by Maxene Novak
“Were,” she corrected out of habit.
“Are,” he countered. “The way you’ve held yourself, the way you move, even with the cane, you’ve got more grace in your little finger than most of us have in our whole bodies. If ballet is still your dream, you can make it happen.”
Belle’s face lit up with possibilities, but then she frowned.
“I don’t know what my dream is anymore,” she admitted. “I thought that was it. Even before, when we were talking about me getting certified as a teacher, it was still a secondary choice. That day, if someone had magically fixed my leg, I would have been gone. It would have been difficult, but that wouldn’t have stopped me. But now…” She shook her head and turned away from him.
“What changed?” he asked.
“You did,” she said. “And Ruger did. The lengths the two of you have gone to over the last four months to prove to me that I’m worth something… it’s blown me away. Then tonight…” She shook her head, laughing through fresh tears. “Taking me there, showing me that I have the ability to leave if I want to, giving me your blessing like that… it’s like now that I know I can, I don’t want to. I love it here. I love this bond we all have. I love being quiet sometimes, slowing down enough to hear myself think. I like eating cake and spending my time frivolously and not waking up at four every morning to whip every fiber in my body into perfection.
“It was an excellent twenty-two years, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. But I think I’m ready to see what else there is, you know?”
“I understand that entirely,” he told her.
“It was an amazing gesture, Colt, and I won’t soon forget it.”
She squeezed his hand, and turned to face him, eyes shining with unshed tears. The look on her face tugged at his heart, and he found himself helpless once again. He kissed her, gently, and she kissed him back with the heat of hundreds of hours of pent-up lust, with the passion of a dozen beginnings and endings all happening at once. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, losing himself in her touch.
His brain insisted that he listen to reason, and he pulled away from her.
“I… it’s not ethical,” he said with obvious reluctance. “I’m still—”
“You’re fired,” she interrupted.
“Oh. I see.”
“Fired. Free to interact with me on a human level.”
“Oh. Oh! Well alright then.” He laughed with delight and pulled her back into his passionate embrace.
The windows began to steam up, and Belle got a cramp in her leg.
“Um… you know, necking in parked cars is way more fun when you’re a teenager,” she commented.
Colt pulled away and studied her face. “We could go to my place… if you want to. Or I could walk you inside and we could say our chaste goodnights, and I’ll see you Monday as usual.”
“Decisions, decisions,” she sighed. “Gotta be an adult and think about things. Can’t just get swept away in the romance.” She was muttering to herself by this point, chewing her lip between words.
“Hey,” Colt said gently. “It’s only two weeks. I can hold out if you can.”
“It’s probably the responsible thing to do, isn’t it,” she said sadly.
“Yeah, I think so.”
He turned her head to face him and planted a gentle kiss on her mouth. “It’ll be that much sweeter for the wait,” he promised.
She hoped he was right. That night, as she slept, she dreamt a ballet. She was the star, spinning across the stage as Ruger and Colt danced around her, pulling her into their arms, tossing her between them. It was strangely erotic and terrifying all at once, and when the morning light streamed through her French doors to wake her, she was still tired.
“You look hungover,” Ruger commented as she emerged from her room. “We didn’t drink last night, did we?”
“No,” she mumbled. “Didn’t sleep very well. Is there coffee?”
“Of course,” he said. “Sit down, I’ll get it for you.”
She usually resisted, but she didn’t have it in her that morning. She thanked him absently as he placed the steaming mug in front of her.
“Were you alright last night?” he asked kindly. “You stayed out in the car for a long time.”
“I was… overwhelmed,” she said. “And there was a moment when Colt was overwhelmed as well. We had a moment.”
“What kind of moment?” Ruger asked casually.
“The kind that usually leads to sex,” she said bitterly. “Unless the guy is ethical to a fault and you can’t seem to find a logical way to talk him out of it.”
“Oh,” Ruger said, blushing crimson. “Well, I mean, if you still have frustration you want to work out, I’m free all day.” He laughed, but it sounded forced.
“That’s sweet… kind of,” Belle said. “But I wouldn’t use you like that, Ruger. When… if… you and I get to that place, I want it to be because it’s what we want, not as some kind of consolation prize. You know?”
“Well… I’ve been sort of hanging back since I started therapy. Didn’t really know if you still considered me an option? But if you’re open to being wooed, I’ve got a whole backlog of wooing ready to go.”
Belle laughed at that, and she felt the cobwebs of her emotional hangover begin to melt away.
“Alright then,” she said with challenge in her eyes. “Show me what you got.”
Ruger grinned and left the table, switching on the TV. She heard him switch through options until Elvis was crooning from the speakers, then he came back into the kitchen.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, bowing dramatically.
“I don’t think I can,” she said doubtfully.
“Kitchen dancing,” he explained. “It’s like swaying, with rhythm. I’ll be right here, I won’t let you fall.”
His goofy grin convinced her, and she rose to clasp his hands. She felt ridiculous in her fuzzy purple socks and turtle jammies, but the look in his eyes told her she was magnificent. She lapped it up like dessert and allowed him to twirl her gently around the floor.
He began to sing along to the song, with excess drama and more than a little humor, and it made her laugh and forget her fear of falling for a moment.
“Look at you,” he interrupted himself with an awed whisper. “You’re waltzing!”
“I am?” she said in surprise. “I am!”
“See, you’re just as good as you ever were,” he said, and a hint of that old star-struck gaze illuminated his face.
“I love it when you look at me like that,” she said softly.
He squeezed her gently around the waist, gazing into her eyes. “I would like nothing more than to look at you like this forever,” he told her.
“Is that one of those lines you’ve been sitting on?” she teased.
“Nope, that one was completely unrehearsed. Let’s see… oh! I remember.” He plastered a cheesy come-hither grin on his face and waggled his eyebrows. “If you were a fruit, baby, you’d be a fine-apple!”
Belle cracked up, falling against his shoulder.
“Wait, wait, don’t fall in love with me yet, I’ve got more!” he said, suppressing his own hysterics. “Um… oh!” He cleared his throat and spoke in a low, oily smooth voice. “If I told you your body was beautiful, would you hold it against me?”
Belle howled with laughter and nearly fell over as Ruger collapsed in a fit of giggles.
“One more, one more!” he gasped. “Are you a magician, Belle? Because every time I look at you, the whole world disappears.”
Belle started to giggle, then stopped. “You know, without that magician bit, that’s not a bad line,” she mused.
“Right? I was kind of proud of that one. Had to add the magician though, or people might think I was serious.”
“Do you make a habit of hitting on people when you aren’t serious?” she asked lightly.
“Oh, yeah, I’m a complete flirt. It amuses me.”
“So how can I know you’re serious?” she asked.
“Because if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t do this…” He lowered his mouth to hers and brushed her lips softly, ending the sweet kiss with a sharp nip of her lower lip.
“Ooh,” she said. “Between show and tell, I think I’m liking the show.”
“Well then, lover, let me sweep you off your feet!” he said, tossing his hair back.
He lifted her—princess-style, the way Colt used to—and carried her into the living room. He hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure whether to stop there or continue on to the bedroom.
“Okay… dead serious time now,” he said, worry etched across his brow. “I tend to be impulsive, pushy, and hypersexual. Do you want to take it there this morning, or would you prefer that I woo you for a while longer?”
“I’m so sick of asking and answering this question,” she sighed, dropping her head to his shoulder. “I want to be impulsive today. I need to feel like a woman today. I want you, Ruger, right now.”
“You got it, sugar,” he said and planted his lips on her mouth.
He laid her on the bed and stripped quickly. He’d been waiting for this moment since the first day she’d hobbled up his front steps, and he wasn’t planning on waiting a second longer than he needed to. She was just as ready and eager as he was and stripped out of her pajamas in a heartbeat. His mouth was on her then, flying over her heated skin, kissing here, nibbling there, frantically tasting every inch of her. He knelt between her thighs and kissed her there, and she cried out, arching her back in pleasure.
It had been too long, an eternity really, since anyone had devoured her that way. He brought her over the edge and she came, almost painfully hard. She whimpered his name and reached for him, and he slid up her body, taking her mouth in his and sinking into her. He gasped as she tightened and pulsed around him.
“God, you feel amazing,” he groaned.
She lifted her hips to grind her pelvis against his, whimpering with need. He satisfied her wordless urging, thrusting into her powerfully.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he whispered hoarsely.
“God, Ruger, just fuck me like my life depended on it,” she pleaded.
It was all he needed to hear. He lifted her hips and gripped her ass, slamming into her with all the energy of his pent-up sexual tension. She screamed in time with his groans, rising up to meet his thrusts, bucking her hips as he entered her again and again. The lamp on the bedside table toppled to the floor, and a picture crashed off the wall.
Ruger couldn’t hold back much longer. He took her hard nipple in his mouth and suckled firmly, biting gently. She began to swell and pulse around him, her screams increasing in pitch and frequency.
“Oh fuck, I’m coming,” she gasped, and he poured himself into her.
Empty and satisfied, Ruger kissed her quivering lips.
Chapter Twenty-five
The next two weeks were interminable. Ruger and Belle swore an oath that they wouldn’t repeat their illicit performance until the agreed upon date, and it was pure torture. Belle made it worse—deliberately—by wearing enticing outfits around the house and leaning against him when they watched TV. Ruger responded in kind, trailing his fingers over her neck and the small of her back when she was trying to concentrate on something else. The sexual tension grew thick enough to touch in the little cottage, and even Colt was affected by it when he came over to do their usual massage sessions.
When June first finally rolled around, they were like three dogs in heat, ready to tear each other apart. Tassie had practically fled town, citing a conference with her publisher and editor in Seattle. Everybody knew that she could have skyped the meeting the way she usually did, but nobody stopped her. They knew what was coming, and it would be better if they weren’t worried about offending her.
Both men took the day off from work, and Colt arrived first thing in the morning. Belle had risen early, and was dressed in nothing but a sheer white floaty dress that Tassie had given her from the “goals” corner of her closet. The shades and contours of her body were clearly visible through the material, and Ruger had had a devil of a time being patient.
“Good morning,” Colt said solemnly as he entered.
“Don’t look so serious,” Ruger teased. “It’s a wonderful day.”
“It is,” Colt agreed. “But I feel we need to take this seriously. Today could mark a turning point in all our lives, and I want us going into it with clear heads. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Belle said quickly.
Ruger agreed as well, but Cold could see hesitation in his expression. “Problem, Ruger?”
“No… well, sort of. I haven’t had a clear head in weeks, all I can think about is being a Ruger sandwich between you two.”
Laughter broke the tension, and Colt hugged Ruger hard. “I know what you mean. Come on, let’s go outside for a minute.”
“Outside?” Ruger pouted. “But the bed is in here!”
“Come on, you idiot,” Belle said affectionately, grabbing his arm. They followed Colt into the backyard. It had blossomed beautifully, and Belle was instantly enraptured with the magic of it. Colt led them to the little faux dock overlooking the duck pond.
“First things first,” he said. “Belle, I believe it’s time to remove your braces.”
Belle trembled as she unstrapped herself from her support. Her cane had been sitting, unused, by her bed for over a week now. It was time for her to walk all on her own, and the magnitude of the moment slammed into her like a runaway truck. She tossed the ankle brace onto the grass, and followed it with the knee brace and sciatic belt in quick succession.
“Good,” Colt said. “Now walk to me.”
He stood ten feet away from her and held out his hands. She swallowed, hard, and took her first shaky step. Her knee bent where it was supposed to, and nowhere that it wasn’t. Her hip didn’t bow or creak, and her ankle flexed the way it was supposed to. She took another step, and another, feeling more like the proverbial toddler with every movement.
She held her head high for the last few strides, trusting her legs to do what they were supposed to do. They didn’t let her down. She made it to Colt without a tumble, and then shrieked with joy. He laughed, lifting her by her waist and swinging her around in a happy circle.
“Congratulations,” he laughed. “You have officially graduated from physical therapy.”
“Thank god!” she said, and kissed him firmly on the mouth.
Celebration quickly morphed into passion as he kissed her back, and it was a long moment before either of them came up for air. They parted slowly, gazing into one another’s eyes; then, with the same thought, looked over at Ruger.
He was grinning ear to ear, without a hint of jealousy. “You did it, Belle!” he crowed, skipping over to join them. “You did it. You both did it. Good work!”
“So… now what?” Belle asked.
Colt grinned. “Now… if you’re both enthusiastically willing… we get our sexy asses back inside and satisfy this ungodly lust.”
“I’m game.”
“Let’s go!”
They matched Belle’s pace back into the house and tumbled into her bed as one. Colt pulled Ruger into a passionate kiss as he undid Belle’s braid one-handed. Her golden hair tumbled over her shoulders, draping her breasts like some unearthly mermaid. He groaned, turning his lips to her as Ruger stripped.
Colt pulled Belle’s dress up over her head, revealing her soft, glorious nakedness. Heart pounding, he ran his calloused fingers over her firm, round breast, down her tapered waist, and into the heat melting at her center. She gasped as he slid his fingers inside of her, arching her back with pleasure.
Ruger took her nipple into his mouth as Colt fucked her slowly with his fingers. He twirled his tongue around her hard nipple, nibbling enticingly, sending shocks of pleasure down for Colt to catch. Together, they drove her to orgasm once, then again.
“God, you guys are good,” she gasped.
Belle rolled over onto her hands and knees, taking Ruger’s dripping cock into her mouth. Colt entered her from behind, stretching her to her limits. He was bigger than Ruger, and Ruger had been more than enough to satisfy her. Colt took his time, easing into a slow, steady rhythm. In stark contrast, Ruger was desperately trying to keep himself from choking her with the urgency of his need. She took control, stroking him with one hand while she popped the head of his dick in and out of her mouth at the speed he’d been aching for. He emptied into her throat, and she swallowed every drop.
“Goddammit,” he swore.
Belle grinned at him, and he twitched in response.
“It’s okay, baby,” Colt told him. “Take a breather. You’ll be back on top in no time.”
Colt flipped Belle onto her back, taking her mouth in his. “God, you taste like Ruger,” he groaned.
Ruger watched his lovers fuck, and he was hard again in moments. He positioned himself behind Colt, running his hands over his back, sliding his fingers down Colt’s crack.
“You want me on top?” he asked huskily.
“God, yes,” Colt groaned.
He halted his thrusting just long enough to let Ruger penetrate him. Dual waves of pleasure cascaded over him as Ruger buried himself in him, and he buried himself in Belle.
“Holy shit, that’s hot,” Belle gasped.
Ruger began to thrust, and Colt matched his timing, fucking Belle as he was getting fucked from behind. Their pace hit a fever pitch, and Colt growled, biting Belle’s lip as she cried out in pleasure. He lost control, pounding into Belle with wild abandon, losing himself in the moment. Ruger’s breath quickened as Belle’s eyes darkened, and all at once they cascaded over the edge together in a crescendo of moans and screams.
They untangled themselves slowly and carefully before collapsing together in a trembling heap on the bed.
“I think we ruined your duvet,” Ruger gasped.
“Screw it, came with the rental,” Belle breathed.
“So I guess we ruined your duvet, Ruger,” Colt laughed breathlessly.