by J. M. Walker
“Almost nine,” Sunny answered, slipping his fingers beneath the cup of my bra. “We should go before it gets too late.” But even though he said the words, he never released me.
“We should.” But I unhooked my bra instead.
“Take this off so I can touch you whenever I want,” Sunny grumbled, kissing the side of my neck.
“Already ahead of you, Sir.” I placed a soft peck on his cheek. Pulling my arm back inside my shirt, I slipped the bra off of me through one of the arm holes and readjusted the shirt.
“It’s like magic,” Shade said, staring at me in awe.
I gave him a small smile and handed him the bra. “As much as I want to continue this though, we should really head to my parents’ place.”
Both of them sighed.
“If we must.” Sunny gave my nipple a pinch before releasing me completely.
“We really need to go.” I stood from the couch and began pacing.
“Meadow,” the guys said at the same time.
I spun on them. “We need to go because I want to get this over with so we can spend the night in your bed. I need…” I wrapped my arms around myself.
“Hey.” Sunny came toward me, followed by Shade. “Whatever you need, pet, we’re here.” He cupped my cheek, brushing his thumb along my bottom lip. “You hear me?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I do.”
“Good.” His dark eyes roamed down the length of me. “We need to get this shit over with so I can spend the night inside you.”
Usually I would have given him a smart remark but instead, I wrapped my arms around his thick neck and pulled him against me. The hug told him more than my words ever could. I cared for him. I cared for both of them. And I knew why. Hell, I had known it all along. But Sunny had been right. I was young. I had my life ahead of me. But none of that mattered. I wanted my life to be with them. Sunny and Shade. Two men who had loved each other for years but only just started exploring those feelings more.
“Meadow.” Sunny’s deep voice rumbled through me, his mouth finding the side of my neck.
“Tonight scared you,” I told him. “Didn’t it?” I asked, leaning back.
“Yeah.” He searched my face. “It did.”
“And it scared you too,” I told Shade as he came up to us.
“It did because I knew that I would have done anything to keep you safe.” Shade rubbed a hand over his head. “If Tanner would have taken it further than what he already did, I don’t know what I would have done.”
I swallowed hard. “I know.” I shivered at the thought. “But enough of that, we’re going to be talking about him with my mom anyway. But before that, I just…I want you both to know…” I looked between them. Two very different men. Sunny’s beard had grown in more while Shade’s eyes held wrinkles at the corners. Both had graying hair, and both cared for me in ways I never even knew was possible.
“What is it, pet?” Sunny tilted his head. “Tell us.”
My heart raced, thumping so damn hard, I was surprised they couldn’t hear it themselves. “I’m falling in love with you. I know we haven’t been together for long, but I don’t care about that. Which is funny because I never believed in love at first sight but you two—”
A hot mouth crushed mine in a toe-curling kiss.
I sighed, my eyes fluttering closed.
“I’m falling in love with you too, pet,” Sunny whispered against my mouth.
My eyes popped open, landing on his handsome face.
He smirked.
Shade had a goofy grin on his face. He pulled me away from Sunny. “And I’m in love with you too, little lamb.” He brushed his nose along the length of my neck. “So fucking in love with you.”
“Really?” My eyes welled. I wasn’t normally a crier, but this deserved all of the happy tears.
“Yes.” Shade kissed the side of my head. “We’ll celebrate later but right now, let’s go to your parents’ place and get this over with.”
“I agree with him.” Sunny pinched my chin and placed a soft peck on my mouth. “Until later.”
***
(Sunny)
She loved us. And we loved her. The confession sparked something inside of me. It was a feral need to claim her as ours. To make her my ultimate pet. To put a damn collar around her beautiful throat. But that would come in time. For now, we would take this one day at a time. I still had Roxanne to worry about.
While I drove us to Meadow’s parents’ place, her and Shade sat in the back. He would meet my gaze in the reflection of the rearview mirror every now and again. He gave me a small smile every so often, followed by a contented sigh and I would grip the steering wheel. Truth was, I was on edge. The sex hadn’t curbed the itch to completely consume Meadow.
“Sunny.”
My eyes snapped to the mirror.
Meadow was staring at me. “We got this.” She cupped my arm, running her hand up and down it soothingly.
I sighed. “I know but I don’t like that Tanner touched you. I don’t like that he brought you into this shit and I also don’t like that he’s bringing your mom into this either.”
“I know.” Meadow sat back. “I don’t know much about my mom’s younger days. They’re hush hush about that shit. They want to protect us. Apparently, there was some issues with my aunt.”
“Aunt?” Shade repeated.
“Yeah. My mom’s twin.” Meadow shrugged. “I haven’t seen my Aunt Violet in years. She was taken when she was my age. Maybe even younger. And she was sold.” A shiver tremored through her. “I don’t know much but I know whoever took her, also took her finger. These people are disgusting.”
“Shit, baby girl. I had no idea.” I shook my head.
“My mom doesn’t like talking about it. She was almost taken from my dad herself, so it’s a sore spot for them.” Meadow looked out the window, chewing her bottom lip. “I just want all of this to end. But I know it won’t. That’s why the center was built. I’m not there much but it means everything to me.” When she looked my way, her gaze was hard and determined. “I’m not sure if Tanner is into this shit as well but either way, we need to find out what’s going on and why he thinks my mom can get him what he wants.”
“We’ll find that out, little lamb.” Shade pulled her into his side. “I promise you.”
Once we pulled in front of her parents’ place, they left the back seat of the SUV. While I hoped Shade’s promise held true, there was no way of knowing what was going to go down once Tanner got the information he was looking for.
Shade and Meadow waited for me. To snap? To do something else? I wasn’t sure. But what I did know was my feelings for her. For him. For us. We were a trio. There was not one or two but three of us. While it wasn’t normal for most, it was normal for us.
But as happy as I was, there was still that nagging little feeling deep inside of me. The calm before the storm. As cliché as it sounded, something else was going to happen. Something worse. And I wasn’t sure if any of us was strong enough to come back from it.
Meadow
I WALKED UP THE sidewalk with Sunny and Shade on either side of me. A part of me wanted to hold their hands but I also didn’t want my dad to pitch a fit. I had to ease him into this situation, especially when I was about to confront my mom over…hell, I didn’t even know what I was going to ask her.
Hey, mom, do you know a Tanner Horsch? No? Well he sure knows you.
My father was protective when it came to us. But he was almost overbearing where my mom was concerned. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a feeling that it had to do with something that happened long before my siblings and I were born.
While the guys remained silent, I took the steps leading up to the front door of my parents’ house and knocked. It had felt like years since I had been home, even though it had only been weeks. If that. Truth was, I didn’t go home much or as often as I would have liked. There was no reason for it, but I wasn’t like my brother or sister. They had their career paths
laid out for them. Even though Gigi’s took a different turn than she would have liked, she still had her own business.
And me? I baked for a local business when I could but that was it. It wasn’t enough to support myself. I realized then that I was in a rut and I had no idea how to get out of it.
“Meadow.” Sunny’s deep voice graced my ears. “You got this, baby girl. And once we’re done here, we’ll go home and take care of you.”
“What about giving Tanner what he wants?” I asked him, staring up into his dark eyes that held me captive every damn time I looked into them.
“We can meet up with him tomorrow.” Sunny’s voice was final, leaving no room for question.
Not that I would anyway. Tanner creeped me out and I would be happy if I never had to see him ever again.
Before I could respond, the door opened.
“Meadow.” My mom smiled down at me. “How are you?”
Instead of answering, I threw my arms around her middle.
“Meadow.” Mom wrapped herself around me, returning the embrace. “Not that I’m not happy to see you but what’s wrong?”
“How do you know something’s wrong?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. She was a mom. Mom’s always knew when something was wrong with their kids. It was in the mom handbook.
“Because you haven’t been by in a while and the last time you were here…”
I leaned back when her voice trailed off, remembering that I had stopped by when Ashton and I had started sleeping together. I was confused and wanted to ask my mom her thoughts on the matter. But it never got very far when my dad overheard and threatened to kill the boy who broke his baby girl’s heart. But Ashton never broke my heart. No, I broke his instead because he wasn’t enough for me. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t mine. We were just never meant to be.
“I’m fine.” I pulled from her grip and stepped back between Sunny and Shade.
Mom’s eyes flicked between them. “Friends of yours?”
I choked back a laugh. “Something like that.”
“Well, please come in.” Mom turned and went back down the hall she had come from.
“What was that about?” Sunny asked.
“I broke a boy’s heart,” I muttered, entering the home I grew up in.
“Really?” Shade followed me.
“No.” I turned toward them. “But he wanted more, and I couldn’t give that to him. Also, I was looking for something else.”
“What were you looking for?” Sunny reached out and brushed the back of his fingers down my cheek.
“I was looking for both of you,” I told him, my heart stuttering at the soft touch.
He grinned.
Shade stood up taller. “I am pretty awesome.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Yeah, you are.”
“Meadow?”
My smile fell when I heard my father’s deep voice. “Uh…” I turned back around, giving him a small wave. “Hey, Daddy.”
His back stiffened. “What’s going on?”
“Um…” I took a deep breath. I had never brought a guy home before, so this was new for me. And Sunny and Shade weren’t just random guys. They were more. So much more. They were everything I had been looking for without even realizing it.
“You got this, baby girl,” Sunny whispered.
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. “Dad, this is Sunny. Sunny, my father, Angel.”
Sunny stuck his hand out.
Dad returned the handshake.
“And this is Shade.” I cupped Shade’s arm.
“The name is Roy, but I go by Shade.” Shade linked his fingers in mine, giving me the strength I needed to face my father over the fact that I was with, not one, but two men.
Dad released Sunny’s hand and crossed his arms under his chest. His dark eyes that mirrored my own, dropped to my joined hand with Shade’s.
Sunny stepped closer to me.
I never thought I would see the day where I would bring home two men to meet my parents. How could you even approach your father with that?
Hey, Daddy. So, I’m fucking two guys. K? K.
“I’m not sure what’s going on right now,” Dad muttered as my mom stepped up beside him.
“Why don’t we go into the living room and we can talk because I’m assuming you didn’t just come here for a visit, did you?” she asked me.
“No.” I sighed. “I didn’t.” When I went to take a step forward, dad raised his hand, stopping me.
“I need to know one thing first.” His dark eyes flicked back and forth between Sunny and Shade. “You treating my girl well?”
“Yes, sir,” Sunny answered, which was almost funny in a way seeing as they were closer to my dad’s age than my own.
“Dad.” I stepped between him and the guys. “Whatever you’re thinking, I’m sure it’s not as bad as what’s really going on.” Not that I knew what he was thinking of course but I could tell by the deep frown between his brows that he assumed the guys forced me into this. It was a typical fatherly trait. It was always the man’s fault. No matter how kinky their daughter was. Not that he knew my kinks. God, I was losing my mind. My cheeks burned. Sunny and Shade had me all over the place. And after our confession, it only seemed to get worse.
“You have no idea what I’m thinking, Meadow,” he growled, his jaw ticking.
“Angel,” Mom said gently, taking his hand in hers. “She’s happy. Finally. You can see it.”
“Will you give us a moment please?” I asked the guys. “You can head out back.”
They mumbled a response and went out into the backyard.
“Daddy,” I said once we were alone.
“You’re with two men.” Dad searched my face. “Aren’t you?”
“I know it’s not what most would consider normal, but it is becoming more of a thing. And besides, two of your navy brothers are with the same woman,” I reminded him, knowing Piper’s Aunt was happy with the two men she had met years ago.
“That’s different.” Dad started pacing.
“How is that different?” I demanded, not needing to talk about this at the moment when Tanner’s request was looming over my head.
“It’s different because you are my baby. My little girl. My youngest. Those men are old enough to be your father. They’re my age, Meadow.” Dad rubbed the back of his neck, dropped his arm to his side and rubbed his neck again.
“Well, technically they’re only in their forties,” I blurted.
Dad stopped suddenly, glaring my way.
“Angel.” Mom stepped in front of him.
“She’s with two men, princess.” He cupped her cheek. “Two of them.”
“I know.” Mom gave him a cheeky grin. “Two men…Hmm…”
Dad’s face reddened. “Oh, hell no. Woman, you get that thought out of your fucking head. I’m all the man you’ll ever need.”
Both of us laughed while Dad looked like his head was about to explode.
“Trust me, baby. That’s not my thing,” Mom said between laughs.
Dad pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You women are going to put me into an early grave.”
My laugh got louder. I stepped toward him and wrapped my arms around his hard middle. For someone who was in his fifties, he kept in good shape. “I’m happy, Daddy. I promise you. But we’re not here because of that.”
“I figured,” he mumbled. “Who do I have to kill?”
I stepped away from him and headed to the patio door. “No one yet.” I signaled for Sunny and Shade to come back inside.
“Everything good, pet?” Sunny asked, pinching my chin.
My heart skipped a beat at being touched by him in front of my parents. Not that I was ashamed or anything, but this was new. So damn new and exciting. Definitely exciting.
“Answer him,” Shade said, his voice firm and final.
“God.” I shivered, cleared my throat, and walked away from them befor
e I got caught doing something I shouldn’t and especially in front of my parents.
They chuckled, following me into the house.
“Now, tell us why you’re really here,” Dad said, leaning against the wall by the TV.
“I met someone who knows someone you did,” I told my mother.
Her perfectly arched brows narrowed in the center. “Who?”
“Tanner Horsch.” I waited for any sort of recognition to dawn on her face.
“I don’t know a Tanner…” she said, her voice trailing off.
“Apparently Tanner is the son of someone you used to know,” I said gently.
“Really?” Mom hesitated. “Who?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember his name, but he showed me a picture of you with him and he had his arm around you. You looked young and he was wearing a vest.”
“I don’t…” Mom’s face paled. “No.” A shaky laugh left her. “There’s no way.”
“What?” I looked between her and Dad.
“I grew up around bikers,” she reminded me. You know that. It could have been anyone.”
I tapped my chin. “Well, he looked young. Like your age.”
“Hold on.” Mom rushed down the hall. A few minutes later, she came back holding a small shoebox. She placed it on the dining room table and started rooting through it. “Was this the guy you saw in the picture?” She held out a small photograph.
I leaned forward, scanning the picture. “Yes. That was him.”
“Shit.” Mom threw the picture back in the box. “That’s Tyler.”
Dad’s head whipped around. “The fuck?”
“But I didn’t know he had a son.” Mom placed her hands on her hips, staring at the box.
“You didn’t know?” Dad asked her.
“No.” She scowled. “How the hell would I know that? I broke up with him and hadn’t seen him until I started dating you.”
“You didn’t know about Tanner. At all,” Dad repeated.
“No.” She glared at him. “What are you accusing me of, Angel?”
I almost laughed, knowing that I got my fiery energy from my mom.