“Where are we going?” she asked Ford the night before her day with him began.
He grinned. “Secret. Not telling. I’ve already packed for you. We all have.”
She eyed their nearly identical smiles. “Okay. I’ll let you have your fun.”
The next morning, Ford requisitioned a car. The men would trade off each day, and he loaded two bags into it. They had packed for her, not wanting her to have any clues as to their plans. She stood in the galley and hugged Caph, kissing him good-bye.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, feeling a little sad but knowing this was a good thing.
“You’d better believe it.” The playful gleam in his eye indicated he’d planned something fun.
Then Aaron. He hugged her tightly. “Keep them out of trouble, Em,” he whispered. “I’ll miss you.”
She felt his wistful pang and knew it would be even worse for him than it was for her. He would have to go two days before seeing her, and she’d at least have the other guys distracting her and keeping her busy. “I’ll miss you, too.” She hesitated. “I love you.” He smiled and met her eyes, nodded, then touched his forehead to hers for a moment. “Me too.”
The wave of emotion she felt from him screamed his love. Ford was right—she didn’t need to hear him say it.
She hugged him tightly. Ford returned. “All set. Ready?” She nodded.
“Have fun,” Aaron and Caph parroted. Aaron groaned while the others laughed.
“Great,” he playfully groused. “Now I’m doing it.”
None of the men revealed their plans to her. Ford had laid out a casual outfit for her to wear that morning, a blouse and linen slacks, comfortable sandals to go with them. He looked sharp in khaki slacks and a freshly pressed button-up chambray shirt.
He held the car door open for her. Then, once he was inside behind the wheel, he grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I’ve got you all to myself for a whole day and night.” He grinned. “I can’t believe it.” He was so playful, his sweet personality infectious. “I can’t believe you guys aren’t jealous of each other.” He snorted. “Why? I mean, if you suddenly picked one of us over the others for good, maybe. But we love each other, we know you love us, and we love you. We’ve been together too many fucking years to be like that.”
She watched the scenery as he drove them to town. Then a horrible thought struck her. “You wouldn’t add any other crew, would you?” She knew it was selfish, but she didn’t want to share her boys with any other women. And frankly, she didn’t want any other men in the mix, either.
Ford looked at her, then realized what she meant and laughed.
“No, sweetheart, you’re our limit, trust me. I mean, never like that.
We might have to add crew in terms of working on the ship, but never like that. While we don’t mind sharing you between us, we’re not about to share you with anyone else. I know that’s a weird double-standard, but there you have it.”
At a traffic signal he stopped and looked at her. “You’re all ours, babe. As long as you’ll put up with us.” They checked into the hotel first, an expensive hillside retreat with a stunning panoramic view of the valley below.
And a very large bed.
“What’s next?”
He glanced at his watch. “Our first stop on today’s adventure is one I’ve been wanting to make for a long time, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I think I will.”
It was a short drive to the New Phoenix Museum of Art and Science, a large, sprawling facility associated with one of the local universities. They had a wide variety of exhibits from fine arts to historic relics from the twentieth century and earlier.
She loved it.
She walked hand-in-hand with Ford, losing herself in his enthusiasm, enjoying this uninterrupted time with him. He was still the same man, but this side of his personality could fully emerge. She loved it. After a long lunch, their next stop was the nearby Botanical Gardens.
“I thought you’d appreciate the irony,” he said as he bought their tickets.
She grinned. “The plant killer taking me to see plants?” His blue eyes twinkled. “Exactly.”
The sun was dropping behind the western mountains when they finished. She rested her head against his shoulder, his arm around her waist as they returned to the car. “This day is going too fast,” she said.
He kissed the top of her head. “Tell me about it. You feel like dinner?”
“Yeah.”
When they returned to the room later, he stopped her at the door.
“What?” she asked.
He scooped her into his arms and carried her inside. “Not the same thing, I know. But my first night all alone with you.” She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him. “You don’t have to rush.”
“I don’t have to share.” His smile belied his words. “I know you like watching, but every once in a while it’s fun to be a little selfish.” He gently laid her on the bed, stretching out beside her. “I mean, once we’re in space, every so often the three of us will put our heads together, if you don’t mind, and we’ll do like a double night watch or something so we can take turns alone with you. If you want that.”
“That would be okay every once in a while. I don’t want to do that every night. I’m selfish. I like having my boys with me in bed.” He laughed, kissing her. “You just like it because you know you’ve got us wrapped around your fingers. You’ve got a male harem at your disposal.” He held her hand, kissing her fingers. “Are you really happy with us?”
Emi nodded. “I can’t wait to make it official.”
“There is no chance of Aaron refusing your assignment, you know.”
“I know. I just want it in writing.” He took his time unbuttoning her blouse. “We’ll tattoo it on our backs, how’s that?”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “That’s a little excessive, but appreciated.”
Ford was her slow, sensual lover. With an entire night in front of them, he took his time, gently coaxing two orgasms out of her before rolling her over onto her knees and carefully entering her from behind, his arms wrapped around her waist.
She loved the way his body perfectly molded to hers. All three men were fantastic lovers. But in this way it was as if he was completely attuned to every nuance of her body. She noticed this when he made love to the other men as well.
He laid his cheek against her shoulder. “Can I get one more from you, baby?” he whispered.
“I can’t promise it.”
“Good enough for me.” He stilled his strokes, his cock buried deep inside her. Keeping his weight off her, he reached around her waist and his skillful fingers gently stroked her clit. She gasped.
“Damn, I love the way you squeeze my cock like that. I take it that’s a strong maybe,” he joked.
“You keep that up, it is.”
His lips traced the contour of her spine as he slowly teased her toward another orgasm. She loved the feel of having one of them inside her when she came. When her release started, he gently encouraged her, murmuring to her.
“That’s it, sweetie, give it to me. Let me have it.” Emi ground her hips against him. He took that as his cue to resume his thrusts, taking his time, drawing sensual moans from her as he let his climax gradually build. Then he exploded, gasping her name as he held still inside her, taking a long, deep breath before wrapping his arms around her and rolling to his side, taking her with him.
“Good?” she asked with a teasing smile.
He laughed. “You have no idea, baby. So good.” He turned her to face him, kissing her. “So good,” he mumbled, brushing his lips along the base of her throat, tracing her jaw. “Perfect.” The men had never once asked her to do the one sexual activity she was increasingly curious about. Or asked her to do anything, actually. They were always careful to let her set the pace of their lovemaking sessions. With her trust securely placed in them, she asked Ford.