearly drowned in regret yesterday after some pretty powerful drugs.”
Walt had certainly captured Annalise’s attention.
“What kind of regrets?” she asked.
“Jakob…” Walt said, lifting his hand as if yielding the other man the floor.
“Walt.” It was incredible how much warning Jakob could put into his tone with a single word.
Of course, the funny thing was Jakob still didn’t understand the power of the triplet. “I believe it had something to do with a kiss. Isn’t that right, Jakob? Jakob is definitely hot for teacher.”
“Just a kiss?” Annalise asked, turning toward Jakob, catching on quickly.
Damn…Dr. Fischer would have zero trouble when it came to dealing with his siblings and their off-color sense of humor and constant teasing.
And Walt was beginning to think the same of Jakob. If he ever managed to get the stick out of his ass.
Walt bailed out of the conversation, merely answering her question with an eyebrow he cocked in Jakob’s direction.
“Yesterday,” Jakob began slowly, “when we realized you were gone…”
Walt tried hard to hide his grin. Jakob was talking. His word count rising.
“I…Annalise…I…all I could think about was that I’d never…” He paused just before the best part.
Walt was two seconds away from saying, “Carry on,” when Annalise spoke first.
“You never what?” she asked.
“Kissed you,” Jakob said, the words more breath than sound. “I want to kiss you.”
Annalise smiled. “Then kiss m—”
She didn’t have the chance to finish her invitation before Jakob leaned closer and stole the words with his lips on hers.
Annalise’s hands found their way to Jakob’s chest, her fingers tightening in the material of his shirt.
Walt sat there, spellbound, watching as their lips parted, their tongues touched. Jakob had reached up to hold her face in his large hands, but the grip was soft, tender, cognizant of her bruised face.
Before he could think about his actions, Walt shifted closer, placing a kiss on Annalise’s bruised shoulder before adding one to the bite mark on her neck.
Jakob stopped kissing her at her breathy laugh.
“Kissing it all better, Dr. Hayden?” she asked.
Jakob lifted his chin just once, an unspoken directive for Walt to continue. He didn’t need to be told twice.
He twisted Annalise toward him and lowered his head to her breasts, placing “healing” kisses to the bruises there as well before stroking his tongue over the firm tip of her nipple.
“Ah,” Annalise sighed, her head drifting back, her eyes closing.
“No.”
Her eyes flew open, finding Jakob, who said, “Don’t close your eyes. Watch us.”
Annalise sucked in a shaky breath, then nodded.
Walt hadn’t meant to take them from zero to sixty. Hell, he hadn’t even meant to step in, part of him still feeling like the outsider here, the interloper.
Annalise and Jakob had been together for years, quietly longing for each other. Now that they’d come clean, now that they were free to explore that longing without fear of danger lurking in the shadows, shouldn’t he step away and give them that chance?
Lost in self-doubt, Walt didn’t realize he’d stopped until Jakob’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Keep going. Our girl, remember?”
Walt had used those words yesterday in the car as they raced to save Annalise. They’d slipped out unbidden, but there was no denying they’d felt right.
And they still felt right, hearing them repeated back to him by Jakob.
“Our girl,” Walt whispered, just before he stroked his tongue over her nipple again.
“Oh God,” Annalise cried out, one of her hands latching onto the back of his head as he continued to kiss and lick her breasts.
Jakob tugged off his shirt, then shifted, spreading his legs to pull Annalise between them, her back now resting against his bare chest. Jakob cupped her breasts, holding them up to Walt’s continued ministrations.
Walt kept his kisses soft, not wanting to hurt her. He startled for just a moment when Jakob released one of her breasts, so that he could run his thumb over Walt’s lower lip. Walt captured his thumb and sucked it into his mouth.
“So hot,” Annalise breathed.
Jakob pulled his thumb free, then rubbed the wet digit over Annalise’s nipple.
“Are you going to watch me fuck Walt, Annalise?” Jakob asked. “Watch me bend him over this bed and take him hard and fast?”
“Yes,” Annalise said. “Please.”
Jakob sure as shit made up for his silence outside of the bedroom. The man was the master of dirty talk.
“I want you to be sure to concentrate, to pay attention while I take his ass.”
“I’ll pay attention,” she promised.
“It won’t be easy, because Walt’s going to be between those sexy legs of yours, sucking on your pretty clit, driving you wild with his fingers and tongue.”
“Jesus,” Walt murmured, so turned on he couldn’t see straight.
Jakob ran one finger over her bruised shoulder, placing a kiss on it as well. “I’m afraid your body isn’t ready for more just yet. You need time to heal.”
“No. I am ready. I want you. Both of you,” Annalise insisted.
Jakob shook his head. “And you’ll have us, but not today.”
“Jakob—” she started.
“Don’t worry. Walt’s going to make you come. Going to make sure you’re well taken care of, aren’t you, Walt?”
Walt didn’t bother to reply. Instead, he straightened, pulling his shirt off, ready to put every single one of Jakob’s promises into action. He was just reaching for the waistband of Annalise’s sweatpants when there was a knock at the door.
“Shit,” Walt cursed. “Room service didn’t take long.”
“Fucking interruptions,” Jakob muttered.
Annalise released a shaky laugh. “Guess I should get it. Don’t want to traumatize the hotel staff.”
Walt looked down and realized he and Jakob were sporting very pronounced hard-ons, their pants tented.
Jakob pulled Annalise’s T-shirt back over her head, but didn’t bother with her bra. “Liebling, stay here. I’ll grab the food. We’ll eat it in bed.”
Annalise curled one leg under her, smoothing out the sheets for their bed picnic, as Walt attempted to adjust his jeans, the denim uncomfortable as hell.
Jakob, ever vigilant, looked through the peephole, then cursed.
“What’s wrong?” Annalise asked.
Jakob sighed as he opened the door. He nodded his head once as a show of respect before stepping back to allow their company in.
Walt frowned as Vadisk entered, followed by a slim woman with long dark hair and piercing eyes. Walt looked at Vadisk, then pointedly at the bed. “I thought your text said we wouldn’t see you until tomorrow.”
Vadisk gave him a rueful grin. “The admiral wasn’t inclined to wait.”
Walt glanced back at the woman as Vadisk did the introductions, gesturing to her as he spoke. “This is Nikolett Varda, the admiral of Hungary.”
Chapter Sixteen
Nikolett’s brow quirked as she glanced at all of
them. Annalise wished she had a bra on. The men, her men, looked a little bit less than respectable at the moment too.
Vadisk, whom she hadn’t really paid attention to yesterday, had retreated to stand by the door, taking up a position as guard. A position she was used to Jakob occupying.
She didn’t need protection anymore. Jakob could go back to his normal life.
Is that what would happen when Walt left? Jakob would leave too, the emotions between them unsustainable without Walt?
The idea pierced, causing her chest to ache, but there wasn’t time to think about that now. Annalise gingerly scooted to the edge of the bed and then stood. Walt put an arm around her waist, supporting her. His lips dropped to her ear.
“Is an admiral…the admiral?…showing up a good thing or a bad thing?”
That made Annalise smile, as she thought he’d intended.
“Admiral Varda.” Jakob inclined his head, his normal quiet reticence drawn around him once more. Looking at him now, there was no hint of the man who’d been planning a sex scene that included him fucking Walt’s ass while Walt licked her clit.
Annalise cleared her throat, forcing her attention back to the moment and away from what might have been. “Admiral,” she murmured, inclining her head.
Admiral Varda wore an air of command along with her long wool coat, belted at the waist. Though her hair was down, it was neatly combed, each strand in place.
“Ritter Bauer, Dr. Fischer.” She nodded to each of them in turn. “Dr. Hayden,” she said with a slight emphasis on his name.
“Uh, hello, Admiral,” Walt said uncertainly.
Nikolett’s gaze slid back to Annalise, then softened. “Please, sit down.”
Annalise hesitated, then nodded. Instead of sitting on the bed, she and Walt made their way to the suite’s small sitting area. She and Walt took the couch, while Jakob stood beside them, his hands in parade rest at his back.
Nikolett sat in one of the armchairs, unbelted her jacket, and then leaned forward, elbows on knees, hands clasped. “I won’t ask if you’re all right, since that would be a stupid question. Instead, I’ll ask what you need. A private medical facility? Crisis counseling?”
Annalise’s throat tightened and tears threatened. Her men had been planning to help her by having wild, kinky sex with and near her. It wasn’t a bad plan, but there was something about another woman offering to get her to counseling that made her feel safe and cared for in an entirely different way.
