Embrace the Wild (The Great Outdoors Book 5)

by Shayne McClendon

  Pleasure thrummed through her body but she also felt peace unlike anything in her life. “Thank you. Thank you for that.”

  Gripping her carefully, Knox withdrew. He left the room and she heard water running in the bathroom. He returned with a warm washcloth and a towel. He cleaned her gently, removing the excess lubricant from her skin.

  Lifting her off Wade, he held her on his lap. The bigger man walked around the side of the bed and kissed her deeply.

  As he took his turn in the bathroom, Knox carefully cleaned her inner thighs and mound of fluids.

  “This is kind of embarrassing.”

  He chuckled and hugged her. “We took from you and now you let us care for you.” He lifted her face to stare into her eyes. “It’s physically exhausting to have two men use your body in such a way, Galina. You were magnificent.”

  “You guys did all the work.”

  “Hardly. You accepted what we gave.” He planted a smacking kiss on her lips. “You need a long soak so you don’t stiffen up.” Standing, he set her on her feet. “Come on, pretty girl. Not sure how long I can keep my paws off you.”

  The huge Whirlpool tub filled rapidly and a minty scent rose from the steam. Knox sat on the edge and took her in his arms, lowering them both in the water.

  Galina sighed happily. “I’ll warn you now. I can sit in a tub, adding hot water, and read an entire book. I spend a lot of time pruning.” She turned on his lap to face him, her knees on the bench. He wrapped his arms around her as she laid her cheek on his chest. “Hi, Knox.”

  “I’ll warn you…I love to cuddle.” He kissed the top of her head. “How do you feel?”

  Wade settled into the water beside his oldest friend and she reached for his hand. Smiling, she answered, “Complete.”

  Sitting up, she stroked her wet hands through Knox’s hair. “It looks darker when it’s wet.” She kissed him deeply and he moaned into her mouth.

  He was hard beneath her. Holding his gaze, she reached between their bodies and placed his cock at her pussy.

  “Condom, Galina…”

  “No.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Knox frowned. “What do you mean no?”

  “I mean no. First, I’m on so much birth control I doubt animals in my vicinity could get pregnant. Second, I probably couldn’t get pregnant if I wanted to after all the things my body has been through physically. Third, I’m clean and neither of you would be with me if you weren’t.”

  She lowered her body, taking him deeper. Knox looked at Wade. “I…I’ve never…”

  “Neither have I. Are you sure, Galina? We won’t play games with your body.” Wade shook his head. “You can’t undo it.”

  “I know.” Leaning forward, she kissed Knox lightly on the lips. “You don’t like it?”

  “Are you kidding me?” His hands on her hips opened and closed. “It’s the most magnificent sensation I’ve ever felt.” Knox groaned. “It’s too good…”

  “Then enjoy it. Let me give you both something you’ve never experienced. Let me give you one first.”

  Dropping his head back on the edge of the tub, he watched her ride him, his jaw clenched.

  The water sloshed around them, the only sound in the room other than his heavy breathing.

  After several minutes, she watched his body tense and felt her own pleasure rise. “Yes, Knox. Fill me up again.”

  Sitting up, he gripped her tightly to him as he devoured her mouth. She drank down his moans and gave him her own as she felt him let go of his control.

  Her climax slapped her sharply, making it impossible for her to keep moving and he took over. Powering into her body from below and driving her through the waves of sensation.

  When they could breathe, move, think again, Knox lifted her from him. His hands trembled as he positioned her over Wade’s lap. He took her in his arms with a tight smile.

  “Hi, Wade.”

  “Hello, pretty girl.” She reached between them, took him inside her, and watched his features contort in pleasure as her pussy wrapped snugly around his dick. “It’s incredible. Better than I ever imagined.”

  “Take what belongs to you.” She stared into his eyes as she moved. Lifting his hand, she placed it on her face.

  Wade whispered, “Touching you grounds me in reality. I’m not dreaming this time.”

  He kissed her and it went on for a long time. Leaning back, he held her face in his hands. His green eyes stared into hers as she worked him toward the release she wanted to feel.

  It was life-changing to take them so closely to herself. It caused her heart to open wide to these men and what they offered.

  Her climax dragged on and on as he filled her and pushed her through to the other side.

  Without speaking, he kissed her aggressively and they lifted her from the tub. In silence, they washed her body in the large shower and dried her with reverence.

  Tucking her in the middle of the big bed, they climbed in on either side of her, sealing themselves to her body. At her ears, they murmured words she never expected to hear.

  “You’ve been adored and lusted over your entire life, Galina.” Wade placed his hand over her heart. “But you’ve never been loved. When someone loves you, your needs come first, you come first. That’s what you deserve.”

  Knox kissed her shoulder. “Not because you’re beautiful, rich, or famous. You deserve love because you’re you. We have so much to show you, to give you, and you’re going to soak it up like a flower does rain.”

  “It feels…unbalanced in my favor. Greedy,” she confessed.

  Wade chuckled. “There’s nothing greedy about you. You need two men. You’re too much woman for one man.”

  “One thing.” She stared at the copper tiles on the ceiling and asked the question that haunted her. “What happens now?”

  Knox cupped her cheek. “You live with us if you want to – which we hope you do – and you let us love you. We protect you if you need it. We take care of each other.”

  “You’re not a conquest,” Wade said firmly. “I love you.”

  “You’re many firsts for us, Galina. I love you.” Knox stroked her jaw with his thumb. “You’re accustomed to being used. That isn’t what you’ve walked into here.”

  Wade held her hand. “We love you inside and out. Who you were, who you are, and who you will be.”

  “We want to be part of your life. We want you to be part of ours. Not for a day, a year, or a decade but as long as you’ll have us.” Knox lifted on his elbow to look down at her face. “I know this might be overwhelming sometimes.”

  “We’ll have to make sure we are enough for you.”

  “You’re enough for me. More than I ever dared to hope for and then some. I love you. I don’t want anyone else to touch me. I want to stay on this mountain with the life we already have. I want peace and happiness and love.”

  She took a deep breath. “I know you didn’t plan on having Lina here. I have baggage from that life and it will follow me. Some of it won’t be easy to deal with. You already censor what you say because you think you’re objectifying me.”

  Shaking her head, she whispered, “I want to be beautiful for you. I want you to desire me. I want to make you hard.”

  They traded her mouth between them for several minutes.

  Her hand on the back of their heads, she said, “You’re beautiful to me. I desire you in every way – intellectually, emotionally, and sexually. Everything about you turns me on. Separately and together.”

  “What can we do to make sure you have the life you want?”

  “I’m officially retired. I won’t do any more modeling or acting. But there’s a lot of good I can do with my fame, my money. Having you at my back makes it safe for me to explore that part of me I’ve always had to hide.”

  Wade got up and pulled her from the bed. “I’m going to make you food and you’re going to tell us what you mean.”

  They made sandwiches and sat together at the dinin
g table. She was hungrier than she’d been in years.

  Knox winked. “We found the key to upping your caloric consumption. It’s about fucking time.”

  “I know it will be hard on both of you to put in the work,” she quipped. “Stay strong.”

  Laughter felt better. Everything felt brighter.

  “Talk to us. Tell us what you want to do, Galina.” Of the two men, Wade was the more serious. That also made him the one most likely to resist.

  She knew she could talk him into it. At heart, these men were fighters. Fighters didn’t retire…they chose new battles.

  “I want to work with Hollow.”

  The silence drew out for almost a minute before Knox murmured, “Oh shit.”

  “Explain what you mean.”

  Sitting back, she took several pulls from her bottle of water. “I can contribute financially. I have more money than generations could spend and my father makes me more every hour of every day.”

  “You want to give more than money.” Wade looked fierce.

  Knox frowned. “The organization and what they do is more than just dangerous. It’s deadly. People commit to it like nuns and priests. Most join when they have nothing to lose, to avenge the ones they’ve lost. Hollow loses so many of his soldiers because the battles they wage have massive odds.”

  “I know. I do.” She smiled. “What’s my reputation? In the world at large…what do people think of Lina?”

  Wade shook his head. “It isn’t the same…”

  “Answer the question.”

  “Entitled. Weak. Clueless.”

  “Exactly. I have currency in the charity circuit because it’s assumed that my management does it for publicity. To a broader world audience, I’m nothing more than a flighty airhead with too much money.”

  Sitting forward, Knox said, “You want…to infiltrate. You want to be Hollow’s plant.”

  “No one would ever suspect me.”

  “Fuck that. No way.” Wade stood to pace. “You aren’t equipped, Galina. If you were separated from us, you’d be helpless to protect yourself.”

  She got up and walked to him. “Why do you think I’ve pushed to join you when you go out in the wilderness?”

  He took her shoulders. “That won’t help if you’re taken from a fucking ballroom!”

  “That’s why I need you to train me.”

  Gasping, he stumbled back. “I won’t train you to die.”

  “I hope not. That’s counterproductive, Wade. Train me to live. Train me to protect myself. I know you can do this. I need your help, your support.”

  “I never saw this coming…”

  “I know.”

  Taking her in his arms, he whispered against her hair, “I can’t lose you. We’ve only just found you.”

  “I’m not talking about volunteering for the most dangerous missions but…if going back into the public eye occasionally can make me a useful plant for Hollow, I can’t turn from it.”

  To Knox, she said, “I have properties around the world. Some are rentals or resorts, others are maintained but abandoned for the most part.”

  “Where?” She could see he was trying to remain calm.

  “Fourteen locations at last count. My father takes expansion of my portfolio seriously. I have two small apartment buildings being renovated. One in New York. The other in Miami.”

  Looking up into Wade’s face, she whispered, “I have so much more to lose now. I don’t want either of you hurt. I don’t want to give up my life but I want to change it.” She swallowed hard. “I want to help where I can.”

  He stared at her in silence for a long time. “Six months.”

  “What?” she asked in confusion.

  “It will take six months of training before I’ll even consider putting you in the line of fire. You pass our training, I’ll follow you anywhere on this earth to keep you safe.”

  Tears slipped over her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  Knox moved to stand at her back. He murmured at her ear, “If you think survival training was hard, you’re in for a world of hurt.”

  “I learned it, excelled at it. I can do the same with this.”

  Then they were all over her, leaving the food and plates where they sat as they carried her into the bedroom and drove her to the mattress.

  They took her again but it wasn’t sweet or gentle.

  They had something to tell her, to show her. Their attention was aggressive, focused, and a true glimpse into the inner psyches of the men assigned to protect her.

  She loved them. They loved her.

  They took her until she was hoarse from her screams of pleasure. Then they took her again.

  She’d be sore and exhausted but she got the message loud and clear. No matter what training they put her through, no matter what she ultimately volunteered to do for her oldest friend…she was marked, claimed, taken.

  They would die to protect her but they wouldn’t stand in her way. It was her first taste of absolute freedom.

  Sheened in sweat and each other’s bodily fluids, there was no way she could accomplish a shower. Rolling to her side, she pulled at Wade until he spooned against her back and at Knox until he slid down and pressed against her front.

  “I love you. Thank you for loving me.”

  They wrapped her between them and her heart slowed as she started to drift. She wouldn’t waste one more minute.

  She had her freedom.

  She had her men to love.

  There was work to be done.

  Epilogue

  September 2016

  Galina circulated through the gala wearing a gown that cost more than some cars.

  It was a gift from her mother.

  Wade and Knox stood at her back. Dressed in tuxedos, the world knew them as her protection detail. Innuendos about a deeper relationship with her men were met with vague responses.

  Across the room, she saw Gabriella Hernandez leave the room. She was headed in the direction of the ladies’ room.

  When the woman she’d been watching all night moved to follow a minute later, Galina took three steps, tripped, and spilled half a glass of champagne on another guest.

  “Oh, my goodness! I’m so sorry! If you rush to the restroom now, it won’t stain. That material…you need to hurry.”

  Without a word, the woman turned on her heel and took the same route. Loudly, as if she was drunk, she patted the chest of the woman’s escort. One of two men she’d attended with.

  “Forgive me for being a big klutz.”

  “N-no worries at all. Um, aren’t you Lina?”

  “Yes! I am. And you are?” She held out her hand cheerfully.

  He shook firmly. “Quinn Abrams. I’m a big fan.”

  “Your name sounds familiar. Hmm…do you own a coffee chain?” He nodded, flabbergasted. “It’s my weakness.”

  “You have…no idea how awesome that is.”

  “I do. I hear that a lot. Silly, I guess.” She winked and saw Hudson Winters and his now-blonde bride moving quickly for another hallway from the corner of her eye. “I’m going to check on your lovely date. I’m such a space cadet.”

  One by one, key players left the ballroom. Some went toward the kitchens. Others headed for the staff elevators.

  Words weren’t necessary. She walked to the main bank and used her master key to send the elevator to the rendezvous floor established by Tawny.

  They’d reserved all the rooms on twenty and when she stepped from the car, there was pandemonium.

  Grabbing a passing soldier, she hissed, “Is she safe?”

  “She’s alive. They’re flushing her eyes.”

  “The same toxin?” The man nodded. “I was too late.”

  “No way. Red hit her with the spray in seconds. Saved her face. She’ll recover because of you.”

  “I have to get back. Too many have disappeared downstairs already. A message for your commander.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I have someone at my house
. When he’s clear, I need him to make contact.”

  “I’ll get him the message.” A small smile crossed his face. “You’re looking delectable as always, Galina.”

  “Shut up, Finn. You always do this and they get cranky.” Taking a step back, she positioned herself between Wade and Knox. “Give him the message. I have to go.”

  They glared at the man who looked like a younger, blended version of the two friends. Back in the elevator, they pressed her against the wall.

  “Brave puppy.”

  “Shut up and kiss me.”

  They obliged and she felt somewhat normal by the time they reentered the ballroom. There were too many important people missing. It was going to be noticed.

  “Shit,” Wade murmured.

  “Not another distraction. Can’t someone else do this?”

  “No one else like me. Everyone expects socialites to make a scene. Stay strong, lovers.”

  Laughing too loud, she grabbed another glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She scanned the crowd for someone she could make complicit.

  “Marci!” Her voice carried in the subdued room and several people turned to look. “There you are!”

  She made her way to the woman’s side and they shared a long look. Marci whispered, “I don’t want to…”

  “You must,” Galina whispered back. Loud again, she said, “What’s been shakin’? I hear you have some hard core new habits.” Her laugh was far too grating. “Wanna share deets?”

  “Lina…I think you’ve had enough.”

  “Oh, come on! This party is achingly dull. Let’s mix things up. We can start by changing this horrid music.”

  Cackling, she waited until a server was passing nearby before she turned too fast, appeared to lose her footing, and knocked her entire body into the man.

  His tray went flying and he couldn’t keep his feet. As they crashed to the floor, she giggled uncontrollably.

  “Oh my. Fancy meeting like this.”

  Her bodyguards lifted her to her feet. Wade helped the rattled server as well. They were covered in various drinks.

  “What a waste.” She sighed heavily. “I’m a mess. Looks like dancing is out.”