by Cara Adams
She just had to hope the leads she’d given Allegra on John Jones and John Johnson could tie the two men together. Unless she was totally wrong about that and they were different people. Fuck. It was too hard to know. She had no hope of making an intelligent guess here. On Monday she needed to get back into her research and follow some more minor leads in the hope they unraveled something big.
She also had two other tasks she needed to make progress on. All this time out was ruining her schedule.
“Are you both okay for me to start looking at condos tomorrow?” asked Gavan.
That would be the Dom in him, wanting to take charge and do something.
“I’ll need to check the paperwork for my apartment. I think I have to give a month’s notice, but that should be okay,” said Taj.
“I just need to tell my roommates that they have to find someone else to share the expenses. But I should likely give Lacey the option of staying where she is or coming with me. However, until she can emerge from hiding and go back to work, she doesn’t have much of a choice really.”
“So you agree, Nerida? You’ll move in with us and let us care for you and protect you?”
She gave Gavan back look for look. “However, I still make all the choices about my work. You may be my Dom in the dungeon, and it will be your home, but no one tells me what to do in my own small business.”
“It will be your home and Taj’s as well. I won’t choose somewhere you don’t like. And I’ll worry about your job until you find something less dangerous, but I won’t try to stop you.”
Nerida smiled at him. “Thank you.” She knew that was a huge step for such a possessive man to take. It proved he did genuinely care about her and her opinions.
Now she had to explain all this to Lacey.
She stepped out of the tub and climbed into the shower to rinse the bubbles off her skin. When she finished, both the men were wrapped in towels and waiting for her.
“The night doesn’t need to end yet.” Taj grinned at her and wrapped her in a towel.
“Wouldn’t you like just one more orgasm before you go home?” Gavan swept her into his arms and carried her back to the bed.
And yes, suddenly that’s what she did want. Her nipples peaked, and her cunt was full of cream at the thought of touching and tasting these men again.
“I haven’t tasted your flavor yet,” she said to Gavan.
“We can solve that problem easily.”
He lay on the bed and rested her on top of his body. She scooted down to his cock and stroked it gently. It was thick and hard. He was absolutely ready for action. Nerida ran a fingernail down his shaft, watching his eyes for a response to her touch. She cupped his balls and rolled them in the palm of her other hand as she lightly scraped her nails over the head of his cock. When she looked down again, pre-cum was glistening on the head. Aha. He does like that. Happily, she gripped his shaft and sucked the head of his cock into her mouth. Taj’s flavor was salty. What was Gavan going to taste like?
Behind her Taj gripped her ass with both hands, massaging her ass cheeks. No one had ever done that before, but it was sure as hell sexy.
Nerida forced herself to focus on Gavan. She flicked her tongue into the slit of his cock and rolled the tiny taste of his essence around over her taste buds. Earthy. He had a faintly musky, earthy taste. Very different from Taj, but just as enticing in its own way.
Content, she sucked his cock deeper into her mouth, rolling her tongue over it and stroking his shaft with her spare hand. And then Taj plunged into her cunt from behind, holding her ass high in the air as he did so. His fingers stroked across her naked pussy, coming to rest unerringly on her clit, and he pinched her hot button. Fuck! She wasn’t going to last ten seconds if he did that again.
* * * *
Taj had spent every moment of their time in the hot tub wishing he could hold and touch Nerida. He knew she needed her space to think through everything Gavan had told her. Hell, he needed space to absorb the worries of her career and the threat to her sister. But still, that didn’t stop his desperate need to grab her, to hold her, and to never let her go.
Even when she stretched out under the water and covered her body with foam, the image of her creamy skin, her berry-brown nipples, and her lush curves filled his brain. Now, finally, he could hold her and touch her again. He wanted to make the most of her freshly shaved skin. It would be ultra sensitive now since it was so newly exposed to the air. He stroked and touched her there, running his palms and then his fingers all around and teasing her clit while he was passing by. Meanwhile he rested his dick completely in her hot cunt. She was hotter than hell and just as siren-like, luring him to her again and again.
The good news was that he was reasonably confident they’d all be living together soon, and then he and Gavan could protect her properly. And her sister. She was at risk as well. Fuck. It was complicated. Still, he had confidence in Allegra and the attorneys at Bailey and Bond. If anyone could sort out what had happened, it was them. Sierra Bond was famous for cutting through bullshit and getting to the heart of the problem every time.
Taj tugged on Nerida’s clit and then withdrew from her cunt before pushing back in again. He wanted her so much he couldn’t wait any longer. She was hot and wet, more than ready for him to give her another orgasm. He held her hips with both hands now, slamming his cock in and out of her, driving deep, fast, and hard.
Gavan had his hands in her hair, likely directing her where he wanted her mouth, so Taj lifted her body a little higher and wrapped one arm around her breasts so he could play with her nipples as he fucked her. They were hard little points, one in his hand and the other pressed into his arm.
As if she was reading his mind, she rose onto her knees. Now he could let go of her hip and hold her breasts with both hands. Hell yes, that felt good. Her breasts were soft yet lush and full in his hands. All her skin was silky-soft and enticing.
The room was lit only by the table lamp covered by red paper, apart from the light coming through the open bathroom door. But it was still romantic he thought. Even the vanilla candle hadn’t completely burned down and was enhanced by the faintly floral scent of the foam still on his and Gavan’s bodies. They hadn’t bothered to shower a second time, although Nerida had. He grinned to himself. A third shower was in her immediate future. Already, sweat was pouring off his body as he drove into Nerida, determined to bring her to another screaming orgasm. Well, her mouth was full of Gavan’s cock this time, but a good climax anyway. No, much better than good. Nothing less than an outstanding climax would be acceptable.
Taj’s balls were drawn up tight against his body, and he couldn’t hold off much longer. But he didn’t need to. Nerida’s cunt gripped him hard, and she rippled all around him. Sighing with relief, he pulled out and slammed into her again, giving her every inch of his dick. His orgasm exploded through him, and he jetted stream after stream of cum into the condom as he rested his face on her back and gently stroked her skin to soothe her down off her high.
Gavan was breathing heavily, and she was licking his cock, so Taj knew his friend had come as well. That was good. They really were a united triad when they all came together like this.
They all lay panting in each other’s arms for a while, and then it was back to shower again. This time when they got dressed, it was Taj who rushed in to say, “Can we escort you home? Follow your car to ensure you arrive safely and walk you to your door? Please, Nerida?”
“I came by bus. It’s less conspicuous and offers me more choices for how I get places.”
Taj couldn’t believe that a bus offered more choices than a car, but he wasn’t going to argue with her. “Well, I’ll drive you home then.”
She stared at him for so long he was sure she was going to refuse, but finally she said, “All right.”
“I’ll follow you. I’ll stay well back, and if anyone does follow you, I can cut them off or distract them.”
“That’s a great idea,” said Ta
j. Trust Gavan to have all the solutions.
Instead of telling him where to drive, Nerida sent him in several different directions, one after the other, finally guiding him to her home. A ten-minute journey had taken half an hour. Still, if that made her happy, he could deal with it. He parked in the ten-minute drop-off space outside the doors of her apartment building and walked her to the elevator and up to the fifth floor.
Her key was already in her hand as she approached the door, and she was gone with a tiny wave. Taj was left standing, staring at the closed door. He hadn’t even had time for a kiss, but then, perhaps that was fair since Gavan wasn’t here to have one as well. He ran down the stairs and out to his car, waving to Gavan, who’d parked right behind him.
Gavan pulled out ahead of him and flashed his lights. Taj assumed that meant he wanted to talk to him but didn’t want to worry Nerida by staying outside her building. There was a shopping mall only a couple of blocks away, and Gavan led him there. They parked side by side, and Taj leaned on Gavan’s car door.
“You want to know what happened? Nothing. I didn’t even kiss her. She disappeared inside before I even knew we’d arrived at her apartment.”
“That sounds like Nerida. Actually I was planning our next date. I’m off duty Wednesday, so how about Wednesday night? I should have time during the day to look at some condos as well as plan a dungeon scene.”
“Not until Wednesday? Damn. That’s a long time.” Taj hated the idea of not seeing her until then.
“It’s longer than I’d like as well, but that’s my day off, and also she’s had a lot of new stuff to deal with today. We need to give her plenty of time to assimilate it all. I don’t want her to feel rushed and pressurized. Learning about me and then moving in? It’s pretty heavy shit to cope with.”
Taj sighed. “You’re right of course. But hey, likely I could call her and say hello before then.”
“You could, if you knew her cell phone number.”
“Fucking hell. Okay, I’ll e-mail her. Fuck, am I desperate or what?”
Gavan slapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
* * * *
Sunday was a busy day at The Dom’s Dungeon. It was becoming a popular place to have brunch, and the co-owners, Leif and Simon, were making the most of the crowd by providing live music and dancing from noon for the first time, instead of from early afternoon. Asher, the chef, had a whole raft of brunch menus to entice the palates of the newcomers, and it seemed to Gavan that every week the Stage Lounge was fuller than the previous week. All of which was excellent news for his pay check and job security but not so helpful when he wanted to look through advertisements for vacant condominiums and plan a full dungeon scene for the woman he loved.
It was almost two when he got home Monday morning, but there were no midday events involving him that day, so he was free to sleep as long as he liked. But after that, he grabbed his iPad and went online looking for a home suitable for the three of them. It’d need to be a family-sized place with a room for Lacey and an office for Nerida. He hoped she’d be able to get rid of the clients she was forced to work for at the moment and get a better kind of research job, but he knew she was so independent that she’d rather starve than not work at all. He’d be talking to Allegra himself if Nerida didn’t. But not until the case was solved. Nerida would be on much stronger ground if she could point to work she’d done which had helped catch the bad guy.
He had so much to do that Wednesday actually arrived quite fast. He had three condos to look at. None was too far out of Richmond to make travel difficult. He’d had to remember that Taj went to different places to work all the time and adding a half hour onto his commute would be most unfair.
The most important thing to him was security. He wanted to be certain his woman would be safe. He wanted a place where strangers couldn’t just keep pressing buttons until someone opened the front door for them or where security was so slack the guards waved in anyone carrying a parcel, or flowers, or wearing a uniform. According to his online searching, all three homes would fit his requirements, but seeing them was the next step.
The first condo was dark and dreary looking inside. “Can I repaint a lighter color?” he asked the realtor.
“Paint, drapes, and carpet are the responsibility of the management. You could ask, I guess.”
Likely that meant no.
The second place he didn’t even go inside. People were wandering in and out of the foyer, and the security guard was sitting staring into his screen. Likely watching baseball instead of burglars.
Luckily the third place was a go from his point of view. Security was tight, the home itself was attractive, and the price was reasonable for what he was getting. “I need to set up a time for my friends to see it as well. Can I call you later today?” he asked the realtor.
The woman gave him a friendly smile. “Sure you can.”
He sat out in the parking lot and texted Taj. “One of the condos looks good. I want you and Nerida to see it. What time are you free this afternoon?”
“There’s no big rush on this job. Likely I can leave at four thirty, go home, have a quick shower, and be there at five thirty.”
“Assume that’s the plan, and I’ll text you if it doesn’t suit Nerida or the realtor.”
“See you then.”
Which is when he remembered he didn’t have a cell phone number for Nerida. All he could do was e-mail her and hope she checked her e-mails a lot. Otherwise he’d have to wait until she came to the dungeon at seven.
* * * *
Nerida was working furiously. She’d followed up some really good leads on Mr. Lillington-Hall and passed the information on to Allegra. But then she’d had to concentrate on her other clients and make sure she answered their queries in a timely manner. However, by lunchtime on Wednesday she was back on Lacey’s problem and noticed a man with an unusual name mentioned several times in relation to the crooked attorney. It was only because the strange name had stuck in her mind that she’d even noticed he’d been cited in a different case.
“Zylon.” She typed his name into a search engine and waited for the results. In no time at all, her screen was full of links. Apparently it was some kind of polymer. It’d been used to build the Martian rovers. It was used in tennis rackets, and it’d been used in safety vests because it was stronger than Kevlar until they’d learned it degraded too fast to be suitable.
“Well fuck. I need to redefine this search.”
It took her a while to work her way around the issue, and even then the occasional reference to sporting equipment or the problems with protective vests intermingled with references to people, but she finally got the information she needed. Zylon had been a person of interest to the authorities in a number of cases. The police knew that wasn’t his name. It was a pseudonym he used to highlight his reputation as a hard man who always won an argument. She couldn’t find out what his real name was, but she was certain Allegra would be able to.
It was almost time to finish for the day, but she’d earned her money this time. This new information was certain to help Lacey’s case. Nerida settled back in her chair and typed up the information into a report for Allegra, complete with her cross-references. It was only after she’d e-mailed it to Allegra, along with her account for the time she’d spent finding the data, that she saw an e-mail sitting in her inbox from Gavan.
“I suppose I ought to give him and Taj my cell phone number. Now that they know my address and we’re talking about living together, it’s silly for them not to be able to call me.”
She looked up the address he’d given her, read the time on her computer clock, and worked backward to see if she could be there by five thirty. Not if she had a shower and got changed, which she really needed to do before their date. Even if she didn’t backtrack as much as usual on her journey there, it’d still take a while. Unless—
There was no reason to do all the travel herself. If she took a roundabout route to the mall, she could
arrange for Gavan to pick her up there, and that way they would reach the condo by five-thirty. Or near enough. Quickly she memorized the address and logged off her computer. She texted him where to pick her up and then raced for the shower.
Nerida recognized Gavan’s car because he’d followed Taj to her apartment. Nevertheless she stayed inside the mall until she was sure no other car had pulled up shortly after him. Having just discovered yet another bad guy linked to Mr. Lillington-Hall meant her paranoia wasn’t going to evaporate any time soon.
Gavan pushed the car door open for her, yet stayed in his seat, leaving the engine running while she buckled her belt, and then he pulled smoothly away.
“If I was a gentleman, I’d have gotten out to open the door for you, but I thought you’d prefer a faster getaway to nice manners,” he said.
She grinned at him. “You thought right.”
He gave her a brief summary of the three condos he’d looked at, but it was hard to know whether or not she’d like them without seeing them. Besides, if he was the primary person paying, it was his opinion that should have the most weight. And it was unlikely the place would be dirty or bug infested, her only real no-nos.
Taj was waiting for them in the parking lot, his tall, solid body highlighted by his huge smile. She loved that he was so happy and easy-going all the time. His demeanor was special to her. His big smile always made her want to smile as well.
The realtor was pacing around in the foyer of the building. There were two security guards on duty, and Nerida had to wonder if they’d been chosen as the biggest men available. They copied down the realtor’s driver’s license number and checked that the photo on everyone’s license matched their face.