Amethyst Rain

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Amethyst Rain ISBN 9781419914485 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Amethyst Rain Copyright © 2008 Alison Paige Edited by Mary Moran. Cover art by Syneca. Electronic book Publication February 2008 With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

AMETHYST RAIN

Alison Paige

Alison Paige

Chapter One “Two weeks?” Katie scoffed at Jenny’s comment. “Try going two years without sex.” It hit her a half second after she popped the chunk of green pepper into her mouth. Dear Lord. She’d actually said that out loud. Her wide-eyed gaze flicked to Jarrod, who’d stopped mid-slice, the tomato and knife still in his hands, then to Mark sitting beside her, his sexy mouth curling into a smile. She scanned the rest of the kitchen—Sandy, Tim, Jenny and Frank—all eyes were on her, all activity frozen as though someone had hit a giant pause button. “Well…” she said, squirming. “Not really two years. Closer to one year. Well, one and half years. Okay, one year and eight months. But I’ve been really busy. I hardly noticed.” Liar! “That’s a damn shame,” Mark said. She sighed. “I know.” Jenny, Katie’s best friend, started snickering first, but within seconds the entire kitchen echoed with laughter, including her own. So far this weekend at the lake with her friends had been great, a few carefree days before she had to report for duty at Fort Drum. It would’ve been nicer if she hadn’t feel like the odd one out. Jenny and Frank had been dating since their freshman year of college, but Sandy and Tim were still in that dreamy-eyed, can’t-get-enough touching, kissing and screwing-each-other stage of their relationship. As a member of the orgasmicly deprived population, Katie naturally found it incredibly annoying. Even Mark and Jarrod seemed to hit it off, palling around with pre-dawn fishing, riding dirt bikes and beer runs to the local sports bar. Total guy time. And as appealing as the thought of sandwiching herself between the two beefcake buddies was, Katie

4

Amethyst Rain

didn’t want to rain on their testosterone party. Besides, she didn’t have the guts to even suggest it. Not that the couple would be interested. A small spot of soothing warmth radiated against her chest and almost without realizing it she fingered the amethyst pendant her nanna gave her a few weeks ago, sliding it back and forth on the silver chain. “Ooo, that’s pretty,” Jenny said, leaving the chili to simmer on the stove. She crossed the kitchen to the breakfast bar where Katie and Mark sat on stools watching the more domestically inclined people toil over dinner. “Thanks.” Katie leaned forward, keeping the tension on the chain loose while Jenny held the silver heart-shaped locket with the nugget of amethyst in the center. “My grandmother swears it’ll protect me. She picked it up on that seniors’ cruise she took to Greece last year. Bought it off a gypsy. The amethyst is supposed to have some kind of special powers.” “I’ve heard that,” Sandy said, glancing over her shoulder while she tossed the salad. “Amethysts have all kinds of powers attributed to them—protection, success, good luck, even the power of seduction.” Katie’s cheeks warmed. Yeah, she’d heard about that last one too. It’s why she’d worn the necklace this weekend. Even though it hadn’t been two whole years since she last had sex, it felt like it—and then some. The campgrounds and rental cabins around Lake Ontario were supposed to be a great place to hook up with someone for a meaningless weekend summer fling. At least that’s what Jenny told her when she’d suggested the farewell get-together at the cabin. Just a relaxing weekend and an opportunity for Katie to blow off a little sexual tension before she reported for duty. So far Katie had seen a whole lot of trees and water in their secluded corner of the lake but not much in the way of hook-up possibilities. Unless she was willing to cross species and make it with one of their furry four-legged neighbors hiding in the woods. She wasn’t that desperate…yet.

5

Alison Paige

Knowing she’d be deployed in a few days had Katie a little scared. Maybe she was using her sexual fantasies to distract herself. Or maybe two years without sex was just her personal tipping point. But these last few months Katie had been hornier than a nymphomaniac at a swingers’ convention. Just the thought of a no-strings summer fling had her panties wet. Wild animal sex with no expectations, no worrying about how the guy feels, what it means, where their relationship was going, whether or not he thought she was a kinky sex-perv. No worries at all, just utter abandon. Of course she knew there was every possibility she’d serve her tour and be back home no worse for wear…unless she wasn’t. Katie was only twenty-five. She wanted to live, to feel, to experience as much as she could before it was too late. In fact she was actually happy not to be in a relationship where she’d be obsessing over what the guy was doing while she was off hauling ass through the desert. Love, marriage, kids— she’d think about that stuff when she got back home…if she got back. “Seduction, huh?” Jenny waggled her cinnamon brows, a knowing smile pinching her freckled cheeks. “Ya think it’ll help?” Crap. Telling Jenny about her fantasy of a purely hedonistic weekend was clearly a mistake. Katie sat back, pulling the necklace from Jenny’s hand. It landed with a soft thud on her chest. “Oh yeah. Saw a bear yesterday that couldn’t take his eyes off me.” Katie shrugged. “Wouldn’t work out though. He’d just treat me like a piece of meat.” “Thought that’s what you wanted,” Jenny said then winked. There was no good way to answer that so Katie snagged another chunk of green pepper and popped it into her mouth. “Bite me.” Jenny laughed and Katie couldn’t hold back her smile long enough to make the statement believable. “I swear you two sound like sisters,” Sandy said, carrying the enormous bowl of salad to the table.

6

Amethyst Rain

Mark snagged the next pepper chunk Katie reached for before she could get her fingers on it. He popped it into his mouth just as she’d been doing, his pretty blue eyes locked with hers. He flashed a teasing smile then winked. “So you two have known each other for a while, huh?” Was he flirting with her? The possibility zinged through her blood, sending a warm jolt to her sex. Didn’t take much lately. “Yeah. I’ve known Jenny all my life. We were neighbors growing up. Went to the same schools, even the same college.” Katie couldn’t help watching his jaw work, chewing the pepper. Strong, powerful, just like the rest of him. Mark had the tanned body of an athlete, which was good since he played minor league baseball for a living. He was Sandy’s and Jenny’s friend more than Katie’s. Part of their couple’s network of friends. Katie just assumed he and Jarrod were an item, but the way he looked at her, as if she’d smeared herself in chocolate and he were a chocoholic, had her wondering. Mark popped another pepper chunk in his mouth and Katie nearly shuddered when he licked away the small bead of juice it left on his lip. He smiled as if he could read her expression. “Sandy said you guys were in the same sorority.” “Uh-huh,” Katie said, her gaze steady on those lips. “All three of us.” “So you ladies are sisters. Sorority sisters at least.” He turned so he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, lids low, lashes long and dark. “Always had a thing for my friends’ sisters.” Gulp. Katie glanced at Jenny, who’d gone back to stir the chili. Their eyes met and Jenny bobbed her brows again, her smile sparking her green eyes, making her face bright under all that red hair. The comforting warmth beneath her amethyst pendant barely registered in her brain as it traveled through her body. “Personally,” Jarrod said, strolling up to the counter on the other side and snagging a piece of green pepper for himself. He leaned on his forearms in front of Katie, his slender face inches from hers. “I’ve always been partial to my friends’ brothers, but I have to admit, I’m starting to see the appeal.” 7

Alison Paige

Jarrod’s pale green eyes held hers and Katie felt the intensity of his stare tingling all the way down to her toes. Where Mark was a dark brunette like her and thickly built, Jarrod was a fair-skinned, corn-flower blond with a runner’s sinewy toned body. Built for endurance, she imagined sex with him would be a hot, sweaty marathon leaving her weak in the knees and breathless. She indulged a quick mental image. Yum. Not that sex with Jarrod was a possibility. Was it? “Well, hell. That necklace of yours must be powerful,” Frank said, cuddling close behind Jenny. “I’m feeling kinda hot and horny all the way over here.” He leaned down, burying his face in the crook of Jenny’s neck, pressing his pelvis flush against her ass. Jenny gasped, arching her back to help seal their lower bodies tighter. “Whatever powers that necklace has, Katie, keep it coming.” Soft chuckles lilted through the room, everyone enjoying the gag that was turning more serious by the second. A few weeks ago when they’d talked about Katie’s need to blow off some of her mounting sexual energy, Jenny confided Frank and she were having the opposite problem. Their relationship wasn’t sparking the way it once did. Apparently things were looking up. “Powerful?” Jarrod leaned close as though he’d kiss her, but didn’t. “The thing’s a damn miracle worker.” “I hear ya,” Tim said, setting the last salad bowl in place on the table. “In fact, I’m feeling sort of…” He rounded the table in three steps and snagged Sandy in a breathstealing kiss. “Yeah, right.” Katie laughed, nervous, pointedly ignoring Jarrod. “Like the two of you could keep your hands off each other anyway.” Jarrod’s gaze slid to Mark beside her. He winked then moved back to the other side of the kitchen. He’d just been teasing her. Right? Still, something weird was happening. She could feel the erotic tension in the air like a warm breath tingling over her skin.

8

Amethyst Rain

Either her pent-up sexual energy was contagious or her nanna’s amethyst necklace really did have some kind of special power.

***** When Sandy and Jenny invited him for a fun weekend getaway, Mark had no idea what kind of fun they had in mind. His gaze shifted to Katie, her smooth cheeks flushed beneath the healthy tan. The spark in her hazel eyes lit by a nervous smile sent a quick jolt through his muscles. Damn. He’d never noticed that spark before. He’d met Katie a few times, but he’d never felt anything more than the typical friendly acquaintance vibe from the cute little Army girl. Granted, he hadn’t seen her in almost a year and the whole two-years-without-sex thing might be having an effect, but something was definitely different about her. “Okay, this is ready,” Jenny said, giving a final stir to the chili. “Everybody grab a bowl and bring it over.” It smelled great, spicy tomato, browned meat and hot, hot peppers, Mark’s stomach grumbled to be filled. But it wasn’t the needs of his stomach that held his focus. Heat swirled low in his groin as Katie slipped around behind him, her scent—sweet soap and warm skin—swirling under his nose like an aromatic breeze. He snagged her wrist before she made it around the corner of the counter beside him. “Sit next to me,” he said. “Will you? At the table?” She flashed that great smile of hers again, the one that had been making his gut snap tight all weekend. She shrugged, shoulders small and feminine but muscled, more defined than most. “Sure.” True to her word, she settled into the chair on his right just as Jarrod snagged the one on his left. Jarrod’s warm hand cupped the back of his neck, slid to his shoulder for a gentle squeeze and Katie’s gaze tracked its progress. That sweet smile of hers faltered,

9

Alison Paige

and she looked back to her steaming bowl in front of her, clearly assuming she understood the relationship he had with the man sitting next to him. She didn’t. Hardly anyone ever did. “She’s cute,” Jarrod said, suddenly close to his ear. His voice was just a whisper, so soft and close the conversation around them carried on unaware. Mark looked at his best friend. “You think? I mean, seriously?” Jarrod nodded. “Can’t put my finger on it but…there’s something about her.” Mark’s chest squeezed and he shifted his gaze back to Katie. Jarrod meant the world to him, but Mark needed more than what he could offer. Problem was there weren’t many women out there who could handle sharing—especially with another man. Still, this was the first time his friend had ever used the word “cute” in association with a woman. Jarrod had never been too keen on sharing either. It was a good sign. A very good sign. A damn miracle. “When do you report?” Jenny’s boyfriend Frank asked. He was a good guy. Liked baseball. He was actually a fan of Mark’s team. It gave them something to talk about instead of women and sex. Not that Mark minded talking about women and sex, but once Frank met Jarrod and saw the two of them together, the ease went out of their conversations. “A week from tomorrow,” Katie said. “Aren’t you scared?” Jarrod asked, leaning forward to see around Mark. Katie shrugged. “I don’t really think about it.” She was lying. He didn’t know how he knew, but Mark did, he could feel it. The pint-sized tomboy was petrified. “I’d be shitting my pants,” Tim said. Tim was new to the group. Sandy’s latest. Mark figured he was nice enough, but there were some underlying tendencies Jarrod had picked up on. Tim’s reaction to Jarrod was confirmation enough for Mark. Curt, borderline rude at times. Of course that may have had something to do with the fact

10

Amethyst Rain

Tim had come on to Jarrod in a bar a week before he’d started dating their mutual friend Sandy. No one told Sandy. Didn’t matter. Tim was into her. Whatever else he might be into was set aside for her. Mark couldn’t do that—ignore a part of himself, a part of his needs. Luckily Jarrod understood, but it seemed not many women would. Call him selfish, but Mark didn’t want to set anything aside. He wanted it all—love, happiness, a family…a family that included Jarrod. “She’s going to be fine,” Jenny said. “They wouldn’t send her if they didn’t think she was ready.” Jenny, the eternal optimist. He could tell she was almost as terrified as Katie was, but like a good friend she fought to be brave. Never mind the military was infamous for sending people where their true skills would be least effective. Mark’s father was a draftsman, but during the Korean War, he’d been assigned to a medical unit. He’d saved lives, but who knows what a difference he could’ve made in the right unit. “What do you do in the Army?” Mark asked. “I’m an engineer.” His gut pinched. “That right? You train for that?” She nodded, licked her lips so the wine-red color glistened in the soft light overhead. “Got my degree through R.O.T.C.” “So you knew when you signed up you’d be going to war?” Jarrod said. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She tucked a thick lock of wavy mahogany hair behind one ear. “Truthfully, I kinda hoped it’d be over by the time I graduated.” “You regret it?” Tim asked. Katie sucked a deep breath, seemed to force a bigger smile. “It was the only way I could get my degree without going into debt. I made a deal. I honor my word.” “I still think it sucks,” Sandy said, reaching for a stack of crackers from the center plate.

11

Alison Paige

“Yeah, it does.” Katie stared at her chili, stirring her spoon in slow circles. “But no education and a lifetime of crappy jobs would suck too. And turning my back on my country just isn’t something I can do.” Jarrod’s chest pressed against Mark’s shoulder, his breath a warm tingle down his neck. “I like her,” Jarrod whispered. He glanced at his best friend then back to Katie. “So do I,” Mark said. “So do I.”

12

Amethyst Rain

Chapter Two Late night in a secluded corner of Lake Ontario surrounded by dense woods was a lot noisier than Katie imagined it’d be. There was the sound of the water lapping against the shore, the sound of crickets chirping and owls hooting. But mostly it was the sound of her friends moaning in ecstasy that had Katie lying awake staring at the woodbeamed ceiling. This wasn’t the first night she’d questioned the wisdom of giving the only single member of the group the open loft bedroom. Katie could hear everything…everything. And in her sexually challenged state, it just didn’t seem fair. A sudden warmth against her chest made her reach for her amethyst pendant, dragging it anxiously back and forth on the chain. Even the guys—Mark and Jarrod—had their own room, four walls, a door and all. Katie had three walls and a thick wooden ladder. “God, you’re such a hot fuck,” Frank said in the room beneath her. “Shh… Someone might hear us,” Jenny said. “Relax, no one can hear us. Besides, everyone’s asleep by now.” Wrong. Katie threw off her covers and swung her feet to the floor. If terrorists wanted to torture her into giving up government secrets, this would be a perfect way to get her to talk. She climbed backward down the ladder, her oversized cotton T-shirt flaring around her thighs. Her bare feet hit the living room floor and she froze. Suddenly Katie was the one worried she’d be heard. The only thing more embarrassing than overhearing someone having sex is being discovered overhearing them. Tonight felt endless, the air thick and smothering. Her body was so tight with need the cool air billowing up her T-shirt, rippling between her bare legs, was less a relief and more a tease. A gulp of cold water behind a nice thick door would help. She moved 13

Alison Paige

from the base of the ladder toward the bathroom, tiptoeing through the dark living room. Her gaze went to the open bedroom door the two guys shared. It was dark inside. They were probably still at the bar. The room next to theirs, across from the bathroom, belonged to Sandy and Tim. Their door was open about six inches and a warm honey light glowed from somewhere deeper in the room. From the bathroom, Katie could see Sandy and Tim’s dresser and the thick wrought iron decorating the foot of their bed. They’d left their open suitcase on the corner chair, Tim’s shorts and one of Sandy’s blouses draped over the back. Katie moved closer. She didn’t know why. She didn’t think about it. Her amethyst necklace warmed against her chest again. She ignored it. Soft murmurs filtered through the small opening at the door. They were still awake. The bed creaked and Katie’s gaze went to the mirror over the dresser. She stepped closer, her cheek brushing the thick wood door. She could see them. The bed was low and Sandy knelt at the edge. Tim stood on the floor behind her, his hands roaming over her naked body—her breasts, her stomach, her sex. She leaned her back against his bare chest, lolled her head to his shoulder for a kiss. He gave her whatever she asked, taking her mouth, caressing her lips with his the way his hands caressed her body. Katie’s breasts tingled, nipples hard and sensitive brushing against the fabric of her T-shirt. She watched Tim’s hands cup Sandy’s breasts—kneading, molding the soft flesh in his palms. Sandy’s nipples were a dark rose color and puckered so tight the nubs peeked between his fingers. He pinched them both, rolling the dark flesh over his thumbs. The sight sent a rush of warmth heating through Katie’s body, pulling muscles along her belly, coiling low between her thighs. She swallowed hard, shifted her legs against the slick cream wetting her pussy. Tim nuzzled Sandy’s neck, one hand gripping her breast, the other slipping down her belly, diving through the dark curls of her sex. His middle finger disappeared 14

Amethyst Rain

between her thighs, the muscles along his arm tightening, flexing as he thrust deep inside her. Sandy moaned, sliding her knees wider, her hands reaching back to touch his hair, his face…anything. Sandy arched her back, grinding her ass into Tim’s groin. She wiggled while he stroked his fingers in and out of her, coaxing him faster, deeper. He slipped a second finger into her pussy, his knuckles glistening with her juice, the wet sounds of it filling the room. “More,” Sandy said, her voice rough, thick. “Fuck me, Tim. God, fuck me harder.” Tim shoved his fingers deep, his hips bucking forward, ramming his body against hers. Sandy’s breasts jiggled from the force, her knees lifting from the bed with the impact. He did it again then again. The thick muscles of his thighs flexed, his bare ass tensing with each hard thrust. A small gasp escaped Sandy’s gaping mouth, her body jiggling and writhing as Tim’s finger-fuck grew more frantic, his hips pumping hard and fast against her ass. Sandy’s hands went to his at her pussy, helping him go deeper, pushing him faster, harder. “Yes…yes… There. Right there. Almost…” She threw her head back, her hips screwing her body down onto his hand, rocking and thrusting. Her face flushed, a rush of color washing down her neck, her chest, her sex, as Sandy rode the tidal wave of her orgasm. Tim hardly gave her time to rest before he pulled his hand from inside her, her cream coating his fingers in the low light. He bent her forward on all fours, her ass round and ready in front of him, her knees spreading her sex wide. Katie had her first clear view of Tim’s muscled chest, naturally defined pecs, a shadowed hint of rippled abs. His small nipples were pale but hard, his skin smooth, hairless all the way to his navel where a brush of light fur traveled in a line to his cock. He was thick with need, erect, his shaft wagging stiff from his body. One hand on her ass, he used the other to stroke himself, his eyes glazed, focused on Sandy’s pussy. 15

Alison Paige

His big hand slid from root to tip and back again, his hips rocking forward and back, the head of his cock pushing through his tight grip. The fingers of his other hand squeezed her plump bottom, and Sandy moaned at the feel of it. She pushed backward, lowering the front of her body, offering her sex to him like a cat in heat. Tim guided the thick head of his cock toward her, used it to tease her sensitive skin from clit to ass. He pulled back and stroked her cream down his shaft to his balls and back again. And then he used his body to tease her once more. Sandy writhed against him. “You want that?” he said. “Yes. Yes. Dear God, please,” Sandy said, her voice soft, mewling. “Put it in. Shove your cock inside me.” The muscles along Tim’s jaw flexed, her pleas affecting his control. He aimed his cock at her pussy and drove it deep, hard, fast. Sandy cried out at the sudden invasion. Their bodies met with a quick smack of flesh. He held himself still inside her, his body pressed firm against her ass, then slowly rocked back, pulling his stiff sex to the entrance of her pussy. Tim paused, keeping his body utterly still, his eyes closed, concentrating. Three maddening seconds passed before he exploded with action again, ramming his cock so deep, so fast her body rippled with the impact. Tim let loose an unintelligible sound, more a growl, an animal’s roar, than human words. His hands slapped against her ass, slid to her hips, fingers denting her flesh, capturing her. Sandy pressed back, taking him deeper, impaling herself on his body. Tim pushed them apart, rocked his hips, stroking his cock through her pussy, then drove into her again. The rhythmical push-pull of their bodies began and Katie couldn’t turn away. Her skin tingled with need, heat swirling through her veins, muscles flexing between her thighs. She watched Tim’s thick cock split Sandy’s body, fill her up again and again. The ropey veins along his darkened shaft glistened. Sandy’s juice coated his thighs, his stomach, the heavy sac of his balls. 16

Amethyst Rain

Katie’s body ached for the feel of a cock inside her, her pussy dripping, ready to be taken. She squeezed her thighs together, pressed her hand to her sex through her shirt, her panties. It wasn’t enough. The smack of flesh against flesh filled her brain, their grunts and moans swirling her thoughts. Tim’s face flushed, the veins in his neck pushed at his skin, his knees banging faster and faster against the side of the mattress. Sandy fisted the sheets, her back arched, ass high, face buried between her arms. The entire room seemed to rock back and forth with their rhythm, the building tension thickening the air, making it hard to breathe. Sandy’s toes curled into tight balls, the muscles over Tim’s body snapped tight, swelled beneath his skin. Katie braced a shoulder against the doorjamb, stroking her body—she had to— pinching her breast, pressing her hand between her legs. Sensation swelled fast inside her, pushing her to the ragged edge right along with Tim and Sandy. Together the three of them let loose their hold on restraint, giving themselves over to the rush of sensation flooding through their bodies. Her knees buckled and Katie stumbled back from the door, bumping the end table. The side lamp teetered and she barely caught it before it fell. Her heart thundered in her ears, her breaths coming too shallow, too fast. “Did you hear that?” Sandy asked, and Katie’s entire body became stiff. She didn’t move, didn’t dare breathe. “Yeah. I think,” Tim said. “Wait here. I’ll check it out.” Panic seized her brain. Never mind she had every right to be in the living room. Never mind they could’ve closed their door. She had to run, hide, she couldn’t let them see her or they’d know. They’d know she’d let their lust bring her over, used them to get herself off. Katie ran, letting the cabin’s screen door slap closed behind her, hard and loud. She ran, not risking even a quick a glimpse back. She didn’t stop, not for anything, not until she reached the lake and raced to the end of the long wooden dock. She 17

Alison Paige

stopped, panting, humiliated. Katie fell to her knees, finally allowing her lungs the deep, full breaths she needed. Her mind still echoed with the fleshy sounds of sex, the erotic images of naked bodies writhing against each other. She was sticky, wet with sweat, her panties clinging to her sex, moist from her orgasm. Her long hair clung to her neck and shoulders, her Tshirt molding against her chest. Katie gathered the hem of her shirt and jerked it over her head, dropping it in a heap beside her. The amethyst necklace weighed against her collarbone. She fingered it, felt its subtle heat. The moon was a glowing crescent in the sky, bright enough to see, but not so much to banish the dark shadows of the night. She stood and peeled off her panties, tossed them to her T-shirt. She turned, took three steps and dove into the cool, dark water of Lake Ontario and blissful, blissful, relief.

***** Jarrod startled at the sound. Something splashed into the lake nearby. He pushed from the blanket Mark and he had laid out for their late-night picnic and made his way through the crush of waist-high brush and weeds. He found a clear spot and stepped into it, which worked out perfectly. He could see the dock at the bottom of their cabin’s backyard and the dark lake shimmering in the moonlight. A trail of ripples and bubbles still rocked through the water and his gaze tracked the wake to a person swimming farther out from shore. Slender arms paddled one after the other over a dark head. He couldn’t tell who it was, but logic gave him a good idea. Katie. Sandy and Tim and Jenny and Frank had other things to do besides lonely late-night swims. Mark and he had figured the entire cabin would be rockin’ by now. It’s why they’d opted for the lakeside picnic rather than going inside to their room. Jarrod shifted his gaze to the cabin. The windows on this side were dark. What was taking Mark so long? He’d gone in for a bottle of wine and glasses. He should be back

18

Amethyst Rain

any second. Jarrod craned his head over his shoulder, glimpsed the red-checkered blanket where they’d left it. He’d be able to see when Mark made it back to the blanket. He looked back to the lake and scanned until he spotted Katie swimming back toward the dock. What was it about her that seemed to draw him? At twenty-three, Jarrod had never been with a woman. Not because he didn’t like women. He liked them just fine. He’d just never met one who stirred his attraction enough to make it worth the pursuit. Women, in his opinion, were more work than payoff. It was as though they were a completely different species he couldn’t understand…and really had no motivation to. After all, there were always men—there was always Mark. The slosh of water focused Jarrod’s attention again. One rung at a time, Katie pulled herself from the water, climbing the ladder at the side of the dock. She reached the top and closed the small distance to the end, her toes curling over the edge. With both hands she smoothed back her hair from her face, gazing out over the lake. She was naked, her breasts, the small feminine paunch at her belly, the curve of her hips, the gentle slope of her thighs all cast in light shadows and dark contrasts. Her nipples stood pert from her breasts, water beading at their tips, dripping to the dock at her feet. Water trickled from the ends of her long hair, sparkling trails that raced over the soft round of her ass, some curving down between her legs. Katie was everything soft and feminine. Jarrod liked that kind of softness. She smelled good too. No overpowering perfumes or choking hairspray, but natural, like soap and fresh air, like sunshine and clean skin. Yeah. He liked how she smelled and he liked her soft skin, but it was more than that. She made sense to him. He knew what she was thinking, how she felt about things because she’d say it out loud. Not like most women who behaved one way and felt another. He understood Katie. Maybe it was her tomboyish nature or her experience in the military. Maybe it was just because Mark seemed so absorbed by her. Maybe. Jarrod wasn’t sure.

19

Alison Paige

But as he watched Katie fondling her necklace, her hand suddenly slipped down to her breast. He stopped wondering and just…watched. Her fingers pinched a pert, wet nipple and then the other hand moved to join it. She rolled the tight little nubs between her thumbs and fingers, tugging then letting go to cup and squeeze both breasts. Her back arched, her muscles rolling under her taut skin as her hands kneaded her flesh. Her head lolled to the side and she swayed a little on her feet, clearly enjoying the feel of her hands on her body. Heat swirled low in Jarrod’s gut, tightening muscles, squeezing his chest. His cock twitched as her hand slid down her belly, fingers splayed over her soft, soft skin. Jarrod mimicked her movements, sliding his hand over his hip, pushing it down his belly, over the roughness of his jeans to the hard bulge at his crotch. He rubbed the stiff line of his cock just as Katie tunneled her slender fingers through the thatch of hair between her legs. Her feet spread, opening her thighs, and her hand cupped down over her sex. A hot jolt of sensation zinged through Jarrod’s body, catching his breath, swelling his cock. He worked the button and zipper of his jeans, pushed away the denim and black briefs covering his sex. His fingers met hot, hard flesh and his breath snagged in his chest as reflex stroked his hand to the tip. On the dock, Katie glanced behind her before she lowered herself to the wooden deck. She leaned back on her elbow, one long leg bent at the knee, the other stretching straight, toes pointed. She let her knee fall to the side, her hand toying with her sex, spreading her pussy lips, fondling the sensitive folds shimmering in the moonlight. She pushed a finger into her entrance, drew it out and then pushed it deep again. Jarrod could see the wetness of her cream as she spread it up over her clit, moistened the folds of her sex, slicked a second finger to join the first. His breath shuddered, his hand fisting his cock. He stroked himself faster, his free hand reaching for the tight sac of his balls, rolling it between his fingers, squeezing, tugging and rolling again.

20

Amethyst Rain

Katie lay back, brought her other hand to help the first, her knees wide, her hands worked hard at her pussy, fucking herself faster, harder, so her back arched with the sensation. Jarrod staggered against the bushes then caught himself, feet wide, his hand pumping his cock, his breaths coming short and hot. He squeezed his balls hard, rocking his hips, fucking his hand just as hard and fast as Katie fucked hers. Electric sensation tingled over his body like invisible strings pulling from every corner of his being. They coiled tighter and tighter inside him, a knot of sensation building at the base of his sex. He closed his eyes, imagined his cock ramming between Katie’s thighs, pounding her body, feeling the wet squeeze of her pussy. Katie moaned loud and long from the dock and just like that the sound doubled the need Jarrod held at bay. He pictured himself standing over her on the dock while she finger-fucked her pussy, his cock in his hand thick and ready as he stroked himself harder, faster, until he couldn’t hold back anymore. His release gushed up his shaft, exploding from the head of his cock, spattering over her breasts, dribbling hot and wet on her belly and in the tangle of dark hair between her legs. His hips continued to rock his sex in his hands slower and slower, enjoying the afterglow, milking the last bit of pleasure from his cock. “You got anything left for me?” Jarrod spun around, cock still in hand, to see Mark standing behind him. Hands on his hips, his lips curled in a smile, Mark’s gaze went from Jarrod’s wilted sex to Katie lying spent on the long wooden landing. “Mark…” “You know, the closer you get to the woman, the better that’ll feel,” Mark said. Jarrod knew he was teasing, but he felt too much the fool to join in. “I was just… She…” Jarrod tried again, fumbling to tuck away his privates in his briefs, his hand wet from his come. “I was waiting for you, but then I saw her and she was naked and she started touching herself.” “Relax, buddy,” Mark said, but Jarrod was too flustered.

21

Alison Paige

He pulled the zipper on his jeans, left the button undone and put his hands on his hips. “Hell, I don’t know what happened. I saw her over there and she looked so… I started thinking about being with her. I don’t know. Watching her, thinking about her, just turned me on. Hell, maybe that amethyst of hers really is magical.” Mark laughed short and soft. “I know what you mean. I’ve thought about her too. There’s something about her. She seems more…open, accepting. As if she doesn’t have time or interest for the normal bullshit. And since you’re interested in her—” “I didn’t say that.” Interested wasn’t the same as being turned-on. Was it? The idea he could want a woman was too foreign a concept. His denial was practically a reflex. “You didn’t have to say anything. The way you creamed the bushes there is proof enough. Trust me, Jarrod, this is a good thing. Let me talk to her. I think…” He sighed. “I think she may be exactly what we’ve been looking for.”

22

Amethyst Rain

Chapter Three Either she was losing her mind or she was hearing voices…or both. Katie scanned the lakeshore and the forest edging along its mossy banks. It was dark, darker still among the thick trees and brush as shadows swayed in the cool breeze whisking up from the lake. But then she saw something. A flash of pale white, hardly there but still stark against such a dark setting. She looked again—squinted. Someone was in the bushes, hiding in the tall weeds and low branches. Someone had been watching her. Katie grabbed her tee, clutched it to her chest. Her heart raced, panicked, she had to cover herself. She hurried to get the shirt over her head, her arms through the holes, the hem pulled down over her nakedness. She still felt exposed. She looked for her panties. Where’d they go? Shit. She spotted them floating in the lake. She must’ve dropped them in her hurry to get her shirt on. She reached for them but they’d already floated past the edge. Katie turned and scurried down the dock, ducking behind a wood box filled with boat bumpers, rope and netting. Hunched on her knees, she caught her breath, gave her brain a chance to reason. Who could be in the bushes so close to their cabin? The only people missing were Mark and Jarrod. Mark and Jarrod? Katie craned her neck, peeked over the top of the box. A half second of concentration and her eyes adjusted. She saw them. Mark was whispering to Jarrod, their heads close. Mark squeezed Jarrod’s shoulder then slipped his hand to cup his cheek. A heartbeat before she realized what would happen, Mark kissed him. Katie’s breath caught at the sight, the amethyst stone of her necklace suddenly warming against her skin. 23

Alison Paige

She’d never seen men kiss. Not in real life. Not like that. Mark’s mouth opened on Jarrod’s, his tongue teasing along Jarrod’s lips, slipping inside to taste him. Jarrod’s hands went to Mark’s thick muscled hips, fingers curling around belt loops, tugging his body closer. Katie stared, transfixed, a warm shiver thrilling through her veins with the scene. The men settled close to one another, their chests, their groins, their thighs pressing to a tight seal. They broke the kiss and Mark rested his forehead against Jarrod’s as though catching his breath, his hand still caressing his cheek. There was true affection between the men. She could see it in the way Mark traced Jarrod’s lip with his thumb, the way he held his gaze, the gentle way his hand smoothed down Jarrod’s chest. They were both so clearly masculine, both of their bodies so toned and yet so different. Where Mark had a thicker build, his arms and biceps straining against the snug fit of his T-shirt, Jarrod’s body was leaner, possessing a delicate grace beneath the loose fit of a buttoned shirt. One man thick, rough-edged and hard, the other elegant, lithe and sensuous. They were a perfect match, one complementing the other so naturally the passion swelling between them seemed inevitable. They appeared oblivious to Katie sneaking closer to the end of the dock box, shifting for a better view. The dim moonlight threw the shadows longer at this end and, emboldened by their distraction with each other, she crawled to the very edge, forsaking the solid cover of the box for the clearer view and the risky cover of shadow. Nanna’s amethyst heated against her skin, her blood warming through her veins. Her earlier releases did nothing to stem this new rush of heat storming her body, watching the two men growing aroused by each other’s touch. She had no issue with homosexuality, but having never seen it play out, the scene before her in the hushed, dark shadows felt erotically taboo, tantalizingly forbidden. Watching these beautiful men do to each other what she so desperately wanted a man to do to her made the muscles low in her sex flex, grow slick and ready.

24

Amethyst Rain

She licked her lips and hunkered lower in the shadows, her pussy hot against her legs bent under her. Jarrod held Mark’s hand to him where it rested against his chest between the opened buttons of his shirt. He said something to Mark she couldn’t hear, but the narrow line of his lips swept into a smile. Mark’s chest swelled with a shaky breath as Jarrod leaned in, kissing his neck, tunneling his hand through the dark strands of Mark’s hair, capturing Mark in his embrace. The thicker man gave no resistance, allowing his friend free rein to explore his body. Jarrod rocked his hips forward, pressing their groins together, their cocks rubbing against each other beneath the thick fabric of their jeans. When Jarrod stepped back, Katie could see the shadow of his hard cock tenting an impressive line down his thigh. Mark’s cock was hard as well but less defined, more a thick, mouth-watering bulge at his crotch. Jarrod tugged the bottom of Mark’s T-shirt until it slipped from the tuck of his jeans. His long fingers pushed the fabric up Mark’s belly, above the hard curve of his chest. Jarrod’s hands were so big he cupped Mark’s pecs, squeezed, nearly spanning the breadth of his chest, then slid down to feel the rippled lines of his stomach. Mark closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the caress. Katie could see the dark brush of hair that specked Mark’s chest and the narrow line of fur just below his naval trailing down beneath the top of his jeans. Jarrod bent over, kissing Mark’s chest, nibbling his taut nipples so Mark flinched at the sensation. A smile blossomed across Mark’s face only to be swallowed in a glaze of heat as Jarrod’s kisses slid lower. Mark ran his fingers into Jarrod’s longer hair, his fingers fisting the blond strands so they weaved around his knuckles. Jarrod never faltered, his hands working the button of Mark’s jeans, lowering the zipper as he dropped to his knees. Katie swallowed hard, not caring if anyone might spot her watching. This was too erotic, too decadent. Jarrod jerked Mark’s jeans and underwear at once, tugging them to mid-thigh. Mark’s cock wagged stiff from his body, his ass firm and round in the soft glow of moonlight. As though he couldn’t resist the temptation, Jarrod caught the tip of

25

Alison Paige

Mark’s sex in his mouth, swirled his tongue around the rim and made Mark’s entire body shudder. Jarrod allowed Mark’s cock to slip from his mouth as he reveled in the naked masculine form before him. His hands roamed like the blind, up Mark’s belly, over his chest, down his hips and around his thighs, finally latching tight to the firm cheeks of Mark’s ass. Katie could see the hard squeeze Jarrod gave to Mark’s bottom, watched Mark gasp at the rough embrace. He answered with his own rough gesture, grinding his cock against Jarrod’s chest, rocking his hips, using Jarrod’s body to stroke his sex. Jarrod leaned away enough to slip a hand between them, his long fingers tight around his friend’s shaft. Katie could see the muscles in Jarrod’s forearm flex, knew his grip was firm as he stroked his hand from the root of Mark’s cock to the tip. He flicked his thumb over the head and a drop of moisture pooled at the tip. His gaze locked with Mark’s, Jarrod leaned down and licked his friend clean. Mark moaned at the sight—or feel. Or both. His hips pressed forward and Jarrod pushed his tight grip back down Mark’s cock to the thick curl of hair at his groin. Jarrod’s free hand cupped Mark’s balls, his tongue flicking over the head of his cock, teasing him so Mark’s grip tightened in Jarrod’s hair. The moment Jarrod’s mouth opened on Mark’s cock again, Mark thrust his hips, jerked his friend’s head, ramming himself into his mouth. Jarrod took it with the skill and grace of practice. This was clearly not the first time Jarrod had gone down on his buddy and judging by his eager sucking, it wouldn’t be the last. Mark used his hold on Jarrod’s silky hair to pull his mouth back up his shaft. Just when his cock reached the tight rim of Jarrod’s lips, Mark thrust forward again and Jarrod swallowed him down. Mark threw his head back, his hands relaxing in Jarrod’s hair for an instant. Without coaxing, Jarrod pulled back, his saliva gleaming along Mark’s solid cock until the plump head popped from his mouth.

26

Amethyst Rain

He bent lower, leaning in, Mark’s cock sliding along his cheek as he rooted for his sac. Katie knew the moment Jarrod sucked Mark’s balls into his mouth. He gasped, bracing his hands on Jarrod’s shoulders when his knees nearly buckled. “Fuck, yeah,” he said too loud, his voice deep. “Suck my balls, Jarrod. God, I love it when you do that.” Mark fisted his own cock, stroking himself, his hips rocking as Jarrod teased his sac. It lasted only seconds, but Mark’s cock seemed thicker, harder, his face flush with need, the veins in his neck darkening. As though sensing how close Mark teetered at the edge of restraint, Jarrod came up and took Mark’s cock into his mouth again, swallowed it deep. The power dynamics shifted. Even on his knees with his friend’s cock deep down his throat Jarrod controlled Mark’s every move. He set the pace, drawing his mouth along Mark’s cock, sucking hard, pulling sensation through his body like a puppeteer working strings. Mark rocked forward when Jarrod took him in again and back when he drew him out. Within seconds Jarrod’s head bobbed fast up and down on Mark’s cock, his hands tight on his hips, rocking him faster, harder, deeper. Mark seemed helpless, pulled along on a wave of pleasure, his fingertips on Jarrod’s shoulder, no more than a steadying touch. Heat flamed through Katie as she watched, her pussy drenched, muscles flexing, wishing more than anything she could suck that long, hard line shadowing beneath Jarrod’s jeans as he sucked on Mark. Lust fogged her brain, making the realization that she was being watched dawn painfully slow. The amethyst weighed hot and heavy against her chest. Her eyes locked with Mark’s as Jarrod’s head bobbed on his cock, his building orgasm tightening his face. He saw her. He knew she’d been watching them. Shit. Reflex coiled her muscles, ready to run, but something about the look in Mark’s eyes made her hesitate. Approval. He wasn’t embarrassed or offended. He…liked it. 27

Alison Paige

Katie met his gaze full-on as Mark’s cock fucked in and out of his friend’s mouth. He wanted her to watch. “That’s it, Jarrod,” he said, his gaze still locked with Katie. “Fuck, you know how to suck me off. It’s coming…yeah…here it comes…” Mark’s eyes fluttered closed, his body bucking with a quick spasm of thrusts. Jarrod held Mark’s hips tighter, swallowing his release, milking him for more until he had nothing left to give. Jarrod’s hand cupped the heavy meat of Mark’s cock, let it slide from his mouth, utterly spent. His gaze shifted up to meet Mark’s for a moment then swung around to meet Katie’s. Her heart skipped as both men focused their attention on her, the look in their eyes purely carnal. Suddenly she felt like a mouse spied by the hungry lions. They looked ready to eat her alive…but Lord, what a way to go.

***** Mark helped Jarrod to his feet, though his own footing was still a little shaky. Having Katie watch him come added an extra punch to an orgasm already better than most. He wasn’t exaggerating when he told Jarrod he had a gift for sucking guys off. It was probably because he enjoyed it so damn much. “She watched the whole thing?” Jarrod asked, swinging his gaze from Katie back to Mark. “She watched enough.” And he was pretty sure she liked what she saw. Mark held her gaze, worried if he looked away she’d bolt. He wanted to talk to her now more than ever. Having her there watching, she’d felt as much a part of their sex as if she’d been the one with her hands on his balls. He had to know if it was real, if it could be. “You want her,” Jarrod said. Mark looked to his long-time friend. “Don’t you?”

28

Amethyst Rain

Jarrod shrugged. “I liked her watching. Don’t think I’d say that about any other woman I know. Not sure if I’m ready for her to join in though.” “It’s your call,” Mark said. “But there’s got to be a reason we both feel this way around her. Let me talk to her.” Mark glanced back to Katie. She was already skulking down the dock, heading for the house. As he feared, the power of their erotic connection had faded. He had to act quick before moralities overpowered the primal attraction zinging between the three of them. He kissed Jarrod, tasting himself on his lover’s lips. “Tell me to let her go and I will. Tell me you’re not interested and that’ll be the end of it.” Jarrod glanced to Katie just as she stepped off the dock. “Talk to her. I’m not sure what I’m feeling or why, but you’re right. There’s got to be a reason for it. As much as it freaks me out, it’d be worse if we just ignored it.” Mark’s smile broadened. He loved how well he knew his friend, his lover. He framed Jarrod’s face between his hands, enjoying the soft rub of his beard stubble against his palms. Jarrod’s beard was so much softer than his, just like his heart. Mark kissed him again. “I’ll see you later. Don’t fall asleep without me.” “Couldn’t if I wanted to,” Jarrod said.

He caught up with her just as she ducked beneath the low, weeping branches of a willow tree about halfway between the lake and the cabin. Did she think he hadn’t seen her? “Enjoy the show?” Mark made his voice a loud whisper, though at this quiet hour it sounded more like a yell. Katie startled and turned; her eyes wide. “Where’d you… Were you following me?” “You didn’t answer the question.”

29

Alison Paige

She raised her chin, though even in the darker shadows beneath the willow tree he could see her blush. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just…I went for a swim. That’s all.” He dropped his gaze, taking in the thin T-shirt, plain, Army-issue white, clinging to her wet body, shaping over her breasts, over the flat of her belly, the triangle where her thighs met. He raised a brow, heat tingling through his groin. “I can see that.” “Wha… Stop it. Just knock that off. Okay?” “What?” “That look. Like I’m the wet spot and you’re the towel. It’s not fair.” She knotted her arms over her chest, hugging herself. “I’m the one who came here to have one last summer fling before I shipped off and everyone else is gettin’ lucky but me.” He laughed but her dagger-filled glare had him swallowing it quick. “And you,” she said. “You’re the worst of all of them. You and your…what…I don’t even know what you and Jarrod are.” Muscles tightened in his gut, tensed across his back. She’s prejudiced? He’d never been this far off. Mark could usually spot small-minded assholes at twenty yards. Maybe that damn amethyst really was having some weird affect on everyone. “Jarrod’s my friend. My best friend,” he said. “He’s also my lover. You have a problem with that?” She shrugged, shook her head. But the gesture was too fast, exaggerated by her emotion. “Problem? No. No problem. Except you’re gay and this whole weekend I thought you two were flirting with me. Like an idiot, I actually thought I had an outside chance of getting laid and instead I’m sitting around watching everyone else fuck.” Just like that the tension drained from his body, heat rushing in to take its place. “You were hoping to do us both?” Katie blinked, her mouth agape. She snapped it shut and swallowed hard enough he could see her throat working. “No. I mean sort of. Well, not together. Not really.”

30

Amethyst Rain

She shook her head as though banishing the thought. “Doesn’t matter. You’re gay. Right? I mean, you both pitch to the home team.” Mark stepped closer but Katie kept the distance, backing into the tree trunk behind her. She fingered her necklace, the rich purple stone catching a beam of moonlight. When she couldn’t move any farther, Mark braced a hand on the tree beside her head and leaned in the final inches until his lips hovered above hers. “I may pitch to the home team, but I get a kick out of swinging the bat for the visitors now and then too. Besides, with the right woman, Jarrod and I were thinking of starting our own team.” Her mouth gaped again as his meaning sunk in. He kissed her quick, hard, stealing her breath. “So what’d ya say, Katie? You wanna play ball?”

31

Alison Paige

Chapter Four “Yes…” Katie said, nerves making her voice too soft, too shaky. She swallowed. “Yeah, I wanna play ball. I think. Wait. You mean sex, right?” Mark chuckled. “Yeah. I mean sex.” “Oh good. Okay. But what does ‘start your own team’ mean exactly?” He shook his head, teasing her with another kiss. This time he made it a gentle press of his lips to hers, lingering for a moment. “Don’t worry about it.” “Right. Okay. Never mind.” She looped her arms around his neck, her eyes fluttering closed. God, she was so eager, so open to anything if it got her what she wanted. And she clearly wanted him. He liked that. Mark’s heart quickened, his skin warming with the rush of blood. His muscles pulled tight, his cock thickening, pressing against the stiff fabric of his jeans. He kissed her again, pressing harder, and then again, adding a sweep of his tongue along the soft crease of her lips. Katie’s mouth parted for him, no hesitation, making his muscles snap tight, heat swirling fast through his blood. He pushed his body flush against hers, his tongue tasting the sweet hint of mint toothpaste combined with the sweeter, sultry flavor of the woman. She rocked her hips toward him, grinding their sexes together. He wanted to be gentle but she wasn’t making it easy. She was so much smaller than Jarrod, so slender and delicate he worried he couldn’t be as free with her as he liked. But Katie clearly wanted nothing of gentleness, her hand pressing down his chest, sliding over his jeans to cup his fast-swelling cock. He gasped when she squeezed him, surprised by her boldness, then he pushed into her grip. He couldn’t help himself, the move was reflex. Mark rocked back a second

32

Amethyst Rain

later, struggling to collect himself, to not push too hard, squeeze too hard, to not hurt her. But Katie used his small retreat to her advantage, snagging the button of his jeans, working the zipper. Her hot little hand tunneled into his pants, slender fingers fondling around his shaft, eager to work him free. “Are you ready?” she said, breathless against his neck, then showering him with quick, hot kisses again. “I mean, you just came with Jarrod. Can you…have you got the strength?” He pulled back to look her in the eyes. “You’ve got your hand wrapped around my cock and you have to ask if I’m ready? Atta way to kill a guy’s ego.” He flexed his groin muscles, made his hardened sex twitch in her hand. Her breath caught, her gaze flicking down between them and back. “I just meant… Well, I wasn’t sure how it worked. I mean, I’ve heard guys need time to…recover. I know you’re hard enough, but I thought maybe you still needed to catch your breath or something.” “No, honey. Men are pretty much idiot proof. What you see is what you get. If it’s hard, we’re ready. Soft, we’re not. If it’s somewhere in between, feel again and that should do it.” She smiled at that. “Oh. Good. Yay,” she said, her hands flicking into action again, working to get his sex free of his jeans. “Wait a sec.” A thought suddenly occurred to him. Mark rocked his hips away, not an easy task when her hands felt so damn good around him. “You’ve done this before, right? I mean, you’re not that inexperienced.” “No,” she scoffed. “I’ve had tons of sex. Well, I’ve had sex. I had a boyfriend a couple years ago. It didn’t end well so I took a break from guys. And then after a while it seemed guys had taken a break from me. So…it’s been awhile.” He had a hunch. “Was your boyfriend a virgin before you?”

33

Alison Paige

She nodded, splitting her attention between answering his questions and driving him crazy with her excited little hands still toying over his cock and balls. “We both were. But I’m not now, so don’t worry. I want this. Trust me. I really want this.” Christ, how could he expect her to go from one inexperienced college kid to sharing herself with men like Jarrod and him? Hell, screwing him alone might be more than she was ready for. “Okay, hold up,” he said, carefully removing her hands from his pants. “I want to show you something. Well, I want to show you a lot, but one step at a time.” She blinked at him as he took both her wrists in one hand then raised her arms over her head. “Feel this branch?” Katie nodded, though she had to push to tiptoes to reach it. “Good girl. Now grab it. Don’t let go until I tell you,” he said. “You let go and I stop. Understood?” She nodded again, licking her lips, her breath coming out in a shaky rush. She was already enjoying this. God, that made it all the hotter for him. Katie might be inexperienced, but she was still a grown woman with all the demanding needs that went with it. She had no expectations beyond satisfaction, and however he chose to provide that satisfaction she was clearly willing. Jarrod and he could teach her, shape her knowledge and experience like a soft lump of clay long ready to be molded into their perfect sex partner. Excitement charged through his system, a thrilling anticipation he hadn’t felt in years. Mark loosened his hold on her wrists, his gaze holding hers, willing her to follow his only rule as he slid his hands down her arms. He took a small step back, holding her at the base of her arms. Worry flashed through her hazel eyes. He tried for a reassuring smile but he wasn’t sure how it showed on his face, his mind too distracted by the sight of her body stretched and oh-so sexy before him.

34

Amethyst Rain

With her arms high over her head, her body pulled tight, showing off her feminine figure. The damp T-shirt shaped over teardrop breasts, high and pert, nipples sharp points beneath the thin fabric. It clung to her stomach, darkening in a small circle around her belly button and lower to the rough texture of her bush. The hem was higher than it should’ve been, barely covering her sex, and Mark couldn’t deny himself a small peek. He reached out and trailed his fingers along her thigh to the bottom of her T-shirt, catching the edge. Katie sucked a quick breath, her legs parting. He flicked his gaze to hers, his chest squeezing with the needy, lustful look in her eyes. The hair over her sex was damp from water or cream, he wasn’t sure. But he could feel her heat on his fingertips and wanted more than anything to feel the soft flesh inside her pussy. He stopped. Katie deserved better. They’d always see to her needs and he wanted her to know that, to expect that from the start. Mark edged closer to her, his hand feathering up her body, lightly tracing the bottom round of her breasts. She shivered, but he could feel the heat radiating from her body. She wasn’t cold. He kissed her, lightly at first then deeper, penetrating her mouth with his tongue. He squeezed, kneading her soft breasts in his palms. She writhed in his grip, pressing into him, twisting, turning this way and that, eager for more. With both hands he found her nipples hard and tight beneath the damp fabric. He pinched them both, rolling them between his fingers, tugging gently then taking her cue and tugging harder, pinching tighter. Katie broke their kiss. Leaning her head back, breathless, panting. “Can I let go now? I wanna let go. Okay?” Mark held her gaze so close their noses nearly touched. “No,” he said, his voice low, raw, even to his own ears. He slid his hands down her body, feeling every curve, every soft swell. The T-shirt clung to her sides, her hips, everywhere he’d pressed until he gathered the fabric in his fists and pulled it back up over her breasts to her chin. 35

Alison Paige

Katie made a quick sound of surprise but swallowed it when he latched his mouth on her nipple, sucking her, taking as much of the insanely soft flesh into his mouth as he could. One hand holding her T-shirt, he slid the other down low on her stomach. Her muscles quivered beneath his touch as he moved lower, tunneling his fingers through her damp pussy hairs, pushing down between the lips of her sex. Katie opened her legs wider for him, her sex hot and wet as he felt for her entrance. A fresh gush of liquid welcomed his finger, supplied a slick cream to tease over her clit. Mark worked her juices from one end to the other, lubing her anus, teasing her entrance, caressing the firm, swollen nub of her clit. He flicked his gaze to her. Waited for her to open her eyes. “Don’t let go,” he said then lowered himself to his knees and took her into his mouth. God, she tasted good, hot and salty with a sweet tang that was all Katie. He licked her clit again, replacing her cream with his saliva, suckling the nub, coaxing her to grind her sex against his mouth, to ride his face. Her juice wet him from nose to chin and both cheeks. He wanted more. His hands on her ass, he lifted her, angling her lower body so he could push his tongue through the tight muscles of her sex. Her flavor was stronger there, spinning his brain as though triggering some instinctive primal drive. Another flood of hot cream met his mouth, trickled down his throat as she writhed above him. If she spoke, he didn’t hear it. If she screamed, he didn’t know it. All he knew, all he felt, was the sizzling hug of her sex muscles, the addictive taste of her pussy. He moved to her clit again, drawing it into his mouth as his fingers took the place of his tongue inside her. He pushed in one finger and then another, stretching her, filling her, reaching as deep as he could. He stroked his fingers in and out of her, angling this way and that, fingering every inch of her until he found the exact spot. He did. And all at once Katie exploded above

36

Amethyst Rain

him, her body hot against his face, muscles pulsating around him, hips pumping his hand, grinding her clit into his mouth, riding the swelling tide of her orgasm. Her ecstatic scream was a distant thought as he drank her in, took all she had, sucking and fucking her for more—more. Until finally…she was empty. Still. Mark fell back, breathless. His gaze traveled up her limp body, chest heaving, head resting against her arm, a smile wide across her lips, hands still tight around the branch overhead. Yeah. There was definitely something about Katie and that necklace.

He scooped her into his arms and Katie had never needed it more. Her legs were wobbly, knees barely holding her upright, and all that kept her from crumbling to the ground in a heap of steamy, satisfied flesh were her hands around that branch. “So that’s what you wanted to show me?” she said, resting her head against his thick shoulder. “That was the first thing.” She lifted her head, caught his eye. “The first? There’s more?” “Yeah,” he said, flashing that sexy sideways grin. “There’s more.” Goody. A shiver rocked down her spine that had nothing to do with being cold. She felt like a giddy school girl and not just because he’d suddenly taken on the role of teacher but because she felt safe with him, accepted—free. Katie wasn’t a virgin, but Mark clearly had a lot more experience than her. Not just with women but with men too. He had to have seen it all, done it all. Nothing would shock him. And maybe that more than anything was why she felt so at ease with him. There was nothing she could do, nothing she could ask of him that would make him think less of her. She could be herself…completely. She wanted that, needed that. Especially now when she had such little time left to be herself before the Army expected her to be…all they needed her to be.

37

Alison Paige

Mark was so easy, so uncomplicated and he felt so good between her legs. Katie was definitely glad Jenny included him in their all-friends’ weekend. Just then a thought popped into her head and Katie’s body went stiff as Mark carried her over the threshold into the darkened cabin. Had Jenny planned this? Did she know Mark and Jarrod had an open relationship, that Mark played for both teams? “As much as I’d love to be the he-man and toss you on your bed and mount you,” he said, his voice a low, sexy whisper. “I’m gonna need a little help getting us both up that ladder.” “Mount me?” Suddenly Katie didn’t care so much if Jenny had set the two of them up. In fact, she made a mental note to thank her. The strange amethyst necklace warmed to life again against her skin, triggered by her desire. Or was it simply working its magic? Katie squirmed and Mark let her feet fall to the floor. He steadied her, making sure she’d regained command of her legs before she spun and started climbing. “Well, thank you,” he said from just below her. Katie glanced down at him, caught him staring straight up her shirt. “Hey.” “Hey, yourself. Keep moving.” He stepped to the next rung and stretched to press a kiss to her ass. “You’re driving me crazy down here, waving that pussy in front of me.” Katie shamelessly waited, letting the feel of his hot, wet tongue tracing along the crease of her bum to the slick opening of her pussy thrill through her body. Her hands white-knuckled the wooden ladder, her back arched and she fought the urge to push against him, drive that wonderful tongue inside. Sheer willpower and the need to have other parts of his body inside her, pulled her the rest of the way up the ladder. “It’s about time.” Katie snapped her gaze to her bed, following the sound of the familiar voice. “Jarrod.”

38

Amethyst Rain

“Hey, buddy,” Mark said, stepping over the last rung to stand beside her. “You sure about this?” Jarrod rolled to his back on the bed, bracing himself on his elbows, his long cock stiff as a flag pole between his legs. “Looks like it.”

39

Alison Paige

Chapter Five “Sure about what?” Katie said, edging away from both men. “And don’t you think I should’ve been let in on this conversation a little earlier?” “Relax, Katie.” Mark reached for her. He could practically feel her apprehension thickening the air around her. She leaned away from his touch, her body tense, her scowl set in stone. “Nothing’s going to happen that you don’t agree to first.” “Bet your ass it won’t.” Tough as nails and yet so feminine, she was a perfect mix, a perfect fit to complement his and Jarrod’s personalities. “There was no point asking you if you’d be interested in sharing a bed with both of us until Jarrod was sure he was interested.” “If he was interested? There was a point where he wasn’t?” She flicked her gaze to Jarrod, the wrinkle in her brow now more from pride than worry. “You had to be talked into sleeping with me?” Jarrod hitched his shoulders, made his erection wag from his body. “Never been with a woman. Wasn’t sure I wanted you to be my first…if any.” “Jarrod’s a little more…decided in his preferences,” Mark said, glad Katie’s wounded pride at least allowed her to relax enough to let him smooth a hand around her back. “Why bother at all?” she asked. “Because, as you can see,” Jarrod glanced at his stiff cock and back to her, “my body insisted.” “You’re here because I asked you to be here,” Mark said, still leery he might be forcing Jarrod into something he didn’t really want.

40

Amethyst Rain

Jarrod looked to him, his green eyes honest, hiding nothing. “You asked me two years ago to consider the possibility of sharing a woman with you. I’m here now because Katie is the first woman I’ve wanted…to share or not.” That took a moment to sink in. This could really work. Jarrod looked to Katie. “But I think the important question is, does she want us?” Katie stiffened again, edged another step closer to the wall. “I…I’ve never done anything like this. I don’t know.” Mark took her hand before she shrunk any farther away. “Then don’t decide now. Just tell us when to stop and we will.” Katie hesitated only a moment then allowed Mark to lead her to the bed. Jarrod drew himself up to his knees, his angelic face lit by a genuine smile. Mark’s chest squeezed, he’d so hoped they’d find someone they’d both be comfortable with and now that it was coming to pass, he could hardly breathe from the joy of it. Jarrod took Katie’s hand, brought her fingers to his lips and kissed the tips. Katie exhaled long and heavy, her breath shaky, her gaze locked with Jarrod’s. He pulled her toward him until she had no choice but to kneel with him on the bed. Mark stayed where he was at the edge, giving the two a moment to test, to feel. Katie’s long mahogany hair had begun to dry, soft tendrils feathered around her face with the thicker length of it hanging damp and heavy down her back. Jarrod brushed the feathery wisps from her face then traced his thumb along her cheek, over her chin and across her lips. Katie’s eyes fluttered closed at his gentle exploration, her breaths swelling her chest, her nipples hard points beneath her nearly dry T-shirt. His kiss made her breath catch. She hadn’t seen it coming but opened to it almost instantly. She raised her hands, her fingers smoothing along his arms, over his shoulders then down his sides to his slender hips. Jarrod’s arousal skyrocketed, his hands tunneling through her hair, his hands holding both sides of her head, his kiss growing hungry, needy. He hadn’t lied. He did want her. There was something about her neither of them could deny. 41

Alison Paige

Watching them, Jarrod’s lean body unyielding, his cock hard, pressing against Katie’s soft belly, her breasts full and tight crushing against Jarrod’s chest, Mark shifted against the fast swell of cock in his jeans. Electric heat sizzled through his veins, tingled through his palms, itching to feel Katie’s taut nipples in his hands. Mark yanked his shirt over his head, jerked his pants down to his ankles and pulled himself free of every stitch of clothing. His cock wagged rock-hard from his groin, so full with lust he couldn’t stop himself from stroking it as he watched. Sensation stormed through his shaft, sending jolts of pleasure zinging through his body. He flicked his thumb over the sensitive head, made his hips flinch with the sharp, heady feel of it. Damn, he wanted to shove it deep inside Katie’s pussy or ram it hard into Jarrod’s sweet ass. He didn’t care which. He moved behind Katie, her hands fondling over Jarrod’s chest, toying with his nipples, trailing lower to fist around his cock. Watching her stroke his lover off sent tingles of sensation rippling along Mark’s shaft, as though it were his hard cock in her hands. Mark snagged the hem of her T-shirt, slid it up her body, and only when she had no other choice, Katie released Jarrod’s sex to raise her arms. Mark pulled the shirt over her head, freeing her plump breasts to jiggle against Jarrod’s chest. Jarrod arched his back, greedily feeling every brush, every soft caress of her body on his. Katie’s eager hands returned to Jarrod’s cock and Mark crawled onto the bed behind her. He shifted closer, nestling his erection at the top of her ass, sandwiching her between him and Jarrod. His balls hung tight along the crease between her bottom cheeks, bobbing and rocking against her with every move she made. He slid his hands around her ribs, up to the bottom curve of her breasts. Light strokes with the tips of his fingers along the under curve brought a shaky gasp from Katie’s lungs. She hunched her back, giving him space to slide his hands higher, to take her fully into his palms.

42

Amethyst Rain

Her nipples were like hard fleshy pebbles in his palms, so tight, wonderfully sensitive he couldn’t help rolling them between his fingers. Katie pushed into his hold, squeezing the backs of his hands against Jarrod’s chest, chafing his nipples at the same time. Both of Mark’s lovers writhed at his touch and every muscle in Mark’s body responded, snapping tight. He rocked his hips into Katie’s back, stroking his cock along her body. Sensation ripped through him, igniting every nerve straight down to his balls, tingling all the way back to his ass. Mark dropped his head to the crook of her neck, breathed the sweet, clean smell of her into his lungs and tasted her skin on his lips with each kiss. Katie’s legs slid wider and Mark opened his eyes enough to see Jarrod’s hand slip between her thighs. The hot scent of her pussy filled the pocket of air between them and Mark’s cock pulsed with the heady aroma. He moved his hands lower, cupping her thighs, pulling her tight against him so his sex sandwiched between them. He held her legs wider for Jarrod, who stroked his fingers over her clit, spreading her cream from her entrance back to her ass, brushing against Mark’s balls in the process. Mark rocked forward at the accidental touch and the heart-stopping feel of his cock squeezed between his stomach and Katie’s back was enough to make him do it again…and again. Within seconds Jarrod was finger-fucking her pussy as Mark fucked her back, his balls slapping around her ass, brushing against Jarrod’s creamed hand again and again, driving Mark closer and closer to a release he wasn’t ready for. The pace was maddening, too fast, too good. He stopped, jerking his hips back, his cock slick from the tiny bit of come he’d already let escape. Fuck. He wanted to shove himself deep inside one of them, but he wanted them to feel each other first. A few steadying breaths gave him the willpower to tamp down the swelling need inside him, to hold off the inevitable for a little while longer. He glanced back to Jarrod and Katie, saw her riding his hand just like she had his earlier. Jarrod’s arm was looped 43

Alison Paige

around her back, supporting her, her hips bucking against him as she arched backward, angling her body against him. “Oh God…that’s it…yeesss…” A wash of color flooded her cheeks, down her chest, and a final spasm of thrusts told him Jarrod had brought her over. But the expression on Jarrod’s face wasn’t pride. It was lust—raw, pure. The man was hot and ready for more, bringing the woman in his arms to orgasm only heightened his desire. When she’d stilled, Mark took her shoulders and both Jarrod and Katie turned glazed, questioning eyes to Mark. “Turn around, Katie,” he said. “You stay with your ass to me and I’m not going to be able to resist it. Don’t think you’re ready for that yet.” The confusion stayed fixed on their expressions but Katie did as he asked, turning around to face Mark with her back to Jarrod and her legs on either side of his. As though directing a pair of virgins, Mark whispered orders, fisting his cock, stroking it slow and steady because he had to. “On your hands and knees, Katie. Jarrod’s never had his cock in a pussy before and yours is especially sweet.” Katie did as he asked, but the position placed her mouth directly in line with Mark’s stiff sex. Before even he saw it coming, she opened her lips and took him in. He was too close, too full with need, he couldn’t keep his thin grip on control. His hips jerked forward, ramming his sex down her throat. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he had to be gentle. This wasn’t Jarrod’s mouth. Katie wasn’t used to their rough sex. But when he pulled back, Katie latched on, sucking hard, drawing a rush of sensation flooding along his shaft. Jarrod shifted behind her, stroking his cock in his hand, his other hand kneading her ass, spreading her cheeks. Mark knew what his friend was staring at, the pink, glistening folds of her pussy open and ready for him. Mark gathered Katie’s hair in his fist at the back of her head. He’d let her go if she struggled at all, but he couldn’t help the small illusion of control. He pushed his cock deep in her mouth again and flicked his gaze to Jarrod. 44

Amethyst Rain

“We’ll fuck her from both ends,” Mark said. Jarrod, his face red, restraint thickening the veins on his neck, shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt her.” “She’ll let you know if it hurts.” “What about birth control?” The question stopped Mark cold. He pulled back and Katie seemed to take a moment to catch up with the conversation. “Pill. I’m on the Pill,” she said then took Mark’s cock back on her own. Jarrod angled his hips toward Katie’s ass, using his hand to guide the head of his cock, stroking along her sex. Katie pushed her ass higher, spread her legs, tugging Mark along with her. There was no clearer way for her to encourage Jarrod and thankfully he didn’t need it. In a quick explosion of movement, he thrust himself deep inside her just as Mark pushed his cock into her mouth. They rocked back together and thrust forward again. Years of lovemaking set a synchronized rhythm, both men fucking Katie at either end. She braced herself, unable to move either way or risk the deep penetration from the other. Sweaty, sex-slick flesh slapped against flesh, filling the night with the sound. Mark held Katie’s head with both hands, his hips rocking his cock in and out of her mouth. Wild sensation roared through his body, racing his heart, squeezing his chest, forcing his muscles to push harder, faster. Katie braced a hand at the root of his cock, keeping him from going too deep. She squeezed his shaft while she suckled the head. Mark rammed his cock through her fist at a ruthless pace, Jarrod matching him pump for pump at her pussy. Mark’s gaze fixed on his friend’s cock sliding wet and hard in and out of her pussy. He could see the cream on Jarrod’s thighs, the thick, ropey veins on his cock. Katie rocked back and forth, riding him harder, faster.

45

Alison Paige

Pressure built inside him, Katie’s fist, her hot little mouth, drew tight around his cock. Sizzling pleasure swirled through his veins, coiled in his gut, tightened along his balls. He held his breath, fought to hold back the swelling sensation. Without warning Katie moaned loud and Jarrod threw back his head, his thrusts turning frantic, crazed, making Katie rock back on him just as hard and fast. The suction she pulled along Mark’s cock doubled and the thin ribbon of restraint he clung to snapped. Jarrod slammed his body into her pussy and Mark pounded through her fist, driving into her mouth. His release spilled over him, flooding his body, exploding through his shaft and down her throat. Jarrod’s glazed eyes flicked to Mark’s. “God, she feels so…fuck…she feels so good. I can’t…I can’t go much longer.” And just like that Jarrod let go, his final thrusts shaking loose her hold on Mark’s cock. Katie collapsed to the bed, spent, her back rising and falling with her deep breaths. “I can’t believe how good this was,” Jarrod said, panting. He lowered himself to Katie, blanketing her with his body. He brushed her hair to the side, kissed her shoulder. “You’re amazing. Normally I could go a couple more times, but you ended me just now.” “Tell me about it,” Katie said. “Are all gay…er…bi…whatever. Are you two this good cause you’ve played on both teams or what?” Jarrod laughed. “I don’t know. Do all women’s pussies feel like yours?” “No. To both of you,” Mark said. “I think the three of us just…fit.”

Katie turned her head toward Mark, not easy when every muscle in her body felt like rubber. “You keep saying stuff like that. As if there’s something between us, or you want there to be. Why? I mean, what do you think this is?” “The beginning of a beautiful relationship.” Mark snagged his boxers from the rumple of pants on the floor. Pulled them on.

46

Amethyst Rain

“Uh, hello? Never mind the fact I’m obligated by law to report for duty in a week, how do you figure the three of us can have anything even remotely resembling a relationship?” “Our relationship probably won’t be like any you’ve seen before. That’s the beauty of it.” Katie absolutely adored the feel of Jarrod’s weight on her back, his warm body flush with hers, but this was nuts. She squirmed and wiggled her way out from under him, or more he felt her struggle and rolled off. “You two are already in a relationship. What’d you need me for?” She scrambled to the edge of the bed, scanned the floor for her shirt. She found it and struggled to get it over her head with the arm holes facing the right directions. “I don’t know if we want you or not,” Mark said. “I mean, well, we want you…obviously, but are you the one we’ll start a life with, a family? I don’t know. But it feels right…for both of us, and I think for you too, if you’d just give it a chance.” “Whoa.” Katie held up a hand, tried to process what he’d said. “A family? You guys lookin’ for a baby cooker? A surrogate mother? Forget it.” “No. Katie, wait,” Mark said, two steps behind her as she scaled down the ladder. The amethyst heated against her skin again. Why? She sure as hell wasn’t turned on. What kind of magic was it working now? She didn’t care. When she touched the living room floor, she glanced up to see Jarrod following a few steps above Mark, sexy black briefs snugly in place. “Not just no, but hell no. I’m going to war in a week,” she said, standing aside to let Mark finish his descent. “And you thought now was a good time to ask me to have your baby?” “No,” Jarrod said when he joined them in the living room. “We thought now would be a good time to ask you to be our girlfriend. But that sure is a hell of an ego you’ve got there.”

47

Alison Paige

“Girlfriend,” she said, trying to wrap her brain around the meaning. “Yeah,” Mark said. “We figured we could…date.” Girlfriend? Dating? This was exactly what she’d tried to avoid. She shook her head, a buzzing noise echoing in her ears…panic. “No. I can’t. No. No.” Katie pushed through the two men and ran for the door. She needed air. Her chest squeezed her lungs, the amethyst practically burning against her skin. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. Dawn was breaking over the lake and a fine, misty rain fell, beading in her hair as she ran, dampening her cheeks, her lips. She didn’t care. Katie reached the end of dock still struggling for each breath. God, she was terrified. How could she let herself think about guys, about dating, about the future? How could she think about anything when it could all end in a few weeks? “Katie,” Mark said, stepping up behind her. “I know what you’re thinking—” She whirled around, all her fear and confusion balling to anger in an instant. “Do you? Do you really?” “You’re scared,” Jarrod said, joining Mark, shoulder to shoulder. “And you think you’re all alone.” “Brilliant. Give the man a gold star.” “You’re not alone, Katie,” Mark said. “You don’t have to be.” Her gaze flicked to Mark’s, his handsome face so sure, so confident. She almost believed him. She wanted to believe him. For weeks, months, she’d been so scared. Every second of the day a steady countdown clicked through her head. A countdown to deployment. Nothing could knock it from her head. Nothing except…these last few hours with them—watching them, being with them. She hadn’t thought about anything but being in their arms, feeling them around her, strong, safe. “You’ve still got a week, Katie,” Jarrod said. “There’s a lot we can do in a week. Trust me.” His pale blond brows bobbed, a smile blooming across his delicate lips.

48

Amethyst Rain

“After that, there’s email and phone calls and video conferences,” Mark said, reaching for her. She let him wrap an arm around her, let Jarrod mirror him on her opposite side. “You don’t understand,” she said, wanting to push free of their hug but it felt too good, too right. “I have enough to worry about. I don’t want to wonder if my boyfriend’s feeling lonely or worrying about me. I don’t want to worry about someone I’ve left behind.” “Of course we’ll worry,” Jarrod said. “Everyone who knows you will worry until your home safe and sound,” Mark added. “And you will come home. But while you’re gone you can lean on us. Reach out to us and we’ll be your connection to the real world. Closing your heart is like tying your hands. You can’t fight like that. You can’t live.” Katie knew he was right. She knew because in the short time she’d let down her guard and allowed Jarrod and Mark close, she’d felt safer, happier and even a little braver than she had in months. She fingered her necklace, felt its warmth, its magic, pulsing through her. Katie didn’t know what the future held for her, whether she was meant to be the third in this comforting little family, but she knew now she didn’t want to face the future alone. She sighed, wiped the fine layer of mist from her face and sniffled back a tear. She laughed. “Wow, that must’ve been one hell of a gypsy Nanna got this necklace from. I was hoping for quick summer fling and got a reason to fight hard to come home again instead. When it rains it pours.” “You think that’s something,” Jarrod said. “Take a look out there.” He pointed across the lake to the horizon where the dark purple sky was just beginning to glow with the breaking dawn. “The rain…” she said, blinking to make sure of what she saw. “It looks…”

49

Alison Paige

“Purple,” Mark said. “It’s raining amethyst, raining protection and love.” Two solid beats of silence passed before the three of them exploded with laughter. “Wow, that’s sappy,” she said. Jarrod nodded, laughing with her. But Mark caught her chin, forced her to meet his gaze. “Sappy but true, honey. That necklace brought us together and it’ll protect you until it brings you back. Believe that,” he said. She smiled as Jarrod hugged her around her waist, the two of them her cocoon of blissful comfort. “I do,” she said. “Can’t argue an amethyst rain.”

50

About the Author Alison Paige is the pen name of multi-published author Paige Cuccaro. She writes as Alison Paige when her stories run spicy and as Paige Cuccaro when the fun in the bedroom is subtler. The romance is always key, whether it’s between beings of this world or out of this world. Alison (Paige) lives in Ohio, with her husband, three daughters, three dogs, two cats and two parakeets, in an ever-shrinking house. When she’s not writing she can be found doing the mom thing with a book in one hand and a notepad in the other. Ideas come without warning and the best way to stimulate your imagination is to enjoy the imagination of someone else.

Alison welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

Also by Alison Paige I, Robot Valentine Witch Lore

Writing as Paige Cuccaro Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis I anthology

Writing as Paige Cuccaro at Cerridwen Press (www.cerridwenpress.com) Queen of Hearts

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

www.ellorascave.com