Merrick’s hands coaxed over her shoulders and then underneath to her breasts. He cupped the mounds and toyed with the nipples, pulling gently and exerting steady pressure as Cade thrust forcefully against her ass.
She put her hand down, sliding it over her belly and below to her clitoris. She needed that extra edge. Just a little more…
As soon as her fingers made a tight circle around her clit, she burst into flames. Cade stopped momentarily, his hands stroking her back as he held himself deeply inside her. He seemed to be giving her time to gain her bearings before he continued on.
She was so overwhelmed that she could barely hold herself up, and it must have been evident because Cade withdrew, and she found herself being turned so she was once more on her back.
Merrick had her recline on a towel he placed underneath her shoulders and then he carefully wiped the stickiness from her skin.
When Merrick was done, Cade slid his arms underneath her legs and pulled her toward him until her behind rested on the very edge of the bed. Then he was back inside her with one powerful stroke.
She closed her eyes, but Cade’s voice commanded her, and she was powerless to resist the pull of his words.
“Look at me, Elle.”
Her eyelids fluttered open, and she stared into his glittering eyes as he claimed her over and over.
“Mine,” he said softly. “Mine and Merrick’s. Ours.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yours.”
Cade closed his eyes, his jaw tight and bulging. He leaned forward, his body pressing into hers, and then he went rigid, all his breath escaping in one forceful exhale.
He lowered his body to hers, until they were flush against each other, his weight anchoring her to the bed. He was warm and hard over her. She wrapped her arms around his body, holding him tightly to her as she reveled in his scent and the feel of him molded so tightly to her.
C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - E I G H T
THE NEXT FEW DAYS WERE a whirlwind of endless activity. They guys met with every one of their clients to reassure them that losing the office in no way diminished the services they were able to offer, and fortunately, since their client list was small but intensely loyal, only one opted to go with another company.
Cade’s dad had pounded the pavement to find them office space to lease, and the men had worked around the clock to get the business back up and running. Elle restored their computer systems after the new equipment had been delivered to the house, and she soon had everything back in working order.
Merrick’s workouts had suffered as a result. Though he’d gone the morning after the fire, he’d skipped several after in order to help Cade. When Elle cautiously brought up the fact that his fight was bearing down on them, Merrick had grimaced and muttered that shit happens and he had to do what he had to do.
Still, she hated that she couldn’t do more to bear the load for Cade and Merrick. She put in long hours of clerical work. She took over all phone calls, whether it was making calls to reassure clients or taking calls from clients with concerns or needs.
She was a part of this. She felt a part of it. For the first time in so many months, she had a purpose, and she was part of something much bigger than herself. She had a family. Men who loved her.
After a week of no sleep for any of them, Elle drifted off at the desk of her makeshift office in their house. There were stacks of paperwork surrounding her, and she’d just completed doing manual updates from the back-up file to the brand-new computer the guys had bought to replace what had been lost in the fire.
And that was how Cade and Merrick found her. Cheek down on a stack of printouts, hair over her face, slumped over the desk, about to fall out of her chair.
“Hell,” Merrick muttered. “We’ve been working her way too hard. She’s exhausted.”
“We’re all exhausted,” Cade said. “It’s been a tough week getting back on our feet and keeping our clients. She’s been a big part of that. We couldn’t have done it without her and Dad.”
“She’s been nagging me about getting down to the gym,” Merrick said grimly.
“Someone needs to,” Cade said as he walked quietly toward the desk where Elle was sleeping so soundly.
Merrick’s brows drew together. “Don’t you start too. I couldn’t leave this on you, man.”
Cade looked up, pausing, his hand in midair as he’d reached for Elle. “This fight is important. You can’t lose an entire week of training and expect to win. Dad and Elle have been invaluable in helping. We’ll get back on our feet. But it makes no sense for the fire to take not only our office and part of our business, but your career as well.”