Page 39

I scream. A loud, shameless cry of pure relief tears out of my throat. My internal muscles clamp around his thick length. The sensation defies logic. Jax fills me completely, and the knowledge that Ari is simultaneously filling Jax creates a depraved, intoxicating connection.

Jax dictates the pace. He drives into my body, and the impact forces him back onto Ari. We move in synchronized waves. The rhythm connects all three of us. Jax’s weight pins me to the mattress. His hand wraps around my throat, fingers pressing lightly against my frantic pulse.

“Do not hold back,” Jax growls over his shoulder. “Lose control, Ari.”

Ari’s thrusts turn desperate. The reluctance vanishes, replaced by a raw, starving need. He makes broken, needy sounds with every forward motion. His Viper armor disintegrates on the silk sheets. The society playboy burns away, leaving only a desperate man seeking release from a master who grants it.

My arousal skyrockets. Jax knows every sensitive nerve in my body. He slides his thumb down to my clit, applying a harsh, rhythmic friction. I thrash beneath him. My vision spots with white light. Each thrust from Ari drives Jax deeper into me, breaking the rhythm.

“Please,” I gasp, clawing at his broad shoulders. “Let me come.”

“Not yet.” Jax tightens his grip on my throat. His voice strains with his own building pleasure. “Wait for the command. Both of you.”

“I am going to spill,” Ari chokes out behind him, his breathing completely fractured. “I cannot wait.”

“Hold it.” Jax pounds into me with ruthless force. “Your orgasms belong to me. You exist for my gratification.”

The degradation sends my pleasure spiraling higher. The total loss of autonomy acts like a potent drug. I teeter on the absolute edge of a shattering release. My thighs tremble. I need his verbal permission more than I need oxygen. Aurora would burn this house to the foundation if she saw me begging like a dog for a climax. I no longer care. Aurora does not understand the peace found in total surrender.

Jax rides the sharp line between my heat and Ari’s frantic thrusts. The vulnerability amplifies his dominance.

“Now.” The word tears out of Jax’s throat. “Come for me.”

The permission breaks the dam. I scream again, my body convulsing in violent, crashing waves. I clench around him, milking every drop of sensation from his thick cock. Behind Jax, Ari lets out a devastated roar. The operative spills his release, filling his captor. Jax drives into me one final time. He groans loud and harsh, emptying himself deep inside me.

We collapse into a tangled pile of sweating limbs. The connection hums through the heavy air. Ari pulls out first. He scrambles to the far edge of the mattress and buries his face in his hands. Jax remains buried inside me for a long moment. He absorbs my fading tremors. When he finally withdraws, a whine of protest escapes my lips. I hate the empty space he leaves behind.

Jax shifts his weight. He pulls my back flush against his chest. He reaches across the mattress and grabs Ari’s wrist. He drags the operative back into the center of the bed. Ari resists for a heartbeat, then goes limp. Jax positions Ari against his back. We sandwich our captor, claimed and branded under the fading yellow glow of the lamp.

“This is your reality now.” Jax speaks into the dark room. His chest heaves against my spine. “Mine. Bound together through me. You find your purpose in serving my desires. This is your home. You will never crave a single thing beyond these walls.”

I press my skin tighter against his solid warmth. A deep contentment settles over me. The jealousy is completely eradicated. We belong to him in different ways, and the connection makes perfect sense. I listen to Ari’s ragged breathing on the other side of Jax’s body. We are a sick, twisted family forged in the fires of psychological conditioning.

“You performed perfectly, Ari.” Jax reaches over his shoulder and strokes the operative’s damp hair. The touch carries terrifying gentleness. “You gave me exactly what I demanded.”

Ari’s breathing hitches. Then, the tension bleeds out of his muscles. The conditioning takes root right before my eyes. The praise works its dark magic, offering comfort in exchange for total capitulation. His mind wages a final, dying war, but his body accepts the truth. Pleasing Jax brings relief. Obeying Jax brings comfort.

Exhaustion pulls me under. I close my eyes. We lie tangled in the shadows. Jax acts as the dark sun we both orbit. I feel safe. Claimed. Whole. Ari remains awake a fraction longer, the silence of the room broken only by his uneven exhales. The fight is over. Tomorrow the cycle repeats. The cage shrinks until it perfectly matches the shape of our hearts.

14

JAX

The pre-dawn darkness presses against the reinforced glass of my study. The encrypted message glows on the monitor, casting a harsh white glare across the mahogany desk. I read the text for the third time. I commit every coordinate and timeline to memory before I hit delete. The file scrubs itself from the servers, leaving no trace behind.

Hunter Reed and Aurora Harrison mobilize in forty-eight hours.

My operative embedded inside the Viper communication network sent the alert twenty minutes ago. Hunter and Aurora spent the past two weeks mapping a coordinated strike on this estate. They plan to hit hard and fast.

I pour a glass of bourbon. The amber liquid burns a welcome path down my throat. I review the board. I need another month. I need time to cement Liv’s devotion beyond repair. I need weeks to hollow Ari out until Ari ceases to exist. Moving them disrupts the routine. It risks destabilizing the psychological foundation I built over the last several weeks.

Forty-eight hours falls short.

I could fortify the compound. Call in reinforcements. Prepare for a siege. Hunter brings the full force of his organization. He coordinates with rival factions who want my head on a spike. This estate repels incursions, but it cannot withstand a multi-front war.

Relocation is the only viable strategy. I own a secondary property in the mountains. Isolated. Fortified. Accessible by a single dirt road. Close quarters. Less space means constant contact. Less opportunity for either of them to retreat into their own thoughts.

I turn toward the surveillance monitors. Liv sleeps under her silk duvet. Ari tosses on his narrow cot; I had him returned to his cell before retiring. He is trapped in the nightmare of his own desires. A heavy ache settles in my chest. I want them. I possess them both. The twisted affection I harbor dictates my next move. Losing them is unacceptable. I want them safe, and I want them happy under my authority.