Falling Together (All That Remains #2)

by S. M. Shade

  I can hear the waver of nerves in his voice. “If you’re concerned about shrinkage, I’ve seen it before you know. I’m well aware you’re as gifted as I am,” I tease.

  “Shut up. It’s just…” His breath sends puffs of fog into the air as he searches for another excuse.

  “Worried my tongue will stick to it?” Throwing his head back, he laughs aloud, and I use the opportunity to tug his jeans and underwear down just enough to free him. His eyes close and his head falls back against the tree when I wrap my hand around him, overwhelming him with firm slow strokes. After a few moments, his fingers fumble with the button of my jeans, and I waste no time tugging them down below my knees.

  “You’re crazy,” he mumbles as I straddle him. “Going to freeze your nuts off.”

  “Then warm them up.”

  Parting his lips with my tongue, I kiss him long and hard, my hand falling into rhythm with his as we stroke each other. His eyes remain closed when I sit back, giving me a chance to study his face. He’s fucking beautiful. Rough, stubbled cheeks, swollen lips, wild black as sin hair. Shit. I’m going to come just staring at him. “Stop,” I pant, scooting back and bending to take him in my mouth.

  “Fuck…Joey…I…”

  “I’ve wanted you like this for too long,” I groan, tracing the length of him with my tongue. When I wrap my lips around him, he jerks, then relaxes, his hands delving into my hair as I work him steadily. Gasps and groans fill my ears, making me fight the urge to come until he’s ready. When his hands tighten in my hair, I know he’s as close as I am. Sitting up, I scoot forward quickly and press his hard cock against mine, wrapping my hand around us both.

  “Fuck…mmm…good,” he grunts, and I revel in the fact I’ve reduced him to monosyllables. I grab his hand, placing it above mine, and he follows suit, stroking us in rhythm with me. “Joey.” There’s reservation and fear in his voice, but also wonder and delight. It’s that tone that shoves me past my limit, the realization that this is a new experience for him. And it’s with me. I get to claim it. I feel him come a split second before my world empties, refilling with crushing pleasure. A sharp, sweet ache lances through me, stealing my breath and every thought in my head but one. Airen.

  Forehead to forehead, we catch our breath. “Are you okay?” If he’s going to freak out, this will be the time. Instead of answering, he takes my lips with a slow, sweet kiss. I sit back and he glances down with a smirk at the mess we’ve made between us.

  “See what you did?” he accuses, his usual smug smile replaced by a shy, embarrassed grin.

  “Yep. Going to do it again soon, too.” His sexy laugh echoes around me when I produce a blue plaid scarf from my pocket, and use it to clean us up. He always teases me about that ugly scarf.

  “My ass is frozen solid,” I gripe, standing up to pull up my jeans.

  “Trade you for the splinters in mine. I was sitting on a tree root.”

  “I can remove those for you.”

  “Back off, nympho. We’re going to get frostbite.” I’m relieved at his playful attitude. I was worried about how he’d act after. If he’d feel guilty or ashamed. Glancing at the scarf lying on the ground, he laughs. “You get to explain that to Abby when she sees it in the laundry.”

  “No need. Give me a boost.”

  “What?”

  “Boost me up.” He cups his hands and I step into them, reaching to grab a branch. I yank it toward me and tie the scarf as high as I can reach. When my feet are back on solid ground, I’m regarded with an amused look. “It’s a reminder.”

  A soft kiss lands on my neck before I feel his warm breath against my ear. “You’re such a woman sometimes,” he teases.

  “Says the man who proposed in a field of sunflowers, and sang God Only Knows over a campfire.”

  “You like my singing.”

  “Yeah. I don’t need a reminder of that night. It was amazing.”

  Strong arms wrap around me, surrounding me in warmth. “Thank you, Joey. For Lane. For taking care of me. For loving Abby.”

  “I couldn’t stop that if I tried.”

  “Be patient with her. She’s broken in ways you don’t understand yet. Hell, neither do I, but she loves you.”

  The sun peeks between the trees, shining on our shoulders and backs on our walk home, but the icy wind steals its warmth quickly. “She thought I didn’t love her, that I was just fulfilling your request.”

  Airen’s hand slips into mine. “I know.”

  “I’ve tried to show her. I always have, even when I shouldn’t have, when I knew she was yours.”

  “I know that too. Trust me, Joseph, it’s not you. It took over a year to convince her I love her, that I wouldn’t leave her, and there are times I think she still doubts. It’s frustrating, but you just have to accept it as a part of who she is. Abby’s needy, but not in the typical clingy way of other women. She hates to need, to be thought of as weak, and she’ll try to hide when she’s upset, when she needs someone the most.

  “Abby needs all the affection we can give. We’re making up for a lifetime of it, Joey. Simple things like holding her hand or hugging mean more to her because she’s never had it before.” A small grin appears on his face.

  “She’s so goddamned stubborn. Sometimes I just have to pull her into my lap and hold her there until she stops trying to escape and hide. It embarrasses her, especially if she cries, but she needs it.”

  His smile widens at the sound of my chuckle. “I’ve been there with Abby. I don’t understand why she’s so ashamed though. Women cry. Shit, everyone cries. What’s her hangup?”

  “Childhood conditioning would be my guess. I don’t know if she was beat for crying, taunted, or just ignored until she figured crying doesn’t help. Whatever the reason, she needs us to be stubborn and stay with her when she loses it no matter how much she protests.”

  “I know you’re worried about her, Airen. I swear I’ll never hurt her.”

  “I know that. I’d never have suggested this arrangement in the beginning if I didn’t trust you to put our girl first.” Our girl. Abby’s our girl. “Just be patient with her. She’s never really been loved before, and she doesn’t think she deserves it.”

  Hearing these things about Abigail in Airen’s resigned tone breaks my heart. “Who hurt her?”

  With a sigh, he squeezes my hand, tugging me toward our house. “Who didn’t?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Abby

  If communication is truly the key to a good relationship, then we should be fine. With a lot of liquid courage and no shortage of blushing and squirming, we have spoken at length about our first night together. We know how far each of us is comfortable with going and more importantly, that we can change our minds if it’s too much without hurting anyone’s feelings.

  I know Airen is nervous and unsure when it comes to sex with Joseph. Hes only been with a man once, and that was just a blow job. I left them alone to talk about Airen’s concerns, but Joseph filled me in on all the details later, including their little tryst in the woods. Simply put, he isn’t into anything anal, and doesn’t want to try it. Not even touching. Joseph catches me alone in the bedroom while Airen is outside.

  “Is he like that with you?” he asks.

  “Like what?” I mumble, trying to find a place to rest my gaze.

  “Come on, Abby, don’t be coy. Have you had anal sex with Airen?”

  “No.”

  “He really doesn’t like it, then?”

  “I don’t know, I mean…he would, I think, but I’m too scared.”

  “Does he touch you there?”

  “Sometimes. I don’t think he has a problem with it. I just haven’t encouraged it.”

  “Okay, I’m just trying to figure out what his hang up is, and apparently it’s gender specific.” He grins. “Which means he can get over it. So, why does it scare you?” He wraps his arms around me and squeezes my ass. “Are you afraid it’ll hurt?”

  “I know it hurts. I
thought this was about you and Airen,” I grumble, pulling away.

  “This is about all of us. So you have done it before?”

  “Once. It hurt like hell and I cried the entire time. I bled for days afterward and could hardly sit for a week. I don’t know how you do it. You must have a much higher pain tolerance than I do.”

  His mouth drops open in shock before his face hardens with anger. He rests his arms on my shoulders and slides his hands beneath my hair, running his fingers gently up and down the nape of my neck. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Abby. Was it Jon?” The look on my face answers his question. “Only a sadistic asshole would do that to a woman, or a man for that matter. Did you ask him to stop?”

  I lean my forehead against his chest and nod. “I begged him, but I did agree to do it. I just didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I couldn’t handle it, and it pissed him off.”

  “Abby…Christ.” His arms tighten around me. “What he did was cruel. Sex should never hurt like that, and to keep going once you were crying…I could kill him.”

  “I always heard it was supposed to hurt.”

  “It can sting or burn a little at first, but if you’re with someone who knows what they’re doing, someone who cares enough about you to get you soft and ready, there’s very little pain, if any. And you sure as hell don’t bleed and suffer afterward. No wonder you’re scared.”

  “Were you hoping if I’d do it, then Airen would be willing?”

  Joseph laughs, kissing the top of my head. “No, I’m just trying to learn what you like, baby. Besides, I prefer to be the pool, not the diver,” he says with a wink. It’s funny that Joseph, usually the most sensitive of the three of us, is the one who doesn’t get embarrassed when it comes to discussing anything sexual.

  “Just take it slow with him. It took him awhile just to kiss you in front of me. I think he’s still a little ashamed of what he wants.”

  “We have all the time in the world,” he agrees.

  With the kids out of the house, tonight is the night. We have a light dinner together, just the three of us. A significant percentage of our blood is now alcohol, thanks to the wine Joseph provided. We keep up the small talk. Joseph teases Airen who responds with his customary smug sarcasm. They aren’t fooling anyone. I can see my own anxiety reflected in their handsome faces.

  Once we do this, there’s no going back. We are risking our current relationship on the hope of building a new unconventional one. When I return to the living room, they’re regarding one another nervously, the room thick with sexual tension. It’s time.

  I practically glide across the room, my hand closing on Airen’s, then Joseph’s. Without a word, they allow me to lead them to the bedroom. The lights are low and the music is just loud enough to be heard over the beating of our hearts.

  Airen slips up behind me and slides his arms around my waist. Shivers run down my spine when his lips press softly against my ear. “You smell so good,” he murmurs. Joseph glides forward and feathers his fingertips down the curve of my neck, leaving a trail of tingling skin in their path. His eyes are heated jade as they gaze into mine. Our lips meet for only a sweet second, but the dual sensation of his kiss and their hands on me is indescribable.

  Airen lifts my shirt over my head and unfastens my bra, letting it fall unceremoniously to the floor. His hot breath caresses the back of my neck while his fingers circle my belly, his hand climbing over my ribs to palm my breasts. Joseph’s eyes burn as they sweep over me from head to toe, taking it all in. Those beautiful plump lips part, his tongue sliding across them. Oh, this is so erotic, so much more intense than I imagined, and we have barely begun.

  My hands tremble while I unbutton Joseph’s shirt, pushing it off his shoulders. He catches my hand and brings it to his lips. “Relax, baby,” he breathes. I caress his face, trailing my thumb across his lower lip while my other hand smoothes up his stomach to his chest. I love the feel of his silky blond chest hair between my fingers, so different from Airen’s crisp dark curls. His mouth finds mine again, and I’m lost in the softness of his lips and the firmness of his tongue on mine when Airen sweeps the hair from the back of my neck, exploring with his lips and tongue.

  A wave of heat races through my body, making me moan into Joseph’s mouth. I can feel Airen’s smile against my neck. His expert hands unbutton my shorts and before I even realize what planet I’m on, I’m standing between their two hard bodies in only a pair of blue lace panties. My eyes lock with Joseph’s, brown to misty green, while I unbutton his jeans and push them off his hips. He quickly steps out of them, his cheeks coloring when my eyes wander south to admire the way he’s straining against his gray boxer briefs.

  I reach back to grip Airen’s soft hair as I pull Joseph’s hard body flush with mine. Joseph’s lips find the soft spot beneath my ear. His hands slide across my sides and onto Airen’s back before descending to cup the swell of his ass. I feel Airen’s chest rise on a sudden gasp, and Joseph tugs him forward, forcing his groin into my backside while grinding himself against my mound so I can feel how hard they are. I’m trapped, compressed between firm muscles and hot sweaty skin, wallowing in their musky masculine scents, heady with the power I have to elicit this reaction from such gorgeous men. God, Lexi’s right, I’m a lucky bitch.

  When I meet Joseph’s eyes in a silent request, the corner of his mouth quirks up briefly. He knows what I want to see, and buries his hand in Airen’s hair while I shift slightly, giving them room. Joseph’s lips close softly on Airen’s. Oh, I’ll never tire of watching them kiss. Joseph grips Airen’s face and tilts his head before taking his mouth with a fierceness that makes him gasp. I gaze at them, completely mesmerized. This is without a doubt the hottest, sexiest kiss I’ve ever witnessed.

  Their intensity builds. They’re all lips and tongues and clashing teeth. Their mindless groans and uninhibited sounds of passion send spikes of electricity branching through me. When they finally part, breathless and red faced, my panting rivals theirs. The blazing look Airen gives me instantly makes my legs weak, and he scoops me up with a growl, moving me to the bed. He stretches out beside me as Joseph presses his body against my other side. I’m gloriously surrounded.

  Two sets of rough hands explore my body, stroking and caressing until I’m writhing with need. Airen leans to give me a long passionate kiss while Joseph’s hot wet lips press against my inner thigh. My panties are gone, and I’m not even sure who removed them. I’m lost in the pleasure these two gorgeous men are raining down on me. Joseph’s hands gently part my thighs, his hot mouth kissing and sucking his way upward. Oh Fuck. He’s going to go down on me. I want to grab his head and hurry him up, but at the same time, I’m not sure I can do this with Airen watching.

  My anxiety doesn’t escape Airen’s notice. “It’s okay,” he murmurs, his fingers gliding across my brow, smoothing away the tension. “Relax,” he whispers in my ear just before Joseph’s tongue finds its mark.

  It’s so good. Airen’s hot whispers in my ear, their hands on me, and Joseph’s incredibly talented tongue, relentlessly circling. It’s overwhelming. I’m going to combust, just burn up on the spot. I squirm and twist in a futile attempt to control the sensations that make me want to scream for them to stop while begging them to keep going.

  “Don’t hide, darlin’. Let him hear how much you like it,” Airen murmurs when I try to tuck my face against his neck. His hands caress my breasts as he sucks the spot on my neck that drives me wild. Joseph slips his fingers inside me and I’m shoved to the edge, teetering on the brink while my moans fill the room.

  Airen reaches to stroke the back of Joseph’s head lovingly, his fingers tangling in the blond curls. The sight of Airen touching him while his head moves between my legs is too much, and I cry out as my orgasm bursts through me, my entire body shaking and pulsing. When I float back to reality, I feel them on either side of me, holding me between their bodies, but I don’t want to open my eyes.

  “Abby,” Joseph w
hispers, running his fingers lightly across my navel. “Are you back with us?” His voice is thick with amusement. I force myself to open my eyes to face them, and they’re both smiling down at me. Well, Airen’s is more of a self satisfied smirk. He loves it when I get loud.

  “Joseph,” I murmur, stroking his cheek.

  “Yes, baby.”

  “Don’t you think Airen’s a little overdressed?”

  He chuckles and drops a quick kiss on my lips. “I’ll handle it.”

  I scoot to sit at the head of the bed, watching Airen’s eyes darken, his smirk fading as Joseph approaches him lithely, like a panther stalking its prey. He undresses him, slow and deliberate, before placing an open mouthed kiss on his bared chest. The tension pours off them in waves. Years of yearning evolves into white hot passion, and I can’t take my eyes off them. I hear myself gasp when Airen suddenly grasps the back of Joseph’s neck and brings their lips together hard.

  Joseph

  His teeth clash against mine while our tongues fight for dominance. The room is a cacophony of grunts and growls as years of built up tension, lust, and need collide, demolishing all our inhibitions and doubts. The need for oxygen eventually forces us apart, and I revel in the look on his face.

  His lips are red and swollen from the ferocity of our kiss, his breathing fast and ragged, but it’s the look in those wide, black eyes that shows me what I’ve always wanted to see. That scorching stare that focuses on me. There’s no more reluctance or hesitation. No more embarrassment or insecurity. He wants me.

  He shoves me down on the bed and straddles my hips. His hands are rough on my chest and abdomen, but his lips are soft when they glide over my ear and down my neck. A hiss escapes through my clenched teeth when he bites my nipple before soothing the sting with his warm tongue. So many times I have thought about this. Endless nights spent fantasizing about Airen’s hands and mouth.

  Abby’s gentle fingers explore and caress. “So sweet,” she whispers in my ear. “So sexy.” Her kiss is tender as she draws my bottom lip in to suck it lightly. Abby’s soft skin and gentle kisses. Airen’s hard body and rough hands. The combination is mind blowing.