“Wait,” I called. “Don’t shift. Not yet.”
His neck coiled down through the grass, and his head stopped just in front of me. Excitement filled me as I reached out.
His scales were cool and hard, while the gust of breath from his snout was scorching hot. The scent of aether and fire was stronger than when he was in human form, and I basked in his heat.
“Okay,” I said, ready to greet the man.
The air around him took on the shimmering brightness of a shift in progress. I heard the crack of bones, the groan of the dragon becoming man. In seconds, the glow faded.
In the indent where his talon had been stood Taylor in human form. His back was to me. Moonlight kissed his broad shoulders, highlighted the sharpness of his shoulder blades and the tightness of his sculpted ass. Droolworthy.
“Whew, that felt good.” Taylor turned and rolled his shoulders. The front view was as impressive as the back.
Soft light and heavy shadow defined his biceps, the athletic cut of his chest, his abs. His eyes were dark, but his enthusiasm beamed.
“It’s been way too long since I’ve flown,” he said. Thick strands of chocolate brown hair hung down over his face.
I wanted to brush it back where it belonged. I wanted to touch him. I pushed aside tall grass and went to do just that. I could do this. I didn’t have to hold back. Not with Taylor. The ground was ice beneath my feet, the air cold and crisp, but I didn’t mind.
“Sharing that with you means a lot to me,” he said.
“Me, too.”
Taylor pulled me in, encasing me in his strong arms. His chest was warm, his cock hard against my thigh.
“To gaze upon you is to know perfection. To know your warmth—a blessing. I fly toward the sun, unafraid that her flames may consume me, for basking in her rays is life. There’s no other choice but darkness.”
I looked up into his emerald eyes and brushed the hair back from his face. The strands were soft, while his stubble on his cheek was rough.
“That was beautiful,” I said.
“You’re beautiful.”
His lips brushed mine, as tender as his words.
I ran my hands down his chest, explored every hill and valley of his abs, traced my fingers through the trail of hair below his belly button. His skin was warm. I craved the comfort of his heat in the cold, dark night.
I pictured Slade in the kitchen, his big arms around me, the softness of his fingertips. I imagined the thickness of his cock in my hand, and took Taylor in my palm. His cock was a little longer than Slade’s, but not quite as thick. I was exploring a whole new world of experiences, enjoying the differences in their bodies. Before all of this, I’d only seen one man naked. I’d only been with Marc. I was ready for different. I was ready for more.
Taylor squeezed hard on my ass as I wrapped my fingers around him.
“Has Slade touched you here?” he said.
I bit my lip and shook my head no.
“Mine first.”
“I did this to him,” I said, stroking slowly upward. The skin was just as soft as Slade’s, just as firm. I imagined the feel of his swollen head stretching me.
Taylor slid his hand up my side, igniting every nerve along his path. He cupped my breast, and flicked my nipple with his thumb.
“He touched you here.”
I nodded, then took his wrist and moved his hand between my legs.
“And here,” I said.
He touched me the way he had in the Escalade, and I moaned as he dipped his fingers in.
I stroked harder, encouraging him.
They moved their fingers differently, both equally wonderful. Heaven would be Slade behind me, Taylor in front, just like this. And Quentin—
“But this won’t be just like it was with him,” Taylor said.
“No.”
He kissed me deep, and it was like Quentin in the dark at the auction, it was like Slade holding me in the kitchen. This was our second chance at the night in the Escalade. But this time I wasn’t conflicted. This time I was sure.
He trailed kisses down my neck, over my shoulder, down to my collarbone as his fingers swirled deeper within me.
When he lowered to his knees, I had to let go of his cock. I wrapped my fingers in his hair instead.
“I’m first to kiss you here.” His tongue flicked across my nipple, tightening the tender nub. His lips caressed, down, further down. He kissed my ribs, my belly button. “Here.”
He trailed lower, leaving my skin cool after every hot kiss. His lips brushed my clit.
“Here.”
His tongue was hot and wet, his touch perfection. When he slipped the tip of the second finger in, a coil of heat seeped into my core.
“Faster,” I said.
His fingers curved forward and stroked deeper. His tongue flicked faster, and in a rush of heat, ecstasy washed over me, spreading from my insides out to my fingers, my toes.
“Taylor,” I cried. He didn’t relent until my muscles relaxed.
He looked up at me, satisfaction on his face. It was almost like it was him who’d come.
“I could spend my whole life making you come and never get enough of the way you feel on my hand, the way you taste, the way my name sounds on your lips.”
“Lie down,” I said.
“So long as you promise not to fly away again,” he said with a grin.
“I promise.”
He smiled and did as I asked.
I considered climbing onto his hips. I ached to feel his cock buried deep inside of me, but something held me back. Not yet. Not tonight.
His muscles flexed as he propped up his head on his arm. I loved the hard lines, the way his shoulders tapered down to his hips, the way he looked at me as if I was his everything.
I knelt beside him and took his hard cock in my hand.
His eyes closed and he tilted his chin up as I moved my fist up to the tip, then back down again. With each stroke I imagined I was on top of him, taking each inch inside of me. I wanted to. I needed to, but I couldn’t. I’d only ever been with Marc, and as much as I wanted to share everything with Taylor, with all of them, I needed to take things slower than my body craved.
He felt good in my hand, and I wanted to watch as I made him feel the same pleasure he’d given me.
His lips parted as I moved. The more he responded, the faster I went. His abs tightened, and his back arched ever so slightly.
“Come for me, Taylor.” I leaned down over him, and took his mouth with mine. He opened for me and pulled me closer.
The ground was cold and hard on my shins. The breeze blew, and wild grass tickled my bare skin.
I watched his face as he came, and I looked him in his gorgeous green eyes. It wasn’t just sex, it was more. I was falling in love with him, with all of them.
I curled up in his arms, and looked up at the stars.
“I love you, Ari,” he said.
I wanted to say it back, but I wasn’t ready. I knew he understood. He knew me better than anyone. And he accepted me just as I was.
Thin strips of clouds rolled over the dark night sky, but the stars and the moon shined through. I listened to Taylor breathe, felt the rise and fall of his chest, and basked in his warmth. He was my sun, too.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Taylor
Slade tilted his bulk back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He ran his hand through his buzzed hair and then shot me a look. “So, you came back pretty late last night.”
I shrugged and looked evenly back at him. “Yeah. I spent some time with Ariana.”
“We know.” Quentin’s voice was sharp. “You came back bathed in her scent.”
Slade leaned forward so the front legs of his chair slammed down. “Not only that,” he said, “but we can tell more.”
“You guys, she’ll get back here any second.”
“We all know,” Quentin said. “Everything one of us does, the others sense. It’s rather bizarre, don’t you t
hink?”
Running my hands over the smooth surface of the table, I shrugged again. “We’re shifters. Our senses are powerful. And she smells so fucking good—”
“Like apple pie,” Slade said.
Quentin’s gaze was intense. “Tell me, does she taste like it, too?”
I wanted to take the high road. A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell. But something about our strange arrangement seemed to split all those boundaries apart.
“It’s perfectly all right.” Quentin reached back and tightened his ponytail. “You don’t have to tell us, because we already know. Honestly, I can’t wait for my turn.”
The sound of sharp heels clacking on the hard marble in the hallway reached our ears, and we stopped talking. When Ariana stepped in, I remembered that day, a little over three weeks ago, when she’d assembled us in this very room for a meeting to lay out the qualifications for the partner position. This time, her dress was crimson. It hit her just above the knee and the skirt hugged her legs. If she turned around, I’d get the best view of her ass—
Slade smacked me on the back of the head. “Hey, pay attention.”
“Sorry.” I forced my gaze up to meet Ariana’s. “You were saying?”
She smirked, her dark eyes alight with laughter. “I hadn’t said anything yet. But I’m glad I have all your attention.”
Like she could ever not have our attention. The woman was a siren, calling to us and beckoning us closer. Every movement of her body, every note of her voice, every flash of light against those beautiful dark eyes. Every element of her being was a call. Whether we’d crash on the rocks or find redemption in her embrace...well, I didn’t know what would happen, yet.
She sat down at the head of the table. Cleared her throat, wound her fingers together. She was nervous, again. It was just like last time.
“I feel like I should just lay it out on the table, with all of you here.”
Slade looked up sharply.
It was my turn to knock him upside the head. “She means conversationally. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“I knew that,” he said, rubbing the back of his skull.
Quentin coughed, probably trying to hide a snicker. Hard to tell, with that one.
Ariana continued, “Anyway, as you’re all aware, we’ve become...close. I know that none of you thinks less of me for that, but we’re in sort of a unique situation with the three of you, and Whitesong Security is a company, not a dating service. And the whole thing has been so unexpected, and...I’m babbling.”
Her cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink. I wanted to press my fingers against her skin, feel the heat there.
At the same time, her discomfort made me want to fix everything, protect her. I wanted to enfold her in my arms, but she must have chosen to have this meeting in a professional conference room instead of our suite for a reason. She was trying, once again, to establish boundaries.
“Hey,” I said, “it’s okay. We all know what’s going on, and we know it’s not how you usually operate.”
“Thanks.” She took a deep breath. “I just feel I would be...remiss...if I didn’t tell you that I don’t see an end to this unless one of us stops it. And right now, I can’t imagine that happening. It doesn’t seem fair to you guys, that I can’t settle down with one of you and just say, yes, you.”
I wanted to point out that “you” was both a singular and a plural word. She could say “yes, you” and mean all of us. Together. Was that such an insane notion? I kept my mouth shut, because my lover was still speaking.
“So, I guess I wanted to talk to all three of you, together, and say that I don’t see the happily-ever-after, or whatever it’s called. Maybe my dragon just isn’t ready to settle, and she just wants to have fun, I don’t know. But if you want to stop our romantic entanglement, please just tell me. I’m giving you all I have to give right now, but I understand if that’s not enough. If you want to keep working here as a partner, I’d love that, and we don’t have to...do this dating thing or be close at all. Or if you want to quit, I understand that, too, and there’ll be a huge severance package.”
Quentin’s blue eyes flashed. In a low voice, he said, “And if we want to continue as we’ve been?”
I stared hard at Ariana’s face, at the raw hope I could see there. She wanted things to continue as they’d been. She didn’t want to give any of us up.
“If you want to continue, I’d of course be happy with that,” she said.
“That’s what I want,” Quentin said in a rush.
Slade’s voice was a growl, his brown eyes intense on Ariana. “Me, too.”
Her gaze swiveled to me. “And...Taylor?”
I stood up and marched over to her. I couldn’t stand seeing her so shaky as she sat there at the head of the table, her fingers wringing together. I pulled her up out of her chair and tugged her close, embracing her. She breathed out in a loud exhale and settled against my chest. Looking over her head of dark chocolate hair, I made eye contact with the guys and gave a quick jerk of my chin. They jumped up and rushed over, and the three of us surrounded Ariana with our arms and adoration.
The strangest sensation came over me. It was a wholeness that I’d never imagined before—not just the completion of being with a woman, but the sense of homecoming and contentment and self-discovery I’d never thought possible.
Before I could puzzle it out further, Ariana said in a shaky voice, “Hey, guys?”
“Yeah?” The word was a deep chorus of voices.
“I have another meeting to get to.”
Reluctantly, we let her go.
She gave us each a glistening smile, and then reached for the briefcase next to her chair. “Since you’re all staying, I have something for you.”
Slade’s grin was wide. “Company car?”
She laughed. “You know you can use the Cayenne anytime. I was just thinking that you shouldn’t have to work from your suite. You each need a proper office. So I had Jonathan set something up for you on the forty-seventh floor, same as my office. It’s a similar arrangement to what you have with your rooms. There’s an outside common area, and you’ll have a shared PA, and then three offices that attach to it.”
“This is excellent,” Quentin said.
Ariana pulled three key cards from her briefcase. “There’s one for each of you.” She read off the sticky notes with Maisie’s writing. “Here’s Taylor’s, and Slade’s, and Quentin’s.”
“Thank you,” I said, brushing a kiss over her temple.
“Of course,” she said. “And now you won’t be tempted to play your elf game when you should be working.”
Slade gave her an embarrassed smile. “That only happened the one time…”
She laughed, and her musical voice filled the room. “I have to get going.”
“We should get together, all four of us,” I said.
She tilted her head to the side, considering, her full, plum-colored lips pursed. “We could all go to Hiber-Nation tonight. See you guys later?”
We all made sounds of agreement, and then she was out, her backside swaying merrily in the crimson pencil skirt. I let off a low growl, and heard Quentin say, “You really are all about the ass, aren’t you?” before he rushed after her.
Slade clapped me hard on the back. “So, did she taste like apple pie?”
I ignored him—Quentin and Ariana were talking in the hall.
“We’re going to the pub tonight after dinner, right?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
I could imagine them out there, Quentin crowding her against the wall, his hands on either side of her hips.
“Afterward, what do you say you and I spend some time together?”
She gasped. I could feel the tender flesh of her neck between my teeth, and I could smell her arousal in the air. “Yes,” she breathed.
A moment later, I felt her absence, and I stepped out of the conference room, Slade right behind me. We stood by Quentin and watched as Ariana walked
away down the hall, until she turned a corner and was out of sight.
Footsteps sounded again. Was she coming back? I craned my neck, breath held.
Then Jonathan, the maintenance guy, came around the same corner where Ariana had just disappeared, and all three of us shook our heads in disappointment. Nope, that was not who I’d been hoping for.
Slade sighed. “Should we check out our new offices?”
Giving a short nod, Quentin said, “Yes, let’s.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Quentin
Mr. Bellpowder had kept me busy since the meeting in the conference room. With the deadline for funding the early onset macular degeneration research quickly approaching, all four of us partners were taking on additional duties. It was going to take all of the proposed jobs to come up with the money, and even still, it would only be enough if there were no snags. In my experience, nothing ever went exactly as planned. Eight hours had passed since I’d seen Ariana, since we’d agreed to continue our arrangement, and I’d spent every one imagining my hands on her bare skin. It didn’t bother me that Slade had put his fingers inside of her or that Taylor had stolen the first, sweet taste between her thighs. The problem was that I hadn’t. I’d savored their encounters as if they’d been my own, yet for every touch I didn’t take, the desire to do so grew more pressing.
Taylor and Slade continued conversing on the subject of Defenders of Aerasummit as we took our seat in the reserved corner booth at Hiber-Nation. The bar was loud, as it always seemed to be. My attention remained divided, my eyes trained on the door, waiting for a glimpse of Ariana.
“Bloop. You jump into the portal,” Slade said. He’d rehashed the strategy for defeating the Gorgon over and over again to no avail.
“Isn’t that what we tried to do?” Taylor asked.
“The past two times,” Slade said. “But it only works if we stick together. And if our mage keeps us healed.”
Dragon Shattered_A Reverse Harem Dragon Fantasy Romance Page 17