Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) (28 page)

She was on fire in every fiber of her being, and she didn’t know how she could take much more. Emily stared into Gabriel’s eyes, begging him to see and feel that she was precariously close to her limit. Yet there was something keeping her orgasm just out of reach and she needed him to help her find it.

He shook his head at her, willing her to hold on. “Not yet, Em,” he warned.

She looked on in surprise as he took her hands from his shoulders and drew them over her head. Noah grunted as Gabriel leaned forward, pinning her firmly between them. Gabe plunged inside her body just as Noah thrust upwards. They all three cried out, the moment almost surreal in its intensity.

Gabriel began to move in earnest then, taking over and thrusting into her pussy, the movement causing her to glide up and down Noah’s cock without him having to lift her by her waist any longer. Noah released his hold on her there and instead, he clasped her wrists in one hand, keeping them pulled up while Gabriel’s hands roamed over her body. Noah’s free hand cupped her chin and turned Emily’s face towards his so he could match his lips to hers, see her eyes and the passion blazing there.

The fingers of Gabriel’s hand resumed plucking and lightly twisting her nipple while his other hand found her clit. All while he seated himself to the hilt with firm thrusts that had them all groaning and approaching that peak together. He watched her skin take on the familiar blush that told him Emily was moments away from exploding in ecstasy. Her back began to arch upwards and he knew it was time.

Gabriel’s thumb pushed down and circled her clit as he said, “Come now, Emily. Give us everything you’ve got. Soar, honey, and let us watch you fly.” He drew away only a second before rushing back inside, tilting his hips up so he glided over her G-spot. Gabriel swore as he touched what felt like her womb, the sensitive head of his cock striking against something soft, yet solid and warm.

Emily lost all sense of herself and screamed into Noah’s mouth as her mind and body separated from each other. One moment the incredible pressure, which had built into a tidal wave within her abdomen, had towered over her; and the next, it was crashing through her until she felt herself shake and spasm. The quakes went on and on until she sobbed into the kiss that Noah would not break.

Noah felt Emily become completely unglued against him and he was right there with her. Every damn time Gabriel had thrust into her, his own cock was squeezed and drug through her core. The pressure so unbearable, that he was having trouble seeing. He released his hold on her wrists and, with one last surge into her back channel under his own power, Noah felt his balls draw up and he erupted, filling her completely with more come than he knew he could produce.

For Gabriel, feeling them both go over the edge, drug him right over with them. He released Emily’s nipple and clit and planted his hands on either side of her and Noah. He began to thrust again and again until he felt his own climax hit with the force of a sledgehammer. He shouted her name, feeling Emily’s pussy ripple over his hyper-sensitive cock as she came yet again.

It was several minutes, hell maybe an hour, he thought, before Gabriel reopened his eyes to stare down at Emily. She lay panting between them, her skin flushed and damp with perspiration, his and hers mingled together. No part of her looked untouched by them in some way, and it gave him such satisfaction to know that she was theirs and theirs alone. Never would another man touch, fill, or own her body and soul as he and Noah did.

“Gabe, can’t breathe down here,” Noah grunted, though he chuckled softly, letting Gabriel know he damn well could draw breath.

Gabriel leaned forward, putting more of his weight on Emily and thereby Noah. He grinned wickedly as Noah groaned loudly. Noah threw back his head, moaning and laughing at the same time.

But a soft hiccup from Emily caused them to cease their play and Gabriel to immediately push himself back up.

“Emily, open your eyes,” Noah said, not able to keep the worry from his voice. He gently turned her chin so he could see her face, and he drew in a deep breath to see the silver trails of tears that flowed over her skin. “Baby, what’s wrong? Please tell me that we didn’t hurt you.”

“Em,” Gabriel said, his voice gruffer from his concern. He ran his palm over her damp cheek and waited one breath and then another until finally she complied and looked at Noah.

“Are you hurt?” Noah asked quietly.

“No,” she whispered as her bottom lip quivered. “I’m not.”

“Then what is it, Emily? Why are you crying?” Gabriel pressed, not sure she wasn’t hurt from their possessive love-making. Had he gone too far?

“I’m so completely fulfilled and undone at the same time… I can’t begin to tell you how overwhelmed, yet happy I am.” She stopped when another hiccup interrupted her speech.

“Oh, baby,” Noah sighed and kissed the tip of her nose. “So are we. I’ve never come so hard and so much in my life, as I just did. You take my breath away too.”

“Em.”

Gabriel’s voice rolled over her softly, the vibrations of it felt throughout her entire body as he sheltered her under his. She looked up, blinking the moisture away while she tried to get herself together. This was too significant a night to let her emotions take their joy away, Emily chastised herself. But he saw everything as he stared into her eyes, and Gabriel slowly shook his head.

“As long as you’re not hurt, you cry all you want. This is an important night for us, too. And as your Gram said, nothing about this is shameful or wrong. Quite the opposite, honey. It was absolutely amazing. Perfect, in every way.”

“I thought so, too,” she grinned.

“Our beautiful, Emily,” Gabriel murmured and lightly kissed her lips.

Emily leaned into Gabe’s palm when he placed it on her face. Yes, everything felt just about perfect. As if the cabin had given them the perfect bubble in which to discover one another and flourish. She was glad she had found the secluded little place. If she had her way, they’d come back to it in the future and remember that this was where they had promised each other forever. Where Noah and Gabriel had made her theirs.

CHAPTER 27

Gabriel heard the insistent ring of his Sat phone from what seemed like a dozen miles away. He had slept hard, harder than he had in ages, and his brain was having a difficult time kicking the fog away. He cracked an eye open, trying to determine what time of day it was. The bedroom was dark. Only the bathroom’s light was visible, shining through as a tiny sliver around its door.

“Who the hell is calling us?” Noah grumbled.

Gabe felt the bed shift and then Noah slid out, shuffling out of the room and down the hall to retrieve the handset. Gabriel glanced down and saw Emily sound asleep, resting peacefully on her stomach. Her hair was spread out across her back and her body rose and fell in a gentle, slow cadence that told him she was well and truly under.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the last day’s growth covering his jaw. He would have to shave first thing. Gabriel smiled to himself, knowing now that Emily preferred their faces free of the abrasive stubble. Her skin had glowed pink after their love-making that afternoon, not just from exertion, but from their five o’clock shadows rubbing against her sensitive body. He’d have to take a little more care, he thought.

Their afternoon plans had fallen by the wayside after Emily’s heartfelt words and their impromptu proposal. They’d cleaned up with a quick shower eventually, but then collapsed back in the bed and passed out. Emily’s call to Tara, her writing, even their hope that she’d relax in the hot tub had not come to pass. Hell, they hadn’t even had supper. But, Gabriel thought, what had happened between them was far more important than the things that they’d overlooked.

“Gabe,” Noah whispered as he came back into the room, “get up and come in here. We’ve got a situation.”

His tone said it all; Gabriel hadn’t needed the words. He eased Emily’s arm off of his waist and then slid away from her. Gabriel made sure the sheet still covered her, not wanting her to get cold, and then he snagged his jeans and followed Noah out of the room.

Noah stepped into the second bedroom and came out wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He was behind Gabriel before he had time to sit at the dining table, where Noah had left the upturned phone and their laptop. Both were on, the little green light blinking on the handset letting Gabe know the line was open.

“I’m here,” he said gruffly.

“About damn time,” Garrett groused right back. “Look, I’m just gonna come out and say this, ’cause it’s not good. We need to head out of here and back to your home town. The sheriff down there has told Lawton and Ethan that they have no more than four hours to get you guys back there, if you want to be in on the interrogation of none other than one young deputy named Andrew Hughes. Apparently, Strauss has his own evidence against Andrew now, implicating him as the prime suspect in Emily’s case, and he’s not willing to sit on it for long.”

Gabriel almost exploded, but Noah shut him down with a fierce look. Noah pointed towards the rear of the cabin, and Gabriel forced himself to lock his lips closed until he could get his fury under control. It took him more time than he wished, but finally he swallowed back his temper and drew in a deep breath.

“Better now?” Garrett asked, his tone hiding none of his own irritation over the current state of affairs.

“No,” Gabe bit out, “but I can at least talk without yelling.”

“Well, that’s something at least,” Kaden sighed. He sounded just as out of sorts, but like Noah, he was better at keeping his terse comments under control.

“Do we know what kind of evidence he thinks he has against Andrew?” Gabriel asked. He settled his hands on his hips and stared into Noah’s determined eyes.

“We honestly don’t know a lot. And to me, it sounds like he’s collected circumstantial evidence, nothing that would hold up in court,” Kaden supplied. “Strauss would only tell Lawton that once the yellow tape went up around Emily’s house, one of her neighbors came to see him in his office and reported that he’d seen the young deputy outside her windows on more than one occasion over the last two months. That, and supposedly Strauss pulled Andrew’s work log and has him on record as signing in to his computer during off duty hours. The same hours during which Emily’s surveillance video was accessed and watched repeatedly.”

“Is that all he’s got?” Gabriel pressed. He leaned forward and gripped the back of the chair closest to him. “He’s normally more calm and cautious. This isn’t like Strauss.”

“He supposedly has one last bit of evidence, but he wouldn’t go into it over the phone. Said it was a slam-dunk with that final piece.” Garrett sounded just as bewildered as Gabriel felt.

Gabe shook his head and stared at Noah. “I knew we should have officially taken over this investigation, and not left it in their hands on paper. Strauss still has rights over the case, and if he nails the wrong person to the wall for this, the true criminal will just go to ground for an indefinite period, making Emily’s life pure hell. She’ll be in hiding for God knows how long!
Son of a bitch
!” Gabriel bit out, his temper spiking ferociously.

“Then maybe we should go home and stop him,” Emily said quietly.

Gabriel and Noah’s heads whipped around, and they saw her standing just inside the room with only one of Gabriel’s t-shirts covering her. Noah strode forward and wrapped his arms around her, as if his body could put a barrier between Emily and everything that was poised to crash in on her. On them.

“Em,” Gabriel began, shaking his head as he struggled to form his next word without shutting her down again.

“Gabriel,” she sighed. Emily patted Noah’s back and stepped away from his tight hold. Once she had her fingers laced through his, she moved forward and extended her other towards Gabe. She waited for him to take it.

Gabriel stared into Emily’s eyes and saw no fear, nor hesitation. There was only calm resolve there. Unwavering. Ready.

He took the two steps necessary to lace his fingers through hers, and he felt Emily clamp down with a fierce grip. No, she wasn’t letting go and she wasn’t backing down this time.

“Let’s go home and face this together,” she said evenly. “Last time I was there, I didn’t have the two of you as I do now. I didn’t have your whole team backing me up. I was too tired and too scared, and my spirits were pretty low. But I’m much stronger now, because I’m no longer alone. Not in the way that really matters.
We
can do this, Gabriel. I have no doubt.”

“Emily… If we go back and something happens to you…” He stopped. Couldn’t say it. Couldn’t think it.

“I’m a fast runner,” she grinned. “They’ll have to catch me first.” She chuckled sadly and stretched up on her tiptoes to brush her lips across first Gabriel’s and then Noah’s.

“You stay right with us, Emily,” Noah said in his own strained voice. “Right
between
us. You don’t even go into the bathroom without one of us right beside you, understand?”

“I do,” she nodded and smiled tenderly. “Did you say we have four hours, Garrett?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with obvious respect. “We have our division’s helicopter still at a local airfield. If we head out in the next ten minutes, I’ll have us there within three.”

“Well then, let me go gather my things.” She kissed Gabriel and Noah once more and then she turned and left the dining area, headed for the bedroom.

“Where are Ross and Braden at present? Still in D.C.?” Noah asked.

“Nope,” Kaden said. “They’re inbound too. Should get there about the same time as us. Hollington is monitoring from the office in their stead.”

“I was hoping not to pull the boss in on the details of this, if we didn’t have to,” Gabriel said and looked at a nearby window for a moment. It was still covered by a blind. They just hadn’t had enough time away from it all.

“Lawton made that call. He wants the rights to shut Strauss down, so he got Hollington rolling on the paperwork. We should be able to go in and assume authority over the case when we touch down. There’s still time to stop this train wreck,” Garrett advised.

“Good,” Noah nodded. “Tell Lawton I personally said thank you. We’ll pack up and meet you guys out front in ten. We’ll leave our SUV and Emily’s here, and someone can be assigned to drive them back for us later.”

“See you in ten, then,” Garrett muttered and ended the call.

Gabriel turned back to face Noah. They just stared at each other, no words coming. What could they say? They knew what was riding on this forced trek. The lady they loved, their entire world, the rest of their lives would hinge on this one despicable case. Simply put, their success meant everything.

“I can’t pack it all up in ten minutes alone!” Emily called from the back of the cabin, sass dripping from her voice. “Get a move on, guys!”

Noah was the first to crumble. He wiped his palms over his face and began to chuckle. “Come on, you gotta love her,” he quipped.

“I’m going to tan her damn hide if she keeps trying to calm me down,” Gabriel grumbled.

“You and what army?” Noah scoffed. He began to head towards the sound of Emily hurriedly packing, shaking his head and laughing under his breath.

Oh, Gabriel thought, she had no idea the risk she was running if she thought for one second to put herself in harm’s way. He most certainly would take Emily over his knee and show her how damned good a spanking could feel. For them both.

Gabriel did one last sweep of the cabin before he closed and locked its door behind him. Emily was already beside Noah in the vehicle’s second row, and he slid in next to her, placing her snuggly between them. As soon as he closed his door, Kaden started rolling along the road leading out of the quaint resort.

Little was said as they drove to the small, rural airfield the men had touched down in. Emily was amazed at how much clout and power their badges really did carry once they were preparing to take to the skies. Their flight plan had already been filed for them by Ethan, and their helicopter was refueled and ready. All they had to do was sign a form and climb aboard.

Gabriel retrieved a blanket and pillow while Noah got her settled in a plush chair. Though they both insisted she try to sleep along the journey, Emily knew there was no more rest coming for a while. Her mind was too wired as she tried to make sense of it all. Nothing was adding up, and so she began to furiously search for a clue of some kind that she’d missed before.

She had never once suspected Jonathan would act as he had the night he forced his lips on hers. Never suspected such a thing possible, given what she knew about his character. If that had been true in the past, however, who else had she misjudged or naïvely placed her trust in?

When she had walked from the back of the cabin and heard Andrew named as the sheriff’s main suspect, Emily immediately wanted to shout her denial. But the memory of what Jonathan had done that fateful night gave her pause. Made her doubt her own interactions with Andrew, and his intentions towards her. Enough so, that she was sitting there in the helicopter mentally replaying their recent exchanges with each other and looking for a clue.

But try as she might, Emily couldn’t conjure one single moment during which Andrew made her uneasy. If anything, she had felt safe around him. She always had.

Just as she had with Jasper, Ryan, and the rest of the deputies. None of them had ever held on to her too long when they’d hugged her or touched her hand, or leered at her until the hair rose on her arms. Weren’t those supposed to be the tell-tale signs of a potential threat?

Nor had the men hung around her house longer than was needed while the investigation crept along. If anything, it was as if they were trying to give her as much space as possible, sensing how much she needed her home to remain a safe haven. Andrew had even made sure she had a new security system, so she could reclaim her sense of safety.

No, Emily told herself, she hadn’t misjudged her friend. Not this time.

She sat up a little straighter in her seat and looked out of a nearby window. It was dark outside, the middle of the night still. The sun would most likely not even be up yet when they touched down.

Emily’s eyes widened and she looked over sharply at the guys. They had their eyes closed, but she didn’t think they were asleep. Like her, they were trying to figure this mess out as the hourglass emptied.

She whispered their names and, just as she suspected, their eyes immediately opened and met hers. They were just as awake as she.

“Four hours,” Emily said softly. “Strauss said we had
four
hours. Why that number? Why not two, or six, or ten? Hmmm? Why just four?”

Both men smiled slowly at her, their approval clear as day for her to see.

“You’ve already cued in on this, then? So what do you think? Why did he phrase his timeline in such a way?”

“I think that had something to do with us, baby,” Noah replied. “When we sent Lawton and Ethan to our home, they checked in with Strauss and only him. He never asked where we found you, only how long it would take us to bring you home if need be. Lawton told him four to five hours, though he didn’t say that it would be by air. The sheriff knows you left by car, so he probably thinks you were a lot closer than you actually were.”