Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 11-15 - Laurell K. Hamilton [948]
He drew back from the kiss, breathless, panting, eyes laughing. “God, how do you do that to me?”
My own voice came breathy. “You, too.”
He laughed, then his gaze slid past me to the other men. His eyes darkened for a moment. “I can’t, I can’t, not yet.”
“Truthfully, Richard, this is more than I ever thought you’d do with Micah and Nathaniel.”
He nodded. “Me, too.”
“Would it totally spoil things if I asked what changed your mind?” Nathaniel asked it. I’d wanted to ask it, but I wouldn’t have.
Richard looked across the bed at the other man. “It’s none of your business.”
“No, it’s not,” Nathaniel said.
Richard bowed his head, then nodded. “Okay, I love Anita. I’m trying to learn to love all of her, even the part that wants to live with two other men.” His eyes were uncertain, a little angry.
Nathaniel said, “My therapist told me that if I’m an equal partner in our relationship I need to ask for what I want. Did yours tell you that you need to resolve your feelings about Anita?”
Richard ignored the question. “What did you ask Anita? What aren’t you getting from her?”
“I’ll answer yours, if you’ll answer mine.”
Richard nodded, as if that was fair. “Yeah, my therapist says I have to either come to terms with Anita’s life, or move on.”
“You know I’m into the bondage and submission scene?” Nathaniel said.
I wanted not to be naked in the bed with them while they had this conversation, but if they could be honest, I could lie there and let them do it. “I know. Raina talked about you a lot.” Raina had been the old lupa of the wolf pack. She’d taken Richard’s virginity and trained Nathaniel to be a good little pain slut.
Micah and I looked back to Nathaniel. It was like a therapy tennis match.
Nathaniel nodded. “Anita won’t do it with me, and I want her to.”
“She’s not much more comfortable with that side of herself than I am,” Richard said.
“I know,” Nathaniel said.
“Did she agree to do it?”
“Not yet.”
“Are you going to leave her if she doesn’t come across with it?”
Micah and I lay back between them, feeling superfluous.
“I’ve asked permission to have someone else abuse me, but save sex for Anita.”
Richard looked at me, finally, and I wished he hadn’t. “You really know how to pick them, don’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, but it was hard trying to sound indignant naked in a bed with three men.
Richard laughed, a good, open laugh. He kissed me hard and fast. I lay there and frowned at him. “It means let’s go to sleep.”
He settled on his side, facing me. I hesitated a second, then turned onto my other side. It started a chain reaction with Micah and Nathaniel following suit. It took us a while, but finally we were all settled. Richard’s body spooned along the back of mine, Micah against me, and distant Nathaniel against him. My hand went over both of them, so I could still touch Nathaniel. Richard had the hardest time figuring out where to put his arm. He finally seemed to think, To hell with it, because he let his arm follow the line of mine, so he was both holding more of me and helping me hold the other two men. For sex, it would have been fun, but for sleeping, I thought I’d have trouble relaxing. But either it had been a long night, or the sensation of being held between Richard and Micah’s body was more comforting than I realized. Nathaniel went to sleep first, as he always did. Micah and Richard went at almost the same time. Sleep wrapped over me, Richard’s breath warm against my neck.
12
I WOKE IN a tangle of bodies. I was on my back with Micah and Richard half on top of me, as if even in their sleep they had fought over who would touch the most of me. The scent of their skins had mingled into a rich perfume that tightened