by Krista Wolf
“Fuck the Vandals,” I said, opening and closing a few cabinets. “We need to go shopping. Pronto.”
“Negative,” said Holden. “We need to keep our profile low. Kyrkos is wary right now. He might be expecting us.”
“Kyrkos isn’t even here yet,” I pointed out. “He’s still on a yacht.”
“For another day or so, sure. But his men are here. And they know us. Some of us, anyway.”
“So what are we supposed to eat?”
“The MRE’s we picked up,” said Holden. “All we need is to boil some water, and—”
“The water smells like eggs,” I said. “And yes, I know it’s well water, but that’s still not cool. Especially with a whole town just below us, a quick five-minute drive away.”
Randall was hanging back, arms crossed, watching the debate. He was enjoying himself, I could tell. Maybe even Marcus, too.
“There’s no milk,” I protested. “No cereal.”
Now even Randall looked dismayed.
“The TV has three stations and they’re all in Italian,” I went on. “There’s no DVD player, so no movies. No radio.” I threw up my arms. “Shit, there’s not even a deck of cards.”
“We’re gonna need a deck of cards!” exclaimed Randall.
I saw the air go out of Holden as he finally relented. We had him.
“Fine,” he said. “One shopping trip. One store. Do it fast, and do it now.”
I smiled at him, and he smirked back. Randall actually cheered.
“Make it a good one,” Holden added. “Be sure to get everything you want, preferably in one place.”
“Aye-firmative,” I saluted sharply.
Rather than salute me back, he only sighed and tossed me the keys. Randall caught them mid-air before I could react, and winked at me consolingly.
“Sorry, Kitty Cat. I’m driving.”
Thirty-Six
ANDREA
The climb was arduous, but not grueling. It would be better described as tedious and long. You had be careful everywhere you stepped, because the path Marcus had chosen wasn’t a path at all. It was more of a rabbit trail, made slightly wider by his girth.
“This is as high as we come,” he said finally. “We’ll set up a little encampment here. But right there, see that curve?”
The Ranger pointed to a tiny brown trail that skirted a solid rock wall. It looked two feet wide, if that.
“Yeah?”
“Just on the other side of that is a small clearing that looks down over the opposite hill.” His gaze shot to Holden. “We’re bellies down from here.”
The three of them dropped to the dirt in unison, like their legs had been taken from them. Then they began the familiar, military-style belly crawl I’d seen only in war movies and little plastic action figures.
“Really?” I asked. “Are you serious?”
“No chatter either,” Marcus called back, his voice low. “The canyon echoes. Every tiny sound carries.”
I was tired and cold, and it wasn’t even fully dark yet. It was only just past dusk. Our shopping trip into town had been a success, at least. Randall and I had picked up what we considered ‘the essentials’, and had even splurged a bit on some luxury items. Candy for one. A metric shit-ton of pretzels and potato chips for another.
Not to mention a very unauthorized side trip to the liquor store…
“We might have to be up there a while,” Randall pointed out. “No use in skimping.”
I had to admire how the two SEALs complimented each other. Randall was the fun, goofy partner who courted trouble. Holden, the smart, serious leader who knew when to rein him in. Differences aside, they’d make the perfect sitcom together. Anyone and everyone would watch it.
But there was a distinct business end to their relationship as well. Like now for instance, as they crawled their way silently around the ridge. I didn’t even have to imagine what enlisted life had been like for them. That when the shit hit the fan, the two of them had no doubt fallen instantly in synch with whatever needed to be done.
And what about you? the sing-songy voice in my head teased. What about your feelings?
Slowly I knelt in the dirt and got down on my belly. I honestly didn’t know what my feelings were. Everything had happened so fast! And yet…
And yet there had definitely been some sort of instant connection between the three of us. What began on the boat and culminated in that boxing gym went beyond just sex. I could feel the pull of their camaraderie. The allure of being enveloped and protected by them — not just physically either, but emotionally too.
The SEALs had been on their own for a while now, trying to pull off the same difficult task I was. It made sense that we’d click. That we’d come together like magnets, drawn to the same—
“Psssst!”
I looked up, and saw the three of them motioning me forward. One by one they rounded the curve, and I had no choice but to follow.
The clearing was there, and beyond it, a slight rise. Above it, Marcus had already installed a stretch of camo netting. It was made up of all browns and beiges; colors that perfectly matched the terrain.
I hung back a little as Marcus crawled slowly to the edge of the rise. Holden and Randall inched up along either side of him.
“There,” the Ranger whispered. “See it? The abbey’s courtyard?”
He passed a pair of binoculars to Holden. Eventually he passed them to Randall, while I crawled my way to the edge…
Holy SHIT!
I almost gasped the words out loud, but stopped myself. The ‘rise’ I was lying on was nothing more than the lip of a rocky cliff, staring hundreds of feet straight down into nothing. For a few terrifying moments I imagined it just giving away beneath our combined weight. Breaking apart, to send the four of us cartwheeling down the open mountainside…
“Here…” Randall whispered.
I took the binoculars and squinted through them. The abbey — or citadel, or whatever it was — was built directly into the side of the opposite mountain. The curved stone turrets and arched windows and doorways were incredibly ancient. Breathtakingly beautiful.
“Look there,” Randall’s lips tickled my ear. “Back right side.”
Sure enough, the upper level of the structure opened into a sprawling green garden. A row of tall, feathery Cyprus trees stood sentinel just behind low, stacked-stone walls. Even so, the courtyard was open enough. I could see clear into the center, where a large, elaborate fountain gurgled.
“Alright,” breathed Marcus. “Starting tomorrow one of us is stationed here, always. Manning the M107.”
He pulled back another section of camouflage, this one on the ground beside him. A lethal-looking sniper rifle was revealed, all grey and black and corrugated. Its big scope was capped at both ends.
“You get the shot, you take the shot. Don’t hesitate.”
Another minute went by, the only sound being the howl of the wind whipping between the two jagged peaks. Finally, Holden inched back down from the rise and the rest of us followed.
“So…” he said, turning toward Marcus. “You wanna finally tell us what Kyrkos looks like? Or should we just shoot everyone we see?”
“You’ll know him when you see him. The way he walks. The way he carries himself. There’s an aura about him that makes him different.”
“An aura?” Randall snorted.
“A charisma. A charm. There’s a reason this asshole got to where he is. He didn’t come from money. And it sure as shit wasn’t good looks.”
He went on to describe the man I hated more than anything in the world. A man I’d met as a child, once, when my father introduced me to his highly-secretive employer. I could remember his patting my head, a little too roughly. I could remember the flash of his golden-toothed smile…
“That’s it?” Holden said when he was finished. “Dark hair and barrel-chested? And on the shorter side?” He swore and shook his head.
“He’s hairy too,” said Marcus. “
Very hairy.”
“Sounds like half the people down here,” Randall chipped in.
“He has gold incisors also,” I added. “Two of them.”
Holden laughed. “Should I whistle at him before I squeeze the shot off? Maybe get him to smile?”
“Like I said,” Marcus reiterated coldly, “you’ll know him when you see him.” The others looked back at him, causing his shoulders to slump. “Please,” he relented a little. “Just… trust me.”
By now it was nearly dark. We headed down, and the climb was easier. The footing though, was still treacherous. Randall and I picked our way down the path together, while the other two forged ahead. Way ahead.
“You think this is gonna work?” I asked him.
The SEAL managed a shrug. “Depends on whose taking the shot.”
“And?”
“If I had to give it to one of us?” he said. “I’d put it on Marcus. The way he handles that rifle… he’s definitely familiar with it.”
Randall stopped walking, just as we reached the bottom. I could make out the shadow of the house, up ahead in the distance.
“Listen, we’ve been moving pretty fast,” he said. “Dragging you along with us, in a way. We just wanted to make sure you’re okay with… well, with everything.”
“We?”
“Yeah. All three of us.”
I paused. “So you’ve been talking behind my back?”
Randall looked back at me skeptically, unsure of where I was going with any of this. I let him dangle for a few moments, then took a long draw of the crisp night air and smiled.
“That’s kinda cute,” I said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re getting sweet on me.”
“Could be,” he said with a relieved chuckle. He took my hand. “Let’s not get a big head about it though.”
“No, no,” I rolled my eyes. “Of course not.”
Still clasping my hand, he pulled me forward. The house looked different at night — all darkness and shadows. Darkness and shadows and tiny lights glimpsed through the windows… flickering from within.
Lots of flickering lights.
What the—
We reached the front door, and Randall swung it wide for me. With one hand on the small of my back, he guided me in. A split-second later, my breath caught in my throat.
And then I saw.
Thirty-Seven
ANDREA
I was standing in the foyer, staring into the flickering darkness. All around me, in every direction, the villa’s rooms were lit by the light of dozens of candles.
Holy…
It was warm, especially compared to the outside chill. The heat felt good on my skin. Vaguely I remembered one of them lighting the pot-bellied stove in the living area, before we’d left for the ridge. Back when it was still light outside.
But now…
Now the house was all candlelit shadows. Whites mostly, with some flickering reds mixed in. And just ahead of me, a smaller candle… planted into the frosting of a chocolate cupcake. It was just one of the sweets Randall had insisted we pick up on our shopping trip. Only now it was held cupped in two giant hands.
Holden looked up at me meaningfully, his face flickering in the candle’s dancing light. He was holding the cupcake out at arm’s length. Beside him, for once, Marcus was actually smiling.
“Happy birthday, Andrea.”
My mind reeled. As Randall stepped over to join them, I was completely and utterly astonished.
“B--But it’s not my birthday…”
“No,” Holden said softly. “But close enough. Your birthday was last week, according to what we were given.”
For a few confused moments, I didn’t even know what day of the week it was, much less the actual date. Then I remembered.
“Did you even celebrate it?”
I hadn’t. I’d been working double shifts, getting ready for Rhodes. My birthday had been the very last thing on my mind.
Still mesmerized by the candle, I slowly shook my head.
“Celebrate it with us then,” said Randall. In the candlelight he looked insidiously handsome, his beard dark and dangerous. He delivered his trademark wink.
“I— I…”
I didn’t know what to say. It was all so overwhelming. The whole house was this cocoon of soothing heat and flickering warm light. A hand reached out and brushed my face. It was Holden’s.
“We’ve been thinking about what you said,” he spoke softly. “About us all being adults here. All sharing the same experiences.”
I gulped hard as his fingertips moved down my face. Ever so gently, they traced the curve of my quivering jaw.
“Also about being a team too,” Holden went on. “So far that’s worked out for us.”
Marcus stepped forward. One big arm slid around me, pulling me closer, Rendering me almost weightless.
“You still want to be a team?” he asked.
His voice was deep, baritone. His dark eyes burned into mine. Still trying to swallow past the lump in my throat, I nodded mechanically.
“Good,” he said, and then kissed me.
I melted instantly, my legs giving completely away. Marcus continued to hold me against his hard, gorgeous body. Kept kissing me with depth and passion, until I was totally limp in his arms.
“Like you said,” Holden murmured softly. “You’re a big girl, right?”
He was very close by now. Just over my shoulder. Our eyes met, and suddenly I was kissing him too. Our lips rotated softly against one another’s, as his tongue slipped into my mouth…
And through it all, Marcus. Still holding me as Holden kissed me. Still supporting me… his hands, firmly in command of my body.
Then he started kissing my neck too, and I felt myself go utterly drenched.
“I… I am… a big girl…” I somehow murmured.
My eyes fluttered open and there was Randall, smirking at me from the other side. Repeating my own words: “You know what you’re doing.”
Holden broke our kiss and passed me to him, with a gentle push on my cheek. As Randall’s lips closed over mine, I whimpered softly into his open mouth.
“I’m a big girl,” I repeated again, kissing him back. I finally managed to swallow, before uttering a breathless sigh. “But I have no idea what I’m doing…”
I kissed him some more… then Marcus. Then Holden again. Over and over they took turns on me; kissing my neck, chewing my shoulder. Drinking from my open, eager lips. Touching my body all over.
“And I don’t even care,” I added finally, throwing my arms around them.
I was lost in my lust for them. Too far gone to do anything but give myself over. It’s what I wanted. What I needed. More than anything I’d ever desired… in the whole fucking world.
They lifted me up together. Held me in their collective arms, as they carried me into the next room. I was delirious with pleasure. Happily weightless, floating on a sea of hard, unyielding muscle.
“Wait…”
Holden smiled and nodded toward his open palm. He was still holding my birthday cupcake.
I laughed dreamily and blew out the candle.
“That’s not all I’m blowing tonight, is it?” I joked.
The handsome SEAL laughed. “Not by a longshot.”
I swiped one finger through the icing and popped it into my mouth. No sooner did I finish, then Marcus was tasting it from my tongue.
“Did you make a wish at least?” asked Randall.
I looked down at the floor of the living room, where they’d pre-arranged a circle of blankets and pillows and comforters. A ring of candles surrounded it, bathing the area in warmth and light.
“Do I really need to?” I sighed, still planting kisses everywhere I could. Shirts were already coming off. All around me, my world was nothing but thick muscle. Soft lips. Warm skin…
“Wishing for anything at this point would be just plain greedy.”
Thirty-Eight
ANDREA
I was taken down to the floor. Spread out on the blankets between them, and gently disrobed by my three powerful lovers. They did it slowly, despite the growing arousal I could sense in each of them. But there was a unity between them now. A unity that communicated there was no rush. No hurry.
For once, thankfully, time was on our side.
They were still kissing me, touching me. Keeping me right at the very edge of my senses. My mind became a whirlwind of constant stimulation. Holden was on my right side, Randall my left. And above me…
Above me hovered Marcus, kissing his way down my body. Dragging his tongue over my quivering stomach, to trace circles around my naval. I was so wet. So incredibly, ridiculously slick that when I reached down to drag a finger over my throbbing clit, I could feel the heat pulsing off me in waves.
Marcus spent an eternity between my legs, kissing the tender flesh on the insides of my thighs. In the meantime, I was nuzzling Randall. Tongue-kissing Holden. Arching my back as their hands roamed my body, cupping my breasts, thumbing my nipples.
God…
It was the pinnacle of my existence. The crown jewel of all my wildest, darkest fantasies. Being served and shared by three men. All at once. At the same time…
There were moments I had to reel myself in. Open my eyes and look around, just to mentally convince myself the whole thing was even real. But then I’d squeeze them shut again, as I felt a finger glide inside me. Gasp with joy and pleasure, as a warm mouth closed itself over one stippled breast…
Eventually Marcus reached the pot of gold at the end of my rainbow. His hot tongue drove upward alongside his finger, sliding wetly into my pussy…