by Tamsin Baker
He fell onto the bed and crawled up to her, drawing Laura onto his chest with the last of his strength, and taking deep breaths to still his thundering heart.
****
Laura blinked back tears as ecstasy threatened to consume her. Never had she felt such intense feelings of belonging, of rightness. She was exactly where she was supposed to be, and precisely who she was meant to be with. She’d never experienced such a perfect moment in her life. She lay with her head on Brandon’s shoulder, his arm around her waist and his lips caressing her forehead.
“I don’t…I can’t believe…” She bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes again.
Brandon chuckled and wrapped both arms around her tighter, the feeling of love and warmth swarming her senses until two tears slid down her cheeks unchecked.
Yep, lost the battle there.
“You don’t believe what?”
Tyler kissed the nape of her neck and stroked his hands down the tingling skin of her back.
“What is it, baby girl?”
Laura smiled and rolled a little so that she had her head on Brandon’s arm and she was looking up at Tyler.
“I can’t believe how amazing that was. I mean, it wasn’t just good sex, it was like, earth-shattering.”
Tyler smiled down at her and ran a finger down her cheek. “I’ll be inside you next time.”
Brandon didn’t move one single millimeter beneath her and Laura frowned at his silence. She looked up at his stony expression, then back at Tyler’s soft face. Something uncomfortable swirled within her belly.
“You aren’t jealous, are you? I assumed you were comfortable with this because you two suggested it.”
Tyler smiled at her. “There’s no jealousy, love—none.”
She looked up. “Brandon?”
His generous mouth twisted. “No, that’s not a problem.”
Then what was it?
“Is it what I said that’s worrying you? Is it always that amazing for you guys?”
Brandon grunted and began toying with her hair, stroking it over her shoulder and twirling it between his fingers.
Thanks, caveman. Eloquent response.
Tyler leaned forward and kissed her, moaning as he tasted her lips with his tongue, and drew back. “That was the most incredible sex of my life, Laura. You are an amazing lover.”
Relief filtered through Laura like sunshine on a stormy day. She giggled in delight and gasped when Tyler began teasing her breasts with his fingertips.
She turned to Brandon and looked up at her blond-haired god. He wouldn’t look at her, just concentrated on her hair.
“It’s not me that’s amazing! I’ve never come like that before, so hard and fast. How did you know what to touch and how to do all the right things?”
Brandon finally met her gaze, his blue eyes guarded as he shrugged.
Tyler grabbed her chin and pulled her back to him. He smiled and shook his head at her. “It wasn’t us, it was you. I can’t speak for Brandon because we’ve never shared a woman before, but no one’s ever responded to me like that. Our chemistry is amazing.”
Laura lifted her hand and cupped Tyler’s jaw, a part of her attention still concentrating on the man at her back. “Thank you, my love.”
Tyler’s eyes widened, then his face melted before Laura could call back the words. She was in so deep with these guys.
Now to deal with the moody, silent one.
She picked up the sheet and rolled up onto Brandon’s supine body. His hot skin pressed into hers, fissions of pleasure dancing along her nerves where they connected. She placed her hands down on either side of his head so she could look directly into his amazing blue eyes, and pushed up.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” she blurted out and watched her man’s cheeks flush with heat.
How did this big Neanderthal get so affected by such simple compliments?
“Thank you for giving so much to me, Brandon.”
Brandon grunted and reached up to draw her down, kissing her deeply so that continuing her speech was no longer possible.
She’d wait for the words from this one. She knew he wanted her, and she felt loved and safe in his arms. Time would tell if he really was the partner she needed. She pulled back to draw breath and a yawn escaped her mouth. “Sorry.”
Brandon chuckled and twisted them so that she ended up in front of him, her back to Brandon’s chest, both of them lying on their sides.
“Sleep—I get up at five and I’m gone by five-thirty. What time do you need to head off, beautiful?”
Heat stole across her cheeks as pleasure lifted her heart. Tyler lay on his side facing her and took up one of her hands, linking their fingers and stroking her cheek with his other hand.
“Ah…about seven-thirty.”
Brandon’s hand stayed tightly around her belly, and Laura felt herself slipping down into sleep until a thought shot into her brain.
“We didn’t talk about the lion thing!”
Brandon groaned and moved closer, his pelvis tucking into her ass and spooning her from head to foot. Even his shins ran along her calves and she let out a sigh as tingles spread through her body. She relaxed against him like a piece of pasta under boiling water.
“You’re a perfect fit.” His tone was joking, yet Laura heard the words and knew they were true.
She wiggled her ass and let her eyes close. She supposed she could wait until the morning. What was the difference—they weren’t going anywhere and neither was she.
“Yeah, you are, too.”
****
Brandon woke up like clockwork, with a sense of warmth and happiness filling him. He blinked in the darkness and became aware of the difference this morning brought. There was a soft female body pressed against his chest and groin, his hand cupping her warm, silky thigh possessively.
He usually woke up cleanly and quickly, ready to get up and go as soon as his eyes were open. This morning, however, he leaned forward and inhaled the smell of Laura’s hair and let his eyes slide shut again. He’d never felt like this before—warm and happy.
Within his chest there was a small amount of panic fluttering around the edges of the contentment that was dragging him down like a delirium fever.
Brandon eased back from the warmth of the cocoon the three of them had made in the center of the bed, with reluctance still tugging at his heart. It was so much more comfortable than his mattress, and hopefully now that they’d shown Laura who they were, she’d just move in with them and they’d sleep here from now on.
Yeah, simple.
He crept across the carpet and glanced back to see Laura wriggle closer to Tyler, obviously seeking to replace the heat he had provided. Fucking work.
He swallowed the frustrated groan that rose and made his way to his bedroom to quickly shower and dress. By the time he’d stepped out the front door and got into his car, the sun’s light was peeking across the mountains.
Something was missing. He searched inside himself and huffed out a laugh when he realized what it was.
Every day for the past decade, he had been battling something akin to depression. He’d never admitted to it, and had certainly never spoken the words aloud, but it was true. He’d filled the void with alcohol, work, friends, exercise, and sex. But it had always been there, eating at him whenever he was alone. He sat back in his chair and searched himself for the black hole that had been chasing him for a decade like a bloody Pac-Man.
“Fucking hell!” He burst out laughing, the sound coming from deep within his gut as he turned the car on.
Who’d have known that finding his mate would fix that?
Chapter Ten
Tyler blinked his eyes awake, his cock throbbing with a morning hard-on.
“Good morning.” Laura’s smiling face beamed at him as her hand explored him with confident strokes and caresses.
He rolled onto her, knocking her flat as their bodies connected. Her legs opened with invitation before she wrapped them around
his waist. Her elegant fingers slid up his arms and around his neck, keeping him close. He shivered at the intent and love he felt flowing through her and dropped his head to kiss the soft lips she tilted up for him.
“I love how you do that.”
Laura arched her back to get closer, her huge, soft breasts pressing into his chest.
“Do what?” she asked, running her hands through his hair and making his scalp prickle.
He shivered again as hot prickles of sensation slid over his skin and moved so that his cock butted up against her opening. He pressed forward and found her wet and hot from their night together.
“Touch me like…that…” He gasped as he slid into her, the hot clasp of her body making him want to blow from one stroke.
Oh wow. She feels even better than I imagined.
“Aghh…” Laura dug her nails into his arms and tilted her pelvis up for a deeper penetration that had Tyler panting for breath. He held onto his control through sheer will and began to thrust. He rolled his hips in a way he hoped she’d like, aiming for contact with her clit with each downward stroke
Tyler took a shuddering breath, closed his eyes, and lay his forehead against Laura’s. Being with this woman was like slipping into a warm bath after living surrounded with ice for years. Her need to touch him, to give him pleasure and share, was such a foreign concept to Tyler. His previous lovers were selfish, often cold. They’d loved receiving pleasure from him, but he soon realized that they really didn’t care either about him or who he was as long as they got the orgasms they sought.
Laura was so different, it made him want to growl with frustration. All those years of anger and fear, hurt and disgust. He’d walked through a desert with nothing but a glass of water, and now he was in an oasis of pleasure and love.
“Tyler, oh Tyler, that feels…”
Tyler moved his hips faster and reached down to grab Laura’s ass, tilting her up for a better angle.
“Oh, I’m…Tyler!” Laura cried out and squeezed her legs around his waist, forcing him to stay inside her as she came around him.
Tyler clenched his teeth and fucked her harder, riding the exquisite waves of Laura’s orgasm right through to the end.
Laura gasped a few more times, shuddered all over, then relaxed like every bone in her body had been removed. She stared up at him with a look of wonder and love that pushed him right over the edge.
He pulled out and exploded, groaning against Laura’s neck as he collapsed onto her warm body. His cock sent out wave upon wave of pleasure and spurted all over their belly’s.
Laura stroked her hands down his back, kissing his face and murmuring to him.
When he finally lifted his head to look at her beautiful face, sleep tugged at his subconscious, beckoned from its dark abyss.
“It’s still early, gorgeous, let’s sleep.”
Laura nodded, her eyelids dropping.
They disengaged, and Tyler grabbed Laura’s hand and gently lifted her up and out of the bed. Her beautiful eyes were at half-mast as he led her into the bathroom and gently cleaned her body.
He loved the look of pure contentment on her face as she hummed and smiled. He then quickly wiped himself off and guided her back to their room. He fell back into bed in a tangle of limbs and soft words before slumber claimed them both.
****
Laura giggled to herself as she received the third message for the day from Tyler. They’d woken up late and had jumped out of bed in a flurry. Laura had showered quickly and dressed in the work clothes she’d left in her car. She’d popped home before going to their house the night before, and she’d been so grateful she had when she’d arrived at work only ten minutes late.
“Come over for dinner again. We miss you.”
She checked the clock and typed a response while a stupid smile spread across her face. She couldn’t remember a time when she ever felt this happy. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
She finished the paperwork she had to complete and changed into some jeans in the staff room so she wasn’t in her work pants. She had a few questions for her beautiful males and she needed some answers. How was this strange relationship meant to work? There were two of them and only one of her. Would she always be enough for them? What if Brandon decided he was going to date on the side, or something stupid like that.
Acid burned in her belly and she swallowed against the sick sensation swelling like a wave as it approaches the shore. She wouldn’t be able to handle anything other than full exclusivity.
She said good-night to the staff and travelled the twenty minutes to her men’s home, walking up to the front door with butterflies the size of cats flying around in her tummy. The door flew open before she knocked on the intricately carved timber, and Tyler reached out and pulled her into the warmth of his arms.
Laura laughed against his lips as she was tilted off-balance, Tyler’s strong arms holding her as he showered her face with kisses.
“Hello to you, too.”
He chuckled and planted one quick kiss on her lips before he kicked the door shut and brought her down the hallway and into the huge living area where Brandon sat on the couch.
“You hungry, babe?” her blond lover asked from his comfortable perch. Laura moved away from Tyler to greet him, throwing her leg over Brandon and straddling him.
“No, not yet.” She leaned in to kiss him, their lips meeting and heat building between them, as he stood up with her still wrapped around him. She opened her eyes as he pulled back from the kiss to see his eyes flicker the lion-yellow. She slid down his body and her feet landed on the floor. She stood back up and watched a strange flicker of yellow cross Brandon’s eye. Was that his lion?
“I need to talk to you guys about something.”
Tyler moved over to her and pulled her down onto his lap as he sat next to Brandon, who continued to sit sideways with his eyes fixed on her face.
“Sure, babe, what’s up?” Tyler ran his fingertips down her arms, making her relax and sink into his strong embrace.
She bit her lip and looked between her two gorgeous men. How was this discussion going to progress? She was loathe to throw any tension into their newfound happiness, but this had to be discussed.
Laura took a breath and relaxed into Tyler’s arms, looking at her blond-haired god across the room. Here goes…
“How’s this going to work exactly?”
Brandon cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Laura inhaled deeply through her nose, then let it out again. She didn’t want to have to spell it out, but these were men. Subtlety wasn’t going to work.
“Are you two going to be faithful to me? Or does the monogamy thing, like, not exist in this kind of relationship?”
Tyler chuckled beneath her, his chest vibrating the way a cat’s does when it purrs.
Funny, that.
Brandon just gave her a weird look with a smile flirting around the edges of his strong mouth.
“Why, Laura? I hope you’re not asking if it’s okay for you to see other men.”
Laura stared at Brandon, then burst out laughing when she saw the smile turn into a frown.
She laughed with glee. “You’re kidding me. You guys are more than enough for me!”
Brandon’s tight shoulders and grim face relaxed. “Why ask then?”
She grimaced, hating the weakness within her, and her logical brain that screamed at her for her hypocrisy.
“Because, technically, I’m not being monogamous. I have both of you, and you only have me. I’d love to say you could have someone else if you really wanted to, but I think it would break my heart if you needed to sleep with someone else.” There! I said it.
Tyler chuckled again, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing hard.
“Of course we’ll commit to only you, Laura. I certainly don’t want anyone else, and as far as the monogamy thing goes, you will be monogamous. Just to two men, not one.”
Laura tilte
d her face up and smiled as Tyler kissed her temple, the gesture sending warm honey through her core.
She glanced across the room and could almost see the internal struggle going on in Brandon’s head. His face was twisted in a weird sort of way.
“You okay?” she asked, attempting to rise to go to him, yet Tyler held her tight.
Brandon shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just hadn’t really thought about it.”
Laura swallowed, fear fluttering in her belly. Tyler had definitely been more ready for her appearance in his life, while Brandon was the more effusive of the two. According to Renee, Brandon had been pretty wild up until she entered his life.
“Which part. About you being monogamous? Or the…hypocrisy of me expecting it, when I’m not really giving it?”
Brandon nodded, and his eyes took on a glazed sort of look.
Laura hurried on. Oh God, it’s going to kill me if he agrees to this.
“If you aren’t ready, Brandon, I understand. I don’t think I can choose between you, but if you aren’t comfortable with this, or want some more time to enjoy being single, maybe I can just stay with Tyler and you can…”
“No!” The word shot across the room, silencing anything else she would have said.
Brandon sat up straighter in his chair and flicked his head at her.
“Come here.”
Tyler’s arms released her, then helped her to her feet. She walked over to her big Viking, her legs trembling with each step. He grabbed her and pulled her down into his lap as soon as she was within reach, his solid bulk supporting her and making her feel safe and small.
“I’ve never been monogamous before. I like the freedom of being able to do whatever and whoever I want.”
Laura struggled to get up and off Brandon’s lap, anger filling her up so fast she could see red flashing in her vision as she growled. His arms clamped down on her and she began to hit out at him, her futile attempts to get away making tears spring to her eyes.
“Then let me go! If you don’t want only me, I’ll leave.”