Night is Darkest Read online

  In all the times she’d fantasized about sex she had failed to realize the greatest pleasure could be derived from the unity it generated between two souls. Their synchronized heartbeats caused his cock to throb where it locked in her pussy, reassuring her she wasn’t alone. The revelation amplified her ecstasy.

  Tyler played her body like a sexual virtuoso. The angle of his penetration shifted until she rewarded him with a moan. He locked onto the motion that pleased her most then repeated the stroke with the accuracy of a precision instrument. He calibrated his penetrations to meet the specifications of her ardor. Every tap and glide of his cock head against her inner muscles nudged her closer to heaven.

  “You’re ready to come again for me, little one?” A pleading note tinged his gravelly question.

  “Yes, Ty. Please come with me. Together.” She ground her hips against his the next time he returned, forcing his balls to nestle in the valley of her ass. When he groaned in response, she timed her motions to match his. Strange yet perfect sensations infused her with wonder. The arc he travelled stroked her clit across the flat muscle above his cock and his appreciative moans sealed the deal.

  She fell over the edge and flew into another earth-shattering orgasm.

  “God, yes. Lacey!” His cock jerked inside her a moment before the hot pulses of his semen washed over her inflamed tissue, soothing her even as it triggered a renewed round of spasms.

  The look of pure devotion in his eyes as he spilled his desire made a permanent imprint on her memory. With trembling hands, she smoothed the bunched muscles of his arms and back. His fingers tangled in her hair as he repeated her name over and over. Between harsh pants, he rained sweet kisses on her neck, shoulder, ear and the side of her face from his spot on the pillow beside her.

  When he had recovered, Tyler settled her against his chest as he tugged the covers over them. Exhausted, she closed her eyes to sleep for the first time in three days, secure in the shelter of his tender embrace.

  Her short, humorless laugh shattered the silence.

  “What’s that for, little one?”

  “I never thought the best and worst days of my life would be the same one.”

  “I heard that. It’s been a hell of a day.”

  “What’s going to happen tomorrow, Ty?” She hated the frailty in her voice.

  “Let’s not worry about it ’til morning. That’s soon enough. Sleep now, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Three

  A rustling against the pillow roused Lacey from her restless slumber.

  “Tyler?” Her voice, strained from both wails of despair and passionate cries, rasped out.

  “Shh.” Comforting lips brushed her forehead in a chaste kiss. The pre-dawn gloom obscured his expression. What would she see on his face after the night they’d shared?

  Grief and pleasure had paled beside the horror of her nightmares. But all through the blackest hours, he’d been there to catch her when images of her brother’s bloody corpse interrupted what little shuteye she’d managed to grab. Rob’s gentle face had seemed crazed, crimson drops sprayed in slow motion from the sliced vein in his neck and the familiar yet repulsive tang of copper had burned her nose when he issued the order to stay safe.

  The last thing she remembered was the security of Tyler’s embrace placating her.

  “Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”

  Disoriented, she reached out a hand to locate him on the bed but encountered a crisp sheet of paper instead of the firm warmth she expected. She crumpled the note in her fist as her brain began to function. Several blinks cleared the grit deposited by her evaporated tears. Enough to realize he stood beside the bed, fully clothed in his now rumpled uniform. The deliberate space between them turned her cold. “You’re leaving me?”

  “Mason called. He’s got a lead on the case. I have to get down to the station.”

  “Don’t lie to me. What did you write here?”

  “Read it in the morning.”

  “It is morning.”

  “Shit, Lace. You need to rest some more.” The first rays of morning silhouetted Tyler as he scrubbed his broad fingers through his already mussed hair.

  “You expect me to curl up and nod off without inspecting the bullshit reason you gave for sneaking out of here without so much as a goodbye?” Gathering steam, she levered up onto her elbows, causing the sheets to tumble to her waist. The darkness must not have impaired his vision as much as it did hers. The hiss of his rapid intake sliced through the silence following her question. “Clearly, it’s not because you don’t want me. I bet you’re hard as steel again right now.”

  He fled from her roaming fingers so fast he stumbled. “Don’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “There are things you don’t understand, little one.”

  “So explain, Tyler.”

  “I wouldn’t trade a moment of loving you last night for the world but that doesn’t make what I did right. I shouldn’t have touched you. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for taking my virginity?” She couldn’t prevent the note of vulnerability from creeping in.

  “No. Yes. Damn it, I don’t know.” He paced off to stare out the window. Several harsh breaths sawed out of his chest before he faced her again. “It’s complicated. Fuck! I-I’m sort of involved with someone else.”

  Neither he nor Mason had ever been in a relationship that extended beyond carnal exchanges before. She hadn’t imagined anything could hurt worse than the trauma she’d endured yesterday but she knew Rob would never have left her if he’d had the choice. Blinding agony seared straight to her soul until she caught Tyler’s tentative phrasing then honed in on the uncertainty in his fidgeting stance.

  “You mean Mason?” Figures he thought her oblivious to their sexual preferences. Hadn’t she asked them both to make love to her yesterday? The whole afternoon had blurred together somewhat but she distinctly remembered begging for what she wanted most. Hadn’t she been clear enough to make them understand?

  “What! How did you know?” She thought she caught a glimpse of unease in his emerald glance as her pupils adjusted.

  “The rumors of your conquests reach far and wide. I’ve been hearing the details of your sordid threesomes for years. Every woman in the city hoping to become the middle of a Ty-son sandwich seems to ask me for advice. As if I’d know how to entice the pair of you!”

  “Oh, yeah. That.” At least he had the decency to look ashamed. “I didn’t know people were harassing you because of us. This is exactly what Mason was talking about. I had no business dragging you into our mess.”

  “Even if that’s where I want to be?”

  “I’m sorry, little one. I asked Rhonda to come over so you won’t be alone.”

  She didn’t deign to acknowledge him. Though she enjoyed hanging out with her next-door neighbor on occasion, no one could replace Ty. The shadowy form of his retreating body hovered on the threshold for a heartbeat. He whispered one final parting shot over his shoulder. “Some secrets aren’t mine to tell.”

  Then he slipped from the room.

  “Tyler! What the hell does that mean? Wait!” She scrambled to disengage from the tangled sheets then rushed down the stairs with uncoordinated limbs but she was too late.

  He’d already disappeared.

  Tyler huddled into his charcoal wool jacket to avoid the chill as he slunk across the frosted lawn to the backdoor of the apartment he shared with Mason. Above it, a single hundred-watt bulb made an ineffective beacon welcoming him home in the early morning glow. The dread pumping through his nervous system rivaled any he’d experienced as a teenager praying he’d evade MomDAR after a late-night excursion. Only, this time, his roommate inspired the apprehension instead of the debauchery that had earned the repercussions.

  He estimated his chance of making it inside undetected to be about as abysmal as the chance of wiping the memory of burying himself in Lacey’s virgin pussy from his mind. But, son of a bitch, even a lifetime of torment—knowing exa
ctly what he was missing—would be worth the taste of rapture he’d stolen.

  Now he had to pay for it.

  Tyler paused to consider the merits of jimmying a window before he abandoned hope and squared his shoulders in preparation for the come-to-Jesus ass chewing he deserved. The metal stairs creaked by design as he ascended. They’d worked hard to make this place their own as much as possible for a no-frills rental unit. No one could slip in with them unaware. They’d seen too much shit during their time on the force to be less than vigilant at home.

  He cringed when an image of the crime scene including Rob’s mutilated body as a gruesome centerpiece flashed, unbidden, into his mind. Fuck Mason. Fuck his iron willpower. Ty’d needed Lacey as much as she’d needed him last night. Her soft innocence paired with fiery desire had cauterized the gaping wound in his heart, at least temporarily.

  The award he and Mason had received for exemplary service rattled on its prominent shelf as the door slammed behind him. He’d just unlaced his shoes when movement from the scarred leather sofa caught his attention. Legs splayed, shirtless despite the chill, Mason poured a stream of amber liquid into the glass nestled between his bunched thighs.

  Ty licked his lips. “I’m impressed. Whiskey before breakfast. We haven’t done that in years.”

  “Haven’t been to bed yet.” Mason’s pupils had dilated from sitting in the dim room. The ebony centers overshadowed his cerulean eyes, making them appear ominous despite his calm tone. “That makes it a nightcap.”

  The measured speech didn’t fool Tyler. A telltale muscle jumped along the right side of Mason’s neck and his knuckles whitened around the bottle of Jack before he set it, with overabundant precision, on the end table they’d scored off a buddy who’d moved in with his fiancée. It had been too “bachelor pad” for her tastes, which made it perfect for their eclectic refuge of hand-me-downs.

  “You worked the case all night despite the captain’s orders? You have a gut feeling on this one, don’t you?”

  Mason didn’t answer the rhetorical questions. Instead, he fired a fierce stare in Ty’s direction. Goddamn, would he ever blink?

  Ty tried not to shuffle like a kid busted with his hand in the cookie jar but that’s exactly what he felt like. “Shit! Say something already. Curse at me, let the bottle fly or kick my ass old-school. Just quit looking at me like that.”

  “Like what? Like you’re the scum of the earth? Like you’re a cock-sucking asshat who broke the shit out of a pact with his best fucking friend?”

  A strong breeze ruffled Tyler’s hair as the bottle of alcohol whizzed past his right ear on its way to oblivion. It smashed into the brick fireplace with a tinkle of glass. The arm he’d instinctively raised to protect his face prevented him from witnessing Mason’s charge but the impact of their collision rocked every joint in Tyler’s body. The shorter man brought him to the floor without effort.

  “Or…” Ty choked against the pressure on his windpipe but he didn’t fight back. “…you could opt for all three.” Broad fingers spanned his throat, pinning him to the beige shag.

  “She was off limits for a reason!” Mason’s temple bulged as he got right up in Tyler’s face. His free hand fisted in Ty’s shirt as he shook him. “We just lost Rob. Do you want to chase her away, too? You’ll only end up hurting her and I won’t fucking let you do that because you can’t say no to your cock. After years of hard work, you had to fuck up now?”

  Tyler winced as Mason shifted on top of him. The full weight of his powerful frame straddled Ty’s torso while the other man’s shins trapped his arms on the ground. Being manhandled didn’t sit well with him. Every guy had his limits and the events of yesterday had pushed him beyond rational thinking. Up close and personal with the bulging crotch of his roommate’s jeans, self-preservation flew out the window as his smart mouth took over.

  It wouldn’t be the first time it’d gotten him in trouble.

  “Jealous, Mason? Don’t you wish you’d stayed? You could have slaked that woody about to drill a hole in your pants. I bet you jacked off at least three times since then. It didn’t matter, did it?”

  “Of course I’m jealous, asshole. We’ve craved her for nearly a decade. But I’m man enough to walk away if I have to. Even from something I want more than my next fucking breath.” Ty had never seen him this pissed, and that was saying something. Mason possessed a legendary temper. He leaned down to snarl right in Tyler’s face. “And I suggest you keep your eyes off my junk unless you plan to do something about it.”

  The combination of anguish and need radiating from every flexed muscle of the man on top of him dissolved the defiance Ty’d attempted to use as a shield. Mason’s suffering affected him as much as Lacey’s had yesterday. All resistance fled. He went slack in Mason’s hold.

  A throaty growl echoed around them as the dominant man’s hand moved in a flash from its perch on Tyler’s throat to rip the flaps of his own button fly apart. His glorious cock stood framed in denim, the veins pronounced and throbbing. Even as Mason’s hips thrust forward, Ty opened his mouth to welcome the intrusion.

  He’d never get used to the mammoth girth stretching his jaw, though he’d given Mason hundreds of blowjobs. Each time, the thickness impressed him as he savored the weight on his tongue and the ecstasy on his lover’s face. Mason reached forward, cradling the back of Tyler’s head in his palm as he urged him to take more. His fury evaporated as desire replaced it.

  “Fuck, yes. That’s right, Ty. Suck me.” The urgency of the rhythm Mason set guaranteed their encounter would be short-lived. Tyler devoured as much of the engorged shaft as he could on each pass. He swore it was even bigger today than usual. The salty tang of pre-come washed his tongue as Mason plunged in again. This time the fat head nudged the back of his throat. His reflexive swallow tore another groan from Mason’s chest.

  “Relax, Ty. Take me deeper.” Their positions made it more difficult, but Tyler tipped his head back as Mason dropped forward onto his forearms until he could bury his erection full-length into Ty’s throat. As he shifted, his jeans slid further down his thighs, freeing his balls. Tyler wished Mason’s weight had shifted from his arms so he could stroke his own rock-hard cock. But when the hot skin of Mason’s tight sac bumped his chin with each complete stroke, he knew it didn’t matter. He was a goner.

  “God, that’s good.”

  He flexed the muscles of his throat around Mason’s cock as his tongue massaged the sensitive underside of the shaft.

  “Just like that, Ty. Shit, don’t stop.”

  Tyler redoubled his efforts. He loved pushing Mason beyond his usual control. When Mason’s abdomen tightened above him, he applied the slightest rake of his teeth.

  “I’m gonna…” Mason hadn’t finished the warning before hot jets of his come blasted from his jerking cock. Ty’s hips rocked instinctively, rubbing his own hard-on against the satin boxers encasing it. Then he joined Mason. They grunted their release in simultaneous waves. Tyler still suckled the wilting mass of Mason’s cock, drawing out every last drop, when he retreated and collapsed on the floor nearby.

  The rough exhalation of their mismatched breaths slowed over time. Tyler hadn’t recovered when Mason’s iron grip encircled his wrist then tugged him close. He buried his face against the defined muscles of his lover’s chest and sighed. Mason’s suffering had to be great if he allowed this rare level of intimacy between them.

  “You were right to go.” His fingers clenched Mason’s shoulders as he confessed.

  Mason’s hands stroked his back and one buried in his hair, tucking him against the man’s still pounding heart. “I’m sorry, Ty. You were hurting. We all were. I get why you stayed.”

  “She was a virgin.” Ty registered Mason’s surprise in the twitch of his slack muscles. The pause deafened him as he waited for additional recriminations.

  “Then I’m glad it was you, Ty.” Comforting fingers trailed down his spine. “I’m sure you made it good for her. You can be so gentle.
And you love her.”

  “I hurt her.” Misery spread from his aching heart.

  “The first time is never comfortable…”

  “No, uh…not that. I mean, she bled some but she definitely liked it.” God, when had he become such a blubbering fool? He wasn’t sixteen anymore.

  “You told her about us?”

  Tyler tried to ignore the hint of unease in Mason’s voice. Unlike him, Mason had never been with another man. He’d never accepted his bisexuality, swore only Tyler attracted him, and insisted they keep their relationship secret. Ty’d given up arguing about it years ago. Mason would never change his mind.

  “No. That’s up to you. But I couldn’t mislead her either. I told her I was involved with someone else, then I walked out on her.” The memory of betrayal drowning her eyes cut him all over again. “Hit me if it helps. I kind of wish you would.”

  “Ah, shit, Ty.” Mason damn near suffocated him in a bear hug. “That sucks.”

  “Mason, I didn’t even use a condom. I didn’t want anything between us. I’ve never done that with a woman before.” He didn’t mention the times he and Mason fooled around.

  “Well, we know she’s on the pill. Remember when Rob got all bent out of shape, freaking out over how bad her cramps were until she got on it?” They shared a crooked smile over the memory of their friend’s deliberation on the best way to tackle the awkward conversation with his sister.

  He seemed like he was about to continue but didn’t. “Spit it out, Mason. What?”

  “I didn’t think you’d come back. I’m a selfish bastard but I thought I’d lost you. Why did you give her up instead of me?”

  Tyler squirmed under the uncomfortable pressure of their heart-to-heart. It didn’t bother him to spill his guts, but he knew it could make Mason flee their emotional intimacy. Then again, it could have been Mason caught in the line of fire just as easily as Rob. He refused to regret withholding his emotions if the unthinkable happened. Again. “We’ve been through so much together. I can’t imagine my life without you.”