Bound to Them

by Lorna Jean Roberts

“And Crista?” Nash asked.

  “She’ll do what’s best. It’s time we all moved on.”

  “I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “Why would it hurt her?” Quinn replied. “This was only temporary. Nobody needs her anymore. She’s free to do as she likes. I have to go back home.”

  “I love you,” Nash replied.

  “And I love you,” Quinn said.

  They fell silent and she heard them kissing. Crista turned away, her eyes filling with tears.

  They loved each other. They didn’t need her. Nobody needed her.

  The pain stabbed her stomach. She bent over, feeling physically ill.

  Just as well she hadn’t made a fool of herself and declared her love. That would have been humiliating.

  They were leaving. Without her.

  Like everyone else in her life, they didn’t need her. Crista climbed back into the bed and forced her tears back.

  Time to go home.

  * * * * *

  “So this is where Crista grew up, huh?” Quinn looked around with interest. Sacrifice was a small town—the welcome sign pronounced the population to be 2024.

  They’d parked up on the main street. Their rented Dodge Charger looked out of place among the Chevy trucks and pickups. Although it wasn’t a small car, the Chevys and pickups dwarfed it. The Charger was built more for speed and comfort, while the vehicles around them were used hard every day.

  Quinn still couldn’t believe that she’d left them. Snuck away from the job site when they’d been busy, leaving just a note, which lay crinkled and well-worn in his pocket.

  Thank you both for everything.

  You opened my eyes to a whole different world and you will forever be in my thoughts.

  Love, Crista.

  They were in her thoughts? They’d opened her eyes? He intended to show her another part of their world.

  Exactly what happened to a sub when she ran away from the men who loved her.

  Quinn still didn’t understand why she’d snuck off without talking to them, but he intended to find out.

  “How about we try the diner?” he asked. “Shouldn’t take us long to get someone to tell us where she lives.”

  Pete and the other men had refused to give them her address. And her phone remained smashed on the side of the road. So they were going in blind. But if they had to knock on every door in this town, they would.

  Nothing would stop them from getting to her.

  * * * * *

  Crista held her belly and breathed through her mouth deeply.

  I will not vomit. I will not vomit.

  She lay on her bed and repeated the mantra.

  Finally her stomach settled and she sighed in relief. The nausea had started five days ago, as soon as she’d arrived home. What was wrong with her? Surely it couldn’t be lovesickness. People didn’t get physically ill from loving someone they couldn’t have, did they?

  “Urgh, I’m being so stupid. I know what’s wrong with me. I just don’t want to admit it.”

  I’m pregnant.

  “What am I going to do?” She put her hands over her face with a moan. At first she’d figured that Nash had to be the father. But then she remembered Quinn had entered her without a condom. He’d pulled out straightaway. But still, there was a slim possibility that it could be his. What a mess.

  Why did she have to miss that Pill? Why hadn’t she told them? This would come as such a shock. And not in a good way. The last thing she wanted was to come between them, to cause any problems, and how could this not?

  Only one of them was the father.

  Just then her stomach protested her seated position and she raced for the toilet, vomiting violently.

  Could things get any worse?

  * * * * *

  “Look.” Nash smiled, turning on as much charm as he could muster when his temper was on the edge. These people were standing between him and the woman he loved. He had very little patience for their stalling tactics. “Like we said, Wanda, we’re friends with Crista. We want to surprise her.”

  “If you’re her friends then why don’t you know where she lives?” Wanda asked, snapping her gum.

  Wanda looked as if she was anywhere between forty and sixty. Her bright-red hair had thick chunks of black highlights. She had a trim build, probably from waitressing. This might be a small town, but the diner was packed full of people.

  “Crista hasn’t been herself since she got home,” a dark-haired woman piped up, watching them suspiciously. Around her throat, she wore a beautiful gold chain necklace. “She’s been very quiet and sad. I caught her crying yesterday. You two know anything about that?”

  Nash looked over at Quinn. “Look, ma’am, if we did upset Crista, then we will do everything in our power to make it up to her. We just want to make her happy. We want a chance to talk to her, to make things right.”

  The door to the diner jangled as it opened and Wanda moved away to serve another customer. The dark-haired woman turned to greet the man who had entered.

  “We take care of neighbors around here,” an older man interjected, grabbing Nash’s attention. “And Crista is one of ours. What makes you think we’re just going to give her to you?”

  His rheumy eyes glared at them, his long beard almost landing in his plate of food.

  “You take care of each other, do you?” Quinn asked coldly. He’d been quiet up to now. “And where were you lot when O’Ryan was beating on her, hmm? Did you know he was stalking her? Did you know that Doug was kidnapped by O’Ryan because he wanted to get to Crista?”

  Nash could tell by their shocked faces that they hadn’t known any of this. “Look, we only want what’s best for Crista. If you won’t tell us where she lives, then we’ll knock on every door we come to until we find her.”

  “You love her,” the newcomer spoke up, a large man with piercing gray eyes. His dark hair was graying around his temples. He placed his hands on the young, dark-haired woman’s shoulders.

  Nash straightened. “Yes, we do.” He hoped he wasn’t harming Crista’s reputation by outing them, but he refused to hide what they were.

  Everyone stilled and looked at them.

  “Both of you?” the dark-haired woman asked.

  “Yes, both of us,” Quinn said, surprising Nash. “That a problem?”

  The woman broke out into a big grin. “No. Boy, has Crista got some talking to do at our next meeting.”

  “Meeting?” Nash asked in confusion, kind of surprised by the easy way everyone accepted what he’d just said.

  The slight brunette nodded enthusiastically. “Our support meetings. Hasn’t she told you? We meet once a week. A lot of our members don’t live around here, but they use Skype to come to our meetings. Crista has never said a word about you two. Sly thing.” The woman grinned. “I’m Natasha, by the way, and this is my husband Derek.” The man behind her nodded, his gaze still sizing them up.

  “Perhaps, pet, you’d better call Crista and tell her these two gentlemen are here. Check whether she wants to see them,” Derek said to Natasha calmly.

  Natasha frowned and looked up at him, clearly about to argue. Derek just gave her a look, one similar to what Nash would have given a reticent sub. His gaze swung back to the necklace that lay tight around her neck.

  Not a necklace. A collar.

  He heard Quinn’s quick, indrawn breath and knew he’d reached the same conclusion.

  Natasha just nodded. “All right.”

  She moved outside, drawing out her cell, leaving Derek with Nash and Quinn.

  Derek raised a brow at them. “You know what I am.”

  Nash nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Takes one to know one, huh?” Derek said, grinning wryly. His face grew serious. “Look, I don’t know what is going on with you two and Crista. But treat her right or you’ll have this whole town on your ass. I never liked that asshole, but I had no idea he was capable of harming her.”

  Nash nodded as Quinn kept silent, his
gaze stuck on Natasha as she paced outside the window, speaking on her phone.

  “We love her. We wouldn’t ever harm her. Listen, how come you all, well, didn’t…?”

  “React when you told us both of you wanted her?” Derek filled in for him.

  “Yeah.”

  Those sitting close enough to hear chuckled loudly.

  “Crista hasn’t told you anything about their support group, has she?”

  Nash frowned and shook his head.

  “Ahh, well, I’ll try to explain it. They have a support club for women interested in BDSM. Some of them, like Natasha, are already in relationships, others are looking for a Dominant. Or two. From what I understand, a few of them are in ménage relationships. Natasha doesn’t tell me everything, but I like to know what she’s involved in. Their group is harmless. In fact, it really does provide support for those that need it.”

  He glanced at his wife fondly as she stepped back into the diner. Nash looked over at Quinn, trying to hide his surprise at what Derek had revealed.

  “Well, baby?” Derek asked.

  “She was shocked. But she wants them to come over to her place.”

  Derek nodded. “Good. I’ll give you directions.”

  * * * * *

  Crista heard the knock on the door and stared at it in trepidation, frozen. They were here. Why were they here? She thought they’d have returned to Seattle as quick as they could.

  The knock came again. “Crista? Are you in there?” Nash asked.

  “Crista!” Quinn’s voice sounded hard, demanding. “Let us in, now. Or I’m going to break down this door.”

  Crista was moving before she realized it, undoing the lock and opening the door. She peered out at them.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hey, darlin’.” Nash’s face softened into a smile. “Can we come in?”

  She nodded but didn’t move.

  Quinn simply reached in and picked her up, carrying her down the hall.

  “Quinn!” she protested. “You can’t carry me.”

  “And why not?” he asked.

  “Because I’m not yours to pick up and move around,” she told him. “What are you guys doing here?”

  Quinn set her on her feet.

  Nash sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He looked tired. They both did. “Why’d you run out on us, darlin’?” Nash asked. “Was it too much for you, having two of us?”

  “What? No.” She shook her head.

  “Then why?” Quinn asked. “What would make you run out? What the hell did we do to cause you to leave like that?”

  The hurt and pain in Quinn’s eyes shocked her. She sat on a chair and gestured them toward the sofa.

  “I thought my leaving would be a relief,” she explained.

  “A relief?” Quinn fired back, sitting forward, his eyes flashing. “Why the fuck would you think that?”

  “Quinn.” Nash placed a hand on his lover’s knee. Quinn instantly settled.

  “Because of that.” She waved a hand at the two of them. “You two. You have each other. You love each other. You don’t need me hanging on as a third wheel.”

  “What makes you think you’re a third wheel?” Nash asked.

  Crista licked her lips. “Look, I didn’t want to make a nuisance of myself by sticking around where I wasn’t wanted. I overheard the two of you that last night before I left. You were talking about your future and I didn’t feature in it. That’s fine, you don’t love me. I’m a big girl. I can live with it.”

  Crista’s heart was shattering. She could feel it.

  “Tell us something, Crista.” Nash leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he peered at her intently. “Do you love us?”

  She gaped at him.

  “And just remember what happens when you lie,” Quinn growled.

  Crista swallowed. Was she going to do this? Lay it all on the line and have them completely stomp on the jagged remains of her pride?

  Yeah, it seemed she was.

  “Yes,” she said, throwing her shoulders back proudly. “Yes, I love you. Both of you. I know you don’t feel the same. That’s why I left. What I don’t understand is what you’re doing here.”

  Quinn stood and, leaning over, plucked her up and sat with her on his lap.

  “We’re here, sweetheart, because we love you. You tore out our hearts when you ran off. I don’t know what you thought you heard, but whatever it was, you obviously misconstrued what we were saying. We were talking about our future. About the three of us. About how we were going to handle our unusual relationship.”

  She stared at them both in shock, her jaw working.

  “You love me?”

  Nash cupped her cheeks. “Yes, darlin’. Of course we love you. How could we not? You’re bright, beautiful, sweet and smart. We want to spend the rest of our lives worshipping you, spoiling you, loving you.”

  “Spanking you, flogging you, dominating you,” Quinn continued, his eyes dark with passion. “We’re never letting you go, Crista. No matter where you run to, we’ll follow.”

  “Oh,” she sobbed. She couldn’t believe how she’d gotten things so wrong. “I’m so sorry. Sorry I ran away from you both. I thought you didn’t want me. I thought if I left it would save us all an awkward conversation. Can you forgive me?”

  “Shh,” Nash soothed her. “’Course we can. You won’t be doing it again. We talk through any issues. Communication, respect and honesty, remember?”

  She nodded.

  “And besides,” Quinn whispered, “we’ll be spanking you for it later.”

  Just at that moment, Crista’s stomach bubbled.

  “Oh no,” she cried. Slamming her hand over her mouth, she shimmied out of Quinn’s hold and raced to the bathroom. She threw herself onto her knees as she leaned over the bowl and emptied her belly.

  Someone pulled back her hair, bodies crowding close as a hand rubbed her back.

  “Leave me, please,” she sobbed. This was totally humiliating.

  “Shh, darlin’, we’re not going anywhere.”

  They stayed, massaging her back, talking to her soothingly until she’d finished. She leaned back onto her haunches. Quinn passed her a glass of water.

  “Help me up, please,” she said, exhausted. “I want to brush my teeth.”

  Nash helped her stand as Quinn got her toothbrush and squirted some paste on it. Crista tiredly cleaned her teeth.

  “All done?” Nash asked. She nodded.

  “Good, you’re going to bed.” He scooped her up and Crista felt too exhausted to protest.

  “Why didn’t you tell us you were sick?” Quinn growled as he pulled down the blankets. Nash set her on the bed then reached for the top of her sweatpants.

  Crista slapped at his hands. “I’m not going to bed. I’m not sick.”

  “Not sick?” Nash stared down at her incredulously. “You just vomited for a solid ten minutes.”

  Crista lay back with a sigh, rubbing at her temples. This was not how she’d wanted to tell them, but…

  “You love me?” she asked, opening her eyes to stare up at them.

  “Yes, we love you,” Nash said.

  “Hell, yes,” Quinn agreed.

  “And we’re really going to do this, a threesome? Forever?”

  “Yes, damn it, forever,” Quinn growled. “You’ll marry one of us legally, but you’ll be forever tied to the two of us. Our wife.”

  “And children?” she asked with trepidation.

  Nash’s gaze softened. “Is that what you’re worrying about? Sugar, of course we’d like children, but that’s a decision the three of us can make at a later date, when you’re ready.”

  She cleared her throat. “What if— What if I’m ready now?”

  Quinn raised both his brows. “You want to make a child now?”

  “No. We’ve already made one.”

  Both men stilled, gaping down at her. They went pale. It would have been funny had she not been anxiously waiting
for their reply. They sat on the bed, one on either side of her, and stared at her stomach. She rested her hand over her belly protectively.

  “You’re pregnant?” Quinn asked. “Even though you were on the Pill?”

  “Ahh, yeah, about that. Well, I was. I just, umm, missed a couple.”

  “When did you realize you were pregnant?” Nash asked.

  “Once I got home and couldn’t stop throwing up,” she said. “I haven’t taken a test yet, but this doesn’t feel like a tummy bug.”

  Nash placed a hand on her shoulder, stilling her. “It’s okay, darlin’. We believe you.”

  They still looked shocked.

  There was more to come.

  “The thing is. I’m not sure who the father is. I mean, we can do a DNA test to find out—”

  Quinn placed his hand over her mouth. “Doesn’t matter who the father is, baby. Not biologically, anyway. We’ll both be the fathers. We’ll both take care of you and the baby.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “Really?”

  “Really,” Nash answered her.

  Then they were pulling her between them, hugging her, rocking her.

  She laughed, pulling back and wiping tears from her eyes. “Sorry, these are happy tears. Do you think it’s too early for pregnancy hormones?”

  Nash smiled and wiped her cheeks. “I don’t know, darlin’. I don’t know anything about babies.” He shot Quinn a worried gaze. “Do you know anything about babies?”

  Quinn shook his head, looking panicked.

  “We’re going to need books. We need to do research. Rest, you should have rest.” Quinn spoke quickly. “Here, lie down.”

  Crista shook her head. “Quinn, I feel fine now. Not sick at all. Although if you wanted to, you could join me in bed.”

  Quinn looked at her with horror. “And risk hurting the baby? Are you crazy? No sex until the baby is born.”

  Both Crista and Nash stared at him in shock. “Are you crazy?” she asked.

  Quinn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Maybe. Probably. More than likely. I just love you both so much. I never thought I’d have two people in my life and now a baby.”

  He opened his eyes and shook his head. “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. And I promise to do my best never to hurt either of you.”