“What do you mean?” she asked, almost breathless.
“I know people who know them.” There was a pause. “They’re committed to you.”
“Elijah, perhaps. Harper…is uninterested in my emotions.”
They settled into silence again and Brie was enthralled. Gone was Harper’s scowl and she was happy to see a smile on Elijah’s face as they talked with their heads a few inches apart.
Harper reached out and curled his palm around the back of Elijah’s neck. The men stared at each other intently and Brie realized she held her breath.
The move was sexual. Of that, Brie had no doubts.
Her vague suspicions that the two men shared a far deeper relationship than the world knew were confirmed. Finally, clarity over a question that hadn’t been fully formed consciously. She gave a low moan.
Tawny whispered, “Jesus. That’s stimulating.”
“Oh my god…”
“Did you know?”
“I think…part of me wondered. I didn’t know for sure. There was a little thing but…I kept losing it.”
“You didn’t ask Hudson? He and Natalia must know.”
Brie shook her head. “Whatever Elijah and Harper want with me is between the three of us. I can’t discuss them with Hudson. They’ve known one another too long and their relationship is often antagonistic as it is. I want to be careful.”
“Excellent approach.” Tawny was quiet for almost a minute. “Does it turn you off?”
“God, no. Not even a little bit. In fact, I had no clue how much it would turn me on.”
They were silent as the men spoke softly to one another, Harper maintaining his hold on his lifelong friend. Then he pulled him nearer and whispered at his ear.
Elijah’s face was nearer the women watching. His eyes closed as Harper pressed close.
Every cell in Brie’s body was hot.
Suddenly, Elijah’s eyes opened and he found hers across the room. His lips moved and Harper pulled back, both of the men staring at her. Faces side by side, almost touching, the darker man’s hand tightened on Elijah’s neck.
Until she rubbed her palm over her lower belly, Brie didn’t know she was telegraphing her reaction. Releasing her lower lip from between her teeth, she took several careful breaths.
“They’ve got you in their sights, Brie. I hope to fuck you’re ready for what happens next. I think you’ll be just fine.”
Then her friend got up and walked away.
Her heart was able to beat twice before the men stood and headed in her direction.
Alone, watching them make their way around the dance floor, Brie tried desperately to contain her response.
It was futile.
Heart racing, breathing too fast, and filled with sexual need unlike anything she’d ever experienced, she stared at them as they stopped beside her table.
They were beautiful, partially broken, and she understood so much more about them. She also wondered why they sought her out as a third to a well-established relationship.
Harper and Elijah weren’t simply friends. They were lovers and she imagined they had been for a very long time. They lived a double life, hiding their relationship, and probably eaten alive with stress about their secret being leaked.
Somehow, she managed to say, “Please sit down.” They sat but remained silent. “How have you been?”
Harper’s eyes stared into hers and she fought down the urge to look away and protect herself.
“You’re Natalia’s maid of honor.” She nodded. “I’m Hudson’s best man.”
“He told me. I wasn’t surprised. You were the best choice.” Looking at Elijah, she asked, “Have you been practicing?”
“Yes.” He leaned forward, crossed his arms on the surface, and looked as if he physically ached. She hated that their relaxation before seeing her was gone. “I thought you were out of town.”
“My flight was canceled. I didn’t mind, to be honest. I’m still nervous about going home.”
There was a long silence and Elijah growled, “Fucking say something.”
Matching his position brought their faces close across the small space. “What do you think I’m not saying, Elijah?”
“Is it negative?”
“You know better than that. I know you do.” Reaching out, she took his hand and he gripped hers almost painfully hard. “I don’t have a single negative thought in my mind.”
His green eyes held hers. “You didn’t know?” She shook her head. “Did you suspect?”
“Something…I wasn’t sure.”
His frown deepened. “You still…?”
“It changes nothing, Elijah.”
He pulled and she leaned closer. Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, “Why?”
“I think about you too much to ignore.” She sighed. “You clearly have more than most.” She swallowed hard, “I don’t…understand the point of me at all.”
“We need you, Brie.”
Moving back, she cupped his cheek in her hand. “I’m sure there are reasons the secrecy is necessary. I hate that you’re clearly conflicted and I’m sorry you hurt.”
“How do you know I hurt?”
“Your eyes. I didn’t understand all the reasons why.” Inhaling carefully, she turned to look at Harper. “You always allow the gentler man to handle me in some way. Why?”
He didn’t reply at first but something flickered in his eyes. He sat forward, rested his elbow on the edge, and seemed to look deep inside her. “I need to be certain.”
“Certain of what?”
“Of you, Gabriella.”
Frowning, she tilted her head. “You’ve had…problems.” He didn’t answer but continued to stare at her. She closed her eyes. “Oh my god.”
The world of wealth was a fairly small circle in Washington. Though she hadn’t been close to the Delkins personally, her family’s relationship with them stretched back two decades.
Two years after graduating college with his master’s in business, Harper officially assumed the reins of his father’s multi-million-dollar company. Over the course of the following three years, his management resulted in their first billion-dollar fiscal year.
The year he turned thirty, the Hernandez family received invitations to his wedding. Brie declined attending, far too embarrassed to shove her chest into formal attire.
Izzy talked for days afterward about the extravagant affair. She didn’t hide her instant dislike of the new bride. Sucking her teeth, her sister summed up her feelings regarding the woman.
“Flighty, self-absorbed, and has obvious entitlement issues. I wish the man luck because he’s going to need it with that one.”
One year later, she overheard her mother whispering to a friend about the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Harper’s wife.
The woman took her own life. Only a few people were aware that she was pregnant at the time.
Opening her eyes, she stared into those of a man who faced unique challenges most of the world wouldn’t understand. Unable to stop the tears that slipped over her cheeks, Brie placed her hand over his forearm.
“I’m sorry. So very sorry, Harper.” She gripped the muscle through the fabric of his shirt.
The enormity of the situation rolled over her in a wave of sadness. He made his choices based on history and fear of exposure. No one should live their life in such a way.
She covered her face with her hands. She needed a moment to adjust, to find her way back.
Suddenly, she understood her role and it broke her heart.
Then they were standing on either side, their arms wrapping around her. Harper lifted her face. Elijah held her hand.
For a moment, she had a glimpse of confusion and something else. He brushed his fingers over her damp cheek. “You cry for me, Gabriella?”
“I’ll do it, Harper.”
“Do what?”
“No one will ever know. I swear it.”
For almost a minute, he stared
into her eyes. “You would give up your life to create a front for me?” She returned his gaze without blinking. “Why?”
Her tears continued to fall but she ignored them. “You already possess what I’ll never have. I won’t allow you to lose it.”
“Brie.” Elijah’s voice broke as he gathered her in his arms and held her close. She didn’t break eye contact with Harper.
His scowl deepened and his hand curled around her neck. “People like you should not exist.” He leaned down and whispered across her lips, “The world will seek to crush you, Gabriella.”
“I’m still here,” she insisted.
“Yes, you are.”
Then he kissed her and she whimpered. It was the most aggressive kiss she’d ever received, filled with messages she didn’t know how to decipher.
It went on and on as Elijah stroked her back with his lips pressed to her hair. The bodyguard continued to hold her hand. She didn’t register what he was doing until he placed her palm over his cock and pressed her firmly against him. Reflexively, she squeezed before registering the implication.
He was hard.
Breaking the kiss, she stared into bright green eyes filled with lust he’d carefully hidden every time he’d been near her. Harper placed her other hand over his length and growled when she lightly stroked flesh that was equally hard.
She met Elijah’s eyes and nearly lost herself in his expression. Moving closer to block her from view of the room, their palms crossed her body and cupped her breasts.
Her heart stumbled. Perhaps she didn’t understand their interest after all.
“Firmly bisexual,” Elijah murmured. “The confusion comes from wanting you more than other women, Brie.” Lifting his face, he added, “We didn’t seek you out as a front. I’d never allow you to be used in such a way.” Flattening his palm over her heart, he held her gaze. “This would break badly.”
“Gabriella.” She looked at Harper. “Six months remain before we come for you.”
“I don’t understand.”
Elijah’s lips pressed against her temple. “I promise you’ll understand everything.”
They passed her mouth back and forth between them, holding her hands on cocks that throbbed with need while they massaged breasts that ached for so much more.
“You’re a creature unlike anything or anyone I’ve ever known.” She heard the strain in Elijah’s words. “Until you’re naked, sweating, and coming apart between us, I won’t stop. I’ll show you no mercy.”
Her moan vibrated into Harper’s mouth and his hand lowered to press against her low belly.
“You’re shaking, Gabriella.”
Then their hands slipped lower, stroking together over her mound through the thin fabric of her pants. The resulting orgasm was instantaneous, unexpected, and violent.
Her fingers curled around them through their slacks and tightened hard. She pulled her head back to stare at them, panting heavily.
“You still think me weak. I have images in my mind I never realized would make me wet.” She stroked her hands down to cup their balls firmly. “I want to know how you taste.”
Staring at Elijah, she whispered, “I wonder what it will feel like to have you both inside me.” Leaning up, she licked over his lips. “To feel you both come. The heat of you filling me up with pleasure I can’t even imagine.”
She watched as they stilled, jaws clenched against climaxes she could feel them having beneath her hands. Elijah’s head dropped back on his shoulders.
Turning to look at Harper, she gave him a slow smile. “You continue to underestimate me.”
“I’ll work on breaking the habit.” Dragging his hand up her torso, he settled over her breast and tweaked her nipple. She gave a low moan. “Think about us when you touch yourself later, Gabriella.”
She sighed as they bent to trade her mouth once more. The need on Harper’s face made her ache.
Elijah raked his fingers through her hair and clasped a handful firmly at the base of her skull. “There’s more to tell you. Only when you’re firmly in my hands will you know the answers to the questions you haven’t asked.”
He nuzzled her cheek and whispered, “I’ll dream of you, Brie. I’ll think about you touching yourself with my name on your lips. Lips that will be wrapped around my cock before I die of the wanting.”
At the muscle between her shoulder and the column of her neck, he bit her gently with his teeth.
“I wait for you.” Straightening, he held her gaze for a long moment. “Goodnight, Brie.”
With a final kiss, they walked back to their table, collected their jackets, and left the club.
Tawny’s voice behind her made her grin shakily. “I bow, bitch. I motherfucking bow.”
* * *
In the car, Harper’s mind ricocheted from thought to thought. He stared at Elijah with wide eyes.
“How did we not know she was still in town?”
“It doesn’t matter now. All is well, Harper.”
“All is…” He raked his fingers through his hair. “How can you say that? All is not well!”
“You can trust her. I know you know that.” His half-smile didn’t match the panic in Harper’s heart. “Only I have ever made you lose control in public.”
“You’ve never lost control in public for anyone, Elijah.”
“The culmination of all things I desire most. It won’t happen again but it’s telling that she was able to accomplish it.”
Harper leaned his head back on the seat. His heart ached.
Chapter Twelve
February 2015
That she hadn’t seen Elijah and Harper in more than a month had Brie ready to vibrate out of her skin.
The only thing that helped the insane sexual tension was physical therapy. She upped her routine to five days a week.
Intense pain and buckets of sweat but finally…progress.
She’d been practicing walking without the cane in the apartment. Sometimes she was afraid because her leg felt too weak to support her but twice, she’d almost forgotten the hated crutch when she left the house.
On Valentine’s Day, she received three dozen white roses with a note from Elijah.
I’d rather be there. E
After placing several in her studio to dry, she arranged the others around her apartment. It made her feel closer to him.
Riya relayed information from Micah that Harper was in Europe overseeing the purchase of a textile factory.
No one seemed to know when they’d return and it made her wonder about the future when both men were gone for months at a time.
To the apartment, she said in disgust, “You haven’t even seen them naked. Dial back the Suzie Homemaker vibe.”
Brie didn’t ask others about the two men. She smiled when they passed along news but inside she felt like she was cheating.
If they wanted her to know, they’d tell her personally.
On a day when the weather was positively mild for February, she decided to take a walk to her favorite coffee shop. The baristas were thrilled to see her and insisted on bringing her order to the table she chose out of the way.
Distracted, she smiled when Natalia took a seat in the chair opposite. “Hello, darling.”
“You look lovely. How did you know I was here? Does Hudson have me fitted with a tracking device?”
“Not yet. I harass poor Carlo and tip Henry enough to pay his mortgage to keep a sharp eye on you.”
“Thank you but you know I’m fine.” She frowned. “You’re up pretty early, aren’t you?”
Leaning on the table, Natalia quirked her brow. “The man barely rests, I feel like a slacker if I go back to sleep after he leaves for the day.”
Brie laughed. “You work very late hours. No guilt required. Sleep when he leaves until your body tells you to wake up. He likes taking care of you and doesn’t resent that you need it.”
“You’re fucking brilliant.” She pointed at the blank sketchpad. “I rarely see a page
that isn’t filled with something.”
“Natalia…” She swallowed hard. “I-I know. About their relationship.”
Electric blue eyes lifted to hers and widened. “I assume they didn’t intend to reveal their little secret.”
Brie explained the night she’d watched them at the club.
One of the staff set Natalia’s coffee in front of her with a smile. “I thought you’d left. Enjoy.”
Mechanically, she sipped the brew. “Darling, how do you feel about this new information?”
“Curious. At first, I thought they meant to use me as cover.” A warm shiver passed over her as she remembered their attention. “Apparently not.”
The blonde blinked. “To my knowledge, no lover has ever been privy to that particular detail, Brie.” She cleared her throat. “They never meant for me to know.”
Processing what she implied, Brie sat forward. “Natalia.”
“We hadn’t known them more than a couple of years. All of us belonged to the same club in Dallas but weren’t aware.”
Lifting her eyes, she murmured, “You know the particulars of The Playground?” Brie nodded. “We…ran into them there. The circumstances left no doubt regarding their relationship.”
Mind racing, Brie said softly, “Don’t give me details.”
“Well done, darling.” Natalia sipped her coffee. “For a while, I’m certain Harper feared Hudson would use the knowledge to gain an advantage.”
“He’s not a dirty fighter.”
“When Harper realized neither of us were sharing the information or shunning them in social situations, it became an unwritten piece of history between them. It changed the way Hudson was considered from that moment on.”
“He was taken seriously as an up and coming business talent with a strong core of honor.”
Natalia nodded. “Exactly. From then on, it was easier for a young man from nothing to get meetings with the most powerful people in the world.”
Sitting back, Brie’s lips parted in shock.
“Without Harper Delkin, Hudson would have continued to accumulate money and power because he never quits. However, it would have taken longer. Harper’s nod of approval for an illegitimate boy from the basest poverty opened doors that would have been forever closed to him.”
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