Tymber Dalton - Safe Harbor

She nodded.

“We can negotiate on the fly on that. I don’t ever want sex to be painful or unpleasant for you. Making love in private and playing a scene are two totally different things, even though there will be times I incorporate sex in a scene. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Mac will take you to the doctor again. You need another round of STD and HIV testing, just to make sure. I’ll get our medical paperwork so you can see it, that we’re clean.”

“I don’t need to see it.”

He frowned. “Yes, you do. I want you to know we’re telling the truth.”

“I trust you.”

“Don’t ever trade trust for your life if you don’t have to.” He consulted the list. “Mac needs to go over boat rules with you. That’s his domain.”

Mac laughed. “Do what I tell you to do. It’s that easy. I don’t violate our hard limits.”

She stared at the two men as reality hit her. She was really doing this. Not lost on her, the irony that she felt like she had more control and voice now than she ever had with Bryan.

“Do you want me to stay on the Pill?”

Sully’s face softened as he reached across the table and stroked her hand. “Sweetheart, that is one thing that is always in your control.

I will never demand that from you one way or another. Your health takes priority to anything.”

Mac nodded in agreement, but didn’t say anything.

“What do you two want?” she asked.

Sully shook his head. “Oh no you don’t. You don’t pass that decision to us. I mean it, it’s always your decision.”

“Do you want kids?”

He shrugged. “It was never an option for us, so it’s not anything I ever thought about before. No chance of him getting pregnant any time soon.”

Mac snorted with laughter.

She’d never wanted kids with Bryan. “If I decide I want children?”

“Then we talk about it. It’s safe to say it’s an issue we don’t need to worry about for a while. We’ve got a lot of craziness to get through, including the trial and you getting used to how we do things around here.” He shrugged again. “After that, if you want to talk about it, we will.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Neither of us hate kids, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

Clarisse nodded. “How long before we get married?”

He playfully arched an eyebrow at her. “I haven’t even proposed yet.”

Embarrassed, heat flooded her face again. “Sorry.”

He smiled and stroked her hand. “I don’t want to rush things. I don’t want to pressure you. As much as it’s going to kill Mac and me to wait, I want to give you at least three months to try this arrangement before we discuss taking things further. I don’t want you to change your mind and feel like you’re trapped.”

“I won’t change my mind.”

“Good. Then the wait will be torture on all three of us. Regardless, you and I will talk again in three months, see if you still want to go through with this, see if you still feel the same way. Or if you need more time, we can do that, too. Or make changes. I’m willing to negotiate as much as I can to keep you happy.” He glanced at the time. “You both need to get dressed. Your doctor appointment is at one.”

Mac stood immediately, but she hesitated. “Can I ask one more thing?”

Both men nodded.

“Can I call him Brant when we’re not playing?”

Sully smiled. “That’s up to him.”

Mac looked at Sully, who apparently sensed what he wanted.

Sully nodded. Mac kissed her, a simple brush of his lips across hers.

“I would like that very much, sugar.”

She was surprised when later, after dinner, all they did was sit and watch a movie on TV. Mac took up his usual position on the floor.

Sully patted the couch beside him. Clarisse lay next to him, resting her head in his lap.

The movie received absolutely none of her attention. Despite being naked, it felt right, totally normal to relax like that with them.

She draped one arm over Mac’s shoulder, and he laced his fingers through hers. Sully rested one hand on her waist and played with strands of her hair with the other.

Closing her eyes, she imagined living like this years from now.

Easy to do, until reality intruded into her thoughts.

“I’ll have to get a Florida driver’s license,” she said. “My name and information will be on file when we do all the paperwork.”

Unbidden, her tears flowed. With the men, she’d been able to shut herself off in a little fantasy bubble of invisibility and safety and let them protect her. “He’ll be able to find me.”

Sully pulled her into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry. He’ll be on his best behavior since he knows he’s royally fucked. His lawyer will try to show that if he really was guilty, he would have been trying to hunt you down and he hasn’t. Weak defense, but all he’s got at this point.”

She forced a smile she didn’t feel. Sully waved Mac onto the couch and the men held her between them. “Honestly, sweetheart, if he was determined to find you, he would have. The prosecutors have the case, and with IA up his ass, he’ll behave.”

Clarisse didn’t feel so sure about that, but she was willing to trust Sully. “Okay.”

The next morning, Sully closed himself in his office and called Ohio for a progress report. Twenty minutes later, he hung up, smiling.

The asshole had accepted a plea deal. Sully hadn’t honestly thought he would, but he was offered probation and immunity from an IA investigation if he ended it now. It also meant Clarisse wouldn’t have to return to testify. No, the asshole wouldn’t do jail time, which Sully had hoped he would. It also meant the guy could never be a cop again, would lose his retirement and bennies, and he would agree to a permanent restraining order.

He found Mac and Clarisse in the kitchen, working on a shopping list. Sully scooped her into his arms and spun her around. The ultimate test of will—feeling her naked flesh under his hands and not giving in to the temptation to make love to her right there. Mac looked on, amused.

“Guess what, pet?” Sully asked her as he set her back on her feet.

“What?”

He lightly smacked her ass, which she met with a smile. “I said guess, pet.”

“Animal, vegetable, or mineral?”

“None of the above. News.”

A slight frown crossed her face. “News?”

He nodded. “Big news.”

Her eyes widened. “Bryan swallowed a bullet?”

Sully laughed. “No, not quite. He took a plea bargain.”

She stiffened in fear. “Will he do jail time?”

“No, but he’ll have five years of probation, lose his job and benefits, and he agreed to a permanent restraining order against him.”

She pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around herself.

“But no jail?”

“No. The prosecutor said if they took it to trial, the most he’d probably get would be two years with time off. If the lawyer didn’t get him off. I’m sorry, babe.”

She studied the floor for several minutes before looking at him.

“Is this good?”

Sully gathered her into his arms again. “It’s very good. You don’t ever have to see him again. It means you can quit hiding.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He tipped his head, motioning Mac over. He stepped behind her and put his arms around her too. “It means you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“Does it mean we can end the three-month wait thing early and get married?”

He rubbed noses with her. “No, it doesn’t, smarty. Nice try, though.”

True to his word, Sully wouldn’t let her rush him. Although he fucked Mac more frequently over the next several weeks than he normally did.