Maia's Magickal Mates [The Double R 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (35 page)

Once he’d established there hadn’t been any foul play afoot and that the good doctor had died of natural causes, Thayne breathed a little easier, convinced that the madman hadn’t yet located them back in time.

Thayne had, however, resisted stepping into the late doctor’s shoes as long as possible. He enjoyed his leisure, riding horses and exploring his new surroundings when he wasn’t helping Sabrina and Maia at the boarding house setting up their new business venture as the town’s latest health and beauty aids source.

Only when a woman from a neighboring farm went into labor and a desperate call went out from her family for anyone with medical training was Thayne able to put aside his reluctance and answer the call.

Taking Hopwood’s horse and buggy out to the farm at least thirty miles from town reinvigorated Thayne’s passion for his profession and reaffirmed his reasons for becoming a doctor in the first place.

Like his mother and father, Thayne knew he was born to help people, and remembering his vow to use his talents to do just that had made answering the call easy.

“Do you really think keeping me away from the families is going to stop me from looking into those missing boys?”

“Cade—”

“I don’t need your permission, Thayne.”

He sighed and gave his brother a dirty look as he snapped closed his doctor’s bag. It was a legacy from Hopwood that Maia and Sabrina helped him keep well stocked with their herbs and homemade remedies in addition to the pharmaceuticals that Thayne had been able to acquire and make on his own. These, along with his own ingrained abilities, made him a potent weapon in the fight against injury and disease to the good people of Elk Creek.

“I know you don’t need my permission, but I’d like to think that you’d put the family’s needs before your own and stop this crazy mission of yours.”

“So you’re the only one who’s allowed to pursue a crazy mission?”

Thayne met his brother’s glare but didn’t answer. Admittedly, he couldn’t come up with a logical response, at least not one that would mollify Cade’s ego.

“Why is it so hard for you to believe that you’re not the only one with the compassion and ability to help the world’s masses? I’m our mother and father’s son, too.”

It wasn’t until he looked into Cade’s eyes, so like his own, that he realized how heavy a burden keeping their silence weighed on his brother.

He should have realized after Cade’s experiences in Los Angeles that he’d eventually want to get back into the thick of things and help any way he could. Cade may not have had Thayne’s focus, and he got bored easily, but he had never been one to sit back on the sidelines once he put his mind to something and knew what needed to be done.

Thayne argued with himself about how much to tell Cade. He didn’t want to alarm his brother or Maia by telling them that Prentice had arrived, but he knew he couldn’t keep the information to himself for too much longer.

Prentice would be making his move soon. For all Thayne knew, he might have already.

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Cade said.

Thayne gave him a regretful grin. His brother was much more perceptive than he gave himself credit for. Maybe Thayne should let him come to the Coles’. “I think he’s close.”

Cade peered at him. “You
think?
” He shook his head, chuckling. “If you’re saying so, that means he’s already here.”

“Then you know it’s a dangerous time for us now.”

“We knew it was just a matter of time before he tracked us down. What does that have to do with the missing boys?”

“Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.”

“Stop speaking in riddles, Thayne.”

“Yes, Thayne. Stop speaking in riddles.” Maia came into their bedroom from the hallway, closing the door behind herself.

“How long have you been out there eavesdropping?” Thayne asked.

Maia crossed the floor to stand in front of him. “Long enough.” She placed a hand on his chest, her touch speeding his heartbeat as she stood on her toes and leaned in.

Thayne bent his head to take her mouth with his, savoring the taste of her for a long moment before lifting his head to stare down at her. He cupped her face with one hand, caressing her cheekbone with his thumb, wondering how much to tell her and Cade.

“You don’t have to spare us. I know he’s here. I saw him in a vision,” Maia murmured.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“I was waiting for the right time.”

“We’re all so busy trying to protect each other that we’re losing sight of what’s really important,” Cade said.

“And what’s that?”

“Finding out what happened to those kids.”

Thayne closed his eyes. He didn’t need to be a psychic to know what had happened to the kids missing from those other townships and Elk Creek. Serial killers were not a twenty-first-century phenomenon. He just didn’t know how to go about telling the sheriff that they might possibly have a serial killer on the loose.

Thayne opened his eyes to stare down at Maia. He remembered Cade’s dream, their parents’ words of warning. He remembered his own promise to himself. “I have to tell you something.”

“Don’t sound so grave. You’ll be back soon.”

“There are no guarantees in life, honey.”

“I know that already, so you don’t need to scare me.”

“I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just being realistic.”

“Thayne—”

“I love you, Maia,” he blurted then rushed ahead with the rest. “I just wanted you to know how I feel, in case I don’t get another chance to tell you.” He watched the tears well in her eyes and pulled her close. “Please don’t.”

“How do you expect me to react when you say something like that?”

Thayne pulled away, smiling as he thumbed the tears from her eyes. “You could try telling me you love me, too.” He hated the hopeful tone in his voice but couldn’t help it showing.

“You know I do.”

“Goddess, you’re worse than Cade.”

“Hey!”

Thayne laughed at his brother’s affronted tone.

“I love you, Thayne. I have for a long time, and I don’t want you to think any different,” Maia said, turning and reaching a hand out to Cade as she stood in the shelter of Thayne’s embrace.

Cade walked over, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets as if he didn’t know what else to do with them, as if he needed to keep himself separated from them.

Thayne knew how hard it was for his brother to express his feelings and doubted Cade had ever used the three cherished words that Thayne had just used with Maia.

He almost regretted spilling his own guts. Fate, however, had forced his hand.

“Cade?”

He looked from Maia to Thayne and back again, shaking his head. “I can’t do this now. I don’t know if I ever can.”

“I understand,” Maia said, but Thayne could see that she really didn’t. He saw, too, how much Cade’s rejection upset her. If he hadn’t known his brother was just as afraid and in as much pain as him and Maia, he might have slugged Cade for hurting her.

“Even if you can’t say it, it’s not going to stop me from saying it.” Maia smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I love you, Cade.”

Cade flushed but didn’t say anything, just shuffled his feet like a little boy who’d just been kissed by his crush.

Thayne felt the tension coming off his brother in waves—most of it sexual—and wasn’t surprised. Cade had always let his body and actions do the talking for him.

Making love would probably go a long way to easing all of their stress, but Thayne didn’t know if now was the right time. He was sure, however, that any time was the right time as far as Cade was concerned.

His brother proved Thayne’s point when he took his hands out of his pockets to cup Maia’s face and leaned in to kiss her deeply on the lips.

Thayne felt the shudders riding Maia’s body right before she left his embrace to go into Cade’s. He watched them for a moment, cock quickly hardening at the sight of their passionate kisses, the sounds of their groans.

He wanted to join them but had not gotten over feeling like he didn’t belong, not even after their numerous routine encounters together. He didn’t know if that meant he was unwilling to share Maia on every level with his brother or he didn’t trust his brother to treat Maia the way she deserved to be treated.

As far as Thayne was concerned, Cade had already proved himself unworthy by not being able to return Maia’s professions of love.

Yet, Maia went to him willingly, seeming to want and love Cade as much as she loved Thayne. She must have seen something in Cade worthy of her love even if Thayne didn’t.

He, however, remembered one of their first encounters since arriving back in time, specifically, the first time he had linked them all with his telepathy and they had experienced sex magick. From that scene alone he knew of what feelings his brother was capable and knew they weren’t all about sex with Maia.

Why was Cade holding back? Why was he keeping his feelings to himself when so much was at stake for all of them?

“Thayne?”

He shook himself to look at Maia. She and Cade had already stripped down to their underwear while he’d been busy woolgathering.

Sometimes he felt like he and his brother were two halves of a perfect whole. He had no problems expressing himself verbally once he put his mind to it, and Cade certainly didn’t have any problems expressing himself physically. Together, they made the ideal man for a woman.

Maybe this was the exact reason their parents and the powers that be claimed they were soul mates and belonged together. They all balanced each other out.

Thayne kicked out of his boots and socks and stripped out of his shirt and jeans before he walked to the bed in front of which Cade and Maia stood.

Maia reached out her arms to accept him into the circle, and he felt like he came home.

How could he question the rightness of their unions or wonder whether or not he belonged when her welcomes were always so spontaneous and unreserved?

“We need to get in some practice, now more than ever,” Maia said.

Thayne smiled at her attempt to relegate their lovemaking to a training session for their sex magick.

“Don’t ever think that we need an excuse to make love to you, Maia,” Cade whispered and buried his face against her neck.

Thayne could forgive his brother all past transgressions when he took the words out of his mouth like that.

He didn’t waste time nuzzling the opposite side of Maia’s neck. He inhaled her fresh lavender scent that didn’t eradicate the underlying coconut and patchouli combination he was still used to. It was a potent mix, one that had him moaning and pressing himself against her front, eager to get inside her.

He hadn’t known how much he’d missed or wanted her—how much he wanted this closeness to them both—until this moment. He hadn’t known how much he
needed
them both before going into the lion’s den with Tommy Cole’s parents.

Thayne slid Maia’s petticoats down her legs and waited for her to step out of them while Cade slid her camisole up and off.

Once Maia was standing before them naked, Thayne took a moment to admire her firm, lush curves with his eyes and his hands. He caressed her from her head to her feet, lingering at her pussy and teasing her folds with one finger before lifting her in his arms and placing her in the middle of the bed.

As Cade climbed onto the bed, concentrating his attention on Maia’s breasts and mouth, Thayne positioned himself between her thighs. He inhaled the musky-sweet scent that was all uniquely Maia. He slid his hands beneath her ass and drew her close as he buried her cunt beneath his mouth, taunting her sensitive folds with his beard stubble and tongue.

“Oh please…I want you both now…”

Thayne barely reacted when she buried one hand in his hair and the other in Cade’s. Without preamble, he thrust two fingers inside Maia, scissoring them back and forth as he sucked and licked her inflamed clit. He kept up a steady pace, synchronizing his movements with Cade’s until Maia was wildly bucking beneath them.

Less than a minute later, she came hard, quivering against Thayne’s mouth, and he greedily swallowed her juices.

Cade kissed his way down her body until he nudged Thayne out of the way so that he could get a taste. Once he had gotten his fill he stood and hurriedly pulled off his underwear, leaving him as naked as Maia.

Taking his cue, Thayne pulled off his own underwear, positioning himself in front of Maia as she turned on her side and arched against him. Thayne groaned at the sizzling contact of her pussy against his hard, sensitive cock.

Cade settled behind her, applying a liberal amount of their trusty flaxseed oil to Maia’s asshole and his cock. “I want you inside her first, Thayne. I want to feel Maia’s ass tighten around me while her pussy’s stretched around you, gloving you tight,” Cade murmured.

Maia shuddered at his wicked words and wrapped her arms around Thayne. She stared up at him for a long moment before snuggling her face against his shoulder. She let her hips do the talking for her, grinding against him until he guided the head of his cock to her slick cunt. He spent a long moment teasing her soaked folds before Maia whimpered in frustration and he finally drove into her, deep and hard.