Three Made in Heaven [Made in Heaven] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (4 page)

Cole grabbed her by the waist and pulled her flush against his body. He kissed her hard. Their teeth briefly clashed before he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She felt Charlie’s hard body press against her back. He kissed and nipped at her bare shoulder blades while his hands traveled down her back to cup her ass. Cole released her mouth to kiss her neck, her chest, and the space between her breasts. Charlie tilted her head back to rest against his shoulder so that he could capture her mouth. His hands, meanwhile, snuck into the sides of her bathing suit, cupping her breasts. They both moaned into each other’s mouths at the contact. Oh how Maddie wished she knew what they really tasted like. Charlie pinched and kneaded her nipples while his tongue plundered her mouth, causing her to arch her back and thrust her breasts further into his hands. Cole continued to kiss every inch of bare flesh he could reach while his hand traveled south to cup her mound. His fingers teased her flesh through the nylon spandex material. Charlie and Cole’s magical hands and mouths were too much for Maddie. It didn’t take long for her to cry out in ecstasy from one of the most intense orgasms she had ever had.

Then her damn alarm clock blared and pulled her away from them. She lay tangled in her sheets, a quivering mess.

It wasn’t surprising that Charlie showed up in their next dream wearing nothing but his swim trunks. It wasn’t his dream tonight, but after last night’s amazing encounter, he was sure that either Maddie or Cole would have created a similar tropical setting. If he had shown up first, he might have skipped the tropics altogether and opted for a king-sized bed, clothing optional.

What was surprising to Charlie, however, was finding that he walked barefoot and bare chested across a vast, ice-covered ocean somewhere in the Arctic. A lone igloo sat in the distance. He entered it to discover Maddie sitting on the floor with her arms hugging her knees. She wore a camel-colored wool jacket with a faux fur-lined hood pulled over. Black leggings and faux furry black boots completed her outfit. Her attire would have been much more stylish than practical if she had actually been able to feel the effects of such weather, but she got her point across.

“I needed to cool things off for a bit,” she muttered sheepishly when Charlie sat down beside her.

He chuckled at her intended pun. “That outfit won’t protect you from me, Maddie. At least take that damn hood off so I can see your beautiful face better.” Charlie didn’t wait for Maddie to comply. He simply pulled of her hood. He then gently turned her head and cupped her face in his hands. “Seriously, Maddie, are you okay? Did we move too fast?”

“Not fast enough,” she said barely above a whisper.

Charlie’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Maddie, we didn’t—”

“You don’t understand, Charlie,” Maddie began in earnest. “I haven’t had sex in almost two years. Every guy I have ever been with, and that’s a small list, by the way, always fell short. I can’t have a normal relationship because all I can think about is you and Cole.”

“Baby, it’s been the same way for me,” he said, taking one of her hands in his. “You’re the only woman I have ever loved. And the same goes for Cole. Neither of us ever acted on our feelings for you because Cole and I love each other, too. It’s different than the way we love you, but I could never stand to see him hurt. You know, I never even considered the possibility of the three of us together, even though Cole and I talked about it, but after last night…” His voice became low and gravelly, laced with emotion. “Maddie, last night was the beginning of something incredible. The three of us together are incredible. I’m here. Cole and I are both here.”

“No, you’re not! This is a dream, Charlie. A beautiful, wonderful dream, but I wake up every morning alone pining for two men who I can never have. This isn’t real. You’re not real.” Her tears fell freely now. “My feelings though…my feelings are very real.”

Charlie was angry now. He took the hand that he was holding and brought it to his chest. “You think this isn’t real, that Cole and I don’t exist? I’m real, Maddie. My name is Charlie Gilbert and I do exist.”

With that, he got up and strode out of Maddie’s Igloo, pausing briefly at the exit to punch the structure. On his way out, he muttered, “Stupid, adorable igloo.”

* * * *

“Where are all your clothes, Maddie?”

“We’re on a nude beach, Cole. Clothes are not required.” Maddie was lying on a lounge chair with her eyes closed. She didn’t bother opening them when the two men spoke to her.

Something seemed off though. When she finally did open her eyes, it was to find Charlie and Cole staring lasciviously at her naked body. They said nothing. She turned her head to the right and noticed they weren’t alone. There were tons of people on the beach, men, women, whole families even. None of them were nude.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning cracked across the sky. The roaring sound of thunder echoed overhead, making her jump. “Cole? Charlie? What’s happening?”

Realization started to dawn on her. These two doppelgangers weren’t the real Charlie and Cole. She was having one of those naked-in-a-crowd-full-of-people dreams. Not surprising considering the amount of emotional stress she’d been under. And to top it all off, it looked like a torrential downpour was about to rain on her already ruined parade.

Only the rain never came. The dream shifted and changed and she found herself running down the same dimly lit parking lot from her recurring nightmare. The familiar footsteps resounded behind her, and once again, she turned to face her would-be assassin. Thankfully, mercifully, she was fully clothed. She already felt a raw naked fear with him standing in front of her. Once again, he raised the gun, aiming it at her. That was when Cole stepped in front of her.

“Cole? Is that really you?” Maddie asked incredulously. He nodded. The concern on his face was evident.

“Is this the recurring nightmare you’ve been having?” he asked.

“Cole, behind you,” she shouted. “He’s got a gun!”

The shadowed man had his gun aimed at Maddie when Cole turned around, but he disappeared before Cole had a chance to react. Maddie flung herself at Cole, and he held her tightly, cooing reassurance in her ear. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. You’re safe now. I promise I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you.”

“How did you get here?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. I just needed to see you and concentrated on finding you. Somehow I ended up here in your nightmare.” Cole gently took Maddie’s face in between his hands so that she would look into his eyes when he spoke his next words. “Charlie told me about the conversation you two had the other day. And Maddie, my name is Cole Mercer. And. I. Am. Real.”

* * * *

“Okay, Mom,” Maddie said into her cell phone. She was in her office finishing up some paperwork when her mom called. “I love you, too. Kiss Daddy for me and I will see you in a few weeks. Bye.”

Three days had passed since Cole had showed up in her nightmare. She’d always known their last names, but hearing them say it like a declaration thrilled her. She had been tempted to look them up on Facebook or Google, but always chickened out when she went online. She couldn’t face the disappointment she would feel if her search came up empty. Or what if they were real? What would she do if she found them?
Hey, I’m Maddie. I have been dreaming about you for fifteen years. I was wondering if you were dreaming about me too or if I need to be locked up in a mental institution?

I’m pathetic,
she thought. At least she was in a better mood. The nightmares terrified her, but having Cole with her that night made her feel safe again. Instead of waking up in a cold sweat, screaming her lungs out, she awoke feeling loved and protected.

Thankfully, her good mood placated her mom. Even though Maddie never told Evelyn about her nightmares, her mother was always sharp enough to tell when something was even a little off with her daughter. Maddie knew how much her parents worried over her, especially since they retired and moved to Miami a year ago. They felt guilty living that far away from their only daughter, but Maddie did everything she could to try and appease their guilt.

When she was finished with her paperwork, she decided to put away some of the new pieces that arrived in the morning’s shipment. She started with the party room that led to her and Angela’s office. The party room was large enough to fit two long tables while tall, neatly-stacked shelves lined all the walls. The main room was the size of their office and party room combined and housed several smaller-sized tables. The two large front windows displayed both finished and unfinished pottery and plaster craft items. Maddie heard Angela talking to some customers as she stepped out into the main room and headed for the shelves.

“Maddie?” Maddie had just placed the last item on the shelf when she heard the male voice say her name. Her back was turned to the speaker, but something familiar in his voice froze her in her place.

When she finally turned around, she saw Charlie and Cole standing in front of her.

Her knees buckled and everything went black.

When Cole saw the expression on Charlie’s face as he stepped out of an igloo five days ago, he knew something was terribly wrong.

“What happened, Charlie? Where’s Maddie?”

“Inside, ‘cooling’ off,” Charlie answered sarcastically. It took a few moments for Cole to notice that Charlie was just as ridiculously dressed for the arctic as he was. “At least you wore flip flops.” Charlie exhaled loudly and then proceeded to fill Cole in on the conversation he just had with Maddie in the igloo.

“After fifteen fucking years she thinks she made us up! This is bullshit!” Cole shouted. He started pacing while running both hands through his hair.

“Maybe she has a point,” Charlie said, resigned.

That stopped Cole in his tracks. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know, Cole. Maybe I made the two of
you
up,” Charlie said, although his tenor lacked conviction. “I mean what the hell is this anyway? We meet up in our dreams. How is that even possible? And you and I, Cole, we have been seriously fucked up for years over Maddie. One meaningless relationship after another. No one will ever measure up to that beautiful, amazing girl, but I don’t want a fucking dream anymore. I’m outta here!”

“No!” Cole said through gritted teeth once Charlie disappeared. He strode into the igloo to find it empty. He never once doubted that Maddie and Charlie were real. And he knew that in the depths of their souls Maddie and Charlie did not doubt the existence of the others. But Charlie was right about one thing. It was time for them to stop living in a dream.

He turned to leave when a voice behind him said, “They’re your soul mates, dear. That’s why you can share your dreams.” Cole swiftly turned around to see the speaker flash in and out of sight, and then she was gone.

“Mrs. Timani?”

* * * *

The next day, Mrs. Timani brought Aditya, her Siamese cat, for his post-op appointment with Cole. She was a very attractive middle-aged woman with thick black hair, striking green eyes framed by wire-rimmed glasses, and high cheekbones that complemented her tanned exotic face.

“I think a few more days and then we can take the e-collar off,” Cole said as he examined the cat. They had exchanged pleasantries when Mrs. Timani first walked in, but Cole could barely look her in the eye after last night’s dream. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of her appearance in it. “This is healing nicely. How’s his appetite now?”

“Much better.” She eyed him speculatively. “Now you have questions for me, I imagine?” That finally got him to look at her. “Why don’t we start with the first one? That was really me in your dream, Doctor, but I was only able to briefly hold the connection.”

“But how? I don’t—”

“I’m a psychic,” she said, holding up a hand. “I’ll explain more about that in a minute. I heard a little of what you and your friend were arguing about, and I can assure you that he and your girlfriend are very real. But I think you already knew that.”

“Yes. You said we were soul mates? All three of us?”

“Exactly! We actually have many soul connections like parents, siblings, and even friends. Your life will always intersect with those you have a very strong connection to. Soul
mates
run much deeper though. We spend our whole lives searching for our soul mate, well, soul mates in your case—and yes that does happen—because we feel incomplete without them.”

“That’s exactly how I feel…incomplete.”

“You are very fortunate to be sharing dreams. It’s quite rare.”

“How are
we
able to, then?”

“I sensed that at least one of you, possibly even all three of you, has a bit of
extrasensory perception. It’s not very strong, but enough to trust your intuition. It is your soul mate bond along with your extrasensory abilities that allow you to link your dreams.”

“Thank you for telling me all of this.” Cole let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “It feels good to finally understand.” Aditya stretched and purred as Cole began absentmindedly petting him. He was still trying to absorb everything Mrs. Timani had said when something else dawned on him. “Wait, how were you able to come into our dream, and not to seem ungrateful, but why did you?”

“My strong psychic ability allowed me a brief connection,” she explained. “I wanted you to see for yourself that this is all indeed possible so that you would believe me when I warned you.”

“Warned me about what?” he asked, although in his gut he already knew.

“I sensed your girlfriend in danger through your bond the last time I was here. I fear she may die if you and your friend are not there to protect her.”

“My God! Her nightmares!”

* * * *

Cole wasn’t sure how he ended up in Maddie’s nightmare, but after Mrs. Timani instructed him on a few concentration techniques, he found himself in the middle of it. He saw the sheer terror on Maddie’s face as a hooded man aimed a gun at her. He knew then that he would die before he let anyone hurt her, or better yet he would kill whoever tried.