by Sara Brookes
She shuddered against them both, feeling as if she was truly and completely home once more. Tripp pulled away, but took his time about it. His lips cruised over her face, grazing over each of her cheeks before he separated completely from her.
Her gaze flicked over Tripp’s shoulder where a group of people sat under a large purple umbrella. “We’re drawing an audience.”
Snyder palmed her nape and turned her to him, dipping her so she looked up at his face as the cloudless blue sky framed it. “I don’t care. Let them stare.”
His kiss was softer than Tripp’s, but only for the first few gentle caresses. He nudged with his tongue and slipped between her lips as she parted them. His hold tightened and she felt as if she could easily let him take her right here and now in front of everyone.
He righted her again, their mouths parting slowly as he pulled away. His gaze shone with an intense heat and her body immediately reached for it. Tripp bent and scooped up her legs as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I think someone needs a little cooling off.” He spun and Kate held on as he ran for the water. That first rush of the salty Gulf hit her as a wave crashed into them, nearly knocking Tripp off his feet. He laughed as he turned to shield her from the next crest.
Snyder joined them and soon they were splashing and carrying on as if the reason they were all here didn’t exist. As if something menacing and powerful wasn’t churning up the sea hundreds of miles away.
When Kate pulled herself out of the water a half hour later, she stood at the shore, the water lapping around her ankles. Tripp had started to walk toward her only to be tackled and dragged under the water by Snyder. Not to be outdone, Tripp fought back and Kate’s stomach did a somersault watching the two men wrestle. They kept things clean because of the group Kate still heard playing behind her, but she felt the heat and energy building between the two.
She wanted a part of that and knew all she had to do was ask.
It would be that simple.
Tripp and Snyder finally dragged themselves out of the water, running to her with wide smiles. The salt water glistened on their bare chests. Whatever secrets she held close to her heart, she owed them an apology for leaving so abruptly.
“I’m sorry. For leaving without letting you know where I’d gone. For leaving in the first place, really. A lot happened that day and I still think I haven’t processed it fully even after all this time. The chase, what happened to my Jeep. Us. Everything.”
“It was a lot to take in, so that’s completely understandable. But it’s just us, Kate. That hasn’t changed and it never will. It’s always going to be better if you let us know what we can do for you.”
Kate shrugged. “But that’s just it, Snyder. It’s always been only me.”
“Is that why you take so many chances, Kate? It’s as if you have something to prove.”
Tripp’s words couldn’t have been truer. “I do.”
“Only to yourself.”
“Exactly.”
Snyder’s eyes grew dark despite the smile that remained on his face. “You’re a fool.”
She laughed at the vehemence in his words. “I know. But so are the both of you. For being here with me. For caring about me when you have no right to.” She started to back away, but Tripp snagged her wrist to prevent her from escaping.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
“We’d only be fools if we were anywhere else.” Tripp’s mouth crushed against Kate’s and she knew with that simple, single touch she was lost to these two men. No images she’d ever taken, no reading she’d ever recorded, meant anything to her at this moment.
Tripp pulled away, and despite the comfort they both gave her and the fact she knew she was lost to them, it didn’t fix anything. Too much was at stake if a wrong move was made now. While she was willing to take risks, there was more she needed to think about. More than just herself.
“I’m still working through some things, but know that I care for you both. I always have. That hasn’t changed, and I don’t think it ever will.”
The men exchanged a look, and for a moment, she feared the consequence of her words. There was no way to tell what they were thinking without asking and she didn’t have the courage to do that just yet.
“Just let us be at your side to help you work through things. There’s no reason for you to be alone. At all.”
“I know.”
* * * * *
Dark, angry clouds obliterated the horizon when Kate looked out the back window two days later. The storm had slowed to a crawl, then stalled right in the middle of the Gulf, screwing up forecast tracks countrywide. Well, everyone but hers.
The stall had allowed her to pick up some energy and simply lie in wait. The front everyone thought would scoop her up missed by a few hundred miles and now, Hurricane Jean was barreling toward the coast of Texas.
And Sulaco Island.
“She’s coming.”
“Yes, she is.” Tripp gestured to the computer screen and Kate moved closer to peek over his shoulder. The track she’d forecasted earlier in the week showed in startling clarity. The track wasn’t identical to her guess, but it was similar. Luckily, the power of the storm was minor enough not to raise any of her warning flags.
But the path was close enough for a knot to form in her stomach. “Shit. I wanted to be, but I didn’t at the same time, you know?”
Snyder walked up and set a hand on her shoulder. “The order came through about an hour ago while you were showering. The mayor called a mandatory evacuation for the whole island as a precaution. No exceptions.”
She shrugged, familiar with the words. In their line of work, breaking the rules set out for citizens came with the territory. It was everyday practice for her to race down a highway at over one hundred miles an hour as she chased a tornado. Staying put during an evacuation order was par for the course.
“I have the credentials to stay. As do you two.”
“Hey, no need to get defensive. He said everyone, but I have no doubt he knew we’d stay no matter what. You can’t blame him for doing his duty and making an effort to tell us we risk being arrested for violating an evacuation order.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Tripp snorted and turned away from the equipment. “What do you need us to do?”
“Sit and wait.” As much as it endeared her to hear him ask, she didn’t have a better answer. “Really. The generator is already set up out front. We have enough non-perishables for a few days in case that fails.”
“What about boarding up the windows?”
An ominous ball of dread formed in her stomach. No doubt, it would sit there until the storm had passed. “I insisted the windows be retrofit with hurricane glass three years ago. Even paid for it myself when my parents balked at the thought the house would need such a thing. It’s a relatively new technology, but it’s similar to a car windshield. To be honest, it’s better than plywood. So we’d just be wasting our time.”
She pushed away when Snyder grumbled and went to pour a glass of water for her dry throat. “Staying here is a calculated risk, Snyder. You know that. This isn’t exactly the first time I’ve all been through a hurricane this size and strength. We faced worse with that tornado in Jewell.”
The phone rang and Snyder grabbed it before she could. He was quiet after answering, nodding to whatever was being said. His face was solemn as he finally hung up. “That was Tommy. Water’s rising fast and starting to wash over the bridge. As he reminded me, it’s the only way on or off the island.”
Kate emptied her glass and put it on the drain to dry. “Anything else?”
Snyder shoved his hands into his jeans and leaned against the counter. “He wished us luck and said he hopes to see us on the other side.”
“So that’s it. All we have is each other.” Tripp blew out a breath and pushed a hand through his hair.
The next few hours passed in a blur as they secured anything loose outside. The
windsock from Kate’s childhood now hung from a hook near the front door and she couldn’t stop gazing at it.
At least when she wasn’t staring out the back windows at the sky now filled with the clouds from the outer bands of Jean. The anticipation ran quick through her veins and she was ready to face this beast and the fury she brought down with her.
“Here, eat. This may be the last hot meal you get for a while.” The scent of the roasted chicken Snyder set on the table in front of her broke her reverie and she smiled up at him. He pointed to the plate as he set another plate in front of Tripp and then sat down with one of his own.
Kate snorted and picked up her fork. “You do realize you’re saying this to the woman who lives off granola bars and Gatorade for the better part of the year.”
“Just eat something, all right? Stop making it so we have to worry about you.”
The lack of humor in Tripp’s voice caused her to grimace. She hadn’t talked much to them about what was said on the beach because of their focus on the hurricane. “I never asked you to worry about me. Either of you.”
“Comes from years of watching you chase, Kate. It’s only natural for us both. Better get used to the idea.”
“Fine. Not as if you give me much of a choice,” she muttered before shoving a sliver of chicken into her mouth. Her eyes closed as she delighted in the savory taste. Her stomach gave a loud rumble and the three of them laughed in reaction.
“No, not really.” They both beamed and she knew she needed to change the subject. She was tired of talking about herself and it was dangerous ground at the moment anyway. The farther away from the subject, the better.
“So what have you two been up to?”
“Been a busy season.”
“Busiest on record from what NOAA reports.” Here it was mid-August and the storms seemed to be forming weekly as they skated off the coast of Africa. For someone in her line of work, it was pure nirvana. “This is the second major storm this season. Plus, with the few minor ones we’ve had? Planet’s talking.”
“I always liked that about you, Kate. You talk about the weather as if it is a living, breathing thing.” Tripp gestured outside with his fork to the building storm.
“She is really. She changes constantly, just as humans do. The face of the planet is always evolving. Storms such as these show us she’s just letting off some steam. We just always get caught up in it with our need to crowd around the beaches and shores. Like this place.”
The room fell quiet as Kate stared outside, losing herself to the possibilities they would face by choosing to stay. She was still confident in her decision to come here, to study this beast in the place she felt the most comfortable. Leaving had never been an option for her. She’d been through too many storms to count.
Severe weather saturated her bones so thoroughly she couldn’t imagine living a life without it. Since childhood, she’d been fascinated with the power and fury Mother Nature possessed. Those summers here hadn’t come without plenty of days spent riding out the storms that zeroed in on the eastern coast of Texas.
That very first hurricane, a Category 1 storm, had immediately snared her with its beauty on the satellite imagery. She’d decided right then and there that was how she would spend her life.
Shaking off the memory of the very first storm she encountered, she turned to find another storm building right before her eyes. She watched with rapt interest as Tripp leaned over to kiss Snyder. It started slow at first, unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world to kiss each other. She tried not to stare, but she found it hard considering the amount of passion pouring from them.
She felt a twinge between her legs that quickly grew stronger. It was powerful enough to make her realize she was starving for them both after denying herself for so long.
That night she’d spent caught between them came flooding back and reminded her of what it was like to kiss them both. Reminded her how their bodies felt against hers as she waited for their touch. Snyder inhaled as Tripp deepened the kiss and she realized she wanted that. Not just the kind of passion they possessed with each other, but she wanted them. She wanted to share how she felt about them and share in the utter devotion they had for one another. No amount of wrong she’d committed could ever make up for her leaving so abruptly.
It had been their moment and it had passed.
They deserved to have their own moment right now without her staring at them as if she was some kind of voyeuristic lunatic. The chair scraped loudly against the scarred hardwood floor and she winced when they broke away and turned to look at her.
“Sorry. I was trying to be quiet and not interrupt.”
Snyder pushed his plate away, though most of his meal remained. “That’s all right. You seemed lost in your own little world and we were continuing a talk we started the other day about our plans once this is all over. One thing led to another and, well, Tripp and I have been running around a lot with the storms and haven’t gotten a lot of time together.”
Now Kate felt even worse for interrupting and her cheeks heated. “I’ll leave you two alone then.”
She hastily gathered her plate and utensils. Just as she walked past, Tripp’s hand brushed against her hip.
“No one asked you to leave.”
Chapter Six
There were so many unspoken things in those gazes as they looked at her. Her heart broke for what she needed to say to them and couldn’t. Seemingly not bothered in the least by her hesitation, Snyder flipped open the top few buttons on Tripp’s bright Hawaiian-print shirt.
He continued to flip open buttons until there were none left and Tripp’s chest was proudly on display. Kate swallowed as Snyder’s fingers ran over those hard muscles and she remembered how they felt under her own hand.
Snyder reached over and freed Tripp from his shirt before removing his own. Both shirtless now, there was so much decadent flesh exposed to her eyes to feast on. She wanted it all. She wanted them both and the reasons why she walked away that morning were quickly becoming nothing more than a fading memory as the men continued to touch one another.
Tension built between her legs and she was quickly becoming desperate. Maybe she could go to her room and find out just how dirty her mind could be as she got herself off as she imagined the men together.
Tripp crooked a finger at her, and before she knew it, she’d set aside her unfinished dinner and slowly walked toward them. A slight smile teased up the corners of his mouth and he looked down to where Snyder knelt. She slowed her approach to savor the sight because it was too exquisite not to admire.
Maybe she wouldn’t need to imagine after all.
It was happening right before her eyes in vivid reality.
She watched as Tripp leaned forward to take Snyder’s mouth in a stirring kiss. It awakened things inside her she’d fought against for so long. They kissed passionately, lost to each other, and Kate found all she wanted to do was watch. They’d always held an ease with each other that was admirable and she absolutely loved that about them.
They broke away, their heated gazes focusing on Kate again as she licked her dry lips. How was it possible for her to feel as if she was going to combust at any moment?
Snyder smiled, his eyes sparkling with heat. “Why don’t you take over? I have something else I’d like to kiss. Unless you’d…” he trailed off and Kate let out a bright peal of laughter. Snyder’s fondness for blowjobs was something she’d known about even before that night in the hotel.
Some things never changed.
She abandoned her earlier thoughts and realized she really could do this after all.
“Go ahead.” Who was she to deny him—deny any of them—this moment?
Tripp lifted his hand and pulled her closer, spreading her legs so she straddled his thigh. As she slowly dropped, he pushed the fabric of her skirt up her thighs. He seemed unsurprised when he encountered nothing but bare skin as she settled against his leg.
His eyes closed momenta
rily and she glanced down to watch Snyder slide his tongue over the head of Tripp’s cock. Everything inside her ached to be a part of this moment. Unable to stop herself, she cradled Tripp’s jaw as she leaned in to kiss him.
He tasted of memories she’d buried long ago—like comfort and hope.
Tripp’s arm slid around her waist and rested at the swell of her hip, just under Snyder’s hand. The contact bound them as they moved with a grace she’d never shared with any of her other lovers. They seemed to share in instinct with each other about where hands touched and fingers grazed over skin. Their energy transferred to her and the hollowness that had been inside her since walking out of the hotel room in Kansas was filled.
Tripp groaned into her mouth and the sound arrowed straight to her pussy. She shifted against his thigh and the feel of the warm skin against her own heat further heightened the intense sensation.
Tripp pulled her forward, and this time, she was the one who sighed into him. His lips curled under hers, and with one arm, he started slowly pushing her away before dragging her back. The fine hairs on his thigh tickled her skin and her wetness slicked his flesh. Her hand dropped to rest lightly against the back of Snyder’s head and the contact allowed her to feel his movements.
The wind started to howl against the house, rattling the windowpanes just a few feet away. The storm had arrived. For the first time in her professional career, she didn’t care about the vicious storm. It didn’t matter. Her world was these two men and what they meant to her.
For once, the moment wasn’t about chasing the storm, it was about chasing sin.
As Tripp continued to kiss her and she moved along his thigh, she decided to give into the one thing she’d always wanted from them. Even before the night in Kansas when everything changed.
“Can I watch?”
“You already are.” His breath tickled her lips as he whispered against her mouth.
“No, I mean…I want to see you. Both of you together. I’ve always loved how effortlessly you two seem to…I don’t know—exist?” She’d had that once, in a small room in the middle of nowhere, and for just a moment, she wanted it again.
