by Gale Stanley
“What are you doing?” Slade asked.
“Documentation.” The reporter grinned and jerked his head toward the recorder. “Your boss isn’t as smart as he thinks he is. The recorder was running the whole time he was here. This is going to be one hell of a story.”
Slade felt almost detached. The whole scene was so surreal. “Let’s just speed it up and get out. The story won’t leave the room if another SWAT team shows up.”
“Gotcha.” Jordan packed camera, recorder, and notes in his bag. “I’ll see you in a few.”
“Be safe,” Mike said. He gave him a quick hug.
“I’ll be okay. You guys be careful.” And then he was out the door.
Jaxon looked around at the carnage. “Should we clean up?”
“Are you crazy?” Slade frowned at him. “You can be sure a cleanup squad will be arriving, and believe me, we don’t want to be here to greet them.”
Jax shrugged. “You guys know more about the cloak-and-dagger stuff than I do. I’ll follow your lead.”
“Good, then let’s get the fuck out of here.” Slade ushered them out, hoping the death squad hadn’t destroyed the Toyota.
They hadn’t. Mike knew the way, so he drove. Slade sat in the back and kept an eye out for trouble. He breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived at their destination without any.
The twelve-story Bulletin Building included first- floor storefronts and housed commercial offices as well as the publishing facilities. Mike drove by the recessed main entrance and parked behind Jordan’s hybrid in the back. Jordan unlocked the door and punched in a security code. He led them over to an elevator and rode up to a staff lounge on the deserted fifth floor.
The small carpeted room was furnished with a sturdy table and chairs, and a few fake plants. “Make yourself comfortable.” Jordan threw down his bag and walked over to a kitchenette area with coffee machine, microwave and a small fridge. “Going to make coffee.”
Slade’s stomach growled in protest. “Not for me.”
“There should be some juice or ice tea in the fridge. Help yourself.”
Jax stood behind Slade as he rooted through the fridge. Nothing appealed. Slade shut the door. He had no appetite.
Mike flopped on a chair. “When will the staff show up?”
“There’s a few of us here already. We work long hours. I have the dogwatch tonight.”
Mike gave him a funny look.
“It’s just a name they gave to the lousiest shift. We practically work around the clock.” Jordan chewed on his nails while he waited for the coffee to brew.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Mike asked him. “You’re making me nervous.”
Jordan poured his coffee and started toward the door. “I’m going to see if the editor is in.”
Mike stretched out his legs, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Jax sat down next to him and put a hand over his. Slade watched them warily, wondering if he’d see either man again after tonight.
Jordan returned forty-five minutes later accompanied by a very tall, very excited man sporting a handlebar mustache.
“This is Bill Butcher—”
“Pleased to meet you.” Bill shook everybody’s hand. “Mike briefed me and showed me a few photos. Jesus, I can’t believe this is happening here. I’m going to run a short version on the Internet so we get the story out immediately. Once it’s out there, the Feds won’t be able to touch you, not without putting themselves in the crosshairs. We’ll get the complete story out later.”
Mike ran a nervous hand through his hair. “Is there a decent hotel around where we can hole up until we figure—”
“No way.” Bill pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “I have a cabin in upstate New York. You’ll be safe there. Stay as long as you like.” He tossed the keys to Mike. “There’s an old Volvo out back. The GPS system will take you home.”
Slade’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know what to say.”
“No need.” Bill grinned at him. “I should be thanking you. You guys are gonna sell a lot of papers for me.”
Chapter Eleven
Slade was pleasantly surprised by the cabin. Small but peaceful and homey, it had natural wood walls and floors, a combination living room, dining room with a wood burning stove, and a full kitchen. Slade wasn’t interested in food. He only wanted to sleep, but the loft had only a king-size bed, and he didn’t want to hijack it when the other two men were a couple and he could just as well sleep on the couch. He flopped down on the overstuffed sofa and looked up at them. “If you guys don’t mind I’m gonna sack out here for a few hours. I’m beat.”
Jax eyed the couch. “On that? It’s not big enough.”
“I’ll manage. You guys take the loft.”
Jax and Mike looked at each other and back at him.
“What?” He stretched out, just to show them he was okay. His long legs hung over the arm. “I’m exhausted. I could fall asleep on the floor.”
“Suit yourself.” Jax headed for the kitchen and Mike followed.
Slade curled up in a fetal position. Two minutes later he sat up and stretched his legs. Another five minutes passed. Slade got up and pulled a chair next to the couch to rest his legs on. Finally he stood and walked over to the window. Too damn uncomfortable to fall asleep, he stared out at the moon. Or maybe it was the images in his head of Jax and Mike in the big bed upstairs.
* * * *
Jaxon sat at the small square table in the kitchen and watched Mike check out the cabinets and the fridge. Of all the fucking things to happen. He wanted to get Slade out of his life, and now they were all stuck here together. How could he possibly get through this?
“It’s fully stocked. I can’t believe it.” Mike turned to face Jax. “Want me to warm up some…what’s wrong?” Mike sat down across from him and waited.
“Nothing.”
“I can read your face like a book, and I’m not buying it.”
“I’m just tired. Okay?”
“I know you slept with him.”
Jax blew out a resigned breath between gritted teeth. I really don’t want to go there.
“Look at me, Jax. I already apologized for not being honest with you. I was hoping we were done keeping secrets from each other.”
“You’re way off base.”
“Am I? Stop lying to me. I heard it straight from the wolf’s mouth—and before you get pissed at Slade, it was before he knew we were together. I already knew anyway. I smelled him on you. That damn cinnamon shit he wears.”
“Okay, I admit it. Happy now? You and I weren’t seeing much of each other, and then he came along and one thing led to another. It just happened. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Don’t bullshit me. It meant something. You’ve been acting strange for days. All of a sudden you were practically living at my place. Were you feeling guilty or trying to get him out of your head?”
“I…uh…Look, we hooked up. It’s over, end of story.”
Mike was looking over his shoulder, and he turned and caught Slade staring at them.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing. He’s right, Mike.” Slade remarked matter-of-factly. “I seduced him because I had a job to do. He was needy and fell for the bait. It didn’t mean a thing.”
“Needy!” Jax leapt to his feet knocking the chair over backwards. He didn’t know what bothered him more—being called needy or hearing that he meant nothing to the other shifter.
“It is what it is.”
Despite Slade’s closed expression, Jax sensed the man’s vulnerability. He wanted to dig deeper and find out what was really going on in Slade’s head. He’d lied when he told Mike that Slade meant nothing to him. Maybe Slade was lying too. But this wasn’t the kind of conversation he could have in front of Mike.
“If you and Mike are uncomfortable with me here, I’ll leave. I can go feral and live in the woods. They won’t find me.”
“No way!” Jax blurted out. “Some asshole hunter will take a shot at yo
u and take you out quicker than the FBI. You’re not going anywhere.” He felt his face flame, and he turned to Mike. “He doesn’t deserve to go out like that.”
“I agree,” Mike said softly. “It’s settled. We don’t want you to leave.”
“Okay, I’ll stay the night—or what’s left of it. I won’t get in your way. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go upstairs and use the shower.”
Jax nodded and watched Slade turn and walk out of the kitchen.
“Go after him.”
“Mike, cut the crap.” Jax snarled at his lover. He was way too tired to play these games.
“I saw the way you look at him.”
“Okay, there’s something there. And it doesn’t matter, because to Slade I was nothing more than a job.”
Mike shook his head sadly. “It’s true. Love is blind.”
This was beyond Jaxon’s exhausted comprehension. “But not deaf. You heard him. He wanted into my bed so he could spy on me.”
“I don’t care what Slade says. Any fool can see he loves you. His eyes betray his lies.”
“What do you want from me, Mike?”
“I want you to be happy.”
“I love you.”
“I know. And I love you. But I’ve been selfish about a lot of things. You gave me the option to leave the door open for another partner and instead of considering your needs, I slammed it shut. I was wrong.”
“You’re all I need—”
“Wait. Let me finish.” Mike said firmly. “I measured our relationship by rigid human standards. I was conditioned to believe that you can only love one person at a time, but now I know that’s unrealistic. Slade gives you something I can’t, but it’s not an insurmountable issue.”
Jax frowned at him. “What are you saying?”
“Our bond is real and opening it up to another man won’t threaten it, not nearly as much as betrayal and loss of trust would. I say we make our own rules and decide how we want our relationship to work. Slade is hot as hell. When I met him, I was attracted to him myself.” He grinned at Jax. “Don’t snarl at me. I’m trying to have an honest conversation. I’ve never had a threesome before. It might be fun.”
“You’re joking?”
“Did you think I would let you fuck another man and not want in on the action?”
Jax finally smiled. Mike never ceased to surprise him. This felt good, really good. He and Mike had never been able to talk like this before. “What makes you think he’d be interested?”
“You can be very persuasive when you want to be. You go up first. I’ll give you a little time to convince him.”
* * * *
Slade appreciated the well-appointed bathroom. Good size shower, double vanity sink, and a Jacuzzi tub big enough for three. He pushed the thought out of his head. Jax would be enjoying the tub with his boyfriend. Boyfriend. Fortunately, Slade had never wanted one. They only complicated a man’s life. He’d had a number of sex partners through the years, men to blow off steam with, but there had been no one he trusted enough to share his feelings or confide in and after joining the FBI, no one at all.
He tossed his bloody and tattered clothes on the floor. He hated the thought of putting them back on after his shower. Maybe he’d try to wash them later. Sliding the shower curtain aside, he turned on the water, hot, just the way he liked it. White mist filled the bathroom and he stepped under the spray, already relaxing under its comforting heat. He adjusted the shower head until the water came down in a pulsating heavy stream.
Slade smiled wryly. In the space of a day, he had shared his deepest feelings with not one, but three men. They knew more about him than anyone else in the world. Well, after what they had been through together, they deserved his trust. He had to admit, he’d been glad for the company. He usually preferred working alone and thought he liked it that way. Today he’d discovered he’d been kidding himself. It felt good to have men covering his back, especially when they saved his life.
A bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap were on a caddy. Thank you, Bill. He poured a large amount of shampoo on his head and lathered up. Bending his head and closing his eyes, he let the stream wash off the shampoo and pound out the kinks between his shoulder blades. His mind wandered in warm, steamy languor.
A sound jarred him out of his dreamy state, and his head jerked up. He yanked the curtain back and poked his head out for a look. Jaxon’s clothes were lying on top of his on the floor and the man’s bare ass was temptingly displayed as he leaned over the tub.
Slade swallowed hard and tried to find his voice. “You don’t need to use the tub, I’ll—”
“Is that an invitation?” Jax straightened up and walked toward him. “Because that shower looks big enough for two wolves—and maybe even a human.”
“Mike…”
“Will be up in a little while. You gonna let me in or not?”
“It would be a shame to waste all this hot water.” Slade stepped aside to make room for Jax. He didn’t know what to make of this, but he was willing to see how it played out.
“You mind washing my back?” Jax leaned forward, put his palms on the tile, and spread his legs like he was about to get frisked.
It was an invitation Slade couldn’t resist. He reached for the soap. Slade started at Jaxon’s shoulders and worked his way down. Washing the shifter’s strong muscular body was not a hardship. Jax seemed to enjoy it as much as Slade. His muscles quivered under Slade’s hands. When Slade reached Jaxon’s firm buttocks, he paused for a minute, trying to decide if he wanted to pull Jaxon’s hips toward his body or press him up against the shower wall and fuck him.
Decision reached, he slid his hands around Jaxon’s chest and played with his nipples, pinching and twisting them. When they tightened into stiff little points, Slade’s hands traveled lower, over Jaxon’s belly and down, encircling his cock and cupping his balls. Jax groaned and leaned his forehead against the tiles. Seeing the effect he had on Jax combined with the heat of their bodies surrounded by the warm steam drove Slade’s excitement higher. He pulled Jax back against his body until his engorged cock rode the crease of Jaxon’s ass.
Slade had wanted this so badly he couldn’t believe it was really happening. He was afraid to speak and spoil the moment. Instead he buried his face in Jaxon’s neck, kissing and sucking the sensitive flesh. The stubble on Jaxon’s face created a sweet friction that turned Slade on as much as the other shifter’s taste.
Slade’s stomach and chest pressed against Jaxon’s back and still it wasn’t enough contact. He needed to touch as much of him as he could. His hands roamed over the man’s body and he felt Jax go tense with anticipation. Jaxon’s hips moved against his, and Slade’s cock nudged Jaxon’s hole, pressing for entrance. Slade was so engrossed in the intimacy of the moment everything around him disappeared. He was desperate to fuck the other shifter, and Jaxon seemed to want it just as badly. Slade reached down to guide—
The door opened. Slade pulled the curtain aside, and there was Mike. All three men froze in a silent tableau.
* * * *
Mike knew it would be hard to see them together, but he didn’t figure it would be this hard. They were so into each other that it really hurt. Hurt bad. He felt like a third wheel. Jealousy washed over him like a cloudburst of despair. Did I make a terrible mistake suggesting this? But at the same time, the sight of their wet naked bodies pressed together made him hot and hard. “Sorry. Do you want to be alone?”
Jaxon turned his head and looked at Slade. “It’s your party,” Slade told him.
“Hurry up,” Jax said to Mike. “We’re running out of hot water.”
Excitement overrode anxiety and Mike grinned at the two men. “I don’t mind a cold shower if you keep me warm.”
“I think we can manage that,” Slade said huskily. He watched Mike undress with great interest and whistled appreciatively when he finished. “Well, what are you waiting for? I want to see if you taste as good as you look.” He glanced at Jax, as if
for permission. “If your boyfriend doesn’t mind.”
“He doesn’t.” Jax said in a low husky voice. He moved back against Slade to make room for Mike.
Mike stepped under the water and shivered. Jaxon was sandwiched between him and Slade. As if by unspoken agreement, their mouths met over Jaxon’s shoulder. Slade’s kiss was gentle at first, but turned fierce. He attacked Mike’s tongue with his, and Slade’s obvious hunger sent hot spirals of want through Mike. Without warning, Jax reached down and squeezed Mike’s sac, making him moan into Slade’s mouth. It was his lover’s hands on his balls, but it was Slade Mike wanted more contact with. One taste of Slade was all it took to prove Mike’s attraction was not a momentary lapse. It shocked the hell out of him. Would Jax be upset or happy that his lover was so turned on by another man? Probably the latter. Jax wouldn’t want him to submit out of pressure to please. Making this threesome work was all about balancing everyone’s needs so all three men enjoyed every minute of this connection.
The pressure on Mike’s lips lessened as Slade broke for air. Suddenly the pulsing water turned ice cold, and Mike squealed like a baby. The wolves held him steady and prevented him from jumping out. Jaxon’s eyes bored into his. “Do you want more?”
“Fuck yes.” He’d never wanted anything more in his life. “But I’m freezing.” His teeth actually chattered.
“Want to move this to the bedroom?” Jaxon asked.
Two pairs of predatory eyes bored into him. Suddenly Mike hesitated. He felt like Red Riding Hood facing down the big, bad wolves.
A wicked grin split Slade’s face. “I don’t bite. Not unless you want me to.”
Heat coiled in Mike’s belly and he shuddered. “Bite me— please.”
Chapter Twelve
At first Slade thought this was just about the sex—just a shifter with a willing playmate inviting him to join in so they could relieve the stress of their situation by fucking their brains out.
But as he reclined on the king-size bed with Jax, their heads propped on pillows, their eyes focused on the bathroom door, he knew this would not be a purely physical act. He would have preferred not to let emotion color their interaction, but Mike had saved his life after all. And offered a way out that would keep them alive—at least for a little while longer. Mike and Jaxon knew more about him than anyone else in the world. Things like that created a lasting bond between men.