The Gift of Three

by Kaitlin Maitland, Allie Quinn,

  There was a pause, and then Alec could almost feel Dom’s smile. “I think I have an idea.”

  Chapter Six

  Alec grabbed the trunk of the five-foot-tall Douglas fir and helped Dom heave the tightly wrapped tree into the back of his pickup truck. The sales guy looked like he thought they were certifiably insane.

  Alec offered a wave to the bemused Christmas tree salesman. “We appreciate you selling us a tree at the last minute, man. I know you were probably about to go home.”

  “No problem. Ya’ll have a Merry Christmas now.” The poor guy slapped his gloved hands together and headed back to his little trailer.

  Alec gave Dom a look filled with doubt. “I can definitely say I’ve never tried this particular tactic to get in a girl’s pants.”

  Dom gave Alec an affectionate nudge with his shoulder. “Trust me. She’s going to love it.”

  The tree lot was located around the corner from the soccer club. It was a cold, clear night, and the stars twinkled overhead. Right now, the evening was promising. If Thea slammed the door in their faces, Alec might view the whole atmosphere a little differently.

  “Relax.” Dom opened the driver’s door and got into the giant-sized vehicle.

  Alec swung up into the passenger side. “Easy for you to say. Do you even know where she lives?”

  “In an apartment above Jax’s garage.” Dom turned the key, and the engine roared to life. “It’s less than a mile from the club.”

  “Are you a stalker or something?” Alec joked. “Do I need to worry about you hovering outside the restaurant when I’m working a shift on the prep line?”

  Dom shot him a dirty look. “Only because I’m shit in the kitchen and I’ll probably be begging for leftovers.”

  Alec laughed. He was almost giddy with relief that the easy friendship he’d always shared with Dom hadn’t disappeared after the postkiss dust had settled. Alec spent a lot of his adult life chasing one conquest after another, but this was the first time he’d ever really cared about the outcome.

  The houses along the street were peppered with brilliantly colored lights in all their blinking and flashing glory. Two reindeer sat regally in one yard, while a blow-up version of Santa riding a motorcycle sat in another. Dom kept his speed painfully slow before turning in to a driveway six houses in. There was a glaring lack of holiday decorations at Jax and Thea’s address. Dom gave Alec a long, assessing look.

  “It’s going to be okay.” Dom’s quiet voice held the reassurance that Alec needed.

  “How do you always seem to know?”

  “What you’re thinking?” Dom put the truck in park. “I don’t know if you broadcast to everyone or not. I can read you now because I’ve always been able to read you on the field. That’s what makes it so comfortable to work as a team.”

  Alec thought about the seamless perfection of the three of them on the soccer field. “Thea fit right in from the beginning.”

  “Yes, she did.” Dom put the gearshift in park. “All we have to do is convince her this can be an on-and-off-the-field arrangement.”

  * * * *

  Thea hiked up her baggy pajama bottoms and poured steaming hot water into her cocoa mug. It was ten o’clock on Christmas Eve, and she couldn’t wait for the whole fucking holiday to be over with. Her tiny one-room apartment was snug and warm with the wind whistling outside her windows and the fire crackling in the corner.

  The garage apartment had been her mother’s craft room once upon a time. Thea had moved in when she was eighteen, wanting to get away from Jax’s overbearing presence. He’d renovated the space and put in a cozy kitchen with an island and a larger bathroom with a big tub and shower. Now, with Thea’s king-size bed, a sofa and chair, some bookshelves, and a flat-screen television hanging on the wall, it was her refuge.

  The hot-chocolate powder clumped and frothed as she stirred it to the perfect smoothness. She picked up a few of the marshmallows scattered over her countertop and tossed them into the mug before popping the extras into her mouth. Really, she might as well just console herself by eating the whole bag. They were supposedly fat free and therefore better than a carton of ice cream.

  The rumble of a diesel engine made her pause. Had Oz brought Jax home? Surely Oz couldn’t have left the pub before closing when there was a party going on? Thea stood on tiptoe and pushed her kitchen curtain out of the way to gain a view of the driveway.

  Holy shit! That’s Dom’s truck!

  She dropped to the floor and pressed her back to the cabinets. What was Dom doing outside her house at ten o’clock on Christmas Eve? If this was some kind of pity thing, she wasn’t coming out until next Christmas. She’d been embarrassed enough by her brother’s high-handed behavior at the party. Jax had basically called her a whore in front of Dom. Jax had insinuated that she did that sort of thing all the time. Thea knew the truth.

  She’d made plenty of passes at the club players over the years. Where else was she supposed to find dates? She worked for her brother at the club; she socialized with the people at the club. She had no other friends, no other family, nothing else but the stupid club. She’d grown up there. And she was an utter social moron when it came to the world outside. That didn’t mean that Thea made a habit of letting every guy who played soccer stick his hands down her pants and give her an earth-shattering climax.

  She heard boots on the stairs outside, and then there was a polite knock.

  Thea glanced down at her worn pink camisole. Her flannel pants were covered in cavorting snowmen. She looked ridiculous. There was nothing sexy about this getup. In fact, the camisole made it look like her tits were a negative cup size. Why couldn’t Dom show up when she was wearing a lacy baby-doll set or something?

  There was a hoodie hanging on the back of a kitchen barstool. Keeping her back to the cabinets, Thea stretched her fingers toward the soft gray fabric. The garment snagged as she pulled it toward her, and the stool toppled. It made a terrific crash on the way down.

  “Thea?” Alec’s voice came through the kitchen door. “Are you okay in there?”

  Alec is here? That’s Dom’s truck. Does this mean they came here together?

  “Open the door, Thea.” Dom’s quiet command was an incentive she couldn’t resist.

  Thea sighed and got off the floor. She wrestled the barstool back upright. Pulling the hoodie over her top half, she wrapped it securely around her midsection. Thea opened the door just a crack and hoped she didn’t look like a frumpy child pretending to be a woman.

  Oh. My. God.

  Dom and Alec stood on her porch with a Christmas tree propped between them. She gaped at the sight, letting the door swing the rest of the way open. Nothing had prepared her for a moment like this. The tree’s thick branches were swathed in netting to make it easier to carry, but she could tell they would be full and thick when it was set up. The scent of fir needles reached her nose, and she felt the pressure of tears.

  “You dumbass, I told you this was a bad idea.” Alec shot Dom an angry glare. “We made her cry.”

  Dom sighed and gave a little shake of his dark head. “They’re good tears, Alec. Would you relax?”

  Thea couldn’t help it. She giggled. They were so blessedly familiar. It mattered just a little less that she didn’t look like a goddess. These two had seen her dirt-streaked, bloody, and sweat-stained.

  “Sweetheart, it’s getting cold out here. Can we come in?” Dom asked gently.

  She nodded and backed up to make room. They seemed to swallow up all the space in her tiny apartment. Dom’s broad shoulders filled the doorway. His skin gleamed in the soft light. She longed to tug his baggy shirt off and get another look at the rugged muscles he was hiding underneath.

  Alec tripped on the way inside, cursing as he brought up the rear with the trunk of the tree. Thea hid a smile, lest he think she was laughing at him. He might have been shorter in stature than Dom’s overwhelming physique, but Alec was all athletic grace and sleek, caramel-colored skin. Th
ea wanted a chance to fully explore his beautiful body and tangle her fingers in his wiry dark hair as she kissed his full, sensuous lips.

  She stood back and watched as the guys squabbled their way through setting up the tree. The dynamic was bizarre but comfortable in its own way. Their personalities were utter opposites. Dom was quiet and certain. Alec was exuberant and impulsive. Oddly enough, Thea felt like a balance of the two and had ever since she’d joined them for training sessions at the club. Dom soothed her wild-child impulses, but Alec kept her on her toes and made things fun.

  There was something else going on in the room too, but Thea couldn’t put her finger on it. They’d always been compatible. Now there was a sense of something stronger tying them together. She watched Dom squat down to place a few bricks on the ends of the two-by-fours nailed to the bottom of the tree trunk to make a stand. Alec stood close, murmuring something about the tree not being straight. Their body language was oddly intimate in that moment.

  How could I ever choose between them?

  As desperate as Thea was to be in a real relationship, she wasn’t willing to do it at the expense of one of them. It was time to be honest and say it was going to be friends or nothing.

  She took a deep breath and blurted out the words before she could lose her nerve. “I need to tell you both something.”

  They turned to face her, and Thea had the oddest feeling something was about to permanently change in her life. From his place kneeling on the floor, Dom cast a glance up at Alec. Alec briefly met his gaze, and then they both gave her their full attention.

  “You can tell us anything, querida.” Alec’s tone suggested they’d listen but not that they’d agree.

  O-kay. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you guys said earlier.” She felt like a teenager trying to talk to her date the morning after prom. “I appreciate what happened—in the shower, I mean—but I feel like making a decision like that would… Well, it would ruin things. So, I’m sorry, and I understand if you guys want to like, leave, but I think we should maybe just stay friends.” There. A thirteen-year old could’ve done better, but whatever.

  There was another shared glance between the guys. It sort of felt as though they were having wordless conversations she couldn’t translate. It was awkward as hell. Thea kept waiting for the moment when they told her they were totally cool with the friends thing because they’d changed their mind after her brother basically called her a ho. And not in a ho-ho-ho holiday fashion either.

  “So what happened between us—all of us—earlier,” Alec said slowly. “Your only complaint is that we told you that you have to choose?”

  “Well, it’s not a complaint, really.” Thea hurried to explain. “I just don’t want to wreck our friendship, and—”

  Alec didn’t let her finish. “But that’s it?”

  “Well, yeah.” Thea felt more vulnerable now than she had when Jax caught her with Dom’s hand in her panties.

  Dom stood up, unfolding his big body as though he knew she liked to watch him move. She expected him to say something, but he grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head.

  Thea’s brain turned off. She couldn’t do anything but absorb the way the soft yellow lights played across the grooves cut into his stomach muscles. She exhaled slowly, feeling light-headed. When he bent over and carefully removed his boots, she realized she’d forgotten to inhale. By the time he’d set his boots by her armchair and unbuckled his belt, she was wheezing.

  “Breathe, querida,” Alec chided. He watched Dom strip out of his jeans. “Although, I do have to say he’s a damn sexy sight.”

  Thea was all set to agree when Alec chose that moment to put his hands on Dom’s hard pectoral muscles and run his palms all the way down to the waistband of Dom’s fitted black boxers. Dom hissed in response, grabbing Alec. When their lips met passionately, Thea almost lost her mind.

  What. The. Hell?

  Alec stabbed his fingers into Dom’s hair and ground himself against Dom’s swiftly growing erection. The ravenous hunger in the exchange sent the blood rushing to Thea’s pussy. In seconds, her folds were slick and wet. Dom and Alec were magnificent in every way. She’d never seen two men kiss like this before. She’d always harbored a certain curiosity about such things, but it wasn’t something she’d ever dreamed of witnessing.

  A shot of insecurity hit hard. If they were truly into each other, why would either of them give two shits about her? She worried the hem of her camisole between two fingers, stretching the fabric and biting her lower lip in agitation. She didn’t know much about relationships, but she was pretty familiar with rejection, and this was exactly it.

  Alec broke the contact with Dom and turned to stare at her. “Don’t even think it. I can see those dark thoughts from all the way over here.”

  She swallowed, suddenly feeling as though her tongue was thick and clumsy. “What?”

  “Come here,” Dom urged.

  She felt insignificant, like a little girl playing with men and about to get burned big-time. Still, she couldn’t ignore Dom’s request. She stumbled her way toward them, tripping on the edge of the area rug and feeling even more ridiculous.

  Dom sank his big hand into her hair and cupped the back of her head. “Beautiful, beautiful girl. Don’t ever think we don’t want you.”

  He kissed her, and Thea could think of nothing else. His tongue dominated her mouth and her senses. The spicy masculine taste of him erased her doubts. Alec’s arms snaked around her torso and pulled her closer. While Dom held her captive, Alec kissed a trail of sweet fire across her jawline and down her neck before peeling off her hoodie.

  When Dom left off kissing her, it was to resume his lazy exploration of Alec’s mouth. The front-row seat made Thea tremble with desire. She hesitantly lifted her hands and stroked their cheeks as they kissed. The tightly coiled power of their bodies was an aphrodisiac all its own. Then they drew her into their kiss, all three sets of lips questing together as they sank into the novelty of being a threesome.

  Dom drew back and gave them both a scorching once-over. “The two of you have too much clothing on.”

  Alec grabbed Thea’s camisole and swept it up over her head before tossing it aside. She squeaked and covered her chest with her hands. The shower had been one thing. She could tell herself the steam and the water made things look different, more sensual. Right here in her apartment, she was painfully aware of her tiny breasts and glaring lack of curves.

  “Never hide yourself, beautiful girl.” Dom tugged her hands down while Alec untied her pajama pants and let them fall to the floor.

  She wasn’t wearing panties and was utterly exposed. Nibbling her lip, she gestured to Alec. “Why does he get to keep his clothes?”

  Dom arched one eyebrow and gave Alec a look of heavy expectation. Alec wasn’t shy. He unfastened his first three buttons and slipped his shirt over his head. His lean sexiness made Thea whimper. There was no way this was real. She was going to wake up any second and feel like a total idiot.

  “You like?” Alec narrowed his gaze and let his fingers drift down to the waistband of his slacks.

  All she could manage was a mute nod.

  He took his time unbuttoning and unzipping his pants before he pushed them over his hips and to the floor. The heavy length of his cock sprang free and bounced against his bare belly. His shoes were already in a little pile. She didn’t know how she’d missed him toeing out of them, but her brain was on overdrive and she couldn’t hang on to the thought anyway.

  “So.” Alec looked from Dom to Thea. “How does this work?”

  “It’s been decades since I’ve had something like this in my mouth.” Dom ran the tip of his index finger from the base of Alec’s shaft to the hole at the tip. “I’m hoping Thea can give me some pointers.”

  Dom had done this sort of thing before? Thea started to relax, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Alec do the same. Dom had always taken the lead in everything. If he knew what he was doin
g, it would all be okay.

  Holding Dom’s dark gaze, Thea sank to her knees right there on her living-room floor. Her body tingled with awareness, and desire soaked her pussy in juices. She banded her fingers around the base of Alec’s cock and swallowed it whole.

  ALEC’S ENTIRE WORLD had flipped on its axis. He felt conflicted. There was tangled relief and jealousy from Dom’s admission that this wasn’t his first experience with a man. That would have to wait. The heavy need to have his lovers’ mouths on his cock overrode everything else.

  Thea’s big blue eyes stared up at him from beneath her thick lashes. Her full lips rode up and down his shaft. When Dom sank to his knees beside her, Alec almost came right then. Dom cupped Alec’s balls in his warm hand and kneaded them with shocking gentleness. Alec widened his stance to accommodate them both. Thea left his shaft to lick his sac, tickling Dom’s fingers with her tongue. Then Dom put the flat of his tongue against the puckered crest of Alec’s cockhead, and Alec groaned in ecstasy.

  Dom was almost rough in his attentions, Thea much lighter. The heavy pull of Dom’s mouth was exquisite as he sucked and then grazed the hotly aroused flesh with his teeth. Alec wondered if his eyes would bug out when the two of them tangled their tongues together with Alec’s head between them. They took turns skimming his shaft with their mouths.

  Alec trembled with the need to come. His knees were quaking. Reaching out for an anchor, he connected with Dom’s naked shoulder. The contact shattered whatever resistance was left. Dom was still his friend, but Dom was also his lover. With Thea joining them, there would never be a lack of satisfaction.

  The knowledge was devastating. Alec relinquished his tenuous hold on his self-control and let the orgasm erupt from deep within his body. He convulsed, his fingers digging into Dom’s muscle. Thea drew back a little, as though she expected Alec to come on her face. Dom didn’t let it happen. He pursed his lips over the end of Alec’s dick and eagerly swallowed Alec’s semen. The expression on Thea’s face turned to wonder, and Alec wished he could tell what she was thinking.