TAYDELAAN

RACHEL CLARK

Prologue

Kayla could barely breathe.

Her chest squeezed tight, and her eyes filled with tears, making it that much harder to find her clothes. Where the fuck was her other shoe? She’d managed to drag her slacks and shirt back on as she fought the nausea that threatened to bring her to her knees. Humiliation burned white hot as she finally abandoned the shoe and left her lover’s apartment.

Never in a million years would she forget the look on her lover’s wife’s face.

Six months they’d been dating, six long, strange, not exactly perfect months, but plenty of time to build the fantasy in her mind. Half a year of planning and dreaming and wondering if this was the one, the beginning of her happily ever after.

The bastard never mentioned he was married.

She nearly made it to her car, but the urge to vomit overwhelmed her, and she fell to her knees. Her stomach emptied violently, but she refused to stay a moment longer than she absolutely had to. She climbed into her car, wiped her eyes so that she could see, and headed for home. Her apartment wasn’t far from here, but now it seemed way too close to a man who would treat her so poorly.

The expression on his wife’s face flashed through her mind again.

Nope, never in a million years would she forget that look.

Chapter One

Two years later…

Kayla sat on the plastic chair in the crowded food court and listened to David and Jessica tease each other. Now this was a perfect marriage.

They knew each other well. They respected each other’s opinions. They had lunch together most days. Yes, this was the sort of marriage Kayla had once dreamed of. Not anymore, though. David and Jessica were the one-in-a-million couple, but Kayla wasn’t silly enough to hope she’d one day find the same. She was content to simply have good friends.

She smiled as David laughed harder, his good humor lightening her heart even as dark memories crowded her head. Why today? Why was she thinking of the asshole? It had been nearly two years since she’d seen him. She’d quit her job soon after—working in the same building had proven even more humiliating than she’d expected—packed her meager possessions, and driven three hours to the next major city.

She was much happier here. She’d taken the first job she’d been offered and had worked there ever since. It wasn’t designing, but it kept her close to these two. Jessica and David were good friends, so even though she should really take her life off hold and get back to the career she’d studied so hard for, she found the idea of not seeing Jessica and David every day too hard to bear. So she worked as a secretary by day and halfheartedly sketched designs at night.

It was a good life. It was. Really.

“Ready to go back to the office?” Jessica asked.

“No,” Kayla said with a smile, but she moved to collect her trash and their empty trays.

“We could take the afternoon off and go shopping,” Jessica said as she wrapped an arm around Kayla’s elbow. “Maybe get facials or manicures or…I don’t know. Anything but go back to the office.”

Kayla laughed. That was one way to force her to get her design career back on track—get fired from the job that currently paid the bills.

“As fabulous as that all sounds, I think I should head back before my boss decides I’m not worth the buck-fifty an hour.” Okay, so she earned more than that, but there were weeks when it sure felt like minimum wage. She certainly didn’t get paid enough to put up with her boss’s fairly regular tantrums. “But you go. The boss is not going to bat an eyelash at her star accountant taking an afternoon off.”

Jessica laughed. Still holding Kayla’s arm, she turned to her husband and kissed him good-bye. David gave her his usual farewell hug, but for a weird moment Kayla imagined that he was going to kiss her as well. Just as her heart leaped into her throat with a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and guilt, he pulled back. Happily, he grinned at them both and then walked away.

Kayla watched him go, admiring his casual, confident stride in tight-fitting jeans for quite a while before she realized what she was doing. Heaven help her. She was lusting after her best friend’s husband. Guiltily, she glanced at the woman beside her. Jessica’s attention, thankfully, was also on the man walking away from them. Kayla tried really hard to rein in her rampant thoughts. The fact that she seemed as attracted to Jessica as she was to Jessica’s husband was not something she planned to admit, even to herself.

She must’ve made some sound of distress, because Jessica suddenly let go of Kayla’s arm and placed her hands on either side of Kayla’s face. She stared into Kayla’s eyes, her gaze intense, searching. Her smile faltered, and Kayla had the weirdest feeling that Jessica was reading her mind.

But then the spell was broken, and Jessica took a step away. She smiled, and Kayla started to wonder if anything unusual had happened at all. Everything certainly seemed normal. It was not a secret that Kayla had an overactive imagination. She rubbed her forehead tiredly. Maybe she should lay off the sci-fi movies for a while. Mind readers? What the hell was she thinking?

In silence they walked slowly back to the office, but it wasn’t until they reached Jessica’s desk that Kayla noticed how pale the other woman looked.

“Jess, are you okay?” she asked, as concern for her friend’s health overrode her own confused thoughts.

“Just a headache, I think. Nothing serious, but I might go home.”

“Uhm, sure. Can I do anything?”

Jessica smiled, grasped Kayla's hand for a moment, and said, “No. I’ll just let the boss know before I leave.”

Kayla wanted to drive Jessica home, but considering the strange emotional attachment she seemed to be developing for both Jessica and David, maybe it was better that she back away for a while. The last thing she wanted was to get in between a married couple again. Not that it would happen—Jessica and David were devoted to each other—but embarrassing herself in front of the two closest friends she had was simply not on her agenda.

But as she watched Jessica walk away, Kayla finally admitted that even her physical attraction wasn’t just for David.

* * * *

David felt her energy even before she entered the room. As natural as breathing, he sensed Jessica’s mood and moved quickly toward her. The grief flowing through their connection shocked him, and he needed to understand, needed to help. As she stepped through the door, he pulled her into his warm embrace.

Her thoughts were so scattered he couldn’t interpret their meaning, but he held her close while she gave in to the tears. Silently he bent, lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the sofa. He sat holding her tight, giving her time, still trying to hear her jumbled thoughts.

She cried for a short while, but he sensed her need to talk and helped her to sit up.

“She’s not the one.”

“Are you certain?” he asked. “Was there nothing in the link?”

“Nothing.” She swallowed, took a deep breath and wiped her face angrily. “I felt so certain she was our Taydelaan. Even now I can’t forget her, even knowing she is not destined for us.”

“Oh, honey, we knew it was a long shot. There are billions of humans on this planet. We will keep searching. We will find our Taydelaan. We just need to keep moving forward.”

“But I already love her.” She said it with such defeat in her tone—a feeling he now shared—that he couldn’t help but hold her tighter. Yes they both loved her, but Kayla was human and not their Taydelaan.

They had to let her go.

* * * *

“Kayla.” The shrill voice had the whole office ducking for cover. “What the hell happened with Jessica yesterday?”

Trying to control the nervous urge to swallow, Kayla swiveled in her chair, absently noting the interest from her co-workers. Apparently, the boss’s tantrums were a form of entertainment as long as you weren’t the target of her ire.

“Yesterday? I don’t understand.”

“Well you’d better understand and start giving me answers.” Kayla still looked at her boss blankly. “What the hell happened between you two that would cause Jessica to quit her job in the middle of tax time?”

Kayla’s mouth fell open in shock. Jessica had resigned? Why?

She shook her head. Nothing unusual happened yesterday. Not really. Kayla had simply gone to lunch with Jessica and David just like she’d done every work day for the past few months. They’d eaten together, talked, laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company. Just like every other week. Nothing had happened to set the day apart from any other she’d shared with Jessica. Well, except for that brief moment where Kayla imagined Jessica reading her mind, or when she imagined David wanting to kiss her.

Oh, hell.

Kayla shook her head in bewildered denial, but the uncomfortable thought wriggled its way to the forefront of her thinking.

No. No way would they have realized the feelings she’d begun to develop for the beautiful couple. She’d been very careful to hide them. There was no way she’d given her thoughts away, was there?

Her boss stood tapping her chubby, expensively clad foot, waiting for an answer. Heat traveled up Kayla’s neck, coloring her face. Embarrassment, at both her current situation and the possibility she’d given away her attraction to her friends, clawed its way through her.

“Why would Jessica resign when we need her the most?” Kayla watched her boss’s fury begin to escalate. “Why would she have lunch with you and then leave soon after? Why would she resign the same day?”

“I—I don’t know,” Kayla stammered. “I knew she went home sick after lunch, but she never mentioned anything to me about resigning.” A sharp ache had begun in her chest. She considered Jessica and David her closest friends. Why wouldn’t they tell her about Jessica leaving?

“Well, I expect you to find out and fix it. I will not get through tax time one accountant short. You will fix this, Kayla.” There was no real threat in the words, but her tone held a much more sinister meaning. Jessica was an experienced and talented accountant, and Kayla was an average secretary. If there was a problem between the two of them, there was no doubt whom the boss considered expendable. The woman gave her one more furious look, turned on her wobbly heel, and marched back to her office.

Kayla rubbed her temples against the suddenly blinding headache, closed her eyes and tried to reconstruct the events of yesterday. She’d been concerned when Jessica went home ill, but not overly worried. Jessica had said it was nothing serious, and David worked from home, so Kayla knew her friend wouldn’t be alone when she got there. She’d spent last night going over and over the lunch that they’d had together and had convinced herself that it had all been imagination.

But why would Jessica resign? It made no sense.

It was a big office. Jessica and David could easily have avoided her if that had been their wish. Hell, judging by the boss’s furious reaction, Jessica could’ve gotten her fired quite easily. Kayla rubbed a hand over the ache in her forehead. Jessica wasn’t like that. If she had a problem with Kayla, surely she would have said something. They’d known each other for months and had been close friends for most of that time. Even if Jessica had noticed Kayla’s attraction to David, surely Jessica and David were secure enough in their relationship not to be overly concerned. Kayla was just their lonely friend they should pity. She was certainly no threat to their marriage.

She knew them well, didn’t she? Memories of the last man she’d trusted stabbed at her brain. Did she really know Jessica and David at all? Lord knows, she’d been wrong before.

Kayla spun her chair around, suddenly very anxious to get answers. She needed to see them both, to ask them why this happened, find out why they hadn’t discussed it with her or at least warned her it might occur. She needed to know if she truly was so bad at choosing friends, again.

She didn’t bother telling the boss where she was going. She just left via the stairwell, too agitated to wait for the elevator.

* * * *

“David?” Jessica spoke softly into the small communicator. “That’s the last one. They’re ready for transport.” She glanced around the room packed with boxes. They were taking far more than they should, but these items held so many memories that she felt unable to part with them. Earth had only been home for a little over two years, but she’d come to think of it as the step toward the future she and David wanted, not a step back into heartache. Now, without their Taydelaan, they were back to square one.

She headed back upstairs to make certain they’d left nothing behind. The truck had already taken the furniture and other items to the charity they’d chosen, so the only things left were the boxes she’d stacked in the living area. David would arrange for them to be transported via a type of wireless energy transfer, the sort of thing human sci-fi fans called beaming technology.

A small smile tugged at Jessica’s mouth when she remembered some of Kayla’s favorite television shows. It was a ridiculous assumption that any type of technology could pull apart and reconstruct something as intricate as living organisms, but it was an easy way to get her mementos back to the ship. Kayla would have loved the technology. If only they’d been able to tell her. If only she’d been the one.

David would return in one of the ship’s radar-invisible cruisers tonight, collect her, and then they’d head home on the transport ship currently parked behind Earth’s moon. They’d been lucky that a transport ship had been so close to the planet. They could’ve waited for up to three Earth months before securing passage home. This way left little time for them to get organized, but maybe that was for the best.

She sighed sadly. They hadn’t spoken to Kayla yet. What the hell could they say? “Sorry, babe. We both love you, but you aren’t the one, so we need to go back to our home planet and consult the genetic scientists again in an effort to find our Taydelaan.” It just didn’t cut it. Kayla would be so confused, and, if she managed to get over the alien thing, so hurt. They’d both sensed Kayla’s growing feelings and had been certain it would lead to something more, but she wasn’t their Taydelaan, she didn’t belong with them, and they had no right to ask anything of her.

Jessica fought back tears as she remembered the moment almost six months ago when she’d brushed past Kayla in the supermarket. The connection had been fleeting but so powerful it had stolen her breath. Jessica’s parents had always told her she would know her Taydelaan when she met him or her, but she’d been unprepared for the instant attraction or the need to pull the other woman into her arms and hold her close until time ended.

But somehow she’d been wrong.

It took six months of patient friendship for Kayla to feel comfortable enough to allow her and David just to hug her. Jessica had been so sure, so absolutely positive Kayla was their Taydelaan that she’d quickly learned the country’s tax laws, infiltrated the government and university computer records, and created a work history and qualifications so she could apply for the accountant’s position open at the same place Kayla worked. It had taken very little time, and, compared to her previous position as Sesturia’s leading engineer in biomechanical design, had proven to be quite simple to understand.

She wandered into the kitchen, already missing the simple meals she’d cooked here. It had been very interesting trying to produce meals the human way, and both David and Kayla had teased her about her lack of skill. Cooking was one thing Jessica wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to master. She could almost feel Kayla’s presence as she remembered some of the good-natured ribbing she’d received from the woman who could actually cook.

At least on Sesturia she wouldn’t need to cook. A small pang of homesickness hit her unexpectedly. Even though they’d moved to Earth expecting to stay much longer than two years, it felt a little comforting to know that soon they would be back amongst family. At times like this, she really missed her mothers’ sage advice—Kendra’s practical, steadfast attitude and Teyla’ani’s imaginative and slightly offbeat view of the universe. The two women couldn’t be more different, but it was clear to any who knew them that they were deeply in love. Her father would be relieved to have her home as well. He’d been none too pleased when the scientists advised that Jessica and David’s genetic match was not a Sesturian but a human.

But thinking of home only reinforced the loss she felt right now. So many times she’d imagined sharing their lives with Kayla, even hoping to talk her into visiting their home planet, if not moving there with them permanently. If Kayla had been their Taydelaan, both David and Jessica would have happily lived their lives on Earth, raising their children both in the human world and in the small Sesturian community on this planet.

Absently Jessica sensed the strange tingling sensation that usually accompanied the wireless energy transfer of the matter transporter. She moved toward the living room to make sure the operator hadn’t accidentally included the floorboards or something equally ridiculous in the transfer.

What she didn’t expect to see was Kayla.

The woman stood there, her face covered in tears, her mouth open and her eyes wide. She shook uncontrollably as her gaze darted to Jessica and back to the empty space where only moments ago the boxes had been stacked.

“Kayla.” Jessica kept her voice low and even, instinct telling her to treat this situation carefully. It was obvious by the tears that Kayla had already been upset at finding the house empty, but the fear could most likely be attributed to witnessing several large boxes disappear into thin air.

“Kayla, baby, talk to me.” Jessica stepped closer, moving slowly, but Kayla jumped back from her and held her arms out as if to stop her.

“W–what the hell was that?” The words sounded angry, but Jessica could read the deep confusion in Kayla’s body language. Kayla backed up another step, and another, until her spine pressed against the wall behind her. “Why is the house empty? Why did you resign? Where the fuck did all those boxes go?” Each word grew more and more hysterical, Kayla’s voice rising in both volume and pitch until Jessica’s ears stung in protest.

For a moment, Jessica hesitated. What to do? How to explain? How much to tell her?

If Kayla had been their Taydelaan, Jessica and David would have explained it all to her, would have given her every chance to adjust to her new knowledge and helped her any way possible. But she wasn’t their Taydelaan, and they would be leaving the planet tonight, so how the hell did they handle this situation now?

In the end, David’s voice through the communicator made the decision for her.

“Okay, Jess, the boxes are here. The captain has agreed to store them in the cargo hold until we get back to Sesturia. I’ll be back to pick you up in a few hours, and we’ll go say good-bye to Kayla before we leave.”

Kayla watched Jessica intently, obviously noticing she didn’t hold a mobile phone and that David’s voice seemed to come from all around them, not just a single point. Jessica hesitated a moment too long before replying, uncertain what to do in front of Kayla.

“Jess, everything okay?”

Jessica held Kayla’s gaze, unwilling to break eye contact as she said the words that would change Kayla’s life forever. “David, Kayla is here. You need to get here quickly so we can explain what’s going on. She saw the boxes as they transported, and she looks really frightened. I think, at the very least, she deserves to know the truth.”

“Kayla, honey,” David’s voice said through the connection. “Please wait for me. We’ll explain everything as soon as I get there. I promise you it will all make sense. Please just wait with Jessica, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Tears rolled down Kayla’s face more quickly now, and Jessica’s chest squeezed at how much they were hurting the woman. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. They were supposed to find their Taydelaan, not fall in love with a woman who wasn’t theirs. Jessica felt tears well in her own eyes as she approached the distraught woman in front of her.

“Kayla, it’ll be okay. I promise you, we’ll explain everything.”

She moved closer, holding her arms open in front of her, moving slowly like one would approach an injured animal. “Kayla, I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean to frighten you. Please stay with me until David gets here.”

Kayla closed her eyes, tears still leaking down her face, as her knees buckled and she slid down the wall. Jessica moved quickly to catch the other woman, her heart aching when Kayla flinched at her first touch. Undeterred, she wrapped her arms around Kayla’s waist and pulled her closer. After a moment’s resistance, Kayla leaned over and rested her head on Jessica’s shoulder.

Jessica soothed the other woman with quiet words, holding her tight as they both cried.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Chapter Two

David wanted to risk everything to get back to Kayla and Jessica quickly, but the Sesturian security rules were very clear on how they could enter the Earth’s atmosphere and, short of overriding the cruiser’s computer and causing a whole lot of trouble, David had no choice but to wait and worry and fume quietly. He hadn’t tried to contact Jessica again since leaving the ship for fear of causing more problems for Kayla. He knew if Jessica had anything to tell, she would contact him, so he worried silently and tried not to tap his foot in agitation or check the chronometer every five seconds.

Finally, the cruiser landed in thick brush land, the cloaking system hiding it from all but those who physically stumbled into it. Branches and leaves dragged at him as he pressed through the native foliage, every small delay heightening his agitation. It had been nearly one whole Earth hour, and the need to be with both the women he loved clawed at him relentlessly.

He made it back to his car in record time and tried really hard to stay under the speed limit. By the time he pulled into the driveway, a million scenarios had already played through his mind, each worse than the last. David wrenched the door open, following his senses to his wife. He stopped suddenly when he saw the scene in front of him.

Jessica sat on the floor, her back against the wall, Kayla lying on the floor beside her. Kayla lay curled into a fetal position, and Jessica had pulled her closer so the woman could rest her head on Jessica’s thigh. Both of them had red puffy faces, and it seemed Kayla had literally cried herself to sleep.

But she was still here. She hadn’t run—yet.

Jessica looked up as he entered the room, her eyes filling with tears once more as he moved to sit beside her on the floor and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

He didn’t need to ask questions. He could hear her thoughts as clearly as if she spoke them aloud. “Jess, she’s not our Taydelaan. I love her as much as you do, but if we stay we’ll never find our third and we’ll end up hurting Kayla even more.”

“I thought I could leave without her, but I can’t. I know it doesn’t make sense, and I know I’m asking you to give up our chance of having children, but I just can’t let her go. You can feel her emotions. You know she feels as strongly for us as we feel for her.”

“But Jess, if she was our Taydelaan, we’d be able to hear her thoughts as well and feel her emotions far more strongly. We have a connection with her, I agree with that, but if we stay here we give up the chance of ever finding our true Taydelaan.” Even as he said the words, he knew Jessica could feel the rebellion in his heart. For years, they’d had but a single goal—find their Taydelaan, their third, the one who completed their triangle, and start a family. But now it didn’t seem quite so important. Faced with the love he and Jessica could feel from Kayla, and the feelings they had for her in return, the idea of falling for someone else seemed simply impossible.

Jessica was grinning at him even before he finished the thought. She’d always been able to read him far more easily than he could read her.

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

Jessica nodded enthusiastically, a broad smile spreading across her face. David smiled with her, unable to hide the relief coursing through him at the thought of staying with Kayla.

“We do have a small problem,” he said, trying to wrap his head around practicalities. “We’ve just given away all of our furniture, and you no longer have a job.”

Jessica waved her hand in a circular motion in the air. “Details. Details,” she dismissed easily. He watched her for a moment before he said the words she’d obviously been too happy to notice in his mind.

“We need to explain it all to Kayla and let her make up her own mind.”

Jessica’s smile wavered a little. Explaining their alien status might just be a deal breaker. He hoped Kayla was as determined and strong-willed as he thought she was, because he couldn’t imagine losing her now.

“Let’s take her back to her place and try to explain this mess somewhere where we can be comfortable.”

Jessica nodded slowly, glancing at the woman beside her and brushing a stray lock of hair from Kayla’s eyes. David moved to lift the sleeping woman into his arms.

Kayla stirred a little and then woke with a start. She wriggled as panic set in, and he held her tighter even as his mind raced with all the possible negative outcomes his reaction could cause. He willed himself to loosen his grip even as he spoke quietly to the woman in his arms.

“Kayla, honey, it’s only me. We’re just taking you back to your place so we can talk.”

She opened her eyes quickly, her panicked gaze dancing around the empty room until it landed on Jessica. She seemed to settle just a little at the sight of the other woman, so David made sure to keep his wife in Kayla’s line of sight as Jessica hurried to the kitchen, grabbed her handbag and headed toward the front door.

Chapter Three

“I don’t understand.” Kayla stood, hands on hips, shaking her head violently. “It doesn’t make any sense. If you both love me, why were you packed and ready to leave?”

“That was a mistake, baby. We’re not leaving. We’re staying here with you.”

“But you were going to leave me behind.”

Kayla couldn’t quite get her head around the alien thing, so she’d decided to concentrate on the confession they’d made about both loving her. Although, at this moment, the alien thing seemed far more plausible than these two happily married people wanting her in their relationship.

“Kayla,” Jessica began as she wrapped her arms around Kayla’s waist. “We were faced with a tough decision, and we made the wrong one. Please let us make it up to you. We’re not going anywhere, I promise you.”

“But what about your furniture, all of your clothes and…and stuff? You gave it all away. How will you live here now?”

David laughed, the deep rumble tickling against her back as he pulled both women into his embrace. “We can start over. It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”

“Where were you going again?” Okay, this was the hard part, really. Alien was simply not a word she associated with real life. Who would have guessed that all those sci-fi books and movies she’d loved so much would somehow infiltrate her reality?

Oh, hell.

“Am I having a breakdown or something?” She meant for it to sound like a joke, like she had no real belief that it could be true, but her voice came out sounding small and pathetic and very, very worried. Jessica hugged her tighter.

“No, Kayla. This is real. We are real, and what we feel for you is real.”

“Kayla, honey, we come from a planet called Sesturia. It takes approximately six Earth weeks to get there. One day, we’d love for you to visit with us and meet our families.”

“It really is a beautiful planet, and there are quite a few humans among the population these days.” Kayla could feel Jessica’s smile against her neck, and she shivered when the woman kissed the sensitive spot just below her ear. “Say you’ll think about it.” Jessica kissed the same spot, this time nibbling gently with her teeth. “Tell me what you feel right now.”

Giggling a little from the ticklish feeling, Kayla said the words in her heart. “I feel happy and nervous and frightened and curious and pretty much overwhelmed. I’m still kind of wondering if I’m having a delusional breakdown.” She pulled away so she could see both of their faces, smiled to lessen the seriousness of that last confession, and then continued. “But most of all, I feel loved. Are you sure you want to include me in your relationship?”

“Of course,” Jessica said as a brilliant smile spread across her face. “All relationships on our planet are triads. Each partner loves both of the others, and since we both love you and you love both of us, you fit perfectly.”

“Do you still want to go home?”

“Home is wherever you are, Kayla.” David stepped forward and pulled her into his embrace once more, but this time he lowered his face and captured her lips with his own. He must’ve felt her stiffen, because he laughed quietly and spoke with his lips pressed against hers. “It’s okay, honey. Jessica wants me to kiss you. She plans to kiss you as soon as I’m done.”

Her mouth fell open slightly as she processed his words. Even with everything they’d discussed in the last few hours, it didn’t seem quite possible that they could both want her is a physical sense as well as an emotional one, but here she was kissing the man of her dreams, and soon she’d be kissing the woman of her dreams, too.

David licked along her open mouth, his tongue teasing at hers, his lips and teeth nibbling gently against her tender flesh. Tentatively, she slid her tongue out to tangle with his, and with a deep groan of need, David sank his tongue into her mouth, kissing her wildly, no longer controlling his desire.

She could feel his stiff erection pressed against her belly and moaned her excitement when she felt Jessica’s hands slide between them, undoing the buttons of Kayla’s shirt before moving to free David’s cock from his jeans. Jessica grabbed Kayla’s hand and guided it to David’s warm flesh, encouraging her to wrap her fingers around his wide girth.

David groaned and kissed her harder before releasing her to gaze first into her eyes and then lower to the soft mounds barely covered by white lace. Jessica helped to pull Kayla’s shirt off her shoulders and quickly undid the catch to her bra. Carefully, slowly, Jessica lowered the lace to expose the creamy skin and puckered nipples to David’s avid gaze.

Lifting one soft mound from behind, Jessica offered the dusky nipple to David. He glanced quickly into Kayla’s eyes, before bending low to capture the hard nub between his lips. He sucked strongly but managed to catch Kayla before her weakening knees let her slither to the floor. She gasped with excitement as David lifted her in his arms, positioned her on the countertop, and insinuated himself between her thighs. He rubbed his stiff rod against the rapidly swelling flesh of her pussy, only a thin layer of lace holding them apart.

Jessica smoothed her hand up and down Kayla’s thigh, each movement bringing her fingers closer to Kayla’s throbbing mound. David moved back a little, giving Jessica space, as he once again claimed Kayla’s mouth in a soul-destroying kiss. Her whole body was on fire, the smell of her arousal filling the room.

Jessica’s fingers traveled higher up Kayla’s thighs, brushing lightly at the junction. Kayla gasped into David’s mouth as a single finger worked its way under the lace barrier and penetrated her willing flesh. David smiled against her mouth as his hands fell to her breasts, molding and shaping the soft mounds.

A second finger joined the first in her pussy, a slow gentle rhythm beginning as the digits slid in and out of her slippery flesh. Soon, Jessica’s thumb found her clit, the swollen nub peeking out from its protective hood begging for attention. The gentle friction seemed to reach every inch of her body. Kayla rocked back and forth, unable to stay still as her body raced toward fulfillment.

They all moaned as Jessica removed her fingers, grabbed David’s cock, and rubbed it against Kayla’s soaking entrance. The lace of her panties got pushed roughly to the side, the erotic sting adding to the myriad sensations. A moment of clarity had Kayla gasping the word “condom,” but David reassured her even as he entered her slick flesh.

“Honey, Sesturians aren’t vulnerable to the diseases humans carry, so we’re clean. We’ll look after you, we promise.”

She almost mentioned possible pregnancy, but the moment passed as David thrust hard into her, withdrew, and thrust harder. He held her thighs tight, her body his to command as he pounded into her over and over. Jessica climbed onto the counter, encouraging Kayla to lie back so she could suck her breasts. The glide of Jessica’s tongue against the super-sensitive nubs stole Kayla’s breath, but the hand that played her clit had her screaming in ecstasy.

David pumped harder as Kayla’s body gathered, her muscles pulling tight, her voice hoarse as he rode her to orgasm. He groaned as Kayla felt his cock jerk inside her, and he ground his pelvis against her as he emptied his seed into her body. Jessica lifted her head, watched Kayla’s face for a moment, and then kissed her gently.

Sprawled on her kitchen countertop, half-dressed, David’s cock still hard inside her, and the woman of her dreams kissing her, Kayla couldn’t quite believe she was here. She closed her eyes to savor the moment, half afraid that it wouldn’t be real.

“Am I going to wake up now?” She didn’t realize she’d said the words out loud until Jessica laughed quietly.

“No, baby, this is very real, and we’ve barely gotten started. David and I have been dreaming of this moment for months. Let us love you the way we need to.”

Still gasping for breath and dazed from her orgasm, Kayla did the only thing she could. She nodded. Without a word, Jessica glanced at David, kissed Kayla’s smiling mouth and left the room. Kayla twisted, trying to see over her shoulder, but David’s groan quickly caught her full attention.

Oh my. The man—no, the Sesturian—was still very hard and still seated fully inside her. He groaned again.

“Stop wriggling, honey. I’m holding on to my control by a thread.”

Kayla froze, uncertain what would happen if David lost control. A naughty voice whispered in her head that she might like to see that, but the sensible woman who’d just found out her best friends are aliens from another planet overrode her curiosity—for now.

David leaned over, gathered her into his arms, and held her tight against his muscular chest. “Jessica has gone to run a bath for you. It’s been a very long day for all of us.”

Kayla nodded, rubbing her cheek against the hairless skin of his chest. It felt slick, similar to what a human male would after physical exertion, and without really thinking it through Kayla flicked her tongue out to taste his skin.

David’s withdrawal was immediate. He almost dropped her in his haste to move away. His hard cock, slick with her juices, bobbed against the defined ridges of his abdomen as he took another, and another, step away from her.

Bewildered and hurt by his reaction, Kayla moved to fix her clothing, pulling the skirt down and clamping an arm across her exposed breasts. David stayed as far away as he could in the small kitchen, his eyes closed, his breathing harsh and ragged.

“Kayla, it’s okay, baby.” Jessica entered the room quickly, then wrapped long, slender arms around Kayla and held her tight. “Don’t be frightened. David is just trying to go slow for you, trying not to overwhelm you with his need to make love to you. We’ve both wanted you for a very long time, and now that you’re finally here…” Jessica glanced over at her husband, her arms pulling tighter around Kayla as she spoke quietly to him.

“The bath is ready. Do you need a few more moments?”

He shook his head, but Kayla could see the strain in his expression and the way he held his body rigid. His cock wasn’t deflated at all, not even a little.

Jessica chuckled quietly as she turned Kayla and led her from the room. “You’ll get used to him. Sesturian males have a much higher sex drive than human men—from what I understand—something to do with the biological need to keep us both happy.”

Despite her earlier confusion, Kayla found herself giggling at Jessica’s quiet, conspiratorial tone. They laughed louder when David growled behind them then squealed in delight when he wrapped his arms around them both and hurried into the bathroom.

The three of them squashed into the tiny room, but after a few moments of fumbling to remove Kayla’s clothes, David growled again and lifted Jessica into his arms and deposited her on the vanity sink. He kissed her quickly before turning back to Kayla, the smile on his face made every nerve ending she owned tingle with awareness.

He seemed about to devour her whole, but then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The smile that settled on his face was different now, more reassuring, but no less hungry. He reached out, grasped Kayla’s shoulders in a gentle grip and encouraged her to turn around. His fingers found the button and zipper and carefully released them so the skirt fell to the ground, pooling at her feet. His hands smoothed over her rounded hips for a moment before he hooked his thumbs in the edges of her underwear and slowly lowered the lacy material to the ground.

David stroked his warm hands over the soft skin of her ass, his tongue following the same sensual path before he turned her to face him. He took a moment to simply look at the plumped flesh between her thighs. Her clit still throbbed from her orgasm and, surprised it was even possible, Kayla felt it swell more as he watched. He blew a cool stream of air across the slick flesh, his thumbs parting her labia to expose the shiny red nub. He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to the swollen bundle of nerves.

Kayla’s knees nearly buckled, but David held her up with his strong hands splayed across her generously curved ass. His tongue flicked across her clit, a deep moan escaping her as every muscle in her lower body pulled tight. Her breathing erratic, her hips pumping against his hold with a will of their own, Kayla gasped as soft hands grabbed her nipples and squeezed hard. Her eyes flew open to find Jessica smiling at her just before the woman’s mouth covered her own.

David held her tighter as he flicked his tongue harder and faster across her burning flesh. Her entire body felt on fire, her anus pulsing in time with David’s tongue, the erotic sting in her nipples stealing her breath and sending electrical pulses straight to her groin.

Overwhelmed by sensation, Kayla screamed into Jessica’s mouth as orgasm slammed into her, her muscles throbbing, her pussy fisting against her empty channel, her ass clenching rhythmically. David held her tighter as the sensations waned and her energy ebbed away, but when he sucked her clit into his mouth and gently bit down, her entire body went into overload.

Barely aware of her surroundings, Kayla wrenched her mouth from Jessica’s kiss, a long moan filling the room as her body slid, boneless, against her lovers. Heat swam through her veins, her pulse throbbing heavily as ecstasy washed through her.

They held her for a few moments as she caught her breath, and then David stood, lifting Kayla into his arms while Jessica stripped off her own clothes and stepped into the bath. He lowered Kayla into the vee of Jessica’s thighs so she could rest her back against Jessica’s front.

Jessica held her carefully, pressing tender kisses to Kayla’s neck, as David washed her down with a soft cloth. The gentle pressure against her oversensitive clit had her flinching from the intense sensation. Her leg muscles jumped involuntarily as David cleaned her. When they both stopped touching her, Kayla opened her eyes to find David watching her intently with a worried frown marring his handsome face.

“Honey, did I hurt you?”

Something inside her melted. They’d both given her the most intense sexual experiences of her life, yet the look of remorse he gave her almost broke her heart. She sat up quickly, ignoring the protest from her exhausted muscles, wanting—no, needing—to reassure them. David’s face relaxed into a brilliant smile as soon as she shook her head.

“No, you didn’t hurt me. I loved every moment of it, and I love you both.” She reached up to press a gentle kiss to David’s mouth and then twisted in the cramped space of the tiny bath to press a soft kiss to Jessica’s sweet lips.

“So does that mean you’re ready for more?” Kayla’s muscles tightened with desire even as she laughed and shook her head.

“Just give me another moment or two.” She lay back against Jessica, turning slightly so that she could rest her face against her lover’s soft breast.

Chapter Four

“I think she’s asleep.” Jessica whispered the words despite knowing her husband could read them in her mind. David reached out and ran his finger softly down the cheek of the woman asleep in his wife’s arms before leaning forward to press a kiss against Jessica’s lips.

He smiled at both women before straightening up and leaning back against the vanity. “We have a small problem, though.” He said the words telepathically, unwilling to share his concerns with Kayla just yet. She didn’t know much about their Sesturian biology or culture yet, and he didn’t want to scare her with snippets of information that could be frightening if taken out of context.

Jessica smiled back at him, her understanding of the situation unsurprising considering she could read his mind easily and knew him so well. “You want to claim her as our Taydelaan. Even now, I can feel the enzyme building in your body. What I don’t understand is how your physiology is even capable of producing it when she isn’t our true Taydelaan.”

He shook his head. He had no explanation either. The enzyme should only have begun producing after they’d made a mental connection with their Taydelaan. There was no mental connection between Kayla and Jessica, or between David himself and Kayla, so he had no way to explain the intense burning need to claim a woman who wasn’t their Taydelaan.

His wife watched him intently for a moment. He could hear the myriad of thoughts swirling through her mind and was shaking his head even before she voiced them. “If I claim her, I change her physiology, too. I take away any chance she has of having human babies of her own. I won’t do that to her or you,” he said directly into Jessica’s mind. “If we can’t be a Sesturian family, maybe we can be a human one.”

Jessica eyed him carefully, as if the thought had never actually entered her mind. She looked as concerned and confused as her mind felt.

“Will you be able to control the enzyme? The urge to claim her?”

That was the billion dollar question.

He had no idea.

* * * *

Kayla woke wrapped in the arms of the woman she loved.

“Well, hello, sleepy head.”

David’s deep voice sounded from across the room where he sat on the floor with his back braced against the wall. He was fully dressed but looked a little ragged. It was hard to define exactly how she realized things weren’t quite right, but the feeling persisted as she tried to untangle her limbs from Jessica’s.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, panic drilling through her even though she couldn’t really explain why. David moved to the edge of the bed quickly, his hand cupping the side of her face as he pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth. He lingered a moment and then sat back onto his haunches.

“You have too many clothes on.” She saw through his attempt to change the subject but couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. Too many clothes, huh? She was fairly certain that under the light quilt covering her and Jessica they were both naked as the day they’d been born. Assuming, of course, that Sesturians were actually born— maybe they were hatched. She giggled at the silly thought and almost asked where Sesturian babies came from, but forgot the question when David’s firm tongue pressed into her mouth and obliterated every other thought.

Movement behind her suggested Jessica was awake, too, the hands roaming over her ass and thighs raising both heat and goose bumps on her flesh. Kayla moaned into David’s mouth as she felt the duvet pushed away and the cooler air touched her exposed flesh.

David stepped away to divest himself of clothing. Jessica’s arms tightened as she rolled them over and maneuvered them so not only was Kayla on the bottom but David had room to slide onto the bed and wrap his arms around his wife. He toyed with Jessica’s nipples, Kayla watching in fascination as the pink tips tightened, begging for attention. With lots of enthusiasm but little finesse, Kayla lifted onto her elbows and nuzzled the hardened peaks with her lips.

She carefully tongued the sensitive flesh as David encouraged her, teaching her how to bring pleasure to the woman they both loved. She could see him pulling and rolling one nipple with his fingers as she sucked against the puckered flesh of the other. Jessica groaned and wriggled, screaming when Kayla bit gently. Worried that she’d hurt her, Kayla was about to move away, when desperate fingers slid into her hair and pulled her closer. In a breathless voice, Jessica demanded more.

David lifted Jessica onto his lap, pulling her back against his front and arranged her in a sitting position, her thighs held open by his knees. Entranced by the sight of her lovers’ magnificent bodies, Kayla looked her fill before she wriggled into a better position so she could play with Jessica’s nipples and watch her lovers’ reactions at the same time. She sucked and nibbled and flicked her tongue over the sensitive flesh, aware the whole time that David traced his finger around his wife’s clit. Kayla glanced down to watch the sensual dance and noticed David’s hard erection resting underneath Jessica’s bottom.

Scrunching down to get a closer look, Kayla couldn’t help but run a finger over the pre-cum that glistened on the head of his cock. She lifted her finger to her mouth to taste David’s essence and heard his groan of approval. Strong fingers slid through her hair, firmly pushing her head closer to both his straining erection and Jessica’s weeping pussy.

“Taste her,” he pleaded in a thick voice. More turned on than she could ever remember, Kayla moved forward the last few inches, vaguely aware that the hand on the back of her head caressed her scalp but gave her the choice to go forward or retreat.

Jessica’s pussy was completely bare, her swollen pink lips glistening with her own juices. Kayla inhaled deeply, the sweet smell of Jessica’s arousal filling her senses. Carefully, she ran her tongue over the soft flesh, flattening her taste buds against the skin, savoring both the flavor and Jessica’s reaction.

Moving lower, Kayla lapped at the pink labia, using her hands to separate the slippery flesh so she could thrust her tongue deep inside her lover’s body. Jessica bucked against her, but David’s hands slid onto her thighs, holding the woman still as Kayla licked at her cream. Carefully, she sank two fingers into the quivering flesh, marveling at how warm and welcoming the slippery channel felt against her own skin.

Jessica’s muscles fluttered around her fingers, the tempo increasing as Kayla moved her head back to the shining nub of Jessica’s clit. It looked plump and swollen and begging for attention. Jessica gasped and thrashed against David’s hold. Kayla could feel Jessica’s juices flowing down her fingers as well as David’s hard pulsing cock. They both gave a startled cry when Kayla withdrew her fingers from Jessica’s pussy, wrapped them around David’s hot flesh, and guided him into her channel.

He grunted as he pushed into his wife from behind, the angle slightly awkward. He lifted her a little, pressed into her harder, working his cock in deeply, before easing her legs further apart and encouraging Kayla to once again tongue that glistening clit.

Jessica’s hands tangled in Kayla’s hair, this time more desperate, this time more forceful. Kayla lowered her face to Jessica’s mound, barely able to control her own arousal as she sucked the red-pink flesh into her mouth. David began to buck into Jessica’s sweet pussy at the same time Jessica held Kayla’s hair hard and rode her face.

Kayla lapped at the slippery flesh and worked her hand underneath the joined couple so she could caress David’s tight sack. David groaned and moved faster, Jessica’s body already starting to shake with the beginnings of her orgasm. Just as Jessica screamed and cream pulsed from her slit, coating David’s hairless sack, Kayla bit gently on the swollen flesh in her mouth. David held them both immobile as Jessica’s orgasm pulsed through her.

Kayla lapped at the tender flesh, laving it like ice cream, soothing the oversensitive bud as Jessica slowly relaxed into David’s arms. Barely able to breathe, Kayla felt the hands in her hair untangle as David helped her to sit up.

“Sit back, honey.”

She moved to the top of the bed, resting her back against the headboard as David lifted Jessica onto her hands and knees and began thrusting into her. Jessica groaned, but opened her eyes to smile at Kayla as her husband fucked her from behind. He allowed the women a quick, passionate kiss before he pushed Jessica’s shoulders onto the mattress, his powerful body pumping harder and faster into her, the slick sounds of slippery flesh combining with the labored breathing of all three.

Jessica mewled with excitement as David pulled her harder against him and slapped her thigh, the noise both shocking and arousing Kayla as she watched both of her lovers come. David lifted Jessica’s knees off the bed, crushing the lower half of her quivering body against his own. He closed his eyes as ecstasy crashed over his features. Kayla watched in awe, her own pussy pulsing as she witnessed the intense emotions.

Finally, they both stilled. David leaned forward, pulling his wife’s limp body back into his arms. He kissed the side of her neck, nibbled on her ear lobe and whispered words of love. She smiled, even with her eyes closed and her body cooked-noodle limp.

“I love you.” The words blurted out from Kayla’s mouth before she could even think to stop them. Embarrassment colored her face for interrupting the tender, intimate moment between husband and wife, but two smiles beamed her way.

“We love you, too,” Jessica said softly. She twisted in her husband’s lap, lifting carefully to reveal his still hard cock. “And, baby, it’s your turn.”

David grinned and lunged for Kayla as Jessica moved out of his way. Kayla squealed as he grabbed her and pushed her underneath him. She giggled happily right up until the moment his hard, slick flesh slid straight into her waiting pussy.

She gasped as he filled her, the slight burn as he stretched her adding to the erotic moment. He fell forward, pinning her to the bed as his body surged into her pussy. He set a frantic pace, pounding into her over and over as his mouth opened over the flesh between her shoulder and her throat. She shivered as his teeth scraped over the sensitive skin.

“David!” The sharp order startled them both. David practically jack-knifed away from her, the sudden movement startling her into immobility. Frozen, unsure and confused as hell, Kayla’s gaze swung from one of her lovers to the other.

Jessica clambered onto the bed, pressed an aggressive kiss to Kayla’s mouth and managed to roll them over so that Kayla’s ass pointed back at David. He grunted as he lifted her hips toward him, Jessica holding Kayla tight across the shoulders. Kayla had never been so turned on by the feeling of helplessness the position invoked. Suddenly, the idea of submitting to a lover—or in this case both her lovers—had never held more appeal.

She relaxed her muscles, letting David maneuver her into the position he wanted and tucking her head into the protective circle made by Jessica’s arms. Head down, ass up, she waited for David to move.

His hands slid under her, seeking her clit and squeezing. The erotic pleasure-pain rushed through her as she wriggled against her lovers’ grip, trying to avoid the intense sensation. Her breathing stilled, her flesh quivering, her brain short-circuiting as her insides exploded with heat. David thrust into her, grabbing her hips and pulling her back against him.

His hands dug into her flesh as his tempo increased, thrusting harder, faster, demanding her response, demanding her love, demanding her submission. She cried out as a second, more intense orgasm shattered her, and he stilled, pressed hard against the flesh of her ass. Carefully he draped himself over her back, kissed the side of her neck and then kissed his wife.

“I love you both,” he said quietly as he pulled his finally softening cock from Kayla’s body. “Goddess, how I love you both.”

Kayla somehow found the energy to roll off Jessica and onto the pillow beside her. She intended to mumble a reply, but sleep took her so fast, the words may have been part of her dream.

* * * *

“That was close.” Jessica’s thoughts rang through his mind even as David tried to rein in his rampant desire to claim both of his mates. He shook his head, trying to clear it, as the enzyme played havoc with his normally sensible thought processes.

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say. He’d almost claimed Kayla as a Taydelaan, almost ruined her chances of ever being able to have children—human or Sesturian. He still wanted to claim Jessica, even though he knew claiming her now would tie her irrevocably to Kayla.

“Are you going to be okay?”

He nodded, knowing even as he did it, that his wife would sense his true emotions and know he was lying. Hell, the enzyme shouldn’t be producing at all. He had no idea why his metabolism was responding to Kayla this way, and he had no idea how to stop it. It wasn’t supposed to be like this with anyone but their Taydelaan.

Jessica rolled toward him, her warm hand touching the side of his face as she spoke into his mind. “Bite me.” She smiled as she said it, but he could feel the worry in her mind. “If you can’t control the urge, bite me. I want to be tied to Kayla, so the enzyme will make no difference for me.”

“But…” He could feel her determination even before she cut him off.

“I’ve already come to terms with the fact that by loving Kayla we will never have Sesturian children, but if you bite her, she’ll never have human babies either.”

David closed his eyes as the enzyme surged again in his body. Fear and guilt followed, but he grabbed the emotions, twisting them into anger. As rage flooded his mind, he rolled quickly off the bed. Every step took him further away from the women he loved, but if he didn’t get this problem under control, he could fuck up all of their lives.

He barely had the presence of mind to drag on clothes before he grabbed the car keys and left the building.

Chapter Five

Jessica tracked David’s emotions until he moved out of her range. A part of her still ached to hold him, but she realized on a very sensible level it was better for him to put some distance between them, a least for now. It wasn’t the first time he’d used anger to overrule all other emotion, and she supposed it wouldn’t be the last.

Kayla slept peacefully beside her, hopefully unaware of David’s turmoil. If she had really been their Taydelaan, she would have been as connected to both of them as Jessica and David were to each other, although if she’d been their Taydelaan they wouldn’t be dealing with any of this anyway.

Jessica watched Kayla sleep for a long while, but eventually the woman stirred, opened her eyes, and gifted Jessica with a sleepy smile. Kayla’s hair was adorably mussed about her face, her skin glowed from her recent orgasms, and her naked breasts held Jessica’s gaze. Jessica watched entranced as the woman she loved lifted her arms high over her head and stretched with all the relish of a cat lying in the sun.

“Where’s David?”

“He had to go out for a while, but he’ll be back soon.” Unable to resist the creamy skin on Kayla’s abdomen, Jessica smoothed a hand up and down Kayla’s belly as she spoke. “While we wait for him, we could spend the time talking about where we’re going to live, or how I’m going to get my job back, or maybe,” her hand traveled higher to tweak Kayla’s nipple, “we could find something more interesting to do.”

Jessica could feel her own nipples hardening as Kayla’s stiffened under her gentle assault, but, even without the Taydelaan link, she could sense Kayla’s anxiety.

“He’ll be back soon, baby. He just needs to check in with the leader of the Sesturian community and then he’ll be right back.” At least that’s where she’d hoped he’d gone. Once he was out of her telepathic range, she wasn’t sure exactly where he was, but he’d headed that way, and if anyone could help explain the enzyme problem, it was Jed.

“Check in?”

“Well, we did leave our alien spaceship parked in orbit.” As she said it, Jessica put her hands beside her head and wriggled her pointer fingers as if they were antennae. As she’d hoped, Kayla giggled at her silliness. She lay down beside Kayla again, pulled the woman into her arms, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Maybe you should get some rest. Tomorrow we have to somehow convince the boss I resigned accidentally but now I’ve changed my mind.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard.” Kayla’s voice was soft, but the tone worried Jessica.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, she, um, she blamed me for you leaving and told me to fix it.”

“She did what?” Jessica sat up so quickly she almost fell off the bed, nearly taking Kayla with her. “What did that bitch of a woman say to you?” Jessica could feel her anger churning deep inside her gut. How dare anyone upset her mate!

Kayla laughed nervously, obviously considering whether to divulge the details of her boss’s demands. She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, but the words came out in a rush.

“Okay, basically she blamed me for your resignation. Said you resigned straight after having lunch with me and that I must’ve done something wrong and I better fix it or else.” Kayla squirmed on the bed, managing to sit up and drag the sheet over her body at the same time. “Why did you resign?”

Conflicting emotions pounded Jessica. She wanted to be very angry at the way Kayla had been treated, but right now Kayla needed reassurance, not a rant about their bitch of a boss.

“We were going to go home to Sesturia, but now that we know you love us, well, we want to stay. Only trouble is we don’t actually have anywhere to live anymore. I don’t suppose you know anyone willing to take us in?” Jessica smiled seductively, her thoughts already turning to some of the more interesting things they could be doing right now rather than talking, but Kayla’s words stopped her short.

“But this place is so small, and it only has one bathroom, and the kitchen is old, and the stove is acting up, and the hot water system barely makes water hot.” Kayla sucked in a breath, seemingly ready to continue with her litany of faults of the apartment, so Jessica cut her off the most expedient way possible. She kissed her. Carefully, thoroughly, and when she felt Kayla melt into the kiss, she took her mouth aggressively.

Pulling back slowly, she made sure she had Kayla’s full attention before she asked, “Don’t you want us here?”

Kayla’s face was flushed, her eyes glazed with passion, but Jessica could barely breathe when Kayla shook her head no. It took a few moments for Kayla to find her voice.

“No. I mean no, that’s not what I mean. I just…” She took another deep breath before seeming to gather her thoughts and continuing. “It’s just I’ve lived alone for a long time, and this place barely has enough room for one, and I don’t want you and David to be uncomfortable.”

Jessica watched the woman squirm again. Something wasn’t right here. Now, more than ever, Jessica wished for the Taydelaan link that would have given her access to her lover’s thoughts and emotions, but right now she had to do things the human way—by talking.

“Would you rather move in with us?”

“But your house is empty.”

“Minor detail. We still have four months left on the lease, so technically we just need furniture.” Kayla still looked worried, and Jessica felt herself running out of patience. Her lover seemed anxious, and she really needed to get to the root of the problem. “Baby, what is it? Don’t you love us?”

Kayla’s face paled as she shook her head, but Jessica waited for the words. Waited to hear that the woman she loved, the woman she chose over having a family of her own, somehow loved her but didn’t want her. Her chest began to hurt as the air in her lungs stilled. Unable to force words past the constriction of her throat, Jessica just stared at Kayla as the woman tried to find her voice.

“No. I mean yes. I mean I love you and I love David, but I don’t want to be a third wheel. I’ve spent the last few months as the outsider looking in, and I don’t want to feel like that anymore. I can’t be the extra. I want to be, but I can’t.” And then very quietly she added, “I can’t do that to myself again.”

“What do you mean again?”

Kayla shook her head, clearly choosing not to share the details of that statement.

“What do you mean again?” Jessica repeated. “Baby, I want to understand what’s going on here. I love you, and David loves you. Please explain to me how that brought us to this point.” When it looked like Kayla wouldn’t answer the question, Jessica’s fear had words tumbling from her mouth, each one angrier than the last. “Tell me! Tell me what the hell is going on. You love us, but you don’t want to love us?”

“No! It’s not like that.” Kayla’s angry response curtailed Jessica’s next question, and she watched in fascination as the woman she loved leaped off the bed and paced back and forth. Naked. “I want to be with both of you. I do. It’s just that I need to be a part of the relationship, not just the extra on the side. I can’t watch from the sidelines as you two live a life together.”

All of Jessica’s anger fled as worry and grief replaced it. “Why would you think that you, David, and I wouldn’t be a true triad? On Sesturia, all relationships are triads—three equal partners, not a couple plus one. Why would you think we ask for anything less than a full commitment from all three of us?”

Kayla stopped her pacing and dropped onto the edge of the bed. She rested her elbows on her knees and her face on her hands for a moment before turning to Jessica with tears glistening in her eyes.

“A triad? Three equal partners?”

Jessica nodded but held back her reaction as Kayla pinned her with a stare.

“Two Sesturians and a human? How is that equal partners? You’ve traveled the galaxy. I haven’t even left this state. You’ve got advanced learning and skills and knowledge of things I can’t even imagine, and I’m a barely capable secretary. You probably even live longer.”

Jessica tried not to flinch at the angry words, but Kayla guessed the truth, anyway.

“You do live longer? How much longer?”

Jessica gave her a sad smile, not really wanting to upset Kayla any more than she already was, but she didn’t want to lie either. “About twice as long as a human.”

“Twice? So how old are you now? Shit! Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” Kayla dropped her head into her hands, and for a moment, Jessica thought she was crying. It wasn’t until a tiny giggle escaped that Jessica realized Kayla was laughing. Unsure what to do next, Jessica moved very slowly toward the woman, slid her arms around Kayla’s waist, and pulled her close. She held her while Kayla laughed and sobbed at the same time. The anguish seemed to twist through her for a moment, and then the laughter would start again.

Finally Kayla quieted, the tension in her shoulders eventually easing. Jessica thought she might almost be asleep, so she spoke very quietly, soothingly, just in case.

“It’s going to be all right, Kayla. We’ll sort it all out.”

Kayla lowered her head against Jessica’s chest, her warm breath washing over Jessica’s breast. Trying to keep her mind on their conversation and away from more distracting ideas, Jessica opened her mouth to say something, but the words jammed in her throat when Kayla’s warm tongue laved over her distended nipple.

“When will David be back?”

“Soon, I hope.”

“Then how about we ignore reality and leave all the talking until he comes back? I can think of much more fun things to do until then.”

Jessica felt her body slowly relax for the first time in what seemed like an hour but gasped when Kayla sucked her breast into her warm mouth and flicked the engorged nipple with her tongue.

* * * *

David sat in the car in front of Kayla’s block of apartments. He could feel Jessica’s reactions. He knew what the two women were doing, and almost every cell in his body screamed at him to go join them. His erection pushed painfully against the zipper in his jeans as he closed his eyes and tried to block out the loving emotions emanating from Jessica. It almost surprised him that Kayla seemed to be the aggressor in their lovemaking, but it just proved to him that even if she wasn’t their Taydelaan, she did belong with them.

Maybe that’s why his body was producing the enzyme.

Jed had been sympathetic and understanding but unable to offer anything by the way of an explanation or a cure for his condition. He did, however, provide David with several weeks’ worth of enzyme suppressant. That should at least help him not claim Kayla. With a bit of luck that would be the end of their problems. The enzyme shouldn’t actually be producing, so a few weeks of suppressing its production would hopefully get his metabolism back to normal.

He smiled as he felt Jessica’s orgasm thrill through her. His cock hardened even more when he realized what Kayla was doing to make Jessica scream, but he refused to move, worried that the enzyme suppressant hadn’t had quite enough time to work properly.

His hand fell to his cock, gently stroking along the solid length. It was the middle of the night and everything was dark, but the thought of being caught cock-in-hand by a curious neighbor was enough to rein in the desire. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensations he could feel from his wife, the fact that he couldn’t sense Kayla’s emotions as well dampening his enjoyment just a little.

Even after the women were both exhausted and falling asleep, he stayed in the car, his mind busily planning their future together.

“David, is everything okay?” Even her telepathic voice sounded sleepy.

“Yes, I’ll be up in a few minutes. Get some rest. We have big plans to make in the morning.”

“Was Jed able to explain?”

“Not really, but he gave me a medication that will suppress it, so we should be fine. Go to sleep. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

“Okay. Love you.”

She was pretty much asleep by the time she thought the last words, and he smiled in the dark as he imagined his women curled together in Kayla’s tiny bed. First thing tomorrow, he was going out to buy a king size.

Chapter Six

Kayla woke slowly, savoring the most delicious dream she’d ever had. She could still feel warm arms and gentle kisses from her lovers even as reality began to press into her subconscious. Any minute now, the alarm would go off and she’d drag herself out of bed and off to the job she’d never really enjoyed. Her boss was such a bully. Any time that woman entered the room, employees practically crawled under their desks to escape her wrath. Wonder what the old bag would do if I called in sick? Probably fire me.

Kayla’s eyes flew open when she remembered the accusations hurled at her just yesterday. She almost leaped from the bed, panic fueling her movements, but the strong arm from her dream held her back.

“Morning, honey.” David’s deep voice vibrated against her back as memories of the last twenty-four hours rushed into her mind. She wriggled, trying to sit up, trying to sort fact from fantasy in her mind. Another voice called her name, and it took a few more moments of squirming before she realized her own arms were wrapped around Jessica.

“Shhh. Kayla, honey, it’s okay. It’s still early. At least an hour before the alarm goes off.”

“It was real?” Kayla asked in a small voice. “You’re aliens from Cistern and live twice as long and you both love me and…and…”

“Breathe, Kayla,” David laughed softly. “I think a cistern is part of a toilet, but, yes, we’re aliens on this planet and we live longer than humans and we both love you.” He pulled her tighter into his embrace and nuzzled the back of her neck with his nose. “Oh, and our home planet is called Sesturia.”

Kayla tried to relax in his embrace as she recalled everything that happened yesterday, her breath quickening when she got to the part that led to her bedroom. Jessica rolled over so she faced Kayla.

“Wanna play hooky?”

“Huh?” Maybe it was too early in the morning but Kayla had no idea what the other woman meant.

“Take the day off work. Chuck a sickie. Stay in bed.” The look Jessica gave her suggested they wouldn’t be sleeping if they stayed in bed. Sighing quietly, Kayla snuggled closer to David so she could see Jessica more clearly.

“Sorry, but I think the old bag would fire me if I called in sick. That’s assuming, of course, that I still have a job. The way I left yesterday, it’s quite possible I’m already unemployed.”

“Okay, how about this then? I’ll go to work, tell the bitch I want my job back, and you can ring her and tell her to shove your job where Earth’s sun don’t shine.” Kayla giggled at the expression she imagined would grace her boss’s face when Jessica delivered that news. The idea was tempting—very tempting—but she’d been taking care of herself for a long time, and the idea of sponging off her friends didn’t really sit well. She almost changed her mind when Jessica’s smile faltered, but she pulled her lover into her arms and held her close.

“Maybe another day, but for now I think we should both go to work, make sure I still have a job, and then figure out where to go from here.”

“I think you’re right. We shouldn’t make any rash decisions just yet. We all need time to adjust to our new relationship, and going back to our normal routine should help.”

David laughed quietly. “Except for the small problem of fitting three people into an apartment the size of a postage stamp.”

“That’s something we need to discuss.” Kayla hated the way her insecurities dissolved the happy tone of the conversation. She could feel David tense behind her and suspected that husband and wife were exchanging looks over the top of her. Just her luck that she’d be dealing with a couple who’d been together long enough to almost read each other’s mind. Unless…

“Are Sesturians telepathic?”

“Not as a rule. No.” Jessica answered just a little too quickly, and Kayla could’ve sworn she felt David tense even more behind her. Something inside her shied away from looking too closely at that answer, but she was about to ask more when Jessica spoke up and returned them to the other matter at hand.

“Kayla isn’t really sure she wants us staying with her just yet.”

“Not sure how?” David asked, his voice sounding strained. “You don’t want to live with us, or you don’t want us to live here?”

“Both, I think.” Kayla was really glad she wasn’t facing him at the moment. She could just imagine the hurt he must be feeling. He seemed so eager to move their relationship forward that she almost capitulated, but past experience held her back. “Just for a while. Just until we can be sure this is what we all want. I don’t want to rush into anything and ruin the best friendship I’ve ever had.”

Husband and wife must’ve done that communicating-with-a-look thing again, because David loosened the death grip he had around her waist and nuzzled the back of her neck again. “Okay, you two go to work, and I’ll spend the day tracking down and buying the furniture we gave away yesterday. Except the bed. I’m going to find the biggest, most comfortable bed I can, and tonight Jessica and I are going to do our best to convince you to stay in it with us. Okay?”

She nodded in his arms, smiling slightly as he kissed her neck and pressed his hard cock against her bottom.

“But right now, we have at least an hour before we need to get up. Any ideas on what we could do to fill in the time?” Jessica asked. With an evil-sounding chuckle, David rolled Kayla under him, pressing the hard evidence of his arousal against her mound. He threaded a hand through Jessica’s hair and pulled her closer for a heart-stealing, breathtaking kiss that obviously affected Jessica as much as just watching it did to Kayla.

By the time David lifted his head, they were all panting hard, and Kayla’s pussy was throbbing for his possession. She lifted her hips, rubbing her wet slit against his rock-hard cock. David grinned as he slid unhurriedly into her body.

He fucked her slowly, leisurely, like they had all the time in the world. Jessica ran her tongue around and over Kayla’s stiff nipples lazily before biting down hard. Kayla yelped at the unexpected sting, and David burst into sudden motion, slamming into her over and over. She was about to peak when he suddenly pulled out and moved away. She gasped in surprise, left hanging on the verge of orgasm.

David smiled wickedly, moved over Jessica, lifted her legs over his shoulders and thrust hard and deep. Jessica moaned in obvious pleasure as he roughly pounded into her. Turned on beyond belief, Kayla thrust her fingers into her own pussy, finger-fucking herself as her lovers fucked each other. David saw her movement and growled deep in his throat. Startled, her fingers slid out of her pussy.

“Ours,” he growled as he maneuvered Jessica so that she could reach Kayla’s pussy. Jessica’s slim fingers slid into Kayla’s aching flesh, David’s jolting movements rubbing her wrist against Kayla’s swollen clit. David grinned as he slammed into Jessica over and over. Kayla felt her orgasm build. David’s rhythm grew faster. Jessica cried out as climax took her.

Then he stopped. Lay there on top of Jessica. Holding her tight. Whispering his love as Kayla tried to stifle her moan of frustration. She tried wiggling her hips, trying to get Jessica’s now relaxed fingers deeper into her, but Jessica pulled them away. Kayla’s own hands moved to her pussy, desperation zinging through her at the first touch on her clit.

But David’s hand was there, stilling her movement as he growled low in his throat and moved to lie on top of her. Jessica rolled closer to snuggle against Kayla as David once again slid slowly into her aching slit.

He set an even slower pace than before, smiling smugly when she growled in frustration. Jessica gathered both her hands, lifting them above her head and pinning them to the pillow. Trapped between them, despite the slow pace, passion built rapidly, need grew exponentially, orgasm slammed her unexpectedly.

Unable to move, barely able to breathe, Kayla rode the wave of ecstasy. Molten heat traveled her veins as her body quivered and shook within their hold. Gasping, panting, melting into them. Finally, lethargy stole her energy and she lay exhausted on the soft mattress. Her eyes closed as sleep beckoned. The last words she heard were Jessica’s. “Maybe she’ll be late for work after all.”

* * * *

An hour later, Jessica could still feel David’s confusion. Even now, as he stood under the spray of water in Kayla’s very tiny shower, he bombarded her with telepathic questions she didn’t really want to answer.

“So just answer this. Why did you lie to Kayla about the telepathy?”

“I didn’t exactly lie,” she hedged. “Sesturians aren’t telepathic as a rule.”

“But we are telepathic with our mates.” Even before he finished the thought, Jessica felt understanding dawn in his brain.

“Kayla is already worried about not being an equal partner, so knowing we have a telepathic bond she will never share will only hurt her.”

“True, but how long can we hide it from her?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to hide it from her, but I don’t want to hurt her either. Maybe we can wait until she feels more secure in our relationship first.”

“Okay, we won’t say anything for now, but…Ouch! Damn it, this shower is the smallest I’ve ever seen—just belted my elbow against the soap holder. We have to convince Kayla to come live at the house with us. I’m not sure how much more abuse my elbows can take.”

She giggled but quickly stopped when Kayla entered the room.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, trying to ignore the suspicious look on Kayla’s face. “Are you ready to march into the office and tell the bitch to go to hell?”

Kayla smiled but rolled her eyes. “Maybe I should make sure I have another job to go to before I start burning bridges.”

“Well, how about I tell the old bat I won’t come back unless she hires you as my assistant?”

The look of absolute horror that crossed Kayla’s face was more than a little disconcerting.

“What was that for?”

“You seriously don’t need me as your assistant. I’m a barely adequate secretary and I know even less about taxation and accounting.”

Jessica frowned. Ever since they’d met, Kayla had described herself as an average employee, nothing special, but from everything she’d seen and heard at the office, Kayla’s organizational and communication skills were well respected. Granted, her true passion lay elsewhere, but everything Kayla did, she gave one hundred percent. Jessica moved forward and wrapped her arms around Kayla’s warm body.

“Why do you put yourself down like that? You’re an excellent secretary, and your skills could very easily be adapted to accounting. Tax law might take some time to learn, but I’d be there to help you.” Kayla hugged her tighter for a moment and then stepped away. “Or would you prefer to be doing something else? Clothing design, perhaps?”

Kayla looked embarrassed. She was an amazing designer—all she lacked was the experience and industry contacts necessary to build an incredible career. “Let’s just leave it for now,” Kayla said, avoiding Jessica’s eyes. “I just want to make sure I still have a job and maybe get through a normal day. I need a big dose of normal today.”

Jessica nodded, trying not to frown. Kayla was taking this independence thing very seriously. Even though intellectually she understood Kayla’s concerns, emotionally she wanted to grab the woman, transport her to Sesturia, and spend the rest of their lives protecting her from all the horrors life could bring. She couldn’t help but smile, though, when she heard David’s telepathic comment from the shower. “Alien abduction?” He laughed in her head. “The idea has merit.”

Even though she knew he was joking, she couldn’t help but wonder if something so ridiculously dramatic might actually help the situation. But no. Kayla wanted her independence, and if they loved her, they had to respect her wishes—well, mostly.

* * * *

The boss had actually complimented her on her work. Kayla’s pulse still pounded and her palms were still sweating from when she’d seen the woman walk toward her, but now she could also feel a small smile on her lips.

She’d made Jessica promise not to ask for her to be promoted, but whatever she’d said to the woman had affected the woman in a positive way. Kayla smiled to herself. She couldn’t really be angry with a lover who was just trying to look out for her.

“Ready to head home?” It was the same question Jessica asked her quite often in the past six months, but today it held stronger meaning, and the smile suggested even more.

She couldn’t help the return smile that spread across her own face as she nodded. Somehow the day had both flown and crawled through the hours. In a work sense the time flew, but thoughts of David and Jessica had made the hours seem interminable.

“Is David meeting us somewhere?”

“He just called to say he’ll meet us out front. Apparently he has a surprise.” The wink suggested Jessica not only knew what the surprise was, but that she knew Kayla would like it, so Kayla squashed her usual dislike of surprises and followed Jessica out of the building. Distracted by the sway of Jessica’s hips and consumed by thoughts of a more elemental nature, Kayla didn’t notice David until she almost smacked into him. He put his arms out to steady her, his hands caressing her shoulders as he smiled into her startled face.

He leaned closer and spoke softly. “Can I kiss you?”

Stunned by his request, Kayla glanced around at the people moving out and away from the building, her gaze finally landing on Jessica. Uncertainty flooded her. She hadn’t expected this. She’d just assumed that publicly they’d go on like they always had. Kissing David in front of other people, even if his wife watched and approved, just felt wrong.

David must’ve sensed her hesitation because he smiled and stepped away.

“I have a surprise for you.” He grinned over at Jessica as he led them both to the car he’d parked across the street. “It took me all day to track down most of our furniture, but I didn’t have time to do any grocery shopping. How about we grab some take-out before we head home?”

Kayla’s stomach answered for her as he helped her into the car. He laughed quietly.

“You shouldn’t have skipped lunch,” he said seriously, letting her know in no uncertain terms that Jessica had told him about her reluctance to take a lunch break, “but I’ll take that as a yes.”

They stopped at Kayla’s favorite Chinese restaurant, ordered enough food for a small army, and then headed back to Jessica and David’s home. Kayla had barely stepped through the door when memories of the loss she’d felt when she found this place empty yesterday swamped her. Her knees faltered as she stepped past the living room where she’d watched the boxes fade and disappear.

Two sets of arms wrapped around her, sandwiching her between warm bodies.

“We’re sorry, Kayla. I promise you that will never happen again.”

“If we go anywhere, you’ll be coming with us.”

“Really?” At her excited exclamation they both pulled back to look at her. She shook her head and laughed self-deprecatingly. “I just had a mental picture of us taking a vacation traveling across the solar system.” She laughed again but fell silent when she realized neither of them joined her.

“Would you like to visit our planet?” Jessica asked very seriously.

“Is that even possible?”

“Of course. There are many humans living on Sesturia.”

“Really? How far away is it? How long does it take to get there? Would we travel on a space ship? At light speed? Or through a wormhole? Or can you fold space or is there a doorway or something?” She looked at the amusement on both of their faces. “Okay, shutting up now.”

Laughing, Jessica pulled her into a warm hug. “It’s okay, baby, but maybe we should limit how many sci-fi movies you watch for a while.”

“We’d be thrilled to show you our home planet, but it’s takes six-weeks to get there so it’ll take a bit of planning. The next transport won’t be going through the solar system for at least three months.” David smiled widely and for a moment she regretted her enthusiastic response. She hadn’t really adjusted to being part of a triad yet, so she probably shouldn’t go making plans she might not be able to keep.

Almost as if Jessica sensed her change of mood, she changed the subject.

“Dinner,” she commanded. Still cuddled together somehow, they managed to get to the kitchen without breaking contact or running into a wall.

By the time they’d made a serious dent in the mountain of food, Kayla was practically ready for a nap, but it seemed David and Jessica had other plans. As one, they stood, took a hand each and dragged Kayla off the lounge and onto her feet.

“Surprise time,” David said happily. Together they led her up the stairs and into the main bedroom. The new bed was larger than any she’d seen before but hardly a surprise. David had mentioned last night, this morning, and at least twice on the way home just how big a bed he wanted. Kayla smiled, but despite the fact that she usually hated surprises, she felt a little let down.

“Nope,” Jessica said, obviously reading Kayla’s expression. “Your surprise is in here.” She walked over and opened the door at the far side of the room. David grabbed Kayla’s hand as she stepped closer, but when Jessica looked a little concerned, Kayla started to feel more nervous. Half expecting to find a single bed—good grief, did she really feel that insecure?—Kayla sucked in a deep breath and tried to hold back happy tears when she saw her actual surprise.

David must’ve spent most of the day setting up the room. Everything she could ever want for designing clothes was in the large sunny space. A professional cutting table, sewing machine and over-locker, sketch board, dress dummy, and more cabinets than she knew what to do with filled the large room. Tears blurred Kayla’s vision as she took in everything they’d done for her.

“Th…thank you,” she managed to mumble as she continued to look around. “But, I can’t keep it.”

Jessica stepped closer, pulling her into a tight embrace as David laughed quietly and wrapped his arms around them both.

“I told David you’d say that. But,” Jessica squeezed harder when Kayla tried to pull away, “we both want you to have it. You’ve got such incredible talent that it really is unfair to hide it away.”

“Honey,” David said, “there’s no pressure. The room is here any time you want to use it.”

“That’s right,” Jessica confirmed. “We’re not asking you to give up your job. We just want you to know you have a choice.”

Kayla nodded overwhelmed by their generosity. How on Earth had she gotten lucky enough to be loved by not one, but two, incredible, amazing aliens?

* * * *

“Kayla, you can’t be serious.”

Kayla shook her head. Her sister was just trying to look out for her, but trying to convince her that she was happy with her triad relationship was frustrating nevertheless. Jade knew what had happened with Kayla’s last boyfriend—well, most of it—and she seemed bound and determined to ensure Kayla didn’t make the same stupid mistake twice. How could Kayla explain everything that was happening without actually mentioning the alien part?

Jessica and David were happy for her to confide their alien status to her family. It was Kayla who withheld the information. Jade would likely have her committed if she thought Kayla was living in a delusional sci-fi fantasy.

“Kayla, look at it this way: Why would a happily married couple want a third person in their relationship—other than for kinky sex stuff? They’ve known each other for far longer than you’ve known either of them. What happens if they decide to start a family? What happens to the third wheel then?”

Even though the words cut her like a knife, Kayla could sense her sister’s genuine distress. She was really worried for Kayla and only trying to look out for her. Come to think of it, Kayla would likely react the same way if Jade had been the one to begin a triad relationship with a married couple—well, she would have if she hadn’t met her alien lovers first.

“I’m happy,” she said simply, trying to explain it the only way she could. “They love me, Jade. Both of them.” She took a deep breath, her smile faltering as her sister’s disbelief seemed to increase. “Please, can you just be happy for me?”

Her sister looked defeated, but willing to give into what Kayla wanted. She nodded and shook her head, clearly conflicted with her decision.

“Fine,” she said throwing her hands in the air and leaning back in her chair. “Fine. I’m only three hours away. Call me when it all goes to hell and I’ll come pick up the fucking pieces.”

She spoke in a resigned tone, but it was more than clear that she expected the three-way union to fail. It was also very obvious that she expected Kayla to be the one to be dumped from the relationship. Kayla nodded, biting her lip, trying to hold back the disappointment. It would have been nice to have one person who understood.

Jade must have seen the hurt in Kayla’s face, because she quickly relented. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I just meant that if you need me, I’ll be here. You’re my sister, and I love you, and I’ll be here if you need me.”

Kayla nodded as a knot of emotion lodged in her throat. She never doubted that her sister would look out for her. She just hoped that, in this case at least, it wouldn’t be necessary.

Chapter Seven

Kayla glanced around the empty rooms in her apartment to make certain she hadn’t left anything behind. She’d pretty much been living with David and Jessica for almost a month now, so the place didn’t really feel like home anymore, anyway. She’d taken a few days off work to get things settled and move in with her lovers for real.

She’d held onto her secretarial job despite the lure of her sewing room, but she had to admit that, despite the sense of contribution a regular paycheck gave her, she itched to spend more time designing and creating the clothes she’d dreamed about for so long.

“Finished?” David asked as he walked into the bedroom.

“Yup, that was the last of it,” she said, turning in the middle of the room. Funny, it had never felt this big before. Without the dresser and bedside tables, the bedroom seemed much larger. She’d arranged for the bed to be collected tomorrow by a local charity, so it was the only thing left in the otherwise empty room.

David saw her glance at the bed and a wide grin covered his face.

“I believe,” he said as he stalked closer, “that we should give this mattress a farewell ceremony.” She laughed at his wicked smile and felt desire pool in her womb. At first it had felt very strange to spend time alone with David, but Jessica had reassured her over and over again that they were three equal partners. It had taken some time to squash the other woman feeling, but the fact that Jessica and David were so open and honest with each other and with her went a long way to making her more comfortable.

“Take off your clothes,” David said in the voice that always made her shiver with desire. She nodded slowly, capturing her bottom lip with her teeth as she undid the buttons on her shirt. She loved to watch his eyes darken with carnal need, his grin widen as she stripped slowly for him. Without taking his eyes from her, he dragged his own clothes off quickly. He stepped closer to her, gripping her wrists and pushing them behind her back as he lowered his head to her breasts.

He laved his tongue over the already stiff peaks, nipping the skin lightly as he alternated between her breasts. She still had her pants tangled around one foot when he lifted her up, wrapped her legs around his waist and drove his cock into her. She could barely breathe as he slammed into her over and over, held helpless in his grip, unable to stop his forceful movements…and never wanting to.

He fucked her hard, pulling her onto his cock like a man possessed. Staggering a little, he managed to drop them both onto the bed, thrusting harder as he pressed her deeper into the mattress. The entire room spun with dizzying speed as her climax built rapidly, stealing her voice, stealing her breath, breaking her control.

She screamed as orgasm ripped through her, David’s forceful movements both agony and ecstasy as her muscles quivered violently. Over and over, he thrust into her, demanding her submission, demanding she take all of him, giving her everything she’d ever wanted.

She stiffened as another climax rippled through her, and still he pounded into her welcoming flesh. She’d practically melted into the mattress in exhaustion when he lowered his head to her neck and sucked hard on the tender flesh. The strange pain-pleasure convulsed through her, and she instinctively pressed her neck harder into his mouth, wanting, needing, desperate for whatever it was he was about to give.

Kayla was on the verge of something incredible, something she’d never felt before. But before she could catch the elusive feeling, David wrenched himself away from her, leaving her stunned and confused in the middle of the bed.

She didn’t even have the presence of mind to close her legs, so she simply lay sprawled against the mattress, exhaustion, confusion, and fear seeping through her.

“D–David?” she finally managed to ask through dry lips and an emotion-crowded throat.

“Sorry,” he managed to pant, “just give me a minute.”

Fear started to morph into anger, but she still couldn’t find her voice. What the hell was going on? Was he sick? Was this some Sesturian thing they hadn’t explained?

“Kayla,” Jessica called as she rushed into the room. “Kayla, baby, look at me. You need to leave. Right now. Take my car. Go home. We’ll be right behind you.”

Kayla sat up and shook her head violently. Something was wrong. She didn’t understand it, but she needed to stay, needed to help. David’s hands shook, his eyes looked wild, his face contorted in pain, and yet Jessica wanted her to leave?

“I…I don’t…I need to understand…I…I can’t leave.”

“Kayla,” Jessica said as she grabbed Kayla’s clothes, helped her off the bed and pushed her out the bedroom door, “you can’t fix this. You need to leave. You’re making it worse.”

“How? I—I don’t understand,” Kayla managed to choke out as Jessica hustled her from the room.

“Kayla, I need you to trust me.” Jessica looked more frightened than Kayla had ever seen her so and she didn’t want to leave her either. But she had no idea what was happening and had no choice but to do what her lover asked. She nodded vigorously and then turned and fled the room.

Chapter Eight

“David,” Jessica said as soon as Kayla was out of sight. “Talk to me. What do you need?”

He was still shaking, his eyes darting around the room, his breathing deep and rapid like that of a cornered animal. His cock was rock hard, pre-cum glistening at its tip.

“I need…” He turned, ran a hand through his hair, and growled low in his throat. “I need the inhibitor, but I’m out. I—I thought it was over.”

“It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay, David.” She moved forward, stripping off her clothes as she got closer, talking in a low, calming voice.

David still looked wild, but now he also looked panicked.

“I can’t. Goddess, I can’t.”

“David, listen to me. You can and you will.” He shook his head, but she shook hers in return. “You need to do this, baby. You won’t hurt me.”

He shook his head harder, but she stepped into his embrace, grabbing his head in both her hands. She pulled him lower, pressing her lips to his briefly before dragging his mouth to her neck. She felt his teeth graze her skin lightly as he tried once more to deny the need.

But desire rushed through her as he pulled her closer and bit down on the tender flesh. His fangs descended, piercing the skin and pushing the enzyme into her blood. She gasped as heat coursed through her veins and her body convulsed in unexpected orgasm.

He lifted her against him, thrusting his cock hard into her throbbing pussy, fucking her fast and hard, jamming her against the wall as she held on, helpless to fight the incredible feeling. Goddess, nothing she’d ever read or been told went close to the reality of being connected via the enzyme. Every muscle, every nerve, every cell jumped and pulsed in ecstasy. She dragged air into her lungs, tensing as David thrust into her one last time and shot his cum deep into her body.

He shook as he held her tight against him and slowly withdrew the sharp fangs from her skin.

“Jess, are you okay?” he asked raggedly. She watched as the needle-like teeth retracted back into his gums, and he groaned deeply. She nodded and leaned against his shoulder, still trying to find her voice. He shook violently, but she could feel him pulling his emotions back under control.

“I’m fine,” she said as she hung limply in his arms. Both of her mothers had described the effects of the enzyme, but she never would have believed them if she hadn’t just experienced it. She shivered as David lowered her feet to the floor, his now flaccid cock slipping from her body. Her legs felt wobbly, and she found herself clinging to him in an effort not to fall on her face.

David noticed her dilemma and lifted her into his arms, turned, and sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you,” he mumbled into her hair. “I almost bit her, Jess. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t gotten here so fast.”

“I almost didn’t,” she said snuggling into his embrace tiredly. “How are you feeling now?”

He nodded against her head, smoothing his hands up and down her spine. “Better than I have in days. I think maybe the inhibitor slowed the buildup of enzyme, but once I had Kayla in my arms, I couldn’t deny it anymore. I think we need to head back to Sesturia, talk to the genetic scientists. We can’t be the only couple to fall in love with someone who isn’t their Taydelaan.”

She nodded in agreement. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Come on,” he said as he lifted her onto her feet. “I’ll drop you home with Kayla and then I’ll go visit Jed, see if I can get enough inhibitor to cover me until we can leave.”

* * * *

Kayla sat in Jessica’s car. She’d already moved it from its strange, seemingly hurriedly parked position and driven it into the parking space for her apartment. Kayla kept going over and over it in her mind.

It was like Jessica had known something was wrong. The way she’d left the car unlocked, the door not completely closed, certainly hinted at a fair amount of panic. But neither Kayla nor David had called for help—not aloud and not by cell phone—so even if Jessica’s arrival had been coincidental, how did she know to rush into the building?

Kayla shivered with unspent arousal. Despite the two incredibly intense orgasms she’d experienced in David’s arms, she’d been on the verge of an Earth-shattering third when he’d pulled away. She breathed heavily, trying to rein in her desire so she could think clearly. And then she sat there wondering what the hell to do now. Jessica had said Kayla was making things worse by staying, but she didn’t want to leave in case they needed her.

She glanced down and noticed Jessica’s cell phone in the console. She was about to call David’s number when movement caught her eye. Twisting awkwardly, Kayla couldn’t quite comprehend what she was seeing.

David and Jessica walked arm in arm to the van they’d hired to move Kayla’s stuff. Both of them looked happy and relaxed as they climbed into the vehicle and drove away.

David didn’t look ill.

What the hell was going on?

* * * *

“She’s not here,” David said as they entered the empty house. “Call her,” he said urgently. He knew Jessica was reading his emotions correctly when she ran to the house phone and dialed Kayla’s number.

She tried several times but didn’t get an answer.

“Where the hell could she be?” Jessica asked as her panic leaked into her voice.

He wanted to hold her but found himself pacing agitatedly back and forth across the room instead.

“I scared her. I scared her badly.”

“No,” Jessica said, shaking her head sadly. “She wouldn’t run, not for that. She’d want to know, want to help. We know her. She’d give us a chance to explain.”

“Would she?” David asked unable to control the slice of anger cutting through him. “How much do we really know about her?”

Jessica looked shocked by his words, but he knew she could sense the confusion behind them. They knew Kayla—the woman they loved, the woman she was now—but they knew very little about her past. Did they really know what might motivate her actions? She’d stayed last time and waited for them to explain, but this time was different. This time she had to know they were keeping secrets from her even after they’d promised not to.

“Goddess, we’ve really fucked this up,” David said quietly.

* * * *

Ancient hurts and old wounds opened, and Kayla found her mind flooded with painful memories of her past. Was it happening again? Had she once again placed her trust in people who didn’t deserve it?

Emotion squeezed her chest. It couldn’t be true, couldn’t be the same. The day she’d discovered her ex-boyfriend was married, she’d tried to leave him, but he’d convinced Kayla his marriage was over, and she’d foolishly believed him. Kayla had swallowed all of his lies, all of his excuses, blindly believing in a man who’d never told her any truth.

The most devastating blow had been when she found out his wife had known all along. The woman had actually encouraged her husband to take Kayla as a lover and used Kayla as an unwitting pawn in their kinky sex game. His wife had gotten off on watching her husband fuck a woman she considered fat and ugly, and they’d used Kayla without the slightest bit of care or remorse.

When she’d discovered the video files on his computer, she’d been violently ill, even more so when the naked wife stepped out of the closet and laughed in her face. The cruelty and the taunts rose up in Kayla’s mind, and she closed her eyes against the remembered pain.

Surely, Jessica and David were nothing like the other couple. But she sat in the car long after they’d left in the van and worried for her naïve heart.

It couldn’t be happening again. Jessica and David weren’t that cruel, but they were hiding something from her, and she needed to know.

But did she have the courage to find out the truth?

* * * *

“Anything?” Jessica asked her husband telepathically. It was a stupid question. They were still close enough for her to sense his every thought and emotion, and she would have known if he’d found Kayla. David answered her anyway.

“No, I’m almost back at Kayla’s apartment block and still no sign of her.”

They’d taken separate cars, traveling different routes from their home to Kayla’s apartment in the hopes of finding her somewhere in between. So far they hadn’t had any luck.

But then she felt the hopeful spike in her husband’s emotions and almost missed the right-hand turn into Kayla’s street. “She’s here,” David said telepathically, no small amount of relief in his voice. “She’s still sitting in your car out front of her apartment. Where are you?”

“About fifty yards behind you. Wait for me.”

She parked directly behind David, and together they approached the car Kayla sat in. As they got closer, Jessica realized that despite the obvious tears rolling down Kayla’s face, she could no longer feel any of the woman’s emotions. She wasn’t even sensing the small connection they’d felt before.

David realized about the same time and grabbed her hand as they approached Kayla together. Slowly, trying not to frighten their upset lover, Jessica pulled the car door open and crouched beside the vehicle so she could see Kayla’s face.

“Honey,” she said softly, “we can explain.”

“Really?” Kayla asked angrily. “You can explain. Explain what? David’s sudden withdrawal or that you have some sort of telepathic connection between the two of you?” Kayla looked angry enough to put her fist through a wall.

“Both,” Jessica said feeling ashamed for not explaining sooner. She should’ve told Kayla about the telepathic mate link. She knew that. Despite the fact that she’d only been trying to protect the woman she loved, it had been wrong to not tell her.

“Or maybe,” Kayla said, stepping out of the car. Jessica moved back to give her room. “Maybe you’d like to explain to me how fifteen minutes after David’s sudden attack,” she curled her fingers into quote marks as she spat the sarcastic words, “he was fine, and you looked well and truly fucked.”

Shocked by Kayla’s vehemence, Jessica unconsciously took another step back. It wasn’t until David stepped around her that she realized she’d moved at all. Kayla seemed even angrier now.

She planted both hands on her hips, looked them up and down, studying their shocked expressions.

“You know what? Fuck it. I won’t be someone else’s plaything. Not again. You want to play kinky games, go find some other fool to use. I’m done.”

She made to step around them, but David grabbed her arm, holding her tight, refusing to let her leave.

“Let me go,” she ground out through clenched teeth.

“Not until you listen,” David said quietly. Jessica could feel his desperation, but suddenly Kayla’s emotions hit her, full force. Anger, confusion, loss, and deep, deep pain assaulted Jessica’s empathic senses. Raw, unfettered emotion rolled off Kayla in waves, taking Jessica off guard. Her knees wobbled, and David steadied her with his other hand. He was staring at Kayla as if he’d never seen her before.

“What the fuck?” Kayla said as her legs crumpled, and she lost consciousness.

Chapter Nine

“I felt her emotions almost as clearly as I feel yours.”

“Same here, but she’s not our Taydelaan. Why would the mate link kick in?”

“What’s a Taydelaan?” Kayla mumbled as she finally managed to open her eyes. God, it felt like she’d been hit by a truck. She struggled to sit up, but two sets of hands gently held her down.

“You heard that?” David asked, sounding surprised.

“Of course I heard it. You’re speaking loud enough to wake the neighbors.” She began to smile, and then memories of everything that had happened assailed her, and she frowned instead. Her head thumped with the mother of all headaches, so she ignored the impulse to brush away their hands and leap to her feet. She closed her eyes and groaned quietly instead.

“What happened?”

“You passed out,” Jessica said nervously.

Anger curled in Kayla’s gut once more. They weren’t even answering her direct questions honestly. They knew she was asking about what happened before she passed out. She could feel their hesitation very clearly. “Why did you pull away?” she asked, trying to stop the tears from leaking under her lids. She could sense David’s deep distress and Jessica’s fear even with her eyes closed.

She could even hear the jumbled thoughts going through both their heads.

Whoa?

She could hear their thoughts in her head?

Her mind raced at a million miles an hour, and she could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate.

“Breathe, baby,” Jessica said as she smoothed a cool washcloth over Kayla’s forehead. “We can explain everything, especially now.” Kayla could feel Jessica’s relief and bubbling excitement. This all felt very strange. Somehow, without even understanding how she was doing it, Kayla was able to distinguish Jessica’s thoughts and emotions from David’s. Even though she could hear and feel both of them very clearly in her mind.

“You’re our Taydelaan,” David said reverently.

“But,” Kayla said, trying to remember what she’d heard as she first regained consciousness, “you said I wasn’t your Taydelaan.” Fear gripped her anew. “What the hell is a Taydelaan, anyway?” she growled, trying to ignore the fact that her tone said she didn’t really want to know. What if it was something bad?

“Honey,” David said as he gathered her into his arms. “A Taydelaan is our third. Our perfect match. You are the reason we traveled to Earth. You are the one we’ve been searching for.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“We didn’t know,” Jessica said quietly, but Kayla read the truth in her mind.

“That’s why you were leaving? Because you weren’t sure?”

“No,” Jessica was quick to deny, a little too quick because she amended her answer a moment later. “We were sure that you weren’t our Taydelaan. There was no link.”

Kayla just sat there waiting for a better explanation, the words what the fuck? playing over and over in her head.

David seemed to realize Jessica’s predicament because he pulled her into his embrace also. It wasn’t until he moved further onto the mattress, pulling both women with him, that Kayla realized he must’ve carried her back into the empty apartment. Sitting against the headboard, he arranged Kayla by his side and then pulled Jessica in behind her. Cuddled between the two of them, Kayla felt once again like she belonged.

“Close your eyes, Kayla. Relax and listen to everything you hear and feel from your mates.”

It sounded ridiculous, but after everything that had happened this day, ridiculous was probably the least of her worries.

“Relax and breathe, honey,” she heard David say in her mind. She tried to, but being this close to them always short-circuited her thinking processes. She heard a very relieved sigh in her mind and smiled when she realized it came from the woman behind her. Slowly, without full words, everything became clear in her mind. They shared their fears and hopes, dreams and ideals, histories and wants for the future directly in her mind.

By the time they finished, Jessica and Kayla were both crying, and David’s cock had grown hard. She understood now. She wanted—no, needed—to be a part of their lives. And they needed her, not just because she was the missing piece of their genetic puzzle, but because they truly, wholeheartedly loved her.

Kayla could feel their combined need and eagerly helped to strip her clothes off as the enzyme built in David’s body. She could sense his arousal, his attraction to her, his ever-growing need to claim her as his mate and seal the Taydelaan link between the three of them.

By the time they were all naked, raw need dictated their actions. David hauled her on to her hands and knees, pushing her face down to Jessica’s sweet pussy. Desperate for a taste, Kayla lowered her head and plunged her tongue through Jessica’s folds at the same time that David’s rough fingers pushed into her already throbbing slit.

She licked and suckled Jessica’s sensitive flesh, amazed she could not only feel her own emotions and desire but also Jessica’s desperate need and David’s white hot arousal. Thick fingers speared into her flesh as Jessica’s hands tangled in her hair, pulling her harder against her mound. Jessica’s orgasm started almost immediately, her familiar flavor coating Kayla’s lips and tongue. Kayla plunged deeper, using her fingers as well to caress the quivering flesh.

She lifted her head to smile at Jessica just as David thrust his cock hard and deep into her pussy. She gasped as he took her, controlled her, plundered her mind, body, heart, and soul. He pounded harder, faster, deeper, his rhythm shot, his coordination failing as he pulled her to a kneeling position and opened his mouth over her throat.

Jessica smiled, moved to suck on Kayla’s breast just as David’s fangs broke her flesh. Kayla screamed as climax burst through her, throbbing, burning, pulsing from the inside out. She shivered as heat traveled her veins, the strange stinging sensation heightening as David pounded into her one last time and his cock pumped his cum deep inside her.

He fell against her, barely managing to roll to the side so they didn’t squash Jessica. Still joined, they both panted loudly as they tried to regain their breath. She smiled when David’s concerned question flitted through her mind.

“No, you didn’t hurt me,” she answered aloud. “I’m not sure I’ll ever have the energy to move again, but you didn’t hurt me.” She smiled as Jessica leaned over and kissed her gently.

“I love you,” Jessica said very seriously.

“Same here,” David said from behind her. He was still hard inside her, and he pumped a few more times as if he couldn’t help himself. “How do you feel about children?”

She knew where he was going with this. Their mate link had given her everything she needed to know about the way Sesturian children were conceived. If he made love to Jessica now she would conceive their child—a child made up of the genetic mix of all three parents.

“I love children,” she said and then watched the beautiful smile spread across Jessica’s face. Kayla leaned over to touch her lover’s face with her fingertips. “And I would be honored if you’d have my baby.”

Not words she’d ever expected to say—not exactly a situation many human women face—but they felt absolutely right. Kayla moaned softly as David carefully pulled his cock from her body and moved to hover over Jessica.

Feeling more contentment than she’d ever known, Kayla lay down beside the woman who meant more to her than life itself, wrapped loving arms around Jessica’s thinner frame, and watched as their baby was conceived.

Epilogue

“I can’t find it anywhere,” Kayla said in frustration.

“It’s okay, baby,” Jessica said as she came over and rubbed Kayla’s aching back. As heavenly as Jessica’s touch felt, Jessica was the one going into labor, not her. She turned worried eyes to her lover, and Jessica simply smiled.

“Found,” David said triumphantly as he came into the room. He held the MP3 player aloft and then threw it across the room to Jessica. Kayla growled in concern when her nine-months-pregnant-and-in-labor lover moved nimbly to catch the thing. “Relax,” David said as he came closer. “We have plenty of time.” Kayla was about to round on him when she realized he wasn’t as calm as he projected.

Damn mate link.

She couldn’t even yell at him without feeling guilty. Jessica giggled, and Kayla shot her an exasperated look. It’d been nearly nine months since the mating link had kicked in, so she should be used to having no secrets.

Nobody could explain why it had taken so long for the link to develop, or why David’s body had started producing the enzyme beforehand, or why, when the link did kick in, that it happened immediately instead of growing over time. Jessica had suggested that Kayla’s previous relationship—that wasn’t a secret any more either—had given her the ability to close herself off to others. It had taken the shock and fear of what had seemed their betrayal at the time to force her into realizing that her love for them surmounted everything else.

It was as good a theory as any. Kayla still had a moment or two of worry now and then, but the link she had with Jessica and David went both ways. Insecurity couldn’t take root when she was continually aware of her lovers’ feelings for her and for each other.

Jessica looked concerned by Kayla’s thoughts, but then she brightened again, managing to smile through a contraction all three of them could feel. Damn. How the hell had Sesturians survived for so many generations? Being able to feel your lovers’ pain was definitely an unpleasant experience, especially when you were partially responsible for the agony.

“Don’t worry, honey,” David said to Kayla as he lifted Jessica into his arms. “The Sesturian doctors already know we’re on our way.” He carried Jessica out to the car, and Kayla hurriedly locked the front door to follow them.

Fourteen painful, excruciating, mind-wrenching hours later, their daughter gave a small cry as she entered the world. Kayla smiled as she kissed her lovers and then held their beautiful daughter close. A moment later a tiny little fist wrapped around Kayla’s finger and ensnared her heart.

Kayla felt tears film her eyes as everyone left the room and let the new parents spend some alone time with their tiny daughter. Kayla kissed Jessica and then David again as emotion swamped her.

She glanced at the clock. In about ten minutes she was going to meet her parents-in-law. Who in their right mind signed up for four mothers-in-law? Or had a marriage where they all knew exactly what the others were thinking? Or had children with three parents and dual citizenship that spanned two galaxies?

Kayla smiled as she looked at her beautiful new daughter.

She did.

And she felt like the luckiest woman in the universe.

THE END

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