What Remains_Reckoning

by Kris Norris

  Ham looked at Wolfe, but the man just shrugged.

  Wolfe stepped back and joined them. “Kill what? We don’t see anything.”

  Morgan’s face reddened, and Ham knew she was pissed. “You don’t see anything? What the hell do you call that big fucking bastard in the sink?”

  Wolfe raised a brow, and Ham knew he was thinking the same thing. Morgan had finally lost it. Whatever Beau had done to her had taken control and she’d gone completely off the deep end.

  Wolfe gave him and Gunner a grim nod then headed back to the sink, peering over the edge before erupting into a burst of laughter. He turned, still laughing as he pointed inside. “Seriously, Morgan? You’re screaming like this over a spider?”

  Morgan glared at him then tossed the plastic cup she had in her hand at his head. Wolfe ducked as it clipped him. He schooled his features, though there was no missing that the man was still laughing on the inside.

  Morgan whirled to face them, hands coming to rest on her hips. “I suppose you two think it’s funny, too?”

  Ham waved his hands at her, palms up. “With an arm like yours…”

  “Jackass.” She huffed, kicking at the wood floor. “I hate spiders, okay. Hate. Them.”

  Wolfe chuckled again, grabbing her around the waist when she went to turn at him again. She feigned annoyance, though they could all tell she wasn’t quite as pissed as she’d let on.

  He gave her a knowing look. “We’re not saying it’s silly, it’s just… Fuck, sweetheart. You kill zombies like some action-movie chick, you fight as good as any SEAL I’ve known and just last week you shooed away a grizzly bear when we got a bit close to it on the trail. It’s just not something we expected.” He glanced back at the sink. “You do realize it’s a thousand times smaller than you, don’t you?”

  She elbowed him in the ribs, smiling at his grunt. “Or course I do. I’m not stupid.”

  Gunner shook his head, moving closer to the couple. “But you’re still afraid of them? Isn’t that a bit irrational?”

  “It isn’t supposed to be rational, Gunner. It’s called a phobia.”

  “But with your love of animals—”

  “That thing is not an animal. It’s a demon in disguise… One of Satan’s handmade snowflakes.”

  Gunner choked on laughter a few times before clearing his throat. “Right. Satan’s snowflakes.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. Actually rolled her eyes. Ham loved it. Gunner was well over six feet and intimidated most people, yet Morgan with all of her five-foot-five frame sassed him like no one Ham had ever seen.

  “Snowflakes…because no two are identical.”

  “I see.” Gunner nodded at Wolfe. “Wolfe, do the lady a favor and escort our guest outside.”

  “Escort?” She shook her head, twisting around when Wolfe made his way back to the sink. “No. You have to kill the motherfucker…just to be sure.”

  Gunner scowled. “We can’t kill an innocent spider, honey. It’s not right.”

  Morgan jumped when Wolfe quickly snapped a cup against the wall of the sink, the loud clank seemingly putting her on edge. She backed away, running into Hamilton. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back tight against his chest as he brushed his mouth along the side of her neck. Shivers trembled through her, but he had a feeling it wasn’t from the spider.

  “Easy, baby. I’ve got you.”

  She glanced at him, burrowing closer when Wolfe removed the cup with the creature trapped inside. She twisted her head away, squinting her eyes mostly closed as the man held it up.

  “I’ve got to admit, Gunner, the lady has a point. This thing is freakishly big. Not quite like those camel spiders in Afghanistan, but…”

  “Please just get rid of it.” She shrieked a bit as he took a step toward her. “And don’t get too close to me on your way out.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Wolfe darted past, still chuckling before opening the door.

  Morgan didn’t physically relax until the lock clicked shut and Wolfe made his way back to them.

  She eyed his hands. “You sure it’s gone?”

  “On his way home as we speak.” He leaned in close, grazing her cheek with his thumb. “Better?”

  She nodded, huffing out her next breath. “Look, I know you think it’s silly, but—”

  Wolfe silenced her with a finger across her lips and Ham didn’t miss the way her breath hitched as her eyes darkened slightly at the contact. He’d never witnessed her have such a telling reaction around them and felt his cock respond in kind. He clenched his teeth, thinking about rotting corpses in an effort to keep his dick from swelling to the point she’d feel it harden against her ass.

  Wolfe smiled at her. “It’s not silly and I’m sorry I laughed. Besides, Gunner hates snakes.”

  Gunner punched Wolfe in the shoulder. “It was one fucking snake. And it was twenty feet long.”

  Wolfe nodded. “Right, buddy. Just that one snake.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “You keep promising…”

  His words rasped into a grunt as Gunner hit him again.

  Wolfe winked at her. “We were in the jungle. It was a pretty impressive python, though only Gunner let it get under his skin.”

  “The motherfucker wrapped around my leg while I was sleeping.” He poked Wolfe. “Because my pal here didn’t think the damn snake was a threat and just ignored it.”

  “Hey. We’d seen more than a few that week. None of them had gotten that close. And I took care of the problem.”

  Gunner rolled his shoulders as if the memory made his skin crawl. “Yeah. I still owe you for that.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky and Morgan will have us jump off another cliff and you can toss my ass over this time.”

  “If I’m nice to her, she might toss your ass for me.”

  Morgan snorted. “You boys keep bickering and I’ll kick both your asses right here and now.”

  Wolfe raised a brow. “Hmm. That sounds intriguing. Perhaps we should call your bluff?”

  There was no mistaking the veiled comment, but Morgan didn’t react as Ham thought she would. Instead, she gave him a coy smile as she moved over, tiptoed up and dropped a light kiss on his cheek.

  “For being my hero.”

  Then she repeated the gesture on Gunner before moving over to him. He told himself just to stand there, let her give him the chaste kiss she’d allowed the others, but damn… The moment her mouth brushed his cheek he turned. He couldn’t help it. It was pure instinct, twisting mid-kiss and aligning their mouths instead. She stiffened in surprise for a moment, and he fucking slipped his arms around her, claiming her mouth like he’d been envisioning everyday for a damn month. No waiting to see if she wanted it. No allowing her to take lead. He just conquered.

  Warning bells went off in his head. He knew it was a dick move. But he just couldn’t seem to get his arms and mouth to listen to reason. She was too warm, too perfectly right. Morgan remained tense for three agonizing heartbeats, and just when rational thought seemed to claw to the surface, telling him to back the fuck off, she moaned against his mouth and gave herself over to him.

  He groaned, deepening the kiss, refusing to release her even when his lungs burned. It wasn’t until dots flickered across his vision he broke contact. His rapid breath fluttered the hairs around her face as he tried to regain control. Shit, one kiss and he wanted to pick her up and carry her into the bedroom. Watch her come over and over, and not just with him. Every image involved the three of them loving her. Wolfe and Gunner touching and tasting, driving her to the brink. No red-hot jealousy as he’d feared, just unbridled need.

  Ham studied her face, trying to judge if his impulsive actions had pleased or scared her. She stared up at him, lips still slightly parted and wet from the kiss. She seemed utterly confused, and he felt his stomach drop to his knees. He eased back, bowing his head as he took stock of the situation. Either he’d just shown her how much they wanted her, or he’d ruined a
month’s worth of reassurances.

  Morgan lifted her hand to her mouth, touching her lips as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the kiss. Ham glanced at Wolfe then Gunner, reading their thoughts from the matching expression on their faces.

  “Shit. Morgan. I’m sorry. Well, actually I’m not, but I am… For rushing you. I don’t know what came over me, it’s just… Fuck. You’re so beautiful, and when your mouth touched my skin I just—”

  She cut him off with a finger across his lips. “It’s okay.” A blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks, and she smiled in a way that made his head spin. “It was nice.”

  Nice? The earth fucking moved, his damn cock damn near exploded and she thought it was nice?

  Male pride surged to the surface, and he moved before his brain caught up to him. He slipped his arms around her, dipping her over as he held her face in line with his. “Nice? If that’s all it was, baby then I didn’t fucking do it right. And if you’re going to kick my ass for kissing you then let’s make it a punishment worth deserving.”

  He closed the scant distance, starting gentle, almost massaging her lips with his. Coaxing her to open for him. And when she did, he shifted gears, claiming her mouth, virtually making love to her with it as he thrust deep then eased back only to repeat the action. His fingers fisted in her hair, tangling the mass around his skin, using the silky strands to keep her head aligned so he could lick his way down her neck once he’d finally broken away.

  “God. Hamilton.”

  The breathy words feathered across his cheek before he worked his way back up, ending his seduction with a light lick of her bottom lip. Her chest heaved against his, and he smiled at the way her eyelids fluttered open, the beautiful green color edging toward a deep jade.

  He nudged her nose with his. “Sounds like that was better than just nice.” He eased back. “And if you need to kick my ass now then I’ll gladly take it.”

  She stared at him, eyes wide then glanced at the other two men.

  Ham grinned. “Well?”

  She focused on him as she fisted his shirt. “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On whether you can do that again…just as good.”

  “Fuck!”

  He took her lips again, harder than before, not giving her any choice but to concede to his touch. He moved his lower hand up her back, holding her tighter against him as he continued to plunder her mouth, tracing every contour then drawing her tongue into his mouth and demanding she do the same. Morgan responded, nipping at his lips when he eased back and yanking on his shirt, tugging him down for more. He chuckled as she slid her tongue inside, grazing it over his, mimicking his previous actions.

  Hamilton fought to breathe when she finally released him, her lips dancing along his neck. He closed his eyes, willing his cock not to unload by just the simple feel of her mouth on his skin. Fuck, it was hotter than he’d imagined.

  Morgan drew back, fingers threaded through his hair, arms lying along his shoulders. Lust and uncertainty flared in her eyes before she sighed and gently pulled free. He let his arms fall to his sides as he watched her pace past the other two men to the opposite side of the cabin, lower lip worried between her teeth. She looked incredibly sexy, with her hair tousled and her brow furrowed, when she finally stopped moving and turned to stare at them. She opened her mouth then closed it, repeating the process again before seemingly giving up and just leaning against one of the walls.

  Ham walked forward, stopping between Wolfe and Gunner. He didn’t have the guts to glance at his buddies, afraid he’d see disappointment in their expressions, not that he could blame them. They’d all been walking a fine line where Morgan was concerned, and it seemed a viable possibility that Ham had just crossed that line. He cursed inwardly. Who was he kidding? He’d burned the fucker to the point it simply didn’t exist anymore.

  Morgan sighed and shook her head, a stunning smile lifting the corner of her mouth. “I suppose I did issue a challenge.”

  “Morgan, I can—”

  “Don’t. Please don’t tell me you can explain or apologize or anything else because it’s not what I need to hear.”

  The inklings of fear crawled down his spine, but he held strong. “What do you need to hear?”

  She stared at him, eyes glassy, lips pursed into a tight line. God, she looked broken, and he took a step toward her before he caught himself. He’d gotten them all into this problem by acting without thinking the outcome of those actions through. The last thing any of them needed was for him to make the issue even worse.

  Morgan gave a half-hearted chuckle as she shook her head. “I knew I was in trouble the moment you pulled me behind your back. Then in the barn… Shit. It was trouble times three. I still don’t know why I trusted you guys that night. After everything…” She paused, kicking at the floor. “Handing you those keys was the last thing I thought I should do.”

  “Are you regretting that decision?”

  She snorted. “Regretting? Darling the only thing I regret is not letting you three in sooner. That even now there are voices in my head telling me to run, when all I really want to do is stay. Here. With you. All of you.”

  Gunner frowned, glancing at Ham. “So, you don’t want to go back to the compound?”

  She laughed. “I meant it more metaphorically. As in I don’t want to run from what I’m feeling anymore.”

  Gunner’s expression sobered. “Which is?”

  Her smile was pure vixen as she moved over to the bedroom door, gently pushing it open behind her. She placed her hands on the hem of her shirt then slowly lifted the material over her head, dropping it in a heap on the floor. She took a single step back, crossing the threshold, before taking what looked like a deep breath.

  “You boys specialized in covert operations. I’m pretty sure you can figure this out. Just know this… Once we become lovers, everything changes because I’m not just giving you my body, I’m giving you my heart. My trust. If you can’t offer the same…”

  She turned, disappearing behind the door. The bed creaked and Ham knew she’d sat on the edge, waiting to see their decision. He stared at Gunner then Wolfe, giving each man a raise of his brow.

  Wolfe grinned. “Don’t look at me. The girl had me the moment she kicked Bobby’s ass.”

  Gunner chuckled. “She’s definitely one of a kind. Can’t think of anyone who’d make a better fourth.”

  Ham nodded. “So sharing…”

  Gunner hit him in the shoulder. “Only two men I love enough to take the risk. And one’s keeping us from our girl.”

  Ham gave him a shove. “Then get your ass in there, just remember you chose Wolfe and me.”

  “Never was one for good taste.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Gunner gave him a look. “All in good time.”

  Then he strode forward, Wolfe at his side. Hamilton reran the man’s words then pushed away the odd feeling in his chest. He could play word games later. Right now, he had a woman to love.

  Chapter Eleven

  Morgan sat on the bed, hands fisted around the blanket, legs swinging nervously back and forth as she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She wasn’t sure what scared her more—that they wouldn’t join her or that they would. Though if she were honest with herself, she wasn’t actually afraid of being intimate with them, not in a physical sense. It was more the stupid voices in her head, telling her she wasn’t worthy. That she didn’t deserve more than to be used then shoved aside.

  Used then shoved aside?

  Fuck.

  She hadn’t realized her few months at Beau’s camp had imprinted so strongly on her. She’d never questioned her “worth” before the bastard had decided beating her was the best form of foreplay he could think of. That the constant, mindless drivel about a woman’s place, about complete submission, would come back to haunt her. She knew better. She just didn’t know how to make the voice—Beau’s voice—shut up.

  The floor
creaked just outside the door, followed by the soft pad of feet into the room. She snagged her bottom lip, mentally telling any remaining doubts to fuck off as she opened her eyes and looked up. All three men stood inside the room, staring at her as if they’d never seen her before. And maybe they hadn’t. At least not this side of her. She just hoped she didn’t disappoint them. That the waiting would match their expectations.

  Wolfe tsked, nudging Gunner as he leaned against the wall, looking far too comfortable standing there, even though he was moments away from claiming her. “See that expression, gents? Our girl’s thinking far too much. Probably listening to those voices she’s mentioned.”

  Gunner sighed. “About time she learned that the only voices that matter are ours.” He moved forward, kneeling before her. “And we think you’re smart, sexy and so damn beautiful it’s got to be a sin.” He clasped one of her hands in his. “Whatever they told you at that fucking camp was a lie. You know that, right? Beau, Bobby…those bastards were psychotic.”

  She grinned at him. “I know. It’s just hard to block out the memories.”

  “Then let’s make new ones.”

  He leaned forward, gently taking her mouth in his. The kiss was tender, loving, an easy glide of his lips over hers. His tongue caressed the seam of her mouth, and she opened for him, humming as his flavor filled her. Warm, spicy, with a hint of coffee, it soothed the rawness that had plagued her for months, replacing it with burning need. Made her want to climb inside him and never leave.

  Gunner eased back, giving her lip a light nip before kissing her again, this one at direct odds to the other. He didn’t linger this time, allowing her to experience each sensation slowly. He conquered. Dared her to deny the heat between them, when all she could do was wrap her arms around him and hold on, praying she didn’t fall.

  His hands rose to palm her back, dragging her ass closer to the edge as he wedged himself between her thighs, pressing his body tight to hers. Strong, firm muscles flexed against her skin, the brush of his cotton shirt driving her mad. Why the hell wasn’t he naked? Even the thin fabric felt too restricting. She wanted to savor the caress of his flesh over hers, explore every inch of his body until she’d memorized every dip and plane.