Boston Avant-Garde 6: Chiaroscuro Read online

Mattie swallowed down her mingled fear and anticipation. “I thought I was watching.”

  The intensity of Owen’s dark gaze made her nipples bead into hard points. “Oh, I’ll give you plenty to watch, but you’re going to give me this first.”

  She hadn’t kissed Lars since the night he’d run out of her bedroom after she’d admitted her feelings. It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but something in Lars’s expression changed her mind. The hard planes of his face were soft, eager even. Did he want this?

  She reached up and cupped his cheeks. Hesitantly running her thumbs over his lower lip, Mattie reveled in the familiarity. Owen’s arms were draped over Lars’s shoulders. The contrast of his copper skin and Lars’s golden tones was beautiful to behold. Mattie slid her arms around Lars’s neck, twining them around Owen’s. Stretching up on her tiptoes she pressed her mouth to Lars’s.

  It felt so good. Like coming home. He came alive beneath her lips. She slid her tongue into his mouth to caress his. He returned the subtle tease for the briefest moment before he suddenly became the aggressor.

  It was so natural to let him take control. There’d never been anyone else who could channel her lust like Lars. He set the pace of their wet, warm kisses, the rhythm of their tongues, lips, and teeth as they exchanged desire for passion.

  “My turn,” Owen growled.

  He wrenched Lars away from Mattie. Suddenly she was the observer, her lips plump and moist, watching Owen utterly devour Lars. A spurt of hot cream dampened her pussy. She’d never seen anything like this display. They dueled like gladiators bent on dominance, two men grappling as they made love with their mouths.

  Holy. Shit.

  Owen backed off just long enough to give her a wicked grin. “Touch him, Mattie.”

  She let her fingers skate down Lars’s abdomen. His muscles shrank reflexively from the contact. She scored her nails lightly across his rugged abdominals, over his ribs, down his torso toward his erect cock. When she reached the downy, dark trail of hair below his navel, he groaned.

  A glistening drop of precum beaded on the crown of his erection. She slid her fingertip through the liquid and spread it over the puckered flange. He thrust against her. Knowing how much he liked it, she fisted his shaft and pumped it with firm strokes.

  Lars gasped, and Mattie looked up to see that Owen had one powerful hand around Lars’s neck. Owen held their lover firm as he nipped and sucked his way over Lars’s shoulders.

  “I’m going to put him facedown on your bed, Mattie,” Owen told her. “Do you have lube?”

  Her belly flip-flopped with hot eagerness, and she nodded. Letting go of Lars’s cock, she stumbled toward her nightstand. The tube was nestled in the top drawer, where it kept company with her trusty toys—toys that were never going to cut it after this experience.

  When she turned back around, it was to see Lars leaning over her bed with his ass in the air. She wondered if her duvet provided any sort of friction against his swollen cock. Could he come like that? Or would it actually be possible for her to be on the bottom with his hard length lodged inside her aching wetness while Owen fucked him from behind?

  She grabbed the bedpost to keep her knees from buckling. Owen seemed to guess her thoughts. He turned and beckoned her closer until he could wrap his hand gently around hers.

  His gaze bored into hers as if he were lending her some of his strength. He gestured to the lube. “Would you like to do the honors?”

  The phrase was so out of place, yet it hit her feelings dead-on. This was no time to turn squeamish. “Yes.”

  “Me first.” Owen half turned to present his thick penis. “I want him to lie there and imagine your hands all over my dick.”

  Owen’s comment had an immediate effect. Lars jerked, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to get a glimpse of what was happening behind him. Owen had anticipated that, though. He had both of Lars’s hands pinned tightly in the small of his back.

  Mattie dispensed a good portion of lube into her hand and smoothed it over the satiny skin of Owen’s erection. He hissed at the contact, body going rigid as he held still. It felt so good to spread the cool gel over his sensitive flesh. She’d met this man a handful of hours ago, but she was unbelievably comfortable with him.

  “Now Lars’s asshole,” Owen urged.

  She held her breath as Owen released Lars’s hands and then spread Lars’s firm cheeks to bare his tight anal entrance. She’d enjoyed occasional anal sex with a considerate partner, but she’d never done so with Lars. He’d never shown the slightest inclination toward it. Was it because he saved such things for his male lovers? Would he welcome her touch now?

  It was Owen who pushed her on. “Go ahead, Mattie. He wants it.”

  She brushed her fingertips over Lars’s anal star. He groaned and thrust against the mattress. It didn’t seem like a sound of disgust. Emboldened, she worked the lubricant into his opening. It grew more relaxed and pliant beneath her attention. The change fascinated her, made her brave. Gently inserting the tip of her index finger into his ass, she was gratified by his moan.

  “God, Mattie, you’re going to make me come by just watching.” Owen used his free hand to pull her away from Lars. “Grip me tight and help me push inside him.”

  Her pussy began to quiver as if she were about to implode into orgasm. It felt like she could lose herself without a single touch. Her arousal was utterly focused on these two men, these lovers who were willing to bring her along for the ride.

  With one hand wrapped around Owen’s girth, she spread Lars’s cheeks with the other. The crown of Owen’s cock pushed past the thick outer ring of muscle in Lars’s ass. As Mattie watched, Owen tunneled inch by inch into Lars. The erotic sight sent her over the edge. She didn’t know how, but her sex was clenching with the undulating waves of orgasm rolling through her.

  “Oh fuck, Mattie, fuck me.” Owen grabbed Lars’s hips with both hands and began thrusting. “She just came, Lars. She fucking came.”

  Their coupling grew rough. Owen didn’t just push; he ground into Lars with each stroke. Their grunts and groans filled her bedroom as the scent of sex permeated everything. Her ears were overwhelmed with the sounds of their mating. She couldn’t tear her gaze away. She’d never been fucked like that. Never. It was hard and fast and coarse.

  Her pussy was hot and wet. She was nowhere near satisfied, but this was different than the usual longing. She was greedy, but it often felt as if she were grasping at the threads of release, desperate to gain relief. This was the thrumming knowledge of more to come, of knowing she wasn’t done yet and being eager to find out what came next.

  She slid her hand beneath Owen’s T-shirt and found her slick feminine folds. She was engorged. Her clit was so hard it stood out from her pussy lips and begged for attention. She fingered the tiny nub as she watched Owen’s cock sinking into Lars again and again.

  “I can smell you, Mattie.” Owen watched with desire in his eyes. “Come for us, baby.”

  Sensation spiraled away from her fingers and into her limbs. Her muscles grew tight as she perched on the edge of something big. When Owen groaned and shoved deep into Lars as he found his release, Mattie tumbled into a second climax.

  She would have sunk to the floor if Owen hadn’t grabbed her first. He pulled her in to his side and held on as the tremors shook her body. Fascinated, she watched Owen’s softening erection slide free of Lars’s ass before Lars rolled to his back and lay there, chest heaving as he gasped for air.

  Owen picked up her hand, the one that had been buried in her crotch only seconds before. He nuzzled her fingers before licking them clean. The sensation sent her right back to the edge.

  “I think it’s Lars’s turn to come.” Owen’s expression was wicked enough to make her belly flutter. “What about you?”

  Chapter Six

  Lars tried again to tamp down the powerful emotions that threatened to shatter his composure. This was only a temporary situation. It wasn’t his real life. It cou
ldn’t last. He couldn’t allow it to last.

  Owen climbed onto the bed and settled his back against the smooth wooden slats. “Come closer, Mattie.”

  She cast a sideways glance at Lars before moving toward Owen. Lars couldn’t blame her for the mistrust he saw in her gaze. He was stunned she hadn’t thrown him out the moment she’d seen him downstairs. She’d have been well within her rights. He hadn’t given her an explanation the night he’d left her. At the time, he hadn’t the words. Now, he was too much of a coward to try to explain his reasons.

  Owen pointed at Mattie with one graceful hand. “As much as I like to see you in my shirt, it’s in the way.”

  When she pulled the black cotton over her head, Lars bit back a groan. Her breasts jiggled as she tossed the shirt aside. She had great breasts. They were just the right size to fill his hands, and her nipples were pretty, pink, and sensitive. He’d always taken his time with them. Hell, he’d always taken his time with Mattie. Period.

  Given the chance, Mattie would always rush headlong into the finale. She goaded with her words and her body until a man’s mind shut down, and he was reduced to a creature with a desire for only one thing. Fulfillment. She wanted fucking, and she wasn’t shy about demanding it, but in the end she wound up frustrated. True release always hovered just beyond her grasp. Nobody had ever challenged Lars like Mattie did. Bringing her true pleasure was a test of wills.

  Mattie climbed onto the bed and went right into Owen’s arms. Lars watched Owen nestle her sexy curves against him. With her back to his chest, he used his legs to spread hers apart and pinion them open.

  Lars met Owen’s gaze. He wondered if he should let himself be lured into a sense of comfort with this man. Owen was a lot of things to a lot of people, but he’d been lover to Lars for more than five months. It was a short time, but Lars had let Owen see more of his true self than he’d ever intended. Now Lars couldn’t prevent himself from trusting a man who knew him better than almost anyone else.

  Owen laced his fingers with Mattie’s. “How long has it been since Lars has been between your legs, Mattie?”

  “Five months.” She sounded breathless, but Lars couldn’t decide if it was apprehension or anticipation.

  Lars gazed at her pussy on display. He knew her taste, the slick embrace of her depths. It’d been too long. He lifted his eyes to Owen’s face. “Six days before I came to you.”

  Surprise lit Owen’s dark eyes, and Lars could see him piecing it all together. After tonight, Lars wouldn’t be able to hide from his own cowardice any longer. Even more shocking, he didn’t want to.

  Mattie squirmed against Owen’s hold. “Please, Lars. It’s been so long.”

  “No.” Lars fought down the demands of his body and clung to his self-control. “That’s not how this goes, and you know it.”

  OWEN WAS STUNNED by Lars’s flat refusal. The jolt made him take a mental step back. Lars wanted Mattie. That much was obvious, but Owen knew Lars. The man had restraint down to an art form.

  Lars sat on the bed and ran one hand up the inside of Mattie’s leg. “You need more than a quick fuck.”

  Her whimper made the hair at the nape of Owen’s neck stand on end. She moved restlessly, and he held her more firmly against his chest. Murmuring soothing nonsense in her ear, he wondered where Lars was leading them.

  Lars gently splayed her pussy lips open and blew a light stream of air across the glistening flesh. She quivered and arched her back. When he placed his mouth against her sex, she groaned and flexed her hips.

  The sound of Lars lapping Mattie’s cunt sent a thrill of awareness through Owen. He’d never before had an inclination to watch another man pleasure a woman. This was different. Lars rooted against her folds, nuzzling, licking, sucking, and making her moan with need. The sight transfixed Owen even though his gaze was partially obstructed by the heaving fullness of Mattie’s breasts.

  “Please, Lars,” Mattie begged.

  Lars gazed up at her as he worked her clit with his tongue. Owen caught his eye, mesmerized by the determination he saw there. When Mattie jerked against Owen’s chest and cried out, he realized she’d come.

  “Good girl,” Lars crooned as he backed off and began to stroke her pussy with his hand. “I’m going to make you come one more time before I slide my cock inside your cunt.”

  She was panting, trembling in Owen’s arms. Her voice cracked when she spoke. “Don’t make me wait.”

  It was Owen’s turn to groan when Lars buried three fingers in her slippery sex and then leaned over her shoulder to seek Owen’s lips.

  He could taste her on Lars’s tongue. As their mouths met in a crescendo of passion, Owen struggled not to be overcome. Mattie was rocking against his chest as Lars finger-fucked her. Owen could feel every sweet tremor in her sensitive body. Owen’s tongue dueled with Lars’s for dominance, fighting to get closer, to set a faster pace. Lars held firm. He kept the rhythm of their kiss in tune with his penetration into Mattie’s body.

  “I’m so close, so close.” Her sweet mutterings were like throwing gasoline on an open flame.

  Owen shifted his hold on her body and cupped her breasts in both hands. He rolled her nipples between his fingers until he felt her come undone in his arms. She flung her head back just as Lars broke contact with Owen’s mouth. The three of them gasped in unison, and Owen wondered how much longer Lars could hold out.

  Lars’s knees seemed to buckle, and he lay flat on his back on the end of the bed. His cock jutted up from his body. The dusky flesh was swollen tight. A drop of fluid beaded at the tip and dribbled over the plum-shaped crown. Owen’s mouth watered, but this wasn’t the time to suck his lover’s cock. Lars deserved Mattie’s hot pussy embracing him instead.

  “Ride him, Mattie,” Owen urged. He released her, and she crawled toward Lars.

  She climbed astride their lover’s narrow hips, and Lars settled his hands at her waist. Owen couldn’t resist touching Lars’s thick erection. Lars hissed at the contact, the noise dissolving into a groan when Owen helped him slide between the lips of Mattie’s sleek pussy.

  “I can’t hold on, Owen.” Lars met his gaze with green-tinged eyes hazy with lust. “Help me push her over the edge again.”

  Mattie cried out and began to grind her pelvis against Lars’s prone body. Owen got behind her, straddling Lars’s legs and steadying her rhythm. Her movements were frantic, jerky with pent-up desire. Owen began to count softly in her ear, helping her find a steady tempo. She settled into a series of long sweeping strokes that made Lars squeeze his eyes closed.

  Owen slid his hands over Mattie’s hips and found the place where her body was joined to Lars’s. Using two fingers, he began to rub quick circles around her throbbing clit. The little bundle was hard and hot. It swelled with the attention, and Mattie redoubled her efforts to fuck Lars.

  Pressed against Mattie’s lower back, Owen’s cock wept in frustration. He ground his teeth together as the stimulation pushed him near the breaking point. It wasn’t time to sate his lust. It was time to find his lovers’ pleasure.

  “Now, Mattie, give it to me now!” Lars’s gritty order resonated around the room.

  Her sex quivered beneath Owen’s hands before giving in to orgasm. The powerful contractions took his breath away. She collapsed onto Lars’s chest, snuggling against him even as he wrapped his arms around her. The sight sent a confusing barrage of unfamiliar emotions through Owen. It was as if someone had thrown ice-cold water on him. Tenderness had no place in his mind or his heart. No matter how close he might feel to the two people who’d just tilted his whole world on its axis—they were both better off without him.

  MATTIE SENSED THEIR withdrawal almost immediately. Lars had always been like this. Once the postcoital bliss evaporated, he was reduced to nothing but self-hatred. She just wished she knew why.

  She lay perfectly still, ear pressed to Lars’s chest as she listened to his heartbeat. How many times had she done this? She could almost predict the mo
ment when his doubts about his feelings would overpower the afterglow.

  It was Owen who shattered the moment this time. His feet hit the floor with a surprisingly soft thump for a man of his size. When he began to dress, Mattie felt a piece of her heart chip away.

  Lars lifted his head and stared at Owen. “Are you on the door tonight?”

  “I was.” Owen produced a hair tie from his pocket and began scraping the front portion of his thick black hair into a ponytail. “There are a few hours yet until daylight. Malachi will cover for me. Are you driving back into Boston?”

  Mattie wondered if she could pin at least one of them in her bed by refusing to move. Lars shot down that little fantasy when he rolled to his side and untangled himself from her embrace. Her pride refused to let her cling.

  “I need to head back to Brookline.” Lars searched for his clothes, shooting Owen a dirty look when he realized his shirt was beyond saving.

  “I left Selena’s car in Salem.” Owen’s gaze started to slide toward Mattie, but he stopped short of actually looking at her. “Can you drop me back there?”

  “Sure.”

  So now she was the elephant in the room? It was plain that the two of them had a life together outside of the bedroom. Outside of this little side trip to the land of erotic fantasies. It hurt like hell to be the one left on the outside, but wasn’t that what usually happened in threesomes?

  She got to her knees and snapped her fingers. “Hey!”

  They paused in the act of putting on their shoes, looking almost surprised she’d interrupted. The artistic side of her brain was still enthralled by the sheer contrast of the two men. Owen so broad and dark like an ancient warrior from a forgotten era, and Lars with his studied air of sophistication and an aura that screamed badass.

  She gathered her courage. This was no time to turn complacent. “Sorry to be an inconvenience here in my own bedroom. But I’m sick of sitting by the phone. So let’s just get it out there, shall we? I’m guessing this was a one-time thing? The two of you will go back to your happy-ass relationship without me getting in the middle and screwing things up?”