“You’re both still dressed.” I wanted my hands on them as much as they had theirs on me.
C.J. whispered in my ear. “Quiet. I’ll tell you when you can talk.”
His words made me hotter. I used to love it when C.J. told me what to do in bed. Cooper hauled me up and laid me down on the bed. Looking up, I saw two gorgeous men staring down at me with heat in their eyes. C.J. crawled to my side, taking off his shirt as he did. “For eight years I’ve been thinking about you. I want your mouth on my cock, M.”
“Works for me.” Cooper raised half his mouth in a smile. “Because I want inside you. Then maybe we’ll switch.”
We’d never done this before without the help of Dane’s magic relaxation drugs. They’d always made it perfectly fine to be as free as I wanted to be in bed, but without the assistance, I tended to be a little bit more reserved. But at this point, I’d crawl around naked if they wanted me to, just to feel them within me again.
Cooper discarded his clothes, throwing them over his shoulder, and C.J. followed suit. And then there was nothing but feeling. C.J. rolled me over until he could kiss me while Cooper made time with my breasts. I moaned into C.J.’s mouth as Cooper’s hands tweaked my nipples.
Pleasure surged up and down my spine.
C.J.’s beard rubbed at my face, a delicious pain I knew I would feel for hours after we were done.
“Spread for me.” Cooper pushed my legs apart before he kissed down my thighs. I shuddered.
I reached out to stroke Cooper’s cock at the same time. I’d always loved giving head, or at least I had since I’d woken up without my memories. Before then, it had seemed like too much responsibility on me. What if I couldn’t make him come? Or I gagged? I assumed they’d have been so disappointed. I didn’t worry anymore. Sex, in any form, was fun. I’d changed, and in this case for the better.
C.J. was big and my mouth watered with my desire to taste him. I took him a little at a time at first, kissing the top of his penis before starting to bob my head over him. He groaned and closed his eyes before he moved closer, giving me easier access.
I reveled in the taste of him, in the maleness, in the familiar. I squirmed and Cooper pressed his tongue deep into my pussy. I cried out around C.J., which made him jerk harder into me. He hissed, the muscles in his legs clenching.
“I’ve got the control of a sixteen-year-old right now. You’re so hot.” He groaned. “Slow down for me, M. I don’t want to go off yet.”
I tried my best, but it wasn’t entirely up to me how hard I sucked. With Cooper pressing on my clit, it was all I could do not to come right then myself and end the whole thing as I burst into a million flames, never to come back again.
Cooper pulled back. “I need in you, like right now, or I’m going to lose it myself. It’s been too long. I have to…I just…”
I adjusted my position, moving so Cooper would have leverage without losing C.J. in my mouth. Eventually, I ended up on my knees. It was the easiest way to keep everybody happy. I dripped with need, one of them had to do something to make me come soon or I might actually beg. Sex had been a non-factor in my life for five years. I hadn’t imagined wanting it again.
With C.J. in my mouth, I couldn’t tell them and maybe that was a good thing. I might weep from the joy of rejoining; I might confess a huge part of me had been dead inside. It wasn’t the time or place.
Even if the unsaid words made their way to my tongue despite my best intentions, I swallowed them down.
Cooper pushed in behind me. I could tell he was being gentle, fitting himself in slowly rather than going balls deep immediately. I moaned at the invasion, my muscles remembering what they needed to do. He cupped my breasts, messaging them while he entered me. C.J. jerked in my mouth, a long thrust, and I knew from past experiences he wouldn’t be able to last much longer.
That was okay. Neither would I.
“I love you.” Cooper spoke the sweetest words next to my ear. I knew they’d never been easy for him to say. “I’d have waited twice as long to get back to you. A lifetime if necessary. Whatever it took. But never again. Never out of my sight.”
He pushed all the way in and I deep throated C.J. They both moaned, a sound reverberating through the room. These were two of my loves. I needed this as much as they did.
We found a rhythm, they pressed inside me almost in time to each other. Or maybe it just felt that way. My mind was gone, colors danced in front of my eyes, the world spun. It was all blissful pain mixed with my pleasure. My body craved it.
More. Oh wow. Please. More.
Cooper swore before he pressed between us, finding my swollen clit and rubbing the nub until I shattered. Right then, C.J. cried out, his cum coating my throat as I sucked him down. Cooper hollered my name, shattering between my legs at the same time.
My ears rang and sweat dripped from my body. There had never been a sweeter moment, not one I could remember. My muscles were languid and I would have fallen straight onto the bed if one of them hadn’t caught me. I couldn’t even fathom which one. Cocooned in their warmth, I faded into happiness even knowing it couldn’t last forever.
Right then, what we had was enough.
* * * *
The sound of two exhausted men snoring roused me from my daze. I hadn’t slept so much as simply checked out of existence for a little while. My laziness couldn’t last. I had a daughter to check on and supplies to go over. If the spacecrafts were still in the sky, we might have to talk about moving even further into the mountains. I doubted we had enough cold weather provisions to do so, though. Inwardly, I groaned as reality slammed down on my head.
C.J. had one leg swung over me, my back pressed into his abdomen while my head was safely tucked into Cooper’s chest. They were both snoring loud enough to bring down the roof. Neither of one them used to do so, which meant they were either totally exhausted or they’d started to snore in the last five—eight—years.
I hated to wake them. I could have probably snuck out if I wanted to. Only, I strongly suspected neither one of them would like that. There had been enough secrets, enough of me plotting behind their backs, even if it was for the best of reasons. I was leaving for the day; they should know where I was going.
I ran my hand through Cooper’s dark hair while I pressed further into C.J. “Hey, sleepyheads.”
Neither one of them stirred so I tried again, this time a little more forcefully and at a higher volume. Cooper’s eyes popped open and C.J. abruptly stopped snoring. He yanked me against him, speaking first. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I have to go. I didn’t want to leave without telling you.”
Cooper rubbed at his eyes. “Where are we going?”
“You guys don’t have to come. You can stay here and sleep. I’ll come get you if the ships arrive or something else happens.”
C.J. rolled over, grabbing his pants off the floor. “If you think for one second either one of us is taking our eyes off you today, you’ve got another thing coming.”
I sat, crab walking to the end of the bed to look for my own discarded clothing. “Fair enough. I’d love the company. I’m going to check in on Diana, make sure she’s good, and then go count food supplies.”
“Speaking of which.” Cooper started dressing himself. “You’re gorgeous, always are. Nine months pregnant, right now, and everything in between. But you’re very thin. The smallest I’ve ever seen you. Counted your ribs before I conked out. Is this a thing you did on purpose or is there a reason you’re not eating? Are you unwell?”
C.J. shook his head. “Wouldn’t want to be you for anything right now, Coop. Do you know nothing about women?”
I laughed, despite myself. Cooper wasn’t wrong. There was always way too much else to think about besides my external appearance these days. If I was pretty, that was great. It certainly helped get things done. Personally, I’d rather be clever and smart. And since I’d woken without my memories and then regained them, I added kind to that list, too. At
least when I could be…
“There’s never enough food. Diana gets fed first. I go after her. If she’s full, then I eat. Otherwise, I go without. I’m almost never even hungry anymore. I don’t even notice.” I shrugged and pretended to ignore the almost identical looks of utter horror that crossed both their faces. I couldn’t change what was. “Come on if you’re coming. We have things to do.”
Diana was happy as a clam, eating her lunch with the other children. We did have more supplies than we’d had in the valley, which had been on purpose. The winter before, we’d travelled to the mountains in near desperation and had made do with one cabin we’d found before the snow. Nearly starving to death had taught us a few things about survival. If we were lean in the summer months, when it was too hot for most of us to bear the mountains, we were happier in the winter.
Seeing my daughter eat cheese and knowing she was getting calcium brought tears to my eyes. I batted them away.
C.J. leaned against the wall, watching Diana with me, while Cooper gave my mother the death stare from across the room. Eventually, that was going to explode.
“We have food on Artemis and on the shuttle. Nolan set it down. We should get to it and get the supplies. I can go now if you’d like. Unless I can convince you to get off this planet.”
I placed my hand on his arm. “There’s nowhere to go. If there were, I’d be there now. And please don’t leave. Not yet. Not ‘til the others get here. I can’t stand to be separated. I…” Not finishing my sentence seemed best. I hated to be needy, always had.
“I know, M.” He kissed the top of my hand. “It can wait. A bit. Besides, I want the others’ take on this. There very well might be a better option we’re not thinking of. Or something we can do to make this more palatable. One thing I discovered when we were all alone together for that time is that we are a very good team. You did that on purpose, I think, right? When you picked us? Using our combined skills, we made the impossible possible.”
My cheeks heated. “I love all of you. That was first and foremost. Did I recognize I fell in love with the crème de la crème? Yes, of course. Did I do that on purpose? Yes. But nothing matters as much as I love you. Let’s get the sorting done.”
They were extremely helpful, which didn’t surprise me at all. By the time we got through with the storage shed, I knew exactly what tools I had at my disposal for gardening, farming, and snow removal. Food would be next. The guys who had stocked the place and gotten it ready had been extremely thorough but absent minded. Their messages had been imprecise and guessing wasn’t going to work for the winter.
C.J. moved to where Cooper was examining the compost buckets so I stepped out of the shed. Only an hour had passed; we still had most of the day to go. Staring up at the sky, it seemed clear. Was that because the ships had landed and the guards were on foot or because they’d moved on? I hated not knowing.
A click in the woods behind me had me reaching for the gun I didn’t have on me. Shit. Shit. Shit. Where was it?
“Hey.” Geoff’s voice stopped me short. He raised his hands in the air. “It’s just me, sweetheart.” His voice cracked and he grinned while he blinked rapidly. “If you have a gun, please don’t shoot me. At least not until I’ve had a good look at you.”
I darted forward and threw myself into his arms. Unlike my other two husbands who had found me, Geoff didn’t appear noticeably different. There were small lines around his eyes but otherwise he seemed just the same.
“Oh. Geoff. You scared me. I left my gun in the shed. I’m a moron.”
“You shouldn’t be unarmed, but for the moment I’ll consider myself lucky.” He kissed my cheek, my hair, the end of my nose. “Are you okay? Sweetheart, you are like bones in my arms. Are you sick?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Geoff, you have to turn off your wireless.”
“It already is. When Cooper and C.J. both shut theirs off, I decided it was smart to get mine off, too. Took me longer to find you, though. I’ve been stalking around for hours. Seriously, are you okay?”
I shook in his arms and I couldn’t have stopped if I tried. He was my Geoff and he was here. I took a deep breath, bringing in the smell of the fresh air from his clothes into my lungs. “I am now.”
Cooper poked his head around the corner. “Geoff.”
“Cooper.” They nodded at each other. “Glad to see you’re not dead. When your wireless went I decided there was a reason other than being slaughtered. C.J. here?”
He must have heard his name because he poked around the corner of the shed. “Hey, man.”
“What’s in the shed?”
C.J. shook his head. “A really depressing sight.”
“Wait. What?” I let go of Geoff. “I think we’re in good shape.”
“If this is your definition of good shape, you’ve been on this planet too long. We’ll talk about it later. Go be with Geoff. Cooper and I have some things to do here. We’ll show you later.”
I was really not used to being ordered around anymore—not that I truly had ever been so. But, I did want to be with Geoff. I needed his presence, his beloved face.
And I had the most important thing in the world to do with him, which I wouldn’t put off for even a second.
He ran a hand down my back. “I’ve really missed you. So much. I’m sorry about everything that happened. You woke up alone, you must have been terrified, I…”
I put my hand on his arm to stop him. “We have a daughter. Whatever else happened doesn’t matter. Nothing really does, except her, if I’m honest. Come on. I want you to meet her.”
His body went still. “She’s okay? I haven’t let myself think about her, well the potential of her, too much, because I started to go crazy thinking about the two of you.”
“She’s okay.” I nodded. “She doesn’t talk anymore.” I was going to have to have this conversation over and over again for the rest of my life, assuming Diana didn’t suddenly start chatting again. Telling her father, however, constituted something else. “She did. And then some bad stuff happened and she stopped. I’m afraid…I broke her. But I love her so completely, so absolutely. I’d break myself in half over and over for her if I could make it better.”
Geoff held my eye contact and I kept waiting for the judgment, the yelling, the accusations about having destroyed his daughter. None came. He took a deep breath. “You’ve been keeping her alive on this hell hole. I thought where I grew up was bad…it was paradise, compared to this. Let’s see what we can do now that we’re all together. She’s had the worst absentee father ever.”
“Not exactly your fault. That’s on me.”
Geoff shook his head. “Who gives a shit whose fault anything is anymore? Take me to meet her. We’ll figure the rest of it out.”
I was so in love with Geoff. “I missed you. And I never thanked you, did I? For coming to get me from Master’s.”
He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me to him, kissing me hard. My heart kicked up, thundering hard in my ears. His taste was so right. My body and soul remembered him and I sighed at the contact.
“I missed you, too. I’ll always come for you, but hopefully I won’t have to again. Eight years I dreamed of you every night.” He hugged my tight. “What does she look like?”
“Come on.” We walked-slashed-ran to the cabin where Diana was with the other children. She looked up as I walked in and waved to me, her gaze fixing on Geoff next to me. He sucked in his breath and went still.
“She’s…she’s beautiful.” His voice cracked and he visibly swallowed. “I knew she would be.”
I made my way to Diana, trying not to disrupt the rest of the group, and picked her up. My back was still starting to ache from all the up and down. At five, she was too big for me to haul her around the way I did.
Only I couldn’t seem to stop doing it until I couldn’t physically manage it anymore. At least when I got to hold her I knew she was absolutely fine. If I could have, I’d wrap up all the guys and haul t
hem around, too, and spend my days keeping everyone safe.
Geoff bent his neck slightly until he could look Diana in the eye. “Those are your eyes, sweetheart.”
They weren’t. They were all his. “There seems to be some kind of debate going on about who she looks the most like. To me, she’s just Diana now. But, objectively, she’s you, and so beautiful for it.”
He extended his hand toward her and I held my breath. How was he going to take it when she pulled back? Only, she didn’t. My daughter who hadn’t spoken in years and hated strangers, extended her small hand and took Geoff’s like she knew who he was even though I hadn’t told her yet.
“This is your daddy, baby.”
She nodded as if to indicate she already knew.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been here. I am now. I’ll never leave you or your mommy again.”
A loud bang outside shattered the moment, which at least kept me from crying. Everyone gasped and Diana shook in my arms. “Geoff, take her.”
I didn’t stop to think as I passed Diana into his arms. She didn’t struggle, which helped. “Melissa?” he called after me.
“Keep her safe.” I still didn’t have a gun on me, but I was going to get one immediately. Tearing out the door, I abruptly came up short. A large drone circled the camp, which would normally be an absolute death sentence for all of us. I’d never seen a drone before two years ago but Olivia loved to use them, or at least whoever ran her army did. We weren’t even sure who that was, exactly. Her husband was long dead, along with the rest of her family.
So either Olivia was an evil genius running the universe from her bedroom with the ability of a trained general after spending her life pretending to be someone quite different or she had someone helping to make all her chaos last.
In any case, one of her spy devices had found us. They looked like bugs—big, giant flying monstrous ones—and they were the stuff of my nightmares.
Except this one was darting around in the sky like it was drunk. I stared up at it. What was it doing?
“Hey.” Wes’ voice caught my attention and he stepped into the clearing in front of the cabin. “Melissa. I found you.”