by Helen Scott
Movement to the side of the bed drew my attention, and when I looked, I found Emmett watching us, his eyes drowning in lust while his hand worked his shaft. I froze as a blush screamed up my cheeks, and I wondered what we must look like, what he must think of me having sex with his friend while I was in bed with both of them.
“There's nothing to be ashamed of, angel,” Knox said between breaths as he urged my hips to move once more.
When Emmett nodded, I began rocking back and forth, unsure what to do. I knew what I wanted, but I was afraid to ask for it.
“Em. She wants you,” Knox grunted.
My eyes flicked down to the man underneath me before going to the other on the side of the bed. I held out my hand to him. There was no use denying that Knox's words were true. Emmett came to me, his mouth crashing on mine, his tongue twisting around my own while his hands found both my ass and my breasts. I moaned freely now, letting the sensations overwhelm me. Knox's fingers were still tightly gripping my hips, while Emmett's hands were working their own magic on my body.
I pulled away from his kiss enough to say, “Get undressed.”
Emmett hopped off the bed faster than I would have thought possible, stripping his T-shirt off and practically tearing his jeans away from his body. He returned to me in only a few seconds, but I barely even got a glimpse of his naked form before he was kissing me again, except this time, it was from his position behind me.
His cock gently rested in the small valley between my butt cheeks as his hands came around and squeezed my breasts, his fingers running over my nipples again and again, leaving me breathless.
I didn't realize I had stopped moving until the motion of Knox's hips coming up to meet mine startled me. One of my hands went to his chest, my fingers flicking over his nipple, while the other went behind me, cupping Emmett's ass and pulling him close so I could feel his body pressed against mine while my head fell against his chest, and he kissed a line down my neck to my shoulder.
The feeling of both of them touching me, teasing me, was overwhelming. When one of Emmett's hands stroked its way down my stomach and his long, elegant fingers found their way through my folds to my bud of pleasure, I shuddered in bliss. Not only was Knox keeping up a steady rhythm, but now Emmett was matching it with his fingers ever circling my clit.
His other hand still worked my breast and nipple, and when the breast he'd left was covered, I knew it was Knox's hand. Their skin felt different to me, and their movements even more so. Knox pinched and rolled my nipple, while Emmett let the edges of his fingers do the work as he slid his hand up and down my chest as if he were strumming a guitar. Everything was on fire, and as my body moved with the pace, I suddenly felt an orgasm building inside me. I was so shocked that it almost undid all the work they had been doing to get me to this point.
Emmett's hips began thrusting harder against me, and even though he wasn't inside me, I felt just as turned on by his actions as I was by Knox. Both of them grinding into me while Emmett's fingers practically danced around my sensitized nub had me breathlessly begging them not to stop. The feeling building inside me was one I knew but rarely felt, and I wasn't about to let anything stop me from going over the edge.
Everything built to a fever pitch, and when Emmett stopped circling and rubbed directly over my clit, fireworks exploded behind my eyes while my whole body bucked and jerked. I heard Knox's grunt of his own climax, and even though I was still floating in my post-orgasmic bliss, I urged Emmett to stand up.
When he did, I was able to take him in my mouth. His long, hard length slid between my slick lips while I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock, sucking for all I was worth.
“Fuck, Poppy,” Emmett ground out while one hand came down and gripped my hair, holding me in place while his hips began to move to meet my mouth.
I moaned around his cock while I swirled my tongue, and I felt his whole body go taut. Everything froze for a second before he thrust into me one last time and his seed spurted into my mouth. Once Emmett had collapsed onto the bed, I gently slid off Knox and fell between them, more satiated than I'd ever been before in my whole life. For a moment, I thought nothing could squash my sex high, but then when I closed my eyes, I saw the mysterious woman and I knew exactly who she was.
Persephone.
Chapter Twelve
Poppy
The haze of the orgasm still clouded my mind, but I knew I had to tell them about my dream, if it even was one. I hated ruining the moment, but it had to be done. I needed to figure out if that place I saw actually existed and how serious the woman was when she said that I needed to go there tonight.
“Do you guys know what Persephone looks like?” I asked, trying to keep things casual until I couldn't anymore.
I should have known better, though, because they were both immediately on alert when Knox said, “Vaguely, yeah. I saw her and Hades when I became a hellhound, but I haven't seen them since. Why?”
“Just a dream I had. What about you, Em?” I asked, turning slightly toward Emmett so he had my full attention.
“Same. What was your dream about?”
“A woman came to me and showed me this place and said I needed to go there tonight to find a fourth hellhound,” I said, summing it up as succinctly as I could.
“A fourth?” Emmett asked, looking over me at Knox.
“Did you recognize the place?” Knox asked at almost the same time.
I shook my head, looking at Knox before adding, “She said something about gods stealing realms when I asked her about it.”
Knox shrugged. “If that's what the goddess wants, then that's what she wants, and we better give it to her.”
Emmett nodded, and suddenly there was a flurry of movement as they both got off the bed and began pulling clothes on.
“Are we going somewhere?” I asked, concerned by their rapid movements.
“Eventually, yeah, but right now, I'm going to get you some food and maybe Emmett can grab his laptop so we can try to figure out where this place is.”
As both of them pulled on their pants, I got off the bed, feeling strangely exposed, as they were now dressed.
“Where are you going?” Emmett practically purred the question at me as Knox headed out of the room toward the kitchen.
“To get dressed. I can't just lay around naked while you guys do all the work.”
Emmett stepped close and put a knuckle under my chin, raising my face to his. “You can do whatever you want, my queen. Besides, neither of us are going to complain about you wandering around naked. Especially not me. I happen to love looking at you.”
“Was that okay? What happened?”
A smile broke across his face that made me feel as if I'd just walked out into a summer day. “That was beyond anything I had hoped for.”
“You know I want to have some quality time with just you and me, right?”
“I can't wait, my queen, but if you keep talking like that, I'm just going to take you on Knox's bed and forget about the laptop.”
“I doubt I would complain,” I said with a laugh.
“I wouldn't, either. In fact, there is nothing I would like more, but the goddess has given you an order, and in my experience, it's best to follow those as quickly as possible. And I'm not going anywhere, so as soon as we find the fourth head of Cerberus, you and I can have all the quality time you want.” He kissed the tip of my nose before walking out the door.
I knew he was right, but damn it if my body didn't crave him, didn't demand that I go after him and track him down.
Both men were back shortly after I was able to find some non-burned clothing to put on. It still smelled of smoke and exhaust fumes, but I couldn't help that. Emmett was carrying one tray of food and the laptop, while Knox was carrying two more trays.
Muffins, bagels, fruit, chips and dip, everything I could have possibly wanted to snack on was there, and when my belly growled, I knew he had been right to get food. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I
spread some cream cheese over a cinnamon raisin bagel before taking a large bite and tapping away on the laptop's keyboard, hoping to find the logo to the place I had seen.
“What did it look like?” Knox asked before taking the biggest bite of a banana I'd ever seen.
“Like a bowl or a cup with a mountain coming out of it.”
We were all eating and staring at the computer.
“Could you see any landmarks or anything? What kind of place was it?”
“It was a restaurant, and it was high up. I could see the Sears Tower from the windows as if it was right next door.”
“Can I try something?” Emmett asked after finishing a bowl of granola.
I handed the laptop over and finished off my bagel before taking one of the bowls of fruit while he tapped away on the keyboard.
“Was it something like this?” he asked as he swiveled the screen toward me.
My chest clenched as soon as I saw it. “Yeah,” I breathed, “that's it.”
“Looks as if it's a pretty fancy restaurant called MountainSide. They have some private rooms that can be booked for parties and other functions, but we would definitely need to break out the nice jeans if we're going in there.”
I stared at him for a moment before I realized he was joking about the jeans. Looking at the restaurant’s website, I knew immediately that I wouldn't have anything I could wear. I didn't pack any dresses or fancy duds. “Can we stop back at my place on the way?”
“Why?” Knox asked, concern making him frown.
“I'll need a dress or something if we are going in there.”
Both men just looked at each other, and I was left wondering what was going on with the silent conversation of looks passing between them.
“I have nice dresses at my place.” Did they think I was so broke I couldn't afford a nice cocktail dress? “Trust me, it will get us in the door.”
“How about I try a little social engineering first, huh?” Emmett asked.
Before I could ask what he meant, he had his cell phone out and was talking with the restaurant’s receptionist. Somehow within a matter of moments, he had convinced her to tell him the name for the party that night. I almost couldn't believe it, but then I thought about my own body’s reaction to his tone of voice, and I had to admit I was more than a little turned on, so I honestly couldn't blame the receptionist. The girl hadn't stood a chance against a master of seduction like Emmett.
“Are you going to tell Hunter?” I asked once he'd hung up.
“Yeah, I want all the backup we can handle going in there. The gates can go unguarded for an hour or two. He might even be able to bribe Charon not to bring anyone over and to keep watch for us.”
I stayed silent. I didn't want to admit that Hunter's comments from earlier still stung, because I knew they only hurt since they were true. He had hit close to the mark, and I wasn't quite ready to face him again, but turning down another set of eyes, another layer of protection, just because my feelings were hurt seemed childish.
“So we go in and you find your target, persuade him to come with us, and we get out. Simple. Easy peasy,” Emmett said with a chuckle. “Do you know what you're looking for?”
“No, all I know is that he's in the private rooms.”
“Fantastic,” Knox muttered, before adding, “I'm going to go call Hunt. You two decide what to do about clothes.”
“Sonofa . . .” Emmett said under his breath.
“What's wrong?” I asked as Knox left, the phone already up to his ear.
“Nothing, just something between Knox and me.” He sighed. “So, listen, we have some clothes here that we bought for you as a present.”
“When did you do that?” I asked, touched that they would think of something like that when all the clothing I had packed would need to be washed before I could wear it in public, if I even hoped to get the smell of smoke out.
“We've been buying them on and off for years now.”
“But we only just met . . .”
“I know. The thing is, and I hope this doesn't weird you out, but the queens have always had the same build as Persephone herself. So knowing that, we've been able to acquire them as we've seen them. I don't know how much of them will be to your taste or not, but it could be worth taking a look. That way there's no extra stops and chances for us to get attacked.”
The reminder of the attack and the car accident that could have killed both of us made my stomach sour. I knew I was being silly, but I wasn't sure how I felt about these clothes that were bought for an unknown someone. It almost seemed as if they belonged to someone else, the queen who was supposed to be, not me. There wasn't another easy choice, though, so I pushed aside my discomfort and said, “Sure, let's take a look.”
Emmett led me further down the hall that contained all their bedrooms, and in the room at the end was an empty bed, along with an explosion of pink, frilly, overly feminine decorations. There was a massive walk-in closet that I could see from the doorway. I wished for a moment that I knew who had owned the house before them, because I had to assume this bedroom was for a little girl. If it wasn't and they had decorated it that way for me, I would be concerned.
I crossed the plush pastel-pink carpet to the closet and cautiously entered, a tendril of fear coiled inside me at the thought that they had decorated the bedroom that way and were expecting a super feminine queen, which was definitely not how I would classify myself. I hoped they were prepared for a self-sufficient woman who wasn’t into frills as well; otherwise, they would be disappointed.
The closet was full of different styles of dresses, everything from the classic little black dress to flapper dresses to items that looked as if they belonged in a Jane Austen novel. The first dress I picked out was white with huge bright-red flowers all over it, but Emmett said no to that one, claiming it was too memorable. The next was a fluffy black number that was probably made of more chiffon and tulle than anything else. As soon as I picked it up, I put it back. It proceeded like that for a while—I picked something out and either he or I would toss it back.
Finally, I picked out a dress that was a deep red color, almost wine-like, and insisted I at least try it on. Not one to be prudish once a man had seen me naked, I stripped down right then and there, which almost made Emmett faint as all his blood seemed to rush south.
The dress was off the shoulder to the point that they were more sleeves than straps that wound around my biceps. The neckline was almost a sweetheart, but didn't dip very low. However, it was studded with a few crystals and sequins, as were the bottom of the sleeves. Then, finally, the skirt portion was high in the front and lower in the back. I thought it looked elegant but sexy and would hopefully blend with what other party attendees were wearing. When I looked over at Emmett, he'd sat on the edge of the bed with one of his ankles resting on the opposite knee and was just staring at me.
“What do you think?” I asked, giving him a twirl for good measure.
He was silent, and I thought he was going to say that it was too notable, that too many people would be looking at me if I wore it, but he just kept staring.
“Emmett?”
He seemed to rouse from a daydream of some sort. “Sorry, yes. You look stunning.”
“Okay, thanks for the approval, I guess,” I said as I slipped the dress off and put my own clothes back on. Before we went anywhere, I needed to shower and get the smell of sex off me. As I walked out, I let him know my intentions and went back to Knox's room to shower, again. Midway through, a familiar knock sounded on the door.
When Knox's head poked through the partially open door, I had to smile. He was so damn tempting, I almost asked him to join me. “If you come in here, neither of us will be ready on time,” I said with a chuckle as I rinsed the shampoo out.
“I promise I'll be good,” he said, using a slightly whiny voice that brought a smile to my face even though I should probably have made fun of him for it, instead.
“It's not you I'm worried
about.”
He laughed at that. It was full of life and joy and made me want to laugh along with him. “Fine, fine. I'll just get my stuff and go.” As he gathered whatever it was he needed, he poked his head in through the shower door and blew me a kiss before looking me up and down. “You're fucking sexy as hell, angel.”
“You're not so bad yourself, which is why you need to leave before I get distracted.”
“We could make time . . .” he said with a grin and a waggle of his eyebrows.
“Goodbye, Knox.” I turned and pretended to wash my face, because I knew if I stood there staring at him any longer, I would go to him, if only to feel close, to feel the warmth that he radiated.
“This side is just as good, you know. You have one of the sexiest butts I've ever seen.”
I shook my butt at him before turning around and sticking my tongue out like a child. When I heard the shower door close, followed closely by the bathroom door, I turned back around and finished my shower. My hair was a challenge without any styling products or tools, so I just left it and let it dry naturally so it would go wavy. It was the best I could do considering I didn't even have a hairbrush anymore. I had thankfully found an old eyeliner pencil in my bag, along with some tinted lip balm, so I was at least able to make myself look a little more presentable, as if I had made an effort. I knew the guys were most likely getting ready in Emmett's room, since Hunter seemed to like his privacy. Once I had slipped the dress on and dug the only pair of heels I'd bothered to bring out of my bag, I sent a silent thank you to whoever was looking after me enough for them to go with the dress and not reek of smoke. When I left the room, I almost smacked into Hunter's chest as he walked by.
“Sorry,” I said, letting out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
“You look good,” was all he said before continuing on his way.
I didn't know what to make of his comment, so I just let it go and went down the hall to Emmett's room, giving the door a light knock. I could hear laughter coming from inside, and I suddenly felt as if I were interrupting. When the door opened and Knox took me in, his jaw went slack. Emmett peaked around his side and gave me an appreciative onceover, followed by a giant smile.