by Lily Harlem
“Lovers,” I repeated.
“Yes, like we are. Ed and I were together…we did…everything.” He pulled me to him and shoved his tongue into my mouth.
Everything!
I sank to full depth, his cock creating a dense, thick sensation that made me tense around it. My heart was beating fast as images of Ed and Coben naked, fucking, coming together, spun around my mind like a tornado whipping up leaves. I kissed him back with an excited edge to my need to come. Damn, my husband had done so much more than I’d known before and it turned me on, this side to him—the expansion of his sexuality, his experience. I wanted a piece of it.
“Yeah,” he panted, spanning my waist and staring at where we were connected. “You feel so fucking good doing that.” He urged me quicker. “More. Faster. Harder.”
I gave it, grinding against him, building myself up to orgasm, my clit swelling and butting against his wiry pubes. “You fucked him?” I gasped.
“Yes.”
“And he…fucked you?”
“Yes. Oh, God, Sian…we did it all. So fucking good. I’m…”
“Come…yes, come with me.” I was there. It had risen so quickly. The crest had arrived. I threw my head back, thought of the two men fucking, me there too, watching, masturbating, coming in time with them. I held my breath and groaned as bliss blasted through me.
Coben thrust his hips up, his cockhead shoving against my cervix as my pussy clamped around him.
“Yes, yes…” he hissed.
I was aware of him climaxing inside me, allowing his release to flood from his cock.
On and on I pulsed around his shaft. He grabbed my face, kissed me hard again, his breaths a wild storm on my cheek. I could feel all of him, every ridge, his length, the way his root stretched my entrance. We were so connected.
“Damn that was good.” My words were muffled, lost in his mouth.
“Yeah…fast, though.”
I slowed. “Fast but so good. We should do it like this on the sofa more often.” I giggled. “It clearly works.”
He grinned. “You really couldn’t give a fuck, could you?”
“What?”
“About my past…with Ed.” He was still a little breathless.
“No, I wish I’d known before.”
He screwed his brow into several creases. “I should have told you before. It’s been on my mind for years, that I’d only told you I’d kissed another man when I’d done so much more. When I’d had a full-on sexual relationship.”
He looked so at war with himself it tore my heart. “Hey, hey, you’ve told me now and let’s face it.” I paused and ran my hands down his sex-sweat coated chest. “It’s even better to be able to picture the hot bloke you made out with. Better than trying to just imagine him.”
He was quiet for a moment, then, “Why did you invite him to the beach?” He pushed my now-messy hair over my shoulders.
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Of course really.”
“Because I wanted to see him again. And…”
“And?” he asked.
“And I could tell you did too.”
Coben didn’t deny that. “Do you think he wants to come with us? I mean, it’s not really an elite serviceman thing to do.”
I laughed at that. “What, relax with friends on a sunny day, of course it is.”
Coben grinned. “Yeah, you’re right. He can’t fill his life up entirely with missions.”
I calmed my voice. “He’s SAS, isn’t he?”
Coben nodded, suddenly serious. “The best of the best. But I didn’t tell you that.”
“You didn’t have to.” I kissed him, wondering if there were hidden meanings in Coben’s words—the best of the best at everything? At fucking?
“It’s dangerous,” Coben said. “What he does. It’s one of the things that’s followed me, wondering if he’s okay…”
“Alive?”
“Yes, alive. And that scar, on his face.”
“Did he tell you how he got it?”
Coben shrugged. “He was vague, something about Kabul and a suicide bomber.”
I shivered.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. His flesh was hot against my skin as he kissed the top of my head.
“And his tat?” I asked. “Has that been added to other than what I did?”
Coben laughed, shifting me in his arms. “We only cooked some steak and sausages this afternoon, Sian. I didn’t check him out head to toe. Clothes stayed on.”
“Of course.” I smiled, my cheek bunching against his shoulder. “But tomorrow you’ll be able to see. I’m guessing he won’t wear his leathers on the beach.”
****
The next day dawned bright and I was excited as I piled up the paraphernalia for the beach by the front door. There were three sturdy loungers—wooden with red-and-white stripes—a blue windbreak, the large wicker basket stuffed full of a variety of homemade goodies I’d been creating since early that morning. I added towels, suntan lotion, a coolbox with drinks and the book I’d started a few weeks ago but hardly read.
“Blimey, just as well Edward isn’t trying to squeeze in the back with all this lot,” Coben said, staring at it with his hands on his hips. “The car will be full.”
“Well I have added extra. There’ll be one more person.” I touched my lips to his cheek. He hadn’t shaved since Friday morning and his jawline held a sexy coating of stubble. “Three of us,” I added quietly, “a threesome trip to the beach.”
He pulled back and raised his eyebrows at me. “What?”
“Threesome. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it too,” I said. “We’ve talked about me, you and another man before, and now there’s a bloke with a face and a hot body who’s into you and might just do.”
“Might just do?” He stared at me, his eyes wide. “Seriously is that what’s been going through your mind?”
“Well yes. Since last week, when we were in bed, when you…remember?”
“Yes. I remember.” He tugged at his bottom lip with his top teeth.
“It was you who suggested us finding another ‘cock’ to fulfill my fantasy.”
“I said hired cock.”
“Which would take a lot of organizing to find the right person.” I tipped my head, wondering if Coben would shoot the idea down or let it sit for a while. If he let it sit, then chances were he’d come round to my way of thinking. That’s how it often was with him.
“You’re forgetting one thing,” he said. “One rather important detail.”
“What’s that?”
“He might not be into me, not anymore.” He shrugged. “That was a long time ago.”
“I don’t think that’s true. I’ve seen how he looks at you, how his eyes get heavy when he’s listening to you speak, how he held you yesterday when you said goodbye. He was also as stunned and as affected to see you at the Sterns’ as you were to see him. I think he just coped with it a little better.”
“You think? He left as soon as he could. It was like he couldn’t stand to be sitting at the same table as me.”
“But you don’t still think that, do you? Not after yesterday. It’s clear to me that he very much enjoys being in the same room as you, or garden at least.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“I think the problem would more likely be that he’s not into me.” As I said it my heart sagged. I hadn’t had any problems with getting men in the past. Before I’d met Coben I’d had lots of dates, turned lots of offers down too. But Ed…he was a different entity. He might want my husband but there were no guarantees he’d want me.
“Who on this earth wouldn’t be into you,” Coben said, pulling me close. He’d obviously seen self-doubt cross my face, something that had happened over the years when it came to my work—that was par for the course with being creative—but not with relationships. “Of course he would be into you. The thing is…”
“What.” I stared up at him
, studying his eyes.
“Do I want another man touching my wife?” He raised his eyebrows. “Being into my wife?”
“I suppose that’s for you to decide, though a threesome might be a bit awkward if that’s something you can’t get over.” I paused. “And I am sharing you with someone else.”
He laughed suddenly, tipping his head back. “This is crazy talk. Edward is as likely to want to join us in bed as I am likely to make foreign minister.”
“The country could do worse. You have a lot to offer international diplomacy.” I touched my lips to his. “But what if we asked and Edward said yes?”
“But what if, and this is a new concept for you, but what if for once you didn’t race ahead of yourself, babe.” He gave my ass a quick slap. Then his expression turned serious. “This is all so unexpected for me, to have Edward in my life again, even if just for today. I’ve told you everything about my past too, also something I hadn’t planned for this weekend. So slow it down, okay.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, of course. Yes, I will slow it down. Whatever is right for you is right for me.” I kissed him. The last thing I wanted to do was make Coben uncomfortable or push him into a situation he didn’t want. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
****
Brighton was bustling with families and couples all jostling for space between the shoreline and the promenade.
“Shall we head down the coast a bit?” Coben suggested, glancing at the full car park.
“Good idea, let’s find somewhere less busy.”
He drove along at a snail’s pace, hindered by the sheer volume of traffic and a double decker bus stopping and starting. A small train on wheels, not rails, rattled past us in its own lane. It was overflowing with beachgoers holding towels and bright bags, kids gripping buckets and spades and licking ice creams.
“This is when a bike is good,” Coben said. He indicated a gap between the vehicles. “We could just whizz along through there.”
“I guess that’s why Ed has one, so he’s not at the mercy of the traffic.”
“He’s always been a law unto himself.”
I glanced at Coben. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “Obviously he follows orders. He doesn’t break the rules, but he’s always been his own person, doesn’t like to be cornered, restricted. He knows what he wants and takes it.”
“Is that one of the things that attracted you to him?”
He shrugged. “I suppose.” He paused. “He decided he wanted me. As soon as we’d established the feeling was mutual, he wouldn’t be tied down by what the powers that be said. He made it work.” He rubbed his hand over his forehead. “He used to come to me, take the risk, make the effort. It was him that made the first approach. It was brave. If I hadn’t felt the same way it could have gone tits up for him.” He shook his head as though a memory was coming back. “He’s done lots of brave things, but that, and then seeking me out night after night, was probably some of the bravest he’s ever done.”
“And no one ever suspected anything?”
“No, well, nothing was ever said. But we were very careful and just acted like mates in public.”
I rested my hand on his shoulder. “I can’t believe you kept all this inside for so long.”
He glanced at me. “It’s the way it was. I never thought of it as a burden but a special time with a special person. But I feel lighter now you know. I wish I’d told you sooner.”
“I’m glad you feel better, and don’t worry about wishing you’d told me sooner. It came out at the right time.”
“You always say what I need to hear.” He squeezed my hand and glanced at me briefly.
Just then the traffic cleared and Coben made the most of it by speeding up the gears. We headed past the main drag of arcades, cafés and ice cream parlors. The famous pier shrank into the distance and the crowds on the beach thinned.
“What about there?” I said, pointing to a small car park that appeared to have plenty of spaces.
“Yes, that will do.” Coben indicated and pulled into a gap. Before us, sand dunes rose into the air like large bubbles coated in fine grass that rippled in the breeze.
“I shouldn’t think it’s much of a walk to the beach.”
“No. It’ll be nice, not so crowded as back there.” He let himself out of the car and the warmth of the day poured in. “Just got to carry all this stuff.”
“I’ll help.” I jumped out and started piling myself up with necessities for the beach. By the time I’d finished I looked like a pack horse and so did Coben. He kicked the door shut and clicked the car locked.
Stomping up the first dune the heat poured down on me, but by the time I could see the waves the delicious briny breeze was wafting over my hot cheeks. I spotted a secluded dip in the dunes that offered uninterrupted views of the sea. There were a few people about but nothing like the congestion nearer the pier.
“What do you think about that spot?” I asked Coben.
“Perfect.” He began to pad through the sand in the direction I’d pointed, his shoes puffing up small grainy clouds behind him.
Soon we had three loungers set up, the windbreak hammered into the sand and the parasol over my lounger—I didn’t like to get too much sun on my cheeks. Coben opened the cooler and grabbed a can of Diet Coke. He tipped his head back and took a long drink.
“So you gonna strip, sexy?” I asked, slipping off the sundress I’d traveled in. Beneath it I wore my new black bikini that had small silver beads on the straps and the bows on the bikini bottoms. I dragged my hair up into a high ponytail and kicked off my shoes. The fine sand was hot on my feet but felt wonderful.
Coben whistled. “Wow, sexy, takes one to know one.” He let his gaze slip down my body, completely unapologetic in the lascivious way he lingered on my breasts. “I’m glad I’ve got you tucked away from the masses. There’d be a few old codgers having heart attacks if you were loose by the pier in that bikini.”
I laughed and flicked him with the corner of a towel. “Don’t be silly.”
“I’m not. I’m being deadly serious. You should really wear that kind of stuff around the house more often.”
“And do you think I’d get anything done?” I was thrilled by his reaction to my new bikini. It had cost a packet but was clearly worth every penny.
“Mmm, you have a point.” He stepped close and smoothed his finger over the strap that sat at my shoulder. “Well maybe just on Sundays. In the winter we’ll turn the heating up full.”
A series of trills from his back pocket indicated a phone call. He pulled it out. “It’s Edward.”
“Tell him we’re further along.”
He answered the phone and turned to face the waves. “Hey. Where are you?” He paused. “Yep, keep going along there, past the pier and then about another mile. There’s a small car park on the left, next to some dunes. Just head over them and you’ll see us.” Again he paused. “See you in a minute, then.”
I spread my towel on my lounger and sat down, stretching my legs in front of me. It was nice to be out of the sun, though I knew Coben would enjoy it all day. He wasn’t afraid of heat—maybe that was a symptom of being posted in the desert for many months. “He’s made it to Brighton, then?” I asked.
“Yes, in good time he said. He’ll be here in a minute.”
“You think he’ll find us okay?”
“Yep.”
“But…?”
“He’s found much harder targets than us, Sian, and with this monstrosity of a windbreak…”
I laughed. “Oh, okay.” I pulled the suntan lotion from my beach bag, squirted a dollop on my hand and started rubbing it on my legs. As I did so I was content to watch Coben strip to his swimshorts. There was no doubt about it my husband was hot. Tall and lean, toned in all the right places, including that sexy angle of muscle between his abs and the waistband of his trunks. The tantalizing strip of hair from navel to groin seemed to draw my
eyes to that region all the more. Not that I didn’t adore the squared shape of his pecs and his cute little nipples, or the thick muscles of his thighs that were coated in fine hair. It was just his lower belly, the tempting bulge…
“Hey, what you looking at?” He was grinning at me as he folded his t-shirt.
“You, why? Got a problem?” I tried to act cocky and cool.
“Not if it’s because you’re thanking your lucky stars I’m yours.”
“That’s exactly what I was doing.” I gave up cool and grinned. “Can you do my back?” I held up the lotion.
“With pleasure.” He smiled down at me.
I turned to face the undulating dunes to my right. A shiver of anticipation ran over my skin. Just knowing Coben would be touching me, even just for the industrious action of applying sunscreen, brought pleasure to my soul.
He started to rub in the cool lotion. I shut my eyes and enjoyed his hands on me. His fingers were firm yet gentle. They ran into the groove of my spine and over the sweep of my shoulders. He tickled the nape of my neck, set a kiss on my temple, then ran the lotion just beneath the waistband of my bikini bottoms.
“Hey, there you are, hiding in the dunes.”
My heart hitched at the sound of Ed’s voice.
Coben stopped what he was doing and gave a sharp intake of breath.
It seemed Ed’s effect on us both was the same.
I turned and spotted him stomping down the dunes, the muscles in his legs tensing as his feet sank deep. He was out of his leathers and wore navy swimshorts and a black t-shirt. His hair, though short, still managed to look helmet-flat.
“Great spot,” he said, nodding approvingly at our elaborate setup.
“Yeah, we thought it would be better to be out of the crowds,” Coben said. “More relaxing.”
“And I have plenty of food,” I added. “So we don’t need the cafés and shops.”
Ed grinned and dumped the same black bag he’d used the day before next to the lounger farthest from the one I’d sat on. “I’m going for a dip. Not the best day to spend two hours in bike gear. But at least I didn’t get stuck in traffic.”
“Beauty of a bike,” Coben said.
“Yep.”