Page 26 of Lost (Powertools: The Shields 2)

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Knox was starting to wonder if he’d really taken a bullet to the heart in the woods and this was what heaven was like. A continuation of your previous life but one where everything suddenly started to go right. Probably not since he’d have gone to hell for all the fucked up shit he’d done.

But this… This was one chance he had to fix some of his mistakes and have a lot of fun while doing it.

Hanging out at Shields, even for a day, had given him ideas it would be better to forget. Otherwise he might start to think he really could work toward becoming the person he’d always wished he was, even if he constantly disappointed himself. The cost of failure was so steep that for a moment he craved something to take the edge off. It was a vicious circle.

Knox reminded himself he could achieve an even more potent high by losing himself in Kennedy and concentrating on her pleasure. Doing that might even distract him from his own struggles.

He glanced over at Marcus, who cradled Kennedy to his chest as he carried her into his bedroom. Her platinum hair cascaded across the other man’s dark skin. They were both beautiful and so damn strong, in completely opposite ways.

Weird as it might be, Knox was grateful to have Marcus there. His level head and ironclad self-control were something Knox would never be able to achieve. No matter what, Marcus wouldn’t get carried away—he wouldn’t let Knox torment Kennedy again. Unless it was in the best possible way.

Knox shucked his shirt and glanced at Marcus, who nodded, before climbing onto the other guy’s bed. He held out his arms and Marcus placed Kennedy in them. She rotated, letting go of Marcus and clinging to him instead. How? How could she trust him even enough to spend one single afternoon together?

It wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done, but he wasn’t honorable enough to argue about it. If this was what she wanted, he was more than willing to teach her about how incredible sex could be. And he suspected he’d never experienced passion as they were about to, the three of them, together.

Knox brushed a kiss over Kennedy’s forehead, then a chain of them down her nose and cheek, before grazing her lips, which were already flushed from their three-way exchange. “I thought I’d missed the chance to share this with you. Thank you for giving me another shot.”

“It feels right.” Kennedy peeked up at Marcus, who was getting rid of his own shirt, peeling the charcoal-gray cotton off his ripped muscles, revealing exactly how much work he put in at the gym. Damn. Forget six-pack, the man had eight abs at least. “Especially like this. I’ve spent too long being apprehensive about letting go…”

“I didn’t help, huh?” Knox grimaced. “I’m so sorry—”

“You’ve already apologized, and a lot of it wasn’t your fault.” Kennedy stretched up to kiss him gently, soothing him with tender licks across his lips. “It’s done. It’s gone. All we can do is get it right now.”

How could she be so gracious? Knox’s hang-ups kept him from realizing at first that she was asking for forgiveness too, in her own way, from Marcus. For holding him at arm’s length for too long. Damn. Maybe they weren’t as perfect as they seemed to be from his perspective. Maybe they really did need him too, just a little.

“Well, there’s no reason to be nervous, okay?” Knox remembered how worked up she’d get over a test she was guaranteed to nail or about being at least five minutes early for every appointment. There were things he hadn’t understood back then, which he could see more clearly now, and the way they’d wound each other up was one of them.

“If you want to stop at any time, just say so. No hard feelings.” Marcus chuckled as he said it, glancing down at the impressive bulge in his jeans and then to Knox’s crotch. “We already know Knox won’t die if you leave him hanging.”

Kennedy snorted and covered her face with her hand. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“You didn’t exactly have a choice since we were so rudely interrupted. But I’m so glad you at least let me take care of you and I swear, that was only a tiny sample of what it could be like. Let me do this right.” Knox brushed her hair back from her forehead, and when she revealed her bright blue eyes and stunning smile to him again, he dipped down for a taste of the sunshine that radiated from within her.

“Yesterday was kind of like breaking the ice.” Kennedy sighed. “It’s technically done already, so there’s no reason I can’t just enjoy today.”

“You damn well better.” Marcus’s voice seemed even deeper than usual as he joined them.

Knox settled Kennedy on the neat steel-gray comforter and plush pillows. He held her hand as Marcus stretched out beside her and rolled onto his side so they were eye to eye. With her free hand, Kennedy reached up and drew a wavy line along the shaved part of Marcus’s hair. He wondered how long she’d been wanting to do that.

“You have no idea how many times I almost walked across this hall to beg you to do this with me.” Kennedy glided the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip, making Knox’s dick jerk in his pants.

“I would have. In a second.” Marcus opened his mouth and sucked her thumb inside, nibbling on it.

“I know. That’s why I was so afraid.” Kennedy closed her eyes briefly and swallowed. “We can’t let this fuck up work stuff. The Shields are all I have.”

“You have me,” Marcus promised.

“And me, for as long as you want me,” Knox added. If it was only for this one magical moment, he’d still be grateful they’d included him.

“I swear to you, nothing we do today will impact our relationship on the job.” Marcus genuinely believed that, even Knox could see it in his stare, but that didn’t mean it was true. “And if it did, I would leave.”

“No.” Kennedy hooked her hand around his neck and drew him close. “You’re my partner and I wouldn’t feel as safe with anyone else.”

“That means everything to me.” Marcus rested his forehead on hers.

“You’re really okay with this?” Kennedy glanced at Knox. “I’m sorry it didn’t happen before, when it was only you and me.”

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