Perfect Storm

by Romy Lockhart

  “Eli, your arm...”

  “I’m barely using it.” It was only partly a lie. It stung a little but the painkillers were still in full swing.

  I carried her and the look in my eyes told her what we were doing next.

  “You need it, don’t you?” She kept her voice low. “If you want Nick to leave the room...”

  I smiled. “I could use him, actually.”

  “You could... Eli,” she sounds shocked.

  I carry her into her bedroom and lay her down on the bed. I already dropped the towel on the kitchen floor. Nick said he’d be up soon. He was rooting around in the fridge for something he wanted to use for his next turn at pleasuring Eden.

  “What do you want me to do?” She gazes at me, still fully ready and willing for anything.

  How the hell did I get this lucky? “Lay down and close your eyes. Don’t open them for anything. I need to get something.”

  She bites down on her lip. There’s worry there, tension. Shit. I fucked this up.

  I sit down next to her, and stroke the side of her face. She’s trembling. It’s very slight, but the moment I feel it I know we’re done with this crazy challenge.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shakes her head, lowering her gaze from mine. My heart starts to race. Something’s wrong and she can’t tell me what it is? She must know I care more about how she’s feeling than satisfying my own desires. My aim was to pleasure her, not to upset her. Now I feel like an asshole. “Eden...”

  “This room isn’t safe, Eli. It’s been broken into. I don’t feel safe in here,” she blurts it out, her voice quivering. I can tell she’s trying not to get upset.

  “It’s okay, Eden. We don’t need to do this right now. I don’t need it.” I just want it. There’s a difference. The night we slept together for the first time, I hadn’t been with a woman in years. I’d needed to be in control, completely and without exception, and she’d yielded to that without question. She’d trusted me. There was no greater feeling. It was a high I could happily chase with her, over and over again. But I never wanted to do it when she was feeling this way. I never wanted to break her trust.

  “Can we just go into another room?”

  I nod and she takes my hand. We go into the room I slept in.

  She sits down on the edge of the bed and pulls me to her. We fall to the mattress together and our bodies align. I slip inside of her with the slightest movement forward and she gasps under me.

  This is enough. Being with the woman I love, having her limbs wrapped around me as if she never wants to part is more than enough.

  “Wait,” she whispers, stroking one hand over my stubble as her bright blue eyes gaze up at me.

  I still, fully sheathed inside her, ready to respect whatever wishes she has.

  “Didn’t you want me to close my eyes?”

  I smile. “Another time. You were right, Eden. I don’t want to share you when I’m in control.”

  As if on cue, Nick enters the room. He has an open bottle of champagne in one hand that he takes a sip from as he closes the door and turns the lock. “Thought this might be a reason to celebrate, given that we’re going to make Eden come more times than she ever has in her life today.”

  He grins when Eden laughs under me.

  “That seems like a lofty goal,” I tell him, wondering how many times she already has today. Considering I walked in on Nick giving her an orgasm this morning, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were already into double digits. “But I’m sure we can manage it.”

  Chapter Eight

  Eden

  Nick is trying to kill me. That’s the conclusion I’ve arrived at. I’ve come five times today already and it’s not even late afternoon. I’m not sure what’ll happen if they keep pushing me to climax. My legs are already like jelly and my head is turning to mush too. Eli is his accomplice, of course. And he’s doing a damned fine job of helping in my demise.

  “Right there,” I gasp out as his fingers make it to the right place.

  Nick had the idea for me to try reverse cowgirl with Eli so I could use my special talent on him at the same time. He wanted Eli to finger me to make sure I’d climax while deep-throating his dick. The thought of having both of them in this way sent shockwaves of lust to my core. The only thing that could make this better would be Asher coming home and joining in.

  “Lean forward a little more,” Nick asks me, positioning himself in front of me. His hands stroke through my hair as I get closer. I lick the damp, salty tip of his dick and he lets out a satisfied sigh.

  “Try not to come too quickly this time,” I tease before I start inching my mouth down his length.

  “Damn, Eden. Try not to feel so incredible.” His breathing gets shallow almost instantly.

  I bounce on Eli as he strokes my clit in slowly moving circles, finding a good, languorous rhythm to suck on Nick’s cock at the same time. My hands reach out to grip Nick’s ass.

  “Oh, fuck,” Nick groans. He’s not coming, but I can tell he’s getting close. I am too. My men are being so open to every desire, and they’re so intent on giving me what I want. I love them so damned much.

  I start coming and it feels so restricted, with Nick’s cock filling up my mouth and stopping me from being able to do much more than mumble my ecstasy around his length. I milk Eli’s dick with my pussy as Nick fills my mouth with his hot come. He keeps my hair in his fists, forcing me to keep his hard shaft my mouth while I drink down his seed. I feel my second climax hitting as Eli begins to thrust harder into me. He’s coming too. I moan around Nick’s shaft as Eli stills under me. Nick moves his hands from my hair and I wipe off my mouth as he lets me go.

  “Okay, I never thought I’d say this, but enough with the orgasms for the day.” I’m shaking so much my lips quiver when I speak.

  Nick moves in close to kiss me, long and slow, while I’m still impaled on Eli. When he moves back, he gazes into my eyes. “You’re the boss.”

  I try to move and find it easier to fall forward a little before moving one leg and basically collapsing on the bed next to Eli. He smiles at me kind of lazily as he pulls me in closer to hug with his good arm. “This vacation’s off to a good start.”

  “How long are you off for?” Nick asks as he picks up the champagne and takes a sip before sitting next to me and offering it.

  “I’ve got a week and a half left.”

  “Not bad,” Nick tells him. “I’m probably back to work tonight.”

  “Probably?” I ask after I take a sip of the champagne and pass it to Eli.

  He shrugs. “I have staff who can open up for me. I don’t really need to be there.”

  I wonder if it’s the right time to bring up going back to work. I’m not sure, but I did already tell Blake and he’s not even one of my guys yet. “I think I want to go back to work soon.”

  “You do?” Nick sounds surprised.

  “Not right away,” I add, “Definitely not in the next week and a half.”

  “You miss it.” Eli seems to zero in on the why.

  “I do,” I admit, nodding. “The song-writing’s been coming faster now. I’ll have an album together in a couple of weeks. Then I’ll need to go into production with it, get it all recorded. Make some press announcements. Sign up to tour.”

  It’s the last part I expect them to have a problem with. It means I’ll be gone for a while. Weeks, maybe even months. But that’s the part I’ve missed the most. It’s the part I want to get back to.

  “I could come with you,” Nick tells me, lying down and wrapping a tattooed arm around me.

  He could. Besides the nightclubs which have managers who can run them, he doesn’t have any ties. He can do whatever he likes. I glance at Eli. I can’t read his expression.

  “It means I’ll be gone for a while. I’m not sure how long, but I’ll be back, and I’ll be able to take a few days here and there to come back to Rapture.”

  Eli nods and smiles, but the lip twitch doesn’t l
ast. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too.” I would, and it’s almost enough to make me shelf the idea of going back to work. Almost, but not quite. This is something I have to do. “There’s something else.”

  “What is it?”

  “I need to make a statement, about my love life. I’ll probably be asked about it a lot in interviews anyway. Ever since Hunter cheated the tabloids have been hungry for my side of the story. I need to tell the truth.”

  I already know how Nick feels about this, but I don’t know how Eli will take it. He leans in to kiss me.

  “I understand why you need to do this. I wouldn’t want you to lie.”

  “It’ll be tough, but we’re here for you,” Nick adds. “We don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. This is what we want. We’re happy.”

  For the second time that day, I fall asleep between two men I love with all my heart, knowing everything is fine.

  Chapter Nine

  Asher

  I’m sweat-drenched and my mind is entirely messed with by the time I walk home. I made the mistake of using the computer to place a stationery order and I caught sight of the search history. Ronnie’s search history. All of it just from this morning. But still. It was enough to make me wish I’d never seen it. Teen gets banged by her teacher. Barely legal with older men. Screwed by her boss.

  I shiver as I go inside Eden’s house. I don’t want to believe what happened today was real. I just want to climb into bed with Eden and pretend none of it happened. Ronnie isn’t interested in me. The heat just made her crazy. She’ll realise that in the morning. Or when her boyfriend comes to take her out.

  I’m leaving the guy alone now. I don’t want to give her the wrong impression. She’s old enough to make her own decisions. The big brother act can be given a rest.

  “Eden?” I call out as I walk into the house. I set the alarm and find my woman in one of her cocktail dresses, cooking dinner. I have to smile. There isn’t a better scenario I could have come home to after the day I’ve had.

  She smiles as she looks up at me. “Hey, Asher. How was work?”

  I cringe, dumping my jacket and vest on the couch and coming over. “Don’t even ask.”

  “That bad?” She raises an eyebrow.

  I glance around. “Is Nick out or something?”

  “He went to show Eli around the club before opening tonight. They’re making a night of it. We have the house to ourselves.”

  It’s a welcome relief. I knew my mood might be weird if I didn’t tell Eden what happened and Nick would irritate it out of me. Nothing had really happened. I just wanted to forget about it. That would be a hell of a lot easier if I was alone with Eden.

  “The air-con packed in and the repair guy’s out of town,” I mention, deciding a shower would clear my head. “Is there time for me to shower and change?”

  She nods. “Twenty minutes ‘til this is ready. Take your time. I can keep it warm.”

  I head up the stairs and use the shower in her bedroom en-suite. I feel a bit less irritable afterwards. A fresh shirt and pants later and I’m feeling more like myself. My mood is still a bit off, I realise as I head to the kitchen and admire Eden in her figure-hugging dress but don’t immediately get wood.

  Ugh. What has Ronnie’s disturbing flirtation done to me? Come on, Asher. She’s not a flesh and blood relative. It’s not really that disgusting. But the more I try to tell myself that, the more creeped out I become. She might not be a real sister, but I remember babysitting her a few times when she was like eight or nine and I was eighteen. I still see her as that little girl to be looked after. I don’t like thinking she’s almost an adult woman now. I don’t see her as a potential... anything. Even if I didn’t have Eden, I could never see Ronnie that way.

  “Something weird happened at work,” I tell Eden as I help her take dinner through to the dining room. It’s no use hiding from it. Maybe Eden can help me figure out how to handle this.

  “I wondered,” she says. “You seem kind of agitated.”

  “Ronnie made a pass at me.” I blow out a breath.

  “She did?” Eden sounds as shocked as I’d felt when it happened.

  I’m not going to tell her about the porn. This is weird enough as it is.

  “She did. I sent her home. It was after the air-con cut out.”

  “So, um... wait, I thought she was seeing some guy from out of town?”

  I nod. “She is.”

  “And she came on to you anyway?”

  “It doesn’t make sense and it creeped me out.” I shrug as I pull her chair out for her.

  “Well, she’s known you a long time, Asher. I’d understand a crush.”

  “It didn’t seem like a crush.” I don’t know how to explain it. I wonder if I should just drop it.

  She frowns at me as I sit down opposite her. “Do you want me to speak to her?”

  “No,” I say with a sigh. “It just happened and I’m not sure how to handle it.”

  “Maybe she did it to get sent home?” Eden tries with a smile. “She was kind of a prankster as a kid.”

  “Maybe.” I wish. Maybe if I wish hard enough, I’ll go into work tomorrow and find out that’s what it was. She wanted to be sent home so she could bring that guy she’s seeing home while her mother’s out at work. “Anyway, how’s everything been here?”

  She looks a little guilty. “I’ve been thinking about going back to work.”

  Damn. This day really is turning to shit. “When?”

  “A few weeks maybe.” She shrugs and takes a bite of her dinner.

  It smells incredible, but suddenly I’m not so hungry. I’m losing a friend over some weird out of the blue attraction, and now my girlfriend is planning to leave town for months on end. I try to stop feeling sorry for myself. I knew Eden would go back to work sometime. I should be happy for her. I pull on a smile, but it doesn’t feel completely comfortable.

  “I know you’ve missed it.”

  “I didn’t realise how much,” she admits.

  My heart couldn’t sink further in my chest. Why did I have to fall for a rock star? I can’t stand the thought of being separated from her for a day, never mind weeks on end. “Will there be weekends we can visit, or something?”

  She nods. “We’ll figure things out. I’m not going to just leave for weeks without seeing you. I couldn’t do that. I’d miss you too much.”

  Well, that’s something. I pick up my fork and start to eat. I quickly discover I’m actually famished, having skipped lunch after Ronnie’s weird episode. I clean my plate and Eden gives me more. She cooked too much, which seems to be a habit.

  “Haven’t you eaten today?”

  I shake my head. “Sent Ronnie home before I’d had lunch. Didn’t have anything with me. To be honest the heat kind of killed my hunger.” The heat and Ronnie’s weird flirting.

  “Well, I actually made dessert tonight, so I’ll feed you until you’re stuffed and then we can just snuggle up close while you go into a food coma.”

  The thought makes me smile. “Can we just sleep alone together tonight?”

  She smiles. “That sounds perfect.”

  Chapter Ten

  Eden

  Asher’s not happy that I’m going back to work. I knew he wouldn’t be, but there’s nothing I can do about it, besides reassure him that it doesn’t mean we won’t see each other for weeks on end.

  He’s tired after dinner like I expected and just wants to lie in bed together, holding me close. I don’t argue with that. I’d put on a dress because he likes me wearing them, but I’m kind of glad he wasn’t in an amorous mood. Nick and Eli thoroughly exhausted me earlier in the day. I didn’t want to admit it, but one more screw and I was likely to pass out cold for at least twenty-four hours.

  I wake up in the morning while he’s still asleep and leave the room to wash and dress in my own bathroom. I hate that being in my own bedroom freaked me out last night. I seriously need to have the balcony doors se
aled up so I can get back to using the room again. I felt kind of pathetic for letting paranoia get to me. Asher had told me about Diana’s mother. He’d told me Logan dealt with her. I shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Trouble is, too much has happened. I can’t just let it go.

  I check in on Asher before I go downstairs, intent on making breakfast so he can eat something before he heads in to work. I find three voicemails on my phone when I check inside my purse.

  My manager has finally decided to call. And Skyler has left two messages. I listen to the latter first.

  Sky’s coming to visit. She sounds bright, upbeat. Thank the heavens. Her second message tells me when she expects she’ll arrive. In a few hours time? I know Sky can be unpredictable, but she must have something to talk to me about, or talk me in to.

  I start making breakfast before I consider listening to Amy’s message. It’s not like her to leave a voicemail, but I suppose I did threaten to fire her the last time I saw her.

  Asher appears while I’m listening to her clipped apology. She wants a meeting to discuss work and she promises my love life will not enter into it. I put the phone down.

  “Everything okay?” Asher seems instantly concerned.

  I smile. “Sky’s apparently coming for a visit.”

  “I didn’t think Lawson would let her out of his sight anytime soon.” His murmured surprise makes me wonder.

  “She sounded happy. He might be coming with her.” If he was, maybe she had some kind of crazy romantic announcement to make. The thought makes me grin. I can’t believe I’m seeing the day when such a thing might even be possible.

  “As long as they aren’t going to drag you into anything dangerous. Again.”

  I pass him a cup of coffee and start putting out breakfast. “I doubt there’s another evil cult to be taken down already.” At least, I hope not.

  “When’s she getting in?”

  He’s already tense about this. Damn. “A few hours.”

  “Call me if it’s anything dangerous.” He sighs after a sip of coffee and a bite of toast. “I need to go.”