Lindsey's Rescue: A World Beyond Book 3 (15 page)

Chapter 22

The door to Zadal’s office burst open. He knew who it would be before looking up. After weeks of casual hints, he gave up. Some things his wife would never grasp—like closed doors. He didn’t have the heart to lock them against her.

“I’m a success,” Lindsey cheered, dancing her way in as she used her hip to close the door behind her.

As usual he couldn’t fathom what she was talking about. “You’re a success?”

“Yes.” When she plopped into a chair and kicked her feet up on the corner of his desk he hid his wince.

The move caused her skirt to slide up to her hips, revealing a toned thigh and if he looked closer, red underwear. Zadal pretended to focus on his holo screen not wanting her to sense his pleasure during these office invasions as he called them when her chaotic presence disrupted his orderly day. “Tell me about your success.”

Lindsey leaned forward a bit and the cut of her dress pressed her breasts against the material. “You have to put on the gossip vids. Did you know Caris has a show like that Qual guy?”

She had his full attention. Zadal stopped feigning interest in work and focused on her face. He tried to read beyond her smile but no tears gleamed in her blue eyes. “Caris did a report on you?”

Lindsey nodded and fiddled with the gold bracelet Baruk had given her as a belated birthday present. “We talked at the last party. But it’s not just her. I’m everywhere.”

Unlike the day she discovered Qual Commes negative campaign, Lindsey didn’t seem upset. Zadal engaged his holo and pulled up a channel he never used. He watched for a few seconds as a highlight reel flashed images of Lindsey in various dresses from past parties. Stolen shots no doubt. Each one showed his wife laughing or smiling.

Zadal leaned closer and flicked his finger to scroll through the feed at the bottom. Lindsey’s feet hit the floor and she came around his desk, bumping him with her hip. He leaned back in his chair and Lindsey plopped onto his lap without hesitation. This too was familiar when she interrupted his work. There was no resisting Lindsey’s brand of affection and Zadal didn’t want to.

“It’s all about me.” Her voice crackled with excitement.

It was more than that, Zadal noted. Caris extolled Lindsey’s virtue and how pleasant the Senate Leaders’ Triad wife was. She cited small snippets of conversation and based on the slant of the articles, the anecdotes made Lindsey shine.

Lindsey tipped her chin up as she faced him over her shoulder. “What do you think?”

Her happiness spilled over. “I think this is good.”

It was very good since he and Baruk believed Qual’s smear campaign had fostered a lot of the negativity Lindsey had received at their parties.

An image of Zadal from the party with Baruk’s family appeared on the screen next.
Smiling
. Lindsey chuckled. “She made you look good, too.”

Zadal didn’t care how the public viewed him. He cared about the fact this made Lindsey happy. Giving in to temptation, he buried his face in the loose hair about her shoulders and nuzzled his way to the bare skin of her neck.

She squealed and twisted on his lap. “Zadal! Pay attention. This is huge.”

“Mmmm.” The news lost its importance with Lindsey squirming on his lap. He kissed the erratic pulse at the side of her throat and the door to his office burst open.

Zadal wrapped his arms around Lindsey, spinning his back to the door in order to protect her. Mala came in followed by Baruk.

“Please don’t knock,” Zadal said sardonically, loosening his hold on Lindsey as his heart settled.

“I’ve received non-stop invitations for Lindsey to attend parties from every major head of importance on Garulax.” Mala’s excitement pulsed around her as she made the announcement.

Lindsey stiffened in his arms and wailed, “Nooo! No more parties.”

Zadal’s laughter caught him off guard and Baruk joined in. Only Mala frowned at the three of them. “This is what you wanted, Lindsey.”

Lindsey looped her arms around Zadal’s neck. “No. I didn’t want to ruin anything for my husbands, which is what Qual was doing with his negative lies. I’m not interested in going to any functions unless absolutely necessary.”

Zadal checked Mala’s disappointed expression and snorted. “Baruk promised her.”

Mala turned her glare on Baruk.

He shrugged. “I did promise.”

She huffed. “Fine. I’ll go to my office and refuse all seventeen invites and who knows how many more.”

They all stared as Mala stomped out of the office.

Baruk sighed. “I better go and smooth her ruffled feathers.”

He followed her out, leaving Zadal alone with Lindsey. She eased her hold about his neck. “This makes going to all the parties worth it. Even after you ignored me at the first one when I got sick.”

Zadal hated remembering Lindsey’s illness but her words made no sense. She slid from his lap. He missed her slight weight immediately but what she said required he push back his constant attraction for her.

“I’ve never ignored you.”

“Yes, you did.”

Despite his need to stay calm, his voice hardened slightly. “When? Tell me when I’ve ignored you, Lindsey.”

Lindsey shook her head. “Are you serious?”

“I’m very serious.”

“Fine.” She pushed at his thighs and made herself comfortable on the center of his desk right in the middle of his work. Zadal winced at the crumpled papers and ignored the pang of emptiness from having her move from his arms. “The night of the first party.”

Zadal searched his thoughts. He’d been very attentive aside from missing how ill she was during the beginning of their marriage. Did she still blame him? His next words came out stiff. “I’m sorry Baruk and I didn’t notice you were sick that night.”

“That’s not possible, Zadal. When the translator started to really burn before I came downstairs I asked Zumei if he could send you to me but he said you told him no.”

His brow lifted. This was news to him. “You told Zumei that you were ill?”

“Yes.”

Zadal gripped her thighs and leaned forward. “You’re sure, Lindsey. Think carefully.”

 “I’m sure, Z. I was annoyed with you.” She chewed her bottom lip.

He released her legs and shoved to his feet. “I’ll kill him.”

“You can’t!” Lindsey jumped up and tried to block him.

Zadal gripped her by the shoulders and moved her to the side. His long strides took him to the door. He whipped it open, thinking with pleasure how he planned to tear Zumei apart with his bare hands. This was it. The one thing he would not let go.

“Zadal! Please!”

The desperation in Lindsey plea stopped him in the hall. Zadal froze, his hands opening and closing as frustration snapped at his heels.

“Don’t ask me not to talk with Zumei, Lindsey.”

He was close to doing anything his wife asked of him. She had him wrapped about her finger without trying.

Lindsey came around to the front of him, nibbling the corner of her bottom lip. “I don’t need more trouble. Things are finally starting to settle. Can’t we leave this be?”

“No,” Zadal snapped. He wanted to put his hands around his first assistant’s throat and squeeze the life from him slowly.

Lindsey’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you!”

With one last look of hurt, she ran from the room but not before he caught the glimmer of tears in her eyes.

Zadal cursed long and low then slammed his palm on the open door to his office.   

“I can’t imagine what you possibly could have done that fast.”

Zadal turned to find Baruk watching him. This was Baruk’s fault. Zadal wasn’t sure how but it felt good to blame him.

“What did you do?” Baruk asked.

Zadal tipped his head back and breathed out roughly. “I hate you, Baruk.”

The other man only laughed “You’ll get over it.”

“Where?” Zadal didn’t bother saying more.

“She ran upstairs seconds after you both finished yelling.”

Zadal glared at his spouse partner, the urge to punch his face almost winning.

“Why don’t you just admit it?”

Zadal stiffened, wariness replacing his concern for Lindsey. “Admit what?”

Baruk cocked his head to the side. “That you care about her.”

Chapter 23

Lindsey slammed the door to her room and closed the doors to her balcony with a brisk snap. The resounding smacks resounded throughout the room. She kicked at a pair of heels she’d forgotten to put away and called Zadal every name she could think of. Some more than once.

He was being ridiculous. Stubborn. She didn’t care about whether Zumei lied or not. What she cared about was making an enemy of the man.

“Hard-headed oaf,” she muttered for good measure.

The click of the latch behind her had her spinning around and the reason for her annoyance walked in as calm as you please.

“We should talk,” Zadal said.

It was an order cloaked in a quiet façade of pleasantry. Like the man himself. He came off controlled and sweet but another side of him lurked beneath the civilized veneer.

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about, Zadal.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot.

His gaze dropped to her feet before rising back to her face, only this time he smirked. Lindsey growled, dropping her hands to her side. “What do you want?”

He slid his hands into the pockets of his grey colored pants, the shift drawing attention to the bulge between his masculine thighs. “If Zumei lied about me, it’s a serious transgression. Especially in light of how ill you were, Lindsey. Baruk and I could have lost you.”

She understood that. If anything, it made her want to smack the man herself but Zadal’s actions wouldn’t be so simple. “What are you going to do?”

“Fire him,” came his instant response.

Lindsey stilled. “You can’t. He’ll blame me.”

Zadal’s gaze darkened and all humor fled. “This isn’t like the situation with Pollan. I won’t keep him on and if he dares touch you, I won’t show the restraint I’m managing now.”

She shivered, hearing the underlying threat in his words. Things would not go well for Zumei.

“Can’t he have a second chance?” Why she cared, Lindsey didn’t know. Perhaps it stemmed from her desire to avoid more confrontation in their household. Why couldn’t she catch a break? The day had started out wonderful with the positive shows from Caris.

“Lindsey, Zumei’s treatment of you, his lie when you were deathly ill are the last chances I would ever give someone.”

Frustrated yet knowing he wouldn’t bend on this, Lindsey fled her room intent on being alone to handle the myriad emotions bubbling to the surface. This was one more strike against her and her inability to make her new life a success.

Lindsey only made it to the hall, before Zadal gripped her wrist and stopped her manic flight. She blinked back tears and gazed back at him in defiance. Expecting him to argue or to blow her off with more of his reasons, Zadal caught her off guard when his free hand caressed her cheek.

“I know you’re angry right now and I’m sorry for that but I hope you’ll eventually accept it’s the right thing to do.”

His gaze smoldered. Lindsey gulped. “I don’t want to be the catalyst for his leaving.”

“This was a long time coming. You aren’t to blame.” Zadal looped his other hand through the end of her pony tail, tightening his grip until her neck arched back.

Lindsey licked her lips as he leaned into her and both of them fell into the wall behind her. It didn’t stop Zadal. He brushed his mouth against her lips. “I can’t resist you. I don’t want to.”

His hand slid up her thigh, pushing her dress along the way until he bared her to his gaze. Today’s underwear selection consisted of a red thong held together with black bows on the sides. Zadal released her hair and ripped them from her.

Lindsey gasped as he hefted her leg around his waist and loosened the clasp of his pants. They dropped around his hips and he pulled out his erect shaft. She swallowed and said, “If this is your way of ending a conversation, I like it.”

Zadal snorted before gliding the tip back and forth over the growing wetness between her thighs. His stare contained a mix of longing and fear. Weary apprehension skittered down her back. “The conversation
was
over.”

Light headed, she could only stare as he eased in with a firm rocking motion. “We should talk about your high handed habits.”

His grunt defined his feelings on her statement then Lindsey lost all interest in arguing as he gripped her hips and held her steady for his smooth thrusts.

“The time for talk is gone. I want to feel you wrapped around me, sink into your warmth and absorb the tremors of your body as you come for me.”

The deep timbre of his voice left her shivering.          

***

Baruk waited what he considered an appropriate amount of time before heading upstairs to check on them. In the hall outside Lindsey’s room, Zadal had her pinned to the wall, pants gaping around his hips and Lindsey’s skirts shoved to her waist.

His mouth took savage possession of hers and Baruk swore he could almost smell the sex pouring from them.

Lindsey arched her neck back and cried out. Zadal’s hips powered forth, his grunts in time with each thrust as he slammed her back against the wall.

“Please, Z,” she moaned, the sound sending Baruk’s staff to full hard on.

“Let me give this to you. Take everything I have right now, Lindsey. Because it’s all I have to offer.”

How wrong his spouse partner was.

Slender thighs climbed Zadal’s waist, Lindsey’s hands clawing at his back. Baruk kept his gaze on the two of them and fisted his aching length. He wouldn’t interrupt but he planned to watch. This was for Zadal. He needed the affirmation that Lindsey was his too. That he deserved her affection and nothing Baruk said would convince him of the fact.

Lindsey head tipped back, exposing her expression. Pure lust. Baruk palmed his stiffening length and stroked, breaths sawing from his lungs in rapid pants.

Zadal cupped her bottom and shifted, all without stopping. Lindsey’s moans rolled non-stop from her throat.

“Fuck. Fuck. You’re so tight. Don’t want to hurt you.”

“It doesn’t hurt. Don’t stop, Z.”

Their movements sped up until Lindsey screamed her release. Zadal groaned, his forehead falling to the wall by her shoulders. He gasped, body shuddering. Baruk tried to muffle his low grunt as he fell back into the wall further down from them and spurt inside his pants.

Both jerked in his direction, Zadal’s arms twisting to hide Lindsey behind his large frame. Zadal’s eyes widened in shock then embarrassment as his cheeks flushed.

Lindsey’s mouth opened and closed then to Baruk’s surprise her rich laughter rang out. “Baruk. Didn’t know you were there. Should we eat lunch now or later?”

Baruk tried to spend a portion of his day with Lindsey and they typically ended up seated across one another for the mid-day meal.

But lingering passion glittered in her soft blue eyes. One leg dangled around Zadal’s hips the other stretched down to the floor, toes barely touching. Food was the last thing on his mind.

“Later. We’ll eat much later,” he answered, taking a step in their direction as his arousal surged forth.

To his amazement he was rock hard again. His gaze met Zadal’s and the other man nodded. Zadal allowed Lindsey to gain her feet and Baruk followed them back into her bedroom. Zadal eased her onto the mattress while pulling her dress over her head and slinging it to the floor. Baruk approached from the bottom and knelt between Lindsey’s parted thighs.

She lifted her head, a teasing smile on her face. His heart clenched. Telling Zadal to admit his feelings was advice he needed to heed as well. The emotions burrowing into his chest swelled with the need to pour free but for some reason, Baruk held back the words.

He fingered Lindsey’s wet center. She jerked, mouth falling open on a moan. Baruk spread her legs wider to get a clear view. Swollen and plump with her recent climax, her folds continued to leak her pleasure. He swiped his thumb through the trail clinging to the short gold curls and Lindsey twisted atop the covers. Zadal fondled her breasts, pinching and plucking her reddened nipples.

Baruk groaned and bowed over the feast displayed in front of him. His mouth covered the protruding nub as he delicately licked at her to test her sensitivity.

Lindsey hissed and her hands came down, grabbing his face to her core. “Yes, lick me. Taste me, Baruk.”

He did much more and soon Lindsey’s chants and pleas rang out. Baruk removed his clothes and returned to the bed. He held her trembling limbs aloft and entered her with a deep groan. Lindsey’s arms came up around his shoulders to pull him close.

Zadal stepped back and undressed. Baruk concentrated on Lindsey, the flush on her cheeks and each panting breath.

“Yes. Take it.” He swiveled his hips and slammed back in. She tightened like a vise and Baruk’s eyes narrowed.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled out and turned until he lay on his back, bringing Lindsey atop him. Her glazed eyes glanced around in confusion. Zadal didn’t hesitate and climbed into the bed, taking up position behind her. Baruk lifted Lindsey and lowered her inch by tantalizing inch onto his throbbing erection.

“Baruk!” she screamed.

“I’ll take care of you,” Baruk promised, keeping his gaze steady on hers as Zadal prepared her from behind.

This was long in coming and he couldn’t wait for the intense pleasure that would ensnare all of them when they were finally joined as one. Baruk knew the moment Lindsey realized what Zadal planned. She stiffened and started to turn her head.

Baruk gripped her waist. “Easy. We want to share this with you. The true way a Garulaxan couple come together.”

Panic flashed briefly in her blue depths and she no longer rocked her hips against him. Baruk worried she wasn’t ready. Perhaps they should wait. He met Zadal’s gaze and the other man kissed Lindsey’s shoulder before speaking.

“Do you trust us?” Zadal asked.

“Of course.”

Baruk sensed the truth of her words as she relaxed in his arms, her nails no longer digging into his shoulders.

“Then relax,” Zadal murmured and to Baruk’s surprise, she did.

Lindsey leaned forward, her gaze on his. “Hold me, Baruk.”

“Always, wife.”

Her lids lowered as she sank lower on his shaft. A frown pinched her brow when Zadal pressed closer but she didn’t look away from Baruk.

“Easy. Nice and slow.” Baruk cupped the heavy weight of her swaying breasts and squeezed, pushing them close and easing back then repeating the motion.

Lindsey’s head tipped back, blonde hair falling about her shoulders. Her core clenched on him and Baruk knew his spouse partner was gentling her with his penetration from behind.

“Zadal,” she moaned.

The pressure on his lower region tightened but Baruk kept teasing Lindsey with gentle caresses and encouraging words until Zadal cursed.

“Tight and good, Lindsey. You feel incredible taking both of us,” Zadal said in a harsh rasp.

Baruk rocked Lindsey between them, in sync with Zadal. Her eyes grew glassy, her moans continuous and soon she cried out begging for relief. Baruk strained to hold back his release.

***

To his disbelief it happened again. Zadal clenched his fist in the sheets and exploded, shooting into Lindsey’s quivering hole as her rear muscles milked him. Baruk’s neck strained, veins popping against the tanned skin and soon he too cried out, hips pumping.

Zadal massaged Lindsey’s plump butt cheeks, waiting for the tight muscles and inner rings to loosen. He trailed kisses over her shoulder, inhaling the lingering scent of her arousal and their combined pleasure.

“That,” she gasped, “was amazing.”

Baruk chuckled. Zadal took a chance and withdrew carefully. Lindsey slumped fully onto Baruk and groaned. Zadal collapsed beside them.

Baruk pulled out immediately, staff glistening and rolled Lindsey to her back to slide his hands between her thighs.

“I can’t. I’m good for one. One and done. That’s me,” she mumbled, not bothering to open her eyes.

Zadal bit his inner cheek, fighting a grin at her punchy comments. Baruk’s fingers continued their merciless torture and Lindsey arched from the bed, torso twisting, legs splayed wide despite her words. She called out their names and came again, the juices flowing from between her thighs and covering Baruk’s hand in the sticky texture.

Running his palms down her back, Zadal murmured, “Now you’re done.”

He vaguely heard Baruk shut off the lights and climb back in the bed on the other side.

“I should go,” Zadal offered. He didn’t want to leave. Holding Lindsey while he slept provided him with some of the best nights sleep ever the few times he allowed himself to forget to return to his room. No worry or fears of not being good enough haunted his dreams. He didn’t want to give that up.

Lindsey turned from Baruk and rolled into him, arms curling over his shoulders. “No,” she mumbled.

“Let her sleep, Zadal,” Baruk said, shifting on his side.

Another moment and the two breathed evenly, deep asleep. Zadal relaxed. Maybe he’d stay a little longer. When he thought no one would notice, he’d ease out to his room down the hall.