Then he tensed against her. And then he went hard. Fast. Rocking her forward, almost rough as he came in wave after wave.
And then finally he lowered his body over hers, lying flush against her back, his breath whispering harshly in her ear.
God, but she was so on edge. So close to another climax. Her entire body tingled, and she unconsciously bucked her ass upward, wanting, needing more.
Merrick lifted himself up and gently pulled out of her body. She moaned, wanting that fullness back. She needed it.
“Take care of her, Cade,” Merrick said in a low voice. “She’s close. She needs to finish.”
She heard the rasp of a zipper, and her pulse shot up about twenty beats a minute. Warm gentle hands on her behind, spreading and caressing.
And then Cade was inside her. Just as hard. Just as thick. Only a bit slower and not as desperate as Merrick had been.
She closed her eyes and lay her cheek on the soft pad covering the table and gave herself over to the two men who loved her.
Cade leaned down and kissed between her shoulder blades, and then he picked up his pace, driving harder, as if he’d lost the ability to be patient. His need took over, and it drove her own relentlessly on.
“Take what you need, Elle,” Cade commanded. “Come for me.”
She twisted restlessly, unable to remain still under the delicious onslaught. She bucked upward, meeting every thrust.
Cade grasped her hips and pulled her back each time he drove forward. Then his grasp tightened, his fingers digging into her flesh and she cried out as, for a second time, her orgasm flashed and swallowed her up in its fiery pleasure.
And then as Merrick had done, Cade blanketed her body, his hips still twitching against her ass while he lay, his breaths coming hard and long over her shoulder.
“Love you,” he whispered.
As soon as Cade carefully pulled out of Elle’s body, she was in Merrick’s arms again, cradled in his hold.
“Jesus, baby,” he murmured over and over again. “We did it. We goddamn did it.”
She smiled and rested her head against his chest. “No, you did it, Merrick. You kicked his ass. You’re the champion.”
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, worry thick in his voice.
She smiled at that too. “Oh no, my love. If you do that after every fight, I might not be so reluctant for you to fight more often.”
Merrick smiled, and then she looked up at his battered face in worry.
“How hurt are you? God, Merrick, you shouldn’t have been having sex after you just got the hell beat out of you.”
He arched one eyebrow. The one not cut and bleeding. “I thought you just said I kicked his ass.”
“Yeah, well, he did some kicking of his own. You have to be in so much pain.”
Merrick shook his head. “Not yet. Adrenaline still flowing. It’s why I had to have you right here, right now. Later, I’ll feel it. That’s when Dallas will shove some meds down me and make me rest. I won’t be worth killing in a few hours.”
She turned and held her hand out to Cade, wanting him close. As close as she was to Merrick. Cade pushed in until she was sandwiched between the two men. It was a comfortable, familiar place to be in. Between them. Where she felt the safest. Where she was loved.
“I love the two of you. I hope you both know that.”
Cade smiled. “Yeah, I think we do.”
She glanced up at Merrick. “Hey, what’s with kissing me in front of live television? I thought we were keeping me secret.”
Merrick went quiet a moment and glanced Cade’s way. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t thinking about it at the time. I only knew I wanted you to share in that moment with me and Cade. It wasn’t complete without you. I wanted the whole damn world to know that I love you. And…if someone, somewhere sees you and recognizes you and even tries to contact you, then we’ll deal with that when it comes up. At some point, we have to address the issue of your past. Maybe this will help us do just that.”
She leaned her head over on Cade’s shoulder while still remaining in Merrick’s arms.
“And maybe no one will come at all,” she said softly, hope for just that outcome brimming in her heart.
C H A P T E R T H I R T Y - N I N E
THE THREE STAYED IN LOS Angeles for four days after the fight. Merrick had meetings with the president of the IMMAO as well as their publicity team, not to mention countless other media for post-fight interviews, videos and a radio appearance.
Elle didn’t know how he did it. He was tired. Physically and mentally exhausted, and he was in considerable pain from the pounding he’d taken. Dallas stayed all four days, giving Merrick a thorough assessment each morning.
The fifth morning, the late nights and endless appointments had caught up with Elle, and she was sleeping soundly when Merrick slid out of bed to meet Dallas.
She stirred and automatically stuck her head up, bleary-eyed, ready to be with Merrick, but Cade slid his strong arm around her and pulled her back down next to him.
Merrick bent over the bed, smoothed her hair from her forehead and then kissed her. “Stay in bed, baby. I won’t be long. Dallas is heading home this morning, and he wanted to check in on me one more time before his flight to Denver.”
“Love you,” she murmured.
The smile split his face and wrinkled his lean jaw. “Love you too.”
She watched lazily as he dressed and then left the bedroom of the suite. Then she turned, seeking Cade’s warmth and the comfort of his body. She snuggled tightly against him and sighed in utter contentment when he wrapped his body around hers and held her close.
His cock was rigid and straining at his boxer briefs, and without thought, she let her hand wander down his body to cup the bulge between his legs.
“Watch it,” he murmured. “You have no idea how much I want to fuck you right now.”
She kissed his neck, inhaling his scent as she nestled even closer, her fingers sliding delicately over the ridge in his underwear.
“And this would be a bad thing?” she whispered. “But you know, if you’re going to, I’d suggest doing it now before Merrick gets back. He gets sort of demanding after Dallas gives him his checkups.”
Cade chuckled. “Are we too much for you, sweetheart?”
Over the last three days, since the incident in the locker room after the fight, the two men had fucked her together, separately, in as many ways, positions and locations as possible. And every morning, without exception, the minute Dallas left their room, Merrick very possessively made love to her.
For so long, the men had treated her so very gently, as though they were afraid of pushing too hard and too fast, and then when they’d finally broken the ice and consummated their physical relationship, she’d been hurt so they hadn’t made love to her for several weeks.
But now? It was as if the floodgates had been opened and they were making up for lost time. They couldn’t seem to get enough of her, and she couldn’t get enough of them.
She reveled in their possession. The tenderness with which they made love to her but also the rough edge of their possession where she could tell they were holding a tight rein on themselves because they didn’t want to hurt her.
“Never too much,” she said against his skin. “Never enough.”
“Climb on top of me,” Cade said in a husky voice. “I want you astride me.”
While she pushed away the sheets, Cade quickly divested himself of his underwear, and then she swung her leg over his muscled thighs and tentatively reached down to run her fingers over his length.