32. Ever After
TARYN
Los Angeles, California
Two years later
“Fuck, baby.” My hair is wrapped around Tucker’s fist. His hold tightens as I take him deeper into my throat, sending little jolts of pleasure that travel from my scalp all the way down to my throbbing clit.
I moan as I suck harder on my way back up for air, dragging my tongue over the underside of his thick, hard shaft.
“I’m so fucking close.” His voice is low and raspy, almost desperate. “Are you gonna swallow me down like a good girl? Every last drop?”
I let out another moan, swirling my tongue around the sensitive skin of his crown.
Tucker’s dark blue eyes are fixed into mine, full of lust and pleasure. “You’re my lucky charm, baby.” He croons. “If we win the Cup tonight, it’s thanks to your perfect mouth wrapped around my cock before every home game—”
Tucker’s bedroom door bursts open, and it’s total chaos.
A feathered bolt of lightning darts toward the bed with Nash and Colsen hot on her heels. Or maybe feet is the more correct term since I’m talking about Baety.
The duck flaps her wings and lands between me and Tucker.
I’m taken by surprise and I lose my balance at the same time as Tucker lets go of my hair.
It all happens in the blink of an eye. As I face plant onto Tucker’s dark gray comforter, Nash and Colsen jump on the bed trying to grab Baety.
Tucker is just as surprised as I am, and when he told me he was close, he must have really meant it because he’s too far gone to stop his orgasm.
He comes. All over Nash and Colsen.
“Fuck!” they both yell, horrified but unable to move out of the way to avoid being the stars of an impromptu bukkake.
Baety nestles herself in Tucker’s arms. Rather than her usual quack, she emits a raspy, distressed hiss.
“Jeez,” Nash scowls. “Next time you jizz, aim away from my face. And my suit. Now I have to go change.”
“Ditto.” Colsen shudders, grabbing one end of the top sheet to wipe his face and chest.
Tucker glares at his two best friends. “Maybe next time, you two should knock before you interrupt my good luck ritual. And don’t act as if you had never seen me come before.”
Colsen flips him off. “The difference is that usually when we see you come, we’re not far off from doing the same or we just came ourselves. This is not my idea of a good time.”
“Besides, you shouldn’t blame us for the interruption. You should blame that wretched animal.” Nash points an accusatory finger at Baety.
Tucker bristles at the accusation. “Hey. Baety is a good baby… for the most part. Can I know why in the ever loving fuck you two were engaging in a wild goose chase? Or should I say a wild duck chase?” He pets the duck. “Aren’t you daddy’s wild little duckling? My little sweet Baety?”
“Cut it out, Tucker.” Nash snaps. “If you knew why we were chasing her, you wouldn’t be so loving right now.”
“Nash is right.” Colsen backs him up. “That duck is a little thieving thief.”
Tucker rolls his eyes. “Relax, you two. Baety has a little underwear fetish, but ninety percent of the time she steals mine. And I don’t see any underwear in her beak.”
“That’s because she didn’t steal any underwear this time.” Colsen scowls at Baety, who makes the same hissing noise she made a second ago.
“But she has something in her mouth.” I chime in. “That’s why she’s making that weird noise rather than quacking.”
Nash crosses his arms over his chest. “Exactly. And I need it back, or she’s gonna make us late to the arena. Coach is gonna have a heart attack if we’re late to game seven of the Stanley Cup final.”
The excitement in the air is a palpable entity. All three of my guys have had a record breaking rookie season with the Los Angeles Gladiators.
Colsen started his season in Pasadena, but he secured a trade after a handful of games thanks to a lucky break. Reunited with Nash and Tucker, the three of them have been unstoppable.
“Whatever she took,” Tucker continues to pet Baety, holding her protectively to his chest. “There’s no need to scare her.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what she took. We can’t go to the arena without it.” Nash argues.
Tucker doesn’t budge. “I don’t understand why this is such a big deal. Whatever it is, we’ll get it back. Right Baety? And Taryn can help. Baety won’t bite her. I’m gonna pet her to get her to relax and Taryn can get whatever it is out of Baety’s mouth.”
“No!” they both yell, their eyes wide as if Tucker had just suggested I jump out of the window of our penthouse apartment. “She can’t. It’s too… dangerous.”
“Guys,” Tucker looks confused. “What’s gotten into you? What could Baety have that’s so important that we can’t go to the game without…”
Some kind of understanding must dawn on Tucker because his eyes widen too.
“Ah, there he is.” Nash glares at Tucker. “Now you know what she has?”
Tucker looks shocked. “She has it? But how could she have possibly—”
“I had taken it out to put it in the internal pocket of my jacket. And she flew onto the table and snatched it.” Colsen bites out.
“Baety!” Now Tucker looks just as horrified as Nash and Colsen. “You bad, bad girl.”
Someone’s alarm goes off. “Guys, not to make you more nervous than you already are, but this is your alarm to leave. Tucker is right that Baety won’t bite me.
Let me help you get what she stole back and then I’ll go get ready for the game.
I’m meeting Talia and Jodie for pre game drinks in about one hour. ”
“You know what?” Tucker’s tone sounds off. “Don’t worry about it, baby. You go get ready and we’ll take care of Baety. Right guys?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Nash beams.
Colsen immediately backs them up. “Yeah, you go ahead, pretty girl. You don’t want to keep Talia and Jodie waiting. We’ve got this.”
Ok. Now I know they’re hiding something. “Right. But you can’t play in the Stanley Cup final without all your fingers. Let me—”
“NO!” they all yell.
I jump, not expecting such a vehement reaction. “What did Baety steal? And before you say nothing, let me remind you that we’ve been together for two years and living together full time for one. I know when you guys are lying to me.”
One of Tucker’s hands goes to the back of his neck. “It’s not that, baby. It’s just better if you let us deal with this alone. Trust me?”
I’m about to relent, but Baety slips out of Tucker’s one-handed hold and waddles up to me.
“Quack!” she finally says, and a small, shiny object falls out of her mouth and into my waiting hand.
My mouth pops open as I look at what was in Baety’s mouth. When I said small, it was more a figure of speech, because the diamond on the white band that is on my open palm is so huge it could guide small vessels into harbor in low visibility conditions.
“What the fuck?” I look at my three hot, red-faced boyfriends.
They all deflate, groaning at the sight of the ring in my hand.
“I guess the cat is out of the bag,” Tucker sighs. “Or maybe I should say the duck is out of the bag.”
“Shut up.” Nash and Colsen glower at him.
I’m still trying to find an explanation for this gorgeous ring that isn’t what I think it is. “Were you holding this for a teammate who’s proposing to his girlfriend?”
They look at one another, doing that silent communication thing that works so well for them on the ice.
“No, that ring is ours.” Tucker says softly.
“Or, to be more specific, yours.” Colsen corrects him.
“If you would do us the honor to marry us,” Nash finishes.
My heart is so full that I can’t speak as I look at the three perfect, handsome men who have filled my life with love, laughter and pleasure. But most of all, who would do anything to make me happy and keep me safe.
“Baby, say something? This isn’t the proposal we were planning, but… Baety happened.”
Rather than an answer, the first thing that comes out of my mouth is a question. “How were you planning to propose?”
“If we won the Cup, we were going to bring you to center ice with us and pop the question.” Colsen says.
“If we didn’t win,” Nash offers. “We were going to ask you once we made it back to Star Cove. We have a helicopter booked to take us to the Country Club to spend the weekend where our love story began.”
I finally find my voice again. “You know, guys, both ideas are incredibly romantic. But I think the way it just happened is just perfect for us. And I think Baety just wanted to be a part of the proposal.”
Nash takes my hand in his much larger one. “Maybe you’re right. But now that we asked, would you mind putting us out of our misery and telling us if you’ll marry us or not? Please, Trouble.”
“Oh, sorry. I was so surprised that I forgot. Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you. I love you so much I couldn’t imagine my life without the three of you.”
I’m swept away in a whirlwind of passionate kisses, but as Tucker claims my mouth, hot, urgent, and still gloriously naked, something hits me.
“Wait! But I can’t. I mean, I can’t marry all three of you.”
“We thought about it, baby.” Tucker explains. “We would like to have a commitment ceremony with all three of us. But we’ll let tonight’s game decide whose name is going to be on the marriage certificate, if it’s ok with you.”
I’m intrigued. “Oh?”
“If we win with a shutout, you’ll be Mrs. Prescott.” Tucker grins.
“If Tucker lets any pucks into his goal, the one between me and Nash who gets more points in tonight’s game gets to be the chosen one, whether we win or lose the game.”
I think about it. “I like it. It’s perfect. And just to be clear, if I could, I’d marry all three of you. Legally, bindingly and forever. Now you better get going or you’ll really be late to the most important game of your careers so far.” I urge them.
“The most important game?” Tucker chuckles. “The Stanley Cup is cool, don’t get me wrong. But the most important game we played was the one for your heart, baby.”
Colsen agrees. “Sappy but true. If I think of all the obstacles that made it almost impossible for it to happen.”
“But we persevered.” Nash concludes. “Even when the odds were against us, we were too obsessed with you to ever give up.”
Another alarm goes off and this time they really need to run or they’ll be late.
I group call Jodie and Talia. “You’ll never guess my news.”
They both begin screaming. Something tells me that they knew this was coming.
That night the Los Angeles Gladiators win the Stanley Cup. The Score is three-zero. It looks like my name will soon be Taryn Prescott.
This is everything for Taryn and her men. But you’ll see Tucker back in the next duet.