Page 40 of The Devil's Pair

“Right back at you, darlin’,” Drake muttered in her ear, his fingers moving in and out of her slick channel in a steady rhythm. “You’re the hottest fucking thing we’ve ever known.”

Dux’s mouth replaced Drake’s fingers now, and that was it… she was lost. Drake held her up, his lips on her throat, his hands splayed on her ribcage, and his brother slowly mouthed kisses on her pussy.

“Yes?” Dux muttered from the floor. “Say yes, babe, so I can get you to come on my tongue.”

“Yes,” she whimpered, seconds away from orgasm at just his words. “Please.”

Just then, the twins’ cell phones rang, both of them at the same time. Drake cursed, deposited Briley in her chair in front of his brother.

“Don’t you move, darlin’,” he ordered as he stalked across the kitchen to his phone. “Open those gorgeous legs and wait for me. I’ll be right back.”

Briley stared down at Dux who was kneeling between her thighs; he caressed the curve of her hip, the outline of her pussy, the tightening muscles of her stomach. Around and around he touched her, a slow, sensual journey that had her seconds away from begging some more. She was floating on a wave of pure feeling, and she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t spontaneously combusted from the force of her lust.

That was when she heard Drake’s tone. It was so tense and anxious that it pierced right through her blazing arousal, and brought her back into the room and her body with a bump.

Dux heard it too, and he stood up now, all desire wiped off his face. He listened to his brother, then went and grabbed his own phone as a text message dinged. He read it, then looked at Drake, and Briley saw their matching expressions of agitation. Right away, she got to her feet and wrapped her robe back around her. Whatever this was, it was bad. Really bad.

“Got it, Wolf,” Drake said brusquely, then disconnected the call. He stared at his brother, and Briley saw a hundred words pass between them, none of them good.

“Scars texted you?” Drake asked Dux. “Told you about Michael?”

“Michael?” Briley echoed. “What – what about him? Is he – is Cheryl OK?”

Those Arctic blue eyes focused on her again, but all the warmth was gone; in its place was a chilly detachment, a removed professionalism that she’d never had directed at her from these men. With a crunch deep in her gut, Briley knew thatthey were leaving her, and that it was happening within the next ten minutes. They were already packed and in the van, peeling out of her life.

Oh, sure, she’d expected them to leave soon, maybe even that very day. But she’d hoped that it would be a sweet parting, slow and sexy. This was going to be abrupt and empty, and it was going to hurt all the more for that.

“She’s OK, Briley,” Drake said. “Wolf talked to her this morning, and she’s fine.”

“So – so what’s going on?”

“Wolf didn’t say much,” Drake told her. “He just said that Michael is alive and he’s resurfaced in Utah.”

“He’s back at theGarden?” She was stunned. “He’s rebuilding it already?”

“Naw, babe,” Dux said. “He’s taken up with an old friend of ours back there, and this isnota good thing, believe me. The guy is a full-on fucking nightmare, and these two lunatics being on the same team is a pretty big shock, I can tell you.”

“But –” She blinked, trying to decide what to ask first. “So – what did Wolf say?”

“He said that he needs everyone back in Denver ASAP.” Dux shook his head and his tone softened. “We’re sorry, babe. This isn’t how we wanted to end things, not after everything we’ve been through together.”

“I know,” she said. “Me neither.”

“You’ll be OK here,” Drake said quietly. “You’ve covered every single track, and more than once. Even if these two assholes get it into their heads to look for you, it’s nothing but dead ends and winding roads leading to a woman named Annette Morris.”

“Right.” She tried to smile. “That part of the plan is definitely solid.”

“OK.” Dux sighed. “We’ve got to go, Briley.”

Her throat too tight to speak, she nodded. The men held open their arms to her, and she walked on into their embrace for the last time; she closed her eyes, determined to remember everything about their bodies, and scents, and breaths.

They stood there for a minute, all wrapped around each other, hating to let go, knowing that it had to happen. Finally, the men released her at the same time, dropped kisses on her shining hair and her lips. Then Dux and Drake stepped back, staring at her in that way that made Briley feel like they were stripping her flesh from her bone, and seeing her heart and soul.

“Take care, darlin’,” Drake said gruffly. “You call us once in a while, OK? Tell us how you’re getting on with the job hunt.”

“Mmmm-hmmm,” she said, her throat tight. “I will.”

“Promise?” Dux said, that teasing note back in that voice. “For real?”

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