The Break (Unbroken Raine Falling 2)

“Precious?” Macen called in a low voice.

She didn’t move a muscle, drugged by the blissful respite.

Christ, Liam wanted to stay in bed with her and hold her tight, breathing in her heady scent all damn night. But he knew they needed to debrief, prepare for tomorrow, and find a fucking drink.

“She won’t wake now. We’re good to go. And we won’t be far if she needs us.”

Carefully, he rolled to the side of the bed, stood on legs still shaking, and zipped his trousers. He heard Hammer do the same before they walked to the door. At the doorway, they both peered back at her. Raine’s dark mane spilled over the white pillow. She looked so small and vulnerable, all but swallowed up in the big bed.

With a faint smile, Liam ambled down the stairs, his body still humming with the sensations of her soft mouth engulfing him. After spending all day with a cock that could have pounded nails through concrete, they’d watched as she’d climaxed so beautifully under their hands. Under their control. It had taken every ounce of restraint not to fuck her mouth like a wild man and shoot his seed down her throat in two seconds flat. It had helped knowing Hammer suffered in equal measure.

Neither said a word as they made their way to the great room. At the liquor cabinet, he passed Hammer a bottle of tequila as Liam accepted the Scotch offered in return. They knew one another so well, and Liam took comfort in that.

After pouring their drinks, they settled into matching armchairs before a roaring fire, each taking a few silent moments to reflect. He stared at the flames, then shifted his attention to the wall of windows along the front of the lodge. Gazing out into the wide vista, he saw the cotton-like hue muting the moon and shrouding the snowcapped mountains. No doubt, snow was on the way.

Hammer raised his glass, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. “To a hell of a job well done.”

“To good beginnings. Dea-shláinte.” Liam raised his glass. He couldn’t help but grin, too, before they both tossed back a healthy swallow. After a fiery gulp of the alcohol, he sat back in his chair, content for the moment. “We did it. We reached Raine.”

“And managed to set aside our jealousy for a whole day,” Hammer drawled.

Liam nodded. And didn’t that shock the fuck out of him? Though he couldn’t lie to himself; the first few miles in the car had been excruciating. As Raine had cued into them, listening, obeying, becoming aroused… Somehow, he hadn’t thought as much of his jealousy then.

“We did. I think, in part, because she’s an amazing woman. And we’re giving her exactly what she’s needed.”

“No doubt about it. But I also think it’s because we’ve done this before, even though Raine responded so differently.”

“Than Juliet?” Liam finished. “Yes, she did.”

“Fuck. I know I shouldn’t, but a part of me feels guilty. The connection with Raine feels ten times deeper and more powerful than it did with my own wife.”

That didn’t surprise Liam. Now that Hammer wasn’t trying to hide it, even Raine should be able to see the love Macen had for her.

“Something about all this feels... Shit, I don’t know.” Hammer scrubbed a hand through his hair.

“Familiar but not. So it wasn’t just me, huh?”

“No.” Hammer looked at him long and hard before he spoke again. “What just happened upstairs was… It blew my mind. Do you think that’s what it was supposed to feel like before?”

Liam swirled the liquor in his glass before taking a sip. “I don’t know what I expected, but I’m not sure I’ve ever felt that sort of bonding or connection with another person.”

“Compared to Raine, I see now that Juliet only went through the motions. I guess she thought it was what we wanted. No. What I wanted. No wonder her heart wasn’t in it. God, I was so fucking full of myself.”

“Let it go, Macen. It’s ancient history. I don’t know what was going on in her head and neither do you. But now, we’ve got to put all our focus on Raine.”

“You’re right, man. In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think she’d respond to us like she just did. Raine did more than peek around her walls; she tore them down before our eyes.” A look of wonder spread over Hammer’s face before a smirk curled his lips. “And you didn’t throw a right hook all damn day. I appreciate that.”

He cocked his head with a faint smile. “I could say the same to you. You’re not going to try and convince me that you didn’t want to take a swing too?”

He grunted. “I wasn’t going to give her any reason to stop what we were doing.”

Liam raised his glass again. “To self-restraint.”