Seduced by Two (11 page)

Jensen’s back straightened. “Torture?”

Sal walked to the table and hopped onto a chair, his hooves dangling a few inches above the floor. Jensen forced himself to stop staring and look the guy in his eyes. “Since I don’t know who these people are, I can’t say no to that.”

His mother had endured years of torture at the hands of his father. He couldn’t stand by and let another woman suffer like that. “I want them to come after me. I want you to put a tracking spell or something on me so that when they take me, you can find Tira.”

Sal didn’t say anything right away, just sat there staring at him.

“You and Tanner are twins, right?”

Jensen frowned. “Yeah. But what does that have to do with—”

“I know sometimes twins have special abilities, special languages. Sometimes they can even hear each other’s thoughts.”

Jensen’s frown deepened. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“It means you and Tanner may already have the ability to find each other without creating a spell the person holding Tira may be able to sense.”

Well hell. He hadn’t thought of that. But Sal had. Tanner and Jensen barely talked about their ability with each other. Why did Sal seem so sure he and Tanner could or would communicate like that?

“Now don’t get offended.” Sal shook his head, a small smile curving his lips. “No one ever told you there’s something magical about twins?”

Jensen snorted. “Not in my house.”

“No, I guess not.”

The even tone of Sal’s voice made Jensen’s back straighten.

He knew.

Jensen stared into Sal’s eyes, seeing no pity.

Jensen couldn’t stand pity. It made him feel twelve again and facing the cops who came to take his mom and his dead father away.

Bigger and stronger than Jensen, Tanner had always taken the brunt of their father’s anger. They both had scars from the bastard but that night, that prick had bloodied Tanner’s face, something he’d been careful never to do. And their mother had finally—after so many years of abuse—reached her limit.

She’d shot the bastard with his own gun. The gun he’d been threatening Jensen with after he’d told his father he couldn’t finish his homework.

Why his mother had picked that night to find her backbone, he didn’t know. Maybe she’d realized the strength it would take to get rid of the bastard would cost her more than she could stand and she figured her sons were old enough to take care of themselves. And her, as it turned out.

Neither Jensen nor Tanner had ever asked her.

But that night she’d ripped the gun out of their father’s hand and shot him with it. Right after he told her he’d kill her when she wouldn’t give it back.

Jensen had made the call to the cops. And when they’d gotten there, they’d taken one look at Tanner and rushed him and their mom into an ambulance.

But they’d treated Jensen, who had no visible wounds, with kid gloves. As if he’d been psychologically damaged.

He’d absolutely hated that.

He and Tanner didn’t talk about their father. They barely talked about their mother. Both were gone. And they’d survived.

But Sal knew the story. And probably, so did Nica. And she hadn’t seemed to treat them as anything other than regular men.

Then again, she was pretty extraordinary.

“She knows?” He had to make sure.

Sal nodded, still no pity in his gaze, only calm respect. That, more than anything, served to calm Jensen’s racing heart. “She won’t say a word until you do though. So I suggest you and your brother spill your guts.”

Just thinking about exposing themselves like that—

Well, it wouldn’t even come close to what Nica had to hide on a daily basis, would it?

Jensen nodded, though he didn’t know what he was agreeing to. Yes, they should tell her. But first, they had to find Tira.

And Jensen had an idea about that.

“I need to go home.”

“Really?” Sal asked though he didn’t look at all interested in what Jensen needed to go home for.

“So whoever took Tira can come for me.”

Sal just stared at him so he pushed ahead.

“You’re right about the twin bond Tanner and I share. We haven’t used it much lately but if I get taken, he should be able to find me. Or at least the general area. I’m assuming you’ll be able to get backup for Tanner. He’s good with his hands. Don’t think he can’t defend himself—”

“If they use magic against him, like the spell they used on you…” Sal shook his head. “He’ll be a walking target. He’ll get in the way.”

“And you don’t have some spell or whatever you can lay on him to make him immune?”

“No such spell, kid. You’re either immune to magic or you’re not. And there aren’t that many immunes wandering around.”

“Tanner won’t want to be left behind. Not with me missing. And as soon as I leave he’s going to know. I was kind of hoping to give them time to get, uh…”

Sal lifted one eyebrow. “Lost in each other?”

That was a good way to put it. “Yeah. Lost enough that I can get a decent head start before he realizes I’m gone.”

Because if Tanner had any inclination of what Jensen was going to do, he’d want to go too. And one of them needed to stay behind with Nica.

Sal nodded, though to what, Jensen couldn’t tell. “You sure you wanna do this, kid? From what Nica told me about the spell laid on you the other night, you might not come out of this with all your parts intact.”

“You know my background. You should know, too, that I’m not willing to stand around and let an innocent woman be hurt when I can possibly do something about it.”

Sal’s smile lit up his face. “I like you, kid.”

“Enough to let us keep seeing her when this is all over?”

Jensen figured Sal had the power to erase their memories at the snap of his fingers. Nica had said she’d screwed up the spell the other night. Sal wouldn’t make that mistake.

Sal’s smile disappeared as fast as it had appeared. “Not up to me, Jensen. Nica has…responsibilities. It’s not my place to tell you what they are. And I can’t honestly say she should give them up because of you two. No matter how you all may feel about each other.”

“You don’t find our relationship—perverted?”

Sal snorted, more disgust than humor. “Kid, you ain’t seen perverted until you’ve met the Roman deities. They make you look like a choirboy.”

Jensen blinked. Deities. Had he really said deities? As in gods?

His brain clicked like a broken record for several seconds. “Did you… Do you mean…”

“Don’t hurt yourself, kid.” Sal laughed. “There’s a lot about the world you don’t know. Try not to worry about it now. You really sure you want to do this?”

No.
“Yes.”

“Then you better get the hell out of here.”

* * * * *

Tanner felt tension radiating from Nica’s body like heat as he led her up the stairs.

She gripped his hand so tight, his fingers began to throb. And she kept looking over her shoulder as if Jensen would suddenly appear and follow them upstairs.

He wasn’t sure what Jensen wanted to talk to Sal about. But Tanner had a feeling he wasn’t going to like whatever Jensen was planning. And his brother was planning something.

Tanner just couldn’t figure out what. He found it hard to read Jensen as well as he used to. As they’d gotten older, it’d been tougher to find that sense of knowing what the other was doing and where they were.

“Tanner?”

Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he realized Nica had stopped. The room she’d taken him to was dark but he clearly saw a bed behind her and the worried look on her beautiful face.

So much worry.

His muscles tensed with the need to wipe that look off her face. The hand not holding hers balled into a fist as fast-building emotion ate at his gut.

After the hell of childhood, he’d learned to keep his emotions to a steady simmer, never letting any of them come to a rolling boil. Nothing good ever came from an excess of feeling. Hell, his parents were the poster children for that one.

So he’d banished anger and fear from his life. And, he realized, severely crippled his ability to love.

Until he’d met this woman.

Staring down into Nica’s dark eyes, he saw a woman who wouldn’t settle for lukewarm. She was all heat wrapped around a huge heart. A heart he wanted to claim.

He let that simmering emotion rise, battling against his instinctive reaction to shove it back. Let it heat until he felt it all through his body.

Then he kissed her.

He kissed her hard, his lips working hers open so he could get his tongue into her mouth. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her tight against his erection, throbbing already.

If he took her off guard, she caught up fast. She tilted her pelvis into his, rubbing against his cock, making him groan with the powerful rush of desire that hit him squarely in the gut.

This wasn’t just sex anymore. At least not for him.

His once-stunted emotions tangled into the mix now, dragging him into a deeper connection with her. One he didn’t want to dig his way out of.

One hand laced into her hair, tipping her head back so his lips could work their way down her neck until they met her shirt collar. Without thought, he slid his hands to the hem and ripped it over her head, settling his lips back on hers the moment the shirt was gone.

He kissed her as his hands settled on her breasts, kneading them, working the tight nipples between his fingers. Nica groaned and pressed into him, her hands gripping his shoulders, as if he might pull away.

He wasn’t going anywhere. And neither was she. He’d make damn sure of it. And when Jensen joined them, they’d fuck her senseless so she’d have no desire to leave them. No matter what.

Moving his hands to her hips, he lifted her off the ground then began to work her tight jeans off her hips with one hand. It wasn’t easy but he persevered until he had her naked.

Their tongues dueled as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her fingers scratched at his scalp, pulled his hair. She nipped at his tongue then sucked on it, her breath coming hard and fast as she kissed him.

This wasn’t going to be slow and easy. Already he felt his cock tighten painfully behind his jeans, throbbing.

With one hand, he ripped open his jeans and turned to put her back against the wall. She moaned, her hands tightening in his hair, her hips tilting farther. Encouraging him.

He didn’t need much. As soon as he got his cock free, he thrust into her. Hard. All the way to the base and she took him like she was made for him. Hot and wet.

Her sheath accepted him, sucked him in then tightened around him like a fist, milking him. He pulled out, the friction sending bolts of sensation chasing through his system, then shoved back in.

She moaned into his mouth and slammed down on him.

“Nica, baby, I don’t want to hurt you. Slow down.”

“You’re not going to hurt me, Tanner. Just fuck me. I need you.”

And he needed her, so much it’d be scary when he let himself think about it. But right now, all he could think about was making her come.

He did her hard and fast, his hips pounding against hers. There’d be time for slow later, when he and Jensen would drive her insane with pleasure. Now, though, he’d make sure she didn’t lack. For anything.

And from the sounds she was making, she didn’t.

He watched her eyes, glazed with pleasure. Saw her lips swollen from his kisses. He thrust even harder and caught his breath on her cries of ecstasy.

“Tanner, oh gods. Please.”

Hips pumping, he felt her contract around him just before she came. Her arms clutched him close as she spasmed around him, milking him until he gave in to his own climax.

Still holding her tight against him minutes later, he leaned his forehead against hers and just breathed. Her arms still tight around his shoulders, her warm breath brushed against his neck.

He should have felt more relaxed. Less stressed.

He didn’t.

Something was…wrong.

“Tanner?” Nica’s voice whispered across his senses.

He shook his head at the question he heard in her voice. Lowering her to her feet, he tried to throw off the growing sense of impending doom.

Nica wound her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. He was tall enough that her head fit under his chin, the tips of her hair brushing against his stomach.

She seemed much smaller standing there, much weaker. But he knew she had a strength that could put the strongest man to shame.

God, he loved her. He opened his mouth to tell her but closed it without speaking the words. Not yet. It wasn’t the right time. Not with this sense that he was missing something.

Running his hand through the silky mass, he dropped a kiss on her head. “I’m fine, babe.”

“No, something’s wrong. What’s going on?”

Good question. What the hell was going on? And where the hell was Jensen?

* * * * *

Jensen left Sal’s and headed back to his own house as fast as he could.

Now that he’d decided on a course of action, he was committed to it. But damn, he was worried.

Not for himself. He could handle himself.

But he’d left without telling Tanner. He felt as if he’d betrayed his brother. Which was asinine.

They had no secrets, but they didn’t live in each other’s pockets. They might live together but they led their own lives.

Yeah right. You’re pussies, both of you. Living together like perverts, screwing the same woman at the same time. You’re degenerates.

It was exactly what dear old Dad would’ve said had he been there. Jensen heard him as clear as if the bastard was standing in front of him. The man had had an opinion on everything, most of it biased and hateful.

Tanner had learned how to tune him out. Jensen never could. He’d always heard every damn word.

They’d been lucky their lifestyle had never interfered with their business. It almost had, when he’d been stupid enough to fall for the wrong woman. Tanner had known Penny was bad news. Jensen hadn’t wanted to see it.

And he’d nearly brought down their company in the process. If Tanner hadn’t been able to minimize the damage her vicious gossip had done, they could’ve lost everything.