Nichols, Tara S. - Island of Three (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Tara S. Nichols

  Grateful that she had the wherewithal to pack appropriate cleaning products for almost any occasion, she plucked her little bar of soap from her supplies and began lathering her body. The small soap slid along her feminine contours, and she determined she smelled better already.

  The small bar brushed against the hard nub of her clit, and she sucked in a deep breath. Her body was primed and ready for action. Even that small contact stimulated her to the point where she thought she might come, but for some reason, she held off. She liked feeling aroused, and she wasn’t interested in a quick one off, in lowering her libido to a point where she might start to think clearly once again. What she craved was something more like what she experienced in the middle of the night, the promise of hard, eager cocks and two sensual lovers who would take turns reaching their climax.

  The soap slid across her breasts, and she stole a moment to tug on each hard-tipped nipple. If only it weren’t her fingers working her body into frenzy but two hot mouths, one for each breast.

  She dipped her hand down into the cool water and rinsed away the soap. It was madness, she knew, but she wouldn’t give herself the relief she craved so much. If there was any hope that her two companions could get along and learn to share, then it would all be worth it.

  * * * *

  No sooner had Adele slipped off into the woods armed with a beach towel and a bar of soap than did Blaine feel the urgent need to pee. Tyler seemed content to whittle away at a stick with Adele’s knife, so Blaine ventured a little further than usual, more out of curiosity than modesty.

  Just as he rounded the shore, a shrill screech sounded from somewhere out on the water. Instinctively, Blaine cringed, his shoulders hunching inward as whatever it was gave another horrid moan. His eyes scanned the horizon. All he saw was water and the occasional boulder poking above the waves. He rubbed his knuckles against his eyelids and peered out again, half expecting something large and winged to drop upon him from the clouds. Whatever had made that wretched noise was either in wretched pain or it intended to eat him for supper.

  Crouching low, he treaded lightly across the rocks, his eyes never leaving the dark, choppy swells. Then, just at the edge of his vision, he thought he saw a flash of light. He turned quickly, his heart hammering in his chest. His mind raced ahead of him, conjuring up all sorts of monstrous creatures, and he gave an involuntary shudder. Only when he imagined himself retelling his tale to the others did he realize how ridiculous it sounded. His imagination had simply gotten the best of him. No doubt it was a piece of debris from the recent rainstorm. Now that he thought about it, he could see evidence of damage everywhere he looked. Branches had been torn from trees in the strong winds, leaves gathered in clumps along the shore, and even as he watched, a water-soaked log came into view. It bobbed in the water like a sea serpent, appearing at the highest point of the wave, then disappearing into the well of the trough.

  A sharp hiss drew his attention to his right, and through the long green needles of a tall white spruce he saw a flash of pink. Adele! He realized, with amazement, that he’d wandered a good distance from their granite beach in his efforts to get a better look at whatever had made such a terrible noise and nearly stumbled over top of her. He hadn’t intended to invade upon her privacy, but he had, nonetheless.

  Scampering up a large boulder, he closed the distance between himself and the tree that blocked his view.

  He smiled. Now he had a new subject he’d become enrapt with.

  * * * *

  Just for fun, Tyler fastened the hook he’d made to the end of a plastic thread that he’d pulled from Adele’s sleeping bag, and attached the other end to a long, straight, green branch. Knowing the current was far too fast, he didn’t expect anything to bite, but he got a pleasant surprise when his rod nearly jerked right out of his hands the moment it touched the water. Giving a whoop for joy he set to the task of bringing his catch in. It wouldn’t be easy without a reel, that he knew, but if it meant eating something other than raspberries, he was pumped and ready for a challenge.

  The tip of his fishing pole dove straight toward the lake. Tyler pulled up as hard as he dared for fear of snapping the stick. Whatever had clamped its lips around the hook had to be big. The way it pulled was unlike anything he’d ever encountered before. In fact, it seemed as though he was doing all the tugging. Testing a theory he let his pole down and the line went slack.

  “Oh damn,” he said, walking toward the water. Sure enough, when he drew close he could see that his hook had become tangled in some weeds beneath the water’s surface. Feeling disheartened, he reached through the slimy mass and freed his hook. Just then his eye caught sight of a different prize. Clinging to the undersides of the leaves was a large number of snails. He swallowed hard, imagining himself cooking and eating them. Now was not the time to be picky, he reminded himself. And if nothing else, he could use them for bait.

  Plucking off all the snails he could see, he carried them up the boulder in his hand. With any luck, Adele would be impressed, and maybe even kiss him for his efforts.

  Climbing to the top of his fishing boulder, he glanced around and wondered where Blaine had disappeared to. He certainly had been gone for some time. The thought that he might be frisky with Adele, or even spying on her, made him scowl.

  That sneaky horndog. He glanced at his handful of snails and imagined throwing them into Blaine’s face. No, that wouldn’t do. First off, it was childish and beneath him, and second, he planned to present them to Adele and win her over with his cunning ways.

  Still, he thought, scanning the trees for any sign of him, a little walk around the island wouldn’t hurt. Spying a small puddle, Tyler walked over and dumped in his stash of snails then set off in the direction he’s last seen Blaine.

  * * * *

  Blaine’s breath caught his throat at the glorious sight of Adele standing completely naked in a small pool of water. Peering through the evergreen boughs, he had the perfect view of her sculpted shoulder, the graceful line of her waist, and the way the water lapped just below the dimples on her lower back. She faced away from him with her arms above her head and her fingers working a soapy lather into her hair. Oh, how he wanted to push through the branches and offer to finish washing her hair for her, but he’d intruded enough. A wave of guilt shot through him as he thought about what he was doing, and he made to leave as quickly and quietly as he could. Shifting carelessly, a twig snapped beneath his foot.

  Adele’s head turned sharply to look in his direction. He held his breath and ever so slowly lowered his body to the ground. He believed she could kick his ass if she decided to.

  * * * *

  The sharp crack of a branch caused Adele to pause. For a moment she stood there, her fingers still in her hair, listening for another sound. It could have just been an animal, perhaps a heavy-footed squirrel, but she had her doubts. Most likely it was one, or both, of the guys come to get their thrills at her expense. Of course it had been too much to ask that the guys give her privacy, she rolled her eyes and dropped lower into the water. Maybe it was time just to rinse and get out. She scooped a handful of water and poured it over her head, then another and another, all the while keeping one eye open for any sign of the guys.

  As she reached into the water one more time a dark line across her thigh made her forget her frustration.

  A leech!

  She opened her mouth and let forth a loud shriek followed by an incomprehensible string of expletives. Splashing to the shore, she grabbed up her towel and began jumping up and down. She couldn’t bring herself to touch it.

  She hated leeches. If there was something on the earth she hated worse, she hadn’t yet encountered it.

  Thankfully, Blaine was at her side in moments, both exposing his own treachery and redeeming himself with his quick response to her aid.

  Covering up as best she could, she pointed to the offending flat, black worm, then let out a horrified whimper. Blaine immediately understood and went to work pr
ying the bloodsucking monster off of her skin. Much to her distress, he located another mere inches below the first.

  Moments later, Tyler crashed onto the scene, his eyes wide with concern.

  “Leeches,” Blaine said, sounding much like a serious doctor. “I’ve got it under control.”

  “I’ll bet you do,” Tyler said, still advancing.

  Adele covered the side where Tyler approached but was secretly grateful for a second pair of eyes.

  “Wow,” Tyler said in awe, “there’s so many,” and he began to pluck them off of her as well. She clutched the towel to her body, wincing and squealing each time another leech was removed.

  “You know.” Tyler’s voice sounded thoughtful, but he hesitated.

  “What?” she asked through gritted teeth.

  “These would make excellent fishing bait,” he finished.

  “They’re all yours,” she said, unable to hold back a laugh. She couldn’t imagine handling them anymore than she had to.

  “There’s one, um…” She felt the towel lift away from her right buttock.

  “Just take it off!” she said keeping her eyes to the sky.

  The towel fell back in place only to be raised on the other side.

  “We can’t really blame them. It’s a very nice place to camp out.” Blaine joked at her expense.

  “Apparently leeches have good taste.” Tyler joined in.

  “As if this wasn’t embarrassing enough,” she grumbled.

  “I think that’s all of them,” Blaine said, stepping back.

  “Are you sure?” She couldn’t help the shudder that rippled through her.

  Blaine looked slightly uneasy. “At least that’s all the ones I can see.”

  “Oh no!” she cried out. “What if they’re—” She held the towel a few inches out from her body.

  For a moment no one said anything. Asking one of them to check was beyond the call of duty, but she couldn’t bare it if she found one where the sun didn’t shine and stay conscious.

  “I think if you just…explored a little,” Blaine dared. “And in the meantime, we’ll give you a little privacy.”

  She nodded, a cold sweat breaking out across her brow.

  He took a step back and gave his head a jerk to indicate Tyler should follow.

  “We’re only a scream away,” Tyler added with a surprisingly soft smile.

  For a moment she thought he was mocking her, but she truly believed they’d do whatever she asked if she needed it, no matter how personal. They were gentlemen.

  * * * *

  The moment they were out of ear shot, Tyler turned to face Blaine. “Just what the hell were you doing back there?”

  Blaine frowned. “What?”

  “Clearly you can see that I’m trying to get something started between Adele and I, and every time I turn around, you’ve beat me to it.”

  Blaine’s mouth lifted on one corner. “She was covered in leeches. That’s hardly a seduction technique of mine.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”

  Blaine took a step forward into Tyler’s personal space. “Well then why don’t you just explain it to me?”

  Tyler could see he had riled the bigger man. Hunger had undoubtedly made them all a little edgy, but he wasn’t about to be intimidated by his size.

  “Back it up, buddy. Clearly I’m no match for you physically, and seeing as the three of us are stuck here on this island together for who knows how long, I’d rather we figure this out like civilized adults.”

  “Figure what out? It’s already settled. Adele wants me, not you. There’s something going on between us, and we all know it.”

  “Hah!” Tyler scoffed. “Between you and Adele? Hardly. You’re fooling yourself if you think she wants you over me.”

  “You’re delusional.” Blaine gave his head a shake. “I had her flat on her back in the moss.”

  Tyler’s mouth dropped open. He remembered seeing the twigs and debris in their hair, and for the past day he’d driven himself mad wondering just what went on up on that wooded slope, but he was still skeptical. Blaine could be exaggerating, or, letting Tyler’s overactive mind get the better of him. Well, he was determined he wouldn’t lose his cool even though he longed to smack that smug smile off his handsome face. “You’re certainly not the only one who had a little fun in the woods, my boy,” Tyler added, hoping to play on Blaine’s insecurities as well. That moment he had experienced eating raspberries with Adele certainly felt noteworthy to him.

  Blaine’s dark scowl lifted slightly, and for a second Tyler thought he had gotten to him, but then he followed the bigger man’s gaze to see it was Adele who had captured his interest as she appeared at the edge of the woods.

  As though on cue, both of them took a step away from one another. It seemed they agreed on one thing, Adele didn’t need to see them acting like a pair of cavemen.

  * * * *

  Adele returned to the rocky shore to find the guys waiting for her. They stood face-to-face, completely absorbed in their own little world until Blaine spotted her.

  In a flash, Blaine rushed over to her side only to be joined a moment later by Tyler. She was touched by their concern. In truth, she was a little surprised by their reaction. She expected they would react much as her dad used to. Her fear of leeches had always been a bone of contention between her and her father. He’d tell her she was being irrational.

  But neither Blaine nor Tyler had shamed her for screaming, neither of them frowned with disapproval, or shook their head with disappointment. Perhaps around them, she didn’t have to be so tough.

  For some reason, she felt closer to them, able to let her guard down and just relax.

  Hooking an arm through each of theirs, Adele led them back to the smoldering fire. She sat down in between them and invited them to join her.

  The trees behind them were bathed in a warm red glow. She looked to the horizon and smiled to see the colors cast from the setting sun. For once, the clouds decided to take a night off.

  It seemed strange that, despite the fact that they didn’t have much food to eat or warm beds to sleep in, she wasn’t in a rush to be rescued. There wasn’t any paperwork on the island, no fax machines, or gossipy know-it-alls, just two hunky guys whose company she enjoyed.

  She slapped at a mosquito for what seemed like the hundredth time. She could do without the bugs.

  A sharp slap came from Tyler’s direction. Apparently they were getting bit, too, but the guys weren’t complaining. She studied both of them under the fire’s glow. Whatever tension had been building earlier still simmered beneath the surface, but she could tell something else was up, something they weren’t telling her. They seemed agitated and continued to glance at one another. Maybe they didn’t see their solitary island the same way she did, like paradise. Maybe they needed to see it the way she did. They could all use a little distraction.

  “This isn’t half bad, you know.”

  Both Blaine and Tyler followed her lead, their faces turned toward the heavens.

  “I suppose it could be worse.” Blaine shrugged, but Adele could see he was teasing.

  “Oh sure,” Tyler said. “They could show up just after we’ve finished eating the first one to starve.”

  “That’s not what I was referring to.” Adele shook her head and laughed at him. “I was going with a much more pleasant image.”

  “Oh yeah?” He squinted at her mischievously. “And what’s that?”

  “Well, you weren’t that far off with the concept of cannibalism. I was just thinking we might stop before it got too painful,” she said with an air of innocence.

  The guys looked at each other as though for confirmation that they’d heard her right.

  “At what point doesn’t being eaten by another not hurt?” Blaine pursued the topic, teasing the words out of her.

  “Well.” She cocked her head coyly. “We might just need to test that theory out.”

  Bla
ine glanced at Tyler again, and they exchanged bewildered looks.

  “How might we go about doing that?” Blaine asked, edging a little closer. He had a glint in his eye that promised intense passion. He seemed to be hot tempered and easily riled which usually meant he would probably be an aggressive lover. And Tyler, a man who was clearly more reserved and just a tad timid, would probably appreciate someone else taking the lead. She suspected both of them liked what she was suggesting, but something still held them back. Looking at her two fellow stranded companions, with their broad shoulders and lusty gazes, she decided that was exactly what she intended to do, set some ground rules.

  Moving so both of them could clearly see her, Adele thrust her bare legs out in front of her and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. She was well aware that her actions would have a desired effect of both of the guys, and she smiled when they leaned in, openly admiring her.

  “I’m just saying, that if you find you are indeed hungry, that there’s enough of me to go around. You know, if you’re worried about offending one another.”

  Tyler blushed satisfactorily, and Blaine grinned. “You mean both of us?” he asked.

  She smiled and nodded. “Why not? The way I see it, while we inhabit it, this is our island, and since it is our island, we make the rules. I’d like to state the first one of those rules may as well be that no one is left out.”

  Tyler frowned slightly, clearly trying to follow her train of thought, but a broad grin had spread across Blaine’s face as he listened to what she was suggesting.

  “Think about it, anything is possible, as long as we’re all in agreement. And on that topic, I think we should start by getting to know each other a little better,” she added before they could say anything more. “Might I suggest a game of Truth or Dare?”

  Blaine’s expression had shifted from eager to deflated. “Aw! That’s a kid’s game!” he spouted, falling back to his original seat.

  Adele stifled the urge to roll her eyes. “Well, if you’re not in the least bit interested to know what makes my motor run, suit yourself.” She gave a demure shrug of her shoulders.