Night is Darkest Read online

  “He said a group of men had seen him with another man when he was ‘young and reckless’. They’d smashed a bottled of alcohol on him, beat him up and left him on the ground in a pool of the vodka. Someone dropped a match as they walked away. He told me it was for my own good as he cried, as he kicked me over and over. He told me he couldn’t bear to see me killed. He told me he loved me even as I heard my bones crack.”

  Mason swiped the tears from Lacey’s cheek with robotic movements, lost in the recollection.

  “You never ran away?”

  “No. Those two weeks I went missing, I hid out in your shed. Rob knew. He brought me food, got me cleaned up, taped my ribs. He never told a soul. Like you, I begged him not to. I knew that if Tyler found out, nothing would stop him from seeking retribution and I couldn’t stand for him to get hurt. My father said…”

  The words clogged his throat. His hoarse whisper reflected the panic he’d felt all those years before. Not for himself. But for Ty.

  “He said he’d kill Tyler if he ever found out we were lovers. Don’t you see, Lacey. There are crazy people in this world. I will protect you. And him. Because I love you both. Don’t make me put you at risk.”

  “Your father’s been gone for two years, Mason. He can’t hurt Tyler.”

  The logical plea couldn’t soothe his unease. Maybe now she’d understand why he’d refused to attend the bastard’s funeral after he’d drunk himself to death.

  “I know, but there are other people like him. I can’t count the number of times we’ve been called out to hate crimes. What if…”

  “What if I get hit by a bus tomorrow? What if Tyler gets stabbed by a random mugger in an alley while he’s on duty? What if…”

  “Enough. Please.” He slammed his eyes shut on the terrifying images she conjured but he knew she was right. He was tired of fighting the inevitable.

  “Mason, I’m sorry, but you’re looking at this through the eyes of a helpless teenage boy instead of the wiser, stronger lens of a man. I’m not blaming you after what happened. God knows, I understand what something like this can do to your psyche but I’d be willing to bet that no one has the power to hurt Tyler the way you have.”

  “What are you saying?” He got still and quiet.

  “It has to be all or nothing, Mason. I intend to sing my good fortune to the world. I won’t hide. I won’t live a secret life, like we’re doing something wrong. That will never work.”

  “I know.” He sighed. For a moment he’d been teetering on the edge of believing they had a chance. It hurt to hear her confirm his morose thoughts. It couldn’t work.

  “Stop that!” She tapped his shoulder. “Don’t go all half-empty on me. I love you. I love Tyler and I can’t watch him suffer every time you discount his affection. What I meant, is that we have to be honest with each other and the world. Anything else is an injustice to our bond.” She attempted to allay her harsh mandate with a kiss but he stayed stiff and unyielding as his heart raced.

  Could she be right? Was he holding onto fear of a threat long past out of habit? Had he used the horror instilled in him by his father as a crutch to avoid his feelings?

  When she inhaled, he prepared for another assault by the diminutive warrior. Instead, she teased, “Did I mention how much it turns me on to think of the two of you locked together, muscles glistening with sweat, while you drive each other insane with raw desire?”

  To prove her point, she spread her legs wider. She rubbed the aching heat of her pussy through the silky pants they’d changed her into while she slept. A damp spot darkened the crotch.

  “Do you love to tease him like this before you grant him what he begs for? I bet his ass is smoldering hot around your cock.” Her hips rocked in a primitive dance designed to entice. “I’d give anything to see the two of you together, unleashing your sexuality. Destroying the careful boundaries you’ve drawn. Imagine what it would be like, if you were honest with him. Imagine how much further you could take him. Imagine the limitless ecstasy he could give you in return.”

  He licked his lips before a wry grimace tilted one corner of his tight mouth. “I’ve really been fucking this all up, haven’t I?”

  She nodded. “I think so. But I know how you can make it up to him.”

  Mason growled as he clamped her to his side then burst through the door into the adjoining room. He strode to the bed, set her carefully into her spot against the mountain of pillows, then climbed over her to tackle Ty. She grinned when the other man’s lids flew open.

  Mason stared straight into the surprised depths of Ty’s eyes while he took his mouth in a crushing kiss. Their tongues clashed and dueled while she watched. Tyler surrendered to the driving fervor of Mason’s passion. While Mason continued to ravage him, Tyler lay stunned.

  After long minutes filled with grunts, nips and rough claiming, Tyler attempted to object. Mason’s lips muffled his first attempt. “Wait.” He freed his mouth long enough to pant. “Wait.”

  While Ty caught his breath, Mason stripped in two seconds flat. From her vantage point, she admired the flex and play of his athletic body. The slash of ink encircling his right biceps enhanced his rugged beauty. He wrapped his fingers around the waistband of Ty’s sweatpants then yanked them to his ankles before Ty could react. Instead of wasting effort resisting the onslaught of Mason’s primal hunger, he faced her instead.

  “What the fuck did you do to him in there?” His eyebrows got lost beneath the fringe of his hairline.

  “Who, me?” Lacey pasted on her best imitation of an innocent expression. “Not a thing.”

  His eyes turned serious as he faced their lover. “Just tell me this…is this a permanent change or are you just giving me a taste of what I want because you’re too horny to resist?”

  “Ah, shit, Ty.” Mason knelt by the side of the bed until he could stare straight into the depths of the other man’s searching eyes. “I’ve been a complete moron. Forgive me. I came too close to losing everything I’ve ever wanted today. I don’t want to waste another moment of our time together pretending. I’m not going to hide from the truth ever again. I’ll tell you the rest later. But I need you now.”

  Lacey heard Tyler’s gulp clear across the bed. He peeked up at her and she nodded in encouragement.

  “I do love you.” Mason sealed the vow with a kiss, this one less forceful yet more potent than anything she’d witnessed before. “I’m sorry I ever gave you cause to doubt it.”

  “I love you too, Mason.” Tyler beamed then surprised her by lunging across the small gap between them to sear away her lingering sadness for the boy Mason had once been with a smoking hot kiss. “And I love you, Lacey Daughtry. More with every minute that passes. You’re the key to everything that makes me happy. Thank God you’re safe.”

  She patted his cheek to dispel the rejuvenated panic in his expression. “I love you, too. Now, stop tormenting me. Show me what it’s like between you guys. As much as I wish I were, I’m not up for taking on both of you just yet. So, entertain me instead.”

  Tyler blinked back the emotions clogging his throat. She thought he did an admirable job of holding himself together when every inch of his body sagged in relief. He didn’t make a single aggressive move toward Mason, mandating the other man come to him this time. Somehow, the hesitation gave Mason pause.

  “Go ahead.” She nudged the indecisive pair. “I want to watch.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  When both Lacey and Tyler prodded him with such heated expectation in their eyes, Mason buckled beneath the pressure of their joint desires. He had no hope of resisting what he needed when their cravings matched his own. He nodded at Lacey then faced Tyler head-on. A fierce, wolfish grin erupted as a byproduct of his emancipated lusts.

  He needed to fuse them together so they’d never come apart again but the thought of exacerbating Ty’s injuries stopped him in mid-motion.

  “I need you. Please don’t hold back now, I’ll be fine. I’ll take the damn medicin
e if I have to. Come here?”

  Mason should have tempered his reaction but he couldn’t. Damn Ty and his begging.

  Ty grunted when he mashed their bodies together from head to toe but the trim muscles that banded around Mason’s back allowed no possibility of retreat. The solid mass of his best friend’s form made for a stark contrast to Lacey’s soft curves. Chest on chest, hips on hips, cock on cock, he ground against the prone man as he prepared to claim him. Mason reached backward, clamped his hands over Ty’s then nailed them to the mattress.

  “Hell, yes.” Tyler arched beneath him. “Take me, Mason.”

  “When I’m ready.” The power of their arousal roared through his veins. He let Ty get drunk on the anticipation. “Know this first… You better be sure this is what you want because there won’t be any turning back after today.”

  “I’ve wanted this forever.” As Tyler echoed his own words to Lacey, Mason knew they were fated to be together. How could he have forced them apart all this time?

  “Take me as I will take you. No more hiding. I swear, Ty.” The other man’s heart, and cock, pounded in synch with his own. With that, the talking concluded. Mason capitulated to instinct, joining his mouth to the tantalizing lips working beneath his for an unnecessary response.

  He bit Ty’s jaw, then followed the sharp lines of his neck and collarbones as he treated them in kind. Mason worked his way to the firm tips of Ty’s nipples, which he flicked his tongue over before gifting them with same stinging pressure. Tyler struggled beneath him but Mason kept Ty pinned by spreading his weight onto the other man’s thighs and wrists. He worried again about compounding the injuries Ty’d sustained but the desperate sounds emanating from his delicious throat were born of pleasure, not pain.

  As they thrashed against each other, Mason detected sticky slickness pooling on their abdomens. Whether it leaked from his rock-hard shaft, Ty’s, or both, he couldn’t say but the moisture enhanced the glide of his hard-on against the ridges of the other man’s ripped abdomen. He accompanied the claiming actions of his mouth with the humping of his hips. His balls tapped Ty’s shaft with every flex of his pelvis, driving them both wild.

  Mason could come just like this. In a matter of ecstasy-soaked minutes he could shoot his load on the glorious, smooth skin of his lover’s torso. In fact, he had many times before. Something about ejaculating on Ty’s face, ass or chest soothed the impulse to claim him. Maybe because he’d never allowed the slightest hint of his possession to show in public. But, if he stayed locked close as they were, Lacey wouldn’t be able to witness the action.

  When he glanced up, he saw Tyler’s face turned to the side against the pillow. He followed the other man’s hungry gaze to where she lounged, playing with her ripe nipples as she observed their exchange. Ty reached out to tease the extended tips but she evaded his seeking fingers.

  “Not this time, I want to watch. You guys are so hot together. Show me more.”

  Mason’s attention skittered to the side of the bed where she lounged, one hand beneath the pretty violet pants conforming to her luscious legs while the other had fallen to draw light circles across her sensitive tummy. As if he’d needed extra incentive to slake his raging passion.

  When he ripped his mouth from Ty’s near-perfect body, the other man moaned and tried to follow him but Mason halted the enticing motion with one look. “Lie still, Tyler. Let me have you.”

  “I’ve always been yours, Mason.”

  When Tyler submitted to his whims, Mason had to grab for the base of his cock. He squeezed hard to keep from shooting right then. His head dropped back as he looked heavenward and groveled for the stamina necessary to satisfy his lover. Though the urge to bury his cock in Ty’s ass grew, he wanted their first time with Lacey to be different. He wanted to demonstrate the power of their sexual chemistry even without the added thrill of full intercourse.

  He admitted to himself for the first time the magic stemmed from him and Ty together instead of the physical intensity of two men fucking. They didn’t have to get extreme to experience mind-blowing pleasure together. Though, God knew, he loved it when they did.

  Mason sat on his haunches between Tyler’s spread thighs. He dragged the tip of his index finger through the precum glistening on Ty’s stomach then lifted it to his mouth for a taste of their combined fluids. He sucked the flavor of their desire from the digit without flinching from Tyler’s green laser vision. An evil smile spread across his face when he heard Lacey gasp in the background.

  Ty’s long cock twitched in response, drawing his attention. Mason wrapped his fingers around the stocky flesh. It never failed to amaze him. Hot, hard and yet silky, touching Ty’s hard-on felt completely different than stroking his own. He gave the pulsing erection a few tugs for good measure before skimming his now slick hand to the wrinkled sac beneath it.

  Mason rolled Tyler’s balls in his palm, savoring the trust Ty placed in him. When he flicked his finger across the sensitive spot behind the sac, Tyler moaned and arched toward him in invitation. Mason shook his head. “Not this time.”

  Instead of continuing his exploration of the valley splitting Ty’s ass, he walked his fingers back up the prominent vein decorating the underside of his cock. Then, with two fingers on the base of his own erection, he forced it into contact with Tyler’s. They both moaned at the dull thud accompanying the slap of their cocks.

  The rustle of fabric sliding down Lacey’s satin thighs only made him harder, if such a thing were possible. He stole a peek at her hand slipping between her legs before returning his attention to Ty’s body, which strained beneath him.

  Mason used his stiff dick to draw swirling arches dotted with interspersed whaps of the blunt head on Ty’s abdomen. Finally, with one shaft in each hand, he pressed the two together until he could fist them both at the same time. He choked up, allowing room for his other hand to grasp their straining hard-ons in a matching hold. Above the ring made by his top finger, the furious purple head of his cock nudged the bundle of nerves ringing the base of Ty’s glans.

  “Shit, yeah.” Tyler’s head thrashed on the pillow. “Do it, Mason. Jerk us off together.”

  Another seductive moan echoed from Lacey’s direction. The slick noise of her fingers burying in her pussy told him all he needed to know. He hadn’t pegged her as a voyeur. Full of surprises, the little minx continued to amaze him.

  With a tortuous glide of his palms, he fondled their compressed cocks from base to tip. As he returned his hands to their starting position, Ty’s shaft twitched against his as it released another spurt of milky secretion. Mason’s thumb swiped over the slit to collect the opalescent strand then incorporated it into his escalating motion.

  At the pinnacle of every stroke he clenched his hand around the dual heads, making them work to penetrate his fists. When Tyler shuddered beneath his ministrations, their balls bounced together before their fresh sweat adhered their sacs once more.

  He smelled the salty evidence of their lust scenting the air. The sweet fragrance added by Lacey blended perfectly. If she wanted a show, he’d give her one.

  “Oh, damn. Mason!” Ty’s body clenched beneath him even as his hips began to thrust in perfect counterpoint to the rhythm Mason set, driving his cock harder into Mason’s waiting grasp. “I have to come. Jesus! It feels so good it hurts.”

  “That’s right, you’re getting harder in my fist. Show Lacey how much you like this.” He gave a twist of his wrist at just the right moment to ensure he hit Ty’s sweet spot. His lover didn’t stand a chance. His looming eruption guaranteed to rocket Mason off the cliff into orgasm. Nothing in the universe compared to giving Ty and Lacey ultimate satisfaction. It turned him on beyond belief. “Come on, Ty. Come for me. Come for us.”

  Normally, he reveled in the moment his come splattered on whatever exposed surface of Tyler’s body he found handy. Today, a new craving fired his blood. Mason hunched his upper body at the same time he aimed their cocks at the center of his chest.
<
br />   When Tyler saw what he intended, his entire body stiffened. The thick flesh filling Mason’s hands bulged then throbbed. Creamy jets of come flew through the air, landing with surprising force on his chest. The spurt that blasted into his nipple proved to be his undoing.

  “Fuck, yes! Ty!” Mason roared as he joined their simultaneous release. More scalding fluid coated his chest before sliding onto his abdomen. The rush of orgasm stole his mind with unrelenting waves of ecstasy. Just when they’d begun to fade, a feminine cry reached through senses saturated with desire.

  Tyler groaned, “You’re killing me.” His cock heaved one final burst of sperm then stilled in Mason’s shaking hold. Every muscle in his body turned to mush. He barely managed to throw his weight to the side to avoid crushing Tyler’s bruised ribs when he fell, drained, to his back on the bed between Lacey and Tyler.

  Both of his lovers panted as they matched his struggle for breath in the wake of mind-numbing release. As though one person, Tyler and Lacey turned to him in unison. Their tongues lapped at his gooey chest, stealing a taste of their mingled pleasure before meeting in the middle for a soul-stealing kiss. As they explored each other’s mouths, their hands—one tiny and delicate, the other broad and strong—massaged the remaining essence of their loving into him until his skin, and the light fur coating it, gleamed.

  Mason lay entranced as he observed the sealing of their lips as though it were a sacred oath. One thing was certain in his blown mind. Nothing could ever come between them again.

  A bond this powerful could never be broken.

  Lacey monitored the even breathing of her men from her resting place on the left side of Mason’s chest. Her head lay over his heart, which beat slow and steady. Curled on the other side of their lover, Tyler mirrored her position. Mason had flung a burly arm around each of their waists, tying the unit together.

  After sleeping all day, she couldn’t stand to close her eyes again. Instead, she preferred observing the way Mason’s fingers tightened to ensure they stayed nearby and the peaceful smile gracing Tyler’s handsome face. She’d easily been staring at the pair of them for an hour after the brief nap she’d stolen in the wake of her orgasm.