Chapter 4

4

TATIANA

T ati stumbled as they landed in a dimly lit space, grateful for William's solid arm around her waist holding her steady. Her eyes flicked around, taking in their surroundings. Dark stone walls stretched high above them and brass sconces cast flickering light, painting the perfect picture of a gothic mansion. The air was comfortably warm, heated by a fire blazing in the river-stone fireplace that was large enough to house a small family.

"Did you build this?" Tati stepped out into the wide, high-ceilinged living room, looking up where an iron chandelier loomed menacingly over them.

Atticus, who'd tossed his jacket over the back of a long sofa upholstered in rich red velvet, let out a snort. "No," he said, shaking his head. His long-fingered hands moved to the sleeves of his crisp shirt, which he started to roll up his forearms. "This particular home comes with the job."

Tati watched his hands, mouth watering at the porcelain skin revealed. There was strength there, the tendons on the back of his hand straining and flexing with each little movement.

"We have tried to make it our own, though," William's warm voice added from behind her. A large hand curled around her hip, tugging her back against his chest. His voice was soft in her ear. "Can I get you anything, Tink?"

For a moment, Tati's eyes shut. It was overwhelming, really, the unbelievable chain of events that had led her to that moment suddenly catching up with her. She cleared her throat. "No thank you," she began. "I'm just," she paused, a sudden, disbelieving laugh bubbling from her. "Well, I'm dead. And I'm here with you. It's fucking wild."

"Is that a good kind of wild?" William drew her more firmly against him, his free hand reaching up and tucking a piece of hair back behind her ear.

A shiver skittered across her skin, and she tilted toward him, into his touch. "Really good," she breathed.

William's low laugh tickled the side of her neck.

"Are you going to stop the silliness and kiss her, pup?"

Tati's eyes snapped open at Atticus' low voice.

He sat in a chair on the other side of the room, most of his face hidden in the shadows cast by the flames. His long legs stretched out in front of him, thighs sprawled open, alabaster forearms balanced on the arms of the wing-back chair. Even though she couldn't see his face clearly, she could still feel the potency of his gaze as he watched them.

Behind her, she felt William's breathing quicken, the gentle pressure of his chest expanding against her back picking up pace. She craned her neck, needing to look at the man who held her so tightly against him.

She caught the tail end of a glare shot across the room toward Atticus, but then his attention turned to her. And then his tongue swiped across his upper lip and his brow cocked, asking her a silent question.

Tati had spent the past — well, now final — ten years of her life waiting. She'd waited, watching while those around her lived out dreams and fell in love and started families. She'd waited because her dream had been worth the sacrifice. She'd thought it was worth it all.

But now she was dead, and she was fucking done waiting.

She turned in his arms, gripping the lapels of his red coat and tugging him forcefully down to meet her.

There was no preamble to the way William kissed her. His lips were soft, a juxtaposition to the rough catch of the tawny beard that surrounded his mouth. But Tati was barely able to consider how much she loved the harsh tickle before her mind was rendered blissfully blank by the press of his tongue into her mouth. It was a claiming, the way his tongue thrust and curled and licked against hers.

Tati met the onslaught, pushing up onto the tips of her toes so that she could work her own mouth against his. Her tongue challenged him, twining around his, relying on speed to acquaint itself with every single corner of his mouth.

The man's hands gripped her hips, tugging her flush against him. She wasn't imagining the hardness of his cock that pressed against her hip, thick and hot even through their clothing.

A desperation built in her body, and she had to have him. Had to see if the thick hair she'd glimpsed peeking out of the plunging neckline of his shirt continued down the rest of his abdomen. Had to follow the lines of his tattoos, see where they twined and wound around his body.

She shoved her hands under the shoulders of his coat, pushing the fabric off of him. Her hands immediately went to the white laces that criss-crossed his chest, fumbling with the knots, loosening them just enough that she would be able to get the shirt up and over his broad shoulders.

"Stop."

Tati froze, heart pounding in her ears and between her thighs. She swallowed, trying to keep her breaths as quiet as possible, even though her lungs were screaming for more air. Slowly, she turned to look over her shoulder.

She'd forgotten about the man across the room. The man with the sharp features cast in the harsh firelight, who watched them with a burning ferocity that ignited her skin. But Tati's gaze wasn't on his hauntingly beautiful face.

Her cheeks flushed as she took in the curl of his long, pale fingers around the obvious bulge in his trousers. Atticus' posture had relaxed, leaving him slumped back in his chair, the position somehow still dignified.

"Come closer," he said, his voice dark, perfectly audible over the faint crackling of the hearth. "Let me see you together."

William rushed forward, interlacing his fingers with hers and tugging her along with him. They moved from the atrium down a stone step into the sunken living area. They bypassed a low sofa and a standing lamp that looked like it was made from animal bones before coming to a stop in front of Atticus.

A slow, sinister smile spread across his face as he looked up at William. "Beautiful, pup," he murmured, eyes bright like obsidian reflecting moonlight. "You know what it does to me when you listen so well." The hand that rested in his lap squeezed his erection as his eyes slid over to look directly at Tati. She tried not to squirm. "And you, Tatiana." He shook his head. "You are truly something."

She felt William's fingers squeeze hers.

"Before we begin," Atticus continued, shifting in his seat to lean forward with his elbows braced on his knees. "There are some things we should discuss. Sit." He flicked a hand, and the sudden, firm pressure of soft fabric against the back of her legs had Tati tipping backward.

She let out a cry, only to fall silent when she found herself sitting comfortably on a red velvet settee with William beside her. She looked back at Atticus, mouth wide open.

He stared at her with that smile curving his lips. "Now, Tatiana. William and I have been together intimately for over one hundred years. Our relationship, both in and out of the bedroom, is the product of hundreds of conversations. It is essential that you understand that."

Tati nodded.

"Now, I am assuming that you are here with us in our residence because you have an interest in joining in our intimate play?"

Tati's core throbbed. Again, she nodded.

"I need your words, Tatiana."

"Yes," she said, her voice already breathless.

"Excellent," he purred. Beside her, William remained silent, although she could feel one of his hands playing with her hair, twirling in the curls at the base of her neck. "So let us go over your limits, then. I take it after that display with William that you are open to kissing?" When she nodded again, he smiled. "Lovely. And how about being touched? Is there anywhere on your body that you would like us to avoid?"

"No."

"Fingers, mouths, toys?" Atticus stared at her intently, with unyielding focus. "I can imagine us licking up and down those delicious curves, perhaps spending some extra time tasting you between your thighs. And, depending on your desires, a cock or toy in your cunt or ass could also be arranged."

Now Tati's body was truly on fire. She squeezed her thighs, desperate for something that might offer her a glimmer of relief from the need that raged in her body. "I," she breathed, trying to gather her thoughts. "I would be open to it all, but I've never…in my ass…"

"I want to know what you want, Tatiana. Not what you think we want. We have very wide-reaching appetites, but none of that matters if you are uncomfortable." Atticus looked at her intently. "Now, again, pretty girl. What are your thoughts on anal penetration?"

"I'd like to try, but maybe start…small?"

Movement beside her drew her attention, and she glanced over, catching William's wide pupils before looking down at his lap, where his tattooed hand pressed against the crotch of his pants.

Atticus' low voice drew her attention back to him. "Consider it done. And at any point, in any moment, speak your mind. We will always honor a ‘no.'"

Tati could only nod. It was too much, this casual way of speaking about things that had her wet and sticky between her legs.

"That should be enough for tonight," Atticus said, leaning back in his chair and spreading his thighs out even wider. "Now then. Come here, pup," he growled, dark gaze fixed on the man to her right.

William slid from the couch down to the floor, his knees hitting the thick Oriental rug with a dull thunk . Tati watched, body tight and sparking with awareness as he shifted forward, his solid, muscled body rippling under his thin, white shirt and tight black pants as he began to crawl across the floor.

Atticus watched him, heat and wanting burning in his eyes as William stopped between his spread legs. "You can have a taste," the dark-haired man purred, tangling his long, pale fingers into William's thick hair. And then, with a push on the back of his head, William buried his face into Atticus' fabric-covered groin. "Just like that, pup," he continued, his jaw tightening as his eyes grew heavy-lidded. "Taking such good care of me."

Tati watched the exchange, breath heavy in her chest. Seeing the two of them together ignited something inside of her—she'd wondered, of course, watching them together in the club, seeing the way that William seemed to subconsciously angle himself toward Atticus no matter where they were. There was a true, deep connection there. Connection that spoke of years together, years of knowing each other.

"Enough," Atticus growled, yanking William's head back. "Time to go show our guest what you can do with your mouth."

With a grace that made little sense from a man on his knees, William turned away from Atticus and crawled toward her. From this angle she could see his face, his expression dazed, mouth slack and wet, and his eyes violently golden as he looked up at her through his thick, brown lashes. He was beautifully, utterly, debauched.

William paused, resting back on his heels only inches away from her knees. With his eyes fixated on her, he reached up, sliding his hands between her tightly clenched thighs and pressing gently. Her legs fell open, dress slipping up her thighs and leaving her on display for the breathtaking man kneeling before her, as well as the looming presence of the other man who watched them both with a predator's attention.

"Oh, Tatiana," Atticus said, his voice low but loud enough to be heard across the small distance between them. "You are lovely. Positively lovely. Would you not agree, pup?"

William only nodded, his eyes fixed on the apex of her thighs. Tati watched as his tongue slipped from his mouth and wet his lips.

"What do you say, darling? Would you like for him to taste you?" Atticus' low growl echoed in the large room.

"Please," Tati whispered, completely overwhelmed with want, unable to fully grasp that her body — her dead body — was on the precipice of something like this. On the verge of something undoubtedly mind-blowing transpiring between herself and these two eternally-bound men.

William needed no further prompting. His bearded cheek scraped against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh as he leaned forward into her space. Her core clenched, throbbing in anticipation as his hot breath met the wetness of the purple lace panties she'd picked out for that night. Panties she'd hoped would be removed by her date.

That man was the last thing on her mind when William buried his nose into the damp fabric. A keening cry tore from her as he rubbed ruthlessly against her clit, sending electricity darting to her extremities.

She felt the reverberations of his groan against her as he inhaled, and then the distinct wet pressure of his tongue against her panties. He licked long, languid stripes, starting from the place where the underwear disappeared between her ass cheeks, passing over her wet entrance and culminating over the throbbing bud of her clit where it protruded from between her swollen lips.

She'd hated the fact that her clit wasn't a dainty, hidden thing like she'd read about in romance novels. That, when aroused, it stood rigid and obvious. But now, with William's wide, hot tongue curling around it before sucking it into his mouth, that self-consciousness felt a million miles removed.

That was the problem of the Tatiana of the past, who had lived an incomplete, hesitant life. Now she was dead, and one of the most beautiful men she'd ever seen sucked on her clit like it might sustain him.

"Give me those panties, pup," Atticus growled, and William made quick work of peeling the wet fabric away from her body. Tati lifted her hips so that he could roll the underwear over her full, quaking thighs.

Without looking away from her, William tossed the underwear behind him. Casually, Atticus snatched them out of the air with one hand, gathering them into his fist before raising them up to his face. He stared at Tati as he inhaled.

Of course, right as he did that, William dipped his tongue into her before swiping up to resume his attention to her clit. Without the barrier of the fabric between them, the soft heat of his mouth tightening around the swollen bundle of nerves sent her pleasure into a sharp overdrive.

It was unbelievable, really, how quickly she hurtled upwards toward release. Her core throbbed, muscles in her inner thighs burning and trembling as her hands tangled in William's hair. Her grip tightened and the man groaned, the sound vibrating against her and sending her higher, still higher, inexplicably higher.

"Oh, god, William," she panted, hips rolling to tighten the connection between her body and his wicked mouth.

"Are you close, Tatiana?"

Her dazed vision cleared as she focused on Atticus, who watched the two of them greedily. Something about the look in his eyes sent an even sharper throb of pleasure through her, and she managed to nod.

"Perfect," he said, his voice dark and calculating. "Pup, you have her close. So close for us." Tati caught a glimpse of his tongue wetting his lower lip. "Now fill her up with one of those thick fingers, hm? Give that sweet cunt something to clench on when she comes."

Without changing the flicking rhythm of his tongue and mouth on her clit, Tati felt a thick, calloused finger press against her entrance. It was just what she needed, what her body craved, and she tugged harder on William's hair as though that could communicate what she couldn't figure out how to put into words.

Somehow he must have known, because a feral growl that sent sparks to her clit accompanied the slow, tortuous thrust of William's finger into her channel. He didn't pause before drawing partway out again, the pad searching, curling, pressing, until?—

"Fuck!" Tati cried, her orgasm shattering through her body as he stroked her g-spot and sucked on her clit. Everything dissolved around her as pleasure wracked through her in waves, curling her toes in her pumps and making her breasts ache where they were still trapped inside of the bodice of her dress.

William slowed his movements, his finger withdrawing from her body while his tongue moved to trace lightly up and down her slit, each barely-there brush against her clit sending shivers through her body. Her breaths were labored as she tried to piece herself back together after falling so completely apart.

"Come here, pup," Atticus' low voice commanded, and Tati couldn't help but whimper as William moved away from her. Her eyes watched his ass and strong thighs as he crawled.

When he reached Atticus, the man in the chair grabbed him by the front of his shirt, yanking him up and toward him. "Let me taste her," Atticus growled before closing the distance between himself and William, ravaging the kneeling man's mouth with his own.

Tati watched them together, core pulsing at the beauty of the two men, at the way they were lost in the passion that raged between them. Atticus tore his mouth away, running his tongue over his wet, glistening lips as his dark eyes lifted to catch Tati's gaze.

"Delicious, darling," he breathed, the words reverent. And then his attention returned to the man kneeling between his knees. "Would you like to fuck her sweet cunt now that you've had a taste?"

William let out a desperate, pleading groan, and Tati could see the flex of his ass as his hips jumped, thrusting against the air. "Please, Atti," the man whimpered, and Tati felt another wave of arousal throb in her core.

"Stand up, pup." Atticus smacked a pale hand against William's ass as William pushed himself up to standing. Tati shifted along the couch to get a better view, not wanting to miss a single moment.

Atticus shifted in his seat, reaching into his front pocket and emerging with what looked like a flexible, rubber ring. He slipped it down to hang from his thumb as his hands dropped to the button of William's pants.

He made quick work of it, shoving the pants down and over William's ass and thighs. William did the rest of the work from there — stepping out of the pants and leaving him naked from the waist down.

Dark hair covered his thick thighs and smattered across his round ass cheeks. Tati's mouth watered at the sight of him — so masculine, so fucking strong. And then she craned her neck so she could catch a glimpse of?—

"Come over here and watch, love." She snapped her head up at Atticus' voice. Tentatively, she got to her feet. She needed a moment to regain her balance in her heels before she crossed the small space, only to stumble when she caught sight of William's very hard, very thick cock.

But it wasn't the cock itself that caught her eye. It was the flashes of silver that adorned it — a ring that pierced the tip of the red, smooth head, curving below and disappearing from view.

As if anticipating her perusal, one of Atticus' long-fingered hands lifted William's cock, bending it up against the panting man's stomach. A row of seven silver bars crossed the underside of his shaft, each end tipped with a small silver ball.

Tati licked her lips. She'd heard about dick piercings, sure, but seeing them, finding herself in a scenario where it wasn't unimaginable that she might actually experience them, sent a flush across her chest.

"What do you think, Tatiana?" Atticus peered up at her through inky lashes. "He did not come to me with these. But as the one who was going to be on the receiving end of William's pretty, pink cock, I suggested he try it. And, well, in the Afterworld, anything is possible."

Tati couldn't form the words to reply, standing suspended beside them. She watched as Atticus retrieved the rubber ring and began to carefully slide it over the crown of William's cock.

William let out a sharp hiss, his head falling back as Atticus worked the rubber ring over each of William's piercings. Atticus' expression was focused as the ring reached the base, the rubber tight enough that it pressed into William's skin.

"What is your color, pup?" Atticus tilted his head back, his expression earnest as he looked up at William.

"Green," William choked out.

Atticus' mouth twisted into a smile. "Good boy," he said, just as he leaned forward without warning and took half of William's cock into his mouth.

"Oh fuck," William hissed, his thighs trembling. "Atti…"

The man didn't respond, too busy licking and slurping his lover's cock to reply. Tati tightened her thighs, her body already hungry for more.

With a pop, Atticus released William's cock, licking his lips with a dark smirk before his hooded eyes slid over to Tati. "Well, Tatiana? Are you ready?"

Tati shifted again. "Ready for what?"

"To be fucked," he said, his tone matter of fact.

"Yes," she heard herself respond. And she was.

She was ready for anything.