by Maya Banks
Chapter Nine
Emily got out of the truck and hurried toward the house. Her instinct was to hide, just as she’d been hiding for the last year. The back door swung shut behind her, the sound cracking through the silent house. She hesitated for a moment, not knowing where to go, and then she headed up the stairs to her room.
She was inside, her door safely closed. She let out a long breath, one she’d held because it hurt to breathe. And then the door swung open behind her.
She whirled around to see Greer and Taggert standing there, determination and fire in their eyes.
“No more running, Emmy,” Taggert said.
He crossed the distance between them, grasped her shoulders in his big hands and crushed his mouth to hers. Even as his lips devoured hers, his hands dug underneath her shirt, pulling, his movements jerky and desperate.
His palms covered her breasts, and she went still against him. The sweetest of pleasures surged through her veins. His touch. How she’d longed for his touch. It was everything comforting and beautiful. Strong. Masculine.
She leaned into him, wanting him closer, seeking his warmth. Cold. She’d been cold for so long, and now it was like walking into the sun after a long winter without any heat.
Her shirt came off and then Greer’s lips pressed gently against her shoulder. She flinched in shock and turned, seeking confirmation that he was there too. She glanced between the brothers, unbelieving of their acceptance. There was no anger, no disgust.
Heat and arousal made their eyes glow. There was an almost drugged, drowsy satisfaction in their depths as if they’d waited as long as she had for the simple pleasure of their touch.
Her lips parted, and she swallowed rapidly. Then she tried again.
“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t do this if you’ll hate me afterwards.”
“Ahh Emmy,” Greer said, his voice breaking. He turned her to face him, his fingers caressing the line of her jaw. “I’ll never hate you.”
He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers. Just one simple gesture. Then he returned, kissing her lightly again as if judging her reaction.
When she teetered toward him, he slid his hand around her neck, cupped her nape and pulled her to him.
He kissed her like a man starving. He wasn’t gentle, and yet he was. She couldn’t explain it if she wanted. There was such an urgency. He devoured her lips, but there was such love and caring that tears burned her eyelids.
His tongue delved deep, licking gently over hers then going deeper, wrapping around hers, exploring every part of her mouth. She sucked air wildly through her nostrils because he stole every puff that she tried to drag past their lips.
When he finally tore himself away, he was breathing just as harshly as she was. His gaze fell to her breasts, and then she was pulled backwards into Taggert’s embrace. Her back met his chest and his heat scorched her skin. His arms wrapped around her waist, and his palms skimmed up her belly to her cup her small breasts in his hands.
She swallowed nervously and chanced another look at Greer. What she saw incited a flutter deep in her belly.
He reached out and put his fingertips under her chin.
“Sweet Emmy,” he murmured. “I think you know what’s about to happen.”
Her pulse ramped up, and she could actually feel the blood pounding at her temples and at her neck. Her breaths came out all jittery now, and she felt curiously lightheaded.
“Are you afraid?” Greer asked gently.
Taggert’s fingers brushed over her nipples, coaxing them into painfully hard points. It was hard to focus when her entire world was blurred.
“No,” she said hoarsely. “I’m not afraid. Never of you and Tagg.”
Taggert kissed the curve of her neck as his hands covered her breasts, gently squeezing.
“Do you want us, Emmy?” Taggert whispered close to her ear. “If this isn’t what you want, if you aren’t ready, then tell us now. We’ll back off even though it’s the last thing we want.”
Were they going to take her together? She’d entertained some vivid fantasies involving the Donovan brothers in the past, but she’d never been sure of them. In her dreams all three had loved her, kissed her, made sweet love to her, separately, at the same time. Now that it was a startling reality, she was a little bewildered by how fast and normal it all seemed.
Then she saw the same uncertainty in their eyes. The slight awkwardness. Hesitation. But so determined. Her heart softened and the ache grew stronger. This was as new to them as it was to her, but they were determined to show her their love.
She curled one arm up and over her head to wrap around Taggert’s neck. Then she simply extended her other arm to Greer. He moved closer, and she pulled him to her, raising her lips to meet his again.
He kissed her back as his fingers fumbled with her pants. For several long seconds the only sounds that could be heard was the rasp of jeans, rapid breathing and the rustle of clothing.
Seeing the two of them naked was a shock. Her gaze wandered appreciatively over hard, muscled bodies. Taggert was whipcord lean with narrow hips and broad shoulders. His chest was smooth with a faint line of hair that ran down his midsection and circled his navel.
She blushed, unable to control the heat that washed up her neck when her gaze lowered to the juncture of his legs. His cock jutted upward from a dark nest of hair. Long and thick, the head stretched tight.
Greer was the shorter of the two, thicker and built stockier, if you could call his muscular build stocky. A light smattering of hair covered his chest, lending the dips and lines a more rugged appearance.
He stood, legs apart, his erection heavy and distended. He watched her as she watched him, his gaze intense.
She wanted to touch them both. She wanted to melt into their arms, feel their heat against her skin. She wanted them to never let her go again.
“Emmy.”
She turned her head at Taggert’s softly spoken request.
“Come here,” he said as he extended his hand.
She went willingly, curling her fingers trustingly into his. As he pulled her to him, she skimmed her palm over his taut belly and up the hard wall of his chest. The roll of his muscles told her he wasn’t unaffected. He trembled against her and sucked in his breath.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for you?” Taggert whispered as he ducked again to take her mouth.
There was more urgency this time, as if he no longer had the patience for gentle wooing. He feasted on her. There was no other word for it.
Unable to resist the temptation, she lowered her hand, reaching down to cup him intimately. He flinched and let out a moan when her fingers curled around his rigid length.
She stroked carefully, enjoying the different textures, the roughness and the softness, the plump vein on the underside and then the supple roll of his sac as she massaged.
He thrust against her hand, his body pressing against hers. And then Greer’s palm stroked lazily over her behind, his finger teasing her cleft and the sensitive region just below the small of her back.
She turned, her other hand going out to cup him just as intimately as she held Taggert. It was a shock, the sensation of steel in both her hands. So much power, and yet they were as vulnerable to her as she was to them.
Each caress brought her pleasure but gave them more. She explored their lengths, marveling at their differences and similarities. She would take both of them into her body. She’d have it no other way, for they both occupied her heart, her soul. Now she needed a physical bond.
“Love me,” she begged.
With a groan, Greer pulled her to face him. His hand stuttered clumsily over her face, but she didn’t care. His movements were jerky, but he was so tender, so cognizant of just how big a turning point this was.
He lowered his mouth, taking her lips in the softest of kisses.
Behind her, Taggert framed her shoulders then trailed his lips up the curve of her neck, nibbling a path
to her ear.
It was as if a drug invaded her blood. The dual sensations of hungry mouths feasting on her skin sent her pulse soaring. Lightheaded. She was perilously close to falling. Her legs went weak then buckled.
Two pairs of hands caught her, held her, even as Taggert’s and Greer’s lips never left her body. She sighed, little breathy sounds of contentment she hadn’t uttered in so long.
She’d missed this. Having such an erotic connection with a man. It had been so long since desire had warmed her veins, simmered in her depths just waiting to be called to the surface.
Lonely. She’d spent the last year being so lonely she ached. It still hurt to think of all the nights she’d spent in numb silence, her only memories of Sean and his love.
Hot tears sloshed over the rims of her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. It wasn’t even sadness that prompted her emotional outburst. She was quite simply overwhelmed.
“Don’t cry, sweet pea.”
Greer cupped her face and kissed away the damp trails. Then his mouth fused hungrily to hers again. He pressed forward and Taggert pulled her back. They bumped into the bed and went down in a tangle of arms and legs.
She came to rest on her side, Taggert melded to her back, his palm sliding sensuously over her hip, her waist and up to cup her breast. Greer leaned up on his elbow in front of her, and he stroked his hand through her hair, pulling each strand and letting it dangle from his fingers.
He lowered his hand to her belly, and she trembled as he traveled lower to the juncture of her legs. He trailed a fingertip through the short curls and hovered tantalizingly over the hood of her femininity.
Then he pressed. Just a gentle push and slid past her folds. His fingertip fluttered over her clit. Once, twice.
A low moan escaped her and she arched her pelvis forward, seeking more of his touch.
Taggert simply held her, his hands coaxing over her skin like a balm. Safe. Comforting.
She existed in a sensual haze, their heat wrapping around her like the strongest of bonds.
Taggert slid one hand over her behind and then between her legs. He lifted, inserting his knee between her thighs, opening her wider to Greer’s advances.
Greer’s fingers sank lower, gliding through her wetness until he circled her opening, tracing the sensitive mouth, teasing.
Taggert petted her, caressing a line from the small of her back over the plump flesh of her behind and then lower until his fingers were mere centimeters away from where Greer’s delved into her wetness.
They took turns, Greer’s long finger easing inward then retreating. He spread her fluids over her flesh until her clit slid easily under his touch. Then Taggert eased a finger inside, teasing and touching the walls of her pussy.
One inside, stroking, the other stroking her clit. A long burned-out fire came to life, catching the wind and spreading wildly through her veins.
Greer leaned down and tugged a nipple into his mouth, sucking gently in rhythm with his fingers. Her hair slid over her back as she arched, offering herself more fully to him.
Her dreams, her most secret fantasies had nothing on the reality of having these two men make love to her.
The rush of her impending orgasm left her breathless, that long, sharp build-up, the strain and tension and the delectable wait for the inevitable explosion. Too long her desires had lain dormant, but now they roared to life, her body awakened. Fierce need assailed her, pulling and stretching her until she cried out for mercy.
But she wanted none, and they knew it.
Her breath tore from her lips. She panted and arched her body, twisting and writhing. Taggert added another finger, plunging them into her tight passage. Greer pressed against her clit and rotated, finding just the right amount of pressure. His teeth grazed her nipple and she flew.
Her scream rippled through the room, primal and hoarse. Greer’s mouth crashed down over hers, swallowing her cry of pleasure, and he continued to ravage her, taking as much as she would give.
She clung desperately to him, clutching his shoulders as she raised her mouth to meet his. Taggert’s teeth sank into her shoulder, and she let out a gasp. He sucked hard, and she knew she’d have a mark. His mark.
Greer’s fingers left her quivering clit, and he eased his hand over her belly, leaving a faint trail of her moisture. He cradled one breast, plumping it in his palm as his thumb brushed over the sensitive nub.
She closed her eyes and sank back against Taggert. His arms came around her, holding her steady as she sagged. Then he simply rolled her over, taking her from Greer.
Impatiently he pushed at her legs, hoisting them up, bending them at the knees then nudging higher still until she was completely open and vulnerable to him.
He rose over her, positioned himself at her opening and in one push, thrust himself to the hilt.
Her eyes flew open, her body arched and spasmed. She struggled wildly as she tried to process the overriding sensations bombarding her from every quarter. God, he was big. Thick and heavy. She was tight around him. So tight she didn’t know how he’d manage to move. But move he did.
He planted a hand on either side of her head, his eyes locked with hers. Fire and determination lit their depths. Love. Passion. He had the most beautiful eyes.
Slowly he dragged himself out, until only the blunt head of his cock rested just inside her entrance.
“Please,” she whispered. “Take me, Taggert. Love me. Make me yours. I’ve always been yours.”
His jaw tightened, and he closed his eyes as if fighting for control. But she didn’t want his movements to be measured. She wanted him raw and passionate. She wanted him as crazy as she was.
She reached down to touch him. Slid her finger up his length then back to where they were joined. If possible he grew even harder.
“Emmy, stop,” he rasped. “God, what you do to me.”
She smiled up at him. “Take me, Tagg. Don’t hold back. You won’t hurt me.”
She accentuated her words by trailing her hand back up to cup his sac. Squeezing gently, she rolled the heavy weights in her palm.
With a tortured groan, he surged forward, ripping himself from her grasp. She pulled her hand away and reached for his arm, his shoulder, anything to steady herself with.
His sac rubbed erotically against her behind as he strained to get deeper within her. Her legs doubled back, trapped between their bodies, kept her wide open to whatever he wanted to do.
A shift on the bed had her turning her head. Greer. She’d nearly forgotten about him, but he lay there next to her, his gaze locked on her. Their eyes met and he caressed her cheek, brushing back her hair as Taggert withdrew and stroked forward again.
There was an unspoken promise in his eyes. He would have her next.
She shuddered and twisted, restless as pleasure rose again from deep inside. No longer locked behind a wall of grief and pain, she soared. She’d forgotten what it felt like to feel the wind in her face.
She reached for Greer’s hand, and she gripped the back of Taggert’s neck with her other hand. She rose to meet each thrust, gasping as he grasped her buttocks, lifting so he could achieve greater depth.
He was hard where she was soft, and they blended seamlessly together. Back and forth, he plunged, his body cupped protectively over hers.
“Don’t stop,” she urged. “Please don’t stop.”
“I won’t baby. I won’t.”
Taggert leaned down, letting her legs fall to the sides. His chest lowered until her breasts were flattened against it. His tongue tangled wildly with hers.
His hips rose and fell, and she strained upward, reaching, wanting release again. It was different this time, not as lazy as before. It was sharper, faster, more impatient, and before she could open her mouth to beg—for what she wasn’t even sure—the room blurred and she fell long and hard.
Taggert emitted a hoarse shout and then an agonized groan. He tightened over her, and he thrust frantically until finally he went still, his
cock still wedged deep inside her.
His hips twitched spasmodically, and he collapsed onto her, his forehead resting against hers. After a long moment, his harsh breathing slowed and he gently kissed each eyelid.
“I love you,” he murmured.
Her heart clenched, and she closed her eyes, absorbing the moment. His love. The sated, sluggish feeling that crawled through