by Susan Hayes
The cracks in her armor split a little wider and Lexa had to swallow down the lump in her throat before speaking. “I don’t need your pity, or your apologies. We were all just kids. There wasn’t anything you could have done.”
“We’re not kids anymore,” Diego said and his words seemed to carry a wealth of meaning.
“No, we’re not.” Beau’s fingers squeezed hers and both men moved so that she could make out their nearly identical expressions. The looks they were giving her made her throat tighten as new emotions welled up inside her. No one had ever looked at her like these two men were at this moment, and Lexa didn’t know if she should rejoice or run.
“You may not be the girl we used to know, Lexa Fox, but the woman you’ve become is under our protection now. No one is going to take you away from us again. You will never go hungry, or have to face the world alone again. Not ever,” Diego vowed and then his mouth was on hers again, his lips warm and gentle as he feathered a perfect kiss across her mouth.
“Stay here, Lexa. Stay with us and let us get to know you again. Let us do what we couldn’t do the last time, please?” Beau leaned in and covered her mouth with his the moment Diego lifted his head.
Lexa was too shocked to do anything but allow their kisses, one after the other. Her heart was racing and unfamiliar feelings were making it hard to think clearly. Why were they saying these things? Why make promises like that to a virtual stranger? And the biggest question of all, why was she so tempted to say yes? She took care of herself, always had. She didn’t rely on anyone else for help because she had learned firsthand that help always came with a price tag, one way or another. And yet, since she’d been back on the island she’d accepted help from Sam, and now here she was considering doing it again.
“Why?” she whispered against Beau’s lips and the question shimmered and danced in the air between the three of them.
Both men sighed and shared a look that Lexa couldn’t interpret and then Beau moved back to his seat on the bench, her hand still in his. “You really don’t remember?” Diego asked, his voice tinged with sadness.
“I’m sorry, I guess I don’t. My mother said so many things about this place and about Dad, I must have made myself forget. It’s been coming back to me though, slowly. What is it I’m supposed to remember?” She turned her head to look up at Diego, but his eyes were hooded and his expression was completely unreadable so she looked to Beau for answers instead.
His fair hair caught the light of the moon and he grinned at her, a complete contrast to Diego’s brooding. “I think we can help you remember. Close your eyes, Lexa.”
“If I do this, you’re not going to suddenly drop a lizard down my dress again are you?”
Behind her Diego chuckled. “Oh sure. She remembers the lizard, but not the promise we made to each other. Women are so damned fickle.”
“What promise?” Lexa asked as a tattered bit of a memory fluttered just beyond her recollection.
“Close your eyes.” Beau’s tone was firmer this time and Lexa decided to go along with it. She shut her eyes and leaned into Diego, letting the spice of his cologne tickle her nose as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest.
Beau’s hand withdrew from hers and she felt him moving, and then Diego’s hand brushed her hair as he seemed to be fiddling with something near his neck. Despite being tempted to peek, Lexa kept her eyes closed and waited, not sure what to expect next.
“Hold out your hand,” Diego murmured as his warm breath fanned over her ear. As she held out her hand in front of her, palm up, she felt his arm come around her again and stroke along the side of her wrist before placing something in the center of her hand. She started to close her fingers around it when another warm skin touched hers and she felt another object placed atop the first one.
“Now you can open your eyes,” Beau told her and she looked down at her hand. Lying in her palm were two necklaces, one silver and one gold. The chains were very different, but the pendants on each one looked identical. Blue dolphins, their backs arched as if leaping out of the water. They were smooth and still warm from the men’s body heat, and something about them felt achingly familiar.
She lifted them up to stare at them more closely and a memory came rushing back. The three of them were sitting on a dock somewhere, Beau on one side of her and Diego on the other, all of them with their feet dangling into the water. She had the dolphins in her hand and…“I gave these to you, I remember! I gave one to each of you.”
She stared at the cheap glass baubles and then at the two men holding her. “That was ages ago. Why do you still have them? Why were you both wearing them?”
Beau took the silver chain back and refastened it around his neck. “I never take it off. It’s my good luck charm.”
“Same for me,” said Diego as he took the gold chain and slipped it back over his head and then dropped it out of sight beneath his shirt.
“I didn’t give them to you as good luck charms.” Lexa frowned as she tried to pin down the rest of the memory. “I gave them to you the day I…holy shit.” She blinked as it all came rushing back. “I kissed you both on the cheek and then told you that one day I was going to marry you. Marry both of you.”
“I told you we’d kissed you before.” Beau gave her a lopsided grin and leaned in as he reached out to tangle his fingers into her hair and drew her forward until they were close enough their noses were almost touching. “And now I am going to kiss you again.” He kept his eyes open and gazed into hers as he brushed his lips across her mouth once, twice, and a third time before deepening the kiss. His eyes were the same silver-blue as the ocean and Lexa found herself lost in their depths.
Her lips parted and she leaned into his kiss, wanting to taste and to tease, needing to explore the connection she felt to him. She let go of Beau’s hand and reached out for him, sliding her fingers through his hair and holding him close as his tongue darted into her mouth and played a game of tag with hers.
Her breasts felt heavy, her nipples swollen and aching to be touched, and it was as if Diego felt her need because his hands stroked up her ribs to cup her breasts as Beau continued to kiss her. Heat pooled in her belly and spread outward like a liquid fever that made her forget everything but the way these two men touched her.
Diego’s fingers plucked at her nipples, every light pinch and roll sending jolts of pleasure sizzling through her. Lexa moaned softly into Beau’s mouth and he rumbled a growl of approval in return, one hand sliding up her calf, taking her dress with it. He stroked along her thigh and his fingers caressed her bare skin in tiny circles, working his way slowly up her leg toward her throbbing clit. Lexa tracked every movement of Beau’s hand, her needy body silent screaming for him to move faster.
Diego’s hands left her breasts and Lexa moaned at the loss of contact, only to moan louder when his warm, callused fingers slid into her bra and drew the heavy globe of her breast out so that it spilled over the top of her dress. “Look what I found.” He purred and Beau broke their kiss to stare down at her tit like a starving man.
Without a word, Beau lowered his mouth to her breast and began to suckle as Diego turned Lexa’s head and kissed her, his tongue stroking along hers as she gasped and squirmed in his lap. Being the focus of two hot, aroused men brought back every illicit fantasy Lexa had ever had and then blew them out of the water. Nothing in her imagination had ever compared to what she was feeling now. Beau sucked her nipple deep into the heat of his mouth and Lexa’s pussy pulsed and then flooded with fresh evidence of her arousal, leaving her inner thighs sticky.
Diego’s fingers tightened in her hair, drawing her head back so that she was off balance and trusting him to hold her as he cranked up the intensity of their kisses, his tongue dancing with hers as his mouth claimed and conquered. This new angle arched her back slightly and Lexa realized that Diego had done it to give Beau better access to her body, offering her breasts up to Beau even as Diego had laid siege to her lips, stealing her breath and maki
ng it impossible to think.
Beau’s hand crept up her thigh again and this time he pushed her dress up to her hips, baring her soaked panties. He groaned as his fingertips brushing over damp flesh and the vibration rolled through her, making her gasp into Diego’s mouth. She clung hard to Beau’s hair as the world started to spin and whirl around her.
Her swollen clit throbbed with the need to be touched and Lexa parted her thighs in silent invitation. She didn’t care if this was wrong, or if there would be regrets and recriminations later. She only wanted to keep feeling this way. She needed to give herself over to these two men, just this once and let her fantasies come true.
Beau stroked his hand over the silken crotch of her panties and Lexa barely held back a scream, her entire being tensing and then releasing in a shiver that started at her toes and chased all the way up her body.
When Diego broke their kiss, she sobbed in frustration, her eyes flying up to stare up into his. Before she could say a word, he laid a gentle finger against her lips. Beau lifted his head as well, releasing her breast with a soft pop, the cool breeze feeling far colder as it wafted over her wet nipple.
“Before this goes any farther, we need to be sure. Is this what you want, Lexa? If you say yes, then we’re both going to make love to you before this night is over. Together. All three of us. If you don’t want this, say so now and we’ll stop.”
Beau nodded his agreement and there was uncertainty mixed with the lust that gleamed in his eyes. “Before you say anything, you should know, this isn’t going to be a onetime thing, at least not for me. If you let me have you, sweetling, then once isn’t going to be nearly enough.”
“For me either,” Diego confessed as he traced her kiss swollen lips with his fingertip before withdrawing his hand so she could speak.
Doubt tinged with panic screamed through Lexa’s brain, throwing buckets of ice water on her overheated libido, but it wasn’t enough to stop her from taking what she wanted. Just this once she was going to be selfish, to do something only for her and to hell with anyone else. She’d pay the price later, whatever it ended up being, but for now there was only one answer to the question these two hot, sexy men had asked her.
“Yes, I want this. I want you. Both of you.”
Chapter 9
“Hallelujah.” Diego heard Beau groan as he dropped his head back to their woman’s breast and suckled until she gasped.
“One for the road then?” Diego asked, knowing the answer already. Lexa was on the edge, and there was no way they were going to leave her hanging. First they’d make her come, then they’d take her home and show her how much they’d missed her, and keep showing her until none of them was able to stand.
His dick twitched, still trapped beneath the lush curve of Lexa’s ass and that was likely a good thing or he’d be tempted to fuck her out here on the beach, condom or not. He kissed her again, loving the way her sweet lips parted so that her breathy little moans vibrated against his tongue.
He knew the minute Beau reached her sweet cunt because his querida, their beloved, moaned and bucked her hips up off Diego’s lap to grind against his best friend’s fingers. So much passion in such a hot, curvy package. He couldn’t wait to learn every inch of her body, taste her essence and finally know if the woman he’d wanted all these years could possible stack up to the fantasies he’d woven around her.
He snagged the hem of her dress and pulled it to one side so he could watch Beau toy with her pussy. The night air, already perfumed with night jasmine and the scent of the ocean, grew richer as the sultry fragrance of her need filled the air around them and Diego dragged the scent deep into his lungs before dipping his tongue into the well of her mouth to sample the delicate flavor of her lips. She tasted sweet and sharp, like fresh honey, and Diego wanted to lose himself in the taste and the feel and the scent of her.
The sound of her moans grew louder and she looped an arm around his neck, holding tight to him as she levered her hips up against Beau’s fingers. Diego watched as Beau fucked her with his hand, and his cock grew impossibly hard, his balls so heavy that every shift of her body made him want to grind up against her and dry hump her body like a horny teen.
As her body quivered and a flush climbed up the pale column of her throat, Diego lifted his lips from hers so he could watch her face as she came apart in their arms. Her orgasm came on slowly and he was entranced by the way her eyes glazed over and then closed completely. She let her head fall back so that her midnight black hair spilled over his supporting arm in a cascade of cool silk and her cries blended with the crash and roar of the waves as they rolled up onto the beach.
When she was finally spent and sprawled in his arms Diego brushed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth and watched as her eyes fluttered open again and a dreamy smile graced her lips.
“Hi.” She lifted her head to smile down at Beau, who had sat up and was carefully tucking her breast back into her dress.
“Hey there, gorgeous.” Beau deliberately lifted his hand to his mouth and sucked on his fingertips. “You are very tasty. Wait until you get to try her, Diego. She’s better than any dessert they were serving at the auction tonight.”
At the mention of dessert, Lexa’s stomach rumbled and she blushed. “Sorry, but you guys did steal me away before I got to eat anything more than the appetizer.”
“We did, didn’t we?” Diego grinned. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m really not. I wanted to carry you off the minute you walked into the room, Lexa. But now we’ve got you to ourselves, I suppose we should probably feed you.”
“Good thinking. We’re all going to need the energy,” Beau added and Diego didn’t miss the flare of interest in Lexa’s eyes. She wanted more? Good, because so did he. Lexa Fox had held a starring role in every fantasy and wet dream Diego had ever had, and now that she was back he intended to play out every single one of them.
Lexa smoothed her dress back down her legs, denying them both the sight of her soft thighs and it was all Diego could do not to drag the material right back up again. Beau always said he was the volatile one, and right now Diego couldn’t agree more. He wanted to tear Lexa’s clothes off and take her right here, right now and be damned with comfort, condom, or consequences. Of course, he also knew that was more likely to get him a slap to the face than what he wanted, so instead he gathered Lexa into his arms and stood up, taking her with him.
“Then let’s get back to the car, call ahead for a take-out order from the Kraken, and get on with what I really want to be doing.”
Beau stood up and grinned at them both. “That just leaves one question then. Lexa, your place or ours.”
She snuggled into Diego’s arms and let her head drop down to rest on his shoulder before giving them both an innocent smile. “Ours? As in you two live together?” She snickered. “Is real estate so expensive around here you two had to pool your income, or are you sharing a bedroom too?”
“Sharing a kitchen with him is bad enough, thank you!” Beau snorted with laughter and started heading for the beach. We’re best friends, but that’s it. And we live together because…” He frowned. “You know, I don’t think we ever considered not living together. It just happened.”
Diego smiled down at her. “We like women, and only women. We just always knew we’d be sharing one. Specifically, we always hoped we’d be sharing you.”
“Even though you haven’t seen me in twenty years? That’s uh…some ambitious wishing.”
“We never gave up hope, querida. Now I’m just sorry we didn’t come after you ourselves. We should have.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have been ready to come back yet if you had found me, but I sort of wish you had tried.” She hesitated only a second before asking the question that had been lurking in her mind since they’d stormed back into her life. “Why didn’t you?”
“At first we were too young. We made some inquiries and tried to dig up some leads while we were on the mainland attending the police academy, but we
couldn’t find a trace of you or your mom,” Diego told her. “And then when your dad died, we thought you might come back on your own, but I guess it took Sam a long time to find you.”
“Mom did something with our identities, I’m not exactly sure what, but I guess that’s why no one could find us. All part of her paranoia. I’m glad you tried to find me though, even if you weren’t successful.”
“Well, you’re here now, sweetling. For which I will be forever grateful. But the questions still remains, where are we going?”
“I think we should go to my place. Unless you two are the neatest bachelors in the world, I cannot imagine that I want to see your man-cave this early into our renewed friendship.”
Beau snorted with laughter and started heading for the beach. “That all depends on whose week it is to do the housework. My weeks the place is fine. But Diego’s a slob.”
“There’s nothing wrong with letting the dishes sit for a day before washing them.” Diego argued back and started following Beau back toward the car. He was too pleased by Lexa’s decision to let them into her home to really put much energy into his banter with Beau. It had been years since he’d been in the house, but he did recall that it was built for a ménage family, complete with a master bedroom big enough for three.
If he and Beau had their way, the time would come then they’d be forming that family with Lexa. It didn’t make any sense to be thinking that way already, but that didn’t change the fact that Diego knew from the moment she’d walked back into their lives, that Lexa belonged to them. Now they just had to convince her of that.
* * * *
The two men traded barbs and insults all the way back to the hotel, only hushing as they got within earshot of the balconies that overlooked the beach. They avoided the main lobby this time. Instead, they passed through a beautifully tended garden area and reemerged from it just a few steps from the parking lot, ignoring Lexa’s requests to be put down now that they were back on solid ground.