The Triangle (Shape of Love Book 1) Read online

  “She did that once,” Alec says. And then he sorta laughs. “Typhoon Hopea.”

  “In my defense,” I say, getting up from the chair and walking into the kitchen to search for food, “we weren’t anywhere near that thing.” We were lying low in the Shengsi Islands, which wasn’t in the direct path of the storm, but it was still intense enough to shut the local villages down for a day.

  Danny grins at me as he takes a draw of his beer.

  “What? I can’t help it. Storms relax me.”

  I was sleeping. To answer my own question. At first, anyway. I can sleep anywhere, pretty much any time, through everything you can imagine. I mean, I’m not narcoleptic. I don’t nod off during a fight. And when I’m in assassin mode I’m all in. But after, when shit calms down, I shut down. It’s almost like I have an off button.

  Comes in handy in lots of ways. Means I’m always fresh when the next bit of bullshit comes up. Also means I hear things that aren’t always meant for me.

  Like this conversation Alec and Danny were having.

  I have a lot of opinions about this topic. Danny and his morals. Danny and his self-preservation.

  Look, I get it. He’s a tough guy. He’s big, bad Danny Fortnight. Tatted-up monster. Mastermind criminal. Beholden to no one and nothing. Blah, blah, blah.

  But it’s a front.

  If there’s a good guy in this little triangle, it’s him.

  It’s sure the fuck not Alec. I love him but he’s the most selfish, entitled, power-hungry person I’ve ever met and I’ve been around the block a dozen or so times, so that’s saying something.

  And it’s definitely not me. If I ever had a moral compass it fell out of my pocket a long time ago.

  Danny will weigh things before he makes a decision. He will ask himself one question. Can I live with myself after? And if the answer is yes, he does the thing he’s weighing. If the answer is no, he doesn’t.

  On that level he’s very simple. Everything is black and white. With Danny, you always know where you stand. Which is probably why Alec is trying to have this conversation with him right now. He has no idea where he stands with Danny and that’s not a good thing.

  For most people indecision is weakness, but indecision makes Danny stronger. Some kind of instinct kicks in. Some small voice inside him, maybe? Telling him to take a stand?

  This makes the people he’s undecided about uncomfortable. Because he could swing either way, and once that happens, his mind is made up.

  Oh, we all know where I stand. Danny is always on my side. But a couple rounds of hot sex isn’t enough footing for Alec to feel comfortable.

  On the other hand, Danny isn’t punching him in the face and he hasn’t walked out.

  So… progress.

  But not enough. Not for Alec. Not for me either. Because Danny just lied and I’m gonna call him on it. “It’s not true,” I say, pouring myself a cup of tea. Mostly just because it’s there, but also because this house gives me the chills. All the glass feels cold. Like there’s nothing between us and the wilderness outside.

  “What’s that?” Alec says.

  I look at Danny. “I’m the one thing in your life that’s too precious to lose.”

  He huffs. “I let you go, didn’t I?”

  “And yet here we are.”

  “You came to me.”

  “Not exactly,” I say.

  Danny shoots a quick glare at Alec, which makes him recoil. Not like he’s afraid of him. More of a what’d I do now? way.

  “Calm down, monster,” I say, reaching over to pat Danny on the chest. “Yes, Alec sent you to get me. But the important point here is… you did it. He called. You answered. He asked. You said yes.”

  In other words, he did make a decision. He chose me and in doing that, he chose us.

  I just need to remind him of that.

  Danny smiles at me. It’s not a big one. No teeth. No dimples pop out of their secret hiding places. But it’s a smile all the same.

  “So stop it already, OK? You love us—”

  Now he laughs.

  “—and that’s all we need to know. Right, Alec?”

  Alec manages a smile. But it’s pretty weak and Danny doesn’t miss that fact.

  They stare at each other. Gazes steady.

  But Danny’s not glaring, and Alec’s not smirking so… progress.

  My hand is still on Danny’s bare chest. I sweep the tips of my fingernails across his pectoral muscles and his skin prickles up like I give him the chills. “You love me,” I say, pausing to wait for him to meet my gaze.

  “I do,” he says, his rough voice low.

  “And you love Alec too.”

  His gaze wanders back to his declared nemesis.

  “In your own way,” I say, turning my body to face Danny. He looks down at me again, his blue eyes solemn and maybe a little sad.

  “I don’t trust him,” Danny says.

  “He doesn’t trust you either.”

  “Fair enough.”

  I look over at Alec, who might be holding his breath. Because he’s still and silent. Like he knows this moment counts for something. Finally, after several painful seconds, he lets out the breath and says, “I’m here for you. Both of you. What other possible reason? Just… this is all I want, bru. The three of us. That’s it. You asked why I have this place?”

  Danny nods.

  “Because I’ve been waiting for you. I never forgot what you are. What you mean to me. I got a safe place to be ready for the moment you realized… well, that you made a mistake. Because I believed you would realize it. That’s all there is to it.”

  I feel Danny’s heart beat faster under my palm. And for a moment I wonder if telling Danny Fortnight he was wrong was the best way to proceed.

  Then he sighs. “Fine. I might’ve… could’ve… maybe I… just… fine. I overreacted, OK? It’s been known to happen.”

  I have to shake my head and stifle the giggle.

  “Hundreds!” Alec says. “Now, was that so hard?”

  “Fuck you,” Danny says. He takes another drink, but only to hide his smile.

  “Can we be on the same page now, eh? Like old times?”

  Danny offers up half a nod. Still wavering on the whole us thing, I can tell. And I want this moment to be in the past. I want this talk to be over with. I want this hesitation to be history.

  I want us to be committed again. Like we were, but different.

  I want Danny to love Alec as much as he loves me. The way we love him. And sure, he gave in already, but I need to make him see that this world just isn’t the same unless all three of us are in it. In the same place. At the same time.

  So I reach for Alec’s hand and bring it to my breast. He squeezes without prompting, but I don’t stop there. I hook my finger into the waistband of his pants and tug. Make him take a step forward. And place his other hand on Danny’s chest next to mine.

  I look at Danny to gauge his reaction, but he’s calm. Looking at Alec, not me. “It’s not how I thought we’d end up,” he says.

  Alec just… shrugs. Slides his hand along Danny’s chest until he’s got it cupped over his shoulder. “Why do we have to end up anywhere?”

  Danny just huffs.

  “Why can’t we just keep traveling?”

  I know why. I see both sides.

  Traveling—for Danny, anyway—is being lost. Because he’s been adrift his whole life. He needs a home base. He craves stability. He wants… normal.

  And it’s just never gonna happen.

  So I say, “Some people get boring office jobs.” They both look down at me. “And some become international jewel thieves. And I’m not knocking the boring office job. But it’s just not for us. We are these three people.” I turn Alec a little so I can point to the tattoo on his back. “We are these lines. This,” I say, “is the shape of our love.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - DANNY

  The shape of our love.

  I’m looking at Alec when these word
s echo in my head. He’s looking back at me like… like he needs something. He’s always had that look. I’ve always felt that need. “Back in the gym that first day we met,” I say.

  “Yeah?”

  “You said you were there for me.”

  “I was.”

  “Why?” I say. “What the fuck did you ever need from me?”

  His eyes narrow a little. “Let’s start with what I didn’t need, yeah?”

  “Whatever.”

  “I didn’t need your help,” he says. “Not the way you thought. I certainly didn’t need anyone’s help stealing diamonds. Hell, I didn’t need to steal diamonds at all. That’s not why I wanted you around. And I definitely didn’t need a fourteen-year-old girl hanging about. No offense,” he says, eyes meeting Christine’s briefly before returning to me.

  “Then what the fuck was all that about? Just the thrill? The danger? What?”

  “A bit of that, I guess. But why can’t it just be about you, man? Why do you find that so hard to believe?”

  “So you wanted to fuck me?”

  “Everyone wants to fuck you, Danny.”

  Christine laughs.

  “You’re bleeding hot, bru. You’ve got everything going for you.”

  “Shit,” I say.

  “You do. More than I ever had. Not money. Obviously. I’m talking about… this… self-possession. Even before I knew you, I saw it. You walked around with a goddamn invisible sign on your chest that said, Take it or leave it. I wanted that.”

  “So you wanted me?”

  He shrugs. “What can I tell you? It’s not fokken rocket science. It’s just… attraction. Which is more of an earth science.” He winks.

  And in the moment I take to process this, his hand slides up to my neck. His fingers wrap around and grip. Just enough to make me lean forward into his space.

  I know what’s coming. And it’s not our first, so my heart shouldn’t be beating so fast.

  But it is.

  Because when his mouth finds mine I do something different.

  I don’t give in, I don’t give up, I don’t resist, and I don’t complain.

  I just… kiss him back.

  The way he wants me to. The way I’d kiss Christine if it was her, not him.

  Open mouth. Pliant lips. Probing tongue.

  Long, deep breaths in those fractional seconds when we change position. Inhaling, and exhaling. Christine’s body between us. Her arms around us, hands wandering, fingertips encouraging.

  We’ve been here before. Hell, the past two days we’ve gotten past this point a few times.

  But it feels different.

  It feels intentional. This kiss is no accident. Not a heat-of-the-moment reaction.

  It’s deliberate, and passionate, and real.

  Christine takes off her shirt. Presses her bare skin up to ours. We lean into her. Accepting her offer. And in doing that we lean into each other too. Growing closer—still kissing—growing in other ways too.

  My cock is hard when Christine’s hand finds it beneath the fabric of my jeans. She lowers herself between us and in one of those long, deep breaths I realize she’s gripping Alec’s cock through his pants too. Nimble fingers unbutton, unzip and then she pulls us both out and begins to pump her hands up and down our shafts.

  And this is when things change for me. This is when I finally see what they’ve been trying to show me all these years.

  We are a triangle. Alec one side. Me the other. And Christine, holding us all together.

  Her mouth covers the tip of my cock and I respond. Not to her, but to him. I kiss him harder, the adrenaline pumping through my body releasing the last of my irrational inhibitions.

  Everything about Alec becomes urgent in that moment. And I allow myself to experience it. To feel it. To take it all in and burn it into my memory.

  “Like that,” he says, hands reaching up to grip the sides of my head. “Just like that.”

  Christine responds by giving his cock her full attention. I miss her mouth on me, but…

  I laugh into Alec and feel him smile. Hear the unasked question. What’s funny, bru?

  Nothing’s funny.

  “I just… maybe sharing isn’t so bad.”

  Christine’s hand grips my cock tight. Urging me to step a little bit closer. And when I do, I realize she’s sending the same signal to Alec. Because our bodies angle just so, and we become the sides of the shape we make when Christine’s lips suck both of us at the same time.

  I can’t not look down. So I break away from the kiss and angle my eyes to watch.

  Her eyes are closed, but they open suddenly. Like she felt my gaze. And she stares up at me. Locked in on me, then Alec, as both cocks slide in and out of her mouth. Slick with her spit and swollen with her sucking. It’s too beautiful. Too perfect.

  I place my hand on the back of her head and push, encouraging her to take a little bit more of us. But I have an urge for more. So I pull back a little, letting Alec’s cock fill her mouth, and I make her take him deep. Push her into him. Push him into her. He kisses me again, forcing his tongue inside me, bites my lip in a sudden moment of aggressive possession.

  Or maybe he’s just trying to thank me.

  I keep Christine in place, refusing to let her back away. Making her throat muscles contract around his dick as her fist squeezes my shaft.

  Alec growls something into our kiss. Something rough that I can’t make out. But Christine moans. And that… that right there… that’s all I need. All I want—all I’ve ever wanted—was to make her happy. Satisfy her the way she has always satisfied me.

  I pull out of the kiss and Alec bends down to her, withdrawing his cock from her mouth. He wraps his hand around hers and they both jerk me off.

  “Take these off,” Alec says, referring to her panties.

  “No,” I say, making them both look up at me. “Just pull them aside. Show me her pussy.”

  “Fuck,” Alec moans. But he does it. His hand slips between her legs, pulls her panties aside and bares her wet, glistening pussy.

  I’m watching Alec’s fingers play with her clit when his tongue swipes across the tip of my cock. Little flicks, back and forth. Like my cock is a substitute for her pussy. Like he’s sucking me off and eating her out at the same time.

  I get chills. Chills like… like something special is happening.

  I reach for Christine. I want to be inside her right now. I pull her up and make her face me. Alec’s hand is still between her legs when I reach down. We meet in the middle, our fingers slick with her juice, sliding inside her at the same time.

  But it’s not enough. And my free hand reaches down behind her knee and lifts. Opening her up so I can find her opening.

  Alec is there to help me. Guiding me inside her. Pressing his chest up to her back, pushing her close to me.

  We surround her now. And the minute I’m truly inside, Alec lifts up her other leg, allowing her to wrap herself around my middle and slide even deeper inside.

  “Over there,” Alec says, pointing to the wall of glass that overlooks the lake outside. He grips my upper arm tight, leading me.

  Another time I’d take offense to that. But not right now. Right now… I like it.

  He’s desperate for her. For me. For us.

  When we reach the window he turns me around, pressing me up against the glass. It’s cold against my bare back but there’s so much heat between us, I don’t feel the chill.

  Alec looks me in the eye as he pumps his cock a few times. And then he smiles—a smile I don’t even think I recognize—as his hand dips between her legs, presses along the side of my shaft, and drags her wet desire over her asshole.

  I smile back because he’s gonna take her ass this time.

  We are gonna fill her up.

  Christine sucks in a deep breath and I know he’s already there. Pushing on her, squishing her beautiful tits into my chest. I hold her in position, bracing my back against the window, hips thrust forward a lit
tle to give him better access.

  She bucks her back, hisses out something mean, but then… then she grits her teeth and leans her head on my shoulder.

  He’s inside her. Not all the way, but I can feel him. My balls tighten with the new sensation and when he gives one more small push… “Oh, fuck yeah,” I growl. “Fuck yeah.”

  Alec is grinning. Almost laughing as we begin the double penetration dance. His hips go forward when mine go back. Mine thrust forward when he retreats.

  And it’s perfect. A goddamned ballet of fucking.

  Christine’s fingernails dig into my back. Dragging and scraping as we move back and forth. We take her from both ends. We fill her up completely.

  I watch Alec’s face. Get off on his grunts. On his grimaces. And he stares past me. Outside at the choppy lake, and low-hanging mist, and the full moon that bathes his face in a ghostly glow.

  It’s too good to last. Too perfect. Too beautiful.

  Too much.

  I feel our collective climax building as we writhe together. I feel the energy we create. I feel him, and her, and me. All three sides to make the triangle of us.

  And then it happens. Christine goes stiff. Her back straight but arched at the same time. Like she’s reaching for Heaven as she gets ready for the release. Her fingernails biting into my flesh like teeth. Her pussy contracts around my dick. Alec moans from behind, and just as I shoot my come inside her, he pulls out and spills his come all over her ass.

  This, I decide.

  This is the shape of our love.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - ALEC

  Blue is the color of the heart.

  That’s something I heard once. Believe my mother told me. It’s not true, mind you. After doing some research, I discovered that she was either wrong or simply lying. Which would be all right. I wouldn’t have cared. Everyone lies.

  But no. Inside the body, the heart is a dark, dark red that resembles blue because it’s covered by tissue and isn’t as oxygenated as the blood in one’s arteries. Once ripped outside a body, however, the heart looks bright red.

  That I can personally verify.