The After Dark Collection: Books 1-3 in The Gift Series Read online

  Who I’d always go home to.

  And because he had his fantasies, and I had mine. “Yes, I’m watching them,” I said, admitting the barest of truths. A start.

  “And what are you thinking?”

  “How pretty they all are,” I said, grinning as I glanced back at him.

  “Yes, they’re all so very pretty,” he said, joking.

  Kate looked over at us, and her eyes locked with mine. They seemed to say something. Something like I know what you want.

  A few seconds later, Jake pulled his gaze away from the others. His dark eyes locked with . . . mine?

  I startled. Did they really, or did I imagine it?

  My breath caught in my throat, and Finn noticed, because he dusted his lips up my neck to my ear. “You like when people watch us.”

  It was a statement, clear and commanding. He knew the answer.

  “Yes,” I said, and a small knot of worry in me loosened as we danced closer to the secret wish inside me. “Don’t you?”

  He nodded against my neck, his hands circling my waist tighter. “Love it. Love it so damn much, because I know what we have.”

  “What do we have?”

  “Love, trust, faith,” he whispered, and the words were charged with sensuality, as if trust were a black lace garter and faith were our king-size bed.

  Maybe they were one and the same.

  “We do have that. Does that turn you on?” I asked.

  “It does, because I know nothing will change it,” he said, and those words were iron, they were stone.

  He didn’t need to keep me all to himself, because he knew I belonged to him. But would he share me?

  I danced against him, raising my arms into the air, my body moving like water. “What if someone did watch us?” I asked, taking a chance, another small step out of the realm of imagination.

  “I bet you’d like it. Just like you did the other night.”

  His comment was so nonchalant, so casual that it caught me off guard. Were we talking hypothetically or specifically? About Jake or about the guy from the store? Or anyone? I didn’t know, but I had to find out. Adam and Nina had stepped away to say hi to someone. This was my chance to take one more step toward my fantasy.

  “I like when people see how hot we are for each other,” I ventured, my gaze drifting again to Jake and Kate. “Even people we know.”

  Finn grazed his hand down my belly. “I see where you’re looking, baby. And I bet you’d love it if he saw what you did to me.”

  He.

  We were talking about the man we knew. We weren’t talking about the man from the store any longer.

  My skin turned electric, and pleasure popped inside me like a drug, an intoxicating drug that flooded my veins with endorphins.

  I rubbed against his erection. “What do I do to you?”

  “You make me so hard when you tell me your fantasies. I want to make them all come true.” He ran his hands down my thighs and all I could think was Kate was right. Kate was definitely right. Finn wanted me to have all my dirty dreams. “All of them, Lily. Every damn one.”

  We were close, so close. “Every one?” I asked nervously.

  “Every one. Like how aroused you get when people watch us. You love it because you’re so damn sexual and so incredibly mine.”

  “I am yours. You know that, right?”

  “I damn well know it.” He growled. “And you better, too.”

  “I do. I absolutely do.” I ran my hands behind me, across his firm stomach, tracing the outline of his hard abs, then down to his belt and lower. “What if I slipped my hand into your pants here? Would you like that? Would that turn you on knowing someone’s watching?”

  I looked over once more to the group. They were engrossed in each other, but it had to be clear where I was looking.

  It had to be clear where we were going.

  “Yes. Yes, it would. So, tell me, baby. Tell me what we’re doing right now in your fantasies.” His voice was urgent, desperate, like he had to know to survive this night.

  Love, trust, faith.

  This was it. This was the moment to test. To find out the truth. Could we sustain this fantasy? Would his be mine and vice versa? And could we move through it and come out on the other side, even closer?

  “He’s watching us undress.” I emphasized the pronoun, just as Finn had.

  My fiancé’s reaction was instant. He hissed, slamming my ass against his hard length. “And does that make you wet?” The question oozed sexual need.

  We might not be naming Jake, but it had to be apparent who we were bringing into our game.

  “So wet,” I answered, one hundred percent honest.

  “Tell me what he’s watching us do,” Finn said gruffly, urging me on.

  “He’s watching you peel off my dress then fondle my breasts.”

  He drew a sharp breath, groaning. “I bet he’s turned on when he sees your perfect tits, sees how hard your rosy little nipples get.”

  “He loves it,” I gasped, and I was already ridiculously aroused, soaking my panties. “He’s getting hard watching you yank off my panties, spread me out on the bed, and bury your face between my legs.”

  I wasn’t just going there. I was diving into the deep end, getting off on the idea of his best friend watching us.

  And judging from Finn’s erection, like steel against me, and his groans, hot and hard in my ear, he loved every second of it too.

  “Bet you’d like to see him take his dick out, stroke it, even, as I eat you. Bet that’d make you come all over my face.”

  I was burning up. My skin was on fire. The image was so erotic, so deliciously filthy that I’d need fifty cold showers to get it out of my head.

  Not that I wanted it gone.

  “I’d come so hard,” I murmured, my breath stuttering. “And you wouldn’t even wait for me to stop coming. You’d flip me over, put me on my hands and knees, and drive into me.”

  “And you’d take his cock in your perfect mouth.”

  And now he was going there, too. All the way there. Nothing held back. We were doing it. We were bringing another person into our bedroom in every way but that final step.

  Pleasure in me coiled, tightening, and I swore I was going to come on the dance floor. I spun around, grabbed his hand, and marched him to the restroom, shutting it, locking it, and telling him to take out his erection.

  “With pleasure.”

  He unzipped his jeans, and I drew him into my mouth, sucking him deep. I wasted no time with flicks or swirls. I needed all of his length, and I needed it now.

  Mercilessly, he took my mouth, cursing and groaning like he’d never been sucked so good before.

  He couldn’t speak. Could only moan and grunt, it seemed.

  But soon his groans turned into words again. “He’d walk in and see the way you need something between your legs so badly. He’d get behind you, slide his hands around your waist, and finger you as I fucked your mouth. Would you like that?”

  Between my legs, I felt heavy, aching with desire. I nodded my answer. My only answer. I wouldn’t like it—I’d love it.

  “Or maybe he’d play with your ass while you sucked me off.”

  I moaned around him at that image. Lust shot down my spine then shook me to my core when he thrust in my mouth. “Bet you’d love that. Bet you’d come so hard like that.”

  I felt like I could come right now, even with him so deep in my throat. I could come now, and then again, and then I’d want another. I needed this fantasy desperately. Needed it to be real.

  “Or,” he said, his hands curling around my head as he pumped his length between my lips, “I could fuck your pussy while he took your ass.”

  Pleasure tore through me, and I craved relief. Shoving a hand between my legs, I stroked and rubbed as Finn unleashed his release in my mouth, and I went over the edge.

  Never had I needed to come more than in that moment.

  My orgasm swept over me as I swallowed h
is.

  When he tugged me up and looked me in the eyes, he ran the backs of his fingers against my cheek, such a gentle, tender gesture. “Tell me you want that.”

  His voice was intense. Thick with need.

  Once more I was reminded—he’s obsessed with your pleasure.

  I could hear it in his tone. He wanted this like I did.

  And I finally felt free enough to say it. Free enough to take the chance. Because I understand what we had in a whole new way—we’d make it out on the other side, even closer.

  That’s who we were.

  We were madly in love, and we were madly in trust. But we also knew each other. To the depths of our souls, to the heart of our fantasies.

  From wedding music to football calls to pad thai. From late night talks to early morning runs to all the things we shared.

  We were a unit. We were bound. “I want that,” I said, and the weight lifted. I felt invigorated, alive, all my nerve endings buzzing. My heart was lighter. My mind was free. “I want you to give that to me.”

  He kissed my forehead, relief and desire in his tone. “I will, baby. I will.”

  6

  Finn

  Some things in life were hard. Getting over the loss of someone you loved. Making a half-court shot in basketball. And winning a case when the evidence was overwhelmingly against your client.

  And some were easy.

  Surprisingly so.

  Pulling your best friend aside in the casino at the Luxe. Asking him to play a round of slots. Feeding the machine some tokens and asking, “How would you feel about a threesome with Lily and me?”

  It didn’t feel awkward. Honestly, it was like a weight had lifted. I could finally say what she wanted. Finally put the plans into place to give it to her. It was freeing, in a way.

  He shot me a look like I was crazy. “Dude, I am not touching you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Obviously. There will be no sword crossing, accidental or purposeful.”

  “Amen to that.”

  “But I’m serious, man,” I said, dropping the ribbing. “This is what she wants. I want to give her everything.”

  He didn’t say anything right away. “You do.”

  It was a statement, not a question. But I answered it anyway. “Yeah, I do. That’s my goal.”

  “And she wants this? She wants a threesome?”

  I nodded, feeling no shame in sharing this. “She does, and it isn’t about me. It’s about her. The point is to worship her. To give her a fantasy. The focus would be on her and only her. To make her feel like a queen getting serviced by two kings in the bedroom.”

  He scratched his jaw, took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Let me make sure I’m understanding this correctly. You’re asking me to join you and your fiancée in a devil’s threesome.” He made a hook ’em sign with his hand like he was at an 80s rock concert.

  “Yes,” I said with a laugh. Then I stopped laughing. “I am asking you that. Never thought our friendship would come to this but that’s how it goes. This is what the woman wants. Both of us,” I said, and maybe I should have been processing this more, absorbing the enormity of what I was asking.

  But then, I’d been processing this possibility for some time.

  I’d been ready for it for a long while.

  For her.

  Because she wanted it.

  His eyes locked with mine. “And that means you want me to fuck your fiancée?” he asked, deliberately blunt, I could tell. Putting it in no uncertain terms.

  When he worded it that way, I bristled. I clenched my jaw. Jealousy flamed in me, but then seconds later, it died down. I was possessive of Lily, but what I wanted all to myself was what I knew I had—her heart, her soul.

  They were never in question, so I didn’t need to be jealous.

  And I wanted her to have all her dirty desires come true.

  “She wants us both at the same time,” I said, making it clear how it would go down. “Which means the next question is this: do you want her?”

  He laughed like I’d said the dumbest thing. “You’re marrying a babe. She’s also an amazing person. If she wants this, I’d much rather you ask me than find someone online.”

  I shuddered at that thought. “No effing way.”

  Jake laughed, amused it seemed. “Can you even imagine? The replies you’d get.”

  I cringed. “Yeah, let’s maybe not think about that.”

  “They’d be the worst. You’d get some serious freaks trying to take you up on that.”

  “Instead, I’m asking my friend the freak,” I said, then I squared my shoulders, and swallowed. I waited. I had to be patient. He hadn’t given me a yes yet. Maybe he was still processing what this might mean for our friendship, or for his friendship with Lily. Hell, I’d contemplated all that too. But I had the faith the three of us were rock solid in every way. Would Jake feel the same?

  He took a breath. Stared off in the distance at the card tables, maybe considering his fictional future as a card shark. Or maybe he was weighing the odds. What were the stakes of this proposition? To me, the stakes were clear, and this was a bet worth taking.

  But would he feel that way?

  He returned his gaze to me, his expression serious. “It’s good you didn’t look online. It’s definitely good you’re not hunting on some app. Truth be told, if you’d done this with a stranger, I think I’d be really offended.” One more deep breath, then a crooked grin. “So I suppose now that you’ve offered, you’re stuck with me and my ten-inch rod. But she definitely wants it?”

  I rolled my eyes, scoffing. “Your wiener is not ten inches. More like ten millimeters.”

  “Have you measured it?”

  “No, and I never will, but I’m confident it’s not ten inches.” I took a beat. “And to answer your other question, yes, she does.”

  “It’s coming from her?” he asked, confirming.

  “One hundred percent,” I said, then gestured toward the club where we’d been. “Look, I can ask her to join us right now and work out the details.”

  Jake held out his hands wide. “If it’s ladies’ night, the lady ought to be having a say.”

  I texted her, and a few minutes later she joined us, standing by my side. She looked guilty, but in a cute way, like she’d been caught taking money from my wallet to buy me a gift.

  She was the only gift I ever wanted.

  “Hi,” she said, all breathy and sexy.

  “Hey, Lil,” Jake said, meeting her gaze, his eyes intense. It was his lawyer face. The expression he wore when talking to a client, making sure they were on board with a plan, a way to proceed. “You really want this? This is coming from you?”

  Her shoulders shuddered, but she remained poised. “I do.”

  “And what are your rules?” he asked. “I’m assuming you have them mapped out.”

  “My rules?” She sounded surprised as a nearby slot machine delivered a payoff. Cha-ching went the sound of coins, raining down.

  I roped my arm tighter around her, reassuring her, letting her know we wanted her night to unfold exactly as she wanted it. “This is your fantasy, baby. You set the stage. We’re your actors.”

  She nibbled on the corner of her lips, took a deep breath, then answered with confidence, and it was so alluring. “I want to feel amazing. To explore my fantasies. To say no when I want. To say yes to what I want.” She met my gaze, her blue eyes brimming with honesty. “To keep loving you. Because you’re the love of my life, and I know nothing will come between us.” She looked at Jake. “For you guys to keep being friends. Because your friendship means the world to my man. He needs you. He depends on you. And you’re so important to him, and to me.” She raised her chin. “And for the two of you both to have free rein with my body. To take me to new heights. To explore to your heart’s content. To do whatever you want.”

  I tugged at my shirt collar. I was an inferno.

  Jake glanced down at his crotch. “My ten-incher likes the idea of
all that, so I’d say we can do it tonight.”

  My woman laughed, then shook her head. “I want to get ready for it. I need to take my time, prep, and be all kinds of indulgent. How about tomorrow?”

  Could I be any luckier?

  “Consider this my RSVP to the ménage à trois,” Jake said then winked.

  After that, we did something incredibly ordinary.

  But it was fitting.

  Maybe it was what the three of us needed.

  A game of blackjack.

  We played a few hands, laughing and joking the whole time. Being the three of us. Having fun.

  And we won.

  This was a good sign.

  * * *

  That night Lily and I were in bed alone, and I did something we hadn’t done in a long time. I made love to her missionary style. As I was deep inside her, I told her I wanted everything for her, I’d make it amazing, and all I wanted at the end of each day and the end of every night was her. She looped her arms tighter around me. Her legs, too, like she spoke with her body as well as her words. “You have me, Finn. You have me. Always.”

  After, as she lay in my arms, I stroked her hair. “This won’t change us,” I said confidently.

  “I know that.”

  “Do you know why I believe it?”

  She met my gaze. “Tell me.”

  “Because you and I are in this together from the start. Because it’s what we’ve always done. And most of all, because we belong together. We belong to each other. Know that in your heart.”

  “I do know that, Finn. You have my heart, too. You have all of me.”

  Damn, this woman made me horny and happy at the same time. I ran my hand over her breasts, along her belly, and as I touched her, I grinned, an idea coming to me. “I want you to think of tomorrow night as my engagement gift to you.”

  She grinned like a wicked angel. “It’s the perfect gift.” She reached for my face, cupped my cheek, and kissed me. “But you’re the gift.”

  As she was to me.

  7

  Jake