Marrying Mari (5 page)

“This is crazy!” she exploded. She clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced out into the dining room, but no one even looked up. The privacy of this booth apparently included muffling the conversation. “This ‘mate’ thing, you’re talking marriage, right? Me with both of you. How would that work?” She looked from one to the other.

Gabriel lifted another fork full of food and waited until she opened her lips. “Good girl. It would start with you moving into our place. Living with us for a while, as a trial run. I think all three of us need to know a few basics before this becomes permanent.”

Despite her confusion, Mariella savored the food. It was the most delicious meal she’d ever had. Focusing on the task at hand, she asked, “Like what?”

“Whether we get along well. Once we’re mated, there is no divorce in the Colony. We mate for life.” Ethan fed her a bite from his plate.

“No divorce? What happens to couples who aren’t compatible?”

Gabriel’s smile, this time off-kilter, slashed across his strong features. “Ask my parents. They’re the opposite of Ethan’s warm and loving family. My folks are more like a pack of hyenas. Maybe jackals.” He grimaced. “I’d like to avoid that sort of drama, thanks. I’m looking for a nice, obedient mate.” He stroked her thigh. “How about it?”

She stared at him and snorted. “Do I strike you as obedient?”

“Not so much.” Gabriel grinned. “But we can work on that.”

Her mouth dropped open.

Ethan spoke behind her. “Compatibility is an issue. Not only in our personalities.”

They both looked at her. “You mean sex? You want to have a trial run to find out if the three of us are sexually compatible?” She gulped her wine. “Well, I guess I’m the only wild card. You two seem to have worked out your intimacy issues.”

Gabriel looked puzzled, while Ethan laughed. He lifted another forkful of savory goodness to her lips. “We don’t play that way, beauty. In bed, it’ll be all about you, for both of us. All about your pleasure, all about your reaction to us, individually and together. And yes, by the way, it will be very important to all three of us that you and I, and you and Gabe are sexually compatible.” The darker man watched her chew. “But I don’t think that will be a problem. Do you?” He quirked an eyebrow at her.

Mariella swallowed, watching Ethan watch her. “Ah…”

Gabriel wiped a crumb from the corner of her mouth and tilted her head toward him. “No problem for me, so far.” He pressed a quick, hot kiss to the same corner. “Mmm. You taste delicious.”

“Think of it this way,” Ethan’s voice was dark, smooth, compelling, “You’ll have two mates working very hard to make you happy, to keep you contented and aroused and satisfied. I think that might be an enticement to some women.”

Her head spun. The conversation or the wine? She had to stop drinking because she was actually considering this crazy idea. “I’m not moving in with you. That’s just ridiculous. Am I supposed to give up my apartment? And when it doesn’t work out, what then?”

Ethan studied her. “It will work out. And you will move in with us. We need to see how this would work as a marriage, and for that we all need to be in the same space. It’s not just about the sex, although I am also anticipating that with pleasure. It’s about our day-to-day compatibility. Once we have children—”

“Whoa there, cowboy. Children?”

Ethan shrugged. “It’s inevitable. And for their sakes, the three of us have to form a unit. Gabriel and I have a duplex on Central Park West. You live in Hell’s Kitchen. Time would be wasted going back and forth. And your place is too small for the three of us. Our duplex has plenty of space.”

She said, “What do you know about my apartment?”

“How do you think we found you, sugar? We hired a private detective to do some research for us. He found your mom, and he found you.” Gabriel played with her fingers. “Don’t you want children?”

“So that’s what the phony scene in the office was, a pick up?”

Ethan shifted impatiently. “It wasn’t phony. His information on you sounded hopeful, but your pictures were unclear. Full helmet and glasses. Meeting you in person was the first step. If we hadn’t been interested, we’d move on.”

Her mouth dropped open. “D’you know how arrogant you sound?”

He stared at her down his nose. “Should I have sent you a formal invitation? We didn’t have time to waste on some elaborate courtship. It was blindingly clear you knew nothing about who we were. This was the most convenient and expedient plan.”

“Wow. That’s some charm school patter you’ve got there, Ethan.” She snorted.

Gabriel glared at his friend. As he tilted Mariella’s chin toward him, he spoke in a soothing voice. “I know what we’re telling you sounds odd, and that we’ve hit you out of the blue, but all we want is a trial. Ethan gets bossy. Give us six months.”

“Six months! Are you crazy?”

“Three?”

“One!”

“Done!” Ethan barked. “Starting tonight.”

She put up a hand. “Wait.”

Gabriel smiled. “Mariella. Live with us for one, short month, and let us find out if we three are meant to be mated. If so, we’re all better off. If not, the worst that can happen is that you have an adventure. A really nice adventure. With more meals at Insatiable.” He stroked her cheek and stared into her panicky eyes. “Say yes.”

Chapter Three

Both men held their breath as she dropped her gaze. Her lowered eyelids and thick lashes hid her thoughts, but her teeth worried her bottom lip. Her pulse raced as Gabriel’s thumb stroked her inner wrist. “All right.” She saw Ethan’s hand unclench on the tabletop. He picked up his wineglass and swallowed a huge gulp.

“Sweetheart, you’ve made us very happy.” Gabriel kissed her wrist. “And we plan to return the favor, as soon as we can.” Her big silver eyes flew to his, and a blush swept over her face.

“I should tell you—” She stopped, unable to decide what to say.

“What?” Ethan spoke in a quiet but commanding voice.

She slanted a glance at him and changed her mind. She could fill them in on her lack of expertise later. “My mother never said anything. Why did she run away? And why did she lie to me?”

The darker man studied her. “I don’t know. You should ask her.”

Mariella nodded noncommittally. She picked up her fork and began eating again. “I’ll have to pack up my things, clean out my apartment. That will take a few days.” She sighed.

“We’ll send someone to take care of it.” Ethan’s arrogant tone was back, and she glared at him. He quirked an eyebrow at her. “You agreed to move in with us for a month, starting tonight.” He leaned closer. “Thirty-one days. And nights.”

“Thirty!”

He laughed. “Still negotiating? Okay, thirty. I think we’ll know long before that. And you’ve got everything you’ll need with you now.”

“I’ll need clothes.”

Ethan’s eyes glittered. “Not really.” He sipped his wine and slid his gaze over her body.

She blushed again.

“We’ll buy anything you need.” Gabriel murmured in her ear, then kissed her cheek. He sat back, eating from his own plate. “That’ll be fun.”

“I don’t need you to buy me clothes. I’ve got clothes. In my apartment.” She caught them exchanging glances again and glared, first at Gabriel and then at Ethan. “Stop that.”

Gabriel looked innocent.

Ethan stared at her challengingly.

She blushed, a third time. “Damn.”

Gabriel laughed, a happy, rich laugh. He poured her another glass of wine, emptying the bottle. He looked around, and the waiters snapped to attention.

While the staff cleared and prepared the table for the next course, the trio sat without speaking. Mariella’s heart raced. The silence was thick. She glanced at both men, only to find them watching her.

“Stop staring at me.” Her voice came out husky and softer than she meant it to be.

“You’re too beautiful.”

Ethan’s words, abruptly voiced, struck through her body like lightning. He reached out and took her hand in his, holding it lightly on top of the table. Gabriel’s fingers rested on her leg, above her knee. She shivered. Her body simultaneously tensed and melted. She was completely unlike herself. Her nipples were hard, aching points. Between her legs, she was wet. She pressed her thighs together, trying to ease the ache. She’d never experienced anything like this.

Both men were themselves beautiful, if that was a term that could be used for such intensely masculine men. Ethan was still wearing the same suit, shirt and tie, but even this late in the evening, he looked perfectly groomed. Only the five o’clock shadow on his jaw suggested how late the hour was. And the contrast of black shadow against his pale skin was surprisingly erotic. Gabriel was like a big, golden lion, relaxed after a hard day of hunting antelope on the veldt.

Yeah, too bad these boys didn’t have any sexual heat, Mariella thought, then revised her thought. These men, she told herself, deliberately. And she knew sarcasm was a weak weapon against either of them.

Live with them, in their duplex, for thirty days and nights. Was she crazy? Had the combined sexual mojo of the two men simply made her nuts? Pliant? Desperate? Maybe the last one was the right one, given the powerful reaction of her body. She was desperate, for the first time in her life. She wanted them, both of them. Ethan and Gabriel. Individually, definitely, but even more insanely, together. Those pictures in her head kept pushing to the front. Having their total attention was nearly too much, even just sitting here in the booth.

What would it be like when they were alone. And naked.

She shivered again and took a deep breath.

“It’ll be okay, beauty.” Surprisingly, it was Ethan whose voice and gentle touch comforted her. “More than okay.”

Dessert was as decadent, as delightful looking and smelling as the earlier courses. Again, small plates full of sumptuous offerings appeared on the tabletop. Each dessert was perfectly plated, only three bites in size, but gorgeous. What looked like a baklava in honey and nuts, a raspberry tart, peaches covered with sorbet and a chocolate soufflé sat before them. Espresso in tiny cups and flutes of chilled champagne.

She spooned up a bite of the peaches and sorbet, and moaned.

“Don’t do that,” Gabriel said.

“What?”

“Don’t moan like that.” He bit off the words.

Ethan laughed softly. “What he means is, don’t moan like that until we’re alone. I agree.” He bit a corner off the baklava, then offered her a bite. Honey, thick and sweet, slid off the crisp phyllo and onto her tongue.

Gabriel nudged her with a spoonful of the soufflé. She tasted it, then licked her lips for the remnants of cream.

Gabriel groaned. “We’ve gotta go. Now.”

“Not yet.” Ethan was cool but strained. He sipped champagne. “Have some champagne. Gabriel, give her some tart. And definitely more of that cream.” He watched as both complied with his commands, then reached out and slid his hand around Mariella’s neck. He pulled her toward him. Kissed her mouth, holding her in place.

She was dizzy, and not from the excellent champagne. Ethan’s lips were firm, hot, demanding, and they stroked over hers with confidence. He angled her head and continued the kiss. Heat like an atomic blast exploded between them. She lifted her hand to his jaw and touched his rough cheek with the tips of her fingers. Her reward was the sudden swipe of his tongue against the seam of her lips and the sharp nipping of her bottom lip.

She gasped and pulled back. Ethan let her slide back an inch, separating their mouths, but tightened his grip on her hair, holding her head up. She stared into his blazing cobalt eyes. Their breath mingled.

“Oh, beauty. I’m afraid I will definitely lose control with you.” His voice was taut.

She stroked his jaw again. He closed his eyes, then slowly, one-finger-at-a-time released her.

She sat back, only to find Gabriel there, leaning forward. “My turn.” He cupped her chin, glancing down at her throat and grinned. “Right now, I want a taste.” With those words, he lowered his head and touched his lips, once, twice, three times to hers. Light, sipping kisses. “Open up.” Insistently, he kissed her mouth again, this time pressing hers open and sliding his tongue inside, still lightly tasting her. Tangling his tongue with hers. He groaned softly, then slid one big hand to cup her breast. His thumb sought out her nipple, teasing it in the same rhythm as his tongue stroked her mouth.

After a very long time, he lifted his head. Mariella opened her eyes, dazed, and raised her fingers to touch her lips. They were swollen and tender.

She glanced at Ethan and gasped. Arousal came off him in waves.

Gabriel kissed her throat and murmured, “Remember, both of us, focused on you. I’ll make love to you, and Ethan will watch. Then he’ll have you and I’ll watch. Then we’ll both fuck you at the same time.” He turned her lips back to him and kissed her passionately.

“Let’s go.” Ethan’s tone brooked no discussion. He stood up, taking her coat with him.

Gabriel pulled her out of the booth, wrapping one arm around her waist.

She floated down the shallow steps to the dining room floor, then across the subtly darkened room to the lobby. Gabriel released her and pressed a button on the cell he pulled from his pocket. “We’re ready. Coming out.”