by Lynn Tyler
Her back arched, and she practically purred when he dropped a string of tiny, openmouthed kisses up the column of her spine and across her shoulders. “Wakey, wakey, kitten. Do you have to work today? It’s Saturday.” He nuzzled into her neck, covering her back lightly with his bare chest.
“Ummm, yes. I need to be in at noon.” Lindsay rolled over slowly, smiling groggily at Nick. “Did I kick you in my sleep?”
“Restless sleeper, are you? No, I slept on the couch.”
“Why?” she asked, stroking her palm over his bicep absently.
The skin on his arm heated in the wake of her fingers. “I just wanted to take things slow.” He lowered his eyes and grinned sheepishly when she laughed. “A little late now, I know, but I want you to be comfortable every step of the way.”
It did seem a little silly now, given what they had done just a few hours earlier, but he wanted to make sure he didn’t overwhelm her.
He was naturally possessive, protective, and dominating, which had caused problems with Liam when they had first started dating. Nick hated Liam’s job, mainly because he couldn’t protect Liam when it was his job to barge into burning buildings. It had taken some time and a whole lot of compromise on his part before Liam had been willing to move in with his super-protective ass.
Luckily for him, Lindsay was a librarian, hardly a dangerous job. Still, Nick knew he had a tendency to come on a little strong, and he had purposely toned down his possessiveness last night.
“The couch is a little short for you,” Lindsay said, dragging his thoughts back to her. “Do you want to stretch out with me?” She smoothed her hand across the mattress and lifted the sheet, inviting him to slip under and cuddle up.
“As much as I would love to, kitten, I have to get going. Liam is expecting me. I want you to lock up behind me, though.”
Lindsay stretched her arms over her head, affording Nick with an eye-popping view of her spectacular cleavage. It was so eye-popping Nick was surprised his eyeballs didn’t roll right out of his head. He held out her robe and helped her slip it on, fussing over the knot in the front. “Can Liam and I take you out tonight?”
She shook her head and yawned as she followed him to the door. “I promised my friend Marla that I would go out with her tonight. Cocktails. ”
Nick tilted her chin up and kissed her full on the lips. “You’re not driving, are you?” Because if she was going to drink, even just one, he would pick her up and drive her home. There were times to tamp down on the protective streak that ran through him. That was not one of them.
“No, it’s Marla’s turn to drive.” Lindsay tilted her lips up again, clearly angling for another kiss. “Don’t worry,” she mumbled against his lips. “When it’s her turn to drive, Marla sticks with water and mocktails. We don’t have a death wish.”
Nick kissed her once more, totally unable to help himself. “Will you call us and let us know when you get home?”
Lindsay rolled her eyes and pushed at Nick gently. “Yes, Mom.”
“God, kitten, if you think I’m like your mom, we need to get back into that bed and spend the rest of the day there.”
Lindsay’s face shut down, shutters dropping over her eyes. “No,” she whispered, her complexion paling just a little. “You are definitely not like my mom.”
Anxiety tightened Nick’s stomach into a mass of knots. This was not the way he wanted their date to end. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, flashing him a brilliant, yet obviously forced, smile. “I’m always like this when I first wake up.”
The lawyer in Nick itched to dig further, to strip away the layers and excavate the truth. The inner caveman in him wanted nothing more than to gather her up and comfort her, then go beat the living tar out of the person who had put that hollow look in her eyes. One glance at Lindsay’s face, however, convinced him otherwise. “Okay, kitten. One more kiss for the road.” He swept her into his arms and kissed her senseless. His balls, having never totally relaxed, tightened again at Lindsay’s sleepy, warm smell. Shit. Good thing Liam was home.
Nick drove home at a breakneck speed, thanking the good, sweet lord that he didn’t run into cops on the way home. He probably broke every traffic law in Ontario, which would definitely not look good on his resume. Yeah, hi. Lawyer with a criminal record. Wanna hire me? Unfortunately, Nick’s smaller head was now fully in control and hell-bent on getting home to Liam, who hopefully wasn’t too exhausted after his shift. He was out of the car and at the front door before the engine had even stopped. Oh please, please let Liam still be up.
“Everything all right, cher?” Liam’s deep, warm voice floated down from their bedroom. “I saw you tear in here like your dick was on fire.”
Nick ran up the stairs, jerking the buttons on his shirt open as he went. By the time he hit the bedroom, he was pulling it off and working on his fly.
Liam stood in all his naked glory, a pair of softly worn cotton boxer shorts that he slept in when he was alone draped on the bottom of the bed. Obviously Liam had been getting ready for bed. Crap. Shit. Crap.
“Busy shift?” Nick asked, slowing down and resigning himself to a hot shower and his fist.
“Not too bad. Why? You have something in mind?” Liam crossed the floor and cupped the back of Nick’s neck, pulling him close to kiss him softly.
Nick ate at his mouth, desperate to deepen the kiss. He shoved his tongue into Liam’s mouth and lost control totally. His cock jerked, managed to free itself from his unzipped fly, and bumped into Liam’s belly. He rubbed the sensitive head of his dick against the hard muscle of Liam’s lower abs, frantic for some kind of friction. His dick was already seeping pre-cum, slicking up his slide across Liam’s stomach.
“Ah, mon cher. I see what you need. Aftereffects of our little librarian?” Liam wrapped his fingers around Nick’s shaft and pumped slowly, adding the twist just under the head that never failed to drive Nick wild. He felt Liam’s rapidly swelling shaft rubbing against his thigh and the side of his balls and thrust into his partner’s hand anxiously.
“Liam, babe, please don’t tease me. I’m so desperate.” Nick rarely pleaded for anything, but his violent arousal and urgent need for release far outweighed his pride.
“Do not worry, cher. I’ll take care of you.”
Liam stepped closer to Nick, so close their chests rubbed against each other and their dicks folded up between their stomachs. Winking playfully at Nick, Liam licked his palm, saturating his hand with saliva, and snuggled their cocks together in a firm fist. “This what you need, Nicky?”
Nick’s heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. Liam’s cock was longer than his by a good half inch which meant that his fingers brushed completely over Nick’s head as he jacked them off. He wanted to thrust and grind his hips but was reluctant to throw off Liam’s rhythm. Dropping his head back, he concentrated on the feel of the rough, callused palm stroking him and let Liam take over. It was situations like this, when Nick was so horny, that he could no longer take control of his lover. It rarely happened, given Nick’s need to control, but god, Nick loved it when it did happen.
The pleasure intensified until Nick couldn’t keep it inside anymore. “Oh, shit yes,” he moaned, gripping Liam’s shoulders for support. Liam’s thumb rotated over his mushroom-shaped head, wiping the pre-cum all across the sensitive head. He fondled Nick’s balls almost roughly before sliding his fingers behind his sac, pressing on the sensitive spot between Nick’s balls and anus. Every muscle in Nick’s body seized as the first, almost painful contraction forced a creamy rope from the tip of his shaft. After the initial convulsion, there was nothing but pleasure, and his spunk continued to flow, coating their dicks in slick, silky, wet heat.
Liam kept pumping, milking every last drop out of him until Nick was too sensitive to bear the touch and pushed him away.
Liam let him go and used Nick’s cum as lubricant, fisting his dick rapidly. Liam really was a beautiful sight, his eye
s half closed and his lips parted as he concentrated on the sensations running through his body. He cupped his balls, pulling them down and away from his body and rolling them around until Nick wished he had a video camera rolling. It would be something to jack off to when Liam was working those long shifts. Something he and Lindsay could watch together so it felt as if Liam was close even when he wasn’t.
Liam began to murmur in French, his deep voice gravelly. “Je t’aime, Nicky. Mon cher. Mon amour.” Fuck, Nick loved it when Liam was so horny he lost his ability to speak English.
Nick walked behind his partner, snagging the bottle of lube from the night table. “Slow down, babe. Let me make it good for you.” Liam groaned but obliged him, simply holding the base of his dick lightly. “And I love you, too,” Nick said as he slicked up his finger and leaned his forehead against Liam’s back. “Okay, start again.”
Nick waited until Liam had resumed stroking off before inserting his finger into Liam’s ass. The muscles tightened and flexed around his intrusion. Nick slid his leg between Liam’s thighs and then massaged his prostate before withdrawing to stretch delicately at the rim. He debated fetching one of the dildos from the nightstand so he could fuck Liam properly, but the tendons popping in Liam’s neck told him that he was probably close.
When Liam whined low in his throat, Nick wrapped his arm around his waist, ready to take Liam’s weight. Liam leaned back just a little into Nick, affording Nick a wonderful view of the deep purple head that appeared and disappeared by turns into Liam’s fist. Another finger in Liam’s hole to increase the stretch and another series of rapid taps against the sensitive gland and Liam’s orgasm started, his breath exploding out in a shout and his penis throbbing fiercely as it pumped its load over Liam’s fist and onto his thighs.
Liam promptly collapsed against Nick, clearly trusting Nick to keep him from hitting floor. Grunting at the sudden weight, Nick half carried Liam to the bed and dumped him in the middle so that Liam landed on his back.
Nick stumbled into the bathroom where he cleaned himself up and ran warm water on a towel. He sauntered back into the bedroom, amused to see Liam already fast asleep. There were circles under Liam’s eyes that Nick hadn’t noticed before, giving Liam’s claim of a relatively easy night a false ring. Nick shook his head and gently cleaned him off before climbing into bed with him. He would let Liam sleep as long as he wanted and then would make them a big brunch. Or order it in, anyway.
Nick pulled Liam close, resting his head on Liam’s shoulder and listening to the deep rhythm of his breathing. He drifted in and out of sleep, eventually shifting Liam onto his side so that he spooned his partner’s back. Liam liked to sleep on his back so this was a rare treat. Liam hardly ever topped, really getting off when Nick took control of their lovemaking. But once the sex was done, Liam preferred to hold instead of being held. It was only when they had these occasional days off together, when they had time to love each other properly, that Liam let Nick hold him, usually because he was too exhausted to even realize he wasn’t doing the holding. He loved this time with Liam, when they both had nowhere to go and nothing to do and they could laze in bed.
The only thing that would make these days better would be a certain brunette librarian sandwiched between them. It would certainly satisfy both men’s need to hold onto someone. He could see it now. Liam would be sprawled on his back, holding Lindsay close to his side while Nick would plaster himself to her from behind. It would be heaven.
Nick wasn’t really sure why the two of them felt such a strong need for a third permanent partner. Maybe it had something to do with their work schedules and the fact that they were together so infrequently. Having a third person in their relationship would act as an anchor of sorts. Well, whatever the case, Lindsay would fit nicely in with them.
He kissed the back of Liam’s shoulder and pulled him closer. He knew Liam had been smitten with Lindsay from the beginning, and he had confessed to Nick that he was already head over heels in love with her.
Sometime between that brownie sundae and leaving her apartment Nick had tumbled into love with her, too. It didn’t scare him though. It had been the same way between him and Liam.
Still, Nick couldn’t shake the feeling that Lindsay was holding back and that did scare him. Hopefully, between the two of them, they could figure out a way past Lindsay’s barriers and convince her that she belonged with them.
Chapter 7
Lindsay suffered through a day with Horrible Heather, biting her tongue every time the woman opened her mouth to avoid saying something she regretted. Heather had been full of biting insults and damaging gossip about another coworker. Lindsay hoped that none of their supervisors overheard the vile garbage that was spilling out of Heather’s mouth. It could really harm the other woman’s career. Regardless, Lindsay couldn’t wait for her shift to be over.
“You really shouldn’t wear black, Lindsay,” Heather droned on. “It washes you out terribly. Unless you’re wearing black to mourn the sad state of your social life. Then it’s perfectly acceptable. You know, I still think you sent yourself those flowers.”
Luckily the minute hand on the clock directly across from the circulation desk hit twelve, signaling the end of her shift. “Gotta go, Heather.”
“What’s the rush?” Heather asked innocently. “Big date?” She snickered, not bothering to hide it behind her hand. If only Heather knew the truth.
Marla’s little red compact was sitting in the fire truck parking zone, and Lindsay bit her lip, imagining the lecture Liam would be giving Marla about that. She slipped into the car, grimacing when a gust of icy wind fought with her as she struggled to pull the door closed. “God, I hate winter,” Lindsay muttered, finally winning the battle and slamming the door.
Marla put the car in drive and squealed away before Lindsay was buckled up. “Bylaw officer was coming around,” she explained when Lindsay looked at her. “And don’t complain about the weather. At least you have two big hunks to keep you warm.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be Canadian if I didn’t complain about the weather. It’s either too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer. But, it’s the humidity that’s the real problem,” Lindsay joked, spouting off the standard southern Ontario answer to everything.
Marla chuckled and swerved to avoid a pothole. “Greek or Thai?” she asked.
“Actually, they are Japanese and Québécoise,” Lindsay shot back, tongue in cheek.
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in. By the way, why are you here with me instead of in bed with them?”
“Greek,” Lindsay said before answering the real question. “And I don’t know. I don’t know what to do about anything.”
Lindsay could practically feel Marla’s curiosity rolling off her, but her friend didn’t say a word, not until they had parked and were seated in the small restaurant anyway. At least Marla waited until Lindsay had a generous glass of wine in her hand. “Okay, Linds. Spill it.”
Lindsay was mortified to feel the tears begin to well in her eyes. She swiped at her eyes angrily. She never cried, not since her mom left and her dad took to ignoring her. But then she had never been this conflicted either. “Oh, Marl,” she whispered. “I’ve only known Nick and Liam for a few days, but I already know that I could fall in love with them so quickly. So easily.”
“What’s so bad about that?” Marla patted Lindsay’s hand in a motherly fashion as she dug into her huge purse for a Kleenex. Handing over the whole pack, Marla continued to stare at her with sympathy.
Lindsay mopped at her eyes and dabbed her nose. She wasn’t a pretty crier and really didn’t feel like breathing through a stuffy nose if she could help it. She took a deep breath and held it until she had herself under control again. “There’s nothing bad about it specifically, I guess. But Heather said some stuff today that reminded me how damaging gossip can be. I can’t imagine what she would say or do if she ever found out I was thinking of becoming part of a ménage relationship.”
Sn
orting through her nose, Marla nearly choked on her lemon water. “I hate to tell you, sweetie, but you already are a part of that relationship.”
Lindsay thought about that for a few moments and silently acknowledged that she had indeed become part of a ménage. “It’s not necessarily permanent though.”
“Girl, are you telling me that you would give up those two tall pieces of living, breathing man-art?”
Well, when she put it like that, no. “But what am I going to do?”
Marla played with her straw, swirling the lemon wedge around in the icy water. “Let me ask you one thing. If you keep seeing them, what is the worst that can happen?”
A myriad of possibilities ran through her head. Someone could invent a reason to fire her. Blackball her. All her hard work, all those years in school, would be for nothing. But as bad as that was, she knew one thing that was worse. Liam and Nick could survive the gossip a gay relationship would bring, but even they would suffer the consequences of ménage gossip. What if they decided that it wasn’t worth the trouble and they dropped her? If she let them much closer, she would fall in love with them for sure. Lindsay had picked up the pieces of her life once, and as hard as it had been, she had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to piece her life back together if they left her. It was a thought too terrible to put into words so she just shook her head.
“Look, Linds. It sounds so damn clichéd, and you know that I hate clichés, but you need to listen to your heart. That’s the only advice I can think to give you.”
An involuntary laugh escaped Lindsay’s throat. “I didn’t ask you for any advice.”
Marla laughed, too, and swatted at her arm. “I’m giving it to you anyway. Take it. It’s free.”
The evening passed too quickly, with Lindsay getting tipsy on the wine. Luckily, Marla was the designated driver and got her home to her apartment. She even escorted Lindsay upstairs and into her unit. “Do you need any help?” she asked on a giggle.