The beast of his libido loosened its chains and he set on her like a starving man at a feast. He nipped at her clit, drew his teeth over the tiny jut of flesh and felt her thighs shake and quiver.
Her breathy moan cut off as Duke must have taken her mouth again.
Nic concentrated on driving her wild, following the cues of her body.
He licked and sucked, swiping his tongue through her plump lips with a light touch before thrusting between them to fuck her with it. He had his hands on her hips but he didn’t confine her at all. He let her push against his mouth, telling him without speaking how much pressure she wanted and where.
But as she began to grow frantic, her hands wound so tightly in his hair it almost hurt, he became more insistent, more demanding.
He wanted her mindless with desire, much like he was.
His tongue plunged deep again and he felt the tiny contractions of her pussy as she started to fall into orgasm.
Yes, that’s what he wanted. He needed to feel her body shivering in ecstasy, had to have it.
And when she did, he felt it in the snap of her hips as she arched and in the force of her thighs as they tried to close around his head. He continued to draw out her orgasm with his tongue on her clit until she must have wrenched her mouth from Duke’s so she could draw in ragged breaths.
Caught in the ruthless grasp of his own pounding desire, Nic rose to his feet.
“Duke.”
Nic didn’t have to say anything more. Putting his hand under her arms, Duke lifted Tira until his cock slid between her thighs. She immediately reached to position him and groaned when he settled her on the tip.
Nic watched Duke’s cock sink into Tira, the thick flesh stretching her, filling her. His gaze lifted to Duke’s hands filled with her breasts, Tira’s one hand covering Duke’s while the other latched on to Nic’s hip, drawing him close.
She opened her eyes to lazy slits before she leaned forward and kissed the underside of his cock, featherlight and burning hot. As he gazed down, she looked up and smiled, so sweet he couldn’t help but smile back.
Which she wiped off his face when she bent and let his cock slide over her lips and into her mouth. She didn’t take him deep at first, let her tongue rub against the underside before she drew back and let her teeth scrape lightly across the top.
Behind her, Duke held still, his eyes dark slits as he watched them.
She sucked on the tip, the suction of her mouth pulling on him, drawing his lust into a fine point of fire centered on his cock. Then she surged forward, taking him almost to her throat.
He tried not to move but when she swallowed, the movement caressed his cock and he lost control.
His hands cupped her face to hold her steady but he took over, fucking her mouth with a slow, steady rhythm.
Relaxing her jaw, she gave herself up to him and to Duke, who moved his hands to her hips so he could lift her just enough to thrust.
Tira gave herself to them, let them hold her up and take her, her body at their command.
Her lips clung to his cock, her tongue rough yet soft against his skin.
Gods, her mouth… He’d never thought anything could feel this good, could make him want to fight for…
His release surprised him with its intensity. He thrust and held deep in her mouth, her lips tightening around the base of his cock while she increased the suction. As he pumped his seed into her, he felt her moan around him, her hands gripping his hips as she too climaxed, drawing Duke with her.
The sound of their ragged breathing filled the room as they rode out the dizzying wave of desire.
When his spasms had subsided, Nic eased from Tira’s mouth and watched as she slumped back against Duke, her eyes closing as a tired smile lifted her lips.
Duke wrapped his arms around her and fell back against the cushions.
A good idea, Nic decided. Taking two short steps, he twisted around to sit on the couch as well, letting his head drop back.
Nic knew he’d never been as happy as he was at this moment.
If anything was worth fighting fate for, this was it.
* * * * *
Tira didn’t want to hear her cell phone ringing but she knew she couldn’t ignore it.
She wanted to. Oh, Blessed Goddess, how she wanted to.
Lying on the bed with Nic curled around her as she curled around Duke was like a dream come true.
The almost inaudible ping of her cell signaling a call from her home phone threatened to cut her heart out.
Part of the reason she didn’t want to answer it was fear. What if something had happened to her mom?
While she’d been here?
Fate really wouldn’t be that cruel, would it?
As her phone continued to ring, she knew it could be.
“Where is it, babe? I’ll get it.”
She heard resignation in Duke’s voice and, behind her, felt Nic stiffen.
It was only just after six in the evening.
Dawn was still almost twelve hours away.
“It’s in my bag in the bathroom,” she said, noting that it had stopped ringing. “My mom…”
“I know.” Duke slid out of bed. “I’ll get it.”
As he went into the bathroom, Nic’s arms gathered her close. “Maybe your mom just wants to check in.”
She nodded, hoping against hope that that’s all it would be. Even if the pit in her stomach was convinced it was something else.
In less than a minute Duke returned, her cell in his hand. It began to ring again as she took in the masculine beauty of his body. Ripped with muscle and stunning to behold, she wanted to run her hands all over him, kiss her way up the hard plane of his stomach until she reached that mouth. Duke was a man who knew how to kiss, was a master of it. And who enjoyed it.
Nic’s hands smoothed up and down her back, refusing to allow her body to tense. How could she when he made her feel boneless?
Duke stopped by the side of the bed and held out the phone. With a deep breath, she sat, trying not to shiver or sigh or in any way let the fear break through the cage she had it trapped in at the moment.
She pressed the button then touched the screen to redial the last number.
The phone barely rang when someone answered.
“Tira, is that you?”
Her heart stuttered in her chest. “Yes, Lais, it’s me. Is everything okay with Mom?”
“Your mother’s fine, Tira. That’s not why I’m calling.”
Confusion began to set in at Lais’ reluctant tone. Lais was never one to hold back on anything. If she had an opinion—and she always did—she told you.
“Then what’s going on?”
Lais sighed heavily into the phone. “Tira… A man showed up at the door today. He set off none of our alarms. It’s almost like he disabled them then marched right up to your house and knocked on the door.”
“What? Lais, I don’t understand. What—”
“He claims to be your father, Tira. And he wants to talk to you.”
Chapter Ten
Duke drove, Tira rode shotgun and Nic sat in the back.
Duke figured out of the three of them, he was the only one who’d keep his mind on the slick road.
And he did. For the most part.
Still, Tira’s father… Or some guy claiming to be Tira’s father had walked through the boschetta’s formidable wards without so much as a blip on their radar, strolled up to Tira’s front door and knocked on it like he was the FedEx guy.
The guy had to wield some serious power.
Who the fuck was he? Was he really Tira’s father?
If he was, what the hell was he doing here? And if he wasn’t, that just opened up a whole other can of worms.
Tira stared out the window, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. He could smell her anxiety, wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what the hell to say.
Nic sat behind her, one hand on her shoulder, the other on the back of Duke’s seat. He swore
he felt Nic’s concern like a wave of heat through the seat itself.
It didn’t take them long to reach the boschetta village but the atmosphere in the car made his skin tighten by the time he pulled to a stop in front of Margie’s house. Lais had called Margie, and Dan, Margie’s mate, had taken the guy back to their house down the street.
Apparently, the guy hadn’t put up a fight, had done nothing antagonistic or aggressive.
But he seemed to know Su was having health issues. And that he had a daughter.
Duke wanted to check the guy out himself before he allowed Tira anywhere near him. He knew Nic wanted the same though Nic was probably smart enough not to say it in those exact words.
And Tira would tell them both that she could take care of herself and to stop acting like cavemen.
Duke didn’t care. She wasn’t getting near the man until they knew what he wanted.
And he had to want something. Where the hell had he been for the past twenty-six years and why had he turned up now?
“Tira—”
“Don’t say it.” She didn’t bother to look at him, just stared at Margie’s house. “Just don’t. I’m going in there to talk to him and you do not get a say in the matter.”
“Ti—”
She cut him off with the classic talk-to-the-hand, which he was inclined to ignore.
“But—”
She opened the door and jumped out, slamming it behind her before marching toward Margie’s house. Nic practically knocked him over as they both tried to shove their way out of the Jeep at the same time.
Duke actually stumbled over his own feet in haste to follow her and only Nic’s quick grab for his collar kept him upright. Nic muttered something under his breath that sounded like an insult but Duke didn’t bother to call him on it. He was too focused on getting to Tira.
Gods damn, she must’ve run for the fucking door. She already had it open and nearly slammed it in their faces before Nic got his hand on it to keep it open.
They both reached for her as they crowded inside, each of them pulling her back as they stepped around and in front of her.
Duke caught Dan’s carefully blank expression a second before he noticed the man slowly making his way to his feet on the other side of the room.
Duke’s breath froze in his chest.
Holy shit.
“Whoa.” Nic’s whisper was barely audible, but his “Fuck” was loud and clear.
Duke stole a quick look at Tira, her wide eyes glancing into his before she too looked at the man who only had eyes for her.
Duke wanted to pick her up and stuff her back in the Jeep and get her and Nic the hell out of here.
Because even a blind man couldn’t fail to see the resemblance.
The guy had Tira’s golden blonde hair though his was cut short and shot with silver. Tira’s blue eyes were an exact match to his, right down to the shape and size.
If the guy wasn’t her father… Hell, there was no other explanation.
He wore a dark suit, a striped tie and a pristine white shirt, expensive as hell if Duke had to take a guess. Shit, the guy’s shoes looked as if he’d had them custom made and just picked them out of the box this morning.
His mouth held no curve at all and if it weren’t for the tiny muscle ticking in his jaw, you’d never know he was nervous.
Duke took a deep breath and caught the scent of the man’s anxiety and the faint whiff of desperation. Joy. Pride.
“Hello, Tira. I’m Mark Daniels.”
Duke took another deep breath, trying to get his thoughts in some kind of order.
Tira hadn’t ever really talked about her father, which wasn’t surprising considering she’d never met him. Su had never even mentioned his name and Duke had always chalked that up to boschetta’s tradition.
Until Dan and Margie had set up house almost sixteen years ago, none of the streghe had stuck with the fathers of their children. Not one. The streghe claimed it kept their power focused, without the distraction of men and relationships.
Margie had proven that theory wrong. And a few months ago, Tira’s best friend Nica had also broken that long-held tradition when she’d moved in with Tanner and Jensen Miller.
Right after Tira’s kidnapping. Which he and Nic had known nothing about until weeks later.
That still had the power to make Duke’s blood run cold.
And now this.
Duke tried to ignore the gnawing pit in his stomach but knew it was a losing battle when Tira’s hand slapped on his shoulder as the other smacked Nic’s and she pushed them apart far enough to squeeze between them.
She stepped past them but didn’t move out of their reach, as if she knew he and Nic wouldn’t let her get far.
Her hair fell down her back in a sleek ponytail, revealing the tightness of her shoulders and the rigid line of her back.
Vaffanculo, he was a thoughtless bastard. He needed to pull his head out of his ass and make sure Tira knew she could count on him.
On them.
He glanced at Nic, who caught his eye and nodded, just once. Enough for Duke to know Nic was on the same page.
After a short pause, Tira took another step forward and held out her hand. Duke had a second to think, Holy shit, what the hell’s she doing?
Then he remembered her deal with Nortia. And her reason for making that deal.
And how they were never going to get this time back.
“Tira Belludi,” she said, taking another step toward the man as he came forward and took her hand.
What looked like a small measure of relief crossed the man’s expression as he nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you,” he said in an accent Duke identified as British. The guy sounded like the Prince of fucking Wales. “You’re every bit as beautiful as your mother. And I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.”
“I guess that would be a good place to start,” Tira said.
He nodded as he released her, reluctantly it seemed. “Your mother sent me a message yesterday morning. I would have been here sooner but I wasted a few hours trying to authenticate the message. When I came to my senses, I caught the first flight to New York. I apologize for the surprise and, apparently, the fear my appearance has caused. I certainly am not here to harm anyone.”
As Tira shook her head, Duke watched the hard set of her shoulders begin to shake just a bit. He moved closer until he almost but not quite had himself pressed against her back. Nic followed his lead, putting his hand on the small of her back.
The man claiming to be her father gave them a fairly thorough once-over, no sign of what he was thinking in his expression before he refocused his attention on Tira.
“And how exactly did she contact you?” Tira’s tone held a healthy amount of disbelief. And with good reason. As far as they knew, Su didn’t have access to a phone or a computer and it wasn’t like they had mail service.
Mark Daniels didn’t look at all taken aback by the question. “I received a phone call yesterday from a young woman who told me Su wished to speak to me and that I needed to come immediately.”
“And you just picked up and flew across an ocean because someone told you a woman you slept with nearly twenty-seven years ago wanted to see you?” Tira’s head shook back and forth slowly. “I’m sorry but that just doesn’t make sense.”
“Whoever called knew intimate details that only Su would know. She also told me that Su was ill and that my daughter needed me. Before I arrived, I had assumed you had been the one to make the call. But when I got here, I realized I was wrong.”
“Then who contacted you?”
Daniels didn’t answer but movement from the doorway into the kitchen caught Duke’s eye.
Dan and Margie’s daughter Cat stepped forward, her blue eyes wide but no guilty blush stained her cheeks. “I did. Su asked me to.”
* * * * *
An hour later, Nic watched the sky darken through the window of Dan and Margie’s house.
He held Tira’s hand
as they sat on the couch. The man claiming— Oh hell, at least he didn’t have to lie to himself. The guy was Tira’s father. He could smell the blood connection between them as clearly as Dan and Duke were able to.
If Dan hadn’t scented it right away, he never would have called Tira. He would have disappeared the guy right away.
Because Mark Daniels was eteri from the tips of his fancy loafers to his so very British accent.
Whether he had any idea of who or what Su was, what his daughter was, hadn’t been answered yet. No one dared broach the subject. At least not until Daniels did.
And if he never brought it up…
Duke paced behind them as Tira and Daniels felt their way around a delicate conversation.
After Cat had confessed her role, Dan had nearly blown a gasket which Margie had smoothed over as best she could. Nic understood Dan’s fear. If the guy had harmed Cat in any way, he would have been a dead man. Dan and Kyle would have hunted him down and torn him to bits.
But Daniels hadn’t hurt her. And he’d done nothing aggressive or provocative. He seemed to have an almost unnatural calm but that could just be the British stiff upper lip.
Any emotion he showed was aimed at Tira. His lips curved with the hint of a smile as he spoke to her, told her about himself and what he did. How he’d met Su twenty-seven years ago in Reading at a bar. He’d been in the States “acquiring a bank” for his employers. Today, he was the employer. He was the CEO of one of the largest international financial institutions based in Britain.
He wasn’t married, had no children—and Nic couldn’t tell if the man was happy to have one or was simply trying to figure out if Tira would want something from him now that she knew he had money.
And Daniels had a shitload of it, if his clothes and attitude were anything to go by.
If the guy looked at her sideways, just once, Nic was going to take his head off. Duke could have the arms and legs.
Nic had to give it to Daniels, though. If he was sweating anything, he didn’t show it.
Calm, cool and collected described him perfectly.
Tira, on the other hand, was starting to unravel. He heard it in her voice, the emotional wear and tear that made it shake. “Have you ever tried to find my mom before?”
Moonlight Menage Page 15