Theirs to Keep (Tangled Hearts Trilogy #1)(74)

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.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

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 c**k 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 f**k 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 f**ked 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.

“Put it inside you.” Cade’s eyes darkened with excitement, and he reached for her hips, his fingers digging into her skin. “Take me whole, honey. Hard and deep.”

Breathless with excitement, she rose up on her knees and slid the head of his c**k over her clit and through damp flesh to her opening.

He seemed so much bigger this way. He stretched her, filling her as she eased down his length. His eyes never left her face as she took more and more of him, but when she came to rest at the base of his cock, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his entire body shuddering with pleasure.

When he reopened his eyes, they were glowing with arousal. There was a dark, primitive spark there that made her shiver.

His hands left her hips and skimmed up her arms, rubbing lightly over her skin and then to her br**sts where he toyed with her ni**les.