Elemental Pleasure (20 page)

“Carly.” Lance reached out to touch her, but
he
d
idn’t want to hurt her. “
I’m sorry.” He kissed a bruise-free spot on her upper arm. “I shouldn’t have left you.”

“You had to work,” she whispered.

“I don’t give a fuck about work. I thought I was protecting us, the three of us
,
and what we are. If I’d known you were so sad and hurt
,
I never would have gone.” Lance shook his head. “I should have known
what you needed. It’s just that,
well, I’m not good at this. I’m not good at people in general, but I’m especially not good at relationships. I never bothered to learn.”

She looked up. “Why not?”

“For me, being a member of the Trinity Masters meant I did
n’t have to try
. It was an excuse to avoid something I didn’t want to do.”

“You didn’t want a relationship?” she asked.

Lance shook his head. “I did want one. I don’t want to be completely alone, but relationships are confusing. I couldn’t figure out t
he rules, so I thought I’d avoid the whole thing
until the Grand Master called me to the altar. I mean…you two are stuck with me.
You have to accept that I’m sort of fucked up and weird.
”

She laughed softly, then shook her head. “There aren’t r
ules you can learn.
You have to decide what your relationship is, like we did the other night. Then the rest
of it
is
just
wrapped around patience and respect and compromise and—” Her voice wavered when she added, “love.”

Lance touched her chin so she’d look at him, hoping he’d be able to explain. “When you were released from the hospital and we brought you home, they said you needed to res
t. I didn’t know if I should go
or if I should stay. I left because
I thought I was protecting you
and because I was afraid that in my ignorance I’d do or say something wrong when you were already so fucking hurt.”

His gaze searched hers, desperate for her to see the truth
. If he couldn’t say it right
, maybe she’d be able to read it in his face. “I thought about you
every second I was away
.”

Her lips trembled and a well of feeling rose up in him. Lance frowned, struggling to put his feelings into words. “G
od. I’ve never said this before. I didn’t know…
”

“Say it,” Carly whispered.

He gently cupped her face. “I love you.”

Both Preston and Carly went still.

“I love you,” he repeated. “I let you down. I left when I should have stayed and I’m sorry.”

“You love me?”

“Yes.” He kissed the spot on her shoulder again. “I love you.” He looked up, met Preston’s gaze. “Both of you.”

Carly rolled over
to look at Preston.

“I’m sorry you felt alone,” he said to Carly. “I thought dealing with the media was helping, but Lance is right. I don’t know what a normal relationship is either, so I didn’t handle
this well.
Every time I think about what they did to you, how hurt and scared you were when we found you, I want
ed
to rip someone apart. I didn’t want you to see that, didn’t want to remind you of it.”

Lance nodded in agreement. At least he’d had the satisfaction of choking the pond scum who’d kidnapped her. Preston hadn’t.

“I don’t want to think about it either, but I can’t stop.” She took a
shaky
breath. “I was so alone…so powerless. I hate that feeling, and I hate that I want you both with me.” She wiped away tears. “I’m not that girl, the girl who needs her boyfriend with her all the time, the one who expects him to fight her battles.”

Preston grasped her hand. “We know that, Carly. God, you’
re not weak
.”

“I didn’t ask you
to stay or hold me
because I didn’t want to need you.
I think I must suck at this relationship thing. I’ve been on my own for so long, I’ve forgotten how to reach out, how to rely on someone else.
”

Preston smiled. “Needing someone doesn’t make you weak. You’re brave and smart and beautiful.”

“And you shouldn’t be ashamed of being afraid,” Lance added. “You have every right to be. But know this.” He pressed his hand over her heart. “I would defend you with my dying breath.”

She made a little hiccup noise and reached for Lance. He took her carefully in his arms. She lay on his chest, crying quietly. Preston bent and kissed her back and shoulders, laying his hand over Lance’s on her hip. After a few minutes, her breath
ing
evened out. Lance’s own eyelids were heavy. He hadn’t slept a wink since leavin
g them two days ago. He gave in
to the need, closing them, telling himself he would only sleep a few minutes.

*****

Preston rose and stared
at his sleeping partners—Carly
, so wounded and broken, Lance holdi
ng her protectively
.

A wave
of emotion crashed over him
. Lance said he loved them, both of them, and Preston knew exactly how he felt.

This was so much harder than he’d ever imagined and what he felt for them was so much more than he could have ever dreamed. They’d known each other only a few days before they’d faced a crisis traumatic enough to break any relationship, let alone a new one. Carly had been right when she called him out for acting like a pompous ass. The truth was, whatever he knew about his parents’ relationship meant nothing. He and Lance and Carly were their own people, their own trinity, and they’d have to find a way to make it work, together.

Carly shifted slightly in her sleep, grimacing a little. Preston stripped down to his pants and went in search of her bathroom.

She might
be renting, but her apartment was far nicer than his
condo. The bathroom was massive
with a raised jet tub and separate shower. He filled the tub, dumping
some
nice smelling bath gel into the swirling water. When the tub was ready, he took the pill bottles from the counter and a glass of water to the bed.

“Carly, baby, wake up.”

Her face was creased in pain as she rolled away from Lance.

“When did
you last take a
pill?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Here, take one now.”

When that was done, Preston helped her stand. He stripped her clothes off, easing her pants over the brace.

“How does your knee feel?”

She winced. “It hurts
a little
.”

“What’s going o
n?” Lance rubbed
a hand over his face.

“We’re giving Carly a bath.”

“Okay.” Without question, Lance rolled out of bed.

Preston knelt and undid the Velc
ro straps of the brace, and
Lance picked her up, carrying her into the bathroom. Preston stripped off his pants and climbed in first as Lance handed her to him. She
moaned when she was lowered in
to the warm water.

Preston cradled her between his legs, her back against his chest. She made a soft little noise and Lance looked alarmed.

“She’s crying again. You’re hurting her.” He started to reach for her, ready to pull her out of the bath.

“No. He’s not hurting me. I’m crying because I’m happy.”

Lance
sat down on the bathroom floor. “Crying because she’s happy.
I’m never gonna get this.
”

Carly started to laugh, the sound bright and joyous. Preston’s lips twitched and soon he was laughing
,
too.

“That felt
good,
Lance,
” Carly said. “Thank you.”

“
You’re welcome.
But I don’t know what I did.”

“You made me laugh. I was starting to wonder if I’d ever remember how.”

Preston kissed the top
of her head. “Lance, can you hand
me her shampoo?”

“It’s in the shower,” Carly added.

Lance came back with an armful of stuff. “I brought it all, just in case.”

As Carly giggled, Preston eased her forward so he could tip her head back, dunking it in the water without getting her injured face wet.

“How does it feel?” Lance asked, pointing at her cheek.

“It
just a little sore
.” Carly was silent as Preston massaged her hair. “It’s going to scar.” She dipped her head back so Preston could rinse out the shampoo.

“I know,” Preston murmured.

Lance gently ran his fingers along her uninjured cheek.
“And we don’t care. It doesn’t change who you are.”

“I care,” she whispered. “I’ll have to think about it every time I look in the mirror.”

“Then we’ll find someone who can get rid of the scar.” Lance stripped off his shirt so he could reach into the water and touch her.

Preston placed a light kiss on the top of her head.
“And we’ll make new memories, so the scar won’t remind you of what they did to you.”

“He…he hurt me.”

Preston hugged her. “I know he did. I’m so sorry.”

“I
couldn’t stop him. I wanted to.
I tried, but I couldn’t.” She reached out, taking Lance’s hand as Preston held her.
“If they hadn’t heard who I was
and figured
out
they could hold me for ransom, they would have killed me. I
thought they were going to
.”

Preston hugged
her tighter, terrified
of how close they’d come to losing her. “I don’t know what we would have done if we’d lost you.”

“I should have ripped that fucker’s head right off his shoulders.” Lance’s eyes were narrowed. “I have a friend who could get me into the prison…I might still be able to kill him.”

Carly tugged on his hand and there was a definite spark of amusement in her voice. “Lance, please don’t murder anyone.”

“You mean in general, or that guy in particular?”

Carly looked up at Preston, then back at Lance. All of
a sudden, she let out a loud
l
augh
.

“It’s like I married Rambo. I’m going to make you interview with the story department. Some of the things you say would make killer dialogue.”

When Carly tried to get rid of them so she could shave her legs, Lance insisted on doing it. He sat on the floor and read the instructions on the back of the shaving cream can, then watched an online video, before lifting her legs out of the water one at a time.

They stayed in the bathroom, laughing and talking, enjoying each other’s company.

Pre
ston messaged her shoulders
. “Carly?”

“Yes?”

“Promise me—us—something.
”

“Anything.”

“Don’t shut us out again. We’re here for you, but we can’t help if you don’t let us in.”

She nodded. “I understand that. Now.”

Preston ran a soapy cloth over her body. When his hand passed over her lower belly, just above her sex, she shifted.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be.” She bit her lip, then put her hand over his and pushed it between her legs. “I want your hands on me, both of you.”

Preston rubbed her sex gently with the washcloth. “How does that feel?”

“Good.”

Lance’s hand brushed against Preston’s under the water as he rubbed her inner thighs. “Is this too soon?”

“No.
I want to feel something, think about something, other than being naked and scared.”

“Fine. But not here.” Lance rose and helped her out of the tub. He wrapped her in a towel and Preston climbed out too. Together, they dried her off. It was the first time the
y’d gotten to examine
every bruise, and as if by mutual consent, they went over every inch of
her
skin, brushing their lips over each hurt.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Preston asked.

Carly nodded. “Yes.”

Lance lifted her and carried her into the bedroom.

*****

Carly drew in a breath as Preston pulled back
the sheets on her bed. Lance laid
her down in the middle. Her
bed was a tight fit for three. I
t was only a double, while Preston’s had been a king.

That didn’t seem to matter as they settled on either side of her. Preston eased the brace back onto her knee, strapping it in place. Tears prickled her eyes at his kind con
sideration. She was touched
he would think to do that.