by Dora Blume
“I’m not going to lie, I had a really good time with both of you. Being with both you and Ely was the hottest thing I’ve ever done. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more of that, of us together.” She bit her lip. “I just worry that it will drive a wedge between us. You seem to want to stake your territory every time we’re together. It makes me think you’re jealous and not okay with what happened between us last night.” She rested her hand over his on her leg. She stared down at their hands unable to meet his eyes. What would she do if he wasn’t okay with all of this? Her attraction to Ely was strong, but it wasn’t strong enough for her to give up on the life-long relationship she had built with Mike. He’d forgiven her even after she’d left him behind for years.
“Staking my claim? You mean when I wrapped an arm around you? I wasn’t being territorial, I just can’t help touching you. Ely isn’t going to come between us. As long as we are always honest with each other, we’ll be fine.” Mike brushed his fingers down her cheek, lifting her eyes to his. “Sloane, I love you. Nothing is going to come between us. I’m happy that you enjoyed yourself. I did too. I want you to be happy, always.” His deep dark eyes stared into hers, and she swore again that he could see into her soul. Maybe tracking wasn’t his only gift. Maybe reading her was. He leaned forward, his lips lightly brushing hers. The kiss was light, but she felt it all the way to the deepest part of her heart. It was a moment of tenderness and understanding between them.
“I want you to be happy too. I don’t want anyone else coming between us. We’ve been through too much already. I know I have been a pain in the ass. I’m excellent at running from commitment and I’m afraid I’ll use this to get out of the commitment I made to you. I don’t want to, but I’m too damn good at self-sabotage. I’m scared that I’ll take it too far and hurt you.” She could feel unshed tears pooling into her eyes as she gazed at him. His mouth turned down, and he brushed a stray tear off of her cheek.
“Sloane, you’re not going to hurt me. I know you liked being with Ely. He’s my friend. I know you’re not going to do anything with him that would hurt me. I’m willing to share you. Ely’s got a good heart like you. Neither of you could do anything to hurt me.” He stroked his thumb over her cheek. Sloane wondered how in the hell she had gotten so lucky. Mike was a gem. There was no one like him. His gaze was unwavering, and she knew he meant every word.
“Really? Even if we were together without you?” she asked. She wanted to test his resolve. She wasn’t sure how far he was really willing to go with this new arrangement.
“Well, I’d prefer if you included me since you had such a good time,” he smirked and his hand moved to cup her neck. The rough calluses on his fingers stroked over her hair. “But, if you both feel so inclined, I don’t want you to hold yourselves back. I mean it when I say I can share. I know you need more than just me. I want you to be happy. If being with more than one person makes you happy, I want that for you.” He moved his mouth to hers in the tenderest of kisses. He was being so understanding of her needs. She wanted to show him just how much his trust meant to her. Sloane moved into his lap, wrapping her arms around him.
Their kiss deepened. Sloane felt him harden beneath her. She rocked her hips against him, and he let out a growl. “Sloane we need to catch a flight soon.”
Sloane rubbed her clit against the bulge in his jeans. “I think I can show you how much I love you before we have to dart off.” She bent to kiss him again, biting his bottom lip before moving back and looking into his eyes. Her hands moved down his shoulders to feel his muscles. She loved feeling his strength beneath her fingers. She circled his nipple with her finger and a playful smile lit his face.
“Oh, now you’ve done it.” He lifted her and flipped her onto the bed. Her back bounced off the mattress and Mike crawled up her body. The look on his face had her panties wet in seconds. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her pants and pulled them down. His eyes met hers as he dipped his head between her legs. She felt his teeth scrape against her thigh. Arching up, she moaned. He pulled her panties down her legs, kissing as he went. “Oh, Mike,” she called out as his mouth sucked on her clit. Her fingers found his lush curls as he continued to work his talented tongue against her core. She cried out as she came against his mouth. He looked up and smirked at her.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
“You’re wearing too many clothes.” She ran her tongue over her lips as she pulled at his belt and yanked it free of his pants. “Damn, I love doing that.” She smiled and made quick work of the rest of his pants. “I need more, Mike. I need to feel you, all of you.” She slid his length through her hand and used her thumb to spread the bead of precum over his tip. He let out a strangled breath and pushed her back down onto the mattress. He lifted her legs to his shoulders and drove into her in one quick thrust. He held there as she adjusted to him. After a moment, he began quick thrusts, and she whimpered and moaned as she met him thrust for thrust.
He bent down to capture her mouth with his. She ran her hands through his sex-tousled hair. His cheeks were flushed as he continued to pump inside of her. The familiar build of her climax came back as his cock hit just the right spot inside of her. He paused to run the head through her folds, sending a ripple of pleasure from her clit. Damn, he knew just how to make her feel so much pleasure. He thrust in her again and she was so close. She dipped her finger between them and circled her clit in time with his thrusts. Her other hand pulled his lips back to hers. She wanted to taste him as she came. A few more rocks and her orgasm rippled through her. His mouth dropped as he followed her release. She milked every bit of him before he collapsed on top of her. His chest glistened against her skin. “Damn, Sloane, you always know just how to make me feel loved.” He propped up on his elbows and kissed the tip of her nose.
She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him down into an all-encompassing kiss. She slid her tongue along his bottom lip and nipped it before letting him go. “Good, now we need to jump in the shower before we go out to meet the others. I don’t want to be on the plane next to my brother smelling like good sex.”
“Just good, love?” Mike’s eyebrow quirked up in challenge.
“Fine, I don’t want to get on a plane smelling like phenomenal sex, better?” She smirked, and he captured her lips in a fierce kiss.
“Good, now come on. I want to see the water running down those beautiful muscles of yours.” She licked her lips before pulling him up from the bed and into the bathroom.
CHAPTER 11
“There you two are, we have the car packed. What have you two been doing?” Jessie stopped and put her hand on her hip as Sloane and Mike emerged hand in hand from the bedroom.
“Sorry, we were a little, um, preoccupied.” She bit the side of her lip. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Mike. His eyes were solidly focused on her.
She flipped her hand in the air. “Whatever, come on, we have to go. We can talk in the car.” Jessie turned on her heel and went to the kitchen. Ely and Erik were sitting in stools at the breakfast bar.
“It’s about time.” Erik jumped up from the stool. “We have an hour to get to the airport and traffic is going to be a bitch.”
Ely’s eyes darted between the two and Sloane watched as one eye narrowed on them. She smiled and gave him a half shrug.
“Are we all taking one car? We have to return the rental,” Mike said.
“We’re taking my Tahoe to the airport. I let your friend know where his car is and one of my guys will meet him when he picks it up. I’ve given him the contact information. A friend of mine will pick up the Tahoe from the airport. Any other concerns?” he asked raising a brow in challenge.
“Nope, sounds like you’ve got it covered. You usually do.” Mike clapped him on the shoulder as he passed him to stroll out the door. Sloane hung back to talk with Ely.
“So, are you disappointed we didn’t include you?” She was never one to beat around the bush. She glanced out the door and watched
as Erik got into the driver’s seat. Of course there was no way he’d take a backseat when they were in such a hurry.
“I have no expectations of you two. I know you were together before you met me.” Ely’s eyes darkened, and she wondered if he was upset.
“Yeah, but I have a feeling you’re about to change everything for us. I’ll explain everything when we have a little more time.” She took a step forward and squeezed his arm before strutting passed him to the car. She felt Ely’s eyes on her as she went. A minute later he was sliding in the car next to her. His eyes mischievous as they looked from her to Mike.
Erik got them to the airport in record time and before they knew it, they were boarding the plane. “At least it’s not a long flight.” Sloane moved between the seats to board the plane.
“Yeah, but I feel like we just got off one of these.” Jessie threw her bag up into the overhead compartment. It began to topple backwards and Erik caught it just before it fell. “Damn, I can’t seem to do anything today.” Her shoulders slumped as she looked up at Erik with doe eyes.
“It’s okay, babe. I got it. Why don’t you have a seat? You look a little flushed.” Erik pushed the bag back into place and shoved his next to it.
“Good idea, I’m feeling a little weird.” Jessie plopped into the window seat and Erik rested his hand over hers.
Sloane smirked as she took her middle seat in the exit row. “I’m so glad you upgraded our seats. I like being able to stretch out my legs.” She gave Ely an appreciative smile.
“I like having the Exit row and I’d rather enjoy your company than a complete strangers.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I tend to meet some interesting strangers.” Mike lowered himself onto the aisle seat while Ely sat by the window. They rested their hands on the armrest and Sloane put her hands in her lap. She liked the closeness of her men.
“This feels right. I know the world is in chaos, but there are small moments when everything seems perfect.” She squeezed their hands.
“Sloane, are you getting all sentimental over there. It’s not a good look on you.” Her brother rolled his eyes at her.
“Don’t worry it’ll pass.” She flicked a glance toward him before resting back in her seat for the flight. They had waited until the end of boarding call to get on, so they wouldn’t have to wait too long until takeoff. The captain came over the loudspeaker to tell them the weather and arrival time. They hadn’t actually told anyone that they’d be in Kansas City in a few short hours. They hadn’t wanted to alert Bryant. She wanted to call Ethan, he seemed the most likely to understand their need for discretion but without knowing who to trust, they decided not to tell anyone they were on their way. They needed to figure out a game plan when it came to Bryant. Her father was clever. He would know something was off if they showed up right now. His gift was being able to read people’s emotions. Sloane had years of practice deceiving her father. The others wouldn’t be able to do the same. It wouldn’t be long before Bryant realized their suspicions. They needed to have proof of his betrayal before that happened.
Sloane sat back in her seat, determined to figure out a plan to catch Bryant. He may be her father, but she held no love for the man who’d used tough love to train her. An entire life of abuse didn’t foster love, it bred fear. Sloane had stopped fearing her father the day she lost her mother. If he had anything to do with that, she’d make sure he’d pay for it with his life.
“Sloane, Sloane love, we’re here.” Mike’s voice punctured through her dream. She blinked her eyes open. The bright light above her made her wince, and she shut them again. Mike’s warm hand rested over hers. “Hey, sleeping beauty, good to see you’re finally awake.” Mike’s brilliant smile beamed back at her when her eyes finally adjusted.
“It’s not my fault I’m so sleep deprived. I think you may have something to do with that.” She smirked and looked around. She realized the plane had landed and people were reaching for their bags in the overhead compartments. How had she slept through the whole landing? Damn, she must’ve been tired. Shaking her head to clear it, she thought back on the dream she’d been having. There was a premonition like quality to it. She began retracing what she could remember, so she could put the pieces together when she had a little more time for contemplation. For now, she needed to deboard with everyone else. They needed to figure out what their next steps were now that they were in Kansas City.
“Hey, have you guys figured out where we’re staying?” Sloane looked between the men then at her brother.
“I was going to call Bryant once we were off the plane.” Erik raked a hand through his hair. His hand swept down the front of his face. He looked liked he’d just woken up too.
Sloane shook her head. “You think that’s such a good idea when we don’t know his level of involvement yet?” Sloane asked.
“I thought it’d be good if we knew what was going on here. We don’t all have to go. I can check in with dad and tell him you guys were exhausted and wanted to find a room. He wouldn’t be all that suspicious of you not wanting to see him. Plus, we’ve been running on fumes as far as he’s concerned. Needing rest wouldn’t surprise him. One of us needs to keep tabs on what’s going on with the order. We also have to try and figure out where Jessie’s mom may be. We need to stop her from getting the device to the other demons here,” Erik rambled on. He glanced around, realizing he was still on a loaded plane. All the passengers were currently in a frozen state. He glanced down to Jessie and she shrugged.
“You might be onto something when you said, we’re running on fumes. You almost outed us to an entire plane of people.” She shook her head.
“Yeah, I didn’t really think about where we were.” He pressed his lips together before glancing around. “You can unfreeze them. I won’t talk anymore about the plan.” He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Are you sure?” she quirked an eyebrow at him and waved her hand. The rest of the passengers began moving again. A few items fell from the overhead bin, but there weren’t any major catastrophes after Jessie unfroze everyone. They followed everyone off the plane.
“So, staying at a hotel?” Jessie asked as she turned to meet the others.
“Yeah, we’ll find one close to the order. Erik can go check in and the rest of us can figure out what to do next.” Mike glanced to his phone. “Oh, ah, I got a call from Minneapolis. I’m going to see what they found out.”
“Can that wait until after we check in to a hotel?” Sloane whined.
“Fine, we’ll get a car and I’ll make the call in the car on the drive.” Mike jammed the phone back into his pocket.
“Perfect, let’s go to the rental counter. We need to get on the road. Erik, you should call Magnus or Ethan. Let them know you’re stopping in to see them. I’m sure our father would love to know we’re in town.” Sloane flipped her hand as she sauntered toward the escalator.
Ely caught up to her, brushing his hand down her arm. She looked to her arm then up to him. She blew out a breath and continued. “Sloane, I’ll rent the car.” Mike stepped in front of her and to the counter.
“Mike, we’re going to need two cars. Erik’s going to need to get to the order without us. We’ll need to be making plans.” Sloane took a step toward the counter.
Erik held his hand out to stop her. “That’s why I’m renting a second car. Damn, flying sure makes you crabby.” He stepped up to the counter. Sloane took a few steps back.
“Let the guys take care of it.” Jessie stepped next to Sloane. “Let’s look for a place to stay where we can actually relax. You know if it’s up to them, we’ll be in the Motel Six.”
“Oh God, you’re probably right. Let’s see what’s close to the order. Something with comfortable beds.” Sloane’s eyes flicked up to Ely. His dark eyes sparkled with mischief. She wondered what he was thinking. A piece of his chestnut hair fell over his eyes as he watched them move away from him. Jessie found a bench and tapped the spot next to her. She began searching for hotels, ho
lding out the phone for Sloane to check out anything promising.
“Hey, I found a lake house we can rent on booking. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to rent a house. That way, when we have discussions no one would hear, there won’t be anyone around. Plus, it’s got awesome lake views.” Jessie held the phone out to Sloane.
“That’s a great idea. Plus, it’s not far from the order. I love it.” Her voice pitched up in excitement at the prospect of privacy. She hated when strangers could hear her in hotels.
“Great, I’ll make a call and see if it’s available.” Jessie stood and walked away to make the call. Ely slid onto the bench next to Sloane. His eyes moved up her body to her face. She wondered what brought on his sudden appraisal.
“What’s your deal with planes?” Ely asked an eyebrow rose as he watched her.
“I just don’t like flying. It makes me a little edgy I guess.” Sloane rolled her eyes as she looked to Mike and Erik standing at the counter. She could tell by Mike’s scratching of his whiskers and Erik’s tapping of the counter they were both annoyed by something. She grinned. They deserved the annoyance of having to go through the tedious task of renting a car.
“Is there more to that?” Ely’s arm moved behind her on the bench.
“No, what’s taking them so long? We should be on the road already.” She crossed one leg over the other toward Ely. She rested her elbow on her knee leaning forward and away from his arm. “I would still like to know more about how you and Mike know each other so well. I don’t think you get as close as you two seem without at least a little history.” Her eyes studied him. The hair fell forward again. He blew a gust up from his mouth in annoyance. Sloane thought it was interesting that both Mike and Ely had dark hair. Mike’s was black with tight curls and Ely’s was more a chestnut with loose waves. One could say she definitely had a type looking at these two. She wondered if Mike would be as open to their exploration if he wasn’t close with Ely. Was their relationship the reason he was so willing to let her explore her attraction to this man?
