“I have no idea what just happened,” Ryder rumbled, “but I sure as shit never want to see it happen again. Let me make something very, very clear to you, A.J. Are you listening to me?”
A.J. nodded slightly, licking his lips. Ryder had to fight the urge to taste those lips for himself.
“Good. Because I need you to understand what I’m about to say.” He paused, took a deep breath. “A.J., Lyss knows all about the night we spent together. And it doesn’t bother her one bit. In fact, she’s been after me to track you down and clear the air between us. So, yes, she wants to meet you. And, no, she won’t hate you. Exact opposite, in fact.”
A.J.’s eyes were so vulnerable, pleading so earnestly, it took everything Ryder had not to kiss him. “Please, Ryder. I don’t want to ruin your marriage. I don’t want to come between you two.”
Ryder laughed—he couldn’t help it. “Well, that’s a pity.” He let his fingers slide across A.J.’s collar bone, taking a half-step closer so that A.J. would have no choice but to feel Ryder’s hard-on pressed against his thigh. A.J. gasped as Ryder chuckled. “Because that’s exactly what we want you to do, A.J. We want you to come between us. Repeatedly.”
A.J.’s jaw dropped, mouth forming a perfect “o” of shock. “I…I don’t…I don’t understand…” he finally whispered.
Ryder slid his hand down to the center of A.J.’s chest, keeping eye contact. “I told you, I’m not good at this shit. So, I’m just going to say it. I had three missions when I came here tonight. The first was to find out if you were already taken. Which you’re not.”
He raised an eyebrow, sliding his fingers down to A.J.’s sternum. A.J. sucked in a sharp breath, making Ryder’s cock twitch. He bit back a curse and kept going.
“The second mission was to find out if there was still chemistry between us.” Ryder pressed himself against A.J.’s thigh ever-so-slightly. “Obviously, there still is.”
Ryder slid his palm down A.J.’s flat stomach, wishing like hell there was no shirt separating them. He wet his lips and growled, “And my third mission, the most important mission, was to invite you back to our place tonight. So you can meet Lyss. And so she can meet you. And to see if there’s as much chemistry between the two of you as there is between the two of us.”
“Why…why would you want to do something like that?” A.J. grated hoarsely, shaking visibly now.
Ryder trailed his fingertips across A.J.’s belt buckle. “Because like Sidri and Tatum, Lyss and I have been looking for a third, A.J. Another man to join our relationship.”
A.J. shook his head convulsively. “I can’t. She’ll hate me. I know she will. She’ll hate that I slept with you before. She’ll hate me for knowing you before she did. She’ll hate knowing how much I cared for you back then. And she’ll hate how much…how much I still…care for you now…”
Ryder’s control snapped.
With a violent snarl, he slammed their chests together and claimed A.J.’s mouth in a hot, open-mouthed kiss. He swallowed A.J.’s gasp of surprise, reveling in the feel of those achingly soft lips pressed against his own. God, how the hell had he made it eight years without the taste of this man’s mouth? Ryder hummed his satisfaction as he kissed A.J. hungrily, their tongues battling like the kiss was a war—a war Ryder was determined to win. Ryder kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him some more, until his brain was screaming for air and he had no choice but to break away.
A.J. was panting, his free hand clutching Ryder’s shirtfront in a death grip. His eyes were glazed with lust—but the fear was still there.
Snarling with frustration, Ryder wrapped his fingers around A.J.’s belt-buckle and yanked his lower body forward, jamming their hard cocks together through the fabric of their jeans.
“It’s like we were never apart, isn’t it?” He spoke through gritted teeth, ignoring A.J.’s sensual groan while suppressing one of his own. “My body remembers yours, A.J. In all this time, I’ve never once forgotten your taste. Your scent. How your skin felt beneath my hands.” He stole another kiss. “And yet,” he whispered, right against A.J.’s lips, “at the exact same time, I feel every single moment of the eight years we’ve been apart. I ached for you, A.J. Dreamed about you.”
“Ryder…” A.J. said, shivering noticeably.
But he wasn’t finished. “I don’t ever want to go back to missing you like that, A.J. Never. You’re back, and I’m not letting you go. Understand me?”
“What about Lyss?” The question sounded like it was dragged up from a deep, dark well.
“You’ll get to meet her shortly,” Ryder said. “And I can guarantee she’ll want you just as much as I do.”
A.J. shook his head. “You can’t…”
Ryder rotated his hips, grinding their cocks together again. “I can. And I will. You wanna know what our favorite fantasy is, A.J.?” Ryder didn’t bother hiding a predatory smile as A.J. whimpered. “After I told her about you, Lyss and I started acting out fantasies together. Fantasies about you. Bringing you home with us. Sharing you between us. In fact, you star in more of our fantasies that we do in each other’s.”
A.J. blinked, licking his lips. “You can’t mean that…”
“No?” Ryder said with a laugh. He pulled his phone from his back pocket.
“What are you doing?” A.J. cried incredulously as the Ryder put the phone on speaker and ringing filled the air around them.
“Calling her,” Ryder said.
A.J.’s eyes widened, mouth opening as if he intended to protest, but Lyss answered before he could.
“Oh, please tell me you’re calling me so early because you already have him in the car and you’re headed here now.”
Ryder smiled, watching A.J. stare at the phone as if it had turned into a scary, talking monster. He snorted. “Not quite yet, but working on it.”
“Well, what’s the dang hold up?” Lyss demanded, her accent getting thicker by the minute. “What’s a girl gotta do to get a little action around here? I burned out my vibrator when I got home, you know. Couldn’t help fantasizing about you and him together. But I want the real thing, Ryder.”
“Oh, I know,” Ryder said with a chuckle as A.J.’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. “But A.J. seems to be afraid that you’ll have a problem with me bringing him home with me. Like you’ll be jealous or something equally ridiculous.”
“Seriously?” Lyss cried, sounding honestly shocked. “Why ever would he think that?”
“I don’t know, beautiful. But he does.” Ryder met A.J.’s eyes squarely, still speaking into the phone but aiming his words toward the other man. “I don’t know what to say to convince him.”
Lyss huffed, exasperated. “Tell him if he doesn’t get his sweet ass over here tonight, we’ll have to hog tie him and drag him here. And after that, we’ll chain him to our bed for a week. Come on, Tex. I know you’ve got more skills than this. I told you not to come home without our man. Get on it.”
He laughed. “I’m trying, I promise.”
“Well, I say again, what’s the dang hold up?” Lyss demanded.
Ryder sobered, watching A.J. carefully. “There is one thing. He’s recently divorced. So he might still be hurting from that, Lyss. He might not be ready for anything more serious right now.”
A.J. winced, trying to draw away, but Ryder shook his head, keeping A.J.’s wrist pinned to the wall. He gave the younger man a look that clearly said, “Be still.”
Lyss’s voice was heavy with sympathy. “Oh, lord have mercy. Poor A.J. Well, if that’s his reason for worrying, I don’t blame him. He might not understand how different our relationship is from other people.”
“I got that impression, too,” Ryder said quietly. A.J. bit his lower lip, looking aside with obvious embarrassment. Ryder waited until he looked up again before continuing. “My hope is that we’ll be able to help him get over that. His divorce, I mean. Even if nothing else happens between us, we can still be friends, right?” Damn if he would let them remain
“just friends,” but A.J. needed to know the choice was his. Or, as much his as Ryder was capable of making it.
“Of course,” Lyss asserted confidently. A.J.’s eyes tracked back toward the phone, eyebrows dancing along his hairline.
Ryder hid a smile. “So, what do you suggest I do?” he asked Lyss, his eyes still on A.J.
“If nothing else,” Lyss said with a small sigh, “just invite him over for dinner. Tell him I really just want to meet him. I’ve been dying to since you told me about him. Tell him even if he isn’t sure about the rest of it, at least come over this one night. We can chat and get to know each other. We won’t force him to do anything against his will. I hope you told him that, too.”
“I tried,” Ryder replied, “but I’ll tell him again. And dinner sounds like a great idea. Me and A.J. will be there as soon as possible. Promise.”
“All right, Texas Ranger,” she said. “You do that. I’ve got dumplings in the pot on the stove. Ya’ll get a real Southern meal tonight. Best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? Lord knows, A.J. won’t want to go anywhere once he has a taste of my Georgia home cooking.”
“That’s why I married you, beautiful,” Ryder said, winking at A.J. “We’ll see you soon.”
“You better,” Lyss said. Then she hung up.
Ryder slipped his phone in his pocket, finally releasing his hold on A.J.’s wrist. The other man looked like someone had whacked him upside the head with a baseball bat. Obviously, he had no idea what to make of Lyss or the conversation he’d just overheard. Ryder smirked.
“Well?” he queried. “You heard the woman. Are you coming over for dinner, or not?”
Chapter 9
Any minute now, someone was going to call A.J. and tell him, “Oh, by the way, you stepped into an alternate universe this morning. Sorry, we forgot to send you the memo.”
At least, that’s what it felt like.
He pulled his truck into a parking spot near Ryder’s Charger and cut the engine. The apartment complex they lived in was extremely nice, red brick with dark gray siding and white trim. Each building was three stories, with interior hallways that led to the apartments. Just the kind of place a young couple might live in for a few years while saving up for a home of their own. City living at its finest.
Too bad A.J. wasn’t thinking at his finest at the moment.
He was still reeling from that kiss. God, the feel of Ryder’s lips, the possessive way he owned A.J.’s mouth, sent him right back to that dorm room eight years ago. That enormous, heavily-muscled body pressed so close, keeping A.J. pinned against the wall, sent his erotic psyche into overdrive. He’d felt trapped, but not in a bad way—more like he had no choice but to accept the pleasure Ryder was offering him. And without his own choices taking up space in his head, he’d actually gotten to feel for the first time since…since the night he let Austin Dominate him. That one moment, pinned to the wall next to his own front door, brought back every memory he had of the night he spend with Ryder, and the nights he spent in the BDSM club, learning what it meant to submit. And it felt great.
Except that it was wrong.
How could he have kissed a married man? Okay, yeah, Ryder initiated it, but still. A.J. had no business helping the guy cheat on his wife.
Except…Ryder seemed to be convinced it wasn’t cheating. And Lyss’s comments over the phone seemed to back up that statement. But how could that be real? Just because he’d met one triad and heard of another today didn’t mean that they were common. Nor did it mean that Ryder and Lyss wanted A.J. that way. Even if they did invite him into their bed—a thought that immediately hardened his cock—that didn’t mean they would want him to stay there. Sooner or later, one of them would get jealous. It was inevitable. And A.J. would be labeled a home-wrecker for daring to intrude where he wasn’t wanted.
So why was he here? He’d been so dazed when Ryder invited him over for dinner, he’d agreed without thinking. At least he’d had the presence of mind to take his own truck. If things got ugly, he needed to be able to make a quick exit. But if he was really afraid things were going to get ugly, why was he even here? Why take the risk?
Because I’m a masochist, A.J. admitted silently. Because even though I know this whole thing is going to blow up in my face, I still want to be here. I want to be with Ryder. And I want to meet Lyss. I want to meet the woman who talked about burning out her vibrator and spoke of handcuffing another man to her husband’s bed. I want to see this woman, find out if she’s really real. Because if she is…
No. He couldn’t think about that. No use getting his hopes up that high. He was along for this ride, for better or worse. Eventually, he’d be thrown off, get booted back into the real world. And he would accept that. But, for the time being, he was determined to enjoy as much of this crazy train as he could.
Even if it would eventually derail.
Taking a deep, calming breath for the umpteenth time, A.J. stepped down from his truck and joined Ryder where he waited on the sidewalk. The other man had his hands shoved in his pockets, a little smirk on his too-handsome face. His eyes had been smoldering since that kiss, burning-hot embers that seared A.J.’s skin whenever they passed over his body. If Ryder wasn’t careful, he’d burn A.J.’s clothes right off.
Although, judging by the look on Ryder’s face right now, that might be exactly what he intended. A.J. shivered at the thought.
As A.J. came up beside him, Ryder pivoted and headed for a building on their left. He led A.J. through the interior hallway to a door on the right-hand side, unlocked it, and gestured for him to precede Ryder inside. Taking his courage by the throat, A.J. stepped into the apartment.
Wow. This is a lot nicer than I expected. The living room was rather spacious, considering it was an apartment, with double glass doors leading to a small patio. On the left was a short bar that overlooked a nice kitchen, flanked by an arched pass-through that led to a dining area. There was a huge flat-screen TV mounted above a small shelving unit that held several pieces of entertainment equipment—stereo, Blu-ray player, Xbox. A comfortable-looking tan couch with a matching loveseat filled the space in front of the TV, and there were bookshelves against the far wall next to a hallway that must have led to the bedroom. The walls were all standard apartment white and the carpeting was a drab tan, yet neither detracted from the overall look of the space. Everything matched, from the furniture to the throw pillows to even the colors in the paintings on the walls—a sure sign that it was Lyss, not Ryder, who had chosen the décor.
“Beautiful?” Ryder called as he closed and locked the door behind them. “We’re here.”
“Yeehaw!” said a joyful voice from the back of the apartment. “I’m just getting changed. Dinner’s on the stove. Right with you, boys.”
A.J. blinked, looking at Ryder questioningly. Ryder snorted. “She’s from Georgia,” he explained, eyes twinkling. “Country girl all the way.”
That explained the accent. Texans were known for that honeyed Southern drawl, but A.J. had never heard an accent as thick as the one Lyss had. If someone tried to spell out the words the way she said them, it probably wouldn’t even look like English. It sounded like she said, “Eye-yam jayast gittin’ chayn-gid. Deenir’s own th’ stow-ve. Reyet wit’ ye, bow-ees.” Kind of funny, actually. And sexy as fuck. There was a deep throatiness to her voice, that sensual timbre you’d expect from a nine-hundred number call girl. He’d noticed it when he listened to Ryder talk to her on the phone earlier, but had assumed he’d misheard because his brain was still swimming in lust from that kiss.
Apparently not. Curious now, wondering what kind of woman went with that kind of voice, A.J. turned toward the hallway across the living room and waited.
And felt all the breath leave his lungs in a silent whoosh when Lyss finally appeared.
Holy God, she was incredible. More striking than pretty, she had high cheekbones, full lips, and a slightly up-turned nose. Long bangs framed a high, aristocratic foreh
ead while mile after mile of wavy, dark-brown hair spilled across her shoulders and down her back. Her shoulders were bared by an emerald-green tank top, while her thighs were lovingly molded by a pair of dark-blue jeans. She wasn’t one of those tiny stick women, either. Lyss had meat on her bones, and she had to be at least five-foot-seven. Luscious curves met his gaze everywhere he looked, from full, high breasts to rounded hips. She wasn’t overweight, though. Just full-figured. And hot damn, what a gorgeous figure it was.
While A.J. just stared, Lyss gave him an obvious once-over, then met his eyes with a dazzling smile that took his breath away all over again. There was so much character in her face, so much life, it was almost painful to look at her. She was entrancing.
No wonder Ryder loved her. No wonder Ryder married her. Holy hell, it was taking everything A.J. had not to drop to his knees in open worship. This woman embodied every single one of his fantasies about women, from her height to her weight to the sheer vivacity in her eyes. She must have men drooling over her everywhere she went.
Guess I still like women, after all. And here I thought my problem was I’d fallen in love with Ryder all those years ago. But that wasn’t what killed my desire for Marian, was it? She just…wasn’t my type. Holy hell, how did I not see that sooner?
His mind going in a million different directions at once, A.J. missed seeing Lyss cross the living room. Next thing he knew, she was standing less than a foot away, looking up into his face with clear hazel eyes that pierced right through every wall he’d erected around his soul, seeing all of him—instantly. He’d never felt so bare in front of another person, and yet he didn’t feel threatened. On the contrary, Lyss made him feel…safe.
Which made no sense. At all.
“I’m so excited I finally get to meet you,” Lyss said softly. A.J. could do nothing but stare dumbly as she reached up and slid her index finger along his jawline. Electricity zapped from that one point of contact straight through his spine, setting off little shivers he had no hope of hiding. Lyss smirked knowingly and caressed him again. “I’ve been waiting for this, A.J. I’m so very, very glad you’re here right now.”
Saints United [For Love of Authority 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 10