Whirlpool (16 page)

She closed her eyes and just felt.

A hand caressed her belly, stroking in smooth circles that descended ever lower. One mouth, then two, fastened on her breasts. One of them suckled softly, the other with a harsher tug. The contrast shot a streak of pleasure to her core where it met the hand slipping between her legs. Somehow she’d ended up flat on her back as they touched her everywhere. When heat and moisture descended on her sex, she whimpered, needing so much more.

A slow easy tug on her shoulders brought her to the side of the bed with her head slipping back over the edge. She opened her eyes to find Jamie’s beautiful gaze directed at her. He squatted on the floor and she smiled at the vision of him upside down. Jamie brushed their lips together, the angle and direction making the gentle exploration of the kiss totally new.

Braden slipped two fingers into her sheath, licking her clit with rapid flicks of his tongue. Desire bloomed hotter in her core. His touch distracted her, sending the level of arousal in her body higher and higher until she trembled on the edge of a climax.

Jamie reached down and pinched her nipples with a firm roll of his fingers, once, twice and she came, her sheath squeezing Braden’s fingers, the tingling sensation racing through her making her toes curl and her ears ring.

“Damn it, baby, you are so gorgeous. So fine.” Her legs were pushed farther to the side and the head of Braden’s cock nudged her wet sex for a second before he pressed in.

Jamie sat back and caressed her lips with his thumb, his gaze tender, yet heated. “Very gorgeous. Chelsea, I need to…I want to…”

He hesitated and she licked her lips and it was his turn to groan with need. “Come here. Fill me up.”

Braden thrust into her again and she cried out with the pleasure of it. At the same time, Jamie rose and brushed his cock against her lips. She opened eagerly to him. His taste was different than Braden’s, less salty, more an earthy flavor with a musky scent that filled her as he rocked slowly. He let her lick and suck and explore his shaft, the mushroomed head feeling strange and exotic from this new angle. A swirl of her tongue around the ridged edge made him mutter under his breath. Precome leaked from the slit at the tip, and she lapped it off eagerly, twirling her tongue in circles before closing her lips.

“Oh damn, that’s it, baby. Swallow him down. Ease your throat open and let him go deeper.” Braden adjusted his strokes, inching in and out, the slow drag teasing her and keeping her on a high simmer.

She stretched out her arms and grabbed Jamie’s hips, tilting her head back a little more and pulling him farther in. Encouraging him to slide all the way to the back of her throat. She breathed through her nose, the scent of sex rising on the air.

“Ah damn it, Chels, I can’t last. Your mouth feels too good.”

Chelsea hummed as he pressed in again. Jamie’s butt cheeks clenched under her fingers as he took control back. Cradling her head, he increased his speed, stroking into her mouth. Fucking her as Braden matched his tempo and between the two of them she knew it was only a matter of seconds before she climaxed again.

She wanted to take them with her. She wrapped her legs around Braden and dug her heels into the small of his back, clutching him hard on the next plunge, encouraging him to drive in more forcefully. She swallowed around Jamie’s cock as he found his pleasure in her mouth, and the part she’d been hiding away for so long reveled in being taking by the two of them.

Braden stroked her clit, rubbing in time with his thrusts. Jamie lost his rhythm and with one final push buried himself in her mouth. His pulsing shaft felt wicked and wonderful in her mouth as his semen shot down her throat. She swallowed again and again, loving the sounds of his throaty groans. Loving the feel of being possessed by them both. Braden cried out, his cock jerking within her pussy and she came, her sheath clutching and attempting to hold him in place. The lights of their lovemaking filled the room, swirling around them.

“That was amazing.” Braden wavered above her, withdrawing slowly as if reluctant to leave. Jamie stepped back and knelt to kiss her forehead before rolling next to her with a contented sigh. The mattress shook as Braden lowered himself on her other side.

Three sated bodies nestled together on the bed, Chelsea between her men. She laid her head on Braden’s chest but held Jamie’s hips tight to her as he nestled against her back.

Jamie swung an arm through the air, grasping at the glow. The iridescent flecks slipped through his fingers, creating back eddies that swirled in lazy spirals. “Tell me more about the fireflies thing. Chemical reaction or some kind of free-radical byproduct of the St. Elmo’s—”

“Holy shit, you’re not going to take notes and make an analysis every time we have sex, are you?” Braden complained. Chelsea giggled silently, shaking between the two of them. Her body rubbed their bare skin and it felt so wonderful. So right.

“Well I can hardly be expected to understand if I don’t ask questions, can I?” Jamie responded. His matter-of-fact tone made her laugh out loud and she twisted to kiss him. He smiled at her as she withdrew, his hand tender as he cupped her face. “Siren.”

She winked, then rolled over to pay some attention to Braden. She knew for sure they had the rest of the morning.

Hopefully, they had a lot longer than that.

“Are you ready for this?” Braden asked.

Jamie nodded slowly, glancing between Braden and Chelsea.

“It’s time, and Alexia’s the one I need to get approval from, right?” He hesitated. “Are you two ready? I mean, are you sure you want me to speak with her about more than my suspicions?”

Chelsea wrapped her arms around his waist, her warm body nestling in and feeling so perfect he could barely breathe. If a month ago someone would have told him that he’d be involved in a relationship with two other people, he would have thought them insane. Yet that’s what he had. In both Chelsea and Braden he’d found more than he expected.

Not just because they could out-swim him, in whatever form they used.

“We’ve talked about this. In depth, Mr. Have To Overanalyze Everything.” Braden slung an arm around his shoulders. “I think the last time we spoke about it was while we were moving Chelsea and I back into the condo. You promised you would stop rehashing old territory.”

“He likes digging up the past,” Chelsea teased, dancing out of reach.

Jamie and Braden both groaned.

“Your turn to deal with her.” Braden squeezed Jamie’s shoulder before unlocking the truck and opening the door for Chelsea.

“Hey.” Chelsea crawled into the truck and settled between the two of them, cuddling up to Jamie and threading her fingers through his.

Jamie marveled at how comfortable he was with them both. No, the butterflies in his belly had nothing to do with the people he sat with, and everything to do with the appointment they had to meet with Alexia, the matriarch of the merfolk people. Jamie stared out the window at the sleepy village as Braden drove them back to the Coltens’ house. The streets of Jaffrey’s Cove had grown more familiar over the past month, faces more easily recognizable. He still couldn’t figure out at a glance who was and who wasn’t a merfolk, and that was probably a good thing.

He and Chelsea had made a bigger dent in the inventory work than he’d expected, especially with how easily distracted they’d been over the past week. Every chance possible, they stopped to explore each other, waiting impatiently for Braden to be able to join them.

Chelsea leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Hey, it’s going to be fine.”

Jamie chuckled. “Right. I’m meeting the most important member of a group of mythical people. Piece of cake.”

“She’s just Alexia.” He stared at her in shock. “Well, I mean, she’s the matriarch too, but even though she’s in charge, it’s not like she’s a power hound or anything. This should be less intimidating than some of the family events you’ve had to attend.”

He laughed and leaned over to brush his lips against hers. They kissed softly, Jamie enjoying the way she gave herself over to him, offering her reassurance and passion at the same time. Braden rested his hand lightly on top of their linked fingers, and the touch of both of them at the same time sent a thrill through him.

Plans were falling into place for a future that felt very right, no matter how different it appeared.

They gathered in the dining room, the remaining collection of trinkets and clutter still lining the walls. Standing before Alexia Colten, Jamie wondered where his bravado had fled to in the past thirty minutes. He liked to think he would have known she was the ranking merfolk without being told. There was something about the dark-haired beauty—an enticing air of command. She seemed to be judging him and yet he could find no fault in that judgment.

The men who sat on either side of her—the blond surfer and the brooding god with the intense stare—were far less intimidating physically than Braden. Yet in conjunction with Alexia, the impact of the three of them was enough to awe anyone.

“Braden informed me what happened.” Alexia motioned to her right, where Braden and Chelsea stood. “I guess you’ve discovered more than hidden treasures amidst my grandfather’s collection.”

The moment felt solemn, somewhat spiritual, like he’d been transported back in time to the legendary days of the Greeks when the gods had supposedly walked the earth. That was whom he was meeting, wasn’t it? Living legends? A sudden inspiration hit him.

He dropped to one knee and bowed deeply. “My lady.”

The man at Alexia’s left laughed out loud. “Damn, he’s good. Another intellectual come to haunt me.”

“Joshua, please.” Alexia smiled as Jamie rose. “My husband doesn’t mean to be rude. You said you had information to share?”

“I was researching one of your grandfather’s finds and discovered something in the local news archives that might interest you.” He stole a glance to the side for reassurance. Chelsea winked at him.

Alexia accepted the file of photocopied pages from him. “What are these?” She shuffled through, stopping to examine a picture more closely.

“The reason for the run of craziness over the summer.”

“I heard there was trouble while we were gone, but nothing serious. Oh my goodness, is that my Gram?” Alexia held the clipping out. “Anthony, look, I swear that’s her in the photo.”

“It’s Victoria Colten, about fifty years ago. She’d just moved into this house with her new husband. Her mother left on an extended vacation and I would assume that’s when Lady Victoria took over leadership of the Jaffrey’s Cove merfolk.”

Jamie pulled another couple of pages out, lining them up in order.

“Less than a week later, when she and her husband left for a short honeymoon, mysterious reports of vandalism started to appear in the news. Lots of complaints about unusual behavior in the visitors and locals—everything from streaking down Main Street to tipping over outhouses.”

“Damn, some things never change,” Braden said.

Alexia frowned at the papers. “The same thing happened fifty years ago? What kind of strange coincidence is that? Or are you saying my grandmother has something to do with the chaos?”

Jamie sat, resting his arms on the table. “I think she has something to do with it, yes, but so do you. It’s connected with the fact you lead the merfolk, and it has to do with Jaffrey’s Cove itself. Braden explained part of the reason you can shift is because there are chemicals in the area that combine with and complement your genetics. Everyone who lives here is exposed to the chemicals all the time. It makes your shifting possible, but it affects you in other ways. It appears that having you around as matriarch—having a leader in the area—helps keep the merfolk in check. Just like a group of animals can be convinced to stay calm in a difficult situation, your presence balances the rest of them.”

Braden cleared his throat. “Animals?”

Jamie waved a hand at him. “I’m not trying to be offensive, but it’s a common trait in all mammalian groups. I could have said humans. Leaders set the tone. When you left town on your honeymoon, and your grandmother left at the same time, there was no one really in charge of the pod. The same thing happened as in the past. The chemical overload didn’t cause anything dangerous to happen or anything too noticeable. Still, it’s enough that you should try to avoid being gone for long periods of time. Unless we can figure out a backup system.”

“All this time it was the chemicals?” Chelsea asked.

Jamie shrugged. “I’ve checked a few other ideas but keep coming back to that one as the most likely.”

“How is that possible? That just her presence is enough to bring things back under control?” Braden leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms.

“Are you kidding?” Jamie asked. “You change that massive bulk of yours into sparkly lights without so much as blinking, but you think it’s not possible there’s a mystical connection between your leader and her people?”

Braden chuckled. “Point taken.”

Alexia turned to Braden. “What’s it been like since I returned? Have things improved?”

He nodded. “One hundred percent. We’re back to being a nice quiet little tourist destination.”

She sighed. “Another item added to the list of things I wasn’t aware of before assuming this position. Your speculation makes sense. I hope I can ask you to work, maybe with Anthony, on that backup system you mentioned. I hate the thought of being so irreplaceable.”

Jamie bowed his head politely. She was not what he’d expected, but then, who knew what the rules were anymore in this game?

She gave him that look again, the one like she was reading his soul. “You are planning on staying around?”

Jamie let his grin escape. “Well, sort of. I’ve got this awesome job cataloging a pretty amazing collection, and there’s this girl I’ve met in the area…”

Chelsea laughed and it warmed his soul. He blew her a kiss without thinking then turned back to the trio, his face heating.

Alexia’s lovers, Anthony and Joshua, exchanged glances. “He has it bad, doesn’t he?” Joshua asked.