Page 44 of Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth, Part Two

I reach up and touch his cheek, then I turn to follow Bolan and Elias back through the apartment. Sully slides his arm around my waist, not pulling me away from Christoph but cuddling us all together.

“We’ll let them sleep,” I say. “For as long as they want.”

Me actually sleeping is apparently impossible, though. Too many questions are still whirling around in my head, even while cuddled between Sully and Bolan, and with the kids safely tucked away in the next room. Though I do try for a couple of hours.

The early-morning sun is flooding through the main room of the apartment as I slip on a new dark-purple silk robe over the long black silk nightgown that Sully swathed me in before snuggling me next to him and promptly falling asleep.

The hardwood floor is slightly cool under my bare feet as I wander farther down the hall to check on the kids.

Neither of them stir when I poke my head into their room. But Christoph unfolds himself from a chaise in the corner where he’s been keeping vigil, soundlessly following me as I step back out.

Elias stands on the far side of my sleek, dark-wood dining table.

What appears to be a completely different set of neatly organized paperwork is on the table before him, along with one of his laptops.

His dress shirt is untucked, the collar open and the sleeves rolled up.

With his phone pressed to his ear and in the middle of a murmured conversation, the earl gazes out the side windows at the sea of restored Victorian and Edwardian red-brick townhouses predominant in my neighborhood.

Christoph steps past me, heading for the kitchen area. And the already brewed pot of coffee.

Elias glances over his shoulder, his light-blue eyes instantly pinning themselves to me even as he asks the duke, “The kids?”

“Sleeping,” Christoph says. “Tommy’s energy has settled.”

“You were worried he might transform again?”

“Mildly,” Christoph says, pouring himself a cup of coffee, then pushing it toward me.

“Mirth doesn’t drink coffee,” Elias says. “Or tea.” His attention is pulled back to whomever he’s on the phone with. “Yes? Thank you. We will inform you when we’re ready to leave. Yes.” He disengages from the call and tosses the phone onto a pile of papers on the table.

“The locals are still pushing the royal guard for access to the kids?” Christoph asks, leaning back against the far counter with the steaming mug of coffee in hand. He doesn’t sip from it, though.

“You might have to … intercede there, Mirth,” Elias says. “I’ve bought them twenty-four hours, but the guard are getting some push to involve the authorities.”

“Intercede?” I ask playfully, slowly padding over to the table. The earl’s gaze drops to my bare feet, the silk robe and gown swishing around my ankles. “By royal decree? I’m fairly certain only my father can do that.”

“I’ve rewritten the guardianship papers,” Elias says, tearing his gaze away from me to shuffle some documents on the table.

“Coda sent through some … suggestions. Additions. I’ve got calls in to ensure we can file them as soon as possible.

Today. This morning. I just need your signature.

I’ll witness, so we don’t have to haul you in front of a judge. ”

I skirt the table to join him. He stiffens as I near, so I pause just out of reach.

“Are you still mad at me?” I ask.

“At the situation,” he says gruffly. “I’m more unbalanced than I wish to be. And … yes, utterly and irrationally, I’m completely furious with you. My …” He shakes his head, rubbing the center of his chest.

“That’s not anger,” Christoph says mildly, pausing to take an actual sip of his coffee before offering clarification. “That’s fear turned inward. Mirth scared you last night —”

Elias visibly bristles at that. “I’m not scared of my —”

Christoph raises a hand, more placating than demanding. “Seeing Mirth on that stage, protecting the kids, scared the fuck out of you. Out of all of us.”

“Mirth is obviously more than capable —”

“Doesn’t change the fear,” Christoph says.

I lean a little closer to Elias, brushing against his arm. “I’m sorry if I —”

Elias’s mouth closes over mine before I can finish the apology. Then his hands are on my hips and hauling me up to sit on the table. I gasp, opening my legs so he can settle against me — core to core. Thankful for the long slits up either side of my nightgown.

Christoph simply watches us, as he watched me kiss Sully in the hot tub. I can feel his grounding energy. And maybe it’s selfish or even wanton of me, but we … fit … we all just fit together.

Plus, let’s be honest, all of us being here is also fucking sexy.

Elias’s tongue invades my mouth, so I open that to him as well. Energy twines and twists between us, cinching us together tighter and tighter.

I feel his cock harden against my inner thigh. I wrap my legs around his hips to pull him closer, arching my lower back until I have him right where I want him, to press, to rub into me. He moans into my mouth.

Then he suddenly stiffens, as if realizing where he is and what he’s doing.

He pulls back, leaving me panting.

I don’t want to stumble stupidly through his boundaries. But also …

“Do you need to stop?” I ask, my words brushing across his lips.

“We … we don’t know each other very well …” He doesn’t pull back, though. Doesn’t look away from me.

“Am I … is this uncomfortable? Too much?”

He inhales deeply. “I’m trying to not overwhelm you. I want my mouth on you. I want to be kissing you and making you pant and moan. I want you coming on my fingers, on my lips, and on my cock.”

“Okay,” I pant, a little unhinged myself. “Okay, yes.” I slip my hands into the collar of his dress shirt, needing to be skin-to-skin with him.

“But … there are things to sort out,” Elias protests mildly. “With the clean-up and the kids. The Mertons. I …”

Pretending that I’m being far more sly than I can possibly be while directly under his gaze — he sees every little thing I do — I get a few more of his shirt buttons undone, unintentionally skimming his nipple with my pinky.

He jerks like I’ve shocked him. His blue eyes meet mine, questioning.

“Do you like that?” I ask, doing it again. Intentionally.

His hips press forward into me, grinding against me. “Fuck, yes. Apparently. When you do it.”

“What about this?” I ask, feeling bold now. I tuck his shirt to the side and flick my tongue where my fingers have been.

Elias trembles under my touch.

He’s barely touching me. But turning him on, making him shake, already has me insanely wet. Christoph is still a steady presence, not moving from the kitchen.

Being watched is apparently stupidly hot as well.

So I flick my tongue over Elias’s nipple again. And again. But when I go to switch to his other nipple, he takes control back, sliding his hands up my legs.

Under my silk gown, he snags the sides of my panties. Gazing into my eyes, perhaps gauging my reaction, he tugs the scrap of lace down my legs, leaving it hanging off one of my ankles. He glances down as he does so, looking just a touch smug.

I laugh breathlessly, reaching for the rest of his buttons, but he snags my wrists lightly, guiding my hands back to the table as he crowds over me — pushing me down, crumpling and scattering all his paperwork.

The laptop goes flying but somehow doesn’t hit the floor.

Elias buries his face between my legs, holding my thighs pressed against his ears and with my silk gown still mostly covering me.

He licks me, once, twice, before focusing on my clit. And sucking. Before he’s even touched me anywhere else.

I cry out, arching up into him, grabbing handfuls of his short hair. My head falls back. Panting, I realize that the reason the laptop didn’t hit the floor is that Christoph caught it.

Elias presses my legs open wider, pinning one thigh down as he alternates between flicking and sucking my clit with his tongue and mouth.

I writhe under his ministrations, worrying for a moment that I’m actually too turned on, too overwhelmed, to relax enough to come.

Elias guides my free leg up over his shoulder, then slides a hand up my body to pinch my peaked nipple through my silk gown.

Christoph sets the laptop on the sideboard, stepping fully into my eyeline. “He needs this, Mirth.” His gaze rakes over me, over Elias going down on me, his voice rumbling in his chest. “Let him pleasure you, little awry. That will settle you and help us all get some sleep.”

Caught in Christoph’s golden-eyed gaze, I relax onto the table.

He quirks a smile. He leans all the way over to brush a gentle kiss against my lips.

Then I’m coming. Pure pleasure explodes under Elias’s tongue, streaking across my stomach and down my legs. The orgasm crashes through me, whiting out every other thought or feeling.

Christoph catches my moan in his mouth with the barest pressure on my lips.

The utter bliss of release flushes through me. And though simply taking pleasure is still a foreign concept to me, I allow myself to sink into it.

Elias replaces his tongue with his fingers, straightening so he can gaze down at me. At my pussy.

Christoph steps out of my sightline, then out of the room. Going back to check on the kids, presumably.

Elias reaches down and unzips his pants with one hand. He frees his hard cock with the same hand. His thumb continues circling my sensitive clit. “Come for me again, Mirth. And then I’m going to come all over your pretty pink pussy.”

I lick my lips, drawing his attention there. “Okay.”

“Quickly,” he growls, stroking his cock. “I nearly fucking came when you orgasmed the first time.”

I can’t look away from his hand on his cock. “I want it,” I all but whine. “In my mouth, in me, buried deep in me.”

“Not yet.” Elias’s gaze is fixed to my pussy. He sounds as if he’s really trying to convince himself.

Then his thumb falters on my clit.

His movements become jerky. His hips buck. Then, suppressing a deep groan, he shoots warm ropes of come all over my bare thigh.

“Oh, fuck,” I breathe.

Energy contracts between us, then my second orgasm is shuddering through me. “Elias,” I pant. “Oh, fuck. That was so … that was so …”

I’m still coming as his tongue replaces his thumb, sliding over my clit, gently but possessively. As if he’s trying to taste my orgasm, claim it for himself.

“Good girl,” he murmurs against that sensitive flesh. “Such a good girl to come for me. Both times.” He teases another half-dozen aftershocks from me before stepping away and wetting a clean tea towel in the kitchen sink.

My heart is still trying to pound its way out of my chest as he comes back. He gently cleans his come from my thigh with the warm towel, then the table. He wipes his still-half-hard cock off with a clean corner.

Then he leans in and presses a light, seemingly reverent kiss to my clit. My pussy is still on full display. My body clenches, feeling empty.

He smooths his hand up my leg. But instead of continuing anything sexual, he lays his cheek on my stomach, just resting his head on me and breathing.

I comb my fingers through his hair. I already know him well enough to understand that in a moment, he’ll be tidying my clothing, then guiding me back into bed with Bolan and Sully. Then each of us will deal with the fallout from rescuing the kids in our own way.

Elias will make certain everyone is protected on paper, building an ever-stronger shield of legalese around us until it’s insurmountable.

And I’ll do my perfect-princess thing, flexing the other power I would never wield unless I need to protect people.

The power that has nothing to do with my purple eyes and everything to do with the role I was bred for.

But before all of that, I allow myself to hover in a moment of relaxed bliss, and I breathe in Elias. His head is a comforting weight on my stomach. His essence twines gently through my own.