Into the Lair

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Katie stood at the window watching the snow drift steadily downward. She raised the cup of cocoa framed in her palms and took a cautious sip. A flood of sweet, warm chocolate filled her mouth and trailed down her throat.

A few days of rest and plenty to eat had damn near made a new woman out of her. She felt stronger. And she wasn’t afraid. Despite the unknown danger, a danger that only Ian and Braden seemed aware of, she still felt safe. It had been so long since she’d known anything but the paralyzing fear that gripped her every time she went out, walked down the street or tried to sleep at night.

She liked the quiet of the snow. The peace. It was clean and beautiful. A clean slate. She’d like one of those. Redemption. Freedom from mistakes.

Forgiveness.

No. She didn’t want forgiveness. Forgiveness implied a guilty conscience in need of soothing. She only regretted her own personal choices.

For the first time in so long, she was…happy. It sounded ludicrous, that here, on the run, shacked up in a remote cabin with men determined to protect her, she could be so content. She’d relaxed her guard willingly and allowed herself to become immersed in the fantasy of being taken care of by two men who took her breath away.

She didn’t want it to end. Esteban was a world away, not a reality to her, and she wanted it to remain so. No intrusions, no awakening to the real world.

Never before had she felt cherished, like she mattered. Here in Braden and Ian’s arms, she’d found… She swallowed, refusing to say it, to think it. Home. Even she couldn’t become that delusional.

She bowed her head, tearing her gaze from the snow-blanketed ground to stare into the mug she held. Firm hands gripped her shoulders, squeezing lightly as lips nuzzled her neck. She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning into Braden’s strong chest.

“Hi,” he murmured.

She set the mug on the windowsill and then turned to face him. His hands settled on her hips, and he pulled her to his body until she was flush against him.

“Hey yourself.”

He knuckled her chin up and kissed her lingeringly. “Want breakfast?”

“Mmm, does this mean I have to go wake Ian up?”

Braden chuckled. “Yeah, you drew short straw. I’d rather have KP duty.”

“Give me twenty minutes,” she murmured as she reached up on tiptoe to give him another quick kiss.

She stepped around him and headed for the bedroom. She paused inside the doorway and took in Ian’s sprawled body. He was lying on his stomach, one arm tucked underneath his pillow and the other flung over the other pillow at his head.

Quietly, she walked further, not wanting to disturb him even though she’d come to wake him. She eased onto the bed, her gaze sliding up his muscular form.

The past days had been satisfying even if odd. The three had formed an easy camaraderie, and both men took every opportunity to make love to her. Separately. It was as though she enjoyed a relationship with both men simultaneously, and they were okay with it.

She caught the looks they exchanged, usually about the time one of them put the moves on her. There was an understanding between them. She was an understanding between them. And yet they hadn’t attempted to have a threesome with her.

Based on previous conversations, she knew they’d gone that road in the past, and she also knew from innuendo laced into their flirting that they were certainly open to fucking her at the same time. Which begged the question: Why hadn’t they?

Unless…they were waiting for her to make the move.

Considering she’d made the first move the first time with both men, it wasn’t too hard to believe that they could very well be letting her call the shots.

She placed her hand at the small of Ian’s back and slid it upward, enjoying the feel of his skin, the roll of his muscles under her palm. She leaned in and put her lips to his shoulder.

He tensed against her lips, and she heard the change of his breathing, signaling his break from sleep. And then he rolled, snagging her with his arm and hauling her against his chest.

She came willingly, landing against him with a slight jolt. Her mouth was inches from his lips, and she didn’t shy away. She took them in a hungry movement, sucking his bottom lip between her teeth. She nipped and then licked and swallowed his growl.

He was usually slow to awaken, and when he did, he was surly and grumpy. She and Braden spent the first hour of Ian’s day avoiding him and the rest of the time giving him a hard time about what a grouch he was. This morning, however, he went from a dead sleep to instant alert.

His cock bulged in his underwear. It was rigid against her side, hot and thick as his body worked against hers. He was aroused and ready, and a dark thrill singed through her veins when his hands tore impatiently at her shirt.

“Good morning,” she murmured.

“Shut up,” he growled as his lips slammed against hers in a kiss that drove the breath from her chest.

Oh hell yeah, she liked waking the beast.

She tried to get her hands into his underwear, but he yanked her arms back, pinning them behind her. Then he rolled her over so that he straddled her body and stared down at her with glittering eyes.

She was at a distinct disadvantage, and while it would usually irritate the living hell out of her, she found herself liking it. Liking it very much.

As soon as his hands touched her breasts, a shudder worked through her body. He cupped them roughly, massaging and kneading the plump mounds. Then he pulled at both nipples, elongating them. He gave each a sharp pinch. A long hiss escaped her clenched teeth.

His engorged cock, still encased in his underwear, rested on her belly. His knees dug into the bed at her sides, and then he rubbed his groin up and down her pelvis until she moaned and twisted restlessly.

“You know what they say about not starting something unless you can finish it,” he said in a voice thick with desire.

She spread her hands in a gesture of helpless innocence. “All I did was wake you for breakfast.”

“And if I plan on having you for breakfast?”

“I try never to interfere with a man and his appetite,” she murmured.

“I guess neither of you will be making it to the table,” Braden said dryly.

Katie turned her head to see Braden leaning against the door, his gaze raking up and down her naked body. She stared boldly in return and then looked back up at Ian to gauge his mood. Would it be as simple as telling them both she wanted them? Together?

She glanced back at Braden. For a moment, indecision wavered in her mind. She didn’t want to screw up what she had. Sex with both men was fantastic. Even as good as she knew it would be with both of them together, she could certainly live with their current arrangement. For as long as it lasted.

“Say what’s on your mind, Katie,” Braden drawled.

“We’re not mind readers,” Ian said.

“I want you…both,” she said simply.

Braden shoved off the doorframe and stalked toward her, all sense of easygoing teasing gone. There was a hint of darkness to his face that sent prickles of excitement dancing over her skin.

She peeked back up at Ian who had the same smoldering intensity lurking in his eyes. What the hell had she just done?

Braden leaned down, his fingers caressing her cheek. “Be sure about this, Katie. Be damn sure. We’ve played things your way, but if you want us both, it’s going to be our way. Can you handle giving up that kind of control?”

Holy hell. It was suddenly all sorts of hard to breathe.

“In bed,” she said coolly. As coolly as she could under the circumstances. “It doesn’t go any further than in bed. As long as we’re clear on that.”

Ian chuckled. “We don’t expect you to undergo a complete lobotomy.” He twisted her nipple between his fingers, sharply enough to send a spark of pain racing through her breast.

She closed her eyes. She craved the darkness she saw lurking in their eyes. Wanted it, needed it with a dangerous appetite. The bite of pain, the heat of raw, uncontrolled passion.

They knew her secrets, and now they were going to wrest control from her hands and give her everything she most desired.

She emitted a low growl. A primal sound of a woman greeting her mate. Her submission and her acquiescence. It wasn’t the sound of a weak, helpless female.

Ian tensed, and then he swung away from her, his feet hitting the floor with a thud. He tore his underwear off while Braden’s clothing flew in the other direction. And then two hulking, naked men faced her down with the promise of everything she’d ever desired flashing in their eyes.

She swallowed and lay still, waiting and wanting.

“On your knees,” Braden said in a low, silky voice.

Slowly she rolled, and then she pushed herself to her knees until they were planted in the soft mattress.

“Turn to me,” he said.

She turned, her fingers dug into the edge of the bed. The bed dipped behind her, and she glanced back to see Ian positioning himself at her ass. His hands gripped her hips, and there was nothing gentle about his grasp.

Braden’s hand slid into her hair, and then he fisted the strands and pulled her head slightly to the side. He grasped his cock with his other hand and pumped a few times as he guided it toward her mouth.

“Open,” he said.

Adrenaline-laced desire centered in her belly and fanned outward, tightening every nerve ending in its path. Her pussy fisted and tingled, and then she felt Ian nudging impatiently at her opening. There was no finesse, no gentle coaxing. He lined up and thrust deep.

She gasped, and Braden took advantage by sliding to the back of her throat. She was simultaneously filled by both men, and she’d never felt anything like it in her life.

“That’s it,” Braden said approvingly. “You’re ours, Katie. Take it deep. Just like that.”

Her body shook and rocked with the force of their motion. Neither man gave her any reprieve, and God, she loved it. She wanted to mount them both, take them hard and hungry. Her need was feral and demanding.

Braden’s musky scent filled her nostrils. His taste invaded her mouth and exploded over her tongue. She sucked hungrily, matching his thrusts with the bob of her head.

Ian rocked against her ass with enough force that each stab into her pussy was an exotic mix of intense pleasure and sweet pain. His swollen cock dragged over her entrance, stretching her mercilessly. He felt bigger than before, as if only now had she plumbed the depths of his desire.

And then she realized that she wasn’t feeling the sleek latex of a condom-covered cock. Every ridge, every swollen vein slid over the walls of her pussy. Flesh to flesh.

She ripped her head from Braden’s cock only to have his hand tighten in her hair, his displeasure over her action evident as he shoved his cock back to her lips.

“Condom,” she said hoarsely. “Ian. Condom.”

Ian stilled against her and then cursed vividly. Then he pressed a gentle kiss to her spine. “Sorry, baby.”

He left her, and cool air brushed over her behind, chilling her as she lost his comforting warmth. Braden’s hand softened in her hair and he stroked, caressing the strands between his fingers.

She looked up, an invitation. He touched her cheek with his other hand and then shifted his hips so that his cock brushed across her lips. She tongued the head, lapping in a circle as she tested the contour of the flared tip.

He plunged, taking her breath in one forceful thrust. He lodged in the back of her throat, and she swallowed to accept him. His hand tightened again in her hair, all softness gone.

He fucked her mouth with rapid, hard strokes. For several long seconds, she didn’t breathe. She just felt. Absorbed. And then he tore himself away, and both their ragged breaths filled the room.

“Come here,” he rasped.

She got off the bed, her legs shaking. He yanked her to his chest and kissed her fiercely. Then he walked her back until she met the bed.

“Lay down.”

She sat first, her palms going down to brace her fall. Slowly she reclined until her head was pillowed in the tangle of sheets. He hooked her legs over his arms and pulled until her ass was aligned with the edge of the mattress. And then he let her down and stepped back.

Ian loomed over her, picking her legs up as Braden had done. He spread her wide and moved in, his cock brushing her clit. He let one leg go long enough to grasp his erection and position it at her entrance. Then he reclaimed her leg and surged forward.

She cried out. Standing as he was, leaning over her, he had more power in his thrusts. He was deep. So deep. For a long moment, he stood there, wedged tight, staring down at her with eyes that burned.

His fingers fluttered over her stitched cut, his gentleness in direct contradiction to every other action.

“Don’t let me hurt you,” he said in a low voice. “Take what we give you, but don’t let me go too far.”

She nodded.

“Promise me. I want you. I want to fuck you long and hard, but I won’t hurt you.”

“I promise,” she whispered.

At that he closed his eyes, reared back and then slammed into her so fiercely that her entire body jerked. Her hands came up, grasping at air, needing, wanting something to hold on to, to anchor her as she spun out of control.

Braden caught her wrists and pulled until her arms were over her head. His face appeared over hers, and he kissed her, his lips upside down against hers.

“Do you have any idea how sexy you look all laid out beneath us, your body ours to do with as we please?”

He moved to the side, gathering her wrists together with one hand as he shifted his big body. With his free hand, he cupped and kneaded her breast.

“You like pain, but how much, Katie? You love it when I nip and bite, when I pinch and twist your nipples.”

She moaned softly, her entire body awash in soft euphoria. She shook again as Ian retreated and powered forward, his thighs slapping against the backs of her legs.

“Tell me,” Braden ordered. “Tell me what you want. I won’t give it to you until you do.”

“God,” she whispered. “Please, Braden. I need…”

“Tell me what you need.”

“Bite me,” she begged. “Hard. My nipples, my neck. Make it hurt.” She looked down at Ian. “Harder.”

“Oh hell yeah,” Ian said in a strained voice.

He rammed, hard and fast just as Braden’s teeth descended, a flash of white against her skin. They sank into her nipple, and pleasure, white hot and piercing, exploded through her body. Her vision blurred, and her mouth opened in a soundless scream.

He alternated, roughly biting and sucking the taut peaks. The friction caused by Ian’s huge cock abrading the walls of her pussy sent spears of heat and indescribable ecstasy shattering through her groin.

Hard, rough, hot. Ian slammed ruthlessly. Braden’s mouth slid like silk to her neck, and then sweet agony seared over her skin when he sank his teeth into the column just below her ear.

Her entire body bowed, her back arching off the mattress. She sailed in an endless freefall into a bottomless canyon. Her orgasm shattered, rained slivers of pleasure like the skies opening after a drought.

She had no knowledge, no thoughts except the softness of the mattress as she floated gently downward. Her pussy throbbed around Ian’s cock as he continued to rock against her.

Braden knelt up and then leaned over her as he turned her head to the side. His cock bumped against her lips and he pressed inward until she opened and let him in. He thrust, arching up over her so that he had a dominant angle.

His hand left her head as he braced himself with his palms flat on the mattress. He was over her mouth, pumping, mimicking Ian’s movements between her legs.

The two men fucked her ruthlessly, and she surrendered to the mindless euphoria that swept over her. Ian shuddered against her, thrust hard and then stilled, his legs shaking as he gripped her hips with bruising strength.

Braden slipped deep, bumping the back of her throat. She swallowed, holding him there with her tongue. He pulsed and then hot liquid filled her mouth. She swallowed rapidly and sucked as he thrust frantically, his balls slapping against her jaw.

He powered deep once more and held himself rigid as he finished emptying himself into her mouth. Then he carefully pulled away and rolled his body over her head to collapse onto the bed.

He touched her hair, caressing softly as he cradled her head against his chest.

She glanced down to see Ian’s eyes closed in agony as he leaned into her. When he opened them, his expression was one of complete satisfaction. He leaned to brush his lips across her belly and then stepped back, slipping from her still trembling pussy.

His hands slid over her hips and underneath to pat her ass affectionately before he walked over to dispose of the condom. Braden reached down and urged her to cuddle into him, and she turned readily, aligning her back to his chest.

Ian returned to the bed and slid his knee onto the mattress as he climbed toward Katie. His eyes were intent as he settled on his side to face her. Braden’s hand glided lazily back and forth over her hip, and he kissed the curve of her shoulder.

Ian put a palm to her cheek and hesitated a moment before leaning in to capture her lips in a kiss so tender that she couldn’t reconcile his actions with the animalistic way he’d possessed her.

“No, you didn’t hurt me,” she said before he could voice the concern she could see shining brightly in his eyes.

“Good,” he said huskily. “Because I sure as hell want to do that again.”

Braden’s teeth sank into her shoulder, sending a shiver cascading down her spine. She closed her eyes and moaned.

“Hell,” Ian muttered. “Give me a minute to recover before you make those kinds of sounds.”

She snuggled a little closer to Braden even as her hands went out, seeking Ian’s body. “Give me an hour and we’ll do it again,” she said as a huge, contented yawn split her lips.