by Kali Willows
Arawn pressed his lips tight, a little disappointed she’d changed out of her revealing sundress, he nonetheless studied the way her tank top hugged her voluptuous curves, as did her yoga pants. Although she still wore her hair pinned up in a tight bun, she remained a vision of divine temptation. He admired her pretty bare toes, nails painted a glossy red, and grinned.
“What’s so funny?” She accepted the glass he handed her.
“Nothing, I thought perhaps your attire would be less distracting than your sundress.” He glanced down at her creamy mounds peeking above the low neckline of her top. “But I was wrong.” He gulped hard. “Is there anything you don’t look good in?”
“Glad I wasn’t the only one who thought so.” Kane clinked glasses with him.
“Down boys.” Trinity tossed back her shot.
Arawn studied her face and waited for a shudder or some other reaction of shock at the strong taste. Instead, she swallowed, licked her ruby lips, and held the glass out for a second shot.
“It’s tasty.”
Arawn sputtered. “I think we have a ringer here. We may be in over our heads.” He poured her another shot and sucked back his own. Kane did the same.
She removed her rose-colored glasses and set them on the table beside the bottle of booze.
“What are you doing?” Arawn stared in disbelief at her bright blue eyes.
“Your auras don’t upset me, and this game might get…awkward. I’d hate to break them by accident.”
“Fair enough.” He poured her another shot. It was a pleasant development to see her comfort level advance. He had longed to stare into the depths of her cerulean-blue eyes without the hindrance of the pink lenses.
“Okay, you big lugs, tell me the rules so I can kick both your asses.” She sucked back her second shot, set the glass on the table, and stood at the edge of the mat. “Second round and neither of you can keep up?” She eyed their empty glasses. “It’s gonna be a short night.”
Arawn chuckled and topped up both drinks. He and Kane chugged theirs and joined her at the mat.
“We take turns and spin the wheel. Whatever color, side, and limb it tells you, you have to move, left hand, red, right foot, blue…” Kane explained.
“Got it.” She nodded. “Let’s begin.”
She glowed with excitement. He hadn’t expected this to go over half as well as it had. He’d convinced himself he’d have to bribe her to even start the game.
Six moves each into the game, and they had all played it safe till now, all in their neat little corners of blended moves.
“Is this all there is to this?” Trinity tsked.
“A few more moves, and it will get tricky, I assure you,” Kane warned her.
“Sure it will. There is no challenge here.”
“Hold that thought.” Arawn took note of his placement and jumped up from the mat. He poured three more shots and brought them to his opponents. He held the glass to her luscious lips, and she tried to reach to grab it.
“Uh, uh, uh.” He pulled back. “Players have to keep in position.”
“Then why are you up?”
“I’m the bartender.” He held the glass again. “Go on. I won’t spill it. Trust me.”
“Never trust a man who says trust me.” She glared at him, but he tipped the contents into her mouth.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kane exhaled, hunched over.
“My mother used to tell me, never trust a man who says trust me.” She snickered.
“Well, I don’t mean to speak ill of her, but, did I spill it?” He wished he had the nerve to spill it.
“Not yet, but there’s still plenty of time…and ouzo.” She winked.
Arawn’s balls tightened at the innuendo. There may be hope for this adventure yet.
Was this the start of her shift into the brazen woman they’d witnessed after Sage’s herbal roofie? Did enticing her with alcohol make him a deviant? He didn’t want to think so, but guilt permeated his brain nonetheless. After all, the Lord of the Underworld had a knack for getting what he wanted with little regard for right or wrong. Or, at least, that was how he’d rolled in his younger days.
Service in the Para Elite Forces was cut and dry with no blurred lines to navigate. Unlike now, with Trinity. He wanted her, more than any woman he’d ever set eyes on. But they’d been assigned to protect her, not seduce her. Was his playful ploy to get close to her putting her at risk of harm? His desire for her awakened the dark nature he had worked so hard to suppress. The closer he got to her, the more blurred his lines grew, and the less he cared about right or wrong.
“What about mine?” Kane grunted and tried to reach the second glass with his mouth.
“Oh, yeah.” He held the cup for his buddy to chug.
Arawn worked to push his self-doubt and fading righteousness aside. This had to happen. He needed it to. No more room for Mr. Good Guy, not when it threatened to cost him the ultimate reward of claiming her for his own. For their own. Kane needed and wanted her as badly as Arawn did. His ploy wasn’t selfish. It was survival for them both. The brief moment they contemplated losing her, he knew then and there his existence without her would be meaningless. No, if she would have them, they would take her. Tonight.
“My turn.” He rushed back to the table, set down their glasses, tossed back his shot, and rejoined the game.
“Okay, let’s see how close I can get to becoming a para-sandwich with you two stud muffins.” She giggled.
Another wave of regret crashed over him. “Hey.” Arawn sat on the edge of the mat, disappointed with himself.
She glanced over. “What is it?”
“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but….” He dipped his chin to his chest in shame.
“Oh no, by the gods, did I completely misread signals here?” Her cheeks blazed red, and she inched out of her precarious position to sit on the mat. She covered her face with her palms and shook her head.
“No, not at all. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for this,” Arawn stammered. “It’s everything I want, and more.”
“But?”
Arawn hated that he’d made her sad. “Look, it’s been a rough go for you. I want to be sure this isn’t something you’re going to regret.”
“He does have a point, Trinity. I’ve started to feel pretty guilty myself,” Kane confessed. “We really like you. The last thing we want to do is take advantage of you in a vulnerable situation.”
Chapter Eleven
Trinity glanced back and forth between her immortal and her gargoyle’s guilt-ridden stares. Take advantage of me! Please! “I won’t lie, I’ve been conflicted for many reasons, but this draw I feel to both of you is more than I can take.”
“We know you’ve been through so much.” Kane rubbed her shoulder.
“To be honest, mourning my uncle has me terrified to move on, to connect with anyone else. I figured if I didn’t get close, it would save me heartache.” She tucked her knees up to her chest. “Does that make me a bad person?”
“Not at all.” Arawn reached over and caressed her cheek. “How long has it been since he…?”
“Six months.”
“It’s gonna take time for you to heal. It’s okay.” Kane raked his fingers through his auburn locks.
“I know.” Trinity’s breath hitched. Uncle Connor would rise from the grave if he could just to tell her not to use his death as an excuse not to live. He sure as Tartarus had lectured her about it since her parents died.
Maybe it was the warmth of the licorice liqueur spreading down her solar plexus and rolling over the ache in her muscles, or perhaps the sense of safety she felt with these two. But the cold exterior she had worked so hard to display melted away.
“I haven’t avoided you both because of my grief.”
“What is it, then?” Arawn traced his thumb over her bottom lip.
“With all that’s happened around me these past mont
hs, I feel like I’ve lost my mind. I didn’t want to get close and risk either of you getting hurt because of me.” Her stomach tensed with her confession.
“Nothing will to happen to us, princess.” Arawn kissed her forehead.
“The last person I cared for died a horrible death, and I still don’t know why, but I feel like it had something to do with me.” She hugged her legs tight to her chest and rested her chin on one knee.
“Hey.” Kane shifted closer and sat in front of Trinity. “We’ve both been around death and suffering. A ton of it. You’ve seen the tattoos.” He nodded to Arawn. “There was a long time we both felt responsible for the pain and harm that came to those who were loyal to us in the Underworld.”
“Kane’s right.” Arawn scrubbed his face with his palms. “My father is a vicious bastard who tortured and murdered many. When we rose up against him, the Underworld divided like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Parents against children, siblings, mates. Many fought, some died, and others were captured and subjected to ferocious retribution.” He paused and shook his head, his dark eyes glistening with sorrow.
Kane cleared his throat. “In time, we came to accept. We weren’t the ones who caused the harm, so we stood up and put an end to it. None of us, including you, Trinity, are responsible for the actions of malevolent beings, supernatural or mundane. Free will is exactly that. No matter how much protection we offer, nothing will change the intention of the ones who do the harm.”
Despite their previous admissions of their jaded pasts, Trinity had no idea how much these protectors had witnessed and endured. If anyone really was capable of comprehending her pain, it would be her immortal and her gargoyle.
“You’re both right.” She shifted and sat crossed legged. “I have another confession to make.”
“Tell us.” Arawn prodded.
“I held back, and tonight, might still have. Even though I despise those sadistic Bitches of Eastwick, I’m thankful for one thing.”
“Being?” Kane nodded.
“When they taunted me in the dinner hall, they spiked a real jealous streak in me. No matter how much I denied my attraction to you both, I had to come to terms with it because of them…while in the process of being driven crazy.” She shrugged.
“Wow,” they stated in unison.
“Thanks to the trio, then.” Arawn got up and poured another round.
“Okay.” Trinity shook her shoulders to dispel the entirely too serious moment. “I’ll make you both a deal.” She lifted her chin and flashed a mischievous grin.
“Such as?” Kane rubbed her knee.
“I won’t make it easy for either of you.” She winked. “As you can see, I’m limber and determined. It’s time to live and enjoy what life has to offer. But if either of you expects to get anywhere with me tonight, you’ll have to win first. Consider it game on.”
“What happens if you win?” Arawn returned with the filled tumblers and grinned.
“Well then, I’ll have to have a shower, by myself, and settle in the great big bed over there, all by my lonesome, while you”—she pointed to Arawn—“sleep on the pullout, and you” she pointed to Kane—“perch up on the roof again.”
“Ouch! Cold, Trinity, very cold.” Kane feigned a shiver as he rubbed his bulging biceps.
“I’m sorry, but it’s the way it has to be. I’m a fierce competitor.” She narrowed her eyes. “I have to warn you, neither of you stand a chance.”
“Oh, you think so?” Arawn folded his arms across his bulky chest. “What if one of us wins?”
“Oh, that’s still going to take some work on your parts.” She pursed her lips. “You won’t get off easy, either way.”
“How so?” Kane cocked his head.
“Well, once the game is over, you’ll have to pamper me. Perhaps we will start with a massage, a shower, and then you plaster your lips all over my body….”
“Talk about a lack of motivation.” Arawn tossed back his drink. “Let’s up the ante, or we three fierce competitors might be at this game all night.”
“Your proposal would be?” Anything that could create the need to land on top of him, of them, would definitely improve the game.
“For each move, we have another shot.”
“I like the way you think, old friend.” Kane rubbed his palms together and flashed a wicked grin.
“You’re both on.” Trinity sucked back her shot and set her glass at the side of the mat. “Positions, boys.”
Once they got back into the places they left off, Arawn took the lead. The start had been easy; each of them squatted in their corner of the mat, no contact yet. He hoped that would change soon. A few more spins, three more rounds, and next came Trinity’s turn. The sweet warmth of licorice trickled down Arawn’s sternum and into his stomach.
“Your go, darlin’,” Kane prompted her.
With her hands crossed over one another, her left foot in front, and her right foot to the green dot angled behind her, she carefully reached her right hand back and spun the needle.
“Ha! Right foot, red.” Arawn crooned. He occupied the red side, which meant she would have to cross her back leg and thread it through his to keep playing. He ached for the chance to have her body rest up against his. Even if this was a childish ploy to get close to her, she was having fun, and it worked.
Trinity persevered and managed to maneuver into position with ease, to his astonishment. “Wow, you really are agile.”
“You have no idea.” She giggled.
“I’d like to.” The words slipped past his loose lips before he could catch them. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Trinity shot him a wanton gaze.
“Uh…” Arawn found himself at a loss. Usually, he had a decent amount of confidence, but not only did this woman make his cock strain against the confines of his zipper, she disintegrated his tough, boastful façade.
“My go.” Kane glared at the spinner far out of his reach. “Hey, darlin’, do a gargoyle a favor and give it a spin for me?”
Trinity reached over and flicked the thin black needle. “Ha ha, left hand, blue.” She giggled. “I’d like to see how you’ll manage this move without falling. I’m completely in your way.”
Arawn watched his buddy’s face light up as he placed his feet and moved in for contact. Kane swung his left hand over Trinity, curled his arm around her waist, and placed his palm on the elusive blue dot under her ass. Now, he effectively cradled her contorted curves in his arms, which left him face to face with the coveted beauty. A twinge of envy rushed through Arawn when he caught her smile of acceptance.
Trinity’s cheeks flushed bright red. “You were right,” she murmured to Kane.
“About what, darlin’?”
“This is getting complicated.” She bit her lower lip. “Arawn?” She peeked over Kane’s shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“I could go for another shot.”
“I’m on it.” He inched out of position, not entirely sure he could get back in and not knock the lot of them down.
Arawn poured three more shots at the side of the mat. “Ladies first.” He knelt beside her and held the rim of the glass to her lips.
The pupils of Trinity’s pupils expanded, leaving a slim ring of the luminous blue. The corners of her mouth curved up into a naughty grin. She parted her lips and waited for him to feed her the drink. As he began to empty it, she eased her head back and let the liqueur spill onto her chin. It drizzled down her throat to her chest and settled into the delectable crevice of her burgeoning cleavage.
“Oopsie.” Trinity moaned. “Now we’ve gone and made a sticky mess. With my hands busy, how will I ever get this off me?” Kane let out a low growl of excitement. “Are you sure?” he rasped as he hovered above her mouth with his. “Does this mean you forfeit?”
“I’m sure I want both of you to help.” She stuck the tip of her tongue out and traced the outline of Kane’s lips and retreated
. She glanced to Arawn and motioned him closer with her head. “Quit isn’t in my vocabulary, but I want to play a grown-up game now. Come here, you big lug.”
Arawn’s cock stiffened at her melodic voice. He inched closer to her, ready to finally taste her kiss. Another urge he had been itching to scratch took hold first. “May I?” He motioned to her hair.
Trinity nodded. He unfastened the bun and let down her thick mane, finally. As he had envisioned, her white locks spanned the length of her back and dangled around her waist.
“Beautiful.” He threaded his fingers through the silky strands and fanned the curls out. “I’ve wanted to do that since you first straddled me.”
Trinity lifted her chin and gazed at him. He couldn’t take it anymore and descended on her lips with his. Her sweet, decadent lips, so plump and inviting, and her talented tongue curled and danced with his.
Kane growled and shifted. “This is getting hard to hold.”
Their banshee pulled back and laughed. “Your arms must be sore.” She plunked her ass down on the mat and Arawn cradled her in his grasp.
“I wasn’t referring to my arms.” Kane got onto his knees and adjusted the front of his pants. “You’ve got me so stiff right now, it hurts.”
“We can’t have you in pain.” She reached for his chest and tugged at his T-shirt.
Chapter Twelve
“Perhaps you can both help me get this mess cleaned up?” She motioned from her sticky chin down to her breasts.
“Should I get a cloth?” Arawn side-eyed her, uncertainty filling his rugged features.
“Aw, sweetheart, I think we’re all out of cloths.” She shook her head and pouted. “Try again….”
Kane let out a guttural growl and clambered to his hands and knees. “Any preference who and where, darlin’?”
“Whatever strikes your fancies,” she cooed. “I’m yours for the taking.”
“You might regret giving us free rein, beautiful.” Arawn eased close and traced the tip of his tongue along her lips then sucked the licorice aphrodisiac from her chin.
