by Zara Chase
“Hey, thanks for tonight,” Milo said, leaning up on one elbow to kiss her gently. “You were, as they say on your side of the pond, awesome.”
“That goes for me, too,” Hal agreed, kissing her as well. “Sleep well, honey.”
Chapter Nine
Jodie woke abruptly from a deep sleep, feeling rested and up for whatever the day threw at her. But not quite yet—she was way too comfortable to move a muscle. She wriggled down, closed her eyes, and allowed herself the luxury of waking up again slowly. She thought about what she’d so recklessly done the night before with Milo and Hal, and waited for the guilt to kick in.
It didn’t happen.
Seeing Milo’s injuries had been a shock, to put it mildly. Something really bad had happened to him, obviously, disfiguring his gorgeous body. She sensed his reluctance to allow people to see the ugly results. That, presumably, was why he had remained behind her while he’d fucked her. She had so wanted to ask him about it, but sensed it would have been a mistake, so she treated him like it was no big deal.
And her reward had been to spend the night, sandwiched between two hot, muscular bodies, feeling safer, more protected, more cared for than at any other time in her life. Milo’s chest acted as her pillow for half the night. Hal threw an arm possessively across her torso, which felt fine and right to Jodie. This morning she felt satiated, pleasantly sore, and eager for her next lesson. She suppressed a giggle, wondering if the drug companies were aware that sharing two virile men was the best sleeping pill on the market. Maybe she should patent the idea. The thought made her smile. It would really give her dad something to get mad at her about.
She had no idea how long she had slept, but when she turned on her side Milo’s part of the bed was empty and cold. She panicked for a moment, then sensed the weight of Hal’s body on her opposite side, and relaxed again. She opened her eyes and his face loomed above hers. Blond hair flopped across his brow as he leaned up on one elbow, a speculative smile flirting with his lips as he watched her wake up.
“Hey, morning, sleepyhead,” he said, leaning in for a kiss.
Jodie stretched, wiggled her toes, and grinned up at Hal. So it really had happened. She hadn’t dreamed it all. “What time is it?”
“Gone nine.”
“Heavens, I did sleep for a long time. Where’s Milo?”
“He went for a jog, came back and showered, now he’s got to be in court. He has a client coming up before the magistrates this morning.”
“He did all that, and I didn’t hear a thing?” She widened her eyes. “How come?”
Hal chuckled. “He moves like a panther when it suits him. I guess he thought you’d earned your rest, and didn’t want to disturb you. I’m under orders to make sure you report to the police station this morning.”
Jodie winced. “Thanks for the reminder.”
“Hey, we’ve got time yet.”
Hal pushed the covers back, exposing her nakedness. Jodie resisted the urge to cover herself with her hands. Instead she met his gaze and sent him a question with her eyes. When did she get to be so brazen? His own eyes darkened to a deep midnight blue in response, and he let out a soft whistle.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’ve got one hell of a body?”
She sent him a glittering smile, her self-consciousness falling away in light of his obvious approval. “Can’t say they have. I don’t reveal it to just anyone, you know.”
“Yeah, I do know.” He ran a finger lazily down the side of her breast, causing the nipple to harden without him even having to touch it. “Come here, darling, and let me wake you up properly.”
Hal sat up and pulled her into his arms so abruptly the breath left her lungs in an extravagant whoosh. His tongue, velvety and sensuous, teased the corners of her mouth and then worked its way inside, assured and demanding. The kiss quickly grew heated, as did Jodie’s body. Hal’s hands swept down her sides, coming to rest on the edges of her breasts—breasts that were squashed against his chest, soft and pliant against the solidity of his muscular torso. Hal groaned around their fused lips, deepening the kiss as he pulled her bodily across his legs. He was very erect. She could feel his cock pulsating against her pussy, filling her with a paradox of pleasure and longing, causing her to wonder how long it would be before it filled all of her.
He reached up and took full possession of her breasts, tugging at nipples that were still slightly sore from the night before. Not that she cared. She arched her back, increasing the friction, making Hal smile at her obvious need.
“You were born for stuff like this,” he said, his voice soft, his eyes full of admiration as he leaned forward and took a nipple into his mouth, biting gently.
Jodie rested her hands on his chest and pushed down on her arms until they were fully extended. A vortex of desire, tingling exhilaration, and old-fashioned lust spangled though her, sending her body into sensory overload. She must look a total mess, having gone to bed with wet hair that probably now stuck up all over the place like an angry witch’s. Who gave a shit? She closed her eyes as Hal’s skilled mouth, his addictive scent, and the sexual magnetism that radiated from him caused a deep ache to blossom between her legs.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he released her nipple and tipped her off of him.
“Get on your hands and knees,” he ordered curtly.
Jodie wondered if he planned to fuck her ass, surprised at how much a prospect that would once have appalled her now caused her juices to flow. She heard a drawer open, and then the ripping of a foil packet. Hal positioned himself behind her, and slapped her butt hard. He repeated the process half a dozen times, each blow a little harder. He didn’t compensate by touching her clit in the way that Milo had the day before, but it didn’t seem to matter. She cried out each time a fresh slap rang out, but not because it hurt. She barely felt the pain because it was overwhelmed by the anticipation that roiled through her like an angry volcano about to blow.
“Your arse sure does look pretty, now it’s all pink,” he said, reaching beneath her and gouging at her dangling tits. “Open your legs, darling.”
As soon as she did so, panting with expectancy, Hal parted her folds and entered her with one assured thrust. They both groaned as he filled her to capacity, and set up a steady rhythm.
“Hold your position, darling,” he said breathlessly, “and let’s really fuck. You like it hard, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she replied breathlessly, thinking it was true. How come she hadn’t known that about herself before now? “The harder the better.”
The physical alchemy that had existed between her and Milo the night before seemed to flow just as strongly with her and Hal. That didn’t surprise Jodie. If she could feel for Hal the way she always had for Milo, there had to be a reason for it, but now wasn’t the time to get all philosophical.
The hot brand of Hal’s swollen cock rammed deep inside her, stretching her to the limit, flamed her blood. She cried out, and pushed back against him, greedy to take as much of him as he could give her. Perspiration bathed her body, and a low, animalistic sound slipped past her lips. He was splitting her in two, but it still wasn’t enough for her. It would never be enough. What the hell was happening to her?
“That’s it, honey. Now you have it all.”
“You’re filling me, Hal. I can’t believe how well you fit.”
Hal laughed. “Get used to it, honey.”
Get used to it?
Hal drove himself harder and faster, leaving Jodie wondering if she would orgasm again, as she had with Milo the night before, or whether that had actually been the one-off she hoped it wasn’t. She wasn’t left in ignorance for long. She felt the now familiar kernel of primitive sensation uncurling deep in her core, and pushed back to meet Hal’s next thrust, keen to make it flower. Hal chuckled and slapped her ass in between thrusts.
“Greedy!”
“Sorry, Master,” she replied, panting. “I can’t help it.”
“It’s okay, darling. I’m close, too. Let’s do this together.”
Hal withdrew almost all the way, his cock agitating the sensitive walls of her pussy, driving her wild. Then he thrust in again, hard and deep, his breathing labored as he worked her cunt like a man on a mission, reaching beneath her as he did so to play with her thrumming clit. It worked like a charm, and Jodie felt herself starting to fragment.
“Hal, I can’t hold it!”
“It’s okay, babe. Come for me.”
He gave one more deep thrust, and it was her undoing. She closed her eyes and screamed his name, abandoned, gripped by her inexorable need as pleasure exploded through her body. The tremors had barely ceased before Hal slapped her butt again, groaned, and shot his load.
“Geez, babe,” he said, cradling her in his arms afterward, waiting for his breathing to return to normal. “That was something else.”
Jodie blinked up at him. “I think that’s supposed to be my line.”
They took a moment to recover, then showered.
“Take your time dressing,” Hal said, kissing her. “I’ll have breakfast made by the time you’re ready. I’m betting you’re hungry.”
She smiled at him, feeling flighty and flirtatious. “Whatever makes you say that?”
* * * *
Hal hummed to himself as he clattered about in the kitchen, wondering what Jodie would prefer to eat. She’d devoured Milo’s fry-up the previous day, but didn’t strike Hal as the sort of girl who made a habit out of heavy cooked breakfasts. He settled for fluffy scrambled eggs on toast, along with juice, fresh fruit, and yogurt.
He thought about what they’d just done as he worked, still reeling from the profound effect it had had on him—way more so than with any other woman he could remember. In fact she touched him profoundly on all levels, in bed and out of it. She could have been the one, but for the fact…
Jodie burst into the room, intruding upon his thoughts, looking fresh as summer in jeans and a sleeveless top, her feet bare, their red collar still around her neck. Her hair was damp and fell halfway down her back in a riot of disorderly curls. Her freckles stood out across her nose, looking so damned adorable in a face that shone with the afterglow of mind-blowing sex. Her lips looked swollen from his kisses, her eyes held an awareness that hadn’t been there the previous day, and there was a subtle alteration in her entire persona. This was a lady who liked what she’d just discovered about her passionate nature.
“Hey, babe.” Hal poured coffee for them both. “You okay? We weren’t too rough with you?”
She sent him a radiant smile and slipped onto a barstool. “You were just perfect. So is this meal.”
“Help yourself.”
They sat and ate in companionable silence for a while.
“You have questions, I expect,” Hal said when she pushed her plate aside.
“I’m still reeling from what happened to me, to be honest. You guys really lit my fire.”
“Glad to be of service, ma’am.”
“I still feel a little bit…well, naughty, I suppose, to have taken you both on.”
“Never feel guilty or ashamed about what you do, honey. What happens between consenting adults behind closed doors is no one else’s business.” He sent her his sexiest smile. “Rule of thumb, if it feels right, go for it.”
She returned his smile with an enticing grin of her own. It went straight to Hal’s cock, which stood up, ready for more action. “I don’t think I exactly showed any restraint.”
The corners of Hal’s mouth lifted. “No, we figured you probably wouldn’t.” He patted her knee. “We’re not usually wrong about these things.”
She blew air through her lips, trying and failing to look affronted. “What can I possibly say to that?”
“It was just an observation,” Hal replied, amused by her reaction.
“I need to let you into a little secret.” She bit her lower lip. “Well, a big one, actually.”
“Okay, I’m all ears.”
“Well, this will sound whacky, but I’ve been carrying a torch for Milo for ten years now, ever since he caught me when I fell out of that tree.”
She sent him a there, I’ve said it look, defying him to laugh. Hal didn’t. “Why Milo?” he asked instead. “I gather there were quite a few guys there at the time, including Raoul.”
“Milo was the one who actually caught me. The others laughed, but he was so concerned about me. He carried me into the house, reassured me, told me my wrist was only sprained, put ice on it.” She shrugged self-consciously. “I was twelve, and thought he was the most sophisticated man I’d ever met. We’d just moved back to the States from somewhere or other, and Dad promised we wouldn’t be leaving again. Two weeks later he got posted to the embassy here in London. I knew Milo was British and, to my twelve-year-old brain, it was a sign.” This time she laughed. “Obviously, he’d wait for me to grow up, then we’d ride off together into the sunset.”
“Is that why you insisted upon remaining in England to finish your education?”
“No, not really…well, perhaps partly.” She sent him an impish smile from beneath her fringe of thick lashes. “I just liked England, the English education system, everything about the country. I suppose I was fed up with being a gypsy and felt the need to put down roots, have permanent friends somewhere. Dad promised this time we really were going back to the States for good, but I’d heard it all before and didn’t believe it.” She shrugged. “Turns out he was telling the truth for once.”
Hal stretched. “Must have come as quite a shock when Milo turned up at the police station to bail you out.”
“And then some.” She shook her head. “I didn’t think he remembered who I was, but it seems he did.”
“Honey, I doubt you’d be too easy to forget, even at age twelve.”
“Well, he might remember me, but he doesn’t like me much. Why is that?”
Hal raised both brows. “After what happened between the three of us last night, you think he doesn’t like you?”
“I feel like…oh, I don’t know, like he did that almost in spite of himself.”
“Don’t put yourself down, sweetheart. It must be obvious that Milo and I often play together in that room, but he never shares the shower with any of the women we take there, and he never sleeps the night with them, either.”
“Oh.”
“Oh, about covers it. You’ve obviously gotten to him.”
“His scars, I suppose.” She leaned her chin in her cupped hand. “What happened to him?”
Hal wasn’t sure whether to tell her. It wasn’t his story to tell. Milo never would, but must have known that having seen his leg she would have questions. If he hadn’t wanted Hal to answer them, he would have made that clear.
“If you got the impression he doesn’t like you, you’re wrong. It’s your causes he has issues with.”
“But why?” Jodie wrinkled her brow. “I’m only trying to make a difference.”
“Your intentions are good but, at the risk of sounding patronizing, you don’t really have any idea what it’s like in these places. Don’t get on your high horse,” he said, flapping a hand at her, sensing her angst. “Long story short, a unit of the SAS, including Milo and me, were in Afghanistan three years ago. Why we were there isn’t important. I couldn’t tell you anyway. What I can tell you is we were in a remote village that had been sacked, leaving the sort of people you care about—women who’d been raped, and young kids—homeless and starving.” Hal paused, lost in a version of hell he’d spent the last three years trying to forget. “We were battle hardened, immune to most of the shit we came across, but even we were moved by what we saw this time. So, we decided to forget our orders and try to move the worst of the refuges to a place of safety.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s a real good thing to do.”
“It would have been, except one of the women, wrapped head to toe in a burka, started screaming blue murder and lobbed a live grenade a
t us.”
“Oh, shit! Is that what happened to Milo?”
“Yep.” Hal swallowed. “I thought I’d lost him. That damned grenade just missed his femoral artery. If it had hit, it would have been good night, Vienna. No way could we have got him to a field hospital in time. As it was, the blast robbed him of a good chunk of his thigh. He was in therapy for months and, I gotta tell you, at one stage we thought he wouldn’t walk probably again. Course, the doctors didn’t take into account just how fucking stubborn he is.” Hal noticed tears in Jodie’s eyes. “He pushed himself to the limit and beyond, endured endless skin grafts and loads of other stuff, and now you’ll only see a very slight limp when he’s tired.”
“That’s so sad.” She shook her head and wiped away the tears. “I wonder why he let me see.”
Hal wondered the same thing.
“I expect the woman was confused. She probably thought you guys were going to hurt her as well.”
Hal’s expression hardened. Jodie had just demonstrated why there was no future for them with such a liberal-minded non-realist. “She knew exactly who we were, and what we were trying to do for them. She died in the blast herself, so did some of the other women and kids.”
“Oh no!”
“Save your pity for where it belongs,” Hal said curtly. “Some people just don’t want to be helped.”
She looked up at him, and shook her head. “I’m sorry. That came out all wrong. It must have been a nightmare for you guys.”
Hal wasn’t ready to be appeased. “You could say that.”
“Is that why you both left the service?”
“Milo wasn’t physically fit enough to remain in the SAS. We were all on a charge for disobeying orders and risking the mission, and…well, we were thoroughly disillusioned by then, anyway. It seemed like it was the right time to pack it in.”
“With good reason. No wonder he was so opposed to my efforts, but I still think they can work if enough people get behind them. Just because one evil woman tried to take Milo out…I mean, we don’t know why she did that.”