No Holds Barred (3 page)

She was fighting the need inside her, would never give voice to it. It tied him in knots. Didn’t she realize he wanted to fulfill her fantasies? If she wanted to try a threesome, this was about as safe a scenario as he could ever give her. He and Liam had shared women in the past, but this would be completely different. Nathan loved her more than his own life and would never let anything or anyone hurt her. Liam wouldn’t do anything Cait didn’t want—he’d lavish her with pleasure. And not simply because he knew Nathan would kill him for doing otherwise. He’d treat her right because he adored her too. That’s why Nathan was willing to allow it.

Cait’s eyes were still closed. A little hum of pleasure escaped when his fingers kneaded the taut muscles at her nape. Sensual and responsive to his every touch. What would she do if he twisted her head up right now and took her mouth the way he wanted to? If he held her fast while Liam moved in to nibble on her neck and began unbuttoning her top? She’d be horrified, embarrassed, furious.

But if he could somehow get her past all that and make her feel safe enough, cherished enough that she’d let go of her inhibitions and accept what she wanted…

She’d melt for them like rich chocolate left in the sun. Her body would go pliant, and her gorgeous blue eyes would dilate as her need built. Christ, he wanted to give that to her. Pure pleasure with no strings attached. One night of him sharing her with another man, one he trusted with his life.

It troubled him that she was holding back. Maybe it was his fault she didn’t feel comfortable enough to face her innermost desires. Maybe she didn’t trust him completely with that part of herself. That thought bothered him more than anything else. As her lover and life partner it was his duty, his privilege to make sure he fulfilled her in every way possible. He wanted to. How did he make it clear how important that was to him?

Nuzzling the soft skin of her neck, he inhaled her sweet raspberry scent and smiled at the tremor that rolled through her.
Ah, baby.
So aroused, yet so afraid to unleash it. He’d have to help her confront that fear.

And conquer it.

She couldn’t handle this. She’d been an idiot to come out here, knowing full well what would happen. The sexual need roiling inside her pulled tighter and tighter until it was all she could do not to squirm in place. Every nerve ending in her body pulsed with the knowledge that she was sandwiched between two sexy, virile men. One who wanted her, and the other she was starting to believe might too.

Cait closed her eyes and leaned further into Nathan’s body, praying he wouldn’t know the true reason behind her sudden peak in arousal. He had to know she was turned on—he always knew. But he didn’t do anything. Just watched the movie.

His hand continued to work the taut muscles at her nape while Liam’s body heat suffused her right side. He hardly touched her, but even through her robe and pajama top she felt the contact clear to her center. She barely suppressed a shiver at the feel of being pressed between them like this, innocent though it was, with their warmth seeping into her. They were so big on either side of her, caging her in an almost protective embrace. She felt small, feminine. The heightened awareness made her body unbearably sensitive. Her breasts felt heavy and swollen, the nipples rasping uncomfortably against her PJs.

God, why was she still sitting here, doing this to herself? She really should leave. She should, but…it was too delicious to walk away from this just yet. The feel of them. The erotic idea of being with both of them.

Liam shifted beside her. A forbidden part of her wanted to lean over and rub against him. Instead she pressed closer to Nathan and forced out a slow, deep breath. They were torturing her with their innate masculine sensuality, and they didn’t even realize it.

At least, Liam didn’t realize it. She was afraid Nathan knew all too well what she was thinking.

Images continued to flicker across the TV screen, but she didn’t see any of them. Closing her eyes, just for a moment she allowed herself to fantasize about what it would be like. She’d turn to Nathan and kiss him, press her body flush against his. If she did that right in front of Liam, Nathan would know exactly what it meant and what she wanted. Then he’d take over. Completely.

The thought dragged another quiver out of her, her damp pussy clenching against the painful ache inside. His tender dominance always turned her into a quivering mass of need.

The fantasy fast-forwarded until she was spread out on the leather couch while Nathan and Liam used their hands and mouths to bring her to a shattering climax.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Nathan glanced down at her. His knowing eyes held a good amount of heat and a sudden awareness that made her stomach grab. Time to go.

But when she tried to get up Nathan held her fast with that hand on her neck. She tensed, and the first stirrings of unease crept in when Liam looked at her and didn’t move away. He was too close.

“I like the feel of you against me,” Nathan said softly against her temple. His warm breath stirred the fine hairs there, sending a shiver cascading through her.

Liam still hadn’t moved.

She didn’t dare look over her shoulder at him, afraid of what she’d find in his eyes and embarrassed that Nathan was practically seducing her right in front of him. Did Liam know? Was he getting turned on and hoping they’d involve him? Her throat constricted. Oh God. If they pushed her right now, they’d undoubtedly break through her resolve in a matter of minutes and then there’d be no going back. And in the morning she’d have to face what she’d let them do.

No.

She tugged against his hold, but Nathan didn’t release her. Caught between them, she stared helplessly up into his gray eyes.
Please don’t. Please don’t use my body against me.
“I have to go to bed,” she managed, her voice husky with the vicious arousal she was fighting so hard to hide.

But Nathan knew her too well. He knew exactly what was happening to her; she could see it in his eyes.

His hand moved into her hair and held the back of her skull. She started to shake her head, but he leaned in and kissed her. Slowly. Firmly. Warmth, pressure and a hint of tongue that left her trembling and breathless. She curled one hand into his shirt and gripped it hard, tortured by the need clawing at her, by the feel of him and the knowledge that he would give this to her if she asked for it. Then he pulled back.

She blinked up at him, flushed and weak and too afraid to move.

Holding her gaze, he removed his hand from her head and swept his thumb across her blazing hot cheek. “You sure?”

“Yes.” She’d never been surer of anything.

He held her there another moment, searching her eyes. Just when she thought he’d take things further and kiss her again, he let her go, albeit reluctantly.

Surprised, she blinked and climbed to her feet, nearly stumbling over Liam’s long legs in her haste to escape. “G’night,” she blurted, and made a beeline for the bedroom.

Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and shut her eyes. God, her legs were shaking. She couldn’t believe what she’d almost done. If Nathan had kissed her like that again, she wouldn’t have been able to hold back the moan she’d stifled the first time, and then he and Liam would both have known exactly how turned on she was. And why.

Stripping off the robe, she left her pajamas on to keep a barrier between her and Nathan and crawled into bed. The ache between her thighs was almost unbearable, but she refused to slide her hand into her slick folds and find relief. It would only be another step further down the path to disaster. Fantasies were one thing, but this went far beyond that. Indulging in it was wrong and illicit, and she had to get the idea of the threesome out of her head.

One more day, she told herself, drawing a shaky breath. She could get through one more day. Then Liam would be gone, and things would go back to normal. She’d no longer be tormented by depraved and forbidden thoughts about being with Nathan and his best friend. She’d be able to forget she’d been weak enough to almost give in to that forbidden temptation.

For the first time in their relationship, she feigned sleep when Nathan came in to slide between the sheets and tuck her into the curve of his naked, aroused body.

The next evening after dinner, Nathan watched Cait as she wiped down the counter one last time and rinsed out the cloth before laying it over the faucet. All the lights were off except for the antique lamp he’d left on in the corner, casting the room in a soft, warm glow. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t want any bright lights on for this. Not that she knew what was coming.

“Thanks again for the awesome dinner,” he said. Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings, followed up by a homemade apple pie spiced with cinnamon and lemon zest. His favorite. She was always doing things like that for him. Little things that showed her love for him and made him the luckiest man on earth to have her.

She smiled at him over her shoulder, tossing her long auburn hair down her back. “You’re welcome. You can make it up to me later.”

He planned on doing exactly that. With luck, the three glasses of wine she’d had with dinner would help take the edge off her nerves. “Is it later now?”

“I dunno, is it?”

“I think so.”

Her answering laugh was husky, and sexy enough to send a fresh wave of blood to his groin.

Liam was in the shower. He could hear the water running in the guest bathroom they’d worked on most of the day. After redoing the plumbing and replacing the fixtures, they’d sat down to dinner together with Cait, but he hadn’t seen much of her throughout the day. By design on her part, no doubt.

He knew damn well she hadn’t been sleeping when he went to bed last night, but he hadn’t pushed her to admit what was bothering her. This morning she’d seemed fine, if a bit distant. With Liam she was friendly, but the heat he’d sensed in her last night was gone. Buried beneath all those cool, controlled layers she loved to encase herself in.

Unfortunately for her, he loved to peel them away, one at a time, until he had her writhing and begging him to take her. On that count, tonight was no different.

Smiling to himself, he came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist to draw her back into his body. Cait sighed and leaned her head back against his shoulder, a little smile on her lips as she relaxed into his hold. He was hard as stone already, just from the feel of her and the way she melted against him, but the heady rush of anticipation ran hot through his veins. Only question now was whether she had the guts to face what was coming. He hoped like hell she did.

Nathan wanted this. Badly. God, he’d love nothing more than to make this fantasy come true for her. He’d seen how aroused she got whenever she read an erotic book with a ménage scene, and after last night he knew for sure she was physically attracted to Liam. He didn’t want her to hide this part of herself from him any longer.

But while she was uninhibited with him in the bedroom, she could be surprisingly conservative outside of it. Getting her past the initial shock might be hard, but he knew he could do it if she gave him the chance. It could go either way, but he hoped she trusted him enough to let this happen. Otherwise the whole thing would blow up in his face. He was taking a risk, but a calculated one.

The clean scent of her shampoo rose up to tease him. He nuzzled her silky hair, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. She was sensual as hell, and she loved it when he took control. Almost as much as he loved that helpless, sexed-up look she got in her eyes when she was about to come.

“You feel good,” he whispered against her hairline.

A dreamy smile curved her lips. “You make me feel good.”

He’d make her feel even better.

With one forearm locked around her ribs, he reached beneath the hem of her snug tank top and feathered his fingertips over the smooth skin of her belly. She’d changed clothes after dinner and wasn’t wearing a bra because she thought she was on her way to bed. As he caressed her, Cait purred and arched in response, reaching one arm up to curl around his neck. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, and he wanted to taste every inch of her. But that wouldn’t be his privilege tonight.

His fingers drifted up her midline to the underside of her plump breasts and brushed over the curves. Her nipples were already hard, poking out through the thin ribbed-cotton top. When he pressed his erect cock against her buttocks, she sighed and wriggled into him. She was soft and warm in his arms, and he loved every second of it. He wanted her hot and wet, pulsing with need before this went any further.

Nathan dipped his head to nibble gently at the curve of her neck and reveled in her quick inhalation, the way her body turned soft and yielding. A physical expression of her trust.

He closed his eyes.

Trust me, baby. Trust me to give you what you’re too afraid to ask for.

Suddenly Cait stiffened. Holding his breath, Nathan tightened his hold and pressed closer, offering his comfort and protection as he raised his head and met Liam’s stare in the kitchen doorway. In the sudden silence, her quiet gasp ripped through the room like a gunshot.

Cait froze in Nathan’s arms and stared at Liam.
Oh, shit.

Her mouth went dry at the hungry glitter in his dark eyes, at the sudden tightening of Nathan’s hold. The delicious buzz floating through her from the wine and his seduction vanished under a cold wave of dread. This couldn’t be happening. They wouldn’t do this to her. She wanted to turn away, shake her head in denial, yell at Nathan for springing this on her. But she couldn’t move. Her muscles wouldn’t obey. She was paralyzed, helpless in the face of this sensual threat.

Nathan’s palm rested just beneath her breasts, a warm, solid touch to anchor her. “If you want this, it’s okay,” he murmured against her ear.

She swallowed past the constriction in her throat. Her heart thudded so hard, she felt the reverberations throughout her body. Oh God, she couldn’t do this. Couldn’t go through with it. She grabbed his forearms to pull away and started to shake her head, but Nathan gripped her tighter.

“I would never force you. You know that. But I won’t let you hide from yourself either. I think you want this. You want it, but you’re afraid of what I’ll think of you afterward.”

He was right, but she couldn’t find her voice. Was this really happening? Was part of her seriously contemplating allowing it?

“Don’t say no because you’re afraid, Cait.”

This was no joke. They were both dead serious. It scared her to death.

Liam took a step toward her. She instinctively backed up but there was nowhere to go. Nathan was pressed tight against her back, a hard, unyielding wall of aroused, muscular male. Her hands locked around his forearms. To anchor herself or push him away, she wasn’t sure.

“Why?” she blurted shakily, battling a wave of desire and shame. She wanted to run, to hide. “Tell me why.”

His warm, tender lips brushed the side of her neck. “Because I know you fantasize about this. And because I’d love to see you completely lost in the pleasure we can bring you.”

She shivered at the words as her mind conjured up images of them both making love to her. God, this was too surreal. Her nipples pressed painfully against the thin tank top and her pussy was already slick, throbbing at the forbidden thought of taking what they offered. She didn’t dare.

Her breath hitched in as Liam prowled over and stopped within arm’s reach. His dark eyes were so full of molten hunger it stole her breath. That wasn’t fake. He wasn’t pretending to be into this for her sake. He wanted her. The knowledge made her legs tremble. She struggled to understand it. Had he been hiding this from her all along?

Frozen, she stared up into Liam’s eyes as he closed his hands around her wrists and brought them to her hips. His grip was warm, firm. Commanding. His strong, tanned fingers were so dark against her pale skin. She instinctively tugged, but couldn’t do anything more than open and close her hands. Caught. They’d caught her and weren’t letting go. Her fingers curled tight into her damp palms.

“I want this,” he said softly, watching her with those dark, predatory eyes. “Do you?”

She couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. Didn’t know how to voice the fear and hunger warring within her.

Nathan’s hand moved beneath her breasts, fingertips finding and caressing the sensitive undersides, coaxing, teasing. She gasped. Her breasts seemed to swell in response, sending electric tingles to her straining nipples and between her thighs. Already she could feel her resistance crumbling. It made her want to cringe in shame.

“Only as far as you want,” he whispered, his warmth surrounding her, slowly penetrating the haze of numbness in her brain. “This is all about you, Cait.”

The erotic words made her tremble with guilty longing. Liam hadn’t moved, but she couldn’t look away from his eyes. They trapped her as surely as his hands did, the arousal in them burning bright. He was too close. Too sexy. Too tempting. Her traitorous body was already softening, dying for the pleasure she knew damn well they could bring her.

Nathan’s tongue traced a warm path down the side of her neck. She jerked and whimpered, but their holds never lessened.

Let them
, the voice in her head urged.

But she was so afraid of what would happen afterward.
I can’t…

“No guilt, Cait.” Nathan’s deep voice washed over her. Calm. Full of resolve. “Just pleasure. So much pleasure, baby.”

She knew they’d done this before, with other women. The thought was unsettling, and yet their experienced touch turned her on even more. Without a doubt they knew exactly how to make her mindless, make her beg for release. But she was Nathan’s fiancée—surely she meant more to them than any of the others they’d done this with?

“Baby, I love you more than anything,” Nathan whispered, partially easing the knot in her chest. “Let me give you this.”

The enticing words swirled through her, drugging in their potency. It would be so easy to give in. To simply submit and let them take over. Tell herself she’d had no choice.

Liam’s fingers tightened around her wrists, bringing her out of her head. He leaned in until his muscled chest brushed against her tingling nipples. She flinched and sucked in a breath, but he skimmed his lips over her temple, her cheek. A gentle caress meant to reassure her, but it only made her heart knock harder against her ribs.

When he pulled back to gauge her expression, the corners of his eyes crinkled in a knowing smile. As if he knew she wanted to give in, submit to them and the need burning deep inside. “Kiss me, Cait.”

Her pulse tripped. She was trapped between them. Two hard, strong bodies caging her. One hard cock pressed into her abdomen, one tight against her ass.

Liam’s lips touched hers. A tight sound of protest escaped her, but he didn’t pull back. His tongue stroked across her lower lip, soft and smooth. She trembled, gasped as Nathan nipped at the curve of her neck. Liam slid his tongue inside to caress hers.

Shock reverberated through her body, heat enveloping her senses. She should be horrified, ashamed. He was kissing her right in front of Nathan, and she was letting him. But he kissed her with such hunger and skill, she couldn’t help but respond as the seconds ticked by. Her pussy clenched with need as she shyly met the stroke of his tongue, and a shiver rolled through her. He tasted like dark spices, cinnamon from the pie she’d made.

By the time Liam pulled back she could barely breathe. Her body tingled and throbbed all over, desperate for more. She silently willed them to take what they wanted, so she had no choice but to give it to them. To take all her control away. Then she wouldn’t have to feel guilty later.

But she knew they’d never do that. If she wanted this, she’d have to make it clear. They might be holding her, pinning her, but she was still in control. If she said no, she knew they’d stop.

She didn’t want them to stop. But did she have the guts to go through with this?

Nathan stopped teasing the undersides of her breasts and gripped the hem of her tank top. Cait stiffened, bracing herself as the fabric drew up her midriff, slowly, still giving her time to back out. She licked her lips, the protest right there on the tip of her tongue. The way Liam watched the shirt being drawn up her body flooded her with a new wave of heat. His expression was rapt, hungry. Like he couldn’t wait to see her nipples, still poking at the material.

Nathan drew the shirt over the bottom curve of her breasts and paused. Cool air brushed against her hot skin, making her nipples harden to the point of pain. She wanted this. As ashamed as she might feel later, she wanted this so badly she burned for it. She swallowed.

Like he sensed her unspoken surrender, Nathan made a low sound of approval and kissed the side of her jaw. “Cait has very sensitive nipples,” he said softly. “Don’t you, baby?”

Heat suffused her face, and she closed her eyes, unable to answer. It was too embarrassing.

Liam made a humming sound and kissed her again, making her eyes snap open. “Do you, Cait?”

Held under the power of that stare, she could only nod helplessly as the blush swallowed her face. Her knees began to shake.

His mouth curved in a sensual smile. “Then I’ll have to make sure I pay special attention to them.” That deep, erotic tone told her he was looking forward to it.

Oh, God…

She swallowed and pressed her thighs together to stem the empty ache between her legs. Nathan slowly drew the fabric upward, dragging it over her nipples until she had to bite back a whimper. The cloth pulled up, up, until finally her naked breasts were exposed to Liam’s hot gaze.

Her breath came fast and hard. She tugged against his hold, but he didn’t lessen the pressure of his fingers around her wrists. The gentle stroke of Nathan’s fingertips over her breasts made her squirm. While Liam watched every move, Nathan carefully traced every inch of the plump curves, carefully avoiding the aching peaks. Driving her arousal higher until she wanted to whimper and beg for mercy.

After a minute he stopped stroking and cupped her breasts in his big palms. Cradling them, lifting them. As though it was some signal between them, Liam made a purring sound and sank to his knees before her.