He had no idea what they were saying, but when Clarice's eyes widened, her gaze landing on the Escalade, he had an idea.

"Oh, shit," Tarik muttered.

"Exactly."

Neither of them said anything more until Mia joined them a few minutes later.

"Well, that went better than I thought it would."

Tarik's laughter bellowed through the car as he reversed out of the driveway.

"Oh, and we'll be having dinner with them next Wednesday. I'll let one of you pick the restaurant."

Oh, hell.

"YOU SERIOUSLY HAVE a bed back there?" Mia asked, glancing over her shoulder toward the back of the private jet that Tarik and Phoenix had steered her onto a few minutes before. After leaving her mother's house, they'd stopped by her condo and given her a few minutes to pack. When she'd started searching through her closet, Tarik had offered a helping hand, while Phoenix had chuckled at her after she'd started picking out clothes that obviously weren't even remotely warm enough for New York - his words. When she'd questioned what they would be wearing, she'd been informed that their things were already on the waiting plane.

She'd thought they were kidding.

Evidently they weren't, because when she'd walked into the cabin, she'd noticed their coats, which they hadn't brought with them, were being hung up by a man who'd been introduced to her as William. When she had questioned her own outerwear at that point, Phoenix had gifted her with a new coat and gloves, which were so beautiful she'd nearly sobbed as she'd thanked them. Tarik had assured her it was their pleasure, not to mention necessary since what she had wasn't going to cut it.

And now, here they were, sitting in the plush cabin of Phoenix's private plane, buckled in and ready for takeoff. William, the flight attendant - at least that's what she assumed he was - even came by and offered them drinks while the pilots finished with their procedures. After downing a vodka and Sprite, she was feeling a tad more relaxed than she had since that morning.

But her interest continued to be drawn to a door at the back of the plane.

"Relax," Tarik told her, placing his hand over hers. "I promise, once we're in the air, we'll make sure you get very acquainted with that room."

Heat pooled in her core at his words. Swallowing, she sat back in her seat and tried to relax. She was strung tight, a nervous energy pulsing through her. So much had happened, and the day wasn't even over yet. Now they were about to take a flight to New York, of all places, so they could go to a hockey game. It seemed surreal.

The captain's voice came over the speaker, and he introduced himself and the co-pilot. He rattled off something about the temperature and the flight time, but Mia blocked it all out as she closed her eyes and willed the plane to get in the air.

She wasn't nervous about flying.

That wasn't it.

No, she was anxious to... Well, she was anxious to join the Mile-High Club, as Tarik had put it.

Twenty minutes passed before the captain's voice came back on, informing them that they were free to move around the cabin.

"Ready?" Phoenix asked, leaning over her and unbuckling her seat belt.

She hadn't even seen him stand up.

Mia slid her hand into his, her nerves rioting as she followed him to the back of the plane. She shot a look over her shoulder to see that Tarik was behind her, a sexy smirk fixed on his sinfully delicious mouth.

Once inside the room, Mia looked around.

Well, there was a bed. That was about all that fit in there, but it was definitely big enough to fit the three of them, and that was all that mattered. Despite being on the cramped side, the room was nicely decorated. Very similar to Phoenix's condo with its black-and-chrome theme. There was a giant television on the wall.

"Did you want to watch TV?" Tarik asked, pressing up against her back.

Mia shook her head. Television was the last thing on her mind.

Phoenix had climbed onto the bed, fully dressed. He looked as though he didn't plan to remove his clothes.

"I want you naked," Phoenix told her. "Then I want you to crawl up here and sit on my face so I can taste your sweet little pussy."

A rush of heat flooded her, and Mia was pretty sure her panties were now wet.

Tarik confirmed that fact a moment later when he managed to rid her of her clothes. As her panties slid down her legs, his fingers eased between her thighs.

"So wet," he mumbled against her ear. "I can't wait to slide into your pussy and feel your juices coat my cock."

Mia outwardly shivered.

Phoenix crooked his finger at her, and Mia complied, crawling up on the bed. She allowed her hands to roam over him as she went. It didn't matter that he was fully clothed; she could still see the outline of his rigid erection beneath his black slacks. She wanted to unzip them and feel the silky hardness of him against her hand, but he had other ideas.

"Sit on my face."

Mia continued crawling up the length of his body until she was perched above his head. There wasn't a headboard to hold on to, so she braced herself against the wall. Good thing, too. When Phoenix's tongue grazed her slit, she jerked, the sensation sending chills racing down her spine. He moaned and the vibrations lit her up.

"Ride his face," Tarik instructed.

Mia realized he was behind her, also fully clothed. He was straddling Phoenix's chest, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts while he pressed against her back, his mouth to her ear.

"Do you like when Phoenix licks your pussy?"

"Yes," she said on a moan.

"If he's like me, he dreams about it, craves it," Tarik told her.

"Oh, God," Mia cried out, grinding down on Phoenix's mouth, trying to get him where she wanted him. He was teasing her, flicking her clit, sliding his tongue into her, but never enough of either.

The next thing she knew, Mia was on her back, both men kneeling on the bed, staring at her.

"What'd you do that for?" she asked Phoenix.

Phoenix smiled. "You had too much control. I want to play with you for a while."

Mia groaned, but that was quickly replaced with a sigh when Phoenix used his fingers to spread her swollen lips. She watched as Tarik leaned down and speared her with his tongue.

They ganged up on her, alternating, driving her mad as they licked her clit, teased her with their fingers, their tongues, their teeth. "Please," she begged. "Please make me come."

"She's so sweet when she begs," Phoenix said. "And because you asked so nicely..."

Phoenix inched up the bed, and Mia grabbed his head, pulling him to her and thrusting her tongue into his mouth. Her body bucked when Tarik sucked her clit into his mouth, tormenting her as he thrust two fingers into her. And then...

"Oh, God, yes!" Mia screamed, not caring whether the flight attendant could hear her. Her orgasm sent shockwaves of pleasure vibrating through her entire being, leaving her breathless and sated.

"Oh, we're not finished with you yet," Phoenix said as he shifted on the bed.

"Well, you're gonna have to do all the work," she told him sleepily.

"We plan to, baby."

Mia felt herself being lifted, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on top of Phoenix. He was still mostly clothed, which she found oddly sexy, but he'd unzipped his slacks and lowered them enough that his impressive erection sprang free. The fact that she was naked and they weren't... It was crazy hot.

"Put my cock inside you," Phoenix instructed.

Mia reached between them and guided Phoenix to her entrance.

"Slide down on me."

Mia did as instructed, her body stretching to take him inside. She couldn't keep her eyes open as the exquisite pleasure resurfaced, flooding her as he filled her.

"Are you ready?" Phoenix asked.

She had no idea what he was asking, but she nodded anyway.

Phoenix gripped her hips as he fucked her. His strokes were slow and deep.

But then he pulled out completely. Mia was about to ask what he was doing when she felt more hands on her hips and then Tarik was filling her.

"Tarik." She moaned his name as he began sliding in and retreating, keeping his rhythm as slow as Phoenix's had been.

And then they switched again, keeping her hanging on the precipice. She had no idea how long they continued to fuck her, taking turns filling her, but her body began to hum, and she knew she needed more.

"Fuck me. Please!" she demanded.

Tarik was the one to grant her wish, gripping her hips and pounding into her, crushing her against Phoenix as he did, her body molded to them both.

"Oh ... yes ... please ... more..." She managed one word after every punishing thrust until she cried out one final time, her muscles locking as her orgasm gripped her, this one more powerful than the last.

Tarik's fingers dug into her flesh, and she felt him pulse as he came inside her.

The bed shifted and then Phoenix groaned. Mia could barely register what was happening; her body was liquid.

"Fuck yes, Tarik. Suck my cock. Make me come in your mouth."

Phoenix's words echoed through the bedroom, followed by grunts and groans of pure pleasure. Mia found his hands, held them flat to the bed as she rested atop him and let Tarik send him over the edge with his mouth.

When they were done, Mia didn't bother to move. She wasn't sure she would ever move again.

Chapter Forty-One.

TARIK STARED UP at the hotel room ceiling, listening to Mia breathe softly beside him. They'd worn her out, and he figured she would likely sleep half the day away tomorrow. As for him, he couldn't even get his eyes to close. He wasn't sure he wanted to go to sleep.

He was too content. For the first time in... Possibly for the first time in his entire life, he felt whole.

They'd gone to the game, and although the Arrows hadn't won, the night had been one of the best of his life. All because the Kiss-Cam had landed on them and Mia had done something so shocking he was sure he would never in his life forget it. The stadium had gone wild afterward, and he could still see the replay in his head. When Phoenix had told her what she was supposed to do, she hadn't hesitated, planting a kiss on Phoenix's lips that had half the crowd going crazy. But then, she'd held up one finger - the universal signal for wait a minute - and then she'd turned to Tarik. When her lips had met his, everything in his world had come together in that moment.

Perfection.

She was perfection.

After the game, they'd grabbed a burger before heading back to the hotel, where she'd proceeded to rock both their worlds.

And now, as he lay in the dark, he couldn't sleep although his body was completely sated, his mind more at ease than ever even as Mia's words from earlier echoed in his head.

I know what it's like to have your heart shattered in a million tiny pieces, Tarik. It sucks big-time. But what I didn't know, until you and Phoenix, was that those tiny pieces could be pulled back together. Only when they do, the bond is stronger, more solid. That's what I feel for you and Phoenix. I love you both. With my whole heart. Every single one of the million tiny pieces that it once was. It's whole again. Stronger than ever.

Those words had resonated with him throughout the evening, and he realized how true they were. Growing up, he hadn't known what love was. His parents had hated each other, and they'd merely tolerated him. But he'd never let that define him, and he hadn't even realized it until Mia had pointed it out. He hadn't wanted to end up like them.

And now, he had more love than he knew what to do with.

"I love you," Mia whispered as she curled up against him, her head on his chest, her hand over his heart.

"I love you, too, love," Tarik said, the words coming easily this time.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Phoenix asked, his voice rough with sleep. The bed shifted, and Phoenix's hand came to rest on Tarik's stomach.

"I love you, too," Mia told him.

"I love you, too, baby."

Tarik found Phoenix's hand and placed his atop it. "You own me, Tarik."

Tarik's heart swelled at the words. "You own me, too."

He smiled into the darkness. For whatever reason, he liked that they had their own term for how they felt about one another. It was still love; he knew that much. But it was more than that. Stronger, more resilient. The way Mia had described it.

"Just remember, I own you both. Now and forever," Mia whispered, followed by a little laugh that sent a jolt right through him. "Now go to sleep."

Epilogue.