Until finally, she gasped and shook, her sheath clamping on him as she came. Her eyes shot open and stared straight into his, the connection flicking his switch with precision.
He pumped into her, flooding her with his seed, with his very soul.
As if she couldn’t take it, she slumped against him as she shivered in reaction, her sex still clamped around him, his cock still twitching.
With his arms tight around her, he locked her to him.
And only after several minutes did he start to think that they were missing a piece of the equation.
And that they may never actually have it.
Chapter Three
At least an hour later, Duke heard the whisper of movement and voices from the other rooms.
The snick of a door opening made him look over his shoulder to see Kyle leave the bedroom, a pair of battered jeans his only clothing.
Kyle headed straight for the couch but his footsteps slowed as he caught sight of Duke and Tira, covered with the blanket but obviously naked and wrapped around each other beneath.
When their gazes connected, Kyle’s brows lifted in a silent question. Duke didn’t have an answer for the man who’d become more than his commanding officer in the past few months. He’d become a friend, something Duke didn’t have a lot of.
Besides Nic and now Kaine, Duke couldn’t think of anyone else who fit that title.
Not even Tira had fit into that category. Hell, he’d need a fucking thesaurus to figure out a title for her. Especially now.
Kyle held up his hand, his fingers spread. Five minutes. Then he disappeared into the bathroom.
Duke took a deep breath, the scents of sex and heat and Tira filling his head, making scenes from the past hours race through his head.
He didn’t regret the sex. He’d never regret the sex, no matter what happened later. But the consequences… Yeah, those were gonna be a bitch.
Reluctantly, he set Tira’s warm body on the cushion next to his, forcing down the urge to pick her up and run. The erection he’d been sporting since she’d fallen asleep deflated as the cool air hit it when he stood.
Running a hand over her bright hair, he was tucking the blanket securely around her when Kyle came back into the room holding a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt that he handed to Duke.
A few seconds later, dressed and feeling the walls closing in around him, Duke walked back to the kitchen where Kyle quietly prepped the coffeemaker.
“How’s Nic?” he asked.
Kyle leaned back against the counter as the coffeemaker gurgled and popped. “Tam’s checking him out now. Seems to be healing well. Even faster than Tam and the doctor thought he would.”
“And Kaine?”
“Groggy but back in her skin. Somehow, she got into the eteri’s room last night and slept there. He’s still pretty out of it. Tam’s going to check on him next, see if he’s got any major damage. She didn’t find any last night but…you never know with eteri.”
“You think he’s like Tam? That he’s got a trace of the blood in him and that’s why this woman was holding him?”
Kyle shook his head. “There’s no scent at all. Is there anything you can tell me about the place you found him?”
“Yeah. It was meant to hold a whole lot more.”
Duke told Kyle about the warren of cells beneath the house as Kyle’s expression got darker.
“And you didn’t see one gods damn thing in the whole house that could help us identify who was holding him?”
“Nothing. It was clean. Hell, I didn’t even catch a scent of anyone other than the eteri.”
“Vaffanculo, that’s just fucking great.” Kyle shoved a hand through his hair. “Back to square one.”
“Maybe not. Maybe we’ll be able to get something out of the eteri. Maybe he saw something. Maybe they didn’t have time to wipe him clean. Maybe she thought the house coming down would take him out of the picture.”
Kyle snorted as he poured coffee. “And maybe pigs’ll fly. Whoever this ‘she’ is, she’s been careful up to this point. She’s not gonna screw up that badly now.”
“You’re in a foul mood this morning.”
Kyle’s eyebrows quirked upward. “And you’re not?”
True.
Duke knew Kyle was giving him an opening. To talk. Something Duke didn’t do. He didn’t spill his guts. His mother had taught him that nothing good ever came of spilling your guts. Talking about your problems only meant laying them at someone else’s feet and that only created more problems.
Hell, he didn’t even talk to Nic. Mostly because Nic knew him better than anyone and could practically read his mind so he didn’t have to talk.
Kyle was his commanding officer but that didn’t mean he had to tell the guy his personal shit. And Tira was as personal as it got.
“I’m feeling fine so I should head back to the house, see if I can dig anything out of the rubble. Anything I missed the first time through.”
Behind him, Tira shifted on the couch. Before he could stop himself, he’d turned to find her stretching her arms above her head. The blanket fell to the floor as she stood, completely naked and so fucking beautiful, his chest ached with it.
And when she bent to pick up the blanket, her perfect ass nearly made him groan.
She turned as she wrapped the blanket around her, though he knew she wasn’t covering her nudity so much as she was chilly. Nudity wasn’t shameful in their community.
But holy hell, he didn’t want her wandering around naked all morning or he’d never be able to get up from the chair because of his hard-on.
She looked him straight in the eyes and her sweet half-smile nearly made him fall at her feet in abject worship. But by the time she’d crossed the room to stand next to him, he saw the shadows in her eyes and the effort it took for her to keep that smile in place.
He wanted to wrap his arms around her shoulders and press his lips to hers but he had no clue what her expression meant.
Did she regret having sex with him? Was she embarrassed? What the hell should he do?
Uni’s ass, this was fucked up.
Nic would know exactly what to do to wipe that look off her face. But Nic was still unconscious in the other room.
And Duke had fucked the woman his best friend loved more than anything in the world. The one woman Nic couldn’t touch.
“Tira, you want some coffee, hon?”
Kyle broke the silence and Duke sucked in a deep breath, his lungs starving for fresh air.
Tira blinked and forced a smile for Kyle. “Thanks, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a quick shower and see Nic before I go home to check on my mom. I’m sure she’s wondering what happened to me.”
Shit, he’d forgotten all about her mom. He’d heard Suvera hadn’t been doing well the past few months. Which probably meant Tira had been hiding just how bad her mom truly was.
“I’ll run you home as soon as you’re ready,” Duke said before looking at Kyle. “Then I’ll do that other thing.”
“By that I guess you mean go back to the house you were at yesterday?” Tira lifted her eyebrows at him. “Where you all almost died. Do you think that’s smart? To go back by yourself?”
He opened his mouth and closed it again before he said something stupid. “It’s reconnaissance. And it’s my job.”
Her eyes widened even more. “And what exactly is it you do?”
Yeah, that was not a conversation they were going to have now. He didn’t give a shit about lucani law when it came to Tira, about the oath he took not to reveal his status as sicari to anyone. He trusted Tira with his life.
But with Nic still unconscious, he didn’t want her worrying more than she already was.
“You know what I do. I work with Kyle.”
“But—”
“Go take a shower, Tira.” Duke shook his head. “I promise we’ll talk about it later. When Nic’s awake.”
She took a deep breath and opened her mouth
like she was going to say something else. Then her lips closed into a flat line and she nodded. “Fine. For now.”
He watched her walk away, shutting the bathroom door firmly behind her.
Before Kyle could open his mouth, Duke said, “I need to check on Nic,” and walked away.
He opened the door to the bedroom and slipped inside, making no sound. He didn’t want to wake Nic, who, thank the Blessed Mother Goddess, looked a little better than he had last night. Not much, but enough to make Duke nearly lightheaded with relief.
Walking over to the bed, he fell into the chair pulled up to the side. Nic’s eyes remained closed though he did turn his head toward Duke, as if he knew he was there.
Duke reached for his best friend, putting his hand on his shoulder. Closer than blood brothers, they’d known each other all their lives. Their parents had reared them together in the same house.
Until they’d turned eighteen and their lives had collapsed in on them.
Their fathers had been best friends who’d found two women strong enough to love them. Both of them. Yeah, it’d made for an unconventional upbringing, not knowing if he’d walk into his parents’ room to find one, two, three or four people in bed together. But when you grow up with something, you don’t think it’s odd or different.
And Duke and Nic had never left the den lands growing up. Why should they?
They’d had forests and fields to roam, school to attend, training. They’d known there were “others” beyond the boundaries of the lucani lands but they were eteri and therefore uninteresting.
They’d spent eighteen blissful years unaware of anything other than their own people, their own lives. They’d made their change within a week of each other at thirteen. They’d run as wolves, planned their lives as soldiers.
And met a girl who they’d both decided had been theirs. It’d been the weirdest thing, knowing that the skinny, fifteen-year-old strega with the moonlight hair was meant to be theirs, though they couldn’t have her until she grew up.
And they’d both accepted it.
But when Duke’s dad had died three years later, his mother had needed him. And when he’d gotten back, ready to reclaim his life and the woman, it’d all gone to shit. Again.
“Stop thinking so hard. You’re making my head hurt.”
Duke’s gaze locked onto Nic’s, open and still a little cloudy.
“Hey, bro.” Duke’s hand squeezed a little harder before he forced himself to release Nic. “You had everyone scared for a while. How’re you feeling?”
“Like a house fell on me.”
“Yeah, well, not quite.”
“Kaine?”
“She’s fine.”
“The eteri?”
“Him, too.”
Nic’s eyes closed again, and Duke thought he might go back to sleep. Then Nic’s nose twitched.
Without opening his eyes, Nic asked, “Tira still here?”
Duke froze. “She’s in the shower. She’ll be in as soon as she’s finished. I’m gonna take her home and head back to the site. See if I can’t dig anything out of the rubble.”
Nic nodded and Duke thought maybe the guy was still too tired or out of it to catch Tira’s scent on him.
Idiot. He should’ve showered before coming in here. Nic would be able to smell her on his skin. He’d know—
“You’re thinking way too hard again.” Nic opened his eyes and Duke saw Nic’s comprehension. He knew what had happened just hours ago.
Duke expected to see betrayal or, at the very least, anger in his friend’s eyes. He froze, bracing for Nic’s condemnation. For his anguish.
Nic just lay there, watching him.
Was he supposed to confess? Spill his guts?
Nic could smell her on him. He knew what they’d done.
“Is she okay?” Nic finally asked.
Blessed Goddess, he hoped so. “She’s worried about you.”
Nic huffed, frustration beginning to show in the slit of his eyes. “But is she okay?”
How the hell did he answer that? He didn’t have a clue. Everything was fucked up now.
“Duke, you scazzacazzo, if you—”
Nic’s mouth snapped shut as his gaze cut to the door. The knob turned a second later and Tira walked into the room, so quietly Duke barely heard her.
She caught Duke’s eyes then quickly looked at Nic. Her chin lifted, as if she were going into battle and Duke wanted to hit something. If she thought she had to worry about being in the same room with the two of them, he’d—
“Nic.” Her lips curved in a tentative smile as she moved closer to the bed. She stopped at the end, her hands gripping the footboard until her knuckles turned white. “How are you feeling?”
Nic smiled, making sure not an iota of his anger with Duke showed on his face for her. “I’m fine. Still a little tired but Tam says after a few days of rest, I’ll be just fine.”
Tira’s eyes fluttered, as if she might cry. Then she took a deep breath and she nodded. “Good. That’s great.”
“Tam wants me to stay here,” he continued, “but I told her, since I’m feeling okay, I’m gonna go back to the bunkhouse. I’ll be more comfortable in my own bed.”
Her face screwed up in a frown. “Is that safe? I mean, will you be able to take care of yourself?”
Duke’s eyes narrowed as Nic’s smile widened. Duke knew that smile. Nic was up to something.
“I’ll be fine.” Nic made a motion to sit up then tried to hide a grimace.
And that, of course, was his plan.
That sneaky bastard…
Tira’s eyes widened. “No, you won’t. You need to stay here where Tam can keep an eye on you.”
“Sweetheart, I’m a grown man. I can take care of myself.”
The doc hadn’t given Tira the complete rundown but Duke knew just how injured Nic was. He had internal damage that would require him to spend time flat on his back to heal. Cracked ribs, bruised spleen and liver. His shoulder had been dislocated and he had a concussion in addition to fractures in both legs.
The doctor was worried that shifting into his wolf, which would heal almost all injuries, in his condition might actually do more harm than good because of the swelling in his brain.
Nic needed a few days in bed and he knew it.
He was playing on Tira’s sympathies big-time. The question was why?
Tira turned to him, as if Duke could make him change his mind. “Are you going to stay with him?”
And the light bulb went off.
Damn, Duke had to give it to him. The guy should be stroking a hairless cat with a pinky at his mouth.
Duke shook his head. “Not all the time. Somebody’s got to figure out what happened and since dickhead here let the ceiling fall on him and Kaine’s still out of commission, I guess that’s me.”
Her distress grew by the second and Duke had a flash of guilt that they were forcing her to make a choice, one they shouldn’t ask her to make—care for her mother or care for the man she loved but couldn’t touch. With the man she’d fucked constantly underfoot.
“But,” she frowned at him, “you’re not up to that yet either.”
Her concern made the tightness in his chest ease just a little. “I’m fine. He’ll be fine.”
Duke aimed a warning glance at Nic but Nic seemed to sink even farther into the bed when Tira glanced back at him.
Son of a bitch.
He opened his mouth to call Nic on his bluff and put Tira out of her misery but she huffed and walked to the window. “Let me talk to Eraia and Seramo, see if they can stay with Mamma for a few days.”
Duke heard the emotion in her voice, could practically feel the indecision radiating from her in waves.
Gods damn Nic. This was not the way Duke wanted her to be with them.
And yet… This morning, hadn’t he practically coerced her into having sex with him?
He shook his head and turned for the door. “I gotta go. If you want a ride, be rea
dy in three minutes or I’m leaving, babe.”
Then he walked out.
Nic watched Duke leave, knowing by the rigid set of his shoulders that he was pissed.
Fuck him. He’d get over it.
Just like he seemed to have gotten over his adamant refusal to seduce Tira.
Bitter anger tried to rise up from his gut but he couldn’t let it. Shit, how could he be angry when he knew if he’d been in the same position, he would’ve jumped at the chance to take her to bed years ago?
“I guess I better get going,” Tira said, drawing his attention back to her. “He won’t wait for me if I’m late.”
“You know that’s not true.” Duke had been waiting for her for years. So had Nic. They were done waiting. If this worked…
And if it didn’t…
A faint smile on her face, Tira walked back to the bed, her hands clenched in fists at her sides. As if to keep herself from touching him. “No, I don’t. Nic…”
He looked into her eyes and saw tears forming there. He wanted to pull her into his arms and onto the bed next to him, let her body curl against his like a lover’s.
That bitterness rose up again, quickly followed by determination. Either his plan worked or… Or what? He gave her up?
He’d never had her.
He’d never felt those beautiful hands caress his body, wrap around his cock. Never felt the soft silk of her sex surround him as he sank deep into her.
And by all the fucking gods, he wanted to.
If this didn’t work, he figured that vision of hers would be coming true soon enough and he wouldn’t be around to know otherwise.
Forcing a smile for her, he nodded toward the door, not having to feign the weariness creeping through him. “I’ll see you when you get back, sweetheart. I just need to close my eyes for a little while.”
She nodded, pausing only for a second before walking out. Leaving him alone to contemplate the absolute mess he could be making of things.
Yeah, his plan could blow up in their faces. But nearly dying yesterday had made him realize they may not have much time left.
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