by Lexi Blake
“I’ll take the pregnant lady home.” Eve put a hand on Adam’s shoulder. She went on her toes and kissed his cheek. “You three should talk. Good night, Serena. If you need me, my door is always open.”
Eve and Grace said their goodbyes and left for the night.
Chris sighed. “And I need to get back to Bridget. She should be moved out of ICU in a couple of hours. I think I convinced them to let me stay the night with her. She doesn’t like hospitals. I don’t like cots, but my hatred of discomfort is overcome by my love for my girls.”
“How did you get in? They wouldn’t even tell us what room she was in. The cops had to tell us she was still alive.” Adam had been frustrated for hours.
Chris smiled brightly. “Oh, they let me in to see my sisters.”
“So you lied?” Jake stood staring at Serena even as he spoke to Chris.
Chris hugged Serena gently. “Nope. I just think society places far too much importance on blood and not enough on love. Night, my sister. I love you. I’ll call tomorrow, and don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll take care of Bridget, and we’ll handle Lara’s arrangements later.”
Tears dropped down Serena’s face as she nodded Chris’s way. “Love you, too. I’ll come by tomorrow.”
Chris left and they were finally alone.
Serena knelt down to pet her dog. She hugged Mojo, her face stroking his fur. “I really am sorry about the whole hospital thing. I thought it was best.”
She thought it was best to keep them from her when she was hurt? Adam took a step forward. She’d been shot, but all he wanted to do was make sure she was tied up so she couldn’t leave.
“Your ride just left.” Jake was unmoving, his big form straight and solid.
A faint smile crossed her lips. “I kind of hoped I had one here. Or two. I guess I was really hoping for two. If I don’t have two, you should tell me now so I can catch Chris. I’m afraid I’m not good at compromise. I want you both. I want everything.”
A surge of hope filled Adam. “Serena, you be sure. You be sure this is what you want because I won’t ever let you go.”
Jake finally moved, walking toward her. “She’s not going to change her mind. She’s finally figured it out. And she should know there’s going to be some punishment for keeping us out of the hospital.”
Now she simply smiled, her face lighting up. God, that smile lit up his whole fucking world. “I thought I was keeping us all safe, Sir. Should I call you Sir outside of the club?”
Jake put a hand on her head, his eyes softening at the contact. “No. I like the way you say my name. But, Serena, there is something else you’re going to call me. You’re going to get everything you want, but you have to call me and Adam by special names.”
Oh, Adam knew just what name he wanted. And he wanted to share the name. “Husband. You’re going to call us husband, Serena.”
“I can’t think of anything better.” She closed her eyes, seeming to revel in Jake’s touch. Even as her eyes were closed, she reached her hand out, calling to Adam. He didn’t hesitate. He took her hand, threading his fingers through hers. Connected. This was what he’d wanted for days, for weeks, for long before he’d met her. He’d longed for the woman who could accept the man he was inside, the freak who needed Jake to be complete, the soldier who had to protect, the lover who wanted to take care of her.
“I love you, Serena.” He said the words like a benediction.
“I love you, baby.” Jake’s smile could be heard in his voice. Satisfaction and contentment oozed from Jake. Peace. That was what Serena offered them both. A family. They were going to be a family.
Crystal tears dropped on her cheeks. “I’m glad because I love you both. When I thought I might die, all I wanted was one last moment with you. I won’t check out again. I was scared, but I’m not anymore.”
His heart opened. He hauled her into his arms, right where she should always be. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Baby, we’ll never leave you. We might fight and be stupid, but this is forever.”
She looked up into his eyes, but kept a hand on Jake, too. She was the glue that would keep them together, always. “And I’ll be distant and lost in my work, and you both have to know that every hero I write for the rest of my life has a piece of you two. They always did. I was just waiting for the real men.”
He kissed her, taking care of her, holding her gently. “What did the doctors say?”
His cock was aching, but if she couldn’t handle it, he would just hold her. He and Jake would just cuddle her between them.
Her lips played against his. “The doctors said I need my men. Adam, Jake, I need you tonight. I need you both.”
Adam caught Jake’s eyes and saw the desire for Serena there. He knew it mirrored his own. Jake nodded, and Adam’s heart rate sped up. It was time to claim their woman.
* * * *
Serena went up on her toes, pressing her lips to Adam’s, her hand reaching out to Jake’s and pulling him in. She needed a hand on both of them. When she’d thought she was going to die, the only thing she’d really regretted was not letting them know how much she loved them.
She’d allowed her fear and bitterness to rule her for far too long. They all had. She’d chosen wrong before, but it didn’t matter. She got to choose again, and this time she chose them. She’d been given a second chance, and she would be damned if she didn’t take it.
Jake’s free hand tangled in her hair. When she came up for air, he gently directed her his way, his mouth covering hers. Adam’s kiss was soft, playing along her lips, meltingly smooth. Jake dominated. His tongue took over. She’d never been kissed the way Jake kissed her, like he could inhale her. She didn’t need to breathe when Jake kissed her. She could survive on his kiss alone.
Adam didn’t waste time. His hands were on the straps of her dress, dragging them down. He made quick work of her bra, freeing her breasts. While Jacob plundered her mouth, Adam got to his knees and worshipped her breasts. Serena whimpered as his tongue teased her nipples, tightening them and making her ache. He sucked the tip into his mouth, biting down gently. It sparked heat through her whole body.
Jake released her mouth, taking a step back. “Adam, stop for a moment.”
Adam stopped sucking, but his tongue licked at her. “Don’t want to. I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”
Jake chuckled, the sound dark and sexy. “We have a very long time with our little sub, and I want to start things off right. Since she’s going to make us crazy in our daily life, the least she can do is cede control in the bedroom or the club or the elevator up to our office or anywhere else we can think of to make love to her.”
She had to smile. She was pretty sure when it came to thinking up inventive places to have sex, Jake could match her. And she’d been dreaming of that elevator ever since Adam had kissed her there.
She sighed as Adam kissed her breasts one last time and then got to his feet.
“You’re right. I think after what she put us through, she probably needs to be a little submissive tonight.” Adam took Mojo’s collar and led him out. “Time for bed, puppy. I don’t think what’s about to happen in here is suitable for your innocent doggy eyes.”
Mojo followed him out.
Just a hint of trepidation crept up her spine as Jake watched her with dark eyes. Those were his Dom eyes. They were dangerous and hungry and promised all manner of delicious torture. Yeah, she liked his Dom eyes.
“You understand what you did?” Jake asked, his voice deepening. That voice got to her, too. There was a hard edge to every syllable that seemed to flavor the words with decadence.
“I should have called.” She didn’t move to cover her breasts. Days ago she would have felt vulnerable standing there with her breasts exposed while he was still dressed, but now she felt oddly powerful. It was right to be naked in front of them.
“Oh, you should have done more than called. You should have moved heaven and earth to make sure we could see you.”
> She sighed. She’d known they wouldn’t understand, but she really had been trying to protect them. “Jake, there were reporters waiting on the ambulance. I don’t know how they found out, but apparently it’s a really good story. I didn’t know if you should be exposed to that. You work undercover. Do you really need your face plastered all over the newspaper?”
He shook his head as Adam walked back into the room. “I don’t give a damn. If I can’t work undercover, then I can’t. You are more important than any job.”
“She put us through hell so we wouldn’t get outed by the papers? What does she think is going to happen when people find out she’s married to two men?” Adam asked. He turned to her, a scowl on his handsome face. “Because there is going to be a marriage out of this. You’re marrying me. Jake lost at cards.”
“I want a rematch. I’m pretty sure Adam cheated.”
“Ah, romance.” She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. It was going to be an adventure with them. There would be trouble, but she would stand fast. “If that’s all the proposal I get then yes, I will marry you. And I want Jake’s collar. I want a ceremony and everything.”
“You’ll have it, baby,” Jake promised. “Now take off your clothes and present yourself. I’d like to get the punishment part of the evening over with so we can get to the good stuff.”
Her whole body trembled in anticipation.
“Take it off slowly, Serena,” Adam ordered.
They were just standing there, watching her undress, waiting for her to follow their commands. It might have been different if the exchange hadn’t been equal, but they gave her everything they had. Adam took care of her, lavishing her with attention and affection and easing the strain of her days. And Jake was her warrior, teaching her to be strong, opening his heart where it had been closed to all but her.
It was an odd family they were forming, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She had them both, each stronger for their reliance on the other. They were halves of a whole, accepting what they needed, making it easy for her to accept them both.
Slowly, a little awkward at first, she pushed at the waist of her dress. She winced a little as she reached the bandage at her side.
“Stop.” Jake said, moving in. He touched the white gauze pad that covered a patch of skin just above her right hip.
She wasn’t about to let them put her on bed rest over that tiny wound. “It’s fine, Jake. It’s nothing. Like I said before, it’s a little scratch.”
He looked back at Adam as though asking his opinion.
Adam pulled the bandage slightly off, examining the wound before closing it up. “We’ll be careful with her. We’ll be gentle. And it doesn’t affect what we should do to that gorgeous ass of hers. She’s not fragile, Jake. She’s wickedly strong. I heard she damn near took off her ex’s balls. They were talking about it at the station house. The medical examiner said his balls were the size of a grapefruit.”
That had been a horrible moment, but Jake had been with her in spirit. “I punched him.”
“Good girl,” Jake said solemnly. He kissed her forehead. “We’re going to continue those lessons, baby. I want you strong.”
She was strong. So strong. She hadn’t known just how strong she was until she’d been in that moment and she’d known she would do anything to survive. “So stop bugging me and let me take my punishment.”
He tweaked a nipple, causing her to gasp. “Such a brat. Get rid of the dress, and then I want that ass in the air.”
She was so glad she wasn’t wearing underwear. Not that she’d been given a choice, but now it was simple to push the dress off, hand it to Adam, and turn. She leaned over, placing her palms flat on the coffee table and raising her ass in the air. No more worrying about cellulite or those extra pounds. There was no place for that here. There was only the exchange between Dom and sub, a promise of safety and the freedom to explore.
“God, I love that ass.” Jake’s hands stroked her cheeks. “Are we ready for this? For taking her together?”
Adam chuckled. “I’m a boy scout, buddy. I’ve got lube and condoms, and she’s taken the large plug with such grace. I promise it’ll be a tight fit, but she can handle us.”
“I don’t know about grace, Adam. I think I took that plug with a whole lot of complaining.” It had been rough. That plug was huge and still not quite the size of her men.
Jake slapped her ass, the sting a promise of things to come. “Your opinion is not required right now, baby. And this pretty ass was made for us. It was made to take a cock. But not just yet. You require a little warm-up session. Adam, I believe we’ll start with a count of twenty.”
She nearly screamed when both smacked her ass at the same time.
They counted aloud and, aside from the first stroke, took turns spanking her. Jake would slap at the fleshy part of her ass, and Adam would match it on her opposite cheek. They would strike and then hold their hands over the ache, allowing the warmth of the discipline to sink into her bones. She loved it. She was a freak, and she wouldn’t be any other way. She needed this the way some women needed a glass of wine at night. She relaxed into her position, that erotic mix of pleasure and pain causing her muscles to melt and everything to fall away. Nothing in the world mattered except this. Tomorrow she could begin to process all that had happened. And she wouldn’t be alone. They would be there to talk her through it, to hold her while she cried, to kiss her senseless when she couldn’t think about it a second longer. Their love would be the blanket she wrapped around her soul when the bad dreams came.
Yes, she was vulnerable to men like Doyle and Brian, and yes, the world could be a crappy place. It invaded and encroached on the good things in life, but here, she was safe. Here, she was the queen, choosing them over and over again.
Her mind floated while they counted out her discipline. She was almost disappointed when they finally spoke the word twenty.
“Test her.” Jake’s hands traced the cheeks of her ass. She wondered if he was getting hard looking at the flesh made pink by the flat of his hand.
A finger slid through her pussy. Adam. “Oh, she’s our kinky girl. She loves this, Jake. I think I might have to suffer through Ian’s class after all. I never wanted to really dominate a woman before, but I think I want to be her proper Master.”
“You never really loved a woman before,” Jake said quietly.
“No. I fooled myself. But this is real.”
“This is real.”
She didn’t say anything because she understood that this was something that would be just for them. They had an intimate relationship, too. It didn’t include sex, but it was a form of love. She would be the center of their world, a way to express their caring for each other by sharing a wife and building a life.
It was a beautiful thing to be.
An arm wrapped around her middle, gently bringing her up. Jake lifted her into his arms, taking care with the wound on her side.
“Time to move to the bedroom, baby.” He walked through the house, making short work of the distance.
She loved the master bedroom. She loved that it was big enough for the three of them. It had all the trappings of a normal marital bed. Dressers for clothes and containers for watches and wallets. Three in a row, with hers in the middle. Like they would sleep. Like they would walk together. She would always be in the middle, surrounded by their affection.
“Tell me those are good tears, Serena.” Jake looked down at her as he placed her on the bed. “I never want to make you cry again. I need to know you forgive me.”
For saying a few words in the heat of the moment? It seemed so far away now. It had been a foolish fight in the first place, and one they might have again. Trust would grow between them, but there would always be insecurities and tiny jealousies. It wasn’t the fact that they were in a ménage that made it so, Serena knew. It was the fact that they were human and in love. They would fight and make up and fight again. It was inevitable in a passionate r
elationship. “I forgive you, Jake. Now, and the next time, and the time after that.”
A smile curled his lips up. “I’m glad you recognize that I will fuck up again.”
She touched his hair, so soft despite the hardness of the style. “We all will. And it’ll be okay.”
His lips hovered over hers. “It’ll be okay.”
He kissed her, but it was a sweet promise of emotion and passion and years of both ahead.
“Hey, my turn.” The bed dipped, and Adam climbed on. He’d gotten out of his clothes. Seeing him naked just took her breath away. He crawled toward her, those broad shoulders coming into view.
Jake winked down and then got off the bed, leaving her to Adam.
He growled a little as he kissed her. “Get used to this, baby. I’m calling in some vacation time for me and Jake. We’re going to start the honeymoon early. Now get on your knees. I want to taste you while Jake gets your pretty ass ready.”
Oh, she wanted that, too. She wasn’t sure there was a better feeling in the world than one of her men tasting her pussy like it was a particularly juicy piece of pie. She rolled to her side and got on her knees, lifting her ass in the air. Adam slid between her legs, his own dangling off the edge of the bed. She could feel his hot breath hovering under her pussy. His hands were on her hips, pulling her down.
A low moan escaped her mouth as Adam licked her pussy. He delved inside, sucking at the petals of her sex, pulling in one and then laving affection on the other. Pleasure bloomed across her skin, lighting up her nerves and making her so vibrantly aware that she was alive.
She’d survived. She was here with them, and she would never leave again.
Adam continued to lash her sex with pleasure as his hands parted the cheeks of her ass.
“I have to use a little lube, baby.” Jake’s voice skimmed across her back as he placed a soft kiss at the base of her spine. “Just relax. I’ll be inside you soon. God, I can’t wait to be inside you.”
Adam licked at her clit, a slow drawing of tongue across flesh, as Jake worked the lube in. Serena was caught between the soft work of Adam’s tongue and the erotic jangle of Jake’s fingers rimming the rosette of her ass. So much sensation. She closed her eyes, trying to ride the wave.
