by Vivian Arend
“Yes, how?” Braden’s expression rivaled thunderclouds and she tossed him a glare of her own, warning him to calm down. He sat on the coffee table, and his knees bumped hers. She leaned over to lay a hand on him as well, the three of them all connected.
Jamie shrugged. “You have to explain more for me to be able to calculate the exact quantitative reasoning—”
A loud burst escaped Braden. “Incredible. You’re sitting here, knowing the things about us you do and you’re going scientific on me?”
“Just being myself.” Jamie squeezed her shoulders and she snuggled in a little tighter. It felt so good to be there, touching him, touching Braden. “I take it you are what the legends named mermaids. What’s your name for your race?”
Chelsea answered this time. “Merfolk. The guys get kind of riled if you call them maids.”
“I can see why. St. Elmo’s fire involved in your particular skills?”
A furrow appeared between Braden’s brows. “How in the hell do you know these things? I know I let it slip about the merfolk, but the fire?”
Jamie stared at her and Chelsea blushed. Having all his attention turned on her made her warm inside. He stroked her cheek. “I saw you. Making love that first time. The fire was everywhere. Then I saw it last night.” He shrugged. “And I’ve seen it before, years ago, when someone else seduced me.”
A sharp sting of jealousy shot through her. She fought it down, but not before Braden noticed and laughed. He picked her up from where she sat and arranged her on his lap. “You planning on calling the girl out for a fight?”
She tried to speak without betraying how much it actually bothered her to think about Jamie with another merfolk. “Who was she?”
Being held in Braden’s arms was so right, but having Jamie there was just as important. She didn’t want to give either of them up. Now she just had to convince Jamie, and the pod, because she couldn’t go through the potential threat of losing him again.
“I don’t know who she was.” Jamie told them everything. The dive, the medallion he’d found. The woman on the beach and the way his memories of the night had vanished. When he told about the erotic dreams he’d been having of the three of them, Chelsea interrupted.
“Why are you sharing all this with us? Aren’t you afraid that we’ll, well…”
“Kill me and hide the body? Nahh. Too much work. Besides, there’s no real crime in Jaffrey’s Cove. You guys don’t want Braden to be the sheriff on duty when the first-ever homicide occurs. Bad for the resume.”
“Bastard.” Braden growled.
Jamie grinned at Braden. “Actually, I figure the more I tell you, the more you’ll share, and between the three of us we might be able to figure out what the hell is going on. I obviously didn’t react the way you expected to your lovemaking.”
Chelsea smiled. “I don’t know, I think you reacted just fine.”
He winked at her.
Braden gave her ass a light spank. “Stop flirting.”
He motioned for her to stand, then proceeded to pace the room. Chelsea debated nestling in with Jamie again, but until things were settled, a little restraint was in order. She leaned on the wall and watched Braden wear a hole in the carpet.
“Jamie’s right, there’s something odd about his reaction.” He looked at the other man. “You should have forgotten about the merfolk, and the sex from last night. Do you think it has something to do with the fact you’d already been exposed to the merfolk?”
Jamie considered. “Possibly. I need to research a bit more. If we hit the library, I can get some information that might help me. As long as you trust me not to tell anyone.”
“You know what would happen if you announced to anyone that we exist?” Braden spoke softly. Chelsea stilled. Jamie’s response was vital.
“I have no intention of being the reason you end up under the microscope. I can know a secret without having to share it. For example, have you heard of the Manteca statue? Missing since before the First World War?”
Chelsea answered. “I read about it when I was prepping for college.”
Jamie nodded. “I know where it is.”
“No way. Where? They’ve had a reward posted for that for years.”
Jamie smiled. “It’s in a private collection. I saw it by chance when I did some work for the current owner. He showed me sufficient proof it had been gifted to his family years ago. Only, the legal uproar and media attention involved in revealing its location would be devastating to his health. It will end up in the public galleries soon enough, but it’s not hurting anyone to stay where it is for a few more years.”
“You’re not tempted by the reward?” Braden asked.
Chelsea fought back a laugh. “Umm, Braden, Jamie is a Powell. They are one of the richest families in New York. Old money.”
Jamie hung his head and groaned. “Damn, I didn’t think you knew that. Now I’ll never know if you seduced me for my pocketbook.”
He winked at her and she laughed. This was the man she enjoyed working with. The one she’d grown to care deeply about.
Braden was still frowning but his anxious tension slowly eased. “Why do you seem to be taking this in stride?”
Jamie paused for a moment before speaking. “Archaeologists live in the past, present and future. So many things have slipped from the record books, and suddenly a dig or excavation reveals the truth. We see the impossible as memories that were forgotten and are waiting to be rediscovered.”
Jamie met Braden in the middle of the room. “I swear I will never do anything to harm Chelsea or you, or any of your people. If a promise isn’t enough, then I guess we have a problem, because I can’t forget what I’ve discovered. Still, I give my word I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
Chelsea held her breath. His sincerity rang loud and clear. Was it enough to satisfy Braden’s mandate to the pod?
Chapter Twelve
Jamie held out his hand and waited, staring confidently at the taller man.
Braden hesitated briefly before accepting Jamie’s hand and giving it a firm shake. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I think I can handle it.”
Chelsea gasped as Braden yanked Jamie against him, spinning him around and locking him in place with his arms trapped by his sides.
“You see her?” Braden’s husky voice tickled in her ears, and a wonderful anticipation raced through her veins.
“Chelsea? Of course.”
Braden watch her carefully, his unspoken question clear, and she nodded slowly. She wanted to jump for joy. He understood what she needed even better than she knew herself.
“She’s part of your responsibility now as a part of the pod. Thank God, because I don’t think I could handle her by myself.”
He released Jamie, draping his arms more gently around his torso. Jamie didn’t try to escape. In fact, he leaned back into Braden and Chelsea’s mouth watered at the sight of the two of them. Long and lean, muscular and handsome. An enticing combination for any woman.
Her men.
“I have a lot of questions you’ll have to answer in the next few days. Just start with this—matriarchal society?” Jamie opened his arms and she went into them willingly.
“We share a lot of similarities with the dolphins we can shift into,” Braden answered.
Jamie squeezed her tight and whooped as he spun her in a circle. “Hot damn, shifting? You’re serious? I so need to see that.”
Chelsea giggled. “Is there anything we can say that can shock you?”
He wrinkled his nose and considered. “I’m not sure. I look forward to finding out.”
Then he kissed her, and all the worry and fear haunting her since she thought they’d erased his memory eased away. Instead, as he stroked his tongue into her mouth, the seed of despair in her belly bloomed into desire, and she pressed closer, loving the way his body responded to hers. Her excitement rose, the blue of St Elmo’s fire lifting from
her skin to fill the air around them. When they broke apart he looked up, his smile delighted as a child’s.
“The fire. How can you control it? Is it something that—?”
She covered his mouth with her hand. “Later. Right now I want to kiss you, not lecture you.”
Jamie glanced over his shoulder at Braden who stood at his back. “I still don’t understand why you’re okay with this, but if you are—”
Braden silenced him again, this time with a kiss. With Jamie trapped between them, Chelsea rubbed as close as she could. This was what she needed to make sure the whole morning wasn’t some dream. That she really would be able to have them both with her.
She tugged them apart, reluctant to interrupt, yet needing too badly to let them continue. “Bedroom. Now.”
They were halfway down the hall, kissing and pulling at each other’s clothing, when Braden’s work phone went off.
“Fuck it.”
He untangled himself from them as Chelsea bit back her whimper of disappointment. Jamie pressed her against the wall and distracted her as Braden answered his call. The things this man did to her, every touch so careful and tender, and yet demanding her full attention. The way he stroked her torso while he kissed a line under her ear, sucking her earlobe into his mouth briefly before tracing the tender entrance. She squirmed. She’d never had a lover play with her ears before. Discovering they were erogenous zones gave her a thrill. She didn’t even try to hold back her cries of delight.
A touch on her arm dragged her away from the pleasure rising in her limbs. Jamie tucked her against his side and together they turned to face Braden.
“Do you need to go to the station?” Chelsea asked. The heat in the hallway continued to rise as Jamie’s fingers tickled her waist and Braden looked down at her with those dark eyes. A faint swirl of fireflies hung in the air.
“Nothing major they can’t handle without me. I’m not on duty until noon.”
Chelsea purred as he trapped her between them, their warm bodies lighting a fuse that wasn’t about to fizzle out quickly. “Then I have an idea.”
“I like it already,” Braden said.
She laughed and tugged them both toward the bedroom. “Come on, I think we should show Jamie a thing or two about merfolk before we all have to get to work.”
Braden slowed his step, letting her drag Jamie into the bedroom first. Jamie’s fingers clutched her hand tightly, some of the bravado he’d shown earlier slipping away.
“Don’t worry, it’s just that you’re right, there is a lot to tell you. I thought I could show you one of the forms we can change into, and Braden can explain a little bit.”
“We could have stayed in the living room if that’s all we’re going to do,” Jamie pointed out.
She raised her brows. “How does demonstration as foreplay sound?”
Jamie sucked in a rapid breath and Braden choked back a laugh. “Chelsea, you’re being a tease. Stop it.”
Something warm and happy welled up inside, and she shivered involuntarily. Just being with the two of them made her feel far more complete than she’d ever expected. She pushed Jamie toward the bed, then knelt between his thighs to finish unbuttoning his shirt. She batted away his hands when he tried to help her.
“We have more than one form. We can change into dolphins, but we don’t have to. The merfolk form—what you saw Braden use when he rescued you—is just as easy to maneuver through the water. Some of us can also change into a third form, and that’s the fire you’ve been seeing. When you see it and we’re not changing, it’s a result of strong emotions.”
“Kind of like an emotional barometer?” Jamie perched on the edge of the bed, his expression the most curious mix of anticipation and anxiety she’d ever seen.
She brushed his cheek with a finger before stepping back. “Kind of. Relax, I’m not going to eat you.”
“Well, damn, there goes that idea,” Braden joked and Jamie burst out laughing.
“How the hell am I supposed to react around you two?”
Chelsea stripped off her clothes to stand naked before him. “You did just fine last night.” His expression changed to one of hunger as his gaze traced her body. Lingered on her breasts, pausing on her sex. She licked her lips and he groaned.
A tingle started in her core and shot upward.
She lifted her arms into the air and let herself change. Her human form fell away, and with a wonderful tickly sensation, she changed into St. Elmo’s fire.
Freedom.
The incredible liberty she always felt in this form enveloped her and she reveled in it. With long slow sweeps she circled the room, closing in on the two men.
As she traveled she smelled less, yet felt far more. She sensed Jamie’s heart rate increase and swirled down to wrap herself around his torso with a fleeting touch, stimulating his skin and brushing her fiery fingers through his hair.
“Oh God, that feels good,” Jamie moaned, his head falling back as she stroked his throat, caressed his shoulders.
“Just wait.” Braden settled beside him. “There are games we can play you have no idea about.”
Jamie twisted in a panic. “You’re not planning on turning into a dolphin here in the room, are you?”
Chelsea laughed so hard she lost control and shifted back into human form, collapsing onto the bed. She grabbed Jamie from behind and wrestled him to the mattress, her body shaking with joy.
“Oh my goodness, I’ve never heard that suggestion before.” She straddled him, sliding her palms up the firm muscles of his chest.
“Well, you never know. I don’t want to assume anything here.” Jamie cupped her breasts, tweaking her nipples between forefingers and thumbs. A shiver racked her and the bed shifted as Braden crawled up and joined them. “I’m not in danger of losing my memory, am I? You’re not planning on hitting me with a triple whammy of the forget fire or something?”
“We can make love with humans safely without affecting your memories. Last night was a special circumstance, and no, we won’t try it again.” Braden grinned down at Jamie. “Especially since it was a bloody waste of energy.”
“Thank God. So, how do you want to do this?” Jamie asked. “I mean, how do you make love with three people at one time?”
Braden nuzzled Chelsea’s neck, his hands joining Jamie’s to fondle her breasts. “First off, don’t think about it so much. Just do what comes naturally. Focus on Chelsea and it’ll be just fine. Oh, and you won’t need a condom. We can’t get STDs, and Chelsea isn’t fertile right now.”
“You’re kidding, you can tell that?” Jamie looked into her eyes as if for reassurance.
She nodded. “Side benefits of the shifter nature.”
Jamie swore softly and took a deep breath, then both he and Braden moved in unison, taking control of her body between them.
She couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped. The attention of two men fully on her—she’d never had that before. The previous night had been more about making love with Jamie than time with Braden. He’d been there, but now as they both touched her, caressed her, the empty aching parts inside filled.
Braden cupped her skull and took her lips in a tender kiss. His tongue stroked her lips, teased along her teeth. He tasted like the sea and sweet sunshine on the ocean, and she held on tight to keep him close.
Another set of hands explored, molding her breasts together before Jamie bit her nipples hard enough she gasped. Braden eased off the kiss, sliding away from her mouth, moving along her collarbone.
She closed her eyes and just felt.
A hand caressed her belly, stroking in smooth circles that descended ever lower. One mouth, then two, fastened on her breasts. One of them suckled softly, the other with a harsher tug. The contrast shot a streak of pleasure to her core where it met the hand slipping between her legs. Somehow she’d ended up flat on her back as they touched her everywhere. When heat and moisture descended on her sex, she whimpered, needing so much more.
A slow easy tug on her shoulders brought her to the side of the bed with her head slipping back over the edge. She opened her eyes to find Jamie’s beautiful gaze directed at her. He squatted on the floor and she smiled at the vision of him upside down. Jamie brushed their lips together, the angle and direction making the gentle exploration of the kiss totally new.
Braden slipped two fingers into her sheath, licking her clit with rapid flicks of his tongue. Desire bloomed hotter in her core. His touch distracted her, sending the level of arousal in her body higher and higher until she trembled on the edge of a climax.
Jamie reached down and pinched her nipples with a firm roll of his fingers, once, twice and she came, her sheath squeezing Braden’s fingers, the tingling sensation racing through her making her toes curl and her ears ring.
“Damn it, baby, you are so gorgeous. So fine.” Her legs were pushed farther to the side and the head of Braden’s cock nudged her wet sex for a second before he pressed in.
Jamie sat back and caressed her lips with his thumb, his gaze tender, yet heated. “Very gorgeous. Chelsea, I need to…I want to…”
He hesitated and she licked her lips and it was his turn to groan with need. “Come here. Fill me up.”
Braden thrust into her again and she cried out with the pleasure of it. At the same time, Jamie rose and brushed his cock against her lips. She opened eagerly to him. His taste was different than Braden’s, less salty, more an earthy flavor with a musky scent that filled her as he rocked slowly. He let her lick and suck and explore his shaft, the mushroomed head feeling strange and exotic from this new angle. A swirl of her tongue around the ridged edge made him mutter under his breath. Precome leaked from the slit at the tip, and she lapped it off eagerly, twirling her tongue in circles before closing her lips.
“Oh damn, that’s it, baby. Swallow him down. Ease your throat open and let him go deeper.” Braden adjusted his strokes, inching in and out, the slow drag teasing her and keeping her on a high simmer.
She stretched out her arms and grabbed Jamie’s hips, tilting her head back a little more and pulling him farther in. Encouraging him to slide all the way to the back of her throat. She breathed through her nose, the scent of sex rising on the air.