by Susan Hayes
“You’re right. We are proud of who and what we are.” He kissed her again before taking her hand and leading her to a shadowed corner of the patio. He draped his black jacket over her shoulders, feeling a primal satisfaction at seeing her in his clothes.
Yeah, he had it bad.
She followed him to the backside of one of the benches scattered around the patio, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “What are you planning exactly?”
“Payback, angel. I promised you it was coming, and it starts right now. Hands on the top of the bench, and don’t you dare move unless I tell you to.”
“I don’t think—hey!” she protested as he used his talents to nudge her into the correct position.
“Hands. Bench. Now.”
“Pushy ’leet,” she grumbled, but after a moment’s defiance, she set her hands where he’d instructed.
Moving in behind her, Dane cupped her breasts, teasing her taut nipples through the velvety soft fabric of her dress as he nudged her feet a little farther apart. She rocked her hips backward, grinding her ass against his already aching dick. It was all the invitation he needed. He slid one hand down to her hip, then her thigh, finding the slit of her dress and using it to lift the fabric out of his way. He lifted the back of her dress just high enough to give him access to her sweet pussy. He traced the lace trim of her barely-there panties with one finger, and she shivered at his touch, the faintest hint of a moan rising from her throat.
“These have to go.”
“Don’t look at me, I’m not allowed to move, remember?”
Her sassy comeback only made him hotter. Damn, he loved it when she stood her ground. “I’m glad you remember the rules.” He curled his fingers into the lace and pulled, shredding the fabric until it was in tatters. He tucked the remnants into his pocket like the trophy that it was. He brushed a hand across the smooth curve of her ass, then crossed her hip and down to where she was hot, wet, and waiting for his touch. Her cream soaked his fingers as he caressed the seam of her pussy, and when he circled her clit with one digit, she shuddered and loosed another low, needy moan.
“Slow, or fast?” he asked.
“Fast. Hard. Please. I need…”
“We both need this. You’re in my blood, Ciara. In my heart. I’m never going to stop needing you.” He released her breast to reach between them, jerking his pants open with an impatience bordering on violence. Fuck, he was riding the jagged edge of his control, and he wasn’t even inside her yet. As if she could hear his thoughts, Ciara arched her back and rubbed herself against his newly freed cock.
“I need you, Dane. Love me.”
Her words were his undoing. He guided himself between her legs and drove himself home, not stopping until he was buried to the hilt. “You’re mine,” he whispered.
“I know.”
Ciara had never done anything like this. Outside, in public. They could be caught at any moment, and she didn’t care. If anything, the risk was turning her on even more. She couldn’t feel the cold anymore. She couldn’t feel anything but the delicious stretch and slide of Dane’s cock as he fucked her. She held on to the bench and pushed back against his pounding thrusts, craving release even as she wished for this moment go to on forever. It was more than sex. More than physical need. This was a once in a lifetime.
She tightened her inner walls, squeezing his cock until he groaned her name. His hands landed on her hips, lifting her onto her toes and locking her into place. His grip was punishing, the faint pain blending with the pleasure he was giving her. He leaned over her, every breath turning to mist that hung in the air around them. He moved again, changing the angle between them so the thick head of his cock made contact with her G-spot on every stroke. She bit back a cry as her orgasm hit, detonating like a plasma bomb. Pleasure tore through her, a sensory firestorm that raged for what felt like an eternity before slowly fading away.
At some point, Dane had joined her in ecstasy, his cock still pulsing inside her, his body still draped over hers. They stayed like that for longer than they should have. Neither of them speaking. Neither one willing to be the first to pull away. It wasn’t until the chill of the night started to seep back into her body that Ciara sighed and turned her head to look back at Dane.
“If we stay here any longer, we’re risking hypothermia.”
“Not to mention that eventually, someone is going to come out here.”
“Five minutes ago, it wouldn’t have bothered me, but now? Yeah, time to go back inside and pretend we didn’t just do what we did.”
“Which will be hard to do, considering I have your panties in my pocket. Damn, knowing you’re naked under that dress is going to kill me. We better make it an early night.” He withdrew from her gently, carefully rearranging her dress and settling his jacket back firmly on her shoulders.
The moment was ending. She could feel it. Before it was gone, there was something she wanted to say. She turned to face Dane, her heart skipping a beat as she looked into eyes. Handsome, kind. Sweet. For the first time in her life, Ciara felt blessed. Dane, Vance, and Annie were gifts without measure, and she would be a fool to keep pretending she could ever walk away. “What you said before. About my being in your heart?”
His eyes narrowed, a guarded expression coming over his face. “What about it?”
“I wanted you to know. You’re in my heart, too. Both of you.”
His eyes lit up, and he stared at her with a shit-eating grin blooming across his face. “Halle-fucking-lujah. Does this mean you’re staying?”
She nodded. “I guess it does.”
“Not a resounding yes, but I’ll take it for now. Let’s go tell Vance the good news.” He leaned in and kissed her, then took her hands in his and led her back into the party with her floating along behind him, so happy she could swear her feet didn’t touch the ground.
* * * *
Vance was enjoying a moment’s respite in a quiet corner when he spotted Dane and Ciara rejoining the party. She was positively glowing, her skin tinted pink by more than the cold autumn air. Dane turned toward him, and with a few quick gestures, indicated they would be joining him soon. Vance lifted his drink to them in silent salute, holding it until he lost them to the crowd.
He didn’t realize he was no longer alone until Regent Travers spoke, startling him.
“If you don’t mind my saying so, you and your partner have found yourselves a remarkable woman.”
“Agreed. And if you don’t mind my saying so, sir, you and your daughter both need to be fitted with belled collars. You both have an uncanny ability to sneak up on a person.”
Travers laughed and moved in beside him. “She is far better at it than I ever was. Of course, I only use it for slipping away from my guards. Do me a favor and don’t mention the bell idea to them. I swear they’d try to make it happen.”
“Bells wouldn’t go with the uniform,” Vance deadpanned.
“Good point.” Travers took a sip of his drink, then turned to look at Vance. “I’m going to pull rank on you now and give you an order. Officially, I can’t make you follow it, but I hope you do anyway.”
“Sir?” Vance set down his drink and came to attention.
“Don’t let her go. Not now, not ever. I see the way you and your partner look at Ciara, and I’m telling you, don’t let go.”
“She’s staying. She might not know it yet, but Ciara’s not going anywhere. Not without us.”
Regent Travers nodded. “Good. Second chances don’t come around often. Sometimes, they don’t come at all.”
“You got a second chance with Alayna,” Vance pointed out.
Travers glanced across the room to where Alayna was standing with her bonded. “Alayna tells me you have a daughter. If you lost her tomorrow and didn’t see her again until she was a grown woman, would that be enough?”
The thought tore at Vance’s heart. “No, it wouldn’t.”
“Exactly.”
&nbs
p; “Would you like to meet her?” Vance asked, not sure if he was doing the right thing.
“Who?”
“Our daughter.”
Travers’ fingers tightened around his glass. “I’d like that. I don’t spend much time around kids. Never had reason to after…”
Vance nodded in understanding. If he suffered the kind of loss Travers had, he would have closed himself off, too. “Annie’s been asking why she hasn’t seen her godparents this week. We’ll bring her by for a visit before you go. I should warn you, though, she’s a handful and has no respect at all for the uniform.”
“Neither does my daughter. The first time she told me off, my staff nearly lost their minds. Fuck, it was funny as hell…at least to me. I understand it though. She was raised by rebels. Her life is completely different than the one I wanted for her. I’m proud of her though. Her and the work she’s doing.”
“You should have seen her the day after she was claimed. I’ve never seen anyone stand up to her bonded the way she did. I couldn’t decide if they were crazy or straight up suicidal taking on a woman like her, and somehow I may have wound up with one of my own. At the time, I laughed at them for claiming Alayna first and making it up to her later. Now? If I thought it would work, Ciara be wearing our mark already.”
Travers arched a dark brow at Vance. “So, why don’t you? You’ve still got permission to claim a chosen, don’t you?”
“She’s not a scroll, though. There are…expectations.”
“Expectations be damned. There’s nothing in the laws that says you can’t claim her. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this line of work, it’s that rules can be bent. Hell, some of them can be twisted into pretzels,” he said before draining his glass and setting it down on the table. “Of course, if you quote me on that, I’ll deny we ever had this conversation.”
“Yes, sir.” Vance grinned, his mind still buzzing with possibilities.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to claim a dance with Alayna. Have a good night, Vance. And good luck. You can let me know how it went when you bring Annie by. I look forward to meeting her.”
“If I have my way, you won’t have to ask to know how it went. You’ll be able to see it on her face.” Vance was already imagining what Ciara’s lovely face would look like with his and Dane’s initials flowing over her skin, announcing to the world she belonged to them.
Regent Travers gave him a thumbs-up sign and departed, leaving Vance alone with his thoughts. By the time Ciara and Dane joined him, he’d already started working on the beginnings of a plan. Now, he needed to get some time alone with Dane so they could work out the details, but that could wait until tomorrow. Tonight he had other plans.
***
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The rest of Ciara’s evening passed in a happy blur of laughter, stolen kisses, and too much wine. She didn’t really remember the ride home, and she was giggling as she carefully navigated the stairs up to their bedrooms. Dane was leading, and Vance was only a step below her, one hand on the small of her back to steady her. For the first time in her life, Ciara felt truly protected. She’d always kept herself safe, but tonight, she didn’t have to. Tonight, she had her guardian angels watching over her. Or in this case, her guardian elites. If this was what Alayna had with her bonded, it was no wonder she’d stayed.
“Angel, this will go faster if you actually move your feet,” Dane prompted her, and she realized she’d been thinking so hard she’d actually stopped moving.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Vance declared, gathering her into his arms.
“This is nice. Since I’ve moved in here, I get carried a lot. I could get used to this.”
Vance erupted into a soft rumble of laughter. “If that’s all it takes to get you to stay, then we’ll carry you anywhere you want to go.”
“Advantages of living with a telek, I can actually make that happen,” Dane agreed, glancing back at her with a devilish grin. “You’ll never have to walk again.”
They cleared the stairs and headed toward the men’s bedrooms. She waited for the usual discussion on whose room they’d be sleeping in, but neither man said a word. When Dane opened the door at the very end of the hall, Ciara knew why. They weren’t taking her to their rooms. They were going somewhere new. The one room she hadn’t been in yet. The room set aside for their chosen.
“Why?” she asked.
Vance’s arms tightened around her as if expecting her to try and escape. “Because this is where you belong.”
“It’s yours now, angel. You’re not a guest here anymore. You said it yourself on the stairs. You’ve moved in. This is your home.”
She waited for the panic to kick in, for her heart to protest, but nothing happened. Instead of fear and denial, all she felt was a peaceful acceptance that wrapped around her heart and put to rest the last of her demons.
Home. She liked the sound of that.
Her new bedroom was spacious, if a little under-furnished. There was a bed large enough for three adults to sleep comfortably, a basic dresser, and a small vanity table with an oval-shaped mirror in a polished wood frame. The walls were painted pale gold and cream, the linens and carpet echoing the same shades, filling the space with warm, golden light. Her gaze landed on the vanity, and she realized her things had already been laid out across the surface.
“Why are my things here? How? You two were with me all night.”
“The housekeeping bots do have functions besides trying to trip you every chance they get,” Vance said.
“I still swear you’ve programmed them to do that on purpose,” she muttered.
“Nope. I wouldn’t have a clue how. I’m doctor, not a robotics engineer. I do, however, know how to send them remote instructions.” Vance set her back on her feet, keeping one hand resting on her shoulder.
“Do you like it?” Dane asked, coming over to stand beside her, “Anything you don’t like, we can change.”
She lifted her hands to encompass the area. “It’s more space than I know what to do with! It’s lovely. And I…” Her throat tightened with emotion, and her next words came out with a hint of a rasp. “I’m going to need to buy more clothes and things to fill this place up. It might take me a while.”
Both men exhaled, then turned and grinned at her. “Take as long as you like,” Vance told her.
“Take forever,” Dane said, tugging her into his arms.
Dane’s kiss curled her toes and sent a low hum of desire coursing through her veins. It didn’t matter that she’d had him once already tonight. Her hunger for both him and Vance was never ending. She draped her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his dark hair, letting his kiss consume her. His lips tasted of the wine they’d drunk, and there was a trace of stubble forming along his jaw, just enough to rasp against her cheek as they kissed.
Vance moved in behind her, needing to be close to her. He began undressing her, undoing the clasps of her gown so the velvet fell away to reveal her naked flesh. Soft. Smooth. Decorated with entire constellations of freckles he intended to map and memorize in time. The dress fell to the floor, and his cock surged to life as he realized she wore nothing underneath.
“Fuck me. You’re not wearing underwear. You…I… damn it, Ciara, you’re going to be the death of me.”
“In my defense, I started the night fully dressed. Blame your partner.”
“Impulse control, Dane. One day you’re going to have to learn some.” Not that he ever expected it to happen. He didn’t really want it to, either. He and Dane were well matched that way, two opposites, balancing each other out.
“Why in the hell would I do that? My way’s a lot more fun. Not to mention, I have a memento of this evening and you have…what?” Dane pulled the shredded remains of her panties out of his pocket and dangled them off his finger. When Ciara reached for them, he raised his arm until his hand was well out of reach.
“Nuh uh. These are mine,
now. I’m thinking of starting a collection,” he taunted her as she tried to leap high enough to get them back. There was no chance of her succeeding, but she seemed more than willing to play along with his game.
“You’re not displaying our cho—woman’s underwear. Forget it.” Vance declared, hoping no one else noticed his slip. As far as he was concerned, Ciara was their chosen, but before he used that title with her, there were things they needed to talk about.
He moved a few feet away and started stripping out of his uniform when he felt Ciara watching him. The sight of him undressing had her frozen in place, watching every move with hot, eager eyes. The look on her face had him ready to take her to the floor and fuck her then and there, but this was a special night, and he was determined to make it memorable.
Ciara hadn’t meant to stare, but she couldn’t help herself. She loved watching the play of light and shadow over his dark skin. He removed the formal, fitted uniform slowly, giving her ample time to enjoy the view. Every passing second, her temperature rose a little more, until her skin was flushed and heart was racing.
Behind her, the telltale rustle of fabric let her know Dane was undressing, too. The thought that soon the two of them would be naked and in bed with her made her breath quicken and her pussy go slick with cream.
“Get on the bed, Ciara. Hands and knees.” Vance’s voice was a sexy rumble. She obeyed his command with a bounce and a grin, unconcerned about the way the two of them tried to boss her around. It was part of who they were. Elites. Born to lead and taught to be the best they could be. When she was comfortably settled in the center of her new bed, both men moved together, the mattress dipping on either side as they joined her. Dane got to her first, dropping to his knees in front of her, his hands tangling in her hair as he leaned down to kiss her.
Her mouth was still crushed against Dane’s as Vance took up position behind her, his hands gliding down the line of her spine before tracing the cleft of her buttocks with gentle fingers. Dane’s hands found her breasts, teasing and tweaking at her nipples as Vance worked his fingers deeper between her thighs. Caught between the two of them, surrounded by strength and raw male need, Ciara could think of nothing past the aching need to be touched and the fires burning deep in her heart. She wanted this so badly she hurt.