Grady's Awakening Read online

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Gina smiled at him as she touched his arm.

  “Sorry. I was woolgathering.” He straightened from his slouch against the table and pulled her in for a quick hug. “What do you say we blow this popcorn stand?”

  “What did you have in mind?” She blinked up at him, and he knew they were on the same page.

  “What do you say, Grady? You in the mood?”

  “Mood for what?” Grady looked confused. “I don’t understand any of what you just said. What’s a penny, and why would she give you one for your thoughts?”

  Gina laughed, turning to Grady and taking his arm. “That’s just an old saying. A penny is a coin we used to use to pay for things.”

  “So you were willing to pay him for his thoughts? Shouldn’t such things be free between mates?” Grady frowned at Jim, and he had a hard time not laughing in the alien’s face.

  “They should indeed,” Gina agreed readily as she started walking, taking Grady with her. Jim followed along close behind.

  “Where are we going?” Jim protested when they neared the main entrance to the underground complex. There was a series of tunnels before they’d reach the outside, but this short tunnel, sealed by two huge, metal blast doors, was the entrance to the facility itself.

  “I heard about a special place, just outside, in one of the side tunnels. A hot spring.” She sent him a daring look that immediately fired his libido. It didn’t take much to get his motor running where Gina was concerned.

  “You don’t say?”

  “It’s secluded and private with an independent water source. The ladies I spoke to swore by it for bathing…and other things.”

  “Really?” Jim allowed her to coax him out into the small entry tunnel.

  There were guards posted at both ends of the small tunnel—one inside the facility and one just outside, in the tunnels. The man inside gave Gina a wink as he heard where they were headed. The second guard cautioned them to be back before they sealed the facility down for the night at midnight. They had a couple of hours to enjoy themselves.

  The grotto was lovely. Jim peeked into the chamber before entering, noting as Gina placed a discrete marker at the entrance.

  “What’s that for?”

  “So we won’t be disturbed. The ladies came up with this little system.” She winked at him.

  “Ingenious,” he agreed, pulling her hips to his as he leaned in for a quick kiss.

  He was aware of Grady behind them, but didn’t pay the alien much mind until he brushed past. Jim raised his head and followed the alien warrior into the chamber, letting Gina precede him.

  Jim crouched down at the lip of the pool, dipping his fingers into the water as he looked around. A cold waterfall doused the rocky depression, which was filled from below with piping hot water. The result was a mixture of perfect temperature, the mineral content diluted with fresh water filtered through the rocks from above. The mixture cut the earthy scent of the minerals.

  Jim would bet the area around the vents was bubbly warm if one wanted to soak. He also imagined the brisk waterfall would be a refreshing way to clean up. The combination in one heavenly grotto was nature’s perfection.

  Grady had stripped and was in the water before Jim even straightened. Gina, laughing, wasn’t far behind.

  Jim took his time, watching Grady and Gina swim a little, enjoying the water. When they started enjoying each other, Jim stripped and entered the pool. He gave them a few minutes while he swam around a bit, exploring the boundaries and depths of the pool. The thermal vents were toasty warm and bubbly against his feet and legs on one end, the cold water of the waterfall refreshing on the other. If an architect had planned it, nothing could be more perfect in design and function.

  But then again, the Great Architect had a hand in this place’s building. Jim wasn’t an overtly religious man, but he believed in the Creator. Especially when he saw someplace like this. Nature’s beauty always had a way of convincing him that somebody up there had a plan for things, and just that small reminder was enough to reassure him.

  Finding Gina again made him feel that way too. A relationship that would have been impossible in the old world was not only possible now, but promising. With Gina working with him, they had a chance to positively affect the world for all humans. And Grady might be an integral part of it all.

  There was no way he could have imagined it just a few days ago, but now things looked good for the future for the first time in decades. Instead of merely existing and eking out a living hidden from the aliens, humans had a chance to do something proactive to change the world for the better.

  Jim took another look at his friends at the other end of the pool. He couldn’t be absolutely certain, but it sure looked like Grady was already buried balls deep in Gina’s tight pussy. That didn’t take long.

  It was shallower on this end and warmer away from the waterfall. Natural ledges made this part of the pool almost like a hot tub. That was something he planned to exploit with Gina at length—once Grady was done.

  He hoped Gina had eaten well today. She’d need her strength if she was going to keep up with both her men.

  The thought gave him pause, but only for a moment. He kind of liked the way that sounded. Being Gina’s man would have a lot of benefits and only a few drawbacks. The sense of belonging to another person was something he’d never really expected to feel again in his life. Not since the cataclysm had changed everything.

  He’d bet Grady had never experienced such a thing—not even on a superficial level, as Jim had with a few of his girlfriends during his youth. Grady had never experienced love—or any emotion—until very recently. It made Jim feel sad for the guy. He didn’t even have the memories of a family’s love to fall back on in rough times. Only his emotionless Alvian brethren who seemed more like machines at times than people.

  Jim swam around a bit, watching as Gina clung to the big alien. He was definitely fucking her if her soft moans were anything to go by. He liked the way her breasts bobbed on the surface of the water while Grady pounded into her below. Her head was thrown back as the muscles in Grady’s neck strained, his big arms supporting her. His expression was fierce, and Jim wondered for a moment if he looked the same when he was close to ecstasy with this special woman.

  One of Grady’s arms slipped in the bubbly water, jiggling Gina, and Jim decided it was time to give them a hand. Or two.

  He approached Gina from behind, sliding up behind her in the warm, effervescent water. Grady met his gaze over her shoulder.

  “Give her to me. I’ll hold her.” Jim held out his hands, and Grady relinquished her upper body into Jim’s care, transferring his hold to her hips. She was stretched out between them in the fizzing water, trusting them to see to her safety…and her pleasure.

  Jim looped his arms under her shoulders from behind, supporting her against his chest. The position left his hands free to some extent. He could reach her nipples and enjoyed the little whimpering sounds that issued from her throat when he began teasing the turgid peaks.

  She was so beautiful. She took his breath away. So responsive, she made his dick stand up and take notice. He wanted inside her, and he’d have her—again and again—as soon as Grady finished. Oddly, he didn’t mind the wait. The idea tantalized him instead. It appealed to his competitive nature as well. He’d do all he could to make her peak higher, her ecstasy longer than the other man.

  The way he figured it, they’d all benefit from the friendly competition. Gina most of all…if they didn’t wear her out first.

  Gina had never felt so decadent in her life, being attended by two gorgeous men she loved. Grady pummeled her with a hint of desperation she found endearing while Jim touched off sparks of desire wherever his fingers roamed on her eager body. She hadn’t realized she was such a slut, but with these two men, she was learning her limits were much more extreme than she’d believed.

  Jim rolled her nipples between his fingers with just the right pr
essure. He was never too rough, his touch always just right. Grady, on the other hand, forgot himself at times. The poor man couldn’t help it. She knew he had moments where his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. Her empathic sense guided her at those times, helping her coax him into a gentler loving.

  She liked the way he needed her, though it wasn’t the entire basis for their relationship. More and more, she needed him too. And Jim. She felt incomplete without them. She needed them both in her life.

  Gina rewrapped her legs, one by one, around Grady’s waist, seeking a better grip as he began thrusting in short, intense digs. She was almost there, and she could tell he was damned close too. They’d come together, she knew, his climax triggering her own. Her empathy wouldn’t allow anything else. Besides, Grady would hold out long enough to be certain she was satisfied before he ever sought his own pleasure. It was the way he was built.

  She dug her heels into his muscular buttocks, urging him on. The motion below the water became more intense than ever, splashing the fizzy mineral water over her breasts in little wavelets that only added to her building passion. She was close. Just a little further…

  She cried out as she came, Grady following close on her heels, groaning her name as he jetted his hot semen into her eager sheath.

  Gina floated for a moment, enjoying the aftermath, the tingling contractions of her womb as Grady left her. She lost her sense of direction as she was turned and spun to face Jim. As his face swam out of the mists of pleasure still clinging to her body, she saw him smile. It was a devilish smile that promised something very naughty indeed.

  “My turn.”

  Two simple words and her abdomen clenched in renewed heat. How could he do this to her with just a smile and a few words? She didn’t know, but she was suddenly eager for more.

  When Jim pushed her down onto his straining cock, she didn’t protest. In fact, she helped, riding him eagerly in the warm water. But he apparently had something a little different in mind.

  Maneuvering to the shallower, hotter end of the pool, he was able to stand, the water rising to his waist. He walked with her, still anchored on his cock, toward the ledge where there were some rocks that formed a natural seat of sorts in the much shallower water. Every step jolted through her, originating where they were joined and streaking fire straight to her womb. By the final few steps, she was crying out in need at every little jiggle of her body over his. It was a divine sort of torture and something she never would have imagined could be so stimulating.

  He sat on the submerged stone formation, taking her with him, arranging her knees on either side of his slim hips. The water cushioned what would have otherwise been a somewhat uncomfortable perch on hard rock, but she was beyond thought at the moment.

  All she wanted was his cock, his climax…his come. She wanted it like she wanted her next breath. It was essential to her continued existence.

  “Ride me, baby. Yeah, just like that.”

  Jim coached her, his hands on her ass under the water as she started a fast motion, riding his cock like a champion bronco buster. She met his thrusts up with her own downward motions, loving the way he filled her, the water slippery and hot around them.

  It wasn’t long before her climax hit. For the second time in less than an hour, she flew to the stars with one of her men following right behind. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she cried out as she came, her high-pitched voice blending with Jim’s sexy groans as they reached an unprecedented climax together.

  “Oh, baby,” Jim breathed near her ear. “You rock my world, woman.”

  “Ditto.” She could only get out the single word, but she felt his satisfaction, both with her agreement and her breathlessness.

  They swam around the pool for long minutes, enjoying the waterfall and the hotter parts of the secluded springs. Grady and Jim pleasured her again, this time together, and she didn’t think she’d ever come so hard or so long as when they both made love to her at the same time.

  Grady claimed her mouth while Jim fucked her from behind. She trusted them to hold her up in the shallow end of the pool, Grady’s hands anchoring her shoulders well above the water as Jim’s thrusts slid her forward onto Grady’s cock. She loved the heat of him, the molten rush as he came in her mouth. It was so…alien. Like him. But he was also her lover in the truest sense—the man she loved. One of the men she loved. For if forced to choose between them, she would never be able to decide which one she loved more.

  They were both precious and special to her. Both her mates. Now and forever.

  Before they needed to return to the facility for the night, they washed up under the waterfall. Gina finished first and sauntered over to reclaim her clothing, which was strewn near the grotto’s entrance. She dressed in her shirt and pants, forgoing underwear, then went to find Jim and Grady’s clothes.

  She had her back to the entrance and was making a show of stretching to reach for Grady and Jim’s clothing when Grady charged in her direction, fear and determination flashing across his face. Jim wasn’t far behind.

  She didn’t think. She reacted, jumping out of the way as Grady rolled on the stone floor, coming up with the long, wicked blade he’d discarded when he undressed. Within the blink of an eye, he was hand to claw with a giant mountain cat that had stalked her without her knowledge.

  Sweet Mother of God, she’d almost been shredded by the vicious claws digging into Grady’s pale skin. But Grady had skills. Jim joined him a moment later, coming at the cat from behind while Grady took the full brunt of the beast’s claws.

  Before she could even figure a way to help them, they’d both struck deep into the beast’s heart with their knives. Jim caught Grady as he staggered back and the cat slumped to the ground, in its death throes.

  “Grady!”

  She ran to him as Jim lowered Grady to the ground, then went to make certain the cat was no longer a threat. Grady was hurt badly. He had gouges down his chest and arms and was bleeding profusely.

  “Gina?” Grady’s voice was weak, but he struggled to see her. “Are you okay?”

  She hiccupped, tears streaming down her face. “I’m fine. Grady, you saved me. I’m just fine. But Grady, you’re hurt!”

  He seemed to want to say more, but his eyes rolled back in his head as he passed out, most likely from blood loss.

  Gina tore the nearby clothing into strips, tying makeshift tourniquets on both his arms and one leg. She used other bits of cloth to try to staunch the flow of blood from the deep gashes on his torso. Jim helped.

  “I sent a telepathic message to Dave and Mike. They’re on their way. David is a strong healer. He ought to be able to help Grady.”

  “God.” She sat back, wiping at her tears so she could see better. “I didn’t even think of that.”

  “It’s okay, baby.” He met her eyes over Grady’s bleeding body. “He’ll be all right. Help is on the way.”

  “He saved me, Jim. You both did.”

  The enormity of what had just happened descended on her like a load of bricks. If she’d had any doubts about their devotion before, they were eradicated.

  Moments later help arrived. Dave took over and Mike ushered Gina away, bundling her into Jim’s arms. They stood over Grady, watching his pale face as Dave set to work.

  “This looks like the cat we’ve been seeing on the monitors lately, but we’ve never seen him in the tunnels,” Mike said as he examined the cat’s massive carcass.

  Dave held his hands over the worst of Grady’s wounds, and they stopped bleeding right before her eyes. Dave was a powerful healer, indeed. But Grady had lost so much blood. Gina still worried.

  “A lot of zoo animals have crossbred with native species since the cataclysm. Looks like this could be some kind of tiger/mountain lion mix. Sure is a big son of a gun.” Jim responded to Mike’s observation and she knew the men were talking to help get her mind off Grady’s condition, but nothing on Earth could do that at this moment.

  It felt like hours lat
er, but was probably only a few minutes before Dave stood. He swayed on his feet, but his cousin steadied him. More men had arrived with rifles and lights, searching the rest of the immediate area surrounding the grotto in case the dead cat had friends nearby. Other men held a stretcher onto which they loaded Grady’s unconscious body.

  As they carried him out, Gina and Jim followed right behind. Jim’s arm around her shoulders felt like the only thing keeping her together. She snuggled into Jim’s side, as close to the litter bearing Grady as possible.

  When they got to the smooth floors of the facility, the stretcher was placed on a gurney so Grady could be wheeled to the small medical facility they’d found on the old military base. Jaci met them at the door, Bill a silent presence behind her. She took over, working closely with David while she checked Grady’s vitals.

  “He lost so much blood.” Gina worried as Jim held her in one corner of the room.

  “He’ll be all right.” Jaci took a moment to reassure her. “Alvians can survive blood loss that would kill a human. We have the ability to regenerate fluids—blood included—at a much faster rate than you do. However, he might require some serum in the short term, if either Bill or I are compatible with his blood type.”

  “Could you use human blood?” Jim asked. She felt his earnestness and his true desire to help Grady. In that moment she knew that no matter what problems they faced in the future, Jim had come to terms with their three-way relationship.

  Jaci looked thoughtful. “It might be possible, but it has never been done to my knowledge. It would be safer if Bill or I could contribute.” She kept moving as she replied, using pieces of equipment Gina didn’t recognize. “This—,” Jaci held up a small instrument that looked to be of alien origin, “—will type his blood.” A quick run through the blood still coating areas of Grady’s body and the small instrument chimed. “Ah, Zed Alpha. I cannot donate.” Jaci’s gaze rose to Bill’s as he entered the room fully, already rolling up his sleeve.