Wicked Wonderland

  Lilly clenched her jaw. “I have to do what’s best for my mother. I have to raise money to cover her gambling debts. Do you think I enjoy stripping?” The fierce spark Nick loved had crept back into her eyes. “Every time I go onstage, my gut clenches, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. But I’ve only worked there six days. I’ll get used to it. I have five dancing shifts booked there next week.”

  Since he knew he’d lost her once by trying to control her, Nick kept his hands to himself. But he still tried to pin her in place with the force of his gaze. “You are not going back to Venus Girls. Not after those women attacked you. Not next week. Not ever! Aren’t you worried about it harming your career as a musician?”

  “I sure as hell am going back. I won’t let my mother lose the home she’s lived in for the last twenty-five years, and this is the only way I could possibly make money fast enough.”

  “Lilly, I remember at college, you were working at Starbucks, but none of the money you made there ever went toward your student loan or your social life. You were paying off your mother’s gambling debts way back then.” Nick knew his surly tone wasn’t helping, but damn, she was stubborn.

  Lilly’s pretty lips hardened into a thin line. “I really didn’t have much of a student loan. My parents saved up for me to go to college, and when they divorced, Dad kept up that account, which I inherited when he died. Unlike so many orphans, my adoptive parents helped me get a university education I could use to make a living. Do you know how many orphans are locked into a cycle of poverty because they were never adopted and they never had parents to provide them with the kind of things I had?”

  “Right.” His gaze was steady on hers. “And what would have happened if your father hadn’t taken over the fund for your education after the divorce and willed it to you when he died?”

  Her face fell, and she turned away from him.

  “Look at me, Lilly. I said look at me.” With his hands firmly on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him. “Your mother would have spent it all. Just because your mother adopted you doesn’t mean you owe her this way. She’s a leech.”

  Her eyes flashed fire. “Don’t you dare insult my mother.”

  Kris put his hand up again in another effort to stop the argument. “Lilly, you know I was an adopted child too, and you know I was pretty messed up about it myself.”

  Nick watched Lilly take a deep breath. She looked beautiful with temper flaring in her eyes and coloring her cheeks. She turned away from him to focus on Kris. “I know. I remember. You told me you were found on the church steps.”

  Kris shrugged. “Yeah, well, it might not have been a Dumpster, but it still always embarrassed me. Like you, I had to deal with the fact my birth parents just left me somewhere.” Kris took her hand and stroked his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. “It’s a common phenomenon. Mortal mothers of fae or changeling children get scared when the child shows signs of magic power. If the mortal mother is young or mentally troubled in some way, they dump them, get rid of them any old place. The kids feel bad about themselves, and a half fae with low self-esteem is a fae without power or magic.” He paused. “I don’t believe you’d be working at Venus Girls if you didn’t have kind of low self-esteem.”

  Lilly’s face flushed, and she pulled her hand away from Kris. Kris put his hand on her knee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. But I think it’s the truth. Listen, I was adopted by Santa when I was thirteen. I’d written him a letter telling him a family was all I wanted for Christmas. It’s funny, the nuns made us write letters to Santa every year. I thought it was so stupid at the time. Most of us older boys did, and we certainly didn’t think they’d ever mail them. But by magic, he got my letter.

  “Santa came to the orphanage in disguise and saved me. Most of the nuns were terrified of me, because I was different. Because I’d hum sometimes, and things would happen, and I had the kind of unusual singing voice some call the song of angel fae. Santa saved me from being subject to other people’s fear. He saved me from being an outcast and gave me a home.”

  Lilly’s expression softened. Nick saw a hint of tears in her eyes when she spoke to Kris. “Those burn scars you have on your thigh…”

  Kris blanched at her words.

  “You don’t want to tell me how you got them, do you? You’ve always looked so uncomfortable if you even so much as caught me looking at them.”

  Kris ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Yeah, well, I might have mentioned to you, some of the other boys in the orphanage didn’t like the way I talked sometimes, didn’t like my choice in movies, in music and TV. They called me a fag, okay?” Color rose in his cheeks. “The worst bully there, his name was Kev. He and a couple of his thug friends decided one day they were going to have some fun with me. They told me faggots were for burning, and they were going to set me alight.

  “In the end, all they managed to do was drag me up against the hearth fire in the kitchen. They pressed me there and held me while I struggled and sobbed until my thigh was burned. Then, when they told me they were going to turn me around and burn my ass, I felt the humming rise in me. I didn’t even know where it came from or what it was, but I felt the power of the hum with every cell in my body. The chandelier fell from the ceiling. It made an almighty smash, and there was glass everywhere. That gave them enough of a shock that they let me go, and I was able to run.

  “I didn’t even know about my magic power back in those days. I didn’t understand what made me hum or what made the light fixture fall. Dad…St. Nicholas… He explained all that to me later in life.”

  Silent tears slid down Lilly’s cheeks. Her empathy, her compassion had always touched Nick. She truly bled for other people’s misfortunes. Loving Lilly was opening more doors and windows in his mind, showing him depths within himself he didn’t know he had. He’d heard Kris’s hideous story before, but seeing the pain of it reflected in Lilly’s face made human feelings well up in him.

  “Was everyone at that orphanage awful, Kris?” Lilly’s voice broke on a sob. “Didn’t you have anyone who loved you when you were little?”

  Kris managed a sad smile. “Oh, some of the caregivers there were very nice. There was this one nun, Sister Clementine. She was like an aunt to me. She never treated me like I was different. I wasn’t abused by any of the staff. Mostly the nuns were kind of scared of me, or at least nervous. And after the chandelier fell, the other boys stopped teasing me and mostly left me alone. Different incidences where I’d accidently made things move by humming were starting to add up, and the other teens began to avoid me.”

  Gently, Kris stroked a knuckle over her cheek. “Come to think of it, you remind me a little of Sister Clementine. She was pretty damn special; she did a lot to help me. If it wasn’t for her kindness and influence, I probably would have turned out a real asshole.” He lifted one eyebrow, and there was a glint of humor in his arctic-blue eyes. All three of them laughed, and Nick began to relax again. Kris could so often calm him down, change his moods.

  “How else do I remind you of Sister Clementine?”

  He ran a hand over her hair. “Your sweetness, I guess, and your compassion.”

  Nick envied Kris’s ability to always say the right thing to a woman. But he knew Lilly wasn’t good at taking compliments.

  She colored a little and changed the subject. “My mom—I mean my adoptive mom told me that when the orphanage first showed me to her, I could hum.” Lilly’s voice was almost a whisper. “Even though I was only three months old, I could hum tunes. It frightened everyone at the orphanage. It nearly frightened Paul and Marion into not taking me. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before, when you asked me if I’d ever done anything magical. The humming’s just always been this weird thing.” She shrugged.

  “Yes!” Kris inhaled deeply. “I could do that too, when I was a baby. It’s a mark of fae blood, being able to make beautiful music from infancy.”

  “I’ve always been able to sing
well too.”

  Lilly gulped, and Nick put his hand on her thigh. “Are you feeling all right?”

  She shook her head. “I was just thinking. I’ve had some near-death experiences. They were surprised to find me alive in that Dumpster. I was almost drowned once, and I was in a bus accident they said I shouldn’t have lived through. I’m wondering if that’s part of being fae.”

  Kris stroked his hand over her hair. “It could be. You may be immortal. You probably just won’t know until you’re much older.”

  “God, this is all too much. I need to relax and wind down from all this talking and thinking about the past.”

  Kris grinned and pulled a large, golden-yellow cushion closer, pushing it between her legs. “You’re not sore from lovemaking are you, sweetness?”

  She shook her head. “Well…not in a bad way.”

  Nick leaned forward and eased his hand to her nape. He pulled her to him and slanted his mouth across hers. She relaxed against him, making a hungry sound deep in her throat that made him groan in response. He swept into her mouth and found her tongue.

  She tasted of sugar from the crepes with a hint of the flavor of Kris’s mouth. He broke the kiss and stroked a thumb over her bottom lip. “You taste so sweet, Lilly, so sweet. I want to kiss and taste every part of you.”

  Kris’s eyes held a wicked gleam. “Nothing in the world tastes as good as she does.”

  Nick took her hand and placed it on his steely length. “Do you want to play some more, Lilly? Do you? Because I do.”

  When she blushed and nodded, Kris began to maneuver things around until the extra-large cushion was placed under her ass, raising her pussy higher than the rest of her. Nick imagined she’d never felt so vulnerable before, her breasts exposed to the cool night air that tightened her already aching nipples, her pussy slippery wet and open to two men. The idea of how vulnerable she must feel made his cock throb with need. “Kris, spread her wide.”

  Kris took her thighs in his hands and parted them for his lover, as wide as they could possibly be spread.

  Lilly noticed Nick had another one of the cases open. This one was filled with condoms in a huge array of bright, colorful packets. He chose a hot-pink packet.

  “Ribbed for her pleasure and ultrathin for mine,” he whispered. “These condoms are magic.” He winked at her. “It’s really like they aren’t there at all.”

  Her heart raced as he opened the wrapper and slid the condom slowly over his thick shaft.

  In the next instant, Nick was on top of her. He grabbed an ankle and lifted one of her legs back, then angled his hips, aligning his cock at her entrance. The head of his prick pressed between her thighs and brushed her clit.

  When Nick bent closer to her, Lilly gripped his shoulders. Hooking her leg around his waist, she lifted herself higher until she could grind her wetness against his stone-solid cock. He teased her, not putting it in, then gave a low chuckle, and the helplessness his laughter stirred in her only increased her lust.

  But the next moment, she found Nick was not as in control as she’d suspected. His hands were shaking. She reached for him, stroking her fingers down the luscious, muscular ridges of his abdomen. He shifted his hands to her ass, gripping her cheeks so tightly it was almost painful. Nick met her lips with an almost brutal kiss that made her channel ache, and she arched her hips toward him, desperate to be penetrated.

  Kris pushed her back upon the mattress. He pinned her hands above her head in a savage motion that made her moan. Nick’s thick shaft probed her and pulsed against her clit. Her sensitive lips were swollen from previous orgasms, yet still she craved more. At last, he slid into her, his long, thick cock impaling her by inches. Nick shafted her again, pounding her, pausing between thrusts so each slam of his cock made her gasp. Liquid fire raced through her. She wailed, drowning out their groans of delight with her screams, past caring what the people in the building below might hear. Lilly glanced up at Kris, who still had her wrists pinned. He winked at her.

  When she looked back at Nick, savage lust transformed his face. With each rough thrust, Lilly felt herself pushed toward the edge of the roof a little, even though Kris was holding her. It might be irrational fear, but she found herself begging. “P…please don’t let me…fall.”

  “We won’t. Trust us, angel,” Kris whispered in her ear. He tightened his grip on her wrists. Then he leaned forward and licked and sucked at her lobe, sending even more tingles through her body. She let go of fear and gave herself up completely to their powerfully muscled arms, their lips and tongues teasing her to a frenzy of need.

  Her head fell back so it hung over the dizzying drop to the city below. Dimly, she realized they were in Australia. She could see the Sydney Opera House, the skyscrapers, and the bridge over the harbor.

  Kris, one hand still pinning down her arms, now clamped the other hand on her breast, rolling her nipple in firm circles. “Mmm, beautiful, beautiful big tits. So hot, so fucking hot.”

  She felt boneless, made mindless by Kris’s eagerness, by Nick’s dominance. Nick’s shaft stroked her inner muscles with so much friction she felt ripples in her brain.

  “Kris! Serve her!”

  Kris let go of her wrists and crawled around the mattress. He slid into her folds from behind until his fingers found her clit. A groan rolled in her throat as waves of pleasure shook through her.

  Nick pulled out and flipped her on her side, then entered her from behind again with one sharp thrust of his stone-stiff shaft. She groaned and clamped her muscles down upon him. Nick drove in and out of her with long, firm strokes, and he gripped her by the hips. “I love ramming it up your tight cunt, Lilly, fast and hard,” he breathed in her ear. His dirty talk made her dizzy. He knew she’d always enjoyed it. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so completely and utterly possessed and taken by any man.

  Kris stroked her clit in smooth circles with a calloused thumb.

  When Nick slammed in her again, Kris’s fingers skittered away, making her whimper with frustration, but he found his target again.

  Then Kris’s tongue and lips were on her. As in the past, he made guttural sounds of enjoyment while he licked her and drove her wild. His tongue circled around her clit; then he went in for the kill, bringing the bud between his teeth and sucking vigorously.

  Nick paused between each thrust so that every slam of his cock made her body jump, and she involuntarily humped Kris’s face, but he too had a firm grip on her and sucked relentlessly until she came so hard spots danced in front of her eyes.

  When she opened her eyes, she saw that Kris had moved away and was wiping his mouth and grinning. Nick had rolled over on his back. His cock was still like steel, and he motioned to her to climb on top. Smiling, she slid herself down on him and started riding him.

  “Oh fuck, yes! You feel so good, baby,” Nick whispered, his voice raw with lust.

  “Don’t forget about me, you two.” Kris moved in behind her. “Hold her still.”

  Nick’s large hands held her hips, stopping her movement, and Kris palmed her ass. With a gentle caress, he slid a finger down between her cheeks, then pressed a lubed finger against her puckered hole. He pressed it in up to the first knuckle. Lilly moaned and bucked a little on Nick’s cock, and Nick wrapped his arms around her, stilling her.

  “Ready to take me too, sweet thing?” As Kris pierced her tight rosette with the crown of his cock, she gasped and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Kris continued his slow slide into her depths, and Nick thrust his hips, encouraging her to start riding him again. She whimpered aloud, the skin over her whole body prickling. Both Kris and Nick had big cocks, and she took delight in every inch. Kris spread the cheeks of her buttocks and increased his speed. She cried out with each thrust.

  Pleasure looped through her, and the erotic sensations of having both her ass and pussy stretched and plundered had her reaching for release. She could no longer think. She could only react and respond. Nick and Kris rained kis
ses on her shoulders and neck between thrusts, making her feel loved. The passion and pumping of her two men forced wave after wave of stimulation through to her core. She struggled against the intensity, but Nick’s arms held her too firmly. She had no choice but to take all they gave her. Just the thought she was being fucked in her ass and her cunt at the same time made her finally shatter. Nick worked her clit with his thumb, and she clenched and spasmed.

  At the same moment, Nick pulsed inside her. “Fucking hell!” Nick gasped and released her arms. Behind her, Kris swore too and struggled for breath as he slipped from her body.

  She flopped down upon Nick and pressed against his chest, her body shuddering and adrift. She found herself sobbing in his arms, overwhelmed by the intensity of it all.

  “Shh, shh, baby.” Nick sounded concerned as he stroked her hair. Kris lay on her back, nuzzling her neck. For a few seconds, Lilly was still, just listening to the sweet breathing of the two men she cared for way too much.

  Finally, Nick moved, shifting her so Kris slid, laughing, off her back and onto the large mattress.

  Nick continued to stroke her hair with the gentlest of motions. “Lilly, baby, did you say you were playing with your orchestra today?” His hazel eyes that could look so fierce were now warm and gentle.

  Her heart sank at the thought of leaving them, and she dipped her head. “Yes, in only a few hours.”

  “Somehow, I doubt you’ll want to wear your angel stripper costume.”

  She bit her lip, her cheeks heating again. Despite everything that had occurred between them, she still felt embarrassed about the stripping. She knew it was totally illogical, but the embarrassment was there all the same.

  Nick entwined his fingers with hers. “If you take my hand in both of yours and imagine the outfit you want to wear while playing in the orchestra, I can spirit it here.”