Dark Dichotomy

by Aubrey Ross

  “Is that an inquiry or an offer?” He tugged off his boots and struggled out of his pants.

  “Maybe later.” She crawled to the edge of the bed. “I miss your mouth.”

  He hadn’t forgotten what she’d promised to do with her mouth, but he was happy to kiss her again. She was still mostly dressed and he was naked. Another power imbalance she wasn’t willing to correct. He sucked on her tongue and nibbled her lips, kissing her until she pulled back, breathless and dazed.

  Without a word, she spread out on her back and rested her head at the edge of the mattress. Easily understanding what she had in mind, he moved forward. Before he could tease her lips with the head of his cock, she sucked him into her mouth. The sudden pressure bordered on pain and he gritted his teeth.

  She cupped his balls with one hand and stroked his shaft with the other, her lips hungrily sucking on the tip. He was paralyzed by pleasure. Fire licked up through his groin and burst in his chest, a sensory foreshadowing of his release. If he didn’t do something fast, this was going to be over before it began.

  He tried to pull out, but she wouldn’t release him. She grasped his hips with both hands and pulled him deeper into her mouth. He slid against the flat of her tongue while the snug grip of her lips moved up and down his length.

  Desperate for a distraction, he pulled her dress up, bunching the material under her arms. A simple black thong covered her mound, but her breasts were bare. “Oh God, you’re even more amazing than I imagined.” He stroked her breasts, captivated by the heat and their abundance. She rocked her hips, begging for his attention, but he wouldn’t be rushed. He worked her nipples into tight, rosy peaks then tugged with long, steady pulls. She groaned at the elongated caress and gasped each time he let go.

  She raised her bottom so he could slip off her panties. Her mouth continued its mesmerizing slide. Damp with her rising excitement, her dark gold curls teased his fingertips. He pushed one hand between her thighs then raised his fingers to his lips. Her taste spread over his tongue, evocative and unique.

  Unwilling to deny the impulse, he momentarily pulled out of her mouth and crawled onto the bed, directly over her. He pulled her away from the edge of the bed, making room on either side for his knees. He returned his cock to her mouth and focused his attention on her pussy.

  He spread her legs, holding her open while his mouth covered her slit. Her scent filled his head, and her heat warmed his lips. He parted her folds with his tongue, pushing directly into the very heart of her. She whimpered around his cock, her body suddenly tense. He wasn’t the only one teetering on the brink of release.

  Determined to savor the exchange, he traced her cleft as he slid in and out. Her mouth was wonderful; her pussy was heaven. He intentionally avoided her clit and paid homage to the rest of her sex.

  Her nails bit into his ass and she sucked hard on his ultrasensitive tip. His balls tingled and heat rushed up through his cock. Euphoria exploded in his mind, sending his senses soaring. Unable to stave off his climax, he closed his lips around her clit and took her with him.

  * * *

  Trembling and replete, Lark dozed in Joseph’s arms. Safe. She had never felt as safe as when she was with him. A sliver of guilt tainted her lethargy. Evan had offered up a piece of his soul to save her. Torral and Leos had played an important part as well, but Evan’s sacrifice had been more profound. She’d sensed his pain and resignation, though she didn’t fully understand the cause. There was so much she didn’t understand.

  She was lying here naked in Joseph’s arms. His taste lingered in her mouth and already her mind drifted on to Evan. Joseph’s brother. What was wrong with her?

  Pushing up on her elbow, she looked at Joseph’s peaceful face. His gaze was warm and welcoming.

  “Go ahead.” He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Ask whatever is making you so restless. I could sense it the moment your mind started churning again.”

  “That’s as good a place as any to start. I’ve always been leery of ‘psychics’ but your entire family obviously has legitimate gifts. You visited me in dreams. Can you do that with anyone?”

  “You weren’t actually dreaming. I accessed you on the metaphysical plane. And I don’t know if you’re the only one. I’d never done it before.”

  “How did you know where to find me? For that matter, why were you looking?”

  “I sensed what Aidan was doing to you. I had to protect you any way I could.” Pain flashed in his eyes before he averted his gaze. “I wish I had been more skilled. If Torral had sensed you, he would have been able to keep Aidan from hurting you.”

  “But Torral didn’t sense my fear, you did. Do you know why it happened?”

  “No, but the link is still very much alive.”

  “You can still sense my emotions?”

  “Oh yes. It’s intoxicating.” He looked as if he meant to say more but he changed the subject instead. “Aidan and Connell are distant members of my family. That’s why they have the same sort of abilities we have.”

  She looked at his perfect features and listed all the abilities his family possessed: empathy, telepathy, clairvoyance, astral projection, mental control… “Are you human?” The question didn’t sound nearly as ridiculous as it should have.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re an alien.”

  He smiled. “Some claim we are, but as far as I know my species is indigenous to Earth. No one has been able to produce compelling evidence to the contrary.”

  “And what is your species?”

  “We’re called the Dichotomy. I am Evan’s day-dwelling twin.”

  Her pulse leapt and anxiety gripped her belly. He’d just casually confirmed that he wasn’t human. She’d known he was different, but she hadn’t actually expected him to admit something this bizarre. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Evan is corporeal at night and exists in a state of pure energy during the day. I am on the opposite cycle.”

  “He isn’t sleeping right now. He’s incorporeal?” Her mind was reeling with the fantastical possibility, yet her heart understood the truth. They were one in the same. Different, yet connected. That’s why she wanted them both.

  “At dusk his body will rematerialize and I will go into sleep state. We are two halves of the same being. I think that’s why Evan found you so easily. You were destined to be with us.”

  “Destined?” She swallowed hard and her pulse gave another leap. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “We’re able to sense our mates, especially when they’re human. So few humans are compatible with our physiology, nature has made the connection almost impossible to ignore.”

  She scrambled off the bed and snatched her dress off the floor where she’d dropped it a short time before. “I’ve been unbelievably horny for the past few days. I thought it was one of Aidan’s commands.”

  “The first time it was, but I think this is something else.”

  “You think I’m your ‘destined mate’?” She couldn’t quite keep the sarcasm out of her tone.

  He tossed a couple of pillows against the headboard and rested back against them. “It’s easier for you to accept that you’ve had sex with another species than to acknowledge that you’re our destined mate?”

  “Ours? As in yours and Evan’s?”

  He arched his brow. “You can’t pretend that thought upsets you. I know better.”

  She didn’t bother denying his claim. He could sense her emotions.

  Needing a few minutes alone to reestablish her bearings, she said, “I’m pretty sure this museum has running water. Where can I take a shower?”

  Chapter Six

  The next three days passed in a blur. Lark called her boss and asked permission to extend her vacation. He reluctantly agreed. After eight years with the company, she’d earned a little leeway. Despite all the talk of destined mates and her unbelievable attraction to Evan and Joseph, she refused to make any long-term decisions un
til the crisis with Aidan was resolved.

  True to his word Joseph arranged a mystically shielded video conference for Lark and Holly. Lark was so relieved to interact with her niece that she didn’t begrudge Holly her glowing tan. Lark called her sister and reported the happy news. She also explained that she was entranced with Napa Valley and had decided to stay for a few more days.

  Ryan and Daniel drove to San Francisco and retrieved Lark’s luggage and her car. She hadn’t given them permission to mess with her things, but she couldn’t fault them for the kindness. They didn’t want her to leave until she recovered completely and she couldn’t keep borrowing from Kendra.

  Each evening the day-dwellers retreated to their respective bedrooms, leaving Lark with their human housekeeper. Ruth was delightful, even-tempered, yet surprisingly protective of “her boys”. About an hour later the nocturnal brothers emerged. Lark was curious about the actual transformation, but she wasn’t sure it was something she wanted to watch.

  The nocturnal team spent several hours each night purging her mind of psychic debris. Evan held her and stroked her face, easing her anxiety. It was the only time he touched her and she found herself longing for the sessions. Sexual tension crackled between them, but he stubbornly kept his distance. He used his brothers like chaperones, making sure they were never alone.

  Joseph was frustratingly standoffish as well. They spent each day together, yet he hadn’t so much as kissed her. Their casual activities felt like old-fashioned courting. Lark wasn’t sure she wanted to be courted. She missed Evan’s bold seduction and Joseph’s sensual tenderness. She was a modern woman after all. This wasn’t the eighteen hundreds.

  At night she tossed restlessly in one of the guest bedrooms, wishing they would be less gallant. If she was truly their destined mate, why wouldn’t they touch her?

  Kendra took her on a tour of the estate late one afternoon, ending with the cottage she was restoring. Kendra was friendly and informative, undeterred by Lark’s barrage of questions.

  “You’ll have to send me pictures once you’ve finished the restoration,” Lark said as they walked back toward the mansion.

  Kendra cocked her head and smiled. “Didn’t Joseph say you’re his mate?”

  “And saying it makes it so?”

  “No, but they don’t say it unless it’s so. Denying it won’t change what’s already happening.”

  “I’m attracted to them. I won’t deny that, but I don’t believe in life mates.”

  Kendra patted her shoulder while amusement twinkled in her eyes. “Neither did I.”

  Lark didn’t argue. Kendra was obviously content with her life.

  “So, what did you do before you stumbled into the middle of all this?”

  “I work for a digital marketing firm. It’s not glamorous, but it pays the bills.”

  “What would you do with your life if money were no longer a concern?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Kendra flashed a knowing smile. “You should probably start thinking about it.”

  The nocturnal set had reappeared by the time they returned to the mansion. Lark was shocked to find all six gorgeous Burtons congregated around the kitchen table. “I thought they changed places at dawn and dusk.” She couldn’t imagine why Joseph would make up such an outlandish lie, but here were Evan and Joseph side by side. She looked at Kendra for clarification.

  “They’ve been revealing the specifics in stages so it’s easier for you to accept. Both halves become physical during transition, which lasts about an hour.” She leaned in close and whispered, “That’s when sex gets really interesting.”

  Lark gasped and felt heat crawl up her throat. She searched Kendra’s gaze for evidence of some elaborate practical joke, but her new friend was busy visually undressing her mates.

  Evan sneaked up behind Lark and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Hi there, songbird. Did you miss me?”

  He was touching her! His warm body pressed against her back and his breath teased her ear. Excitement tripped down her spine, landing squarely between her legs.

  “Songbird?” Joseph echoed as he approached. “I like that.”

  “Torral and Leos agree that you’re fully recovered.” Evan nipped her earlobe. “How do you feel?”

  As if on cue, the others filed out of the kitchen. Kendra winked at her before she departed, but she didn’t resist when Ryan and Torral rushed her toward the doorway.

  “I feel…fine.”

  “We’ll definitely have to work on that.” Joseph traced her lips with the tip of his finger then pushed his hand into her hair. “We want you to feel so much more than fine. Are you ready for more, songbird? Are you tired of waiting?”

  She couldn’t find her voice, could barely remain standing. There was no denying she wanted them, but both at the same time?

  Evan untucked her T-shirt and slipped his hand just inside the waistband of her jeans. His fingertips grazed her skin with the teasing hint of a caress. “Do you realize how hard it’s been to stay away? Every molecule in our bodies burns for our mate. Do you understand how that feels? Do you ache like we ache?”

  The rolling simmer inside her had begun boiling the moment their fingers made contact with her skin. This is what she wanted, needed, more than breath. “I didn’t understand why you’d given up on me.”

  “Never.” Joseph kissed the corners of her mouth then looked at Evan. “We better take her upstairs or this is going to happen on the kitchen table.”

  “I’d rather we take her downstairs. Her introduction to the playroom was interrupted.”

  Lark stiffened between them. The playroom? Did he mean that medieval dungeon? “I’d rather go upstairs.”

  “I didn’t ask you.” Before Lark could think to protest, Evan picked her up and headed for the back stairs. A sense of self-preservation wrapped her arms around his neck as he flew down the narrow steps. Joseph pushed open the door and turned on the light as Evan maneuvered her through the doorway.

  “I don’t think I’m in the mood to play.” Her stomach tensed as her gaze swept the imposing room with all its strange amenities.

  “Then we’ll keep trying until you are,” Joseph told her. If Evan had made the claim she might have interpreted it as a sensual threat, but Joseph was giving and kind.

  Evan sat her down and reached for the hem of her clingy T-shirt. “This material is cruel.”

  “I like this shirt.” She slapped his hand away.

  “So do I.” Evan cupped her breast, effortlessly finding her nipple with his thumb. “The longer you delay, the less time you’ll have with both of us.”

  Evan entwined his fingers with hers and pulled her arms out to the side. Joseph pressed in behind her and peeled the T-shirt up along her torso. Evan reached for the front clasp of her bra an instant after Joseph gave him access. The T-shirt came off over her head and the bra followed it to the floor.

  “This isn’t fair,” Lark protested, but her body had already begun to melt in anticipation of her lovers. Evan bent to her nipples, while Joseph removed her pants. She’d kicked off her shoes by the front door, but Joseph took her socks, leaving her completely naked.

  Joseph supported the swell of her breast as Evan sucked. The cooperation sent a hot thrill through Lark. She would never have to worry about jealousy with these two. They balanced each other, complemented one another, perfectly in tune.

  “You are so soft,” Joseph whispered, his lips brushing the side of her neck. His free hand stroked her belly, descending and caressing.

  Evan’s mouth was warm and insistent. Joseph was already erect against her back. Everything blurred and tumbled. She felt weak yet oddly empowered. Both of these incredible men wanted her and her alone.

  “What did you have in mind?” Joseph prompted. “She asked me if I’d like to see her spread-eagled by the chair.”

  Her wet nipple popped free of Evan’s mouth. “Tempting, but I think the sling suits our purpose better.” He straightened and took
her by the hand.

  For a wild, breathless moment, Lark resisted, then the heat in his gaze and the sheer eroticism of the situation burned away her hesitation. She took one step and then another. Joseph caught her other hand and encouraged her with a smile.

  Evan tugged off his shirt and tossed his shoes aside. Joseph unfastened a canvas contraption from the nautical cleat on the wall. It swung free and unfolded. Lark looked at the various straps and loops, still unable to figure out how the “sling” worked.

  Joseph undressed while Evan adjusted the rope supports that threaded through pulleys drilled into the ceiling beams. Evan took her hand again and positioned her in the middle of the ropes. He brought a canvas seat into contact with her butt and motioned to the loops woven into two of the ropes.

  “Hold on. I’m going to raise you off the floor.”

  She slipped her hands through the loops and wrapped her fingers around the ropes. The seat supported her ass as he hoisted her into the air. Joseph slipped another loop around each leg and slid it up to mid-thigh. Evan adjusted a different set of ropes and her legs were parted by the loops.

  “This is obscene,” she said with a soft chuckle. Her back arched, thrusting her breasts forward, and her legs were spread wide, inviting a more intimate exploration.

  Evan raised her to the desired height then tied off the ropes. “It’s not that we mind holding you.” He stepped between her thighs. “It’s just that this frees our hands for far more enjoyable pursuits.” He rolled her nipples then slipped to his knees with obvious intent.

  Joseph returned to his place behind her and continued Evan’s brief stimulation. “Turn your head,” he coaxed. “I want to kiss you.”

  She loved his kisses, so comforting yet wild. His mouth settled against her lips as Evan’s pressed over her sex. The combination was so wonderfully carnal she felt the first spasms of an orgasm flutter her inner walls.