EnforcersCraving (10 page)

Tarkan held tight to her hips, clinging to her, accepting the
fact that now she was truly his. She slumped against him, breathing hard and he
somehow found the strength to raise his arms to hold her close. His woman. The
new center of his world. He just hoped she was up to it.

Ari stroked his hand up and down Chelsea’s back and snuggled
closer, too aroused to worry about who and where he was touching. His cock was
pressed against Tarkan’s hip and when Chelsea moved closer to give him an
open-mouthed kiss, Ari had no problem rubbing himself against whatever warm
stretch of skin he could find. Watching Tarkan and Chelsea together was one of
the most erotic things he had ever seen and while the other two caught their
breath, he concentrated on slowing his arousal. He didn’t want to behave like a
complete animal when he finally got inside his woman.

Chelsea’s tongue dueled with his, stroking and sliding as
the pressure of her lips became more insistent. Ari gave himself to sensation,
closing his eyes to better savor her scent and taste. He felt her body move as
Tarkan slid from underneath her and as soon as his den-mate was clear Ari
rolled her onto her back.

Wedging his hips between her open thighs, he rubbed his cock
up and down along the seam of her core. “Are you ready for me, pretty girl?”

Her hips surged and she stared up at him with wild, hungry
eyes. “Yes, I’m ready. I want you inside me, Ari.”

Lowering his head he took a mouthful of skin on her neck and
sucked hard. She shuddered under him. Her uneven breaths were moist on his
cheek and every moan of demand and pleasure vibrated through him, skin to skin.
She was shredding his control and he hadn’t even entered her yet.

Working his way down her chest he spread hot, hasty kisses
over her breast until he came to a hard-pointed nipple. He circled the tight
little bud with his tongue, the touch too soft to give her what she needed. Clearly
not one for a long tease, Chelsea grabbed him by the hair and yanked him close,
forcing his mouth down with a firmness he wouldn’t have dared. He opened his lips
wide on her but didn’t suck, not yet.

Reaching out he grasped Tarkan’s arm, dragging him down
until his head hovered over Chelsea’s other breast. They shared a conspiratorial
glance before taking a nipple each and working her into a frenzy.

She gripped Ari tight between her thighs, her hands roaming
over the parts of him she could reach as she pushed herself against his mouth. She
was hot and needy and he could have stayed there all day. Perhaps he would have
if his own need hadn’t outstripped his control.

Releasing her nipple, he eased back and pushed himself onto
straight arms so he had enough room to move. Tarkan rolled to the side but
stayed close enough to maintain body contact.

Ari waited until they both had their eyes on him, glazed
blue and heated brown, and then he slid his hand under Chelsea’s knee, opened
her wide and plunged inside her—hard, fast and deep.

She arched and shuddered, and then matched him thrust for
thrust as he powered inside her. Some small sliver of awareness told him he was
taking her too hard and fast but that voice wasn’t loud enough for him to truly
hear. Maybe it was the blood rushing through his veins, maybe it was the chorus
of his and Chelsea’s voices urging each other on or maybe it was just because
he didn’t want to listen to anything that demanded restraint.

Her core was hot and tight, squeezing him with every push
and pull. When he dropped to his elbows to grind his pelvis against her clit
her litany of “please, please, please” took on an edge of desperation. He lifted
her hips and fucked her harder, motioning for Tarkan to finish her off.

Tarkan had to work to get his hand between their bodies but
Ari was too far gone to accommodate him. He felt Tarkan’s fingers sliding
against his cock before coming to rest on Chelsea’s clit. As Tarks squeezed her,
she came for them so hard, so beautifully, Ari couldn’t hold back. Wrapping one
arm around his den-mate, the other around their woman, Ari ground himself into
her high and hard. His climax crashed over him, catching him up and suspending
him for one glorious, shattering moment before releasing him in an explosion of
white-hot light.

He came back to himself in increments. The sound of his
rough breathing, the warm softness of Chelsea underneath him, the soothing
stroke of Tarkan’s hand up and down his back. Ari couldn’t move. He’d been
turned inside out, scoured clean and left empty. The sex, the physical
sensations were like nothing he’d ever experienced but it was the emotion
roiling in his chest that had him fighting against panic.

Lying in Tarkan’s bed and buried balls-deep inside Chelsea,
Ari felt a wave of longing swell inside him. A yearning so long-buried, so
profound, he was too scared to give it a name. But he knew what it was. It was
the same feeling he’d had as a three-year-old boy when he’d begged with
everything in him for his mother to stay. It was the same feeling that gutted
him like a fish when she’d packed her bag and left at the end of her contract. It
was the feeling that broke his tiny, innocent heart night after night.

The feeling was love and it had no business in his body or
in his bed. If he allowed himself to love Chelsea or Tarkan in anything but a
brotherly way, it would give them the power to devastate him. He’d experienced
it once before and that was one time too many.

It took a long time to regain control, to school his
features into showing nothing more than physical satisfaction but he finally
pulled himself together enough to lift gently from Chelsea’s body. He crawled
over to the edge of the bed, slid off and made his way to the bathing room. After
a quick shower he plugged the tub and started running the water, tossing in
some bath granules that would help ease Chelsea’s muscles.

After drying off he strode back into the bedroom. Tarkan and
Chelsea were wrapped in each other’s arms, legs tangled, their hair spread
across the pillows. Just looking at them made his gut burn, the need for them
clawing at his insides even though he’d only just left the bed.

Fuck Tarkan and his idiot schemes. This had disaster written
all over it.

Ari walked to the foot of the bed. “I started the bath. You’ll
need to let her soak for a while or she’ll be sore.”

Tarkan cracked one eye open. “I suspect she’ll be sore no
matter how long she soaks.”

Ari nodded and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Tarkan’s tone was all kinds of pissed
off. Too bad.

“Into town. We need to get proctor up here with the
contracts before anyone at Addestet House realizes where Chelsea is.” And he
needed some time on his own to clear his thoughts.

Tarkan lifted his head and offered a long, assessing stare.
“We’ll be ready when you get back.”

Ignoring the look and what it might mean, Ari headed to his
room. As he dressed in a clean set of leathers spoke to Annlyss.
We’re going
into Town, and we’ll need a dual saddle.

You’re not getting rid of your female?

No.
Although he somehow felt like he should. The
problem was Tarkan would never forgive him if he bailed out now. And Chelsea
would be considered damaged goods if they tried to take her back and someone
found out what had transpired in the den.

He stomped into his boots and headed for the landing.
No.
The female is ours now, mine and Tarkan’s to keep and care for as best we can.

Annlyss sent her approval through the link.
Which in turn
means she belongs to Benmonth and me. No other dragon in the den has a human
pet.

Hell.
And neither do you. She is a person, with all the
self determination that entails. She is not your pet
.

The snort that greeted him when he entered the chamber was
the dragon version of “fuck off”, and Ari decided to take the high ground by
not responding. Annlyss’ tack was in place but Ari always did a secondary check
if they had the time. The wheels, levers and pulleys in the tack room enabled
the dragons to saddle themselves—for riding and for battle—but Ari always felt
more at ease if he double-checked. Annlyss used her tail to pull the lever for
the outer door and as the plas-coated wood rolled open Ari climbed into the
saddle. With a quick bunch of her muscles, Annlyss flung them from the landing
and out into the darkening sky.

This storm was building to a good size. The ion-flashes
periodically lit up the heavy, purple clouds and the wind whipped and pulled at
Annlyss and him both. But no dragon had ever been felled by an ion storm and
Ari was buckled into his harness so thoroughly nothing would take him from his
dragon’s back. The ride might be rough but it wasn’t really dangerous. A fact
that he might have to emphasize if he was going to get some dandy-assed proctor
up on Annlyss and back to the Den.

Not that he cared. He had no problem kidnapping a paper
shuffler if that’s what it took to get this debacle sealed and done. He might
have decided to guard his heart but that didn’t mean he was going to let Tarkan
or Chelsea go on without his protection. Bad idea or not, they were his now—at
least for the length of Chelsea’s contract.

Chelsea wasn’t sure what to make of Ari’s abrupt departure. He
seemed to be totally on board while they were having sex but as soon as his
business was done he was showered, dressed and out the door. Thankfully Tarkan
was a lot more relaxed, and he seemed perfectly happy to continue their
intimacy as he carried her to the bathroom and lowered her naked ass to the
cold counter.

He noticed her wince and grinned, the evil bastard. Pulling
a couple of towels out of the cupboard, he put them within easy reach before
gathering several vials and jars that he lined on the edge of the tub. While he
worked Chelsea relaxed, taking in the tranquil beauty and artistry in the room.

The chamber was spacious, with high walls and a domed roof. The
first two meters from floor to ceiling were the usual pale gray panels, but
from above her eye line and stretching out over the entire roof expanse was an
intricate mosaic of colorful, glazed tiles. Some lines and patterns were
geometric, some were swirls and cresting waves, while others were random,
asymmetrical blocks of color. It would have been easy for all those styles and
hues to clash, but instead they formed a lovely, complete artwork with defined
areas of interest.

A different type of artwork caught her eye as Tarkan turned away
from her to adjust the bath taps. She’d caught flashes and hints of a tattoo on
his back but this was her first opportunity to have a proper look.

“That’s some tattoo you’ve got going on there.”

Tarkan looked over his shoulder and grinned before
straightening up. “We all have them.”

“All Gemarran’s?”

He shook his head. “All Enforcers.” Coming close enough to
brush her knees, he turned his back and let her look her fill.

The tattoo was gorgeous. Two dragons flying nose to tail in
a never-ending circle covered most of Tarkan’s substantial back. The dragon at
the top of the circle was jet black, but instead of being dark and ill defined,
every scale, sinew, claw and wing membrane was clearly visible in all its
intricate detail. The smoke-gray dragon that made up the other half of the
circle was equally intricate. The tattoo looked more like a 3D image than any
body ink Chelsea had ever seen. And there was no doubt she was looking at
representations of Benmonth and Annlyss.

Chelsea ran her hands over the design, smoothing her palms
over warm skin and hard muscle. “Benmonth is dominant here, is Annlyss dominant
on Ari’s tattoo?”

“Yes. The circular design is always the same, representing
the eternal link, the give and take in all Enforcer-dragon relationships. While
the markings always acknowledge a mated pair, our own dragon takes the
prominent position.”

She stroked around the outer edges of the design. “It’s
truly beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

He turned and scooped her off the counter. “Now let’s get
you cleaned up.”

Tarkan carried her into the tub, which was really more of a
sunken expanse than an actual bath. Large and square, it was tiled in shades of
blue from sapphire to ice, and it was deep enough to come to Chelsea’s waist
when Tarkan lowered her to her feet.

“There’s a bench seat over there,” he said, pointing to the
far side of the bath. “And over here is a wide shelf perfect for stretching
out.”

Chelsea thought she might be pushing her luck if she got on
her back again, so she waded over to the underwater seat and lowered herself
into the warm, fragrant water.

Tarkan took a soft cloth, dipped it into a jar of bright-green
something and began to wash her body.

“I can do that myself, you know,” she said.

“I’m sure you can but I would like to do it for you.” He
stroked the cloth up the inside of her leg. “Will you let me?”

A docile Tarkan. She never thought that was even possible. “Are
you seriously asking my permission?”

His light-brown eyes sparkled. “Would it make you feel
better if I said yes?”

“Sure, why not? Lie to me and delude me into thinking I have
any control whatsoever.” Her tone was light and he smiled at her play.

“If you tell me to stop, I will.”

Then he dragged the cloth up the inside of her other leg and
along the top of her thigh. Chelsea was going to tease him, she’d actually
opened her mouth to fake a denial, when her damn legs just fell open of their
own accord. He must have dropped the cloth because when he cupped her pussy
they were flesh to flesh. And then he pressed, ever so slightly.

“Ooooh.”

He rubbed a finger on the inside of her pussy lips. “Shall I
stop?”

If he hadn’t given her that supercilious smile, if he hadn’t
smirked at her in all his imagined superiority, she might never have managed to
get the word out. But he was being an ass and she needed to start as she meant
to go on.

She had to swallow twice before she trusted her voice. “Yes,
I want you to stop.”

The look of shock and dismay on his face was priceless and
worth the ache of her unappeased body. With a sniff worthy of a haughty
princess, Chelsea found the cloth and began washing herself.

Her satisfaction lasted right up until noticed Tarkan
following every movement of her hands on her body. Good god, if he turned out
to be a voyeur on top of everything else she was never going to have any
control over him.

“Do you like looking?” The question popped out before she
had the sense to think about it.

“I prefer touching. But I discovered today that looking can
be good too, if you’re watching the right people.”

Her abdomen clenched at the low pitch of arousal in his
voice. “And Ari and I are the right people?”

“For me, yes.”

She thought about that for a moment, about the way he and
Ari interacted with each other while they were having sex. They didn’t seem
loverlike but they didn’t seem too worried about touching each other either. “Are
you and Ari lovers?”

He moved closer, pressing his back against the wall of the
bath so he was kitty-corner to her. “A sexual relationship between two men is
considered aberrant by most people, counterproductive to the health and well-being
of our society. Ari and I love and trust each other because we are brothers in
everything but bloodline. We have different parents but we grew up here in the
Den, both our fathers were Enforcers. We have shared or stood witness to every
major event in each other’s lives, up to and including the day Benmonth and
Annlyss came to claim us. There is nothing we don’t know about each other and
nothing we won’t do for each other. But until today we never touched in
anything other than friendship.”

Chelsea let her legs float out a little, allowing them to
tangle with Tarkan’s. “Is that why you wanted Ari to join in a threesome? Did
you want more from him than brotherhood?”

“No, not initially.” Tarkan lowered his eyes and Chelsea
thought she detected a flush of embarrassment on his cheeks. “When I first came
up with the idea of getting a woman of my own, I wasn’t thinking about anything
but the fact that I wanted a family. I didn’t really consider you and what you
wanted.”

He flicked his eyes back up. “Sorry.” And down they went
again. “I hadn’t thought out Ari’s role either. I knew bringing him in was my
best chance of keeping you but I only had a vague notion of how that might work.
Until we got naked in my room, I didn’t realize how good it would be with the
three of us working together. I didn’t know I’d feel as connected to him as I
did to you, that him being there would turn me on.”

He untangled their feet and slid forward, scooping Chelsea
onto his lap to wrap his big arms around her tightly. “What happened in that
room was so much more than I expected. It was so much better than I’d ever
dreamed.” He planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. “But it also
complicated matters in ways I’m not sure how to navigate yet.”

Chelsea gave up trying to pretend she didn’t crave his touch
and leaned into him, letting all his hard strength seep into her soul. “Why is
it complicated?”

He cupped her face, lifting her away so he could look into
her eyes. “You need to keep this to yourself. I’m telling you so you’ll
understand but if you ever use it against him or to manipulate him, I’ll have
Annlyss carry you out of the den and drop you from the sky.”

Wow, that was some threat when she was sitting naked in his
lap. She ticked off “overprotective” as one of Tarkan’s traits. “I won’t say
anything, I promise.”

“All right.” He tucked her back against his chest as if he
hadn’t just threatened to turn her into a human pancake. “Ari’s mother signed a
standard five-year mating contract with Ari’s father. Usually when a child in
born within those five years, the mother extends the contract until the child
is older or—as in the case of my mother—they make a life-long commitment to
their family.”

Chelsea tried to picture Ari as a sweet-faced innocent
little boy. And totally failed. “How old was he when his mother left?”

“Three. Too young for her to be gone but old enough to
remember her leaving.”

Now she had a picture of that boy in her head and she wished
she didn’t.

“Ari and I were the same age, so we played together in the
crèche and became fast friends. My mother adored him, and she tried to be a
softer influence in his life.”

“And Ari’s father? What was he like?”

“He was as good as he could be. He ensured Ari was cared for
but he was a captain, same as Ari is now. That involves a lot of extra work and
responsibility. It can bring additional dangers to those faced by a regular
Enforcer.”

Chelsea closed her eyes. She knew what was coming next. “He died,
didn’t he?”

“Yes, he got caught in a Brightstar raid. Part of a captain’s
duty is to marshal and direct the Enforcers when they’re in battle. The
Brightstar soldiers know this and the captains are always their prime targets. Ari
was thirteen when his father died.”

“What happened to him? Who looked after him?”

“We did. My parents took him in, obtained legal guardianship
and he became my brother by law not just by choice.”

“He was lucky to have you.”

“As we were lucky to have him.”

Chelsea lay quiet for a while, warm and safe in Tarkan’s
arms. Ari’s emotional withdrawal and speedy departure made far more sense now
and she was surprisingly relieved to know his actions had little to do with her
or how he felt about their new relationship. Or did it?

She peered up at Tarkan. “He’s going to try to run from us,
isn’t he?”

“Only if we let him, love. Only if we let him.”