True Refuge

by Annabelle McInnes

  He ran his rough palms over her supple skin of her inner thigh, feeling her tremble beneath his fingertips. ‘Kneel, Nicky,’ he demanded, and Kira arched in his hold.

  A knowing smirk played at the corners of Nick’s lips as he moved to his knees.

  Euan’s palms moved over Kira’s limbs until he reached her hands. He directed her until her fingers grasped his knees. He coaxed her head to the side with his bearded chin, letting the coarse hair rub against the sensitive skin of her throat. His lips met her ear and before he spoke, his tongue traced the whirl of cartilage with leisurely maliciousness.

  ‘You’re not to move, Kira,’ he murmured into her ear. ‘Not your fingers or your toes. I want you to try and stay very still while our Nicky enjoys himself. And if you’re a really good girl, I’ll let you climax, understand?’

  ‘Euan …’ she begged, a shockwave of need vibrating through her.

  ‘Mmm,’ Euan hummed. ‘I do like that tone. Nicky?’

  Nick caught Euan’s passionate gaze and removed his shirt in one lithe move, tempting them both with the smooth bronze skin, the distinct muscles, that taunting line of dark blonde hair that paved a provocative road down past the fastening of his pants.

  Euan interwove his fingers with Kira’s. ‘Take your time, Nick,’ he rumbled, letting his gaze linger. ‘Just don’t take her over the edge until I say, yeah?’

  Nick’s husky chuckle reverberated through the room. He slid his long-fingered hands up Kira’s trembling thighs and bent his head.

  Kira gasped when his lips took her straining nipple in his mouth. He made wet sucking noises as he enjoyed the heaving flesh, and his eyes closed with obvious relish as he reveled in every pant, mewl and cry. His free hand moved up her body until it pinched and pulled at the twin and within moments, he had Kira gasping for breath and writhing in Euan’s lap, begging for mercy.

  Euan made a noise in his throat. ‘She moves too much, you stop, yeah? She may not obey me in most things, but in this, she will.’

  Nick smiled with malevolence, his teeth still trapping one cherry-red nipple between them. ‘You got it,’ he mumbled, and then resumed his tortuous play.

  Kira was a quick learner, swiftly understanding that even her involuntary twitches had Nick pulling back from his assault. Euan couldn’t hold in his satisfied grin as he felt her tremble from the strain of pulling herself to submit to their combined demands.

  When Nick moved from her chest down to the source of the intoxicating musk with slow, sucking kisses, she cried out.

  She gripped Euan’s knees viciously, her nails digging into his flesh through the material surrounding them. She begged, pleaded and entreated for Euan to let her reach completion, her voice soon becoming hoarse with her appeals. But he had other plans before he took them to the undeniable conclusion.

  ‘Slower, Nicky,’ Euan demanded. ‘Show me how wet she is. Let me hear it.’

  Nick used his hands so Euan could watch. Just as Kira was keening for release, he ordered Nick to stop.

  Nick’s lips were glossy, his gaze so scorching he burned holes in Euan’s soul. It eviscerated the brands that had been marked there by the devil when he became a murderer, when he’d had to fight for their lives; it burned away the guilt he felt for leaving Nick behind and the suffering he couldn’t eradicate from not being enough for the woman they’d tried to save. It washed him clean, left him whole. It confirmed that masculinity was defined by love, and not by hate.

  His breath hissed out through his teeth at the ferocity of the rebranding. The new layer of skin was tender and new, easily marred, but as he held that blazing gaze, he knew that layer was safe with Nick.

  ‘Come here,’ he demanded, his voice thick with emotion.

  Nick recognised the reaction and didn’t hesitate to move up Kira’s panting body to smash his mouth against Euan’s. Their tongues dueled and their teeth clashed. He tasted Kira, the kiss becoming increasingly potent because of it.

  ‘Undo your pants, Nick,’ Euan murmured against Nick’s lips.

  Nick’s chest was heaving as he unzipped the tactical pants he wore. The effort to dip his hand beneath the waistband and bring out his engorged cock was slow, leisurely. His smoldering jade eyes shifted to Kira, and when he revealed what he had for her, Kira groaned at the sight.

  Euan moved his lips until they could trail wet kisses under her ear. ‘I want you to make him come, pretty girl, all over those gorgeous tits of yours. I want you to do it while I take you over the edge with my fingers. Yeah?’

  Kira laughed nervously. ‘I can’t, Euan. It’s all too much. There isn’t any way—’

  ‘Shh,’ he encouraged. ‘You can, sweetheart, and you will.’

  She shook her head against his collarbone, her white-blonde curls damp against her hairline.

  Together, they wrapped their hands around Nick’s beautiful cock, its flared head flushed with excitement. His girth was substantial, his length perfect.

  Euan shifted his grip until it was only Kira’s fine-boned hand wrapped around the throbbing erection. The sight had Euan’s own engorged dick pressing against the fly in his jeans, his balls tightening and his stomach clenching.

  ‘I want you to move that pretty hand of yours until he comes,’ Euan murmured into the sex-saturated room. ‘I wanna see his seed all over your skin.’

  Nick growled through a feral grin at Euan’s words, the need to brand Kira visceral, primal.

  She moved her hand slowly at first. As she discovered what Nick enjoyed, she increased her rhythm until his lips were tipped up in a grimace, a snarl vibrating through him, and had Euan grinning wickedly from the beauty of the moment.

  It was time to increase the tension. ‘Your turn, Nick,’ Euan growled. ‘No moving, not until I say. Hands on my knees with Kira’s. Beg when you want to come.’

  Nick was used to Euan’s demands, but they had made no progress towards building a bridge over that last rift between them. Now, he welcomed the familiarity with a groan and a shuddering sigh.

  Euan turned to nibble at Kira’s exposed throat, the skin slick under his lips. One hand moved down her body to play with a straining nipple, while the other lazily traversed her quivering stomach until it met her gloriously wet core.

  She was drenched. It was phenomenal. He was humbled by it—the magnificence of the moment, the splendour of her flawless surrender. It stole his breath as he took his time exploring her with his fingers while watching the poor woman valiantly try and tease Nick to fulfillment.

  Nick shifted his hand until he reached Kira’s on Euan’s knee. He watched them intertwine their fingers, both their bodies racing towards their shared pinnacle. When Kira gave up on remaining immobile and moved with little finesse against his fingers, he decided it was time.

  ‘Come, Kira,’ he commanded. ‘Hold Nick’s eyes while you do it. Show him how much he means to you.’

  He rhythmically stroked that twisted bundle of sensitive nerves just as Kira began to tip over the edge, her eyes holding Nick’s as though her life depended on it. In that instant, Nick broke Euan’s command and moved until he could crush his lips to hers so it was his throat she screamed down when her climax crashed through her, quivering through every muscle, sinew and tendon.

  Nick used Kira’s honey, Euan’s fingers and his own gyrating hips as he dragged his iron cock through the slickness of her petals. He groaned with equal abandon as he moved closer to his zenith.

  Kira’s body bucked between them, and once she had crashed over the peak, Nick tore his lips from hers and tilted his head up until he met Euan’s blazing gaze.

  ‘Please,’ he asked simply.

  The crash of emotion that bombarded Euan was life-altering. So many unspoken words were visible through that one look. Euan nodded once and they held each other’s gaze, Nick giving everything to Euan that he had asked Kira to give to Nick.

  Nick’s groan was anguished. It vibrated through the three of them, torturing them with its primitive need. Euan felt
the beauty of it hit his soul, tear at it with painful yet glorious fulfillment, removing the chains that bound it under his own volition.

  That one look had bought Euan’s soul back from the devil.

  He filled his mind with thoughts of unfastening his pants, drawing his aching, engorged flesh from its denim confines to penetrate Kira with the brutal force of a tortuous impalement. He yearned for her internal muscles to grasp and suck on him, pull him deeper into the warm, wet heat of her body until neither sight, sound nor reason could invade his saturated mind. Except something held him back, and as the emotion of everything that had transpired between the three of them took over, he found a painful ache in his heart that he didn’t understand.

  But otherwise, it had been beautiful, glorious. Euan’s hand was saturated and his mind was overwhelmed. Kira was magnificent. A woman to be worshipped. A woman to love, cherish.

  A woman to protect with his life.

  Nick was his heart and soul. He was the molecules that made up his body, and he would die to see the man protected.

  As they came down from their explosive climax, he watched Nick nuzzle Kira’s throat with his unshaven chin, taking his time to rub his seed possessively into the skin of her chest and stomach. Her answering giggle was replete and satisfied.

  His lips tipped up and he flashed his teeth. Kira turned to rest her slick forehead on his cheek. Her smile stretched against the skin of his throat. Even without seeing it, he knew it was infinitely more sweet and powerful.

  ‘Okay,’ she told him with a breathy sigh, agreeing to his earlier demand to remain inside the bunker.

  ‘Okay,’ he whispered in reply, the piercing pain of reality taking over his chest.

  He turned to Nick and gripped his nape, pulling the silent man towards him for a fierce, passionate, hungry kiss. When they broke for air, Nick was panting and Euan’s smile had turned into a satisfied grin.

  ‘Can I ask one thing?’ Kira whispered into his throat as she relaxed against his chest.

  His hand that had been between her trembling thighs moved to her hip. He squeezed as he spoke. ‘If it’s in my power. And keeps you safe.’

  ‘I want to see you smile more,’ she breathed, turning her head so she could place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

  He met Nick’s unsurprised gaze. ‘I can try, sweetheart,’ he promised.

  ‘Try, Euan. It will make up for the lack of sunshine,’ she whispered as she relaxed in his hold.

  Euan held Nick’s understanding and fiercely resolute gaze through the scorching burn that blazed through him unhindered. It seemed to obliterate every shield, rope, chain and cage he had ever erected against his emotions with the force of a dying star. He swallowed. Blinked. Swallowed again.

  ‘All right,’ he agreed, pressing her petite body closer to him.

  Chapter 26

  Euan sat on a white plastic chair he had carried from the kitchen to the veranda surrounding the above-ground house. The night was cool and quiet, not a breath of wind blowing through the trees or tickling the growing blades of grass of the lush lawn that stretched out before him.

  He had always lived in a city, so he’d never had the chance to really observe the absolute majesty of an unpolluted starry heaven until the plague. The millions of bright orbs were humbling and awe-inspiring, reminding him that the world kept spinning regardless of what happened on its surface.

  The day had passed in a haze of chaotic yet organised activity. Nick had spent hours working inside the shuttered above-ground homestead, installing a makeshift trip-wire mechanism attached to every door and operable window. Euan didn’t understand the mechanics of it, but Nick had studiously informed him that if any door or window were to be opened, an alarm would sound inside the bunker. It wasn’t fail-proof—they’d already suffered a number of false warnings as Nick worked through the deficiencies in the system—but Euan was confident it was only a matter of time before Nick had the mechanism working without consequence.

  His courageous Kira had fed off their temperaments and, without questioning their motives, assisted where she could. Euan knew she was intuitive, but when she opened a cupboard in one of their storage rooms, showcasing an array of survivalist gear including everything from arctic military-grade sleeping bags to pressurised tube tenting, he knew her instincts would embolden their indestructible tripod.

  He hadn’t said a word, just kissed her forehead with tender devotion. She’d continued to help them throughout the day, never succumbing to her nerves, even though her fear and uncertainty shimmered like gloss on the surface of her skin.

  It made him love her, and gave him the courage to battle the morose demons that waged war inside him.

  He would do it because he did love her. He loved as much as loved Nick. They each held half of his heart, and each separate and distinct energy resided safely inside his rebranded soul. Their blinding smiles, their tenacious attitudes, their cheeky humour, their glorious and generous spirits were nourishment for his body.

  He thought he was whole with Nick by his side, until he realised that Kira encircled them both in an infinite circle of wonder.

  The coming days would see his plans to fortify their home come to fruition. They’d worked hard that day, even if most of the work had already been conducted by Will and then Kira herself before their arrival. But with a few tweaks, he knew that when the inevitable came, they’d be ready.

  ‘Mind if I join you?’ Nick asked from the front door.

  Euan stopped fiddling with his Glock and balanced it on his knee. He turned to see a fully dressed Nick standing in the darkened doorway, the deep abyss of the house a mouth of black velvet behind him.

  He nodded and watched as Nick positioned a matching white chair next to his.

  ‘Nice night,’ Nick commented absently as he joined in gazing at the twinkling sky.

  ‘Beautiful,’ Euan agreed.

  They sat in companionable silence for a time, absorbing the tranquility and peace that came with the hush of night. It was a welcome reprieve after the day they’d had.

  Finally, Nick spoke. ‘Tell me.’

  Euan traced his fingers absently over the imprinted grip of the weapon in his lap, his eyes staying riveted on the stars. ‘Boot print,’ he stated after a long pause.

  Nick let out a noisy huff. ‘You think they saw Kira?’

  ‘Guarantee it.’

  ‘Shit.’

  They were both silent at the revelation, each gazing into the darkness, lost in their own thoughts of how to protect something so precious.

  Euan reached out, grasped Nick’s knee and squeezed.

  It was some time before Nick spoke again, his gaze still focused on the darkness. ‘What are we gonna do?’

  Euan took a heaving breath, his hand travelling up and down Nick’s leg in a soothing caress. ‘Stay. Fight. There is nowhere else to go and I’m not risking Kira’s life on the road.’

  Nick placed his hand over Euan’s to connect them further, draw additional strength from one another’s touch. He firmed his grip to encourage Euan to continue.

  ‘Whoever they were, they knew what they were doing. That print was the only trace of them I could find. Only chance that I discovered it,’ he said, then he took a shuddering breath before he told Nick the final, most damning point. ‘It was recent, made after the storm. Two days old at most.’

  Nick remained silent but when Euan turned to meet his gaze, it spoke a thousand words, spinning a tale of anger, uncertainty and fear.

  A story Euan was sure his features echoed.

  Nick spoke slowly. ‘If they know we’re here? She’s here? If we stay—’

  ‘It’s a risk.’ Euan conceded.

  ‘Euan—’

  ‘It’s a risk, Nick,’ he clipped. ‘But are we any safer scrambling to find something else? Travelling by night, hiding in the shadows, constantly afraid? I’m tired of being afraid, I’m tired of running from men like Mickey-O and places like Nirvana. Let them come. I’ll show them w
hat real strength looks like.’

  Long moments passed before Nick spoke again. ‘They had a lot of guns.’

  ‘We have more.’

  Nick shifted in his seat. He moved his hand from under Euan’s and put both his elbows on his knees, leaning forward.

  ‘I love her,’ he told Euan gravely.

  Euan copied his stance. ‘I know, Nicky. Me too.’

  Silence once again reigned between them. It was some time before Euan felt the weight of Nick’s gaze. He turned to meet it. ‘When she finds out, she’ll want to fight too,’ Nick told him gravely.

  Euan nodded. ‘I know.’

  ‘You can’t hold me back either,’ he emphasised.

  Euan’s lips twitched. ‘Know that too.’

  ‘When do you think—’

  ‘Soon.’

  ‘And until then?’

  Euan stood up from his chair, rested his palm against one of the supporting beams and straightened his spine. He glared out into the darkness. ‘We prepare.’

  Thanks for reading True Refuge, the first book in the Refuge Trilogy. I hope you enjoyed it.

  If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage www.annabellemcinnes.com, or follow me on Twitter @akmcinnes, Instagram @annabellemcinnes and Facebook.

  You can also follow me through my publisher’s page here escapepublishing.com.au

  Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you’ve read, and what you thought.

  You’ve just read a book in my Refuge Trilogy. The next book in this series, Fractured Refuge, will be published in November 2017.

  This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you’d like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

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