Finding Trust (Centre Games)

by Natalie Gayle

  “Hello, pretty lady.”

  Rihanna felt herself blush and giggle at his easy flirtatious style as he took her hand in a firm shake.

  “Hi, Rory. Nice to meet you as well.” He held her hand a little longer than necessary before releasing it.

  “Bray, you sly dog. You didn’t tell us you were holed up here with a gorgeous lady,” Rory joked.

  Bray looked at Rihanna and she didn’t miss the “I told you so” look he sent her.

  “If I’d told you she was smokin’ hot, you would have been here last night. And that certainly wouldn’t have suited me.”

  The guys chuckled with the easy banter; even Quade managed to curl his lip up in amusement. She didn’t miss the subtly raised eyebrows or the knowing looks that passed between the men. Rihanna got the distinct impression that he was the strong silent type, the complete opposite to Rory, who conjured images of the class clown in her mind.

  “So why don’t you guys get your gear in while we grabs some beers?”

  “Cool, Bray. Where do you want us to bunk?” Rory called over his shoulder as he moved behind the retreating Quade to the hallway.

  “You guys can fight over the blue and the green rooms.”

  “But then Rihanna won’t have an ensuite if we take those two,” Rory protested.

  “She’s fine, bro. She’s bunking with me.” Brayden dropped the bombshell and waited for the fallout.

  Rihanna saw Quade stiffen midstride at the news and pass a cold glare over his shoulder. Rory’s face registered momentary surprise before he threw his head back and laughed.

  “So that’s the way it is. Good to know. Good to know.” Rory jogged out of the room, a big smile on his face.

  Rihanna turned to Brayden, a grimace on her face. “Did you have to be so blunt about our relationship?”

  “Yes, Rih. The only way to deal with these two is straight up.” He moved to the fridge and started pulling beers and other dips and cheeses from the shelves. “If I’d not set the boundaries, then Rory would have been all over you with his roguish charm and Quade—well, he has his own unique methods of achieving what he wants, and believe me, he wanted you.”

  “Oh, come on, Bray. They haven’t done more than say hello. I doubt they’re interested in me yet.”

  He lifted his head from cutting up the kabana and cheese. “Rih, you don’t know much about guys, do you? Those two spotted you, and I could see them immediately start calculating how they were going to claim you for their own.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating, honey.” She went to the pantry and grabbed some crackers suitable to accompany the dip, cheese, and smoked meat. She put them on the bench beside the beers.

  “I know my team, sweetheart. I’ve known them since we were teenagers and those guys took one look at you and fell immediately in lust.” He glanced at what she had got out of the pantry and added, “Can you grab a couple of bags of chips as well?”

  Rihanna turned and headed back into the pantry. “Doesn’t sound very plausible to me, but thanks for the boost,” she called over her shoulder as she retrieved the chips from the pantry.

  “I know this to be true, babe, because I had exactly the same reaction when I saw you across fifty feet of crowd.”

  She returned to the bench with the chips and put her arms around his waist from behind, snuggling into his back.

  “Umm, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way about you that night. I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off you.”

  “I’m glad, baby. Hate to think it was all one-sided.”

  “Hardly.” Feeling bold, she lowered her right hand and cupped his semi-erect cock through his shorts.

  “Rihanna, you start that and I’m going to have an even more uncomfortable night than I first thought,” he half-heartedly objected. He put down the knife and turned in her arms, capturing her head between both large hands. He lowered his mouth to hers and immediately flicked his tongue along the seam of her lips, demanding entrance.

  It was hot, it was hard, it was deep and he ended it as quickly as he started it.

  “Damn, Rih. It takes me exactly zero point two seconds to go from rest to full-on with you. God, you’re potent to me.” He shook his head and stepped away.

  “Get yourself together, honey; they’ll be out any second,” he whispered in her ear.

  She took a deep breath and smoothed her hands through her hair, hoping she didn’t look as if she had just had Bray kissing the hell out of her. She caught his wide grin out of the corner of her eye and knew immediately that he’d guessed at what she was thinking.

  Rihanna playfully swatted his arm. “You’re so bad.”

  “And you love it.” He grinned.

  She coyly dropped her head and whispered back, “You might just be right.”

  The moment was broken by Quade entering the room and clearing his throat to alert them to his presence. Something told Rihanna that Brayden had been well aware of him there way before she realised.

  ***

  The mood had lightened through dinner and the trio of males had settled into their easy banter. Rihanna seemed to have been enjoying herself but didn’t contribute huge amounts to the conversation. Bray didn’t think this was particularly strange given that Quade, Rory, and he all shared years of history. He also sensed that concerns over the virus were not far from her mind.

  He did notice that she had been particularly shocked by the amount of food the three of them had eaten. Specifically the double helping of large rump steaks they’d all downed. They’d have to be even more careful than they had been. Rihanna had commented on the amount of red meat they had consumed. They had all just joked it off as active guys needing lots of protein to fuel their bodies. If they’d been by themselves they likely would have tucked away twice as much. It was part of their metabolic makeup. Their animal characteristics demanded more protein. Brayden was fortunate he could happily source protein from sources other than meat if needed. Admittedly, he needed big quantities but he could do it. Quade, with dominant feline DNA, and Rory, with dominant canine DNA, really struggled without frequent top-ups of meat, preferably red. It would be a very safe bet that the guys raided the kitchen in the early hours of the morning.

  Rihanna had just returned with refills for all of their drinks. She’d taken to the role of being hostess and had helped him pull everything together earlier in the evening meal. He enjoyed moving around the kitchen and working with her on the domestic activities. He also enjoyed the casual bumps and touches they shared. They both knew it was very much foreplay for what would come later. Having Quade and Rory around also meant they had to be more restrained, which only seemed to be adding to the tension and growing arousal they were both feeling.

  She slipped back onto the outdoor lounge beside him. He immediately put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. Her unique scent was playing havoc with his hormones. It was a combination of components that created her unique blend. Her arousal was also very evident in her scent signature at the moment. He noticed it and he was sure the other two guys had as well. So far, they had been perfectly behaved and hadn’t done anything to indicate that they might be anything more than normal.

  At the conclusion of a story Rory was recounting, Rihanna politely broke into the conversation.

  “So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” she asked to nobody in particular.

  The men exchanged glances before Brayden answered. “You and I need to head to the facility in Brisbane so you can check out what they’re up to and these guys have a few leads they need to go check out.”

  Quade and Rory were nodding in agreement.

  “So what time are we heading out?”

  “Let’s aim for around eight. It should only take us an hour to get there.”

  “Okay then, I think I might head off to bed; it’s getting late.” Rihanna began to rise from the couch when Brayden pulled her back.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked.
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  She looked at him, clearly puzzled. He gently reached up and pulled her head towards his. He touched his lips to hers in a brief kiss that was filled with promises of what was to come later. He saw her blush at his flagrant display of affection and possession. She fully rose from the couch and bid Quade and Rory goodnight.

  Bray watched her delectable form walk through the family room and head down the long hall to the master suite at the end. When finally she moved from sight, he turned and caught both Quade and Rory doing just the same.

  “Wow, did you hit the jackpot there, man. She’s quite something and totally hot for you. I could smell her arousal as soon as I got out of the Jeep,” Rory congratulated him.

  “She is, isn’t she?” agreed Bray. He didn’t mind admitting the obvious and it also did his male pride well to know that his teammates desired what he had. Talking about female arousal and stuff like this didn’t bother them in the least. In fact, it was normal. With their extra powerful noses, everything was magnified to almost ten thousand times that of a normal human.

  “I’m not sure about this, bro. You two seem pretty cosy. You know we can’t disclose what we are. What’re you doing here, mate?” Quade questioned.

  Brayden had expected this. Rory was far more easygoing and relaxed. He was more inclined to live and let live, whereas Quade was far more tightly strung, even uptight at times. He was the sort of guy that took a lot of time to get to know and Bray often wondered even then whether he truly knew him.

  “I expected this from you, Quade.”

  “Well, you know it’s okay to fuck ’em—just not get involved with them. The boss isn’t goin’ to like this, man.”

  “Since when did you become the goody two-shoes, Q?” The heat in his voice was unmistakable.

  “Since you’re thinkin’ with your dick and you’re risking all our asses, mate. Does she know?”

  Brayden didn’t like it one bit but he knew Quade was right. “Of course not. Look, mate, I know the rules but there’s just something about her that calls to me like nobody ever has. For the first time in my life, I actually want to see if there’s more than just a casual night or two.”

  “Well, it’s your ass, buddy, but unfortunately, it might just expose eleven more in the process.” Quade’s voice was tight with warning.

  “I get it, Quade, and I know it’s a risk but one I want to take.”

  “Easy to say when you’re the one getting all the benefits, but you’re exposing our butts as well and we’re getting zip outta this,” Quade spat.

  “Okay, fellas, let’s wind this back a bit. Much louder and we won’t need to keep the secret; she’ll be out here asking difficult questions,” Rory interjected. Peacemaker was often the role he played amongst this often unruly bunch of animals.

  Both Brayden and Quade looked away from each other. They were the epitome of two alpha males facing off, before tussling again.

  Rory recognised it as well. “I mean it, you two. Enough. Beating the shit out of each other is not going to help.”

  “So what do you propose we do, genius? Let this randy stud literally fuck it up for all of us?” Quade asked, his voice laced with venom.

  Brayden went to bite back but Rory was quicker. “Quade, getting pissed at Bray isn’t helping. You can smell the pheromones these two are letting off as clear as I can. If Bray says she means something to him, then that’s good enough for me. Just the same if it was you in Bray’s place. Now we figure out how to deal with this.” He looked between the two, measuring the impact his words were having.

  Bray and Rory both saw Quade suck in a deep breath, clearly trying to control his frustration and anger at the situation and ultimately Brayden.

  Rory decided to continue being the voice of reason. “So what does she know, Bray?”

  “Nothing—just that we work for a secret agency called the Centre. She would have got that bit of information regardless of whether we were together or not. I also told her the work we do is a bit like special ops. We can’t tell you where we’ve been, who we’ve been with, or for how long. She didn’t like it much but she accepted it. You’ve got to understand she’s as married to her work as us. She gets that it comes first.”

  Quade seemed to relax a bit at this. “Are you sure she bought it?”

  “Well, as much as I can be sure. She hasn’t asked any strange questions or indicated she’d noticed me doing anything out of the ordinary.” He chuckled to himself. “I did blow her away with my prowess in the sack, though.”

  The other two rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

  “Oh, please.” Rory pretended to choke on Bray’s words. “Just because you’re part pony and have a big dick doesn’t mean the dog and cat here are any slouches in the bedroom, mate. We’ve been known to get the ladies purring or whimpering a time or two.”

  They all laughed at that and collectively felt better. Like any tight group, they didn’t enjoy tension amongst them. It caused problems when people weren’t totally focused on the job.

  They were silent for a few seconds, smirking at one another.

  “Well, I’m going to bed. I’m going to try to get to sleep before we have to put up with listening to the stallion service his mare.” Quade rose and gave Bray a friendly slap on the back on his way past.

  After he was gone, Bray turned his attention back to Rory. “You’re okay with this, mate?”

  Rory did something he rarely did. He paused for a second and considered his answer. Bray held his breath at what Rory might tell him.

  “I wouldn’t say I’m okay. More like I understand. I’ve been thinking this was bound to happen to one of us for a while.” Rory paused to gather his thoughts before going on. “Realistically, what are the chances of six males finding soul mates with six females? So to me it seemed likely that something like this was only a matter of time. It’s all going to come down to how well we manage this.”

  Brayden nodded his agreement at Rory’s words. Behind the jovial exterior lurked a very deep thinker.

  “But let me say this. I hope for your sake, she’s the understanding type because I’m not sure how you’re going to be able to live with her twenty-four-seven and not have her eventually notice something. Also, the more she is exposed to all of us, the more likely she is to pick up on things. You and I know we’re all extremely good at masking our animal sides but they’re still there and they do come out. Sometimes when we least expect it.”

  “I hear you, mate. And everything you’ve just said are the things I’ve been struggling with for the last two days. Common sense tells me to let her go but my heart says hang on tight. I’m sick of having nothing for me…of being dictated to for the last fifteen odd years by the Centre. It’s my time to have something I want, and if that sounds selfish, I’m sorry but this feeling is just so strong.”

  “I can see it, mate. I don’t know where it’s going to end up but shit, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of watching.” Rory chuckled, knowing that Bray understood he was going to provide heaps of material for Rory’s often warped sense of humour in the coming days.

  When you knew you were beat it was best to retreat, regroup and fight the battle another day; Brayden decided that this was the best course of action.

  “On that note, I’m going to bed.” Brayden rose from the lounge, taking the empty glasses with him.

  “You do that, mate, you lucky prick,” Rory shot at Bray’s retreating back; his knowing laugh followed him out the door.

  ***

  Rihanna was lying in his big bed facing the door when he entered through the double doors of his bedroom. She looked so relaxed and content curled around a pillow. He quietly used the bathroom and stripped before sliding into bed. He moved closer to her, spooning his hard body around her back. His right hand immediately sought a resting place on her breast.

  She whimpered slightly at his touch. The sound shot straight to his already hard cock.

  “Are you awake, babe?” he whispered.

 
“No,” she answered back, clearly operating on autopilot.

  His fingers found her nipple and lightly pinched. “If you’re not awake, then why did you answer?”

  “Noooo…idea,” she shot back in a sleepy, muffled voice and wriggled her gorgeous ass against his abdomen and erection.

  He wasn’t sure how conscious she really was. She seemed as if she was in that highly relaxed, dreamy state before sleep.

  “Keep that up, baby, and you definitely won’t be sleeping any longer.” His voice was no more than a whisper across her ear. She shivered in response and wriggled against him even more.

  With that, he slipped his left arm under her shoulders, resting her head under his chin, her upper body across his bicep. This gave him the perfect access to tease the soft, silky mounds of her breasts. His fingers lightly trailed circles around first one nipple and then the other, teasing her nipples into tight, hard little nubs.

  His right hand slipped lower and he lifted her right thigh, draping it over his legs behind her. The sound Rihanna made when he slid his hand down and into her silken folds just about had him coming against her back. It was the low passionate moan of a highly aroused woman. Sleep stripped her barriers away and left the wanton woman he knew lurked within the sometimes reserved exterior.

  She was hot, wet, and waiting for him to pleasure her.

  He slipped one finger and then two into her hot, wet channel and moved them in and out, making sure he hit all the right spots. Oh yeah, he got it right and was rewarded a moment later with her inner muscles clinching him tightly into her. She sucked in a breath at his ministrations. His thumb was lightly stroking her clit.

  “Oh Bray, don’t stop,” she panted between breaths. He continued his slow torture. He could feel the flutters around his fingers and knew she was moments from diving headlong into climax. He increased the speed of his fingers stroking her and licked his tongue along the delicate skin underneath her right ear.

  When he felt her tense, ready to explode, he sucked her earlobe into his mouth and nipped. He pinched firmly on the nipple he had trapped in his left hand. The sensation of the dual pain points sent her spiralling over the edge into orgasm.