Love at First Bight

Chapter Five

Dinner was great, the guys were sweet. Clean-up was quick, and the men settled around the table with her and started teaching her the game.

“We’ll play for chips first,” Aaron said, shooting a warning look at the other two men. “Just so you learn the game. No pressure.”

“Okay.”

She realized she’d lost track of time. It had to be getting late, but she didn’t care because she wasn’t even tired. This was fun. The men had settled into an easier, relaxed mood now that it was obvious she wasn’t running, screaming, out the main hatch. This made it a lot easier for her to read them, although Aaron was still cloudy and guarded in many ways. An enigma she wouldn’t mind spending more time exploring.

Ford partnered with her first, helping her with her cards and teaching her the finer subtleties of betting and calling. Apparently they played a very standard, basic version of the game and not one of the more horribly complex ones.

Good thing, because she hated games that were more trouble to play than they were fun.

An hour later after several rounds, she started getting the hang of it, although she had trouble remembering which hands were worth more than others. She also realized she had an unfair advantage because she could tell when the men were bluffing, especially each other.

That would be cheating, right?

Or not. They had her resume, they knew she was a trained class two empath.

After another hour, Ford let her play on her own and she started wiping the men out of chips. At first she wondered if they were letting her win, then realized they were genuinely surprised a beginner could pick up the game so quickly.

When it was her turn to deal she flashed them a smile. “So what happens when you run out of chips?”

The men looked at each other, then Aaron spoke. “What do you want to happen?” he carefully asked. She tried to read him. The men had all shifted slightly back to nervous, afraid of doing something to spook her.

His eyes never wavered from hers. “So how’s strip poker work?” she asked.

The twins said, “Holy shit!” She’d gotten used to their frequent unison comments and thought it was funny that two unrelated men could be so close as to talk like that.

“You want to play strip poker?” Aaron asked in disbelief.

“Well, from the looks of it, you guys would be doing the stripping.” She didn’t blink, holding his steady gaze, waiting until he turned to Ford to look away.

“Well?” he asked Ford.

Ford shrugged. “I’m game.”

He looked at Caph. “What about you?” The large man eagerly nodded. “Sure.” Aaron turned back to her. “We can’t force you to do anything, understand? You also realize it would be fucking mean to tease us, right?”

She narrowed her gaze and imitated his amused smirk. “I’ve never been accused of being a tease, gentlemen. You want to talk or play? I still have chips. If you want to get me naked, you’re going to have to start winning back some money.”

They played. Within four hands, the three men were totally out of chips and shirtless.

And they all had very nice chests.

Emi dealt the next hand and kept raising the ante, forcing the men to give up a shoe each. Three more hands left them in their pants and underwear.

“You guys want to keep playing?” she asked.

They all nodded, their eyes on her.

The next hand saw them sacrificing their pants. Aaron wore boxers, but the other two wore briefs. All three men were stiff, and from what she could tell, large.

She smiled. “I like what I see, gentlemen. What do we play for after you lose all your clothes?”

Aaron met her gaze head-on from across the table. “What do you want to play for?”

“What do you usually play for?”

Ford and Caph silently watched them like a tennis match, their heads pivoting back and forth, their jaws slightly gaped in disbelief.

Aaron narrowed his gaze. “Once our clothes are gone, we play for favors.”

“Favors as in little birthday party toys, or favors as in blow jobs?” He smirked. “The second. Usually we play cards in bed when we get to that point.”

Okay, she was definitely soaking wet now. Emi took a sip of her water and licked her lips because her throat had gone dry. “Really?” All three men nodded.

She couldn’t believe she was doing this, it didn’t feel real. “How fascinating, gentlemen.” She picked up the deck of cards and stood, heading toward the doorway leading to the crew quarters. The men watched her, and she turned. “Well? I thought you said you normally play in bed at this point.”

After a brief moment of stunned shock, the men scrambled to follow her. Aaron took the lead. She didn’t bother keeping her eyes off his ass as he opened the cabin door.

Their banter had ceased. Apparently they were too shocked by her willing acceptance of their situation to think of any pithy, snarky comments. She waited for them to get settled on the bed, then kicked off her shoes and sat with them. She removed her linen jacket, leaving her hard nipples clearly visible, pressing taut against her shirt.

From the direction of their collective gazes, they’d noticed.

Emi shuffled the cards and tried to conceal her amused smile. Five years with a crew of guys who were apparently more than satisfied with her appearance, who were pretty good-looking, who absolutely could not cheat on her, and whom she was able to stun into silence.

Not a bad deal at all. She liked the feeling of…power. Feeling desired, because frankly, her two exes never made her feel like she was beautiful, just that she was available.

“Ready, gentlemen?” she purred.

The men nodded.

She dealt the next hand and didn’t have to be a full clairvoyant to know they were too distracted to play well. At the end of the hand, all three men stood and shucked their underwear without comment.

Emi stared, her throat dry. The men were well-endowed. Not porn stars, but definitely fairly proportioned and larger than either of her exes had been.

Much larger.

Holy crap!

She tried to hold onto her cool, appraising mask and knew it was slipping. She didn’t know what the hell was wrong with the Braynow Gaston’s crew, but these three men were all men, not a bit of boy about them.

Maybe they were jealous.

Aaron’s smirk returned. “Well? Like what you see?” She carefully moistened her lips and tried to control her voice.

“Very nice, gentlemen. Next hand?”

All three grinned and resumed their previous positions, sitting cross-legged on the bed, their cocks stiff. Fortunately, none of them were extremely hairy, something that would have turned her off.

Although she suspected if any of them were, they’d probably get a full body waxing to make her happy. Caph’s chest was covered with soft, downy blond hair. Ford had a light dusting of darker curls across his chest, and a dark line of hair ran from his navel down between his legs. That would keep her mind distracted if he went without a shirt, knowing where that trail led. Aaron’s body hair was fine and straight, and she resisted the urge to run her fingers over his chest¯and between his legs.

Now she was the one forced to concentrate. Fortunately she still had the advantage. “So what kind of favors do you usually play for?” she asked as she shuffled the deck, trying to keep her eyes on Aaron’s deep brown gaze and not on his throbbing member.

His playful smirk told her more than anything that he was well aware of her rapidly disintegrating control. “Depends.”

“On what?”

He shrugged. “On what mood everyone’s in.” She glanced down. All three men were stiff without any indication of disinterest. “Looks like everyone’s in a fairly playful mood to me.” The twins remained silent. She had a feeling if she kept this up too much longer, those two poor guys would be drooling idiots.

Aaron focused his eyes on her. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re men and, trust me, we get horny. But we’re not a bunch of sex maniacs.

It’s not unusual for us to go a day or two or longer, easily, without needing to get our rocks off. Especially if we’re on a mission and need to focus. We didn’t survive all these years because we’re a bunch of morons. Or there might be times we do it two or three times a day, depending on the mood and situation.” Between her legs, her muscles involuntarily contracted in a pleasant way. Two or three times in a day ?

Wow.

She hoped her voice sounded as steady as she intended. “You didn’t answer my question, Aaron.”

“Well, one favor might be the winner of the hand gets to request something from one or more of the others.” His eyes flicked down her body. “Since you’re still dressed, that might be moot.”

“Let me ask it this way, then—what won’t you do?” Caph found his voice. “Cap never bottoms.” The fact that he spoke surprised her as much as what he said. It took her a second to process it. “Huh?” Ford shook his head. “Cap never bottoms,” he echoed.

“And what does that mean, exactly?”

They’d found their twin voice and spoke together. “It means¯” They glared at each other, then Ford spoke alone. “It means he always tops.”

She admitted she wasn’t as experienced in sexual lingo as they obviously were. “So you never let the girl on top?” she asked Aaron.

That would get boring.

Aaron smiled, but Caph clarified. “Not positions. He’s always the do-er, never the do-ee. Ah, intercourse, that is. Anything else, then it doesn’t matter.”

She felt like she’d been dropped into an alternate dimension. How long had she been here, anyway? Normally she didn’t stay up very late, and she knew she’d been here for hours but didn’t feel the least bit tired. “Why is that?”

The twins shrugged and replied, “Just is. Cap never bottoms.” Aaron leaned back, his hands propped behind him. “Old story.” The gesture stretched his torso. While he wasn’t muscle-bound like the military guys, he was naturally muscled and trim with very little extra fat on him. She wanted to run her hands down his body…

“Maybe I want to hear it.”

“Maybe it’s something we don’t discuss outside of crew.” That stopped her in her tracks. She realized no, she wasn’t technically a part of this crew yet. “I thought you wanted me to be a part of this crew.”

“Freaking A we do, but you’re not officially crew yet. We’ve extended the invitation, but you haven’t accepted it.”

He wasn’t backing down, she sensed. “So if I officially join your crew, you’ll tell me?”

He nodded, but his eyes briefly flicked away. She sensed his deep grief again. It might be an old story, but it wasn’t one he enjoyed telling.

“And how about the story of how your crew arrangement came to be?”

The men nodded. “Crew story,” all three parroted. Aaron briefly closed his eyes as if silently swearing. Now all three had their eyes on her.

She considered them. “I need to spend more time with you before I give you a firm yes.”

The men nodded. Aaron spoke. “That’s fair.” She dealt the hand and suspected this time the men lost on purpose simply to get on with their other game.

“Winner’s choice,” Aaron said with a smirk as the twins watched her. “What’ll it be?”

Emi chewed her lip and considered it. “I think I’d like a foot rub.” Aaron’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. “Foot rub?” She nodded. “Yeah. Foot rub.” She unfolded her legs and stretched them out before her. “From you. Or is that a ‘bottom’ thing you won’t do?”

She loved his playful smirk. “No, that’s not a bottom thing.” He moved closer and placed her feet in his lap, his eyes never leaving hers as he carefully worked his thumbs over the soles of her right foot.

Nearly better than sex. He was very talented, taking his time and seductively caressing her as he did.

She closed her eyes and threw her head back, enjoying the sensation.

“You like that?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “That’s real good.” When he switched to her left foot, she suspected he deliberately placed her right so his cock lay along the entire length of her sole. She made sure she gently rubbed him, enjoying his almost imperceptible intake of breath as she did.

When he finished with her left foot he released it and carefully lifted her feet from his lap. “How was that?” She nodded, trying to find her voice. “Real good.” The twins were silent. In shock, apparently. Her heart ached for all of them. As deeply as she could read them, they were all sweet, good-hearted men, obviously devoted to each other as lovers, friends, and crew. She knew if she accepted this assignment¯and frankly, it looked like she would¯they would be just as devoted to her.

In silence and with slightly trembling fingers, she dealt the next hand. They didn’t even pretend to play, all of them folding after the first round of betting, looking at her in expectation.

Waiting.

What was most fair? Well, order of rank, she supposed. “I’d like a foot rub from Caph,” she said.

Could she stand it was another question entirely. While Aaron’s touch had relaxed her in some ways, it also drenched her sex and left her throbbing, aching for more than just his hands on her feet.

She imagined his cock would fit inside her quite nicely, could almost imagine how pleasantly he’d stretch her…

Caph smiled and slid forward, his large hands carefully massaging her feet, his touch different than Aaron’s and yet just as good. She closed her eyes and enjoyed it, surprised when she felt his lips on her toes, his tongue seductively swirling around each digit, giving her a preview of something he was obviously quite skilled at.

Oh, wow!

She gasped and knew all three men heard her.

She kept her eyes closed and somehow suppressed her disappointed groan when he finished with both feet and returned to his place on the bed.

They knew they now held the advantage. When Emi dealt the next hand they didn’t even look at their cards before folding in silence and returning their gaze to her.

Emi nodded to Ford and he took his turn, yet another different set of sensations, his touch just as good as the other two, leaving her fighting the urge to plunge her hand between her legs and finger herself.

They were all sooo good.

When Ford finished and returned to his place, she realized the men were waiting. She looked at them.

“Well?” Aaron said.

“Well?” she gasped, trying to regain her composure.

“You gonna deal?” he asked.

She shook her head and crooked her finger at him. He moved across the bed and she threw her arms around him, kissing him. He laid her back on the mattress and she hooked one leg around his, keeping his body stretched beside her.

“Holy crap!” the twins breathlessly whispered, moving to lay on either side of them.

She broke her kiss with Aaron long enough to look at Caph and kiss him. Then she turned to Ford and kissed him too.

“All right, boys,” she said. “Show me why I’d be making the biggest mistake of my life to turn you guys down.” Aaron slid down her body while Caph took over kissing her. She felt Aaron’s strong hands working on her slacks and lifted her hips to allow him to slide them off her, leaving her bare. His lips brushed over her thighs, and she moaned as he placed his palms inside her legs and gently spread them.

Ford slipped his hand under her shirt and lifted it over her head.

Caph broke their kiss only long enough to free her of her last article of clothing. Then Ford latched onto one nipple, gently running his tongue over it as he playfully tweaked her other with his fingers.

Emi moaned, not caring what they did to her if it all felt this good.

She gasped when Aaron lowered his mouth to her mound. His tongue laved her swollen nub, bringing her close to release several times without granting it. After several long moments of this, she begged.

“Please!” she moaned, her need burning through her.

“Please what?” he asked.

She lifted her head and met his eyes. Caph kept himself busy by dropping his lips to her other breast, replacing Ford’s fingers with his mouth.

“Do it!” she panted.

Aaron’s fingers teased her wet entrance. “Do what?” She closed her eyes and dropped her head to the bed. “Please make me come,” she whispered.

All three men hungrily groaned. Aaron lowered his mouth to her sex again, slipping two thick fingers inside her. She’d never felt like this before. She’d had orgasms, most of them self-induced because, frankly, Daniel and her first ex were not that great.

Especially not when compared to these three.

Aaron’s tongue and fingers set off an explosion in her lower belly.

Through the waves of pleasure, she vaguely heard Caph and Ford’s soft encouragements to her to let go and come for them.

She cried out, her hips grinding against Aaron’s mouth, her whole body shaking. She found Ford and Caph’s hands and held on as tremor after tremor raced through her. What felt like hours later, she lay gasping and spent in their arms, incapable of coherent speech.

Aaron sat up, that playful smirk on his face again. “How was that?”

She didn’t even try to speak, just nodded.

He traded places with Caph, who spent a few minutes stroking her feet and legs while Ford kissed her. Aaron gently suckled one nipple while playing with the other. Then she felt Caph’s tongue plunge deep into her sex. She moaned into Ford’s mouth.

Ford lifted his head, his blue eyes holding hers captive. “Does that feel good, baby? You like that?”

She mewled something she hoped passed for yes, and he smiled.

“He’s very skilled with his tongue. He loves using that mouth of his.”

In response, Caph swirled his tongue around her sensitive nub, drawing another moan from her.

Ford smiled. “Five years of this, sweetie. Think you can handle us?”

She nodded. Oh, Hades, could she!

“Just imagine, five years of having three guys wrapped around your fingers.” Ford’s voice had dropped to a sultry, husky tone, seductive, enhancing what was going on between her legs with Caph’s skilled tongue. He must be the talker of the group.

Damn, he was sexy.

He curled around her, his arm cradling her head, keeping her eyes focused on his. “We want to hear you moan, honey. I know how good he is with that sweet mouth he’s got. Let’s hear how good he is¯” With that she felt another wave rip through her, just as strong as the last one. She squeezed her eyes shut as she cried out, gasping for breath, every nerve in her body at Caph’s mercy as he kept her coming.

When she didn’t think she could take any more, Caph lifted his head and kissed her thigh. His rumbling chuckle stirred her heart.

“That was the best sound I’ve heard in a long time, kiddo. Think you can deal with that for the next few years?” She nodded, not even trying to speak, wondering how she’d ever regain the strength to walk again. She felt like she could melt into the mattress. She’d never experienced anything like this after sex¯

No. Not sex. She felt it from them already.

This was making love. Their hearts were already hers. There was no way in Hades she could refuse to join their crew now, even if she wanted to back out.

Not that she wanted to back out. If she did, she’d have herself committed for a psych eval. Only a fucking moron would give up a chance to be with these three men.

They waited her out. It could have been minutes or hours, she didn’t know. When she finally opened her eyes, they all smiled.

“You okay?” Ford asked.

She nodded.

“You’re not falling asleep on us yet, are you?” She shook her head and he laughed. “You’ve got to give us at least one more.”

“One more?” she gasped. She’d never had two climaxes in one night, and never any that were as explosive as her first two had been.

Ford nodded, a sly look on his face. “Oh, yeah. Hey, you have to get a full sampling of what you’ll be living with. I haven’t had my turn yet.”

She gave up trying to talk and he traded places with Caph. Aaron shifted position, his arm cradling her head, stroking her cheek and nuzzling her while Caph made sure her breasts were still well-tended.

Ford wrapped his arms around her thighs and let out a happy sigh.

“Dammit, if that ain’t a beautiful sight.” She felt his possessive grip on her legs as he lightly flicked his tongue along her clit.

Aaron smiled as she made a little noise. “Feels good?” She nodded.

“Just imagine how good it’s going to feel when I slide my cock inside you.”

She pulled his mouth down to hers and greedily devoured it, his tongue doing a good job of duplicating what Ford’s was doing to her wet sex.

Then Ford slipped two fingers inside her and wrapped his lips around her nub, gently sucking. She exploded, screaming. Her fingers dug into the back of Aaron’s neck as her entire body shuddered, completely at the mercy of the pleasure flowing through her.

Emi collapsed, limp against the bed while the men sat up and looked at her. They were waiting.

When she caught her breath again, she looked at their expectant faces. “What? What’s wrong?”

Caph grinned. “You enjoy that?”

She nodded.

“Want more?”

“Uh, duh!” She remembered the chips. “You mean you can’t until I say it’s okay?”

Aaron smirked. “They overstack the deck in your favor until you’re matched with a crew. I mean, we’re guessing you don’t want to stop, but¯”

“Shut the hell up and fuck me!”

They pounced, Aaron sliding home first as Ford and Caph cradled her between them, murmuring to her.

She wrapped her legs around Aaron’s waist. “Get busy, Cap.

There’s a line.”

The men laughed. “Aw hell, she’s a pistol!” Ford said with a grin.

“You tell me this is a fucking dream and I’ll shoot both your asses when I wake up.”

“If she’s a dream, then we’re all having the same freaking dream,” Caph said.

She pulled Aaron closer and kissed him, enjoying the feel of his stiff length inside her. “Do I meet crew approval?” she asked, answering his thrusts with her hips.

He moaned, his voice deep. “Gods, yes.” With that he gave a final thrust, sinking deep inside her, his hips hard against hers. She pulled him down to her, stroking his back, his head resting on her shoulder.

This felt so good, it felt right. Despite his earlier attitude and his deep-seated worry she would back out, he wanted her as badly as she wanted them.

When he’d recovered, he pushed up and kissed her, his forehead touching hers. “That was wonderful,” he whispered.

“You guys aren’t so bad yourself,” she said with a sexy grin.

“Who’s next?”

“I’m always gonna get thirds, aren’t I?” Ford playfully groused.

Caph was already swapping positions with Aaron. “Not always.

We’ll change it up.” He winked at Emi. “I have a feeling she’s gonna be leading us around by our dicks anyway, so it’s not like we’re gonna argue with her. Whatever the lady wants, the lady gets.” Emi knew he wasn’t just saying that either. He’d meant it from the very depths of his being. It scared her that he was so immediately in love with her, but something scared her even more¯that she already felt the same way.

Caph was not quite as long as Aaron, but he was a little thicker, and he felt good as he slid in, pleasantly stretching her even further than Aaron’s member had. He held still for a minute, his eyes closed, his large hands firmly gripping her hips.

“Damn, you’re so sweet. So goddamn tight, baby.” He started a slow, sultry rhythm, thrusting in short gentle strokes with just his large head inside her, alternating with deep, powerful thrusts that rocked her to her very core. She gave up trying to match his pace. He didn’t need her help anyway, taking control of her body in a pleasant way. She’d never climaxed from penetration alone, but she had a feeling if any man could give her that, it might be him.

After a few minutes, he looked into her eyes. “I can’t hold it any longer, babe.”

“Go ahead.”

He plunged even deeper with a loud groan. She felt him inside her, throbbing and claiming her very depths. He pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly to him.

“Damn, that was fantastic,” he hoarsely whispered. She suspected he might be crying but didn’t want them to see. She whispered to him, holding him until he gently kissed her one last time and lowered her to the bed. He was a big man with a big heart. Emi suspected he might be the most emotionally fragile of the three despite his size and demeanor.

Ford switched places with him, smiling at her. “I get to take my time, so I guess I shouldn’t complain about being last, should I?” She grinned. “You gonna talk or fuck?”

Aaron laughed, kissing her damp forehead. “He is a talker. You pegged him right there.”

Ford lifted her legs to his shoulders and stroked his cock deep inside her. He wasn’t as thick as Caph but managed to hit places inside her the other two hadn’t because of the angle. She could do this all night with him, with all of them.

“You like that?” he whispered, his blue eyes holding hers again.

She nodded. All three men had distinctive styles. It would never get boring, that’s for sure.

Slow and steady, he took his time. She watched Ford’s face as his climax built. He was more of a romantic, she sensed. He would be the one she’d need to nourish intellectually as well as emotionally and physically. She imagined nights curled at his side, talking as he slowly made love to her for hours, wanting to touch her soul as well as her body.

He leaned forward, pressing deeper. She knew beyond a doubt she couldn’t let these men go. Emi reached up and touched his face, laying her palm against his cheek, and he kissed it.

“Come for me, baby,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. “Show me how good it feels. Let me see how much you want it¯”

“Ah!” He closed his eyes, pressed deep inside her as his release took him, his cock throbbing. After a moment, he carefully lowered her legs and let her pull him down to her. She held him, stroking his back and shoulders, grateful for the stupidity of the other women who’d turned these men down.

She looked at Aaron, who sat back, watching them intently. She nodded.

Again he was surprised, his eyebrows flicking up almost imperceptibly. He was her deeply wounded soul. She wondered how long it would take to draw him out and finally start his healing. How many years had he been in pain?

“Yes,” she whispered.

Aaron kissed her, long and slow and sweet. “You sure you want to put up with us?”

Caph nuzzled close on her other side, his face tucked against her shoulder. “We’re a handful.”

“You’re my handful,” she said. “I’ll send Graymard a message in the morning that you boys just picked up a medical officer. For now, let’s turn off the lights and go to sleep.” And safely nestled among her men, that’s what she did.