Quinn moves to his knees and bends over her, kissing the smooth flesh of her belly. Her stomach dips, her legs spread. Owen’s hand slides down her side, thumb trailing over her nipple, and he pushes his fingers beneath the waist of her pants.
Astrid shudders and grabs Quinn by the neck, pulling his mouth to hers. Her kiss is breathless, hungry, and her hands reach between his legs. He sees Owen’s teeth flash, biting down on her shoulder before yanking her shirt over her head. Her breasts are exposed--mercy, they’re perfect--and Quinn doesn’t hesitate to press his face between them. He licks the supple skin, toys with her nipples. Her hand moves along the shaft of Quinn’s cock, building a rhythm, and her body shifts in time, lifted by strong hands seeking their own relief.
They move like this, her hands on him, Owen’s fingers pleasuring her, her ass providing friction for him. He’s got her bouncing on his cock, which makes for a glorious sight for Quinn. Her tits bounce in rhythm. All three are shirtless but clothed below. It’s a barrier that none seem ready to cross. But they need this. He sees it in her eyes. Tastes it on her tongue. A release before tomorrow. A bonding to cement their trust.
Astrid’s breathing becomes uneven, her kisses sloppy. She whines against Owen’s fingers, whatever it is he’s doing under the cotton of her shorts is something Quinn must learn. Right now, his brain is turning foggy with every stroke of her hand. Even over his shorts it feels fantastic. She feels fantastic and he’s stunned at what she does next.
At the height of it all, when they’re about to fall like dominoes, she whispers, “Take the gloves off and take my hands.”
He’s never known such fear.
And although he’s avoided it so far, he and Owen lock eyes, knowing this is the moment. It’s pass or fail. If she doesn’t find her truth here, then they’re over.
Completely, fucking, destroyed.
Trust.
It’s a terrifying thing.
He nods at Owen, the slightest of moves, and at the same time, amid heavy breathing, pounding hearts and throbbing heat, they pull the satin that protects Astrid from the world. From them.
She returns her hand to his cock and rests her other on her belly and says, “I’m ready.”
Owen’s hand slides down her arm until it comes to rest on her hand. Quinn does the same, enveloping her small hand in his large one, wrapping both around his cock.
Astrid gasps and a shiver runs through them. All three. She feels them and they definitely feel her and when enough heartbeats have passed to prove they are true, she exhales and once again they begin to move.
The feelings can’t be normal, because before, it felt good, even through fabric, but what comes next is almost more than Quinn can handle.
He doesn’t just have an orgasm. He has an experience. It’s one full of love, light, and trust. Euphoria. Sheer pleasure. The release comes hard, almost violent, and he can’t help but crush his mouth to hers, the sensation so overwhelming. She bites down on his lip and cries against his tongue.
He’s not the only one. Owen’s eyes close and he grips Astrid on the hip, pulling her close as he groans into her neck. A string of curses tumble over his lips and his cheeks turn red.
“Christ,” he breathes, forcing his trembling hand to stay steady. Astrid writhes on top of him, almost curling in on herself as she tumbles over the edge of her own orgasm.
“Oh god,” she cries. It sounds like pain, and the men look at one another, panicked.
“Is it too much?” Quinn asks, knowing the intensity of his own feelings. It must be quadrupled for her. She bucks against Owen’s hand.
“Do I stop?” he asks.
“No,” she pants. “Please no. Touch me. More. Anywhere. Everywhere.”
They do as she demands. Hands, mouths, fingers, teeth. She wants it hard, crying out in pleasure the further they pinch, push, and twist. She’s now sprawled on the couch with both men cradling her, feeling her—loving her.
She finally shatters, the orgasm cresting over her like a wave, with a chest-rattling moan.
“Damn,” Owen says, kissing her gently across the face and neck. “Damn, damn, damn.”
She gazes at the two of them with a grin that matches her emotions. Feelings linger under Quinn’s skin. Feelings he won’t be able to shake for a long, long time.
If ever.
As her breathing settles, a feeling of peace also settles over the three of them, but Quinn’s mind doesn’t stop. He can’t stop thinking about the woman next to him—the one he’s still touching. This wasn’t their first time. He’s fucked her before. High on adrenaline, horny from too many years alone. But this was something different. He finally understands her fear—the way her power takes over. It’s the first time he does because it’s not a controlled setting. It’s not training or testing for the field.
What they just experienced was real. From the heart. A connecting of the souls. All layers were stripped away and none of them will ever go back to how they were before.
It’s impossible.
She showed them euphoria. The place beyond lust, and may god be with them when they finally make love without the barriers. This was nothing—just a taste of what’s out there.
That is, if they make it past tomorrow.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Astrid
“I have something for you,” Casper says into her com.
She’s in the changing room. Alone. The boys are in the other room going over the parade route one more time. She’s not sure why. They’ve gone over it a dozen times and Casper has programmed all of it into their systems.
Even so, she doesn’t mind a minute alone to get ready. After their encounter the night before, things have been tense.
Not in a bad way, but in a things-have-changed-and-where-do-we-go-from-here-kind of way.
“Echo?”
“What?”
“Did you hear me?”
She’s glad he can’t see her blush, because it keeps happening after thinking about last night. “Yes, you have something for me. What is it?”
“I was going through some of Atticus’s notes last night. Ones about the suit and tools. There’s something on your belt that I didn’t realize before.”
She tugs up her gloves and pretends hearing his name doesn’t bother her right now. “What is it?”
“It looks like it was just a prototype, like a lot of the things we have, but you see those two rings hanging from the sides?”
She’s noticed them before. They seemed decorative or like a spot to hang a weapon. She touches them. “Yeah.”
“If I’m reading the material right, those are handcuffs.”
She pulls them off the belt and holds them up. “For what? An elf?”
“Pull them.”
She slips her fingers into the loops and tugs. The metal gives, expanding into wrist-sized bracelets. There’s a hum and a slight vibration between them.
“You feel that?” Quinn asks in the other room.
“It’s me,” she calls out. “Just messing with some stuff.”
She shuts them together and the current stops.
“What do they do?” she asks.
“Looks like they’re magnetic—heavy duty—if you put them on someone, they’ll hold. There’s no getting out of them.”
“So just handcuffs?”
“No,” he says. “They also can do a few other things. The biggest one is they can shut down a Super’s powers.”
She looks at them again. “You’re kidding?”
“Nope.” He pauses. “I think Atticus gave this to you and only you for a reason. To use against a Super if they go off the rails. Demetria may be there soon.”
“Blaze already is.”
“Exactly.”
She returns the cuffs to her belt. “Thanks for showing me. I have a feeling they’ll come in handy.”
“Don’t be afraid to use them, Astrid. On friend or enemy.”
She stops. “You think there’s a problem?”
“I think the field is getting crowded. Not everyone is a friend.”
“I know that. I just said Blaze is a problem. We’re going to deal with him.”
“He may not be the only one.”
She sighs. “Who are you talking about, Cas?”
“No one in particular. Just be careful. People are not always what they seem.”
“Like you’re not really a ghost?” She snaps back, then laughs. “Just kidding. We all know you’re a pasty kid hiding in the basement. Basically, a ghost.”