by Lacey Thorn
“The Marinos are a piece of work,” Rafe said with disgust.
“They’re not all bad.” Kat shrugged. “The chief of police has always been nice.”
“You thought Raymond was nice too in the beginning,” Liam added.
“He was,” Kat vowed. “He really didn’t seem like a bad person when we all first met him. I’m not sure when it all started going wrong in him. I don’t even think River could tell us for sure.”
“What about the other sister? Isn’t she married to the mayor?” Rafe asked.
Kat nodded. “I’ve seen her here and there, but never really spoken to her.”
Liam nodded his head. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“Okay, I agree with you,” he told Kat. “I think we have to be missing something though. I want all the photos, all the research, every piece of information we’ve gathered. We’ll weed through all of it again, see if anything new jumps out at us.”
“And if it doesn’t? What then?” Kat demanded.
“Then we make a plan,” Rafe said and Liam nodded.
The door opened before Kat could respond. Her eyes flew to Adrian as he stepped inside. His face was a cloud of anger.
“What?” Liam demanded before he was even all the way in the door.
“You’re not going to fucking believe this,” Adrian exclaimed. “I went to check in with the detectives working this, to see if they had any updates when a call came in.” He shook his head in frustration. “She’s gone.”
“What? Who?” Kat was already reaching for her phone, afraid of Adrian’s reply.
“Juliana Marino,” he said. “She escaped some time during the night. No one’s seen her, and no one has any idea where she is.”
“I need to call Tara and River,” Kat exclaimed as she headed down the hall toward her bedroom with her phone already pressed to her ear.
“I don’t think Tara and River will be in any danger,” Rafe said once Kat was gone.
Liam nodded. “I think she’s coming here. This is where it all began, only makes sense she’d come here to end it. Especially if her boyfriend is following Kat.”
“Shit, we need to know who’s helping her,” Adrian grunted. “Catch one of them, catch both of them.”
“Maybe that’s the key,” Rafe said. “We figure out where Juliana’s headed, try to get one step ahead of her. Let her lead us straight to her accomplice.”
“At least it’s a plan,” Liam agreed. “We need to keep our eyes on Kat at all times.”
Adrian and Rafe nodded in agreement.
“Nothing happens to her,” Rafe stated and there was no argument from the other two.
“I’ve got an idea,” Adrian said. “Just keep a logical head and hear me out. I’ve already ran this past the locals and they’re on board.”
“You really trust them?” Rafe asked.
Adrian nodded. “They want her caught more than you could imagine. This is a P.R. nightmare for them, and the last thing they need with the fallout from the chaos Detective Marino made.”
“All right.” Liam conceded. “What’s the plan?”
Ten minutes later they were more than ready to go looking for Kat in the bedroom.
* * * *
Tara didn’t answer. The phone went to voicemail, and Kat hung up and dialed her brother. Voicemail again. She dialed Tara again.
“What happened?” Tara greeted her, sounding out of breath.
Kat caught the sob in her throat, not realizing just how worried she’d been until she heard her friend’s voice. “Are the guys with you?”
“Yes, we’re all right here. What’s going on, Kat?”
“She’s escaped. No one knows where she is.”
“Shit!” Tara exclaimed, and Kat could hear Tara explaining to the guys. She wasn’t surprised when her brother Charlie came on the line.
“Where are you? Are Rafe, Liam, and Adrian with you?”
“Yes,” Kat answered. “Don’t leave her alone, Charlie.”
“I won’t,” he promised. “Don’t try to be the hero here, Kat. Stay low. Stay hidden. Let them protect you.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid. Believe it or not, I don’t have the death wish everyone seems to think I do.”
“Promise me, Kat.”
“I promise.” She promised not to be stupid. She promised to do everything to keep the people she loved safe. She promised to find Juliana and put an end to this for good. “Now put Tara back on for a minute.”
“Love you, sis.”
“I love you, too.”
“Hey.” Tara’s voice came back on the line.
“Don’t go anywhere alone, Tara. She’s been there once. She knows where you are and how to get to you.”
“I know.”
“I’m sure Dasan’s already making calls to alert the local police department. Make sure you keep your gun on you at all times.”
“I will. Same goes for you. She could be coming after you. She said someone was watching you. It makes sense she’d come there, find him. Maybe that’s what he’s been waiting on.”
Kat sighed. She really hoped that was it. She wanted this to end. She, River, and Tara had been through enough. They deserved to embrace the happiness they’d found, to live and love and laugh every day for the rest of their lives. Just a short time ago, she wouldn’t have put herself in with them. That was before Rafe, Liam, and Adrian showed up to watch over and protect her. Before she’d accepted she could no longer run in fear from what they’d shared.
She’d joked around with River about holding onto her three men, but she’d never really believed River could. Then she’d told Tara to grab onto the possibility of having something on the ranch with Charlie, Dasan, and Sam. And Tara had done just that. Neither of her friends regretted their choices. It made Kat wonder if she could have the same thing. She knew she was ready to try, to believe it might just be possible for her too.
“I’ll keep my gun on me, but nothing will get past the guys.”
“That’s a good thing!”
“I know.” Kat walked over to the window and looked out at the yard. “I need to call River and let her know what’s going on.”
“I’ll call her,” Tara said. “I can almost guarantee Sam’s on the phone with Rick, Luke, or Phil right now.”
“Is Charlie talking to Rafe?”
“He’s on the phone, so that’d be my guess. He worries about you, Kat. We all do.”
“I worry about you guys too.”
“Be smart, Kat. Stay safe.”
“I’ve got too much to lose to do anything else,” Kat admitted.
“Does that mean you’ve forgiven Rafe for whatever happened last time?”
“It means I’m finally ready to see what might be…with all three of them, Tara. I’m going to be joining the three-for-one club you and River seem to have started.” Kat laughed softly. “Though, I want it known I was technically the first to have three men in my bed.”
“So that’s what happened? You, Rafe, Liam, and Adrian had sex?”
“Yes,” Kat confessed.
“River and I thought it might be something like that. We just weren’t sure if you had or were thinking about it. You were drunk when you confessed.”
“Think you’re smart, huh?”
Tara laughed. “I know I am. I hope you find what I have, Kat. I hope they treat you as magically as Charlie, Dasan, and Sam treat me. I couldn’t ask for better men in my life. They make me feel like the luckiest woman alive. I want that for you and River.”
“I think River already has it,” Kat replied. “And I think I have the chance.”
“Then take it, Kat. Seize it with both hands and hold it tightly to you.”
“I plan to. I really plan to.” She just had one thing to do first.
“Take care of you.”
“Take care of you.”
The phone clicked in her ear, and Kat lowered it to dangle from her fingers at her side. It was getting dark again outsid
e. Another day come and gone with her no closer to finding the threat everyone believed surrounded her. She really hoped Juliana was headed Kat’s way. She was more than ready for a showdown.
Chapter Five
Kat’s stomach was in knots. Tension strummed through her, clenching muscles tight and keeping her nerves on edge. She turned from the bedroom window and glanced at the clock for what was probably the hundredth time in the last few minutes. She was wound so tightly she jumped when Adrian came up behind her and touched her shoulder.
“Easy, Kat,” he urged. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I know that,” she whispered, turning to bury her face against his chest.
“Whoa, you’re shaking,” Adrian said with undisguised surprise in his voice.
“I’ve never had so much to lose before,” she admitted, glancing up at him. “Don’t,” she pleaded when he would have pulled away. “I’m sorry, Adrian. I never meant to hurt you. Never. I was so scared of my own feelings I never stopped to think of yours.”
He met her eyes and held them. “And when this is over? What do you plan then? Are you running again?”
She shook her head. “Not unless you’re going with me. I’m ready to see what we might all have. I’m not afraid anymore.”
“Are you sure, Kat? Really sure? Because I’m not sure I can handle you leaving me again.”
“I know.” She reached up and cupped his face. “You love me.” She laughed at the way his eyes widened with surprise. “It’s okay. I love you, too. And Rafe. And Liam.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to say that out loud without feeling weird.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But it’s true. I’ve been falling in love with you guys since the first time I met you. These last three weeks have just opened my eyes.”
“I thought you were miserable,” Liam stated from behind her.
She glanced back and noticed he and Rafe had joined her and Adrian in the bedroom. Rafe stood just inside the door while Liam leaned nonchalantly against the wall. She turned in Adrian’s arms again, leaning her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer, so there was no missing the erection pressing against her lower back.
“I was miserable with myself. I don’t like to be cooped up. I doubt any of you do either. Plus, there was no escape from everything I was feeling. I was overwhelmed.”
“And now?” Rafe asked.
“Now, I just want this to all be over, so we can get back to our lives.”
“Back to our lives,” Liam repeated. “What does that mean for you?”
“It means we aren’t forced to stay together,” she replied. “But that we choose to. It means we decide where we take things from here. It means we—”
Liam crossed the room in three strides and stopped her words with his kiss. “It means you’re willing to admit there’s something here, between all of us,” he said when he pulled back.
“Yes,” she agreed breathlessly.
There was no missing the look in his eyes or the way Rafe’s shoulders sagged a little with relief. It would always amaze her she’d managed to draw the attention and desire of all three of them. She’d known and loved Rafe in one way or another since they were kids. Then she’d met Liam, then Adrian. She’d never imagined it was possible to feel desire and passion for more than one man at a time, much less develop genuine love for them. But she had.
What shocked her even more was they had no problem sharing her. There was no jealousy between them, no demand that she choose one over the other. In fact, the men seemed to draw just as much pleasure from watching her with each other as they did when they were inside her body. She might never understand it, but that didn’t matter as long as she got to experience it. Every day for the rest of her life sounded just long enough.
“Kat,” Rafe spoke her name, drawing her from her thoughts.
Emotion glistened in her eyes, and it didn’t feel like weakness. It felt like joy. “Love me,” she whispered. Her body was caught between Adrian and Liam, and she held a hand out to Rafe. “Make love to me.”
Adrian’s hands caressed her hips while his lips trailed over her neck and along her shoulder. Liam leaned in to find her mouth again, placing soft, nipping kisses along her lips and jaw. And Rafe stepped back, turning to tug the covers down on her bed. He kicked his shoes off and pulled his shirt over his head.
She moaned with pleasure. So much masculine perfection in the room, and it was all hers. They might like to share, but she never would. They were hers. Every delicious inch of them.
The spell over her broke, and she reached for Liam, grabbing the hem of his shirt and jerking it up over his muscled abs. She caught his jaw with her teeth and nipped. He pulled back and looked at her. She wondered if he could see the animalistic lust in her eyes, feel the aggression in her body. She wanted him, them. Hard, fast, and now.
He stepped back, ripping his shirt the rest of the way up and over his head before dropping his hands to the top of his jeans. He was kicking his shoes off as he moved toward the bed. “You want my cock, darling? Want to ride it? Think you can handle that?”
She moaned. His words increased the fire raging inside. She wanted just that and so much more. Her empty hands lifted to her breasts, finding and cupping them through her T-shirt. Her turgid nipples grazed her palms as she ran her hands up over her collarbone and along her neck, lifting her hair. She arched her back, pressing her chest out while grinding her ass into Adrian.
“Fuck, baby,” Adrian moaned. He lifted his hands to caress her breasts, shaping them and running his thumbs over the nipples. “You’re so hot. I want to suck these nipples, want to taste the cream of your pussy on my tongue, before I thrust my cock inside you.”
“You’re beautiful,” Rafe crooned as he stripped in front of her. “You make a man want to fall to his knees and worship you.”
She spread her feet wide and nodded to the space in front of her. “Worship me, Rafe. With your tongue.”
Adrian pinched her nipples, making her cry out as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The feel of hard hands unfastening her jeans and jerking them down to her knees had her quickly opening her eyes and glancing down.
Rafe was on his knees in front of her, stripping her pants and underwear from her. He was gloriously naked, and his cock jutted up thick and long, making her mouth water with the desire to taste him.
Adrian’s hands dropped to her hips, holding her steady for Rafe. He wasted no time, pulling one bare leg over his shoulder and sliding his tongue between her folds. She cried out and reached down to grip his head.
“No,” Liam ordered her, and she stopped before she grasped Rafe’s hair, glancing over to the bed where Liam lay naked. He sat in the center of the bed with pillows behind his back. He stroked one hand slowly up and down his cock from balls to tip and back again. “Lift up your arms, so Adrian can peel off your shirt.”
She took a deep breath and followed his demand. Adrian eased her shirt up and over her head with excruciating slowness. With deft fingers, he unhooked her bra, and she lowered her limbs, so he could ease it off.
“Wrap your arms around his neck,” Liam told her.
Kat rested her elbows on Adrian’s shoulders while she wrapped her hands around his neck. She couldn’t hold in the moan that tumbled from her lips as Rafe used his fingers to part her folds and began sucking the swollen nub of her clitoris. Adrian’s hands, unencumbered by her clothes, fondled and caressed her aching breasts.
“You look so beautiful,” Liam crooned. “All flushed, nipples hard and begging for attention. I bet Rafe would tell me that pussy is wet and ready.”
“Yes,” she agreed on a long moan.
“Rafe’s going to eat that sweet cunt until you come all over his face. Then you’re going to come over here and slide that pussy down my cock and ride it. You want that, darling?”
“Yes!” This time her answer to Li
am was a scream as two big fingers plunged deep into her channel as Rafe began fucking her. His lips teased and suckled her clit, his tongue tormenting the plump bit of flesh. Adrian pinched and tugged her nipples, and she felt the pull all the way to her womb.
“Are you close, darling?” Liam asked. “Riding that edge, ready to fly with just the right touch?”
She moaned, pumping her hips into Rafe, begging without words for him to send her soaring. She thrashed her head against Adrian’s chest, desperate for an inch of his flesh she could grip between her teeth.
Rafe moved his mouth lower, flicking his tongue against her opening as he continued to finger fuck her. His other hand moved up, so he could rub his thumb over her clit. Adrian gave her nipples a slight twist, and she was gone. With a keening moan, she embraced the pleasure and let her orgasm send her into orbit.
Rafe removed his fingers and replaced them with his tongue, fucking in and out of her, licking the cream from her.
Adrian crooned in her ear about all the dirty, naughty things they were going to do.
And Liam lay back on the bed, looking like a sex god waiting patiently for her. It was almost enough to send her into another orgasm.
“You are so beautiful,” Liam groaned, his hand slowly stroking up and down his big cock. “Your face is flushed from orgasm. Your nipples just waiting for the first mouth to latch on and suck greedily. And that sweet little cunt, dripping juices from Rafe’s attention. I want you to come over here and ride my face, darling.” He released his cock and began to lie back on the bed. “I want you to straddle my shoulders and drop that hot little cunt right down on my tongue.” He stretched languidly on the sheets, lifting his hips and fucking the air with his cock before meeting and holding her gaze once more. “Don’t keep me waiting, darling.”
Rafe nipped the inside of her thigh, making her cry out before he slipped to his feet. He took her mouth in a heated kiss, sharing her flavor as their tongues meet and rubbed. She wanted more, but he pulled away. Adrian turned her quickly in his arms and pulled her close. His tongue thrust into her mouth, exploring and caressing.
“Mmmmmm,” he moaned as he pulled back. “Go let Liam get a taste of that sweet honey, baby.” He slapped her ass before turning her once more and sending her toward the bed.
