A New Resolution (12 page)

Lore stood, incited by her anger and the constant nagging she could hear in the back of her mind from all the people in her life telling her to loosen up. She grabbed her jacket and purse without putting them on and muttered a quick “Good evening,” before turning on her heel and heading to her car. They followed.

“Lore, please,” Kieran said. “Lore.”

“We’re sorry. Don’t go yet. You’ve misunderstood. Nobody needs to fix you. You’re perfect.”

“We really didn’t—”

Their begging pissed her off even more. It pissed her off so much that all she wanted to do was shut them up. Shut them up and prove the idiots wrong. She might be a quiet and contained woman, but she was not a fucking stick in the mud.

As Kieran began another barrage of empty apologies, she turned on her heel once more, stopping them in their tracks right next to her car. She took a deep breath, framed Kieran’s handsome face, and plastered her lips to his. After the initial shock, he moved his body into hers, crowding her against the car and sipping at her lips. Fuck, it was everything she’d fantasized about and more. But she wasn’t done yet.

She shoved him away, taking note of his gasping breath and the rigid bulge in his pants before turning to Nolan and reaching up on her tippy toes to bring his face down to hers. Even though he’d had a moment to witness what she just did with Kieran, he still seemed a bit shell-shocked, not able to engage in the kiss until she bit his bottom lip. But, oh boy, did he engage. Nolan grabbed her hips, then squeezed tight and moaned into her mouth. He pushed his tongue in, taking what she hadn’t offered, tearing down any and all physical barriers she had ever put in place.

But this kiss wasn’t about capitulation. She wasn’t saying yes to them, just giving them a taste of what they couldn’t have. Basically, she was being a bitch. And she loved every second of it.

“Just because I keep to myself and like good posture and quiet evenings doesn’t mean I’m not a fucking person. I’m the goddamned hellion that neither of you is going to get.”

She took all kinds of bitchy pleasure in their shocked faces as she slammed the door on her car and drove away. It was gonna be a long night with her trusty vibrator to soothe the blood boiling in her untouched core.

Would it cost her too much pride to turn around and invite them over to fuck her? She shook her head, allowing herself a small grin, and kept on driving.

KIERAN PRESSED HIS fingers to his lips as they watched Lore drive out of the parking lot. He could still feel the imprint of heat she’d left on his skin like a brand. Nolan curled his hand around Kieran’s to entwine their fingers, tugging him back to the present.

“What the hell was that?” Nolan asked, staring at the exit of the parking lot. He looked as perplexed as Kieran felt.

“I…have no fucking clue. What did we say? We must have said something.” Kieran could hardly think past the kiss. Hell, the last five minutes of their dinner had been a blur. He had barely had enough time to drop some cash on the table before running after her.

“Maybe it’s just a woman thing.”

“Clearly it’s a fucking woman thing, as we have no idea what just happened. But you know what? I’m not just gonna let that slide. C’mon.”

They ran to the car, Kieran diving into the driver’s seat, even though Nolan had driven to the restaurant.

“Where are we going?” Nolan asked, sliding into the passenger seat, a fevered light illuminating his eyes.

“We’re going after her.” Kieran put the car in gear and peeled out of the lot, barely missing a few pedestrians in his anxious state. “If she gets to do the woman thing and run away from us for some convoluted reason, then we get to do the man thing and follow her in dominant indignation.”

Nolan slammed the dash with his hand, an adrenaline-fueled laugh bellowing out of his chest. “Christ, I love you.”

“You may not if she calls the cops on us for stalking.”

“She wouldn’t do that…right?”

“Hell hath no fury, my friend.”

They made it to her address in record time. Nolan ducked out of the car first, running up to the door and slamming his fist against the worn wood. Kieran was quick to follow, shutting off the car and joining his lover on Lore’s porch, representing a united front. They wanted this woman. They knew she wanted them. What the hell was in the way of getting what all three wanted?

The door opened to a harried-looking Lore. Her cheeks were still flushed with anger, and the look of shock on her face on seeing them standing on her porch was worth the potential restraining order she could file against them for following her.

“Go away.”

Nolan’s hand shot out to block her from slamming the door in their faces.

She growled in anger. Growled. The most composed and kept-together woman Kieran had ever met growled at them. Seeing her in a fit was sheer magnificence.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking up and down the street nervously, keeping any riotous emotions at bay by remaining soft spoken. Fuck that shit. “The night is over. Go home.”

“We don’t want it to end,” Nolan said quietly, his deep voice a balm to Kieran’s agitated state of mind.

“What do you want from me?” Lore let go of the door, conceding she would never be able to shut it with Nolan blocking her. She crossed her arms and stuck her hip out in typical pissed-off female style. Kieran ached to put his hands on those hips and tug her close, make her knees go weak from a kiss. Yes, he was behaving like a barbaric ass, but he could barely focus on anything other than what he so dearly wanted.

“This behavior is ridiculous. I am mad at you.” Well, at least she wasn’t trying to act like nothing was wrong. They could work with this. “That means you let me storm off and be by myself while watching and being confused. That is how this works.”

Kieran laughed, taking a chance and stepping closer. He stroked his knuckles along her cheek in a brief caress. She didn’t back away. “This is life,” Kieran said. “It’s messy. You can’t control everything, Lore. You can’t control what our reactions will be.”

“I don’t accept that.” She shook her head vehemently, avoiding his gaze and staring past them. Kieran wouldn’t allow her any measure of leeway. He took another step, crowding her, cradling her lovely, angry face in his hands. She was so fucking beautiful. Even annoyed as all hell as she was, he still wanted to eat her up.

“What are you doing? Why are you doing that?” she asked rapidly, her voice finally losing its cool disdain in favor of nerves. Kieran enjoyed knowing they had the ability to throw her as off balance as she did them. Maybe that’s what all that shit back at the restaurant had been about. Lore took pride in masking her emotions with congeniality and composure. How would she have felt if their presence alone threw her off axis so much it made her lose her grip on that well-honed control? No wonder she was floundering.

Nolan maneuvered around them, taking his place at Lore’s back, preventing her from wrenching out of their hold, not that she was trying to. His hands gently came to rest on her shoulders, making her jump. She glanced to the side, but Kieran wouldn’t let her turn her head, wanting to keep her attention on himself. He needed her to know that she could trust them, that their need for her was pure and unwavering, and that her running had just made it worse, like prey running from a predator. Kieran could nearly feel Nolan vibrating with unbridled lust behind her. He wanted to make a move but knew if they asked too much of her too soon it would all be over, and she would probably implode.

“What we are doing, sweet, beautiful Lore, is showing you that we want you. I don’t know what made you mad, but I’d like to know so I can learn from my mistake.”

“We don’t like thinking we hurt you,” Nolan said in her ear, his teeth nipping the shell too quickly for her to object. Her eyes fluttered at the sensation. She’d liked it.

Kieran leaned his head down, keeping a gentle hold on her face and nuzzling his lips against hers. He didn’t kiss her, just smoothed his lips over the soft skin of her mouth, giving her a sampling of what they could give her, how good they could make her feel. If only she would say yes.

“I’ve watched you in class, learned the way your body moves. You were so stiff when you first started, I didn’t think you would last more than one session.” Kieran smiled at the memory. He could tell she absolutely hated exercise by the tight-lipped frown she wore during the
vinyasa
flow. She was probably the only person he knew who became more stressed by doing yoga. “But as the weeks went by, your determination to master the discipline forced you to continue, and now…you’re still stiff as fuck.”

Nolan snorted behind her, wrapping his arms around her stomach to inhibit her annoyed shove at Kieran’s chest.

“Ass,” she muttered, lifting her hands to smooth down his shirt. “I hate yoga.” Kieran moved his hands from her face down to rest at her waist. He loved the sensual curves of a woman, so opposite a man’s equally beautiful but stark hardness.

“Oh, really? I had no idea.”

She rolled her eyes, clearly not appreciating his sarcasm and folding her arms in a defensive pose once more. “Is this why you came here? To tease me?”

“No, Ms. Beyer,” Nolan rumbled in her ear, then moving to kiss her neck. “We came here for this.” His hand circled her neck before turning her head to face him, keeping her immobile for his kiss. Kieran felt a jerk in his groin at the sight of their lips dancing, and oh, it was a dance from both sides. Her mouth tangled with Nolan’s, meeting him kiss for kiss, bite for bite. Kieran grasped her hands, unfolding her arms and bringing the fingers of her right hand to his mouth. She moaned into Nolan’s lips, her kiss turning aggressive when Kieran slipped her fore- and middle fingers into the wet heat of his mouth, laving the digits with his tongue.

She made a sound of protest, and they stopped, pulling back from her instantly. “Wait,” she said breathlessly. “Please, stop for a moment.”

Her chest was rising in a rapid pace, her lungs fighting for air. “I need a second to think. Let me go, please.” Kieran met Nolan’s eyes and nodded. They let her go, but to Kieran’s delight, she didn’t immediately back away from them. He thought she meant to disengage, but after catching Kieran’s gaze, something changed. Her nervousness turned into something more, something that looked remarkably similar to the determination he saw in her when she was tackling those yoga classes.

Lore leaned forward, rested her hands on Kieran’s chest, and pressed her lips against his. He didn’t kiss her back, didn’t take control. Kieran let her explore him, her hands rising to stroke through his hair, her tongue dashing out to taste his lips. That was the sum of his control where Lore Beyer was concerned.

He circled his hands around her waist and lifted her off the ground, bringing them to an even level. She gasped, her mouth opening. Kieran took the advantage and thrust his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her. Nolan was there throughout it all, rubbing her back in support, letting her know it was okay. Kieran appreciated his perceptiveness to not crowd her again so soon.

After a moment of exploration and tasting, she pulled back, another gasp escaping her lips.

“Put me down, please.”

Kieran did, reluctantly, and this time she did back away, pushing her long and loose hair out of her face. Nolan moved to stand next to him, taking his hand with a squeeze.

“Yes, I want you both, clearly.” She sighed, smirking up at them in ironic mirth. Kieran loved these new expressions. He’d never before seen merriment and exasperation lighting her eyes from within. “Obviously I want you. But what does this mean for the two of you, for your relationship?”

“It means,” Kieran said, letting go of Nolan’s hand to wrap his arm around Nolan’s waist, “that we are equally attracted to you. We both want you.”

She hesitated before asking, “Is this something you do on a regular basis?”

“Yes,” Kieran answered honestly. He would never allow her to enter into this sort of relationship with a blindfold on.

“Oh,” she said quietly, her hand toying with her bottom lip in thought. “I guess that makes sense.”

“We usually seek out women who would be interested in this sort of thing, women who have experience with joining an established relationship in a temporary capacity,” Nolan explained. “We’re bisexual; we both crave women every now and then.”

“But make no mistake, Lore,” Kieran said, needing her to know their true intent. “This is not a fling.”

“No?”

“No.” He took her hand, unable to watch her play with her bottom lip and not be allowed to taste. “We
like
like you.”

Lore stared at him for a moment, her mouth slightly agape and her brow furrowed, probably thinking he was insane. Then the sweetest sound filled the room, and Nolan chuckled, his tense shoulders drooping in relief. She’d laughed. And it was the first time Kieran heard her full belly laugh. The sound was pure light and wild joy.

“You’re both crazy.” She chuckled quietly, coming back to herself. “So you
like
like me, and I
like
like you. Now what?”

“Now…you tell us what we did to piss you off.”

She sighed, leaning against the doorjamb. “It wasn’t anything you did. Just the whole need-to-let-loose-and-live-a-little comment hit something I’ve been struggling with.”

“You wanna talk about it?” Nolan asked gently, grasping her shoulder in affection.

“I told you my dad passed away recently?” They nodded. “Well, let’s just say he was the opposite of composed and put together, something that left an impression. I know I’m his daughter. I can see in myself the same disastrous potential to become what he was. So I keep it under control, keep myself under control. It’s not a bad way to live but…”

“But that’s not who you are, is it?” Nolan asked, moving his hand from her shoulder to neck, rubbing the silky white skin.

“At this point I’ve spent so many years trying not to be him that I’ve lost who I might have become. I don’t know that woman. I still think I made the right choice, even if I have regrets. Becoming who I am today was my final resolution.” She huffed, pushing away Nolan’s hand and coming out onto the porch, then turning around to face them head-on. “Which is why you telling me you want to change me, improve me, angered me so much. It infuriated me. I cannot change, can’t chance becoming him.” She spread her arms in display. “So it’s this, gentlemen, this contained woman you would be seeing. I can’t chance becoming anything else.”