SharedObjectives (7 page)

“You’re a smart girl.” Dixie reached out to run his fingers
down her cheek. “I think you’ve probably figured out what I’m suggesting.”

If she’d pulled away from him or complained in any way, Ben
would’ve let her go immediately. But she didn’t. As Dixie stood in front of
her, she actually rocked her hips, causing her lush ass to brush against Ben’s
crotch. Desire burned through him hot and true at the sensation. Just as Dixie
went in for a kiss, Ben brushed his lips against the sensitive skin at the side
of her neck. Her muffled moan was all the encouragement that he needed to
continue.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her back into him until he
was certain she could feel his erection. God, it felt amazing to have her in
his arms again.

“This is wrong.” The words were strained with desire as she
arched her back and laid her head on Ben’s shoulder. “Isn’t it?”

Interesting question. And the answer depended solely on who
was asked. Fortunately, she’d asked them. “Doesn’t feel wrong to me,” Ben
answered. “What about you, Dixie? Does it feel wrong to you?”

“Nope.”

Ben continued to kiss her neck as he moved his hand to the
front of her pants. As he unbuttoned and unzipped the piece of clothing, Dixie
started removing her shirt. Ben backed away from her just long enough for Dixie
to be able to pull her shirt over her head. With her now half naked, Ben was
able to feel the silky texture of her skin as he ran his hands up her, over her
rib cage and then to the firm mounds of her breasts.

“I…can’t.” She arched her back and rested her head on his
shoulder again. “Too much sensation. I can’t think straight.”

Ben looked up at Dixie just in time to see the man wink at
him. As far as plans went, this was one of the best ones Dixie had ever come up
with. “You don’t have to think, sweetheart. All you have to do is feel,” Dixie
said smoothly. She seemed to listen as she shifted her body so Dixie could push
her pants over her hips.

Ben watched over her shoulder as Dixie slid a finger through
the curls around her sex. She shivered in his arms and grabbed his thigh as if
she suddenly needed something to hold on to.

He had a moment of concern as he watched Dixie’s finger
disappearing into her sex. Not because he wanted it to stop but because of how
deeply he needed it to continue. It was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.
Hotter than anything he’d even fantasized about. And that worried him.
Shouldn’t his hottest experience be one of his own and not one he’d watched?

Lisa’s hand moved from his thigh to his cock and, with one
firm caress, he quickly forgot any concerns he might have. Before he could
second-guess his decision again, he cupped her breast in the palm of his hand
and began kneading it as Dixie fucked her with his hand.

“I need you inside me now.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Dixie said.

“Then why are you still dressed?” She grabbed at Dixie’s
shirt and pulled it off him. “You need to be a whole lot more naked for what I
have in mind.” Ben didn’t know if he’d been included in the statement so he
continued caressing and kissing her skin. When she’d gotten Dixie undressed,
though, she turned to Ben. “You too. You both came up with this idea, I’ll be
damned if either of you back out now.”

That was the answer he’d been waiting for. He quickly
undressed as Dixie grabbed a condom out of his fatigues’ pocket and then guided
her to the bed.

Lisa took a deep breath as she stretched out on the bed. Was
she really going to do this? She looked from Dixie to Ben’s naked and erect
body and decided that not only was she going to go through with it, but she was
also going to enjoy every second of it. They may both want her at this moment,
but there were no guarantees that this was going to last. And she didn’t expect
any. Life didn’t come with guarantees. But she planned on making as many
memories as she could while it did last. “How do you want me?” she asked Dixie.
He always seemed to be the one coming up with the plans around here so he
seemed to be the one to ask.

“That, my dear, is the question of the day, isn’t it?” He
slid a finger through her sex and then smiled. “It appears you like the idea of
being with two men.”

Her face heated in a blush. “I like the idea of being with
you and Ben. I wouldn’t be here for just any two men.” Dixie’s warm smile told
her she’d just passed a test she didn’t know she’d been given.

“Roll over. On your hands and knees.” Dixie climbed onto the
foot of the bed and then waited.

Excitement raced through her, making her body pulse with
need as she complied. “And now?” she asked as she looked over her shoulder.

Dixie knelt behind her and then nodded over at Ben. “How
would you feel about giving Ben head while I fucked you?” The sound of him
tearing open the condom package seemed to punctuate the question.

Her life had been the genteel one of academia up to this
point. She’d never had anyone use such coarse or graphic words around her. And
maybe that’s why they had such an instant and devastating effect on her. As
soon as the image that the words provoked sprung into her head, she had to make
it a reality. She whimpered and clenched her thighs together to help alleviate
some of the ache that consumed her.

Dixie slid the condom over his erection and said, “I’ll take
that as a yes.”

Ben seemed to agree as he walked over to them and then
joined them on the bed. He settled in front of her with his back against the
headboard as Dixie grabbed her hips and positioned his erection at her pussy’s
entrance. “Are you sure?” Dixie asked, his voice suddenly serious and somehow
sincere.

She looked back at him over her shoulder and winked before
turning her attention back to Ben. She and Ben still had issues. And they were
going to have to sort through them at some point. But they could deal with that
mess later. She kept her focus on Ben as she swept her lips with the tip of her
tongue. “I’m sure.”

Dixie sank his cock into her channel, filling her
completely, and her hunger overwhelmed all reason or logic. It existed only to
be fed and to, in return, consume her. Lowering her head, she trailed her
tongue along the length of Ben’s cock. His skin was silky and tasted just a
little salty. The combination made her crave more. When she ran her tongue
around the head, he moaned and his hips rocked in a silent plea. A plea she
answered happily. While Dixie stretched her with each thrust into her core, she
opened her mouth wider and let Ben slide his cock into its welcoming depths.

“Oh damn.” Ben’s words rang through her ears as a
declaration of his desire and need.

She dropped down onto her elbows so she could take him
farther into her mouth. She didn’t realize, however, that the position change
would allow Dixie to take her more deeply as well. His balls hit her clit as he
rocked against her now, making her moan. She tucked her hands under Ben’s ass
so she could knead his cheeks as she continued to suck and lick him.
Immediately he grew harder against her tongue. As much as she enjoyed this,
though, the strain of maintaining the rhythm between Dixie and Ben had become
difficult. Lifting her mouth off Ben’s cock, she said, “I need a little help.”
She took one of his hands and wrapped it around the base of his dick then she
took the other one and put it on the back of her head.

This time when she took him into her mouth, she let him
dictate the rhythm and the depth. His hand wrapped around his cock kept him
from going too deep and gagging her and his pace was actually well-timed with
Dixie’s thrusts. This way, she could relax and enjoy the sensation of being taken
by the only two men who had ever captured her attention, not to mention her
heart.

She stiffened at the thought. It left her raw and vulnerable
but it also filled her with so much hunger and passion that she became
breathless. She cupped Ben’s ass again as tension gathered in the pit of her
stomach. She was going to climax. Soon. And, judging by both of the men’s
enthusiastic pace, they weren’t far behind. She needed one little nudge to push
her over the cusp. Unfortunately Dixie didn’t seem inclined to play with her
clit during that session. Deciding to take the initiative, she moved one of her
hands so it rested between Ben’s spread thighs and then started massaging his
balls. Once she sent him into his release, she knew hers wouldn’t be far
behind.

“God. Yes.” He was so hard in her mouth that she expected
him to come at any moment. And Dixie was so deep and insistent with his
claiming of her body that she hovered on the brink her own release. But she
couldn’t quite find her climax. She allowed her hand to drop off Ben’s balls
and then began gently caressing his perineum.

He moaned his appreciation of her move, which only made her
body coil tighter and made her bolder. With his cock sliding in and out of her
mouth, her tongue caressing him with each move, she slid her finger back just a
fraction of an inch farther and rimmed his anus with a delicate but firm touch.
“Oh god.” His cock jerked in her mouth as he started to come down her throat.
Just as she expected, his climax threw her into her own. Moaning, she swallowed
his come as her muscles convulsed and her mind drifted into a state of
contentment.

After she’d swallowed all of Ben’s essence, she released his
cock and started leaving kisses on his thighs and abdomen. She still felt
slightly on edge but remarkably satisfied until Dixie pressed a finger against
her own anus. Suddenly she was back at the height of her arousal. Unable to
stop herself, she panted and arched her back to put her ass more on display for
him. “That’s it.” His voice was calm and reassuring as he played with her.

The moment his finger slid through the tight circle of
muscles, she was thrown into another orgasm. This one had an intensity and
relentlessness that easily surpassed the last. His cock still throbbed inside
her with each of his thrusts but now his finger stretched her with every move
as well. Her heart raced and her body shook with the power of the release but
she soon found she was rocking back against his hand harder and harder,
searching for yet a third climax. When he added a second finger to the first,
her stomach tightened with need so quickly that it almost hurt. This desire,
this intense need, it was something she’d never experienced before. Her whole
body ached with it.

“You have such a gorgeous ass. So tight. I love the way it
trembles around my fingers every time you come.” His voice, his touch, having
Ben naked and once more aroused in front of her, it all combined and pushed her
past any experience or expectation she’d ever had. “Would you like my cock to
fill your ass one day?”

She broke into a million pieces under him, screaming out
with the pleasure that washed through her. He pulled his fingers out of her and
then thrust into her hard as he called out with his own release. He continued
to rock against her even after they’d both crested. It prolonged the waves of
euphoria that filled her and she never wanted him to stop. But eventually her
exhausted muscles could no longer hold them up. Together they fell forward onto
Ben’s chest, still shaking from the intense release. Ben adjusted himself so he
lay lower on the bed to accommodate their weight, but as soon as Dixie rolled
off her, Ben wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Thank you.” Ben’s words were simple but his whisper held so
much emotion that she couldn’t help but be moved.

If only she knew what the right response would be. A
flippant “you’re welcome” would protect her heart from him ever discovering how
deeply she still felt about him. But it would be a childish and mean-spirited
thing to do after what they’d just shared. “That was one of the most amazing
things I’ve ever experienced,” she admitted honestly. “You don’t need to thank
me.”

Dixie caressed her back as Ben stroked her ass cheeks. It
was heaven. She never wanted to leave this bed. If only she didn’t have to take
care of… “Nate.” Her voice related her astonishment at temporarily forgetting
her son. She was the worst mother ever.

“Is fine.” Dixie kissed her shoulder gently.

She tried to push Ben out of her way but neither of the men
seemed ready to let her go. “The sitter is scheduled to leave any minute now.”

“He’s not going to leave Nate until someone gets there to
relieve him.” Dixie started to roll away from her and immediately she missed
his warmth. “Which I’m happy to do.”

It took Lisa a moment to fully understand the words. But
when she did, she forced her exhausted body to sit up on the bed. “You don’t
have to go. This is your room. If anyone should go, it’s me.”

Dixie and Ben exchanged a look before Dixie shook his head.
“You’re right. I don’t have to go. And, truth be told, I don’t particularly
want to.” He ran a finger down her spine as he said the words. “I’d rather
spend all day in bed with you. But something tells me you and Ben need to talk.
Alone. And you look as if you could use a nap,” he said with a wink. “I’ll be
back in a couple of hours.”

He cleaned up and dressed quickly before putting a couple of
condoms in the nightstand drawer. “Just in case you need them. And don’t worry
about Nate. I’ll stay with him until you two have everything sorted out.”

She stared at him in disbelief as he disappeared through the
hatch. Suddenly alone with Ben, she felt a shiver streak down her spine. With
Dixie she was wild, free, strong. She could do anything with him. But Ben made
her vulnerable. Yes, he made her feel incredibly good, especially with the
comfort of Dixie near. But when they were alone all she could remember was how
badly he’d hurt her. He’d apologized. And she believed him. But with their past
hanging between them, she wasn’t sure she could trust him again.

Lisa looked around the room uncomfortably once she and Ben
were alone. Unintentionally she focused on her shirt, which lay on the floor a
few feet away in a rumpled mess of fabric. She had to admit that being dressed
for this conversation would be really nice. And she could go retrieve it. But
that would mean walking around in front of him naked, and naked didn’t seem
particularly appealing right now. So instead, she pulled the sheet over her
body and took a deep breath before asking, “So, how honest are we going to be
here?”

He cleared his throat and then looked away from her. “What
do you mean?”

Irritation at his obvious dodge burned off her vulnerability
and made her bolder than she’d normally be. “Are we actually going to talk
about us? Put our past to rest. Or are we going to make small talk about the
weather and work until it gets so uncomfortable that we avoid each other for
the next two years?”

His face paled at the suggestion. “No. I can’t do that
again.”

“Good.” The knot in her stomach loosened a bit with relief.
She didn’t think she could either. “Being trapped in this bunker would make
avoiding each other difficult.” She took a steadying breath. “Okay. So what
happened two years ago? Was it really just a matter of who I worked for or was
there something else going on?” The bluntness of the question made her squirm a
little but she had to know the truth. And, really, how many women got the
chance to come out and ask their ex-boyfriends the questions they really wanted
answers to? She refused to squander this opportunity.

“No. Finding out you worked for the government triggered my
meltdown, but there were other factors that fed it.” He ran his fingers down
her arm as he spoke. She could back away from his touch but after what they’d
just shared, it seemed silly to do so.

“So it wasn’t just that I worked for the enemy?” She didn’t
know how she felt about that. They were talking and that had to be a good sign.
But if there were other factors, they could be in real trouble. She no longer
worked for the government so, with that obstacle out of the way, she’d secretly
hoped for the chance of a clean slate.

“If it’d been that simple, I wouldn’t have had a problem
moving on. But seeing you again on the chopper nearly destroyed me. At first I
chalked it up to surprise but when the shock wore off, I had to face the truth.
I still had feelings for you.”

The admission was the opening she’d hoped for. But she still
needed more. She needed to know the whole truth. And she wouldn’t mind if that
truth left him a little vulnerable, too. “Okay, so if I meant so much to you
that you couldn’t move on—and if it wasn’t just my job that made you freak
out—what happened?”

He took a deep breath and then cleared his throat. “You
really aren’t going to let me off the hook easily, are you?”

Let him off the hook easily? Seriously? Years of pain
twisted in the pit of her stomach. It burned there as it coiled tighter and
tighter looking for some sort of escape. Memory flashes of her past and of
their past together fed its indignation and kept it growing until it became too
much for her to bear. Until, finally, her earlier irritation sparked into
white-hot anger. “No, I’m not. Seeing me on the helicopter might have been
difficult for you but it didn’t destroy you.” She didn’t mean to downplay what
he felt that night, but she refused to let him get away with the exaggeration.
“Not even close. Try being rejected and accused of unspeakable acts by someone
you’d fallen in love with.”

Her stomach churned painfully at the admission, but if she
expected him to open up, then she could do no less. “Watching you walk away,
knowing what you thought of my character—that the man I’d given my heart to
thought me so callous as to whore myself out for a job.” Unshed tears burned at
the corners of her eyes but she refused to acknowledge them. She would not cry
in front of him. “That did destroy me. And then I found out I was pregnant.”
She shook her head as she remembered the moment her doctor gave her the news.
“I was alone and carrying a genetically modified baby. Do you have any idea
what I went through? I almost terminated the pregnancy.” With that statement,
she could no longer hold the tears at bay. One escaped and slid noiselessly
down her cheek. Its descent tickled but she didn’t try to stop it. “And that’s
something I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life. I have to
look at my child every day, knowing I almost didn’t have him. That I was so
weak and in so much pain that I couldn’t bear the thought of looking into his
eyes and seeing yours. Of hearing those accusations echo in my head day after
day.” She swiped angrily at the tears that continued to fall. “So no. I don’t
particularly feel like giving you a pass right now.”

His face had a chalky-white complexion and he looked as if
he were about to be sick. Both were positive signs in Lisa’s opinion. They
showed that he’d taken her words seriously. “I want to apologize,” he said
after a moment of silence. “But I can’t find the words to tell you how sorry I
am. I don’t think they exist. And the ones I can come up with all seem hollow
and clichéd.”

“Just tell me the truth. That’s all I want to hear.”

He took another deep breath. “I’d planned on asking you to
run away with me that day. That’s why I came up to your room early. And I saw
you there, standing on the balcony. The sun made your skin glow. The carefully
prepared speech disappeared just like that. I couldn’t think around you. I
wanted you so badly that I couldn’t imagine what life would be like if you said
no.”

It was everything she’d hoped he’d say to her back then. But
now it left her feeling empty.

“I’d never needed anyone before. But I needed you. The
realization shook me. It shook me pretty hard.” He looked away from her as if
the conversation had become difficult for him. “When you took that call. When I
heard what you were and that you worked for the government, I couldn’t believe
I’d fallen so completely for a woman I knew so little about. And I couldn’t
believe you’d ever consider running away with me. You were too smart. You had
too much of a life to give it all up for me.”

He reached out to her and she allowed him to take her hand.
That moment held too much pain for either of them to relive it alone. “My mind
started making up scenarios, each one worse than the last. It started with me
believing that you had to know that I was modified all along. I mean, really,
that’s your area of expertise so it only makes sense. But then that quickly
morphed into you being responsible for the modifications done to me. And if you
knew and were responsible, there was no way you could feel even a fraction for
me of what I felt for you. To you, I’d always be an experiment. I became
convinced that you’d laugh at me if I told you what I’d come to say. Or worse,
turn me in to your bosses. It’d taken me years of plotting and planning to get
out from under the government’s control. They wouldn’t give me a second chance.
If they didn’t lock me up forever or kill me, they’d do a complete memory
wipe.”

Hearing the pain and sincerity in his voice, her anger and
pain started to dissipate. But that didn’t offer her much relief. Their chat
had left her heart heavy. It felt as if it’d been bruised somewhere along the
way.

“There’s no excuse for what I did or said to you, but by
that time I had so much adrenaline pumping through me that I just reacted.” He
sighed as if he’d just gotten a huge weight off his chest. “I’m not proud of
it. I should’ve trusted you with the truth. Of course, I know that now.”

She could see the raw pain in his eyes as he spoke and
wanted to reach out to him, but she still wasn’t ready. “So what do we do now?
What is it that you and Dixie want from me?”

“We want you.” The words were simple and yet profound. They
made her stomach clench with fear even as her heart began to warm with a sliver
of hope. And, for one moment, she didn’t know which emotion she should nurture.
“Dixie is intense and bossy, but he’s a good guy. He’s one of my closest
friends.” Ben laughed softly. “Guess today officially makes him my closest
friend. But it’s up to you. If you can’t forgive me, if you’re still angry
about our past, I understand. But I would like to at least have a relationship
with Nate.” He looked down at the bed as he spoke. “After the modification, I
didn’t think I’d ever be able to have a child. I refused to even think about
being a father. It was just too painful. But now that I am, I want him to know
me.”

With those words, hope won. More than anything, she wanted
Nate to know his father, too. She took a deep breath and realized she had found
some measure of peace about the way things had ended two years ago. They still
had several other areas to cover before she and Ben could truly have a fresh
start, though. His aversion to tri relationships was one of the major issues
that needed to be discussed. They might not have talked about their jobs two
years ago, but family had been the center of many of their conversations. And
Ben had been clear about how he felt about the arrangement then. Before she
made any decisions, she needed to find out where he stood now. “You told me you
weren’t interested in a tri relationship.”

“I wasn’t. And had I done the right thing two years ago, I
wouldn’t be in this situation. But I didn’t. And now I’m not exactly in a
position to make demands.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You have
feelings for Dixie.”

“So you’d honestly be okay with a tri?” She might sound like
an idiot for making him repeat himself, but she needed to make sure that they
were on the same page.

“Not all tri families were as dysfunctional as mine.” He
shrugged. “Most were happy. And when we were around other tri families, we were
happy. The problems started when my parents sent me out into the world at
large.” He pulled away from her and tensed a little. “But what about you? How
would you feel about a tri relationship?”

He hadn’t mentioned forever nor had he promised her anything
beyond today. They didn’t have any tomorrows to promise at this point. He
worked for the Coalition and she was a wanted political prisoner. Even if they
survived this, there was a whole world outside the bunker just waiting to tear
them apart. But more than anything, she wanted to try. She wanted to embrace
life and she’d never felt more alive than she did right now. “I think I’d be
okay with a tri.”

“Do you forgive me then?” He looked so hopeful that she
couldn’t even bring herself to draw out her answer.

“Yes. But no more assumptions. If you have a problem, you
come find me and talk to me about it.”

He smiled down at her. “Deal.” He cupped her chin and kissed
her deeply before saying, “I do actually have one problem.” He moved so his
hard cock pressed against her thigh.

“Already?” She smiled as she rocked against his length.

“What do you mean, already? We haven’t had sex in two years.
I think I’ve waited long enough.”

She had to stifle a laugh. “Are you complaining about my
oral skills?”

He smiled as he kissed her again. “Not at all. But sex is
different. Nothing could compare to being inside you while you’re shaking and
incoherent under me.” He ran his hand up her thigh. “Unless you’re too sore.”

Her muscles did ache but they weren’t the reason for her
pause. This was all so new to her and she was still trying to feel her way
through it. In her mind, she’d committed to both men. For however long they
were together, they were a tri. It felt odd to have sex with one of them while
the other wasn’t there. Could that be considered cheating? Dixie had left the
condoms for them so he must have recognized the possibility that she and Ben
might have sex. Right? “Ben?”

“Yes?”

“Is this okay?”

He brushed a kiss on her forehead. “I thought we already
covered that.”

She felt awkward bringing this up, but she’d told him they
were going to talk through their issues and she’d meant it. “I mean, you’re
okay with me being with Dixie and he’s okay with me being with you, even when
the other one isn’t there?” Her face heated with a blush.

He rolled her over so she was pinned under him on the bed.
“There might be times where we’ll get a little jealous. But every relationship
has its own issues. I think Dixie and I both want it bad enough to do what it
takes to make it work.”

She couldn’t help but believe his sincere declaration.
“Thank you.” It put the last of her worries to rest.

“But just as every relationship has problems, it also has
rewards.” He nuzzled her neck.

“And my reward with this relationship would be…?”

He nibbled on her earlobe and the sensation made her heart
race and her skin break out in goose bumps. “You’d have both Dixie and myself
waiting on your every want and need.”

She chuckled and wiggled against him. “That just might make
the achy muscles worth it.”

“You know.” He kissed her shoulder gently. “If something
hurts, I’d be happy to kiss it and make it better.”

“In that case, I hurt everywhere.”

“I do love a challenge.”

She put her hands above her head in a sign of surrender so
he would be free to explore her body. He started with small kisses on her
collarbone that led to a trail of kisses down the valley of her cleavage. When
he finally made his way over to her breast, a shiver of desire snaked its way
through her body. The sensation of his warm and inviting mouth on her breast
made her want to rock against his body as he traced her nipple with the tip of
his tongue before pulling the hardened bud into his mouth. But he lowered his
hips, pinning hers to the mattress, so she couldn’t move. It would be
considered torture if it didn’t feel so damn good.

She arched her back and gasped at the pull. She couldn’t
believe it was possible but her body was already humming with desire again.
Would it always be like this? Would she always come to life under both of the
men’s touches?