Three the Hard Way (15 page)

“You know what would make this even better?” Justice asked as he pulled back and tucked Tag’s head into the curve between his shoulder and his neck.

“What?”

Justice reached up and stroked Tag’s hair, lulling him into utter relaxation. He hadn’t slept well in days. Weeks. Months, really. And now he felt his lids beginning to droop.

“If Ian was here with us.”

If Tag hadn’t already been wildly in love with Justice . . . that would have done it.

Smiling, he closed his eyes, and for the first time in forever, he slept, knowing he was safe.

“You guys all right?” Ian asked, poking his head around the kitchen corner.

It had taken him half an hour in the shower to thaw out, and then a bowl of Tag’s mystery-meat stew had warmed him even more. He actually felt almost human again. Almost, because the nagging headache was driving him nuts and his appetite was off. Apparently, Alaska didn’t agree with him.

Tag motioned him closer, but he hesitated, glancing at Justice. Since they’d messed around, Justice had spent time sleeping and healing, and now, Justice was giving him a half smile, and yeah, there was something there. For all of them.

Ian had checked on them earlier and found Justice asleep, Tag resting, and hadn’t wanted to disturb them. He’d known the two of them were going to talk about Tag’s time at Itor when Justice woke. Obviously, they had to be alone for that, but fuck, he hated being on the outside of things.

But by the way they were watching him now . . . it was apparent that they didn’t want him on the outside now. It was in their look, and then Tag made it crystal clear by motioning for him to sit at the end of the couch.

He picked up Justice’s legs carefully and rested Justice’s hurt ankle on his lap.

“I told Justice about the ACRO men I killed,” Tag told him.

“And I told him that we’ll deal with it. A lot of ACRO agents come in under not-so-perfect circumstances,” Justice explained. “But it’s not going to be safe here soon. We can’t expect the blizzard to last forever.”

In fact, they hadn’t expected it to be this bad at all. They had plenty of supplies, but while the weather kept Itor out, it also locked them in . . . and Ian had never been comfortable with no escape route.

Tag had a “snow machine,” as he sometimes called it, that they could take to where Ian had parked his own snowmobile before making the long haul in snowshoes to the cabin. But all three of them couldn’t fit on Tag’s machine. Justice could ride with Tag, and Ian could get some exercise and go on foot until they reached his snowmobile and then rode on to Justice’s plane, but they couldn’t do any of that during the storm. For now, they were screwed.

“Your mom would’ve been so proud of you,” Tag said suddenly to Justice.

“I think so, yeah,” Justice said quietly. “And they’d both be proud of us, Tag, for surviving.”

Ian nodded. “Tag told me what happened to all of you. It sounded like they gave you both a great childhood.”

One corner of Justice’s mouth tipped up in a wan smile. “Our moms always pushed us to do what we wanted with our lives, as long as we were happy.”

“And safe,” Tag added. “I thought that’s what moms did, you know?”

“Yeah, well, not all of them.” Ian gave a small rueful smile, meant it to be a nothing statement, but it was too fucking loaded, and both men stared at him. “Forget it.”

“I don’t want to forget it,” Tag said. “I told you all about how I grew up. How Justice did too.”

“So what, it’s my turn now?”

“Yes,” Justice said emphatically.

Ian rubbed Justice’s calf gently, trying to avoid both men’s gazes. “I don’t remember much about my mom. I was young when she died. She was killed by another merc on a job—she was a Seducer who met my dad on a job.” He squeezed his eyes shut, the headache that had been behind his eyes all day suddenly getting a bit worse.
Goddamned family stress will kill you every time.
“Fuck, I don’t want to do this.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tag sympathized.

“No, I don’t think you do. Both of you, you’ve never had to live your lives whoring yourselves out. You’ve never had people look at you like that’s all you’re good for. After a while, trusting people becomes difficult.” His words came out more harshly than he’d intended.

“Don’t.”

He stared at Justice. “Don’t what?”

“You were going to get up. Don’t.”

“Now you’re a mind reader?”

Tag laughed. “You’d be surprised. We all have our secret talents.”

“In these few days together, I’ve gotten good at reading you.” Justice leaned back against Tag’s chest. Seeing them together, so comfortable . . .

“Ian, come on,” Tag urged, “come closer.”

Ian shifted so most of Justice’s legs was draped over him. Tag’s arm was over the back of the couch and Ian put his arm back there too, so Tag could grab his hand. Connected by Justice—both odd and fitting—Ian told them his story.

He’d been the son of a merc, a man who’d claimed he couldn’t be bought by anyone. In the end, that had turned out to be the biggest lie he’d told, but he’d taught Ian two valuable lessons: trust no one, and use everyone you can.

And that’s how he’d spent the last fourteen years. He’d trained as a Seducer from the time he’d been eighteen. Before that, he’d trained as a regular mercenary who could be easily hired by Itor or any of her sister agencies. Having the gift of speed as an Excedo, and more than normal strength, like his father, and his father before him, made him perfect in that role . . . but his fluid sexuality made him an even more valuable commodity. And that was recognized early on by a couple who trained Seducers. They’d come to him, offered him a yearlong internship.

“And your dad just gave you to this couple?” Justice asked.

“If it meant money? Yeah. And if it meant me getting out of my dad’s house, definitely, yes.” Ian heard the fierceness in his own voice. “It was a blessing and curse, you know? I had more sex than any red-blooded guy could ever want.”

“And the bad?” Tag prompted.

Ian sighed. “Instead of being special, sex was just like anything else in my life—a job. A commodity. A thing that could be traded and forced, used and abused. And paid for.”

That was the key. With his speed and his bedroom skills, Ian found himself in demand. When he’d been hired by Itor for some recruiting missions, he’d had the same dangerous mentality as his father—anything for the money—but he’d begun to understand how things in life could harden a man. And how he’d become so damned hardened . . . and how it didn’t make any damned sense that Taggart had stripped his defenses far more easily than anyone should’ve been able to.

After Tag, he’d worried that he’d never be able to do his job again. And, in a way, he hadn’t. Not well, at least. He’d fucked other people for Itor, but he’d been as cold as ice. And he’d never been able to stop thinking about Tag, which made him close himself off even more.

“I couldn’t have stayed with Itor, couldn’t have kept being a Seducer after you, Tag. There was just no way.”

“I always figured a Seducer’s job wasn’t an easy one,” Justice said, almost hesitantly. “But I never really thought about how badly it could fuck you up.”

“I guess, for the Seducer who’s in a committed relationship, it’s different, but those are few and far between. They catch most of us when we’re too young to know any better and train the idea of love right out of us. Train the idea that sex is about other people’s pleasure—and how pleasure makes you stupid and vulnerable—right
into
us,” Ian tried to explain. “So sex for both of you . . . it’s so easy. I know things are complicated between you, but the sex? It’s not what’s standing in your way. For me, sex colors how I view everything. And with all the people I’ve been with, all the things I’ve seen . . . it’s hard to shake that. And it’s hard to view myself as anything but a Seducer, who’s only value is in sex. In the job of sex.”

“I’m sorry, Ian,” Justice said quietly. “I know I was tough on you in the beginning about that.”

“I can’t blame you. I really fucked up. And I wouldn’t have trusted me either,” Ian assured him. “But that doesn’t change how I see myself.”

Tag shook his head slowly, a frown creasing his forehead. “What about how we see you? Doesn’t that change anything? Because I don’t see you as anything but a man, Ian. I never did.”

“What about you?” Ian asked Justice.

“Want me to show you how I feel about your past? Because damn, I can put it to good use, Ian, and not think badly of you at all.”

“Wait.” Tag frowned. ”Is that really how you see sex—that you think we see you like that?” He sounded so concerned.

“Not with you—that never happened and that’s how I knew . . .” Ian shrugged, tried to look away, but Justice pressed on.

“And with me?”

“Not with you either.” But fuck, this wasn’t going to work. “Look, ACRO isn’t going to take me. Especially not with me being on Itor’s death list. I’m too much of a risk for them all around.”

“So you’re giving up?” Justice demanded. “Because even if you are, we’re not.”

Tag was smiling at Justice, then he flicked his glance to Ian. “Don’t bother to argue with Mr. Black-or-White here. He really is Captain America when he gets like this.”

“You can call me that in bed,” Justice told them both seriously.

“Yeah, we’ll take you up on that,” Tag said.

“When?” Ian joked.

Justice smile was slow and lazy as he tugged his sweats down. “I’ve always heard you shouldn’t put off tomorrow what you can do today.”

Justice’s memories of Ian and Tag stroking him in the bed a couple of days ago were hazy, but fuck, they’d been good memories to keep him going as he healed. And now, seeing the appreciation clearly in Ian’s eyes, having Tag literally at his back . . .

If anyone had told him last week that he’d be sharing the only man he’d loved with another guy, he’d never have believed it. Seeing Ian now . . . not so unbelievable at all.

Justice shifted on the sofa, pushing his good leg behind Ian, urging Ian closer. Ian slid so he was half on top of him, both of them in Tag’s lap. And Justice carded his hand through Ian’s hair and pulled him in for a kiss.

Ian had saved Tag—Justice’s best friend, his first love. And Tag had fallen in love with Ian. It was only a matter of time before Justice felt Ian in his heart as well.

“Come on, you two—we’ll be more comfortable in bed.” Tag’s voice sounded husky. Ian eased off Justice reluctantly, then bent to help him up. He wrapped an arm around Ian’s shoulder and limped along to the bedroom, with Tag following.

Outside, the blizzard picked up steam—the snow and ice tinked against the metal and glass windows, the wind howled like it had a major message to send, but they were here and together and safe.

And for tonight, Justice didn’t want to have to think that it could be any other way.

When they got to the bed, Justice leaned on Ian and skimmed off his sweats completely before crawling onto the mattress. Tag was stripping as he walked into the room, and Ian was shifting his gaze between them, a small smile playing on his lips.

“You two are fucking gorgeous,” he growled as Tag climbed into the bed.

“You’ve got us in bed already, Ian,” Tag teased. “Don’t need to compliment us.” And Justice laughed. God, it felt good to laugh.

“I’ll show you compliments.” Ian stripped his shirt and moved in between Justice’s legs. Ian swallowed his cock, and Justice jerked and groaned and cursed while Ian hummed. Then Ian reached over and stroked Tag, as Tag tweaked Justice’s nipples.

“Ian, fuck.” Justice rocked his hips in time with the rhythm Ian set—it was relentless, but he wanted to come inside Ian. Although coming like this was so damned tempting.

Next time. Because there would be many more next times, dammit. Impatient, he tugged Ian’s hair. Ian responded to the roughness, crawling up Justice’s body.

Justice heard the click of the lube bottle, and Tag grabbed his hand and squirted lube into it, saying, “Ian likes it when you play with his ass. Start with two fingers.”

Justice pulled Ian close and kissed him. In response, Ian moaned into his mouth and Justice slid his hand down and began to finger him. He pushed two lubed fingers against Ian’s hole. “Yeah, ride them, Ian. Then you’re going to ride me.”