by Marla Monroe
Zander bent over and licked at her nipple before nipping it lightly with his teeth. When he treated the other one the same way, she was sure she was going to come right then, but he slowed his pumping down to long slow slides of his rigid dick, his angle changing as well. Tessa moaned in frustration at the change. His gruff chuckle had her narrowing her eyes at him.
“Stop playing with me, Zander. I need to come,” she groused as she wiggled her hips.
His hand popped against her thigh, making much more noise than sensation. She frowned up at him.
“What was that for?”
“For being a brat. I say when you come, Tessa. You’re in my hands right now.”
She stared up at him and realized he was dominating her, using his voice and the power he had as a dominant male to exert his will over her. Tessa wasn’t sure if she was okay with that or not. Actually, if she were honest, it had sent a thrill through her body when he’d playfully tapped her thigh. Despite her mind thinking only of the implications of his words, her body had been onboard with it. While she’d been expecting it eventually, she hadn’t thought he’d try anything this soon, so it caught her off guard. “I–I didn’t agree to be your slave, Zander,” she finally said.
“I don’t want a slave, Tessa. I want to be in control of your pleasure. That’s all. Give us the control, kitten. Let Tag and I be responsible for pleasing and pleasuring you.” Zander stared down at her as she struggled to figure out what was going on.
She couldn’t think. He’d taken her to the very edge of climax and now she stood on the precipice of mind-blowing ecstasy and he expected her to make a rational decision. No. He didn’t. He expected her to give in without a fight because she needed to come and her hormones were ruling her. Hell, they were ruling her. She was a tangled-up mess of need and anticipation right now.
“Not fair, Zander,” she finally gasped. “I ache to come and you’re asking me for something important.”
“It is important, Tessa, but you’re making it into something more than just a simple decision on allowing us to control your pleasure. We’d never hurt you in any way, Tessa. Nor would we take away your ability to say no or to walk away.” Zander moved inside of her just the tiniest of bits then stilled once again.
She huffed out a frustrated breath. He was torturing her and had the nerve to say that they would never hurt her? She growled then squealed when he chuckled, his laugh aggravating her more while the movement from his chuckle added more sensation to her already overstimulated nerve endings.
God! I’m going to go crazy like this. He’s got me right where he wants me and I’m helpless to deny him.
“Yes!” she screamed in irritation. “You control my pleasure. Now fuck me already!”
He popped her thigh once more with the flat of his hand, but it barely stung. Then he began thrusting into her once again. This time he seemed to be hell-bent on finishing things. His cock pistoned into her like a machine until all of her nerve endings ignited, blasting her into a whirlwind of pleasure that left her skin tingling and her toes curling.
Zander pumped into her twice more and roared as he came, his eyes squeezing shut with his head thrown back. In that moment, Tessa thought he looked magnificent. The muscles of his chest, neck, and shoulders were tight as he bared his teeth. When he had finished, Zander opened his eyes and stared down into hers with such tenderness she thought she might cry.
It took all of her strength to keep the tears at bay. She didn’t want him thinking she was upset or that he had hurt her. Nor did she want to have to explain how a look had meant so much to her. Instead, she ran her hands up and down his arms and smiled.
“We’d better clean up and head to the kitchen or Tag is going to get pissed if breakfast gets cold.” Zander winked at her and slowly pulled free of her body.
“Oh, my God!” she panicked, thinking that the other man would be upset that she’d just had sex with Zander and he hadn’t been there with them.
“Whoa. What’s going through that pretty head of yours? You’re upset.” Zander caught her before she could launch herself off the bed in an effort to get to the bathroom and clean up.
“Tag is going to be upset. We shouldn’t have done that without him here with us. Why didn’t I think of that?” She felt the tears she’d held back come inching closer to the front again.
“Calm down, Tessa. Tag knows what we were doing. He expected it. There will be times when just you and Tag or me and you spend time together. We aren’t always going to all three be here at the same time, kitten. Sometimes one of us will have to work later than usual or be out of town or just not feel well. What we want is a family, honey. Families work things out between them.” He pulled her tighter against him and kissed her forehead.
“This isn’t going to work, Zander. I can’t possibly please both of you. I’m not going to be able to keep up with whose turn it is or I’m going to say something wrong.” She wanted to curl up in a ball and make it all go away. She’d known it was the wrong thing to do.
“Tessa. You don’t have to please us. We please you. You make us happy just by being you and agreeing to be with us. It’s our job to make you happy and keep things moving smoothly. We’re all human and we’re all going to say and do things to piss one or both of the others off at some time. All families have that same issue. What matters is how we deal with it.”
Zander eased her off his lap and stood up, holding his hand out to her. “Let’s get cleaned up and go get some breakfast. The three of us will talk more about it after we eat.”
Tessa allowed him to draw her after him into the bathroom. They quickly showered though Zander still managed to play with her while she washed. Then after he’d dried them both off, she pulled on a huge T-shirt he handed her and followed him to the kitchen.
Tag stood at the sink rinsing dishes off before placing them in the dishwasher. He turned when Zander pulled a barstool out for Tessa to get on.
“Hey, you two. Thought I was going to have to come drag you out of bed. Food was going to get cold before much longer.”
“Sorry. Um, we took a shower,” she said, looking quickly at her plate where Zander was scooping scrambled eggs on it.
Tag grunted. “Shower sex?”
Her head jerked up at that, expecting to see anger on his face. Instead, he looked amused.
“Naw, we’d spent too much time messing around in bed to risk letting breakfast get cold while we did the nasty in the shower,” Zander told him.
Tessa felt her face heat up. She couldn’t believe they were discussing it like it was an everyday conversation.
“Probably safer if we’re both in the shower with her anyway. No sense risking a fall when there are two of us,” Tag said.
She watched as he added bacon to her plate as Zander plopped a piece of toast on it as well. She felt as if she’d slipped into an alternate reality somehow. How was it that she had gone from not dating anyone to sitting with two men who she’d slept with, had sex with, and now they were talking openly about it between themselves?
“Eat, Tessa. It’s getting cold, baby girl,” Tag told her.
She picked up her fork and started eating, listening as the conversation finally turned from sex to work. She enjoyed hearing about what they did. Tag was much more animated when he discussed working on a bike. His eyes lit up and he talked more than she’d ever heard him before. Zander was obviously used to his friend talking when it came to work. He didn’t look the least surprised by it.
There was so much she didn’t know about the two of them. Right then, she wanted to know it all. How had they met and how long had they known each other? What made them want to share a woman? How had they discovered that they were Doms? To keep from blurting out her questions, Tessa filled her mouth with the delicious breakfast that Tag had cooked. It was yet another thing about him she hadn’t known. He was obviously a good cook.
By the time they’d all finished eating, Tessa had learned a good bit about their businesse
s and how much they each enjoyed and took pride in their work. It created an ache inside of her to find something like that to give her a sense of pride. She loved working at Heavy Trinkets, but she didn’t get a sense of accomplishment working there. One day, she’d find something that would complete her like Tag and Zander had.
“What do you think?” Zander asked, looking at her expectantly.
“Huh? I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t paying attention. What did you ask me?”
He chuckled. “We were talking about running by our shops to gather up empty boxes so we could help you move your stuff over here.”
“Move?” Tessa frowned. She hadn’t remembered agreeing to move in with them. “I can’t move in with you. It’s too soon.”
Tag frowned at her. “There’s no reason to put it off, Tessa. You’re ours and you’ve known us for nearly a year now.”
“But we just went on our first date last night. People don’t move in together after one date, guys.” She looked back and forth between the two men. They didn’t look the least bit moved by her words. “Besides, you live farther away from where I work. Walking that far might be a problem.”
“There’s no reason for you to walk to and from work, Tessa. We’ll make sure you get where you need to go. As soon as we can find you a safe car, it won’t be an issue at all,” Zander told her.
“I can’t expect you two to cart me around all the time. And you’re not getting me a car. I’ll buy my own car when I’ve saved up enough money.” She didn’t bother to hide her anger from them. If they were going to try to make a go of the strange relationship, they needed to know that she wasn’t going to let them push her around.
Tag opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it at a look from Zander. Tessa narrowed her eyes at them. Zander was up to something. She could see it in his eyes.
“We can talk more about it later. For now, let’s go get some boxes for you to pack your things in. You’ll be safer here, Tessa, than where you are. I’ve been worried sick about where you live.” Zander leaned back in his chair. “Just think. Unlimited bubble baths and multi-showerheads.”
Tessa closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s not playing fair, Zander.”
“I have no intentions of playing fair where you’re concerned. We want you with us from now on. That’s all there is to it.” Zander stood up and began gathering the dirty dishes.
“I’ll help.” Tessa got to her feet and started to pick up the glasses, but Tag stopped her.
“I cooked, so Zander is going to clean up while you and I talk in the living room,” he said.
“Talk about what?” she asked, suspicious of anything having to do with Tag talking.
He chuckled. “You have the funniest expression on your face. Do you think I’m going to attack you or something?”
“No, but you and talking aren’t exactly buddies,” she said.
He just shook his head and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the kitchen. As soon as they entered the other room, Tag pulled her over to the couch and situated her on his lap. She felt comfortable in his arms, his chest and shoulders strong but not too hard to snuggle against.
“What did you want to talk about?” she asked, looking up at his face.
“Us.” The half smile she had gotten used to graced his face for a few brief seconds and then was gone, replaced by a slight frown.
“What?” she asked.
“Are you uncomfortable around me, Tessa? You know I’d never hurt you, don’t you?”
If he’d said anything else she couldn’t have been more shocked. Had she somehow given him an indication that she was afraid of him? She didn’t think so, but men thought differently than women. Of course, she tended to gravitate more toward Zander because he did talk more and showed affection so much easier than Tag did. Had she hurt his feelings somehow?
“No, Tag. You don’t make me uncomfortable. Why do you think that?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer.
He shrugged. “Most people are a little wary of me. They are of Zander at first, but after a little while they get over it with him. Not so much with me.”
“It’s because he smiles a lot and talks more. You don’t, but that’s okay, Tag. You are you. I like you just the way you are,” she admitted. “If you suddenly started talking all the time I’d worry that something was wrong with you.”
He just nodded, settling his head on top of hers for a few seconds. Then he pulled back and looked down at her. She could see another question in his eyes. The fact that he hesitated to ask her had her heart stuttering a few beats. Tag wasn’t afraid of anything, but he acted a little worried about asking whatever was on his mind.
“What?” she finally asked, putting the ball in his court.
“We want to be a family, Tessa. I want kids some day. Would you have children with us? Would it matter who the father was?” he asked, looking toward the window and avoiding her eyes.
Tessa sensed that this was important to him. She reached up and grabbed his face in both of her hands. Pulling it down so that she could look directly into his eyes, she smiled at him, making sure he could see her sincerity.
“If this works between the three of us, then yes, I want children some day. Not right away, mind you. We need to work things out between us, but one day when the time is right. As far as who is the father of our children, as long as it’s one of you guys, and you treat any children we have as if they are yours, I’m happy.” She could see the relief cross his face before he covered it with a smirk. This look on Tag was what she was used to seeing.
“Damn right you’re only having our kids. No one else will ever touch you again, baby girl. We may share between us, but we don’t share with anyone else.” He hugged her tightly against his body to the point she nearly protested, but he finally relaxed.
“That’s good to know,” she said with a laugh.
“Now,” he said with a huff. “About moving in with us. You’re doing it and that’s final.”
“Tag. Don’t piss me off. I was just getting over being mad at you two from breakfast.”
“About what?” Zander asked as he walked into the room, wiping his hands on his jeans.
She blew out a breath and tried to stand up, but Tag had a firm hold on her waist with his big hands.
“I swear. If the two of you think you’re going to team up on me, then you’ve got another thing coming. I can’t move in with you until I have a car. I can’t afford a car until I save some more money. End of discussion.” She wiggled some more but wasn’t able to budge.
“Kitten. We’re not teaming up on you. We just both want you here with us where we can keep you safe. We want to fall asleep with you between us each night and wake up with you in our arms every morning. Not going to happen in that firetrap of a box you live in now. It’s torture being away from you all the time.” Zander’s way with words melted her heart. She wanted to sleep between them, too.
But she couldn’t afford a car yet and wasn’t going to be dependent on them to get her to and from work or anywhere else she wanted to go. She bit her lip, unsure how to go about working it out.
“Look,” Tag began. “I have connections with the auto wholesale business because of my shop. I’m sure I can get a good deal on a used car that’s in decent enough shape I can take care of it. You can’t go anywhere but around town in it, but it would do for now. You can pay me back on time.”
“Tag…”
“It’s a good deal, kitten, and would mean you get your own set of wheels sooner. Take it. We want you safe and with us,” Zander said, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes.
Well, maybe pit-bull eyes with that bald head of his.
She frowned but couldn’t find any fault in their logic. It would give her more freedom than she had now and it would mean being with them sooner. She was anxious to see if whatever it was between them would last or not. She ached for a home and roots just as much as the men seemed to ache for her.
“I want a copy of
the bill of sale and a receipt for any parts you have to buy to make it safe. I’ll pay you out of my salary every week until I’ve paid you back for it,” she told Tag. Then she smiled. “I’m going to accept your kind offer of free labor on the work.”
Tag’s mouth quirked then he outright smiled for all of two seconds before he scowled at her. “I’m not running a charity, Tessa. Don’t expect me to keep it washed and waxed for free.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug before she hopped off his lap and jumped into Zander’s arms to hug him as well.
“Hey! Why is he getting in on my hug? I’m the one getting the deal and footing the labor,” he groused.
Zander’s soft chuckle sounded and felt good to her with his arms wrapped around her. Why had she ever been uncomfortable around them and not trusted them? They were good men who genuinely cared about her and her feelings. She vowed to try harder to be what they needed, but it didn’t stop a shiver at the thought of allowing them to tie her up. That might take a bit more time.
“Let’s go scrounge up some boxes, kitten.” Zander slowly released her and let her slide down his body—his very aroused body. She felt her cheeks heat as she looked up at him.
He winked but didn’t say anything. Tessa hurried back to the bedroom to put on her shoes. She prayed she was making the right decision. Moving in after only one date still felt wrong and much too soon, but like they had said, she’d known them for nearly a year and had been running from them for almost that long.
As she followed them through the kitchen to the garage, Tessa prayed she was making the right decision. She had made the decision to trust them when she’d rarely trusted anyone since Paul. Only time would tell if she’d made the right decision where they were concerned. She sure as hell hadn’t with Paul.
Chapter Eight
“You’re fucking kidding, right? This is all you have. There’s nothing in storage somewhere.” Tag’s face tightened even as storm clouds darkened his already black eyes.
“I didn’t have any way to carry anything else, Tag. I don’t need much to live, just some clothes and toiletries. I told you we had too many boxes.” She sighed, stressed now that they saw how she’d been living for the last five years.
