The Gift of Three

by Kaitlin Maitland, Allie Quinn,

  Suddenly, Lacey yanked Thea from her hiding place. Lacey’s fingernails dug into Thea’s arm like claws. “You fucking whore! How long have you been eavesdropping?”

  Thea’s tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t make a sound to defend herself. There was only the panicked possibility of losing Dom’s respect. She was frozen, unable to look at him. She needed to muster up the gumption to defend herself, or she risked losing everything.

  “What’s the matter?” Lacey taunted. “Are you ashamed that everyone knows what a nasty bitch you are?”

  Thea forced her mouth to move. “N-no… I-I…”

  It was like watching from outside herself. Thea saw Lacey’s arm draw back and then swing forward. She knew this was the moment to stand up for herself and fight back, but she couldn’t overcome her own sense of inferiority. Time spooled out of control as the palm of Lacey’s hand connected with Thea’s left cheek. Stunned, Thea reached up and held her hand over her face.

  “Everyone knows the truth now. Everyone!” Lacey took another breath to continue her tirade, but Dom intervened.

  Dom’s low voice reverberated off the cold stone and seemed to make Thea’s bones rattle. “You’ve made it clear that the three of you are threatened by Thea. So what I suggest is that you turn and walk away. Now.”

  There was a chorus of indignant gasps before Jayden and Tysa grabbed Lacey’s arms and helped her huff back out to the bar. Thea watched them go, still feeling a sense of surreal detachment about the entire incident.

  “Come here, sweetheart.”

  Dom didn’t give her a choice. He caught her arm and tugged her into his embrace. Once she was snuggled against his chest, she was powerless to stop the tears. It was stupid to cry, but the pressure was too much. It was sweet relief to let it out and feel nothing but acceptance. She was safe here with him. Nothing in the world could touch her. Her cheek fit perfectly against his hard pectoral muscle, and she felt him brush his lips against her hair.

  They stood that way for a while until the sensation of his hands rubbing over her back lulled her into a state of calm. It began to sink in that Dom had more or less rescued her from the evil triplets.

  “Why did you do that?” she whispered.

  “I should’ve stopped her before she touched you, but I didn’t want you to think I assumed you weren’t capable of handling it.” His arms tightened around her. “You’re the last person on earth who deserves that sort of treatment.”

  “How do you know?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Maybe I am a bitch.”

  He tilted her chin up. “I could never believe that.”

  “But—”

  She never finished what she’d meant to say. He lowered his lips toward hers, and she was lost to the spicy taste of his kiss. His tongue slid over the seam of her lips. She welcomed his exploration, basking in the heat it sent coursing through her body. Her core began to melt, and in no time, she was squirming against him. She became utterly aware of the ache that had never quite been assuaged after their interlude in the shower.

  By the time the kiss finally ended, Thea was hanging off him like tinsel on a Christmas tree. She exhaled raggedly, trying to get her breath under control. When he started chuckling, she felt almost stung. What could possibly be funny about kissing the breath right out of her?

  Dom must’ve correctly interpreted her stiffness, because he gestured to a beam overhead. “Mistletoe.”

  “At least one stupid Christmas tradition worked in my favor.”

  “Maybe you’ve been a good girl this year.” The dark fire in his gaze was enough to scorch her from head to toe.

  “If I thought that was true, I might take a chance and put up a Christmas tree.”

  Dom cocked his head, and Thea realized that her words had come out more bitter than she’d intended. He nuzzled the hollow beneath her ear. “If you had a tree, how would you decorate it?”

  The sensual excitement slithering through her system muddled her brain. At least that was the excuse Thea gave for her fanciful trip down memory lane. What would she put on a Christmas tree?

  “When I was little and my parents were still alive, my mother had all kinds of ornaments. There were glass stars, rocking horses of every color, and little painted figures from the Nutcracker.” Thea hadn’t thought about those in years. Why now? “I still have them.”

  Dom’s breath smelled of sweet liquor and mint. Its warmth whispered against her skin like a promise. “Where are they?”

  “In a box in my closet.” The confession left her feeling utterly exposed in a way she hadn’t been in years. “Make me forget, Dom. Please?”

  Chapter Five

  Dom had never felt such an overwhelming desire to wipe away someone’s pain. He thought of the tattoo on his back. Judge not. He half suspected that nobody could judge Thea as thoroughly and as damningly as she could herself. Her condemnation was in every expression and word. He’d have given the world to help her discover forgiveness and the chance to start over.

  “Please, Dom.”

  Her sweet whisper ravaged his self-control. He plundered her mouth as though he needed the contact for survival. He didn’t want to make a spectacle, but there was no place other than that alcove where she’d hidden earlier.

  He wrapped his arms around her lithe body and pulled her hard against him. Walking her backward, he let the shadows hide them from prying eyes while he molded his lips to hers. She made tiny noises of pleasure with each kiss. It drove him wild to hear her cries as he nipped her full bottom lip and moved down her jaw to her neck.

  She tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, and he thought his cock would burst from his jeans. He shifted to give the damn thing more room. The movement caused him to nestle against her crotch. The fabric of her dress kept him from fully pushing into the heat of her moist center. The teasing contact nearly sent him over the edge.

  He slid his hands beneath the skirt of her dress to cup her round backside. She undulated against his erection. Dom hissed and thrust against her. He wanted so badly to sink into her warmth, but he wouldn’t take that step if she continued to deny him the fulfillment of coming inside her body. Until she was comfortable enough to allow him to mark her, he’d have to be satisfied with bringing her pleasure.

  Dom placed his knee between her legs. She moaned and rubbed her crotch against his thigh. The heat and the friction ripped a strangled growl from his throat. She was hot and ready to accept his touch.

  “More, Dom,” she begged.

  Her words tore at him. He placed his palm flat against her belly, needing a sign from her that she was okay with him touching her in this nearly public place. She finally used one hand to shove his fingers below the elastic waistband of her panties.

  Definitely a sign.

  He brushed her bare pussy, and she moved like a wanton thing. She was questing against him, almost desperate in her need. He loved to see her losing control like this. It was a precious gift.

  When he slid his index finger between the folds of her pussy lips, Thea whimpered and bit her lower lip. Dom felt the pulsing bundle of nerves in her clitoris and began to gently circle the sensitive nub. She arched her back and tightened her ass.

  She was so wet. The sound of his finger pleasuring her pussy filled the close space around them. Her scent was heavy in the air. Dom’s cock grew painfully erect, and he wanted so badly to sheathe himself in her slick heat.

  Thea scraped her teeth along his windpipe, nearly shattering his resolve. “Fuck me, Dom. Please fuck me.”

  “No, sweetheart, this one is for you.”

  Dom penetrated her cunt with two long fingers. She shuddered around him, clenching and riding his hand until he felt her shatter. She melted with an intensity that beggared Dom’s ability to describe it. She was so beautiful in that moment. The purity of her pleasure gripped him hard.

  Watching Thea’s face as she gave in to climax sent an acute sense of loss through Dom. Alec was missing this. He s
hould’ve been there to enjoy Thea, to take her beyond this moment and on to real fulfillment. More than that, Dom wanted to see Alec’s arousal and share his in return.

  The strange thoughts hit like a low blow Dom wasn’t prepared for. Shouldn’t he be glad Alec wasn’t around? This meant Dom was further along the road to winning Thea. Except Dom was no longer sure that winning was any good without both Alec and Thea included.

  Someone cursed a few feet away. “What the fuck, Thea?”

  “Jax.” Thea opened her passion-clouded eyes and shoved Dom’s hand away from her body. She pushed her dress down and faced her brother as though he was a one-man firing squad. “I was actually looking for you.”

  “I can see why you didn’t find me.” Jax looked miffed. “I’ve told you that this sort of thing is unacceptable. What’s wrong with you?”

  Dom might have been a slow processor, but he didn’t need much time to understand that Thea’s brother was accusing her of what Jax obviously considered inappropriate behavior. Thea had been through enough this evening. Dom had stood down before, and that crazy bitch had actually slapped Thea. Dom wouldn’t stand back and let anything else happen. Not even if he had to stand against her brother.

  “I thought we talked about this after you threw yourself at Brody.” Jax’s voice increased in volume, and Thea was practically cowering behind Dom.

  “Enough.” Dom put just enough menace into the word to get Jax’s attention. “Don’t lay the blame at her feet. It takes two, and we’re both adults making adult choices. Case closed.”

  “Case closed, my ass,” Jax fumed. “Don’t even get me started on you and Alec. When I recommended Thea join your team, it was with the understanding that there’d be none of this hanky-panky shit.”

  Hanky-panky? Really? Dom sighed. “The season is over. What we choose to do with our social lives is none of your business. I suggest you step off.”

  Dom thought he’d gone too far until Thea gripped his hand. She held on for dear life, and the protective surge of power made him feel as if he could take on the world.

  “I taught you better than this, Thea.” Jax gave her a glare of disappointment.

  “Was that before or after you ditched me for your bartending buddy?”

  Dom couldn’t help but be impressed by her cheek. There might have been whispers in the last few months about Jax Bequette and his close friendship with Ossian McKinloch, but nobody ever mentioned it. Obviously her words hit a soft spot, because Jax looked as if he’d taken a physical blow.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Really?” She stepped around Dom. “You spend so much time with Oz, I hardly see you anymore. And really, that’s okay. We’re both grown-ups, Jax. I like being with Alec and Dom. They’re fun, and they treat me like a real person and not just an annoying obligation. I’m happy. Why can’t that be enough for you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know? Maybe because I walked back here to go to the john, and I caught you with some guy’s hands down your pants in public.” Jax made an angry gesture. “You know what? Go upstairs to Oz’s apartment and wait for me. I’ll be up shortly, and I’ll take you home.”

  “No.” Thea let go of Dom’s hand, and he felt an acute sense of loss. “You know what? It’s my car. I’m going home. You can shack up with Oz and spend Christmas with him for all I fucking care.”

  Dom finally found his voice. “Thea.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She got up on tiptoe to press a sweet kiss to his cheek. It burned like a brand. “I’ll call you later.”

  He watched her stalk away. It was like she took the light with her. When he turned around and found Jax more or less in his face, it did not improve Dom’s mood.

  “What the fuck are you doing messing around with my sister?” Jax demanded.

  Dom exhaled long and slow. He would not beat the shit out of Jax Bequette. There was no purpose in it, and Thea would be upset, no matter how mad she was at her brother.

  Alec strolled through the walkway. “Gentleman, why the crabby faces?”

  “Your partner here has been fucking around with my sister.” Jax gazed at Alec as though he expected the man to be on his side.

  Alec didn’t even hesitate. He took up a position beside Dom and squared up, as if the two of them were facing off against Jax. Dom might have gained a little too much satisfaction from the surprised expression on Jax’s face. Obviously Jax had expected Dom and Alec to be at odds over who got to be with Thea.

  Alec gave Dom a sideways glance. “Where’s Thea?”

  “She went home.” Dom hated that he’d let her go without a fight. Still, he hadn’t wanted her present while he and Jax got this shit ironed out.

  “Did you fuck her?” Alec asked bluntly.

  Dom decided to throw it all in. “That depends on your definition of sex. Although I will tell you that I’m nowhere near satisfied. In fact, I’m not sure I can be satisfied anymore without you involved.”

  Alec relaxed. “Now that we’ve got that straightened out.” He shot Jax a look that would’ve made most men turn tail and run.

  “Hang on a fucking second here.” Jax closed his eyes and stabbed both hands through his tousled black hair. “Are you telling me that the two of you have been tag teaming my sister?”

  “It’s getting a little crowded back here.” Ossian McKinloch’s broad-shouldered frame appeared just behind Jax. “I think the fire marshal might suggest we take this outside.”

  “They’re fucking Thea,” Jax told Oz.

  Oz chuckled. “The thing about being the oldest is that you sometimes get stuck scratching your head and wondering what the hell your siblings are thinking. But, when they’re grown-ass adults, you don’t get a whole lot of choice about it.”

  Jax visibly deflated, slumping forward as he walked toward a set of stairs visible on one side of the kitchen. Oz watched him go. A strange expression touched his face before he reached out and clapped Dom on the shoulder.

  “The lady was crying when she ran out the door,” Oz explained. “I’ll handle Jax, but I think the two of you need to figure out a plan.”

  ALEC COULDN’T DECIDE if Oz was doing them a favor or screwing them over. There were a whole lot of conflicting feelings going on in Alec’s mind, and he wasn’t at all certain how to sort them out. Why would he possibly care whether or not Dom had fucked Thea right here in the hallway? Was he jealous or something?

  It doesn’t feel like jealousy.

  Alec was plenty familiar with the concept of jealousy. He knew the sting of rejection and the poignant sense of losing a conquest, regardless of how he actually felt about the relationship. This was so much stronger. It wasn’t about Dom winning Thea or about being left out of the threesome they’d shared earlier that afternoon in the shower. Alec wanted to try it again. But this time, he needed more. This was the time to explore every facet of that experience for the possibilities it held.

  “Come with me,” Dom murmured.

  His friend headed for a narrow doorway that led into the beer garden. When Dom opened the door, a gust of frigid air swept inside. Alec welcomed the sting. It cooled his cheeks and cleared his muddy thoughts.

  The door shut with a clank, and they were alone in the empty courtyard. Alec had been to the bar plenty of times during the summertime. He’d sat out on the patio and watched sports on the big screens while he drank beers and tried to pick up chicks with his work buddies. He had a feeling he was never going to look at this place the same way again.

  “What are we doing?” Dom demanded in a low voice.

  Alec gazed at his friend, at the baggy clothing that hid so much and the solemn expression that divulged nothing. Dom was brutally masculine in a way Alec admired. Dom was broad and strong and comfortable with his masculinity. It was something Alec had always aspired to but never quite reached. Was that why he was so infatuated with Dom?

  “I couldn’t stop looking at you in the shower,” Alec admitted softly. “I’ve never experienced that before. I�
��m not usually into guys. I’m not like that.”

  “And?”

  “So what are we doing?”

  Dom wasn’t finished. “I’m attracted to you, Alec. Not to random men, and not to random women either. To you, to Thea, to the idea of all of us together.”

  “You’re everything I’m not.” Alec snapped his mouth closed. Why had he said that? Was he trying to throw away what was left of his pride?

  A tiny smile played at the corner of Dom’s generous mouth. “If that’s true, it’s only because you’re the missing parts of me.”

  Alec’s heart was hammering against his ribs. He was perched on the edge of an emotional cliff, ready to take the plunge and in no way certain what waited at the bottom. “So what do we do?”

  “This.”

  Before Alec could move, Dom had grabbed him and hauled him close. The taste of Dom’s mouth dominated Alec’s senses. Their lips met like two halves of the same whole. It was intense and consuming in a raw way Alec had never anticipated. Alec was incapable of stopping his own response. He wrapped his arms around his lover’s torso and twisted his fingers in the cotton T-shirt. It should’ve made Alec feel weak when Dom’s huge hands cradled his face to deepen the kiss, but it didn’t. There was nothing weak about the way they grappled like animals until their teeth clicked together and there was no telling where one ended and the other began.

  Alec’s lungs burned, but he didn’t want to stop. Blood rushed to his groin, and his cock grew painfully erect. Better yet, he could feel the hardness between Dom’s legs as well. It was exciting and forbidden, and Alec wanted to push these new boundaries as far as they could go.

  Dom broke the contact with a gasp, keeping Alec locked in his embrace. “We need to make this right with Thea.”

  “How?” Alec gave in to the temptation to soak up Dom’s solid warmth in the cold courtyard. He laid his cheek on the thick pad of muscle in Dom’s shoulder. “If she went home, she might want to be alone.”