STORY EXCERPT

Nikki Wilder stood in front of the Child Services door, rubbing her palms together, trying to calm her beating heart. Her pits were damp despite having walked two blocks in the icy cold, and her stomach wouldn’t stop churning. Doubt at her inability to give this child what he truly needed blended with the joy of having someone to love.

Just go in.You can’t turn back now. Mark needs you—whether he knows it or not.

Being a foster parent was a huge responsibility, but she had to do it. She hadn’t been able to get the image of the fearless young man out of her mind for the last three weeks. While hiding in a motel bathroom, eleven-year-old Mark Richie heard three gunshots. Moments later he saw his mom die on the pavement outside their room. That was how Nikki and her co-owner had found him. He hadn’t cried, and he hadn’t struggled when the cops escorted him away. How sad was that?

Go.

Nikki knocked on the wavy glass window and pushed open the door. Summer Ashford, Mark’s Child Services representative, looked up and smiled.

“Hey, Nikki.” She turned to Mark. “Look who’s here.”

Mark sat next to Summer’s desk in a high, straight back chair. His arms were wrapped around his backpack, his gaze cast downward, and he was rocking slightly. Poor child. He still seemed to be lost in some dark place. Nikki couldn’t blame him after what he’d gone through. She couldn’t imagine losing a parent, and especially not at his tender age.

“Hi, Mark.” Blood raced through her body, as she prayed he’d respond.

Christ. For five years, she’d been a Vice cop and had faced guns, thugs, and murderers. She’d never been as nervous as she was now.

He looked up, a flicker of recognition sparking in his eye. “Hi, Nikki.”

Hi, Nikki was a good sign. They’d spoken a few days ago about him coming to live with her. He’d seemed happy, though at times it was hard to tell what was going on his head.

Summer stood. “Mark, can you excuse us for a minute? We’ll be right outside.”

His eye tic started again. Nikki wanted to run to him, give him a big hug, and tell him everything would be okay. Only she didn’t like to lie.

Once outside, Summer moved down the hall a few feet. “The therapist has been working with him extensively, but so far, Mark hasn’t come to terms with his mom’s death.”

“It’s only been three weeks.” It was months before she’d understood the ramifications of her first kill. It didn’t matter she’d saved someone’s life in the process.

Summer ran a comforting hand down her arm. “I know. I just wanted to let you know he might appear a little reserved for a while.”

That was a polite way of saying the highly intelligent loner wouldn’t be running around laughing anytime soon.

“We’ll manage.”

Summer smiled. “I know. When I told him today was the day he got to leave, he actually smiled.”

Hope surged. “That’s great. We’ll get through this.” Repeat as often as needed, Nikki.

“I know. That’s why we picked you to take him.”

That and the fact no one else wanted him. Their third security firm co-owner and computer wizard, Holly Morganton, had searched extensively for a relative, but couldn’t find one. Not knowing the dad’s identity limited the search.

Six months ago in Denver, she’d finished being vetted into the foster parent program. She knew with her job and her age, she wasn’t ever going to find a man or have time for a baby. Foster parenting seemed to be the perfect solution. Just as she was about to take a young girl, the debacle happened at work, forcing Nikki to “move on.” No job and little savings meant no foster child. The emotional scars still hadn’t healed, but maybe now they would. Mark gave her a second chance, and she hoped he felt the same way.

Summer led her back inside, and Nikki spotted a battered suitcase in the corner. He’d lived eleven years and that was all he had? Her heart ached.

She mentally added a trip to the department store to buy him clothes, school supplies, and probably a computer. Then she’d have to stop at the grocery store for food, even though she didn’t have a clue what he liked to eat. Would he be like other kids who lived on hamburgers, pizza, and Coke? Or was he a picky eater? If he spent his evenings at the Golden Nugget where his mom had worked, no telling what he snacked on.

Nikki plastered on a smile and held out her hand. “Ready to come see your new home?”

When Mark glanced over at Summer, Nikki’s heart squeezed. She wanted to be the one he looked to for answers. She lowered her arm.

“Go on, Mark. Nikki’s going to be your new mom.”

If only for a while. If a couple wanted to adopt him, she’d lose him. Nikki pushed aside that negative thought.

He stood and slipped on his backpack then grabbed his suitcase.

“I’ll take that.” She slipped the case from his fingers.

Should I wrap an arm around him for support?  Like her engineer dad, Nikki never was very good at showing her emotions. Her father cared about figures and facts. Connecting with others, he’d claimed, only got in the way of allowing him to explore his potential.

“Thanks, Summer.” Nikki tried to smile, but her lips shook too much.

“Are you and the girls doing your usual Thursday night get-together this week?”

Ever since she and Dani had brought Mark here, she and Summer had become friends. “I’ll let you know.” Her life as she’d known it was about to change and she couldn’t be sure of anything.

ADULT EXCERPT

“How about you boys come over here and take off my clothes. I’m quite hot.” She purposefully emphasized the last word, hoping they’d get the double entendre.

“You just have to ask, babe.”

Zane was the first to arrive. She was barefoot, which made undressing her easier. This time Garth took the lower half and Zane the top. She only had on four pieces of clothing. The sweatshirt and jeans disappeared in a heartbeat.

Garth’s eyes glistened. “Mmm. You are amazing, babe. I kept fighting that fire and digging that ditch faster and faster, knowing the sooner we got those damned flames under control, the sooner I could sink my cock in your pussy.”

Then she had to go mess it up by telling them they couldn’t be together. Thank God, they’d made her see reason. Now, she hoped they could move forward. She nodded to her bra and panties. “Please take them off. I hate when things don’t match.”

Garth crawled closer and licked his lips. “My pleasure. My cock’s so hard I’m not sure I can last long enough to impale you.” He winked.

“Zane, you’re the Dom. Command that he not come until I’m satisfied and weak from all the sex.”

Zane dropped his head back and guffawed. After he swiped his eye he leaned over and kissed her. “You’re the best. I’m going to love teaching you.”

Fine. Be that way. Wait until they saw what she had in store for them. They might change their tune. They were right about one thing. She did lump all men into the same bin. These men would never harm her. Giving her the freedom to trust was the biggest gift they could bestow on her.

Garth pulled down her panties to her knees, but he seemed willing to wait for Zane to finish taking off her bra before he continued. Zane better not dawdle or she might be too far gone to show them how much she loved them. “Hurry.”

Zane sat up. “Babe, tonight we’re going to make love to you at the same time. This is a momentous occasion that takes patience. Let us love you at the pace that will bring you the most enjoyment.”

Damn. Where was hot, sweaty sex when a girl wanted it? Maybe they did know better, but holding off when she wanted them so badly was hard. “I’ll trust you know best.”

Zane looked up and smiled. “Hear that, bro? She trusts us.”

“If that’s true, then perhaps if you’re good and willing, we’ll spank your ass.” Garth leaned over and licked her pussy before she could open her mouth. He looked up. “Trust me when I say you’ll love it as much as I will.”

Maybe she would. Zane popped open the back of her bra and eased off the straps. “I gotta admit, you look better without this.”

She was about to explain why she picked that bra, but sometimes keeping quiet was better. As soon as he tossed the bra to the side, he dove down to her tits. Streaks of deliciousness swam through her veins. Every lick drove her crazy, but she wanted to do something to prove to them she’d changed.

Nikki reached out her hand and fumbled for the side table drawer. When she managed to pull it open, Zane lifted his head.

“You need something, babe?”

“Yes.” She rolled over, grabbed the cuffs, and slapped one end on her wrist and the other on the bedpost. “Now, I’m ready for you to take me.”

Zane’s eyes bugged out. “Are you shitting us? You just cuffed yourself.”

“That’s right. I know you’ll be good to me.” It was her way of showing them how much she trusted them.

Zane sat back on his haunches and shook his head. “I’ll be damned.” Then a big smile captured his lips and joy zipped up her spine.

Garth tossed off her panties and inhaled. “I think someone is a little excited.”

How embarrassing was that? It was true that she was more excited than she’d ever been in her life. Tossing away those old fears had freed her to be herself and love her men. “Just barely. See what you can do to drive me crazy.”

Zane placed a hand on her breast and looked up. “You do remember all my rules, don’t you?”

“You still sticking with that don’t climax stuff?”

He laughed. “You’ll be happier in the end.”

“Then I guess it’ll be your job to try to break me down.”

Zane grinned. “Oh, I plan to, babe. I plan to.”

She tugged on the cuff once and the nightmare flashed in her mind. Her blood pressure soared. You trust them. You can do this. She closed her eyes for a second to focus. Knowing the key sat in the drawer, and that they would undo the restraint if she asked, the near panic began to subside. She inhaled and forced herself to step out of her comfort zone—for them.

When her pulse slowed, she knew she was going to be okay.

Neither man had moved. It was as if they totally understood what she was going through.

A small smile hitched up Garth lips right before he swiped his tongue across her opening. All thoughts of that terrible event diminished, and second swipe had her blanking her mind and writhing.

Oh, my. Why did she have to challenge them to test her like this? Maybe she didn’t have the self-control she prided herself in having. Zane drew one nipple taut, wrapped his tongue around the tip, and then sucked hard. The sharp spike sped down her belly and straight to her clit—a clit that was already being loved and tormented.

Zane crawled off the bed. “Be right back.”

As soon as he left, she lifted her head. “Where’s he going?”

“To get the lube.”