by Lexi Blake
Black Oak Oil had offices all over the world. Her journey didn’t have to be over because three men from Bezakistan couldn’t love her.
Hannah took a step back. “You think hard because I don’t think Gavin is going to let you go. He kind of cheered when you walked in the door again. He’s missed you around the office. The new researcher is making him crazy. The kid struggles to work a calculator. So take a minute, then come in and join us for dinner. It’s been fun to have everyone around again.”
Piper frowned. “You know Burke and Cole are like my bodyguards, right?”
The big, hunky private investigators had been on her since the moment she’d stepped off the plane. Oh, they used their wife Jessa’s sudden interest in business and marketing plans for her art business as a reason to stick close to her, but she wasn’t an idiot. There was no doubt in her mind who was paying them.
Hannah grinned. “Yeah, I know. It’s why I have hope. Oh, and your computer has been pinging for ten minutes. You better check it.”
Piper sighed and followed her inside, hoping it was just her worrywart sister wanting to check in on her again and not another reporter offering to pay her an obscene amount of money for her story of danger, debauchery, and betrayal at the hands of three desert princes. She’d refused repeatedly, and still the press kept hounding her.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Piper told her hostess. “And I promise to actually eat this time.”
She’d lost some weight, but Hannah was right, it was time to start living again. And that meant answering her sister with something more than a terse note that she was fine. If she didn’t talk to Mindy soon, her baby sister would likely show up on the James’s doorstep. Mindy had been worried ever since the news had come out that the sheikh’s concubine had left the country, but Piper hadn’t been willing to talk.
She closed the door to the guest bedroom and sat down at her computer, ready to tell her sister to call her, but Mindy’s name wasn’t the one that appeared.
It was Tal’s.
Piper stared for a moment. It had to be a mistake, a nasty joke. She thought about closing the computer and ignoring it, but her phone signaled a text coming through.
Again, it was Tal.
After weeks of silence, he’d finally decided he needed something from her? She clicked on the text message.
Piper, my love, forgive a stupid man.
Piper sniffled, sudden tears pricking in her eyes. She took in a long breath. He wanted closure. By text? He was still a stupid man. And she wasn’t sure she was ready to forgive any of them. Eventually, yes. But they wanted a clean slate now. They had used her for their own ends, and when they no longer needed a bride, they had simply disposed of her. At least that was how it looked.
But had they really? A little nagging voice kept at her. If they wanted to truly dispose of her, they wouldn’t be paying two private detectives to watch her twenty-four seven. They wouldn’t have carefully shipped back all her clothes. There wouldn’t have been such a special gift in the packages.
A first edition of Charlotte’s Web signed by E.B. White. Her favorite childhood book. The one she’d lost to the bank auction, now replaced by men who said they no longer cared about her.
Had they done it to assuage their guilt? Perhaps. Or maybe they’d needed a little closure of their own. Either way, the time had come to let them go in peace. She carefully texted back, tears clouding her eyes. All is forgiven. I wish all three of you much love in your lives. And thank you for the book.
There. Now their final communication to each other could be pleasant, polite.
Rafe, Kade, and I are getting married soon. We want you to be at the wedding.
She stared at his message for a minute, those words a stab in the heart. They couldn’t be serious. After everything they had gone through to change the laws, they were turning right around and marrying someone? Had they been in love with this other woman all along? Piper couldn’t help but wonder if they had used her to protect their new bride.
The phone trembled in her hands as she replied.
Think I’ll pass. Don’t contact me again.
So much for polite.
She tossed the phone onto the bed, her hands shaking with rage. She heard it ping once more, but she refused to answer him again. Ever. She would get rid of that phone. They were bastards, and for some reason they seemed to need to hurt her.
A knock came on her door. Piper wiped her eyes. “I’ll be right there.”
Another knock.
No one seemed to sense her need for space today. As frustration bubbled inside her, she crossed the floor and yanked the door open, ready to give whoever was on the other side a piece of her mind.
Tal, Rafe, and Kade stood in the hallway. Tal’s hand was raised to knock again, but he lowered it slowly as he looked at her.
She felt her heart skip, her pulse jump. They were here, standing right in front of her. Why? Joy at seeing them again was completely crushed by penetrating rage. What game were they playing now?
“What do you want?”
“We want to come in, habibti.” Kade’s eyes took in every inch of her. “Please. We need to talk.”
There was no way she was letting them near her again. “You can talk from a phone. You seem to know my number.”
She moved to slam the door in their ridiculously handsome faces, but Tal put a hand out, stopping it. He looked perfectly healthy, like he’d never taken a bullet for her. God, he’d nearly died saving her life. It was easy to forget that in the face of what had happened after, but he’d nearly sacrificed everything so she could live. She was sure now that he’d done it because of who he was, not because he loved her. Still, she owed him. She stopped trying to force the door closed.
“Piper, my love, I could call, but I doubt you would answer.” Tal pressed his advantage, walking in past her, brushing his big body against hers. It reminded her of everything she’d had…and lost.
Why was he calling her ‘his love?’ What did he want? Her eyes narrowed as he stared at the phone she’d thrown.
“I suspect you intend to change your number.”
She might owe him this one last confrontation, but she wasn’t going to back down. “Yes, I think I will. We could all use a fresh start.”
Rafe walked in next, his dark eyes flashing. “I agree.” He reached down and lifted her into his arms, hauling her to his chest before she had a chance to protest. A smile split his face as he turned with her. “My Piper, you look good enough to eat.”
“She does, brother,” Kade said, his voice going low and sexy. He leaned in and brushed his nose against her hair. “She smells perfect, too. My brothers and I have talked about it. You have no idea what oranges do to us now, Piper. We can’t eat breakfast with getting hard-ons.”
What the hell were they doing? Saying? Why try to seduce her if they were marrying another woman? “Let go of me.”
“Never again,” Rafe replied, holding her tight. “I plan to hold you forever.”
Tal chuckled even as she struggled in Rafe’s arms. “They are impatient, my love. I told them we should sit down first and have a nice long talk, but I should have known they wouldn’t do it.” He sobered, his face grave in an instant. “Forgive me.”
She could have sworn tears were in his eyes. He didn’t shed them, but she felt a deep emotion coming from him. “I told you all is forgiven. Now please put me down. I wish you the best with your new bride. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.”
Tal’s hand came out to touch her cheek. “I couldn’t stand being parted from you. I thought it would be better if you were somewhere safe in the world, but these last weeks have proven to me how wrong I was.”
“Piper, please understand, you were almost killed,” Kade explained. “Tal barely pulled through. He came out of surgery, and all he asked was that we send you away.”
Bitterness churned in her gut. He’d nearly died, and all he’d cared about was making sure she wasn’t there when he
woke up. “Well, you two took care of that. Please put me down.”
All three men had a hand on her. Kade smoothed her hair back. “He was crazy with the thought that it could happen again. For nights afterward, he woke up screaming, thinking Khalil was back to rape and kill you. He tore his stitches three times before the nurses were smart enough to sedate him at night.”
She went still. He’d been that worried? She couldn’t compete with Tal’s anxiety. She couldn’t force him to see that it was worth the risk. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m safe here. And I’ll take care of myself.”
Rafe shook his head. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling even though, to Piper’s mind, it was extremely inappropriate. “You don’t have to take care of yourself. Not when you have three husbands dedicated to the job. Piper, we cannot live without you. Tal has finally come to his senses, and now we can move forward with our lives.”
Rafe winked down at her as he turned and strode to the big bed. He tossed her lightly on it.
“Take off your clothes, habibti or I swear I will rip them off you.” Kade was already working the buttons on his dress shirt, revealing gorgeous tanned skin.
Piper ignored the ribbon of need working through her and backed up, trying to get to her feet, but they blocked all three sides of the bed. “Wait. You told me you were getting married, and now you want me to sleep with you?”
But Rafe had also mentioned that she would have three husbands who couldn’t live without her. Were they saying what she thought they were saying? Was she the bride?
Tal laughed outright, looking younger and lighter, as though some heavy weight had left him. “And you tell me you’re so smart. Yes, my love, we’re getting married. We have a lovely bride selected, though I managed to push the law through so she won’t ever feel as if she was wed for any reason but love.”
Tears started to pool. Hope bloomed, pushing out all thoughts of rage. Forgiveness really was a gift to them and herself. Forgiving them for being afraid meant she had a future. “And what happens to this bride if someone tries to hurt her? Will you lock her up in a gilded cage?”
Tal took a long breath. “Piper, I will cherish every moment I have with my bride. I will put aside my fear because she deserves a brave man. I will be the best husband possible and I will protect her with every cell in my body, but if the worst happens, I still want that time with you. I want a lifetime. Hell, I want forever, but I’ll take what is given to me. I’ll take every minute without an ounce of regret.”
“I love you, Piper. I want children and a life, and I vow I will never leave you again,” Rafe promised.
“I want you. I was lonely without you. I didn’t know it before. I thought I was happy, but you showed me what real joy is,” Kade said, his voice low and serious.
Now her tears fell without reluctance. Their words were everything she wanted, everything she’d waited a lifetime for. Her husbands. Her future. No amount of hurt was going to cost her a lifetime of joy. Still, she couldn’t let their arrogance go unchallenged. She got to her knees, shoulders thrust back, the proud woman their love had molded her into. “I don’t recall being asked to marry you.”
Another one of those brilliant smiles lit Talib’s face. “It’s tradition in Bezakistan to steal a bride, my love. I think that’s one tradition we intend to follow.”
Kade tossed his shirt aside. “Once we have you in our clutches, don’t think you can get away. Not for a moment.”
“But you, our bride, are wearing a deplorable amount of clothing.” Rafe shrugged out of his shirt and grabbed the bag he’d dropped on his way in the room. She could just guess what was inside. All sorts of toys to please and torture a newly stolen bride.
Her whole body heated up. She’d been so deeply alone since she’d been forced to leave them. She’d felt lonely before, but she’d never known the true meaning of the word until she’d contemplated a life without these men in it. “You have other traditions, but I think I’d like to make one of my own. That first night, you had your brothers present me to you, Tal. Now I think I would like to have all of my husbands present themselves to me.”
Tal growled a little as he tossed off his jacket and dress shirt. “You want to see what belongs to you, my queen? Is that what you want? You want your men to show you everything they have to give you?”
A future and love was what they offered her. Years of joy and happiness. Children who would rule a country one day as wisely as their fathers. But yes, she definitely wanted to see them. “Show me.”
Rafe shoved the slacks off his lean hips. “Such a bossy little queen.”
Kade stood before her, his glorious body on full display. Kade, her playmate, the charmer. His broad shoulders were thrown back and his cock jutted up proudly. He stroked himself, winking at her, never far from being the naughty lover who stirred her senses. “For you, my wife, my queen. This is all for you.”
Rafe stood beside his brother, slightly taller and every inch the elegant, sexy gentleman. He was the one she could sink into intellectual talks with, long hours spent in friendly discussions before he finally ended their debates by kissing her senseless. He ran a hand down his sculpted body. “Everything I have is yours.”
Talib knelt on the bed, his cock seeming to know exactly what it wanted. He was already fully erect and pointing straight at her, a drop of pearly fluid seeping from the head. She eyed the fresh, puckered scar on his belly, grateful that he was alive to be here before her. “My kingdom, my body, my heart, my soul. They’re yours, Piper. All you have to do is take us.”
A Texas girl knew a good offer when she saw one. Piper tossed off her shirt. “Yes. Yes. Yes. I love you all so much. Please kiss me.”
They descended on her, her clothes seeming to evaporate in their hands. Before she knew it, she was naked and right where she’d longed to be, skin to skin with them, enveloped in their warmth.
Kade pressed her down, laying her out on the bed. He kissed her mouth, his tongue tangling briefly before moving on to her neck. Rafe replaced him at her lips, touching their noses together before devouring her mouth. His tongue played against hers in a silky slide as hands rearranged her body, sensation flooding her.
She rode the wave. It didn’t matter who touched her as long as they kept their hands on her. Someone, Talib she thought, pulled her ankles apart, spreading her legs and moving inside. Rafe finally gave up her mouth, and he and Kade moved like birds of prey toward her breasts, their heads sinking down in perfect time. She gasped as they tugged on her nipples, tongues curling before they each sucked a tip inside their mouths.
Tal’s nose nuzzled her pussy. She felt his moan of appreciation all along her skin. “I missed you so much. I missed everything about you. I missed your smile and the way you laugh. I missed how you fight with me, but god, Piper, I fucking missed this.”
He licked at her pussy, a slow draw of his tongue that lit her up from the inside out. She was drowning in them. Tal suckled her clit, his teeth biting down so gently before he covered her whole pussy with his mouth. His tongue fucked up, deep inside her cunt, a naked promise of what he wanted to do with his cock.
“We need to get her ready, brothers.” Rafe gave her nipple one last pull before rolling off the bed.
Kade offered her a slow smile. “Getting you ready will be a pleasure, my wife.”
“I am ready,” Piper promised. Her heart was pounding. She was already warm and wet for them. She needed them badly. “I’m so ready.”
Tal’s mouth abandoned her pussy just as she was on the edge of something wonderful. “You’re not ready. But you will be. Who wants to make a feast of our lovely girl?”
Rafe tossed a blue jar at Tal and then got back on the bed. “You know she’s my favorite meal. Come on, habibti. Sit on my face. Let me make you come. I want to taste it.”
Kade pulled her up, turning her so she straddled Rafe, who groaned as he forced her upright, his big hands cupping her cheeks and drawing her down onto his mouth.
His tongue fucked into her, taking up where Tal had left off.
Tal’s hand pressed her down, forcing her to hold on to the headboard. She didn’t care what he did to her as long as Rafe continued his slow exploration of every inch of her pussy. His tongue was bold, sucking and laving affection everywhere. He licked her thoroughly before settling to suckle her clit. Heat was building, pushing her toward the highest of highs.
“Spread her for me, Rafe,” Tal commanded.
Rafe never stopped what he was doing, but his hands pulled the cheeks of her ass apart, giving Tal what he wanted. She felt exposed, but oh so right. These were her husbands.
“God, she’s so beautiful. I can’t wait to fuck her ass,” Kade said. “You’re lovely everywhere, Piper. We’re all going to want to shove our cocks deep.”
“Oh, yes. I intend to claim her in every way,” Tal replied.
Piper couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Rafe kept her right on the edge of orgasm, dangling it in front of her.
“Don’t move, my love, or Rafe will have to stop. You have to be made ready for what we’re going to do to you. We want to take you all at once and that means getting your pretty ass ready for a cock. You’ve taken a plug before. We just need to make sure you’re properly prepared.” Tal dripped cool lube between her cheeks.
They were going to do it. They were going to take her all at once, all three of her men loving her together. She would be so full of them. She struggled to hold herself still, not wanting to waste a minute of time. She needed this. After weeks of being alone, she needed to be surrounded by them.
A whimper started low in her throat as Tal worked the lube in. His fingers pressed in, tempting her to open for him. The odd jangly sensation warred with the pure pleasure of Rafe’s tongue.
Kade was suddenly at her side, his hands on her breast. “You’re so close, aren’t you my darling? Rafe, you should give it to her good. I want her very satisfied and submissive when we finally, truly make her ours.”
Tal’s fingers broached the ring of her ass, slipping inside. He worked the lube all over, massaging her until she was moving against his fingers, swaying, pressing forward onto Rafe’s tongue, then back against Tal’s fingers.
