by Leah Brooke
He’d killed her.
Elise was dead.
She needed Ian and Alastair now more than she’d ever needed anything in her life.
Suddenly, they were there.
Cursing and barking out orders to the dogs, they surrounded her.
Ian lifted her high against his chest, his arms strong as they held her to him, enfolding her in warmth and safety.
“Ian, he—”
Carrying her toward the house, Ian glanced down at her, his eyes tortured. “I know, baby. I know. I’ve got you now. You’re safe.”
His voice sounded strange, but Serena couldn’t think well enough to know why.
She only knew that the warmth of his body against hers eased her chills. The solidness of his arms around her provided a safe haven from the horror she’d experienced, and the beating of his heart against her ear helped drown out the echoes of a bullet being fired from a gun with a silencer.
Each time she closed her eyes, she saw her cousin’s lifeless eyes staring up at her.
Opening them again as he entered the bedroom, Serena whimpered, alarmed that he would put her down and go back outside.
“Please hold me.”
Snagging a blanket from the bed, he sat with her on his lap and wrapped it around her.
His eyes gentled, but his body and expression remained tight with fury.
“I’ve got you, baby. I’ll never let you go.”
Chapter Thirteen
Standing on the beach behind her home, Serena stared out at the ocean, letting the tears run down her cheeks unchecked.
A sob escaped before she’d even realized it was there.
And then another. And another.
This was what she’d seen in her vision. She wasn’t crying because of Ian and Alastair. She cried for her cousin.
And relief.
Now that she was away from New York, and back to the place that had always been a great comfort to her, she could finally let go of the tension that had kept her tight and nervous for the last two and a half weeks.
The funeral for her cousin had been kept a private affair, but the publicity surrounding her death and Anthony Carello’s arrest had been terrifying.
She didn’t know how she would have survived all the reporters and police investigation without Ian and Alastair at her side.
Even though only one of them could be with her in public—Ian during police questioning, and Alastair at the funeral—she’d always felt the presence and support of both of them.
When she woke up from nightmares of the night Elise died, screaming for them, they’d held and comforted her.
When she hadn’t been able to eat, they’d enticed her with assortments of food from what had to be every restaurant in town.
They listened when she wanted to talk, and held her in silence when she didn’t.
And with every hour that passed, she loved them more.
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, enveloping her in a warm embrace.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she slumped against him. “You always seem to know when I need you.”
Kissing her temple, he began to rock her. “I plan to make myself indispensable to you.” Turning her in his arms, he tilted her face to his. “You okay?”
Nodding, Serena wrapped her arms around him to hug him close. “Yes. I just can’t believe she’s gone. Thanks for bringing me here. I didn’t realize how much I needed to come back.”
Turning, Ian kept an arm around her and started up the wooden steps to her house.
“You needed to regroup and get away from all the publicity. I can see why you like it here. We’ll have to come down here once in a while.”
Serena laughed at that. “Yeah, which should be a lot of fun since you and Alastair can’t travel together. When do you think he’ll be here?”
Ian smiled. “Right about now.”
Serena looked up, her heart leaping at the sight of Alastair leaning against the doorway. “Alastair!”
She raced up the remaining steps and threw herself into his arms. “I missed you. I can see how not being able to be seen together can be a real pain in the ass.”
Alastair dropped a kiss on her lips, barely giving her a chance to taste him before he lifted his head and drew her into the room.
“It can be a pain in the ass, but it gives us an edge and keeps us alive.”
Serena sobered. “I don’t want to think about either one of you being in danger.”
Ian ran a hand over her bottom as he passed her. “Now that we have you as a secret weapon, we shouldn’t be in any danger at all.” He lowered his big frame onto her sofa, making her furniture look ridiculously small.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Serena watched Alastair share a look with Ian before dropping into the chair across from Ian. “I didn’t save my cousin.”
Turning to stare out at the ocean, she fought back the image of her dead cousin staring up at her, wondering if she’d ever get that image out of her mind.
“I never saw it.”
“You can’t see everything, Serena.”
Surprised at the hint of steel in Alastair’s tone, Serena turned, struck by the anger in his eyes.
Clenching his jaw, he sat forward. “She almost got you killed, too, remember?”
Serena shrugged, looking away, struggling to keep her voice steady.
“I did see Carello spending his life in prison. When I heard the dogs, I thought they’d kill him. I couldn’t even think well enough to call them off.”
Ian leaned back in his seat, his eyes never leaving hers. “You were in shock. We managed to call them off in time. Carello will have a few scars, but he’ll recover.”
Reaching out a hand, he ran a light finger over her stitches. “The dogs are very protective of you. So are we.”
Serena pulled away from him and began pacing.
They made living together sound incredibly easy, but she knew it would be anything but.
She was scared.
She would be leaving the security she’d spent years building, and throwing herself into a world she didn’t fit into, and a lifestyle that had very little chance of working.
“Look, you both know that I could never fit into your world. I’m not sophisticated.”
Alastair sat back, his eyes following her movements. “If either one of us wanted a woman like that, we’d have had one by now.”
Ian sat forward. “Did you ever think about the fact that we would never be able to be honest with any other woman? How the hell could either one of us have a relationship, especially when no one knows there are two of us?”
Serena paused, turning slowly to face them. “So that’s all I am? A convenience to you? I’m the only one either one of you can be with so what the hell?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Ian eyed her steadily. “I don’t have any trouble getting laid, Serena. I’ve never wanted anything more, until now. I want to ask you something. Why did you sleep with us? Because we’re the only men you can fuck without hearing what we were thinking?”
Something in her expression must have caught his attention, because his eyes narrowed.
“That’s it, isn’t it? You could hear the thoughts of your other lovers, and didn’t like what you heard?”
Rubbing her forehead, Serena sighed again and turned back to face the sliding doors, staring out at the ocean. “There was only one, and yes, I could hear what he was thinking. He couldn’t wait to get back to his friends to tell them that he’d screwed the freak. There. Happy?”
After a lengthy pause, Alastair sighed. “So, you swore off men until you met us. Then, because you couldn’t hear what we were thinking, you let us make love to you?”
Without turning, Serena shrugged. “Sure. At least I got to see what sex was all about. Besides, it was fate. I knew that we would be lovers.”
“Don’t.” Alastair came to stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him.
“Don’t
cheapen it. You know it wasn’t like that. I saw your eyes, Serena. I felt your passion. The sexual tension between us is thick enough to cut with a knife. No dream, or vision, or whatever the hell you call it, had anything to do with what we have together.” He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident.
Ian leaned back again, lacing his fingers over his stomach in an apparent effort to look relaxed, but the tension poured off him in waves.
“At least be honest about this, Serena. You’re scared. I get it. I’m not exactly comfortable with this either, but I’m willing to try. It might work out. It may not. I don’t avoid things just because they’re difficult. I face things head-on. I can’t just walk away from this without seeing where it goes.”
Alastair led her to the sofa, nudging her until she fell back next to Ian. “You could have a life there. You can paint—”
“I don’t know if I can paint anymore.” Surprised that she’d admitted that, she shrugged.
“Usually, I’m itching to get to my next painting, but I really haven’t felt like painting since we met. I didn’t even realize it until now. Odd, huh?”
She couldn’t imagine not ever painting again, but since meeting Ian and Alastair, her excitement came from somewhere else.
After another one of those shared looks, Alastair shrugged. “Then don’t paint if you don’t feel like it. Do whatever you want to do. You can help us. Think about what a challenge it would be for you to refine those abilities of yours.”
Ian reached for her hand, tingles of heat shooting up her arm as he toyed with her fingers. “You can be a part of what we do and help us with our cover. You can paint if you want to. You can explore your abilities.”
Leaning close, he brushed her lips with his. “And you don’t have to be alone.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Alastair nuzzled her neck. “None of us have to be alone. We can explore whatever this is between us.”
Her nipples beaded as his seductive tone washed over her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to think until she put some distance between them. Pushing out of Alastair’s hold, she took several steps before turning back to face them.
Their looks of concern and genuine affection started to soften something inside her, and she had to turn away before she completely fell apart.
Pulling her sweater more firmly around her, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Do you really think what you’re proposing is even feasible? Have you even thought about it?”
She started pacing again, too worked up to sit still. “How the hell am I supposed to be with both of you? And for God’s sake, don’t you dare ask me to pick one of you over the other.”
Alastair lifted a brow. “Why not?”
Serena spun. “Because I’m already falling in love with both of you, damn it!”
Realizing that she’d admitted to something she’d had no intention of ever saying out loud, Serena slapped a hand over her mouth and turned away, racing toward her bedroom.
Alastair caught her before she’d taken two steps. “Not a chance, honey. You’re not running away anymore.”
Mortified, heartbroken, and feeling even more foolish, Serena fought his hold, but already knew it would be useless.
“Leave me alone. Just go back to New York! Leave me alone before you break my heart.” The last came out on a sob, a sob she couldn’t choke back.
As Alastair gathered her close, Ian lifted her face, tightening his hold when she would have twisted away. His thumbs moved over her cheeks, wiping her tears away, his expression tender.
“Stop it. You’ve done enough crying. Stop being stubborn and come home with us. I’m falling in love with you, too, and it’s sure as hell not comfortable, but I’m here. I want you to stay with us.”
Turning her in his arms, Alastair stared down at her, his eyes thoughtful. “Christ, you’re beautiful.”
Pushing her hair back, he smiled. “Come home with us.” With a sigh, he gathered her close.
She lifted her head from his chest, pushing away to go into the kitchen, unsurprised when they both followed her.
Alastair leaned against the counter, crowding her. Bending until he was eye level with her, he nodded thoughtfully. “You know this isn’t over.”
Suddenly parched, Serena gulped an entire glass of water, unsurprised to see that her hand shook when she set the glass aside again.
“It’s crazy. It would never work.”
With a sigh, she looked away. “When I met you, I started having visions. In those visions, I’m here. I’ve never had another vision of being in New York with you. I think it’s my destiny to stay here.”
Gripping her by the waist, Ian lifted her to sit on the counter, his frustration in his voice making it harsher than normal, but his hands remained gentle.
“Don’t you want to make your own destiny?”
Trying not to think about him standing between her spread knees, Serena swallowed heavily. “It wouldn’t happen that way.”
“How do you know? Have you ever tempted fate before?” His hands moved up the outside of her thighs to her bottom, pulling her closer.
“Maybe your visions are just a guide.” Bending, he touched his lips to hers.
Moaning at the feel of his hands on her bottom, and of the hard bulge pressed against her slit, Serena let her head fall back, staring into his glowing eyes. “But the dreams and visions I have come true.”
Ian lowered his head, his hair a silky curtain around her face. “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they’re just warnings that tell you what could happen if you don’t do something. What if you hadn’t followed your vision and came to New York? We never would have met.”
“No.” Serena reached up to put her hands on his shoulders without meaning to, a little shaken at his tentative touch. “We would have met at some point.”
Alastair moved close, running his hand over her hair. “Really? How? You never left this house and we never come to North Carolina. You didn’t go to your cousin’s wedding because you wanted to see your cousin—”
“Yes, I did!”
He paused, his eyes searching hers before he nodded. “Okay. You didn’t go only to see your cousin. You said you knew we would be there.”
With both of them touching her, leaning in close—with both of their seductive voices warm against her ears, Serena held on to both of them, unable to lie.
“One of you would be there. I didn’t know there were—ah—two of you.” The last came out on a moan as both Ian and Alastair ran their hands over her shoulders and arms, their touch gentle and so loving she wanted to cry.
“Please don’t do this. I can’t fight you.” The feel of their lips on her shoulders weakened her resolve, making it hard to remember why she fought them.
“It won’t work. I don’t—oh, God, that feels good—fit into your world.”
Ian scraped his teeth over the sensitive area below her earlobe. “You haven’t even tried. Admit that you went to New York because you knew we would be lovers.”
His hand closed over her breast, his touch once again possessive and hungry. “Admit you wanted something more. That’s why you went to New York. You wanted to meet your lover. Say it!”
Heat raced through her, pooling at her slit. Pushing her breast more firmly into his hand, Serena wrapped her legs around his hips and pressed her slit against his cock. Frustrated at the clothing that kept him from being inside her, she writhed against him.
“Yes, damn it!”
She couldn’t get close enough. Pushing his shirt up and out of the way, she flattened her hands on his chest, thrilling at the shift and play of hard muscle beneath her palms.
The change in Ian thrilled her even more.
His sudden aggressiveness ignited her passion like a match to gasoline.
Breaking off his kiss, he ripped her shirt off of her, tossing it aside before reaching for her bra.
“So have the fucking guts to see it through!”
He took her mouth again, this ti
me in a scorching kiss that made her dizzy, his hands moving over the skin he’d exposed. Pushing his cock against her, he ran his hands from her back to her breasts and back again, his breathing harsh and ragged.
“Christ, I want you.”
She found herself lifted and turned, moaning in her throat at the hot, solid wall of muscle behind her.
With an arm wrapped around her waist, Alastair held her securely, his free hand massaging a breast while Ian broke off his kiss again, cursing as he clumsily ripped the rest of her clothes from her.
A shiver ran through her when she saw that his hands shook as he rolled on a condom, her pussy clenching in a desperate need to be filled. “Spread her.”
Alastair shocked her by adjusting his firm grip, the desperation in his own hold turning her on even more. “With pleasure.” He set her down just long enough to slip his hands under her knees and lift her back against his chest, keeping her legs spread wide.
Ian eyed her hungrily as he finished rolling on the condom, the sight of long, thick cock sending her arousal soaring. “Nice and wet for me already, aren’t you, babe?”
Serena gasped as he went to his knees in front of her, crying out at the first swipe of his tongue on her slit.
After that she couldn’t think at all.
His hot tongue moved over her slit with an expertise and primitive hunger that sent bursts of sizzling pleasure throughout her body, a pleasure she couldn’t escape.
It was too sharp, too intense to bear, especially when he concentrated his efforts on her clit. He held her thighs in an iron grip, and between him and Alastair, she couldn’t escape his ministrations, no matter how hard she fought.
“Ian! Oh, God!” Her thighs, soaked with her juices, trembled in their hands, her entire body shaking as the tingling at her slit burned and then exploded. She came fast and hard, stiffening in Alastair’s arms as the swell overcame her.
Her cries didn’t slow until Ian lifted his head, her body humming with sensation that left her limp in Alastair’s hold and gulping in air.
Taking her from Alastair, Ian gathered her against him and strode toward her bedroom, his steps graceful, but hurried as he made his way to the bed.
