by Tara Rose
“What neighbors?” asked Estevan. “They’re too far away.”
Jade giggled. “I did not actually ask that about the three of us. I was only speculating in a general way.” The look both men gave her nearly made her come, and she shivered with anticipation.
“Well then,” said Liam. “Let’s go find out.” Before she could say one word, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. The pool was at the opposite end of the house and down a flight of stairs, but by the time Liam placed her on her feet, he was barely breathing hard. His and Estevan’s strength seduced her as much as their eyes, their voices, and the way they each touched her.
Estevan flipped a switch and the pool area was bathed in soft lights that flickered, just like real torches would do. The stands that held them were made of bamboo and wrought iron, and the light cast a romantic glow on the plants ringing the poolside. She didn’t care if anyone could see them. This was perfect, and she was going to enjoy it.
The guys began to remove their clothes and Jade didn’t hesitate to take hers off, either. She dove into the deep end and surfaced, then lazily swam a couple of laps, listening to the sound of them in the water close to her. Liam caught up with her first at the shallow end, and she stood in water that reached her waist to kiss him.
Kissing each of these men was like melting into the most perfect embrace imaginable. Her cares and worries from the day faded away as Liam’s tongue worked its magic inside her mouth. As Jade reached up to put her arms around him, Estevan caught them and pinned them behind her back, forcing up a moan deep in her throat.
He rubbed his dick against her palms, and when Liam finally released her mouth, he bent his head to suck and gently bite her nipples. Estevan let go of her arms and massaged her ass cheeks, giving them light smacks under the water. When he moved around to caress her pussy, Jade cried out in pleasure. She came so easily with them it was ridiculous. It was becoming impossible to concentrate at work because all she thought about was the previous time she’d been with them, and what might happen when they were together again.
She was so in love with both of them it was difficult to remember most days that she’d never said the words out loud. Every time she thought she had, reality came crashing in. What would they do if she told them? How would they react? There were still so many unresolved issues that she was afraid to rock the boat. She didn’t want anything to ruin her perfect days and erotic nights with them.
Estevan turned her to face him, and kissed her deeply while Liam played with her clit and lightly spanked her ass cheeks. She had bruises on them now but she didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, they were marks put there by her Doms to brand her as belonging to them, and she was proud to wear them. She’d show them to the entire world if the guys wanted her to.
By the time they led her to the side of the pool, she was so close to coming that her legs trembled. Liam pulled a pool cushion over to the side and they told her to lie face down on it. She did, and was rewarded with them taking turns brushing their hands over her back and ass, then reaching underneath to play with her breasts and clit.
She moaned and writhed against the vinyl, begging them to fuck her, but they only chuckled and continued to feel her up instead. “Your ass is pretty bruised,” said Liam. “No impact play until it heals a bit.”
“Then do something else to me, Sir. Please. Anything.”
“I love how impatient she is for us,” said Estevan.
“You two are so sadistic. You always make me wait for it and beg you.”
Liam leaned close to whisper in her ear, “No shit.” He kissed her neck. “And we love you for always doing so. For begging us to fuck you.”
She could hardly breathe. She knew not to take his words out of context, but her pulse raced anyway. When they finally turned her onto her back, her pussy was soaked and she would have done anything they asked her to do. Liam moved the pool cushion closer to the edge and then he stood in the water, spread her legs wider, and sucked her pussy and clit.
His finger moved in and out of her while Estevan straddled her chest and played with her breasts, alternating using his hands with brushing his dick over them. It was slick with pre-cum, and she wanted it inside her mouth, but she knew they’d make her wait for that as well. She loved the way they teased her into a complete frenzy before they finally gave her what she craved.
When the orgasm crashed over her, Liam crawled out of the pool and plunged his cock into her pussy. Estevan raised up and slid his dick into her mouth, and Jade just let go and gave over to it.
They fucked her mercilessly, and she loved every decadent second of it. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. They changed places several times, and still the guys hadn’t come yet. When they rolled her onto her stomach again, they took turns fucking her in the pussy until she’d had two more orgasms, and was so sore she nearly had to safeword.
When they each finally came, they splashed their cum on her ass cheeks, and then pulled her into the pool, holding her and kissing her neck in turn. She’d never been so happy, and the words were right there, just waiting to come out, but she didn’t say them.
She’d never said them to any man, only to her parents. It was a scary to thing to admit because people you loved died. And you couldn’t protect them. They didn’t even protect themselves. What if she told Liam and Estevan she loved them, and something happened to them?
Jade leaned into their comforting embraces and tried to shake away the thoughts. When they led her out of the pool and dried her off, she forced a smile to her face and said nothing. She didn’t want to ruin this beautiful, romantic moment between them. Liam put on soft music and opened the windows to let in the warm summer breeze and the night sounds of insects.
The three stretched out on lounge chairs, sipping drinks that Estevan had made them and simply enjoying the beautiful evening. It was truly paradise here, and she wondered if perhaps that was why her parents had never wanted to leave. Their families had both been here before Liam’s and Estevan’s ancestors arrived. This island defined them and was their ancestral home. She couldn’t leave it either. She understood that now. Not unless Estevan and Liam came with her, and that wasn’t going to happen.
As she gazed from one to the other, she knew that she had to resolve her issues with Santos and forgive her parents for the choices they’d made before she could ever hope to tell these men she loved them, and build a future with them. She simply didn’t know how to do that, but it was time to try. She had to. Because to live without them was no longer an option.
Chapter Eighteen
Liam woke up and at first couldn’t identify the noise, then realized it was Jade’s cell phone. He crawled out of bed and finally found it, but the call had already gone to voice mail. It was from Kate Morgan, a detective on the police force. Icy fear shot through his veins. Had something happened? Why else would Kate call Jade in the middle of the night?
He woke up Jade and Estevan, then watched as Jade returned Kate’s call. He couldn’t make out Kate’s words, but he heard the tone of her voice, and he caught Santos’s name and the words “currents” and “storm drains” before Jade dropped the phone and collapsed.
Estevan caught her before she hit the floor, and Liam picked up the phone to ask Kate what was going on.
“We’re on the west end of the island, near the cemetery. We received several calls about a group of kids trying to dig up coffins that had partially surfaced in the flooding, so we came out here to investigate. Santos came with us because he’s always at the station now, and we found a mess. Coffins floating in the currents near the shore, and the stupid teens who had tried to dig up others caught in the drains here.”
Kate shouted something to someone, and then returned to the call. “We’ve called for help from the Coast Guard in Louisiana and Mississippi, but they have their own issues right now from the storm. Santos and three of the kids are trapped, Liam. We’re trying to get to him with dive
rs but the eddies here are worse than usual from the storm, and it’s too fucking dark to see shit, even with the flashlights.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes. We can hear him talking to us. But the kids are in deeper water so they’re trying to get them out first.”
“We’re on our way.”
Kate started to protest, but Liam disconnected the call. “I have scuba gear we can both use.” It had been a long time since either man had used it, and never in the ocean. Only in the lake or a swimming pool. But they had to do something. They couldn’t just sit here and wait to hear if Santos drowned.
Estevan was holding Jade on his lap, where she sipped water from a cup. “Are you all right?”
“She’s okay now. What’s going on?”
He told Estevan what Kate had said. “I want you to stay here, Jade. We’ll call you when he’s safe.”
“What? Sorry, Sir, but no fucking way. He’s my brother. I’m coming with you.”
“Jade…” Liam couldn’t say it. The fear in her beautiful eyes right now said it all. She’d be far more worried here, alone and waiting, than with them. “All right, then. Let’s go.”
It took them nearly thirty minutes to reach the site, and when they arrived they still had to walk ten minutes due to the amount of vehicles already in the area. Large searchlights illuminated the coast, and Liam and Estevan exchanged a glance as they realized the search area was literally in the ocean. They couldn’t go in there, could they?
Kate and other coworkers surrounded Jade as soon as they saw her, so Liam and Estevan found Nick. “Let us help. We’re strong swimmers.”
Nick looked at him like he’d just suggested he let him and Estevan try walking to Florida across the top of the water. “No offense, but I have trained divers down there already.”
“Trained?” asked Estevan. “The Coast Guard isn’t here. Kate told us on the phone they can’t make it here for hours.”
“All right. I have two men and one woman down there whose ancestors don’t have a curse on them that says they’ll die if they go into the ocean.”
“The curse says we’ll die if we try to leave the island,” said Liam.
“Don’t split hairs with me. You’re not going in.”
“You’re rescuing the teens first, right?” asked Estevan. “You’re going to sacrifice your best sergeant when you have two trained divers standing right in front of you?”
Nick pointed toward the black ocean. “You’re not trained in there. You’ve only dived in still waters and swimming pools.”
“Look, we have to try,” said Liam. “Santos is her brother. She can’t lose the only other family she has. She won’t survive it.”
Nick shook his head. “You two are out of your minds.”
Estevan ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, we are. Out of our minds in love with her. We’re not going to let her brother die.”
Liam glanced sharply at his friend, and then laughed. “It’s about fucking time one of us said it.”
“Fine. Fine,” said Nick. “Go. Dive. But the department won’t take responsibility for you two.”
“You don’t have to,” said Estevan. “We got this.”
Liam glanced around for Jade just as she approached them. He took her hands, his heart bursting with love for her. “Estevan and I are going in to help.”
“What? No! You can’t!”
“You didn’t protest at home.”
“I…I didn’t think you meant that you two would go into the water.”
“Why do you think we brought along our gear?”
“I don’t know…I…I’m confused. I heard nothing past the point where Kate told me that Santos was trapped in a storm drain. If you go in the water you’ll die.”
He placed a hand on each shoulder while Estevan stripped right there on the sand to put on his wet suit. “Jade, we don’t know that, okay? We aren’t trying to leave the island. We’re trying to save your brother’s life.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks and Liam fought his impatience. This wasn’t helping Santos. “I can’t believe you’re really going to do this. You’re going to risk your lives for him. After the way he’s treated us.”
“He’s your brother. Stay here with Kate and the others, all right?”
She nodded, looking lost and confused, and he wished he could wipe that emotion from her face before he plunged into the water. What if she was right and he never looked into her eyes again? No. That wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t. He kissed her, deep and hard, and then he forced himself to let go of her and get ready to dive with Estevan.
* * * *
Estevan kissed Jade once he was suited up. The words were right there, aching to come out, but that wouldn’t be fair under the circumstances. And they were wasting precious time. He gave her one last glance, memorizing the way she clasped her hands together, waist-high, her hair blowing in the breeze, and the look of absolute trust in her beautiful turquoise eyes. He would take that image of the woman he loved down to his grave if necessary, but he would try to save her brother first.
Nick caught up with him and Liam before they reached the water. “He’s in the end near the shore, but he can’t get out because the water keeps rushing in each time we try to approach him that way, and we haven’t been able to get gear in there. It’s too narrow.”
“That’s because they built them backward,” said Liam. “The wider end is the far end.”
“What?”
He and Estevan exchanged a confused glance. How is it that the cops on this island had never heard this story? “My great-uncle Michael Raleigh, one of William’s sons, supervised the construction of this cemetery and the storm drains along this shore. There was a superstition among the natives who built them that the dead needed room to float out to sea, so they were build backward. The wider end is out there.” Liam pointed toward the blackness. “Not near the shore. Everyplace else they’re built the right way, but not here.”
Nick ran a hand over his face. “Fuck me sideways.”
“We can do this,” said Estevan. “Just get us an underwater power tool and we’ll remove the grate at the far end.”
“You got it.” Nick began shouting instructions, and within five minutes, both men waded into the water. It was so black and cold. Estevan couldn’t feel the temperature through the suit, but he could smell it. The lights cast an unnatural glow, even underwater. He and Liam nodded once they’d submerged, and then they bumped fists. That was their signal when they dived that all was well.
Santos was in a storm drain that fed from the cemetery to the small cove where they were now. It fed rainwater into the ocean, and according to Nick, he’d gone inside to pull out one of the kids who had tried to dig up the coffins. The teens thought they could hide in the drains, but had misjudged the currents and become stuck.
Armed with an underwater bolt and steel cutter, they slowly made their way around the drain to opposite end, making sure to keep the lines feeding the power supply from the shore free of debris and rocks. They’d wanted to take a tank and snorkel as well, but this equipment was already nearly too heavy for the two to carry, and Nick had no more officers to spare right now, as the three kids still hadn’t been rescued. It was up to them to save Santos.
Estevan was scared shitless, but he’d never tell Liam or Jade that. The further they inched along the side of the drain pipe, the more Estevan was certain that any second now, something would come looming out of the inky blackness to kill them. But he kept going by picturing Jade standing on the beach, waiting for them.
He loved her so much. He always had loved her, if he was being honest with himself. And when this was over and Santos was safe, he was going to tell her, no matter what anyone said. Enough of this shit.
He’d spent his entire life bucking the establishment and doing his own thing. And while he was perfectly content to live that way, he was not happy without Jade. He didn’t want to spend one moment of the rest of his life without her, but she
didn’t know that. Yet. She would. They would do this, and they would survive, and then he would beg her to be his lover and his sub for the rest of her life.
When they finally reached the end, there was barely enough light to see. Liam held his flashlight so it shone on the grate, while Estevan worked the bolt cutter. It was slow work, or at least it seemed that way, and breathing was difficult to coordinate with the effort of working the tool. Twice he didn’t think it was going to cut through the heavy grate, but then the metal gave way, and he and Liam both pulled hard to move it aside.
Liam dropped his flashlight and Estevan held his breath as he watched his friend swim down to retrieve it. When he joined him again, Estevan caught the look of relief on Liam’s face. They shone the light into the drain, and motioned for Santos to hold his breath and swim toward them. He would have to swim underwater to get out. There was only a small pocket of air above his head.
Estevan was shocked to realize that Santos hadn’t had much time left before the storm drain would have been entirely filled with water. If they got out of this alive, he would leave out that part for Jade when he told her about the rescue. She didn’t need to hear how close her brother had come to drowning.
Santos didn’t look like he recognized them, and that was fine with Estevan. They didn’t need any unwanted emotions fouling this up right now. When Santos finally reached them, he and Liam took turns holding their snorkels up to Santos’s mouth until they surfaced.
Santos cried out as he broke the surface and took a deep breath of air. “Thank you.” His voice was hoarse and filled with relief. He and Liam took off their masks and followed Santos back to shore. He still hadn’t seen their faces, but they wanted to stay behind him in case he couldn’t make it. He’d been in that storm drain for close to two hours, and had to be physically and emotionally exhausted by now.