“Mett has already told me he can’t give me that and all Charlie has said is that things will work out.”
“My Charlie is wise beyond his years sometimes.” Hazel straightened as Mett entered the dining room and set a plate filled to overflowing on the table in front of her. “Thank you, son.” She returned her attention to Kimberly. “He’s right, dear. Things will work out.”
* * * *
Kimberly opened the door to her cottage, her conversation with Hazel Doyle still fresh in her mind. The woman had dropped the subject of Kimberly, Mett, and Charlie after that, but Kimberly had seen the looks Hazel had shot her often throughout dinner and later when they’d exchanged gifts before gathering around the piano to sing Christmas carols. Hazel had sent her the kind of looks that had clearly said, “See, I told you so.”
Charlie and Mett had doted on her all day, taking turns doing things for her, putting their arms around her, and even sneaking quick kisses when their parents had turned their heads. She’d noted jealousy in their faces here and there, and had even seen the muscle in Mett’s jaw jump once. But, all in all, there hadn’t been as much tension as she’d feared there would be. It had been the best Christmas day she’d had since her mother had passed and, for that, she was grateful.
Charlie’s hand shot out, closing around her upper arm in a gentle but firm grip, stopping her when she started to walk inside. “I thought you locked the door when we left.”
She shot him a bemused look. “I never lock the door. No one does on the island.”
“Kimberly, you had some fucker leave a nasty note on your car,” Mett reminded her, his tone soft and scolding. “What if he got inside your cottage while we were gone?”
“Stay out here with Mett.” Charlie’s hand grazed down her arm until it fell away. “I’ll go check.”
Kimberly looked at Mett as Charlie disappeared into the cottage. “I’m sure no one is in there. John has his deputies watching this place like hawks.” She turned slightly and pointed to the patrol car parked in front of an empty rental cottage two down from hers. She’d noted the car when they’d left that morning and had seen it immediately when they’d returned. “See.”
Mett’s eyes narrowed. “Why did the sheriff assign a patrol car to watch your cottage? I mean, I’m glad he did. He assured me he and his deputies would keep an eye on you, but the last I remember hearing, you were mostly just supposed to report to him if anything else happened.”
Kimberly dropped her gaze and chewed her bottom lip. “Yeah, about that—”
“It’s clear,” Charlie reported, returning to the doorway. “It doesn’t look like anyone has been inside except Santa’s elves and the cartoon factory.”
Kimberly laughed. “Would you two stop giving me hell about all my Christmas decorations?” They’d both teased her relentlessly on the boat ride to the mainland about them this morning. “Just wait until Halloween when I’ve got ghost, ghouls, and goblins everywhere.”
“Ghosts?” Charlie made a stern face and bowed out his chest. “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.”
Still laughing and shaking her head, Kimberly playfully pushed him out of her way and walked inside. “Do you guys want some hot chocolate, beer, wine…”
“A beer would be good,” Charlie said.
“Make that two, please,” Mett said as he closed the front door behind him. “And then you can tell us what else has happened.”
Shit. She hadn’t wanted to tell either of them about the “present” that had been left for her at the podium at the Welcome Center.
“What do you mean, what else has happened?” Charlie followed her into the kitchen and stretched an arm over the refrigerator door when she opened it. “Has something else happened, baby? Did you find another note?”
Kimberly pulled three beer cans from the fridge, popped the tabs, and handed two of them to the men. Might as well tell them, she thought, knowing they wouldn’t leave her alone about it now. Damn it, they’d been having such a perfect day. She hated that some bastard was about to ruin it.
“He left me a present at my podium yesterday. I found it not long after I got off the phone with you,” she told Charlie.
“What kind of present?” Mett asked, his voice tight and laced with anger.
Kimberly looked down at the can she’d cradled in both hands. “A box of condoms with a note that said…” She trailed off, not wanting to repeat the vile words she’d read.
Mett moved closer, hooking an arm around her waist, and drawing her against him. “What did the note say, sweetheart?”
She let her forehead fall forward to rest on his chest, unable to look at him or Charlie as she repeated the words, hating the almost-tangible anger that had fallen over them like a dirty, heavy blanket. “It said I should use them before I contaminated the earth with another spawn that doesn’t deserve to live.” Those hadn’t been the exact words, but it was close enough.
“That fucking son of a bitch,” Charlie exploded.
A hand glided down the back of her head and she realized, with Mett’s arms still around her waist, it had to be Charlie’s. She felt the heat of his body move around her and then the hard wall of his front was pressing against her back.
“You told the sheriff, right?” Charlie asked, his tone softer but still dripping with fury. “You took both items to him?”
She nodded but still didn’t lift her head. “Arie wouldn’t let me open it until I took it to John. He’s the one who unwrapped it. I had to make him let me see what was inside it. He wasn’t going to.”
“You didn’t need to see what was in it,” Mett said tightly. He eased back and one of his arms moved from her waist as he hooked a finger beneath her chin, lifting her face so she had to look at him. “Who is he, sweetheart? Who is the fucker that put his hands on you in Hollywood?”
She stared into his eyes, so dark with anger now that their usual wintergreen had turned to a dark emerald, and knew she had to tell him. She could only hope he didn’t try to solve the problem himself. “Mack Snider. John has done some checking. He’s on the Coast in Billings right now, supposedly on a business trip.”
“Why in the hell hasn’t John arrested the son of a bitch for harassment?” Charlie demanded.
Kimberly turned her head, tipping it back to look at him over her shoulder. “He doesn’t have any proof. The first note consisted of pasted letters. The second was printed off a computer. He’s trying to trace that computer, but, so far, he hasn’t had any luck.” She turned her attention back to Mett. “We keep a log of every visitor that steps off the excursion boat at the Welcome Center. His name isn’t on it. It hasn’t been on it. There’s nothing to tie Mack to the notes or the island.”
“I know I don’t need to point out the obvious, but this is an island. It’s surrounded by water, sweetheart. Charlie and I get onto it all the time without going through the Welcome Center. The fact that he hasn’t come through that way doesn’t mean he’s not getting onto the island.”
“You’re right. John got a copy of his driver’s license photo. He’s been flashing it all over the island. If he’s spotted, we’ll know about it.” She winced. “It’s the best we can do right now.”
Mett’s arms tightened around her and his expression turned stern. “I don’t want you going anywhere alone on this island until this guy is caught.”
Kimberly smiled up at him. For all his gentleness, she’d started to notice a possessive side that warmed her heart. “John made me promise I wouldn’t go walking anywhere alone, not even to work. When I’m home, the patrol car will be parked on the street. I told him I would take my car to work or anywhere else I need to go.” She cupped his cheek. “People on this island watch out for one another, Mett. I’m safe. If it is Mack Snider, he’s not going to get near me without someone knowing.”
“He’s gotten to your car and your podium without someone knowing,” Charlie pointed out.
She let her head fall back on his chest, closed her eyes, and sighed
. “That was before everyone knew. He won’t get that close to me or anything that belongs to me again.”
Charlie nuzzled his face in the side of her neck, his breath warming her flesh and igniting a burn deep in her soul. “You’re right about that because we’re not leaving your side.”
She lifted her head, turning slightly between the men to gape at him. “You can’t stay here.”
He lifted a brow. “Why not?”
“Charlie, you both have jobs to do. I don’t know much about the military, but I do know if you don’t show up on base when you’re supposed to, you’ll be considered AWOL.”
He shook his head. “The commander has already okayed us to take leave. Neither of us has to report back until after the new year.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, studying his face and then turning to do the same to Mett. They intended to stay with her for a week. Exactly how did they plan for this to work out? “Here’s the thing, guys. I only have one bedroom, one very enormous bed, and one itty bitty couch. Where are the two of you going to sleep?”
“In that very enormous bed with you.”
Mett wasn’t joking. She stared at him, seeing nothing but utter seriousness in his eyes. “You’re both going to sleep with me for a week and I’m supposed to be a good girl?”
Charlie chuckled and brushed his lips to the sensitized flesh just below her ear. “No one said you had to be a good girl.”
Dear God, are they really saying?
She tried to swallow, but her mouth had suddenly gone dry. She’d been managing to ignore the sensations zinging through her at the feel of both of them pressed against her while they’d been talking about Mack Snider, but now…
Half of her concentration centered on the feel of Charlie behind her, the solidness of his chest, the hint of an erection she felt growing harder against the small of her back. Mett claimed the other half, his corded arms wrapped tightly around her and his stiffening cock pressing against her belly.
She shook her head and wriggled, trying to put even an inch of space between the three of them. Neither man budged. “You’re going to have to let me go, guys. I can’t think when you’re both holding me this way.”
“Maybe you don’t need to think,” Charlie suggested and nipped her earlobe.
She closed her eyes on the sizzle of desire that raced straight to her pussy. When she opened them again, she found herself looking at Mett. His lips were set in a thin line, his expression carefully blank, but his eyes were swirling with a riot of emotions.
“You said you can’t give me what I want,” she reminded him softly.
His strong jaw flexed as he clamped his teeth together before he licked his lips and spoke in a gruff tone that dripped with every emotion she saw in his eyes. “Do you want me?”
She had to force herself so speak around the lump forming in her throat. “Of course I want you.”
“Then that’s something I can give you.”
She’d answered him honestly, but she knew she couldn’t give him just half of the truth. “But I want Charlie, too.”
Charlie shifted slightly behind her, his hands framing her sides and sliding down until they met with Mett’s arms around her waist. “And that’s something I can give you.”
They were really going to do it. They were going to give her what she wanted. She could have both of them right here, right now. She should have been elated, grinning her happy ass off. Instead, she felt something dark, a sense of foreboding, shadowing the moment.
* * * *
She didn’t believe them. Charlie could feel it in the tension that came into her body. She wasn’t looking at him. Her attention was focused on Mett. Still, he didn’t need to see her face to know what she was wondering. Would they really do it? Could they do it? Would it work? He knew of only one way to find out.
He pushed her long, satiny hair aside, exposing her nape, and enjoyed the way her head fell forward as he licked and nipped his way over the back of her neck. He looked up from beneath his lashes to find Mett watching him, his eyes cautiously guarded. His brother gave him an infinitesimal nod and slowly released his hold on Kimberly’s waist.
Charlie turned her to face him, kissing his way along the side of her neck and throat, and then dragging his tongue up her jaw until he found her mouth. Her lips parted on a soft sigh and he pushed his tongue between them, losing himself in the taste of the woman he loved.
His hand skimmed down her sides to the hem of her sweater. He bunched the material in his fists and pulled it up, breaking the kiss long enough to yank the garment over her head before going back for more. He reached behind her, found the clasp of her bra, and freed it with a finger-snap. Her hands pushed between their lower bodies, going for the button on his jeans. He quickly removed her bra, caught her wrists, and guided her hands behind her. The backs of his hands grazed the front of Mett’s body, letting him know his brother hadn’t moved too far away. He wasn’t touching her. He was simply watching. Charlie knew he’d need time to adjust, time to come to terms with what was happening between the three of them, and maybe even time to watch their woman become lost in a sea of passion.
Charlie shackled her wrists in one of his hands and shoved the other between them, quickly unfastening her jeans. She shivered at the small show of dominance, moaning softly into his mouth. He worked her jeans and panties down her hips one-handed simultaneously, still holding her wrists captive behind her back. Her felt her shift, felt her attempting to toe off her boots, and then silently thanked Mett when he felt his brother’s hands brush his shins as the man pulled her boots off for her.
The sensation of her jeans gliding down the front of his legs came next and she transferred her weight from one foot to the other as Mett finished removing her pants and panties. Only then did Charlie finally break his hold on her mouth. He pulled back, letting his gaze travel down her body, lust nearly burning him alive as he got his first look at her naked flesh. He’d made love to her the other night in the boat, but he hadn’t taken off all her clothes. He hadn’t gotten to see her the way he could see her now in the bright fluorescent light of her kitchen.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” He danced his fingers over her collarbone, down between the valley of her breasts, her abdomen, and stomach, pleased when all the tension he’d sensed in her seemed to melt away. He felt her take a ragged breath as he continued on, turning his hand to up her pussy, and sliding a finger between her folds.
He found her hot and wet, her clit engorged and seeming to beg for his touch. He raked a fingertip over the bud and she gasped, her hips jerking and her head falling back on her shoulders. Mett’s chest was there to catch her. His brother still wasn’t touching her. Instead, he seemed to be acting like an unmovable wall, supporting her as she started to melt from Charlie’s touch.
He dragged his finger down her slit, found her sodden opening, and shoved the digit inside. He released her hands and they immediately curled around his forearms, her nails digging into flesh as her inner muscles contracted, pulling his finger deeper inside. She was so hot, so willing, and so ready and he swore his cock would rupture from the need to replace the finger he wiggled deep in her cunt.
“That’s it, baby,” he said gruffly, dipping his head to flick the tip of his tongue over one pebbled nipple. “Ride my finger like you did my cock the other night.”
Her hips jerked and gyrated, pumping his finger into her pussy as her fingers slid to lace in the back of his hair. She held his head in place and he grinned around the nipple he sucked between his lips. He gave that nipple a pressured bite that drew a quick gasp, followed by a sultry moan of sheer pleasure from her lips, and then let her breast fall from his mouth as he bent his knees and licked his way down her delicious body.
He paused when his tongue reached the apex of her thighs, pulled back, and shot a look up her front. Her head was back, her eyes closed, her lips slightly parted, and an expression of sheer bliss was on her face. Her hips continued to grind on his finger, her
breaths growing shallow as she pleasured herself with his hand.
His gaze locked with Mett’s over her shoulder. His brother had finally put his hands on her, holding her waist as she rested against him. The expression on Mett’s face was one he’d never seen before. Torment, indecision, determination, and love fought for paramount emotion in the man’s eyes. He was working through his own hang-ups about sharing Kimberly, battling the jealousy and the need to have her all to himself. Still, he wasn’t backing down and, when he gave Charlie another of those infinitesimal nods, Charlie took it as a sign that they were going full-speed ahead.
“Put your arms around Mett’s neck, baby,” he instructed her and waited for her to comply. Her arms quivered visibly as she pried her fingers from his hair, lifted them up, and reached behind her, winding her arms around Mett’s neck. He sank to his knees and cupped a hand around the heel of her foot. “Now, put your foot on my shoulder.”
He carefully lifted her leg, making sure Mett was holding her steady before he settled her foot on his shoulder. The position gave him a spectacular view of her pussy, spread wide and glistening with juices. He slowly eased his finger from her channel and smiled when she groaned in protest.
Her head lifted from Mett’s chest, bowed to look at him, and he knew he’d never seen a woman more spectacular that she was at that moment. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, her lips still swollen from his kiss, and her skin flush with arousal.
“Charlie, please.” Anguish rang in her pleading whisper.
“I’m just getting started, baby.” He slumped his shoulder between her thighs, tipping his head back as he buried his face in her pussy. The sweet, invigorating flavor of her cream ignited a firestorm that raced through his bloodstream. His balls tightened painfully between his legs, his cock hardening to stone in an attempt to push through the zipper of his jeans as he plunged his tongue inside the gripping entrance of her cunt.
He fucked her. There was no other word to describe the way he went wild on her pussy as her taste consumed him. He thrust his tongue in and out of her channel in a rapid speed that drew more of her hot creamy juices from her body.
Safe and Coasting with Ecstasy [The Heroes of Silver Island 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11
