Charmed and Dangerous [Clandestine Affairs 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Zara Chase

  Maddie flashed a radiant smile. “I’ll have to take your word for that.”

  Axel returned her smile, tempted, so damned tempted. “Yeah, perhaps I could have chosen my words better,” he replied softly.

  “Why do you stay with him?”

  “Someone has to put up with him.” Axel chuckled. “A lot of guys who go through the shit we’ve had to endure finish up hanging out. No one else really understands.”

  “No, I guess not. I saw the changes in my dad each time he came back from being stationed in war zones, but he never talked about his experiences, either.”

  “That’s half the problem. We have secrecy drummed into us from the get-go, but when it’s all over we’re told to let it all out because suddenly it’s supposed to be cathartic.” He shrugged. “By then it’s second nature to bottle it all up and the damage is done.”

  “Do you and Riley live together?”

  “Live, work, and play.” He waggled his brows at her. “We have a house on Chesapeake Bay and rent out boats to tourists in the summer, take the punters diving, fishing, stuff like that. Well, that and working for Raoul.”

  She ran her fingers lightly down his forearm. “No special lady in your life, Axel?”

  “Not a lot of time for commitment. The service, Riley, and caring for my family have pretty much taken up all my time.”

  Her T-shirt rode up as she sat cross-legged on the bed, smiling up at him. “Why couldn’t your family take care of itself?”

  Axel shrugged. “I’m the oldest of four. Mom died when I was twelve. An ectopic pregnancy. She didn’t even know she was banged up again until it was too late.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Yeah well, shit happens. After that Dad tried to hold us together, but he lost his job, took to the bottle, and then, one day, he went out for a packet of cigarettes and just kept on walking.”

  She gasped. “You make it all sound so mundane, but what you’re actually saying is that you became father to your siblings when you were still a kid yourself.”

  “Something like that.” Axel wasn’t ready to hit her with his life story and changed the subject by nodding toward the boxes littering the floor. “Tell me about all these shoes.”

  “Well, I figured if Dad did hide something important, it would most likely be amongst Mom’s things.” She flashed a guilty smile. “Mom loved her shoes, a passion that she passed on to me.”

  Axel glanced at all the boxes again and laughed. “So I see. Any luck?”

  “No, and unfortunately I got a bit upset when I found this.”

  She held out a box a box full of letters that Axel figured had been written by Maddie’s father over the years.

  “Ah, now I understand.” Axel touched her face. “Did you find anything?”

  “No, I didn’t get that far.”

  “Why not let me go through them? I can be more objective.”

  “Would you mind?”

  “All part of the service, ma’am.”

  “Well, if you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure.” He tapped her thigh. “Go on, scoot off to bed before I get ideas.”

  She didn’t move. “Riley told me that you like to share.”

  Shit! “Does the idea appeal to you?” he asked carefully.

  She offered him a sultry smile. “You know, I rather think it does.”

  He leaned in and kissed her. He hadn’t meant to touch her because he didn’t trust himself to leave it at that, but her lips were so fucking tempting that he couldn’t help himself. Still, no way would he fuck her. Not here. Not now. She needed to get used to the idea of getting it on with them both because Axel knew that’s what it would come down to. So did Riley, otherwise he wouldn’t have given way to temptation and then left him and Maddie alone. She’d given herself to Riley, was clearly equally willing to have Axel, but would she take them both at the same time? Oh, she liked the sound of it, but talk was cheap and mornings after were the time for regrets.

  He was totally with Riley when it came to Maddie. She wasn’t just another potential conquest but very possibly the element that had been missing from their lives all these years. A disturbing jolt rocked his body as that thought struck home. Was he ready for the change? Axel was as wary of commitment as Riley, or so he’d always thought. But now, before he’d done anything more than kiss Maddie, he was filled with a raging desire to give it a try.

  “We’re very demanding,” he warned her as he broke the kiss. “We’ll spank your cute ass, tie you up, bite your nipples, and fuck your ass and cunt simultaneously. You really up for that?”

  Her glistening eyes told him that she was. “Absolutely.”

  “We’ll train you so you’ll understand how to let the pain transmute to pleasure. It’ll blow your mind.”

  “How about a demonstration?”

  “Sexy witch!” Laughing, he pulled her to her feet and patted her ass. “Get back upstairs to your room, hit the shower, and then get some sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. There’ll be plenty of time to play after that.”

  “Have it your way,” she said in a tone of wounded dignity that earned her another light tap.

  “Oh, I will, darlin’. Count on it.”

  She blew him a kiss and sauntered from the room, swinging her hips and smiling like she’d learned something about herself in the past few minutes.

  Axel remained where he was for a long time after she left him, wondering when he’d developed such a noble streak. His cock had been throbbing with need ever since he saw her and Riley in action, and it had taken a supreme effort to turn her down. He only did so because he figured Maddie wasn’t the type to have had sex with two men in the same night before and might regret it in the cold light of day. Axel had already developed deeply protective feelings for her and didn’t plan to blow it by pushing her too hard.

  “We’d better get to the bottom of her problems pretty damned quick,” he muttered.

  With a long-suffering sigh, he picked up the box of letters and started to read.

  * * * *

  Maddie showered quickly and climbed back into bed, expecting not to be able to sleep. To her astonishment it was well past dawn when she next opened her eyes, and she’d slept better than she had for weeks. She stretched and then grinned to herself, her body pleasantly sore as a result of Riley’s urgent demands the night before. Athletic sex made for a much better sleeping pill than anything a doctor could prescribe, she decided, wondering if anyone had already patented that particular prescription.

  She headed for her shower, aware of muted voices coming from downstairs. Both guys were obviously up already. Well of course they were! Unlike her, military types didn’t laze about in bed. She waited for embarrassment at the thought of facing them to kick in, but nothing happened. Why should it? They were all adults, weren’t they? If they could treat it as no big deal then so could she.

  Maddie pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, brushed out her hair, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Something was cooking and the smell caused her stomach to growl.

  “Morning, darlin’,” Axel said, kissing her cheek. “Sleep well?”

  “Like a log, thanks.”

  Riley’s grin was insufferable, like he took personal credit for that situation. “Wonder why?” he said, kissing her also and then placing a huge plateful of fried food in front of her, while Axel poured coffee for them all.

  “Er, thanks, but I don’t usually—”

  “Eat!” Riley commanded.

  Maddie bridled at his tone. “I’m not one of your troops you can bark orders at and expect to be obeyed.”

  “Yeah you are.” A wide infectious grin spread across his handsome features. “Which means you need to keep your strength up.”

  She waved a fork at him. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re the most annoyingly arrogant, dictatorial, egotistical—”

  “I tell him that all the time,” Axel said, shrugging. “It doesn’t do any good, though.”

&
nbsp; Maddie, who really never did have huge cooked breakfasts, found herself eating it anyway. The guys had obviously already had theirs but flanked her, coffee mugs in front of them, as though defying her to leave any.

  “I need to save some for the dog,” she said, laying her silverware aside when she couldn’t eat another bite.

  “You don’t have a dog,” Axel pointed out.

  “No, but I’m thinking of getting one.” She pinioned Riley with an aggrieved look. “I like dogs. They’re loyal, obedient and nonjudgmental.”

  They both laughed but didn’t try to make her eat any more.

  “Okay, babe,” Riley said as Axel stacked the dirty plates in the dishwasher. “You and I are going to drive over and meet with your dad’s friend Claudia this morning. Axel will stay here.”

  “Why can’t Axel come, too?”

  “Because no one tried to get in here last night,” Axel replied. “We’re pretty sure they don’t know we’re here and that they’re probably waiting until they see you go out before coming in to see what’s happened to their expensive bugs.”

  “But Axel might get hurt!”

  “He’s a big boy, darlin’, and can take care of himself.”

  Maddie wanted to say that she’d have to take his word for that, since unfortunately she had no firsthand knowledge of Axel’s actual dimensions. She refrained. They were all business now, and she needed to be as well. One night’s hot sex with an even hotter hunk shouldn’t mean she’d forgotten all about her father’s suspicious death. It had made her feel a hell of a lot better in herself, though, no question about that. The near-constant strain she’d been living with had been replaced with the capricious desire to do madcap things. To make up for lost time and see if these two could really make her body throb to the beat of their particular drum. She was hornier than a high school student on prom night. Just imagining what they could do to her with their large, capable hands and exacting demands had already caused her clean panties to become soaked right through.

  Riley’s cell phone rang. He checked the display and took the call.

  “Hey, Raoul,” he said, lifting it to his ear. “What you got for me?” He listened for a while. “That was quick. Yeah, okay, I hear you. We’ll be ready for them.”

  He closed his phone and looked at Axel. “Raoul received a call from a Major Copeland from Army CID.”

  “He came here and spoke to me after the break in,” Maddie said, curling her upper lip disdainfully. “He had a female officer with him, can’t remember her name. She was okay, but he was as patronizing as hell, all but suggesting I imagined the home intrusion. I thought he might actually tell me not to worry my pretty little head about it, which would have earned him a swift kick in the balls, the mood I was in at the time.”

  Both guys laughed. “Well, we’ve got his full attention now. He wanted to know why Raoul had tried to run the number of the car that was following you.”

  Maddie widened her eyes. “It was theirs?”

  “Yeah. Copeland says they were being thorough and making sure you were okay.”

  “Bullshit!” Maddie replied.

  “What reason did Raoul give?” Axel asked.

  “He was as economical with the truth as Copeland was, just saying that Maddie was a personal friend who thought a car was tailing her.”

  “Which means we can expect a visit from Copeland ourselves,” Axel said. “Presumably he doesn’t know we’re here and will expect to give Maddie a grilling.”

  “He’s certainly welcome to try,” she said sweetly.

  “Yep, I guess that’s what he’ll do.” Riley indulged in a lazy stretch, providing Maddie with a graphic reminder of his well-defined abs when his shirt rode up. “It also means you were right, babe, and the military do have more of an interest in your father’s affairs than they’re letting on.”

  “So why don’t they share their suspicions with me?” Maddie asked indignantly. “I have a right to know, especially if I’m in danger. Besides, they scared me, what with that guy following me and everything.”

  Riley rolled his eyes. “The military don’t share with each other, much less outsiders.”

  “I’m hardly an outsider.”

  “In their eyes you are,” Axel replied. “But don’t worry, we’re not without a few dirty tricks of our own.”

  “About Axel staying here while we go and visit with Claudia,” Maddie said. “Is that necessary? Can’t we assume that if the military are watching me, it was also them that bugged the house?”

  “Almost certainly, but it’s not safe to make assumptions. We need to know for sure.”

  “Okay, here’s another one. Are you assuming that someone’s watching the house?”

  Riley nodded. “We can’t afford not to consider that possibility. It seems just about everyone else is, including the military.”

  “Then they’ll see you and I drive away together.”

  “I’ll lie down on the floor in the back. If you just open one garage door, anyone close enough to see anything at all won’t get a look at our truck.”

  “Okay then. It seems extreme, but if you’re sure.”

  “Absolutely.” Riley stood up. “Are you ready, hon?”

  “As I ever will be.” She turned to Axel. “Take care.”

  “Always,” he replied with an irrepressible grin.

  Chapter Seven

  “We’re clear now,” Maddie said after several minutes. “It’s probably safe for you to sit up.”

  “Have you kept a check on your rearview mirror?”

  “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?”

  “This is serious, Maddie.” Riley remained crouched uncomfortably behind the front seat of the Lexus. “You sure you haven’t seen the same car behind us?”

  “Absolutely sure. I didn’t see anyone watching the house, either.”

  “Doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening.” Riley straightened up and took a good look around as Maddie drove along a main arterial road toward Claudia’s suburb. He didn’t see anything to excite his interest. “You okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, just more confused than ever. I really would like to know what Dad got himself involved with.”

  “Hopefully Claudia will know something.”

  Riley laid a hand on her shoulder to reassure and as quickly removed it again. He had to remain professional, and feeling the tension in her shoulders didn’t help matters. If he thought about their time together last night…well, he’d been doing his darnedest not to think about it. It shouldn’t have happened was all he knew. The reasons why it had were hard for him to face, so he was avoiding that particular minefield for the time being. One problem at a time.

  “Whatever,” he continued, “you can bet we’ll be receiving a visit from your favorite major before the day’s out.”

  “I can hardly wait.”

  Riley chuckled. “The poor guy’s probably just following orders.”

  “Yeah, right.” She flipped on the indicator, turned right into a residential street, and pulled the car onto the driveway of a neat Cape Cod. “Here we are.”

  They left the car and ascended the front steps together. Before they could ring, the door was opened by a lady of about fifty. Well-dressed and perfectly made-up, Riley expected her to offer a traditional air-kiss to Maddie. Instead, she engulfed her in a compulsive hug. Riley immediately warmed to her.

  “It’s lovely to see you.” Claudia now held Maddie at arm’s length and examined her face. “How are you, dear?”

  “I’m bearing up, Claudia, thanks.” Maddie extracted herself from the older woman’s grasp. “Can I introduce you to Riley Washington, an old friend of Dad’s.”

  “Good to meet you, Ms. Greenway,” Riley said, shaking her outstretched hand. “It’s kind of you to see us.”

  “Oh, I always have time for Maddie. And please call me Claudia.”

  “Thank you, I will.”

  Clearly bursting with curiosity, Claudia led the way into a cozy family room
and offered them coffee. Riley accepted for them both and Claudia excused herself to do the honors. Riley looked around while she was gone. Rooms like this told him a lot about the people who spent time in them, which could sometimes be useful. There were framed photographs lining the mantelpiece, mostly family scenes featuring a younger-looking Claudia and a man often in uniform.

  “My late husband and my two children,” Claudia said, coming up behind him. “The children are grown and moved away, with families of their own now.”

  “You must miss them,” Riley said, resuming his seat and taking a delicate cup and saucer from Claudia with a nod of thanks.

  “They visit regularly.” She turned her attention to Maddie. “Now, tell me how you really are.”

  “I’m doing okay, thanks. How about you?”

  Claudia sighed. “The same, I guess. Life goes on.”

  “Maddie called my buddy and me for help,” Riley said when the small talk stalled. “We knew her father, served with him and respected him.”

  Claudia inclined her head. “I knew you were military,” she said. “It always shows in the bearing.”

  Riley chuckled. “Thanks. I think.”

  “The thing is, Claudia,” Maddie said, leaning forward, “I don’t think Dad was hit by a car like they said.”

  “Oh, but the medical examiner was quite certain—”

  “He was hit by a car.” She paused. “What I should have said is, I don’t think it was an accident.”

  Claudia looked dumfounded. “But why would anyone want to kill Michael?”

  “That’s what we were hoping you could tell us,” Riley said. “His house was broken into just before Maddie called us, and listening devices were placed.”

  Claudia gasped. “That’s a terrible invasion of privacy, Maddie. You must have been terrified, and furious. I know I would be. What have you done about it?”

  “Riley and his partner are keeping me company until we get to the bottom of things. We’re searching through Dad’s things to see if we can find any clues.”

  Claudia managed a weak smile. “That could take a while.”