Angel Without

by Rhiannon Ayers

  And then Maddox sent her right over the edge. He pulled off her aching nipple, pressed his lips right against her ear, and whispered, “Come.”

  Time stopped.

  Then the orgasm was ripping through her, tearing a scream out of her throat as it turned her universe inside out. Her whole body shook as wave after wave of pure, unadulterated bliss shot through every single fiber of her being. The pleasure was so intense, so awe-inspiring, she finally understood why the French called it “the little death.”

  She was still reeling, panting uncontrollably, when both men suddenly released her legs and rose to their knees on either side of her. Amber watched, unable to do anything but fight to bring air into her aching lungs, as Maddox and Riley both tore their boxers down in front and whipped out their cocks. She still couldn’t see any details, but even in the dark, she could tell both men were absolutely huge. Riley palmed his erection, his head falling back as a groan boiled from his throat. Maddox did the same, never taking his eyes off Amber’s face as he started stroking himself, hard and fast. Riley copied him, and soon both men were panting, their thighs quivering hard enough to shake the bed beneath them. Amber held her breath and watched, mesmerized, as both men stroked themselves once, twice, three times.

  Then Riley threw back his head, a strangled moan pouring from his throat as she felt the first searing hot jets of seed hit her breasts. Amber gasped, an aftershock ripping through her pussy as Riley decorated her skin in liquid fire. Maddox detonated a moment later, his cry more guttural, as he added his load to Amber’s quaking body. Both men shook with the force of their simultaneous orgasms.

  A long, long time afterward, when Amber could finally breathe again, Riley lay down next to her while Maddox rose. He went to the bathroom, returned immediately. Amber shuddered as she felt him stroke her body with a warm, wet cloth, cleaning their cum from her breasts. When he dipped between her legs, she bit back sudden tears.

  Afterward, Maddox climbed into bed on her other side. Amber was drifting in a euphoric haze when she felt Riley lift her bodily. She frowned, started to ask him what he was doing, when he turned both of them so they were lying on their sides, but with Amber now on the outermost edge. Riley settled his arms around her, giving her his left bicep for a pillow as he wrapped the other around her waist. He sighed contentedly as they both felt Maddox shift forward, settle against Riley’s back. His big hand joined Riley’s over her stomach, and she knew all three of them were spooned together now, with Riley happily in the middle. Smiling softly to herself, Amber started to ask both of them something—

  And promptly fell asleep.

  Chapter 14

  Maddox stood at the foot of his bed, watching his lovers sleep, and thought, Now that’s a sight I could get used to seeing every morning.

  A shiver wracked his frame, and he thrust that uncomfortable thought aside. Quietly, he approached the side of the bed and leaned over Riley, shook his shoulder lightly. Riley snorted, wrapping his arms more firmly around Amber’s sleeping form. Maddox smiled softly, shaking his head. He shook the man again.

  Riley’s eyes popped open, blinking up at Maddox. “Hey, baby,” he mumbled sleepily.

  Maddox’s heart turned over in his chest, hearing that quiet endearment. He cleared his throat and whispered, “Hey. Just letting you know I’m going to take off.”

  Riley blinked again, looking too fucking cute with his sleep-rumpled hair. “Time is it?”

  Maddox couldn’t help caressing one of those bare shoulders, wishing desperately he could crawl right back into bed with them. “Around 6:30.”

  Riley frowned. “Why didn’t you wake me? We need to get back to work on the drywall.”

  Maddox shook his head. “I do. You don’t. You’re hanging out with Amber today, remember? I would have let you sleep in, but I didn’t want you to worry if you woke up and I wasn’t in bed with you guys. I left some cash by your jeans, so you can cover Amber’s purchases when you go. You take care of her today, and I’ll see you both later, okay?”

  Riley nodded, glancing at the woman still cuddled in his arms. Amber was curled into a ball on her side, wrapped around Riley’s arm like it was her favorite teddy bear. The sheet had gotten pulled down around her hips, revealing a mouth-watering glimpse of those bare breasts. She looked so innocent, so peaceful, sleeping there. Riley turned those aqua-blue eyes back toward Maddox, and they shared a soft smile.

  “I’ll come to the work site after we get back from Wally World,” the big man whispered.

  Maddox nodded, a lump in his throat. He flashed Riley an appreciative smile, then high-tailed it out of there before his wayward emotions could get the better of him. Closing and locking the front door behind him, he walked toward the far end of the townhouse complex, trying to get himself into work mode.

  Knowing it was impossible.

  Last night had been…Fuck, he didn’t even know what last night was. First the soul-baring conversation with Amber. Then the heady experience of claiming Riley for his own. Both of those intense, life-changing events followed by Riley revealing the horror that happened to his sister. And finally, the scene with Amber, him and Riley taking her to orgasm repeatedly.

  The whole thing was surreal. Last night was affecting him more than any other major event in his life, bar none. Who could have predicted that, in a single day, he would meet a woman who turned his whole universe on its ear, claim the man he’d wanted for over a year, and end up sleeping in the same bed with both of them?

  I’m in love with them, Maddox admitted silently. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m in love with both of them. What was supposed to be great sex is turning into something much, much bigger than I ever anticipated. Even when I was imagining the three of us becoming a permanent triad, I didn’t consider the emotional impact of claiming two lovers. What the fuck am I supposed to do?

  Cursing, Maddox veered toward his truck. Climbing into the driver’s seat, he revved the engine, but didn’t put it in gear. With all the windows up and the air conditioning running, no one would be able to hear the conversation he was about to have. A pained sigh pulled from his chest as he took out his phone, dialed Sidri’s number, and put it to his ear.

  “You’re up early,” Sidri said the moment she answered.

  Maddox grimaced. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

  She snorted. “Can’t wake someone who hasn’t slept.”

  “What? You haven’t been to bed? Is everything okay?”

  Her smile was evident in the tone of her voice. “We’re fine, Maddie. Allen and I have a major deadline to meet, that’s all. The meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., and we had a couple of problems to work out. The three of us ended up just staying at the office so we could finish and be ready in time. We’ll go home and get some sleep after our meeting. Now, what’s up? Why are you calling me so early? Is Amber okay?”

  Maddox sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes. “She’s…fine. I found out a little more about what happened to her. Why she’s afraid of Doms, I mean. Thought you might want to know…and might have some advice to help me get her past it.”

  “Talk,” Sidri said flatly, suddenly all business.

  He told her everything he knew, and everything he suspected. “She doesn’t even realize she was abused,” he growled through gritted teeth. “Her very first sexual experience was with that bastard, and it was couched in terms of teaching her to be a sub. She had no way of knowing he was twisting everything to serve himself. And because she was turned on by the thought of being restrained, she honestly thought she was getting what she asked for whenever that asshole abused her. It makes me sick, Sid. Her ex completely fucked up her perception of sex.”

  He paused, swallowed hard. “It kills me, seeing her cringe whenever I get close to her. She’s still afraid of me. If it wasn’t for Riley…”

  “Ah, so that part of the plan went as scheduled, did it?” Sidri said with a sultry chuckle. “I thought it might. So you fin
ally claimed him?”

  Maddox groaned. “You and your goddamn plans, Sid. Yeah, I claimed him. It was the only way I could think of to let Amber see what a real D/s relationship looked like without having her be the focus. You knew, didn’t you?”

  “I suspected,” she said smugly. Maddox rolled his eyes, glad she couldn’t see him. “Since Allen hasn’t gotten any frantic phone calls from Amber, begging us to take her somewhere else, I guess it went well?”

  “The three of us slept in the same bed, so yeah, it went as well as could be expected. I just don’t know where to go from here. She’s still afraid. I did what I could last night, but…” He paused, squeezing the bridge of his nose with frustration. “I just don’t know how else to convince her.”

  “Hmm,” Sidri said thoughtfully. She was silent for a time, obviously giving his problem serious consideration. “I do have a few suggestions, but you aren’t going to like any of them.”

  Maddox groaned. “Just tell me. I’ll take any advice I can get at this point.”

  “You’re going to have to wait.”

  “Wait for what?” he asked, thoroughly confused.

  She sighed deeply. “For her to make the first move, Maddox. Lord knows it’s against both of our natures, but that’s the only way you’re going to get anywhere with her. You have to wait for her to initiate sex. It has to be her choice, right from the first moment. Otherwise, she’ll revert back to fearing you. You can’t pressure her in any way. You have to let her spread her wings, let her feel brave and bold for daring to make a move on you.”

  Maddox cursed a blue streak. “I knew you were going to say something like that,” he groaned, hating that she was right. “Goddamn it, Sid, how the hell am I supposed to keep my hands off her? Or Riley? How the fuck am I supposed to pretend I don’t want either one of them when I’m sitting here with a hard-on just talking about them?”

  Sidri chuckled appreciatively. “Oh, honey, I didn’t say you had to pretend you don’t want them. In point of fact, you most definitely should not hide how much you want Amber—she needs to know, every moment of every day, exactly how much you want her. You need to tease her, get her revved up. The more she feels your desire, the bolder she’ll get.”

  Maddox cursed quietly, viciously. “You’re going to kill me, Sid. And so is Amber, if it takes her more than a day to get her courage up. Self-combustion is a real possibility here.”

  “Aww, poor Maddox,” Sidri said sweetly, sarcastically. Then she sobered. “I told you, you wouldn’t like it. But you know I’m right.”

  “Yeah, damn it, I do. What about Riley?”

  “You’ll have a little more leeway there, I think.” She paused, and he could picture her biting her lip, thinking hard, using that freaky telepathy of hers to predict the actions of a man she knew only by proxy. “She’s not afraid of Riley. Therefore, he can initiate sex with both of you, and she won’t freak out. But until she invites you to touch her deliberately, you’ll have to keep your attention on him. Let her see how you are with him, let her see how you play with another sub, and she’ll start understanding on a visceral level that you won’t use your nature against her. Keep Riley in the middle for a while.”

  A little of his tension bled away. “So I did the right thing, last night. Thank God.”

  “You did,” she reassured him. “You’re going to be fine, Maddox. Trust your instincts—I always have.”

  And she hung up on him.

  Maddox blinked at the phone as the screen went dead. “And good-bye to you, too,” he said with a sigh. Cursing again, he popped the truck’s door open and stepped out of the cab, shoving the phone back in his pocket. He ran both hands over his face, sucked in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Then he turned back toward the townhouse they were gutting and tried to get his head on straight for the day ahead.

  At least Riley would be with her today. He’d seen the way the other man could make her laugh, make her comfortable enough to smile and make sassy little jokes. Maybe he could get Amber to open up a little, make her feel sheltered in his company. Then, when Maddox returned to them, she’d be feeling looser, more relaxed.

  God, he hoped so. Because despite how necessary he knew it was, he also knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her. Not two nights in a row. Watching Riley eat her out and finger that sweet little pussy had been pure torture. After forgoing women for the past six years, he found himself nearly going insane with the desire to touch and taste, to feel his cock sliding into slick, wet heat. Only the knowledge that she was just as turned on by Maddox’s quiet commands had kept him from joining the other man. It had taken every scrap of willpower he possessed to stay hands-off, especially having both of them in his bed with him.

  If he had to do it a second time, he’d go up in flames.

  * * * *

  Riley waited until he heard the door slam and the key turn in the lock before turning his attention to the woman sleeping in his arms. God, she was so tiny. He could wrap both arms around her and himself in one go. But she was all woman, those gorgeous, plump tits and that heart-shaped ass being proof positive of that. The thought made his morning wood stiffen instantly.

  Shit. He shouldn’t be doing this. Not without Maddox. Never having been in a relationship with two people before—okay, to be honest, he’d never even been in a relationship with one person before, but that was neither here nor there—he wasn’t quite sure of the rules. Would Maddox freak if he found out they had sex without him? Would he be jealous? Would he think Riley wanted Amber all to himself? He couldn’t answer those questions—therefore, his aching dick would just have to suffer a little more.

  He must have made a sound—probably a groan of protest—because Amber suddenly shifted. Blinking sleepily, she glanced at him over her shoulder and gifted him with a soft smile. “Hey.”

  Throat tight, Riley whispered, “Hey. You sleep okay?”

  She nodded, yawning wide enough to crack her jaw, making him wince in sympathy. “You?”

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Maddox went to the work site already, but he said we’re cool to go get your goodies this morning. Why don’t you hop in the shower while I make us some coffee, okay? It’s early, but the Wally World over here is open twenty-four hours. We can get your stuff and be back before the lunch rush.”

  Her blue eyes widened, a too-fucking-cute look of shock overtaking her beautiful face. “There’s a lunch rush?” she asked incredulously. “At Walmart?”

  He snorted. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t you know? That’s when all the stay-at-home moms do their shopping, and when all the working-class folks pop in for the stuff they forgot to get last night when they went grocery shopping. Duh.”

  She giggled, rolled her eyes. “I’ll have to take your word for it. I’ve never been to Walmart before.”

  Now it was Riley’s turn to look shocked. “Seriously? Like, ever?”

  To his surprise, she blushed and looked away. “My father wouldn’t let us…go to stores like that.” She paused, grimaced with embarrassment. “He said we were too good to shop there. With the quote-unquote ‘little people.’ I hated it when he said things like that.”

  Hating that she was feeling so self-conscious about her father’s bad attitude, he tried to lighten the mood. “Well then you, my dear, are in for a real treat.” He leaned forward, snuck a kiss on those achingly soft lips, and jumped out of bed. “You go get that shower,” he said, ignoring her squeak of protest as he dragged the comforter off her, exposing her nakedness. “I’ll make coffee, get my shower after you, and then you will have the pleasure of shopping at the world’s best cheap-ass store on the planet.”

  Amber laughed out loud, making his heart do a funny little dance in his chest. “You just repeated yourself,” she said cheekily.

  He rolled his eyes as he pulled on shorts and jeans, leaving his chest bare for the moment. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You college types and your stupid grammar rules. I talk just fine, get me?”

  She l
aughed again, her blue eyes flashing with mirth, then disappeared into the bathroom. Riley closed his eyes, forced himself to take a deep breath. Seeing her naked, lying in the middle of Maddox’s bed, sent lava boiling through his veins. Thank God she hadn’t noticed his hard-on, because there was no way he could have prevented it from coming up.

  Damn, this was going to be harder than he thought. Literally and figuratively.

  The shower turned on—and immediately, Riley was inundated by images of Amber’s sexy curves dripping with water, droplets beading on her nipples, in the light blonde hair at the apex of her sex. Choking back a curse, he bolted down the stairs, lest his willpower fail and he have no choice but to join her in there. Shaking with the force of the lust washing through him, he made a beeline for the kitchen.

  Twenty minutes later, he was standing in the kitchen, empty coffee cup in hand, contemplating the mostly-full pot still sitting in the brewer. He was wondering whether he should go ahead and have a second cup when he felt a feather-light touch on his shoulder.

  “Jesus Christ!” Riley yelped, jumping straight up and whirling around to find Amber standing behind him, a look of bemusement on her face. “Holy fuck, you’re like a mini ninja. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

  She giggled, those big blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “I most certainly did not sneak.”

  Riley growled, circled her waist with both hands, and lifted her up onto the counter next to the coffee pot. “Yes, missy, you damn sure did. Keep it up, and I’ll have to put a bell around your neck.”

  Amber settled her hands around his shoulders, looking up at him with a cute little smile. His heart did a woozy twirl in his chest when she leaned in and kissed him gently.