Delicate Beauty Read online

  I told them to call Ammon, but I guess he was currently in a meeting, so we pulled the car off to the side to wait. My gaze flicked upward as I leaned my head back against the headrest.

  I let out another sigh. “Just give me a computer, a tablet, or,” I looked toward Triton in the passenger seat, fiddling on his cell phone, “your freakin’ android cell phone!” I reached over to take it. “Give it up. I'll get us in.”

  He moved his cell phone out of my reach. “Fuck. Hold up, Beauty. I'm almost done. There!” He dropped the phone in his lap, reached over to cup the back of my head, and gave me a surprise kiss to the mouth. When I went to wrench away, Triton’s hold stayed as his lips coaxed mine to open. Tingles raced, and I swore flicks of sweet lighting surrounded us. Only when I leaned into the kiss did he pull back. His eyes held blue fire as his smoky voice covered me. “You're in.”

  “About fucking time,” Tristan smarted. “Any longer and we’d be having an orgy in here.”

  I gaped at him.

  “It took me five minutes!” Triton defended as we drove back toward the security gate. “That was one of my best times. You try it next time.”

  “Wait,” I interrupted their little spat. “You hack?”

  Triton shrugged. “I hack. You hack.” Then he grinned. “We can hack, while we sack, in the back.”

  I smacked his leg.

  “Ouch.”

  “Don't be a baby.”

  “You won't get away with that, Beauty.” He rubbed his leg as we pulled through the gate.

  “Watch me.” I felt more confident with them since we seemed to be on the same side.

  “Oh, I'll watch you.” Desire filled Triton’s voice. “Watch your ass get spanked by my brother.”

  His twin grunted and placed a hand on my upper thigh, giving it a little squeeze before he started to rub up and down, making my mind go blank. We drove through the gate to the medical base without any problems and took a short drive until we parked in front of the building.

  After checking in, the twins and I waited in a doctor’s exam room, and my nerves increased. I sat on the examining table while Triton sat in a chair, and Tristan paced. Thick tension filled the room, and no one spoke. I took this time to really study the two of them.

  As I looked them over, I tried to remember the differences between the two. Triton, like me, hacked. I met him first, and he was nice, except for when he declared I was his, and he was probably the one who caught me when I was hit with that stupid tranq dart.

  Tristan, I first met him in bed. Well, while I was tied to one. He didn't like me cursing, and he seemed to be the leader, or at least one of them, while his brother liked to live a little more loosely. I hadn't had the chance to take him in earlier, but now I let my gaze linger. Strong, broad shoulders, wheat colored hair and dark blue eyes that had seen harsher days.

  But never mind any of that, I wanted to test something out. Looking down at Triton in the chair beside me, an idea formed.

  “You.” I pointed to him. They both glanced up, but I gave my attention to Triton. “Come here.”

  He frowned toward his brother, then gave me a dark look before he stood and walked my way. “It's Tristan, Beautiful.”

  Whoops. Wrong brother. Oh well.

  I opened my legs as I sat on the examining table. He fitted himself between them and leaned over me as he put his arms down on either side of my hips. His blue eyes searched mine, and I leaned up to kiss him. His hands went from the table to my hips as he moved closer, pressing himself to my center. His kisses were deep, sensual, and he liked to nip at my lip.

  When I tried to pull away, one of his hands came up to hold my head, keeping me from moving. His other hand made its way under my shirt to rest on the small of my back, pressing me into him. My arms curled around him, doing the same thing as I slipped my hands under his shirt. I brought my legs up around his waist and hooked them there as I moved my hips in a sensual manner. I felt the heat of another body behind me as my hair was swept aside, and Triton kissed my exposed neck.

  I groaned.

  A hot mouth on my neck, a hand near my breast, and I was in one hell of a position with two hotties while waiting in a doctor's office. I was in heaven. The pressure and caresses were deliciously wicked, and all I could think about was getting the two of them to a bed.

  “Ahem.”

  Hearing this, the boys jumped away from me. Standing in the doorway with a file folder in hand, the doctor gave us a large grin.

  “Doc,” Triton growled from where he still stood behind me.

  “Triton. Tristan. And I guess I don't have to ask who this lovely lady is.” He walked over to me and shook my hand.

  Letting go, he stepped back to sit on a round stool next to the computer. Placing the file folder on the top of the counter, he swiveled around to face the three of us.

  “So, tell me about your symptoms Ms.—”

  “Trisha.” I crossed my legs as my center still pulsed with need. I wanted a room with a bed and enough time to exhaust myself between the hot twins.

  The doctor gave us a knowing grin and nodded. I frowned. If he'd only go away.

  “I don't really know how to explain it,” I told him. “At first, it was an energy pulse or a sense of awareness, shocks that I felt whenever they were near, but now...” I paused, blushing as I looked over at Triton who stood beside me and stared into his blue eyes. “I-I-I can't help it.” I licked my lips, and his eyes moved there. “My body needs them in an intimate way,” I whispered. “It's weird. I want them close. I get knots when I think about being apart.”

  Triton's eyes moved back to mine, and Tristan's hand cupped one of my hips, his energy flowing into me.

  “And the shocks are more like a caress now than they were before.” My heart sped up thinking about their touches, their fingers stroking my bare skin. The air around us crackled as my thoughts turned in that direction.

  The doctor cleared his throat, and I focused back on him. “Well, let me look you over, and we'll have to do a blood test on you. After all of that, I'll explain what's going on.”

  I agreed, and he did a quick exam. He then had me go to another room to draw blood. After that, I returned to the exam room to wait for the results.

  When the doctor walked back into the room, he looked concerned. “It's what I thought. You, Trisha, share the same experimental drug in your system that the twins have. But in this case, it ties you three together. It's what I call the bonding code. Your body has called out to theirs, just as theirs has called out to yours.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, this is permanent? It's not going to go away?”

  The doctor’s gaze turned thoughtful for a moment, then he answered my questions. “This is my first case of bonding, but as far as I can tell, it's for life.”

  I glanced to the twins and twisted my lips. I was worried that’s what he was going to say.

  “First case?” I waved my hand around, “So, there’s more than one case going on?” I remembered the pinch in my shoulder and lower my arm from when I received the shots earlier that week and rubbed my arm to soothe the small pain. “Has Melissa been here, too?”

  The doctor's eyes narrowed at me, and I stopped rubbing my arm.

  I looked between him and the twins, confused. They stared at me. “What?”

  The doctor came forward, frowning. “Is something wrong with your arm?”

  I dropped my hand. “Uh, no. It’s just... I got these shots earlier this week—” Doc came over, lifted the sleeve of my shirt, and cursed.

  “What?” Triton barked, leaning in to look at the injection site. “What is it?”

  The doctor stepped back. “Did you and Melissa receive the same shots?”

  I hesitated for just a moment before answering slowly. “Yes, I believe so.”

  “Who ordered them?” Tristan growled.

  My eyes widened, and my lips pressed together. “They were sent in f
rom off site. Myter told us they were new inoculations. ”

  The doctor moved away. “You’ll need to prepare her. The fever will start.”

  Confused, I glanced between them. “Fever? What Fever?”

  Tristan helped me off the bench. “We need to hurry. You don’t want to start the fever here.”

  “What?” Panic crept into my voice. “Why?”

  The doctor stepped up. “Because, my dear, the fever the boys had to go through was intense, and quite frankly, they were animals. I’m not sure how you will react being bonded with them.” He looked to the twins. “They’re right. If you don’t want to cause trouble, it’s best to get you to a safe place.”

  My eyes widened. “How long does the fever last?”

  The doctor shook his head, uncertain. “It varies for each person.”

  I swallowed and asked nervously, “Will I die?”

  He patted my shoulder in a brotherly way. “No. It’s my creation after all. On an added note, you might find your libido a bit more revved up than usual. It’s due to the increase of hormones in your body.”

  The twins chuckled.

  “Good to know.” Triton opened the door and asked, “Now can we go?”

  I pinched his side as I walked by and grinned.

  He growled, “Don’t play with fire unless you plan on burning in the flames.”

  I think it was time to get a little burned.

  Fever

  Trisha

  The three of us walked out of the office and ran into, I guess, part of the twins’ team. I recognized them as some of the men from that day in the cafe.

  “Trisha.” Triton indicated the two men. “This is Dallon and Garrett.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the two of them and didn't offer my hand as we stopped in front of them. Instead, I demanded, “Where is she?”

  “Excuse me?” the tall, broad man who I assumed was Dallon spoke. “What are you talking about?”

  “Trisha—” Triton interrupted as he tried to soothe me.

  “No! I know someone on your team has a connection with my friend. Doc practically said it himself, and she should have made contact by now.” Triton sighed, but I ignored him as I glared at Dallon and Garrett. In a dangerously low voice I stated, “So, I'll ask you again.” I moved in close to them. “Where is she?”

  Both men grimaced and looked at one another, then back to me. “We actually know Melissa from a long time ago. She used to live with Weston and some of the others.”

  I pursed my lips and glared. “I didn't ask for a damn history lesson,” I growled. “Where. Is. She?”

  “She's safe, Beauty,” Triton spoke as he put a hand on my shoulder and moved me away from their friends. “We can go see her, but right now we need to deal with what's going on with us.”

  Glancing over to him, I ground my teeth in annoyance. “I want to see her. To make sure she's okay.”

  “Beautiful, Dallon and Garret are going through the same thing with your friend that we are now.” Tristan raised his hand to my chin, lifting my head to look into his eyes. “Do you feel like we'd ever harm you?”

  I frowned, realizing what he meant. “No.”

  He nodded, seeing that I got it. “Then you can feel better with the knowledge that they share those same feelings with your friend.”

  Hands started to loosely massage my shoulders, and annoyingly, the fight went out of me. “All right.”

  Tristan smirked and leaned in to give me a long, slow kiss. Then he pulled back, his eyes dark with desire. “Let's get ourselves sorted out first, okay?”

  Triton whispered in my ear, his voice husky, “It's long overdue.”

  We got in the car and drove in silence. My thoughts, once of anger and concern for my friend, now turned to the virile men beside me. As sexual tension grew, I couldn't help but let the anger in me slip away as a burning of desire took its place. I was still confused, but also content with where I was. Now that I had answers about my connection with my guys, a steady beat of sexual awareness took its place, and my blood caught fire. It felt like I was in heat.

  I imagined positions...skin to skin. Hands on me, my hands on them. The delicious, unique flavor of them. I wanted to pull over and have one of them lift me out of the truck and bend me over while the other one watched him take me. I wanted them in the shower, to have them bend me over the couch, on the table, against the wall, and eventually, in the bed.

  I rubbed my thighs together to try to relieve the ache, but it only made it worse. I was wet, slick, primed, ready, and really embarrassed.

  Sitting between the two of them drove me crazy. The brush of our shoulders when we went over a bump brought a zing of current straight to my breasts and then went down. The sweet feeling, the heat, I couldn't help it. Me, the hard ass agent, was brought down to a whimper, and I wanted more.

  “Oh, Beauty,” I heard a murmur in my ear. “It's the bond.”

  “We need to hurry,” Triton told his brother. “This has gone on long enough.”

  I put my head on his shoulder as the sexual tension rose at his suggestion. I barely listened. My body felt hot, electric, and needy. It was in my blood, and I couldn't stop it. Drunk with lust, I needed relief. I reached down and snagged Triton's zipper, rubbing against it, and realized he was as ready as I was. The large bulge between his legs was hard and straining.

  He groaned in protest and tugged my hand away. “Stop.”

  Tristan’s husky voice vibrated along my spine. “She's a wild one.”

  “Beauty?” Triton groaned, when my wandering hands made it up his shirt. “Sweetheart, ah, ah, if you don't take this, oh shit.” He slipped off his shirt, and my heart beat wildly. Yes. This is what I wanted. But then, he grabbed hold of my hands and tied them together with his shirt. With a groan of disappointment, I lifted the shirt to my nose and breathed in his scent.

  Surprisingly, I felt better, but the need slowly ebbed back.

  “More,” I demanded, looking up into his blue eyes.

  “Come here, Beautiful,” Triston commanded.

  I shifted toward him and leaned in to inhale his scent. It helped as well. I grabbed him, my hands still bound in Triton’s shirt, and whimpered. Their two scents together eased the ache, but still left me unsure of what I needed.

  “We need to get to the safe house. We need to get a handle on this.” Tristan spoke as he petted—yes, petted—my hair, trying to soothe me. I let out a long, low sigh, closing my eyes as I sank my head onto his brother's lap. I let the stinging electrical current of awareness dull into a softer and more comfortable one until I settled down.

  Later, I would worry about what this meant, but as of right now, I had a little bit of relief. I was going to take what I could get.

  Then the fever came.

  ***

  I didn’t quite remember when the three of us went to sleep or how we even got into a bed. Triton slept beside me, and Tristan was nowhere to be seen. I glanced around the room and realized we must have made it to the safe house.

  The room was like any other master suite with its cream-colored walls and flat-screen television mounted on the wall. A dresser sat underneath it, followed by a rug that covered the hardwood floor. Two chairs were placed in a reading nook with a window framing a view of red barn off in the distance. We were on a farm.

  I brought my gaze back to the bed and the man in it. I remembered the fever. From the way my body ached and how my dry mouth felt as if I hadn't had water in days, I knew whatever sickness hit me had been brutal. Sticky sweat coated my skin, and my clothes were gone. One of the guys must have given me their t-shirt because that was the only thing on me. The pulsing ache was still there but dulled. I couldn’t take another round of the fever. I’d break. I felt like I had been rung through the ringer.

  Sometime between my last escape, the car ride, and the doctor's visit, the twins had decided I wasn't a flight risk.

  I snorted. I wasn't. I
was their mate.

  Triton shifted in the bed beside me, and his hand touched my forehead. I brushed it away and turned to meet his blue gaze.

  “I’m fine,” I whispered reassuringly.

  “Sure you are,” he drawled with a kiss on my forehead. “But weak as a kitten.”

  I chuckled and relaxed as his arm curved around my waist.

  “I remember saying the same thing when I broke my arm the first time,” he added.

  “Stubborn,” I murmured, snuggling in.

  Triton then started to make small talk with me. He spoke about him and his brother, the house they grew up in, and the trouble they wrangled themselves into when they were young.

  I stayed quiet as his voice worked its magic and soothed me. When he spoke, his blue eyes lit up and sometimes averted to the side when he tried to recall certain things. His bulky shoulders bunched when he lifted his free hand to animate his story of when he and his twin climbed a tree to catch a squirrel. They ended up in the hospital because his brother, Tristan, freaked out when the critter started coming toward them and he lost his grip, crashing into him. Triton landed first while Tristan landed on him. The fall, and softening his brother’s landing, had broken his wrist.

  As I listened, my body relaxed until the air charged again. Another person entered the room. Tristan. He mirrored his brother to the wire, except for his smile. While he entered the room with a handsome grin, carrying a white takeout bag like it was an everyday occurrence, I noticed he had one dimple whereas Triton had none. He extended the takeout bag in front of him as if to bring a peace offering. His knuckles, curved around the bag, displayed a few cuts and bruises. Most likely from punching someone.

  I peeked back up when he spoke with a raised brow. “Dinner for three? And one pain relief cocktail after that?”

  “I’ll take that cocktail. But when are we going to get out of here?” I inquired back.

  “When we know what’s going on.” Tristan answered. “We’re keeping you safe as much as we’re holding on to you. Think about it, Beautiful. Your boss knows you were with Melissa, and she saw everything. Myter’s going to want you killed as much as he wants her gone. We need to keep you alive.”