by James Tate
Steele gave a soft laugh. "No, I meant how many people know about the real plan? Does Sampson and his team know?"
I shook my head. "No, no one. Just us and Bree."
"Dallas?"
"Nope. Bree won't tell him either, not unless we want her to."
Steele nodded, thoughtful. "Good. I think it should stay that way."
"Well, except for whoever Archer is arranging our backup through? I sort of assumed that was going to be Sampson and his guys." I frowned, wondering what was on Steele's mind.
"No, not this time," he replied, seeming confident. "I need to talk to the boys, but I think they're of the same mindset as me on this. Someone on our security team is leaking info to your stalker. The less we tell them right now, the better."
My brows shot up, and my pulse raced. These guys were supposed to be fully vetted, one hundred percent trustworthy. Weren't they?
"Besides," Steele continued, "Arch won't trust anyone but the best on this job. He'll call in a favor with Hades and the Timberwolves."
Anxiety pricked at me. "What if they decide to double-cross us?"
"They won't. Hades quite literally owes Archer a life debt. Besides, it'd just be a shitty business decision." Steele reached out again, weaving his fingers through my hair and pulling me in close for another kiss.
When the seemingly innocent kiss took a heated turn, his tongue stud coming out to play, I groaned and pulled away with gargantuan effort.
"Max Steele," I scolded teasingly. "You just got discharged from the hospital today."
"So?" he replied, challenging my resolve. "Discharged means they decided I was fine to resume daily life."
"You were shot in the freaking chest two weeks ago," I reminded him with a small scowl. But really, I was more trying to remind myself why it was a bad idea to let things go further.
He pulled me back to his lips for another kiss, this time holding me tighter as I squirmed. "Two and a half weeks," he corrected me, releasing my mouth only long enough to say those words, then kissing me again.
With a groan, I pried myself out of his grip and sat up. "Exactly! Two and a half weeks ago you nearly died, Max!"
He pouted, rolling onto his back to look up at me with the biggest fucking puppy dog eyes. Bastard. "Does that mean you won't take those panties off and let me fuck you in just my Vanth T-shirt?"
I gave him a stern glare. "Absolutely not. It means you're just gonna have to lie back and let me do all the work." I shot him a wink, then pushed the covers back so I could straddle his waist.
"Well," he murmured, then swiped his tongue across his lower lip, flashing that metal stud at me and reminding me what he had waiting further south of the border. "I'd hate to go against medical advice."
I smirked, leaning down to kiss him but not letting him get too carried away. My mouth had other places it needed to be.
I shifted backwards, sliding down his body until my breasts rested on his thighs and my fingertips curled under the waistband of his light gray sweats. We both knew he didn't have anything underneath, so it was just that one layer of cloth doing a terrible job of hiding how hard he was.
"Hellcat..." Steele groaned as I tugged his sweats out of the way and wrapped my hand around his rigid, pierced shaft. "You're seriously going to torture me like this?"
Humming an agreement, I circled his tip with my tongue, then looked up to meet his hooded gaze. "Don't give me that face, Max Steele." My fist stroked down his length, and I watched as his lashes fluttered in response. "You love the torture."
He made a pained noise as I took him in my mouth, but when his hands gripped my head, it wasn't to pull me away. Quite the opposite.
"Fuck," he breathed as I relaxed my throat, taking him deeper, as his tight grip was begging me to do. "Fuck, I do. Holy shit..." The rest of his sentence faded into groans as I let him pull at my hair and still did what I wanted anyway. He wasn't in control this time. I was.
Using my tongue, I explored every one of his new piercings and tested his limits, tugging them gently with my teeth. It wasn't until Steele's hands were firmly fisted in my hair and his hips bucking up to meet my lips that I decided I wanted to torture him a little more.
"What—" he started as I pulled away with a teasing lick down his ladder. "Hellcat, what are—" His words cut off again with a sharp inhale as I wiggled out of my panties and straddled him.
"Shush," I teased, lining him up with my aching core and sinking down onto him ever so carefully. "Just lie back and take it, remember?" My snarky comment was ruined by the whimper that escaped my throat as his hips bucked up and fully seated his dick inside me.
His grin was wicked, but I braced my hands on his abs to remind him that I was running this fucking show. Okay, fine. I might have been on top, but there was no way I was in charge. As I started to move, riding him with my knees planted on either side of his hips, he just smirked an evil smile.
He reached out, his hands finding my ass cheeks and grabbing on tight as his pelvis rocked up, taking my control away and increasing the pace until my breathing was ragged and my cunt was pulsing with the start of an orgasm already.
"Steele," I moaned in weak protest as his eight shaft piercings tortured me as surely as I'd just tortured him.
His only response was to sit up in a half ab curl and seize my lips in a bruising kiss that somehow ended with me flat on my back with Steele on top.
"What the—" My startled protest was cut short by his bruising kiss once more.
His hips surged, his cock filling me over and over, drawing my orgasm closer with every damn thrust.
"Shh," he chuckled, kissing down the line of my neck and sucking the skin over my thundering pulse. "Just lie back and take it, Hellcat."
I groaned long and low as he fucked me senseless, my well-intentioned protest about his health dissolving into a scream as I came. He followed me just a few thrusts later, grunting with each strike, then letting his breath rush out as he finished.
"You're in so much trouble," I mumbled, my head still swimming and my breathing quick. He was semi-collapsed on top of me, his lips still kissing and nibbling at my neck and his cock still buried inside my pussy.
He chuckled and rolled to the side with a pained groan. "Worth it, though." He turned his head, facing me. "I love you, Hellcat."
I groaned, covering my face with my hands to hide the rush of fucking feelings that he’d just caused. But then I gave myself a stern mental word about making smart choices and swiped my palms up to my tangled hair.
"I love you, Max Steele," I whispered back, meeting his eyes and fucking owning that statement. Because I did.
I was in love with Steele... and with his two best friends.
When the fuck did my life get so complicated?
5
Before falling asleep, I set my alarm for the exact amount of time until Steele could take another dose of his painkillers. Even though he would probably rather stick a fork in his eye than admit he was in pain, I could tell.
I needn't have bothered, though. With the restless way he slept and the overwhelming anxiety tripping through me—fear for what was to come—I wasn't getting any serious rest. So I wasn't startled when the bedroom door opened slowly and Archer padded in on silent feet.
He crouched down beside the bed and lay a finger to his lips while I curled up slightly.
My glare flattened. "No shit, smart ass," I whispered. Like I was going to start yapping at the top of my lungs and wake Steele up? What did he fucking take me for?
Archer just rolled his eyes and indicated for me to follow as he slipped back out of the room. I took my time, mostly just checking that Steele was still asleep, then hunting for my panties. They were nowhere to be found, though, so I gave up and just tugged Steele's T-shirt back on.
Slipping out of his bedroom, I closed the door softly behind me, then turned to Archer, who waited with his back against the wall opposite and his huge arms folded over his chest.
"What's up,
Sunshine?"
He didn't respond immediately, just headed down the hall and opened his own bedroom door in silent invitation.
I gave him a narrow-eyed stare as I took the bait, stepping into his bedroom and waiting as he closed the door behind us. His bedside lamps were on and the bed perfectly made, like he hadn't been to sleep yet, which was probably true, considering how early Steele and I had come upstairs.
"Did you seriously just yank me out of Steele's bed to come and sleep with you?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest with a mocking smile. "Come on, Sunshine. You're not actually that jealous of your besties, are you?"
He glared back at me, closing the space between us, then backing me up until my calves hit the edge of his bed and I sat down heavily.
"Princess," he murmured with a wicked smile touching his full lips. "If that was my intention, I'd have your legs already wrapped around my face and you damn well know it." He leaned down, crowding me until I was flat on my back with him hovering just inches away. "And you damn well know that I am jealous of those fucks. But not to the point where I'm going to beat on my chest and make you choose monogamy with one of us."
I smirked up at him, fighting the urge to hitch my legs up and wrap them around his waist. "Why? Scared you'll lose?" Yeah, yeah, I couldn't help myself.
Something dark flashed across his face, then he gave a low chuckle. "That's cute, Princess. Real cute." One of his hands moved to my leg, his palm dragging up the side of my thigh, pushing Steele's T-shirt up. When he encountered my lack of underwear, he paused. "Fuck," he muttered.
"Problem?" I asked, my hands finding a mind of their own and slipping beneath his T-shirt to stroke hot, hard abs.
A small growl of frustration left his throat, and he moved away abruptly. "Yes. No, not..." He shook his head, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "I didn't actually steal you away in the middle of the night to make you scream my name and remember that I goddamn own your ass." I shivered because the way he said it wasn't antagonistic. He wasn't pointing out the fact that he'd bought me from my father and married me behind my back.
Nope, he meant that in a purely sexual, primal kind of way. And in that category? Yeah, I'd let him claim it. When we were alone, anyway. I had yet to see how well he might play with others... Hopefully I'd find out soon, though. It was the sort of scenario that frequently popped into my head while I was showering alone.
"So the fact that I know you're naked under that shirt is somewhat distracting," he admitted, his eyes scorching a path up my bare legs as I hitched one up on the side of the bed. His brows twitched as I did so, and I leaned up on my elbows to grin at him. Luckily, I’d taken a minute to clean up in the bathroom after Steele had fallen asleep, so I wasn’t still dripping with his best friends cum.
"Sorry, did you not want to be distracted?" I shifted my legs further apart. "My bad."
Archer glared, but he made no moves to try and hide the hard length in his pants. "You're plain, fucking evil, Kate. I just got back from sorting out the whole car-bomb situation."
Now that had my attention. I dropped the slutty bullshit and sat up straight. "And?"
"And it was a completely different type of bomb than was used on Steele's car. Other than the fact that they were both our vehicles, there would be no links." He leaned his butt on the dresser, like he didn't trust himself to sit on the bed with me. Fair call.
I pursed my lips, thinking. "So, one was my stalker, obviously." Because he'd left one of his signature notes beside Steele's exploded Challenger. "And the other was an assassination attempt?"
Archer nodded. "That's my guess."
"Alright, so what now?"
"Nothing," he replied with a shrug, his eyes locked on my face. "It changes nothing in our plan. Actually, that was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."
I cocked my head to the side. "You got cold feet and don't wanna marry me in front of hundreds of guests? I'm hurt, but not surprised. I guess Kody or Steele can take your place, but you'd have to grant me that divorce, first."
He just scoffed a laugh. "As if you still even want those papers, Princess. No, but I did get a call from Demi Timber while I was dealing with the cops about the exploded car."
Something in his tone hinted that Demi hadn’t called about my divorce application. She'd spoken to me about it a few days after Steele was shot, and I'd given her the instruction to let it lie for now. We had bigger fish to fry, and Archer wasn't exactly the worst surprise husband in the world.
"And?" I prompted when he just stared at my legs with a heated gaze for way too long. Or not long enough, depending on how this conversation was going to play out.
His gaze snapped back up to my face. "She said she was trying to call you, but it went to voicemail. I guess you and Steele were busy talking."
I gave him an unapologetic smirk. "Yeah, sure. If talking involves his hard dick inside of me."
Archer glared, and I just grinned wider. There was something crazy addictive about pushing his buttons until he snapped and lost control.
"Okay, okay." I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "What did Demi want? Or she wouldn't tell you?" Because attorney-client privilege and all that.
His brow twitched, and I guessed I was right. "She wants to meet tomorrow night. Says she has some information for you." His jaw tightened, and I got the distinct impression he wasn't pleased that Demi had refused to tell him directly.
Hah. Too bad, sucker. Big dick energy only gets you so far in life. Sometimes you actually have to be a nice person or, you know, accept the fact that you don't get to know everyone else's secrets.
"Cool. At her office?" I kept it casual as fuck, like I hadn't noticed his burning curiosity. He was worse than me sometimes.
His eyes narrowed. "No, she asked to meet at 7th Circle. Apparently this is the sort of conversation she feels better having on neutral ground."
"7th Circle?" I asked, trying to think if I knew where this was.
"Yeah, that warehouse-conversion club we did the photo shoot in? Official opening isn't for another couple of weeks, but that's where she wants to meet up anyway." Archer gave a one-shouldered shrug, like he didn't particularly care where Demi wanted to meet. There was no way I was going alone, even if it was on so-called neutral territory.
I wrinkled my nose. "Why is it called neutral territory?" I pondered aloud, leaning back on my hands. "It's not, not really, if Hades and the Timberwolves own all those venues."
A small smile hitched his lips, and he pushed off the dresser, stalking toward me. "No such thing as totally neutral ground, Princess. Someone has to be in charge of enforcing the rules, after all." He stopped just in front of me, then nudged my legs open once more. "It just so happens that Hades’s crew are scary enough bastards to get the job done, and everyone knows it."
"So why let anyone onto their turf at all? Why create these pseudo-neutral zones?" My breath hitched as he pushed my legs wider still, sinking to his knees in the gap between. Apparently now that he'd delivered the important information, he had other things on his mind.
"Why not? Hades has legal businesses, like the bars and clubs, that need patronage. Partying patrons often like to indulge in something harder than alcohol, so there're business arrangements in place. One of the perks of those business relationships is that the Reapers and Wraiths are welcome in Timberwolf clubs without fear of gang violence breaking out. It's just all about dollars." His hands clasped my knees, then slid up my thighs and disappeared under my borrowed T-shirt to clasp my hips. "But do you really want a lesson about the politics of Shadow Grove gangs right now? Or do you want to lie back and let me tongue fuck you until you scream?"
I gave him a sassy eye roll, even as my fingers threaded into his hair and pulled him closer to my throbbing pussy. "Some might say, Sunshine, if I'm not screaming every time, you're probably doing something wrong."
He gave me an indignant glare, then chose to retaliate in actions rather than words. The first touch of his mouth on my cunt m
ade me gasp and fall backward onto his bed. Then I froze.
"What now?" he growled, sensing me tense up.
"You replaced this whole bed, right?" I asked, raising my head enough to give him a worried look. While Steele had been in the hospital fighting for his life, it hadn't felt right to be sleeping in the guys’ beds, so I'd mostly kept to my room. "I mean, since Jase..."
Archer recoiled, looking horrified. "Are you serious? Yes. God, yes. Steinwick had it removed that same night. This one is brand new and custom made. It even has a few fun features that I can show you if you stay in here tonight..." His gaze turned wicked again, and excitement flooded through me. Fun features? Color me intrigued.
His mouth returned to my cunt, and I fell back against the mattress again, safe in the knowledge that Jase's DNA wasn't still lurking nearby. Archer lacked the bonus of a tongue piercing, but he more than made up for it in raw talent and enthusiasm. Nothing he did was gentle, and eating me out was no exception to that rule.
Not that I was complaining. I fucking loved how rough he was with me. Despite how often he called me Princess, I was anything but his delicate flower. He knew my limits, and he damn well pushed them. Every. Fucking. Time.
"Oh, shit," I gasped when his thick fingers plunged into my pussy and his thumb teased at my ass. His mouth was sealed over my clit, sucking and flicking it like he was determined to make me lose my freaking mind. Ah heck, who was I fooling? I'd already lost my goddamn mind.
My panting moans escalated as his fingers fucked me and his mouth worked me over. I held his short hair in a punishing grip, my hips bucking up off the bed as my orgasm took over.
"That's more like it," Archer murmured as my screams died off. He kissed my inner thigh, nipping my soft flesh with his teeth and making me quiver.