Sitting on the side of the bed, Sky held two fingers over his lips. “Yeah.” He stood and started for the door. “I…yeah, I’ll be quick.”
It’s something. Sorting through his own case, Thunder considered the fact Sky hadn’t punched him. They could be a triad whether the two of them were intimate or not. But he’d prefer they were. And it would make them stronger as a unit.
A polo shirt and slacks should be enough for the brunch. At the thought of eating, his stomach gave a loud rumble.
“I heard that!” Gina said.
“We never ate dinner,” he protested, and they’d sure expended enough calories. “Hurry up and get ready or there may not be any food left. Those people are animals.”
She opened the door and peered at him, a towel wrapped around her hair. “Really?” But her giggles followed the door as it closed again.
The three of them getting ready to go out. With any luck, it would be the first of many times. At least he’d do his best to make sure it was.
Sky stood under the spray, rubbing shampoo into his hair. His lips still tingled where Thunder had pressed his. Was he misinterpreting a friendly kiss between potential mates? He’d known the second he saw Gina that they were meant to be a triad, but after the one disastrous attempt at physicality, he’d stepped way back from Thunder.
So far back, they’d been unable to meet one another’s look at school. Why had they let it ruin their friendship? Nobody ever knew what happened. They all assumed it was just the rivalry of maturing dragons. Not unheard of at all. But they’d been so close.
And now? Did he want that again? They could be a triad, where the only sex was between each of them and Gina. He knew threesomes like that. They seemed fine. Happy, even. But, last night or early this morning, he’d lain against the pillows while Gina sucked his cock. Looking from her tumbled curls falling over his thighs to the man behind her, his balls had tightened. Thunder’s upper body had matured. He had a spattering of hair across his chest, and his biceps were as developed as most mature dragons, maybe more. Arms that could embrace a man, hold him tight. He’d never felt so complete as when the three of them were together. All the grouchiness of the past fifteen or so years was gone. And he’d been a grouchy bastard. Shame heated his skin as he soaped it. Amazing Thunder would even want any part of him.
He soaped his cock, squeezing and releasing it as he pictured Thunder fucking their female. Then pictured the same man bent over, ready to take his cock in his ass. To be fucked by him. To suck each other off on a cold, rainy afternoon in the cliffs of their home. His dick got harder, a drip of pre-cum tracking through the soap bubbles. He’d never dated another man. Never wanted one, besides Thunder, although he’d gone out with his share of females. But he hadn’t met the female intended for him yet when he did that. Now that he’d found Gina, he wanted no others. And since he’d seen the male intended for him long ago, no other would do.
If only they hadn’t made such a mess of it when they were younger.
Without another thought, he spurted between his fingers, painting the shower tiles with his seed. He braced himself with his other hand as his knees wobbled and he waited for his strength to return.
But the reality terrified him. What if they tried again and it went badly? They had so much more at stake now. They had their triad, their mating with Gina. The life he knew fate meant for him. But was it asking too much to hope for a male-to-male sexual relationship with Thunder? Greed could cost them everything. Shouldn’t they be grateful for what they had? Or could have?
Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he finished washing up and rinsed off then stepped out onto the bath mat and toweled dry. They had to get through the brunch and the dinner dance. Then convince Gina they were meant to be more than a weekend date. A lifetime. Could she see it, too? If they hadn’t been so busy rolling around naked, they could have talked about it. Her own fault for being irresistible.
And what did they have to offer her? Sure, he was great at hoarding, had in fact inherited enough of a hoard to never lack for anything—for the three of them. Thunder was a relatively young wizard. He’d make plenty once he was established, but he had a while to go on that.
Their homes…his was basically a series of rooms filled with his treasure and a kitchen. Walter’s…well, he’d never been in there but suspected it was a mess. Just a guess. But he felt confident saying neither of them had a nest prepared for a mate.
Who’d known they’d meet their destiny this weekend?
He leaned over the railing. “Hey, I’m out of the shower up here.”
“It’s okay,” Thunder yelled back. “Gina is doing her hair in the bedroom, so I’m hopping into the one down here. Meet you at the elevator in ten minutes.”
“Any chance Gina will be ready, too?”
Her peal of laughter answered that. He supposed it made sense. A model had to look her best anytime she was in public. People would be taking pictures with their phones and posting them on social media. They probably had done that last night.
Dressed, he ran a comb through his damp hair, attempting to make it behave then gave up.
He’d just mess it up again after brunch. One way or another.
Thunder waited by the elevator. Walter, he reminded himself. Their private names did not need to be revealed to everyone. Sure, their families had heard it but had always laughed at the childhood nicknames.
But not now. Thunder had a wizardly reputation and, as part of his hoarding, Sky dealt in antiques, documents a specialty. He had copies of things nobody knew there were more copies of. The Magna Carta…the Declaration of Independence. Spanish land grants. Dignity was required in his dealings.
“Ready?” he asked.
“You bet. It will be fun.” Thunder winked one sparkling green eye.
He shook his head. “Really? How about we agree it will be filling. Food is necessary, after all. And if we hang around and make small talk for”—the elevator came and they stepped aboard and stood shoulder to shoulder while the doors slid closed—“maybe an hour…”
“Then we can head back upstairs and take that ‘nap.’”
Sky slapped the stop button. “Define nap.” The buzz that came from the elevator in protest of his action overlaid the moment. They turned to face one another. “Because, Thunder, we’ve wasted a lot of time and I’m starting to wonder why.”
The other man stood so straight, he seemed to add inches to his height. Sky could almost see the wings at his back. But he didn’t say anything.
If he freaked out and shifted, as Gina had, they’d end up with a smashed elevator and probably some wing damage. Not to mention harm to anyone who might be below. They couldn’t afford the damage to property or people. Sky watched him carefully.
Thunder rotated his shoulders, lifted his head, and his eyes narrowed, staring straight ahead. Sky remained as he was, arms hanging loose at his sides. It wouldn’t take much to push the situation over the edge. And them into a mess of glass and steel.
They had history making messes of things.
“Thunder. We don’t have to talk about this now if you don’t want to.”
At long last, the other man drew a shuddering sigh, and his shoulders slumped. “No, I think we need to. It’s been too long, my friend.”
“Too long since we were even friends. But, with Gina in the picture, I think we need to get past the juvenile crap and reclaim what we tossed away.”
“We were idiots.”
Sky smiled and bumped his shoulder with his. “We were young, unsure, and under pressure to find our mates. And with so few dragons, at least my parents implied it should be a female. If possible.”
“Mine, too. Think Gina will make a difference when we go home for the holidays?”
“Depends on if she’s pregnant at the time.”
Thunder’s eyes danced. “Who’s going to tell her she needs to get pregnant right away?”
“Well we haven’t been using protection… But who
’s going to tell her about us?”
“I think she might already know. Better than we do.”
The buzz grew louder and a voice came over the speaker. “Is there a problem with the elevator?”
“Crap, we probably broke a law or something,” Sky muttered. “No, everything is fine here.” He slapped the button. “I want to try again.”
“You mean…try…us?”
“Thunder, we were kids who had no idea what we were doing, back then. We got scared. Too easily.”
They descended toward the lobby, seconds from landing when Thunder grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him. Hard. A kiss of homecoming, of memories, of reconnection. Sky’s arms closed around him, squeezing him tight, and they clung together until the doors opened and then moved apart and strolled out of the elevator, side by side. Sky wasn’t sure if everything would be okay, and they had a lot more talking to do. But the future was looking pretty bright, from where he was standing.
Next to his mate, while waiting for his other mate to finish getting even more gorgeous—if that was possible—and join them for brunch.
Chapter Eight
Gina probably put more time into getting ready than was strictly necessary. Not that the guys would know this, but a model could get battle-ready in a very short time. It was one of the skills you mastered early on if you wanted to succeed in the business. Especially at the beginning, when doing shoots for car dealerships and diaper services. By the time she’d started doing national campaigns, magazine spreads, and, finally, movies, other people were there to make her up and do her hair, dress her even. Helpful when quick changes were required.
But, today, nerves rode her hard. She wanted to be pretty for the guys and also to look her best for their classmates. So she tried her hair up and down, a couple of times, finally deciding to let the soft curls frame her face and waterfall down her back. She lined her eyes, applied mascara and a rosy matte lip stain then slipped on an off-the-shoulder, blue-and-white striped dress. After a pirouette in front of the mirror, she added a wide belt with a dragonesque buckle. She couldn’t hide her hips and bust, and didn’t really want to, but the belt enhanced her waist, a look she’d found worked for her.
With glee, she donned heeled sandals. The ankle strap showed off another one of her assets. Being a big girl did not imply she was not fit. The miles she swam every week toned her legs, and her love for horseback riding toned her gluteus maximus. The straight skirt showed that off. Catching up her clutch purse, she headed for the elevator. She’d done all the lily gilding she could.
Once again, she squeezed her eyes closed on the terrifying glass lift. Who thought these were a good idea, anyway? With the hotel poised on its hilltop, the road falling away toward the wharfs below, it was a long way down, and the view other guests apparently prized scared her almost as much as the thought they might fly through the roof.
Face it. She was a complete and utter elevator wimp. Everyone had something, right? A silly fear or phobia. A superstition. Like her refusal to date shifters until now. One night, and she’d changed her opinion. Not that she wanted to date all of them, but certainly she’d found a pair well worth her time. Would they want to see her after this weekend? One of them had made a comment about being there for her forever, taking care of her, but that was just pillow talk.
In the lobby, she exited the car and looked left and right. The hotel wasn’t so big she should have trouble finding the brunch, although the men hadn’t mentioned where it was being held. Spotting a lit sign beside the concierge desk, she approached, hoping it would give information about what was going on in the building today and where.
“Miss Marianni, how charming to see you this morning. I trust you rested well?” The concierge approached her, wearing another of the formal suits, his graying hair slicked back. “Do you require assistance?”
Back in the foyer, she was reminded how cold it felt. What made them decorate it this way? She supposed it was elegant, but she much preferred the comfort of the suite. “I was looking for the brunch held by the class reunion?”
“Oh yes.” He bowed. “I would be delighted to escort you to the venue. If you’ll follow me?” He rested a hand on her arm, but, just as much as her dragons warmed her, his touch chilled. She shrugged away.
“Oh, that’s not necessary at all. Just point me. I’d hate to take you from your post.”
He bowed again. “As you wish. The party you seek is down this hallway then out the glass doors.” He pointed. “Go through the courtyard and in through the archway opposite. The third door on the left. Ballroom B.” Returning to his desk, where an older couple waited, he held his hands poised over a keyboard below a tablet. “And I’ll wish you good morning, Miss Marianni.”
“I think we both know that’s not my name. And everyone at the reunion figured it out pretty quickly.”
“Nonetheless, I address all guests by their registered name. Hotel policy.”
She watched him turn his attention to the couple as she headed off. What a funny man. And she had no idea what kind of shifter he might be, but, from his behavior, an ancient one.
Halfway down the hall, a man emerged from a doorway. “Are you looking for the class reunion?”
She paused, confused. “Why, yes. But the concierge told me it was in Ballroom B.”
He waved her through the door he’d exited. “Come this way. It’s a shortcut.”
She hesitated. “But it’s right down…”
“Exactly.” He took her arm. What was with all the touchy-feely crap? “Come along before you miss all the waffles. The toppings are going fast.”
He wore a badge. Hi, it read. I’m Abasi. No wonder he was directing traffic. Especially after losing all his guests the night before.
“I’m glad to meet you, Abasi.” She allowed him to lead her down a short hallway and into a room. The lights were off and she dug in her heels. “I…I wanted to apologize for last night.”
He tightened his grip on her arm. “Did you?”
“Y-yes. I know everyone ended up in our suite, and your party might have been lightly attended.”
He stood facing her, tall and gangly, eyeing her in a disconcerting way in the shadowy doorway. “Try unattended. After the first half hour, the room emptied out.”
“Oh, that’s awful.”
“Isn’t it? I put a lot of work into that party. And expense.” He nudged her inside.
“Didn’t the fees that everyone paid cover it?” She glanced left and right, looking for a way out. But in the shadowy room, all she saw were the dim outlines of tables and chairs.
“You’d think. But the cheap bastards decided on an amount so low, I would have had to serve cheese and crackers. How would that have looked?”
She tugged, trying to free herself. “Bad?”
“Yes, bad. And everyone would have blamed me.” He jerked her across the room into a corner far from the door and possible escape. “So I paid for a lot of it myself.”
Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, fingers and toes tingling with adrenalin as she tried to think of a way out. This man, this camel, was clearly vindictive. And she wasn’t sure what he might be capable of. Where were her dragons? What happened to their promises?
But, hell, she could handle herself, right? Play it cool until she could determine whether panicking served. Abasi might just want to yell at her, make her feel bad for ruining his party.
“I know you must be upset.”
“I was upset when the first few people disappeared. By the end of the evening, as I sat alone in the bar, I was furious.” He lifted her onto a table and gripped her wrists. “Those two you were with were always showboaters. The best at everything. Gathering all the attention for their sports and their talents, their grades, their stupid science trophies, and once they stopped talking to each other, everyone wanted to talk about that, too.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Panic, coming soon. His breath fulfilled all the rumors of stinky camel halitosis, p
uffing in her face with rapidity that she feared indicated he was about to do something bad. So, in her panic, she said the one thing she probably shouldn’t. The worst thing possible. “I wish I could do something to make up for it.”
Yeah. Bad choice.
His rheumy brown eyes narrowed. “Of course you can.” And he was on her like gravy on biscuits and twice as greasy. She gathered herself to shift, but he hissed, “Go ahead and shift. If you bring out that cat, I’ll stomp it to death.”
Could he? She didn’t know, and she hesitated. His full, slimy lips came toward her, pressing into hers, and, gagging, she bit him. Bit him hard, tasting blood and glad of it. He drew back his hand and slapped her across the face. “You bastard!” she shrieked.
Her cat yowled.
She lost it. Gathering herself, she prepared to shift. Her cat would not in a million years allow her to be treated that way.
As her teeth lengthened and claws shot from her fingertips, he was wrenched away from her. Because, as it turned out, there were others who would not allow her to be treated that way. While she crouched in the corner, caught mid-shift, crashes of breaking furniture and curses came from one part of the room then another. She peered into the darkness but couldn’t make out a thing. So she shifted the rest of the way. Because her cat could see much better than she without any light.
As she changed, the crashing and banging grew louder, the curses and shouts more vehement. Her senses sharpened. She could smell the nasty camel as well as the familiar, wonderful scents of her two men. But she saw something else as well. The camel. Looked like shifting was in today. But she also saw two of the most magnificent winged creatures in her experience. The ballroom ceiling was two stories or so high, allowing them to unfold their wings. And she could hear them.
Are you all right, beauty? The rose gold one spoke to her. Sky, of course it was him.
I’ll live. Don’t kill him.
Paranormal Dating Agency: Claimed by Her Dragons (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 6
