He managed to yell a warning she ignored and wrenched him into the most intense orgasm he’d ever had in his life. He spurted deep into her throat and she swallowed him before she started to shake and came again.
Jelani wore a Cheshire cat’s grin when he popped up from underneath her. He helped lift Jessica’s boneless body into Marcario’s lap before flopping down on the couch next to him and pulling her legs into his lap.
Marcario didn’t have to ask what his brother was thinking. It was written all over Jelani’s face. They were both in love with Jess, and they were going to have to have a talk about what to do with the rest of their lives.
Chapter Fourteen
Jessica’s body felt pleasantly worn out the next morning. She lay there enjoying the drifting feeling of not quite being awake and not quite asleep at the same time. A large male body rested against her, snoring softly into her neck. The warm breath comforted her, making her feel cherished.
She peeked open one eye and looked around. The hand lying on her chest had a large ring on the middle finger, letting her know that it was Marcario. The delicious scent of coffee tickled her senses. She wasn’t a big coffee drinker, but she did love the way it smelled. Carefully she disengaged herself from Marcario and slipped from the bed. After stepping into the bathroom for a moment, she walked down the short hallway into the kitchen. Jelani sat there with a coffee in hand, tapping on one key on his laptop. She must have made a noise because he looked up at her and held out his hand.
“Come look at these, Jessica.”
She stepped over to him and slipped her hand into his. “What is it?”
“Pictures from yesterday.”
Oh, hell no. The last thing she wanted to see was what she looked like all tied up with her fuller bits bulging out. It was an incredible memory for her that she didn’t want ruined by reality. She tried to tug her hand away but he wouldn’t let go. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t like looking at myself.”
Amazement colored Jelani’s features. “Why not?” He tugged her hand as he put his coffee mug down on the table next to the laptop. “Come sit on my lap for a moment.”
“No.”
“Sit on my lap, or I’ll wake up Marcario and make him tie you to a chair.”
He would do it, too. She enjoyed what they did last night, but wasn’t too sure about being secured to the furnishings. She like the way her body moved when suspended. Jelani wrapped an arm around her hips and tugged her into his lap. She relaxed against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. This isn’t all that bad.
“Now was that so hard?” He tapped on a couple keys and pointed at the laptop. “Look at that one. This is one of my favourites.”
Jessica took a deep breath and peeked over at the screen. What she saw couldn’t have shocked her more. The light of the window put her and Marcario in slight shadows, but she could still see the looks on their faces. He was on his knees in front of her, his hands cupping her cheeks. She was suspended and floating in the air, with him on his knees in front of her. He looked so powerful, strong legs braced apart, and his body straight. But he cupped her face and looked at her as if she was his all-powerful goddess.
She remembered that exact moment. He asked her if she was all right. The picture expressed so much more, everything they didn’t say to each other.
“Oh my god, Jelani. How did you manage to capture this so perfectly?”
“It wasn’t hard. I looked at the two of you and saw exactly what I was feeling.”
Jessica didn’t know what to say. She wanted so desperately to believe that wouldn’t leave her. She knew they were her mates, and she would never be truly complete or happy without them. But she wasn’t going to force them to choose between her and what they wanted in life. They wanted to help save the world, a world she didn’t really have a place in. Her place was here, fielding Gordon’s phone calls and keeping him organized.
Jelani tapped on a key and another picture appeared on the screen. The next one stole her breath with its intensity. It was a close-up of her upper chest and face. She could see the distinct marks from the ropes on her skin and Marcario’s large hand wrapped possessively over one breast. Her head was tilted back and her face wore an expression of incredible ecstasy. Marcario’s face was buried in her neck in a classic gothic pose.
“Did you touch these up?”
Jelani gave her an incredulous look. “Hell no. That is how we see you, Jessica.”
“But this isn’t how I really look.”
“Yes, it is.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her shoulder. “Why don’t you ask yourself how we can see you like this, but you can’t?”
“I don’t know.” She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the pictures.
“I live for the day you figure it out.” He got up and placed her in the chair.
“Where are you going?” Part of her worried that he was mad at her, but the grin on his lips reassured her.
“I’m going to go get some more wood from out back for the woodstove. They are calling for another big storm, and I don’t want to have to leave if I don’t have to.”
“I should head back to Gordon’s place. With everything taken care of now I guess I want to get back to my routine.” She glanced back at the screen and quickly became absorbed in the pictures there. She continued to flip through them. Curious, she backed out of that file and clicked on the next one.
He must have taken these in Africa. The sights took her breath away. The sun rising over a grassy field with a large lion sitting on a rock in the distance. Another of a huge iridescent butterfly sitting on an emerald-green leaf. She tabbed through incredible picture after picture, until the image of a small child popped onto the screen. Not much older than a toddler, the child looked so peaceful. A sunbeam highlighted the child’s hand as if the baby held on to it. There were many pictures of this child. In a few, the child was smiling into the camera.
Jess touched the screen, absorbed with this child’s image. Did Jelani father a child in Africa? Is that why there were so many pictures?
“Why are you looking at those?”
Jess felt her entire body twitch in surprise. With her hearing it was rare that anyone snuck up on her, but she was so absorbed in the pictures she didn’t hear Jelani come back in. He stood behind her with his arms filled with wood, a frown drawing his eyebrows together.
“I’m sorry.” She quickly moved the mouse and clicked on the little “x.” He had every right to be angry for her snooping, but part of her was really hurt by it. “I shouldn’t have looked in any other files.”
“No, stop.” Jelani dropped the wood into the basket next to the woodstove. Brushing off his hands, he kicked his boots off next to the door and came back to the chair.
“Her name was Kianga.”
Jess didn’t miss the pain-filled edge to his voice when he said was. Her heart tightened in sympathy. “Was she your child?”
“In a way, yes, but I didn’t father her, if that is what you are asking. She was abandoned at the clinic. Her family had to move on and she was too sick to travel, so they left without her.”
“Oh, that’s so sad.”
“Poor baby was all alone and sick, and had no one to take care of her. I tried my best. I really did, but her little malnourished body couldn’t withstand the ravages of a disease.”
“Did she have AIDS?”
“Yes, among a host of other complications. The night that Marcario was hurt, our clinic was attached by mercenaries looking for drugs to sell. They took everything, and anyone who tried to stop them was killed.
“I don’t know if she would have survived anyway, but with the antibiotics gone, she didn’t have a chance.” Jelani rubbed at the moisture that gathered in his eyes. “I held on to her and rocked her. She didn’t have anyone who cared about her. I can’t stand the thought of her being so young and all alone like that, knowing that no one loved you.”
“I bet her mother did.”
Je
lani looked at her in shock. “What kind of mother leaves her sick child behind and takes off?”
“One who knows she isn’t able to care for her. She knew that you could care for her and perhaps cure her baby. If she took Kianga with her then the child wouldn’t have had a chance at all.” Jess could understand Jelani’s anger toward Kianga’s mother, but he wasn’t looking at the big picture.
“I never thought of it that way.”
“Maybe because I wasn’t there I can give you a more objective viewpoint. Kianga’s mother left her child with a man who she thought would be caring and perhaps heal her child. She left not knowing if her child would live or die and she might never know what happened to her. But the mother has a memory of you caring for her daughter and keeping her safe.”
Jelani nodded slightly and rested his face into the crook of her neck and held on to her. She could hear the ragged edge to his breathing and gently stroked his hair until he calmed himself. Jelani’s heart was a big as the forest surrounding them, and she couldn’t imagine the pain he was carrying with Kianga’s memory.
They were alike in that way. He had his memories on his laptop and she had hers in an old photo album. She heard Marcario stirring upstairs and held her finger up to her lips when he entered the room. He glanced at the two of them and then at the computer screen. He winked at her and then patted his brother on the back of a shoulder before going over to make himself a cup of coffee.
Jelani lifted his head and quickly swiped at his eyes before lifting his head up to meet her gaze. There was lightness to his features, and she wondered what kind of weight he had been carrying about with those pictures.
“You are an amazing woman.” He leaned forward and Jessica welcomed the feel of his lips against his. She felt safe in his arms and in a small way she hoped she helped him heal some of those memoires that kept him up at night.
“How long have you been up?”
“A few minutes,” Jessica replied.
“I’ve been up long enough to make a pot of coffee and upload some pictures from yesterday.” He closed Kianga’s file and opened the one he was looking at originally. “I slept through the night,” he added. “I think having Jessica between us helped.”
“That’s because I keep you warm.”
Jelani grinned as he lifted her up into his arms. “You’re much nicer to snuggle up to than a rolled-up electric blanket.”
Jessica hugged him but avoided meeting Marcario’s gaze over Jelani’s shoulder. She had never felt so happy in her entire life, but she knew that it all was going to come to an end. They were going to leave, and she was going to have to figure out how to function without them.
Chapter Fifteen
Marcario tossed his duffel bag into the back of the pickup truck as Jess’s car roared up the short drive. He watched in horror as she slammed on the brakes, her car skidding to a stop mere inches from his bumper.
“Have you lost your mind?” She could have rear-ended his truck and sent herself through the windshield. His heart clenched in response to that thought. He would make certain that she wouldn’t feel a moment of pain for the rest of her life. Jess wasn’t completely out of her vehicle when he was there to make certain that she didn’t slip on the ice.
She looked completely pissed off. If the glare he was getting was any indication, he was the focus of her fury. The thing was, he couldn’t think of a single thing he and Jelani had done wrong. They hadn’t let Jess out of their sight for the past week, except when she was working with Gordon. They hadn’t really let her out of bed much either, but no one was complaining about that. He and Jelani had a long talk about their plans the other day, and came to a couple solid conclusions about their future.
“I don’t believe you two!” she snapped as she jerked her arm out of his hand. She poked him in the chest with one finger as she shouted. “You weren’t going to tell me, were you? You both were going to leave, and that was that?”
The front door of the cottage slammed and Jelani stomped down the stairs as he pulled on his winter coat. “Why are you two yelling at each other, and why wouldn’t you do it in the house where it’s warm?”
“Because, I’m so incredibly angry at both of you!” She stomped her foot in place and poked Marcario in the chest again. “I never thought either of you would do that.”
“What is she talking about?”
Marcario rubbed at the spot on his chest where she kept poking him. How the hell did she find out? He exchanged a look with his brother. Jelani looked a hint guilty, and Marcario could have kicked him in the shins for it.
“I knew it!”
His brother couldn’t lie worth a damn. “Jess, hear us out.”
“No. I can’t believe the nerve of both of you.”
“You don’t understand.” Jelani tried to reason with her. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m not made of spun glass, dammit. I might not be a big predator, but I can kick like a bitch.”
Jelani grunted when she nailed him in the chest with her little finger. This is not how I wanted to have this conversation. His brother grabbed both her hands and held tight. “Jessica, you don’t understand.”
“You are a crazy woman, did you know that?”
“Me? I’m not crazy. I’m not trying to deny what is here between the three of us. The two of you are planning to go back to Africa without me.”
Marcario froze for a moment with surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“The Congo, sick people, high risk. I did some research and there is no way you are going there without me.”
“There is no fucking way you are going to the goddamn Congo,” Jelani snapped. Despite the anger in his tone, Marcario could see the sick look on his brother’s face. It echoed the one he felt in the pit of his stomach.
“Jelani’s right, Jess. It’s too unstable there, and the dangers are even higher for women.”
“I don’t care. I love you, and I’m not going to let you leave without me.”
“You really think you have a say in the matter, Jess?” Marcario stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. Jelani’s position mirrored his as he stood next to him.
“Yes I do, dammit. I love you both, and I’m not willing to allow you to take off and leave me behind.”
* * * *
“Well, it’s about fucking time.” Jelani grinned at her as Marcario scooped her up and hugged her close to his body. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she locked her feet together at his lower back. He loved the feel of her in his arms.
“Okay, what is going on here?”
“Jessica, do you really think for one second we would leave you behind?”
“Then what is with all the stuff in your truck?”
Jelani walked over and pulled back the tarp. Inside was a series of tubes and wires and mechanical stuff. “That looks like solar panels of some kind.”
“They are solar panels for heating up water. We’re going to install them on the roof and see if we can cut down on how much we use the water heater. Instead of using it to heat the water, it will be used to keep the water a steady temperature, and that way we’ll cut down on the electricity.”
“It’s another of Vencel’s experiments?”
“Yup.” Marcario headed toward the house and Jelani re-covered the back of the truck.
“Then why did you tell Catherine that you and Jelani weren’t going to be around for much longer?”
“That’s not exactly what we said.” Marcario entered the house, and Jelani closed the door behind them. She couldn’t look away from Marcario’s gaze as she felt Jelani pulling her boots off.
“We said that we needed to go and get a few things together before coming back and settling down around here.”
“Like what kind of things?”
Jelani scooped her out of Marcario’s arms. “Things like permits and stuff.”
“More like looking into licenses.” Marcario kicked off his boots and followed them up the stairs.
He stripped off his clothes as he followed, and Jessica obviously forgot what she was talking about. All her focus was on the hungry expression and the naked skin he was revealing. By the time they reached the bedroom he was naked, and her pussy was soaked again.
Jelani lowered her feet to the floor, and Marcario stepped forward to wrap his arms around her. His cock was already hard and pressed against her tummy as he stroked her back.
“You’re not going to go back to Africa without me?” Surprise edged away the sick fear and led to a certain understanding of what she was doing. Jelani stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her chest.
“Jess, we have no intentions of leaving you behind, or going back to the Congo. And we both love you, too.”
She lifted her face from Marcario’s chest and looked up at him. “Really?”
“Of course, Jess. We’re tired of the constant heat and bugs in Africa.” Marcario grinned down at her, deliberately misunderstanding her.
“Well maybe not the heat, but definitely the bugs.” Jelani pressed a kiss to her temple. “Neither of us can imagine doing anything without you between us. There are lots of places in the world that are more stable the Africa right now.
Marcario gave her a quick kiss. “We can stay here and help out locally now as well. I’ve been talking to Habitat for Humanity, and they put me on the list as a builder.”
“And I’m thinking about opening a clinic.” Jelani added, “There’s a real shortage of doctors up here, especially ones with experience with humans and shifters.”
Marcario cupped her cheeks and looked her straight in the eye. “Did you really think we would leave you behind, Jess?”
“Don’t you understand how much you mean to each of us?” Jelani whispered in her ear. “You are ours. That’s a forever thing.”
Obsessed with Fur [3xtasy Lake 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 15
