Triple Beat-nook (16 page)

“You okay, bird?”

She looked to her left to find Bryson lying next to her. “What time is it?”

Bryson glanced toward the nightstand. “A little after one. You fell asleep in the cab on the way back from the police station.”

Dani hadn’t wanted to wait until morning to talk to Blake because it would simply slow down her return home. Now that she had Nashville in her sights, she was anxious to get there.

“How did I get up here?”

Aiden’s arm snaked around her waist as he spooned her. “Bryson carried you.”

She grinned. “Damn. Sorry I missed that. Sounds kinda hot.”

Bryson patted her hip playfully. “For you, maybe. You may want to cut back on those beignets for a while.”

She laughed at his joke, punching him lightly on the arm. “Asshole.”

Aiden didn’t join in the laughter. Instead, he tightened his grip on her. Dani sensed he was still struggling with some latent fear over what they’d faced. She felt the same way.

“You ready to talk about it?” Aiden asked.

Dani was confused. “You guys were in the room when I gave my statement. You know what happened.”

“I mean before. When you were a girl. Why didn’t you ever tell us, Dani?”

Dani bit her lip. She’d kept quiet about it because she’d been ashamed. Jett had told her that was the wrong emotion to feel, but that didn’t make it go away.

However, now, after confronting her father, her fears and the words came much easier. The whole story tumbled out. Every single sordid second of it. From her mother’s death to her father’s drinking problem, the abuse and the details of the first night he’d tried to rape her and his threats at the prison.

And then she talked about life at the Lewis house and when she’d come downstairs to find her guitar under the Christmas tree. She told them about her father’s release and how she’d run away, how Stella had saved her.

Bryson and Aiden listened as she talked, asking questions, laughing with her. Once, she even saw Bryson trying to covertly wipe a tear.

“I’m sorry I never told you any of this,” she said at last.

“Why didn’t you?” Aiden asked.

“I was embarrassed. Ashamed. I know it’s stupid, but for a long time, I felt like maybe I’d done something wrong. I knew he was dangerous. I should have locked my bedroom door. Should have asked for help. Should have done…something.”

Aiden clasped her face tightly in his hands, forcing her to hold his gaze. “You were fifteen years old. He was the adult. Your father, for God’s sake. It was his job to protect you. You didn’t do a damn thing wrong. You got it?”

“I do now. Honest. I was young when I left. The emotions tied up in all of this…” she struggled for a word to describe it, then settled on the only one that worked, “
shit
were immature. The fears and reasoning of a teenage girl. I know they weren’t rational, but they were all I could remember.”

Bryson had been holding her hand throughout her tale. He lifted it, his lips brushing her knuckles. “You were incredible in that apartment today, Dani. The way you confronted him, told him off. Jesus. I never saw anything so brave, so fucking awesome.”

She laughed quietly. “It’s weird. I’ve spent most of my life living in terror, hiding in shadows, looking over my shoulder. The memory of my dad was way worse than the reality.”

Bryson lifted a disbelieving eyebrow.

“I’m not going to say he wasn’t scary, but…I don’t know…it’s hard to explain. I’d built him up as some horrible, all-mighty monster who couldn’t be defeated. Today, I realized he was just a really mean, twisted, abusive bully.”

“He could have seriously hurt you, Dani. Fuck,” Aiden muttered, his tone telling her exactly what kind of toll the day’s events were taking on him. “He could have killed you.”

“Don’t,” she said quickly. “Don’t think about that. We’re here. You saved me. That’s all that matters.”

Aiden blew out a long, tired sigh. “It might take me a little while to get there. I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in my fucking life. When Jett called to say your dad had you…that he’d tried to rape you before…”

“We didn’t know where you were,” Bryson added, his own fears finding their way out. “We woke up and you were gone.”

“I texted you from the taxi, but that was before I realized my dad was driving it.”

Aiden flashed an annoyed look at Bryson. “Your phone was off, wasn’t it?”

Bryson glanced at the nightstand, picking up his cell, flicking it on. “Damn. Yeah. Thing has been here since the last time the three of us were in this bed. Sorry. I didn’t even think about it. She wasn’t answering your calls. It didn’t occur to me to check
my
phone.” He looked at Dani. “Why in the hell did you text me? You know my phone’s always off.”

She laughed, then admitted. “That was really stupid of me.”

Bryson grinned and kissed her on the cheek, but Aiden wasn’t finished. “Dani, I, God, I don’t ever want to feel that way again.”

She kissed Aiden softly on the mouth. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “No. No apologies. Just give me a promise.”

She nodded. “Okay. Anything.”

“No more secrets.”

Dani smiled. It was an easy thing to give. “Done.”

Bryson sat up slowly. “Since we’re putting all the cards on the table, I think it’s time we talked about us, where we’re going.”

Aiden raised his eyebrows. “Holy shit. Are you suggesting we have a serious conversation about feelings and crap like that?”

Dani laughed as Bryson shot his friend a dirty look.

“Yeah, smartass,” Bryson said. “I am. And then, if Dani’s interested, I’d like to expand on some of the dirty, kinky sex we’ve been having lately.”

Dani sat up as well, tugging her t-shirt over her head. The guys must have taken off her bra, pants, shoes and socks after carrying her up. “Who undressed me?”

Aiden ran a gentle finger along her side. “There’s a bruise here.”

She suspected there was one on her back too, but she didn’t want to point that out. She’d only just managed to talk them off the ledge, their fear and worry starting to lessen.

“I’m fine.”

Bryson cupped her face, his thumb stroking her upper cheek. “You have a black eye.”

Her fingers flew to her eye. “Dammit. How am I supposed to explain that to people? Benji will freak the fuck out.”

Bryson kissed the cheek as if to heal it with his lips. “We’ll think of something.”

“Or you can give Benji the truth,” Aiden suggested. “He loves Dani.”

Dani nodded. “Yeah. I think I might like to talk to him.”

Aiden smiled as he reached out to cup one of her breasts. He was clearly a boob guy. “And by the way, we both undressed you. But we didn’t look. Much.”

“Well then,” she said, gesturing at their boxers. “Fair is fair. My turn for a peek. But don’t worry. I won’t look. Much.”

Bryson stood to strip off his boxers, while Aiden simply lay on the bed and lifted his ass to toss them away. Dani giggled at their haste, then reached for Bryson’s hard cock as he returned to the bed.

He grasped her wrist, keeping her from her prize. “Talk first. Sex second.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Who are you and what have you done with Bryson?”

He dropped back down to the mattress, releasing her hand. “I’m serious, bird. If this was like every other relationship I’d ever had, I would be perfectly fine with skipping straight to the good part, but this feels different.
I
feel different. I can’t keep riding in limbo where one minute you want us and the next you’re pushing us away.”

“Damn,” Dani whispered. “I
have
been doing that. I’m sorry.”

Bryson winced and shook his head. “No. I’m not saying that to make you feel bad. You’ve been dealing with some heavy shit this past month. And then, on top of all the stuff with your dad, signing the biggest deal of our careers and finding your foster family, Aiden and I both hop in bed with you. Sort of crazy when you think about it.”

She hadn’t considered how much stress she had been under until Bryson’s list. “Yeah. I guess it was. But you guys were the best part of all of it. You got me through all the crap. I’d be a quivering mass of goo on the floor right now if it weren’t for you two. It’s just…” Dani had promised them honesty and no more secrets. “I’m scared.”

“Of us?” Aiden asked.

“Yes and no. I love you both so much, but we’re standing at the starting line of something really big. We’ve basically committed to being in each other’s faces twenty-four-seven for the next few years. What if…”

“What if this doesn’t work out?” Aiden finished for her.

She nodded.

Aiden ran his hand through her hair. “You think I haven’t considered that?” He looked at Bryson. “We both have. But Dani, I’m not sure we can turn back now, go back to the way things were.”

She frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’m in love with you and I can’t turn that off. I’d walk through fire to make this work, to keep you and Bryson in my life, in my bed.”

Bryson turned her face to him. “We didn’t get where we are by playing it safe, bird. We took a lot of chances in order to make something of Closing Time. Some things are worth the risk because the payoff is huge. And sure, this might be the biggest risk of all, but I’m willing to go for it because at the end we’ll have each other. Forever.”

Dani smiled tremulously, her eyes filling with tears. She couldn’t believe she had any left. She’d gone years without crying, but in the past few days, she didn’t seem able to stop. “Forever sounds amazing.”

“We’ll make it work,” Aiden said assuredly, turning her face to him. “We’ve been together for six years and even though we’ve had fights, at the end of the day, we always found a way to fix things and move on. This will be the same. I promise.”

Aiden leaned closer to seal that vow with the sweetest kiss she’d ever had.

Then Bryson shifted them until his cock was nestled against her ass. It looked like the talking part was over.

And then, as she’d done every single time before, she put herself into their very capable, very loving hands.

Aiden continued to kiss her, cupping and plumping her breasts as Bryson reached around to touch her clit. The calluses on his fingertips from years spent playing the guitar worked the sensitive nub until Dani was gasping, overwhelmed by pure pleasure.

She tried to offer something to them as well, her hands stroking Aiden’s shoulders, his upper back as she wiggled her ass against Bryson’s cock.

“God, Dani,” Aiden murmured against her lips. “Need you.”

Hallelujah. She shoved roughly at his shoulders, pushing him onto his back on the mattress as she climbed over him.

Bryson released a low whistle. “Oh hell yeah, baby. Take him. Take him hard.”

She wasn’t sure if Bryson’s words were a suggestion, a command or a dare. It didn’t matter. She didn’t need any instructions.

They were all-in, all aware of the risks and ready to do what it took to make this trio last—onstage and in the bedroom. With that uncertainty off the table and her father safely behind bars, Dani had nothing holding her back.

Aiden and Bryson wouldn’t know what hit them.

She lifted her hips, placed Aiden’s cock at the opening of her body and slammed down. She was wet and ready, so he slid in easily. He groaned as she gave him no time to adjust. Instead, she moved over him, a staccato rhythm, played triple beat. It was a fast, wild ride that ended far too quickly when Aiden added his own bass line, a steady pounding as he lifted his hips each time she banged back down.

Sweat formed at her brow, her body slick. She crash-landed first, crying out loudly. Or was she yelling? The roaring in her ears soaked up the sound as she fell forward, her head landing on Aiden’s chest. Her body jerked with aftershocks when he erupted, filling her with hot come. His heart was thudding loudly, comforting her.

She wasn’t sure how long they lay there. It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. That was all the time it took for her to remember Bryson was still there, still watching. Still hard.

Dani lifted her head, searching for him in the darkened room. She was surprised to find he was no longer beside her, but sitting in an easy chair that faced the bed.

“Bryson?” she asked quietly. Her question roused Aiden, who lifted his head, seeking out his friend as well.

“Why are you over there?” Aiden asked.

“Better view.” Bryson leaned forward. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I love being a part of it, don’t get me wrong. But goddamn, there’s just something about watching you two fuck. I want to watch you do it everywhere—in the dressing room, onstage after everyone is gone, in the back of a limo, outside under the stars. I’m not going to get enough of that. Ever.”

Bryson’s imagination had taken flight and his fantasies ignited a few of her own.  She lifted her hand. “Come back to bed.”

He shook his head. “No. It’s Aiden’s turn for a show. Come here.”

Bryson had this deep, commanding voice in the bedroom that twisted Dani’s insides, made her want to crawl on his lap and give him the world.

Instead, she pretended to be annoyed by it, calling him out. “Trying to boss me around?”

His nostrils flared and she expected him to come claim her. She was surprised when he capitulated. “You want to direct the show?”

Did she? Until he asked, she’d thought she liked how her men were always in control. Now that he’d offered, she realized she wanted a chance to bring them to their knees.

She nodded slowly.

Bryson lifted his palms upward in surrender. “Do your worst.”

She rose, pleased by the strength in her legs after her killer orgasm. Bryson stood as she approached. She glanced down and licked her lips at the sight of his thick cock.

He captured her face in his large hands and kissed her. It was surprisingly gentle for Bryson, whose past kisses had been so potent, so hungry.

It was also brief. He released her lips with a soft smile. “What now?”

She didn’t reply. Instead, Dani dropped to her knees, the soft, plush carpeting in the room providing a comfortable cushion, as a low groan of approval rumbled from Bryson.