by Liz Crowe
“What is this Ian?” Her voice was soft. Nick put his hand on her leg.
“This,” Ian leaned over, took the ring from her and slipped it onto her left ring finger, then did the same with Nick’s who was still speechless. “Is us, making a commitment, in front of each other for now.”
“But…” Nick sputtered. “We are, we can’t, Ann Arbor is liberal and all, but even this might be a stretch for the kids’ school forms.
“I want this, I want you and I don’t want there to be any ifs, ands, or buts.” He gripped their hands and put them to his heart. Hannah bit her lip, leaned in to touch her forehead to his, while putting her other arm around Nick’s neck, drawing him into their circle. “You and Nick should get married, legally, so the baby has…you know….”
“Fuck that,” Nick said, standing and pulling them with him. “Hannah knows I will take care of my child, financially and otherwise. We don’t need a legal document for that.”
“We have to be realistic Nick,” Hannah gulped, knowing Ian was right. “Let’s just do that, take that step so there are no questions, ever, in the eyes of the law. “But…,” she pulled Ian close. “I want an attorney to spell it out clearly. That while Nick and I are the baby’s biological parents, you are made a guardian. We can do this. I’ve been checking. And we can…be together, all of us.” Her new resolve about this was steadfast. She did not care who knew or what they thought, not anymore. Not at the risk of sacrificing her ultimate happiness with them both.
“You’re okay with that?” Nick pulled Ian close, and the two men stood, making Hannah’s breath catch in her throat at the sight of them.
Ian nodded. “It’s my idea, so, yeah. But after the baby is born I want to have a ceremony, for all three of us.” He grabbed their glasses and handed them back out, and they clinked them softly, then sipped. Ian took hers away after she’d just had a taste of the amazing, rich, sweet red brew.
“Enough,” he said softly.
“Ugh, this sucks.” She flopped back on the couch, putting her feet up on the coffee table, staring at the ring on her finger that matched the one both of her men wore. Ian and Nick drained their glasses. Then Ian winked and pulled her to her feet, folding her into his arms.
“Maybe,” he said, nuzzling her neck and cupping one of her newly lush breasts. “But I want some of this epic sex drive tonight.”
She sighed and leaned back, letting her overheated libido take over. “Baby, I don’t know if even the two of you are enough for me lately.” She groaned as Ian brushed his hand along the curve of her stomach, reaching down to press his finger against her sex.
“Hmm,” Nick came up behind her, turned her chin around and captured her lips. “We’ll take that challenge.”
She let herself fall into their arms, completely confident they would catch her. They each took a hand and led her back to the bedroom that Nick had outfitted with a California King bed, a cushy chaise lounge and a spa-worthy bathroom including a tub that would easily hold three people. Ian eased her down, propping a huge pillow under her head, kissing her lips then lower, sucking her newly sensitized nipples. Nick took up the kiss, and she sighed, stretching and letting the relaxation and happiness course through her. The men’s hands met over the mound of her stomach, fingers entwined. She put her palm on theirs, still kissing Nick, her back arching up as Ian increased his attention to her breasts.
“How do you want it tonight Hannah?” Nick whispered, running his hands down her face, in her hair. “Your wish is our command.”
She opened her eyes and cupped Nick’s face with one hand, pulling Ian back up with the other. “I want,” she gulped. “I want you,” she kissed Nick’s lips. “Inside me. And I want you,” She turned her head to give Ian a kiss. “Inside him.”
Both men raised their eyebrows. She laughed, then gasped, putting her hand to her stomach. Nick sat up, alarm on his face. “What is it? What’s wrong.”
Ian just smiled, and slid down to his elbow. “Feel it?” he asked passing his hand over her belly. She nodded, pulling Nick close and placing his hand on her stomach, near Ian’s. The baby did it again. A little flutter, then still.
“Holy shit,” Nick whispered, his face a mask of amazement. “Why did it stop? Is he okay?”
Hannah laughed at the innocent worry on his face. She kissed him. “First off, you don’t know if it’s ‘he.’ Secondly, the interior beating I will take has just begun. So relax, you will get plenty of opportunity to feel it. And now … can we please resume our prior activity.”
Ian kissed her. “Okay. I’m gonna orchestrate this one. You, up,” he said to Nick who stood, and tugged his jeans off, making her lick her lips in anticipation.
“Wait,” she said, putting a hand on Ian’s arm. “Show me….”
Ian gave her a wicked grin, then turned, gripped Nick’s thick cock and licked and sucked the man to a near orgasm. Her body twitched and pulsed in response to the amazing show of extreme man in front of her. She moaned when Nick fisted Ian’s hair and pumped his hips. “Stop,” she demanded. Ian lifted his mouth off Nick’s incredible sex.
The other man panted, put his hands on his hips. “Count backwards from fifty,” Ian muttered into Nick’s ear, making her smile. “Roll over, Red, up on your hands and knees.” He patted the bed. She grinned and obeyed him. She wasn’t heavy enough in the front for it to be uncomfortable in this position. If anything, it relieved some of the early pressure on her spine. She wiggled her hips.
“C’mon, boys. Show me what ya got.”
Nick sighed when Ian placed his hands on Hannah’s hips, showing him how she was positioned. He’d nearly blown down Ian’s throat and was still hanging on by a thin thread, but he leaned over her, cradled her stomach, his baby, their baby, in his hands. Then reached higher, cupping her full breasts, sucking in deep breaths of her incredible, intensified scent. “You sure,” he sighed into her ear, already positioning himself, needing to be inside her so badly he wanted to yell and plow in to her. But he held back. She shifted.
“Yes, Nick. I’m sure.” Her voice poured over his psyche like her namesake beer, calming and enervating him at the same time. “Please, now.” She arched her back and he slid into her, loving the new sensations, the heat and pull of her changing body. “Oh, yes,” she sighed as he stroked deep.
He felt Ian’s hands on his hips sensing his finger slide down, lubricated with something lovely and warm. He tensed, but Ian soothed him, slipped a finger into his ass slow. “Baby,” Ian muttered, his voice rough with barely repressed lust. “I need… can I…?”
Nick nodded, still thrusting in and out of Hannah’s depths. “Ah, shit,” he cried out when Ian’s cock breached him and went deep.
They synchronized their rhythm, each stroke from Ian sending him deeper inside Hannah. He had never in his life felt so complete. His eyes hurt but the rest of him roared with need. Ian’s cock reached his gland, then retreated, making him grunt and press harder into Hannah.
“Coming,” she cried out, but he smelled her a half second before she declared it, her rich, sweet odor swirling around his head. “Oh, hell, yes.” She groaned as her pussy clutched him, drew him deep.
Ian held tight and he smiled as the man grunted and released inside him. Nick waited, wanting to draw it out; letting his woman and his man have their release before he let his own cloud his brain, sending flashes of phantom light behind his eyes. “Oh my God,” he groaned, draping his torso over Hannah’s back.
Ian pulled out, and he withdrew from Hannah’s body, smiling when he sensed her collapsing over on her side. He dropped down and held her, loving the lush smell and fullness of her. “I love you,” he whispered, shivering with post-orgasmic pleasure. “Sleepy now,” he muttered into her neck. And he fell down between Hannah and Ian and slept, dreamless, for hours.
Epilogue
Four months later they stood together, hands clasped in front of nearly two hundred people, the combined forces of both Ypsi Brewing and Traynor Dist
ribution Company plus several of Nick’s Marine friends. Daisy sat, panting, at Nick’s side. Ian looked at them both, the crazed events of the past year rolling around in his head, passing behind his eyes in a montage of lust, love, drama and most recently messy, loud and terrifying childbirth. He smiled at Hannah, put his hands to both of their faces. Daisy pushed her nose into his leg. The baby made a funny mewling sound. Jamie rushed over to her seat, put his hand on her face. “Daddy, I think Danielle needs something.”
“It’s okay, Jamie,” Hannah said, her natural unflappable nature taking to motherhood like a duck to water. “She’s fine. Come on up here and stand by your dad, okay. Grandma will hold your sister.”
Moira smiled and pulled the pink-swaddled newborn from her seat and handed her to Hannah’s mom who had tears streaming down her face.
The boy nodded, giving the baby one last concerned look then jumped up to stand between Nick and Ian. Nick put a hand on his head. The boy gripped both men around the thighs, his eager gaze directed at Hannah.
Ian had never felt better or more nervous. He smiled at the justice of the peace who’d agreed to preside at their commitment ceremony. He had Dan’s dog tags clutched in his hand. Hannah held out her palm and pulled Nick’s up. The other man took the tags, kissed them both, then knelt down to fasten Dan’s military ID to Daisy’s collar. The dog shook, sending the tags tinkling in a somehow appropriate way. A slight, but attractive older woman stood by Nick, her huge dark eyes full of tears. Nick put an arm around her.
“Thank you,” Janice Anderson said. “I wish all of you the very best.” She kissed each of their cheeks then took her seat.
Nick took a deep breath. Ian put his arms around them both as they repeated traditional words, exchanged kisses then turned to face friends and family his heart bursting with happiness. He stood between them, held them close and whispered. “I love you. Thank you.”
They each kissed his cheek. Jamie jumped up into his arms. “Yay Daddy! Family!”
The crowd laughed.
Ian smiled. “Okay, people,” he said, holding his son. “Let’s party.”
Hannah sat, exhausted in mind and body, holding her daughter’s sleeping form to her breast. Daisy led Nick over and he dropped into a chair. “I love that dog,” she said, plopping Danielle into her father’s arms. Nick smiled, and her heart swelled with happiness. The man kissed his daughter, cradled the infant to his chest, pulled the blanket away from her face, and ran his fingers down her face. The girl made a satisfied sound and settled herself into her father’s neck, her lips pursing as she fell into sleep in her favorite spot.
Jamie clamored into Hannah’s lap. “What are you doing up this late mister?” She kissed his hair, loving his warm little boy scent. She felt Ian’s hands on her shoulders. He crouched down on her other side.
“Over here buddy,” he said, pulling Jamie off her lap. “Hannah’s too tired.”
“But…,” he held out his hands, flexing his fingers.
She laughed. “Selfish, like his dad,” she said. She sat between her men and watched the celebrations continue. The next thing she knew Ian was picking her up, carrying her somewhere. She muttered into his neck but let the blessed sleep consume her.
“Relax,” she heard Nick murmur in her ear.
“Sleep,” Ian said. The two voices combined like a lullaby as they laid her down someplace soft and covered her with something warm.
The warm wet dog nose shoved into her neck, and then retreated as if satisfied that she was settled. “Daddy!” she heard Jamie just before she dropped off, napping at her own wedding but no longer really caring. “Mommy’s sleepy. Where’s my sister?”
She smiled, and held out a hand. Nick took it and pressed it to his lips, then rose and kissed Ian before they retreated, leaving her to a few moments of well-earned rest.
The End
About Liz Crowe
Microbrewery owner, best-selling author, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great Midwest, in a major college town. Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse, plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry), has prepped her for life as erotic romance author.
When she isn’t sweating inventory and sales figures for the brewery, she can be found writing, editing or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications.
Her groundbreaking romance subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” has gained thousands of fans and followers who are interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”)
Her beer blog www.a2beerwench.com is nationally recognized for its insider yet outsider views on the craft beer industry. Her books are set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch and in high-powered real estate offices. Don’t ask her for anything “like” a Budweiser or risk painful injury.
www.lizcrowe.com
www.brewingpasssion.com
www.a2beerwench.com
www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor
www.twitter.com/beerwencha2
www.facebook.com/groups/romanceforreallife
www.facebook.com/jackgordonrealtor
