Three Times Lucky: Five Sizzling Tales of Three-Way Love

by Kim Carmichael

“Sometimes when you walk away and clear your mind the answer will come.” He continued rubbing her. “Let’s take a break and regroup.”

  “We need to eat and calm down.” Pell came to her other side.

  “Markov told me to check.” She spoke more to herself than either man. “He told me to check and I forgot.”

  “Let’s go, Tre.” Markov tried to pull her.

  “No!” She stood and slammed her fist into the console. “I did this. My pride did this. I killed you both!”

  Searing pain ran up through her arm and her knees buckled. “I killed you.”

  Markov caught her and dragged her out of the bridge.

  Chapter Three

  “Look what I have. Trevini’s favorite earth meal.” With a tray in his hands, Pell entered the lounge.

  Even among the cushions with Markov holding her and Pell tending to her, she remained numb, staring straight ahead at a blank white wall, praying her mind would conjure something, anything, to help them.

  Pell sat next to her, handed a dish to Markov and held one out to her.

  She glanced down at what was most likely her last meal but didn’t take the offering.

  “Tre, please eat something.” Markov put the plate on her lap.

  There had to be something they didn’t try.

  “Baby, take a couple of bites. I put extra on yours.” Pell lifted the food to her face.

  For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why Pell continued to call her a human infant. She also didn’t understand why the combination of ground up nut mash and macerated fruit smeared over yeast-infested grains was quite so delicious, but there was something about it. “You should hate me, not feed me.” She took what they called a PB and J sandwich and returned it to the dish.

  “What kind of thing is that to say?” Markov put his plate aside.

  Pell moved closer.

  “I told you before, this was all my fault. No one else is to blame. I deserve what I get, but you two…” Even with all the times her warrior father, or rais, forced her to face her mistakes, for once she gave in and put her hand over her eyes.

  “You saved us,” Pell whispered.

  Markov moved her hair off her shoulder. “If it wasn’t for you, we would have died.”

  “You’re going to die now. I didn’t save you.” If it would make any difference she would fling herself out of the ship, since she ended up to be nothing but dead weight. “You had lives before and you gave them up to come with me, and it was all for nothing.”

  “You listen to me.” Markov got off the cushions, knelt down in front of her and moved her hand away from her face. “Pell and I lost our crew, our ship was useless and we were literally sitting there waiting for the end. We were dead.”

  Pell took her hand. “Just like you we’ve been trained to face our own mortality. It’s part of the job, the only question was when it would happen, how it would happen. Did we help the process or wait for it?”

  “It was torture.” Markov lowered his voice.

  “Every day since you found us has been a gift, something we shouldn’t have had.” Pell kissed the back of her hand.

  Shivers ran through her.

  “Because of you, we got to live on another planet, see things that most can’t even imagine. On Earth there are some who don’t want to believe there are other beings in the universe even with the proof. We became astronauts to explore and learn and you gave us our dream.” Markov claimed her other hand and pressed it to his cheek. “How were we supposed to know an angel was going to come rescue us and wreak havoc on our lives?”

  “More like a demon.” Though she had no right to allow them to touch her, comfort her, she couldn’t pull away.

  “Demons don’t look like you.” Pell trailed his lips up her arm. “The first time I saw you I thought I was dead and heaven sent a beautiful woman to take me to the other side. We had seen pictures of Mersenne women, so human-like, with an extra edge, but nothing compared to actually setting eyes on you.”

  “I had seen pictures of earthlings, but you were both more spectacular than I could have imagined.” Again she closed her eyes, but this time to remember every sensation, and take it with her to whatever happened after this life. The males of her planet did nothing for her. She was a product of one of the original Mersennian/alien triads, her rais being from a different galaxy all together.

  Once she came of age she was pressured to choose her mates, but couldn’t until she met the Earthlings and then she knew. Knew from the way they would challenge her, talk to her, share with her. Knew from the fact they wouldn’t back down when it came to what they wanted, but also let her soar and sought her opinion. Knew from the sheer act of looking at them and the way her heart swelled and her body heated. “I wanted you from the second I saw you.”

  “We want you as well.” Markov returned to his spot next to her, leaned in and kissed her behind the ear. “How many times do we have to tell you?”

  “We need to all be together.” With nothing more to lose, she tangled one hand in Pell’s hair and put the other on Markov’s thigh.

  “We are.” Markov’s deep voice vibrated through her. “We will.”

  “I wish we would have had more time.” An ache overtook her. They had much more to explore.

  “We have right now.” Pell connected their lips. At first his kiss was light, almost chaste, but he deepened it quickly, opening his mouth and tangling their tongues.

  For a moment she let herself go, concentrated on Pell’s kiss and the way Markov’s hand cupped her breast, but reality broke through the haze of her arousal and she found the strength to push them both back. “What are you doing?” Were they joking? They were facing death, and now they wanted to act?

  Markov took hold of her chin and stared into her eyes. “Like Pell told you, we have right now. In the end isn’t that what any of us have?”

  Pell took his shirt off. “We have time right now, and no matter if this is our first time or our last time, we need to do this.”

  Before she had time to answer, Markov claimed her mouth. A strong, deep kiss much like the man himself.

  She kept up the pace, returning the kiss and holding her hand out to her other third, trying to live the fantasy. Maybe the men were right, they had right now and she should relish getting what she had fought for.

  Pell leaned in and she turned to him, giving him similar attention. He moaned and snuck his hand between her legs while Markov buried his face between her breasts. The men seemed to take turns on what part of her body they touched or tasted and never made contact.

  For a moment watched their coordinated actions, as if they had the sixth sense to never to be in the same place at the same time. Nothing ever changed. In a triad among Mersennians, the males would be tending to one another as well, and she longed to watch, caress them while they kissed or fondled each other, but her Earthlings weren’t as open, it would take time, a commodity she didn’t have at her disposal. Though her heart hurt, she would press on, live the fantasy with them. It would be her only chance.

  Wait. It was their only chance as well. Her mind snapped back to their situation. She couldn’t lay here lost in pleasure, or was it now her duty to give them what they wanted after everything she took and demanded, “Hold on.”

  “We don’t have any time to hold on.” Markov’s voice came out husky, low.

  They pushed her back among the cushions, working together to unbuckle her uniform. Once they succeeded in freeing her from the tight form-fitting garment made for utility and strength not comfort, she exhaled and let them move at their own pace. Each man took his turn kissing, massaging, and exploring her and she should have savored at having their total focus.

  Instead, her thoughts rewound to finding them. The only choice she gave them back then was in asking if they wanted to come with her to Mersenne, everything else she controlled. They were only with her because they had no other option.

  “You’re so beautiful.” Pell whispered his
hands paving the way for his lips and he worked his way down to her chest, her breasts. Without hesitation he guided her nipple into his mouth took it between his teeth.

  “Oh.” At the pleasure-pain jolting through her, she arched her back.

  Markov gathered her up in his arms and turned her toward him and Pell took his position behind her. They pressed their bodies to hers, their skin on her skin, the evidence of their own arousal prominent, making her mouth water. Everything was perfect, maybe too perfect, too mechanical. For their first time truly together, she wanted to play, explore them, watch them with each other and by the time they all joined, it would take everything they had to hold back.

  Everything was off.

  “I’m so glad you forced us to do it your way.” Pell kissed her ear and reached for the waistband of her pants.

  She opened her eyes. Forced them?

  “Our Tre went after what she wanted.” Markov unfastened her pants. “She never let up until she won her humans.”

  Winning? Her humans? Their works echoed around her. She took her hands off them, a chill snuffing out her heat.

  Pell let out a low chuckle. “Once ground control contacts us, they will be shaking the universe to make sure it does her bidding and saves us.”

  Wait. Ground control. They should have responded unless they didn’t get the message, and there were only a few reasons they wouldn’t get an SOS. Her breath hitched and she sat up. “They never responded.”

  “What?” Markov reached for her. “Are you trying to torture us?”

  “Something is wrong.” She grabbed her uniform and forced herself back into the garment. “What happens if I get us back to Mersenne?”

  “There’s nothing we can do.” Pell took her by the shoulders.

  “Come on, Tre. Let’s ride it out.” Markov attempted to pull her down.

  “What happens if I get us back to Mersenne?” She repeated the question.

  They both remained silent.

  Unless she knew for certain that Markov and Pell wanted her and wanted each other without the threat of death looming over them, she wouldn’t be with them for the first time or the last time.

  No matter what, she would fight for her life, their lives, and their bond.

  She stood and walked to the bridge.

  Chapter Four

  When in training to be a pilot, Trevini was taught never to rely on luck. Only knowledge, skill and experience were to be used when manning a ship--not fate, guesswork or coincidence.

  However, as she stalked toward the console, she prayed for a bit of luck.

  Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at the monitor.

  Nothing. Not one message from ground control.

  A quick diagnostic on the ship’s controls revealed everything in working order. They should have received the correspondence, unless it was somehow interrupted or impeded.

  She swallowed and ran more reports, looking for the most likely causes first, anything she overlooked. Of course the entire trip had been earmarked by things she overlooked.

  Lines filled her screen all to the negative.

  “Please.” In search of a rare phenomenon, she typed one last item into atmospheric monitoring program.

  The onboard computer processed the information and she dug her nails into her palm.

  “Tre, what are you doing? Did they contact us?” Markov joined her.

  Pell went to her other side. “We’ve tried everything.”

  “The two of you survived on an isolated planet and didn’t give up.” She kept watch of the monitor. “You were meant to explore. Trying to cage you only made you docile.”

  “What are you talking about?” Pell put his hand on her shoulder.

  The monitor flashed.

  “A heliacal wind.” She stared at the screen, reading the words over and over. “We can do this, we just need to act fast.”

  “That’s not the type of wind you think it is, it doesn’t propel one forward.” Markov shook his head.

  “I know that.” Energy coursed through her and she took the commander’s seat. “But our engine can use the streaming plasma for power.” Luck definitely traveled with her to be here at this moment.

  “Can we get enough of a boost in time for reentry?” Pell asked.

  “I don’t know.” Again, she entered data in the system and once more both males gathered around her to read the result. She should have let them help like they wanted, allow them to be her partners instead of controlling everything. “I should have acted faster.”

  “It says less than a ten percent chance.” Markov tapped his finger on the screen. “It wouldn’t have mattered when you discovered this, a couple of percentiles will make no difference.”

  “Ten percent is not zero!” She slapped her hand on the arm of her chair.

  “We should be together rather than spending our last hours in some false hope.” Pell took her hand.

  “I dreamt of being with you, but not like this.” She ground her teeth together. “Pell get over to the power monitor and don’t take your eyes off it. Inform me of any changes.”

  Without questioning, Pell went to his post.

  “Trevini.” Markov growled out her name.

  She spun and faced him. “Go watch the reentry path.”

  “I am a pilot, I’ll fly us in.” He lifted his chin.

  “Well then in your world I’m the Commander and you answer to me.” She pointed in the direction he needed to take.

  “We are men.” He held his ground.

  “You are Earthlings and you need to let me make this decision.” She raised her chin, daring him to defy her. Somehow she lost them along the way and she wanted them back. Out of time to dwell on what she had or didn’t have or what she could lose, she returned to her chair and prepared to navigate the ship through Mersenne’s atmosphere.

  For quite some time they all worked in silence.

  “We should start our initial descent.” Markov spoke first, his voice blunt, no emotion.

  “The power is low.” Next Pell reported. “It’s not enough with the charted course.”

  She studied the normal trajectory. A nice, slow landing, one she could almost nap through, but also one that traded a lot of power for comfort. “I will adjust the angle.” She made the necessary changes, it would net in a bumpier ride, but with no damage, she had been through worse in training. “How about now?”

  “Still not enough.” Pell ran his hand through his hair. “Ship won’t survive the atmosphere.”

  Different scenarios ran through her mind. She shut her eyes trying to visualize the solution, but everything led to one choice.

  “We need to make a decision.” Markov interrupted.

  “I’ll change it.” Again, she made the adjustments and glanced over at Pell.

  He simply shook his head.

  They could die sailing off into space until they suffocated, die burning up in the atmosphere, or die splattering to the ground. “Fine.” She put in the final angle the one with the least possible drag on the vessel. “Pell?”

  “It has us landing, so to speak.” He turned away.

  “That is suicide.” Markov rushed to her. “Are you insane?”

  “It’s the only chance.” She stared into his face. “What else do you want me to do, sit by and resign myself to never having what I truly want?”

  He eyed the controls.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Her instinct kicked in and she reached for her weapon but forgot she never put it on today.

  “Whatever you say, Commander.” Rather than fight her he smiled, saluted her and backed up to his seat. “Let’s go in for final descent. We have less than twenty minutes to find out if your display of heroics works.”

  “I’ll warn ground control again before communications go black.” She fired off the message telling them to be prepared for an emergency landing and turned off the speakers. “Let’s do this. Strap yourselves in.” Before she could second-guess her decision, she
engaged the ship.

  “Here we go.” Pell kept his eyes on the monitor.

  When the vehicle dipped, she held on to the arms of her chair and dug her heels into the floor to remain seated.

  “We’re in the thermosphere.” Markov called off the layers of the atmosphere in Earth terms. “Mesosphere.”

  A horrible rattling sound reverberated all around them accompanied by the ship shaking. “Please.”

  “The strain on the metal housings is too great.” Pell reported. “If we lose a heat shield we may as well forget it.”

  “Stratosphere.” Markov yelled. “Hold on!”

  “I’m so sorry. I wanted you, I really did.” Her heart seized. Any second it would all be over. She put her hand over her eyes and gasped for what would surely be one of her last breaths. “I wanted you too badly, I should have never forced you.”

  Suddenly two sets of arms encompassed her and she everything around her exploded.

  Chapter Five

  “We’re here!” Pain shot through Trevini every time she tried to move. Every inch took extraordinary effort, metal from the ship trapped her, seemed wrapped around her. “We’re here!”

  The screech of sirens echoed from far away, char and ash stung her nose and throat. In what she would call luck from this day forward, they managed to land, more like crash. “We’re here!” Where was everyone? The pitch black of her confines made it impossible to make out anything.

  “Don’t move!” Someone pounded on the ship. The voice rang familiar.

  “Stay still, we have to cut you out.” Another soothing voice called to her.

  Her destroyed ship vibrated with the tools used to cut through the metal. At last her rescuers cut open a square. The distinctive, glorious orange light from Helia shined in, blinding her.

  “Tre, thank heavens. Don’t try to move you’re bleeding.” A shadowed form blocked the light. “I thought I was going to die watching the ship come in.”

  “Markov?” She tried squinting to make him out. “Pell?”

  “We’re here, baby.” A second form joined the first and a warm, familiar hand caressed her cheek. “Stay tight. The rescue crew is working.”