by Zara Chase
He’d give a lot to know why she was so comparatively naïve when it came to sex. He’d go so far as to say she’d almost been afraid of it before they took her in hand. What was it she wasn’t telling them? Riley returned his attention to the show Maddie and Axel were putting on, completely into one another, and reminded himself it was none of his damned business what Maddie was holding back from them. One way or another, the matter with Maddie’s dad’s death would be cleared up within the next couple of days and he and Axel would be out of here.
“That feels so fucking good!” Maddie cried as her body went into a series of wild spasms. “Keep doing it, Axel. I can’t stop coming.”
“I’m with you there, babe,” Axel grunted.
Riley watched as Axel screwed his eyes tight and clearly gave her everything he had.
Chapter Fourteen
The first thing that occurred to Maddie when she opened her eyes the following morning was that she wasn’t in her own bed. Nor was she alone. Instead she was squashed between two large, warm bodies. Her head was resting not on a pillow but on a solid chest that was a little too comfortable. A heavy arm rested across her belly from the opposite side. She jerked upright…What the devil?
“What’s wrong, babe?”
The sound of Riley’s voice calmed her, as did the familiar sight of the guest suite.
“I forgot, just for a minute.”
Axel sat up on her other side, his blond curls sticking up at odd angels and making him appear like an endearing little boy.
“It’s okay,” he said, swooping in for a kiss. “I guess we take some getting used to.”
Reassured, Maddie lay flat on her back again, noticing things about herself that hadn’t been immediately apparent when she awoke. Like her lips felt twice their usual size, her body was pleasantly sore and her mind felt lighter than it had for weeks. Had they really done all that stuff last night, right down to playing catch me if you can in the shower, or was it her imagination? She glanced from one of them to the other and knew she hadn’t imagined anything. She simply didn’t have it in her to make that sort of stuff up. They really had made her body sing like a diva.
Incredible!
“Hmm, sleepy,” she said, nestling her head on Axel’s shoulder for a change.
“How sleepy?” Riley asked, his handsome face looming over hers, a challenge lighting his eyes.
“Well, now you come to mention it, not that sleepy,” she replied, aware of a massive erection pressing into her thigh.
“That’s good,” Axel said, “because we have a unique way of starting our days whenever we get the chance.”
“This I must hear.”
Riley’s throaty chuckle was wickedly suggestive. “We’re men of action, darlin’, not words.”
And then they were on her—both of them at the same time, hands and teeth everywhere. Rough and gentle. Hard and soft. Completely and totally dominant. And she loved every second of it. Her nipples were tweaked and bitten, erogenous zones she was unaware she possessed tortured until she begged for mercy. A strong pair of hands pushed her onto her side, and this time it was Riley who applied something cool to her backside. Axel flipped himself upside down and feasted on her clit, his mobile tongue checking out every inch of pussy until she thought she might very well die from anticipation. She was so taken up with what he was doing that she was only vaguely conscious of Riley’s fingers exploring her anus.
“Don’t tense up on me, babe,” he said, his warm breath peppering her shoulder as he whispered the words into her ear, as smooth and reassuring as a used-car salesman. “This’ll blow your mind, if you’ll just relax and trust me. Remember the breathing technique.”
How could she ever forget? Axel was bringing her closer and closer to orgasm. His entire face was buried in her mound, his tongue delivering long, vigorous licks and then deft persistent flicks that drove her increasingly wild. On the point of release, her entire body tensed when she sensed the tip of Riley’s cock invading her anus.
“Let me in, darlin’,” he said on a crooning voice. “You’ll be glad you did, I promise you.”
That appeared to be Axel’s cue to increase the pressure he was putting on her pussy. She dug the fingers of one hand into his curls, recalled the breathing thing, and felt the tension drain from her body.
“Good girl!”
Riley slipped a little deeper. The burning sensation she’d felt gave way to the most overwhelmingly sensual tingling she’d ever known.
“Oh!” she said, for once lost for words. “That’s…well, that’s, er—”
“Let’s take this slow and easy, darlin’,” Riley said softly.” I don’t want to hurt you.”
Maddie realized she was supposed to keep still, but it was asking too much. She had one hunk feeding on her cunt and another sliding his huge cock into her ass. She was on fire, desperate need flowing through her like molten lead, and she was unable to prevent herself from moving her pelvis as she absorbed all that was on offer. She expected to be chastised, but instead they acted like a well-oiled machine, seeming to know exactly how long to torture her before having mercy and letting her come.
No sooner had Axel brought her to orgasm than the reality of what Riley was doing to her hit home. His huge cock filled her, and the spurt of panic she’d felt turned to desire. This was like nothing she’d ever known before, the sensation indescribable. Wanton carnality ripped through her bloodstream as Riley carefully worked her ass. The sensation burned and intensified as her body when into spasm. All hell was let loose inside her before the aftershock of the orgasm Axel had given her even had a chance to fade. One climax segued into a second, less violent but far deeper feeling of satiation.
“Wow!” was all she managed to say as Riley slipped out of her and Maddie rolled onto her back, totally boneless.
“Our pleasure,” Axel said, kissing her, her own juices still slick on his lips. “And just so you know, you taste devastatingly erotic. Sweeter than vintage wine, as it happens.”
“Does eroticism have a taste?”
“Yeah,” they said in unison. “It tastes like you.”
She protested when one of them lifted her from the bed and took her to the shower. She absolutely didn’t want to move because it would spoil the moment. She needed to store away in her memory everything they’d done to her so she could relive the experiences vicariously once they’d gone. Only when the three of them had crowded into the stall and Riley started soaping her body did it occur to her that Axel hadn’t had his share of the fun.
“Be my guest,” he said, when she mentioned it.
Laughing, she slid to her knees beneath the hot jets of water and allowed them to cascade over her head as she took him into her mouth.
* * * *
After their shower Riley and Axel left Maddie sleeping again. Both men knew without having to ask that she’d never been through a sexathon like the one she’d just experienced, and she’d need some recovery time.
“Best damned way I can think of to distract her from what she has to do this evening,” Riley said, setting the coffee maker working.
Axel shook his head. “She’s damned hot is all I know.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Axel shot his buddy a look. “I was only sayin’. And she’d make a great sub. We need to give her some more training, but it won’t take much. She’s a natural.”
“No time,” Riley said curtly. “We’ll be out of here in a day or two.”
Axel leaned across the counter and got his face close up to Riley’s. “What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing.” Riley looked away. “She’s different, I’ll give you that. If she wasn’t then this wouldn’t be happing, but for me it’s as far as it goes. But, hey, if you want to—”
“You know I don’t.”
“Well then.”
“Even if I did want, she has a life in New York, friends, boyfriends…stuff.”
Axel shrugged, but Riley knew him too well to be deceive
d. He was tempted, sorely tempted to break his self-imposed commitment embargo. Riley could understand that. If he could just shake images of Stella, her suffering, what they both went through during the course of her illness, then just maybe he’d feel the same way. Problem was, he’d never been able to forget all that pain. No, it was safer to keep his head and heart separate when it came to women.
“Probably.” Riley extracted the ingredients for a big fry-up from the fridge. “Anyway, we need to concentrate on arrangements for this evening.”
“Right, yeah, of course we do.”
They chatted it through as they ate, trying to anticipate every possible hitch.
“Just so long as she remembers never to leave the room with anyone, we’ll be okay,” Riley said, stretching his arms about his head and yawning. “There’s nothing else we can do between now and then, so we might as well relax.”
Riley’s phone rang several times. Copeland checking that everything was still on. Pearson to say he’d spread the word. The regulars were glad Maddie would be coming along, but no one seemed especially interested.
Riley called Raoul and told him what the plan was.
“Don’t see how else you can play it,” Raoul replied. “But I don’t like the idea of Maddie being in the direct line of fire.”
“We’re not ecstatic about it ourselves, but we can’t think of any other way.”
“Yeah, I hear you. Just keep that gal safe.”
“Count on it,” Riley replied before cutting the connection.
Maddie appeared shortly after that, looking deliciously rumpled and thoroughly satiated. Riley insisted on cooking her breakfast and then sat down next to her to make sure she ate it all.
“Sex obviously gives her an appetite as well.” Axel laughed as he cleared her plate. “It makes us starving.”
“Everything makes you two starving,” Maddie replied, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah well, there is that.”
“Our antics have reacquainted me with a few muscles I’d forgotten about,” Maddie said, grimacing when she moved.
“Go on, babe,” Axel chided. “Admit it. It was worth every ache and pain.”
She did another eye roll. “Your modesty could use some work.”
It was near lunchtime when Maddie finished her breakfast. Riley figured that was a good thing because there was now less time to get through before heading off to the center. Which also meant there was less time for her to get nervous. He could think of a lot of inventive ways to fill the time in between but reined in his imagination and offered his and Axel’s help with sorting out her father’s study.
“There won’t be anything to help with our inquiry in there,” he said. “Your dad was far too canny for that. But still, it all has to be gone through, and three pairs of hands are better than one.”
“Sure, thanks,” she said. “Let’s make a start.”
“You two go ahead. I just need to pop into town real quick,” Riley said. “I have an errand to run, but I’ll be right back.”
“Anything to get out of doing the real work,” Axel quipped.
Riley shot him the finger, grabbed the keys to their truck, and disappeared out the door. He found the store he needed, bought up half of it, and returned to do his share of the work.
They spent the next two hours making inroads into the hundreds of files Maddie’s father had accumulated, only speaking when they needed to ask her what to do with stuff.
The methodical work appeared to calm her, and when Riley called a halt, suggesting there was just time for a sandwich before they headed off, she seemed surprised that so much time had passed.
Axel was on sandwich duty, and when they’d eaten all they could, Maddie excused herself to go and change. Her room was upstairs, but the guys heard her rummaging about in her parents’ room.
“What’s that all about?” Axel asked.
Riley shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
Maddie returned a short time later in clean jeans, a loose long-sleeved top, and a light jacket. Around her neck was a long strand of unusual crystal beads. Riley commented on it.
“It was a favorite of my mom’s,” she replied. “It belonged to her mother and her mother before her. Its only value is sentimental, and Dad often suggested I ought to take it but I couldn’t…well, I couldn’t bring myself to touch any of her stuff.”
“That’s understandable,” Riley said.
“But thanks to you two I’ve managed to get over that.” She lifted her shoulders. “I know it’s stupid, but wearing Mom’s beads tonight will be like a talisman. A good-luck charm.”
“Not in the least bit silly,” Axel said, blowing her a kiss. “Whatever works for you.”
The guys stuck to their normal uniform of jeans, T-shirts, and leather jackets. Both had sidearms in holsters beneath their jackets.
“All set?” Riley asked her.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“You can still change your mind.”
“Yeah, but that’s not gonna happen. Come on, let’s take your truck.”
Traffic was light and they got to the center early. John Reynolds greeted them when they walked in. The place was busier than when Riley had last visited, but he could see over Reynolds’s shoulder that the main room was still thin on bodies.
“Nice to see you again,” Reynolds said. “Some of the men will enjoy talking to you. Hope you’re prepared to chew the fat.”
“Of course.” Riley shook his hand and then introduced Axel and Maddie.
“Ms. McGuire, allow me to say how much I enjoyed your father’s company.” He shook his head. “Such a tragedy.”
“Thank you, Mr. Reynolds. That means a lot.”
“Why don’t you go on through and mingle? It’s early yet, but the place will fill up before long. Free food and the company of other service personnel are hard for even the most antisocial vet to resist.”
“We’ll do that.”
As soon as they reached the threshold, Riley and Axel held back and Maddie walked into the melee alone. Anyone watching them would know they were together, but the point was to make Maddie accessible. Riley glanced around and saw Copeland already there, along with his female sidekick, Shirley Mance. Pearson was there, too, but only acknowledged Riley with the slightest inclination of his head.
“Here we go,” Riley said, grabbing a beer and taking a swig. “Bring it on!”
* * * *
Maddie was a mixture of self-doubt and determination as she plunged into that room. There were a few other women there, but they were outnumbered ten to one by an abundance of testosterone. She attracted a lot of attention, but no one tried to make a move on her. She recognized a couple of old friends of her father’s and fell into conversation with them. This business had made her suspicious of everyone, including them. It had made her doubt everything she’d once taken for granted, and she was so on edge that she found it hard to behave naturally.
She understood now what Riley and Axel had done for her. She hadn’t realized she was nervous about doing this, but they obviously had, and she had to say, their methods of distraction had a lot going for them. She squeezed her legs together to prevent the inevitable flow of liquid that she’d grown to expect whenever she thought about their sexploits, and concentrated on what a retired captain was saying to her.
An ever-changing sea of people swirled around Maddie as the room filled and the noise level increased. Several times she lost sight of Riley and Axel but took comfort from the fact that they had to be keeping her in their sights. So, too, did Copeland and the rest of his people. Not that it was necessary because so far nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Riley must have been right. Whoever was behind this wouldn’t risk coming down here today—not with Riley and Axel watching her back. It had been a massive waste of time. Even so, she couldn’t seem to shake the trickling premonition that had gripped her the moment she walked into this place.
Sticking to soda, Maddie helped herse
lf to another glass and to a plateful of food, just for something to do. She felt Riley’s gaze boring into her back but didn’t acknowledge him. Instead she fell into conversation with a guy who’d just introduced himself. He seemed keen to keep her to himself, and for the first time Maddie wondered if she’d finally hit pay dirt.
Ten minutes later she’d almost lost the will to live when the man had told her, in excruciating detail, exactly what was wrong with the youth of today.
“Excuse me for a moment please.”
Maddie desperately needed to find the restroom. Recalling the promise she’d made to Riley never to leave the room alone, she sought out Shirley Mance.
“Not that I need my hand held or anything,” she said apologetically.
“No problem.” Shirley put her glass down. “I could do with the bathroom myself.”
Maddie glanced over her shoulder at Riley. She tilted her head in the direction of the bathrooms, and he nodded as though giving her permission.
“I can imagine worse jailors,” Shirley said, observing the exchange and grinning.
Maddie laughed. “There is that, I suppose.”
“Come on, it’s this way.”
They walked into a very small restroom, which was meticulously clean.
“Not many women in this place,” Shirley explained. “So the lion’s share of the facilities are reserved for the men.”
“That seems fair.”
There was just one toilet cubicle, a shower and a wash basin. Shirley shot the bolt across the outer door.
“I don’t think anyone will…Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Maddie had placed her purse on the vanity. Shirley picked it up and tipped the contents into the basin, which was when realization came crashing in on Maddie.
“It’s you,” she said, clapping a hand over her mouth. “You’re the creep who’s conning the vets.”
Chapter Fifteen