Zurlo, Michele - Riley [Daughters of Circe 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (21 page)

Though he didn’t forget his manners, confusion wrinkled Shaden’s brow and pursed his lip. He shook Teigh’s hand. “Have we met?”

“Teigh’s the Shadow Man,” Soren supplied. “And my lover.”

The wrinkles disappeared as Shaden’s brows shot to his hairline. “I didn’t see that coming, but I guess I should have. Torrey told me she and Des had three fathers.”

“Caiden will join us as soon as the girls get the ritual going.” He threw a look at Soren that sent Soren’s heart into overdrive. “That is, if Soren can get his head out of his ass.”

Shaden stood, hands parked on his hips. “She siphoned off a fair bit of his power. He can barely shift. Still, I think it’s not stuck, but he could use help pulling it out.”

Though his brother had just been trying to talk him into realizing the necessity of Riley’s actions, he didn’t hesitate to defend Soren. His twin was his other half, his conscience, and his best friend. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed having Shaden on his side.

Unimpressed, Teigh stepped into Shaden’s personal space, a risky endeavor when confronting a wolf. He poked a finger into Shaden’s chest. “He knew this power wasn’t his to keep when he accepted it.”

Soren slid between his lover and his brother before Shaden lost his temper. “I don’t have the memories you have, Teigh. This isn’t easy for me.”

“No, I guess breaking Circe’s heart and making her cry is much easier to do.”

Shame flamed his face. Soren had fled that morning at the first sign of her tears. He closed his eyes and hung his head. “At least she has you.”

Teigh hissed and turned away. He headed to the window Soren had so recently vacated. “She remembers loving me, Soren, but she loves you. I won’t have that with her until after the ceremony when her memories all return. Watching her with you, knowing I’m getting the scraps because she can’t truly remember me, that’s sucked majorly. Even you feel the emotion toward me, but you have no logical basis for it. You don’t remember all the time we’ve spent together. You’re taking it on faith and intuition. You don’t really remember me either.”

Soren felt Shaden looking at him. He felt the weight of his brother’s unasked questions. More than that, he finally understood that Teigh had endured just as much pain. He’d lost all of the powers he’d wielded as the Shadow Man, yet he hadn’t complained once. He’d watched as the woman and the man he loved barely included him in the deepest levels of their hearts.

“I’m sorry.” Words were inadequate. Soren closed the space between them in three steps. He slid his arms around Teigh’s waist. “I’ve been selfish. I’m sorry.”

Teigh leaned his weight against Soren and let his head rest against Soren’s shoulder. “You always were a selfish bastard. But you’re also one of the most generous men in the world. Nothing about this has been easy, but if you can find it in your heart to forgive Circe and return her power to her, we can finally be together. All of us.”

Teigh turned in his arms and lifted his lips. Soren kissed him with all the love and tenderness in his heart. Maybe he didn’t completely remember Teigh, but they had forged new memories, and Soren had fallen in love with Teigh all over again.

Behind him, the door closed softly as Shaden left them alone.

* * * *

Riley paced the length of Desiree’s long living room. Seven nieces followed her about and clamored for her attention. Normally, she would revel in spending time with the kids, but now she couldn’t keep her gaze from wandering to the door every five seconds.

Finally, Desiree called them away for lunch, leaving her alone with Torrey. For as long as she could remember, Riley had worshipped the ground Torrey trod upon.

“Don’t expect me to call you ‘Mom.’”

Riley laughed and sat on the sofa next to her sister. The huge room afforded an unexpected level of privacy. Situated away from the bedroom and kitchen, it sported two long couches and four overstuffed chairs. Everything centered around a low wooden table that had to measure six feet across and three feet the other way.

She lifted her feet to rest on that scarred surface. “I don’t even expect you to call me Circe, though the more time passes and the more powers I absorb, the more I remember that name. I may be that person, but I’m still your little sister.”

“So, how long have you known?”

Riley lifted a shoulder and let it fall. Soren had reentered her life only five days ago, yet it seemed he had always been there. “I’m still acclimating. It’s like I have this life as Riley and now all these other memories and this whole other identity are imprinting in my mind. Last week, I was moping because I hadn’t been on a date in a few months. This week, I have three lovers. Next week…”

She couldn’t voice the thought sending ice through her veins. If Soren didn’t come around, then Caiden would fade away. She might spend the rest of her life with Teigh, but they would both always be missing Soren and Caiden.

Torrey leaned forward and took Riley’s hands in her own. “You haven’t been a wolf for that long. One of the things you’ll come to realize is how being a shape-shifter becomes an integral part of who you are. If Soren’s losing that on top of all the hell he’s put himself through because of the demons, then he needs you to be understanding.”

“I know.” Riley swallowed hard. “I wish we had time for him to come to terms with this on his own, but I don’t. If we don’t do the ceremony before the next dawn, Caiden pays the ultimate price. We all do, though it will be delayed for us.”

Torrey nodded. “So maybe you don’t want to wait here all day. Maybe you want to head over to my house and talk some sense into him. I bet he’ll have a much more difficult time staying away from you if you’re there with him.”

As always, Torrey gave excellent advice. Riley pushed to her feet and threw her sister a grateful smile. “I guess I’m off then. Wish me luck.”

Torrey rose and enveloped Riley in her arms. “You don’t need luck. He loves you. Capitalize on it.”

* * * *

Ten minutes later, Riley stood outside the door leading to Torrey and Shade’s bedroom. She heard the murmur of voices as Teigh and Soren spoke, and she hated to interrupt. Finally, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

She’d been inside Torrey’s bedroom many times before. Shelving dominated one wall and a huge bed took up half the available floor space. Given the impressive dimensions of the room, that meant the bed could easily sleep Torrey, Shade, and all three of their kids on a stormy night.

Comfortable chairs were situated under the window. Teigh and Soren occupied those. Both sat forward on their cushions, leaning toward one another. As one, each man sat up a little straighter. Soren rubbed his palms on his thighs, fingers spread wide.

Teigh held out a hand, beckoning her closer. She closed the door and crossed the room. “Circe, babe, I’m glad you’re here.” He vacated the seat and pushed her gently into it. “Soren has something he needs to say to you.”

A razor-sharp lump cut her throat, rendering her temporarily incapable of speech. She met Soren’s somber gaze and managed a nod.

His hands rolled into fists. He flexed them a few times. “I’m sorry, Riley. I know this is the way things are supposed to happen, but it’s a blow. I wasn’t expecting any of this. When I found you after all this time, I thought the hardest part would be convincing you to give me a chance. I thought being with you, spending my days loving you, would be the easy part.”

She opened her mouth to assure him she had no idea any of this would happen, but Teigh motioned for her to stay quiet.

Soren shook his head. “I might not have a clear memory about how we got into this mess, but I don’t want out of it. Honey, can you forgive me?”

Instead of answering, she threw herself at him. He caught her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his hair. Relief flowed through her. Tense muscles relaxed and she molded her body to Soren’s. His arms enveloped her, one looping round to hold her close around the waist and the other rising to tangle his fingers in her hair.

Teigh’s warm body pressed against her from the back, sandwiching her between two of her lovers. The palm of one hand played up and down her bare arm, pushing up the edge of the short sleeve when he encountered it. His other arm wound around Soren. They stayed like that for a long time, basking in the warmth and love each had to give to the other two.

The hair spilling down her neck on one side moved. Teigh replaced it with the weight of his lips. They skimmed up and down her sensitive skin, and gooseflesh traveled down her back. She let her head fall back to be cradled by his shoulder.

Dipping his face to her throat, Soren took advantage of the offering. His lips sent new waves of desire lapping through her body. Hands touched her everywhere. Someone tugged her shirt up. She raised her arms. The soft cotton slipped away, exposing her torso. She hadn’t been wearing a bra.

Teigh’s lips traveled down her spine and his hands reached around to cup her breasts. He kneaded the globes, and she moaned. Soren lifted her hips and stripped off her borrowed jeans and panties in one motion. He pushed her thighs apart. One finger separated her wet folds. He spread her cream along her labia, massaging it in as he went.

Behind her, Teigh adjusted her position so that she sat across Soren’s lap. He opened her thighs wide and watched Soren tease sweet heat into her slick pussy. His brown eyes lightened, sparkling with love and need. She wanted to reach for his cock, but Soren held her with one arm across her midsection. She whimpered a protest, and Teigh’s gaze rose to meet hers. He smiled and captured her lips in a searing kiss that made her toes tingle.

When he released her, he kissed his way down her body, pausing at Soren’s arm to worship him a little. Then he crouched lower. His tongue flicked the tip of her clit, the barest hint of a promise. Soren’s fingers continued their lazy ministrations. Teigh didn’t avoid Soren at all. His tongue flicked and licked both Soren’s fingers and her weeping pussy.

The heat remained steady, and neither of them did a single thing to increase it. At this rate, she would never orgasm. She might die of pleasure, but not of completion.

“Teigh.” She figured he would respond first. He had never denied her anything. Soren and Caiden both needed to dominate her in bed, but Teigh skipped the games. “Please.”

She hoped he would remove Soren’s fingers and replace them with his own, pumping into her as he sucked her clit until she screamed his name. Instead, he sat back on his heels and peered up at Soren.

Soren lifted her and set her on her feet. She wobbled a bit, but her knees didn’t give out. He stood before Teigh. With slow, reverent movements, Soren unbuttoned Teigh’s flannel and pushed it from his shoulders. Riley unbuttoned the cuffs and tugged the sleeves until the flannel fell away to reveal Teigh’s magnificent torso. Lacking Soren’s methodical patience that seemed to have come from nowhere, she ran her hands over Teigh’s smooth skin.

She explored his back, adding her lips and tongue to the mix. Reaching around to the front, she slid a hand down the front of his jeans. Soren opened the fly to give her more room to maneuver, and she used the space to wrap her hand around his hard cock. Soren knelt in front of Teigh. He slid Teigh’s pants down with the same sedate pace that was beginning to rub off on Riley. The urgency, the need to come, receded. In its place, she felt a profound need to make love with both men.

Riley kissed her way around Teigh’s side. She rose to her toes and turned her face up to him. Teigh accepted her offering. His lips met hers, burning with smoldering passion. He moaned into her mouth and broke the kiss. Shades of ecstasy crossed his face, and his head fell back.

Glancing down, she saw Soren exploring Teigh’s cock with his fingertips. Soren took the same time and care worshipping Teigh as he had used with Riley. Her heart swelled, and the amount of love she felt nearly sapped the strength from her knees. She steadied herself against Teigh, who trembled and swayed. With her hands and lips, she paid the same loving attention to the broad expanse of skin on his chest and back. Returning to her place behind him, she kneaded his ass the same way he had kneaded her breasts.