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  Luc squeezed her hand. She was rambling. Avoiding.

  “We started kissing, then more. Things escalated and Billy asked me to have sex with him. I should have said no because I didn’t really want to. But he was leaving and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”

  Diego growled at that. Jeannette smiled sadly. “I’ve never been overly assertive or very good at standing up for myself. Macie’s always been my backbone.”

  Diego obviously didn’t like that comment. “You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.”

  She appreciated his compliment, even if it was a lie. She was queen of the cowards and she knew it.

  “I didn’t give him an answer, but when he suggested that we move to the backseat, I did. I guess he took that as a yes. He pulled down my pants and then his. That was when I sort of started to panic. I told him I didn’t think it was a very good idea. He said I was just nervous, which I was. He started moving quicker then. He pulled me down on the seat and he came over me. I told him I’d changed my mind, that I didn’t want to do it.”

  Jeannette closed her eyes. She could still hear the fear in her voice, the way it got louder, higher. “He didn’t seem to hear me. He started putting on a condom. I tried to sit up, but he held me down, kept saying it was okay, that it was right. I never realized how strong he was. I mean, I guess I should have known that. He worked on his uncle’s farm. I kept trying to get away but he weighed me down, told me to relax. Promised me he’d make it feel good. I started crying then.”

  She felt the tears streaming down her face. She didn’t bother to open her eyes. Now that she’d started, there was no turning back.

  “He stopped talking to me. I pressed my legs together, but he just grabbed my knees and yanked them apart.”

  Jeannette felt the mattress shift. She lifted her eyelids and saw that Diego had risen from the bed. He was pacing the room, unadulterated fury flashing in his eyes. She hesitated until Luc cupped her cheek, drawing her gaze to his face.

  “Finish it.”

  “It hurt. A lot. I cried. I begged him to stop. I tried to get away. He just kept going.”

  “Then what?”

  “And then it was over. We got dressed and he drove me home. The whole way there he just kept saying that the first time always hurt for girls, that it would be better the next time.” She snorted, a humorous, angry sound. “There wasn’t a next time.”

  She recalled the rest of that night. How hard it had been for her to walk upstairs. How she’d gone to the bathroom and found her panties stained with tinges of blood. She had wrapped them up in a huge wad of toilet paper and thrown them away. She had crawled into bed and cried until there were no more tears left inside her.

  At the time, she’d been embarrassed, ashamed. She didn’t tell anyone what had happened. How could she? Aunt Stella had already opened her home to her, taken on the rearing of two more girls. Jeannette hadn’t wanted to add to her stress, to make her aunt think less of her.

  Besides, all she’d really wanted was her mom. Even now, she wished her mother were there.

  So she crashed in on herself.

  “He raped you.” Diego broke the silence in the room.

  She looked at him, feeling remarkably calm for the first time in…maybe forever. “What?”

  “You said you thought he raped you. He did.”

  Jeannette nodded. “Yeah. He did.”

  “You’ve never been with anyone since then?” Diego asked.

  “No. No one.” She’d taken the pain associated with the rape and twisted it into a pretty serious phobia. Jeannette had never used a tampon, never masturbated, never gone to the gynecologist. Nothing.

  Luc leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “What can we do, Jeannette? Anything. Ask for anything and it’s yours.”

  There was only one thing she wanted, one thing she needed—and that was to move forward, to have a life, to feel normal. She was so tired of pushing people away.

  Diego knelt on the floor by her feet. “Anything.”

  She didn’t like seeing so much pain on his face or hearing him sound so lost. Diego was strong, self-assured, confident. She’d come to rely on that strength. She’d fed from it, learned from it.

  “Touch me,” she whispered.

  Diego frowned. “What?”

  She didn’t doubt for a moment that they’d both heard her request. For a moment, she feared they’d reject her.

  “Touch me,” she repeated, her voice stronger, more demanding.

  “Lay down,” Diego said, rising from the floor. She glanced to her right, relieved to see Luc’s determination.

  She crawled onto the bed and shifted onto her back. She became more aware of her nudity as she lay there before them.

  “Take off your pants.” She’d meant her words to come out as a question, but somehow it had turned into a command. Neither man refused.

  Once they’d shed their pajama pants, they resumed their places on the mattress, surrounding her with their big bodies.

  Diego was the first to reach for her. He turned her face toward his and kissed her. The passion was still there, but she felt him holding back.

  One of the reasons she’d been so attracted to him and Luc was because they’d always treated her like a normal person. She didn’t want that to change.

  Reaching up, she gripped his wrist in her hand. “Kiss me like you mean it, Diego. Like you want me. I don’t want you to treat me with kid gloves or act like I’m some broken porcelain doll.”

  Diego’s eyes narrowed, but she welcomed the fire she saw there. “Regardless of what you think, Jeannette. You are a virgin, and I can’t for the fucking life of me figure out a way not to hurt you physically. You just dropped a bomb on us, angel. We’re only human. So you’re just going have to give me a second to get my bearings, to find a way to make love to you that won’t bring you pain.”

  She hadn’t considered her request from their perspective. “I’m a selfish bitch, aren’t I?”

  Luc kissed her shoulder. “Nope. Not even a little. You’ve never asked anyone for anything. I’m flattered that you trust me and D enough to ask for this. Since Diego is freaking out over there, let’s just cut to the chase. We’ve been touching, kissing and holding you for weeks. The problem has to do with penetration, right?”

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Diego roll his eyes as he muttered, “Jesus.”

  She appreciated Luc’s candor, his genuine desire to help her get past her fears. “Yes. That’s what scares me. That’s the part that hurt.”

  “So we just need to show you that it doesn’t hurt, right?”

  She nodded, even as her damn cowardly heart began to race. Luc didn’t miss the change.

  “Remember last night? What I promised to do?”

  Jeannette hoped that one of these days she’d find a way not to blush.

  Luc chuckled. “I guess you do. Good.” With that, he sat up, moving lower until he knelt between her open legs. She reached out to grip his hair, the reaction purely an instinctive, protective one.

  “Easy, angel,” Diego whispered as he pried her fingers out of Luc’s hair.

  She turned to face him, searching for his lips. Diego kissed her once more, but this time there was no restraint, no holding back.

  They wouldn’t hurt her. Her heart, her head and her body were all in agreement on that.

  She sucked in a deep breath when she felt Luc’s fingers at the top of her thighs.

  “Ohmigod!” she cried, when his tongue stroked her from opening to clit.

  Diego moved slightly, his lips closing over her nipple. His tongue teased the sensitive nub before his teeth nipped. At the same time, Luc mimicked that sharp bite on her clit.

  “Oh.” Her back arched. “So good. Feels so good.”

  Jeannette struggled to keep up as her men, her lovers, continued their play. They were seducing her with all five senses, with their hungry looks, deep-throated groans, the light scent of sweat mingled
with arousal, and the taste of their kisses working in tandem with their never-ending touches.

  It was overwhelming. Amazing.

  And then, it was the moment of truth. Luc lifted his head, his finger poised at the opening to her body. Her sudden stillness captured Diego’s attention and he released her nipple with a pop.

  None of them spoke, none of them dared to breathe, as Luc slowly slid his finger inside.

  Her heart was racing, but it wasn’t fear driving the pounding force.

  “More,” she demanded when he reached the hilt and held still. Simply having him inside wasn’t enough. It felt…good. She wanted—needed—more.

  Luc smiled. He pulled his finger out and returned with two. Jeannette’s eyes closed, a blissful sigh escaping as Luc moved in and out. He curved his fingers on one inward thrust, finding a spot that had her hips jerking up in response.

  “G-spot,” Diego murmured. He was lying next to her, his hand cupping her breast as he studied her face. “Jesus, Jeannette. You’re so beautiful.”

  She turned to kiss him, keeping the touch brief. “I want you, too.”

  Diego didn’t hesitate. The hand cupping her breast began its slow descent along her body, stroking her stomach, her hip. Luc pulled his fingers out of her, letting Diego take his place.

  While Luc had touched her with care, finesse, Diego gave her what she’d asked for.

  More.

  He pressed three fingers inside. While they stretched her, it didn’t hurt. Instead, she felt wicked, naughty, sexy.

  Every inhibition fell away, revealing something even Jeannette hadn’t realized lived beneath her skin. Speaking the words, releasing her fears had set her free. For the first time, she didn’t feel alone or scared or judged.

  She felt desired. Wanted.

  And it made her want things she’d never wanted before.

  “Harder,” she demanded as Diego thrust inside. He didn’t immediately comply, so she reached up, gripped his hair in her fingers and tugged it. He winced, but she knew about his penchant for pain. Knew he liked it rough.

  Apparently she did too. “I’m tired of feeling nothing. Harder. Please.”

  Diego’s eyes narrowed. “You can have control tonight, Jeannette, but don’t think for one second I’m going to be some passive puppy dog waiting for your commands in bed. I have a few demands of my own for you.”

  His darkly sensual threat triggered a fresh round of arousal. She was soaking wet and that fact wasn’t lost on her lover. He grinned slyly. “You like the idea of that.”

  She nodded.

  Why the hell would she deny it?

  Diego’s fingers began to move faster, and every conscious thought was driven from her head. Especially when Luc added his fingers to the play, stroking her clit.

  It was there in an instant. Bliss.

  She splintered into a million pieces, only vaguely aware that she was screaming as she came.

  “God, angel,” Luc whispered in her ear, and then he started placing soft kisses on her cheek. “I’ll never get tired of watching you come.”

  Jeannette smiled, and then realized they were both lying next to her, flanking her in their usual spots. They’d pulled the covers up.

  “Wait. You guys didn’t—”

  “Shhh,” Diego hushed her. “Not tonight.”

  “But…” There was no denying they were both still hard. Their cocks were brushing against her hips. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

  Luc chuckled. “We’re fine, Jeannette. We’re not going to rush this.”

  She knew he was being nice, but she couldn’t help sulking. “But what if I want more?”

  Diego twisted her away from him, spooning her from behind. His erection was nestled between her legs, but he made no move to put it anywhere else. “Go to sleep, baby. I was rougher with you than I should have been and there’s a good chance you’ll be sore in the morning. I promised not to hurt you, remember?”

  “That didn’t hurt.” God, what they’d done to her was light-years away from hurt.

  Luc grasped her arm and tucked it around his waist before placing a soft kiss to her brow. “And we’re going to make sure it stays that way.”

  Then, because Luc was sweet and always looking for ways to make her happy, he added, “We’ll play more in the morning.”

  “Promise?” she asked, surprised by the sudden drowsiness in her voice.

  “Promise,” he whispered.

  Chapter Ten

  Diego was the first to rouse. The bright light in the room told him they’d slept later than normal. He grinned when he realized Jeannette hadn’t woken up once during the night. For the first time since she had moved in with them, she’d slept through without any nightmares or panic attacks.

  His mind replayed their conversation last night. It made him sick to think of everything she had suffered. To lose her parents was devastating enough, but to be raped only months later. To be left alone, without a mother to comfort her, to help her recover. He could only imagine the pain. The fact that she’d come through it at all was a testament to her strength, her courage.

  Suddenly, her reasons for building such high, impenetrable walls made sense.

  Which was why her trust in them left him in awe. Humbled. She was a good, kind person and sometimes he struggled to understand what she saw in him. He was Diego Rodriguez. He’d grown up on the wrong side of the tracks and he’d done some things to survive that he wasn’t particularly proud of. Stolen money and food. Hustled people. Gotten into fights. Lied.

  On top of that, he had a hot temper and a pushy, my-way-or-the-highway nature.

  He lifted his head and spotted Luc lying on his stomach, his face turned toward them, snoring lightly. Diego smiled.

  Luc was the first person to ever love him, to accept him for who he was, rough edges and all. Whenever he looked at Jeannette, he saw that same emotion, felt that same approval. They made him want to be a better man. There wasn’t anything in the world he wouldn’t do to keep this unusual, perfect family of three together.

  “Good morning,” Jeannette whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

  He glanced down, surprised to find her awake and looking at him.

  “Sorry,” she said. “You were in the middle of a deep thought, weren’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “Care to share?”

  “I love you.”

  He hadn’t meant to blurt the words out like that. If he had a romantic bone in his body, he would have taken her out for a special meal, bought her roses or something. Waited until they weren’t naked between crumpled sheets with sleep-tousled hair and morning breath.

  One look at her face told him Jeannette didn’t give a damn about romance. “I love you, too.”

  Luc stirred. “I’m going to pretend you two weren’t just sharing a moment without me.”

  “I love you, too, jackass.” Diego had never said that to Luc. Not once. It had always seemed like a corny, wimpy thing to say. His best friend knew how he felt, so he didn’t see the need to embarrass them with girlie sentiments.

  Diego had expected his words to produce either a smile or a laugh from his never-too-serious friend, so he was surprised when Luc flipped to his back with a loud sigh.

  “I can’t believe I’m here,” Luc admitted.

  “What do you mean?” Jeannette asked.

  “When I lost my mom, I guess I sort of thought that was it, you know? I mean, she was my only family and she was gone. Figured that meant I’d be alone for the rest of my life.”

  Jeannette reached over to hold Luc’s hand. Diego listened, fascinated. Luc had never shared these feelings with him. He thought he knew everything about his best friend.

  “Then I met D and I felt less lonely. He filled a big part of that void and for a while, it was enough.”

  Diego agreed. Trust didn’t come easy to either of them. Once they’d earned each other’s, they’d battened down the hatches and called it good enough. They hadn’t sought to wid
en the circle because they’d both been hurt too much.

  “Once we turned eighteen, we left the orphanage and got a place of our own. We were working two jobs each and it was rare when we got time off together. One night, we did. So we hit a bar, got a little tipsy and met a girl.”

  Diego grinned. “Donna.”

  Jeannette narrowed her eyes, though she didn’t look angry. “Should I be jealous of Donna?”

  “Hell no,” Luc replied with a laugh. “She had bleached-blonde hair and the strongest Jersey accent I’ve ever heard. I’m still not sure I understood half of what she said that night.”

  “Why do I feel like there should be a ‘but’ at the end of that sentence?” she asked.

  Luc winked at her. “But she had a cute butt and a great laugh and she was into us. Both of us. Said she’d always wanted to hook up with two guys at the same time. It’s not like Diego and I hadn’t seen each other naked, so we said yes. Went back to our place and realized we’d been too hasty in keeping other people out. We were both attracted to women and it was just…I don’t know…”

  Diego did. “Better. We were good as a couple, but with a woman, it was so much better.”

  “So you started going out with women…together?”

  Diego nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Any serious girlfriends?”

  Diego wanted to laugh at the slight tinge of jealousy in Jeannette’s tone, but more than that, he wanted her to understand exactly what she meant to him. To them. “Not a single one. Until you.”

  “Oh.” Her pleasure at his response was almost tangible. Then she turned back to Luc. “But I’m still confused. Why can’t you believe you’re here?”

  “Everything I’ve ever wanted in my life is in this bed with me. It’s going to take some time to get used to feeling this happy, for me to believe it’s real and that it’s going to last.”

  Jeannette’s eyes misted with tears. “Me too.”

  “Me too. How do you feel this morning?” Diego asked, still worried that he’d hurt her.