by Mari Carr
As they walked through the dark corridor, Sebastian tried to open the locked doors once again. “Something tells me we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s down here.”
“Yeah,” Juliette agreed. “I think you’re right.”
When they returned to the conference room, they were shocked to discover Mrs. Wythe lying on the floor, unconscious, her lips turning blue.
Devon was kneeling over her, holding a vial in his hands. He looked up when they entered.
“She had poison in her pocket. I got a text from my men telling me they’d taken care of our issue in the library restroom. I looked away for seconds. She drank whatever was in this vial.”
Sebastian knelt next to Devon, placing his fingers against her carotid. “She’s dead.”
Elyse sank down onto a chair in the conference room. “She came here knowing she’d reached the end. I guess she was prepared to take care of things no matter what the outcome.”
Juliette crossed her arms. “It doesn’t matter. We’ve found their hiding place. It will take us some time, but we’re going to uncover all the members. We’re going to make things right.”
Elyse smiled. “You’re going to be a great Grand Master.”
Juliette gave her a quick surprised look, and then her grin grew. “Thanks, Elle.”
For the next several minutes, Elyse repeated her entire conversation with Mrs. Wythe, sharing every detail the woman had told her.
Franco tapped his fingers rapidly on the table, studying the map once more. Several times, he wondered aloud what was locked behind the other doors.
Devon made arrangements to have Mrs. Wythe discreetly removed from the library. Given the insurmountable tasks awaiting her, Elyse couldn’t help but think Juliette had set herself up with the perfect husbands.
For several minutes, the men continued to discuss the information they’d uncovered, while Juliette slipped away to her office.
Elyse glanced at Grant, who was studying the map with Franco, and Sebastian, who was engaging in a hushed conversation with Devon. She felt blessed herself.
If only…
She stood up, intent on cornering Juliette and requesting that the trinity be allowed to stand. Juliette was alone in her office, so now was the perfect time. She could step out while the men were distracted.
“You ready to go?” Sebastian asked, catching her before she reached the door of the conference room.
“I…” Elyse’s nerve began to waver and she suddenly understood Sebastian’s reluctance to bring up the subject to Juliette. What if she said no? What if they only had a few more nights together?
Then she recalled Sebastian’s comments. Rome really was a beautiful country.
She sighed. They still had four days before the marriage ceremony. Plenty of time to corner Juliette and present their plea. For now, she wanted to wrap herself around Sebastian and Grant and celebrate the fact they were all safe.
And alive.
“Sure.”
They bid their goodbyes to Devon and Franco. Grant took one hand as Sebastian claimed the other.
All she wanted was to be home. With them.
Chapter Sixteen
“Sebastian,” Juliette called out, catching them just before they could step onto the elevator. “Before the three of you leave, I need to speak to you. There’s something we need to take care of immediately.”
Sebastian glanced at Elyse and Grant and saw the concern in their gazes. None of them were familiar with the policies surrounding the dissolution of a trinity, but it appeared Juliette was determined to tie up all the loose ends today.
“Jules,” Sebastian started as they followed her into the altar room, “can’t this—”
“Quiet,” she demanded in a firm voice.
Sebastian had made a vow that he wouldn’t show disrespect to his Grand Master again, but if Juliette ended this trinity, if she took Grant and Elyse away from him, he wouldn’t continue with Trinity Masters.
To choose that path meant ruination—he didn’t think Juliette would have him killed—but he didn’t care what the consequences were. They were his, and hell would freeze over before he let anyone take them away from him.
Juliette gestured to the bronze symbol in the middle of the floor, silently directing each of them to assume the same places where they had stood several weeks earlier.
Elyse shook her head when Juliette began to speak.
“Please,” she whispered to Juliette, before looking at Grant and Sebastian with imploring eyes.
“Grand Master—” Grant started.
“Silence!” Juliette barked, the three of them falling quiet in the face of her demand.
Sebastian looked at Grant and saw the same determination in his lover’s face. They’d risk losing everything to keep each other.
Juliette began the ceremony once more and as she spoke, Sebastian began to recognize the words.
“Jules,” he whispered. She wasn’t dissolving the union. She was marrying them.
Elyse gasped and Grant grinned when they realized the same thing.
Juliette smiled, but didn’t stop. The Trinity Masters’ marriage ceremony contained many similarities to its conventional counterpart. The three of them spoke their vows, their promises to love each other, as well as reaffirming their oaths to uphold the beliefs of the organization. Those words felt particularly powerful to Sebastian, as he dealt with the fact he’d been willing to walk away from everything he’d always believed in only a few moments earlier.
Love.
It seemed Elyse—and now Grant—had the power to make him forget his ideals, to make him do stupid things.
Elyse squeezed his hand and smiled. They’d let too many things come between them in the past. Those days were over. From this point on, they walked this path together.
When the ceremony was over, Juliette pronounced them married. Unlike their last time at the altar, there was no hesitance as they reached out for each other. Grant kissed Elyse, who then turned to kiss Sebastian. Once he released their bride, Grant was there, his lips pressed firmly to Sebastian’s.
For a moment, he wondered what Juliette would make of that kiss.
When they broke apart, he glanced over and realized Juliette was leaving. He sprinted after her, catching her at the door.
She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Leaving them at the altar again, Seb? Bad form.”
He didn’t bother to reply to her joke. Instead, he bent and hugged her. Her arms wrapped tightly around him as he whispered “thank you” in her ear.
“Be happy,” she said as she released him. For a second, he thought he saw a tear in her eye, but she turned and left the room before he could confirm and give her shit for it.
When he returned to the altar, Grant had Elyse tucked in front of him, his arms around her waist as the two of them watched his exchange with Juliette.
“Should we go home?” Sebastian asked.
Elyse nodded. “Home. Our home.”
“Or better yet, our bed,” Grant joked.
They caught a cab to the Boston Harbor and it took all the strength Sebastian possessed not to engage in the world’s kinkiest make-out session in the backseat. Unfortunately, Elyse was too well known and he didn’t want to do anything that would cause a scandal for her.
When they entered the condo, Grant kept hold of Elyse’s hand and tried to drag her toward the bedroom.
She pulled free and tugged off her wool peacoat and hung it on the rack, intent on teasing them, making them wait.
“I think it’s time for Seb and me to follow through on a promise we made to you yesterday.”
Elyse took a step away from them. “What promise?”
Sebastian grinned. “The one that involved us tying you to our bed.”
“I’ve been dying to try a little bondage with our girl,” Grant admitted to him.
Elyse narrowed her eyes, the intensity of the look ruined by her flirty grin. “You have to catch me first.”
Before either he or Grant realized her intention, she was in motion. They were only a few steps behind her when she darted out of the room and down the hallway. It was obvious her plan didn’t really involve escape when she ran into their bedroom and leapt over the bed, putting the king-size mattress between her and them.
Grant stood guard on the side opposite her as Sebastian slowly walked around the foot of the bed.
“If you give up now, we’ll take it easy on you,” Grant said.
Elyse laughed, the sound pure joy without a drop of fear. “When have I ever asked for easy?”
Sebastian boxed her in until her only choice was to try to get by Grant. They caught her in the middle of the mattress. Grant straddled her hips, holding her in place as Sebastian dug through the dresser drawer that held Elyse’s scarves.
When he returned, Grant had already managed to get her topless. Not that Elyse was putting up much of a fight.
He handed the scarves to Grant, who gave him a quick up and down.
“Get undressed,” Grant said gruffly.
Sebastian was becoming accustomed to Grant’s demanding nature in the bedroom. Something in his lover’s eyes told him now that the ink was drying on this marriage, Grant wasn’t going to hold back.
Sebastian stripped off his shirt, then shucked his pants as Elyse and Grant watched. Once he was naked, he gestured toward Grant. “What about you?”
Grant grinned—the smile sexy and intimidating at the same time. Sebastian was certain the sudden thickening of his cock wasn’t lost on either of his lovers.
“I intend to see to Elyse first. Grab one of those scarves and secure her hand to that side of the headboard.” As he spoke, Grant picked up a second scarf and tied her other hand to the corner opposite Sebastian.
Elyse remained still for only a moment. Then she appeared to lose her nerve, struggling against them. Her efforts were in vain.
“Safe word,” Grant said, reminding her.
She shook her head.
Grant chuckled. “Just say it for me once, green eyes, so I know you remember it.”
“Bahh-ston.”
Sebastian was amused by her exaggerated pronunciation of their hometown.
Grant rose from the bed. As he undressed, he told Sebastian to finish taking Elyse’s clothing off. Then, they worked together to tie her ankles to the footboard.
Once she was spread eagle on the mattress, Grant took a moment to admire his handiwork. “One of these nights, I’m going to tie both of you up, preferably together.”
Sebastian grunted, unsuccessfully pretending he wasn’t sorry Grant wasn’t following through on that promise right now.
Grant sat down next to Elyse, who jumped slightly.
“You faced down the barrel of a gun today. I’m fairly certain what happens here will be no problem for you.” Grant ran his fingers between her breasts, along her stomach and down to her clit. His touches were light, but deadly. Elyse shivered, her nipples budding. She squirmed, clearly in need of something a bit stronger, but Grant appeared to be in no hurry.
Sebastian considered joining them, but decided he liked watching for now. Studying Grant’s skill. His new partner had ten years on him age-wise, but it felt like Grant was centuries ahead of Sebastian when it came to pleasing a woman. Their woman.
Elyse’s flushed face confirmed how much she loved everything Grant was doing to her. When he finally pushed two fingers inside her, her back arched and she cried out.
Talk about riding the razor’s edge. Her responses were having a powerful effect on him as well. Sebastian slowly stroked his erection as he watched Grant drive Elyse closer and closer to her orgasm.
When he couldn’t stand not touching them a second longer, he sat on her opposite side, imitating Grant’s earlier strokes. He ran his fingers over her breasts. He lightly pinched her nipples. He dipped his hand lower to gently caress her clit as Grant added a third finger to the first two still pumping deep inside her.
Elyse thrashed her head from side to side. “God. God!” she cried.
Sebastian caught Grant’s eye. They shared a secret smile and Grant leaned forward to kiss him. It was a quick, hard kiss. They broke away when Elyse’s body jerked, her orgasm coming hard enough that she shook the bed.
When Sebastian looked back at her, he realized she’d been watching them kiss. She got the same sense of thrill he did in seeing his lovers touch.
For several moments, he and Grant slowed their motions, letting her ride out the storm. Once it had passed, they cast her right back into the hurricane, driving her up and over twice more before they loosened the ties and set her free.
Lethargic and limp were good words to describe Elyse. He chuckled. “You look like you’re made of rubber, Elle.”
She tried to give Sebastian an annoyed look, but the smile on her face killed any sting. “I’m going to sleep for the next five years to recover from that. Then I’m getting even,” she threatened.
Grant laughed. “Actually, that nap of yours is going to have to wait. I’m not finished with you yet.”
Elyse didn’t respond with words. Instead, she lifted her arms and drew Grant to her. He caged her beneath him, his cock sliding in smoothly. Though they’d only been together less than a month, their bodies had given in to the inevitable perfectness of this long before their heads and hearts.
Sebastian watched as Grant thrust inside their wife, his motions strong and sure. He couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke his hand along Grant’s powerful back, to feel his muscles as he worked to bring Elyse to the pinnacle once more.
Grant glanced over and smiled. Then, his unshakable lover missed a beat when Sebastian drew his hand lower, caressing Grant’s ass.
Elyse giggled—the sound morphing into a gasp when Grant thrust harder. And then her gasp became a groan when Sebastian raised his hand and slapped Grant’s ass.
Grant’s eyes narrowed and Sebastian wondered if he’d demand that he stop. Grant was typically king of the hill in the bedroom, topping Sebastian and Elyse with a steadfast grip.
Grant only paused for a moment, then he began moving once more. “Do it again,” he demanded to Sebastian.
Sebastian grinned. Even in this, Grant found a way to control the moment.
Not that Sebastian minded. He lifted his hand and smacked Grant’s ass harder. As Grant took Elyse, his motions began to mimic the rise and fall of Sebastian’s hand. If Sebastian gave him a firm slap, Grant thrust hard. If he gentled his touch, Grant slowed down, rocking into Elyse’s body.
For the first time, Sebastian held the reins. And he loved it. When it was obvious both his lovers were close, Sebastian upped the ante. Reaching between Grant’s legs, he dipped his finger into Elyse’s dripping pussy, moving the digit in alongside Grant’s cock.
Elyse cried out, her back arching, her inner muscles clenching. She liked that. A lot. Sebastian cataloged that fact away. He wanted to explore it in depth, but that would have to happen later. Right now, his plan was different.
Using the juices from Elyse’s body, he pulled free of her pussy. On Grant’s next inward thrust, Sebastian was there, ready. He pushed his finger into Grant’s ass, straight to the hilt.
Grant yelled out as he came. Elyse was right there with him. Her hands gripping Grant’s hips, her body undulating as pleasure rolled through her. Sebastian kept his finger lodged deep, not daring to move.
Once Grant’s climax waned, he looked over his shoulder at Sebastian.
“No one’s ever touched me there,” Grant admitted. “That’s usually my role.”
“Looks like we’re destined to be each other’s firsts.” Sebastian wasn’t sure how Grant would reply to that. There was no denying he desperately wanted to take Grant that way.
Grant’s jaw clenched as he considered Sebastian’s assertion. “I guess we are,” he said at last. “But not tonight.” Grant gave him a crooked grin. “I need a little time to come to grips with that.”
Sebastian slo
wly withdrew his finger, his smile growing. He’d asked for time after the kiss. He could easily grant his new husband the same courtesy.
After all, they had forever.
That realization finally sank in. Sebastian had spent so much of the past month trying to prepare himself for what seemed like the inevitable ending that he hadn’t let himself consider what it would mean to be here with his spouses. With a whole lifetime stretched out in front of them.
Grant fell with the grace of a giant oak to the side of the bed. Elyse lay still for only a moment. While she’d been exhausted earlier, it appeared she had found her second wind. She rose to her knees, and then bent her face lower, taking Sebastian’s dick into her mouth. He gripped her hair and groaned.
“God, I love your mouth on me, Elle.”
She allowed him to set the pace. She was beautifully submissive when they were together like this. He was in love with her and every day that feeling grew stronger.
While the emotions he felt for her were familiar, it was his newfound love for Grant that had his head spinning. He’d always known there was a chance he’d be partnered with a man. Sebastian had assumed his relationship with the male spouse would simply be one of friendship, though. He hadn’t anticipated or foreseen the pulse-pounding, cock-throbbing love he would feel. It was heady and wonderful.
Sebastian had come to Elyse and Grant under false pretenses, living a lie, buried in a sea of guilt. They’d cut through all the bullshit and forgiven him, let him in. It had been an elegant seduction. And he’d fallen completely, irrevocably in love with them both.
Though he wished he could draw this moment out for hours, Sebastian had been riding too close to the edge for too long. He gave in to the climax, silently promising himself that next time—or maybe the time after that, or somewhere twenty years down the road—he’d manage to last more than a few minutes.
His fingers tightened in her hair as he came. Then he gently pulled her away, lifting her so that he could wrap her in his embrace. “I love you, Elle.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I love you too, Seb.”
Grant reached up for Elyse’s hand, tugging her down and waiting for Sebastian to claim his usual place on the other side of her.