“Shh,” Tate whispered, caressing her breasts, gently playing with her nipples. “Belle, baby, it’s going to feel so good soon. You’re so fucking beautiful. I can’t wait to be the man inside you, loving you. You mean everything to me.”
He meant an awful lot to her, too. His devotion warmed her. His touch relaxed her. Belle forced herself to draw in a deep breath and let go of her tension.
“Watch what he’s doing, love.” Kellan looked down her body. “Seeing you and Eric come together, witnessing your first time… It’s amazing. Look.”
She glanced down, fastening her stare to the spot where Eric’s cock slowly disappeared inside her body. She forced herself not to think of the invasion, but of getting closer to them, of being theirs tonight.
Spreading her legs wider, Belle welcomed him. He sank in just a bit more. Suddenly calling it sex seemed silly. This moment was so much more. Not only was she inviting him inside her body, but her soul. She was giving him something she couldn’t give again. She was telling him without a word how much she cared. That was more than worth a moment’s discomfort.
His face was a mask of concentration as he nudged at her opening again, but the barrier inside her stopped him. And knowing it would cause her pain, he looked reluctant to break through. He needed reassurances, too.
She let her free hand drift up, touching his face. “I’m all right, Eric. I want this. I want you—all of you. Take me.”
Belle lifted her pelvis, unwilling to wait a moment longer to have him inside her. Eric groaned out her name and gripped her hips, piercing her hymen and surging into her.
A flare of pain lit inside her, a tearing sensation as he thrust all the way to the hilt. She yelped as he took complete possession, filling her to capacity and beyond. She struggled against him.
“Eric!”
“I know, baby,” he soothed. “I’m sorry it hurt. Take a deep breath. That’s it. Now exhale.”
She did exactly as he demanded while he remained totally still. Slowly, her body adjusted, stretched to accommodate his cock, softened, reshaped around him. Her mind calmed.
“You better now?” he asked after a long moment of nothing but harsh breaths filling the air.
“I think. Yeah.” She hoped.
“Thank god. You can’t know how fucking good it feels to be inside you.”
As he held still, forging himself deep inside her, his cock pulsed, a rhythm her heart matched. But sex involved far more than him staying stationary with his flesh buried in hers. Now that the pain had subsided, she wanted to know just how fabulous him being inside her could feel. She wiggled her hips to entice him.
“Shit. Baby, if you don’t stop moving, I’m going to come. I don’t want to do that yet. Let me make this good for you.”
The feel of him submerged inside her was already reigniting her desire. Knowing they were joined charged that desire into need.
“I’m ready. Eric, don’t make me wait.”
He seemed to take forever, his head bowed as he worked to take air into his lungs and grab hold of his self-control. Tate continued his gentle adoration of her breasts, all the while telling her how beautiful she was, how much they wanted her.
Finally Eric raised his head. Anticipation thrummed through her. “I’m going to make love to you, Belle, soft and sweet.”
Her sex cramped. Her heart caught. “Please.”
Oh so slowly, he withdrew almost to the edge of her cunt, dragging his cock over the sensitive flesh inside her. He took in a shuddering breath, then eased back in, dragging over nerves now tingling and spreading pleasure throughout her. Eric repeated the motion again, giving her more of his weight, arching his pelvis against hers and twisting slightly. The motion pressed on her clit as he forced his dick higher inside her.
Following her instincts, Belle worked with him, matching him thrust for thrust. The movements stimulated spots that fingers, lips, and tongues could not. Eric had barely introduced her to the gentle feel of his thrusts, and already she was soaring so much higher. Instead of someone heaping ecstasy on her, he was sharing it with her.
Belle curled her fingers into his shoulders and began spreading kisses along his jaw. Between deep, measured thrusts, he took her mouth, the kiss rough, punctuated by a long groan when he completely seated himself again.
“More.” She closed her eyes as a rush of euphoria heated her blood, wanting everything he had to give her.
Eric picked up the pace. She was still so achingly full, but she enjoyed the sensation now. The contact, the friction, the closeness. This was even more pleasurable and profound than she’d hoped.
Over and over, he thrust into her, and she slammed back up to meet him. They crashed together in unison. He grunted as she gasped. Then he took another hungry swipe at her mouth as he shoved deep.
Tate’s fingers were still wedged between them, twisting her nipples. He found a tempo to match Eric’s thrust. He plucked at her, the pleasurable little pain jolting straight to her pussy.
“I’ve never seen anything sexier,” Kellan growled in her ear. “I can’t wait to get deep inside you and fuck you, love.”
“You won’t believe how good this is, Kell. Nothing has ever felt this amazing,” Eric moaned.
“I’m dying to be inside you, Belle.” Tate’s voice almost sounded like a plea as he twisted her nipples, adding more pressure and a bit of pain. The edge was right there. She held her breath, then keened out with need. The next touch would send her over.
Kell nipped at her shoulder, breathing on her skin.
Eric slammed inside her and ground down, finding a place deep, shocking her with an exhilarating sensation that swirled and gathered, tight, tighter. Then it released in a torrent like a giant storm. Belle gave a long, guttural groan, her head thrashing as the rapture drenched and drowned her, pulling her under in a consuming wave.
Eric stiffened, his face contorting as he thrust one last time into her. His entire body seized up. He shuddered, cried out, then poured his body—and soul—into her.
An electric moment later, he released a heaving breath, then fell on her chest. His heart still thundered against hers. Their bodies remained connected. Belle suspected that, from this moment on, their hearts always would be.
Peace filled her now. Every cell in her body exhaled as though she’d been waiting for this feeling—for them—all of her life. Such dangerous thinking, but no sense in lying to herself.
Finally, Eric lifted his head, his lips tugging into a satisfied grin. “That completely blew me away, baby. Being your first was so special. I’ll never forget it.”
He gave her a lingering kiss, so tender that tears stung Belle’s eyes. As he ended it, he rolled away. A chill hit her damp skin, but she didn’t stay cold for long. Tate slipped out from behind her, then rolled a condom on in record time and covered her body with his own. Wow, he was big and heavy, and his cock prodding at her would stretch her even more. But Belle didn’t panic this time. She knew they’d all work together to make this fabulous.
A wickedly sweet smile lit up Tate’s face. “My turn. I’ve wanted to offer my penis to you for a long time.”
Belle grinned. “I accept.”
“Thank god.”
He covered her lips with his own, his tongue finding its way inside at the same time his cock began to. Gasping at the sweet burn as he stretched her opening to accommodate his girth, he tunneled in deep, deeper, so deep she could almost swear he was about to hit her tonsils. Surely, he couldn’t fit another inch in. He did. And more. When he tilted his hips to grind into her and she felt their bodies totally merged, she whimpered in delight and wrapped her arms around him. It was going to be an amazing night.
Chapter Thirteen
Tate stretched as he walked into the kitchen, every muscle in his body suffused with a happy ache. He wouldn’t need to work out today. He’d gotten the workout of a lifetime fucking Belle the night before.
Fucking. Maybe he hadn’t really known the meaning of t
he word until her. Strictly saying he’d had sexual intercourse with Belle wasn’t accurate. He hadn’t merely inserted slot A into tab B, but connected with her on a level he’d never experienced with another woman. Fucking Belle meant more than ever before. Because he’d opened up and poured himself into her. He’d made love to her.
His only regret was that he’d had to wear a condom. Once they got her home, they would all schedule checkups. Once they proved their clean bill of health, they’d put Belle on the birth control of her choice and toss out the condoms. He’d never taken a woman bare, but he didn’t want anything to come between him and Belle again.
Of course, she might not want birth control at all.
A vision of Belle, round and soft with a baby in her arms, floated across his brain. He’d never considered children much in the past, but now that the concept was crossing his mind, he loved the idea of creating life with her.
“I suppose I should be glad you put on pants.” Eric’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.
Tate ignored his friend’s acerbic glance with a yawn as he ambled to the coffee maker. “Too many strangers in this house to be naked. I don’t want to freak out some poor delivery guy, but I still think clothes are unnatural. Humans walked around naked for far longer than they’ve covered themselves up.”
Eric shook his head, clearly in disagreement. “After it calms down around here, we’ll have to accustom Belle to you walking around with your junk hanging out.”
He shrugged. They would be back in Chicago before too long. “I think we should accustom Belle to walking around naked. When she’s alone with us, she doesn’t need clothes, man.”
He wasn’t the dominant of the group. He liked to top a woman, but not the way Eric—and especially Kellan—needed it. But he loved certain aspects of the lifestyle.
Eric’s hair was still wet from his shower, but he was dressed for the day in slacks and a dress shirt. “I don’t hate that idea. We need to start thinking about a collar for that beautiful girl. I thought I’d go shopping and pick up a few things. I considered asking Sequoia to grab some stuff from our stash back home, but god only knows the lectures he’d give about the plastic found in anal plugs killing the environment.”
But anal plugs would get Belle’s sweet ass ready for play. With just that thought, his cock wasn’t tired anymore. It strained against his sweats. Unlike Eric, he wasn’t about to get all dressed up to spend the day in front of his computer, but he’d toss on something acceptable for that errand. “I’ll go with you. We definitely need to get her ready, but don’t you think we should consider a ring before a collar?”
Eric raised a tawny brow. “You think so?”
He poured himself a cup of coffee, hoping the answer he got matched his own. “Yeah. I want to marry her. Don’t you?”
How had they not talked about this? He’d just assumed they wanted the same thing. They’d talked endlessly about getting her in bed, moving her into their home, having a future with her. What the hell was he going to do if that future didn’t include marriage for Eric?
“Of course I do,” Eric shot back. “And I think we should do it fairly quickly because she deserves to know the men she gave herself to want to marry her. She waited a very long time. She should never question that we love her.”
Love. Wow. Tate had never believed he would find it. He’d basically been programmed that love was detrimental to one’s ambitions. But he had no doubt now that he’d totally fallen in love.
“This is what my mom and dad warned me about,” Tate admitted. “I can’t think straight around her. I think love is turning me into a Disney character. Damn it. I always thought I’d be someone interesting out of a Star Trek episode, but I kind of want to break into song a little. Just a little.”
Eric stared at him. “I’ve heard you sing. Please don’t.”
Belting out a chorus of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” might be fun, but it would probably scare Belle away. “I’ll hold it in.”
“Yeah.” Eric nodded. “Shove it down, dude. Way down.”
The door opened, and Belle dashed in. His damn heart skipped a beat because he knew they were meant to be. He’d spent many an awkward morning with a woman who didn’t mind him in bed, but completely ignored him out of it, preferring Eric’s company after sex. Belle wouldn’t be that way. She didn’t mind his quirks. He could be himself around her, and it felt totally freeing.
She blinked up at them before her gaze skittered away. Obviously, she felt a little bashful.
“Morning, guys.” She stole another glance at him. He loved the way she sighed. It made all that time at the gym worthwhile. “You…um, look good this morning. I mean you look well rested. You slept okay? I didn’t kick or snore or anything?”
With a laugh, Tate scooped her up in his arms, enjoying her squeal as he hauled her against his chest. “Last night, I slept better than ever. You are the perfect body pillow.”
She relaxed in his arms. “I was so warm in between you and Eric.”
Eric grinned, looking happier than Tate could remember. He took Belle’s hand in his and kissed her fingers. Even her hands were small and adorable.
“We were very happy to keep you warm, baby,” Eric murmured. “Now, we have to talk about those interns from the law office because they are not returning to this house today.”
Belle frowned. “I’ve been thinking about that… I know they’re an inconvenience and I didn’t want them here last night, but I really don’t have time to do the inventory.”
Tate was with Eric on this one. “Then I’ll help you. I can take the weekend and get it done.”
“It’ll be fine. I doubt any of them wrote in pig’s blood on my bedroom wall. Why would they have a beef to pick with me? I don’t know them.”
“You don’t know anyone in this town, but that doesn’t matter. Someone is out to disturb you—at least. At worst…” He shrugged. “I’m not taking chances. In fact, we’re going to vet everyone who walks in this house, including that douchebag electrician who stares at your ass.”
She huffed. “He does not.”
“Oh, he does.” Eric opened the fridge and pulled out the eggs. “And when you’re not looking, he’s staring at your boobs, too. Next time he does it, I’m going to kick his ass. God, I hope he has a record. Maybe he’s on the lam. Then we could kill him and claim self-defense.”
Belle looked horrified.
“He’s teasing, baby. At least kind of.” Tate settled himself on one of the kitchen table chairs and looked at the mess of computer equipment, legal files, and writing implements all over the table. He couldn’t see a single inch of the antique cherry surface anymore. Frowning, he made a mental note to clear off the dining room table and relocate the office elsewhere so they could all sit down and eat together. Kellan was right. They needed to behave like a family.
It would just be so much easier if they were back home, in their recently constructed suburban paradise, instead of this never-ending home improvement project.
“You can’t kill Mike. I need him.” Belle rested her head on his shoulder. “I have to get the electricity working properly. Have you noticed that power works selectively in certain rooms? And some spots are just weirdly cold.”
“That last problem is HVAC. The vents are probably screwed up, baby.” Eric put a cup of coffee in front of her. “It’s one more hassle and expense to add to the list that you don’t need.”
“You know,” Tate began, “we could hire someone to revamp the whole place, find someone capable of handling everything.”
Belle’s head snapped up, and he felt her whole body stiffen. “Are you saying I’m not capable?”
A voice in his head told him he was walking into dangerous territory. That same voice always told him he wasn’t going to get the girl or say the right thing. But he had Belle now, and she wasn’t like every other bitch who’d snubbed him after sex. She didn’t expect him to say the right thing all the time. That stupid voice was the pr
oduct of self-doubt, and it had to go.
“Of course you’re capable. I know you want to stay here, but we need to get back to Chicago, baby.”
Hadn’t they settled this last night? Yeah, she’d said a few days ago that she wanted to stay in New Orleans, but surely she wouldn’t have gone to bed with them if she didn’t intend to share a future. Chicago was home, and he was anxious to get back. Although he kind of loved that it wasn’t cold here yet. He also dug the nifty, weird vibe and charming architecture of New Orleans. When he jogged, he always found something new to see. The city was a chameleon, changing on a daily basis. Tate found it a little weird and wonderful. He’d even found himself running down Royal Street beside a group of dudes in red dresses the other day. He didn’t know what the hell was up with that, but they’d looked as if they’d been having fun. Pretty soon he wouldn’t have anything in Chicago except frigid temperatures and another average