by Jayne Rylon
She struggled to keep her heavy lid open. “Really?”
“You sleep now. You’re safe here. I’ll call the chief and work out the details.”
“Thank you. All of you. Don’t deserve…” She drifted off mid-sentence.
Lacey watched the ensuing commotion through overwhelming numbness. A cacophony of ring tones formed a macabre symphony as the cops made arrangements—with their superiors, with a safe house, with a doctor, with each other—to ensure the protection of the women.
Then Mason’s measured voice cut through the clamor. She overheard him relate Gina’s culpability for the accident to the chief. Although he’d developed obvious empathy for the woman’s situation, he wouldn’t forget that she, too, had committed crimes against his loved ones. He kept his urgent explanation quiet to avoid Razor overhearing.
The patterns of deception had sickness roiling in Lacey’s stomach. She had to escape the insanity.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lacey retreated to the relative quiet of her bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed, a little disappointed not to encounter the solid butt of Rob’s Sig beneath her pillow. Her fingers had gotten used to tracing countless circuits around the grooves in the cold metal when she couldn’t sleep. Before she could muster the energy to search around for its new resting place, sluggish footsteps tracked along the hallway.
Mason and Tyler filled the room with their tense energy but she rolled to avoid facing them.
“It’s okay, doll. Everyone’s gone now. Razor took Gina to a safe house. JRad is tracing the email files Gina gave Rob. The chief dispatched two other cars to stake out your property. You can relax.” The bed dipped when Mason sat on the edge behind her.
“You don’t get it! So many secrets. Each one rippled outward, affecting someone else. I hid Jackson from you guys. You hid your relationship from me. Rob hid his investigation from us. The chief hid his involvement from the detectives on Rob’s case. Gina hid so many things. It’s a vicious cycle. None of this had to happen.” Lacey curled into a ball in an attempt to snuff the agony searing her guts.
The guys surrounded her. Mason lay at her back while Tyler tried to gather her stiff form close.
“We’re being honest now, little one. We love you and we’re not going anywhere, no matter what anyone thinks. No more secrets. No more lies.” Ty nuzzled her cheek. “We have each other, and that’s all we need.”
“You have everything you need, Tyler?” Dread curled around her frantic heart as she recognized the root of her distress. She knew it wasn’t true. They weren’t complete yet.
“I have you, little one. I have Mason. That’s all I need.”
“Liar!” She bolted up but Mason halted her progress when he wrestled her back to the mattress.
“You’re lying, too.” Her accusation flew in Mason’s face.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Lacey?” The hint of doubt swirling in his blue eyes pushed her over the edge. If she didn’t force them to be honest, they risked destroying everything. Secrets would erode their foundation.
“You’ve never let Ty love you, have you?”
Mason froze when Tyler groaned.
Longing transformed the taller man’s green eyes into the focused orbs of a big cat on the hunt. She’d witnessed the same intensity for a moment in the spring then glimpsed the predatory hunger during their rougher play yesterday. Tyler looked like a man on a diet who was seated at an all you can eat buffet. The things he wanted were in reach, but off limits. The power of his love gave him the strength to abstain but it shouldn’t have to be that way.
“He’s never wanted to.” The automatic response popped from Mason’s lips without hesitation but he peeked at the other man in his peripheral vision before focusing on her once more.
“Is that true?” They both turned to face Tyler’s unswerving gaze while Lacey questioned him. “Or has he never accepted you completely? He’s rough with you. He takes you hard when he can’t deny his urges. Is that what you want?”
“Most of the time.” Ty’s resigned acceptance pissed her off.
“Always?” She refused to surrender to the easy path now. “Be honest. Please.”
He gave a brief shake of his head but refused to look at Mason.
“You want to love him. Don’t you, Ty?” She cupped his cheek in her palm then traced the seam of his trembling lips with the pad of her thumb.
“Hell, yes.” When his stare finally rose, the laser beam sliced through the years of suppressed longing.
“Tell him the truth.” She prompted him to voice the malcontent stewing in his expression.
“Mason, I need you. All of you. Not just the animal lust that slips its chain when you’re stretched tight with desire. That’s amazing. But I’ve given you both all there is of me and now I want to have all of you.”
Lacey held her breath as one heartbeat turned into five and still Mason said nothing.
“I didn’t mean for things to happen this way, Ty. I’m not trying to shaft you. I-I just don’t know how to do this. I’ve never wanted another guy, you know that. The last couple days have been so different. Amazing. I just don’t know how to love you yet.” The veins in his throat throbbed when he swallowed hard.
“Follow my lead.” Lacey drew her sweater over her head then wiggled out of her jeans and panties. After the massive doses of adrenaline the day had supplied, they were all on edge. She opened her heart to the truth of their bond. Everything came into focus. She knew what she had to do. She unhooked her bra then lay before them naked before switching her stare from Mason to Tyler. “You, too.”
The guys stripped in less time than it took for her to peel back the comforter. When she reclined against the soft sheets, she held out her arms to Mason. “I love you, Mason, for all your good traits—your gallantry, your protectiveness, your loyalty—and promise to accept your faults.”
She spread her legs in invitation then sighed as his powerful hips settled between them. Though uncertain, his clear reaction to their discussion reinforced her resolve. His erection felt huge against her thigh. When he smothered her lips in a kiss ripe with his emotions, she guided his cock to her pussy. He slid home as though they were made for each other because that was the truth.
Buried in her to the hilt, he rested his cheek on the pillow beside her head. He stared into Tyler’s hopeful expression when he covered the other man’s clenched fist where it rested on the bed.
Mason’s hard-on throbbed inside her when he said, “I love you, Ty, for all your good traits—your sensitivity, your eternal optimism, your generosity—and promise to accept your faults, though I’m not sure I know of any. You’re the best friend a man could ask for. I’m sorry I didn’t see how much you needed from me, how selfish I was. Please take what you need. Take me.”
Ty groaned then sealed their mouths. This time their kiss held more than desperate passion. The slow melding of their tongues and lips mesmerized her.
Lacey smoothed her hands along the tense muscles of Mason’s back to his ass. She massaged his clenched cheeks as her lovers continued their sensual exploration. His cock inflated, spreading the inflamed tissue of her pussy further apart. Without breaking the contact of their ravenous mouths, Tyler reached behind him with one hand to rummage through her nightstand drawer. He must have stashed the rest of their toys there when he dropped off the pistol.
His long fingers directed Mason’s jaw to turn toward Lacey. He shared the delicious heat of their love with her as he shifted to kneel between their legs. She spread the cheeks of Mason’s ass, inviting Tyler to complete the circle by claiming their mate. Mason groaned then resettled his cock as his hips thrust involuntarily into her welcoming pussy.
Cool gel ran between the tips of her fingers when Tyler dribbled lubrication into the crack of Mason’s ass. She reached lower, to stroke her slick fingers across the tight sac housing his sensitive balls.
“Fuck, yeah. You’re killing me. Both of you. Just do it, Ty.”
> “That’s not what I want.” Tyler covered Mason’s back to nibble the shell of his ear. He winked at Lacey then sucked the lobe between his teeth for a sharp nip.
Where she’d been sure he’d persist, Mason went lax beneath the reprimand. “I want to be what you need. Both of you. I love you, Lacey, for all your good traits—your spirit, your empathy, your strength—and accept any faults you may have.”
The beautiful words triggered a spasm in her pussy. Her muscles flexed around Mason’s hard shaft, drawing moans from both of their chests. Tyler coached Mason in the background. “Relax, I’m going to prepare you to take all of me.”
Mason’s cock surged inside her dripping pussy as Ty’s fingertip brushed hers. The rest of his tense fist stayed steady for a moment before his digit began to invade Mason’s virgin passage. His knuckles sank beneath her grasp, which still focused on Mason’s sensitive balls, by gradual increments.
“There you go. Your ass is so hot.” Tyler’s other hand glided along the length of his erection with a moist, slapping sound. Then the steady trajectory of his knuckles against her fingers made it easy for her to match the rhythm of his other hand’s penetration with coordinated rocks of her hips. Every time Mason swallowed Ty’s finger, she sheathed his raging hard-on.
Ty peppered Mason’s shoulders and spine with tender kisses.
Soon Mason sought more as he ground his hips between their bodies. “If you want us to come together, you’d better get in there soon, Ty.”
He didn’t have to ask twice. Tyler squirted another coat of lube on both his cock and Mason’s ass before blanketing his back. He used his height to his advantage, meeting Lacey’s lips for a scorching kiss over Mason’s shoulder. Then their three tongues met in a dance that had her pussy rippling around Mason’s cock.
Mason groaned, burying his face against her neck. The rough pants of his heated breath scorched her shoulder but she felt the tremor of his fingers buried in her hair.
Their combined weight pressing on her should have been uncomfortable but, instead, it drove her crazy with lust. Each time the head of Tyler’s cock probed the opening of Mason’s ass, he jerked, driving his thick hard-on deeper inside her. While they traded licks, nips and kisses, Tyler ground against Mason’s back until his cock locked against the other man’s puckered hole.
Tyler froze but Mason thrust back several inches, impaling himself on Tyler’s patient flesh. Lacey chased his retreating cock but she didn’t have to wait long since the sharp bite of pain caused him to pull off Ty’s shaft and bury himself in her soaked pussy in the next instant.
Both men groaned.
“Put it back in, Ty. Fuck me.” When he attempted to repeat the process, Ty rested his forearm across Mason’s shoulders, pinning him in place. “Yes!”
This time, Tyler penetrated the tight ring of muscle with a long thrust that buried him to the hilt. The force drove Mason’s throbbing cock against her cervix. His pelvic bone bumped her clit. Her shout echoed through the room.
“Please, Mason. Let me fuck you. Please.” Ty waited for permission as Mason adjusted to the intrusion.
“Do it,” he snarled as he lowered his head to ravage Lacey’s neck. “Hurry. I’m not going to last between both of you.”
Tyler roared as he cupped Mason’s hips then began to thrust in a gradually escalating rhythm. Each of his strokes moved Mason within her grip. The walls of her pussy tightened around his bulging erection. The motion set off a chain reaction as Mason’s ass hugged Ty’s cock.
He picked up the pace, fucking them with deliberate strokes punctuated with soft touches while still murmuring his love. Lacey watched the awe and fulfillment blossom on his face. It made her heart soar, dragging her body with it.
“Mason! Lacey! I’m going to come.” His eyes were wide open as he absorbed every second of their lovemaking.
“Bust in me, Tyler. Give it to me.”
Ty threw his head back, his abdomen flexed then he growled as he erupted. “Love. You. Both.” He ground out the pledge between the waves of his orgasm.
Then heat flooded her as Mason joined him in release. Jet after jet of hot come seared her. The idea of their love flowing from Tyler to Mason to her triggered her own response. The world turned a million different colors as her whole body tensed then exploded. She drew out Mason’s renewed spurts until she lost contact with reality.
Her eyes closed, all she knew was that her men were nearby. Their heat, weight and ragged breathing communicated their presence less than the love filling her soul to bursting.
After the day they’d had, Lacey didn’t fault the guys for falling into a deep sleep while they cuddled. Mason remained at the center of the bed, now on his back. She and Tyler each occupied one side of his firm chest. Their hands intertwined on Mason’s cut abdomen.
Though the synchronized rise and fall of their chests soothed her, she couldn’t subdue the thoughts running rampant through her mind. Something wouldn’t let her join her men in their slumber. Everything had happened so fast since they visited Jackson in that horrible holding cell.
Even unconscious, Mason tightened his arm around her waist when she trembled.
Her scattered musings jumped to Gina. The way the woman had sat and cried as she confessed to drugging Lacey had been disturbing. She hadn’t been able to meet Lacey’s gaze when she uttered the description of Rob’s murder. Lacey’s mind replayed the moment. Gina’s fingers had obscured her eyes behind those ultra-red nails.
Nails that had reminded Lacey of blood.
Nails that had been perfectly manicured…
She frowned then disengaged herself from Mason’s clinging grasp. Soft cotton draped to her knees as she drew on one of the guys’ discarded T-shirts. The fizzle of unease climbing her spine prompted her to take a little walk. She snagged the nearest cell phone off the floor before she stepped into the bathroom.
She took in the mess she’d made in her haste earlier. To pass the time while she debated, she replaced the supplies she’d scattered. When she opened the drawer next to the sink, the pleasant glint of Rob’s gun winked up at her. Figures, Ty’d put it somewhere handy but safer than under the pillow.
By the time she’d finished the task, she still hadn’t been able to convince herself of the foolishness of the errant thought she’d had. Doubt slithered around her revelation but she figured, worst case, she’d look like a fool. She flipped the phone open then selected JRad from the contact list. After a deep breath, she punched Send.
“What’s up, Mason? Is Lacey okay?”
“I’m fine, Jeremy. Thank you for asking.” She grinned at the silence from the other end of the line. “I know it’s only been a few hours, but…have you made any progress?”
“Not much. We were able to track down the stripper, Irene. A co-worker admitted to witnessing the stabbing, Lacey, but she’s sticking to some crazy hearsay story to keep us from pinning anything related to the murder on her. She said Gina told Irene that Rob was teamed up with Jackson and planned to abduct her in the alley. That he’d hunt her down if she ran so she killed him in self-defense.”
Lacey chewed her fingernails at the news, reminding herself of her purpose.
“What if the woman is telling the truth, Jeremy? What else did she say?”
“You sound like you’re fishing. Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking?”
“When Jackson took me…you know…”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I fought him, Jeremy. I kicked, I screamed, I scratched and punched.”
He probably held the phone away when he cursed, but she still heard the scathing phrase.
“What I’m saying is, I remember afterward how bad my hands hurt. How ripped up they were. My fingernails were ragged. Several even tore off part of the way. But, remember when Gina confessed to us, her nails were perfect. If someone attacked her, beat her up, why didn’t she fight back?” Lacey waited for Jeremy to shoot holes in her theory but he didn’t.
“S
on of a bitch, Lacey. You’re right. Something’s off here. I’m going to call Razor back to the station. Don’t go anywhere, just hang tight for a second.” The connection clicked as he put her on hold. Her overactive imagination conjured an odd sound from the other room but when she listened harder there was nothing. Probably just one of the guys shifting in their sleep.
“Lacey? You there?” Jeremy sounded frazzled.
“Yeah.”
“Razor’s not answering. Where are Mason and Tyler?” The panic in his tone lifted the hair on her neck.
“They’re sleeping, I’m going to wake them right now.”
“Good, do that. I don’t like this. It’s too quiet. I’m sending someone to fetch that damn rookie. There are four officers staking out your house. There should be chatter. No one’s reporting anything suspicious but you guys better get down here as soon as…”
The unmistakable report of a gun discharging ripped through the house. Though she’d dropped the phone on the bathmat, she heard Jeremy’s frantic yells of “officer down” followed by her address. Her ears rang when the echo died away. The noise had come from the bedroom.
Now her pounding heartbeat made the only sound beside the horrid reverberations in her mind. There had only been a single shot, hadn’t there? Where were the guys, why were they silent? Instinct smothered the curious shout poised on the cusp of her lips.
Lacey dove for Rob’s gun then clutched it in her trembling grip before sliding the safety off. She chambered the first round with a barely audible slide of oiled metal. Terrified of what she’d find, but determined to help them if she could, she flung open the bathroom door.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gina stood silhouetted in the moonlight from the window as she towered over the crumpled forms of Mason and Ty. Tyler had a clear lump on his forehead which oozed a dark patch of blood. She must have hit him with the butt of the gun.