Jen's Reading O: Polar Reaction by Claire Thompson

Polar Reaction

Claire Thompson
Release Date: April 8, 2016
Genre: M/M/M Romance

A passion hot enough to melt a glacier. A love that shakes them to the core.

The savage Antarctic winter is closing in, and three research scientists are scheduled for the last flight out until an unexpected blizzard traps all three of them in the compound. There’s Tuck, who only joined the project to be close to sexy-but-straight Brendan, the man of his dreams. And Jamie, who has always admired the other two from afar.

Thrown into a dangerous situation, the three of them turn to each other for survival, solace and more. As Brendan overcomes his confusion over his impulses, the trio begin a sexual exploration that explodes into passion and unbridled lust.

Yet once the rescue helicopter airlifts them to safety, Brendan comes to his senses, returning home to his carefully constructed, closeted life. But there’s a Brendan-shaped hole left behind in Tuck s and Jamie s hearts. There’s only one way to fill it by breaking through Brendan s reserve to reclaim the man they both love."

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Brendan stepped out of the bathroom just as they turned to enter. He was fully dressed, not that this surprised Jamie. Brendan smiled and ran his fingers through his hair, which was dark gold when wet.

Jamie hooked his thumbs into his back pockets, aware this dragged his jeans down enough to reveal most of the snake tattoo. He stared at Brendan, daring him to notice. Brendan’s gaze swept over both men’s bare chests and he caught his lower lip in his teeth.

“We wondered if you were ever coming out.” Tuck’s voice was teasing. “Looks like you’re all dressed up and no place to go.” Tuck sidled closer to Brendan and tugged at the top button of his outer shirt. “We turned on both heaters. You won’t need all these layers.”

Brendan stood stiffly, allowing Tuck to unbutton his shirt and push it from his shoulders. If Tuck was aware of Brendan’s discomfiture, he gave no sign. “Let’s watch a movie. We can use your laptop.”

They walked into the sleeping quarters. Having something to do seemed to ease Brendan’s anxiety. He went to the laptop and flipped open the lid. “I should check the weather too.” He sat down and began to type. His brow furrowed and he frowned. “Fuck.” His voice was quiet, but Jamie heard the anguish in it and glanced up sharply.

Brendan looked from him to Tuck with a pained expression. “We lost it again. The satellite connection.” They were all silent. What was there to say? Jamie took a deep breath and exhaled. He was done panicking over the situation.

When he’d cried, something he hadn’t done in years, it had somehow cleansed him, not only of his sorrows, but of his fears. Whatever was going to happen, he wouldn’t change it one iota by flipping out. What Tuck said was true, this was all they had. Today, this moment, this life, this was it. No dress rehearsal, no do overs.

He looked from blond, sexy Brendan to dark, handsome Tuck and smiled, surprised that his calm wasn’t forced. He shrugged. “We know they’re monitoring the situation. They aren’t going to forget about us. It’s not like they could get through now anyway. We might as well relax and enjoy the time we have together, right?”

Tuck’s expression eased, the worried pucker between his eyebrows smoothing. “You’re right, Jamie. Where’s that Southern Comfort, anyway? It’s kind of growing on me.” He turned to Brendan. “What DVDs do we have that we haven’t already watched six hundred times?”

“Steve had the big collection.” Brendan paused, pursing his lips. “I actually have a few old movies you might like.” He moved toward his cot and opened his footlocker, rummaging through piles of rumpled clothing. He held up a DVD case. “How about this? A classic.”

“What is it?” Tuck asked.

“Lawrence of Arabia.”

Tuck raised his eyebrows. “With Peter O’Toole?”

“Yep.”

“That’s a great movie.”

Jamie, not familiar with the movie and barely aware of who Peter O’Toole was, perked up. “Who, Lawrence of Arabia or Peter O’Toole?”

Tuck laughed. “Lawrence, though O’Toole was awfully convincing…” Jamie found himself more interested in the movie.

Brendan popped the DVD into the laptop and turned it toward the sofa, their usual spot for watching movies. Tuck touched his bandage and made a face. “I think I should probably lie down, don’t you? Why don’t we set up the laptop so we can see it from my cot? We can keep this double bed setup.”

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Brendan shifted the card table so it was facing the cots, while Tuck winked at Jamie, who grinned. The situation was funny in a way, the two of them plotting to seduce the straight guy, everyone tiptoeing around what they knew was going to happen.

Jamie still held himself back. He wasn’t going to push himself between those two, but he wouldn’t be a jerk either, playing hard to get. He’d just go with the flow and see where it took him. He busied himself with pouring portions of the sweet, strong liquor into the juice glasses. Tuck, meanwhile, rearranged the pillows so they were resting against the wall.

The three of them settled in, leaning back against the pillows, their drinks in hand. By unspoken agreement, Jamie and Tuck lay on either side of Brendan. They watched the movie awhile, sipping their drinks. After their second round, they set their glasses aside and focused on the film, which so far, to Jamie’s surprise, was pretty good for something made forty-five years before.

“Hey, ” Jamie observed. “That O’Toole guy actually looks like you, Brendan.”

“You think so?” Brendan shrugged.

“He does look like you.” Tuck turned from the screen to examine Brendan’s features. “It’s your wavy hair. And also the sensual mouth and the strong jaw line.” He ran a finger along Brendan’s jaw. Jamie watched, fascinated, as Brendan actually shivered to Tuck’s touch.

Jamie scooted closer so his leg was touching Brendan’s. He dared to drop his hand to Brendan’s thigh. Brendan turned toward him, his gaze moving from Jamie’s hand to his face. Tuck’s hand appeared on Brendan’s other thigh. Brendan’s head whipped in his direction.

Tuck’s voice was soothing. “Relax, Bren. We aren’t going to eat you. We just want to touch you. To explore a little. That’s okay, isn’t it? We all agree we want this, right?”

“Yeah.” Brendan’s voice was soft. He allowed Tuck to push at his shoulder until he was lying flat between them. On the screen, Lawrence appeared over the top of a huge simmering sand dune, his white robe whipping in the wind, but Jamie stopped even pretending to pay attention.

He slid down beside Brendan, moving his hand along Brendan’s thigh to his crotch. Boldly, he cupped the inviting bulge, delighted to feel it harden beneath his fingers. He met Tuck’s eye and they smiled complicity. However nervous Brendan was, he wanted this.

Claire Thompson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has been writing for nearly two decades, and has published over 60 novels. She writes BDSM romance and non-con abduction tales, spanning both m/f and m/m genres.

Her love affair is with all things D/s (Dominance/submission). Her work began as a romantic exploration of the BDSM life style, and then veered somewhat to the darker side of fantasy. She loves delving into the dark psyche of a twisted mind, and gaining insight into what might motivate such a person to do what they do. She does not create all black and white villains and heroes, but rather strives to develop real, complex and flawed human beings.

Claire doesn't want to simply provide an erotic thrill or evocative description. She seeks not only to tell a story, but to come to grips with, and ultimately exalt in the true beauty and spirituality of a loving exchange of power. Her darker works press the envelope of what is erotic and what can be a sometimes dangerous slide into the world of sadomasochism. Ultimately her work deals with the human condition, and our constant search for love and intensity of experience.