Game On (Entwined Hearts)

by Sheryl Nantus

  Jake slapped his hands on her shoulders to keep his balance, the shock quickly replaced by pleasure. He rolled his head back and moaned as Hunter took hold of Angela’s waist and entered her from behind, the slow pace a sharp contrast to the punishing rhythm she had set up on Jake.

  Hunter was beyond words, beyond coherent thought.

  She was so wet, so ready for him—he ground his teeth together to try to regain some measure of control.

  It didn’t help that Jake was babbling nonsensical words, thrusting into Angela’s mouth as she greedily sucked him in, letting out her own whimpers and moans.

  Hunter gritted his teeth together as he maintained his steady advance, giving her time to adjust to him. It was hard to hold back, the urge to slam into her almost overwhelming.

  It’d feel so good. . . .

  But he didn’t want “good.” He wanted great.

  At last he was fully seated inside her, the wet heat enveloping him and threatening to send him over already. His grip on her waist tightened as she tried to shift against him, force him to move.

  “Don’t.” Hunter groaned and placed his palm on the small of Angela’s back, fighting to keep control as she continued to please Jake.

  He had to move. He needed to move.

  Jake let out a stifled yell, his fingers tangling in her loose hair. She arched her back and Hunter slipped in even farther, the last sweet inches pulling him beyond control.

  He surrendered to his desire, pulling out at a glacial pace only to slam into her as deep as he could.

  The muffled feminine cry unleashed his inner beast, and Hunter sped up, his fingers digging into her hips to keep her still as he plunged into her again and again.

  Jake lowered his chin to his chest and let out something akin to a sob, his fingers now stroking her hair, his knees sinking deeper into the mattress as he tried to keep still.

  “Angie,” Hunter croaked. “I need—” He choked on the words, the heat spiraling up from his balls as he continued his punishing pace. “I need you to come for me.” He leaned forward and slipped his right hand from her waist down between her legs. His fingers searched through her moist folds, seeking the perfect spot.

  Suddenly she stiffened and pushed back on him hard, her hips rocking from side to side.

  Almost there.

  Hunter rubbed the tender nub, matching his frantic pace as he thrust into her.

  Angela let out another groan as she licked and sucked on Jake’s cock, his hands digging into her shoulders as he tried vainly to keep from controlling her pace. Jake moaned at the ceiling with every muscle in his body taut, bound up so tightly, Hunter believed for a second the man would explode from the effort of letting Angela keep charge of the situation.

  “Angie.” Hunter felt the lightning curl up from the base of his spine, the familiar sensation suddenly a thousand times more powerful, a million times more emotional than ever before. “Please, sweetie. Come for me. Come for us.” He pressed his fingers against the tiny nub and gave a none-too-gentle pinch.

  She let out a muffled scream and shook under him, the tremors rocking her body and his.

  The roaring in his ears mostly drowned out a combination of grunting and groaning as he sank into her one more time, the moist heat pulling him out of himself. Hunter grabbed on to her waist to stop himself from falling on top of her, his balance shaky as he gave a few last thrusts, weak and powerless compared to the previous ones.

  When Hunter managed to open his eyes, Jake was kneeling at the top of the bed, slumped back against the headboard. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and he gave a heaving sigh, eyes closed.

  Angela, her face pressed into the mattress, moaned and wriggled her ass, a familiar signal.

  Hunter pulled out slowly and carefully. Angela rolled onto her side. She let out a breathy sigh and snuggled into the sheets.

  Jake scrubbed his face with both hands before making his way to lie beside her, cradling her in his arms.

  Hunter disposed of the condom and slid in at the other side, effectively trapping her between them. “That was amazing,” he said in a strained voice. His legs were limp, and he’d only kept from falling over out of pride.

  “More than,” Jake said in agreement as he swung one leg over Angela’s, stroking her arm with his free hand.

  “Angie?” Hunter gently pushed the hair out of her eyes. “Angie?”

  She looked at him, eyes half-closed and lips slightly apart. “We rest now.” The slurred words stirred him almost to tears. “I love you.” Angela turned her head. “I love you both.”

  One hand slipped under Hunter’s neck, pulling him closer. The other slid back onto Jake’s waist, anchoring him there.

  “Rest,” Angela ordered.

  “Do what the lady says,” Jake whispered with an accompanying yawn.

  “For now,” Hunter added as a combination of exhaustion and elation overcame him.

  Chapter Ten

  Angela smiled as she put a slice of strawberry in her mouth, thick with whipped cream and syrup.

  Hunter had kept to his word and made waffles for breakfast, topping them with obscene amounts of whipped cream and strawberries.

  Jake had kept her out of the kitchen by keeping her busy in the shower. Each man had joined her, one after the other, Hunter pointing out possible future renovations to enable them all to be in at the same time.

  The sentence phrasing had her laughing and choking on the hot water even as Hunter finished his brief shower and hopped out, giving instructions for Jake to go in and keep her occupied for a good half hour.

  He did so with great enthusiasm, drawing her to the edge over and over again with keen applications of his tongue and hands. Finally he’d let her come, grabbing her before she fell to her knees in exhaustion.

  Jake toweled her off afterward, dutifully dressed her as if she were a delicate porcelain doll, and escorted her downstairs for breakfast. Her stomach growled with hunger at the smell of fresh coffee and waffles.

  They ate at the kitchen island, both men wearing only their underwear and Angela her new red robe, loosely held together with the matching belt.

  “So.” Hunter put his knife and fork down on his plate before looking at her. “We have to talk.” There was no humor in his words.

  She frowned, taken aback by the request. “About what?” Her attention bounced between the two men. “Are we good?” Her stomach sank, curdling the breakfast she’d eaten.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Hunter leaned over and kissed her, a light buss that settled her nerves. “I’m okay. I’m sure Jake’s okay. What I want to discuss is our living arrangements.”

  “Oh.” She mentally berated herself for jumping to such negative thoughts. “I’m sorry. I worry too much.”

  “That’s your job.” Jake speared a thick piece of waffle and spun it in the syrup. “It’s what makes you a good lawyer.”

  Hunter scratched the beard stubble on his chin. “I suggested to Jake, and he agreed, that it might be good for him to move in here. Rent him a room.” He pointed at the ceiling with his empty fork. “I stay in my old bedroom and leave the master bedroom for all three of us.”

  “That would be lovely.” Angela smiled. “It’d be much easier to get together. I could leave some of my overnight stuff here and—” She halted, seeing the hopeful expression on both men’s faces. “Oh. You want me to move in, too.” It was hard to keep the tremble out of her voice.

  “No pressure,” Hunter said, shaking his head. “I don’t want you to feel trapped into something. This is working for us right now. I want to make it work better, more efficiently. Having Jake here makes it a bit easier. Having you here would make it perfect.” He spread his hands. “But it’s up to you. We’re just exploring possibilities.” A playful grin appeared. “Of course, that’s what got us into this situation in the first place.”

  Angela returned the grin with interest.

  “Coach went and drew up a game plan. I’m making up the playbook. Going
to be a whole chapter on showering together.” Jake popped the forkful into his mouth and smirked. “Need to do some more research, though. Can’t go off half-cocked on these things.”

  She rolled her eyes at the pun.

  “We’re also thinking about doing some renovations.” Hunter looked at the stairs. “The bathroom, specifically.”

  “I love that old-fashioned tub.” Angela wagged her fork at him. “Don’t you dare think about getting rid of it.”

  He scrunched his lips together. “Going to be difficult putting in a tub large enough for all three of us plus an expanded shower stall and keeping that one around. Might have to put in a shelf for snorkeling gear.”

  She laughed as she pulled the last strawberry onto her fork. “We’ll see.” She drew the berry through the cream, swirling circles around the plate. “Maybe some hooks hanging from the ceiling for future toys?”

  Hunter’s jaw dropped open.

  Jake sputtered something before closing his mouth with an audible pop.

  Angela tossed them both a saucy wink, pleased at the reaction she’d caused. “But that’s for the future. After we get the renovations done.”

  “I’ll get the workmen out tomorrow,” Hunter said in a low voice.

  “I’ll go arrest a contractor by lunch,” was Jake’s reply.

  She paused, enjoying the chaos she’d unleashed for a few seconds.

  A more serious thought invaded her mind, one that had to be dealt with.

  Angela dropped her gaze to the near-empty plate. “My mother knows.”

  The single sentence froze the two men in place.

  She could have sworn they both stopped breathing.

  “Your—” Jake spoke first. “She knows?”

  “It sort of came out while she was warning me how it would look, bouncing between the two of you in public. Guess people are thinking I’m a slut screwing two men.” The bitterness slipped into her words before she could pull it back.

  “Hey.” Jake dropped his fork and came around to hug her from behind. “Anyone says anything to you, and I will kill him. Or her.” He brushed aside her hair to kiss the back of her neck. “This isn’t anyone’s business but ours.”

  “And if it works for us, to hell with what anyone says.” Hunter took her hands in his, searching her eyes. “How did she react? Was she okay with this?”

  “She said if it works for me then it works for me, and she’ll stand up for us if and when it comes to that. But you know she’s going to get flak from the church and her friends when it gets out.”

  “We’ll be there for her if she needs us. There’s nothing we can’t deal with as long as we’re together.” Hunter kissed her as Jake continued to hold her from behind.

  “That’s good. Because it’s going to take the two of you to help me move all my stuff in here.” She wiped her eyes, tears threatening to choke the words in her throat. “I want to be with the two of you now and forever.”

  Hunter let out a triumphant laugh as Jake lifted her off her feet and spun her around with a loud shout of happiness.

  “Okay. Okay.” Hunter smiled. “How do you want to do this?”

  Angela kissed Jake before going to Hunter and doing the same. “I can leave my place anytime. Mom’s going to be thrilled to have me out from underfoot.” She looked at Jake. “What’s the deal with your apartment?”

  “I told Hunter I’d like to give them a month’s notice, be fair with them.” He let out a snort. “I’m not going to miss the smell of yeast coming up through the floorboards.” He reached out and pulled Angela close, burying his nose in her hair. “This is much, much better.”

  She laughed as he nuzzled against her. “So six weeks from now, you move in here.” Mentally, Angela called up a calendar. “Let me talk to my mother and see when she’s prepared to let me go.” She held up a hand, seeing the pair about to speak. “And you’re both going to come to Sunday dinner at least once. She might be comfortable with the idea, but if we’re making this real, she’s going to have to get used to it.” She looked at Hunter. “How about two weeks after Jake moves in? That’ll give me two months to repack my belongings, and we’ll all have time to settle down together.”

  “‘Settle down’?” Jake dragged his hand up her bare leg to cup her ass. “What sort of settling down did you have in mind?”

  She locked eyes with him, stroking him through his jeans. He grunted as he rose at her touch, not showing any fatigue after the previous night’s events.

  “I’ll have to get used to having both of you around me all the time. We can’t spend it all sucking and fucking.”

  Jake’s cock twitched at the explicit words and Angela stole a look at Hunter, seeing the hunger in his gaze.

  “Maybe not.” Jake growled. “But we’re sure as hell going to try.” He grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder, ignoring her surprised squeal as he headed for the stairs. “Bring the bottle of syrup, Coach. Time to try out some new plays.”

  Six weeks later, Jake took his time to maneuver the rented moving truck into Hunter’s driveway, moving at a snail’s pace as he inched backward. Leaves crunched under the tires as he edged up the paved lane.

  Hunter stayed in his side mirror, waving him back with constant glances over his shoulder to check the distance to the open garage door.

  He threw up a hand and whistled, the signal to stop.

  Jake put the truck in park, killed the ignition, and hopped out into a stack of leaves almost up to his ankles.

  “Damned neighbor’s tree,” Hunter explained as Jake walked to the back of the rental. “He gets all the shade during the summer, and we get all the leaves when they drop in the fall.”

  Jake yanked at the sliding door and it flew up, exposing the cardboard boxes and suitcases he’d packed over the last few weeks, the few pieces of furniture he’d decided to keep jammed in the back.

  Hunter let out another low, rolling whistle. “You said you didn’t have a whole lot of stuff.” He reached under his Badger sweatshirt and scratched his chest. “If I recall correctly, you said ‘just a few boxes.’”

  “I said I wasn’t sure. Cleaned out a storage space I had rented, tossed it in here as well. Textbooks, mostly. Some weights as well, figured I’d add them to your workout area. Save more money in the long run.” Jake pulled out the metal ramp. “Might need to store some of it in the garage.”

  “Got the room.” Hunter gestured at the wooden shelves where they’d stacked the bedroom boards weeks ago. “Take as much space as you need.” He peered inside the truck. “Not much furniture there.”

  Jake shook his head. “The good stuff went with Mags, pretty much sent the rest to Goodwill. Desk for my room, that sort of thing.”

  Hunter frowned. “You tell Mags about Angie? About us?”

  Jake dropped the ramp onto the sidewalk with a loud clang. “Didn’t want her to hear it second-or thirdhand. Figured I’d face it up front and deal with her questions and comments.”

  “Hmm.” Hunter rubbed his chin. “How did she take it?”

  Jake shook his head, remembering the fight. “I won’t repeat what she said to me. Let’s say she made disparaging comments about all of us, from every possible angle.”

  “Ouch.” Hunter climbed up into the truck. “Sorry. I know you tried to be on good terms with her.”

  “Goes both ways. I heard she’s already moved in with a trooper. I want to believe she’ll come around and accept the situation, but respect goes both ways.” Jake motioned at the dark green footlocker closest to the exit. “That first, if you don’t mind.”

  “She going to cause any trouble for you? For us?” Hunter grunted as he pushed the luggage onto the ramp. “No offense, but I don’t know if we need to have her breathing down our collective necks or rallying the pitchfork brigade to run us out of town.”

  “I didn’t get the impression she was going to do anything other than cut us off her Christmas card list. Worst-case scenario, she can try—but I doub
t it’d come to much.” He let the grin he’d been holding back shine through. “Grace called me while I was loading the last of the boxes. I got reconfirmed by the town council for a three-year contract.” Jake tapped the inside pocket of his light jacket, where the fat white envelope lay. “Guess they either know and don’t mind or don’t know and it’s too late now.”

  Hunter laughed and hopped down to lift one edge of the footlocker. “I’d say they don’t care. I doubt they’ve missed the gossip train on this one. But with Mary-Ann on our side, I doubt anyone would have the nerve to say anything negative about Angie and take her on. If it’s okay with her mother, it should be okay with anyone and everyone else.” He grunted as they carried the trunk into the garage. “What do you have in here, bricks?”

  Jake snickered. “Only your enormous ego, Coach.”

  Hunter raised one hand to make an obscene gesture, smirking. “Always figured mine was bigger than yours, Chief.”

  Jenny was the first one outside the family to ask for official confirmation of Angela’s new relationship.

  Angela was in her office, putting the finishing touches on an e-mail going to another lawyer—the last attempt in the child-custody case she’d been wrestling with for weeks.

  As she clicked the mouse, the front door opened, admitting a burst of cool wind, a handful of dry leaves, and Jenny.

  The former sociology student had decided to switch to law, and now every filing session had turned into an impromptu tutoring session, Jenny peppering Angela with questions about how she’d handled certain cases.

  “Getting cold out there. Forecast says a chance of frost tonight, maybe snow. It’ll make Halloween interesting if the kids have to put their costumes on over their winter coats.” The young woman tucked a pair of gloves into her coat pockets before taking it off and hanging it up on the black metal coatrack in the corner.

  Jenny came over and perched herself on the edge of the desk. “So. You and Chief Weatherly.”

  Angela paused. Jake’s move a few weeks ago to live with Hunter wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. To the average person, it seemed nothing more than a cost-cutting measure, the police chief giving up his apartment to move in with the basketball coach who could use the extra cash.