Appassionato (22 page)

“Jesus, Jake, if you keep that up I’m going to come right the fuck now.” Duncan lifted his head and looked down at Jake on the floor. Jake mouthed around the head of Duncan’s cock and looked up through his lashes. Duncan shuddered and Jake felt him harden even more on his tongue.

“It’s not like I mind the view,” Emma gasped. Both men looked up. She lay there, flushed and open. Jake groaned. Then Duncan urged him up between her legs. Jake went willingly, jerking when Duncan palmed his cock, slipping the head over Emma’s clit. She bucked and Duncan chuckled. Jake squeezed his eyes shut tight, willing himself not to go off like a teenager on his first date.

“Here he comes, sweetheart. You ready for him?” Emma nodded wildly and Duncan eased Jake’s cock inside her. When he was fully seated, Jake panted, the warm, tight sensation overwhelming him for a moment.

“Don’t come,” Duncan said sharply and Jake nodded distractedly. He heard the crinkle of another condom, then Duncan was circling his hole with his finger, still slick with Emma’s arousal. “Relax,” Duncan murmured, stroking Jake’s lower back with his other hand. Jake breathed out and Duncan slipped two fingers inside, hitting his prostate on the first go. Jake jerked forward and Emma moaned, shoving back at him, fucking herself down on his cock. Jake almost lost it, then Duncan snaked his hand around and pulled his balls away from his body.

“Not yet,” Duncan ground out, voice hoarse.

“God, hurry up,” Jake said, curling his hands around the soft leather seat. He was hard enough to pound nails.

“Okay, okay.” Duncan eased his fingers out, then Jake felt the blunt head of his lover’s cock press inside. The burn felt so good, the pain and pleasure of it making him shake. Emma wrapped her legs around both of them as Duncan slowly pushed all the way in. Then he pulled back and thrust, rocking Jake into Emma. They both moaned and Duncan grunted.

“Please, please, please,” Emma was saying and Jake could only nod in agreement. He felt so full, surrounded by his lovers. Their minds twined with his as Duncan started to move and the sensation of fucking took over. He could feel every inch of Duncan’s cock as it slid inside, the heat of him as he rocked in and he grabbed Duncan’s hands, gripping them as he lowered his head to Emma, kissing her wildly. He sucked on her lips, tasting the mint Duncan had eaten earlier on her tongue and that was the sexiest thing, knowing that his other lover had left part of himself on Emma. He shuddered, feeling his cock grow impossibly harder and he hovered on the edge of something for a moment, reveling in their bonding link, feeling them in his head, their pleasure mixing with his. He let himself hover for a moment, then he couldn’t hold on any longer and he flew apart as Duncan groaned and jerked inside him and Emma clenched around his cock. Their orgasms were so intense, Jake couldn’t breathe. He tried not to crush Emma, but he didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to be anywhere other than right here, right now, with them. He wanted to stay forever, which was impossible.
But you can’t blame a guy for wishing
, he thought just as Dave rapped on the divider. Wisely, he didn’t open it. Duncan pulled out and Jake winced slightly. They’d never fucked with so little preparation before. He took a deep breath, easing himself out of Emma.

Sorry
, Duncan thought.
You can fuck me next time
. Jake moaned as he caught the thought, his hands fumbling with the used condom.

“I can’t believe we did that in the car,” Emma said, disbelief in her voice. She let go of the handle and pressed her hands into the seat. Duncan chuckled and Jake rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry we went kind of primal all over you.” Jake stroked his hands over Emma’s breasts, admiring their soft curviness, then pulled her bra back into place. They jumped when Dave rapped on the divider again.

“You’d better see what he wants,” Jake said to Duncan. He found Emma’s panties and grabbed a napkin from the side-bar, handing it to her. She grimaced and wiped at herself, then slipped her underwear back on. Jake pulled his pants up and helped her button her skirt. When he finished, Duncan had pulled on his pants, but his belt was still hanging undone. Dave knocked again and Duncan sighed, exasperated, and let go of his belt to slide the divider back.

“What?”

“We’re here, but there are a ton of paps hanging outside of Emma’s house.” Dave resolutely did not look into the rear of the vehicle. Jake smiled, amused.

“Can you and Charlie handle them so we can get inside?” Duncan asked.

Dave grunted and slid the divider back. A moment later he and Charlie got out, then opened the rear door. Jake eyed the crowd outside, frustrated.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Duncan said apologetically as he ducked out, Jake right behind him.

Emma shrugged and squared her shoulders, then stepped out of the car.

Chapter 11

“Are you sure you’re okay going to this shindig with us?” Duncan asked for the thousandth time. Emma rolled her eyes. Even with the telepathy and empathy she couldn’t convince them that she would be fine. The only reason she didn’t snap at him was because she knew he was worried that she’d just lost her job and she was still concerned about her missing students.

“I’m
positive
,” she said aloud, emphasizing her resolve. She sat down to slip on her sparkly heels, smiling as she admired her feet. She loved these shoes. She looked up to catch Duncan eyeing her fondly. “What?”

“You’re adorable,” he said, walking over to her. He sat down next to her on the sofa and she admired his rugged good looks. He wore tight black pants and a red shirt, open at the neck. A collection of silver necklaces hung down against his chest. She loved the way he could pull off the look—rock star chic. Jake snorted and she looked up. He was wearing black pants with a green pullover sweater that emphasized his gorgeously muscled chest. She felt herself flush. The two of them were going to kill her.

“You’re just as distracting to us,” Duncan murmured, leaning close to suck a kiss onto her neck. She flushed more. She rolled her eyes at him, trying to defuse the sexual tension with humor.

“We’re never going to get out of the door if you keep looking at me like that.” Emma smoothed her hands down her black silk dress. It had half-sleeves that hugged her arms and a plunging neckline that showed off her full breasts. The straight skirt hung down to the top of her knees with a sexy slit that opened up the side. She hoped she looked okay. She didn’t want to embarrass Duncan at her first official public appearance with him.

“You look gorgeous.” Jake stopped fiddling with his earrings and strode over to them. He leaned over to kiss her and she grabbed his hands. He wasn’t wearing his wristbands.

Jake smiled. “I don’t want to hide the bonding tattoos.” He bent in again and she closed her eyes to savor the softness of his lips.

“That never gets old,” Duncan said. Emma pulled back and smiled at Duncan, then leaned in and kissed him too.

I agree
, she thought.

“Okay, let’s go. Emma, I don’t want you to worry about not knowing anyone. One of us will be with you the whole time.” Duncan stood up and slipped his hand into hers.

Emma grimaced. “I suck at parties.”

“No, you used to suck at parties. Now you will be brilliant, because you’re Duncan’s bond-mate.” Jake walked to the door. “Everyone will love you.”

“I just don’t want to do anything stupid and mess up your career.”

Duncan tugged on her hand, then brought it to his mouth for a kiss. “You won’t. My career is doing fine and I doubt anything you say could derail it. In fact, now that the bonding is public, I bet I sell even better. That’s the way the industry works.” Emma sighed and allowed him to pull her to the door. “Besides, I’ve been to hundreds of these things. Sometimes they’re boring, sometimes they’re not, but they always have a lot of booze. Even if the focus is on us this time–”

Which it will be
, Emma thought darkly.

Duncan frowned at her and continued. “Even if it is, someone else will get drunk and do something stupid. Happens every time. So don’t worry about it.” He grinned and Emma sighed, hoping he was right. Truth was, she really wanted to go to this party, not just because she was Duncan and Jake’s bond-mate, but because she needed the distraction. She was worried about the missing students but couldn’t do anything about the situation. She’d tried calling their parents again but no one answered. She hoped Samantha and Jonathan were okay.

* * * *

Four hours later, Emma decided that Duncan was the smartest man she knew.

“Hey!” Jake said, handing her another glass of champagne. “I’m not too shabby in the brains department, either.”

Emma laughed. “I was thinking about what Duncan said before. He was right. Look.” She pointed across the ballroom. A well-dressed man was standing on top of one of the tables, singing off-key with a microphone in his hand. His suit jacket lay abandoned on the floor, his disheveled appearance in direct contrast to the richness of the ballroom. Emma eyed the crystal chandeliers and hardwood floor, bemused. She’d never been in such a fancy hotel before, yet here she was in downtown Philadelphia as one of the honored guests. And in the midst of the elegance a drunken man was singing as though he was at a frat party. “I never in a million years expected to see a karaoke machine at this kind of party.”

Jake grinned. “They’ve become pretty popular lately.”

“Oh my God, someone stab me in the ears and put me out of my misery,” Duncan complained, joining Jake and Emma. He grimaced, watching the man on the table. “Ronnie should never be allowed to drink vodka. Never ever.”

“You know him?” Emma asked.

“I know almost everyone here.” Duncan looked around. “At least he’s distracting the crowd. I knew it was going to be insane when everyone saw the bonding tattoos, but I’d no idea it would be that bad.” He ran his hands through his hair and Emma admired the long strands. She loved his hair. She wished she could sink her hands in it right now. He looked at her and grinned and she blushed. He laughed. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I love knowing when you’re thinking about me.”

Emma blushed harder and looked away to see Jake smirking at the two of them. He was just as gorgeous as Duncan. She tore her eyes away, willing the arousal to subside. Walking around in public with these two was a test of her self-control. She took a few deep breaths, feeling the men do the same. She kept forgetting that every time she grew aroused, so did they. She sent a mental apology their way, then opened her eyes as she heard a disturbance at the edge of the room.

The crowd parted and the next thing she knew, a man dashed through the people, waving something over his head.

“Is that?” Duncan asked, voice shocked.

“Yes, it is. Shit,” Jake said as he shoved Emma behind him.

She looked from one to the other, confused. “Who is it?”

They didn’t have a chance to reply before the man was in front of them and Emma realized it was Eric, the disgruntled keyboard player Duncan had thrown off his tour. Jake tried to back up, but the crowd of people behind them was rioting. She heard glass breaking and Duncan grunt as someone pushed into him.

Holy shit, he has a gun
! Emma thought, in shock. She stared at Eric, and he grinned at her, his face gaunt and pale. He looked like he’d been drinking and he certainly wasn’t dressed for the party in his ripped jeans and T-shirt. Before she could say anything, his arm snaked out and grabbed her. She squeaked as he dragged her away from Jake and Duncan. She felt their panic and then the cold metal of the pistol pressed into the side of her temple. She froze.

“Yeah, don’t come any closer, Duncan,” Eric said, his voice strangely calm.

“What do you want, Eric?” Duncan shifted closer, stopping when Eric pushed the gun harder into her skin.

“It’s not what I want. It’s what I need,” the man answered. Emma held perfectly still, worried that if she struggled his finger would slip. She noted a sick aura flaring around him from the corner of her eye. She frowned, confused, despite her terror. She didn’t remember him having an aura when Duncan fired him. And the color looked wrong. It didn’t glow, for one thing. It looked like smoke, dark and grisly. It pulsed around Eric in nauseating waves and she swallowed, feeling her gorge rising.

“Emma here is the key.” Eric jerked her harder against his body. She could feel him trembling like a junkie.

“The key to what?” Jake asked, his voice low. Emma noticed the crowd around them quieting as they realized something was happening. Faces turned in, staring at Eric, staring at her. She struggled to keep her feet, the sense of being pressed against his sick aura draining her equilibrium.