Double Duty Read online

  There wasn’t really any time to say yes or no. Ashe pulled her down on top of him, Shannon quickly following to lie on top, though as he promised he didn’t put very much weight on her back. Not even a full minute after she was effectively surrounded, loud thumps sounded against the bulletproof glass of the vehicle, and she was guessing the exterior. Bullets. The villagers were chasing them, firing at them. But why? Was it because of what she said? She could understand the chieftain being upset that she, a woman, had spoken to him, but this seemed a bit extreme.

  “Shhh, honey. It’s going to be fine. We’ll keep you safe,” Shannon whispered in her ear. Until then she hadn’t even realized she’d been whimpering.

  There were hands caressing both her head and her arms; she had no idea which was doing which. She didn’t care either. Scared didn’t even begin to describe how she felt. Keeping her head buried in Ashe’s chest, she tried to stifle whimpers of pure terror.

  “Alpha leader, we have heavy incoming. Bravo team about ten klicks away moving fast in our direction, air support will be here in five.”

  Skylar had no idea where the radio had come from, but what the hell was a klick? And five what? Minutes? Seconds? Could they hold off that long?

  Ashe’s reply didn’t really tell her much in the way of answers. “Roger that. Do not stop to engage, but take out anything that gets close.”

  “Sir, yes sir. We’ve got you covered.”

  Well that was good, wasn’t it? Before this second, the concept of being in an actual war zone had been rather surreal. Sure she lived on a military compound, but she had always felt safe. Safer than she had back at home, even. She hadn’t seen any gunfights or bombs or anything to bring home the fact this was indeed a war. Now it was no longer something abstract or in the distance. She was right in the middle of a firefight, and she didn’t like it one bit.

  “I did this,” she moaned helplessly, more sorry than she knew how to express she had opened her big mouth. “I’m so sorry.”

  Hot tears began to fall, soaking into Ashe’s uniform. The thumps against the vehicle were getting fewer and farther in between, but that didn’t make Skylar any less scared.

  “Hush, baby. None of this is your fault. The guy was obviously looking for any excuse.” Ashe cupped her chin and forced her head up to look at him. He really had beautiful eyes. Oddly, she felt a little calmer just looking at him.

  “We promise to get you back to the compound in one piece,” Shannon affirmed in her ear, his hands now identifiable moving slowly up and down the sides of her body.

  Lord, having two sets of hands on her body felt so good. She could literally feel all the tension melting off her, her body melting in between two very hard, very capable bodies. Taking deep breaths, Skylar found she had to fight not so much to calm herself now, but to stop from being all too aware of the hard bodies literally surrounding her. Beneath her Ashe shifted a little, causing her own body to move. All of a sudden her core was right up against very hard evidence he wasn’t unaffected by their current position. On top of her, pressed against the soft globes of her behind, was more proof that Shannon was also very aware he had a woman underneath him.

  Oh no! This was so not the right time to start getting turned on!

  “Look at me, Sky.” Ashe’s voice sounded gruff, deeper than usual. Lord help her, she actually shifted against his erection, rubbing her own clit through her clothing. Oh, she was so twisted for this. “You trust us to take care of you, don’t you, baby?”

  If there were bullets hitting the SUV now, she wouldn’t have known it. Not when Ashe’s face seemed to be getting closer and closer to her own. Shannon was lifting her hair, pushing it to one side. She shivered, waiting for whoever’s lips reached her first. Feeling Shannon’s soft kiss against her neck, she actually groaned in thanksgiving, wiggling her hips to press both erections closer. When Ashe’s lips caressed her own, she welcomed it, opening upon his unspoken command and allowing his deep, soul-searing kiss to sweep her away from the chaos swirling around them.

  All that mattered was right here, right now in the back of the armored SUV. Someone was unbuttoning the top of her body-swathing dress. Probably Shannon, as she was pretty sure those were Ashe’s hands pulling up the skirt of the very same dress. She wanted to weep in relief as two very large, strong, calloused hands cupped her breasts. Not gently as if she would break, but with absolute authority. A finger and thumb worked her nipples to distraction, causing her core to liquefy; she was hot and wet, and the dull ache that was a constant whenever she was around the two of them started to throb painfully. This was really happening. Ramifications could wait—this felt so damn good, so right.

  “You feel so good, baby,” Shannon whispered hotly in her ear. “We want to make you feel even better. Put your legs on either side of Ashe and lift your backside up a little.”

  Skylar didn’t hesitate. Even though Ashe didn’t allow her lips to leave his, he did help her maneuver exactly where Shannon had directed her. As soon as she did, one hand left her breast and relocated between her legs, pressing her underwear against her pussy firmly and rolling around a little. Her head lifted, falling back as she let out a low, keening moan. God, that felt fantastic! But before she could even process it beyond the first immediate reaction, Ashe’s mouth clamped down on the breast freed by Shannon.

  The combination was heady to say the least. Ashe’s mouth and teeth, along with Shannon’s probing fingers—Skylar didn’t have a chance to separate one sensation from another. Just as she thought she might be able to gather her wits somewhat, her panties were gone with a decisive rip. The air-conditioned air of the car did nothing to cool her heated core as Shannon’s fingers plunged inside her sheath mercilessly while Ashe’s mouth moved to the other breast to torment her more.

  “Oh God, please.” Skylar had no idea which man she was talking to exactly. Frankly, it didn’t matter. “I need you inside me, now!”

  It wasn’t as if she were talking to one man over another. She was imploring both, either, didn’t matter. In her mind, they were really an extension of one another; they had been from perhaps the very beginning. Somehow she just knew they would know and understand what she meant. And apparently they did. While Ashe held her hips still, Shannon positioned himself behind her and thrust inside her, hard.

  Skylar gasped, her fingers grabbing on to Ashe under her. Shannon was relentless, thrusting inside her in a steady, driving rhythm. Ashe didn’t let up his own sensual assault on her breasts, adding to the incredible sensation of Shannon deep inside her core. He drove so deep, so powerfully, Skylar felt as if she was being completely possessed, and she loved every second of it.

  “Come for him, Sky,” Ashe urged, murmuring against the flesh of her chest. “Show him you like it.”

  He had to be kidding. Like it? She loved every second, every stroke. However, when Ashe reached his hand down and pinched her clit, Skylar detonated, falling completely apart. She would’ve screamed, but Ashe’s mouth took possession of hers once more, turning her scream into a muffled whimper.

  “That’s right, baby, come for me,” Shannon urged, powering inside her faster, even deeper than before.

  She didn’t have time to climb down from one high before she was crashing into another, more powerful orgasm. In the back of her mind she became vaguely aware of two things. One, Ashe was not letting go of her mouth, making sure the two up front wouldn’t hear her through the privacy glass, and two, Shannon was wearing a condom. Both things made her feel unbelievably protected and safe. The thoughtfulness of both touched her on an elemental level.

  If she’d thought with their last combined orgasm it was all over, she had been very wrong. As soon as Shannon slipped out of her, Ashe slipped in, pulling her hips down flush against his.

  “Ride him, baby. Show him how good you feel,” Shannon encouraged, his teeth moving against the sensitive skin.

  There was little choice but to do as she was told. As if she wanted to do anything else. Her
hips moved against Ashe’s thick, rock-hard erection, loving the way he filled her. With Shannon supporting her from behind, she rode with abandon, bucking down while Ashe thrust up. This was faster, rawer than it had been with Shannon. She moved frantically, losing all thoughts of anything other than the two men driving her wild now. There was no world outside the vehicle, nothing but the three of them in the backseat of an armored SUV.

  “Come for me, Sky, baby,” Ashe ordered, thrusting up so hard that if it hadn’t been for Shannon, Skylar thought she might have been bucked off of him.

  It was too good to deny. Shannon pulled both nipples simultaneously while Ashe grabbed her hips for a deep, powerful drive upward. Skylar saw stars. She imploded, erupting like a volcano all around Ashe’s cock. Shannon pulled back on her hair, forcing her head to lean against him while he took possession of her mouth just in time to swallow her cries with his kiss.

  “Alpha leader, this is Bravo leader. We’ve got the hostiles in sight, you’re a green to go return to base.”

  Oh shit—Skylar had completely forgotten the bullets that had been flying outside. Somehow Shannon and Ashe had taken her mind completely off the volatile situation they’d been in and swept her up in a world of sensual delight. Her face flamed thinking the driver might have heard them.

  “I promise no one heard a thing.” Ashe smiled at her, probably reading her thoughts before reaching for the radio that had fallen to the floor. “Roger that. We’ll head to the nest and report in before joining the fight.”

  She sat quickly, blushing even harder as Shannon gently helped her to straighten her clothing.

  “You’re going back out there?” Skylar’s heart stopped at the thought. She didn’t want her men anywhere near the fighting.

  Her men. Wasn’t that jumping the gun a bit?

  “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.” Shannon smiled sadly, giving her a sweet, lingering kiss. “We promise we’ll be back in your arms before you can blink.”

  “Just try to get rid of us now,” Ashe joined in, turning her head for yet another supple, lasting kiss.

  They certainly sounded sincere. Skylar knew there was little she could do but wait and see. But when they escorted her back to the rooms she had been assigned to, doubts started to set in. What if she was wrong? What if she was just a wartime fling? Not knowing what else to do, she turned to her computer, jumping on Skype to call the two closest friends she had in the world.

  Letticia Woodcock was the married, practical one, never failing to keep Skylar’s feel firmly planted on the ground, while Aella Spence was something of a “free spirit.” It took a minute to get them both online, but when she did she told them the entire sordid tale.

  “Wow, that is so cool.” Aella’s eyes lit up—she was clearly more interested in the adventure of it all than she was the romantic dilemma. “They were shooting at you guys? Was it because you don’t know how to keep your mouth shut?”

  “Aella, shut up.” Letticia rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Two guys, Sky? Really?”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She’d made a mistake, a horrible mistake.

  “They don’t seem like they are leading you on, Sky.” Of course Aella would give them the benefit of the doubt. There wasn’t much Aella wasn’t willing to try at least once That was why she was currently working in Sicily of all places, on one of the bases on the island. “I say give them the benefit of the doubt.”

  “For once I have to agree with Crazy Ass,” Letticia agreed.

  “You do?” Skylar was stunned. The two of them rarely agreed on anything.

  “Yeah, Sky, I do. I mean, they sound earnest. It sounds like you all just got carried away in the moment.” Letticia shrugged. “Believe it or not, ménage relationships aren’t really all that unheard of in the military. Sometimes two service members develop bonds others can’t quite understand. Sounds like these guys have that. They sound earnest, but you will never know unless you give it a shot.”

  “Yeah, besides, if it doesn’t work out we can meet in Amsterdam and drown your sorrows in some serious debauchery.” Aella nodded sagely, as if she was imparting deep wisdom.

  “Go for it, Sky,” Letticia agreed. “We’ll be here for you no matter what.”

  Happily Ever After

  Skylar paced her rooms for what seemed like hours. The sun had set a while ago, and still there was no word from the Majors Marshall and O’Shea. Having no idea how long battles, firefights, skirmishes—whatever the hell they were called—were supposed to take, each passing moment was absolute hell on her already frayed nerves. Visions of the absolute worst danced in her brain no matter how hard she fought to dispel the images. Prayer was unceasingly on her lips as she strode to and fro on the cold tiles in bare feet.

  When a firm knock sounded on the door to her quarters, she nearly jumped out of her skin. For seconds she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. As much as she wanted it to be Shannon and Ashe, she was terrified to check and see. The second series of knock galvanized her frozen limbs. She ran to the door ready to face the music.

  ***

  A Skylar dressed in a fluffy, oversized terrycloth robe with her hair pinned to the top of her head was the most stunning sight Ashe had ever seen. Bone tired after one hell of a firefight coupled with a drawn-out debriefing, just looking at her gave him a shot of energy.

  “Hi, gorgeous.” He couldn’t, and didn’t, hesitate to pull her into his arms while Shannon closed and locked the door behind them. God, there was nothing sweeter than the taste of her lips. “We’ve missed you.”

  “Are you both okay?” Skylar’s hands ran all over his arms, chest and even his face. “What happened? This was all my fault, wasn’t it?” Without taking a breath she stepped out of his arms and turned frantically to Shannon, subjecting him to the same physical inspection. Ashe’s face split into a wide grin. She didn’t even realize what she had done. “And you? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  Shannon had a better time of biting back his laughter than he did. Skylar had unintentionally shown that she cared for both men equally, something Ashe had known she would. They managed to gradually move her toward the small couch in the tiny living area she’d been given as part of her quarters. Shannon pulled her down into his lap while Ashe grabbed and held her hands.

  “Calm down, sweetheart.” Ashe still couldn’t stop smiling. “And no, none of what happened today was because of you.”

  He attempted to explain without giving away classified information that the particular village they had visited had long been suspected of moving opium through its porous borders. There had been three members of Recon in their convoy to sniff out what they could. Just as the military suspected, there had been a large cache of the drug hidden in the village. While the chieftain had shown too much interest in Skylar in his opinion, the shots had come when the explosive the Recon members had planted had been discovered. Even though the chieftain’s agitation had given them the perfect excuse to leave, it had been a signal from another Marine that had moved them to swift action before the tribal leader could be told their stash had been found.

  Of course, Ashe left out all parts concerning her. He didn’t want to upset her—not that they were managing to get her calm. It was hard as hell to concentrate when Shannon couldn’t seem to stop kissing and caressing the woman on his lap. Although Ashe suspected she probably had a million and one questions rolling around in her head, she seemed completely at ease now, her earlier agitation melted away. She damn sure looked right in Shannon’s lap—just as she would in his.

  “Sky, honey, how are you feeling?” He didn’t bother to resist the urge to caress her silky legs underneath her robe. The entire upper half of the robe had been pushed down from her shoulders and now rested halfway down her arms. Shannon was making use of the soft, dark skin exposed, his mouth wandering the exposed area without ceasing. Although the thin tank top she wore covered her breasts, Ashe witnessed the hardening of her nipples, pushing out farther and
farther the more Shannon kissed her.

  “I feel fine.” The forced nonchalance didn’t fool him for a minute. He could see she was getting more turned on by the second. Shannon witnessed it too, ceasing his oral exploration and waiting without saying a word. Ashe fixed her a knowing look, his own hands ceasing from rubbing the softness of her thighs. “Okay, okay. I’m a little…curious. What exactly are we doing here? What is it that the two of you want from me exactly?”

  “What do you think, sweetheart?” It hurt to hear the wariness in Shannon’s voice, but Ashe knew it was going to take time.

  “I don’t really know.” Skylar shrugged, looking everywhere but at the two of them. “We didn’t exactly have time to talk about it.”

  That was true. They had to head back to the area where the village lay as soon as they made sure she was safe. Ashe cupped her cheek, forcing her to look directly at him. “What do you want, Skylar?”

  Maybe it was unfair to ask her that. Neither he nor Shannon had spelled it out to her. Fortunately, their woman was no shrinking violet who needed to be led.

  “I want everything you are willing to give,” she answered without batting an eyelash.

  “That’s really good, baby.” Ashe’s chest expanded, his heart so full he thought it might burst. “’Cause we are planning on giving you everything.”

  ***

  Shannon could barely contain his elation. While he and Ashe had walked down this road before, this time it felt very different. This felt right. Without waiting a second longer, he rose, sweeping Skylar in his arms and striding toward the open door he was guessing led to her sleeping quarters. Thankfully, he was right. Striding to the bed, he laid her down carefully, his hands shaking ever so slightly as he removed her heavy robe from her body. Damn, she was perfect in his eyes. Underneath the robe she had nothing more than a tank top and panties on. His cock went from hard to painfully throbbing in seconds. He stared down at her, trying to decide what to strip off next.