Gemini
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Ophelia Bell
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8
Chapter One
Dimitriâs eyes popped open and he stared into the dim reaches of the dragon temple above him. He let his eyes and ears acclimate to being awake, ignoring the remnants of the dream heâd been having about his twin brother. Alex ⊠you should be here, too, he thought.
This had been their shared dream, finding a place like this. The desire to find evidence that the mythical creatures were real had driven the two brothers through their studies. Now Dimitri was there, waking up to the image of exquisitely carved jade dragons guarding every reach of the massive temple, and the only thing on his mind was the regret that Alex wasnât there to share it with him.
Youâre here to let that go. To let Alex go, he told himself as he clambered out of his sleeping bag and hunted for the kettle. The nearby fountain splashed and gurgled, and Dimitri marveled at the artistry of the carvings that made up their water source while he filled the kettle. The strange stones that filled the firepit they used for cooking were even more fascinating, and yet another detail he could imagine Alex enthusing over.
He set the kettle down onto the hot bed of glowing rocks and sat back. Unable to shake thoughts of his brother just yet, he gave in one more time to the memories that played out in the bright embers while he waited for the water to boil for his coffee.
* * *
âHey, love. Iâd like you to meet my brother, Dimitri.â
Dimitri put on his brightest, most welcoming smile to greet his twin brotherâs girlfriend. âThea. Alex has told me so much about you.â Probably a lot more than youâd be comfortable with, he thought. Alexâs description of her had definitely done her justice, at least.
He reached out his hands to clasp hers affectionately, acutely aware of her soft skin and the way she filled out the sheer, black blouse she wore. He let his hands linger over hers just a little longer than necessary, ignoring the voice in his head reminding him that she was taken.
She was petite and curvaceous with short, curly brown hair. Pixieish was how Alex had described her the week before, with luscious lips and a cunt that tastes like strawberries. Dimitri agreed that her lips did indeed appear luscious, and his brother was not prone to exaggeration, so he trusted the other detail was accurate, too. If he didnât feel just a little desperate for attention after being dumped himself, heâd have been able to deal with the soft allure of a pretty girl. As it was, Thea was a little too perfect. Alex had good taste. They both did, but somehow Alex was the better judge of character.
âWow, Dimitri, you are every bit as handsome as your brother told me,â Thea replied with a flirty twinkle in her eye that made Dimitri curse his brother in response. Sheâd won him over already, and now she was flirting?
Dimitri pulled his hands back and shoved them in his pockets, taking her in surreptitiously while they walked to the bar. As first impressions went, his impression of Thea was good, at least objectively. Not that he could be strictly objective after thinking about her naked. But as long as he ignored his unmistakable attraction to her, he could tell that Alex seemed happy, and his brotherâs happiness meant more to him than anything.
At the bar, the three of them bantered like best friends. After a few drinks Thea decided to make it her singular purpose to find Dimitri a date.
âI donât think my brotherâs looking for a date tonight, love,â Alex told her.
âHow do you know?â she asked.
Dimitri was entertained by her contrary tone. His brother had found a live one. Not exactly surprising, but it didnât help him remain objective.
âI know because we share those details with each other.â Alex met his eyes and took a drink of his beer. He hadnât been lying, but the truth was the two of them shared everything. There was nothing Dimitri had experienced that Alex didnât know about. At least not yet.
Of course, Alex was being cagey on purpose. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them that the secrets they shared with each other werenât meant for the ears of their lovers. Dimitri was still raw from a recent breakup. His brother knew all the sordid details of it, so it was unexpected that heâd have introduced Dimitri to a new flame so soon, knowing how sensitive he still was. Yet Alex had. So either Alexâs relationship with this perfect woman was incredibly serious, or something else was going on.
Dimitri took a long swallow of his beer, studying his brother through low-lidded eyes. What have you got up your sleeve, brother?
âWell, he looks lonely,â Thea said. âAnd this place is lousy with pretty girls. He may not be as gorgeous as you, but it canât be that tough to find someone for him.â She winked at Dimitri, obviously pleased with her joke. It wasnât the first time Dimitri had heard itâheâd even used it himself, once or twice. He shared an amused glance with his brotherâhis mirror image, aside from their clothesâwhile Thea glanced around the room.
That first night set the tone for their interactions. Every Friday, Dimitri would leave his tiny graduate assistantâs office on campus, walk to the next wing to his brotherâs similar office, and theyâd drive to meet Thea. Their destination was almost always the same comfortable little pub in the neighborhood where she lived.
Thea seemed to love hunting down girls for Dimitri, but after that first night, it became clear it was just for show. Whether it was out of respect for him or because she started feeling some sense of possessiveness toward him, he couldnât be sure. Sheâd gotten into the habit of hooking her arms through both his and Alexâs and walking between them down the street. Dimitri thought she enjoyed some of the envious looks sheâd get from other women, bookended by him and his brother as she was. One pretty little pixie flanked by two Adonises was probably the trifecta of attractiveness. He almost wished he could be on the outside looking in, because the truth was nowhere near as interesting as what other people probably imagined.
Buzzed from her third drink, Thea laid a hand on Dimitriâs arm. âDimitri, itâs been a month. Alex wonât share no matter how much I beg. I think itâs time you tell me exactly what this girl did to you. Youâve gotta get back on the horse, sweetie!â
âThea âŠâ Alex began, but Dimitri cut him off.
âNo, itâs fine. Sheâs rightâI should talk about it.â He turned and met her eager gaze. âWell, first of all it wasnât a girl.â
Theaâs eyes grew wide and she shot Alex a curious look before saying, âOh, God, why didnât you say something? I feel so dumb trying to hook you up with a girl. Iâll switch focus, I have lousy gaydar, though ⊠clearly.â
Dimitri laughed. âNo, please. I donât need any help finding a date, and I do like girls, too. Iâm just too busy focusing on my dissertation right now. I donât need the distraction.â He took a deep breath and a long swallow of his beer, then let the rest of the story out in a rush just to get it over with. âThat, and the person Iâm getting over was my mentor, so my lifeâs about ten times as complicated as it needs to be.â At least his mentor had prudently opted to take a sabbatical while the whole debacle blew over.
Dimitri was still nursing the humiliation of the disastrous affair. It never should have started, but it had. The ending had been epic and emotional. He was just grateful he had Alex to bolster his mood in the aftermath. And now that heâd told Thea, he found he was glad someone else was there to shoulder the burden. She reached out and gently squeezed his hand, then adroitly changed the subject. And that was that, or at least heâd thought so.
Around midnight the three of them left, slightly the worse for wear after running into a group of other friends from the anthropology department where he and his brother were both finishing their mastersâ degrees. Thea took up her customary spot between them and they headed haphazardly down the sidewalk toward her brownstone a few blocks away.
At her front steps, he started to bid them both farewell and carry on alone back to the loft he shared with his brother. The place was depressingly lonely lately, so heâd most likely end up at the seedy dive bar nearby and close it down before going home to pass out.
Dimitri went in to hug Thea goodnight like always. Before he could react, however, she pressed her lips against his, hot and sweet, and oh so welcome. His brain responded sluggishly at first, but other parts of him were much quicker on the uptake. His hands shifted down her back and pulled her closer before his actions registered.
âThea, I ⊠I think you got a little confused there,â he said when he finally regained control and let go of her. âAlex is behind you. Honest mistake, I guess.â His stomach lurched when he met Alexâs shocked gaze. His brotherâs look quickly faded, replaced by amused understanding. What the hell was Alex up to? What were they both up to?
âNope,â Thea said. âNot confused at all. Come inside with us, sweetie. Donât go home alone. Alex said youâd just go drink yourself silly anyway.â
âAlex, what the fuck is going on?â Dimitri asked. It was incredibly uncharacteristic for his twin to hide something like this.
âI wouldâve warned you, but she wanted it to be spontaneous. Are you coming in or not?â
âYouâre telling me you planned this?â he asked, staring between them both, incredulous.
Thea appeared flushed and wide-eyed, but determined. âIt was my idea, Dimitri. If youâre not comfortable, thatâs okay. Just come inside and at least talk about it, all right?â
He followed, not quite certain what he should expect. The kiss had confused him as much as it had turned him on and incited a whole slew of questions. But there was no talking. Once through her door, she grabbed his hand and pulled him against her again. She kicked off her shoes and stood on bare tiptoes to reach him. The kiss was sweeter this time, now that he was expecting it, but he still had the strangest sense that he was trespassing somehow. He pulled away again, glancing at Alex for direction and to wordlessly confirm that he really wasnât crossing any lines.
âItâs okay,â Thea whispered. âAlex, tell him itâs okay. Tell him I want you both. Itâs as much for me as it is for you, Dimitri.â The exchange between the three of them was surreal. She kept her eyes locked on Dimitriâs while talking to his brother.
Alex never said a single word. Instead, he led them both to the bedroom and paused by the bed, Thea facing him. He gave her a lust-filled, hungry look and captured her lips fiercely in his. The couple seemed to emanate desire, and it only made Dimitri more uncertain what his role really was, particularly when Alex met his eyes over Theaâs smaller figure. Dimitri didnât think heâd ever seen his brother look quite so lost to his libido, but then this was an aspect of their lives theyâd never shared before.
âYou sure youâre okay with this?â Dimitriâs throat constricted.
âYeah ⊠yeah I am.â Alexâs eyes were filled with a certainty Dimitri couldnât have managed even if heâd tried. His life had been one botched relationship after another for the last couple years, the latest just the cherry on top. Could he subsist on his brotherâs convictions?
He was still asking himself that question when Thea turned and leaned up to kiss him again. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, letting her press against him and tease her tongue deeper. She pulled away long enough to let Alex pull her shirt off over her head and unfasten her bra from behind. Her breasts were creamy and plump, tipped by hard, pink nipples. The urge to bend and suck them nearly overwhelmed him, but Dimitri was focused on getting her naked first.
He knelt and unfastened her jeans, grazing his palms down her sides and pushing the denim down her hips along with the lacy panties she wore. Her narrow waist flared dramatically to her wide hips. His hands kept sliding down over her creamy thighs, their softness and warmth making his palms tingle. She stood perfectly still while he explored skin as perfect and flawless as alabaster. He heard a sharp intake of breath when he grazed his fingertips along the juncture of her hip and pelvis, tracing the perfect little triangle of coarse, dark hair trimmed to a point just above the cleft of her pussy. He glanced up and met her eyes, low-lidded and bright with desire. His eyes traveled beyond her face to his brotherâs blue-eyed stare, his wordless suggestion as clear to Dimitri as if his twin had spoken.
He leaned closer and captured the tip of one full breast between his teeth, pulling it between his lips and sucking until Thea moaned. With a gentle nudge from her, he stood again and enveloped her in his arms. Every lush curve of her seemed to brush against his arms, rub against his chest, reminding him of all the intimacy he longed for, and how much heâd craved being touched by this woman ever since the day theyâd met. She tugged at his t-shirt and they parted long enough for him to tear it off over his head while she hastily unbuckled his pants. Then she was on him again, kissing and moaning against his lips. His cock throbbed against the soft skin of her belly, the steady pulse reflecting the pounding of his heart. Christ, he wanted her so much. He wanted to be buried inside her deep enough to lose himself. All those nights of talking with her and his brother came crashing back, of admiring her wit and beauty and finding some vicarious pleasure in seeing his brother so content while ignoring his own attraction. Had he held himself back from wanting her for the entire month?
He happily gave in now. Whether he was in love with her or just the idea of a good, solid fuck was beyond his capacity to decide.
His eyes fluttered open long enough for him to see Alex behind her, naked now and brushing his lips down her neck. Dimitri heard his brother whisper in Theaâs ear, âTell us what you want us to do, love. This is your fantasy.â
So thatâs what this was about. Alex had found a girl he wanted to please badly enough to share. Or maybe it had happened before, but this was the first time Dimitri hadnât been spoken for. How the hell was this going to work with the two of them? Heâd imagined threesomes before, but those fantasies had always involved indiscriminate sharing of bodies and pleasure, a line he would never cross with Alex. Focus on her, he told himself. Which was easy enough, because she was all over him.
âLay down on the bed,â she said, sending a heated glance at Alex. He obeyed, resting back against her pillows. She turned, darting a coquettish look over her shoulder at Dimitri and gesturing for him to follow. His eyes focused on her plump, round ass when she crawled up the bed to his brother and paused between Alexâs legs before dipping her head, slowly taking his cock into her mouth. Alex let out a groan and met Dimitriâs eyes with a pleased smile. Dimitri knew that look, or at least the inspiration for it, because heâd had it himself on countless occasions. His own cock twitched sympathetically.
Her pussy seemed to lure him in, its bare, lips glistening and slightly parted. Strawberries, he thought. His mouth watered and the thought spurred him into motion. He knelt behind her and leaned down, spreading her open for a taste. She moaned around his brotherâs cock when his tongue slipped into the slick heat. Maybe not strawberries, but she did taste amazing. She made a cute little squeak when he invaded her creamy, wet pussy with two fingers and began fucking into her.
Her head bobbed diligently on Alexâs cock. Dimitri watched, imagining what her mouth would feel like on him. He and his brother rarely needed words to understand each other. Growing up, they had never really needed to talk, somehow reading each other through mere expressions. The intensity of his brotherâs look wasnât exactly explicit, but it was enough. Do more, it said.
Dimitri let his eyes travel over Theaâs body. Her plump breasts brushed against his brotherâs thighs while she worked his cock. He reached a hand down and cupped one, squeezing the tip gently between thumb and forefinger, then rubbing lightly in slow circles. She let out a muffled moan and her pussy clenched around his fingers.
His gaze followed the curve of her spine down to the cleft of her ass. The pink puckered bud of her asshole seemed bereft of attention, so he grazed his thumb across the delicate skin while still thrusting his fingers deep into her.
She moaned and pushed back into his hand. His brother exhaled suddenly and tilted his head back in pleasure.
Dimitri bent his head and trailed his tongue in a slow circle around the tight little opening. She went completely rigid.
âSorry,â he whispered against one pale cheek of her backside.
It was Alex who answered. âDonât stop. Oh God, donât stop.â
Dimitri wasnât sure whether the words were meant for him or for Thea. She stopped in spite of them and moved away from Dimitri, leaving him kneeling at the foot of the bed, his fingers glazed with her juices.
What had he been thinking, trying something like that so soon? He sat there, cock throbbing, trying to decide if he was desperate enough to just jerk off, or if he should get dressed and leave. But he couldnât take his eyes off her now, and neither could Alex. Dimitri envied his brother for that rapt expression. Heâd felt the same thing with lovers before, and he felt exactly that when he watched her now. She spread her thighs and straddled Alexâs hips, gripping his twin in one hand and sliding the tip of Alexâs cock back and forth between her pussy lips. Dimitri rubbed the tip of his own cock with the fingers still wet from her, in an attempt to feel something close to what Alex must be experiencing.
Alexâs eyelids fluttered and he let out a long, low sigh when Thea lowered herself onto his cock. Dimitri couldnât tear his eyes away from where they were joined. His hand instinctively gripped his cock and began stroking while he watched her fuck his brother with slow, undulating motions of her hips. She leaned over to give Alex a long, languid kiss. Turning her head to look over her shoulder at Dimitri, she smiled.
âFuck me, Dimitri. I know thatâs what you want, so do it. Please, fuck me.â
Dimitri blinked, uncertain at first what she meant. He met Alexâs fevered gaze and followed his brotherâs glance to the bedside table. What he saw made him immediately feel like a fool. This was what she wanted with them both.
The scent of strawberries wafted to his nostrils when he popped the lid on Theaâs bottle of lube. He squirted a liberal amount of the clear liquid onto his fingertips. As surreal as the evening had been so far, the intensity with which he was able to focus on this particular task overrode every other worry or fear he had up until then. Nothing drove him but the singular desire to feel her coming apart with his cock fucking deep into her ass while his brother worked her from the beneath.
Dimitri swirled his fingertips delicately around her opening and pressed his index finger at the center, slowly letting it slide in, enjoying how she quivered and buried her face against Alexâs neck. She stopped moving her hips, seeming to anticipate what he would do next. Alex kept pumping slowly up into her pussy.
He and his brother locked eyes, holding the gaze while Alex murmured into Theaâs ear. âYou like that, love? You like my cock deep inside while Dimitri plays with your ass?â
Dimitri shared a smile with his brother, finally enjoying the endeavor without any uncertainty about the implications. If Alex was this comfortable with the idea, there was no reason he shouldnât be, too. And he was invested in seeing Thea fly to pieces once he and his brother were both fucking her. He pressed a second slick digit into her. She cried out and shot her hands out to either side of Alexâs head, gripping hard at the pillows.
âOh, fuck, thatâs good,â she gasped. Alex turned his eyes to her face, his expression transforming into hungry need. He accepted her rough kiss and reached down to squeeze both her ass cheeks, spreading her wider for Dimitri.
âNow,â Alex said.
Dimitri coated his cock with the slick scent of strawberries. Thea whimpered against Alexâs lips, then let out a harsh groan when Dimitri pressed his cock against her tight barrier. Alex had slowed his own pace down, only moving with a slow thrust every few seconds. Dimitriâs arms quivered with the effort of holding himself poised over her, but he had to go slow.
âDo it!â she commanded through gritted teeth. âOh, God, fuck me. Please.â Her last word came out as a desperate sob against Alexâs shoulder.
Her asshole clenched once around the head of Dimitriâs cock, then relaxed. He slipped in by increments, the tight friction hot like a furnace. He was dimly aware of his own harsh grunts when he finally began fucking her in earnest.
Alex pounded his cock into her again from beneath. Her head thrashed and she clawed at the sheets. A long, sobbing moan escaped and her entire body shuddered beneath Dimitri. Her ass clenched tightly around his cock and he abruptly sank into her and stopped, hilt-deep, unable to stand it any longer. The pressure of his brotherâs cock swelled and throbbed beyond the barrier between them. Alex cried out. Or was it Dimitri crying out himself? His throat ached from his own harsh gasps. He panted in time with the surge of his orgasm, the hot stream of his semen shooting deep into her.
When they regained their breath, she slipped from between them, pausing long enough to press a kiss against Dimitriâs lips before she disappeared into her bathroom. He sat back on his heels, dazed and buzzed, though he wasnât quite sure whether it was the remnants of alcohol in his system or from her. Thinking perhaps he should leave, he glanced around for his clothes and made a move to get up.
âYouâd be an asshole to leave after that,â his brother said in a low voice.
Dimitri gave him a questioning look.
âI know youâre used to us keeping this part of our lives separate, but it obviously isnât working out for you. Face it, our lives are better when weâre both invested in something together. Besides, Iâm pretty sure she likes you.â
âYou think?â Dimitri asked, finally finding the breath to respond.
