by Avery Gale
Just as he predicted, Cressida’s sharp intake of breath was immediately followed by a scream that sounded as if she’d meshed their names together, which made him smile. It was also his cue to move and despite Lawton’s curse, Brodie was able to sink all the way in without her realizing what had happened. Riding out wave after wave of her release was the sweetest form of torture. They set a quick pace of alternating strokes before she’d recovered, the goal was to layer one orgasm on top of the other, ensuring this was an experience she would remember fondly for the rest of her life. “You’ll come for us again, pet, but not until I give you permission.”
“I can’t. It’s too much.” He wanted to laugh because she was already beginning to shudder beneath him and there was no way she could hold back. The next few minutes would be burned in Brodie’s mind forever. Nothing was ever going to compare to the first time he and Lawton were able to make love to Cressida at the same time. The incredible intimacy of the moment made him pause for a second, which drew Lawton’s attention.
His best friend’s eyes registered the same emotion Brodie was feeling and he knew between one heartbeat and the next his best friend felt the same soul altering change he’d felt. Nothing was going to stand between him and making Cressida Walker theirs. She owned them both even if she didn’t know it. “Come for us, pet.” He hadn’t even finished speaking when her muscles clamped down so fiercely his breath caught in his throat because it was almost painful. Brodie felt his own release overpowering his control and letting go had never been sweeter. The thin membrane separating him from Lawton did nothing to prevent him from feeling the jerks of release as his friend joined their woman, and with his next breath Brodie let himself freefall over the edge of oblivion.
Brodie had never felt the soul deep connection during sex that he’d experienced a few minutes earlier—it was as if their souls had been fused together in a flash of heat so intense it was as if it had come from another realm. From the first time Brodie had folded Cressida in his embrace, he’d felt like he was sheltering her from the world, and that protectiveness was only becoming stronger over time. As her Dom, their emotional connection was also continuing to strengthen—every smile, every touch, every sexual encounter had built upon the solid foundation of trust they had as friends, but tonight the emotion had been so intense there would never be any way to go back.
It had taken several seconds for Brodie to trust his legs to carry him to the master bath to retrieve the small hand towel he had waiting in warm water and return to the bed. The first touch of the cloth made Cressida stir as she lay sprawled over Lawton. “Hold still, pet. It’s my privilege and honor to care for you, let me enjoy it.” He was thrilled when she settled quickly, her heart recognized their connection and if he wasn’t mistaken, they’d won her heart as well.
*****
Parker stared at his monitor but couldn’t have told you anything about the information he’d just read, his mind was solidly on the woman sleeping peacefully in Tristan’s bed down the hall. Goddammit to hell—why her? She’s going to be nothing but trouble. Christ, she already had him talking to himself. It didn’t matter how many reasons there were for not getting involved with Carli Walker—there was no denying the absurd level of physical attraction between them. Watching Tristan interact with Carli had assured Parker he wasn’t the only one wildly attracted to the beautiful bundle of trouble.
Carli wasn’t going to like being locked out of the apartment she shared with Cressida, but until his crew finished documenting and then removing every trace of evidence Dale Roberts had planted in their residence and on-line, he wasn’t going to compromise her safety. After seeing the elaborate effort the man had made setting up Cressida, Parker wasn’t taking any chances he might shift his obsession to Carli. They would also be following Brodie’s earlier advice and hit all the legal stop-points to cover their asses. They were awaiting approval for a warrant before going to the man’s home—but they all knew it was going to be an exercise in frustration. Roberts had been far too smart up to this point to leave anything incriminating lying carelessly around his own home.
When his phone rang, Parker was surprised to see Manny’s name on the screen. Manuel Gutierrez’s was currently working at JFK International Airport, and Parker was convinced the human race had yet to invent an aircraft the man couldn’t fly. Templar Enterprises had been trying to recruit him for months, hoping he’d head up their plan to put together a small fleet of aircraft to serve their growing business needs, but given the time of day Parker doubted that was the nature of this call.
By the time he hung up, Parker wanted to put his fist through the nearest wall. Finding out Dale Roberts had slipped through their fingers was infuriating. Of course it was an interesting coincidence that the court’s computer system had crashed an hour after they’d submitted their request for a search warrant. Parker was willing to bet the system had miraculously been restored within minutes of Roberts’ takeoff. Parker knew the man must still be tapping into their system because he was staying at least two steps ahead of them at every turn. I swear if he wasn’t driving me bat-shit crazy I’d hire him.
Parker was striding confidently down the hall toward Tristan’s room before he even realized he was moving. He hadn’t know what to expect, but the vision laying so beautifully bare was both a visual blessing and a curse to his control. Carli had been sleeping soundly when Lawton and Brodie had taken Cressida home several hours earlier, she’d also been wearing one of Tristan’s shirts. That certainly wasn’t the case now. Obviously she was comfortable sleeping nude and Parker was far more pleased with that knowledge than he had a right to be. Her hair was spread out around her in a jumble of silky waves and the low light in the room appeared to be drawn to subtle colors that gave the brunette beauty’s mane a depth that cameras failed to do justice. Carli wasn’t as curvy as her sister, she was also a bit taller, but aside from those rather insignificant differences the women were almost identical in appearance. The real difference between them could be found in their personalities.
Having worked with Cressida for two years, Parker had been continually impressed with her ability to bring order to even the most chaotic situations. But in the short time he’d known Carli he swore she was a very beautiful Tasmanian devil, spinning in like a tornado to disrupt things and then spiraling right back out just as quickly. Parker knew Cressida recognized herself as a sexual submissive—he’d bet his interest in The Knight’s Club Carli was going to fight her surrender every step of the way.
“She looks like an angel, doesn’t she?” Tristan’s softly spoken words pulled Parker back to the moment.
“Looks are deceiving.”
“Perhaps, but I don’t believe so.” Parker recognized Tristan’s tone, he hadn’t heard it often but knew it meant his best friend wasn’t going to be easily deterred from whatever goal he’d set—and right now it was crystal clear that goal was spread out in front of them like a feast waiting to be devoured.
Leaning against the door’s wooden frame, Parker crossed his arms and stared into the dark corner where he knew his friend was sitting despite the fact he couldn’t actually see him. “Don’t you think it’s a little creepy sitting in here watching her sleep?”
“Said the kettle to the pot.” Tristan’s mocking words contrasted to his tone, which was filled with humor. One of the things Parker had always admired about his aristocratic friend was his ability to laugh at himself—despite his royal connections, the man was the very definition of humble.
“She’s going to drive us insane, you know.” He knew he’d just conceded the argument, but the truth was he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to walk away from the powerful attraction he felt for Carli Walker. Shoving away from the doorframe, he made his way over to the other wing-backed chair in the small seating area at the back of Tristan’s master suite. Turning the chair so he sat alongside his friend, he kept his eyes on Carli as he recounted what he’d just learned about Dale Roberts leaving the country. �
��The son of a bitch is a threat no matter where he is—if he has internet access, he’s a fucking problem.”
“Agreed. Is there any reason to visit his estate? Something tells me that would simply be playing into his hand.” Parker couldn’t argue with Tristan’s logic, but in the end, it wasn’t his call. As the head of security for T.E.G., Parker could push the issue but he wouldn’t. In this he and Roberts were alike, the work ahead of them could be done from anywhere in the world as long as they had access to the web.
“I’ll let Brodie and Lawton call this one. For what it’s worth, I think you’re right and something about that grates on my last nerve. I think the only way to beat Roberts is to do what he least expects—we’ll have to keep him guessing. So far he’s made all the first moves and I hate playing defense.” And it was also a gross understatement to say Templar’s legal guru hated being forced to approach any problem from a defensive position, Parker couldn’t remember a time Brodie had been content to be passive when faced with a challenge—until Cressida Walker. Parker could only hope their friends pulled their heads out of their asses soon and told Cressida where their hearts were before it was too late.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“What do you mean he is gone?” Lawton held back his grin because he’d been working with Cressi long enough to recognize the shift in her voice. Oh yeah, our woman is about a fast five seconds from detonation. Cressida was facing off with Parker, and Law was pleased it was their friend’s ass on the hot seat rather than his own. “Like dead gone or took off gone?” Glancing over Cressida’s shoulder, Lawton watched as Brodie hid his smile, he obviously knew exactly where this was headed as well. Her voice was probably an octave higher than normal and he doubted she even realized how frantic she sounded. She’d once told him she thought she sounded like a shrew when she was upset, but he’d disagreed. In his opinion it was one of a very few small chinks in her armor and this particular tell had served as a red flag for both he and Brodie on several occasions.
When he and Brodie had spoken with Parker yesterday, they’d warned him delaying this conversation wasn’t wise—they’d also explained in vivid detail how prepared they were to throw his ass under the bus. Keeping the secret from Cressida in order to buy time to set up more security for Carli’s upcoming trip to Europe wasn’t going to matter in the end. Lawton hated the fact they weren’t going to see a resolution to this thing anytime soon, but if there was a good side to the whole mess—it was the fact they now had plenty of ammunition to get their lovely sub to move in with them, something they planned to address as soon as Parker finished pissing her off.
“When? When did this happen?” Cressida’s tone let him know she was probably going to put all four of them in the same boat she planned to torpedo. Lawton saw her glance at Brodie just as he winced—yet, fate sealed. We’re all going down. Going toe-to-toe with Parker probably wasn’t her favorite thing to do—she didn’t work with him often enough to know how to read him, but the look on his face would have told her he’d known longer than he wanted to admit.
“Cressida, you need to understand—”
She cut Parker off before he finished, “No, Parker, you need to understand—it is disrespectful to withhold information from me when it relates to my safety. When did you tell Lawton and Brodie? And where is my damned sister?” Lawton wanted to laugh at the look on Parker’s face, clearly the head of their security division hadn’t butted heads with Cressida before today because he seemed far too surprised to find himself facing the determined woman Law and Brodie knew well.
Leaning casually against the marble mantle of his living room fireplace, Lawton tried to observe Cressida objectively. Those who didn’t know her well simply saw a gorgeous woman who was almost too good at her job to be believed. They didn’t know the professional clothing now covered lingerie so racy he nor Brodie could barely look at her without remembering what tiny slip of temptation she’d chosen that morning. It seemed like they were both continually walking around with erections that stole so much blood it was a wonder their damned brains still functioned. Tristan had established charge accounts for her at several of the small boutiques and department stores her sister had suggested, now they just needed to make sure she was making good use of them. Last night Lawton had taken great pleasure in shredding the pretty pink thong and bra set Cressida had been wearing—it was something he planned to do regularly. Brodie enjoyed unwrapping his gifts with meticulous care, Lawton just wanted the woman—he didn’t care about preserving tiny scraps of elastic and lace that stood in his way.
When this conversation was over, he and Brodie were planning to propose to the petite ball of fire currently challenging a man nearly twice her size—God, he loved her so much it humbled him to think he and Brodie had finally won her heart. Letting Dale Roberts slip through their fingers rankled Lawton, but there really had been very little they could have done to prevent it. The man had tapped in to so many different servers and set up so many web-crawlers it had been impossible for them to make a move he hadn’t known about immediately. They’d have liked to wait until they could ease her mind about Roberts before moving on, but since there didn’t seem to be any way to predict how long this would drag out, neither he nor Brodie intended to wait. They had always intended to make her their own, the fact they now faced long term safety concerns only make them more determined to shorten the timeline.
*****
By the time she’d finished railing at Parker, Cressi should have been exhausted but she found herself pacing the considerable length of Lawton’s living room like a caged cat. How had her life gotten so out of control in such a relatively short amount of time? Everything started spiraling when she joined that damned chatroom. She’d simply been seeking answers from like-minded people—she hadn’t intended to attract the attention of a crazy tech-savvy stalker. “Why that Looney Tunes piece of shit decided I belong to him is a mystery for the ages. Damned man must be blind to think I’m a better catch than Carli—the T.E.G. team may think he’s brilliant, but I’m just not feeling it when I remember the bullshit he’s pulled.”
The more frustrated she became the faster she walked until she was almost panting from the exertion. On her next pass Brodie grabbed her arm and spun her around until she faced him, “There are too many reasons to list why you are perfect, pet. Don’t compare yourself to your sister. Carli is a beautiful woman—the entire world knows it, but you are even more beautiful and you are our well-kept secret.” Cressi hadn’t realized she wasn’t alone in the room, talking out loud while trying to work through a problem was a habit she evidently needed to break—quickly. She’d picked up the practice as a young girl living at home because her father had barely spoken to her once Carli had become involved in school activities that kept her away from home. And once her sister had actually moved out, she’d essentially become invisible as far as their dad had been concerned. “I know what you are thinking and personally I hope you always feel safe enough to work through a problem in ways that work best for you. It’s a special treat for a man to get that brief glimpse into the inner workings of the female mind—and even better when it’s the woman he’s in love with.”
When he finished speaking, Cressi was too stunned to respond and Brodie grinned as if rendering her speechless was one of his greatest accomplishments. “Come on, pet. We have a surprise for you.” He tucked her hand into the bend of his elbow as if her were escorting her into some grand and glorious party before walking her to a well-concealed elevator she hadn’t realized existed. It was enormous and when she looked at him in question, he grinned, “We kept the building’s original service elevator because it makes it easy to move large items.” She must have looked confused because he leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose as the enormous door slid closed, “You’ll understand soon enough.”
Cressi was surprised to feel the car ascending, she wasn’t aware the T.E.G. building had any useable space on the roof—but stepping out a few seconds later she was s
tunned at the oasis greeting her. Taking in her surroundings was such a visual treat her earlier frustrations melted away quickly. Most of the area was covered by a large fine mess fabric that was oddly transparent and when Brodie noticed her interest in it, he chuckled. “State of the art privacy protection, pet. It will keep the drones and passing aircraft from intruding on our time together. We love showing you off, but only on our own terms. It also limits your exposure to the damaging rays of the sun, so you can enjoy as much time up here as you want.”
There was a huge stone wall where water cascaded down into a small pool lined with water lilies with enormous koi fish swimming in lazy circles. The nearby bar featured very limited seating letting her know this wasn’t a place intended to entertain guests. She’d barely begun taking it all in when she noticed Lawton standing to the side. The tall table he leaned against held the most enormous arrangement of tropical flowers she’d ever seen. His smile drew her like a moth to a flame.
Brodie didn’t release her until she was only small step from Lawton’s open arms and the unspoken message of his gesture wasn’t lost on her. Knowing that one of them would always be close by filled a place in her heart she hadn’t even realized was barren. Lawton pressed a kiss against the crown of her head before she felt him groan with satisfaction, “You fit perfectly in my arms, baby. And I want you to always know this is your safe place. Brodie and I wanted to make sure you understood how important your happiness is to us—you’d mentioned how much you loved water, so we created this for you.”
Cressi gasped as she pulled back to study the two men standing in front of her, “You made this for me?” When they nodded in unison, she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. “No one has ever listened to me the way you do. I’m so grateful to have you in my life.” The next few seconds were such a flurry of activity, Cressi decided it would probably take her a lifetime to sort it through. They slipped a ring on her finger before she had even realized what they were doing and when their words began to settle in her mind, she finally managed to interrupt long enough to tell them she couldn’t possibly choose between them.