ChasingSin (6 page)

Tripp came to stand next to him, studying the screen. Snyder
clicked so the model started moving and both men were silent as the small
bundle of clouds spun over their location. “Never known her to be wrong—even
remotely.”

“She’ll come around eventually.”

Snyder leaned closer, inhaling the spicy scent of the
expensive soap Tripp insisted on carting around with him everywhere. His cock
jumped to attention, straining against the zipper of his jeans. He missed being
buried inside him. Missed the times they seemed to not get enough of each other
as they frantically sought completion. And even the times they would spend
hours exploring each other as if it was the first time they’d ever made love.

“And if not, we’ll make sure she does, right?”

“Oh hell yes.” Unable to stand not having his hands on his
lover anymore, he drew even closer, plucking the glass out of Tripp’s hand to
set it on the counter. He took advantage of Tripp’s shirtless state and circled
the pad of his thumb over a nipple. It tightened as Tripp gave a soft moan and
let his head drop back as Snyder pressed his lips to the side of his neck.

He wanted to take the time to become familiar with Tripp’s
body again because they’d both been so damn busy. Chasing season didn’t leave a
lot of time to attend to a sex life as the endless hours driving tended to
leave them both exhausted and sore from sitting for so long. Flying in a plane
and getting tossed around at fifteen hundred feet didn’t make for the best
bedfellows either.

His lips pushed up and over Tripp’s jaw and, as his mouth
skimmed over his lips, his lover opened for him. Pushing closer, he pressed his
hips against Tripp so their cocks ground together. Tripp’s dick jumped in
reaction and Snyder had to fight not to go to his knees and remind himself how
he tasted again.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has.”

Tripp let out a rush of breath as Snyder snaked his hand
down the front of the towel. His fingers closed around the already-hard length
and he nearly came at the feel of that velvet hard skin against his palm. He
deepened the kiss, stroking his tongue against Tripp’s as he shifted his hand
for better positioning.

Warmth spread in his abdomen, originating from the root of
his cock. That heady sensation was addicting and he reveled in the fact that
the man could still do this to him even after all this time. Nine years
together and Tripp could still drive him insane with need with something as
simple as a look.

“We missed our anniversary.”

“I do believe flying through a hurricane officially lets us
off the hook for that. But maybe we should make up for lost time when this is
over. Go somewhere we can get lost in paradise.” After the stress they’d all
been through for the past few months, Snyder couldn’t agree more. Seduced by
the waver of Tripp’s voice as he spoke, Snyder continued to move his hand as
Tripp continued. “We can go someplace ridiculously overpriced with gorgeous
scenery we’ll never see because we’ll never leave the bed.”

“Oh no, we’ll get out of bed. I’ll guarantee that.” Though
he had to admit, the idea of spending the entire day in bed with this man was
very, very tempting. It reminded him of the last time they had found time.
They’d managed to both swing time off and had spent the day wrapped around each
other. This moment reminded him how Tripp’s mouth had felt surrounding his dick
while he’d been busy swallowing the last drops of Tripp’s release.

But despite that tantalizing thought, he had something else
in mind. Something that interested him even more.

“You always have such fascinating plans.” He paused as
Snyder squeezed before continuing. “Going to let me in on what you have working
in that brain of yours?”

“Just some fun in the sun. Simple.” He dragged his hand up
and down, taking his time to enjoy the feel of each and every inch of the hard
skin.

Tripp snorted and reached under the towel to set his hand
over Snyder’s. “Nothing is ever simple with you, Snyder.”

For a moment, he thought Tripp wanted him to stop, but
instead found himself laughing softly when he started guiding both of their
hands at a quicker pace.

“You are right about that. I plan on finding some kind of
activity that gets you filthy from head to toe.”

“And then?” His words shook as they found a steady pace,
working their joined hands together from root to tip.

“You. Standing under a waterfall. Nude.”

Tripp seemed unsurprised by Snyder’s forward answer. “Dare
as I ask where you are during this?”

Their hands slowed and Snyder’s fingers formed a ring just
behind the flare of the cock head. He squeezed, sliding his thumb along the tip
of Tripp’s cock to swirl the drops of cum that were collecting there. Pleased
with the reaction, Snyder started slowly moving their hands again to continue
the hand job.

“Nearby. Watching the water pour over your body, wetting all
these muscles I’m about to become familiar with again. You’ll have your cock in
your hand, stroking and teasing yourself to prolong the arousal until you’re
out of your fucking mind with need.”

He felt Tripp swallow, then inhale sharply before
responding. “Kinky.”

“You have no idea.”

All the desire he’d held back for the past few months
returned with a vengeance as their lips met. He’d intended to keep the kiss
tender, but it flashed to aggressive and feral. It stood as a reflection of how
much they’d been apart lately. The passion of it caught him off guard. He
hadn’t expected it to be this potent and wrenched his mouth away from Tripp’s
in order to breathe. He’d allowed himself to get carried away.

“I’d forgotten how damn good you feel. How you taste. I’m
sorry if I haven’t done or said it enough lately. If I’ve somehow made you feel
as if you weren’t important to me.”

Tripp lifted his free hand and pressed a thumb to his lips
to silence him. “Hush. I know, all right? No one asked you to stop.”

The tenderness of Tripp’s voice shot through him. He took
Tripp’s mouth again, this time tossing formality and gentleness out the window.

Chapter Five

The hushed whispers coming from the kitchen made Kate pause
outside the doorway and listen. She’d only meant to ensure she hadn’t
interrupted some important conversation between the two men, but given the
sounds around the corner, she wasn’t interrupting a conversation at all.

She recognized the aroused sound Tripp gave. The last time
she’d heard it, she’d been riding him.

Oh God. I was a fool to think I could do this.

She couldn’t stand here and listen to them find pleasure in
each other—they had every right to do it too. If she wasn’t around, they could
keep going and wouldn’t have to worry about her getting in the way. It would be
better for her to leave.

Just as it had always been.

Keeping her eyes averted from the direction she guessed they
stood together, she walked quickly across the kitchen, scooping up her camera
as she passed her equipment.

“Kate!”

“I’m going to head down to the beach for a bit. Take a few
cards full of pictures.” Ignoring Tripp’s shout, she slipped through the back
door, camera in hand, and flew down the staircase before either of them could
try to talk her out of leaving. Before they could maybe even invite her to join
in just as they had months ago.

She was still annoyed they were here in the first place, but
there was little she could do about it. If there was anyone she wanted with her
while the storm battered the island, it would be Snyder and Tripp.

She’d known them long enough and trusted them enough to put
her life in their hands. That’s what made their working relationship so
cohesive. That level of trust when facing down this magnitude of storm was
necessary.

Unfortunately, the night that still hung over them all put a
damper on things. She’d spent weeks afterward thinking about it and about how
they made her feel. So much was unsaid and what she’d imagined had been going
on the other side of kitchen wall made it so she hadn’t been able to stand the
heaviness of the atmosphere any longer. Hopefully, this trip down to the beach
would serve as a relief.

The sun still shined brightly, but she knew that would start
changing quickly enough as the days passed. By this time tomorrow, if
her
calculations were correct, most of the tourists on the island would be packing
up due to mandatory evacuations that would be given in order to ensure lives
were saved.

That slight jog she predicted just needed to happen and then
all hell would break loose.

A small group of men played near the waterline, flinging a
Frisbee back and forth. Their laughter drifted on the breeze and she knelt in
order to snap a few images. She watched them play their game, and got so caught
up, she jumped in surprise when two long shadows stretched out on the sand on
either side of her.

At least out here the atmosphere wasn’t as suffocating when
they came near.

She stared out at the shoreline, waiting for one of the men
to speak because she didn’t know what to say.

“You know we don’t care why you left.”

Kate lowered the camera as Tripp spoke, thumbing the power
switch to conserve the battery.

Snyder crouched beside her, his fingers dragging through the
sun-warmed sand. “Whatever happened that made you feel as if you needed to take
off can be fixed. Especially if we had something to do with it.”

Tripp crouched as well, his knees just inches from her arm.
“Let us fix it if that’s the case, but please just tell us what we did.”

The desperate pleas in both their voices made her heart
clench. She longed to tell them and wanted to share with them her thoughts and
feeling on the subject as a whole. It shouldn’t be this hard, but the reality
of the future she now faced shook her to her core.

She pushed to stand, waiting as she felt them stand as well.
If she didn’t get some of this out now, it would fester like an open wound, and
that couldn’t be good for any of them.

“It wasn’t you. Either of you.” She stared out at the Gulf,
unable to stomach turning around to face them as she confessed. At least
partially. The reason she left was easy. The reason she kept running was more
complicated. “At least nothing intentional. You were yourselves and that’s all
I ever could have asked for.”

She felt them step closer, one man on either side,
bracketing her. It reminded her of lying between them at the hotel. After
everything had changed. “It was so right between you guys. So peaceful and
calm.”

Snyder’s hand brushed a few strands of hair out of her face,
sending a flood of chills racing over her skin despite the humidity. “Not what
you wanted or expected?”

Nothing in her life had ever been as she’d expected and she
liked it that way. Until Snyder and Trip came along. They’d blown her way of
life right out of the sky. “Chasing with you two has always been thrilling.
This out of control roller coaster I couldn’t stop. Every moment was the edge
of your seat feeling I love so much.” Her heart jumped in elation as she
remembered how it had felt to be joined with them.

“And that night wasn’t?”

“No, it was. But it was different. A thrill I hadn’t seen
coming. I’ve always been at home surrounded by the extreme and that night—”

“Changed everything you know?” Snyder finished.

Kate nodded, her stomach turning over on itself. She placed
a hand over her mid-section in an effort to settle it. “I didn’t know if I
could handle that. If it was what I wanted of my life with you. It felt
comfortable to me, but it also…didn’t. Then I saw the way you two fit so well
together when I got up and I knew I had no right to disrupt what you two had.”

Tripp’s eyes flared with heat as his fists balled at his
sides. “We told—”

“I was wrong. I know that now. But it didn’t stop me from
thinking it at the time, you have to know that. I could see the three of us,
settling down and finding a place to live.”

“But that’s not you. Us. Any of us. We move from place to
place depending on how the wind changes. Nothing is going to change that no
matter what this is between the three of us.” Tripp stepped around her and his
mouth met hers. Despite the fact she didn’t agree, she let herself be swept
away by the potency of his kiss.

His kiss branded her, searing her soul with power and
emotion. Her arms banded around his neck, her camera falling to the sand as her
fingers threaded through his thick hair.

Snyder pressed against her side as she fell deeper into
Tripp. She moved her hand to press lightly against his chest, comforted by the
steady thump of his heart against her palm. Tripp continued to kiss her
passionately as Snyder’s fingers walked up her arm to her shoulder. Their
scents mingled with the salty sea air, and her gut clenched at the power of
those three aromas.

She shuddered against them both, feeling as if she was truly
and completely home once more. Tripp pulled away, but took his time about it.
His lips cruised over her face, grazing over each of her cheeks before he
separated completely from her.

Her gaze flicked over Tripp’s shoulder where a group of
people sat under a large purple umbrella. “We’re drawing an audience.”

Snyder palmed her nape and turned her to him, dipping her so
she looked up at his face as the cloudless blue sky framed it. “I don’t care.
Let them stare.”

His kiss was softer than Tripp’s, but only for the first few
gentle caresses. He nudged with his tongue and slipped between her lips as she
parted them. His hold tightened and she felt as if she could easily let him
take her right here and now in front of everyone.

He righted her again, their mouths parting slowly as he
pulled away. His gaze shone with an intense heat and her body immediately
reached for it. Tripp bent and scooped up her legs as he pressed a kiss to her
forehead.

“I think someone needs a little cooling off.” He spun and
Kate held on as he ran for the water. That first rush of the salty Gulf hit her
as a wave crashed into them, nearly knocking Tripp off his feet. He laughed as
he turned to shield her from the next crest.

Snyder joined them and soon they were splashing and carrying
on as if the reason they were all here didn’t exist. As if something menacing
and powerful wasn’t churning up the sea hundreds of miles away.

When Kate pulled herself out of the water a half hour later,
she stood at the shore, the water lapping around her ankles. Tripp had started
to walk toward her only to be tackled and dragged under the water by Snyder.
Not to be outdone, Tripp fought back and Kate’s stomach did a somersault
watching the two men wrestle. They kept things clean because of the group Kate
still heard playing behind her, but she felt the heat and energy building
between the two.

She wanted a part of that and knew all she had to do was
ask.

It would be that simple.

Tripp and Snyder finally dragged themselves out of the
water, running to her with wide smiles. The salt water glistened on their bare
chests. Whatever secrets she held close to her heart, she owed them an apology
for leaving so abruptly.

“I’m sorry. For leaving without letting you know where I’d
gone. For leaving in the first place, really. A lot happened that day and I
still think I haven’t processed it fully even after all this time. The chase,
what happened to my Jeep. Us. Everything.”

“It was a lot to take in, so that’s completely
understandable. But it’s just us, Kate. That hasn’t changed and it never will.
It’s always going to be better if you let us know what we can do for you.”

Kate shrugged. “But that’s just it, Snyder. It’s always been
only me.”

“Is that why you take so many chances, Kate? It’s as if you
have something to prove.”

Tripp’s words couldn’t have been truer. “I do.”

“Only to yourself.”

“Exactly.”

Snyder’s eyes grew dark despite the smile that remained on
his face. “You’re a fool.”

She laughed at the vehemence in his words. “I know. But so
are the both of you. For being here with me. For caring about me when you have
no right to.” She started to back away, but Tripp snagged her wrist to prevent
her from escaping.

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“We’d only be fools if we were anywhere else.” Tripp’s mouth
crushed against Kate’s and she knew with that simple, single touch she was lost
to these two men. No images she’d ever taken, no reading she’d ever recorded,
meant anything to her at this moment.

Tripp pulled away, and despite the comfort they both gave
her and the fact she knew she was lost to them, it didn’t fix anything. Too
much was at stake if a wrong move was made now. While she was willing to take
risks, there was more she needed to think about. More than just herself.

“I’m still working through some things, but know that I care
for you both. I always have. That hasn’t changed, and I don’t think it ever
will.”

The men exchanged a look, and for a moment, she feared the
consequence of her words. There was no way to tell what they were thinking
without asking and she didn’t have the courage to do that just yet.

“Just let us be at your side to help you work through
things. There’s no reason for you to be alone. At all.”

“I know.”

* * * * *

Dark, angry clouds obliterated the horizon when Kate looked
out the back window two days later. The storm had slowed to a crawl, then
stalled right in the middle of the Gulf, screwing up forecast tracks
countrywide. Well, everyone but hers.

The stall had allowed her to pick up some energy and simply
lie in wait. The front everyone thought would scoop her up missed by a few
hundred miles and now, Hurricane Jean was barreling toward the coast of Texas.

And Sulaco Island.

“She’s coming.”

“Yes, she is.” Tripp gestured to the computer screen and
Kate moved closer to peek over his shoulder. The track she’d forecasted earlier
in the week showed in startling clarity. The track wasn’t identical to her
guess, but it was similar. Luckily, the power of the storm was minor enough not
to raise any of her warning flags.

But the path was close enough for a knot to form in her
stomach. “Shit. I wanted to be, but I didn’t at the same time, you know?”

Snyder walked up and set a hand on her shoulder. “The order
came through about an hour ago while you were showering. The mayor called a
mandatory evacuation for the whole island as a precaution. No exceptions.”

She shrugged, familiar with the words. In their line of
work, breaking the rules set out for citizens came with the territory. It was
everyday practice for her to race down a highway at over one hundred miles an
hour as she chased a tornado. Staying put during an evacuation order was par
for the course.

“I have the credentials to stay. As do you two.”

“Hey, no need to get defensive. He said everyone, but I have
no doubt he knew we’d stay no matter what. You can’t blame him for doing his
duty and making an effort to tell us we risk being arrested for violating an
evacuation order.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Tripp snorted and turned away from the equipment. “What do
you need us to do?”

“Sit and wait.” As much as it endeared her to hear him ask,
she didn’t have a better answer. “Really. The generator is already set up out
front. We have enough non-perishables for a few days in case that fails.”

“What about boarding up the windows?”

An ominous ball of dread formed in her stomach. No doubt, it
would sit there until the storm had passed. “I insisted the windows be retrofit
with hurricane glass three years ago. Even paid for it myself when my parents
balked at the thought the house would need such a thing. It’s a relatively new
technology, but it’s similar to a car windshield. To be honest, it’s better
than plywood. So we’d just be wasting our time.”