Sharing Hailey (26 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dreams of that night awakened her. The shots. Tony and Mark struggling to cross the yard. The blood. She turned over to check the alarm clock and realized Mark was gone. A little after two. Where was he? The bathroom door was open, so he wasn’t there. She lay in bed, listening for him, but couldn’t hear anything.

She slipped out of bed and padded across the warm tile floor. He wasn’t in the great room or the kitchen. Maybe sleeping in the guest room? No, he wasn’t there, either. Nor was he in the unfinished bedroom. That left the sunroom, unless he’d left the house. Surely he wasn’t working in the shop this late.

From the doorway between the kitchen and sunroom, she saw him in the window seat on the south wall, his bare feet up on the cushion, arms dangling over his bent knees, one shoulder propped against the glass. He’d put on sweatpants, but his torso was bare. His back was to her, but he knew she was there. His neck and back muscles had tensed when she’d entered the room. He didn’t acknowledge her.

She quietly slipped behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, kissed his shoulder and then rested her cheek against his back. They sat like that for a while, staring out at the night. The moon wasn’t full, but it was bright enough to illuminate the leafless cottonwoods and bushes.

Even in her flannel pajamas and pressed against Mark’s heat, a chill crept over her until she shivered.

Mark finally broke the silence. “You should go back to bed.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

His muscles moved beneath her arms and cheek. A shrug. “Not tired.”

“Try again.”

“Okay, bad dreams.”

“About that night?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me.”

He didn’t speak for a while. She waited, hugging him tighter.

“I keep seeing you running out of the house toward us. Then I hear the gunshots and I have to turn away from you before I even know if you’re—” His voice cracked, and Hailey’s breath caught. She’d never seen Mark cry, never even seen him close to crying. His tears terrified her, and she suddenly understood his panic when she cried. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t even know if you were hit. I swear, Hailey, I have never been so scared. Those few seconds keep playing over and over in my head. Sleep was giving me some respite until tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“You should be.” His tone was stern, angry. “I told you to stay in the bedroom.”

She stood and wrapped her arms defensively around her own waist. “I’m not sorry about that. I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know how badly Tony was hurt. I didn’t know if you’d been shot. You weren’t the only one who was scared. I was terrified. And knowing it was my fault—”

“Stop saying that. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t make Daniel homicidal.”

“You’re angry with me.”

“I want to fuck you senseless.”

Confused, she plucked at her flannel sleep pants. “You’re not angry?”

His hands rubbed up and down his face. “I don’t know. Yes, I’m furious that you put yourself in danger. I had my hands full, literally, trying to get Tony to safety, and you made it worse by exposing yourself. You didn’t even have a gun. But I’m so relieved you weren’t hurt or killed that I want to—” He paused, as if searching for the words. “I want to love you. I want to be inside you. I want you wrapped around me so tightly that I can’t tell where I end and you begin. And I want you like that all the time so I can convince myself you’re alive.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“I’m afraid of losing it, of being too rough. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You would
never
hurt me.”

“Not intentionally.”

She grasped the hem of her T-shirt and lifted it over her stomach. “If I can convince you I’m alive, do you think it will help?”

His brows lifted, and his lips quirked in a small grin. “It can’t hurt.”

Her laugh was low as she eased the fabric over her head and dropped it. She rested one hand between her breasts. “Well, then, let’s do it right. What do you want?” He wasn’t the only one who needed to chase away the nightmares.

Her gaze was drawn to his throat as he swallowed then moved to his lips as he spoke. “I need you to strip.”

Hailey untied the strings at the waist of her pants but stopped to tease him a bit. “You don’t want to strip me?”

Mark shook his head. “I want to watch you.”

Hailey’s sex swelled and pulsed. It seemed like forever since they’d last made love. Her skin heated as she slid the soft flannel over her hips. Bending over, she pushed the fabric past her knees and let it drop to the floor. She stepped out of the puddle of soft cotton and stood with her hands at her sides, waiting for him.

“Are you ready? Are you wet?”

Hailey nodded. She was drenched.

“Are you sure? Put your foot up here.” He tapped the cushion next to his thigh.

She lifted her leg and placed her foot on the cushion, opening her sex to him.

“Touch yourself. Show me how wet you are.”

Hailey’s skin burned, and the liquid need he wanted to see dripped down the inside of her thighs like water. She brushed her hand over her labia, teasing him, then dipped her middle finger inside her vagina, almost coming as the heel of her hand grazed her clit. Then she removed her hand and held it out for his inspection. He grasped her wrist and brought her fingers to his mouth. First he licked her middle finger then sucked it inside his hot mouth, sending a bolt of pleasure from her finger to her groin and another trickle of liquid down her thighs.

He stood and shoved his sweatpants down his legs. Before she realized what was happening, her legs were wrapped around his waist, her arms around his shoulders. His hands were branding her buttocks and she was mashed between him and the bookcase. One shelf dug into her spine; another creased the back of her head. His body pressed against hers. His shaft seared her soft, welcoming folds.

His hot breath teased her ear as he murmured, “Tell me if it’s too much.” He didn’t wait for a reply but impaled her.

She gasped and savored the fullness. She wanted to move but couldn’t with her body trapped between his unforgiving hips and the bookcase.

“Now,” she pleaded. “Don’t hold back.”

He rested his forehead against hers, creating a gap between their chests. The joining of their sexes mesmerized her. As she watched, he slid out to the tip of his cock then slammed back into her.

“I love you, Hailey.” He pulled out and thrust again, chanting the same words over and over like a meditation. “I love you.” Each thrust penetrated deeper. Each “I love you” touched her soul until she was repeating the mantra with him.

His lips caught hers, and she swallowed his declaration as if it was the only sustenance she needed.

Her breaths became pants. Her pulse pounded in her head. The orgasm blasted through her, turning her shallow breaths and words of love into sensuous cries of release. Mark followed as her muscles clamped down on his cock.

Her lips slid to his neck and she sucked his skin between her teeth, desperate to taste more of him as his seed pulsed inside her, causing small orgasmic aftershocks. Her body collapsed against him.

“I love you. I’ll always love you,” Mark said in a fierce low voice. “I’ll
always
love you.”

Slowly, he withdrew, and his seed ran down her legs. He lifted her in his arms, cradling her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck when what she really wanted was to crawl inside him. She settled for holding him tightly and flicking her tongue against his salty skin.

She knew where he was taking her. Maybe they could both sleep now.

“My pajamas,” she mumbled.

“Once Tony smells us, they’ll just be in the way.”

“But his wound.”

“I’m betting he’ll work around it.”

“Maybe we should sleep in the guest room.”

“Maybe you should start treating him like a man and not a baby.”

“He’s hurt.”

“Yeah, but not like you think.”

“But—”

He stopped in the middle of the great room. “You don’t think he’s having some version of the same damned nightmares I’m having?”

Hailey’s warm, fuzzy, after-sex glow began to evaporate. “Is he?”

“Aren’t you?”

She didn’t want to admit it to him. He was already hassling her about the nightmares about her parents. “He hasn’t said anything.”

“Wow. Imagine that,” he said sarcastically.

Hailey bristled. “Well, obviously making love didn’t improve
your
mood.” She kicked her legs out of his arms before he knew what was happening. Once her feet touched the floor, she headed toward the bedroom, her ultimate destination the shower. “Don’t follow me,” she shot over her shoulder.

As she stomped through the bedroom, she glanced over at Tony. He was wide-awake.

Of course. God knew she and Mark had made enough noise. She didn’t stop to ask if he needed something. Mark was right behind her. He’d take care of Tony. She needed a shower.

No, the shower was just an excuse. She needed to be alone.

She locked the bathroom door behind her before stalking to the shower and turning on all the heads. She sat on the bench in the corner and let the hot water flow over her. Lifting her feet to the bench, she hugged her legs to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees.

Would her life ever be normal again?

Okay, she knew the answer to that. Loving two men was not normal, so no, her life would never be normal because she couldn’t stop loving them. But would it ever be less dramatic? Wasn’t it bad enough that she’d lost her parents and had nightmares of their deaths? Was she supposed to deal with nightmares of Tony getting shot too? That wasn’t fair.

God, she was such a whiner. Why the hell couldn’t she be grateful for all the good things? A brother who loved her. Two men who only wanted the best for her. Two men who knew how to give a woman an orgasm
every single time.
A fulfilling career. Plenty of food and a man who knew how to cook. Health insurance, a Roth IRA and nice vacations. A warm home.

A warm home
. That was it. She needed to go home. Tony really didn’t need her anymore, but she needed to get her life back. She needed some time away from them. She needed to make sure this relationship was right. And if or when she moved in with them, she needed to know it was because she
wanted
to live with them, not because she was afraid of a violent ex.

A shadow fell over her, and she jerked her head up. Tony stood over her, nude, aroused. Her gaze darted to the bathroom door, looking for Mark. The door was shut, Mark nowhere in sight. She examined the puckered scar on Tony’s right side.

Something else to be grateful for. Another few centimeters to the left and a few millimeters deeper, and they’d have been dealing with organ damage. They’d still be in the hospital…or at the cemetery.

Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the water flowing over her head. God, they were so fucking lucky.

Tony sat on the bench in front of her feet and leaned over her knees. With one finger he traced the track of a tear, and she wondered how he could distinguish it from the water streaming over her.

“You haven’t cried until now?”

She shuddered and shook her head. “M-M-Mark said I had to wait until you were out of surgery.”

“I’ve been out for a while.”

She pressed her lips together, willing herself not to cry even as his gentle expression invited her tears. A sob escaped. Then another and another until she gave up. Tony slipped her legs over his thighs and held her.

She buried her face in the warmth of his neck and let loose. He rubbed circles in the middle or her back and murmured soothingly. Her sobs eased into whimpers, and serenity settled deep within her, along with overwhelming fatigue.

Tony stood and turned off the showerheads. Then he took her hand and drew her to her feet. “Come on. Let’s get you dried off and in bed.”

As he rubbed the soft towel over every inch of her body, she watched droplets of water slip down his taut skin. His tan, which had been so dark when they returned from Hawaii, had faded after more than two weeks spent indoors. His muscles flexed as he worked. Her own skin began to tingle and her groin became heavy, engorged. It didn’t help that he was still aroused. Yet he hadn’t pressed her, hadn’t made any overtures. He’d only cared for her.

After he hung the towel, she touched his arm and stood on her toes to kiss him. His lips were warm and firm. His scent tempted her, and she deepened the kiss, opening her mouth and tasting his sweetness more fully. It had been so long.

His cock branded her belly. She wanted to take him inside her, to crawl inside him. His injury stopped her. She didn’t want to strain it, didn’t want to reopen the gunshot wound. Instead, she slid down his body dragging her lips and tongue along his heated skin until her knees sank into the large, plush bath mat.