Page 4 of Payback

We finished the rest of the journey in silence. Charlotte’s posture straightened with triumph, the boys sat back with pensive expressions, and my mind whirred like the mechanism of a malfunctioning pocket watch. Was there a link between Philippe and Rudolph or between Rudolph and Charlotte? I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it deep in my gut. The only trouble was working out the details.

We reached Elder House just before midnight. The limousine’s tires crunched on the gravel courtyard outside the ancient building. Duncan left the limo first and staggered up the stone steps, still holding the champagne bottle.

Charlotte reached out her hand. “Phone, please.”

“You’ll get it back tomorrow.” Edward opened the limo door. “Get out.”

With a huff, Charlotte climbed out and stormed into Elder House.

“I’m going to search through her messages.” Edward squeezed my hand. “Why don’t you go up to my room with Blake?”

“Do you need any help?” I asked.

“Get some rest,” said Henry. “I’ll work with him.”

While Edward and Henry retreated to Edward’s study to rifle through Charlotte’s phone, I walked up the wooden staircase to Edward’s room with Blake. Ever since Mr. Carbuncle had evaded the police in Chelsea Heights, the boys hadn’t let me out of their sights. My heart weighed heavily in my empty chest, and my stomach felt like a lead weight. After a night like this, I really needed company.

Blake squeezed my hand as we reached the darkened top floor. His life had been as chaotic as mine. His father had been an alcoholic, and mine had been addicted to drugs. Both our mothers had married powerful, unscrupulous men and both of us felt slightly estranged from our mothers as a result.

“You must have worsened your injuries from wrestling with Charlotte.” Blake’s whisper echoed through the hallway.

“Probably,” I muttered. “Though I didn’t feel it at the time.”

He chuckled. “Adrenaline blocks pain. You should see some of the bruises Henry gets after a rugby match.” He turned the key in the lock and opened the door to Edward’s room, letting out a cloud of sandalwood-scented air.

In a smoky voice that curled around my libido, he said, “Let me help you out of those clothes and tend to your wounds.”

Chapter 2

Blake and I made slow love, only pausing to change the condom after he had climaxed. Pushing away the unsolved pieces of the puzzle that was Philippe, I fell asleep in the comfort of his embrace. It was the same way I’d lain in his arms when I had been too traumatized to sleep on my own. It had been exactly what I’d needed. A break from all the unpleasantness of the evening.

I drifted to sleep in his arms feeling content and secure until soft kisses on my neck pulled me from my slumber, and a gentle hand stroked circles over my belly. Warmth spread across my insides and pooled between my legs. I sighed against Blake’s broad chest. At any moment, an erection would rub against my ass, and Edward would wait for me to arch before sliding into my core for our usual morning screw.

When I didn’t feel him against me, my eye peeped open. Pale sunlight streamed in through the window, indicating that only a few minutes had passed since dawn.

“Edward, don’t you ever sleep?” I murmured.

“We need to leave soon if you want to make it in time to meet your mother for breakfast,” he replied.

A bolt of panic shot through my veins. My eyelids snapped open, and I bolted upright, jostling Blake. “Mom!”

“What?” Blake slurred.

All three of us piled into the bathroom for the longest quick shower of my life. The cubicle was barely wide enough to accommodate three, but the temperature of the water and the heat of our bodies more than made up for it. Taking up the middle spot, I soaped the boys with shower gel and gripped their erections with both fists.

Edward shuddered, and Blake let out a gasping breath.

“Ready?” I turned from Edward’s blue eyes to Blake’s chocolate brown.

They both gave me eager nods.

I tightened my grip on their thick, pulsing lengths and made slow, twisting actions with my wrists. Blake shivered under my touch, and Edward let out a low moan that went straight to my core.

With the slowest and most deliberate of movements, I moved my hands back and forth along their erections, reveling in the way they pulsed and lengthened under my touch. They were both of an equal length, except Edward was thicker along the shaft, and Blake thicker at the head.

The shower gel lathered over their lengths, easing the glide of my hands over their flesh. I tightened my fingers around their erections, and both Blake and Edward let out appreciative moans that made my insides ripple with delight. My tongue darted out to lick my lips. If we’d had the time, I’d be on my knees in front of them, taking their dicks in my mouth. Heat pulsed between my legs, and I bit down hard on my lip as my hands faltered at the thought of tasting them both.

“Can’t handle us?” said Blake with a chuckle.