Erica's Choice (28 page)

“Erica’s going to come soon.” Griff nuzzled Erica’s breasts as he continued stroking inside her with his finger. “Her pussy’s clutching at me, her clit’s quivering beneath my thumb.”

Corey couldn’t resist pushing a bit farther in, until Erica’s gasp made him freeze. “Don’t stop,” she rasped. “I’m going to…”

“Tell Corey when you’re coming so he can bury himself deep when that orgasm hits you.”

“Yes.” Erica gyrated between them responding to the twin assaults of Corey’s cock and Griff’s hand. “Yes, Corey, deeper. I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Corey plunged home and Erica screamed, her ass slapping against his hips as she rode through the storm of her climax. Corey stared at the place where his cock drove in and out of her ass, holding on to his own orgasm like his life depended on it.
Not yet.
When they were both inside her, he’d let go. He wanted to feel those spasms rock him at the exact same moment Griff did.

Impatience made Griff’s movements jerky as he ripped open a condom packet and sheathed himself. His gaze never left Erica’s as he lay back on the bed, easing her on top of him. Corey moved too, desperate to stay seated within her body as Griff helped her straddle his hips. “Now both of us,” Griff said huskily. “Like it’s supposed to be.”

Erica whimpered as with a tilt of his hips he entered her. Corey withdrew far enough for Griff to plunge in all the way, watching the agony and ecstasy play out over Griff’s face. “Bloody hell, Red. The way you take me in so deep and easy is heaven. I could never bring myself to give it up.”

As Griff stroked the hair away from Erica’s face Corey saw it all in his friend’s—his lover’s—eyes. Corey held Erica around the waist with one arm and brushed his mouth over her ear. “He’s in love with you, Erica. Griff’s as crazy about you as I am.”

Griff shot him a look that was probably supposed to warn Corey off. But he was too open now, as transparent as cling wrap after all he’d been forced to reveal tonight. By Erica, the intuitive, wonderful woman between them. Corey smiled. “You know it’s true. You love her, you love me. You can’t live without us.”

“Shut up and make this woman come, or do I have to show you up?”

Corey rolled his eyes, happier than he’d ever been in his life. He’d bug Griff about his feelings later. He swirled his tongue around Erica’s ear. “I love you, Erica. I love how brave you’ve been, how you came here ready to fight for my relationship with Griff. I love your eyes, and your mouth and this body. God, these breasts.” Corey moved his hand upward so he could cup one in his hand. She hardened under the brush of his fingers. “I love these breasts.”

She let out a choked sound. For a moment it almost sounded like a sob. “I know.”

Moving his hand down, Corey delved into the curls at the juncture of her thighs. “I love this clit. Making you come is the easiest, most beautiful thing in the world.”

“Oh, God, Corey. You make it impossible for a woman not to fall for you.”

Music to his ears. “Have you fallen for me, baby?”

Corey circled a finger over the bud of nerves that ached for him, just as he ached for her. Reluctance came off her in waves, but she nodded.

Heart expanding, Corey turned her face so he could kiss her, delving into her mouth with his tongue the way he delved into her ass with his cock. He built up a steady rhythm, alternating entries with Griff who lay beneath Erica, tilting his hips and burying himself in her tight heat.

“Cor, can’t last much longer.”

Tension marked Griff’s face as he watched the two people above him—Erica riding him with sensuous bows and twists of her body, Corey fucking her, seducing her with words. Griff always teased Corey that he was the youngest and horniest of the three of them, always impatient to blow his load. Not this time. This time he’d wait and watch the woman and man he loved turn themselves over to him completely.

Corey eased Erica forward, until she lay on top of Griff, breasts to chest. Immediately Griff took her mouth with his, as though he’d thirsted long years for the taste of her. Corey rocked into her, knowing each plunge made Erica’s clit rub against Griff’s body, knowing that and the way Griff made love to her mouth with his would make her feel incredible.

She whimpered and squirmed, thrusting her pussy forward and her ass back, begging for every inch of contact. Griff moaned into her mouth, his hips tilting one last time as together he and Erica gave over to ecstasy.

Only then did Corey let himself go, the hot seed jerking from his body.

Perfect. Everything was perfect.

The knowledge warmed Corey as he collapsed onto the mattress beside the two people he intended to spend the rest of his life with.

This was not going according to plan.

Erica had arrived at Griff’s house, her intentions firm in her mind. Use her body to bring Griff and Corey together, force Griff to acknowledge his emotions. Perhaps, selfishly, allow herself this one final encounter with them. Then leave and never return.

It had all worked out exceptionally well—except for the leaving part.

Dark shrouded the room. Griff had turned the light off some time ago, signaling his intention to finally sleep. After being exhaustively made love to three times by two men, Erica hadn’t possessed one iota of the energy required to escape while he and Corey dozed. Not the energy—or the will.

Now, the light of predawn filtered through the blinds. She could just make out the shape of Griff’s taut body where it lay stretched out beside her, his arms flung above his head. Corey was pressed to her back, spooning her so close their heads shared a pillow. Fortunately the size of Griff’s bed meant Erica never felt crowded sharing it with two such large men.

No. All she felt was safe.

Erica blinked back the sting of tears. Almost as though he hadn’t been asleep at all, but attuned to her every emotional shift, Griff’s hand came down from where it had been buried in his pillow to stroke over her hair.

His gentleness made the tears burn a path to the pillowcase. “You were supposed to keep me safe from him,” she whispered.

Griff tilted his head, opened his eyes and looked at her. “From Corey?”

Erica nodded. “I knew he thought we could have something traditional, but with you there… It can never be permanent between three people.”

“Who says?”

“What happened to walking away?”

Griff rasped, “You happened.”

Biting her lip to keep the sob from bursting out of her throat, Erica buried her face in the pillow. “Damn you, Dale. I thought you were using me for sex.”

“Haven’t you worked out what a phony I can be, Red? I faked not being in love with Corey for five years.”

Now he wasn’t pretending anymore—not for Corey’s benefit or hers. Griff had always been closed off emotionally, throughout this whole thing. It had given Erica tacit permission to do the same, even as she knew Corey offered so much and wanted, deserved, more in return than what she gave.

But Griff had opened himself up and been honest with both of them. Erica couldn’t go on lying to them anymore.

“Tell me, Red.” Griff gave her hair a slight tug, compelling her to face him once again. “Tell me what’s keeping you from wanting this.”

His voice husked on the words, and Erica’s heart broke to think she could make the brash Dale Griffin feel vulnerable. “I want this more than you can possibly imagine.”

For the first time Griff smiled. “You’ve got it, gorgeous.”

Shaking her head, Erica sat up and scooted to the end of the bed. “You don’t understand. You might not want
me
.”

“I think we’ve both proven otherwise.” Griff sat up too, drilling her with his gaze. “What’s really going on?”

They weren’t whispering any longer, and the noise and movement woke Corey. He propped on his elbow and looked at her with an adorable, sleepy expression. “What’s up?”

Erica had to turn away from the sight of them, they were both so tempting. It would be easy to fall back into bed and keep pretending.

Right up until she booked herself into the hospital.

“Is it that dickhead Doug?” Griff asked. “He didn’t want you so you assume that’s about you instead of him?”

“It
was
about me,” Erica said sadly.

“And your Dad leaving you? That was your fault too?”

“I was too much trouble.”

“
Fuck
.” Corey sat bolt upright, his expression more thunderous than anything Griff had thrown at her. “You are no trouble, Erica. You’re nothing but magic. How many times do I have to tell you I love you before you’ll believe it?”

Sadly, Erica did believe it. At least she believed Corey loved who he
thought
she was. That was why she had to tell him everything, give him, both of them, a chance to back out. She owed them that and so much more.

No matter how dreadful the thought of possible rejection was to her.

She addressed her question to both of them. “Didn’t you ever wonder that first night why a straight-laced type like me was willing to go home with two men I’d barely met?”

“I wondered,” Griff said. “But I spent most of the time thanking my lucky stars.”

“I wasn’t myself. Something happened…” Erica swallowed. “I found a lump in my breast, and I was so terrified I was willing to do anything to forget what might lay ahead of me. I’d often fantasized about the two of you and I figured I had nothing to lose.”

“A lump.” Corey reached blindly for her hand, clutching it tight in his against the mattress. “Was it…is it…”

Erica shook her head. “I had a biopsy and it turned out to be benign. Can you believe that?”

“Christ, baby.” Corey let out a sigh that shuddered audibly and brought her hand to his lips, kissing along her knuckles. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“That day you came over,” Erica said to Griff. “I was due to get the results.”

Griff simply stared at her, barely appearing to breathe. There was a wealth of understanding in his eyes. He remembered as well as she did how frantic she’d been that day.

“Is that why you told me not to call you again? Because you thought you were going to get sick?” At Erica’s nod Corey swore. “You would have needed me more than ever. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Erica could have pointed out the obvious—that they barely knew each other then and he didn’t owe her solace. Instead she said, “You don’t know what it’s like, watching someone battle cancer. I wouldn’t have let you help.”

“But you know what it’s like,” Griff deduced. “From your aunt.”

“And my mother.” Erica smiled sadly. “It runs in the family.”

Griff’s gaze never wavered. His expression didn’t alter. But Erica sensed him taking it in, absorbing what a family history meant for
her
. His face was patently unreadable, but he
got
it.

Corey didn’t.

“But you’re all right,” he said. “You must have been so scared, but it’s over now. Promise me you won’t keep a secret like that from me ever again.”

Dragging her gaze away from Griff’s, Erica met Corey’s. “It’s not over. It’ll never be over for me.”

She sensed his frustration in the tense set of his shoulders. “That’s a bit fatalistic. We’re here now, Griff and I. If you ever get scared again, you’ve got us to lean on.”

“I’ve been using you from the start, don’t you get that, Corey? All those times you called me, I hung on to the sound of your voice because it helped me forget what I was going through. I’ve still been using you these past months, to make me feel alive and womanly and sexy. All the things I might not feel the same way again after I…”

“After
what
?”

“I have to have an operation. It’s called a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. I have to, because I can’t live my life searching for lumps anymore, waiting for cancer to win.”

“A prophylactic bi… What is that?”

“They’re going to take out my breast tissue—all of it. The only way I can be sure I don’t get breast cancer is to have my breasts surgically removed.”

It was as though time suspended, freezing everything in the room. Corey’s features hardened in shock. Erica couldn’t take her eyes away from him. The only thing that seemed to move was her heart. It hammered so fast she thought it might burst right out of her chest.

After what seemed an eternity, he reacted. His glance slid down, touching on her bare breasts for a fleeting instant before darting away. He’d never turned away from the sight of her naked body before. He was already picturing her without the part of her he apparently found most attractive. Picturing it and finding the image…

…
repulsive.

Erica would never have thought it possible for a heart to truly break from little more than a look, to physically sever into parts that would never knit back together. Corey couldn’t accept it. Just like Doug, like her father. He didn’t want her unless she was easy to deal with and physically intact.

Her hands had never shaken this badly, not even when she’d first found the lump, or when she’d been the one to gently lower Aunt Claire’s eyelids after she’d expelled her last breath. Erica swiped her black dress from the floor and dragged it on. Without the figure-shaping qualities of the corset, it no doubt looked indecent on her frame.