Angel Without

by Rhiannon Ayers

  He chuckled. “Are you, now? Hmm, I’ll have to think about this for a moment.” Inwardly, he was doing a victory dance, hearing the way her self-consciousness melted the moment she realized Maddox’s focus was on Riley instead of her. In that instant, she became a passionate, eager young woman, determined to help him fulfill his fantasy.

  Christ God in heaven, he wanted to see her react that way when it came to her own sexual gratification. All in good time—if he could pull this first step off, that is.

  Maddox raised an eyebrow. “You’re absolutely certain this is what you want, angel? I won’t pursue him if you think you might get jealous, or might get hurt seeing me with him. I couldn’t bear that.”

  Amber shook her head fiercely. “Never. Riley is just as important as we are. He wants you, Maddox. Sidri said so herself, and I have yet to see her wrong. He just needs to be told you want him back, so that he knows his feelings are reciprocated. And besides…” Here she trailed off, voice going husky. “I want him, too.”

  Maddox groaned, bent his head to steal another slow, sweet kiss. When he came up for air, he rumbled, “What do you think we should do? How should we approach him?”

  Her eyes were that sultry purple color again, and he couldn’t help stealing another kiss while she gathered her thoughts. Finally, she murmured, “I think…I think he needs to be with you, first.” She ran her thumb along his jaw, touching him voluntarily for the very first time, almost sending Maddox to his knees. “He’s been with women before. But with you, he’ll be a virgin. I think he needs to be with you, alone, the first time. So he can explore you, and let you explore him, without feeling self-conscious.”

  “God, you’re going to kill me, talking sexy like that,” he grated roughly, cinching his hands around her waist and pulling her right to the edge of the counter so her thighs could squeeze his hips. Gratefully, he noted how she didn’t tense up because of him moving too fast, didn’t immediately assume he was about to take his aggression out on her. She was too focused on Riley, too caught up in her fantasy about seeing Maddox and him together, to fall back into her pattern of fear.

  She gave him a naughty little smile, licking her bottom lip sensuously. “I have an idea. If you’re up for it, that is.” And damn if there wasn’t a gleam in her eye from her own double entendre. God damn, she got bold when she wasn’t focused on herself or her perceived shortcomings. Who knew his quiet little angel, who rarely, if ever, spoke above a whisper, could be so fucking sassy?

  “Oh, I’m up for just about anything tonight,” he growled, nipping that bottom lip, then soothing the bite with his tongue. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Is Riley still in the backyard? Does he know you saw him?”

  “He is, and no, I don’t think he realizes he’s been seen. Why?”

  “Invite him inside.”

  He cocked his head. “You’re sure? This is truly what you want?”

  She slid her hands down his shoulders, coming to rest on his forearms as she nodded. “I’ll give you an opening. All you have to do is run with it.”

  Good God, it was like he’d flipped a switch for her. Gone was the terrified little mouse who’d hidden behind the door when he’d walked into her home. Gone was the teary-eyed young woman who honestly believed she didn’t deserve to be loved. In their place, a smoldering vixen now watched him out of those lustful purple eyes, daring him to take her challenge. The transformation was utterly staggering, and if he hadn’t seen it for himself, he would never have believed it.

  She was like an onion. Every time he peeled back a layer, thinking he’d finally made it to her core, she simply revealed more layers beneath. A fascinating, deep, never-ending soul filled with light and darkness in equal measure.

  “All right,” he rasped, lust making his voice growly and deep, “We’ll play your game. But you have to do something for me in return.”

  Immediately, a little spark of her former wariness returned. She tried to hide it, but he saw it anyway. After a pause: “Okay. What do you want?”

  Keeping eye contact, Maddox slowly walked his fingers down her back, traced the waistline of her jeans. “I want to know you’re there with me, listening, enjoying Riley’s sexual awakening as much as he is. You’re going to call me,” he said silkily. “Then you’re going to put the line on speaker, so you can hear everything that goes on on my end of the line. And while you’re listening to us, I want you to get yourself off, as many times as possible. Think you can play that game?”

  Amber’s breathing ratcheted up exponentially, her nipples tightening visibly despite the thick padding of her bra. If she were any other woman, he would rip that sexy little T-shirt off her, pull both cups down, and start suckling those gorgeous tits. Maddox’s hard-on, which had flagged on and off since learning about her horrible treatment, suddenly came screaming back to life. Amber must have seen the arousal darkening his expression, because she shivered and licked those pouty lips again.

  “I want you to keep count,” Maddox purred, loving how erratic her breathing was becoming. “And I want you to tell me how many times you made yourself come while I was busy fucking Riley. Do you have any toys up there?”

  She gasped, shook her head.

  Maddox growled, “Hmm, we’ll have to fix that. First thing tomorrow. Tonight, you’ll have to use whatever comes to hand to get yourself off. As many times as possible. Understand?”

  Did she realize this was part of the game? Did she understand he was already giving her a taste of a true D/s relationship? Probably not. She assumed it was all about power exchange, about specific acts such as restraints or whipping. No one had ever played with her before, dared her to do something uninhibited. She had no idea what she’d been denied when she fell in with a bastard like Brandon.

  But tonight, he was definitely going to expand her education.

  Amber swallowed hard, finally nodded. Her eyes were so bright, so filled with open lust, it took everything he had not to act on her unconscious invitation. Reining in the urge to take her, right here, right now, Maddox took a step back, turned toward the patio doors, and made a come-hither motion with his finger.

  Riley jumped, as if just then realizing he’d been seen. He started to back away, obviously embarrassed, but Maddox shook his head adamantly. He made the gesture again as Amber slid off the counter and marched toward the patio doors. With one smooth motion, she slid both doors wide open.

  “Come inside, Riley. It’s cold out tonight. Much, much hotter in here right now.”

  Chapter 9

  Riley stood in the yard, hands shoved in his pockets to hide a raging hard-on, thinking, This is a bad idea. A very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very bad idea.

  He’d gone to bed early tonight, knowing he’d have to relieve Maddox from his watch over the pixie some time before dawn. When his eyes popped open a little after midnight, he decided to call it close enough and tried to call Maddox to let him know he was on his way. But his boss hadn’t answered his phone. Annoyed because the guy promised to stay in contact at all times, he’d headed for the back door, taking the shortcut across the communal backyard as he made a beeline for Maddox’s place.

  Never got that far.

  Since he had to cross through Amber’s yard to get to Maddox’s place, he decided to check her perimeter, get familiar with the ways in and out so he knew where to keep his focus. He was just completing his circuit when he glanced toward the house and noticed the blinds on the downstairs patio doors were wide open, allowing anyone and everyone to see what went on inside. A scowl darkened his brow when he realized that. Jesus, had Maddox no sense? Amber might not have realized it was a danger, but Maddox should have. If someone did track the pixie to this address, they would still need to figure out which house she was in. And right now, all they would have to do was look right inside her kitchen to find her immediately.

  Fuck it all, this would never do. Determined to talk some sense into both of them, Riley headed for the patio doors.
Halfway there, the rest of the scene registered. Amber, sitting on the kitchen island with her long legs wrapped around Maddox’s waist, the two of them making out like horny teenagers. He froze, equal parts lust and rejection raging through his system. Lust, because seeing them together flipped his switch so hard, his cock could have been used for a baseball bat. Rejection, because if the two of them were together, they would have no use for Riley himself.

  He’d been standing there, watching them, for God knows how long before Maddox suddenly turned and gestured for Riley to join them. He jumped, mortified at having been caught peeping, and started to back away. But Maddox shook his head and made the gesture again, just as the pixie hopped off the counter and pulled the doors open wide.

  “Come inside, Riley. It’s cold out tonight. Much, much hotter in here right now.”

  Cold? He hadn’t noticed. Not when there was a raging inferno inside him. Riley tried to think of a way to refuse without offending her—no way could he go in there, with both of them, and hide how much he wanted them. He had no business intruding on their budding relationship, no business inserting himself where he wasn’t wanted. When he just stood there, staring, Amber huffed an annoyed sigh, marched across the patio, and grabbed hold of his arm. Before he knew what was happening, this tiny little woman who weighed less than half what he did was hauling his ass across her kitchen, plunking him down on a barstool without so much as a by-your-leave.

  “There,” Amber said, as if she’d accomplished something noteworthy. She gave Riley a little grin, making his lower belly contract with sudden lust. “Maddox got us some pizza. Let me heat you up a couple slices.” And she turned to the microwave.

  Blinking, Riley looked up at Maddox, who stood beside him. The taller man gave him a wink, then bent and placed a hand on Riley’s shoulder, bringing his lips to within an inch of Riley’s ear. He froze, suddenly inundated by the heat of Maddox’s body standing so close. His breath on Riley’s ear, the strength in the hand that gripped his shoulder, that deep, growly rumble as he spoke in a whisper, all of it combined into a tornado of lust so strong, Riley could have come with a single touch to his aching dick.

  “Be careful,” Maddox whispered, making Riley shiver. His strong fingers squeezed, almost rocketing Riley off his barstool. “She’s comfortable now, but she’s still afraid of me. I’m glad you showed up. With both of us, she might just loosen up a little.”

  Jesus Christ.

  Too turned on to form words just then, Riley simply nodded, afraid to look into Maddox’s eyes lest the older man see the lust raging through him. Standing this close, he could smell the guy’s aftershave, his cologne, and a hint of some exotic spice that had to be uniquely Maddox. Fuck, he’d never thought of scent as something erotic before. Especially not from another dude. Every time he thought he was getting used to his desire for Maddox, something like this would happen, making him question it all over again.

  Riley was not gay. He had no desire whatsoever to fuck other dudes. In all his life, he’d never once seen another guy as a sexual object, never once had this overwhelming desire to touch and taste and explore. It made no sense. None. Guys were either straight, or they weren’t. Nobody switched teams right in the middle of the game.

  So why the fuck was Riley feeling this way? What was it about Maddox himself that could make Riley start questioning everything he’d ever known about his own sexuality? There was no rhyme or reason to any of this shit.

  Maddox finally let go of his shoulder, and Riley breathed a silent sigh of relief. He turned his attention toward the pixie, who was leaning on the counter next to the microwave, watching his food heat. Nice of her, to offer him food, then heat it up herself. Made him all warm inside, having her take care of him. Warmed particular parts of him that had no business getting any warmer, damn it.

  “Uh, look, guys. I should just go…”

  “Nonsense,” Amber said, flashing him a too-fucking-cute smile over her shoulder. “Best way to a man’s heart is food, right? Hang out with us while you eat. Promise we won’t bore you.”

  As if that were even remotely possible. But Riley managed a smile, glancing up as Maddox grabbed a bar stool, sat down next to him. He reached across the kitchen island and pulled a piece of pizza out of the box, set it down in front of him, and started picking some of the toppings off. Riley watched, wondering what the hell he was doing—they’d ordered this same pie just the other day, and Maddox hadn’t pulled any toppings off that one. But the microwave dinged before he could ask, and the pixie appeared with his two slices of pizza on a wad of napkins.

  He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “No plates?”

  She shook her head, settling on a bar stool on Riley’s opposite side. Huh. He’d have thought they’d sit next to each other, start getting cozy. Obviously, Amber wasn’t as afraid of Maddox as she had been, if she was willing to play a little tonsil hockey with the guy. Maybe they thought Riley hadn’t seen them, were trying to make him more comfortable by hiding their association.

  “Everything happened so fast today,” Amber said in that soft, silky voice of hers, “we forgot groceries. And nobody realized the house was furnished, but not stocked with other necessities.” She glanced over at Maddox, who was now standing in front of the microwave, waiting for his piece to heat. There was a little pile of meat—looked like Italian sausage—on the napkin in front of his seat.

  “Actually, I was planning on asking you about that. Both of you, I mean. Sidri said I shouldn’t go anywhere alone. I thought…well, I hoped you might be willing to…to go with me, tomorrow.” Amber blushed, her cheeks so adorably pink he wanted to taste her to see if she was as sweet as she looked. “If it’s okay with Maddox, I mean. You could just take me to Walmart or Target, somewhere we can get food and plates and utensils and things. All in one stop. We wouldn’t be away too long, I promise.”

  Riley choked back a groan at the thought of spending the day with her. “Sure, I’ll take you,” he managed to rasp, cursing himself for letting that double-meaning slip through. “Come by my place whenever you’re ready tomorrow.”

  Amber beamed at him, her blue eyes sparkling impossibly bright. The microwave dinged, saving him from having to say anything else damning. Maddox pulled the door open, whisked his pizza out—and plunked it down in front of Amber.

  “Eat that,” he told the pixie, his deep voice incredibly sexy as he issued that command. “You didn’t finish yours earlier. I already got the sausage. Eat up.”

  Amber blinked at him, blinked at her pizza, then blinked at him again. “How…how did you know I don’t like sausage?”

  Maddox rolled his eyes as he settled back on his barstool, taking a piece of pizza out of the box and eating a bite cold. “You picked all the sausage off your first piece. I was sitting right here. How could I not notice?”

  Amber just sat there, mouth hanging open, as if utterly stunned. Fuck, had no one ever done anything nice for her before? Not even something as simple as paying attention to what foods she liked? What the hell kind of people had she been hanging around? Afraid his scowl would alarm her, Riley buried his face in his pizza, but not before he and Maddox exchanged significant looks. After a moment, Amber took her piece in trembling hands and started to eat. The three of them sat in companionable silence for a time, just eating. It was…nice. Relaxed. Except for the battering ram shoved in his shorts, he could almost believe they were just friends hanging out.

  But they weren’t. And the longer they sat there, on either side of him so he could feel the heat of both their bodies, the hornier he got.

  Finally, Maddox broke the rising sexual tension. “What you said earlier,” he murmured, eyes trained on Amber as she nibbled her pizza, “about wanting to help kids. Have you spoken to your brother about that?”

  She cocked her head. “No. It hasn’t come up. Why?”

  “You might want to talk to him. I think he might have a few suggestions. In fact, I know he would.”

  “Like w
hat?”

  Maddox winced a little. “I can’t tell you, angel. I’m not allowed to disclose business arrangements made by Sidri and Tatum. It’s something they’ve commissioned Konstruction Kings to do, so I’m obligated to honor the confidentiality agreement until the project is finished. But, Allen is the mastermind, and if you tell him you want to help, I know he’ll take you up on it.”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll do that. Thanks.”

  “You want to help kids?” Riley asked curiously. Two pieces of pizza were nothing to a guy his size, and his were long gone. “Is that what you do for a living?”

  The pixie shook her head, told him about her job as a receptionist. “But, after all this craziness, I might not have a job anymore,” she said with a pained sigh. “Maddox and I were talking earlier, about what I would do if they did fire me.” Her blue eyes fastened on Maddox, shining. “Thanks.”

  Then she turned those gorgeous eyes his way. “What about you, Riley? Have you always been in construction?”

  Fuck, he did not want to get into this with the two of them. Sighing inwardly, Riley shrugged with one shoulder. “Nah.”

  Instead of taking the hint, Amber seemed to view his reticence as a challenge. “What did you do before, then? I’m guessing military.”

  Despite himself, Riley laughed. “Right in one. I went into the Army straight out of school.” He paused, pushing back all the horrible memories that tried to engulf him the moment he said the words. Swallowing hard, he continued. “Got out about a year and a half ago. But there weren’t many jobs for vets in my hometown, so Mom put me on a bus to the big city. Maddox had a want ad in the paper. I answered it, and here we are. Not much interesting about me, I’m afraid.”

  “Where’s your hometown?” Maddox rumbled, that deep voice doing all sorts of naughty things to Riley’s hard-on.

  He shifted uncomfortably. “Wimberley.”

  To his surprise, Amber laughed. “I know Wimberley. Best BBQ in the state of Texas.”