Wild (51 page)

“No,” she told him, “it sounds like the explanation you've rehearsed.”

They stood there for a few silent seconds, naked.

“Why did you do it?” he asked her. “Why didn't you continue to tell him you wanted him alone?”

It was Caroline's turn to move. She went to the tub, taking a deep breath as she lifted her leg and stepped inside. The water was hot, and she moved slowly, sinking down and letting the stinging temperature begin to work on her tired muscles. She'd been just about to lie back when she looked up to see Channing stepping into the tub with her, leaning forward to turn the water off, then positioning himself right behind her.

Caroline moved up farther. She'd never taken a bath with anyone before. Never had anyone to take a bath with. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Brent had preferred the shower. He'd said there was more room in the shower. She'd agreed. And this tub was huge, so it was no wonder that Channing had taken the liberty. Still, she wasn't sure how this worked.

It was silly, she thought as she watched his long, hairy white legs slipping down alongside hers. She'd just sucked his dick until he came while Malec had fucked her from behind. There should be no pretenses and no embarrassments at this point.

He touched her shoulders at that moment, pulling her until she lay back against his chest. It was easy, she told herself. Easy and comfortable. He picked up one of the loofa sponges, dipped it into the water, and then held it above her breasts, squeezing until all the water had drizzled down over her.

Caroline closed her eyes to the soothing warmth. She took a deep and steadying breath before saying, “It was my first time. I knew about all of it, ménages, threesomes, anal and oral sex. I knew and I'd seen it—firsthand. But this was the first time I'd ever done it.”

“That's why you weren't afraid,” he said, repeating the action with the sponge and the water. “That night in the bar you weren't afraid of Malec or me, but still you backed off.”

“Because I had to,” she replied simply.

“But tonight you didn't.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I didn't.”

It was quiet except for the sound of the trickling water.

“I wanted it. All night last night and all day today I thought about it. I knew it was inevitable, so when I opened my eyes and saw you standing there, I figured it was time to just do it and stop wondering about it,” she said with a release of another breath.

“Did you enjoy it?” he asked, this time dropping the sponge and cupping her breasts in his palms.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I did.”

“Did you get these piercings to drive yourself crazy with pleasure, or someone else?”

His fingers were circling her nipples then, plucking the piercing until spikes of pleasure soared downward, slapping straight into her clit.

“Yes,” she replied. “Both.”

“I liked seeing them twinkle when I came into the room. I wanted to lick them,” he told her.

His voice had grown softer, and the questions she'd wanted to ask him had blurred in her mind.

“You liked when you saw me standing there, didn't you? When you saw how hard I was for you,” Channing continued to talk.

Caroline nodded, moving slightly, feeling his dick hardening behind her.

“You were so very hard. I liked seeing how you gripped your dick, how you were offering it to me,” she admitted, the memory making her hot all over again.

Channing kept one hand on her breast while the other slipped down her torso, over the pouch of her stomach and down farther to cup her pussy.

“You're waxed,” he said so softly she could barely hear him. “You do that so you can feel every lick and touch with more potency, don't you? You know how to elicit and receive pleasure, Caroline. You're a pro at it.”

“No!” she replied quickly, vehemently. “I'm not a pro. I just know things. I know a lot of things,” she told him as she looked over her shoulder.

Channing had stared at her for a second longer, his hands staying where they were. “You know how good your pussy feels to me right now?”

Caroline had been ready to get out of the tub just a few seconds ago. She hadn't liked his comment about being a pro, because she wasn't one. That was her mother. And the last thing that Caroline had ever wanted to be was like her mother. But then he continued to touch her, his fingers moving through her slit, parting her folds to stroke along her clit and down farther. She bucked beneath him, whispering, “Yes,” as she laid her head back against his chest.

Channing leaned in, touching his lips softly to hers. “It feels so fucking good,” he said softly over her lips. “So, so good.”

“Yes,” Caroline replied, her hand moving down to cover his between her legs, pressing his fingers in deeper.

He pumped into her, his tongue stroking over her lips as water sloshed around them.

“I've changed the sheets,” she heard a gruff voice say, and she jumped, her gaze shooting across the bathroom to where Malec now stood wearing only sweatpants as he stood in the doorway.

“The bed's ready for you,” he said before clearing his throat. “When you're done.”

He walked away before she could say anything. Even though Caroline had no idea what she could have said. This entire situation was odd and new to her.

“Come on,” Channing said without skipping a beat, his hand withdrawing from her slowly. “Let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed.”

She didn't speak again as Channing lathered the loofa and proceeded to wash every inch of her body. He did a quick wash of himself before helping her to stand and getting both of them out of the tub. Then he took that thick plush towel and rubbed it ever so softly over every pore of her body until she was dry. She hadn't seen him get it, nor did she know how he'd known she would eventually need it, but he lifted her arms and pulled a T-shirt down over her chest. It just barely skimmed her ass, but neither of them seemed to notice as she walked out of the bathroom.

Malec had been sitting on the side of the bed, but stood when she came out. Caroline walked to him without saying a word, because still, she wasn't quite sure what she should say. He looked so tired and so sad. A part of her wanted to be pissed at him and to probably curse him out, while another part ached for whatever was going on in his mind that made him look as if he'd rather not be there at all.

“Ready for bed,” she'd said as both a question and a declaration.

Malec didn't respond, but he did extend a hand to brush his fingers lightly along the line of her jaw. Channing was standing behind her, his hands on her hips. He leaned in to kiss her neck.

“Good night, Caroline,” Channing whispered. “I'll see you in the morning.”

She'd wanted to turn to him, but Malec's touch held her still. Channing was gone in the next seconds, and Malec helped Caroline into the bed. The sheets smelled fresh, and so did he. He'd gone somewhere else to clean himself, leaving her to Channing, and while she had thoroughly enjoyed the alone time with Channing, she would have preferred it had been with Malec.

“I don't like your plan,” she said when they were settled in the bed, Malec having pulled her to lie against him.

“I did not plan for you,” he said, his voice still gruff and strained.

“Fine,” she said, because she hadn't planned for him either. “But I'm here now, and I don't like that you walk away instead of staying and saying whatever you're feeling. It's rude, and it hurts.”

He went stiff behind her, stiff and quiet, and Caroline wondered if she should say something else or leave well enough alone, at least for tonight.

“Let's sleep,” he said finally, reaching over to turn off the lamp on the nightstand and pulling the covers up and over them.

That was the end of all conversation, she knew. But it wasn't the end of her thoughts. Caroline was willing to bet that Malec didn't sleep with the women he normally took with Channing. That type of intimacy would have been left up to Channing. He was easier around women, around people in general. He was charismatic and so mouthwateringly handsome that women were sure to be eager to do whatever he asked of them. Hell, Caroline had been loving his fingers inside of her while his tongue stroked her lips, and she'd thought that spending the night wrapped in his arms, listening to the smooth and calming sound of his voice lull her to sleep, would have been nothing short of fantastic.

As for Malec. He was rough and tortured, rude and annoying. He was also too damned fine for his own good and too enticing to resist. And, unfortunately or fortunately, Caroline had just been with both of them. She'd been a part of a threesome, and she had enjoyed it. Very much.

 

CHAPTER 10

The sun rose slowly, purposefully, filling the sky with one-of-a-kind orange, yellow, and gold rays that stretched for as far as Caroline could see. It had peeked through the arms of the trees, intent on making its presence known until finally finding its place high up in the sky looking down on the treetops and the mountain base.

She stood on the back porch, holding a coffee cup in both hands, and simply watched. And thought. About last night.

Closing her eyes she bit back a sigh of regret, swallowing the still-steaming coffee, feeling as if she deserved the sting it produced at the back of her throat. She'd finally done it. Exactly what she'd told herself a year ago she would never do again. If anyone found out that she'd been with both Malec and Channing last night, she would be packing up and moving to another town again.

With a shake of her head she let out a breath. She didn't want to leave Blackbriar. In the months that she'd been there she found that she really liked the small mountain town. Despite the residents that wanted to know more about her—so they could talk behind her back—or wanted to pull her into their close circles—so they could talk about other people to her, behind their backs—she liked waking up each morning with the view of a mountaintop not too far in the distance.

She'd enjoyed working at the animal clinic there, taking over for the last doctor who had retired and helping the regulars with their pets. For once in her life Caroline had felt like she'd finally found the place where she belonged.

Then Malec had walked in with that buck, and Channing had stepped up behind her on that dance floor.

And then, last night.

She took another sip of coffee, staring down into the cup afterward.

“I know it's good, but it doesn't take the worries away. I haven't figured out how to put that in the recipe yet.”

She didn't jump at all even though she hadn't heard Channing join her. He came to stand right beside her, so close his bare arm rubbed against hers. Caroline looked over at the arm, to the sleeve tattoo he had there. It was on both arms. An intricate design full of swirls and geometric patterns that intrigued her in the light of day. She reached out a hand and touched his forearm.

“The first month I was in the Marines, Blaez, Phelan, and I had a weekend off. The first night we went out for drinks. I had a lot of drinks,” he said with a chuckle. “We ended up at a tattoo shop where I stayed until it was time to return to base getting this done. Come Monday morning, my arms hurt like hell. I thought I'd been in a battle and had them shot to hell with shrapnel.”

“I noticed them before, but didn't really pay a lot of attention. They're beautiful,” she said, moving his arm around so that she could see even more of the detail on the inside of his arm and his bicep. The memory of the night they'd been in the tub together and how conflicted she'd been feeling flashed into her mind. “Did the others get tats as well? Malec wasn't with you?”

She hated herself for saying his name. For still standing there and wanting to know more about him when he hadn't had the decency to say good morning or good-bye to her this morning before rushing out of the bedroom. Sure, he'd held her so close to him all night that she'd thought for a moment after waking from a deep sleep that she was trapped by some vicious intruder. It had taken her a few moments, a few deep inhales of his rich, earthy scent, and the feel of his hard dick pressing into the crease of her butt to remind her where she was and who she was with.

“We hadn't met Malec yet, and no, the others did not get a tat. But they love telling the story of the night I did,” Channing told her.

She remained silent, lifting the cup to her lips once more.

“I met Malec a year into my time with the Marines. Blaez had traveled for an assignment, and when he came back he had Malec with him. Malec was also a Marine, and he'd transferred into our unit. We clicked instantly,” he said.

“Are you gay?” came her next question before she could think of a way to rephrase or possibly not to ask at all.

Channing chuckled. “No, we're not gay, and we're not bisexual. Malec is like a brother to me. He, Blaez, and Phelan are my family. I would give my life for any of them. Malec and I share women. That makes us a little closer than the others but not because we're secretly in love with each other. Because we just understand each other, we understand that pit of darkness that lives and breathes inside of us each day, and we accept how we both choose to handle it.”

“You don't think it's depraved?” Caroline continued with the questions because, well, it was easy with Channing.

He listened, and he replied. He didn't skirt around the questions or ignore them entirely and change the subject the way Malec had. He simply answered, whether he thought she would understand the answer or not. For that reason and probably more that she didn't quite understand yet, she felt completely comfortable talking to Channing. Even after what had happened last night.

“No, I don't,” he told her. “But that may be because of my … upbringing, I guess you could say.”

Caroline chuckled. “What? Was your mother a prostitute too?”