Something New (23 page)

No tingling up his spine, no warning tightening in his balls, Braden merely opened his mouth and shouted without sound. Every limb, every muscle, every pinpoint nerve ending inside him shook with awareness of the moment as he looked into Abby’s and Rodrigo’s eyes and spilled his seed inside the inviting embrace of Abby’s body. The moment Braden shot, Abby moaned, and her pussy contracted around the double penetration. As she rocked herself on the two cocks buried inside her, clearly working to deepen her release, Rodrigo jerked his hips, jarring Abby and Braden on top of him. He groaned in that sexy, low way of his as orgasm raced up on him too. He jetted line after line of semen inside Abby, coating not only her but touching and warming Braden’s embedded cock as well.

Heaven on earth
. Not such a meaningless cliché to Braden after all.

They all stayed sandwiched on the table afterward, for whatever short or long a length of time, Braden couldn’t say. Each of them attempted to regain their breath at their own pace, creating an up-and-down, water-bedlike effect for Braden at the top.

As much as Braden liked the pretzel effect of their bodies, he realized he was probably half suffocating the other two with his weight. He lifted into a push-up stance and shoved off against the tabletop, straightening and stepping back, and in doing so hissed as his cock slid from Abby’s body. Rodrigo aided Abby back to a sitting position, and Braden took her hand from there, helping her off the table and back down to stand in those sinful cowboy boots. Braden then clasped his hand around Rodrigo’s and hauled the big man off the table too.

What next
? Braden had spent an awful lot of time thinking about the many ways three people could have fun in bed together but hadn’t given a whole lot of consideration to what he would say to the two people he’d just engaged in a threesome with afterward. Idle chitchat after sex had never been one of his strengths in previous relationships, with either men or women, and he began to sweat that he might be just as awful at creating a relationship with a man and woman together as he’d been with just one.

The film of perspiration forming on Braden’s neck started trickling down his back in earnest. On top of that quickly went a layer of chill as he imagined the many ways he could screw this up and hurt Abby or Rodrigo before it even had a chance to begin.

After what felt like an eternity of silence and furtive, embarrassed-looking glances between all three of them, Abby blew out a breath, ran her fingers through her tangled hair, and said with a laugh, “Damn, boys. My kitchen will never be the same again.”

Rodrigo rolled his eyes and chuckled, and Braden felt his cheeks heat as he busted out a huge smile. Abby’s humor cut through the thick tension in the air, and Braden felt like he could breathe again.

That didn’t mean he’d forgotten for one second what had happened tonight.

Braden studied Abby and Rodrigo, and his conscience nagged as he took in that they both looked like they’d been through a tornado. “Are you guys all right?” Braden’s gaze held on Rodrigo first. He knew full well that he’d slammed the man’s untried ass with an enthusiasm meant for someone with more experience. “I didn’t hurt you?”

Rodrigo’s mouth tightened. He clenched his fist against the counter, but he didn’t turn his gaze down or look away. “You prepped me well enough, Crenshaw. Even if you hadn’t”—Rodrigo’s dark skin turned a little bit ruddy across the slashes of his cheeks—“I asked for what you gave me.”

“I’ll probably be a little stiff tomorrow,” Abby said, rubbing Braden’s arm, “but I’m fine too.” She dropped her gaze to Braden’s and Rodrigo’s cocks and then slid it toward the table before returning to make eye contact again. “I’m on birth control, just so you both know. When I said I was all right, I meant for everything.”

Christ
. Braden scratched his fingers through his hair.
I hadn’t even thought about a baby
. A quick look at Rodrigo’s stiffened spine told him Rodrigo hadn’t either.

“If this is going to happen again,” Braden said, his eyes on both of them, “and I think we all know it will, then we should all go get tested together and talk about a bunch of other stuff. Right now, though, I can offer up recent paperwork to prove I’m good.”

Rodrigo gave a curt nod. “I have medical records too, if either of you needs to see them.”

“Okay, good, so we’re all on the same page.” Braden got a whiff of the combined pungent smells of sex and a long workday clinging to his skin and knew Abby and Rodrigo were just as sticky as he was. “I think if we all squeeze in tight, we can fit into the shower together. Then, if you’re up to it I’ll take you both out for some food.”

Murmuring a “sounds good,” Rodrigo pushed past Braden in the direction of the bathroom. Braden fake pushed his way past Rodrigo, and Abby pushed in for real, squeezing between them both.

“Whoa, slow it down, guys.” She circled Braden and Rodrigo around to face the kitchen. “How about you both help me clean up in here first, and
then
I’m all on board with your plan.” An exaggerated stare into the kitchen from Abby led Braden’s attention back to condoms and clothing on the floor, as well as less visible aftereffects from sex on the counter and table.

A purely wicked smile appeared on Rodrigo. “Naked cleaning?”

Abby looked down at herself and then cocked out a hip, planting her hand on it. “I’m keeping on my boots. I have to leave something a mystery for the two of you.”

Braden chuckled, but the sight of Abby so flirty and coy got his blood and imagination flowing pleasantly again. “Will you crawl around on all fours as you wipe away the mess?”

She shot right back with, “Only if you join me.” Her eyes held sparks of warm blue fire, and he could tell she was light and laughing on the inside too. Her momentary ease settled something pure and right and good in Braden’s gut.

He glanced to Rodrigo. The guy raised a brow and still had that very bad-boy grin on his face. Speaking for them both, Braden said, “We’re in,” and together with Rodrigo gently tackled Abby to the floor.

It turned out to be a very, very late dinner.

* * *

Abby crawled from one rug to another, silently praying the attic floor would not squeak and give her away
. It sometimes did when her mommy or daddy came up here with her, but she could usually be quieter than the smallest mouse when she was alone. She wasn’t alone in the house right now. Abby could hear the devil still calling for her, his voice so awful she just knew he couldn’t be a real human person.

Heavy footfalls creaked the old wood flooring below her, sometimes sounding close and sometimes faint to the point that Abby thought the monster might have left. Then the footsteps would increase, sound almost right under her, and she knew he hadn’t given up.

Huge and open, the attic had three vents in the floor where Abby could spy on other parts of the house. Abby had played the little game by herself just for fun, because she could easily go to see her mom cook whenever she wanted, so it didn’t really matter that she could peek down into the corner of the kitchen and sometimes watch her mom pass by the pantry. She could see her dad at his desk in his little den too, but most of the time he just went in there to work or watch the TV. They had a phone in the hallway, though, and sometimes Abby could hear her mom or dad talking on it. Sometimes they would say curse words to each other, so Abby knew they didn’t know she could hear. She was that quiet. Just like one of those ninja spies Tanner Bruno loved so much.

Stupid Tanner Bruno.

He had to go be a stupid meanie and not let her play ninjas with him because he had his cool friend visiting from school. That’s why Abby had run home. She hoped dummy Tanner got in trouble when his mom found out he let Abby leave without even saying anything to stop her. Mrs. Bruno wouldn’t like that. Abby had gotten in trouble for running home through the orchard before, but when she told her mom about the stuff Tanner said to her, she would have to understand.

As soon as she gets better, she’ll be on my side
. She can’t ever wake up or help you again, a voice even more terrifying than the devil’s whispered in Abby’s head.
No
. Abby squeezed her eye shut, but the tears came out anyway.
Stop crying. Stop crying. Stop crying
. Abby couldn’t think about anything but her mom’s unblinking stare and couldn’t stop seeing the blood coming out of her mouth. Deep down, the voice inside Abby kept whispering what that meant, but Abby couldn’t bear to hear it. Her mother needed her to remain quiet. If she thought about the truth too much and started crying too hard, the devil would hear her.

“Where are you, little girl?”

That voice reached through the walls and ceiling up to the attic. Abby scrambled to plaster herself against one of the slanted walls as if being out in the middle of the attic floor would leave her an open target for anyone to see.

A couple of feet to Abby’s left lay one of the vents in the flooring. Abby inched toward it and looked through into the kitchen, all the while begging God to let her see her mother down there preparing a meal so that this would all just be a terrible dream. It was empty. No lights on, no smells of dinner or dessert wafting up to tickle Abby’s noise and make her tummy rumble.

The tears welled up again, so painful they wrenched right out of Abby’s chest into a terrible choking sob. Abby slapped her hands over her mouth, stuffing everything back down, and started silently talking to God as she slid on her butt, inch by inch, a third of the way across the attic to the next vent. Just as she reached the slits in the floor that looked down into her father’s den, the jarring ring of the phone ripped through the silence, almost deafening in volume.

Forgetting her dad’s den, Abby held her breath, crawled quickly to the other vent, and put her ear to the slats. After the fourth ring, the machine picked up, and Mrs. Bruno’s familiar twang reached Abby’s ears like music. “Abby, girl, pick up this phone. Please pick up and tell me you went home. You aren’t in trouble, honey, but you’re supposed to be with me. Elaine? Are you there? Did you get home early? Richard, are you close by? Abby? Pick up, sweetheart.” A long pause. “Never mind. I’m coming over there right now and bringing you back to my house. And don’t you worry; Tanner and I have already had a little talk. You’re welcome to play all the ninjas you want with him. Don’t answer the door for anyone but me. I’ll be right there.”

She’s coming for me
. Abby’s body melted right into the floor with relief.

Out of the corner of her eye, Abby saw a whish of color streak past the phone. She switched from pressing her ear against the vent to looking straight down, but could only see a shoulder and arm covered in blue as the devil raced by. A second later, a door slammed, and then…nothing.

Silence.

He’s gone now.

Crouched down in one corner of the attic, Abby rocked herself as silent tears fell. From her position, she looked into every corner of the attic, suddenly paralyzed.

I don’t know what to do.

Her heart started beating faster and faster and faster, and with every blink of her eyes that let her look somewhere new in the attic, it became harder and harder to breathe.

* * *

Abby gasped and grabbed her chest…and jerked upright in bed.

Back in her bedroom, Braden and Rodrigo immediately awoke and slid arms around her waist and shoulders.

Rodrigo pushed her hair out of her face. He brushed a kiss to her cheek, and Braden whispered in a sleep-thick voice, “What is it, honey?”

Straddling reality and her dream, half in her bedroom right now and half an
adult
crouched in that attic, Abby could see the slanted roof and all the rugs and could feel herself crawling to her next destination. “I have to go home.” In her mind, she rubbed her fingertips against the bare wood flooring between the many rugs and swore she could feel the grain of the wood. “I still have to look in the den.”

Chapter Twelve

As Rodrigo entered Thomasine’s, a Cuban eatery, he squinted to let his eyes adjust from the bright sunlight outside to the normal indoor lighting. When the shadows dissipated and he could see actual people, he searched the small restaurant, and his gaze landed on big, dark-haired Jonah at a booth in the back.

Tucking a slender stack of files under his arm, Rodrigo moved toward his friend, occasionally twisting sideways to squeeze through tight spaces. “Where’s Chris?” he asked as soon as he reached Jonah and slid into the booth.

Jonah’s mouth pulled tight, and his pale gray eyes filled with clouds. “His mom called him a little bit ago and said she needed him. I hadn’t left for work yet, so I told him I’d meet you and pick up the paperwork.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t go with him.” No man had a fiercer protector than Christian did in Jonah. “Is everything okay?” Christian’s mother lived a tough life, some by her own choices and other parts thrust upon her, and she now paid the price with some physical and mental issues.

“He wouldn’t let me go.” Jonah made that sentence sound like a foul curse. “Christian is sure she’s fine.” The man shrugged, but his fingers clenched his glass visibly. “Lately, she gets panicky sometimes and calls him to come over to sit with her. As long as he’s not working, he’ll make the drive and help her calm down. He knows her better than I do.” Jonah went from crushing his glass to taking a long gulp that drained half the water from it. “I’m sure he’s right. Everything is probably fine.”

Rodrigo hid his grin from the surly man. “But you still fought him hard to go, I bet.”

“You see how far that got me.” Jonah’s lips still twisted downward, but it almost looked like a secret smile to Rodrigo.

He likes Chris taking charge and standing up to him.

Rodrigo could relate to Jonah’s pleasure with Christian occasionally laying down the law. Jonah was a hard-looking man that most people tended to automatically fear. While Rodrigo didn’t have the height and bulk Jonah physically did, his own rigid personality, driving work ethic, and inability to tolerate slackers and idiots in his employ evoked a healthy amount of fear as well. One of the things that had so immediately drawn Rodrigo to Abby was how’d she’d pushed past that initial intimidation with him and in about a heartbeat was flinging barbs back at him as fast as he threw them at her.