Three Way, the Novel (17 page)

“Oh Margot, sweetheart,” Quinn said and brushed my hair off my face. “Are you okay? Did you break anything?”

I finally found my voice even though it was tiny and barely perceptible above the sound of the blood rushing through my head as I was upright again. “I think…I might be okay. I don’t feel anything broken.”

“Take my jacket, you’re shivering,” Ryker said and removed his leather coat. He draped it over me while Quinn still held me tight. The rain had slowed down but I still felt cold to my very core.

“How did you find me?” I rasped as Quinn carried me out and Ryker held the flashlight to help us find out way.

“Your phone,” Ryker told me. “We used that tracking app to find you.”

“What tracking app?” I asked.

“Oh,” he said, “I meant to tell you. When I was deep undercover I decided to keep track in case I lost you.”

I felt like I should have been mad but at that moment I didn’t care. His tracking app had saved my life.

“Thank god my brother is a controlling fucker,” Quinn chuckled and squeezed me tighter. “Without that we never would have thought to come up here.”

“I could hear you calling and calling but I couldn’t reach my phone,” I said with a trembling voice.

With one last struggling step Quinn walked me over the last edge of the embankment and we were on the road. I glanced back down and Ryker followed right behind us.

There was a swath of broken bushes and torn up dirt from where I’d gone over the edge.

The gravity of my situation hit me then and I started to cry again. Quinn let Ryker take me from him as we walked down the road a ways to where they’d parked Quinn’s car.

They helped me into the front seat and Ryker pulled out his phone. He punched in the emergency number and reported the accident.

“We’ll drive you to the hospital,” Quinn said. “We can make it faster than the ambulance.”

He started the car and we slowly turned around and picked up speed as we headed back towards the city.

I rested my head against Ryker’s shoulder and let myself watch the road slip under the front of the car until I felt hypnotized and sleepy again.

It took no time at all before we pulled in front of the hospital and Quinn jumped out of the car.

“Come on, kitten,” Ryker said and helped me out while Quinn waited. Quinn picked me up in his arms and carried me to the sliding doors.

“She needs help!” Ryker called out and we were immediately surrounded by medical staff. I was whisked away into a room of my own and was once again reminded of how money and influence makes life easier.

I felt completely detached from my body as the doctor and nurses began to examine me. I closed my eyes and let myself sink down into the twilight behind my eyes.

***

I didn’t know how much time went by but it felt like I floated on a cloud of blissful unawareness. I slowly began to return to the surface of consciousness and heard voices around me.

“Is she awake?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re sitting right next to her, dude.”

“She might be. Margot?”

I tried to open my eyes but couldn’t. It felt as though they were glued together so I tried again but didn’t manage it.

“She is,” Quinn’s voice floated into my ears.

“Margot,” Ryker called out, his concern was evident and I wanted to tell them I was okay.

But I couldn’t. I tried but I couldn’t.

“Did she open her eyes?” Ryker demanded.

Quinn’s voice was closer, right next to me. “She’s trying. Margot, sweetheart…can you hear me?”

I felt him take my hand in his and I forced every ounce of energy into my eyelids and managed to crack them open.

“Hey,” I said in a hoarse, dry voice.

“She’s awake!” Ryker exclaimed and joined Quinn at my side. “Kitten, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I croaked. “What happened?”

“You were in an accident,” Quinn told me, “you hit your head and have a mild concussion. Other than that, you’re going to be just fine.”

“What about the…” my voice trailed off, I was unable to continue the horrific thought about the baby.

“The baby is fine,” Ryker said quickly. “Well, the peanut. It’s pretty tiny right now, just a little tiny speck on the ultrasound.”

“You got to see it?” I asked.

“We both did,” Quinn replied and took my hand. “It looks just like Ryker with his big round head and all.”

I laughed and opened my eyes fully. “You guys are identical, you know that right?”

Quinn grinned and said, “Not exactly. I’m obviously much better looking.”

“In your own head maybe,” Ryker quipped, “you lack my obvious charms of course.”

I laughed again and brought my hand to my forehead. “Ouch, I can’t laugh that hard you guys.”

“Geeze, Margot, we’re idiots,” Quinn said and leaned towards me with fear in his eyes. “I was just so relieved to see you awake I think I forgot myself.”

“Me too, kitten,” Ryker added and put his hand on my stomach. “Thank god you’re okay though.”

“How did you find me?” I asked.

They glanced at each other. “You don’t remember?” Ryker asked.

“What happened?” I asked. “I can’t remember anything after talking about the pregnancy. You guys were being jerks about it and then it all goes blank. Were we in an accident?”

They glanced at each other again and this time I saw the look of concern pass between them.

“What’s going on?” I asked and this grey fog of confusion snaked into my head and settled in the recesses of my memory. I struggled to find their names even, or what my relationship was with them, but I failed. “Who are you and why am I here?”

I felt a click inside my head and lost all connection to everything in the room, including myself.

“Go get the doctor,” the man nearest me said in a low, concerned tone.

The man who looked exactly like him but with longer hair and colorful patterns on his arms stood up and left the room.

“You’re going to be okay, Margot,” the man next to me said and stroked my forehead. “You’re going to be okay.”

It felt nice and I closed my eyes to enjoy the sensation of his touch. “Who’s Margot?” I asked as the darkness took me again.

Chapter Twenty Seven

It was a confusing and anxiety inducing time in the hospital. The doctor had used words like retrograde amnesia and traumatic brain injury but I actually felt quite good physically.

The problem was that I couldn’t remember a thing about my life or the men I was supposed to be dating.

Two men at once, I could hardly believe it. I wasn’t entirely sure about how I’d been before meeting Quinn and Ryker, but I had a feeling I wasn’t exactly the two men at once kind of girl.

And pregnant. That was a shock to me. The doctors determined that swelling in my brain had cause memory loss, which is why I apparently came out of the initial accident with no issues. As the brain swelled, my memory diminished.

The hope was that as my brain went back to normal, my memory would follow suit and I would recall everything that had happened in my life.

They kept me in the hospital for a few days and sent me home with the guys to recover fully.

Leaving the hospital was strange, I felt a little shaky when we walked to a long, black car parked in front. The driver jumped out and opened the door for us, Quinn and Ryker helped me in the backseat and I settled down for the drive home.

I was only shaky because of nerves, not because of any weakness.

I’d been getting snatches of memory back ever since that morning but hadn’t wanted to tell them about it because none of it included either one of them yet.

They might be big, muscled men but they were softies at heart. I didn’t need to be in love with them to tell that, I could see it a mile away.

“How are you feeling?” Quinn asked as he sat on one side of me.

“Can we get you anything?” Ryker asked, taking the other side of the seat. “Should we stop for water? Something to eat? Are you hungry? Is the baby hungry?”

I laughed and took their hands in mine. “I’m fine and the baby’s fine. I mean I assume the baby’s fine, it’s still too small to tell.”

“Is something wrong with the baby?” Quinn asked, squeezing my hand tightly.

“Guys, lighten up,” I smiled. “I’m fine and I’m getting better, that’s all that matters.”

“It is,” Quinn said and kissed my cheek. I was slowly getting my memory back with each touch and each kiss from the twins. Every time they showed me tenderness I could feel small pieces of myself returning.

“When I thought we’d lost you I realized something very important,” Ryker said and leaned towards me, placing his hand on my other cheek.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“You’re all that matters to me. To us. If you’re not happy then I’m not happy,” he said, staring deeply into my eyes. I had a sudden flash of them fighting over me and me demanding love from both twins. I blushed at the image and wondered how I could have ever been so bold.

“We’re prepared to be together,” Quinn added. “In whatever way makes you happy.”

“I don’t know what I want now,” I said with a huge sigh. “I need to figure out who I am again.”

“We’re here to help,” Ryker said, “no matter what it takes, we’ll do it.”

“The doctors said everything should come back to you once you’re home and in your regular routine. We’ll trigger your memories, sweetheart, I promise,” Quinn told me.

He and Ryker exchanged a look that melted my insides; it was one of heat and promise, as if they’d been planning to take me together all along.

“I want to be with both of you, don’t I?” I asked as things began to come back to me. That sense of need that had caused me to ache until they’d both given in and given me what I desired.

“That’s for you to rediscover, kitten,” Ryker told me with a wicked little grin that made my knees feel weak and my core heat up like lava.

“I think I’ll enjoy that,” I replied and bit my lower lip in anticipation.

As if on cue they began to kiss my shoulders, brushing my hair back and licking their way up my neck and throat on either side.

I moaned and tilted my head back, exposing more of my sensitive flesh to their eager mouths.

It was strange how disconnected I felt at times, but just then I felt completely present in my body. Every touch, every noise they made, every waft of their musky scent in my nose, they way they made me tremble with need…all of it anchored me firmly in place and helped me slowly take control of my own memories again.

“Oh god, I think I do want you both,” I purred and ran my hands through their hair and up and down their twin muscled, broad backs. I could feel their muscled ripple and work under the fabric of their shirts, their bodies were magnificent and I could completely understand my lust for them both.

I could also understand my love for them as well. I had small flashes of my short time with them. We’d all fallen in love together so quickly and I had a feeling I wasn’t that kind of girl either, but loving them was as inevitable as taking my next breath or watching my next sunrise.

It was because it just made sense.

Not being with them was the strange feeling by then, not giving into my love and lust would feel like an insult to the life that had given it to us.

The car pulled up in front of a huge mansion and I had a surge of memory race through me. I could recall the first time I’d seen the place, the first time I’d been with Ryker here, and the first time I’d met Quinn in such a humorous way.

“I remember this place,” I said breathlessly. “I remember so much here.”

“We’ll make many more memories too,” Ryker rasped and gently nipped my collarbone with his teeth.

“There’s plenty of time for that,” Quinn added and kissed my ear, letting his hot breath send shivers down my spine.

They were right and I couldn’t wait to get started.

***

It seemed as though my lust was greater than my energy that day. By the time the guys had carried me upstairs to our shared master bedroom, I was ready for a nap more than I was ready for a good time.

They were amazing about it and that’s part of the reason I knew love held more power than desire with the three of us. The simple fact that they cared more about my health and comfort than getting down and dirty with me meant the world to me.

These two incredible men weren’t using me; I was being loved. And it felt damned good.

I could also feel my memories just under the surface of my brain, like little fish flashing near the surface of a pond. They would give a brief glimpse and disappear into the depths before I could catch them and hang on tightly.

I let them tuck me into the massive bed and kiss my forehead as I slipped into a deep slumber.

I didn’t know how long I’d slept but I woke up feeling amazingly refreshed.

And almost completely in tact, memory wise. At least for the first twenty or so years of my life.

I could remember growing up and like I thought, I was kind of a prude. I’d always wanted to settle down with a nice guy and have a family to raise together. I’d stay at home with the kids while he earned the bread and butter and we’d be happily in love forever.

Boy had I gone off the rails somewhere with that wish. It wasn’t like I thought I couldn’t raise a family with Ryker and Quinn, obviously that was going to happen given my current condition. It’s just that being with both of them was completely opposite of what I’d always wanted.

But man did I want it now. I supposed sometimes we didn’t get what we wanted, but we got what was exactly perfect for us.

I might have grown tired of one man day in and day out, or maybe I craved more than what a single person could give me, either way I knew being with Ryker and Quinn was exactly where I needed to be.

I sat up in bed and looked around the room, trying to fill in the rest of the time that was still fuzzy. I vaguely remembered meeting Ryker, and of course the first time I met Quinn, but I couldn’t quite recall how we’d ended up all together in our unconventional relationship.