“We did wonder how they were financing the Appari they sent.” Cael exhaled as Alex released his arm.
“That may be how, but they’d have to steal a lot to even get one Appari made.” Dante lifted a shoulder. “That’s for later. The vans are coming now. Let’s get the electronics and the Gobel loaded so we can go home. I’m more than ready to see Moriah.”
“Me, too. I wonder how long she yelled at Thane for picking her up and carrying her away.” Cael nodded. “She wasn’t happy that we were doing this and not taking Thane as help.”
“No, she wasn’t, but I’m sure he enjoyed the opportunity to make amends with her.” Dante headed back into the house.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Moriah settled the lid atop the steamer. Veggies nestled in the insert. She nodded. That should be good for a little while.
She popped the rolls in the oven and looked around. Pots, pans, and bowls littered the counter. Such a huge mess. Keeping her mind busy hadn’t been easy. Not that it worked completely. Her stomach knotted. She took a deep breath. At least they weren’t in danger today. Well, according to Thane.
No matter what she tried, her muscles tightened and her stomach did flips every time the phone rang.
Thump. She spun. Her heart raced. Is that them? Thane stopped in the doorway and stared at her. She took a deep breath.
He strode over and wrapped his arms around her. “Sunshine, they’re fine. They’re just questioning the Gobel. Nothing is going to happen to them.”
“I know. It’s not so much that I think they might be danger, but I wonder about what they’ll find. How long will this continue? The longer it does, the more danger all of us face.” She leaned into him.
“Moriah, I think that the end of this situation is coming fast. We only need someone to talk and to find out where the leader and anyone else who wasn’t there are hiding. We already know that they want us out.” Thane released her, but kept one arm around her. “Come sit down. I can’t tell you that everything’s going to be all right, because no one can give you that guarantee. We’ll do whatever we can to make it that way though.”
She sat in a chair and exhaled. So sweet. “I don’t expect everything to be all right. I know that there are no guarantees. I just want some peace for us. I want for us to live normally at least for a while.”
Now, she needed to get that last bit on to cooking. She turned on the fire under the pan. Not long and they’d have deliciously cooked steaks. She popped the steaks in. The meat sizzled in the big pan on low heat.
The door opened and closed. Her head whipped up. She stiffened and glanced toward the hallway.
“Come on. Let’s go meet them.” Thane tugged her to her feet.
She took a step to the door, but paused and glanced over at the stove. A couple of minutes wouldn’t matter. She’d come right back and check it.
They walked out of the kitchen and to the family room. Dante and Cael stepped out of the hallway. Cael’s hair hung around his face, slightly mussed, but still sexy as hell. He smiled and opened his arms.
She hurried across and slipped into his embrace. She inhaled. A thrill rushed through her at the slightly spicy, musky smell. She rubbed her cheek against his chest. Finally, they were back.
“Hey, Moriah, how are you, sunshine?” Cael leaned back and looked down at her.
“Um, I’m all right.” Now that they were both here. Maybe next time she wouldn’t be so stressed. She drew in a deep breath and stepped back. Dante tugged her into his arms.
“Not quite true.” Thane leaned a shoulder against the door. A slight smile curved his lips.
“What do you mean?” Dante lifted his head.
She narrowed her eyes on Thane. If he noticed, he didn’t react. Darn man. There was no need to go into all of that. They’d come home. It was over.
“She’s been worrying about you. You won’t believe the number of things she’s done today. And the amount of food she’s cooked in the kitchen. She made me tired, and I watched her.”
“Why were you worried, sunshine?” Dante pressed a kiss to her forehead and one to her cheek. “You knew we were just questioning them. It’s not like we have to beat it out of them or there’s a chance they’ll escape.”
“There’s not? Chains break and locks fail.” She glanced up at them.
“They might, but not usually simultaneously. The Gobel are secured very well. We’ve accounted for their normal abilities. They’re not going to suddenly develop extra strength.” Dante wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. “I missed you.”
“So if you’re not forcing the words out of them, how do you get them to talk?” She sighed and nestled against him. Heat burned along her cheekbones.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered the corrupt. We know what works with them, and there’s a drug mix that will work better than human truth serum. They can refuse to open their mouth, but once they do, they’ll keep talking.” Dante curled his arm around her.
“You drug them?” She blinked at him. Not what she expected.
“Well, yes, it makes it much easier, and we know that they’re not going to be telling us a bunch of lies.” Dante tugged her into the living room. “On top of that, it saves on bruised hands.”
He dropped down onto the couch and urged her into his lap. She settled on him and leaned against him. Okay, she’d overreacted today and panicked like a crazy woman
She laughed and shook her head. “Did you learn anything from them today, or will there be more sessions of you questioning them? Will their friends try to bust them out of where you’re holding them?”
“No, the Gobel who are free won’t try to free them. Nothing like that has ever happened. I think we’ve told you that it’s very rare for them to even work together. I doubt they care what happens to the others who worked with them.” Cael dropped onto the couch beside them.
“Did you learn anything from them?” She pressed her hand to Dante’s chest.
“Yes, we learned something from them.” Dante nodded. “We confirmed that he was after the land and still is. We also learned that he has another place that he might have gone to. We don’t know if he’s there. That will require some surveillance.”
“Is there anything else? You told me that you took computers from the house as well as the men.” She glanced from Cael to Dante. Were they going to tell her about it?
“The computers will take time to analyze. We also learned that there are a couple more Gobel who weren’t at the house. So we have four to catch when we find them again.” Dante lifted his shoulder.
“We don’t know if they are at this second location. That’s something we’ll have to investigate and surveil if we do find them.” Cael patted her arm.
Dante sniffed. “Is something cooking?”
She gasped and bolted to her feet. Oh, shit! The smoke alarm started ringing. She raced to the kitchen. The acrid scent filled the air. Already too late. Damn it. She’d ruined a simple meal.
“Burnt.” She shook her head and turned off the heat. With a sigh, she turned off the steamer and lifted the lid. That probably overcooked, too. She prodded the vegetables inside. “Mush.”
“Moriah, it’s all right.” Cael put his hands on her shoulders.
“No, I wanted to make you a nice dinner, and now everything but the rice pilaf is ruined.” She shook her head and stared at the shriveled beef. She didn’t even want to turn the pieces over. Just by scent, she knew she’d find a black, rock-hard mess.
“Sweetheart, I love that you wanted to cook for us, but accidents happen.” Dante eased up beside her.
“Yes, and at least, you came running at the first hint of smoke.” Cael tugged her away from the stove.
Thane grabbed the large cast-iron grill. He carried it over to the sink. That was going to be a bitch to clean. He left it balanced on the stainless-steel surface, probably to cool before throwing the food away.
“Yeah, we had to redo the kitchen once because of an inc
ident where that didn’t happen.” Thane turned to face her and smiled.
“Hey, the window was open. There wasn’t any hint of smoke until too late.” Dante glared at Thane.
“He got involved in a baseball game and forgot to go back in there.” Cael grinned.
“Which is why we either get something from Mill’s or have it ready before the game starts whenever we plan to watch our teams.” Thane dropped into a chair. “Now, what are you hungry for, sunshine? We can get something from Mill’s restaurant, the café, or we can make a run into town.”
“Mill’s restaurant sounds good, but I kind of lost my appetite for steak.” She shook her head.
“Everything he makes is good.” Thane reached over and clasped her hand. “We can go now, come back, and start cleaning up.”
“Or I could tell you what I want and start cleaning up while you’re gone.” She folded her arms across her chest. No reason it should wait for them. She’d made the huge mess.
“No, we’ll handle this together. It won’t take us long. We were all going to eat the food, and I’m sure we’ll all eat some of the treats you made.” Dante shook his head. “We’re all going to Mill’s.”
“You are being a bit too controlling.” She put a hand on her hip.
“No, I just won’t let you stay here and brood about the burnt food. That doesn’t matter. Mistakes happen. We all make them.” Dante curled his arm around her. “Go slip on some shoes. Let’s get something to eat.”
All right, she would brood. When did he get to know her so well? She shook her head and glanced up at him. The muscle along his jaw flexed. Not going to budge at all.
“All right, I’ll go get some shoes on and meet you back here.” Though no one there would probably say anything about her slippers. People here had been very nice.
“Good, we’ll be waiting.” Cael smiled.
She went to their bedroom and put on a pair of tennis shoes. It was a little nippy and wet out tonight. She didn’t want to slip. She headed back to the kitchen and found them loading the dishwasher with what could go in immediately.
“I thought we were going to wait to do that.” She stopped in the doorway and scowled at the three of them.
“We’re just getting a start while we wait. There’s still plenty to do here.” Cael waved his hand at the counter. “Now that you’re ready, we can go to the restaurant and pick up food.”
The trip to the restaurant didn’t take long. They ordered and the food was soon delivered. Then they took everything home to enjoy. As she ate the delicious food, her muscles relaxed.
“That was good, and thank you for not letting me brood about it.” She put her fork and knife on her plate and pushed it back. All right, she’d overreacted to burning the food. Maybe it was stress and maybe it was everything else on her mind.
“You’re welcome. Since we’re all finished, we can go on in there and clean up the kitchen.” Thane let his eyes drift down to her shirt. “I have some definite ideas about what I want to do after we finish.”
Her stomach tightened and warmth pulsed through her. Heat warmed his eyes. So, he had some plans. Hopefully, they were interesting and involved a lot of sweaty fun.
“So what do you intend to do?” She tilted her head.
“Not now, Thane. Dishes and then we’ll get to your ideas.” Cael caught her hand in his.
“Ah, Cael, that’s not nice. I wanted to know what he has planned. Now, you’re leaving me hanging.” She pushed out her lower lip.
“Don’t try that pout on me.” He glanced back at her. “Much as I love the look of your lips, it’s not going to work.”
“You’re so mean.” She exhaled loudly and shook her head.
“That’s called self-preservation, sunshine. If he gets all heated up before we even begin the dishes, it’s going to take so much longer to get through them.” Dante tossed her an apron. “You can help me with the dishes that can’t go through the dishwasher.”
“All right, let’s get started then.” She nodded and tied the strings behind her back.
They companionably washed the dishes. With all four of them working, even with small interruptions to rinse some of the dishes for the dishwasher, it didn’t take long. As Moriah and Dante dried their hands, Thane and Cael wiped down the counters.
“All right, Thane, what about that idea you had? We’re finished now, and it’s time to play.” Dante picked her up in his arms.
Chapter Thirty
Yum. The only thing that would be better would be if he was undressed. Moriah wound her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He carried her back to their bedroom. Her heart raced. Soon. He put her on her feet. His fingers grazed her cheek.
“So what is the plan? I’d like to get naked and have some fun with you three, but I think you have something more specific in mind.” She glanced at Thane and lifted an eyebrow.
“Yes, I definitely have plenty in mind for what I’d like to do with you.” Thane unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off his shoulders.
“Well, are you going to tell me or keep me in suspense until you actually get to it?” Moriah folded her arms across her chest. Suspense had a place, but the man was pushing it. She might have to jump him if he didn’t spit it out.
“First, we’re going to peel you out of your clothes. Then we’re going to strip out of ours.” Thane smiled and grasped the bottom of her shirt.
She lifted her arms and he tugged her T-shirt right over her head. He tossed the garment away. Cool air brushed over her skin, tightening her nipples. A shiver raced down her spine.
“Then what are you going to do?” She licked her lips. Her heart thumped against her chest and heat flowed through her body. That statement left so many ways to go.
“And then, sunshine, I thought we’d let things come naturally.” Thane leaned down and brushed his lips to her cheeks.
Naturally. Electric thrills shot through her. She stared into his eyes. Did he mean what she thought he meant? It had been a while since they’d talked about it. Maybe he’d forgotten they’d said that. If he was, she was ready.
“That sounds great.” She smoothed her hand over the pocket on his shirt. “Do you need any help getting out of your clothes?”
“No, we’ll handle that.” Dante reached around her and unfastened her bra. “We’ve got a little playing to do before we get to the main event.”
“Stand still and I’ll have you out of those pants in a couple seconds. I love seeing you naked.” Cael stepped close as Dante eased away.
He flicked open the button to her pants. She sucked in her belly and stood still. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long until she could get her hands on them. He trailed his fingers over her ribs. Fluttering sparks danced over her skin. She wriggled. His fingers followed as she twisted.
“Relax, sunshine. You’re gorgeous and we love every bit of you.” Cael’s lips grazed her shoulder.
She glanced down. Intensity flashed in his eyes. No doubt he meant every word. She nodded.
His fingers slipped back down to her zipper. Oh, yes. He drew the tab down. She shifted on her feet. He pushed the cloth over her thighs. She glanced down. He’d left her panties. Smart, sneaky man. He must know exactly how much she liked his hands running over her.
She stepped out of her pants. He slowly glided his hands up her thighs. She shivered. Moist breath feathered over her skin right before the soft press of his lips on her thigh. She looked down. He trailed kisses up to the band of her panties. Arousal trickled through her.
His fingers hooked under the sides of the silky underwear. He tugged them down. She lifted her foot free and stepped out before doing the same to the other. Finally, they could get on to the good part.
“I love the purple.” Cael spun her panties on one finger before letting them fly.
“It’s one of my favorite colors.” She ran her hand through his hair.
“Get into bed. We’ll finish taking off our clothes and join you.” Cael stood.
She crawled onto the bed but sat. With so much flesh on display, missing even a moment would be almost criminal. Clothed they were gorgeous, but without them, undoubtedly sexy.
Cael took off his shirt. Dante came up behind him and slipped an arm around him. He leaned down and nipped Cael’s shoulder. Cael drew in a hissing breath. Moriah bit her lip. They really did mean to show her.
“Getting a little ahead of the game, Dante. We need to make her ready first, because it isn’t going to take you or I even half that long.” Cael turned and patted Dante’s shoulder.
“I know. I’m not going to start anything serious yet. Since you were so close, I had to take the opportunity to touch.” Dante stepped back. He peeled off his clothes.
Moriah drew in a slow breath. His bronze skin gleamed in the light. She turned to Thane. He pushed his pants down, revealing muscular thighs. His cock bobbed as it slipped from his boxers. She clenched her fingers. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on him.
“Lay back, Moriah.” Dante eased onto the bed.
She relaxed back onto the blanket. Her stomach tightened, and pulses of sizzling current curled through her. The bed dipped. She glanced over. Thane crawled onto the bed on the other side.
“Sweetheart, we’re going to taste and lick you. When you’re writhing and moaning for us, we’re going to pull back. Thane will ease between your thighs and fuck you while I give Cael some attention.” Dante leaned down. The sharp edge of teeth dragged across her shoulder.
She pulled in a slow breath. Have to calm down. It was too soon. Her muscles tightened with the building desire.
“Let’s see if you’re wet for us, yet.” Cael crawled up the bed between her legs.
He trailed his fingers over the lips, once and then again. Tingles radiated from the touch. She rocked her hips forward. A throb began in her clit.
“You know I’m wet. You can smell it and see it.” She reached down and grabbed his hair.
“Maybe you are. I haven’t tasted you yet.” Cael tugged her fingers free of his hair.
“Sunshine, that arm is in my way. I know he’s teasing you, but I need to get to that nipple. It’s calling for some attention.” Dante slipped his fingers under her arm and lifted it up. “That’s better.”
Finding Their Flame [Stone Passions 2] Page 24
