by Dawn Ryder
It felt damn good, and it had been too long since he’d felt as if his throat wasn’t being crushed. In fact, those stolen moments in Tahitian paradise had been the first time in a long time he’d felt so happy. Adding the pictures and Intel on Ramos to that night’s memory just might be more than he could control.
Hope held an amazing hold over even a jaded man like him. It tantalized him with possibilities that he’d written off for dead. It was so potent he mentally staggered under the ideas assaulting him. All that mattered was the idea of meeting up with Cambria without the shadow of looming death lingering above his head.
It was goddamn intoxicating.
* * * * *
Dack didn’t send her flowers.
Cambria couldn’t help but smile as she opened the box that arrived Wednesday morning. Nope. Nothing girlie at all, unless you counted the fact that it was a stuffed animal.
Well, reptile.
When in the islands, you’d better keep an eye out for the saltwater crocs… Paradise has its hungry predators…
She laughed out loud as she read his note again.
“Good advice,” she spoke to the stuffed crocodile as she pulled it free of the box. There was a second note, lying beneath the stuffed toy. A different handwriting stared up at her as she lifted it and the small box beneath.
It was personal lubricant. Heat flushed her face as she read the note.
I noticed you were out. We can’t have that, not with all those delightful toys. But you are missing one very important one. Maybe I’ll fill in the blank next time I see you.
Logan.
Her mouth went dry. Both notes in the same box told her that Dack really didn’t have a problem with Logan hitting on her and Logan found the fact that she’d already screwed Dack just fine with him. Her head hurt as she tried to make sense of it. She distracted herself by reaching for the crocodile.
She held it up, admiring the detail of the fabric creation. The back was all sewn into little bumps that looked reptilian. The belly was quilted to mimic the scaly underside of a crocodile. The four feet were finished off with vinyl claws too. It had a mouth full of teeth that was open, making it look as if it was smiling in anticipation of a meal.
In spite of the fact that she’d grown out of stuffed animals twenty years ago, the thing wormed its way into her heart. It shouldn’t have. Dack was just a date. She rolled her eyes as she glanced out at her Tahitian paradise. She couldn’t look at the hammock without heat shooting across her skin. But the thing that kept chewing on her thoughts was the flare of excitement she had for Logan. She was half afraid that it was her childhood rising up to influence the pattern of her life.
Wasn’t that what the experts warned? Such as children of abused mothers growing up to enter into abusive relationships too? So, her mother had been a free spirit, loving whom she would, when she wanted to.
Okay, so that explained her fascination with Logan. But it didn’t account for the lack of jealousy in Dack. Maybe she was fixated on the idea of Logan just because it appeared that she could have both. Sort of like a buffet, you piled up your plate with food not because you were hungry, but because it wouldn’t cost you any more. You just couldn’t resist the urge to take what was right in front of your nose.
Heat flickered through her now, touching off a tingle in her nipples. Gorging herself on both studs was definitely a dangerous idea. Her new crocodile served as a sign that Dack would return. She didn’t have any way to contact him. Even if she did know that he frequented the Play Yard, she wasn’t a member. Sitting in the parking lot waiting for him to appear wasn’t her style.
“Like a stalker.” She laughed out loud. Picking up her new toy, she took it up the stairs to her bedroom.
She’d make a good stalker…
At the moment she had the obsession part down, that was for sure.
* * * * *
She was horny.
Majorly in need of a good man. Well to be honest…Dack. Logan’s name whispered across her thoughts a second after Dack’s did. She couldn’t help herself. His note was stuck in her brain. She wanted to know what he thought she was missing in her sex toy collection. The possibilities paraded through her imagination, sparking a need that made her itch to get out of her clothing.
Cambria huffed as she tossed her robe over the railing at the foot of her bed. Her night dress followed. She stretched, enjoying the air against her nude body. It was pathetic. She’d gone and lost her mind. Flopping onto her bed, she glanced at her bedside table but her toys didn’t interest her. The hunger gnawing at her wanted more than just release. She wanted the whole experience. The scent of Dack’s skin, his grip on her hips as her body was penetrated. A decade of sexual independence had somehow evaporated. One hot encounter had spoilt her taste for sleeping alone.
She was just going to have to hope that it passed soon. Or Mia would have to kill her, like a good friend should. She’d do the same for her.
A flash of orange light erupted in the doorframe of her bedroom. Her heart froze as a bolt of fear went through her. The light flickered again but this time she recognized it for what it was—a lighter being lit. The large frame illuminated for a second in yellow and orange cut through her terror.
“The stalker has cornered his prey.”
She struggled to breathe as she sprang off the bed. Her hand brushed the crocodile and she gripped its tail as her temper lit up brighter than a skyrocket.
“And there is no one who can save your ass from my wrath!” There was a woof and a chuckle as she swung the stuffed toy at his head. His amusement enraged her because he’d scared her. She hated being afraid, especially in her own home. She growled as she dived towards him, croc swinging like a club.
“Cam— Shit!” Dack stopped laughing when he stepped backward off the top step. His large body tumbled down the carpeted stairs as his feet hit the dry wall. Cambria followed him, beating whatever part of his body was in range with her makeshift club.
“I’ll teach you to scare me.” She screamed like a warrior princess as she swung her crocodile a few more times. Dack rolled over a last time and dug his feet into the floor. He launched himself at her legs, tackling her like a linebacker. She struggled against his hold as her weapon went skidding across the floor. She snarled as she heard another distinct chuckle from the behemoth.
“Get off me!”
“Not a chance.” Dack couldn’t help but laugh. He was just enjoying himself too damn much. Gripping her wrists, he pushed them down onto the carpet as he gripped her thrashing body with his thighs. One of his eyes was swelling up from her attack as she heaved beneath him, trying to buck him off her body.
“If there was ever a woman I could fall in love with, it’d be you, Cambria. You’re a fire goddess.”
Cambria froze. But her lips still curled in a sneer. “That’s a dirty trick.”
Dack leaned down, hovering over her lips. “What is? Scaring you? Invading your house?”
His chest was hard and distracting. Her nipples hardened as they brushed against the solid muscle she wanted another taste of. Which was stupid. The man had just tried to kill her by scaring her to death.
“What’s dirty, Cambria? Besides my ideas of what to do with you while you’re my captive.”
“Try it and sing soprano.” She snapped her teeth at him. Her temper was rapidly mutating into desire. It was so intense she wanted to claw at him. There was too much energy inside her and she needed to release it.
“Tsk, tsk, my dear.” He leaned down again, rubbing his chest across her hard nipples. Need surged through her so hard, she gasped as it slammed into her belly. “And here I took the time to stalk you. Maybe I don’t want to let you go.” He leaned down and the moonlight coming through her front window bathed his face in silver light. Hunger held his features tight. “Maybe I want to feast on my catch.”
He pressed a hard kiss onto her mouth, sealing her next snarl inside her mouth. It was hard and demanding. His lips forcing hers to
part as his tongue stabbed deep into her mouth, stroking her tongue. But the hard kiss tossed fuel onto the fire licking along her body. She sent her tongue up towards his, stroking the velvet length and teasing it. He released her hands and she grabbed the front of his shirt to hold him next to her. His head turned to keep their mouths tightly pressed against each other, their tongues stabbing and tangling.
“I’m going to have you right here.”
His voice was rough with need. He didn’t wait for any response. He pushed back onto his haunches and shoved his hand into his right pocket. She heard the crinkle of the condom packet before he pulled it into view. Her tore it open and lowered his fly in an instant.
It felt like an eternity though. Her body ached, her pussy felt empty. Hunger ruled her, flooding every cell as she watched his cock spring into sight, hard and swollen. She licked her lower lip as he sheathed it.
His attention homed in on her face for a moment. “Spread your thighs for me, baby.” His voice was husky and demanding, and she shivered at the command. Because that’s what it was, a solid order. Her calves were between his spread knees and she was pulling them up before she thought about it…about anything except the fact that her body was as hungry for him as he was for her.
Thinking wasn’t on her list of things to do. Getting that cock into her was. But she savored the look on his face as she bent her knees and slowly raised her feet up into the air.
“That’s it, baby, tease me.”
He sounded dangerous but that drove her excitement up another notch. Her back arched and she clawed at the carpet while separating her legs. He didn’t wait for her ankles to touch the floor.
“God, you’re a sight, Cambria.” He reached forward, gently stroking the soft skin on the front of her pubic mound.
“Smooth as a baby.” His eyes almost glowed as his fingers stroked over her slit. She jerked as excitement made her skin ultrasensitive. He smoothed his hands along both her thighs, pressing her legs into a wide straddle split that left her sex on display. His hand returned to the folds between her thighs, his fingers dipping into her vagina. Sweet need rose up towards her belly as he teased the opening. She caught the faint sound of wet flesh as he penetrated her with a long finger.
“Sweet and wet. Excitement’s a double-edged sword, isn’t it, baby? Part of you is pissed at me for letting myself in, but your sweet little sheath is wet and hungry because I’m here.”
A soft growl was her only warning as he covered her again, pressing his cock against the opening of her pussy. His fingers spread out along her jawline as the moonlight glittered off his eyes.
“Tell me to take you.” He lowered enough of his weight onto her body to pin her in place. “Tell your stalker that your body is his for the taking.”
His lips curled back from his teeth as he hovered over her face, the head of his cock tormenting her with how hard it was. He kept it pressed against the opening to her sheath, tempting her to bend to his whim.
“If you’re not man enough to take me, get off me.” She spoke in her best Southern voice, narrowing her eyes as she taunted him. “What good is a stalker who won’t ravish me? I can get laid by any old guy.”
He chuckled. “I’d sure hate to disappoint you, baby.” He thrust forward, his cock filling her vagina. She cried out as pleasure spiked through her. She was already on the edge of climax and that made her mad. She didn’t want it to come yet. Not yet.
“I feel the same way.”
Dack growled softly against her ear as he pulled his length free. His body flexed as he plunged deep into her again. “But it’s been forever since I was inside you. You’re under my skin.”
He didn’t sound as if he liked that very much. He bucked and thrust hard. Wrapping her thighs around his hips, she lifted her body for his next thrust. Her pussy was tightening around his cock. He ground the next thrust hard against her clit and she yelled out loud as climax ripped through her. He bucked and rammed his length between her thighs, riding her through the explosion of pleasure. She ripped tufts of carpet from the floor as her spine arched so high, she heard the bones crack.
“That’s right baby, scream.” His last few thrusts pushed her across the floor. His hand fisted in her hair as he grunted and came, his lower body pistoning her pussy a few last times.
He collapsed onto his elbows, just a faction of an inch before too much of his body weight would be resting on her. His clothed body was scratchy against her bare skin. Her lungs worked at a frantic pace that didn’t allow for a voiced protest. She could only lie there, gasping as sensation rippled in waves up and down her body.
But her eyes flew open as she detected the scent of brewing coffee.
“Coffee.” Shoving at his chest, she pushed at him until he moved. A disgruntled groan came from him as he shoved back onto his haunches to glare at her.
“It’s no closer than the hammock, same distance. What’s the matter, baby? I know you think he’s hot. I heard you flirting with him.”
Her eyes went wide as she listened to the sultry tone. Dack wasn’t jealous, not even a tiny bit. The kitchen light flickered on, spilling out into the front room. Cambria ordered herself not to cross her arms over her breasts. She refused to act like she felt exposed, even if she was completely unnerved.
“You know the deal, Cambria. If one of us is here, so is the other.” Logan sounded too smug. He needed to be assured that she wasn’t going to jump to his demands. It was a point of honor.
“Knowing it doesn’t ensure that I like it.”
Logan remained in the doorway, his gaze lingering on her as hunger burned in his eyes. Dack raised his zipper, the tiny sound making her jump.
“We can work on that part. In fact, I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Maybe I’m not.”
Logan moved a little further into the room, his eyes slipping over her breasts. “I am.”
Dack stood up and held out a hand for her, completely uncaring that she was nude or that they’d just given his buddy a live sex show. He curled his hand around hers, pulling her up and against his body when she would have stepped away from him.
A hard hand captured her jaw. Their gazes locked, and there was no burning rage in his eyes, nothing that would indicate that he had any problem at all with Logan seeing her nude. “I’m not fucking Logan. He’s not into voyeurism. We are partners. Our lives linked. Any other man even looks at you and I think I’d gut him like a fish. Logan is different.”
“That does not mean I’m into ménages.”
He smiled at her. His fingers stroked her face, gently, softly, so tenderly. All the while his arm was a solid steel band clamping her in place against his body. That meant that her bare bottom was on display to Logan, but thinking about that fact backfired on her. A ripple of heat crossed her skin. Some sort of insane enjoyment of the moment when she held both men’s attention. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she savored the sensation of his fingers against her skin. He leaned down, pressing a kiss against her neck.
“You are thinking about it. I see it in your eyes, so does he.”
A shiver raced down her spine as Dack softened his voice. It poured over her like warm honey.
“I wasn’t kidding, Cambria, I think I’m falling for you. Let’s not be dishonest with each other.” He tightened his grip on the nape of her neck when she would have jerked away from his hold. He bit her earlobe as he massaged the tightening muscles of her neck. “I see the hunger in your eyes and his. As long as we’re honest, no one will get hurt.”
“That is so…um…well, let’s just say that you’re first man I’ve met who thinks that way.” It sure was exciting too. This time the flare of heat was so hot, it melted through her protests. Cast in moonlight, the scent of men and coffee combined into something that felt really perfect. She hadn’t let anyone tell her how to run her sex life before, and tonight she wasn’t in the mood to start worrying about what anyone, outside of the three of them, thought about a ménage à trois.
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“Think about it.” His voice was full of authority and hunger against her ear. “Lust is a prelude to affection, baby. I just beat him to the first kiss.” Dack kissed her hard and without mercy. He held her neck and angled his head to fit his mouth against hers. She didn’t wanted to give in to it, didn’t want to get lost in the sweet sensation flowing from his kiss. He was being pushy, and her pride didn’t like pushy men. But it was a lost cause. There was too much heat flowing through them, between all three of them. She swore she could feel Logan watching, his gaze slipping down her back to her bare bottom. His cock would be hard and aching from listening to her and Dack. She shivered as she considered relieving it for him. Indulging her body, and letting it become Logan’s to touch as well. Dack was right about one thing, she did think Logan was hot. You just couldn’t turn off the natural sex drive. If he was going to be around all the time, things were going to get hotter, you could bet on it.
A pair of hands clasped each side of her bottom. She jerked slightly as Dack broke off their kiss. He continued to hold her neck steady as Logan massaged her ass checks. She caught a hint of his scent and it sent a zip of excitement through her. Dack’s eyes were steady and strong as he watched her.
“I could just tell you that this is the way it is but I need you to understand, Cambria. There can’t be a future if you can’t handle the reality of my life. Tell me that you’re not hot with the idea of being the one woman we both strive to please.”
Her lips parted with a gasp as his words painted a vivid picture of her being satisfied, really satisfied, for the first time in any relationship. Logan slid his hands around her hips, gripping them as he brought his lower body into contact with her bottom. His cock was hard. It pressed against her through his pants, offering her another round of passion. He leaned down, his lips brushing her neck.
“Tell me to go away, if you dare.” Logan’s hands firmly gripped her hips, sandwiching her between their hard bodies. It made for sensory overload, the temptation flooding her thought process. But the tender way they stood still, holding her, waiting for her to welcome them was what really buckled her knees. Mia’s words rose up to remind her… No one chooses who they love…
