[Invitation to Eden 21.0] Falling or Flying (13 page)

When Austin’s hips were pressing against her, he groaned. “Still with us, baby?”

“Fuck!”

Court lifted his head to plant a hard kiss on her lips. “She’s here. I think she wants you to fuck her ass.”

She tried to glare at him but all she could do was moan, over and over again, as Austin started to shaft her. His thrusts guided her ride on Court’s erection, all of them moving together, three pieces that shouldn’t fit, in perfect synch.

There was no way to describe what she was feeling. Pain, pleasure, love, need… Everything. Two men. Her men. Both of them inside her. Claiming her.

“Jesus, baby, I’m not sure I can hold back much longer. Can you take more?” Austin asked, his voice guttural with need.

More? She met Court’s dark eyes and he cupped the back of her head with his hand, pressing her forehead against his. His other hand dropped to her hip. “You can take more,” he muttered hotly. “You want more. Beg him to fuck your ass. Beg him to fuck it hard and fast and give us all what we want. I want to hear you say it, Mary Ann.”

“Fuck me, Austin,” she cried, still staring into Court’s approving eyes. “Fuck my ass hard. I need it.”

“Court, you mother—” Austin cut himself off, swearing, and then she felt a hand gripping her shoulder as he started to power deep into her ass.

“Oh God, Austin! Fuckfuckfuckfuck!”

“Joely, so tight, baby. So fucking tight.”

“Jesus.”

Joely was hoarse from shouting, her mind lost to everything but sensations and sounds. Court whispering dirty nothings, the sound of three bodies pounding together as they sought the stars… She could feel Austin’s love for her. His need. She could feel the pulse of the island beneath the floor, its demanding rhythm racing faster and faster.

Let go.

“Oh my God!” She was flying. It felt like she was flying. Lights swirling all around her as she soared without wings into space. She never wanted to come down. Never wanted to land.

Two male shouts of release floated up to her and she knew they were with her. Both of them. Hers.

She wasn’t used to it. But she wanted to be. She
would
be.

They were close to the resort. The path had widened considerably and she could hear the sounds of life in the distance. Laughter. She told herself she was relieved, but the knot in her stomach assured her she was wrong. Time to face the music, and her decision.

I’ll miss you. But I’ve got to be honest. You don’t cuddle, you don’t whisper dirty nothings and you’re not a big talker. But don’t worry. You’re never alone. Someone is always here to watch over you and protect you. I’m just making room for someone new. Someone for you to work with. Another life for you to change.

It seemed like the only option. This morning, after Court and Austin had done things to her body she’d never imagined were possible, after the joy she’d felt falling asleep between them, it had all seemed so clear.

She was in love with Austin, falling for Court and she couldn’t just stand on the shoreline and wave them out of her life. She didn’t want Austin to think she’d chosen her job over him. That she didn’t feel strongly enough to make this a priority. He’d gone to incredible lengths for her, how could she do any less? She could fly anywhere. As long as he was there and she had wings, she would be happy.

She was taking a leap of faith. A chance at happiness. No more hiding.

Now she just had to tell Vardalos.

She painted on a cheerful expression and slipped one arm through Austin’s and the other through Court’s. “Well, Professor? Ginger? Our adventure is coming to an end. We’ll probably get one night’s free pass before we have to take the boat back to the mainland so we should enjoy it while we can.” The knot tightened. “After I hand Mr. V my walking papers, I’ll need to say goodbye to my friend Miranda and then I’m all yours.”

Austin and Court both stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Austin dropped his bags and turned to face her, a strange expression on his face. “Nothing. I’m just trying to figure out what language you’re speaking. Your walking papers?”

Her face began to burn. Oh God, had she misread everything? Court said…she’d thought…but had he ever said the words? He hadn’t, had he?

She let go of them and started walking again, trying to see the path through her tears. The fantasy was over, and she was an idiot.

“Damn it, Joely.” Austin grabbed her arm and whirled her around, tightening his hold when she tried to pull away. “What the hell is going on?”

Her laugh held an edge of shame. “Don’t mind me, just playing my part. Every fantasy on Eden gets a happy ending and all that. You should have seen the looks on your faces.”

She shook her head, lying was useless. Court showed up beside them and she glared. “It isn’t nice to lie about a thing like love.”

Austin reached for her other arm and pulled her closer. “He wasn’t lying, damn it. Do you think I went off the deep end just because I wanted to get laid? That I was torturing myself for lying to you because I wanted two days of jungle porn?”

Stunned, Joely could only stare at him.

“Jungle porn?” Court muttered. “There had to be a better way to put that.”

Austin ignored him. “I’m in love with you, Joely Jones. I’m in love with you and you are not getting rid of me. You’re probably not getting rid of Courtney either, since he seems to be attached to your hip, so we both need to get used to that. What I don’t understand is why you think being with me means you have to quit your job. And you’re not getting fired, so that can’t be it either. Theo would ever be mad enough or crazy enough to let you go without a fight. He’s not an idiot. And neither am I. I know we lived in a cave for a day, but this isn’t the fifties. I don’t expect you to drop your life for me.”

“That reminds me,” Court interjected, “we skipped the fifties house on our walking tour through time. We should go back and look for it. I bet it has a cool bed.”

Joely glared at him, then lifted her wobbly chin defiantly toward Austin, her heart pounding. “I’m in love with you too. And what you said last night—between you and the island…” She glanced up at the brilliant emerald green of the trees and then smiled at him. “There’s no competition. I choose you. I want to be with you.”

Austin cupped her face with his hands and smiled down at her with wonder in his eyes. “You love me,” he breathed. “You said that in my dreams once or twice. It’s what kept me going for so long. And you’re right. There is no competition. Why would I compete with Eden? She gave me everything I ever wanted. And you’re a part of this place, part of the magic. I don’t have your gifts, but I don’t think the island showed us what she did just to send you off in grand style. Think of the pictures Court has on his camera. The story I could write about the pilot who waited and that map that Theo will want so badly he’ll forgive us everything. Eden isn’t through with any of us just yet. In fact, I was thinking about a sweet little house by a cove where the local birdlife is terrified of me…”

He’d said the magic words. Everything she’d wanted to hear. Joely threw her arms around him and kissed him, only stopping when she was forced to come up for air. “I don’t have to be here all the time. I’ll find another pilot to work when we’re on the mainland, or when we want to travel.”

Austin pulled her in close and buried his face in her neck, his hands dropping to cup her ass through her khaki shorts. “I’ll take you hiking in Europe. We’ll skip the hiking and stay in bed. And you can teach me how to fly. God, I love to watch you fly, baby. I love you.”

She felt his lips tracing a path down her shirt, his teeth biting her nipple through the fabric. Damn that felt good. “I love you too…and damn it, we need to stop. There are guests who could walk down that path and see us. We aren’t alone anymore.”

Joely heard foil tear and then he was dragging her off the path and into the trees. “Eden will hide us,” he assured her roughly, pulling her down until she was on her knees and he was behind her, yanking down her shorts roughly, making her shake. “But even if she doesn’t, I don’t care. I don’t think I can wait.”

Suddenly, neither could she. She looked over her shoulder and saw him rolling the condom on and was nearly knocked over by a wave of love and lust so powerful she knew it was real. This was real.

He pressed his teeth to her shoulder and filled her with one deep thrust that made her cry out.
So full. Deep. Yes.

“Yes!”

“Put your hand over her mouth while you fuck her. You know how loud she can get.” Court’s husky words made her lift her head to look at him, her eyes widening in surprise when Austin obeyed, covering her mouth with his large, hot palm.

Court came over and knelt in front of her, staring into her eyes while Austin took her from behind. “You didn’t forget about me did you?”

Never. She shook her head wildly, moaning at the power of Austin’s thrusts.

There was happiness in Court’s eyes. Lust. And the start of something glittering in the blue depths that she thought she might recognize. “He’s right. I’ll be around. So often you’ll miss me when I’m gone and might decide to keep me for good eventually. But you’ll have to wait until I keep all my promises.”

God, he was sexy.

She shouted against Austin’s palm as he slung his hips against her and she heard him swear. “Stop talking, Ginger and help me.”

Court smiled and dropped his hands to his pants, undoing the top button. “Always happy to help.”

An hour later the three of them walked into the castle, flushed and wrinkled and clinging to each other in oblivious bliss.

“Joely?” She heard someone call out. “Hey, Joely’s back.”

Several of the staff waved at her and the guests milling around the main hall looked over with interest. Joely waved at everyone. “Yes, I’m alive, it’s very exciting. Thank you for not looking for me. I’ll see you all on Walk-The-Plank-Wednesday.”

She only spoke loud enough for Austin and Court to hear her and both men started laughing.

“Joely? Thank God.”

What was the mechanic doing here? “Bob? What’s wrong?”

He wasn’t looking good. On the other hand, he no longer seemed nervous around her. He was too upset. “Flying makes me nervous. Worse than that. It makes me sick. I thought I could do it, but after these last few trips I…” He trailed off, eyeing the men suspiciously before lowering his voice. “The next time you decide to leave a note on your door and take a few personal days, you need to think about hiring a professional and letting me stay on the ground with my engines.”

What? “I didn’t take personal days.” She paused. “Okay, they were personal but I didn’t do it on purpose. And I definitely didn’t leave a note. I would never do that. Mr. Vardalos knows I wouldn’t be so irresponsible.”

She turned her head, narrowing her eyes at Austin, but he held up his hands. “I swear to you, Joely. I don’t know anything about a note. How could I? I’ve been with you the entire time.”

An eavesdropping staff member—Barbara—stepped closer. “Are you talking about the Master? I heard that he’s been seen more than once the last few days and that he seemed distracted. More than distracted. I guess a woman showed up out of nowhere?”

Joely’s grin could not be contained. She’d seen that coming. “You’re going to have to tell me all about it. Later. The two missing guests you didn’t seem to be concerned about are back and need their rooms and a menu as soon as possible. They’re starving.”

She took a step and then froze, turning to pin Bob with her gaze. “You said you were flying. Whose plane?”

Bob was looking at her like she’d grown another head. “
The
plane. Your plane.”

She shouldn’t be in shock. Nothing Eden did should surprise her. “Wanda? She’s here?”

Joely looked over at Court and Austin and they set their bags down with knowing smiles. “This we have to see.”

“Definitely.”

She ran ahead of them, unwilling to wait a second more than she had to. She needed to see it with her own eyes.

I should have known
, she thought as she dodged the bodies of wandering guests on her way toward the dock.
I should have known you’d never do anything to that wonderful puddle jumper.

She felt the sunlight kiss her face and laughed. And when she saw Wanda, she whooped with joy and ran a little faster, ignoring the strange looks she got on her way. None of them knew what she’d been through. What she’d seen. None of them knew how much had changed.

She crawled into the cockpit and caressed the seats. “I knew a plane-eating cloud couldn’t keep you down, gorgeous.”

Joely turned her head and saw Court and Austin walking down the dock. Court looked surprised again, but Austin just laughed.

God, she really loved him. How had it happened so fast?

Eden sent them those dreams for years, but it had taken all the island’s magic to bring them together long enough for them to do something about it.

In any other place it would be hard to believe. She could hardly believe it herself. She got to have everything she wanted. No fantasy got better than that. Even better? It wasn’t going to end.

Thank you.

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