STORY EXCERPT

Being only eleven in the morning, Ashley Vaughn walked up to Blue’s Diner’s entrance expecting to see an empty restaurant. Too early for the lunch crowd. Too late for the breakfast bunch. But instead, when she opened the door her eyes fixed on the two handsome men sitting by the jukebox—men from Chicago she’d dated off and on for nearly a year.

Nicolas Walker and Sylas Hayes, attorneys for Braxton Meat Packing.

What are they doing here?

She’d broken it off with each of them. Juggling two men was difficult. Long-distance relationships were impossible to maintain. But those weren’t the real reasons she ended things. “Sharing” wasn’t even in Nic and Sylas’s vocabularies, especially when it came to her. She’d believed that eventually they would come around to the Destiny way of thinking. But they hadn’t. They never would. But they are here now. Why?

It had been wonderful and difficult dating them. The dates with Nic were fun filled. He had an amazing sense of humor and kept her laughing. Sylas was an extreme romantic, wining and dining her, making her always feel so special. When she’d finally found the courage to share what she really desired—that she would never choose between them, that she actually wanted both of them—they had reacted shocked.

Ashley told Nic and Sylas about Destiny and how all types of families were welcomed, accepted. “All that matters is love, whatever way it presents itself. Two men with one woman is not uncommon.”

“You can’t be serious.” Nic continued doing all the talking, while Sylas remained silent, with his eyes fixed on her.

“I’m very serious. You’ve met my boss.”

“Phoebe? Yes.”

She took a deep breath and then blurted out, “Phoebe is married to three men.”

“That’s crazy.” Nic frowned.

Sylas broke his silence. “Not to mention illegal.”

“Marriage doesn’t have to be on paper. It’s written in the hearts of people who love each other. Who cares what the law says?”

“I care,” Sylas said in his deep tone. “I’m a lawyer. The law matters, Ash.”

“What about how we feel about each other? Doesn’t that matter to you, too? I know this may sound crazy, but you both have asked me many times what I really want. Well, this is it. I want you both.”

“You what?” Nic’s face filled with confusion and jealousy. “What do you want me to do when Sylas is banging you? Go get a sandwich or take a walk? When I get back will it be his turn to hit the road so that I can have my way with you?”

“Nic, you’ve never said anything so hurtful to me before.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“And you’ve never said anything so crazy to me before either.”

Sylas stated flatly, “Ashley, you know this is not possible.”

“In Destiny it is very possible,” she snapped back and left.

That night her heart had been shredded by their words, by their rejection of what she needed. She’d been a fool to think Nic and Sylas might act differently. Whatever she’d had with them was over. She hadn’t seen either of them since that horrible evening, until now.

There had been voicemails, text messages, and emails, but even those had finally come to an end since she never responded to them. She had meant to never look back, to give her heart a chance to heal. But now Nic and Sylas were in Destiny, and the pain she’d been trying to run from was right in front of her eyes.

Were they here to try to change her mind? To start dating again? To force her into choosing one of them? Not happening. She’d made her decision to keep her heart from shattering into a million pieces. No matter what they had come to Destiny to say to her, she wasn’t changing her mind. She couldn’t. It was the only way she had a chance of surviving.

“Hi, Ash.” Desirae, the assistant manager of the restaurant, was clearly mesmerized by Nic and Sylas, as she couldn’t keep her eyes off of them. No surprise.

They were off-the-charts good looking. They both had dark hair, though Sylas kept his a little longer than Nic. Sylas’s eyes were a deep piercing blue, Nic’s a bright green. Their muscled bodies would make any woman weak in the knees, and Desirae was no exception. Neither am I, God help me.

“The view in here has improved,” Desirae said quietly with a grin.

“It sure has.” Anna Banks, a woman who worked at TBK, walked up beside them. “Any idea who those hunks are?”

Desirae shook her head. “Not a clue. How about you, Ash?”

Before she could answer, Nic and Sylas stood. “Hi, Ashley,” they said in unison, and then glared at each other.

Their rivalry about her obviously hadn’t faded.

“Lucky girl.” Anna sighed. “You clearly know them.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Won’t you join us, sweetheart?” Sylas asked.

“One second, please.” Her insides were quaking. She turned to Desirae, trying to gain her composure.

“‘Sweetheart?’” Desirae’s eyes widened. “You know them very well, don’t you, Ash?”

She shrugged. She’d been trying to get over Nic and Sylas but failing miserably. The only thing that kept her from thinking about them was staying busy at work. Nights were the worst. She cried herself to sleep too many times. And the dreams, which were perfect, vanished when she left her lonely bed. They reminded her that the real world wasn’t what she wanted it to be. Nic and Sylas. Together. Not apart. Not fighting over her.

ADULT EXCERPT

Unable to look away, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I really am glad you came over tonight to help me study.”

“Me, too.” He pulled her in close and pressed his mouth to hers.

With not even a drop of hesitation left inside her, she melted into the kiss, enjoying the taste of him on her lips again. She felt him touch her breasts, and a shiver ran up and down her spine. The right thing to do was to put the brakes on, but her body wasn’t listening to reason. Being in his arms again felt so good, so familiar. She’d missed this so much.

He deepened the kiss, tangling his tongue with hers. Happy memories of her time with him flooded her mind as his hands roamed over her body.

He removed her PJ top, exposing her naked breast. When he brushed her nipples with his fingers, a spark shot through her, igniting her desires for him that had been pushed down for the past couple months. There was no possible way for her to stop now. She had to have him inside her. It had been too long. Burning from head to toe with want, she pulled his T-shirt off of him and tossed it to the coffee table.

He caressed her breasts and licked her neck. The pressure began to build inside her. She was crazed with thirst, and he was the only drink that could satisfy her need. He moved down and began licking her breasts, applying just the right touch, setting her on fire even more. When he captured one of her nipples between his teeth, he reached down and removed her PJ bottoms. With only caresses, he guided her to stretch out on the sofa. She obeyed his silent command willingly. He stripped out of his boots and jeans, placing them next to his discarded T-shirt on the coffee table. She stole a quick glance at his cock, which she knew intimately. He was rock hard, every inch of him.

He climbed on top of her, pinning her down to the sofa. She could feel the moisture between her thighs.

After laving her breasts, he kissed his way down her body to her pussy. She reacted like a wild woman, thrashing under him, totally out of control. He ran his tongue over her wet folds before circling her clit. The sensations he was creating in her rolled through every inch of her body, taking her completely over.

“Oh God,” she whimpered. “So good.”

Her words seemed to excite him even more, and the oral pleasure he was giving her intensified. When he sucked on her clit, she could no longer hold back.

“Yes. God. Yes.” The time without him was over, and she drowned him in her drops of pleasure.

He licked up every drop, holding her legs over his shoulders.

“I need you in me, Nic,” she said trembling. “Please.”

He looked up from between her legs and smiled. She could see her cream glistening on his lips.

“And I want to be inside you, sweetheart.” He stood and reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a condom.

He rolled the rubber down his thick shaft, and then got back on top of her. She loved the feel of his body on hers. She heard him moan as he slipped his cock into her pussy. As he stretched her insides, electricity spread throughout her body, sending her into overdrive.

He thrust into her again and again. She clawed at his back, wrapping her legs around him. It felt so good to be with him again, enjoying the pleasure he gave her. Her body’s movements synced with his. Her pussy ached and her clit throbbed. Each time he sent his cock into her, she got nearer to the edge. She was mad with desire.