Boston Avant-Garde 5: Bellicoso

by Kaitlin Maitland

“You made me the happiest man alive.” Nicolai put his arm around Desiree’s shoulders and cuddled her close.

  “Yeah, but there’s one of you!” Erik protested.

  Allie picked that moment to come dashing into the kitchen. “Dee! Selena! You’re back!” Selena, Malachi, and Demon managed to stand up before Allie flung herself at all three of them.

  She was wearing some of Selena’s pink satin pajamas and her robe. The teen’s long, dark hair was wet from the shower. It had been towel dried and then twirled into a neat bun. Selena recognized her mother’s handiwork in that. The thought made her smile.

  “I’ve never met anyone who loves pink more than you do, Selena, but I think Allie has you beat.” Annaline Aasen entered the kitchen and gave Selena a warm hug.

  Selena fought the urge to pinch herself to make sure she hadn’t accidentally dreamed herself into someone else’s life. After their talk the other night she’d viewed her mother so much differently, but Annaline’s immediate acceptance of Allie was nothing short of a godsend.

  “Dee! Did Lars tell you? I had to tell him the whole thing, but I gotta tell you this first!” Allie was talking so quickly Selena could barely keep track of the conversation. Demon, however, looked totally unruffled. Allie grabbed his hand and clasped it tightly. “Those guys broke into Selena’s room! Broke in! So I did just like you told me. I gave that one dude the smackdown!”

  “You were amazing,” Demon murmured, brushing her cheek with his fingers.

  “Then the other dude pulled a gun—a gun! And you know what?” Allie paused to suck in more air. “Selena stepped in front of it! Can you believe that?”

  Behind them, Selena realized her brother and sister weren’t reacting as if they’d heard this part of the story quite yet. Erik’s expression grew murderous, and Desiree’s eyes were popping out of her skull. Selena had a feeling Allie’s presence was the only thing saving Selena from a tongue-lashing. Unfortunately, Allie wasn’t done with her big reveals though.

  “Then?” Her gray eyes opened wide for maximum effect. “Later, Selena told me she loves you and Daddy! All of us actually!” Allie sighed as if it were the most romantic thing ever. Which it kind of was. “So I was thinking. Can we get a house somewhere? I don’t want to live at school all the time anymore.” Allie reached up and shoved Demon’s hair out of his face so she could stare right into his eyes. “Please?”

  He looked utterly undone by her gesture. Selena had come to understand that his dark hair was a curtain to keep the world at bay. Peeking beneath it was akin to viewing his soul laid bare. It made her giddy to know she had the right to do such a thing with a man who was so forbidding to almost everyone else.

  Selena caught Malachi’s gaze. He wasn’t trying to hide his longing to make Allie’s wish come true. Selena took his hand and Demon’s until Allie was effectively locked between the three of them. “Sweetie, I think that’s a fantastic idea. Although it’s going to take some time to find the perfect house.” Selena leaned down and rubbed noses with the daughter of her heart. “Not to mention the shopping required to decorate it.”

  Allie flung her arms around Selena’s neck and squealed in delight. Selena returned the hug, feeling a triple shot of happiness when Demon and Malachi added the warmth of their embrace.

  “Allie, love.” Annaline touched the girl’s shoulder. “I think the adults need some more time to talk. I’m going to put you in the bedroom right next to Selena’s. That way your dad will be right next door if you need him.”

  “She’s letting you share a room?” Allie stage-whispered. “Your mom is so cool, seriously.”

  Selena watched her mother usher Allie back toward the stairs. Turning to the two lovers she intended to share parenting duties with, she gave them a shrug. “I’m thinking I’m going to be a do-as-I-say-and-not-as-I-do parent. That okay?”

  Malachi arched one elegant brow. “You’re asking us?”

  “Yeah, got it.” Selena moved to sit down and finish her cocoa. The blatant hostility radiating from her brother was enough to knock her over.

  She, Demon, and Malachi took their seats. Both men pressed themselves against her sides. It was for comfort, theirs as much as hers. Selena marveled at that knowledge. With these two by her side she felt like she could take on the world.

  “You stepped in front of a gun?” Erik’s low tone would have melted her resolve less than six months ago. Not anymore.

  She knew her brother loved his wife. Erik would have given up anything for Talia. In fact, he’d done his own fair share of thumbing his nose at Aasen family values during their tempestuous courtship. “Would you take a bullet for Talia or that baby she’s carrying?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Selena shrugged. “I love Allie. I love the two men who’ve raised her as their own. There was no way in hell some nasty little prick was going to shoot my baby girl when I could stop it.”

  She could feel Malachi practically vibrating with agitation beside her, though he showed absolutely nothing of his inner turmoil on the exterior. Selena took a long swig of cocoa and then linked her left arm through his to let him know she was there.

  “So this is what you want?” Erik pointed angrily at Demon and Malachi.

  “It’s not like you’ve never heard of the idea,” Selena reminded him. Erik had known Seth Overton and Josh Breckenridge since their school days, and it was no secret the two lawyers shared one woman between them.

  He scoffed. “Sorry, but Seth and Josh are kittens compared to these two.”

  “And I’d never be satisfied with Leslie’s life, so that’s fine by me.” Why couldn’t he at least try to understand?

  Erik rubbed one hand down his face in frustration. “You’ve always wanted the fairy tale. I don’t get it. What changed?”

  She leaned into Malachi’s strength and gazed up at Demon. He was watching her. Neither man had said one word, nor was she shocked to realize she didn’t mind. She didn’t need anyone to speak for her or make her decisions. They were waiting for her to take the lead and make her own choices. It was exhilarating.

  That’s what they’ve been trying to tell me about a real D/s relationship. That it doesn’t take all the power and give it to one person. It makes everyone stronger.

  “I’ve changed, Erik,” Selena told him. “I wanted the fairy tale because everyone said it would make me happy.” Demon’s sensuous mouth curved into a seductive smile. “But this is what makes me whole. Don’t ask any more questions about it. You’re not going to like my answers. So just go with it, okay?”

  “Yen?”

  Demon’s attention shifted from Selena to Lars as her cousin spoke his name.

  Lars withdrew something from his pocket and slid it to Demon. “I found something at Triptych that belongs to you.”

  “Is that…?” Malachi cursed beneath his breath and then ripped his gaze from the gold-embossed passport folder to Demon’s face.

  “Thank you.” Demon bowed his head to Lars.

  Lars shrugged. “I made some calls about your immigration status. You didn’t arrive here by choice or by the usual channels, but I’ve bought you some time to decide if you want to apply for a green card. Although, with your passport, you’re free to choose whether or not you’d like to go back to China.”

  Selena’s heart leaped into her throat, and she stared at her cousin in horror. Beside her, Malachi grew tense. Her fingers had been resting lightly on his forearm. Now they were clenched tight around his bulging tricep. Demon couldn’t leave them. Not now. Not after everything they’d gone through together. She loved Malachi, and she’d stay with him and Allie until they were old and gray and Allie had made them grandparents, but their lives were never going to be complete without their Dom in it.

  It seemed Demon knew her fears just as he always seemed to know every other thought that ran through her head. He caressed her cheek with his calloused palm. A delicious shiver slid down her spine when his thumb slid like silk over her lower lip. “My heart is he
re, with you and Malachi and Allie. There is nothing for me in Canton. Unless you suddenly decide you’d like to travel there, I’ll never go back.”

  She couldn’t hold his gaze, turning away to keep everyone at the table from seeing what she knew was plastered across her face. After all the turmoil, the fear, and even despite the presence of her family, she wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and thoroughly pleasure her lovers. She wanted to put their cocks in her mouth and make them just as crazy for her as she was for them before she somehow managed to take them both into her body at once. She wanted to be joined with them and feel that bond in its raw form.

  “Wow, I had no idea your baby sister had inherited the smoldering bedroom eyes,” Nicolai mused. “My suggestion is to continue our discussion later. Since it would appear these two gentleman are joining our crazy-ass family, I think there’ll be plenty of time.”

  Erik and Lars jumped up as if they’d been stung while Desiree laughed at their squeamishness. Selena gave her sister a warm smile. She’d once thought Desiree a silly romantic for wanting something more than the sterile society marriage they’d been encouraged to pursue. She was just glad both of her siblings had forged a path to finding real love and happiness. Now it was Selena’s turn to reap the rewards.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Malachi’s back gave a satisfying pop as he stretched out next to Allie on the massive king-size bed. The so-called guest room next to Selena’s suite looked like something out of a luxury hotel. Even with the thick draperies closed, he could see a hint of gray dawn peeking around the windowsills.

  “Daddy, it feels weird to be going to bed at six in the morning.” Allie snuggled closer. “Can’t I just skip sleeping?”

  “No, Gator. Just try to get a couple of hours. You had a rough night. Let’s not push it.” He well understood how difficult it was to settle down after a tense night. For now he needed Allie asleep in bed. He was dying to get back next door to his two lovers. Selena had mentioned her shower was big enough for three.

  “I was scared, but I knew you’d come.” Allie yawned. “Selena told me you would.”

  “I’ll always come for you, Gator.”

  “I know, Daddy.” Despite her protestations about going to sleep, her eyes were sliding shut. “I owe you an apology though.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Selena told me you and Dee didn’t screw it up with her. She really loves us. A lot. I love her too. I’m glad she’s going to be my new mom.”

  Malachi’s gut tightened. He had to tell her about Seraph. It wasn’t right to keep it from her. “About your mom… She’s being taken back to Italy to stand trial for the murder of her father and brother.”

  Allie gave a sleepy nod. “She finally got caught. I told her that would happen.”

  “What?” Malachi’s near roar brought Allie from sleepy to tearful.

  “This past summer when she dragged me to Cancun for two weeks, she got really mad and told me I’d better do what she said because it wouldn’t be the first time she’d bumped off someone in her own family.” Allie swiped at her face, and Malachi realized she was crying. He felt like crying himself. What kind of mother said that shit to her kid?

  “Allie, your mother loves you.”

  “I know, Daddy. I do.” Allie sighed and drowsily settled back down. “She told me all the time. She’s just not a very nice person. Dee said she’d been abused a lot when she was young. He said she didn’t know how to be a mom.”

  Once again Malachi was grateful for Demon’s involvement in Allie’s life. He could never repay that kind of debt to his friend, but he’d be happy to spend the rest of his life trying.

  “That’s another reason Selena is going to be a great mom. I really like Annaline. I’m going to ask if I can call her my grandmother. I’ve never had one of those before.” Allie lost the fight with her heavy eyelids.

  Even when his little girl had been nothing but a toddler, she’d always had the ability to go from awake to sound asleep in seconds. He tucked her securely beneath the covers and kissed her forehead.

  I wonder if Allie will eventually have a little brother or sister?

  The thought was staggering. It was an epic step for him psychologically. Had he ever imagined a moment he’d consider adding more children to their lives? Everything had changed when Selena worked her way into their hearts, and he’d be the first to admit it was looking better and better every second.

  * * * *

  Selena wondered if she would ever get past her sense of awe over Demon’s exotic beauty. She had already washed and conditioned her hair by the time she noticed him leaning casually against the tile wall of her walk-in shower. He was unashamedly naked and gorgeous.

  “Are you watching me?” she asked. A wave of self-consciousness made her flush.

  “It’s a beautiful sight.”

  This was one of those odd moments when she became hyperaware of the fact that she was completely committed to two men she didn’t really know that well. She knew they accepted her and wanted her—in the bedroom. It was intimacy of a different kind to have Demon watching her sputter while trying to keep the soap out of her eyes.

  “It’s all still new, isn’t it?” Demon stepped into the massive shower. “There was no time to posture and court. No dinner dates or social events, no meeting the family over the holidays, none of the usual activities.”

  She gazed at him, so glad for about the millionth time that he seemed to intuit exactly how she felt without her having to botch the telling. He was stalking her, moving slowly into the spray.

  The monstrous shower had been designed to look like a grotto. Potted plants nestled into shelves built overhead, and dim bulbs accentuated the soft gray dawn filtering through the skylight. There were showerheads liberally placed around the perimeter of the rectangular space and several built-in benches where she sat to shave her legs. It didn’t take much imagination to guess what else they could be used for.

  The warm water trickled over Demon’s darkly golden skin. It beaded on the rippling muscles of his chest and belly before sliding toward his firm cock. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat and pushed her stringy, wet hair behind her ears.

  He paused and let the spray soak his thick, black hair. Shaking off, he slicked it away from his face. “Ask yourself if you would have ever allowed this to happen any other way.”

  She knew immediately what he meant. She would never have dated Demon or Malachi in the normal way. She wouldn’t have approached them, and she’d never have let them approach her. She’d been a woman fascinated by the idea of a threesome and yet far too inhibited to try and orchestrate it. Although after being with two men who were already comfortable together, Selena couldn’t imagine having sex with two men who weren’t. She’d been horribly naive to think that could ever work.

  “You’re thinking too much,” he whispered. “Come here.”

  He held out his arms, and she went without hesitation. Their wet skin meshed together, water pooling where flesh met flesh. She nestled in his embrace, and suddenly nothing else mattered. It was that simple.

  “I was so afraid,” she whispered. It felt good to admit that. She never owned those kinds of weaknesses. With him, she didn’t need to be strong all the time. She didn’t even have to name her fears. He already knew.

  He let his forehead rest against hers. “So was I.”

  “You’re never afraid.”

  “I was when I thought I might lose you or Malachi.”

  Malachi stepped into the spray and let it run down over his closed eyes. “And I was when I thought you might take your passport and run back to China.”

  Demon made a low noise she took for displeasure. “Everything I want in life is here. Why would I go to China?”

  Malachi didn’t answer right away. He scrubbed his head and let the water sluice over his body. She wanted to help. Selena pulled away from Demon and retrieved her shampoo. She dispensed a tiny bit into her palm and then gaze
d up at the other man she wanted desperately to know and understand more deeply.

  “What, you can’t reach?”

  She realized Malachi’s teasing was a bluff when he dropped to his knees there in the shower. Selena sank her fingers into his thick, dark hair and began to thoroughly wash it.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face against her belly as she worked. She took longer than necessary, enjoying the closeness. She pulled a nozzle from the wall and rinsed the soap from Malachi’s hair. The silky, dark locks streamed over his broad shoulders, stretched long by the weight of the water.

  When she was done, Selena decided to take her task a little further. She put the nozzle away and reached for her sponge and body wash. The scent of her soap was a simple blend of bayberry and vanilla, familiar and soothing.

  Feeling nervous and foolish and not even fully knowing why, Selena knelt before Demon and waited.

  “That’s not necessary, little one.” Demon crouched and tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. “What do you want?”

  “To wash you both.”

  “You’re going to make us smell like women?” Malachi stepped away from the spray and shook the excess water from his hair.

  She found his humor amusing instead of annoying, proof that she loved the oaf. “You’ll smell like me. Like mine.”

  Demon brushed a kiss over her lips and then stood. “Then by all means, go ahead. I think I’d enjoy watching you begin with Malachi.”

  His words made her tremble inside. She didn’t rise, remaining on her knees while she began with Malachi’s powerful calves. Each stroke of the sponge left a soft trail of vanilla-scented suds on his sleek skin. She followed the contours of his knees, ignoring the way he tensed as she slicked her hands over his thighs.

  Her mouth watered when she reached around for his ass cheeks and discovered his erection within range of her mouth. It would be spectacular to suck his gorgeous cock while she smoothed her hands all over his body.

  “I want to be in her mouth.” Malachi’s tight words were directed at Demon, a plea as well as a statement of desire.