Double Trouble

by Natasha L. Black

  “And no,” Jake added quickly, before she could protest. “I refuse to do this here on an empty stomach.”

  A ghost of a smile crept across Cin’s lips. “Getting out of here wouldn’t be the worst thing.” She paused. “But where?”

  “We were thinking Vincenzo’s.”

  “No,” Cin said suddenly. “I want to go to Pickle Barrel.”

  “But that’s where you and that Paul guy went,” I said.

  “Exactly.” She nodded. “I want to rewrite that experience with a nice one.”

  “Ok,” we said.

  She had just turned to leave, when Jake stopped her. “One more thing. It’s something I picked up a few days ago, that Owen agreed would look great on you.”

  He held out a bag. As soon as Cin caught sight of what was inside, she exhaled. Lifting up the shimmery silver dress, she said, “It’s gorgeous.”

  “Put it on,” Jake urged her.

  A few minutes later, all I could do was gape. ‘Gorgeous’ was too weak a word to describe just how incredible Cin looked in that dress. It made me want to kiss her and rip it off and throw my arms around her and declare to the world she was mine all at once.

  “So?” she asked, clearly uncomfortable under our stares.

  “It looks good,” Jake sputtered. “Crazy good.”

  “Really really crazy good,” I added.

  A pause, then Cin giggled. “I guess we’re good to go, then.”

  No sooner had Jake and I walked into Pickle Barrel, then was Mary Belle squealing, “My favorite guys.”

  As we both grabbed Cin’s hands, her bubbly smile wilted a bit and became cautious. “The usual booth?”

  “Please,” I told her.

  As we walked through, I kept my grip tight on Cin’s hand. I wanted her to know that I didn’t care what any of these people thought. In fact, I wanted them to know that she was mine. I wanted them to all know.

  “New friend?” another waitress regular, Sue, asked with a wink as she laid out the menus.

  “New girlfriend,” Jake corrected her.

  I could feel Cin shifting uneasily between us in the round booth. She wouldn’t have agreed to come here if she didn’t see a future with us, would she have?

  The dinner – spaghetti bolognaise, in a huge cauldron of a bowl with enough for three – was delicious. The wine was even better. Only once the dessert came did Jake catch my eye and nod. This was it.

  We took her hands.

  “We have something to say,” I told her.

  39

  Cin

  My heart beat was a scrape at my chest walls.

  “We’ve decided,” Owen said, in words quiet but powerful. “We don’t care about the cost or about what people say. We want you – us. We want to be with you.”

  Part of me was trembling with happiness, but I couldn’t let it land. Not yet.

  “What about your dad?” I asked. “Are you willing to be judged for the rest of your lives? It’ll be other people too.”

  “I’d rather be judged for being with the girl we want, then be accepted for being with ones we don’t,” Jake said simply.

  God, they made it sound so easy.

  “Won’t it be hard, though?” I said, feeling a bit stupid as I said it.

  “Probably,” Owen said with a shrug.

  “Most likely,” Jake agreed.

  “And you’re ok with that?” I asked, still not quite able to believe it.

  “Yep,” Owen said.

  “Sure am,” Jake grinned.

  And that was when I caught their smile too.

  “So that’s it then,” I said, mostly to myself. “Then yes.”

  That was really, truly it. I was saying yes to whatever life brought us – judgement or not. I was saying yes to the difficulties following our hearts would entail. I was saying yes to the best lovers I could’ve asked for, two men who brought out the best in me.

  Jake leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. “Tonight we celebrate for real.”

  As it turned out, he was right. In the dark bed with Jake and Owen, someone had started kissing me, and someone else’s erection had nudged my butt and it occurred to me that it didn’t matter to me which was whose. Both were men I loved, who knew just how to pleasure me.

  And so, it flowed. Body to body. I was kissed passionately by both of my men, fingered in perfect tandem. I was eaten out by two incredibly talented mouths until I was panting and begging for release, which they gave. Three times, four times, I lost count how many times I came.

  By the time a cock entered me, I was thrashing with ecstasy. After we came, still another pierced me, ratcheting my pleasure up to new heights.

  And then, finally, we were all curled up together, breathing together, holding each other. We were one.

  Epilogue

  Cin - One Year Later

  As I gazed at the beachscapes, I wondered which one of them would be happier about what I had to tell them. Owen, maybe? Although his mind was pretty occupied right now. This crazy-popular art show was his after all.

  He’d sold just about every piece he had, and now, the buzzing crowd leaving was still talking about how talented he was, and about the woman featured in quite a few of his works.

  I blushed. At first, I’d been reticent about Owen photographing me on the beach. But the way he got into it, and how wonderful the finished photos were, I couldn’t say no. And now, here we were.

  One year later, we were living together at the twin’s apartment. Every day we woke up to the kind of happiness I thought was reserved for movies. Owen and Jake were better for it too, or at least that’s what everyone tells me. Jake is still fighting, while Owen is still managing, with this photography business so successful it can’t really be called just a side business. And then, there was me. At work, talk had died down, people had just taken my unconventional relationship in stride. My parents and sister loved the twins, although they didn’t come around easily. Even the twins’ dad had grudgingly admitted I’m the best girlfriend they’ve ever had.

  Jake’s covert ass squeeze distracted me from my reverie.

  “Stop it,” I scolded him.

  “Don’t pretend you don’t like it,” he said, irreverent as ever.

  “There’s still people here,” I said. Because no way was I about to admit that he was right.

  The ride back home a few minutes later was even worse. As Owen drove, Jake, casual as ever, slipped his hand under my coat and started fondling my breast.

  “Seriously?” I asked, although I made no move to disengage myself. No. It felt too damn good to stop him now.

  Jake responded by sealing his lips on mine.

  By the time we got to their place, we wasted no time getting inside. Owen went in first, disappearing into the washroom. As soon as we were in the kitchen, Jake pressed me up against the counter, yanking my top down to feast on my nipples.

  “Whoa,” I said.

  Whoa was right, and it didn’t even begin to describe the liquid nirvana pulsing through my bloodstream. Jake lapped and sucked, as his hand went up my thighs, squeezing and kneading the flesh.

  When he reached my pussy, he paused, a smile sliding onto his face. “Someone’s super wet.”

  I braced myself against the kitchen counter, unable to stop myself from groaning. “Jake, please.”

  He feigned obliviousness, pushing a finger in and then out. “Please what?”

  I thrust out my pelvis, my hands grabbing his dick over his pants. “Fuck me.”

  Jake was only too happy to comply. As he was drilling me into the kitchen counter, I groaned as pleasure stabbed deep into me. Jake gripped my hips and picked me up off of my feet. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he fucked me hard and fast. I came with a tremor, although Jake wasn’t finished yet. He turned me around and fucked me from behind, while my head swirled with another orgasm. Then, picking me up, he carried me into the bedroom.

  There, he put me on my knees. Catching his eye, I realized what
he had in mind, and I loved every bit of it. Lifting up my face, I said, “Do it.”

  Jake grunted, his hand fisting his cock. I opened my mouth and took him in all the way as he spilled down my throat with a grunt.

  Jake dropped onto the bed and flung an arm across his eyes, his breathing still labored. “Good God, I love coming in your mouth,” he said.

  I smiled and leaned down to kiss him before heading into the bathroom.

  Owen was still in the shower and as he looked over at me, he smiled. “Wanna join me babe?” At the sight of his droplet- coated Greek god form, I couldn’t say no. Evidently, the sight of my naked body was enough to make Owen rock hard too. Our kisses pressed him into the wall, and then me. He held my hands above my hand as he stroked his way down.

  Lifting me up and pressing me against the shower wall as I wrapped my legs around him, he slid into my wet warmth. “How are you always so tight?” Owen ground out, his dick twitching inside of me already.

  He fucked me fast and shallow, slapping my back into the slick tiles. I almost slipped off of him once, but he steadied me with his hands. “I’d never let you fall.”

  With that look in his eyes, there was no question of the truth of what he’d said.

  Already, I’d come twice, but apparently, that wasn’t enough for Owen. Drilling me the persistently, he didn’t let up until I’d come two more times, the second ending with him spilling into me too.

  Afterwards, he wrapped me in his arms, holding me close. “Damn, do I love you.”

  I turned to kiss him. “I love you too. Come to bed quickly though, I have something to tell you both.”

  Back in bed, Jake was waiting for us. We all cuddled together, and then I took a breath. This was it.

  “So, there’s something I found out earlier today,” I told them.

  Owen and Jake didn’t look as excited as could be hoped for, although I could hardly blame them. ‘We need to talk’ was usually girl code for ‘something is wrong’.

  “I’m pregnant,” I said, and the silence that followed was deafening.

  Owen was the first to grin. “Really?”

  “Really,” I said.

  Now Jake was grinning too. “If it’s a boy I call Jake Junior.”

  Owen rolled his eyes, “Or Owen Junior.”

  I giggled as my men wrapped me in their powerful arms.

  “What if it’s a girl?” I asked.

  Both men frowned for a moment before saying simultaneously, “She’s not dating until she’s thirty.”

  I closed my eyes and laughed as Jake and Owen pulled me closer to them. After all the heartache I’d faced, I had finally found my happily every after.

  The Cabin (Sample)

  1

  Chase

  The high school gymnasium was filled to the brim, and the buzz of conversation was almost deafening. Way more people came than we could have ever anticipated or planned for. Trevor and Nolan were putting out more seats as fast as they could, while I scanned the crowd for the Woodwards. There was no sign of Mr. and Mrs. Woodward – my best friend's parents -- or Elle, his little sister, for that matter.

  Checking my watch, I grimaced when I saw that they were running late. A large group of high school-aged boys walked through the doors, their fathers at their back. Another group, this one with a few girls mixed in with them, followed next. With this many people, it's going to be hard to keep them waiting.

  Problem was, without the Woodward family, it was kind of hard to get started. They were the reason we were here making this presentation in the first place. They were the main people in charge with speaking today about the legacy and life of their son, Aaron.

  Nolan looked up at me, his dark eyes worried as he realized the same thing I did. I nodded, holding up my hand miming that I was using the phone, and stepped out of the gym. I pushed the high school's heavy doors open, and stepped out, only to find Sean – and he wasn't alone. The familiar faces of Tammy and Simon Woodward looked up at me.

  Instantly, just by their expressions, I knew something was wrong.

  Tammy gave me a faint smile as I approached, but Simon's face looked older and more tired than usual. I hugged Tammy, and she held on tightly to me. She clung to me as a drowning man might cling to a life preserver, reinforcing my belief that something was indeed, very wrong.

  I whispered in her ear, “What's wrong?”

  “It's Elle,” she said, pulling back.

  When I noticed tears in her eyes, and her words registered in my mind, my heart dropped into my stomach. It was like a lead weight tied to my chest, pulling me down. My mind flashed back to the last time I'd seem Tammy Woodward crying. It was the night her son had passed away. It was the very reason we were there today, talking to a bunch of high school seniors about their life choices and what it would mean for them. Because Aaron's life choices led to tragedy, and I swore on his grave that I'd do everything in my power to keep it from happening to anyone else.

  I'd also promised to never let anything happen to his sister, Elise. She was all the Woodwards had left now that Aaron was gone.

  “What happened?” I asked, looking between both Simon and Tammy, then over at Sean.

  Simon cleared his throat. “Nothing happened, we're just worried about her. That's all.”

  “Worried? What's going on?” I asked.

  “She took a vacation with her boyfriend, Brad,” Simon said. “Up into the mountains. She was supposed to be back today.”

  “They're experiencing some pretty bad snowfall up there,” I said, looking over at Sean.

  He shook his head gently, a motion only I noticed.

  “She called last night,” Tammy said, her voice cracking. “She said that Brad isn't the man she thought he was, and she didn't feel safe. She said she was going to head back home, but we talked her out of it. The roads were too bad, we were afraid she'd get into an accident, but –”

  “But what?” I asked.

  “But she isn't answering her phone now,” Simon finished for his wife. “Could be the cell towers are down though. The storm may have knocked everything out. We just don't know.”

  Tammy looked less convinced. She stared at me with familiar blue eyes. The same blue eyes my best friend inherited from her. Blue eyes that made me feel like he was staring out at me again, and where it should have been comforting, I was slightly unnerved. It was like Aaron was reaching out from the grave, pleading with me to do something.

  “Alright,” I said, patting her on the back and answering her silent pleas. “I'll head up to the mountains and check on her.”

  “You can't drive up there,” Simon said. “The roads are bad.”

  I shrugged. “Not the first time I've driven on treacherous roads before.”

  “Yeah, and he won't be going alone,” Sean said.

  I looked over at Sean and raised my eyebrows. “You coming with me?” I asked.

  “Better to not go alone. Just in case something happens,” he said. “The Boy Scout motto remember?” he said, trying to keep things light.

  “Be prepared. Yeah, I remember,” I laughed, running a hand over my face. “Not that we're Boy Scouts anymore.”

  “Let me go talk to the others. We'll head out shortly. You got an address where she's staying at?”

  “Of course,” Tammy said.

  Her tears had dried up, and she seemed to be feeling better, or at least, a little more reassured, anyway. That was all that mattered to me.

  “I'm sorry to ask this of you.”

  “You didn't have to ask,” I said. “Aaron asked us to look after Elle, and that's what we intend to do.”

  “We'll continue with the program as normal,” Simon said.

  “Yeah, you guys know what you're doing by now,” I said. “Everything should be set up and ready to go.”

  Sean and I shared a look. I knew that once I talked to Nolan and Trevor, they'd insist on coming with us. A dangerous drive into the mountains? Hell yeah, it sounded right up their alley. Besi
des, if we got stuck up there, the more Rangers, the better. We could always find a way to survive as a group. We've survived worse.

  “Let me go get the others,” Sean said, leaving me alone with Tammy and Simon.

  “Thank you for everything,” Simon said, as he put an arm around his wife's shoulders. “The four of you have been indispensable since Aaron's passing. To be honest, I'm not sure what we'd do without you.”

  “You're family to us now,” I said.

  My smile faded. Had Aaron not died, I'm not sure we'd still be as close with the Woodwards. His death had brought us together, and it had helped us start down the path to setting up the organization we ran today. It was a nonprofit, in Aaron's honor, educating the world about the effects of war and how our troops and vets need more support. We'd helped many people over the years, kept people from the same fate as our best friend.

  Still, even though it sounded selfish as hell, I'd have given everything I had to have my best friend back.

  I knew Simon and Tammy would do anything to have him back too. It's the one tie that bound us all together and bound us by iron. They could have blamed us for their son's death, but instead chose to see it as a horrible tragedy. Something we never could have predicted happening without the knowledge we had only in hindsight.

  In the wake of Aaron's death, all we could do was channel our grief by continuing to the message. I needed to feel like I was doing more than that though, so I vowed to do everything in my power to keep his family safe and happy – especially his little sister.

  She had been Aaron’s world, and she was all the Woodwards had left now. The idea of them losing their daughter so soon after losing their son, hit me hard. While I didn't actually think anything had happened to Elle, I would never be able to live with myself if we didn't at least try to check on her. If something had gone bad up there, and I didn't go check it out, I don't even know what I'd do.

  “Ready?” Trevor's voice piped up from behind me.

  “You're all going?” Tammy asked incredulously. “I don't want ya'll going through that kind of trouble.”