“Stop it!” Addison beseeched. “Just stop it. You would never hurt me on purpose, no matter what you say. Your ways are unorthodox, but you are an honorable man, Cane. You wasted a lot of time trying to find where the Fray had taken me and, when you couldn’t get to me, made sure that Reese could.”
“Don’t paint me a hero, Addison.”
“What about a man who loves me? Am I allowed to say that?”
“We’re done here,” Cane declared, turning to walk away. He’d do another perimeter check, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to sleep this night. Taking a step, he heard Addison rush to get in front of him and stopped before he ran into her.
“I love you.”
“You just got done fucking another man,” Cane growled. “I think it’s a little inappropriate to be declaring your love for me, don’t you?” In his twisted mind, Cane thought if he verbally put distance between them, walking away would be easier. She was better off with Shane. Cane braced himself when he saw Addison’s hands come up. Her tiny form shoved his chest with all her might, anger burning in her blue eyes.
“And who watched, huh? Who stood in the doorway and watched?” Addison yelled. “What I feel for the two of you may be unconventional, but it doesn’t make it less true. No matter what hurtful words you throw my way, it doesn’t change the fact that I love you. I love you both. Deal with it!”
Addison gave another shove to his chest and grunted at the effort, her breath misting in the air. Cheeks red from exertion, Addison turned to walk back to the gate then stopped. “If you leave tomorrow, know this,” Addison voiced. “You made the decision to cut and run this time. Not me.”
Cane reached her in a second flat, spinning her around and claiming her mouth. Consequences be damned. Crushing her lips, Cane took everything she gave and more. Not relenting, he tasted every crevice of her mouth and finally tore away to say, “Damn you. Why do you love me?”
Their lovemaking wasn’t pretty. It was wild, brutal, and perfect. He had her in the tent with her bottom half naked and his black cargo pants around his ankles in no time flat. Sitting on the sleeping bag, he impaled her with one thrust while Addison straddled him. They had no condom, and he was taking her bare, but he’d deal with the consequences later. Her hat long gone, Cane fisted her curls and devoured her mouth, catching her scream at his invasion. Addison tried to grind her hips, seeking pressure from his groin on her clit, but Cane couldn’t stop bucking into her tight sheath, reveling in her heat. His senses were so overloaded, his dick felt like she was singeing off the skin, making his balls draw up. The line between pleasure and pain were mingled, his sense of touch magnified. He slammed Addison down on him repeatedly, aiming for that sweet spot inside her. Cane knew from experience she could come from that alone, with no outside stimulation. But he wanted more, he wanted her to come undone. He moved his hand down to where they were joined and gathered her cream on his fingers. Reaching around and using his middle finger, Cane circled her puckered opening and felt her body go stiff, tearing her mouth from his.
“Oh, Cane! What are—”
“Just feel, Addison. I don’t want to think anymore,” Cane said harshly. “Bear down.”
Burrowing as deep as he could, Cane felt Addison do as he commanded, and when he felt her muscle push out, he slowly inserted his middle finger into her heated passage. Feeling her muscle give way and hearing Addison whimper at the invasion, Cane stopped at his knuckle and then pulled back out.
“Cane, do something!”
Mercilessly, Cane plunged in and out, using his body to answer her plea while he continued to stroke her anus. Surprisingly, he felt her tighten back there first, and his middle finger could hardly pull out from the tight constriction. He groaned at the thought of taking her back passage with his cock and couldn’t imagine what it would feel like. Then suddenly, instead of feeling contractions on his dick, her pussy felt like a vice squeezing his cum out in spasms. Cane didn’t stop there and kept driving into her, until Addison collapsed in his arms.
Chapter Six
“What do you mean, he’s missing?” Cane shouted into the phone. “Just one man? Was the kidnapper armed? Do you have a description?”
“What’s going on?” Addison asked, walking into Reese’s kitchen with Shane by her side. Addison hadn’t known what to expect this morning, after her night with Cane, but walking into Reese’s and seeing him yelling into a phone wasn’t it. Neither had really spoken about what happened, but had lain in the tent for hours, just holding each other. It was rare Cane ever lay still for extended periods of time, and Addison relished the time they had, not knowing how long it might last. Addison had pretty much said what needed to be said, and it was up to Cane to see where things went. She couldn’t force him to stay or to participate in a three-way relationship. But she wouldn’t compromise on this. She loved both of them and had finally found the courage not to settle for less.
Shane had been waiting for her when she returned to the cabin. He didn’t ask a thing, instead made both of them coffee and snuggled with her in front of the fire he had made. His understanding was more than she could ever imagine, and she had no way of expressing her gratitude. Saying “I love you” just didn’t seem to cut it. It meant so much more than that.
“Lauren’s brother is missing,” Theo divulged, glancing at Shane with a knowing look.
“What’s that look for? What aren’t you telling me?” Addison walked over to her mother, who was at the island having breakfast with Reese. “Hi, Mom. Is the guest bedroom working out?”
“Yes, dear. It’s fine,” Cynthia answered, giving Addison a hug. “I’m more worried about you. Do you know who this Lauren is?”
“Yes, she’s a Locater. Someone who can find people.”
“You mean like Cane?”
“No, Mom. Lauren isn’t a Tracker. Lauren can find people with an item they owned or have touched. She uses their energy to see where they are located.” Addison turned back to Theo. “You never answered me. Why were you looking at Shane that way?”
“Because her brother is also a Locater, although not as good.”
“Does this mean the Fray know about Lauren?” Addison returned to Shane, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“No. Lauren lives her life in public, hiding the fact she’s a Noble. She separated her life from her sibling years ago, and they have kept their relationship a secret. If someone took him, it wasn’t because of Lauren. Which means someone ratted him out for his own ability. His name is Max Baker, and he was in hiding with his girlfriend. The girlfriend panicked and called Lauren earlier this morning,” Theo said, “informing her Max was abducted.”
“But if Max is a Locator, then that means they know where we are!” Addison cried out. “Shane, we have to leave the mountain! Everyone has to leave!”
“No,” Jagger ordered, walking into the room. “That’s why Cane is on the phone with Lauren. We don’t think the Fray has him. My contacts in the government are hearing nothing like this. Whoever has Baker is obviously using him to find Cane, otherwise they would have already tried to enter the compound. It sounds personal.”
“Does Lauren have any other information to help us figure out who is after him?” Shane asked.
Addison observed Cane pacing by the living room area, off of the kitchen. This was not how she pictured this morning happening. After last night, Addison knew the three of them needed to talk and, hopefully, figure out where their relationship was headed. She knew there would also be tension between Shane and Cane, but was willing to do whatever necessary to mend any hurts involved. Shane was willing to try.
“That’s what Cane’s trying to ascertain,” Theo interjected. “He called Lauren back and is trying to get as much information as he can.”
“Jagger, I need your plane, now,” Cane thundered, heading for the door. “Make sure your security measures are in place. I’m going to draw this bastard out.”
“Let us come with—”
“No.”
&
nbsp; Cane slammed out of the house without a backward glance. Shane kissed Addison on the head and hurried after Cane. Addison dodged past Theo when he went to grab her but managed to slip by and out the door behind Shane. She heard Shane shout for Cane to wait up. She was running so fast, Addison barreled right into Shane’s massive back and would have fallen if Shane hadn’t reached back in time.
“Go back to the house,” Shane prodded. “I’ll go with Cane.”
“Neither of you are coming,” Cane glowered, his whiskers making his expression cruel. “This coward wants me. Stay here and keep her safe. I’ll make sure he hasn’t turned any information over to the Fray.”
“Then you know who it is and it is personal. Don’t be an ass and try to do this on your own,” Shane bellowed at Cane’s retreating back. “Think about Addison for once.”
Cane came to an abrupt stop. Addison thought for sure he would keep on walking, but Cane slowly pivoted and faced both of them, looking every bit as lethal as he was. “Every second of every day, I think about Addison,” Cane professed. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t know where we go from here. But we can’t move forward until this threat is exterminated.”
“Then let me go with you,” Shane demanded. “If you think there is any chance we can make Addison happy together, then let me help you.”
Addison was afraid if she said anything, Cane would walk away, so she stood there waiting for his answer. Cane never took his eyes off Shane. She knew her cheeks had whisker burn and her lips were still swollen from his onslaught last night. Maybe seeing her made him regret what had happened, but Addison didn’t think so. Going to Cane might have been the best thing she ever did. As much as their relationship was unusual, it felt right.
Cane gave a quick nod in acceptance and turned away, still not acknowledging her. It hurt, but Shane turned to face her and picked her up around the waist, making her reach out for his shoulders. “Everything will work out, I promise. Just stay here, and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.”
“Please be careful, Shane. I love you both.” Shane closed his eyes at her words, but when he opened them, acceptance shined through, giving her a spark of hope.
* * * *
“You want to tell me who’s after you and why they don’t work for the Fray?” Shane inquired, walking side by side with Cane through the streets of downtown Aspen. It was a quaint town, with tree-lined streets and occasional hanging baskets filled with flowers from the storefronts. The tourists and locals were taking advantage of this sunny spring day, dashing into the shops located in historical Victorian buildings. The air was warmer here than on their mountaintop, at least one hundred miles away, and Cane stood out like a sore thumb. Wearing his usual black cargo pants with a long-sleeved black T-shirt, his black hair hanging loosely to his shoulders and whiskers not doing enough to cover the scar on his right cheek, he came off as a thug. The knife sitting on his hip didn’t help any either. Shane’s presence at his side dressed in faded denim and a button-down white shirt should have offset Cane’s image, but Shane’s physical size did the opposite. Shane was pretty sure the locals and tourists saw two dangerous men and kept their distance.
“He used to work for the them. A couple months back, when the Fray believed I was working for them, I sent one of their teams on a suicide mission. He was one of the men.” Cane continued to walk, his eyes taking in every nuance of the picturesque area. This downtown area seemed to be a world of its own. If the locals knew what was about to take place in their safe environment, they would be screaming from the rooftops. “His name is John Rafuse.”
“You thought he was dead?” Shane asked, scanning the sidewalks, seeing if he could spot the thirty-something white male with a tattoo of barbed wire around his neck Cane had described on their way here. “Do I even want to know what kind of mission? And what does Max look like?”
“Remember when I was trying to find Reese months ago to let her know about Addison? Well, I did what I had to do and sent a team in to surround the cabin she was using as a safe house,” Cane explained.
“You are one callous son of a bitch. You knew Reese would kill anyone who came for her,” Shane said accusingly.
“They deserved to die. Those so-called soldiers worked for the Fray, and the only goal they have on their mind is to kill any Noble they can get their hands on. Don’t expect sympathy from me.”
“Never thought of you as sympathetic. And you never answered my question. What does Max Baker look like?”
“Unfortunately, Max is your average blond dude with no specific distinctions to help us separate him from any other man out here.” Cane stepped into a nearby tourist store. Shane knew Cane wanted to use the window to get a better view of the people outside, but stayed where he was and leaned against the bricks. Looking around as well, Shane saw nothing out of the ordinary. “The two Fray agents that found me a couple days ago said they were sent to scout the area, which means Rafuse wasn’t sure if Max was leading him on a wild goose chase. Now that he knows it wasn’t, Rafuse will come himself,” Cane continued as he stepped out of the store.
“Do I want to know how Rafuse knows they actually found you?”
“I left their bodies in plain site. And don’t give me that condescending look,” Cane accused, looking both ways before crossing the street. “I don’t kill innocents, but when someone threatens me, all bets are off.”
“We’ve got to work on your killing instinct,” Shane said, following Cane into a small deli. “There are subtle ways to take care of threats, you know.”
The waitress sat them next to the window facing the street per Cane’s request and handed them menus with a nervous smile. Cane’s scar tended to get that reaction a lot. Once their drink orders were given, the waitress left the table, a relieved look on her face. “Before you open your mouth, I’m telling you now. I don’t want to talk about it,” Cane warned, referring to Addison. He slapped the menu on the table without having looked it over. They weren’t there to eat anyway.
“You’re going to have to talk about it sometime if you want anything to do with Addison’s life, so it might as well be now, while we have the time to kill. No pun intended,” Shane quipped, leaning back into his seat, which was not designed to accommodate a man his size. Stretching out his denim-clad legs, Shane twisted sideways in the chair to give him some more legroom.
“What’s there to say? I know the deal, Shane. I either share her with you or I leave. Pretty simple choice, if you ask me.”
“Simple, huh?” Shane looked out the window when he saw a beige car slide into an open spot a few feet away. He watched as an older man stepped out and went around the side to open his wife’s door. Shane turned his attention back to Cane. “I think you want to make it simple, but it’s not. Let’s set aside Addison for a second, although I’m going on record that wherever she goes, I go. Theo and Jagger are creating a safe haven for Nobles who can’t blend into society or who just want a home to call their own without fear of being outed. The more abilities they have at the compound, the safer they’ll be. Now I know you’d rather be out there in the world on your own, but some of us don’t have senses to keep us safe like you do. Take Kalen Murray. He can sense people’s emotions, but is his gift going to be able to save his life? You and I both know some of them need protecting, and if Theo and Jagger are willing to provide the opportunity for them, wouldn’t it be selfish of us to just walk away?”
The waitress returning with their drinks interrupted Cane’s response, and when she asked if they were ready to order, Cane waved her away with his hand. The young girl scurried away, while Cane sipped his coffee. “Selfish? Really? Cut the bullshit. You and I both know I’m the most selfish bastard out there. How do you think I’ve survived this long? I have a bounty on my head and every Fray agent looking to collect. And with this”—Cane gestured to his face—“I’m not easy to miss.”
“And Addison loves you anyway, faults and all. Is that the real problem?”
Shane would have laughed at how Cane fidgeted in his seat if the topic of conversation wasn’t so serious. The minute the L word was mentioned, Cane couldn’t wait to escape. Out of the corner of his eye, Shane noticed a woman and her child cross the street and three teenage girls giggling over some boy who was passing by. There was nothing out of the ordinary so far, so Shane turned his attention back to Cane.
“Why are you pushing this? Didn’t I just say I didn’t want to talk about this shit?” Cane glowered, setting his cup down with a thud.
“I don’t care what you want. I care about what Addison wants. And what makes her happy is you. Us,” Shane divulged, as if Cane didn’t already know that.
“Fine. You want to get into this now, so be it,” Cane conceded, anger making his scar a little darker. “Can you sit there and honestly tell me you even remotely like me? And don’t say it doesn’t matter, because it does. Do you think Addison can be happy knowing you’re not? You keep saying this is all for Addison, but the bottom line is if we aren’t satisfied with how things are going, life will be miserable for all of us. And what the hell are you smiling at?”
Shane couldn’t have stopped the smile growing on his face if John Rafuse walked in the restaurant right now and tried to take them out. Cane could deny it all he wanted, but for him to have the insight on what it took to make a ménage work, he was already halfway there. And the shocker was, Cane was spot-on. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right,” Cane grumbled, lifting his mug again.
“That’s why we need to date,” Shane declared, laughing out loud when Cane choked on his coffee. “I meant all three of us, you dickhead.”
“In case you didn’t get the memo, I’m not the dating kind,” Cane stressed, grabbing the napkin and wiping his hands from the coffee that spilled over the rim.
“Fine. Then we spend time together, the three of us. Look, it’s not that I dislike you. You just aren’t the type to get to know easily, and we’re very different from each other. Given time, I think we can make this work.”
Noble Healing [Nature's Nobles 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8
