by Mari Carr
She pointed toward the kitchen area. “I’m just getting a bottle of water. Don’t let me interrupt you.”
“You’re not.” Aiden’s voice was careful.
Bryson rolled his eyes. They were tiptoeing around her as if she were an injured dog they were trying not to spook. His patience was gone. “Why are you really in New Orleans, Dani?”
Dani’s brows creased but not before Bryson caught the glimmer of fear in her eyes. “I told you.”
He nodded. “Yeah, you came to reconnect with your foster family. But the reunion already happened. So why are we still here?”
Dani’s temper sparked. “I told you guys to leave on Monday. You didn’t have to hang around on my account.”
Bryson stood up and walked toward her. “That’s not an answer.”
She scowled. “It’s the only one you’re going to get. So why don’t you just leave me alone?”
Aiden rose at the hostility in her voice. “Dani. What’s going on?”
She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. Being back is stirring up some things. Things I need to figure out and deal with. I can’t do that with you guys here.”
Bryson snorted. “And there’s another non-answer.”
Dani lifted her chin angrily. “Why can’t you just listen to what I’m saying? I need to be alone.”
Bryson stepped in front of her when she started back toward her room. He cupped her face and saw the sadness in her eyes. “That’s the last thing you need, bird.”
Before she could respond, he kissed her. He didn’t bother to keep it gentle, to try to cajole her or ease her into this. He wanted her, and not just physically. He loved her and he knew she felt the same, but something was holding her back, keeping her from reaching out for what was right there in front of them all.
Dani pressed against his chest, but the shove was short-lived. Within seconds, her attempts at pushing him away faded, her hands rising until she wrapped them around his neck. He moved two steps forward until he had her pressed against the wall. It allowed him to lean closer. He wanted her to feel what she did to him. His cock was hard, throbbing.
He forced her lips open with his, demanding entrance. He couldn’t let her pull away from him—from them—again.
“Dammit, Dani,” he whispered against her cheek. “Can’t you see that this is right?”
Dani’s teeth scraped his jaw and neck as they continued to cling, marking each other like wild animals.
Bryson wasn’t sure how long they touched, tasted, scratched and bit. He suspected he could have stood there with her in his arms for years.
They broke apart when a hard fist pounded the wall by their heads.
Aiden stood next to them, his eyes dark with desire, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in air. “Get in the bedroom.”
“Yes,” Dani hissed. “God. Yes.”
Bryson bent and picked her up, carrying her into her room as Aiden led the way.
Bryson dropped her onto the mattress, following her down before she could attempt to rise. He felt a dip in the bed as Aiden joined them.
Dani gripped his shirt, tearing at the material in her attempt to get him naked. He felt the same sense of urgency.
For three days, they’d been swimming in a thick brew of unrequited lust and sexual hunger. They’d fasted when they should have been feasting.
“Make me forget,” Dani pleaded. “Make it all go away.”
Bryson hesitated, torn between continuing and demanding that she explain her request. Aiden didn’t share that need. He stripped out of his clothes, tossing them to the floor, before dragging Dani’s shirt over her head.
Bryson was left to rise and catch up as Aiden fell next to Dani on the bed. The two of them rolled around on the mattress, kissing, clinging, desperate.
Once he was also naked, Bryson didn’t bother to join them. Instead, he watched for several minutes as he ran his hand over his raging erection. He was in pain, but unwilling to rush this. Every time he thought they were taking a step forward, Dani found some way to shove them back.
What they shared was still too tenuous, too fragile. If Dani kept resisting this—refusing them—he needed to make this time count because he was afraid it may be the last.
Aiden and Dani broke apart briefly and he realized they were both looking for him. He grinned, and then joined them.
She wanted to forget, but Bryson wanted to remember…every minute, every second.
Bryson turned to lie on his back. “Climb on, bird.”
Dani straddled his hips enthusiastically. He hoped that excitement didn’t waver when he told her what he wanted to do next. This interlude wasn’t going to be like the last. Though he wanted to go slow, time wasn’t on his side. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was now or never.
She lifted until he was poised at the entrance to her hot pussy. The past few days had obviously been difficult for all of them. Dani was wet and ready. She sank down faster than the last time, her trepidation over his size gone. Now that she knew he fit, her anxiety had given way to eagerness.
Once he was seated to the hilt, she started to rise again. He gripped her upper thighs tightly, holding her down. “No. Lean forward, Dani.”
She gave him a quizzical look, but their wild lady had yet to refuse them. While the previous requests had been tame, this time he was going to push her limits.
Bryson glanced at Aiden, kneeling next to them as Dani lowered until her breasts rested against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her. He’d release her if she asked, but at the same time, he wanted her to feel captured.
Aiden’s gaze drifted to Dani’s ass, then back to Bryson’s face. Words weren’t necessary. They wanted the same thing.
“Can you take us both?” Aiden asked as he caressed her ass.
Dani stiffened, but she didn’t seek to escape. She knew exactly what Aiden was asking. Neither man sought to rush her. This had to be her decision and they knew it.
Even so, Bryson felt compelled to comfort her. Reassure her. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. “You can say no, Dani. At any time. Now or later…if it hurts or if you don’t like it. The call is yours.”
“I want to try,” she whispered. “So much.” Her inner muscles clenched around his cock, confirming her words. Fear wasn’t going to stop her from taking what she wanted.
Aiden released a long sigh, not bothering to hide his joy at her answer.
Bryson grinned. “There’s lube in that nightstand.”
Aiden shifted to grab the tube from the drawer as Bryson and Dani held each other. Bryson was fighting every instinct in his body that cried out for him to move, to thrust. He’d never been great at restraint.
That was Aiden’s forte, and the bastard was proving it as he took his sweet time preparing Dani for his cock in her ass.
Dani’s escalated breathing tickled his chest. Her soft cries and the way her pussy quivered against Bryson’s hard flesh told him she was enjoying Aiden’s ministrations. So far he’d slowly worked the lube in with a single finger.
“Think you can take two?” Aiden asked.
Dani nodded.
Bryson lifted his head when he felt the second digit claim her ass. “Jesus. I can feel that too. Holy fuck, that’s hot.”
“Three,” Dani pleaded. “Give me three. And then I want you.”
Aiden added a third finger as he stretched her ass. Bryson and Dani groaned in unison.
“I don’t think I can wait any longer, Dani,” Aiden murmured.
She twisted to look at their lover over her shoulder. “Then don’t.”
Aiden quickly covered his cock with lubrication and then…they all held their breath as he moved into position. He pressed the head of his dick in slowly—too fucking slowly. None of the sensations Dani experienced were lost on Bryson. He felt what she did. It was incredible.
“Aiden,” Bryson said through gritted teeth, hoping his friend got the message to pick up
the pace. Bryson didn’t have enough air in his lungs to say anything more.
“Don’t. Want. To hurt her,” Aiden said, his own words coming out stilted.
Dani lifted up to her elbows, the tips of her breasts rubbing against Bryson’s chest. “I love it, but I need more, Aiden. Please.”
Aiden gripped her hips and gave in to their pleas. He thrust forward until he was buried and all three of them gasped.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Dani said as she started moving. Both men reached out to stop her, to slow her down, but she was a woman who wouldn’t be denied.
She leaned down and bit Bryson’s pec. Hard.
“Ow!” he cried. “Fuck, Dani. That hurt.”
She lifted her head and gave him the sexiest grin he’d ever seen.
Then Bryson pressed her mouth back down. “Do it again,” he demanded, his voice husky with need.
She marked the other pec just as Aiden retreated.
Dani and Bryson hissed.
“It’s like you’re fucking us both,” Bryson said. Then he frowned as he caught Aiden’s eye.
Aiden chuckled. “Still not bisexual, you jackass.”
Dani giggled, but the sound morphed into something much more animalistic when Aiden thrust in roughly.
After that, words were lost and time stood still.
Selfish, grasping need took over as they moved, each of them reaching for more and amazed when they found it.
Bryson had never felt like this, never felt as if his cock would explode, like he would lose consciousness, like he’d have a heart attack. It didn’t seem possible his body could withstand this fucking much pleasure.
Dani fell first, her body trembling with her orgasm. Her pussy muscles clamped down so hard on his cock, Bryson saw stars as he came.
Aiden was only a split second behind them, his rough jerks shifting them all as he filled her ass with his come.
As the last vestiges of mind-blowing pleasure faded away, they fell to the bed like Jenga tiles, tumbling heedlessly to the mattress.
The only sounds in the room were those of the three of them gasping, struggling to catch their breath.
“Mother of God. I thought I was going to die,” Aiden confessed, prompting Bryson to chuckle. They lay together in quiet contentment for only a few minutes before Bryson caught the sound of light snoring. He lifted his head to look over Dani’s pretty body. Aiden was down for the count.
Bryson suspected he wouldn’t be far behind. He was lethargic, exhausted. Happy as fuck.
“I want to do that again,” Dani said quietly.
Bryson looked at her, trying to decide if it was the sex hangover talking.
She smiled at him. “I tried to resist you guys. I made it three days.”
Bryson moved toward her, kissing her softly. “We’ll figure it out, Dani.”
“Okay. I want to talk to you both about something else later too. About my past. When Aiden’s awake.”
She trusted them. She was going to let them in. If he hadn’t been so freaking tired, he would have done a bit of Gronking that would have put Rob Gronkowski to shame.
“And just so you know,” he added, though his drowsy voice was betraying how tired he was, “we’re definitely doing that again.” He placed his head on the pillow, trying to stay awake and failing.
Dani’s smile was the last thing he saw before he drifted off.
***
Dani rose from the bed and stretched. There was a definite tenseness in muscles she felt certain had never been used. Not that she minded the workout. It was one she’d have no problem committing to, unlike her weak attempts at visiting the gym with any semblance of regularity.
She smiled as she studied Bryson and Aiden lying on the bed. They were both sprawled out facedown, which gave her the perfect opportunity to admire their firm butts, muscular backs and strong shoulders. Dani resisted the urge to pinch herself. There was simply no way these two hot guys could be in her bed.
She’d only managed a brief catnap, wondering what it was about sex that put her men to sleep, yet made her feel energetic, wide awake.
She plodded toward the bathroom to brush her teeth and considered a shower. They’d worked up quite a sweat.
A text flashed on the screen of her phone as she passed the nightstand. She reached for it, her blood running cold when she read it.
“How long are you going to make me wait? You can change your name, but that doesn’t make you one of them. It’s time you were reunited with your real family.”
He knew she’d gone to see the Lewises. He had been watching her.
Dani picked up her clothes from the floor and tiptoed to the main room. Dressing quickly, she grabbed a room key and her purse and snuck out, closing the door quietly behind her.
She blinked against the bright sunlight as she left the apartment building, then waved down a taxi as she pulled out her cell and called Jett. “Where are you?”
“Royal Lunch. Why?”
She climbed into the back of the cab. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Dani actually got there in eight. As she walked into the bar, she had that same sense of being watched. She glanced over her shoulder, scanning the area. There were quite a few people on the street, everyone walking with purpose, with a definite direction. No one seemed to notice her.
She needed to deal with her father once and for all. Otherwise, she feared she’d never feel truly safe.
Jett rose when she entered the bar. She accepted the brotherly hug he offered and felt so grateful to have him back in her life. Though she loved all the Lewis kids dearly, there had always been a special bond between her and Jett. One that didn’t appear to have weakened after all the years they’d spent apart.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “You sounded upset on the phone.”
“My dad texted. Said he wasn’t going to wait much longer for his reunion. He knows I was at Mama Lewis’ house on Sunday and I’m worried about her safety. I think he’s following me.”
Jett frowned. “I’ll see if Caleb can stop by Mama’s house to check on her before his shift at the tattoo parlor. And I’ll call Blake. See what he’s found out about Russell.”
She smiled when Carissa walked over to say hello. “Want something to drink?”
Dani gestured to Jett’s glass. “I’ll have whatever he’s having.”
Carissa poured her a beer from the tap, and then went over to serve another customer.
“Where are Aiden and Bryson?” Jett asked.
Dani took a drink. “Back at the penthouse.”
“Have you told them about your dad?”
She shook her head, knowing her response would annoy Jett. “Not yet.”
“Dammit, Dani. They’re decent guys and it’s pretty obvious they’d do anything for you.”
Aiden and Bryson had made a good impression on her foster brother. She was glad that Jett liked them, though she wondered how he’d feel if he knew she’d been having sex with both of them.
Then she considered Justin’s relationship with Ned and Bella and realized Jett would probably just welcome them both to the family.
“I’ve tried, Jett. I’ve opened my mouth to say it at least a million times over the last six years, but I can’t seem to get the words out.”
“Why not?”
She looked at the beer mug, uncomfortable and unable to face Jett. “I’m embarrassed. And ashamed.”
Jett reached out for her, turning her head toward him, forcing her to meet his gaze. “No. Don’t say that. God, don’t feel that. Dani, you didn’t do anything wrong. You know that, right?”
She nodded slowly, swallowing hard to dislodge the lump in her throat. “Knowing it doesn’t seem to help. I don’t want them to look at me differently.”
“They won’t.”
She smiled sadly. “You can’t know that.”
Jett didn’t waver. “Yeah. I can. I saw the way they looked at you at the dinner table, Dani. They couldn’t
take their eyes off of you. They’re in love with you.”
She bit her lower lip. “You really think so?”
He chuckled. “Do you seriously doubt that?”
She shook her head. She didn’t. Not for a minute. She trusted their feelings for her, knew they were just as strong as what she felt for them. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t second-guessing a relationship or looking for the exit. “It’s just so new.”
Jett tilted his head. “How new?”
“Four days.”
Jett laughed. “Yeah, I thought so. You had that nice, new car smell on Sunday.”
She laughed. “God. You’re an idiot.”
They both took a sip of their beer.
“Are you in love with them?”
She nodded. “So much.”
“Then tell them. Everything. Let them help you through this next part. Aren’t you tired of doing everything alone?”
Dani wasn’t sure how to respond. She’d spent so much of her life making her own way, being self-sufficient. And while she’d had lots of help—from the Lewises, Stella and Benji—she’d never been very good about opening up and letting people in. Jett was the first person she’d ever given that glance inside, but it had been brief and ended too quickly. Aiden and Bryson had gotten the closest to breaking through her shell completely. If she confided in them, told them about her past, they’d have it all. Every tatty piece to her puzzle.
Jett’s question rang in her ears. She was tired. And she was desperately lonely. How amazing would it feel to let someone else carry her along for a little while? Just until she found her footing, her own strength again. Because God knew right now, she was running on empty. She was terrified of what her father wanted. There was no way she could—or would—face him alone. And until she faced him, she was trapped in this hell of uncertainty. She couldn’t take it anymore.
“I’ll talk to them.”
Jett smiled. “Good. In the meantime, I’ll confer with Blake. See what he thinks our next step should be. Showdown. Restraining order. Murder.”
“That’s quite a list.”
He shrugged. “I like to keep our options open.”
Dani rose from the stool and placed a friendly kiss on Jett’s cheek. “Thanks. For listening. And for talking me off the ledge.”
