by Mari Carr
“I think that’s my problem. I don’t know how I feel about her.”
“That’s okay too.” Erin lifted Gavin’s arm and dropped it around her shoulders so she could snuggle closer to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Even though they were sitting hip to hip to hip, Gavin looked like a man adrift alone in the middle of the ocean.
“Actually, I think what I feel the most is guilty.”
Oliver frowned. “What the hell about?”
“She looked…sad today. I mean, she’s living in a halfway house after being locked away nine years. It’s gotta be tough for her, trying to figure out how to start her life again and I’m the only family she has.”
Erin lifted her head from Gavin’s shoulder. If there was one thing Erin loved most about Gavin, it was his giving nature. She knew all about the elderly lady from his childhood that he’d started doing chores for. Just like she’d watched him fix countless things in pretty much every Collins family member’s house. Hell, he’d tackled no less than twenty projects in her apartment over the last year. If he saw someone in need, Gavin didn’t hesitate to help.
But she could see now that incredible character trait was working against him.
“Your mom isn’t your responsibility,” she said, even as she knew the words wouldn’t land.
“That’s just it. She is. She always has been. I told you. She worked long hours, trying to support us. So I took care of the other things.”
“Like?” Oliver prodded.
“I cleaned the apartment, cooked our meals, shopped for food. I even learned how to forge her signature on her checks and took over paying the bills. She’s crap with money. When we didn’t have enough,” he swallowed heavily, “I stole it. I just don’t know how she’s going to be able to—”
“Stop,” Oliver said. “Stop right there.” Oliver squeezed Gavin’s thigh. “She’s an adult and she’ll learn. Shit, she should have learned all that stuff before now instead of foisting it off on a kid.”
Gavin sighed. “I didn’t mind doing it.”
“That’s not the point,” Oliver countered. “Why are you tired, Gavin?”
Gavin closed his eyes wearily. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” Oliver persisted.
Gavin turned his head toward Oliver, his gaze narrowed. “You gonna make me spew a bunch more bullshit psychobabble.”
Oliver chuckled. “I like it when you try to use some of Mom and Dad’s big words. It’s cute.” He placed a quick kiss on Gavin’s cheek, and Erin giggled softly.
“Asshole,” Gavin muttered, though there was no anger behind the word. Only amusement.
“Gavin,” Erin started. “You spent your whole childhood taking care of your mom, shouldering too many burdens because…” She hesitated when she realized she’d backed herself into a corner.
Gavin let her off the hook, saying the hard words for her. “Because I thought if I took care of her, if I fed her and kept the house clean, took all the stress out of her life, she wouldn’t go back to that dark place, she wouldn’t drink. She wouldn’t…hurt me.”
“Do you want her back in your life?” Erin asked.
Gavin lifted one shoulder, then fell silent. She and Oliver waited patiently, giving him time to think it through. Finally, he said, “I don’t know. I think that’s why I’m so tired. I can’t figure this out. I know she’s bad for me, but I… Jesus, she’s still my mom, you know?”
Oliver reached out and cupped Gavin’s cheek. “So stop trying to figure it out. You don’t have to come up with an answer tonight or tomorrow or even next week.”
Erin smiled, agreeing with that advice, the tension suddenly broken. They’d tackle this as a team. “It’s the holidays. Why don’t we just focus on that? Relax and enjoy being together. We can think about the rest of it later. We’ll help you sort it all out. You don’t have to do any of this alone anymore.”
“But…I told her I’d…” Gavin blew out a long breath.
“Told her what?” Erin asked.
“She wants to go out to dinner with him,” Oliver said. “Gavin agreed.”
And just like that, Erin’s stress was back and she was ready to put her foot down. “What?”
Gavin was seriously conflicted about his feelings for his mother, and after everything he’d been through, she didn’t want him to suffer a single second more if she could prevent it. She hadn’t really been joking earlier about her reasons for cutting him slack. The poor guy was on system overload.
“Whenever it happens, we’re all going,” Oliver hastened to add. “You, me, and Gavin.”
Her gaze flew to Gavin’s face to see if that was true.
Gavin nodded. “We’re all going,” he repeated. “I mean, if you—”
“I’m going.” She didn’t want him to question that for a second. Or try to cut her out.
“Then we’ve settled everything we need to settle for tonight. So how about a distraction?” Oliver suggested.
The tension in the room lifted when Gavin almost visibly shook off his sadness and gave Oliver a wicked grin. “What did you have in mind?”
“Did you start dinner yet?” Oliver asked her.
Erin shook her head. “I have some chicken marinating. Won’t take me a minute to pan fry it. I made a tossed salad too. After all the heavy meals we’ve had lately, I thought it wouldn’t hurt us all to eat something light for a night.”
“I agree,” Oliver said. “And I’m glad you’re not cooking yet. We can eat it after.”
Erin rolled her eyes as Gavin rubbed his hands gleefully.
“You both have a one-track mind,” Erin chastised, hoping neither of them called her out. Because there was no denying her train was on the same rails and right behind them. Shit, she was probably in front of them.
Oliver raised his eyebrows. “Are you trying to tell me you’d rather eat a light dinner over working up a little appetite beforehand? Because if so, I’ve terribly misjudged you.”
Erin laughed as she stood and started down the hall. She didn’t bother to look over her shoulder as she called out, “Last one to the bedroom has to watch me give the other one a blowjob.”
She probably should have considered her taunt more carefully when the thunder of feet came barreling down the hallway behind her, and she recalled exactly how competitive Gavin and Oliver were. She’d only just managed to get in the bedroom when she heard a loud crash against the wall outside her door.
Erin turned and laughed when she saw Oliver and Gavin in an honest-to-God, true-brothers shoving match, trying to be the first to get into the room.
She raised her hands in a gesture of peace. “Forget it. Blowjobs for both of you.”
Just like that, they stopped jostling for position and walked into the bedroom. Their matching looks—primal, hungry, dominant—had her rethinking once again. “Or um…” she said, backing across the room until her legs hit the baseboard of the bed. “Maybe you both should just go down on me.”
“Seems to me,” Oliver mused to Gavin, “we’ve been letting our sweet girl think she can call the shots in the bedroom. You getting that feeling, Gavin?”
Gavin crossed his broad arms, the act drawing her attention to just how built he really was. “I am, but I’m the new guy here. Just figured you were too indulgent, letting her get her own way. She’s kind of spoiled.”
Oliver chuckled, the sound somehow both menacing and hot as hell. “There’s no kind of to it. She’s very spoiled.”
Erin fought to school her features, but she was a sucker for a dominant man and when faced with not one but two, well…she was pretty sure she’d been a damn saint in a prior life to deserve this.
She must have failed to hide her excitement because Gavin narrowed his eyes.
“She doesn’t appear to be taking this seriously.”
Erin winked playfully, hoping to poke both her tigers. It worked.
Gavin reached out, twisting her until her back was pressed against his rock-hard abs. H
e wrapped his arms around her, banding her waist with one forearm, her breasts with the other. Her entire body went into overdrive when he shifted the arm on her breasts higher, his large hand coming to rest just at the base of her throat.
She didn’t even bother to try to break free. Gavin’s muscular arms felt like steel chains and she loved it.
Oliver cupped her cheek, the touch almost gentle compared to the dark, penetrating look in his eyes. “You going to behave for us, sweet girl? Or do we need to tie you to that bed?”
Erin bit her lower lip. Oliver had introduced her to bondage a couple months earlier, and it had been some of the most intense, incredible sex of her life. Since then, they hadn’t had a chance to revisit it. Primarily because they’d both had roommates up until a couple weeks ago, and even with the gag Oliver had placed between her lips, she’d been way too loud and completely incapable of restraining her cries.
“Oh, I think we both know you’re going to have to make me behave,” she taunted.
Oliver’s smile radiated pure dominance. “Good answer.” He turned and walked to her closet. He’d been in her room enough to know her collection of scarves hung on a hook on the back of the door. He helped himself to four of them as Gavin, who still held her, began kissing the side of her neck.
She jerked and cried out when he sank his teeth into the sensitive place where her neck turned into shoulder.
“Gavin,” she breathed, hoping to entice him to bite her again. Before he could give her what she wanted, Oliver was back. He lifted his chin up just once, silently indicating something Gavin must have understood.
Gavin released her and she instantly missed his strong arms. She did a quarter turn so she didn’t have her back turned to either of her lovers. The game was on and she intended to give them a run for their money.
She grinned as she took a half step back, slowly moving toward the bedroom door. The idea of making them chase her appealed more than she could say.
“I wouldn’t suggest it,” Gavin said, the rumble in his voice doing wicked things to all the fun parts of her body. Her nipples tightened while her pussy clenched in anticipation.
“Suggest what?” she asked coyly, even as she took another step back.
Oliver shook his head, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he wrapped one of the scarves in his hand around his palm in a way she was certain he’d intended to be menacing. The shame of it was, it ratcheted her arousal even higher.
“Get undressed,” Gavin said.
Neither man had moved toward her, but she could see they were tightly sprung coils, ready to pounce if she made any sudden movements.
Erin pulled her T-shirt over her head. She’d shed her bra about thirty seconds after getting home from work, something both her lovers clearly appreciated now.
“Fuck,” Gavin whispered reverently, his gaze locked on her breasts. She’d never been with anyone who’d ever made her feel truly beautiful before Gavin and Oliver. It was a heady, wonderful thing, something she wished every woman on the planet could feel at some point in their lives.
Next, she shed her lounge pants, kicking them off. She hadn’t bothered with panties either, when she’d come home and changed out of her scrubs. So two discarded pieces of clothing later, she was completely naked.
“Your turn,” she said.
Oliver shot Gavin a look when he popped the top button on his flannel. Gavin gave him a grin that screamed “oops,” and lowered his hands.
“Um…I’m waiting,” she said, perfectly aware she was provoking the beasts.
Oliver’s eyes narrowed, his hand fisting on the scarf looped around his palm. “Get on the bed, Erin.”
She tilted her head, trying to decide her next move. She loved the idea of a chase, but she was still standing too close to them. If she tried to run now, they’d catch her before she made it to the bedroom door.
Her hesitance didn’t go unnoticed by either man.
“Do it now and we’ll take it easy on you,” Gavin said.
Foolish man. Easy was the last thing she wanted.
“Just your shirts,” she asked, feigning an innocence neither man was buying. “Please? I love looking at you.”
Oliver and Gavin exchanged a look. While it was clear Oliver was ready to put his foot down, Gavin was still too new to their bedroom play. And too anxious to get to the good stuff. Something she intended to use to her favor.
“Pretty please,” she said, directing her request only to Gavin.
Once more, Gavin lifted his hands and unbuttoned another button. Oliver reacted exactly as she anticipated, taking his attention from her to reach out and still Gavin’s actions. That split second of distraction was all she needed as she spun around and sprinted toward the door.
She was only halfway down the hall when a strong arm banded her around the middle, pulling her to an abrupt halt.
“Bad girl,” Oliver murmured in her ear.
She shivered, not with fear but excitement.
As Oliver dragged her back to the bedroom, she realized Gavin hadn’t given chase. When they entered the room, she spotted him standing next to the bed, his shirt completely unbuttoned and hanging open. Likewise, he’d unbuckled his belt, but it still remained in the loops of his jeans. He was the very image of a dangerous bad boy, and she wasn’t the only one affected by him.
“Jesus,” Oliver murmured, still gripping her tightly.
She wiggled her ass against Oliver’s denim-clad erection. He was rock hard, ready to go. But the past year had proven her boyfriend was a master when it came to building a scene. His patience in their sexual play was unshakeable. And God knew she’d tried to shake it a time or three thousand.
“Bring her over here,” Gavin directed.
Erin wasn’t sure she’d survive if Gavin turned out to be as dominant as Oliver in the bedroom.
She noticed the scarves Oliver had retrieved from the closet on the bed…waiting for her.
Gavin pointed toward the floor. “Kneel there, sweet girl. I think you promised me and Ollie blowjobs.”
Erin was on her knees before she could even finish processing the request. She wanted this. Wanted them.
Oliver stepped next to Gavin, both of them lowering the zippers on their jeans. Erin reached up, intent on taking them in her hands, but Gavin stopped her, cupping her cheek in his large palm, tipping her head back until she was looking at them.
Oliver grabbed one of the scarves from the bed and made quick work of claiming her hands, tying them behind her back. She tested the knot, though she should have realized Oliver didn’t mess around when it came to bondage.
“And now,” Gavin said, his voice so low it sounded like a growl, “we get serious.”
13
Oliver watched as Erin shivered in response to Gavin’s sensual threat. With her hands tied behind her back, her beautiful, large breasts were pushed out, and he couldn’t resist reaching down to pinch one of her hard nipples.
Erin moaned, her eyes drifting closed.
They couldn’t have that.
Oliver released her breast and gripped a handful of her hair in his fist, tugging on it until she was looking up at them. Her eyes were cloudy with arousal—their girl had a penchant for hair pulling—and it took everything Oliver had not to toss her facedown on the bed and pound inside that sweet pussy of hers.
However, Gavin clearly had different plans. He might still be new to sex with a woman, but damn if he hadn’t taken to it like a fish in water.
“Give me her mouth,” Gavin demanded.
Oliver used his grip on her hair to direct her toward Gavin.
“Open up, sweet girl,” Gavin murmured, his thumb on her lower lip. Erin’s lips parted and Gavin grasped his dick, pushing the head of it inside.
Oliver kept his hand in her hair and he used it now to push her closer. A soft gagging sound told him Gavin’s cock was brushing the back of her throat, so he pulled her away a moment before pushing her back.
Gavin groan
ed, the sound deep and guttural. “Fuck, that feels good.” He lifted his gaze to Oliver. “Go faster.”
Oliver picked up his pace, pushing and pulling Erin’s mouth along their lover’s dick. Erin didn’t resist, didn’t bother to hide how much she loved Oliver’s control. Her soft mews, her hard nipples, the way she pressed her thighs tightly together told him everything he needed to know. She was sensual and adventurous, and while she’d kick his ass if he ever actually called her a submissive out loud, there was no denying that—in the bedroom—that was exactly what she was.
“Look at me, Erin,” Gavin said, his hand cupping her cheek. “Let me see those pretty brown eyes while you take me in your mouth.”
Oliver stood to her side so when she lifted her gaze, Gavin wasn’t the only one who got to see the arousal in her eyes.
Oliver used his free hand to touch Gavin, running a hand along his back until it landed on his ass.
Gavin cursed when Oliver ran his finger along his lover’s ass crack. They’d only spent two nights as a threesome and their play had been limited to simply sharing Erin, taking turns making love to her.
Tonight, Oliver wanted more. A hell of a lot more.
Leaning closer, he bit Gavin’s tattooed shoulder, even as he kept directing Erin forward and back on their lover’s dick. She was watching them now, so she wasn’t missing anything. Something she proved when she hummed her approval.
“I’m going to fuck your ass tonight,” Oliver murmured to Gavin. “Going to fuck you while you fuck our girl.”
Gavin jerked and Oliver chuckled, aware he was pushing Gavin to his breaking point when he pushed Erin closer, driving his dick deeper into her mouth.
“She’s, Jesus, I’m…” Gavin said, his words fading as his eyes clenched with a pleasure that looked like pain.
“Take him all the way in, Erin,” Oliver demanded. “Show him, swallow him down.”