“All things considered, we came out of this okay,” Peter said. Then he turned to look at Joe Grant. “However, if you knew Manny Ramirez was working for Ramos and kept that to yourself, I’m going to pound the living hell out of you.”
“We all will,” Jordan said.
“Well, maybe not me”—Tracy held up her bandaged wrists—“but I sure as hell will cheer them on from the sidelines.”
Joe Grant held up his hands. “No, I didn’t know about the Ramirez kid,” Grant said. “As a matter of fact, I didn’t really credit the threat against you, Alvarez. I’m here investigating another member of the Justice Department. Because you were a part of his latest task force and were suddenly pulled out, I was sent to see if you were in league with him, or not.”
“How the heck could you do that, working way the hell out here?” Tracy asked.
But Peter knew. “Did you have the house wired, too?”
Grant gave him a steely look. “You know the drill. I had the house, your cars, and the sheriff’s office as part of my surveillance net. Any place you were, I had ears.”
“Who’s under investigation?”
“I’m not at liberty to say. But I can tell you that we got the all clear on you just this morning. The agent he was using—without that agent’s knowledge, by the way—became suspicious of his behavior and contacted a close personal friend he has at the Bureau. He confirmed that Ramos was, indeed, anticipating your imminent death.”
“You have someone undercover in Ramos’s organization?”
“Though we didn’t know that until this morning, yes, apparently, we do.”
Grant’s expression turned apologetic, and Peter knew he wasn’t going to like what the man said next.
“Alvarez, because of this internal problem, we can’t let anyone from the task force move on Ramos. The task force is tainted, and if any of you were on the team sent to get him, he’d likely be able to get the charges tossed. My boss is setting up an ops right now. Ramos has a house just outside of El Paso. We have eyes on him, and he’s still there, likely waiting to hear from Ramirez. We’ll take him before dusk tonight.”
Peter had wanted, very badly, to be the one to nail Miguel Ramos. He’d envisioned slapping the cuffs on the bastard himself. Damn it. He exhaled deeply. Everything Grant had just said was true. If Peter was a part of the team moving on the man, Ramos likely could get any ensuing charges tossed. So he said, “I worked on following the money from the sheriff’s office. I’ve documented everything. I had him, by the way. You’ll want that evidence.”
“Yes, we will. I’ll be in touch. We don’t need what you have for the warrant, but we’ll certainly need it for the conviction.”
“I’m sure once he’s on the road to recovery, Manny Ramirez could be convinced to testify against him, too.”
“Here’s hoping. That would be sweet, nailing that bastard Ramos on conspiracy to assassinate a federal agent.”
Peter grinned. “That’s an even better charge than drug trafficking or tax evasion.”
“Anyway,” Grant continued, “once we nab Ramos, we’ll be making another arrest. I’m sure you’ll hear about it later—likely on the evening news.”
Peter had a pretty good idea who the FBI would be arresting. He couldn’t ask Grant for confirmation, of course, because that would put the agent in an untenable position. So he just smiled and said, “I’ll look forward to it. I never did like the bastard.”
If Grant was surprised that he’d guessed, the man didn’t let on. He simply said, “You show superior taste in human beings.”
“Thank you. Now, I want you to pull the bugs from my house, first.”
Grant looked from Peter to Jordan, and then over at Tracy. Their woman, God bless her, gave Grant as hard a stare as he’d ever seen from her.
“My partner is actually doing that right now. Since you’ve been cleared, and there was no incriminating evidence gathered through the electronic surveillance, those recordings have already been destroyed.”
“Good.”
Grant shook hands all around and then headed for his car.
Peter sighed and looked over at Tracy and Jordan. His lovers came over and flanked him, and wasn’t that a wonderful feeling? To them he said, “Let’s go home.” He thought it was probably the best idea he’d had all day.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Tracy said.
“Of course, sweetheart”—Jordan ran a hand down his back—“just as soon as we stop at the clinic, first. You and our woman have that free coupon, remember? And once the uncles give you the okeydokey, then we’ll go home.”
“Do we have to?” Peter didn’t really mind, but thought he should throw out a token protest, anyway. Inside, he was more pleased than he could say. Jordan’s open affection, in front of members of his family, was a huge step forward for his very shy and retiring lover.
“And while we’re there, we’ll see if the good Doctors Jessop would consent to asking the Town Trust to designate one of the exam rooms as your personal exam room.”
“Why would you want to do that?” Peter asked him.
“Well, the way I see it, if you’re going to insist on having these little ‘dustups’ from time to time, it’s the least a grateful town can do for one of its own.”
The tone of the words pleased Peter. But more, the look of love and confidence, and the lack of fear in Jordan’s eyes filled his heart with joy.
“Are you always going to be this nitpicky?” Peter asked him.
Jordan looked over at his brothers, and then he looked at Tracy. Finally he met Peter’s gaze. “Only for the next fifty or sixty years. Because, darling, that’s not nitpicky, that’s taking care of my own, and that’s what Kendalls do.”
“Fifty or sixty years, huh? Well, I’m in. What do you say to that, Tracy?” Peter never imagined this moment would be such a public one, or that it could possibly happen so soon. But he wasn’t going to complain, not one bit.
Tracy grinned. “I can’t think of a better way to spend the rest of my life than in love under two strong men.”
“Neither can I,” Peter said. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter 21
Tracy wanted their hands on her.
She’d envisioned this day off and on for most of her life, the day the men she loved asked her to marry them. In her imagination there’d been a whole lot of naked celebration after they popped the question.
A slight pall made Tracy frown. All right, so they haven’t exactly asked me. She thought back to Grandma Kate’s advice at Penelope’s shower. The woman generally considered by Benedicts, Kendalls, and Jessops alike to be the matriarch of the families had given her very sound advice that day. Advice that she’d followed, and wasn’t that a blessing?
Tracy doubted very much she’d be where she was right now if she hadn’t taken bold and decisive action.
Sometimes a woman has to just risk it all for that one chance to grab her heart’s desire.
She and Peter had both gotten a clean bill of health from Uncle James. He’d cautioned her to avoid getting her wrists wet for a few days, which meant she was off work until the damage had healed some.
Tracy snickered now as she recalled her uncle’s advice to Peter.
“How exactly does one take ‘reflex conditioning’ training?” she asked as they got out of Jordan’s car. They were home, and she, for one, was very glad to be there.
“I have no idea. The better question is, where can I get some smart-ass response training? It would be nice to have a few return zingers on hand for when I need them.”
“True smart-asses don’t rely on a storehouse of canned one-liners.” Jordan announced.
“That’s right,” Tracy agreed. “A true smart-ass comes up with them on the spot, and under pressure, and they are golden.”
“Indeed,” Jordan said. “So don’t worry about it, Peter. Besides, you know what they say.”
“No, what do they say?” Peter asked.
&n
bsp; “For every two smart-asses there should be one straight man,” Tracy said.
“Well damn, that sure as hell lets me out.”
Peter delivered that quip with a good poker face. Tracy laughed so hard she nearly cried.
“There’s hope for you after all,” Jordan said. “This is a proud moment for us all.”
“It’s a good moment,” Peter said. “Because we’re here, the three of us, together, and safe and sound.”
“It’s an important moment,” Tracy said. “The most important moment.” She smiled because, by damn, she discovered she had one bold move left in her after all. “Because in this moment I know that I love you both, and I know in my heart there will never be anyone else for me. Because in this moment I know that I want to marry you both and be with you both for the rest of my life. So, will you? Will you pledge yourselves to me, and to each other, forever?”
“But what about your dream of training to become a world-class pastry chef?” Jordan asked.
The question came so quickly that Tracy knew he hadn’t asked for a commitment because he’d still believed that was her dream.
“That has never been my dream,” Tracy said. Perhaps they saw something in her eyes because Peter took her left hand, and Jordan picked up her right.
Both men brought her hands up at the same time and kissed them, and the kisses felt reverent.
“It would seem I’ve made the same mistake a second time, so let me fix it right now,” Jordan said. “Tracy, what’s your dream?”
“My dream is to marry you, and Peter, and to have your babies. For us to live together, love together, and raise our children together, right here in Lusty, Texas. That has always been my dream.”
“Then I say yes. Yes, I’ll pledge myself to you both, and consider myself the luckiest man in the world. I love you both, more than I ever thought I could love.” Jordan looked at Peter. “Well?”
“Yes.” Peter exhaled on a laugh. “God, yes. I’ve wanted you both, wanted this, since I met you. I love you, Jordan. I love you, Tracy. You’re both it for me.”
Tracy reached for her men, heedless of the discomfort of her wrists. “Please. Let’s make it now. I so very much want you both inside me at the same time. Let’s truly become one flesh.”
“Yes,” Jordan said. “Let’s.”
* * * *
They took the time to make it special, even when they were all shaking with need. With the balcony door open, a fresh, nearly spring breeze danced into the room, flirted with the candles Jordan had lit, and pulsed to the beat of the slow jazz Peter had put on the sound system.
Here was the heart of her home, this bedroom where they loved each other in the most perfect and equal way imaginable.
She and Jordan undressed Peter, together. She kissed the bandage over his arm, being as careful of him as she could. Jordan eased the shirt off him in just as delicate a manner. As recently as a few hours before, such terror had shot through her, terror that one or both of her men would be taken from her. Now they were all here, together, safe.
“I’m not fragile, my loves,” Peter said.
“Fragile? No, you’re not that,” Jordan agreed.
“But you are precious.” Tracy looked from Peter to Jordan. “You are both so very precious to me. And when I think what might have been…” It was a thought she couldn’t finish because it was simply too horrible.
“Then we’re all in the same place, baby.” Peter leaned over and kissed her. “When Ramirez called, when I knew you were in danger, my world damn near shattered.”
“Fucking right.” Jordan cupped her face and kissed her. “That was the worst half hour of my life. You’re precious to the both of us, too, Tracy. Never, ever doubt it.”
Tracy didn’t care if she begged. Pride would never stand between her and her men. “Then show me. Be with me. Be in me. I need you both so much.”
They were careful of her, and removed her clothes gently, until she stood naked with her lovers.
Hunger for them grew in her, and she touched and stroked and tasted. They stood close, so close, not a triangle but a circle of love and desire, of hearts and souls and flesh that yearned for flesh.
She used her mouth to kiss chests, one, then the other, their salty musk becoming hers, their heat and the throbbing of their pulse, hers. She licked Jordan’s nipples and bit lightly, and he groaned with pleasure. His fingers combed through her hair, and his hand cupped her head as he held her to him and kissed Peter.
She wound one arm around Peter’s waist and nuzzled his chest, sampling his taste, drinking him in, then tilted her head to kiss him. She could taste them both in this one sampling, for Jordan’s flavor clung to Peter’s lips.
Their hands stroked her body. Their fingers pinched her nipples and caressed back and forth over her slit until she felt her juices gather. They stroked her until she clenched her inner muscles in response to the arousal that spiraled upwards, sharp and sweet, within her.
Jordan pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His mouth opened over hers, and she tasted the strength of his desire for her. His tongue swept her mouth, to tease and tangle with her own. She pressed closer to him, rubbing her breasts against his finely muscled chest. She loved the sensation of his flesh against hers, the hairs over his pecs seducing her nipples to a hardness of need.
Jordan weaned his lips from hers and cupped her face. “I love you, Tracy. I thought to deny myself my heart’s desire. But no more. I’m taking you. I’m keeping you.” He looked over at the bed, where Peter lay, supine, waiting. “I’m keeping you both.”
“Come here, sweet Tracy. Come and take me into your incredibly luscious body. I need to feel your hot cunt surround my cock.”
She thought to crawl up the bed to him, but Jordan lifted her, carried her, and set her down on their lover—giving her to him in a very real way. She knew he did it to protect her injured self, and she made a sound to let him know she appreciated his care of her—even as she acknowledged to herself that she would never let anything as inconsequential as an injury keep her from loving her men.
Tracy straddled Peter, and took his latex-covered cock into her body. She closed her eyes and hummed with pleasure as she felt his hot flesh go deep inside her. Jordan stood beside them, and she felt his heat close, so very close to her. When he stroked her back, she shivered in pleasure.
“God, the look on your face when I’m inside you…just the look of you makes me hot,” Peter said.
Tracy opened her eyes, her smile unstoppable as she looked down at Peter. His left hand caressed her breasts, his fingers pulled at her nipples.
“Come here, sweetheart. Lay down on me and offer that delicious ass of yours to our lover.”
He wouldn’t let her put any weight on her arms, instead easing her down onto his chest, using both hands, taking her weight even onto his own injured limb. When she made a sound of protest, he said, “Shh, honey. It’s what Kendalls do, and since I’m going to be one, soon…”
Tracy laid her head on Peter’s chest, facing Jordan and so she caught his reaction to Peter’s words. The look of joy on that man’s face warmed her inside and out.
“Come, lover,” Peter said. “Come join us. Come be one with us.”
“Yes,” Jordan said. “Oh, yes, we will be one flesh.”
Tracy watched as Jordan prepared himself, and couldn’t resist the urge to reach out, fist his latex-covered erection. He let her hold him and stroke him, thrusting into her hand.
Then he eased her fingers off him, kissed her hand, and mounted the bed behind her.
The slide of silky gel over her anus made her clutch her inner muscles and thrust her bottom toward Jordan and the delicious sensations he delivered. He inserted one finger into her anus, moving it in and out, moving it around in a circle, stretching her, as he always did. One finger was joined by another, and the slight burning heightened her arousal and made her hungry for more. She moaned, and pushed back, taking those fingers deeper.
He slid his fingers out of her, leaving her feeling bereft. That sensation didn’t last long.
“I’ll be careful, sweetheart.”
She trusted him, trusted both of her lovers, to be careful with her, always. She felt no trepidation, only longing. “Please, Jordan. Fuck me. Fuck my ass.”
“Tracy. God, woman, you enflame me.” He moved closer, and she felt the brush of his thighs against her as he came over her. And then she felt the press of his cock head against her opening.
She loved this, loved the press and the stretch. She loved the heat of his cock as it demanded entrance into her body, as he demanded her complete surrender to his possession.
“Let it go, baby,” Peter urged. His hands caressed up and down her back, and the gentleness of his strokes helped her to relax her hips, to lie even more solidly against him and let her legs release their tension.
“Yeah, just like that.” Jordan’s hands grasped her ass, and he spread her cheeks slightly as he pushed forward. His body tented hers, and she felt his restraint, felt the quiver of his control as his cock breached the outer ring of muscle, and his cockhead entered her. The burning hung there, a solid presence, not unpleasant but a hot, erotic pain that promised greater delights.
“Mm, you just got even tighter, baby,” Peter crooned. And then, “Jordan, you have bliss on your face, my love.”
“I have bliss on the end of my cock. Tracy? Sweetheart, are you—”
“More. Oh, please, I need more.” Nothing mattered but that she receive that promise, that prize.
“Then take more, Tracy. Take me.”
She didn’t understand at first, but then she knew. With tiny little movements she pressed back, and with each undulation, she felt Jordan’s cock slide just a bit deeper, enter her just a bit more completely. Then she moved down, and felt the nudge of Peter’s cock against her cervix, another twinge of pain that fed the flames of her passion.
Covington, Cara - Love Under Two Strong Men [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 20
