Primal Passion (15 page)

For several painfully arousing minutes, Price
stretched her, allowing her ample time to become accustomed to the
invasion while adding more and more lube. Finally, he withdrew and
replaced his fingers with his cock.

Time stood still as Price slowly drove his
erection in. Gunner suspected neither he nor Deni took a breath as
Price went deeper.

When he was fully lodged, Gunner sucked in
some much needed air. “Breathe, Deni.”

She lifted her head from where it lay on his
chest and looked at him. “Wow,” she whispered.

Gunner chuckled. “You can say that
again.”

“Does it hurt, Denise?”

She shook her head. “A little, but not too
much. I like it.”

Price withdrew a fraction of an inch and then
thrust back, adding some force to his action. Deni gasped.

“You still like it?”

She nodded, so Price continued to up the
ante, pulling out farther on each retreat, coming back in harder,
deeper.

Gunner picked up the pace, lifting Deni’s
hips, moving her on his cock in time with Price’s fucking. Gunner
had never felt anything so incredible.

The thin wall of tissue inside her that
separated his cock from Price’s dick seemed non-existent, and
Gunner felt like he was the one being fucked by two lovers.

The silence in the room was filled by their
quiet groans and the sounds of their flesh slapping against each
other. Sweat trickled along Gunner’s cheek. Deni’s skin grew damp
as well, making it harder for him to hold on to her. Soon passion
overrode everything, and their motions became erratic as each of
them reached for their climax.

Deni came loudly, her clenching pussy shoving
Gunner over as well. Price was two heartbeats behind them and they
tumbled together.

When Gunner opened his eyes, he realized
Price was no longer inside Deni’s ass. Price released the straps
and then tugged Deni’s boneless form to the side. Gunner caught
Price’s gaze and the other man smiled.

“Can’t decide if she fell asleep or passed
out,” Price whispered.

Gunner grinned. Deni’s head still rested on
his shoulder as Price spooned her from behind. It was midday, but
neither of them bothered to rise.

Gunner recalled Price’s admission about
participating in ménage sex. “Have you ever done that before?”

Price shook his head. “No. It felt like…”
Price’s words faded.

Gunner understood. “Like we were fucking each
other as well as her.”

Price studied Gunner’s face and then nodded.
“It was good.”

They lay in silence for several minutes, the
two of them simply looking at each other across Deni’s body.

Finally, Gunner said, “It was really
good.”

Price grinned and they both closed their
eyes. There was still so much to figure out, to uncover, to
enjoy.

Gunner couldn’t wait.

Chapter Seven

Deni looked out the window, staring at
Price’s beautifully landscaped front yard and watched the sun rise
on her fifth day at the mansion. She hadn’t left the place since
Price brought her and Gunner here from the hospital. Gunner said
her lab was still under the control of the Boston Police Department
and no amount of flashing his FBI credentials or yelling on his
part was going to get her back in, but there was a part of her that
wasn’t sure she completely believed that.

She called Curtis every day to check on him.
She’d asked to visit him a couple times, but whenever she made the
suggestion, Price and Gunner had seduced her until she forgot
everything…including her own name.

She’d spent the first few days lost in a haze
of non-stop sex. Years of abstinence had been put to rest by
nights—and days—of endless craving…and indulging. She’d fallen
under Price and Gunner’s spell, her addiction to their touches,
their kisses, too powerful to resist.

Today, she’d shaken herself free of the
enchantment. The hourglass had precious few bits of sand left to
fall and she really needed to go back to work. She hadn’t
exaggerated the time sensitivity of her research. It was time she
broke the chains of their sexual captivity.

Her gaze fell on her car. Price’s driver had
gone to pick it up from the lab and bring it back here the day
before yesterday. Roman had handed her the keys upon his return and
she’d put them in her messenger bag.

The three of them had stayed up late last
night, reaching out for each other even though their bodies had
been pushed to the limit of sheer exhaustion. Now it was early and
she suspected they’d sleep several more hours.

Good. It was time to take control of her life
back. She’d spoken to the lab director every day and he’d assured
her nothing else amiss had occurred. Obviously the lockdown was
working.

Deni grabbed her purse and jacket and quietly
let herself out of the house after disengaging the lock on the
front gate. She pressed a button and watched it swing open. Freedom
was within her grasp.

Hopefully she’d get a few hours of work in
before her overprotective lovers discovered her missing. If she
could prove to them their concerns were unfounded, perhaps they
would allow her to return to the lab again.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew they’d be pissed
off at her for leaving. But she’d also experienced their brand of
punishment. It certainly didn’t encourage her to behave. She loved
being naughty, wicked, wild. She felt like someone completely
different with Price and Gunner, and she enjoyed being this new
woman, wondering if she’d actually changed or if she’d just managed
to find the person she was meant to be all along.

She gently closed her car door and started
the engine, holding her breath lest Price and Gunner come racing
out of the front door. No one appeared, so she put the car in drive
and escaped.

Her commute took half the time as normal.
There were far fewer cars on the road at this time of the morning.
She used her fob to enter the building and headed upstairs. She
narrowed her eyes when she passed her lab, discovering no
crime-scene tape blocking her way. Her temper spiked. She knew it.
The few girly movies she’d seen said that she should be angry at
them for lying to her, but that seemed like a waste of emotion.
She’d suspected the lie and now confirmed it. In the future she’d
simply have to be more investigative with their statements.

Logic told her they believed they were
protecting her. It touched her that they cared so much about her
that they’d lie to keep her safe.

As she considered that, she re-evaluated.
Maybe she was being led by her feelings. Because right now, her
heart was telling her she was in love with Price and Gunner and
she’d forgive them anything.

She shook her head and unlocked the door to
her lab. Wow. She’d have to find time to analyze that feeling.
Right now, she needed to put everything out of her mind and settle
down to work.

She’d anticipated having at least four hours
to work before her men found her. But two hours later, she heard a
noise behind her. Anger didn’t begin to describe the fire in
Price’s eyes when he opened the door to her lab and found her
behind the counter.

She’d forgotten a hair tie, so she’d grabbed
her trusty number twos to pull her hair away from her face. Their
positions reminded her of the first time Price had stepped into her
lab. Had that really only been a week ago?

Gunner followed Price into the room, a
thunderous expression on his face.

“Hey,” she said, forcing a lightness to her
voice she hoped would calm them down. Clearly now that they could
see she was safe and sound they would relax. Hopefully.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Price
bellowed.

Deni took a small step back, a foolish
response considering there was a counter between them. “No
crime-scene tape.” Two could play the annoyed game. Besides, maybe
she could divert some of their anger by countering with a bit of
her own.

Gunner stepped around Price. Deni appreciated
his interference, his help as he placed himself between her and the
grizzly bear. At least she did until he spoke.

“Goddammit, Deni. Do you have any idea the
kind of hell you just put us through? When we woke up and found you
gone, we thought someone had kidnapped you.”

She hadn’t considered that. Price’s mansion
was more secure than Fort Knox. Plus her car had been gone. “I
guess I should have left a note.” She wasn’t used to answering to
anyone about her plans. This relationship stuff was going to take
some getting used to. While she was taking the learning curve into
account on their behalf, her lovers didn’t appear to be doing the
same.

“You think?” Price’s voice was laced with
complete and utter fury.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be so
upset. I assumed you’d wake up and realize where I was.”

Gunner ran his hand through his hair and she
took a moment to study his face. He was pale and panicked. Price
didn’t look much better.

She felt like shit. She walked around the
corner and stepped closer to them. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Gunner reached out and pulled her into his
arms, hugging her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. She received a
second’s reprieve to suck in some air when he released her. Then it
was driven away again when Price offered the same, strong
embrace.

She loved them. That realization had been
niggling at the back of her mind for days, but for the first time,
she understood that they loved her too.

She smiled when Price dropped his arms. Her
sunny expression caught them unaware as they both gave her a funny
look. She wasn’t able to put her feelings in words yet. Besides her
parents, she’d never told anyone she loved them.

“This is our fault,” Gunner said, glancing
over at Price. “You’re right, Deni. We were lying about the
crime-scene division locking down your lab. I think maybe we should
have stressed how real the danger surrounding you is.”

Gunner walked over to her laptop and produced
a flash drive from his pocket.

Price frowned. “Gunner, I thought—”

“No. She has a right to know what she’s up
against. Maybe if we’d told her from the beginning, this morning’s
nightmare wouldn’t have happened.”

Deni walked over to the computer. Gunner
clicked a few keys and pulled up a file marked Top Secret. “We
think you’re being targeted by a very dangerous man.”

Deni saw a picture of the Reverend, the man
who’d engaged her in a rather heated debate, flash on to the
screen. “That’s him. The Reverend. But I thought he was just a
suspect?”

Gunner shrugged. “He’s our number one
suspect, and my gut says he’s the guy. His real name is James
Leopold.”

“Ordained?” she asked.

Gunner shook his head. “Not in any church we
can find.”

“I knew it.”

Gunner used the mouse to scroll down the
screen, revealing more information. “Apparently the Reverend James
Leopold believes himself to be a prophet, a precursor to the
arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He is offering
human kind their last chance for salvation.”

“You’re kidding?” Deni asked. “He’s a nut
job.”

“Scoff if you want, but this man has amassed
quite a following, a devout congregation willing to clean up
society according to his dictates. He had a rather lengthy agenda
until the two of you had your run-in at the Boston Public Library.
Since then, he’s decided that the root of all evil stems from your
research, pardon the pun. And you are the devil in disguise. He’s
become fixated on you.”

Price leaned forward. “Prior to your lecture
at the library, his followers had been arrested for causing
disturbances outside abortion clinics. They had pissed off a slew
of people when they picketed a gay rights assembly and protested at
the funeral of several soldiers who’d been killed in the line of
duty. They were a menace and their actions targeted quite a few
groups. Now the man has narrowed his agenda. You.”

“Who would follow someone so unhinged?”

Price tilted his head. “Unfortunately what
the Reverend lacks in intelligence, he makes up for in
public-speaking skills. He’s quite the persuasive orator. According
to my source, Leopold could talk a starving man into giving up his
last breadcrumb.”

Deni wasn’t impressed. “So what am I supposed
to do? Hide in your mansion until he forgets about me? If he’s as
crazy as you say, that could take quite a long time.”

Gunner tapped his fingers on the desk, a sure
sign that he was frustrated. “For right now, we play the legal
game. I’ve filed for a restraining order. He can’t call or come
near you. He’s forbidden from making any contact with you at
all.”

“Terrific, but I haven’t seen him since the
disturbance at my lecture.”

Price crossed his arms. “We believe he’s
fueling the anger against you among his congregation. You said the
harassing phone calls were from a woman, right?”

She nodded.

Gunner clicked off one file and opened
another. “The FBI lifted some prints from the bomb and on other
items in your apartment. They ran them through the computer and
came up with two matches late yesterday. Agent Young emailed me
this information last night.” Gunner showed her the picture of a
man and woman.

“I’ve never seen those people before in my
life.”

“Yeah. We figured as much. They’re a married
couple and members of the Reverend’s church. The FBI is picking
them up today for questioning. We’re hoping they’ll say they were
acting under the Reverend’s orders.”

Price grunted. “I wouldn’t hold my breath on
that.”

Deni agreed. “They won’t sell him out if they
genuinely believe that he’s offering them salvation.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Agent Young can be very
persuasive. We’ll just have to see if they value their freedom over
the saving of their souls. Plea bargains can be very tempting when
threatened by years of incarceration.”