Stealing The Bride

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Stealing the Bride ISBN # 978-1-907010-51-4 ©Copyright Brynn Paulin 2009 Cover Art by Natalie Winters ©Copyright July 2009 Edited by Claire Siemaszkiewicz Total-E-Bound Publishing This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing. Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution. The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork. Published in 2009 by Total-E-Bound Publishing 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road, Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

Summer Seductions

STEALING THE BRIDE Brynn Paulin

Dedication To Mr. Inspiration. Still the one after all these years.

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Coke: The Coca-Cola Company Corporation Guinness Book: Arthur Guinness and Sons PLC Star Wars (Luke Skywalker, Stormtrooper, Yoda): Lucas Licensing Ltd. Rubbermaid: Rubbermaid Corporation

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

5

Chapter One

Rivulets of sweat ran along Mara Nelson’s limbs and pooled on her torso as she lay naked on a picnic table beneath the wood dining canopy in her campsite. Despite being out of the direct rays of the unrelenting July sun, the ninety degree temperature and the high humidity were making her retreat from the world just about unbearable. What she wouldn’t give for her central air or even a fan right now. There would be neither. She was alone in this wilderness with a canvas army tent on a cement foundation, a wooden canopy under which she’d set up some of her gear, and a stream running nearby. There wasn’t a soul for miles. Mara was completely alone with no electricity, no running water and no car to allow her to dash into town. Her cousin, who’d reluctantly assisted with Mara’s plan, had protested that it wasn’t safe but, at Mara’s stubborn insistence, had relented and dropped her off three days ago with the promise to pick her up in a week. Eyes closed, Mara strove to stay perfectly still and listen to the nature around her. After years in the rat race of New York City, she’d become unbalanced and lost her centre. It easily happened in the constant throb of the civilisation that refused to sleep. Out here, she couldn’t hear the constant buzz of humanity, a conglomeration of people, machinery, mass communication and electricity. But it wasn’t silent. It was different. Mara found the sounds of nature soothing. The bugs and frogs shared a symphony. Birds called to one another and rattled through the trees along with the squirrels and chipmunks that scampered around camp. Nearby, a stream bubbled, a gentle breeze set the trees to singing, footsteps crunched along the path— What the hell! She flew upright, her arm going across her breasts as she scanned the area. She’d been assured that this retreat in the middle of privately owned land was deserted and that she’d be utterly alone for the duration of her time here. Before she could dash for her tent, two men broke through the tree line surrounding the campsite. Fear slammed through her. Two men and she was all alone? And she was naked—

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

6

clothes had been an uncomfortable nuisance in this oppressive heat so she’d gone naked, knowing the squirrels wouldn’t care. She pressed her legs together and drew them up to better hide herself, though there was no mistaking she was unclothed. Despite the heat, goose bumps prickled down her arms. She didn’t even have a weapon nearby. The first man pushed up the brim of his baseball hat and grinned, and she realised it was a very good thing she didn’t have a weapon. She’d kill him—both of them because she knew without looking who the other man was. “My name is Luke Skywalker, and I’m here to rescue you,” Daniel quipped. Scowling, she climbed off the table and crossed her arms over her chest—not to shield her nudity because these two had seen her naked plenty of times in the year they’d been her roommates but because she was pissed. She glared at the pair who’d dare to invade her vacation and her privacy. From the looks of their heavy backpacks, they’d planned to stay with her. Like hell. “Aren’t you a bit gay to be a stormtrooper?” she replied. She turned to Daniel’s companion and lover of five years, Jacob. “If he’s Luke, who are you? Yoda?” Jacob turned to Daniel. “Not happy to see us, she is.” “What are you doing here? Twelve hours from home? It’s not like you just happened to be in the neighbourhood.” She’d told them she was going on a cruise, not the wilds of Michigan. Daniel shrugged his wide shoulders to let the backpack fall to the ground then straightened to his full height of just over six feet. Despite spending hours online as a professional blogger and internet reporter, his figure was lean. With thick wavy black hair, which stuck a little to his forehead in this heat, and his light blue eyes, he was any girl’s dream. Too bad he dreamed of only men—specifically Jacob. “A little birdy left her day planner open on the kitchen table with all the notes about her ‘cruise’ right there for anyone to see,” he said. “As your friends, it’s our duty to keep you safe.” “And stuff,” Jacob added as he too let his backpack drop. Jacob was nearly the same height and build as Daniel, making them appear the perfect match when they embraced, but otherwise, he was the photo-negative of Daniel in both looks and personality. Where his partner was fair-skinned with dark hair and light eyes, Jacob had a perpetual tan enhanced

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

7

by his olive-toned skin. His blond hair sported sun streaks of near-white, and his eyes were the darkest brown they could be without being black. Another dream. Perfect for his job as a Broadway character actor. Daniel had a lighter personality always ready with a joke or a snappy response. Jacob seemed…more intense. More serious. The combination of light and intense kept her unbalanced in their presence. She couldn’t help her arousal whenever she was around them, either. Thank goodness there was no way for them to know. Her current dampness could be attributed to perspiration, sort of, and they couldn’t possibly know the streaks of lightning pulsing in her middle. It was her curse being attracted to two gorgeous gay men. Beside them, she felt like the girl who’d been hit by the ugly stick. While she was passable weight, too many hours behind a desk crunching facts for a high-profile, international lawyer kept her from being particularly toned or thin. In fact, amongst the New York svelte, she felt downright fat. Her mousy brown hair fell to mid-back and was usually kept in a ponytail to tame it. Actually, right now it was in a messy braid to keep it from sticking to her body. Her features were plain, her brown eyes were boring, and she had an abundance of freckles speckling her face and arms. Mostly she didn’t notice the spots, but when she did and noted their abundance, she cursed her genes and her lack of sunscreen as a youth. Others surely saw them though, most of the time, she’d ceased to notice. Truthfully, she was quite comfortable with herself as she was, or she could have made changes. She was who she was, and her roommates were who they were. Men who inhabited a different echelon from ordinary people like her. An upper echelon. The beautiful people echelon. Unaware of her musing, Daniel turned and grabbed his backpack then hefted it onto the table she’d deserted. Opening the top flap, he dug inside and pulled out a Coke. He held it out to her, and she took it without thought, groaning at the cold against her palm. Her roommates knew her vices. He pulled out one for himself. “We thought it was odd that you’d take a cruise right before your wedding—and without your fiancé. Does Marco know you’re here?” “No. He thinks I’m visiting my cousin. Besides he’s in Vegas with my boss—his best man. A bachelor thing.” “Oh the wicked web we weave,” Daniel chortled.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

8

She glared at him. “Shut up. Look…I wanted to be alone. I needed to get my thoughts together—” “Before you marry the man who has the Guinness Book world record for boringness,” he interrupted. “Marco’s a nice man. There’s nothing wrong with him.” “You don’t love him,” Jacob added, dryly. Mara sighed. “Look. Thanks for the Coke, but I want you guys to leave. I’m trying to recentre myself and get one with nature and all that crap, and you’re really messing it up.” “How very crunchy granola of you,” he laughed. Of the three of them, she was the least spiritual when it came to these things, and they all knew it. Jacob slipped a tendril of her damp hair behind her ear, and she sucked in a breath as his fingers grazed her cheek. Her pussy contracted with need. She took a step back, shifting her arms to fully cover her puckered nipples, but he followed. The scent of clean, hot male filled her senses. “Sweetheart,” he said. “Have you considered that the reason you feel out of balance is because you’re freaking out about marrying a guy you know is totally wrong for you?” Actually, yes, it had occurred to her—not that she’d admit it. Marco felt comfortable, and he liked her. Jacob’s fingers trailed down her shoulder and traced her collarbone. Suddenly, her nakedness took on a sensuality she’d never expected to feel in her roommates’ presence. “I should go get dressed,” she murmured as his fingertips skimmed towards her breast. She took a step backward and slammed into Daniel who’d moved behind her while Jacob had distracted her. His hands settled on her hips, holding her flush with his hard body while Jacob edged even closer. Jacob’s T-shirt-clad belly rubbed hers as his head dipped towards hers. “I think there’s something you should know about us,” he said. Desperately, she tried to think while her heartbeat deafened her. Daniel’s thumbs stroked her sides, his fingers splaying towards her pussy. Mara tried to swallow around the rock in her throat. Her heart raced out of control. She wildly shook her head, knowing she had to get away or give herself away—if she hadn’t already. Daniel brushed his lips against her ear. “We’re into both men and women, Mara.” “We’re into you,” Jacob whispered into the other.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

9

Mara wrenched from between them. This wasn’t possible. No…no…oh God no! Horror mixed with realisation slammed through her. How many times had she wandered nearnaked from her shower to her bedroom? How many times had she inadvertently run into them while she was naked because she’d thought they weren’t home. It was a small apartment and none of them were particularly careful. Oh my God and they’re into women, too. She dashed into her tent and whipped down the flaps while desperately trying to keep them from seeing more skin than they already had. Doing the nature-girl-in-tune-with-theuniverse thing had obviously been a huge mistake. She was an idiot to think all this solitude would help her get her thoughts together. Her body buzzed with arousal, and she was more confused than ever—where the hell were her clothes? “Mara, you’re overreacting,” Jacob called. She angrily paced to her duffle bag and yanked out a pair of khaki shorts. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” “That you’re overreacting?” Daniel asked. She glared at the canvas flaps. “You know what I mean!” “There didn’t seem to be a good time to tell you?” “Not once in the entire year we’ve been roommates? You couldn’t manage to say ‘hey, by the way’? Don’t give me that crap.” Silence greeted her, and she imagined they were looking at each other and trying to decide their next move. It sure as hell had better be to get out of her campsite. Turning from the flaps, she went back to her duffel which was set on one of the two camping cots. She needed underwear and a shirt. She sighed as she pulled out a pair of lacy pink panties. Any clothes would be unbearable in this heat. Even as she considered dressing a droplet of perspiration rolled down the centre of her back. Enraged at their intrusion and the way they made her tummy tremble with need, she spun back to the front of the tent to yell at the men and instead screamed as she ploughed into a very solid, very male chest. Eyes wide, she stared into Daniel’s ice-blue gaze. He gently pressed his finger over her lips. His arm snaked around her waist to steady her. “We were afraid you’d freak out then move out.” Good guess.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

10

“Then you’d marry Marco before we could stop you,” Jacob said from beside him. Her gaze whipped towards him. “Stop me?” she repeated slowly. “What is this? Some game to break up my engagement? How could—” “Tell us you love him. Truthfully. Tell us,” he demanded. “I…I respect Marco. We respect each other, and he meets my needs—” “Marco puts people to sleep whenever he speaks,” Daniel interrupted. “You need love and passion, not a good discussion on the exchange rate of the Pekinese yen.” “Japanese,” she corrected. “I know. And you know what I’m getting at. You’re deluding yourself…or worse, settling.” Jacob stepped closer to her. “We have a proposition for you.” “No,” she said automatically as her entire body shook with the anticipation of what he’d say. He smiled with a knowing, smug curve of the lips. His fingers trailed down her naked arm. “I think yes.” He closed his eyes for a moment as if savouring the feel of her skin. “Just listen a second. Give us a chance. Give us until the end of your retreat to convince you that Marco isn’t the right choice for you.” The end of her retreat would be her wedding. Both she and Marco would be getting back into town from their separate trips the morning of their small ceremony. No rehearsal. No last minute details would be attended to. They’d get back and head for the chapel. They were both ready. And now, her roommates were proposing she wasn’t… “How?” she whispered. Daniel’s fingers tightened at the small of her back. “How do you think?” Lord…this isn’t happening. What nefarious dreamland nymph was making her secret fantasies become reality? Maybe she was just delirious in this horrid heat. She squeezed shut her eyes and reached up to rub them, only to discover she still held the panties in her fist. Her eyes went wide in shock, and Daniel gave her a wide grin. “My favourite pair.” Agilely, he worked them from her fingers then tossed them to Jacob when she reached for them.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

11

“I’ve always liked that you wear these panties instead of thongs. Skimpy but yet so feminine.” Jacob’s thumb stroked over the cotton crotch of the garment, and she swallowed as she imagined him touching her. Defensively, she pressed her legs together and crossed an arm over her chest again. She held out her other hand. “Give those to me.” He handed them over, but she knew better than to think she’d won the battle, especially with the gleam in the men’s eyes. Both sets were filled with a determination and a desire she’d never before seen when they’d looked at her. Had she been blind to it, or had they always hidden it from her? What was she going to do about this? “Sleeping with you would be a very bad idea,” she muttered. Her heart jolted, protesting her refusal. Pain of her denial spiked relentlessly into her middle. Here was everything she’d ever wanted, and she was rejecting it… It was for the best. How long would she have them if she said yes? A few hours? A few days? “Mara…” Daniel started to plead, but she interrupted. “I want you to leave. Both of you.” Jacob smiled, his wide grin the nail in her coffin. He was gonna say something she didn’t like. She just knew it. “Can’t,” he started, confirming her fear. “We don’t have a way back until our ride comes back—just like you.” Well, fantastic. Wasn’t that just friggin’ great? How on earth would she keep them at bay when her body wanted to gravitate towards them, open her arms, spread her legs and say ‘have at me’? Dread settled in her belly. She was screwed. Probably quite literally. “Please, leave my tent,” she said, quiet defeat weighing her words. “I want to get dressed then I’m going for a walk.” A long walk. If it wasn’t so damned hot, she’d make it a walk all the way back to civilisation.

****

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

12

The afternoon air grew more oppressive with each passing minute. The air seemed to drip with humidity, and as the sky darkened, Mara was convinced they’d soon be battered by a storm rivalling the turmoil roiling inside her. She hurried back to camp, knowing she’d be drenched if she didn’t beat the rain. Her walk hadn’t solved a thing. For every argument against Jacob and Daniel’s proposition, her body returned with two ‘why nots’. They were right. She wasn’t as committed to Marco as she should be. That was why she’d taken this trip. Though it was late in the game and she should have been sure about her decision before now, she needed to get her head on straight before she walked down the aisle. A week before she’d hightailed it out of town, panic had set in. Marriage wasn’t disposable as far as she was concerned. She had to be sure before ‘I do’. Was she ready for a lifetime of scheduled Wednesday night sex? Not really. In fact, the more she thought about her future, the more she freaked out. Comparing it to her reactions to Jacob and Daniel was the acid test. Being with them, even if it was temporary, didn’t send bolts of terror through her. Why was marriage scaring her? The permanence? That was the very thing she wanted most. Marco represented that and stability. Her roommates represented lifestyles of scattered instability. Honestly how stable could an actor and an internet blogger be? Not as steady as an international banker like Marco. As she re-entered the site, both men sat under the gazebo-like canopy, each immersed in work they’d brought with them and looking remarkably fresh despite the wilting heat. See they’re hard workers, her traitorous body pointed out. She didn’t want to notice that. It was easier to cling to ‘no’ when she pictured them as the opposite of what she wanted. To one side, Daniel scribbled in a notebook, his bare feet resting on the canvas seat between Jacob’s spread thighs while Jacob slouched in the chair and flipped through a script. Gusts of wind from the incoming storm ruffled the pages he studied, but he didn’t seem to notice. It was awfully convenient for him that his show had just finished its off-Broadway run and had made the coup of securing an on-Broadway run so he had a bit of time between the two to come torment her. Why the script, then? she wondered. Before she could question it aloud, the sky seemed to open and sheets of rain pounded to the earth, the sound deafening as it pummelled the wood roof of the shelter. The wind pushed the downpour sideways. It sprayed Jacob and Daniel and spattered across the picnic table where she’d rested earlier. The men leapt to their feet.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

13

“In the tent!” Daniel yelled, his voice barely audible above the rain. He and Jacob each grabbed their folding canvas chairs and headed to the tent for shelter. Jacob shoved her inside ahead of them. In seconds, all three were inside, and Daniel was securing the flaps against the driving winds. Jacob flicked on her battery-powered lantern. The enclosure was large with plenty of room for the three of them. The men opened their chairs to one side, set down their papers then, having been soaked on the sprint to shelter, stripped off their shirts. Two wide, bare chests. Four nicely muscled arms. Two sets of hands going to the waistbands that fastened over two hard bellies. The hands froze, and she glanced up to find both men watching her with fire in their eyes. Intent. Clear. Unveiled. Devouring her. Mara shivered despite the heat of the day. Goose bumps rose on her arms but had nothing to do with the clammy clothing sticking to her. A fight raged inside her as burning arousal rolled through her veins, torching her earlier resolve and turning it to ashes. They wanted her, she only had to say yes. With a shaky breath, she turned away from their alluring sight. Her hand pressed to her middle and the jumping sensation there. The sight that met her didn’t calm her nerves. They’d been busy while she’d been gone. The two camp beds were pushed together, making one, and a sturdy air mattress had been laid over the top. A haven made for three. Unbidden a vision of the three of them together on it blinded her. “Give us a chance,” Daniel said, his words a low rumble that sent another round of trembling through her. She shook her head. “I don’t understand why you want me. You could have any woman. I’m plain and…” She trailed off. She couldn’t say ‘fat’. Not to them. “Chubby,” she finally said. Her chin wobbled, but she didn’t try to hide. She looked up at them just in time to see a shock Jacob couldn’t feign. Daniel looked equally surprised. “Who sold you that pile of shit?” he demanded. “Marco? I’ll kill him.” She shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about what she knew was true. It was humiliating to point out her flaws. Earlier, she’d been too horrified and shocked by their appearance to acknowledge her insecurities. Now, seeing their near-naked perfection…

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

14

She was an average girl for an average guy. So why were they eating her up with their eyes? “I love your curves,” Jacob said. “Finally feeling them against me earlier…” He let out a sigh. “Wonderful.” “I want to feel them against me again,” Daniel enjoined. His tongue darted rapidly along his bottom lip, so fast Mara wasn’t sure he even realised he did it. He grinned. “I want to taste them, all salty from the heat.” “And sweet with pure Mara,” Jacob added. “I want to trace every cute freckle.” She bit her bottom lip, staring at them as the rain beat on the canvas overhead and the wind tore at the sturdy walls of the military-style tent. As the storm outside grew more and more violent, the calm inside Mara grew—the calm she’d been searching for when she’d gone soul-searching on this solitary retreat. Oh God…it couldn’t be. Jacob and Daniel? Not Marco? Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to be in bed with these two men, finding comfort as the thunder raged outside, finding herself as the tempest inside her disappeared. Looking from one to the other of them, she took a deep breath and slowly raised her arms.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

15

Chapter Two

Jacob released a pent up breath at the look of submission and acceptance in Mara’s eyes. As an actor, he’d watched people to train himself in their mannerisms and understand their minds. He’d learned to read people. Mara wanted Daniel and him. She had reservations, but she was ignoring her worries and confusion. It was a start. Before the end of her retreat, she’d know for sure that she should be with them. Them. Not Marco. Both he and Daniel stepped close to her. All four of their hands slipped beneath her Tshirt, gliding over her smooth skin, slowly pushing up her shirt as they explored. Goose bumps sprouted along her skin as they touched her, and he knew she enjoyed their fingers inching over her. Forgetting about removing her shirt, he slid the fingers of one hand beneath the band of her bra. Mara whimpered as he cupped her breast. Gently, he grasped the nipple and rolled it as he leaned forward and kissed her neck. Her pulse thundered beneath his lips. He suckled at it as her head fell backward on her shoulders. He pulled his other hand free of her shirt and cradled her head in his palm. Angling her, he captured her mouth. Immediately, he thrust inside to taste her sweetness. Mara lifted into him and met his kiss with a wildness he hadn’t expected but found completely delightful. “Perfect,” he heard Daniel murmur as he felt his partner pull slightly away from them and move behind Mara. A moment later, Jacob felt Daniel’s hands working at the closure of Mara’s shorts. The backs of Daniel’s hands bumped repeatedly against Jacob’s groin as he moved. Since Mara was shorter, he knew the touch was intentional. His blood simmered as he imagined having the best of both worlds—both Daniel and Mara in his bed. Both loving him. Both belonging to him. But for how long? his inner voice taunted. He shoved the thought away as he focused on his lovers. There was no way they’d come with him when he confessed his new job on the other side of the country. He broke away from Mara’s mouth to drag in a shuddering breath as he fought the sadness welling inside him. He’d work it out. He wouldn’t lose them. He couldn’t.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

16

But that included winning over Mara. He claimed her lips again, knowing she wouldn’t forgive him if she chose them over Marco, then he, Jacob, left. She made a small keening sound and curled her fingers into his chest, and he was lost again. All thoughts of probable outcomes slid away, and it was only their three bodies moving together. Wildly, he shoved up her shirt, tearing his mouth away again, only long enough to pull off the garment and toss it to the cement floor. Blindly, he worked at her bra. Daniel’s hands grazed his thighs as he pulled down her shorts. Jacob felt her step out of them. He heard Daniel move again, then suddenly, he was there tugging at Jacob’s pants. Finally unhooking Mara’s bra, Jacob stepped backward and took in her succulent body. Chubby? Hardly. She was beautiful, all woman from her full breasts to her flared hips and lush thighs. Strands of her glossy hair had escaped her braid and now curled around her face. “She’s beautiful,” Daniel murmured to Jacob as he nipped at Jacob’s bare shoulder. Daniel’s naked body pressed into Jacob’s back, his hard cock fitting against Jacob’s ass. “Botticelli’s Venus,” Jacob answered, thinking her face could have been a model for the subject of the painting. Jacob shuddered as desire for Mara twined with desire for Daniel. His rigid cock throbbed with the need for them both. Mara glanced down, a blush creeping up her cheeks. “Don’t know that one,” Daniel replied. His fingers wrapped Jacob’s erection. “Just know she’s smashing hot.” The pink stain crept down her neck and into her chest. She stared at Daniel’s hand working Jacob’s cock. Jacob held out a hand. “Come here,” he beckoned as thunder drowned out his words. It didn’t seem to matter. In the surreal enclosure of the tent, battered by the wind and rain, they seemed to understand each other without the words. Mara came to him, and he pulled her tight to his body even as Daniel released his cock. “On the bed,” Daniel suggested, nipping the juncture of Jacob’s neck and shoulder. Without hesitation, Jacob lifted Mara into his arms and walked around the makeshift bed, settling her in the middle. Daniel grabbed his arm and yanked him back before he could climb onto the bed beside her. Lifting Jacob’s chin with a crooked finger, Daniel looked into his eyes with a gaze that seemed to swirl with emotions.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

17

“I love you,” he said then pressed his lips to Jacob’s, parting them with his own. His tongue thrust inside, claiming Jacob’s mouth as if to say, No matter how this goes, you’ll always be mine. Arousal coursed through Jacob even stronger than before, and his blood seemed to pound through his veins as excitement overwhelmed him. They’d waited so long for the right woman…a woman who would love them both, who they could both love, and who would let them love each other as well. He smiled as Daniel pulled away. It was time to claim their woman.

Mara caught her breath as she watched Daniel kiss Jacob. God, they were gorgeous together. As remarkable as it seemed, she’d never seen them kiss. They seemed to keep such intimacies to themselves behind closed doors. Sure, she saw the smouldering glances and the occasional touches, but this…this sizzling connection, the purely erotic soul-bonding visible when they kissed, sent electricity forking through her belly. Her pussy tingled as she observed them. She needed to be touched. She needed to touch. As she watched them kiss, her hand snaked over her middle and down to the springy curls that hid her drenched folds. Her air shuddered from her as she slipped a finger inside to glide over her throbbing clit. Pushing her head back into the camp pillow at the top of the bed, she closed her eyes and flexed her finger over her rigid nub. The opened sleeping bag beneath her slid sensuously along her limbs heightening her arousal. She moaned as warmth enfolded both her nipples and her hand was eased away from her pussy. Each man clasped one of her wrists and held them away from her body as they suckled at her breasts. Pleasure streaked from their mouths to her womb to evoke a slick flood to her folds. She cried out, yanking futilely at her wrists as each man pushed a finger over her clit, stroking from front to back but never entering her. She writhed against them. She needed more. She needed to be filled. She needed to touch them, to give them the bliss they gave her. They wouldn’t allow it regardless of how much she yanked and begged and cried out. They seemed intent on torturing her into a body-racking orgasm as they drew her nipples deep into their mouths and continually worked over her slit. Her legs bent, and her heels pushed into the air mattress as she sought their penetration.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

18

Finally, finally, two fingers slid deep inside her, and the mouths left her breasts. “Yes,” she breathed, grateful. She bit her lip as the fingers stretched her and filled her with the utmost pleasure. In a daze, she realised it was one man who touched her. She opened her eyes to see them kneeling over her, Daniel’s hand to Jacob’s mouth as Jacob sucked her essence from his lover’s fingers. Daniel leaned forward and kissed Jacob passionately, but Jacob’s strokes into her channel never slowed. Their cocks touched over her body. Pulling Daniel’s hip, she tugged him towards her. He fell over her on all fours with a chuckle that evaporated as she wrapped her lips around his arousal. “Oh God, Mara! Yes,” he moaned. She worked her mouth over him, vaguely aware of Jacob on all fours beside him. Jacob spread her pussy and sucked her clit between his lips, sending a rocket through her limbs. She screamed around Daniel’s cock, startled by the sublime sensation. Anxiously, she worked up and down Daniel’s staff while Jacob continued to thrust into her with fingers and tongue. Daniel jerked. Her release stampeded towards her while gusts of the wind battered the tent and thunder crashed around them. Insistent tendrils edged out from her womb, ready for her imminent explosion. She clamped down tight on Daniel, one hand fondling his balls while the other clasped the base of his cock. She wasn’t orgasming alone. He groaned, jerking again in her mouth. This time hot seed splattered down her throat. Her body arched beneath the men as her own release pounded through her more powerfully than anything she’d ever felt. Daniel pulled free, spraying her neck and chest with the last of his cum, and she screamed as spasms continued through her. Daniel collapsed beside her, and Jacob shifted between her thighs, shoving her legs further apart with his knees. Leaning over her, he lapped his lover’s cum from her as his cock prodded her entrance. He seemed in no hurry to enter her as he teased his arousal up and down her needy folds.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

19

“Please, Jacob,” she begged. If she didn’t have him inside her soon, she’d…fling him over on the mattress and have her way with him. Maybe she should do that anyway. As if sensing her inner aggression, he lifted his head and grinned down at her. “So pretty and all ours,” he growled. “Yes,” she whispered and shoved away a niggling that hinted that it wasn’t quite true. Jacob slid forward, and she forgot everything as exquisite sensation slipped over her, inch by perfect, thick inch. She gazed up at her friend, this beautiful, wonderful man and was overwhelmed by the complete peace encircling her even as her body cried for more of him, more of Daniel. Daniel smoothed her hair from her forehead, kissing her face and neck. His hand trailed over her perspiration slicked body and played over her undulating belly as she moved with Jacob. “I like watching him fuck you,” he whispered. He nipped her earlobe. ”Doesn’t he feel great.” “Yes,” she gasped. Her fingers clenched the sleeping bag as she closed her eyes and surrendered to the sensation of two men loving her at once. Aside from their earlier kisses, their every move, their every touch was for her. She felt them everywhere as four hands travelled her body along with Daniel’s mouth trailing over her shoulder and neck and Jacob’s cock relentlessly pounding in her. Her mind detached and seemed to bob along a nebulous ether that allowed nothing but the tide of fantastic pleasure rising within her. It washed closer and closer with each drive, and she heard wrenching sobs as she twisted in orgasmic ecstasy beneath her two lovers. “Yeah, baby, squeeze my cock,” Jacob urged. “So tight…” Reaching between them, he scraped his thumb over her clit, and she launched into a miasma of release, myriad colours swirling dizzily past her vision. Over and over, it seemed to pulse its life through her then all too soon it was over. Wrung dry of energy, she collapsed backward onto the mattress and lay there limply as Jacob panted beside her and Daniel grinned a very self-satisfied grin. “That was awesome,” he said. “If you blog about it, I’ll kill you,” she threatened, though at the moment she doubted she could move.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

20

“Aw, sweetie, I really would, ‘cept you know I only blog about politicians. You planning to run for office?” “I don’t think I could run, walk or even crawl right now.” Jacob nipped her shoulder. “Good,” he said as he pulled her flush to his body and Daniel cuddled in close. “Stay right here.” She yawned, exhausted and completely comfortable despite the steamy heat enveloping them. The storm had diminished to a dull, thunking drizzle against the canvas overhead. The sound quickly lulled her towards sleep within the four most perfect arms in the world. She smiled. In the centre of the bed. In the centre of this trio. This centring thing might just be working.

**** Her limbs were like rubber. And the heat was melting her. As good as it felt to be between Daniel and Jacob, she couldn’t stand laying there a second longer and sticking to them. Carefully, disengaging her skin and wishing again they were at home in their airconditioned apartment where they could lay entwined for hours, she scooted off the end of the makeshift bed. Distantly, she wondered how long she’d been asleep—this time. The guys were insatiable. Mara didn’t think she’d ever made love as many times in a night, but each time she fell asleep, one or both of them would wake her shortly later. And she didn’t care. She’d never felt so good. The only downside was the heat. She wanted a cool bath before they woke again, and the stream would work perfectly. Quickly, she worked the damp ties on the tent flaps and slipped through the opening. The evening air outside was much cooler after the storm, and instant refreshment swept over her though she felt the humidity already building. It was bearable now, but by morning… Well, they’d just have to stay naked for comfort. It was a sacrifice, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made. She almost giggled at the thought as she wandered to her supplies. The wind had knocked over a few items, but the men had apparently secured things while she’d been hiking. That was another sensibility point in their favour.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

21

After a moment’s fumbling, she found her soap and a towel in one of the Rubbermaid totes then headed for the stream. The bright moonlight showed the way as clearly as if it were day, and within minutes, she was at the edge of the shallow stream. She dropped her towel near the bank. The rushing water seemed to glimmer beneath the full moon and bright stars. After being with Jacob and Daniel everything seemed to glimmer. They just made her feel so…happy. She wanted more of it. She’d wash then quickly go back for another round of their tandem loving. Having them touch her, watching them touch each other…she’d never been more moved. She’d never felt more right. You know what that means, don’t you? the voice she’d been fighting whispered. She did know. She couldn’t marry Marco. She just couldn’t do it. After tasting passion and such happiness with Daniel and Jacob, she couldn’t consign herself to that. Guilt pricked at her. Marco was an awesome guy. He didn’t deserve to be thrown over right before their wedding. But how much worse would it be if they married and made each other miserable? Which would be the greater wrong? Especially if she knew better? She rubbed a hand over her face. She’d sort through this in the morning. Though she’d tried to forget she had it with her, she had a satellite phone in the bottom of her bag. Her cousin had thrust in into her hand and insisted she take it. Mara supposed she could use it to call Marco. Tomorrow. Now, she needed to bathe. Steeling herself for the cold, she stepped into the frigid water. The chill travelled quickly up her limbs, cooling her overheated flesh. Carefully, she knelt and splashed water over her upper body. “Well, look at this, Jacob. A mermaid.” Mara glanced up to find her two lovers standing a few feet from her. Sliding her legs from under her, she stretched them in front of her and leaned back on her arms. She wasn’t as self-conscious around them as she would have been before they’d had sex earlier. The words they’d spoken, the way they’d adored her body, they made her feel like the most sensual woman they’d ever met. Jacob stood on the very edge of the stream, looking down at her, his serious expression making her shiver with a sensation that had nothing to do with the river. The turbulent emotion in his eyes spoke of more beneath the surface of this tryst than she’d suspected.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

22

“I was worried,” he murmured. She reached out with her water-chilled hand and grasped his ankle, running her thumb over the small indention at the base of his inner leg. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I needed to get cleaned up and cooled down. The water feels so good,” she sighed as the frigid rivulets ran over her. “You should try it.” Watching them through hooded eyes, she ran the soap over her body and slowly rubbed it into a lather. Though she wasn’t much of an environmentalist, she knew the soap was nature-safe or some other tree hugger mumbo jumbo her cousin had uttered when she’d given Mara her supplies. Thankfully, her cousin was on top of things because such a thing hadn’t occurred to Mara who was a complete city girl. The soap felt good as did her hands running over her body. As she watched, the men’s erections grew until they saluted her at full mast. She stretched then ran her hands over herself again, relishing the sensation of being a hedonist. “So…” she sighed as pleasure wrapped her like soft, muzzy cotton. “If I don’t marry Marco—” “You’re not marrying Marco,” Jacob snapped. She raised an eyebrow at him. “If I don’t marry Marco,” she continued, “where does that leave me? I mean…what do you want?” Daniel knelt beside her, and she reached out her icy, soapy hand and wrapped her fingers around his burning flesh. He groaned and leaned in to kiss her. “We want you to be with us,” he said as he released her mouth. “Permanently. The three of us as a family.” “But—” She bit her lip. What Daniel proposed sounded like a permanent ménage. A threesome. It wasn’t exactly the fairytale happily ever after she’d dreamed of as a child. And truthfully, she wasn’t sure if it was something she could do…butting up against society’s concept of marriage. She looked up at Jacob as she continued to stroke Daniel. “This is what you want, too?” “Yeah.” Reaching around Daniel, Jacob lifted her out of the water. “I think you’re clean now.” “Let me down!” she squealed as he carried her back to the campsite. “I’m too heavy for you.” Jacob blew out a disputing puff of air and continued towards the dining shelter with Daniel striding closely beside them. At the picnic table, Daniel spread out the towel she’d

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

23

discarded by the stream’s bank. Jacob let her down out of his arms and guided her to kneel on the bench and bend over the table. She rested her cheek on the towel-covered table as Daniel stretched her arms out on either side of her. She was thankful for the slight padding of the cloth as her nipples fit into one of the wide grooves between the boards. She had a feeling it was gonna be a rough ride. Mara smiled. She’d love it. No doubt about it. Jacob moved aside, going to his backpack as Daniel moved between her legs. “So pretty,” he murmured, running his thumb over her slick folds. “Ready to get fucked hard, honey?” “Hurry,” she urged. “That’s what I like to hear.” Without anymore preamble, he drove home, pushing his cock deep within her as she cried out at the sudden invasion. God! It felt so good despite the way her tender tissues struggled to accommodate his girth. Her nipples rasped against the table’s groove as the force of his entry moved her, the effect much like the peaks had been pinched. Pleasure soared through her, arrowing towards her centre. “More,” she urged. “Yeah, a lot more,” he answered. Grasping her buttocks, he plunged in and out of her passage as he fiercely claimed her. Suddenly, he fell forward over her, bracing himself on elbows to either side of her body. She looked over her shoulder at him as he groaned but didn’t move. A look of intense pleasure-pain twisted his features as he closed his eyes and tossed back his head. Behind him, Jacob had a hand planted in the middle of Daniel’s back while his hips moved towards Daniel’s ass, the movement pushing Daniel deeper within her. Her eyes went wide. Jacob was fucking Daniel while Daniel fucked her. “Yes, Jacob,” she groaned. “Hard. Take him hard.” Jacob complied, surging in and out of his lover. Daniel’s body pushed against her with each move, his balls slapping her clit. Anxiously, she moved beneath him, working up and down his cock.

Daniel thought maybe he’d died and gone to heaven. Pleasure surrounded him from the warm breeze licking at his body to the soft woman beneath him to the hard lover over him. One fucked his cock while the other took his ass, and he was helpless to do anything but

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

24

take it for fear of crushing Mara against the table. Her cries mingled with his as her release drew closer. For the first time in his life, it seemed everything he’d always wanted was within reach, and this time, he thought maybe, just maybe, he’d actually get it. Not a bit or piece of his desires but the whole package. Jacob, Mara and happily every after. Tension balled behind Daniel’s cock as Jacob seesawed over his prostate and Mara’s pussy squeezed his rod. His breath came in short gasps as he struggled to hold on, but he knew it was a losing battle. All too soon, his release would starburst through him and the ecstasy would end. Mara thrust up at him, and her channel suddenly clamped around him like a fist. She dropped her forehead to the table as she shook with her release and her fingers clawed against the wood. Her body shuddered under him as he pressed his face into her neck. His body seemed to implode to the end of his cock then explode into her, flooding her with his cum. Marking her. Claiming her. Mara belonged to them. A moment later, Jacob stiffened behind him, and Daniel felt his heat filling him. If he had his way, he’d do this or a version of it, every day for the rest of his life. Mara turned her head, and he saw the smile on her face. Her eyes were closed as she relaxed beneath them. “You know what I’d like?” she said, her voice drowsy. “What’s that, honey?” “One of these days, I’d like to actually watch you two together. I’ve heard you.” Her grin deepened. “And I’ve felt you—man, that was good. But I’d like to watch you. Seeing you together makes me hot.” Jacob leaned around him and kissed her. “I think that can be arranged, baby.” Daniel figured if they stayed together, that she’d see it a lot. Please let it be, he thought. Please. He swallowed back the bile that rose at the thought of things falling apart. That would be par for the course though it was the last thing in the world he wanted. Whenever something seemed great, it suddenly seemed to slip through his fingers. His blogging gig was fantastic, and his relationship with Jacob was more than he imagined could happen to him, but he constantly watched for the other shoe to drop and take it all away. Jacob pulled free of him and headed for the stream to clean up. Reluctantly, Daniel rose. Pleasant aches ran through his body. He embraced them, knowing he’d been well-loved. He lifted Mara’s lax body into his arms. She curled into him with a quiet moan as she drifted

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

25

towards sleep. As tenderness washed over him, he carried her to the tent and laid her gently on the bed. “Stay here,” he said then headed out of the tent. Quickly, he warmed some water on the camp stove. “Good idea, luv,” Jacob told him as he returned to the site. He came up behind Daniel and kissed him on the shoulder. His hand smoothed over Daniel’s ass. “What are you thinking? I can see trouble screaming across those wrinkles on your forehead.” Daniel sighed. “That it’s all too good to be true. That it’s going to evaporate, and I’ll be alone.” Jacob was silent for a moment—a moment that scared Daniel to death. “It’s not going to just disappear. It’s not like before,” Jacob assured him, and Daniel knew he was referring to Daniel’s childhood. His parents had abandoned him when he was six—not that life had been great before that since both of them were heavily into drugs. Then he’d been bounced from one foster home to another, being uprooted whenever he started to get comfortable. Jacob was the first roots Daniel had ever had. Daniel got a washcloth from the nearby clothesline, wrung out the rain water and dipped the cloth it in the water he’d warmed. He headed for the tent. “Daniel,” Jacob called. Daniel turned, looking at the lover who’d been the centre of his life. Why couldn’t he, Daniel, be more secure in their life together? It wasn’t fair to Jacob that he had these doubts. “I’m not going to just disappear on you,” Jacob promised. “What we have means more to me than that. I love you.” “I love you, too.” Uncomfortable with his earlier midnight confession of weakness, Daniel headed into the tent to wash Mara and whisper that he loved her, too.

**** Boneless. There was no other way to describe how Mara felt as she woke the next morning. Sunlight filtered around the edges of the tent flaps and cast mottled beams across the floor. She stretched and turned her head. Daniel was asleep beside her, but Jacob had apparently risen for the day. Old habits were hard to break. He’d always been an early riser,

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

26

getting up in the wee hours and doing a yoga routine before his roommates rose for the day. She wondered if that was the case today. She stifled a groan as she climbed out of bed and realised she wasn’t as boneless as she’d thought. They’d been awfully vigorous last night, and she felt it in her muscles which were unaccustomed to such activity. It was something she could easily get used to. She’d always felt a connection to Jacob and Daniel that she hadn’t felt with anyone else—even Marco. Being with them sexually just skyrocketed that to another level. Quickly, she pulled on her shorts and a T-shirt and went in search of Jacob. It wasn’t much of a search. She found him sitting in a camp chair, his foot propped on the picnic table’s bench as he sipped coffee. He stared blindly into the distance, deep in thought. “Morning,” she muttered, as she squinted against the bright sun and headed for the camp stove to get a cup. Jacob set down his drink and pulled her into his lap as she passed. Cupping her cheek, he kissed her, parting her lips with his and dipping his tongue inside. Languidly, he explored her mouth. Heat spiralled through her as his kiss roused her pleasure centres that had only just shut down a few hours earlier. Her nipples tingled, and she suspected they poked against her shirt, obvious flags of arousal. “It’s so good to finally be able to kiss you,” he said against her lips. “You should have told me sooner…” Like the first day. They could have had months together already, and she wouldn’t have to break off things with Marco because she never would have become engaged to him. Damn. Marco. She’d have to call him shortly. It wasn’t fair to put it off though she’d prefer to tell him face to face. She started to get up, but Jacob’s arms tightened around her. “Stay here. I have to tell you something.” “Okay…” she said. Trepidation hit her full force at his serious tone. This was it. He was gonna tell her this tryst was only a one-night thing. “I got a job offer,” he started. “A sitcom. They want me in California next month to start filming.” “What!” They both jumped at Daniel’s exclamation. Taking advantage of Jacob’s surprise, Mara slid from his lap and stood.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

27

“I need to take a walk and call Marco,” she said. Her heart seemed filled with cement as it heavily thumped in her chest, sending an ache through her body. If Jacob was going to California, where did it leave her? On the opposite side of the country. Alone. Quickly, grabbing the phone, she headed out of camp before either man stopped her. She had to call her fiancé. Ex-fiancé. Her—Marco. What the hell would she say to him?

**** “Why didn’t you tell me?” Daniel demanded, grabbing Jacob’s arm and stopping him from going after Mara despite the stricken look on her face. She was obviously upset, but he and Jacob needed to deal with this before they talked to Mara. By then, she would have called Marco and perhaps had time to calm down a bit. Since they were cut off from the world for all intents and purposes, it wasn’t as if she could take off without them hammering this out. And they would hammer this out. Daniel was not losing his family. Jacob lifted a shoulder. “I know how you worry, and I was afraid you’d go over the edge and push me out of your life before I could push you out of mine—which isn’t my intention. I don’t want it to be over.” “Oh, luv,” Daniel said, dropping to his knees in front his lover. His forgiveness and relief mingled, tainted with the reality that Jacob’s fear had legitimate basis. Reaching out, Daniel pulled Jacob towards him until he could kiss him. Tenderly, he sipped at his lips, caressing and releasing until Jacob groaned and crushed him to his chest. Daniel made a trail to Jacob’s ear. “I’m not letting you get away,” he whispered then nipped at his lobe. “I’m so sorry my insecurities made you worry over this. I’m so proud of you. And if you want me along, I’m going with you.” “I want you with me,” Jacob growled and took his mouth again. “Mara?” Daniel murmured, remembering the third part of their relationship. He nodded toward the path she’d taken. “Should we…” “She needs time. She’ll be okay once I explain. I hope. I want her with us…” Jacob stood and pulled Daniel along with him to the tent. “And right now, I need in you.” Desire rose in Daniel’s belly, desire he was sure Jacob felt, as well. His cock pushed against his fly, demanding freedom, demanding his lover. He pushed Jacob onto the bed.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

28

Jacob scooted backward. Daniel crawled over his legs and grasped Jacob’s fly, pulling it open and freeing his cock. Immediately, Daniel bent forward and took it in his mouth. He loved the feel of Jacob’s hard flesh against his tongue. He flicked at the head, tasting the salty droplets that had appeared and exploring the slit. Jacob groaned. Looking up at him, Daniel continued to explore Jacob’s erection. His lover’s eyes squeezed shut and his fingers bunched in the sleeping bag. His hips pushed upward as he urged Daniel to take more of him. Daniel ran his tongue over the ridged flesh, taking his lover until his lips reached the springy curls that cradled Jacob’s arousal. He inhaled the musky scent, loving the smell of his man and the sensation of his mouth filled with Jacob’s cock. He loved going down on Jacob, showing him his love in a way he never would for another. His submission to their love, his devotion to it. He moved up and down the shaft, flicking with his tongue and grazing with his teeth until Jacob writhed beneath him. Jacob shoved his fingers into Daniel’s hair and tried to guide him. Daniel would have none of it. “Please, I’m gonna come,” Jacob moaned. “Can’t have that,” Daniel chuckled. He stood, pulling off his clothes while Jacob remained sprawled on the bed. The lube lay on the floor beside the bed where it had gotten tossed at some point last night. Daniel scooped it up and flicked open the lid. Jacob sat up and reached for it. “Let me,” he said. He coated his fingers while Daniel knelt on the bed and leaned forward. Daniel shuddered with his arousal as Jacob’s fingers slid along the crevice of his ass to find his opening. Jacob worked in the tip of a finger, circling the tight ring of muscle. After getting more lube, he pushed the finger deeper. He made several thrusts then added another finger. Parting and twisting them, he worked Daniel open while Daniel squirmed. “I’m ready,” Daniel said, reaching for the bottle of lube. He slathered Jacob’s cock then moved to straddle him. He paused at the pressure on his anus. Slowly, he sat back, sinking down on Jacob. He sighed as his lover’s girth filled him, inch by inch. “God, you feel good,” Jacob grated, obviously struggling to pull back the release that had been so close when Daniel had had his mouth on him. Daniel paused, sucking in a breath when Jacob was completely inside and stretching him wide. He’d never get over the perfect sensation.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

29

“Ride me, cowboy,” Jacob urged, trying for humour that escaped them both in their deep need. It was more of a gasped demand for more. Complying, Daniel lifted until Jacob was barely inside then slid back down, establishing a steady rhythm that would send them into orgasmic bliss in minutes.

**** Mara paused at the male groans that filled the campsite when she returned from trying to call Marco. Jacob and Daniel had obviously figured out their differences. She had a feeling Daniel would be packing up his blogging business and moving it across country. It wasn’t so easy for her. The end was in sight. They’d achieved their main objective—to show her how wrong Marco was for her. They were right. And last night, that togetherness bullshit, that was just sex talking. She knew better. She was on the road to being dumped as they trekked to their new and wonderful life in Cali. The men’s cries echoed hollowly in her middle as she wallowed in her turbulent emotions. This just wasn’t happening. She had to break up with Marco, she was at an end with her roommates, and where did that leave her? Alone. Just where she’d least wanted to be. You could still marry Marco, a little voice urged. No, she couldn’t. The marriage would never last. She dialled Marco again. She frowned when, in a repeat of earlier, it didn’t go immediately to his voicemail which meant his phone was on. He just wasn’t answering. His message picked up once more after four rings. Was he avoiding her? Marco always answered. Hanging up, she called her cousin. “Will you come and pick me up? Yeah, right now. Hurry, please.” She didn’t want a scene with Daniel and Jacob. She’d just go. Her cousin—bless her!— would deal with her supplies later. Her backpack was near the back corner of the tent. As the cries inside grew in volume, she knew neither man would notice her reaching beneath the canvas to pull it out. A few minutes later, she was on her way towards the road to meet her ride. A note left behind on the table, weighted down with a rock, told her lovers: I’m going home.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

30

Chapter Three

Rash decisions sucked. One lonely night, she’d rashly decided to marry Marco. When she’d been offered hot, raw sex by her hunky roommates, she’d rashly agreed to that, too. And when that looked to be at an end, she’d rashly run away. Geez, Mara. Way to trash your life in three easy steps. She’d made such a monumental muck of her life, she couldn’t face anyone yet. Instead, she’d chosen to hang out at a hotel, reflecting and ironically ‘centring’ until she summoned up the courage to face her mistakes. Her reckless decisions couldn’t be fixed with hasty action. One thing, she couldn’t in all conscience avoid. The impending wedding. She continued to attempt calls to Marco, but he never answered. And there was another problem. Marco was her boss’s best friend. She might as well kiss her job goodbye, too. No job. No home. Way to fuck up, Mara. The morning of her would-be wedding dawned disgustingly bright and beautiful. She thought it should be raining. A lukewarm drizzle seemed more fitting than the brilliant sunlight. At least, she could count on it being god-awful hot outside so it would match the misery she felt inside. She stumbled into the shower, dressing afterward and downing a few aspirin for her throbbing head. She shoved on her sunglasses and headed for the church. If Marco wouldn’t answer her calls, she’d have to go to him. Breaking it off minutes before the wedding left a foul taste in her mouth, but she had no choice. She couldn’t just fail to show up. Somehow, there had to be a way to pull this out and retain her dignity and possibly her job. It bothered her that Marco had neither answered her calls and her messages nor called her. Had he had second thoughts too? Would he even be at the church? Was he truly dodging her calls or was she being paranoid or projecting her guilt on him? Part of her wished he was dodging her. It would make her life easier. The church wasn’t far from the hotel, and she got there in minutes only mildly drenched in sweat from the walk through the swamp-like humidity.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

31

The dim interior of the building was blessedly cool and goose bumps rose on her overheated flesh as she stood still for a moment, letting her eyes adjust. She spied Marco’s mother in the front of the church speaking with the pastor, but no one else had arrived yet. She waved anaemically at the woman and hoped her presence meant that her son was on the premises. Determination driving her steps, Mara headed towards the other side of the building before she gave into her emotions and sunk into a wallowing puddle of goo. She was stronger than that, but her strength seemed to be lagging with each minute closer to the wedding hour. Marco would be in the room near the pastor’s office that had been designated for the groom to get ready. As butterflies tumbled about her belly, she paused outside the door. Tell him, tell him, tell him, repeated through her thoughts. Now or never. Apologise or run. Running seemed a good option, but instead, she turned the doorknob and barged in, her mind too full of her task to remember courtesies. Marco was there. Eyes wide, her breath caught in her throat, she froze and stared at the vision before her. Marco—her fiancé, Marco!—stood halfway across the room, dressed in his tux and clasped in the embrace of her boss, Aaron, who was apparently his best man in more ways than one. They kissed more passionately than she and Marco had ever kissed. In fact…it looked a lot like a clinch between Daniel and Jacob. Her stomach jerked at the thought of her lovers, confirming her decision to split with Marco. She couldn’t marry him when her feelings for him were so mild, yet so strong for two others. The fact that she didn’t feel upset about this new development sure said a lot. Her gasp had painted the air with shock, and the two men jumped apart. Marco’s eyes went wide. “Oh Jesus,” he murmured as he took a step towards her, a beseeching hand outstretched. “Don’t freak out,” he pleaded. She shook her head, her surprise wearing off. Her hands shoved into her pant’s pockets. So this was how it was. What was it with the men in her life hiding their true attractions— Daniel and Jacob to her…and Marco to other men? “I needed to talk to you. This only makes it easier, I guess. I…um…” How much easier would it be to blame him for this and leave him with the guilt over the broken relationship? She couldn’t. “I can’t marry you,” she said finally.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

32

“Don’t do this!” he exclaimed then gestured between Aaron and himself. “We can work this out.” He looked at Aaron and drove a hand through his hair. “Oh my God…” “It’s okay,” she assured him. “I was coming to tell you this before I saw you two together. Like I said…it’s easier now.” Marco looked confused. “Why?” “I’m in love with Jacob and Daniel.” Not that she could be with them. She shoved away that distress. She had to suck this up and get it over with between her and Marco then get the hell outta Dodge before his mother beat the crap out of her for calling off the wedding. “What!” “Oh come on… You’re not really going to be ticked off.” She glanced at Aaron then back. “Really?” she repeated incredulously. Marco sighed. “No. Damn, what am I going to tell my parents?” “The truth? Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be upset, but you’ve got a great guy and apparently an understanding one, too, if he was going to approve of you marrying me to save face to the family—geez, I should be pissed about that, huh? They’ll come around, and you’ll be happier.” Maybe the retreat to find herself had worked. She couldn’t believe the calm settling over her as all the pieces of her life seemed to resettle into place. All but two…Daniel and Jacob. The centre of her calm contained a whirling storm that wouldn’t be settled. She’d lost them. Before she broke down and gave in to the tears she’d been holding back for days, she left Marco to consider what she’d told him. Avoiding his mother, she dashed towards the doors. “You grab Mara. I’ll grab her stuff,” she heard. “What stuff?” came the reply. She looked up just in time for Daniel’s hand to cover her mouth. He yanked her from her feet and dashed for the doors. As they made the sidewalk, she wrenched her head away from his grip. The storm inside her began to settle, and the relief of their presence tingled through her. “You’re kidnapping me?” she asked incredulously. “Yes. Don’t scream or Jacob will insist on the duct tape. He’s such a purest.” “Kinky. Help. Police,” she deadpanned. “Geez, where’s a cop when you need him?”

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

33

They reached an old-style conversion van with the side door open. He shoved her inside and climbed in beside her, slamming the door. Jacob jumped into the driver’s seat and tore away from the kerb to a cacophony of blaring horns. Mara jolted on the mattress that covered the floor of the vehicle. “Like the van?” Daniel asked as he crawled toward her. She nodded, and it occurred to her she should have wondered where it came from. They lived in New York City. None of them had vehicles. “This thing is my brother’s ‘love nest on wheels’. We had to promise to be nice to his baby.” “I think we can manage that,” she rasped. Overwhelming joy filled her, momentarily stealing her ability to speak beyond the emotion. She couldn’t stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Intuitively, she knew everything would be okay. They’d come for her. Even though she’d left. Even though they were leaving. Maybe they weren’t— “Don’t cry, honey,” Daniel pleaded. “We just couldn’t let you marry him.” She leaned back on the mattress and curled her hands behind her head. The storm in her middle had calmed to an aroused ripple, but something more forceful lurked beneath it, a fierce lust-filled love that shook her. It would either fuel them or destroy them, and she didn’t think it would ever be fully satisfied. Her two men would just have to keep feeding it. She smiled, imagining what was to come. It would be good, not bad. They’d make it that way. “I’ve never been kidnapped before.” “I would hope not. We’re desperate men, ready to go to desperate measures.” Daniel paused and his brows drew together. “You don’t seem too concerned.” “I love you both. Why would I be concerned?” “We have dastardly things planned for your body.” “Really? Cool.” She sat up. Her fingers went to her buttons. “Here?” She pulled off her shirt then unhooked and tossed aside her bra. Wantonly, she cupped her breasts and pulled on her nipples as she watched Daniel. She knew she could never do this with anyone other than him or Jacob. They made her feel desirable and confident. “Keep that up, and I’m going to fuck you right here and now,” Daniel threatened. “Promises, promises.”

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

34

“No! Oh my God, no!” Jacob exclaimed as Daniel pushed her shoulders back to the mattress and latched on to one of her nipples. “Stop! This is New York traffic for fuck’s sake. I’m already having enough trouble.” “Pull over and join us,” Daniel urged. “That’s not the plan, and I want privacy,” Jacob returned. Mara smiled at his agitation. “Where’ve you been anyway?” he demanded. “We’ve been going through hell.” She sobered. Sitting up again, she slid her shirt back on and pulled her knees to her chest. “A hotel,” she explained, telling them the name. “It was over. You’re both going to California. I had to tell Marco I couldn’t marry him. I couldn’t face our apartment.” “Baby…” Jacob murmured. Daniel pulled her into his arms and cradled her head against his chest. Moments later, she heard Jacob murmuring to someone then darkness surrounded them. The vehicle stopped, and he got out. The side door opened. Mara’s brow furrowed as she hurriedly finished fastening her blouse. A parking garage? Jacob reached out a hand and helped her from the van. Daniel hopped out beside her and slammed the vehicle’s door. “Making love to you in the van has some appeal, but we have something else in mind,” Jacob told her, leading her into a quiet hallway of the building attached to the garage. Before she could determine where they were, she was swept into an elevator. They zoomed upward while the men took turns kissing her and keeping her distracted. She got the brief impression they were in a hotel as they exited the elevator, but before she could absorb anything, Jacob opened a door, and they pulled her inside. A sea of white filled her vision. There were candles everywhere. Champagne. Miles of lace. “The bridal suite for the bride,” Daniel said against her ear before he kissed the tender skin behind it. “It’s beautiful. Too bad there isn’t a bride.” Jacob looked at Daniel, and Daniel nodded. They led her further into the room and Jacob sat on the bed, pulling her between his legs. Daniel stood behind her and started releasing the buttons on her blouse.

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

35

“You see, the thing is,” he said. “We want you to be our bride.” “To have our children,” Jacob added. “And to be our family.” “We can support you. Quit your job, and come to California with us.” Mara laughed suddenly. “I don’t think I have much of a job left anyway. Marco is sleeping with Aaron.” “Bummer,” Daniel said, his insincerity plain. She smiled and shrugged out of the blouse he’d unfastened. Jacob pulled her into his arms and dragged his tongue over her aroused nipple. Her knees wobbled as need filled her, and she sank into Jacob. He laid back, drawing her with him. “So we’re your backup plan?” Daniel teased, pushing down her jeans and underwear. “Hey, who kidnapped me?” she shot back. Her life was going to be unpredictable from here on out. Unpredictable and fun and full of love. “Have us both,” Jacob urged. He kissed her, cupping her ass and rubbing his erection against her pussy. She moaned her frustration that he was still clothed. Working a hand between them, she shoved at his waistband and tried to free the closure. As soon as his cock was free, she sank onto him. The sensation of home brought tears to her eyes again. This was so good. So perfect. “Perfect,” she murmured, echoing her thought. Slowly, she rode him, anxious to reunite with both her lovers, to reassure herself and them that they were together and would stay together. She startled at Daniel’s hands on her ass, parting her, then the cool sensation of lube against her anus. He wouldn’t! “Yes?” he asked as his finger massaged the opening and slid inside her. “Yes,” she replied. She wanted everything they had to give. All of it at once. She relaxed as he loosened her passage, though she couldn’t help her tiny muscles quivering around Jacob’s cock. She tensed for a moment when Daniel’s cock pressed to her. “Relax, honey,” he murmured. Jacob distracted her by cupping her breasts and tugging on her nipples, though truly there was nothing that could take her attention away from a second cock slowly entering her. She didn’t move as she took rapid, shallow breaths. It was so full. She was connected with

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

36

them both. As they started an alternating in and out rhythm that stole her thoughts, Mara surrendered to them. Could she do anything else? The sweet friction of their cocks rubbing each other through the thin membrane between her pussy and rectum drew shuddering moans. “God, baby, you feel so good,” Jacob grunted. His hips canted upward, moving faster. In turn, Daniel’s speed also increased. Mara’s eyes drifted shut as she sank into the feeling of them touching her. Sliding along her back. Grasping her hips. Sucking at her breasts. Kissing the back of her neck. Rubbing her clit. It seemed their hands and mouths were everywhere. Arrows of lightning seemed to slash through her limbs as her muscles shook with the pleasure sizzling through them. This was perfect. She wanted this for the rest of her life. Daniel’s fingers dug into her hips. He held her still as her body spasmed around their cocks. Her back bowed, and her head tipped back. He kissed behind her ear, and his teeth grazed the sensitive skin there—hell, she was sensitive everywhere, every nerve ending firing with the bliss of their possession. When he bit her shoulder, she screamed, the possessiveness of the action sending a flood from her cunt to Jacob’s cock. Her body rocked like a rigid board on a storm tossed sea as they continued to fuck her through the paralysing waves clenching her muscles. With a cry, Daniel stiffened, his body echoing of hers in a tableau of enraptured passion. Jacob frantically stabbed into her, his large cock stretching her tight channel as it closed around him in her passion. “So tight,” Jacob murmured. “So perfect. And ours. Forever.” “Please, baby…” Daniel reached between his lovers’ bodies, his fingers splaying over Mara’s belly. Slipping his hand lower, he found her clit. With a pinch, he sent her soaring to oblivion. Her vision greyed as Jacob reached his peak and cried out his completion. But she was too far gone to notice. She was sensation everywhere. Every touch was sublime and yet too much. Overwhelmed, she collapsed on Jacob’s chest as he shook beneath her. Vaguely, she felt them pull from her body and heard a groan that could only have come from her. Her men cuddled her in the middle of the bed as she floated in an abyss of lassitude. How long she lingered there, she didn’t know, but suddenly, her awareness crashed back, and she smiled fully cognizant that she lay between the two most important people who would ever be in

STEALING THE BRIDE

Brynn Paulin

37

her life. If she had any say, they would always be on either side of her completing the empty parts of her soul. “Ask me again,” she murmured. “Marry us,” the men said together. “Yes!” Her love thundered through her like an unstoppable deluge. The desolation of that morning disappeared, and her future loomed as bright as that morning and as full to the brim as she felt right now. “Yes! Yes to it all!” How could she say anything else? These were her men. Her wonderful lovers and compassionate soul mates. She was theirs. They’d stolen far more than the bride. They’d stolen her heart, and it was theirs forever.

About the Author When it comes to books and movies, Brynn Paulin has one rule: there must be a happy ending. After that one requirement, anything else goes. And it just might in any of her books. Brynn lives in Michigan with her husband and two children, who love her despite her occasional threats to smite them. They humour her and let her think she's a goddess...as long as she provides homemade chocolate chip cookies on a regular basis. Brynn is president of her local chapter of Romance Writers of America and also hosts a weekly writing critique group. She’s conducted workshops at several writers’ conferences around the country as she enjoys mentoring and meeting new people. According to Brynn, her writing success can be attributed to 70's music, her local road construction crews, a trusty notebook, and of course, her husband (and willing research subject), AKA Mr. Inspiration.

Email: [email protected] Brynn loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

Also by Brynn Paulin Redemption: Fallen Redemption: Incubus Tribute for the Goddess Circle of Three: Tempting Tamera Circle of Three: Phantoms’ Pleasure Legend: A Legend Arises Legend: A Legend Accomplished Brits in Time: In the Dark

Total-E-Bound Publishing

www.total-e-bound.com Take a look at our exciting range of literagasmic™ erotic romance titles and discover pure quality at Total-E-Bound.