The Gift of Three

by Kaitlin Maitland, Allie Quinn,

Maggie glared at him. It felt as if boiling oil pulsed through her veins. How dare he insinuate she wasn’t good enough for Andrew? Andrew and Jake had chosen her. “Excuse me?”

  “You won’t be my mistress, but you’ll fuck around with him? You do know that’s all he wants from you, don’t you? Just a good fuck?”

  “Isn’t that all you wanted?” she shot back. He was lucky she didn’t have a knife; he might find himself minus an eye. Her chest was so tight, she could barely breathe. Her heart raced.

  “I would have given you anything you wanted.”

  She forced a breath. Her chest hurt. “Well, considering you didn’t give me your honesty, your name, or a ring that I picked out, I doubt that.”

  The grin he gave her was evil and angry and somewhat frightening, considering she’d never seen it before. “Well, while you’re lying beneath him with your legs spread being the slut that you are, think about this.”

  Before she knew his intention, before she even knew he was closer, his lips were on hers. There was nothing soft about the kiss; it was brutal and hostile. He pressed her roughly into the wall, invading her space to the point that she felt she might suffocate.

  Maggie attempted to push him away. She was no match to his greater strength.

  She tried to turn her head. He held her in place.

  She struggled give him a knee to his groin, but he quickly stepped on her feet, hurting her further.

  Maggie couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. Black spots danced across her vision. Her blood rushed in her ears.

  Just when she thought she might faint, she felt him lift off her.

  Or maybe he was pulled away from her. She didn’t know. Didn’t care. All she knew was that he had been slammed across the hall and into the opposite wall and was no longer hurting or suffocating her.

  Jake stood before her. Tall, broad, and strong-shouldered. The I’m-going-to-kill expression on his face made what little breath she had left in her catch. He was a force to be reckoned with. Color filled his cheeks, and his eyes were bright but cold and fierce. His nostrils were flared, and he was clenching and unclenching his fists.

  Maggie stared at him. Seeing Jake like this didn’t frighten her as much as Stan’s evil grin had. She knew Jake would never hurt her.

  When his gaze met hers, it was as if he mentally called to her, and he drew her into his arms, where he held her tightly against him. He allowed her a moment to calm in his embrace. His arms were like blessed cool water on a hot day, bringing comfort like nothing else could. She was safe. Her heart beat inches from his, and Maggie swore she could feel it. Jake’s warmth pushed out Stan’s coldness and the evilness his touch had evoked. Jake’s hands on her back, soothing and comforting, helped ease her remaining fear. She turned slightly in his grip in time to see Stan haul himself to his feet. He glared at them, his eyes filled with killing hatred. Jake addressed Stan, and there was no mistaking the deadly calm to his tone or his words.

  “She belongs to me. If I didn’t think it would mess up Lee’s carpet, I’d break your nose and knock out all your teeth. So I’ll give you this fair warning—if you touch her again or even try and touch her, ever, figuring out how to breathe is going to be your first priority. And this is the only chance you’ll get of walking out of here on your own accord. You’d best take it.”

  Stan sneered. “She belongs to you? What about Andrew Harper?”

  ”Andrew Harper is none of your business. Neither is Maggie. Neither am I. And if you attempt to make any of us your business, I promise it won’t end well for you.” He tilted his head toward the door. “Now get the fuck out of here while I’m still letting you walk.”

  Stan gave them one more glare before he staggered away, using the wall for support.

  Jake looked down at her. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded, fighting back the nausea that rolled through her.

  He looked intently at her, as if trying to see inside her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I think so.” The truth was, she felt as if her insides were shaking. “I just need…”

  “Me and Andrew to make love to you, hold you tight, kiss you all over.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I think that’s exactly what I need. I think I need you both to kiss me. A lot. And touch me all over. A lot. And make love to me several times.” She grimaced. “I also really need this butt plug out. Right now.”

  His sly grin was about as far from the evil one Stan had given her as it could get. “I have no doubt we can manage that.”

  Tucked in his embrace, she let him put her wrap around her and then walk her to their waiting limo, where Alex held the door open.

  Maggie sank carefully into the rich leather seat and let out a deep sigh. Her dress still whispered over her skin like the softest silk. The plug reminded her of its presence every time she moved, made worse with Stan’s rough handling and the fact it had been in too long. But although the plug was uncomfortable, Stan Tarrington had been the worse pain in the ass.

  A zing of anticipation sizzled through her with the knowledge that, very soon, Jake would take out the butt plug and replace it with his dick. The unknown thrill of that made her heart race.

  Jake got in beside her and took her hand.

  The silence between them was warm and comfortable, like the heat of the limo.

  After a few moments, Andrew climbed in and settled down on the other side of her. “Sorry you two had to wait for me, but I wanted to compliment Lee on how well his staff took care of the party.”

  Alex closed the door, shutting them into the small but comfortable, dimly lit compartment. A moment later they started to move. Jake met her gaze.

  “Are you okay, beautiful?”

  “I’m wonderful. Thank you for all the connections. I now have three decorating appointments.”

  “I meant how’s your sweet backside feeling?”

  She let out a small giggle and then sighed. “I think it’s all right, but you might have to rub it for me.” These two men made her feel daring, brazen, powerful, sexy, and wanted. It was incredibly easy to forget about Stan and simply enjoy them.

  “I can do that.” The way Jake caressed her thigh told her he was willing to rub more too. “And what about the rest of you? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  “He, who?” Andrew’s hand was on her other thigh.

  She wished they could spend a few hours lost in the grip of great sex before she had to bring up that painful part of her past. The last thing she wanted to do was relive how Stan had pressed her against the wall and forced his lips on her. Her toes still ached from his stepping on them. Knowing Jake, however, he’d want to get the details out of the way first.

  “Stanley Tarrington,” Jake informed him.

  “I thought that nasally banker who always wants to get his paws on our investments left after I dealt with him. What else did he do?”

  “What do you mean what else? You mean he did more than push her up against the wall and—”

  “He pushed her up against the wall? We need to go back. I want to get my hands on him.” Andrew’s voice rose with his sudden anger.

  The compartment was suddenly filled with so much testosterone, Maggie jumped in before the storytelling got out of control. She knew the only way to share the story about her and Stan was to be blunt and to the point. She held up a hand. “Stop. Please. Let me explain before you both do something rash. I dated him for over a year and broke up with him about a year ago. I really felt he might be—you know—the one. Around Halloween, he even showed me a picture of a ring and asked if I liked it. I thought I was getting a ring for Christmas. Then I got a call from some woman who wanted to hire me to decorate for her upcoming wedding reception.”

  She sighed. “The first week of December, after I’d signed the contract to provide and set up decorations, I saw his engagement picture in the celebrity news section of the paper. He was engaged to the daughter of the wealthiest bank owner on the East Coast, and sh
e was the one who’d hired me.” She let out a nervous chuckle. “I remember thinking, No, this can’t be. He can’t be engaged, because I’m going to kill him and he’ll be dead.”

  She paused to take a breath and was glad neither of them interrupted.

  “I confronted him, determined to be civil and calm and not let him see how torn to shreds I felt inside. I mean, I even told myself the paper could be wrong. Of course, after I saw the announcement, so many things came to light and made so much more sense, like how he always wanted to meet at my apartment, how he never liked to go out in public, how he always said he liked when I cooked for him so we never went out to any restaurants. I see now that he was publicly dating his fiancée. He even called me his mistress, said I should be proud of that status. He wanted to continue with our relationship, even after the marriage, and said things could go on as before. And why not? After all, we were both so happy with the way things were, right?

  “I told him no. I refused to settle for being someone’s mistress. He called me for months. And you have no idea how hard it was to decorate that hall for them. The last thing I could afford when trying to begin my business and pay my bills was a breach of contract.”

  “What did he want tonight when he talked to you by the buffet table before I got there and he asked how you got invited to our party?” Andrew asked.

  “He wanted to know if I missed him, if I was ready to get back together. He said he certainly was. He told me he’d done his duty and had an heir to the empire on the way, so he didn’t have to sleep with his wife anymore.”

  “Bastard.” Jake’s single word was filled with bitterness.

  “I told him to go fuck himself. There’s nothing he had that I wanted.”

  Then she was quiet for a long moment as she worked to push aside the memory of her breakup with Stan.

  “What?” Andrew asked.

  “I did want that ring.” She hadn’t meant to admit to it.

  “The one on his wife’s finger?”

  “Yes.” She took a deep breath, feeling lighter after finally getting that off her chest. “Although I don’t have one ounce of feeling for him, and I mean nothing, not hatred, not longing, even now.” She looked at her hands, her fingers. “But I loved that ring.”

  “I told him to leave, but he didn’t, did he?” Andrew brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. The kiss melted through to her heart.

  “He pressed her up against the wall and cruelly kissed her,” Jake said bluntly.

  “What the fuck?”

  “I’m all right!”

  “I took care of him.” Jake spoke at the same time Maggie did. “I slammed him up against the wall, showed him what it felt like.”

  “That fucking weasel. I might kill him next time I see him.” Andrew didn’t even bother to try to control his anger.

  It warmed her even more, knowing both men would defend her. “Don’t. Please. I learned a long time ago he’s not worth prison. Besides, I’m sure being married to his wife is punishment enough for him. Really, he’s nothing to me. I don’t miss him at all. And, yes, the ring is gorgeous. But a ring is just that—a thing. I saw a year ago, and I see it even clearer now, that a man like Stan Tarrington is the last thing I need. Everything was always about him, what he needed, what he wanted. Just like tonight. He couldn’t have what he wanted, so he tried to take it anyway.” She looked from Jake to Andrew and forced a smile. “Aside from having to deal with him, it was a wonderful party, and I thank you for taking me.”

  Andrew leaned forward and kissed her, deep, longingly, exploring her with his tongue as if he’d never had the chance to before. “Who says it’s over? The real party is just beginning.” He glanced at Jake. “She said she thought our making love to her was what she needed.”

  “I can oblige.” Jake’s grin was just as needy as Andrew’s had been.

  JAKE WATCHED AS Andrew stole kiss after kiss from Maggie. His only regret was that he hadn’t beaten the fuck out of Tarrington. Seeing the cruel way he’d pushed Maggie against the wall and forced his lips on her unleashed an animal in Jake he hadn’t known existed. He’d wanted to fucking kill the bastard. And having Maggie in his arms had stopped him from doing just that. No one touched Maggie. No one but him and Andrew. Her softness pressed against him, her enticing scent had calmed him with the knowledge she was where she belonged—in his arms. And as he’d held her and stared at Tarrington, so many things had fallen into place, like Maggie’s rules for how she expected them to treat her. And he almost felt sorry for that dumb banking weasel.

  No, maybe he didn’t.

  Jake took a deep breath and worked to calm his lingering anger. He didn’t know how Maggie had so quickly or easily slipped under his skin, but she was now a part of him, and he loved having her there. He planned to not only keep her safe but keep her forever.

  Maggie squeezed his hand and gained his attention. Then she paused in kissing Andrew and turned to him.

  Her gaze sparkled like the lights on a Christmas tree. “I feel your tenseness.” She squeezed his hand harder. “Let it go. I did. I’m right where I want to be. With you. And Andrew. And if things hadn’t worked out the way they did, I’d be wasting time, probably miserably, somewhere else.” Then she giggled. “Besides, I don’t know any better way to say this, but your gift needs to come out.”

  Before he moved, before he’d be lost in touching her, Jake pressed the Speaker button to talk to Alex. “Continue driving around until I instruct you otherwise. We want to see if anyone has Christmas lights out yet.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jake pressed another button, and a soft, instrumental Christmas carol sounded from the overhead speakers.

  By then, Andrew had the top of her dress folded down, revealing her perky, pretty breasts, her nipples looking like tiny pink Christmas bulbs. Andrew sucked on one. Jake leaned close and kissed her, swallowing her moan and loving the taste of her. The truth was, he’d watched her all night and had wanted her with each passing moment. He’d intentionally stayed away from her to keep his hands and lips off her. Now she was his. Theirs. Theirs to share.

  Soon she’d be completely his. He paused in kissing her and met her gaze.

  “Lean over Andrew like before. I’ll be gentle. I’ll go slow. Tell me if anything hurts.”

  She looked at him with trust in her eyes and nodded. Then Andrew reclined on the seat and took her with him, keeping her attention as he sucked one nipple and played with the other. Jake slid her dress up and out of the way. Then, carefully, he slipped the plug from her with one hand while he caressed the cheek of her ass with the other. She had the sweetest backside he’d ever seen, ever had the privilege to caress. He plucked a tissue from a nearby box, wrapped the butt plug in it, and set it out of the way.

  “Relax, Magpie,” he whispered across her butt cheek before tickling her with his tongue.

  Her shiver was the most delicious invitation he’d ever felt and was followed by a deep groan. He knew without looking that Andrew had moved enough beneath her to free his cock and had probably managed to cover it with a condom. He was damned good about things like that. If there was the one thing about Andrew and him, they knew how the other worked. He knew when he heard Maggie’s loud gasp that Andrew had slipped into her tight heat.

  And he couldn’t wait to share that heat.

  Not many women had been able to handle the two of them. He hoped to hell his Magpie could. To Jake, nothing completed him more than sharing this moment with Andrew. He watched the lovely rhythm of Maggie’s hips as she shifted up and down on Andrew, and he was soon lost in the inviting sounds of the ecstasy they shared. A rush he’d never known ran through him as he undid his fly and freed his thick, hard, almost-painful cock. He quickly rolled a condom over it as he fought for control. He vowed not to hurt her. He wanted only pleasure for her, but damn, he so needed to be buried in her. He smeared lube on both himself then her. She quivered and tightened beneath his touch.

  “Relax,
Magpie,” he whispered again. “Breathe.” He caressed a single finger around her anus, then slipped a finger inside, loving the way she tightened around him.

  He leaned over her and watched Andrew kiss her, saw how Andrew’s hands on each side of her hips guided her moves. He placed his hands just above Andrew’s and pressed his aching cock to her inviting ass. Her heat surrounded him in an instant. He pushed gently into her.

  She helped by leaning back against him.

  The plug had done its magic, but she was tighter and hotter than he’d imagined.

  He felt Andrew decrease his rhythm, waiting patiently. “Nice and easy, sweetheart,” Andrew whispered. “You’ll get us both, but we want to take it slow.”

  The smooth ride helped keep them moving. They gained a unique rhythm as Andrew pulled out and Jake slipped in a bit deeper. Damn, it took every ounce of his control to not rush. Her groans and the way she pushed against him, then Andrew, drove him insane with desire.

  “Oh…oh,” she moaned over and over.

  “Like it, sweetheart?” Andrew kissed her lips.

  Jake kissed her nape, felt her shiver, and pressed in even deeper.

  “Oh, yes! Please, Jake…more. Harder, Andrew.”

  “So our Magpie likes it hard. I think she’ll have to join us on the naughty list.”

  “I don’t care what list I’m on as long as I’m with you guys.”

  “Well, let’s see how naughty we can be.” Jake gave her what she asked for. And from the sound of his raw groan, so did Andrew.

  “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop!”

  Andrew chuckled.

  “We don’t plan to, Magpie,” Jake whispered, then swirled his tongue around her neck before he filled her completely. Her flesh was warm and tasted spicy, turning him on even more. He looked down at the intense expression of bliss on Andrew’s face. Maggie was right for both of them. This was where they were supposed to be. They’d searched and waited a long time for a woman who could handle them both, and he planned to do this with Maggie again and again and again. For a long time. Forever.

  She was so tight and hot! Andrew’s rhythm and Maggie’s response heightened the sensations for Jake. Fuck, it was so beautiful. He could feel when Andrew and Maggie came. Andrew’s guttural groan filled the car and was joined by Maggie’s. But even without the groans, Jake would have known they’d come. The shudders that gripped them seemed to pass through them and into his cock. An erotic rush snaked through his middle and then, as if a fuse had been lit, throughout his entire body. It set off a keg of dynamite in his cock. Jake’s groan finished it off, and he came.