Jeremy entered behind her and closed the door. He looked around, and she had the sense that he took in everything and missed nothing. “Nice apartment,” Jeremy said.
“Thanks. It’s the one I moved into when I first came to Austin, on my own, to finish my education.”
“Ah! That means it’s close to the university and all your old haunts!”
April laughed. “Being that close to the university wasn’t an issue for me because I had my car. As for old haunts, I didn’t really have any.”
“No coffee shop where you’d meet your friends at a specific table every Friday? No trendy bar that served outrageously priced drinks with naughty little names like sex on the beach?”
“Nope. Jeremy, you need to know the truth. I’ve led a very boring life.”
“A woman who goes around giving herself tongue-in-cheek aliases might be many things, but I don’t think boring could ever be one of them.”
“I’ll take that compliment. Thank you.” She walked over and kissed him, her lips delivering a short, sweet buss.
“Hey, I’d like some more of that sugar, sugar.”
April grinned. “Let me get my things together, and then we can do just that.”
“Sounds like a plan. Marc thought he might spend a good part of the day with Robert.” Jeremy grinned. “He was planning on handing Robbie the keys to the Tesla. Marc mentioned his oldest brother had been quite a car aficionado, back in the day.”
“Before medical school and being a trauma doctor and all that adult stuff got in the way?”
“Yeah, exactly.” He met her gaze. “I’m really hoping that they do more than just cruise the back roads today.”
April saw the hope in his eyes. She didn’t have to think hard to understand what he hoped for. “You think he might open up to Robert about those nightmares?”
“I think he might. After what he went through, both during his captivity and in the debrief afterward, I understand that he wouldn’t willingly submit himself to anyone else ever again, unless it was a person he trusted absolutely.”
It didn’t offend her that Marc didn’t trust her to that degree. If they stayed together, and worked on this relationship, the three of them, they would eventually get to the place where their bond was absolute. She was sure of it.
But these were early days, yet. “Fingers crossed.” April reached for Jeremy’s hand. She couldn’t put into words how good she felt in that moment. This connection right here was real, it was solid, and it lived and breathed. She felt the same way about her connection with Marc.
“The other night, when he got pissy? I think that was a moment for him, when he understood that the nightmares weren’t just affecting him.” Jeremy sighed and squeezed her hand. “I think in that moment he understood how deeply we…care about him.”
“You can say the L word if you want. I’m not all the way there yet, but I’m heading in that direction.”
“Scary, huh?” Jeremy’s grin teased and chided, and that was fine.
“Not so much scary as unexpected.” She met his gaze and did some sighing of her own. “All right, yes, scary. I’ve never…” She wasn’t sure what stopped her from saying that she’d never fallen in love before. The words wouldn’t come. Instead, her thoughts went back to Jeremy’s assessment of Marc’s apparent epiphany the other night. “You had a moment then, too, didn’t you? When Marc was describing the dream, I felt you tense. I wanted to ask you if something…I don’t know…if something popped for you, then.”
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure if something popped?”
“No, I’m not sure if that popping, as you put it, meant anything.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “Let’s get you packed up and then us naked.” Jeremy moved in, looped his arms around her waist, and drew her close. “I’m not putting you off, April. I just really need you right now.”
It didn’t take April very long. She owned a single suitcase, and she’d brought it back from Lusty with her. Not a woman to play games, she opened that bag and then tossed it on the bed. She scooped up as many of her every-day clothes as she could cram into the space. There were a few personal items she figured she’d need, too, and tucked those into the corners.
Jeremy stilled her hands, brought them to his lips, and kissed them. “I’m delighted you apparently need me as desperately as I need you. But let’s take our time, here. I’ll help.”
“You’re one of those, are you?”
“One of what?”
“Fastidious men who think that there’s only one way to pack a suitcase.” It was all she could do not to laugh.
“Um…maybe? Why don’t you just let me…um…see if I can make even more room in this very lovely suitcase for you?”
He dumped her bag and began, very quickly, repacking it. He rolled everything that could be rolled, and the rest he tucked in here and there, and when he’d finished, she had room for quite a few more items.
“I’m not difficult. You are henceforth in charge of packing my suitcase.”
“Only if we’re going somewhere together. No fucking way I’ll help you pack to leave me.”
Jeremy’s startled expression told her he hadn’t meant to say that. Before he could either call back those words or simply step away, she wrapped herself around him and held tight.
April didn’t say a word. She just held him. His trembles broke her heart. Maybe she wasn’t all the way in love with this wonderful man yet. But she cared enough for and about him to want to ease his pain. So she held him, using her hands on his back to stroke. When he exhaled, when he seemed to relax, she eased back from him just a bit.
“We can finish this later. Let’s set it on the floor, shall we?”
“Best idea, ever.”
He didn’t look away from her. There would be no effort, she knew, to hide his emotions. Instead, Jeremy placed a sweet kiss on her lips then made quick work moving the suitcase onto the floor.
When he turned to her, when he reached for her, she went to him. She’d gladly have simply shucked her clothes, gotten naked in a heartbeat, and begun to feast on him.
Instead, sensing his need, she stood quietly, her hands gently stroking his arms while he undressed her. He kissed each new patch of flesh he bared, and when she was naked, he stood back and reached for the blankets. He yanked them back, lifted her into his arms, and laid her on the bed.
Jeremy tossed off his own clothing in mere seconds. He crawled onto the end of the bed and kept crawling until he was over her thighs. Then he bent down and put his mouth on her pussy.
Chapter Twelve
April soared as Jeremy licked and suckled, as he used his tongue to tease her clit, and then, yes, to fuck her. Arms stretched out above her head, body bowed, April Bixby surrendered completely to her lover.
He hummed against her sodden, slick slit, and a shiver of sheer pleasure raced down her spine. She’d closed her eyes against the onslaught of Eros and then opened them when a fierce raging hunger shot through her, slicing her very soul.
She looked down between her thighs and met Jeremy’s gaze. She licked her lips, and his eyes widened. Yeah, we’re connected. He lifted his face from her, moved beside her and up the bed as she sat up, then spun around and reached for him.
With her head so close to his sex, his aroma enticed her, a temptation she had no intention of resisting. She fisted his cock, her grip firm, and pumped twice. Then she met his gaze and held it while she sucked him into her mouth. He closed his eyes, moaned, thrust, and then buried his face in her cunt once more.
April had never flown as high, as fast, as she did in that moment. Nothing existed except the two of them, giving and taking, sharing and soaring and loving.
She whimpered in need, and Jeremy’s answering groans got her even hornier. She swirled her tongue and drew on his cock, sucking, sucking, and felt her clit sucked and nipped in turn. He slipped a couple of fingers inside her and began to stroke and tease, seeking and finding her G-spot.<
br />
April screamed as her orgasm exploded out of her and as she struggled to swallow the semen she pulled from her lover’s body. Wave after wave, gush after gush sent her off the highest cliff, diving down into an abyss of pure sexual ecstasy.
Drapes drawn, light muted, her bedroom had become a private bower. The sound of raspy breathing and the scent of sexy juices added another layer to the moment, cocooning them in their own personal sanctuary. Here, they were alone, together, connected.
Jeremy proved once more how strong he was. He reached for her, brought her into his arms, and held her close. Hands stroked sweat-damped flesh. He combed the fingers of one hand through her hair, and she shivered as he began an impromptu head massage.
“Thank you.” A soft kiss on her head accompanied his gratitude.
“Right back at you.” She rubbed her face against his chest and inhaled the scent of them, together. No space came between them, and for a long, long moment, neither spoke. This is sacred. She’d had the same sense of sanctity the other night when she’d been naked and wrapped around both men. Could she have any further doubts this was meant to be?
“It had been a long time for you—before Marc and I swooped in.”
April grinned against his chest. “Yeah. I’ve come to understand that I’ve had trust issues since—well, since the kidnapping, I guess.”
“And before?”
“I don’t remember.” When Jeremy stayed silent, April sighed. “I really don’t, sweetheart. Mom asked me about my boyfriend. I guess at the time of the kidnapping, I had one. But I don’t remember him at all. Not one thing. When I look back, it feels as if there was no one, ever. Not until I looked up and saw you and Marc and somehow…knew.”
“Baby…have you ever considered a hypnotist?”
The emphasis wasn’t lost on her. She’d quite blithely suggested that to Marc, hadn’t she? She defeated her first instinct, which was to brush the suggestion back as she had when Marc said those same words. I need to be honest with them, and with myself. “Whenever I would think about it, I’d feel…reluctant.”
“Reluctant or afraid?”
Being honest sure was hard. “Either, or. No. Mostly, yes, afraid.”
“Maybe, sweetheart, if we were with you, Marc and I, it wouldn’t be so frightening a proposition?”
“Maybe.” Again, Jeremy waited with that singular stillness of his that told her he expected more. “I promise to think about it.”
“Fair enough.”
“Now tell me, what popped for you the other night that may or may not be a clue to our Marc’s situation?”
“He is ours, isn’t he?”
“As much as we’re his, yes.”
“Yeah. This is taking some getting used to, for me. As I got older, and no relationship seemed to work out for me, I assumed I’d be all alone, forever. Then I met Marc and…and we just fit. We were two roughly cut puzzle pieces that snapped together—nearly complete but with a piece still missing. That’s you.”
“You both fit me, too. I don’t know yet if it’s forever.” She wouldn’t say the words, regardless, until they were all three of them together. “I do know I want it to be.”
“Me, too. As for what popped? When we were at Robbie’s the other day, settling in to watch the game, David turned the television on, but it was a bit early and we ended up catching the last bit of the national news. Some congressman or other was giving a news conference, talking about getting troops home, and Marc—well, it was like he froze in place. His gaze was locked on the television, but the look in his eyes—it was like something I’d never seen on him before. As if he wasn’t there for a moment. Then the news was over, and it was like a light switch had been thrown. He had no idea what had triggered the moment, but I guess it wasn’t the first he’d had since getting out from the clutches of the company.”
“Just the first that he’d had that you’d seen.”
Jeremy sighed. “Yeah. I don’t know if there’s a connection between that moment and the dream that woke us all, or not. So, I’m really hoping that he asks Robbie to help him.”
“Me, too. I can see the nightmares wear on him. That hurts me. I know it hurts you, too.”
“You’re a good woman, April Bixby.”
“Why thank you, Jeremy Bishop.”
They both chuckled. Then Jeremy moved, rolled, really, and the next thing she knew he was lying on top of her, his cock nestled so sweetly between the lips of her pussy. Then he moved again, one firm thrust, and he was buried deep inside her.
April wrapped her legs around his hips and flexed her pelvic floor muscles, giving his wonderful cock a long, rippling caress.
“Let’s make good use of this moment.” He moved in her, a gentle, rhythmic thrusting. April returned the favor, giving him stroke for stroke. Her nipples pebbled, and her juices flowed.
“I love the feel of your cock inside me, Jeremy.”
“I love being inside you. Let’s fly, baby.” He lowered his mouth and kissed her. April tasted herself on his lips, and the musky, needy flavor simply sent her soaring. They moved together, as if they’d performed this dance together all their lives.
Her arms and legs held him close, and they moved as one. April shivered as her arousal flared, as need replaced desire, and then desperation replaced need.
Faster, deeper, Jeremy moved in her, ensuring friction from his body tantalized her nipples and her clit. She felt his sweat beneath her hands, felt the heat of his scrotum bouncing with each thrust against the base of her slit. And then racing, racing, as arousal exploded into consummation.
“Yes!” Jeremy’s one word held gratitude and elation. His cock pulsed inside her, the hot streams of semen bathed her womb, caressing her own convulsions as wave after wave of rapture throbbed through her, burning off more of the ice that had, forever it seemed, encased her heart and soul.
* * * *
Marc kept his focus as he piloted the Tesla around the track. He didn’t need to look at the speedometer to know he’d surpassed two hundred and ten miles per hour. If they were on a straight road, he’d perhaps push the car to its limits. He’d done that a couple of times on roads over in Europe for small stretches of time, with a Tesla he’d had there.
He brought the car to a smooth stop by the storage building and finally looked over at his brother.
Despite having had to give up control for those few minutes, Robbie appeared to have enjoyed the ride, if his smile was to be believed.
“You’ve led an interesting life, little brother,” Robbie said. They took the time to wipe down their helmets before putting them back on the pegs. Robbie locked the building then nodded at the car. “I’ll see to it you get keys to this facility, as well as the security codes. Keep driving. Let’s take the scenic route so we can finish our conversation.”
Marc hadn’t taken the time to really travel this part of Benedict County since he’d been back to what he tended to think of as his part of the county. So he turned left leaving the facility and drove toward the airfield, but turned right before he hit it, passed Gord’s garage, and headed toward the Benedict North Ranch. At the time he’d left Lusty, that property had been abandoned as a ranch, but the Trust had always managed to rent out the house.
From the road, as he passed, he could see the property had become a thriving ranch once more. He slowed the Tesla to have a good look.
“Chase and Brian took that over when they came back. Some thought they were acting on a whim.”
“Nah, they’ve always been cowboys at heart. Are they building another house, there?”
“Re-building the foreman’s house. It was taken out this past June when an F3 tornado simultaneously burst into existence and hit the place—when a hell of a lot of our cousins were inside, by the way.” Robbie told him about the event, which apparently was referred to as the Night of the Tornado. It happened during that time Marc had been out of touch, when emails from his mother had gone unanswered because he’d been captured.
<
br /> “Never had one in Lusty before,” Marc said. “Had we?” He was pretty certain if there’d been one since he’d been gone, his mother would have written about it.
“Nope, that was a first.” Robbie continued to relate the events of that night, and Marc could only shake his head.
“I’ve got to meet Brittany Phillips Kendall,” he said. “She sounds like a woman who knows how to get things done.”
“You sure as hell won’t hear anything different from anyone in the families.”
Marc headed south but then turned off to drive down the road where his sister Rebecca had her house. It was a pretty piece of property with a stream out back. If he hadn’t already known they’d gone into Waco for the day, he’d have stopped in.
“That second house belongs to Mel, Connor, and Emily Anne.”
“The guys came by the other day and offered April a place on their team. They decided they needed a woman on board, and as well, since Emily Anne is expecting, and they’re looking to take some days off here and there.”
“I knew about the baby, of course. In fact, we’re in for a lot of births come the new year.”
“The dads used to say they always did come in waves. That’s why we each had so many cousins our own ages,” Marc said.
“Hey, I’m only three years older than you, pal!”
“Oh, so now it’s only three years older, as opposed to three whole years older. You made that space of time sound like an insurmountable chasm when we were kids.”
“One of the prerogatives of being the eldest,” Robbie said.
Marc pointed the car left and began to circle down from the northwest to head back toward the town proper. They’d take another right, and then a left, and a right, and then would eventually pass the well-hidden gate for the road into the cottage and then would drive straight toward Lusty.
A large black SUV turned onto the FM road, a good quarter-mile behind them. Marc took a quick look in his rearview then put his signal on and took the next right.
“Are you averse to trying hypnosis?” Robbie asked. “That might help you to remember what you’re having trouble with.”
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