Three Rings and a Rose (29 page)

“I’m shaking in my Christian Louboutins,” she replied. “You might have succeeded before, but things are different this time around.”

“You’re right,” he agreed as he started walking, hauling his ass across the floor and heading out the door. “This time, I’ll make sure you’re both gone for good. He won’t take you back when I’m through, and he certainly won’t turn gay for that loser writer.”

* * * *

Stalking through the back room at The G Spot, Caedon’s fist drew up into a clench so tight that his skin ached from the strain. He and Micah had snuck in the back to surprise Ella with pastries and coffee from her sister’s bakery next door. Only he’d wound up being the surprised one.

Without another word to Micah or Ella, he advanced through the storeroom, his strides long and even, despite the fire burning inside him. He wrenched the door open and walked outside with only one purpose—to beat the living shit out of his soon-to-be former manager.

Micah followed him, staying close enough that Caedon heard him breathing. The hiss of the air he sucked in and blew out sounded unnaturally voluminous. Obviously, he was as pissed as Caedon, and
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Caedon was grateful. He didn’t want his calm lover to talk him out of this. He needed to make sure this man knew the facts of Caedon’s fucking life.

Swinging his head from side to side, he searched for the bastard.

However, he couldn’t find him. He saw the typical Serenity scene—

people shuffling around the walkways lining Main Street with their various umbrellas and quaint buildings that reminded him of places he’d only scene in movies—but no sign of Ted. “Monkey butt,” he cursed. Then realizing that didn’t encapsulate the fury he felt, he added. “Motherfucking son of a baboon’s ass licker.”
Better.

“Damn it,” Micah swore. His massive, masculine hand appeared on Caedon’s shoulder, making him feel slightly better. “He’s gone.”

“I don’t know how he got away that fast,” Caedon commented as he whirled around, hoping that seeing his partner would calm him down. If it didn’t, Caedon wasn’t sure what he would do. Wrath had gripped him by the balls and at this point, murder was on the table, and he couldn’t afford to do that because he didn’t want to be somewhere that he couldn’t be with Ella and Micah.

As soon as Caedon came face to face with Micah, some of his rage melted, and he managed to speak again. “We were only a few seconds behind him,” he said. “He couldn’t have gotten far. Let’s go.” Micah shook his head as he reached out for Caedon. Although, he stopped just short, and Caedon knew why. He wasn’t going to touch him publicly. He wasn’t going to flash his feelings around in case a paparazzi stood close by with a camera glued to his face.

On one hand, Caedon understood, and he was
almost
grateful. But on the other, it pissed him the fuck off. He wanted to be able to share their relationship. He wanted the whole damn world to know that this was
his
man
,
his lover.
Only they couldn’t. They both had too much to lose, especially Micah. Being a writer of his stature in the public eye, particularly in his genre, something like this could damage his career—if not destroy it. Even though Caedon had more visibility,
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actors did eccentric things all the time. Eventually, things would die down for him.

Micah pulled his hand back with a deep frown, a sadness in his sky-blue eyes that made Caedon’s heart ache. He desperately wanted to fix this, but he couldn’t, which made him want to get a pound of flesh from somebody. Since Ted had the corner on Caedon’s furor, it looked like he was the grand prize winner of pain-by-Caedon’s-fist.

“Let it go for now,” Micah murmured. “You need to calm down before you see him. Otherwise, you are going to do something you regret. Don’t make that mistake.”

Fuck.
Micah was right. Starting a war with Ted right now might not be his wisest move. If he wanted to take care of the shithead, he needed to have a straight head because he knew Ted. After years of working together, he understood the way his ex-manager’s mind worked. He would plot and plan everything to a T. Caedon had to figure out a way to counteract his sure-to-be flawless scheme.

“Fine,” Caedon snapped, but he felt horrible before he’d taken another breath. He shouldn’t be taking out his animosity on Micah.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

Micah nodded. “It’s fine,” he said as he slapped Caedon on the back and guided him into Ella’s store.

As soon as they passed over the threshold, Caedon spotted their woman and stepped back.
Uh-oh.
Ella looked calm—eerily calm.

Fluttering around the store like a graceful butterfly, she appeared completely undaunted by what had just transpired between her and Ted. She picked up items, studying and rearranging them as she went, but she appeared almost bored. “Oh, you’re back,” she breathed. “I figured it would take you a little longer.”

“Nah,” Micah replied, shaking his head. “We lost the bastard.”

“And what exactly were you going to do to him?” she asked as she turned on them. Her calmness slipped ever so slightly before she wiped her face clean of emotion. “Being macho with a bully like him won’t help. It’ll just make things worse.”
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Ella had a point, but he didn’t care. He
wouldn’t
be able to behave if he got near Ted, his itchy fists wouldn’t allow him to. He needed to make the smarmy man understand that he wouldn’t put up with someone controlling his life and hurting the people he loved. Caedon was no puppet.

“It’ll make us feel better,” Micah answered for Caedon. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

Ella fisted her hands at her hips, drawing Caedon’s attention to the lovely curve, and he lost his train of thought. He lost his mind. He needed to hold her, to love her. So he hoofed it across the room and swept her into his arms.

Gingerly caressing her wavy hair with one hand, he held her to him with his other, wrapping his arm completely around her waist, giving her no room to run. She sighed, relaxing into his body, and he found himself smiling. Nuzzling the curve of his neck, she murmured

“We need to be prepared for anything,” against his skin. “He’s not going to go down without a fight. I have a feeling things are about to get ugly around here.”

Caedon did too, but he would do whatever it took to protect his loved ones, and he knew that Micah felt the same way. If that meant destroying Ted, then so be it. If that meant giving up his career, he would. The only things that truly mattered were in this room with him, and he would tell the whole goddamn word to fuck off before he gave them up.

Yeah, it’s about to get real fucking ugly.

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The following morning, Ella jerked awake in her bed. Something had roused her from a delightfully delicious dream, but she didn’t know what it could have been. Anxious to know who or what to kill, she scanned the room with speedy yet confused eyes. She quickly realized two things and cursed viciously.

Number one—it wasn’t still night-time. She’d just been blindfolded, and that was why she couldn’t see a damn thing. Number two—she was alone in bed
again.

Ella lifted her hands to her face to remove the offending blindfold.

Or at least, she tried to. When she attempted to raise her arms, she met resistance.
Ropes.
At first, fierce fury poured undiluted in her veins.

Then it morphed. It changed to pure lust, and she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning. She wanted this moment, this act. She’d never allowed someone to have this kind of power over her. But this felt right.

A throaty chuckle came from her left.
Caedon.
“I’m surprised she isn’t having a kitten,” he commented, obviously talking to Micah and not her. “I figured she would freak.”

“No,” Micah refuted. His tone rang with conviction, exhibiting how well he knew her, just how in tune he was with her. “She wants this desperately. Trust me.”

Ella could almost visualize Caedon nodding his head. She knew how much Caedon trusted Micah, exactly as she did. Their friendships bound them together in a way that their connection transcended mere love. This was it. This was everything.

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Despite Micah’s giant lie by omission, she trusted him with her heart, body, and soul. And even though she and Caedon had their issues with trust in the past, Ella knew that was what it was—the past.

She would forever regret hiding her naughty streak from him and holding herself back. She’d always feel a twinge of guilt for ever doubting his fidelity, even if for only a second, but things were different. This was now. This was forever, and she couldn’t wait to get started.
As soon as they get on with this little sensual adventure.

Frustrated and impatient, Ella frowned. Evidently, her petulant action amused the men. They both laughed and then she truly turned her lips down, frowning deeply. “This is not funny, Misters. Teasing me is cruel.”

“You think this is cruel, snowflake?”

Ella squirmed. The way Micah framed his question, the dark way he spoke, was more than a little disconcerting. “Umm,” she stammered.

“I say we show her cruel, Micah.”

I say that when you let me loose, I’m going to love torturing your
hot bods.
Thoughts of so many ways to torture them filled her mind.

Unable to help herself and unwilling to even try, she smirked.

Mmhmm. Erotic payback is a horny bitch named Ella.

“From the looks of our woman, we need to make this worth our while,” Micah remarked.

Someone gifted her right nipple with a harsh, hearty pinch, and she moaned. Since Micah was on that side of her, she assumed it was him. On her left, Caedon cupped her breast, but, unlike his counterpart, his touch remained light and considerate. That tenderness lasted less than a millisecond before his sweltering mouth enveloped her nipple, and he bit into the tingly crest.

Caedon lashed the unforgiving bite with his velvety tongue, easing the ache his teeth had left behind, then swirled it around the pucker. He spread his carnal ministration outward, settling his attention on her areola.

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Ella arched her back with a low moan, but she didn’t get far before the ropes stopped her and propelled her body back downward.

A second later, she heard a
buzz
between her legs, and she groaned, fighting her binds once again.
Fred!

“I see you recognize your friend from sound alone,” Micah murmured from his new position near her pussy.

Of course, I do. I would recognize Fred in any place or situation.

The poor vibe has been my only man for a while. I can say I know him
very intimately.

“What about touch? Do you remember what Fred feels like when he is sliding deep in
our
pussy?” Micah asked, his smooth, even voice resonating around her, eliciting a shiver from her. Rather than allowing her to answer, he continued on. “I’m just curious because now that we’re here. You won’t be touching Fred
or
Barney without our permission again.”

She snorted. “Don’t hold your breath, big boy. Fred and I go way back. I’m not likely to just hand him over to either of you.” She realized a second too late that it wasn’t smart to provoke the man with the vibrator in his possession. A growl from Micah and a merciless invasion with Fred reminded her. It reminded her well.

“Looks like I already have him,” he murmured from her side, letting her know that he’d stuck close to her. For some reason, knowing that even now she was between them did strange things to her heart, and a smile kicked up at the corner of her mouth. “And snowflake, I won’t give him back.”

When he used his bad-boy, baritone voice, she would agree to anything. So embarrassingly, she did. “Yes, Micah.” Releasing her nipple without pulling away, Caedon peppered teeny, wet kisses all over her chest. He apparently enjoyed her easy acquiescence because he chuckled against her skin, the odd vibrations migrating through her breasts and tickling her. She wiggled in response, a chuckle of her own escaping her lips reflexively. “Stop it,” she grumbled, but she only half meant it. “You’re tickling me.”
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Of course, Caedon didn’t. He laughed harder, and she squirmed more. They went on—and on—until Micah broke their childishness up. “Good answer, Ella,” he replied as he dragged Fred all the way out of her.

Ella cursed Micah with every inch of Fred he stole from her, leaving her barren and fucking horny. “Bastard,” she spat. “I love you, but I think you are the spawn of Satan right now.” Micah paused with Fred still partially embedded in her cunt, the walls rippling around the sleek silicone as if pleading for more. “I’m not, but I can be.”

Uh-oh. This is not good. Not good at all.
She was right. As he brutally drove Fred in her weeping cunt as far as he could go, she screamed. He ratcheted up the dial, increasing the intensity until he reached the highest level, and went crazy. He fucked her with Fred like a madman, pulling and plunging voraciously, going so fast she didn’t know how he could move with that kind of speed.