Mastered By The Mavericks (46 page)

Just when she was certain she’d splinter apart from the illicit joy of his embrace,
he yanked away, only to look on with heated eyes as Rhett stepped in, claiming her
lips and body in much the same way.

He tasted like desire and decadence. He felt like six and a half feet of raw, raging
lust—especially after hiking her ass onto the lift’s inner rail, using the extra leverage
to slide the bulge in his pants along the crux of her sex. As their kiss deepened,
Rebel circled around them, guiding her legs higher around Rhett’s waist.

“Fuck, that’s good. Yeah…grip him tighter,
mon chou
. Grind your sweet body up against his. Let me see—”

As the elevator dinged, he bit out a string of French profanity.

When the doors slid open, he extended a hand into the opening.

“I’ll take care of the door, Double-Oh. Make sure our girl makes it in safe.”

Rhett’s growl vibrated against her lips. “Roger that, my love. Loud and fucking clear.”
He dipped his head back toward her, only brushing his mouth over hers this time. “Hang
on tight, peach. I’m going to handle this as fast as I possibly can.”

She nodded—before clamping her thighs around his broad, hard torso.

Every step to the room was a mix of agony and ecstasy. While she couldn’t wait to
finally be alone with both of them, she cherished the feeling of being watched over
once again…just letting Rhett take every step and think about every move. She tucked
her face against his neck, and tangled her hands against the back of his head. He
moved with effortless grace beneath her, his wide steps eating up the hallway between
the elevator and their room.

Finally, they were there.

He set her down on the massive bed in the middle of the room, illuminated only by
one bedside lamp and the glow of the city lights, thirty floors below.
A world below
. Up here, ensconced in this space just for them, there was no more traffic or music
or dinging, crazy casino sounds. Not the din of a thousand conversations or the blare
from a million points of light. All that existed, all that mattered, was the heat
of their mingled breaths…the energy of their rising passions.

At least she hoped.

Oh God, please…

She finally gathered up her girl balls, and opened her eyes.

There she was, still positioned on the end of the bed—

Now gaping at the two men in tuxedoes, on their knees in front of her.

She didn’t know whether to sigh or cry. Maybe both. They were both adorably rumpled
now, thanks to how they’d all attacked each other in the elevator. Rebel’s bow tie
was unraveled. Rhett’s shirt had a smudge of her lipstick down the front. While her
libido jumped and her heart swelled at observing the marks of her passion on them,
she was still cautious, inwardly clutching the keys to her soul.

So they still wanted her…at least physically. She’d be completely down with that.
Didn’t mean they got to see the keys—or anything in the spaces she kept safe. Keeping
it all hidden from
herself
was hard enough as it was, let alone breaking it open then having to shove it all
away once they left again.

And they
would
leave again.

Not just because they had to.

Because Vikings and pirates were meant to explore, to conquer. They didn’t have roots
or commitments or permanent addresses. That was why these two suited each other…and
clearly still saw that for themselves as well. Their connection practically formed
visible ropes on the air. She could feel good for helping to make that happen, at
least.

After a huge inhalation, Rhett finally spoke. “We’ve just completed the east Asian
jungle tour.”

She studied their faces for clues about an appropriate response. “Ummm…con­grat­ulations?”

Rebel’s face clouded over. “We would’ve brought you a souvenir, but we suspected you
didn’t want us to bring back malaria or dysentery.”

“You were right.” She laughed it out. “Thank you.” Then in a softer murmur, “You brought
back the only two things that really matter, anyhow.”

He reached to take her hand. “It’s damn good to hear you say that,
minette
.”

Rhett repeated the action with her other hand. “What he’s trying to say is, all those
miles of bogs, mud, and sludge didn’t compare to the hell we knew…without you.”

Rebel slid closer. Gazed up at her with eyes that glowed like sapphires in the sun.
“We agreed that you needed space. We’ve tried like hell to let you have it. But Brynna…pieces
of us both are missing without you.”

Rhett sent a nod at the man full of approval and adoration. Rebel returned the look,
seeming to validate an unspoken message between them.

Words Rhett uttered the next moment, in that entrancing blend of New York and London,
making her instantly glad she was still sitting down.

“We’re in love with you.”

Brynna blinked. Then nothing else. She wished one of them would pinch her—or something
even better—to confirm she wasn’t dreaming.

“Both of us.” Rebel let go of her hand to slide his touch up her arm, clenching his
jaw as he stopped at her elbow. In his eyes, she saw the desire to go farther. “Nighttime
in the jungle means you get a lot of time to talk.”

“About
a lot
of things.” Rhett wrapped his free hand around her knee, just above her boot. Her
whole leg erupted in shivers from his knowing contact. “Like about how amazing it
is that we’ve finally opened our hearts to each other—only to realize that all this
extra space is empty.”

“Not empty,” Rebel asserted. “Simply missing the element that belongs there.” He copied
Rhett’s grip, curling his long fingers around her other knee. “The missing magic.”

“The love of our lives.”

Rebel nodded as if his partner had sung the final note of a beautiful song. His eyes
closed for a long moment. Rhett openly adored the expression before tilting his head
back toward her. Brynna simply stared back. She struggled for words but they never
came. They couldn’t make it past the glorious, miraculous disbelief flooding her heart.

“Look, we know it sounds crazy, but—”

“No.” His declaration finally unlocked her own. “No.” The tethers on her tongue finally
fell away…as the wings of her heart spread, daring to hope, to believe. She grabbed
them both by the nape, letting them see her joyful tears. “I’ve been trying to talk
myself
out of crazy, too. For four damn months…”

Rebel raised his hand to the back of her head. “Meaning…?”

“Meaning I’m in love with you, too.” She shook her head. “I kept telling myself I
was insane, that four days couldn’t have possibly been enough time to change my heart,
much less my life…but I couldn’t shove any of it out of the way.” Their gazes, so
pure and blue, the oceans that her soul sailed on, encouraged her to continue. “I
couldn’t forget how much courage you two pulled from yourselves…the shit you confronted
for the sake of finally being together. Your bravery inspired the same thing in me.
Only once I realized how I felt, I didn’t know what to do with all of it. I figured
I’d just been the naughty little fling that turned into the wakeup call for you two.”

Rhett chuffed. “You woke us up, all right.”

Rebel smirked. “In some damn good ways.”

“In some
better
than good ways.” Rhett halted as if craving to say more. His nostrils flared, then
again—until a look of pure fuck-it-all crossed his face.

He lunged, taking her mouth again. There wasn’t a damn meaning left out this time.
He was out to dominate, and Brynna was so ready to let him. She moaned from his raw,
relentless conquest, giving in to every blaze he brought to her body, every fire he
ignited in her heart.

Nearly the instant he released her, she was jerked the other direction. The dark command
of Rebel’s face consumed her lust-clouded vision, and her lips parted, preparing for
his kiss—

Which didn’t come.

“Have you registered for the new school semester yet?”

She blinked, wondering how he could disguise such an ice bucket of a question beneath
that hot, sexy stare. “I—what?”

“Answer the question,” he growled. “Have you registered—”

“I heard the question.” She snapped it despite his delicious pull on her scalp. Perhaps
because of it. “And no. Registration isn’t for two more weeks. How does that—”

“Good.”

“Good?”

He flicked a quick look to Rhett. Seemed to like what he saw there, so nodded and
impaled her with his beautiful stare again. “We want you think about finishing your
coursework in Washington.”

Her eyes popped wider. “In—what?”

“There are at least a dozen outstanding colleges and universities between Kirkland,
Seattle, and Tacoma,” Rhett added. “They all have extensive graduate and post-graduate
psychology programs.”

“Meaning there are also some exceptional group homes.” Rebel’s lips tipped in a soft
smile. “If you decide that Enya needs to be moved closer, as well.”

“Moved?” Her brain latched onto the word, then let her heart pound all over it. “Wait.
What? You—you want me to—”

“Move.” Rebel pressed the word into her lips. “Yes. To Seattle.”

“With us.” Rhett turned the kiss into a three-way thing, caressing half his mouth
over Reb’s, half over hers. “Jungle down time also means a lot of real estate dreams.”

Rebel’s smile took on more meaning. “It means a lot of dreams, period.”

“We figured if we looked at a bigger place in the suburbs, we could have a yard. A
few spare bedrooms. One of them could be your office…”

“And one of them our bonus room.”

Brynn couldn’t help but giggle. “But of course. Boys have to have their…bonus stuff.”

Rebel nodded solemnly. “Soundproofed. Halo and Call of Duty were made for cranking
to level ten.”

Rhett dipped his head, teething at one of her breasts through her clothes. “I’m more
interested in the other toys that cause level tens.”

Brynna let a gasp escape, as much from joy as arousal. She let it spread into a smile
while Rebel growled his support of Rhett’s assertion. He joined his friend in pushing
her all the way back on the bed. As he coaxed her farther up on the mattress, Rhett
busied himself with pulling down—on her clothes. More gasps tumbled out as he stripped
off the romper in a few deft moves. Rebel nudged his nose beneath her bra, teasing
at both her nipples while Rhett made short work of her panties.

“You two certainly know how to make a case for your cause.” She punctuated that on
a shiver, as Rhett climbed back up her body by way of sliding his fingers through
her pussy. Within seconds, she dripped even wetter than before, soaking his fingers
enough to leave a trail up her abdomen, toward her navel.

“Oh
minette
.” Rebel pushed back the lace cups of her bra, scraping his thumb over her nipples.
“We’re just getting started.”

She arched into his touch. “Does that mean I shouldn’t tell you that I’ll be packed
and ready to go in a few hours?”

“Who says you’re going anywhere past this bed for the next few hours?”

As he issued that, Rhett demonstrated the extent of their point. From seemingly nowhere,
he pulled out a padded leather cuff and secured it around her right wrist. As he did
the same to her left, she instantly felt a tug on the first cuff. They’d brought in
some kind of under-the-mattress bondage system before going downstairs to get her.
Oh God, she was a lucky girl.

As soon as he was done, Rhett slid over to gently kiss her on the lips. “Be good and
we’ll let your legs stay free.”

Brynn lifted her head, instantly missing his spicy taste. “And if I’m bad?”

Rebel bit the curve of her shoulder. “Oh, please be bad.” A light tap of his fingers
on her mound, and she was instantly inspired to rename herself after every bad girl
she could think of.
Maleficent…Mata Hari…Bettie Page…

“He’s tempting you to the dark side, peach.” Rhett ran a graceful, powerful hand through
her hair then Reb’s. He lingered, alternately caressing and pulling, letting her share
his captivated stare as Rebel responded with groans lust and heat.

She traded one moment’s worth of a glance with Rhett, knowing his thoughts tracked
with hers. To think of how close they’d come to losing Rebel…to being without the
free, wild wind upon which both of them could ride to the fulfillment of their fantasies…

She didn’t want to think about what life would be like now. But nor could she bear
to contemplate it without Rhett: the mountain who gave her his hardness, his strength,
his unfaltering foundation so she could lift herself up, arms and heart open, into
the wind…

They were everything she needed.

Everything she ever
would
want.

“Brynna?” The whisper came from Rebel, as he hovered his face above her own.

“Yes?” She deliberately tugged at her cuffs, making sure the movement brushed her
erect nipples right under his own.

“Come to the dark side.”

She gasped, sharing breaths with him.

Cleopatra…Ma­donna…Joan Jett…

“Do it.” Rhett’s voice, now above them, was thick with lust. His fingers dropped to
her jaw, compressing in, forcing her mouth open. “Let him take you, little girl.”

Brynna welcomed Rebel’s tongue. Let him stab deeper, into the recesses of her throat.

Mystique…Poison Ivy…Bellatrix…

“Now spread your legs for him.”

She obeyed without question, her body surrendering, her heart racing, her mind rejoicing.
Oh God, this was so much better than she remembered. Far, far better than she’d fantasized.
Especially now, as Rhett shifted to the space between her legs, shoving on both her
ankles so her knees bent up. The whole time, Rebel continued kissing her, alternating
between deep probes and gentle strokes, his breaths getting heavier and faster—

Until Rhett reached between their bodies, and yanked down the zipper on Rebel’s fly.

“
Fuck
.” It tore from the depths of Reb’s throat. His stare sliced into Brynn’s, intense
as blue glass, as Rhett pushed his pants to his knees, freeing the stiff, full length
of his beautiful, swollen cock.