Hearts Enchained Read online

  As she moved to do King Jax’s bidding, he slid his hand into her hair and held her, his eyes drilling into hers. “This is an act of trust beyond what you have given to Kaelum and me tonight. Don’t make me regret it.”

  She nodded and he released her, moving to stand at the foot of the bed with his arms folded while she got into position.

  Straddling Kae’s body with her ass high in the air was in no way sexy and her arousal had dimmed to a tiny spark after the conversation with Jax and the probable implications. She knew his body must be disfigured somehow and it seemed wrong that such a strong, proud man could be undone in such a way. The mood in the room had become sombre and she didn’t know how to get their sexy back.

  Kaelum cupped his hands on her face and brought her close for a kiss. Just before their mouths met he whispered, “Don’t let him down,” and then his lips were on hers, sealing her to him tight as he pushed his tongue inside. His hands traveled up and down her body, squeezing, pinching, stroking and then a second pair of hands joined in. All four hands were large, strong, warm and calloused but Sorcha had no difficulty working out whose hands were where on her body. They both felt good and they both aroused but there were differences she sensed on an instinctive level.

  Kaelum left her mouth, searing a trail of kisses along her jawline and down her neck. She arched her head back to give him better access and then she felt Jax move to cover her. His thighs pressed tight to hers, his cock and hips nestled against her ass. He lowered his chest until his entire front half caged her and he dropped his head to nuzzle at her ear. “Happy now?”

  “Delirious.” She could feel fine tremors coursing through his body and he was holding himself as though he was about to break. “And you? Are you okay?”

  He took a breath and she could almost feel him forcing his muscles to relax. “Yeah, I’m…almost.” Another breath. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been skin-to-skin with anyone but Kae and you’re so much smaller and softer. And prettier.” She smiled at that. “And fuck, your scent is driving me out of my mind.”

  Moving slightly, she placed her hand over his where it rested on the bed. She had a visual of him from the elbow down and she could see a couple of scars and the intricate tattoos that banded his wrists. She gripped Jax’s hand tight in hers. “I, Sorcha Meehan, do promise you, Jaxmyre Randovar, that I will keep my word. I will keep my eyes on Kaelum and I will not peek or cheat.” She gave him a final squeeze before shifting her hand back to her original position. “I want us all to relax and enjoy this. Even you, Jax.”

  He bit her shoulder. “Any wonder Kae calls you a cat.” But she heard the smile in his voice.

  Kae took her mouth again, cupping her breasts and squeezing with delicious intent. Jax eased off her, sliding his hand between her legs to rub her clit, bringing her arousal up once more.

  Gripping her hips with firm command, Jax lodged his cock at her entrance. Then he stilled with nothing more than the head inside her, holding her too tight for her to move on her own. She was about to yell at him to get moving when Kae looked at him over her shoulder. “Good, isn’t it?”

  “More than good.” Jax’s voice sounded a little bit strangled. “Sorcha, I need hard and fast.”

  “I won’t break.”

  Then Jax plowed into her and she thought breakage might be very much on the cards. He was bigger than Kae and she dropped to her elbows on Kae’s chest, panting and trying not to squeeze Jax out. She sensed this was some kind of test for him and she didn’t want to fuck it up. So she took short, sharp breaths and focused on relaxing her body, softening for Jax and whatever demons were riding him.

  He dropped over her, chest to back, and fucked her like he would die if he didn’t come in the next five seconds. Only it wasn’t five seconds. He drove into her over and over, riding her through two Kaelum-assisted orgasms. They were all sweaty and Jax’s skin slipped and slid over hers until he rocked back and grabbed her shoulders for purchase. The angle change was brutal but every stroke hit her G-spot so instead of being painful it was pleasure with an edge of bite.

  Finally Jax let himself go and his orgasm pulsed into her hard and hot, his release triggering another one of her own. She shuddered between them, her internal muscles squeezing Jax’s cock while her hands raked over Kaelum’s chest. The pleasure rolled on and on, crashing over her in tumultuous waves and leaving her washed up on the shore like a shipwreck. Almost sobbing from the power of her release, she collapsed onto Kae and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Four

  Kaelum woke in the middle of the night, spooned behind the soft lines of Sorcha’s body, his arms wrapped tight around her. Her muscles were lax, her breathing steady and the last thing he wanted to do was ease himself away and leave the warmth of the bed.

  But that’s what he did. Pulling on his gray leather pants he half-laced them as he went searching for his den-mate. Not that he had to look far. Jax’s favorite place for dark-hours thinking was the floor of their lounge room, staring out the full-length windows at whatever configuration their night sky had to offer.

  Kae found him propped against the arm of the sofa, legs out, head back, eyes closed. Jax’s tunic and pants were laced but his feet were bare. Kae padded over, straddled his lover’s body and lowered himself down to nestle his ass in Jax’s lap. “You all right, my brother?”

  Jax lifted his head and met Kae’s gaze. “No, I think I’m a long way from being all right.”

  Kae jerked his head at the bedroom. “It was good though, wasn’t it?”

  “Better than good.” Jax slid his hands up and down Kae’s thighs. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

  “Me either.” And he knew that’s what Jax was struggling with. As much as he loved Kaelum, as much as they shared together, there was something Jax needed that Kae couldn’t give. “There’s nothing bad or disloyal about what we just shared. We were both there and we were both involved. Being with Sorcha won’t detract from what we have together, it will enhance it.”

  Those strong, steady hands smoothed up Kae’s hips and traveled to his waist, rimming under the band of his pants. Kae’s breath hitched and that light touch sent shivers racing all over his body.

  “I love you,” Jax said.

  “I know. I love you too.”

  Jax grimaced. “I realize I rely on you too much, that our relationship isn’t as balanced as it should be—”

  Kae placed a firm hand over Jax’s mouth. “Stop. That’s not true.” He edged a little closer, planting himself more firmly in Jax’s lap and placing his hands on his den-mate’s wide, shirt-covered shoulders. “Each of us brings something different to the relationship but those differences are what the other needs. I am your friend, your lover, your family. And yes I might even be your glue but I am not your crutch. Nor am I someone whom you use and give nothing to in return.”

  Kae pulled up the hem of Jax’s shirt and slid his hands underneath to revel in the feel of warm, hard flesh. “Do you remember our first night together?”

  “Of course.” Jax’s body relaxed under the stroke of Kae’s hands. “It was the night after a particularly aggressive Brightstar incursion and I’d come home from the bower house even more wound up than when I left.”

  “I woke you up from your nightmare.” Kae leaned in to rub Jax’s face, cheek to cheek. “I climbed into bed with you and held you in my arms as you tried to pull yourself together. That’s when I realized we had an intimacy that was unique to us. We see each other in a way no one else does and we trust each other in a way that goes beyond any other relationship we have. That night, holding you and giving you comfort seemed so right and natural I didn’t give it a second thought. But you weren’t the only one who needed an emotional connection. You weren’t the only one who couldn’t face another bower house visit just to scratch an itch.”

  Kae moved his head so they were pressed forehead to forehead. “This relationship runs both ways. We both give each other what we need and I am compl
etely happy and satisfied with you.”

  “But?” Jax’s voice held a note of wariness.

  Sitting back a little, Kae made sure he made eye contact. “But I think with Sorcha we could be so much more. Our relationship could be so much richer. I think she has the strength and capability to take us both on and make us better men.”

  Kae knew his den-mate was thinking hard, viewing their situation from every angle. Jax’s analytical skills made him a great leader but that fine mind of his often got in the way of his emotions. He would never simply feel his way through a situation when he could think it to death instead.

  Jax was still pondering when he reached out and unlaced Kae’s pants, lifting out his cock and giving it a long, firm stroke. Kae hardened straight away and he knew his brain was going to lose this battle.

  “And what if you’re wrong about Sorcha?” Jax asked, his fist firm and distracting. “What if we bring her in, show her who we are and things don’t work out? What if she walks away from us and tells the world we’re lovers? If we bring her into our relationship we’ll give her the power to destroy everything we’ve built together. A few careless words from her and I’ll lose command, I’ll lose my home, I’ll lose my status as an Enforcer and worst of all, I’ll lose you.”

  Kaelum rolled his hips, the pleasure of Jax fisting his cock fuzzing his arguments. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on Jax’s emotions and not on his talented hand.

  “You will never lose me, you know that. And Tengale and Jaysada aren’t going anywhere.”

  Jax released Kae and pushed at his shoulders. “Get up on the couch.”

  Kae rose to comply because this was how it was with Jax. When his emotions got too tangled or he felt threatened, he held the demons at bay by reinforcing the one connection he could rely on.

  Jax had been abandoned at birth. Raised by the den community, he’d been groomed to be not just an Enforcer but a leader of strength and intellect. He’d grown up knowing he belonged to everyone but nobody ever really belonged to him. The den was his life and his purpose, which was why Brightstar hadn’t been able to break him even after two months of creative torture. Jax fulfilled his duties with honor, pride and a sense of privilege. But the only person who claimed him, who belonged to him without question or condition, was Kaelum.

  It was no wonder the intensity of their experience with Sorcha sent Jax into a panic.

  Jax pushed Kae’s legs wide, once again gripping his cock. Then Jax lowered his head and sucked Kae down so far and deep his whole body lifted off the couch. Thought became impossible so he submitted to the pleasure instead, fisting Jax’s hair, fucking into his hot mouth as bolts of desire shot down his spine. It was so good and Jax knew a hundred ways to drive him crazy. Sometimes the loving was long and slow, but it could also be hard and fast, soft and sweet, or rough and dirty. Jax knew him better than Kae knew himself when it came to pleasure and when Jax decided to make him come, nothing Kae did would stop it.

  So Jax sucked him deep, shoving a hand down to play with Kae’s asshole while Jax’s free hand rolled and pulled Kae’s balls. He fucked harder, the hot suction of Jax’s mouth burning him down to his soul. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the pleasure was too intense. Kae’s body shook, his muscles seized and his balls pulled up tight and heavy. He struggled to hold off, to stretch out the pleasure for as long as he could, but once Jax pressed a finger deep into Kae’s ass, the deal was done. Shouting out his pleasure, he came hard and hot down Jax’s throat, holding his lover tight to his groin as shards of pleasure pierced his body.

  When he finally came back to himself Jax was still on the floor between his knees, his head resting on Kaelum’s thigh.

  “Nothing can come between this.” Jax’s voice was rough with emotion.

  Kae stroked his hand through his den-mate’s soft, white hair. “Nothing will, I promise.” He thought about all the ways Sorcha could help them, how she could so easily become as important to them as they were to each other. And he and Jax could help her. Jaysada told him Sorcha was sad because she was lonely and Kae knew only too well how that felt. But having someone of your own meant you never had to be lonely.

  And taking Sorcha as their mate would make his existing relationship with Jax so much easier. Now that Ari and Tarkan were mated, nobody gave them a second glance when they treated each other with open affection. Kae tried to imagine what that would be like. To be able to touch Jax anywhere, anytime, any way he wanted. It would be absolute bliss.

  He looked down into his lover’s dark-green eyes. “If Sorcha was our mate we wouldn’t have to be so careful in public. We could be as affectionate as we wished and nobody would be any wiser.”

  Jax grunted. “Right up until our first argument when that ball-breaker blabs out of spite.”

  Kae smiled. She could spit fire, that’s for sure, but her temper was honest and he didn’t think she had that kind of mean in her. And he knew Jax didn’t really think that either.

  The gasp of feminine outrage coming from the doorway had him scrambling to his feet.

  “Is that what all this was about?” Sorcha stormed into the room, mostly dressed but not laced. “You wanted a dumb, pliant woman to give you cover in public while you fuck each other senseless in the privacy of your own home? Well guess what? I’m not dumb or pliant.” She planted her hands on her hips and ignored the way her dress tried to slip from her shoulder. “And I might be a ball-breaker, Jax The Asshole, but I’m not spiteful enough to spill your secret to anyone who would listen. Though my integrity is more than either of you deserve.”

  Wheeling around, she headed back into the bedroom. Kae was about to follow her when he felt Jax’s hand on his arm. “Leave her.”

  He turned to face Jax. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. She’s angry and hurt and it’s our fault. Regardless of what we decide together, she doesn’t deserve to leave here tonight thinking that we just wanted to use her.”

  Jax nodded. “I get that but I don’t think you’ll have much luck with an apology or an explanation. She’s too angry to listen right now.”

  He was probably right but Kaelum just didn’t have it in him to let her walk away.

  Chapter Five

  Sorcha wanted to crawl into the hole of humiliation and die. She ran back to the bedroom, gathered her boots and corset, gave up trying to find her second stocking and began searching for a way out. She didn’t want to face Kaelum or Jax; she couldn’t even bear the thought of it. In an act of desperation she opened her mind and called to the bane of her existence.

  Tengale? Are you there? Can you hear me?

  Yes, pet. We’re here. Is there something wrong?

  Holy Mary, there were so many things wrong she didn’t even know where to start. I can’t be here anymore. I need to go home.

  She felt Tengale’s flash of temper. You are upset. Did our males hurt you?

  Yes, in the way a physical blow never could. They didn’t hurt me, not in the way you mean. I just need to get away from them.

  Come to us. Jaysada and I will care for you.

  Good enough. She had no idea what constituted dragon care but if it got her away from Jax and Kae she wasn’t going to quibble.

  She almost crashed into Kaelum as she stormed out of the bedroom.

  “Sorcha, wait.” He halted her momentum by gripping her firmly by the upper arms. “Let me explain.”

  “No.” She tried to wrench herself out of his hold but his hands stayed firm.

  “What you heard was out of context. We would never use you like that.”

  “No, you won’t because I won’t let you.” Struggling wasn’t working so she drew herself up ramrod straight and forced all the emotion from her face and her voice. “What happened tonight in your bed was…well, never mind what it was. Let’s just call it a one-night stand and be done with it, okay? It was fun and now it’s over. Let’s move on.”

  His grip tightened as he shook her. “No. No moving on, only moving forward
. The three of us pleasuring each other was amazing and I want to do it again. I want it every night. I want you to come and live with us here.”

  She snorted. “Are you high? You hardly know me and Jax hates me. I have too much respect for myself to parade around as your skirt and act as camouflage for your relationship. I don’t care that you’re gay and I don’t care that you love each other. All I care about is that you leave me alone.”

  This time when she pulled away from him he let her go. She hurried around him and practically ran through the lounge room and down the hallway. She heard both Jax and Kae call out to her but she didn’t stop, she just hitched up her skirts and ran faster.

  She felt Tengale brush against her mind, guiding her to the dragon’s side of the den. She barrelled down the smooth-walled corridors, took a couple of turns and burst through an archway to find herself in the center of the lair. The room was huge—it had to be to accommodate two blacks—and the bulk of the floor was covered in a bed of soft white sand. Sorcha was breathless, exhausted and in tears as she staggered over the low retaining wall. She barely even twitched when Jaysada scooped her up in a claw and nestled her into the crook of her arm. Sorcha clung to her, crying her heart out and burying her face in her skirts to muffle the noise. Those Enforcer idiots had opened her heart and mind to a level of intimacy she only ever dreamed about and then they ruined everything by being total assholes.

  They weren’t worth her tears. It didn’t matter that she’d been crushing on them since she’d arrived on Gemarra or that they were the hottest things she’d ever seen. It didn’t matter that they’d just given her the most extraordinary sexual experience of her life. It didn’t even matter that she left a piece of her heart behind when she walked out the door. All that counted was that they were not what they seemed. They weren’t who she thought they were and no amount of tears would change that.