level. He seemed almost an extension of her. For as much as they’d served together, would she be the same person separated from him?
“Will you stay?” Thrax asked. “Take the antidote and stay with me?”
Her expression turned troubled. “It’s not something I’d considered.”
The possibility that she might filled his chest with hope. He watched Tarrel’s frown deepen. He wouldn’t be eager to let Neela go, even to attach herself to royalty. A kingdom had one king, though. Not two. Thrax didn’t mind sharing Neela with the other man today, perhaps because Tarrel had always been in Neela’s presence, and it seemed as though one did not exist without the other. Their bond was close.
But could Thrax share her indefinitely? He had no interest in the man for himself. But witnessing their interaction, he knew he wouldn’t fully have Neela without Tarrel.
Would the other man share her? Thrax couldn’t tell.
He didn’t mean to tap into Tarrel’s head, but the aura around the other man let him know the pilot would be like a flightless bird without Neela in his life. She was as much a part of him as he was of her, despite the only recent physical bonds they’d shared. They had deeper ties. Ties that left Thrax a bit envious, and ties he respected for their strength.
“Would you consider staying?” Thrax asked her. She started to speak. He placed a finger across her lips. “Not yet. I need to believe for a little while longer.”
Neela’s eyes softened. Her hands slid to his shoulders, wrapping her fingers in his dreds. She rose up on her toes, pulling him down to her as their lips met. He tasted the lingering saltiness of the other man, a flavor that should have disgusted him. On her, he accepted it as part of her essence.
She took her time kissing him without deepening the contact to something dark and sexual. This was just for him, an admission of her own that perhaps her coming to his realm under the guise of the agreement was more an excuse than a reason. He prayed that was so.
Chapter Six
Neela pressed her forehead to Thrax’s jaw, surprised at the way a single kiss could make her feel. Or perhaps it was how a single kiss could express the way she was feeling. He had to know she wanted him. He had to have felt it in that kiss.
She closed her eyes, no longer wishing for her reserve but hoping her heart stayed intact when the men were done with her. She wanted them both. Not for an encapsulated time, but for the foreseeable future.
She had a life on Elara. As a decorated lieutenant, she had missions to run, negotiations to protect and the only way of life she’d known. But this newness was addictive. It called to her. As yet, she didn’t know if this experience would change her or just awaken her to new emotions. Her feelings were genuine, but could she trust them to last? Beyond now? Beyond the antidote?
Tarrel’s hands trailed down her back. “Melon,” he noted. “What does melon colored mean?” He drew a finger over one spinal bone.
She smiled. “Something different on every Elaran. It’s not a map to what I’m thinking,” she chided.
“Too bad. I’d really like to know what you’re thinking,” Tarrel said.
She caught her lip when a shy flutter tickled behind her breastbone. “I’m thinking,” she said hearing the words come out before she could stop them. This time, it didn’t bother her in the least. “That standing between you two in a pool of warm water is better than being any other place in the universe.”
“Is that so?” Thrax teased, sandwiching her between them.
She leaned her head on Tarrel’s shoulder to look up at Thrax. “It is. But you know what would be better?”
“Tell us,” Tarrel whispered near her ear, loud enough for the king to hear.
“Having you inside me at the same time,” she answered.
“That can be arranged,” Thrax told her.
He reached below the water and hooked an arm behind her knee. She squealed when she was nearly taken off balance. Thrax scooped his fingers into something on the floating tray. When his other hand disappeared, it was only a matter of seconds before she knew his intent.
Fingers slicked over her anus. She laughed and squirmed until he’d finished administering the salve.
“Waterproof,” Thrax informed them.
“Perfect,” Tarrel chuckled. “I love a girl with a backdoor policy.”
She swatted behind her, succeeding only in splashing water and doing that poorly.
Tarrel caught her lobe between his teeth. “Are you complaining?” he asked around the morsel.
“Not yet. But I retain the right to grimace.”
“It’s yours,” Tarrel agreed.
Thrax cupped his hand underneath her hair and touched a spot at the base of her skull. Instantly, her mind opened up. Sensations not only her own, but Thrax’s spilled across an invisible mental veil. She knew without seeing that he reached behind Tarrel and touched his skull similarly. They seemed above themselves without actually leaving their bodies. A nebulous inter-moving of spirit and sense became universally shared between the three of them.
Prillians were empathic, but this extended beyond any understanding of that talent she could’ve known. It was terrifying and beautiful. Any lingering concerns she had about hiding her true nature dissipated. Surrounded by love and acceptance, holding back didn’t have a place in her thoughts.
She ran her hands down Thrax’s body, loving the way his muscles quivered beneath her fingers. She felt his desire for her, and it nearly took her breath away. Knowing she made the right move, she pressed a line of kisses to his neck and shoulder.
Tarrel moved behind her. He touched every part of her that he could reach without dislodging his hands, and she gave over to the sensuous slide. If she closed her eyes, it was as though she was infusing the shared consciousness with liquid gold. It burned hot and bright, expanding until they all felt it as intently as she did.
“I love you too,” Tarrel acknowledged first.
“With everything I have,” Thrax continued.
“And everything I am,” she finished.
Neela took him in her hand, admiring his girth and the way he slid easily in the warm water. She didn’t want to wait any longer. She wanted him inside her. He knew, of course. They all did.
She guided him against her, felt his cock probe the opening of her cunt and thrust deep inside. She gasped at the sudden fill. The men groaned, and Tarrel pushed at her anus. Once he nudged in the tip, Thrax pulled almost all the way out, letting Tarrel sink deeper into her body in increments.
Like everything else, they knew what she could handle and what she wanted based on the link they shared. Slowly they built a rhythm, seesawing into her. Neela clutched Thrax’s hips, holding on to the tenuous grip of reality when her mind wanted to take her body with it.
Even in the water, friction rode her hard as they increased their pace. Tarrel rolled her nipples in sharp pinches that brought her groaning to the edge of pleasure. She needed more and instantly, his fingers were pressing her clit into tight circles.
Neela whimpered. The galaxy exploded inside her and rained down something far more lasting that ecstasy. It made her mind glow with the warmth of it. They loved her. In their own way, and jointly, these men loved her and she loved them too.
She blinked in the afterglow. Where did that leave them now?
Chapter Six
Neela rolled, bumping into another solid body. She cuddled close. Without opening her eyes, she knew this was Thrax. Warm, hard, bigger than Tarrel, he also smelled like musky vanilla. She smiled as she inhaled more deeply.
