Текст книги "Bend"

Автор книги: Alessandra Torre

Соавторы: Ella James,K. Bromberg
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Текущая страница: 30 (всего у книги 41 страниц)

chapter 13

It was Christmas Eve afternoon and I was trying to get presents wrapped before Cain and Eli arrived home.

They had gone over to Darcy and Easton's for lunch, and I had made an excuse because I knew Trace and Lindsey would be there, and I wasn't all that comfortable being around them. I occasionally ran into Trace in Quantico and it was still strained between us.

I didn't want to think about it. If my brother wanted to blow me off the way that he had, then it was on him, not me.

… And then there was my knitting.

I seriously had turned into some sort of a "knitting Rambo" over the past several weeks, and I really didn’t want to blame it on my sexual frustration, because personal denial had actually become one of my strong suits recently – or at least it had until the night after my last dating disaster. Ever since that incident on the couch with Cain, it was like sexual thoughts were coming out of the friggin’ woodwork!

I had done my best to avoid being alone with Cain, which wasn't easy because I could feel his brooding eyes on me from the other room.

It was this sexual vibe that had connected us ever since that night that didn't want to be denied. And it was starting to royally piss me off, because Eli had even commented that my knitting creations looked more and more like some sort of phallic symbols.

Pffft!!

They happened to be Christmas stockings for the three of us.

Phallic my ass!

Mine was white with a candy cane embroidered on it, Cain's was red with a gingerbread man on it, and Eli's was green with a snowman on it. I was damn proud of my workmanship. I think my roomies were a bit…puzzled by my newfound domesticity.

They teased me when I baked—six dozen Christmas cookies and a pan of fudge, packing the goodies up in decorative tins to give out to our mail carrier, newspaper delivery person, and our neighbors on either side of us.

Then, between the two of them, they had scarfed down the remaining two dozen cookies, along with the rest of the fudge in a day and a half. After that, Eli practically wouldn’t even let me have the T.V. remote because his pants fit tighter two days later.

I had to smile, because I couldn't remember feeling this content or secure, well…ever, I guess.

I no longer missed my random sexcapades, not that those had ever been that fulfilling to begin with. I had even stopped my search for an appropriate boyfriend. I mean who cares if I sat home alone on New Year's Eve? It was seriously over-rated anyway.

My parents had sent me a hefty check for Christmas that I had used to buy the rest of the Christmas presents for Cain and Eli. Because, quite frankly, I knew the two of them had gone hog wild buying for me.

Yes. I had snooped.

As much as I knew better than to go into their room and dig through their stuff, it had been just too freakin' tempting.

I had justified it by rationalizing that I wasn't going to be outdone in the gift department, despite my poverty-level income. So, yes, I had done what needed to be done in order to make sure that I wasn't totally humiliated on Christmas morning.

Sue me.

I had purchased a pair of black leather gloves for each of them; along with a new Armani tie for Eli and a rechargeable electric wine opener for Cain. I had bought each of them their favorite cologne scents, and with the finished scarves I had knitted, and ear muffs, their Christmas haul was now complete.

As I finished the wrapping, I discovered that I needed one more box for their ear muffs.

Well…shit.

I knew damn well that a box of any size or shape could be found in Eli's closet.

What the hell.

I closed my bedroom door and went into the living room to make sure that they hadn't pulled up yet. Checking up and down the street, twice, I saw it was all clear.

I scurried down the hall to the master suite, opening the door and heading over to Eli's walk-in closet. As I switched the light on, I gasped. There was a shit-load of more Christmas gifts that hadn't been put under the tree yet.

I examined the name-tags, finding four more gifts that had my name on them, which meant that they had done more shopping since my last sweep.

I couldn't resist.

I picked up the first one, shaking it to see if anything jingled. By the size and shape of the box, I was guessing it was some sort of jewelry, but damn – not a sound came from it.

I picked up another one that looked like a box that might have boots in it. I was secretly hoping those were the UGG's I wanted.

I mean, I sure as hell hadn't been crass enough to ask for them. But, I had left a catalog open on the coffee table in the family room, with the pair that I wanted circled in red for several weeks.

I smiled as I shook the box; pretty damn sure my boots were in there.

Hot damn!

I set the box down and put the smaller one on top, remembering why I had trespassed into forbidden territory to begin with. I searched the shelves over the clothes rack, finally seeing two shoeboxes that would be fine for the two pairs of earmuffs.

I stood on my tip-toes, and moved the bottom box, scooting it toward the edge of the shelf, and jumped back as it fell to the floor, spilling out a pair of Eli's shoes.

As I bent over to pick the shoes up and find a place for them, I heard Cain and Eli come in the front door, none too quietly.

Uh oh…

There was no time to make a quick, unseen exit as I heard their footsteps echoing on the hardwood floors of the hallway.

I quickly switched off the light in the closet, and pulled the louvered door closed; shrinking back into the corner and hoping like hell that Eli didn't need anything out of his closet anytime soon.

Why in the hell hadn't I just gone out when I had the chance? I could have explained the need for a box for a gift way better than if one of them found me hiding in the closet.

"She's probably taking a nap," I heard Eli say as they opened the door and came into their room. "She's been going at all this Christmas stuff with a vengeance," he chuckled. "Just toss those bags on the bed. I'll wrap them later."

"I hear that," Cain remarked. "She's really been on her game, too. She's a hell of a worker, keeps up her end of the bargain, and hell; she even makes this place more of a home for us. Kind of makes me fucking proud of her."

I couldn't see what they were doing, but the discussion they were having immediately piqued my interest.

"I think I know what you're saying, Maddox," Eli replied quietly. "And I want you to know that I'm okay with it."

"I love you, man," Cain murmured. "You and me, we're in this for the long haul, you get that right?"

Eli must've nodded.

"Okay then, so I want you to be more than okay with it. I want you to be a part of it."

I heard Eli draw a long sigh. I could even picture him doing it.

"I'm not sure I want to cross that line again, Maddox. I mean, I get that she's been around with dudes and all, but this is a bit more than even her experience has prepared her for, and she may just end up being a one-dude kind of chick. I mean, the sexually charged current between you two is pretty fucking obvious, but that doesn't necessarily mean she wants me to be part of the deal."

Oh God! Are they talking about…what I think they're talking about?

"Eli, this is more than just about sexual chemistry and you damn well know it. This is about a life choice for all of us. I love her same as you, but I need her, too."

"You need to take this slow, Maddox. Yeah, I love her, too. Not the same way that you do, but I think you already knew that. And I love you so fucking much, and your honesty about it all. I won't lose you, I swear. You let her know that you love her, because it's not fair not to. I'm down with whatever it is you need to make this work."

"Come here," Cain ordered quietly.

It was quiet for several moments. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and for a second, I was worried that they could hear it too.

I crept quietly over to the door of the closet. The louvers allowed me to see into their room. They were wrapped tightly in an embrace, kissing one another as only people in love kiss.

I watched, curious to see what it was like with these men. I mean, I'd seen them show affection with one another before, but nothing heavy—nothing like right now.

Their lips fit perfectly together as they kissed. Their rock-solid arms were wrapped around one another, and I watched as Eli cupped Cain's chin with his hand, pulling his mouth even closer, allowing his tongue to trace his bottom lip.

Cain kissed Eli the same way that he had kissed me. It was signature. It was custom, I realized, as Cain's hands clasped the back of Eli's neck, pulling him in even further, as if he wanted to devour him. It was almost savage, but it was love, and it was beautiful to me.

Seeing their mutual love expressed so passionately and so fucking willingly to one another, took my breath away.

I decided that I wanted to be kissed like that again. The same way that Cain had kissed me before. I wanted it to happen again. I wanted more to happen because now I was perfectly clear on his feelings. So was Eli.

Cain finally broke away, and I wondered if I was going to see more of their love.

"Come on, Eli," he said, giving him a few more soft, butterfly kisses on his lips, "We'll talk more about this later, for now, we need to get the packages out of the trunk that Darcy sent over and under the tree before Paige wakes up. She gets so excited every time she sees another wrapped package added to the pile."

"Darce sent quite a haul over," Eli replied with a laugh. "I think this is going to be the best Christmas yet."

As soon as I was sure that they had headed back out, I literally came out of the closet, and scurried down the hallway towards my room.

Once inside, I crawled on top of my bed, bringing my legs up to my chin, and rested my head on my knees. I reflected upon the private conversation I'd heard—the one I had no business hearing, even though I was the topic of it. I thought of the way it had made me feel.

I felt warm and giddy inside with the knowledge that I was loved by these men. And I was also humbled by the fact that Eli was sensitive to the fact that with Cain, it was a bit different than it was with him. And he was okay with it. Because that's just how Eli loved.

chapter 14

Just as I suspected—or should I say, as I was made aware of due to my relentless snooping, I hauled in quite a bit for Christmas. I chastised both Cain and Eli for going overboard.

Eli argued that he had received a nice Christmas bonus at work, while Cain said the catering business had been making major bucks over the holidays, and they had picked up several steady clients for continuing business.

All I knew was that I was officially spoiled this Christmas, and I was a little in love with that.

"My UGG boots," I screeched opening the box and pulling them out. "Oh my God! How'd you guys know?"

That had earned an eye roll from each of them, as I shrugged them on, grinning like a kid who just had their first taste of chocolate.

I also received a leather jacket, a Coach purse, two sweaters, two pairs of jeans, a gold chain necklace, and an assortment of music C.Ds.

Darcy had gifted me with several pairs of earrings, a sweater, hat, gloves and flannel PJs.

Cain rolled his eyes as I pulled out the flannel PJs that had built-in feet. "Those aren't any fun," he teased.

Both of them had loved my gifts to them, totally impressed with my skills at knitting scarves, and they tried them on to show me how they looked.

"You guys have really outdone yourselves," I remarked, looking at my pile of gifts. "This is the best Christmas ever—and it's because of both of you, and the way that I feel about you guys."

It grew quiet as I felt their gazes wrap me up in very secure warmth. I suddenly felt nervous beneath their perusal because they sensed there was more that I wanted to say, and there was.

But I needed to say it to Cain first. And now wasn't the right time. I needed to let him know that, although I loved him—and Eli too for that matter, I wasn't going to be the person who came between them.

We busied ourselves in the kitchen later, getting our Christmas ham in the oven. I watched the way that Eli and Cain interacted and it seemed different—not a bad different, just a subtle quietness that blanketed them and it was new. It was as if a decision had been made; or maybe, a compromise of some sort between the two of them. I was unnerved by it, somehow feeling guilty of something.

I couldn't stop thinking about the conversation I'd overheard and now I wished like hell that I hadn't. And even though they had no clue that I'd heard it, it still hung like a pall over all of us.

Once everything was in the oven, I gathered up all of the boxes containing my Christmas haul, and headed to my room to start putting things in order. Dinner wasn't going to be ready for a couple of hours and I needed some alone time. I sensed they might need some as well.

I'd gotten everything put away in my closet and had made up my bed when there was a light tapping on my door.

"Paige?" It was Cain. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I called out, plopping down on top of my bed, drawing my knees up under my chin.

He came in, closing my door softly behind him.

"You okay?" he asked, studying me carefully.

"Sure," I said, with faux sincerity. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason. You just seem kind of quiet all of a sudden. Got the Christmas letdown?"

"What's that?" I asked, blinking in confusion.

He smiled. "You know, after the six week build-up and all of the anticipation that goes with it…Then on Christmas, the gifts are opened up and the mystery is gone and it kind of sucks the air out of all that build-up once you realize that it's over for another year."

I smiled weakly. "It's not that. I mean my Christmas was awesome and all. It's something else."

"Wanna share?"

I shifted nervously. "Actually, I was in your room yesterday when you guys got back from Darcy's," I said. "I was looking for boxes to wrap your gifts, and I…kind of panicked when I heard you come home, because I know you don't like me messing with your stuff…so, I uh…hid in the closet," I mumbled, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.

"Go on," Cain urged.

"Okay, so I heard the conversation you had…about me; and how you both feel about…me, and it just sort of seemed…to me that maybe Eli was giving you some kind of permission, you know, to act on it…and, well—I don't know how to feel about that," I finished, finally allowing a sigh to escape.

Cain was still studying me…intently. My admission hadn't seemed to have caught him off-guard, or evoked any major change in his demeanor.

"Paige," he finally said, "You can't pretend that you didn't already know how I've felt about you for a while now. I mean, I think it's been fairly obvious…to the both of us. And I think you reciprocate those feelings, too."

I rested my chin on my knees, and rocked back and forth on the bed slowly. "It doesn't mean that it's right," I whispered. "So, yeah, maybe I have been crushing on you…big time. But you belong to Eli and I know my boundaries these days—I mean, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the same skank you first met last May, right?"

His face softened; the corners of his mouth curled up into one of his magnificent, though rare, smiles. "I have," he replied, softly. "We both have and we love it. And you're right, baby. I belong to Eli, and he belongs to me, but I want you to belong to me, too. In every sense of the word. And Eli understands that about me and about you. He loves us both, you know?"

I shook my head back and forth. "I know he does," I squeaked, my voice full of emotion. "And it's because I love Eli that I would never feel right about…encroaching. I mean, how in the hell could that ever work, Cain?"

He pulled me from my sitting position, into his strong arms, and I let him. His hand brushed my hair back from my face, and his fingers tilted my chin upward, so that I was forced to look into his beautiful russet eyes.

"We'll just take it slow, baby," he whispered. "Because I have no intention of losing either one of you, got it?"

I didn't have a chance to nod, but I knew that I would have because I had no intention of leaving these men either.

Cain's lips claimed mine with purposeful intent, and I melted into him, responding with my own purpose to claim him right back. My tongue explored him, tasted him, and matched his every movement as my hands fisted through his thick, dark hair, pulling him into me with a hunger I didn't realize existed.

We stayed locked within one another's arms until I felt dizzy with the need for more, and if we didn't stop soon, there would be no stopping. Cain sensed it, too.

He pulled away, cupping my chin and planting, soft kisses on my lips, his eyes smoldering. "We’ll take it slow and easy, babe."

I nodded. He pulled away and stood up. I could see that he'd grown hard…for me.

"Eli's leaving in the morning on a ski trip for the next couple of days with some buddies from work. One of them has a condo somewhere in the Shenandoah Valley."

"You aren't going?"

"Have some catering to do. Eli's company shuts down between Christmas and New Year's. I guess it'll just be you and me for the next few days."

I felt myself shiver inwardly, nodding again. And then he was gone. Leaving me there to contemplate what he'd just told me.

chapter 15

Eli had left for his ski trip before I'd gotten out of bed the following morning. Of course, I'd been awake for a couple of hours. I was just too much of a damned coward to leave my room until I knew that I had the house to myself.

It was Saturday, so I didn't have to report back to work until Monday.

Cain had also left, leaving a note for me on the counter telling me that he'd be back before dinnertime, and making a point of letting me know that we would be having dinner together.

I busied myself doing domestic things, and trying not to think about this evening, when it would be just Cain and me. My stomach butterflies swarmed at the possibilities my imagination was churning out.

Eli hadn't mentioned anything before Christmas about a planned ski trip. This was so not like him. I mean, he’d plan his wardrobe in advance for an excursion such as this to ensure that his ski wear was coordinated perfectly.

This had been a last-minute decision; I knew that now. Eli was giving Cain and me time alone. On purpose.

But why?

Wasn't it obvious?

He loved Cain that much.

Maybe he loved me that much, too.

My heart was racing; jumbled thoughts were running through my head. I didn't think that I'd ever been this nervous—or excited.

I finished up with the house, and then took some steaks out of the freezer for dinner.

I took a leisurely bath, shaving, waxing and buffing my skin to a healthy glow.

I painted my nails, and selected some sexy new underwear that I had purchased as a Christmas gift to myself. I dressed in a pair of my new skinny jeans and one of the sweaters I’d received from Eli and Cain.

I brushed out my damp hair, blowing it dry and straightening it with my flat iron. Once I had applied a bit of bronzer and eye make-up, I studied my reflection in the mirror.

I knew what was going to happen this evening and for now, I was okay with that, because I knew in my heart, that it was what I wanted and what I needed.

* * *

I was in the kitchen, marinating the steaks and putting a salad together when Cain got home. It was damn near seven o'clock and I could tell that it had been a day for him. He came up behind me and my skin immediately goose-bumped hard.

"I was going to take you out," he said to me softly, his breath warm on the back of my neck. "Today's event was one disaster after another, it seems. I meant to call you before I realized how late it was. Sorry, baby."

"It's fine," I said, not daring to look at him while I continued chopping celery for the salad. "Let's stay in and have a quiet dinner."

"I'm gonna grab a quick shower, then I'll be out to help you, I promise."

"No, Cain. You worked today. I've got this, okay?"

He put his arms around me, and kissed the top of my head gently. "I won't be long," he said with a promise in his voice.

I shivered.

Dinner was quiet and intimate. The two glasses of wine I consumed had taken the edge off, and maybe had even served to give me some courage. We needed to deal with the elephant in the room before anything else progressed.

"So, have you talked to Eli today?" I asked, looking up from my plate.

"No," he answered quietly. "I don't expect to hear from him while he's away. He needs this time for himself."

"Cain," I started, but he quickly interrupted.

"It was his idea, Paige. Totally. He wants this for us and if I wasn't absolutely sure of that, I'd be with him at Massanutten right now. Do you understand that?"

"But—"

"It's what he wants, Paige. It's what I want and you fucking know that it's what you want," he said firmly, his eyes now flickering over me with an expression that left no doubt in my mind that he was right.

"What is it that you think I want?" I challenged, because I had to hear it from his lips.

"You want to know what it feels like when my cock is buried deeply inside of you, after my tongue has tasted every fucking bit of you first," he said, huskily. "You want to know that, when I'm inside of you that it's just me and you—and no one else, and that each and every time I thrust my cock into you—that it's for you and you alone, and when I finally come—it's because of you and what you do to me that made that happen—and that it's all yours and only yours."

My God.

My panties were damp because of his words; I felt my tongue sweep across my upper lip as I finally exhaled a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding.

"That's just fucking," I finally said, looking at him and tilting my chin up just a bit.

I saw a glint in his eye as he knew I wanted more.

"Oh yeah," he breathed, sipping his wine. "We're going to fuck for sure. And then we're going to make love, and then maybe fuck again before we finally sleep. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," I whispered, my limbs turning to jelly right where I sat.

"Good," he said, "Because tomorrow is Sunday and we're both going to be resting up so that we can do it all again afterwards…and again."

Cain got to his feet, and circled around to where I was sitting. He pulled my chair out for me, and he extended his hand down to me. I placed my hand in his, and he pulled me up to my feet where I stood before him.

His hand went to my face; he tilted my chin up to look into the depths of his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice every bit as intense as his eyes.

I nodded, keeping eye contact with him, making sure that he could read the message very clearly in my eyes: I was never surer of anything in my life.

"For the first time ever, I feel like I belong somewhere…with someone…with you," I breathed.

And what he did next, I'll never forget.

He gathered me up into his strong arms, and I immediately laced my arms around his neck.

"You're mine" he said huskily, as he carried me down the hallway towards the master suite.

I'm pretty sure everything in my body just…stopped what it was doing, so that my pulse, heartbeat and shallow breathing could just pay attention to what was currently happening.

He lowered me down to my feet once we were there; his arms now drew me up against him. Standing there for a minute that felt like two seconds in this man's arms, I felt his lips breeze across my forehead. He tilted my face upward to his, and sought my lips with his own as I melted against him.

I was dizzy with his nearness, his breath warm against my throat as he whispered against me. "God, you're so sweet, Paige. So fucking sweet."

My arms laced around his neck, my face was buried against his chest. I felt his heartbeat and it was strong, and steady. His fingers traced the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck, and he gently fisted my hair, drawing my face back as his mouth now came crashing down on mine with clear purpose and intent.

His lips worked mine expertly, and I moaned with the pleasure of feeling his tongue exploring my mouth, capturing my bottom lip in a soft suck, and then tracing his tongue over my top lip, nipping gently at it. I felt heady with his taste and his scent.

His hands moved to my torso, where he pulled my sweater up and over my head, his hands eagerly moving to unclasp my bra so that he could access my breasts, fondling them with urgency, fingering my nipples and causing me to shiver against him.

I felt him unbutton my jeans, and I assisted, getting them lowered to my feet so that I could step out of them. And just like that, he'd discarded his clothing and his eyes took in every inch of my naked body. Mine did the same and he was magnificent. Just like I knew that he would be.

He was back to me, capturing my lips once again, as he lifted me up against him, and then gently lowered me down onto their bed.

There was nothing gentle about his kisses at the moment. The sheer intensity of that was mind-fucking-boggling, as he consumed my lips with his, and claimed my tongue. I felt his hardness against me and my body ached to feel all of him.

I thrust my hips up against him as he roughly fondled my breasts with his large, strong hands, before dipping his head lower, and pulling one into his mouth, nursing it as if it had always been his and no one else's.

I moaned in pure pleasure as I felt his teeth, nipping at my flesh, drawing my nipple in deeper, and then rolling it with his tongue until I thought I would come from that alone.

He moved to the other one, possessing it with his mouth and tongue, and I felt my legs wrap around his hips, drawing him closer, as if that were even possible.

"I need you inside of me," I moaned softly, my hand now fisting in his thick, dark hair. "Please, baby?" I whimpered.

"Patience, babe," his lips said against my sensitive skin, as he moved himself lower.

His tongue was now blazing a slow, sensuous trail down my belly, while his hands moved even lower; and his fingers gently plied the folds of my pussy apart. I felt myself rock against him as he inserted one finger, and then another into my sanctum, gently probing the depths as my wetness coated them.

His tongue flickered over my slit, lapping each sensitive fold of my pussy, and then plunged inside of my core, where it joined his fingers, as the heat of his touch slowly enveloped my senses into this moment in time. I never wanted this feeling to end.

I moaned audibly, thrusting my pelvis up against him, swiveling my hips so that every nerve ending in my core was being touched by him.

He continued loving my pussy, moaning to himself as he tasted my wetness and his tongue washed over my clit again and again, sending shock waves through me from head to toe.

He felt my trembling, knowing already that I was very near climax, so he slowed his tempo a bit, rising up from me to reach for the condom on the nightstand next to the bed.

All the while, his fingers continued their gentle probing of my sex, as he effectively removed the condom from the wrapper and rolled it onto his rigid cock with one hand.

He was on his knees, his eyes boring into me with a hungry passion that owned me.

"I want to fuck you this way," he said, grabbing a pillow and raising my hips up so that he could position it underneath my ass. "I want to watch you come with my cock inside of you."

I nodded.

All that I could think about was that, at this moment, Cain was mine. He was all about me. I didn't have to share. Every kiss, every thrust, every lick was for me and only me.

He grabbed my legs, and positioned them over his shoulders, leaning in as his hand guided his sheathed cock into me with a forceful thrust.

I moaned in pleasure, licking my lips as I watched his muscular thighs; he knelt between my raised legs, and rocked in and out of me with slow deliberation.

I was mesmerized by him in every way. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes and totally focused on his thrusting, his hands now cupping my ass, lifting me up just a bit and adjusting me for his fit.

His cock was teasing my G-spot, and that's when I felt my body take over; my muscles tightened around his girth; and I heard his sharp intake of breath as they did.

"Christ baby," he rasped, his eyes now coming open in surprise. "You're fucking going to milk me, aren't you?"

"Uh huh," I murmured, feeling myself contract once again around his swollen member.

"This is mine, Cain," I whispered. "This is for me. I want you to fuck me like you mean it."

"Aww…baby," he breathed, watching me as I was slowly being wrecked by this man, "You know I mean it."

Our tempo increased and, together, we spiraled into a perfect orgasm, our eyes deadlocked and my mind totally obliterated with the things that he made me feel, physically and emotionally.

Fuck.

I loved him.

Totally.