Jannike hesitated. She wanted to touch Shiloh so much, her hand trembled.
Lynx moved his mouth upward, licking from the root of Shiloh’s cock toward the tip. She glanced at Shiloh’s face. His eyes remained tightly closed, his bottom lip clamped between white teeth as he fought to contain his pleasure.
Do it. Touch him. He’s not going to harm you. Not even if this becomes too much for you. Not even if you pull back. He’s not going to hurt you.
This absolute truth—the one she knew to the pit of her gut—had her moving to a position opposite Lynx. She settled and shifted closer. Before she could think too hard, she leaned over and applied her mouth to the other side of Shiloh’s cock. His taste, his scent washed over her and she closed her eyes too, allowing herself to feel instead of overthink her lingering trepidation.
Yes, she had nothing to fear here. The jailer might have used her at the widow’s behest, hurt her when she’d landed a kick in his balls. Not hard enough because it had just made him meaner, but she’d done her best. She stared at nothing, her mind in the horrors of her recent past. The jailer had been a mere tool, the widow’s instrument.
If Ursola Verena hadn’t been so power hungry and intent on revenge, Jannike wouldn’t have ended up in a prison cell. The thought brought a flash of anger. The widow was spoiling this—a moment that should be one of celebration.
Her eyes popped open, and the first thing she saw was Lynx’s green eyes, his expression one of concern.
“Jannike?” Questions shone in his eyes, and she caught the flash of fear he couldn’t conceal.
“No. I am not going to let the widow spoil my life, our lives.” Because she admitted a secretly held truth then—only to herself, it was true—but still powerful nonetheless. She envied Ry and Camryn. Their closeness. Their unity. Their absolute faith in each other. And now that they had a child on the way, their relationship appeared even stronger.
She secretly aspired to the same but had never thought it would happen.
Now, she held happiness, a future, in the palm of her hand—if only she was brave enough to take a leap of faith and believe in these two strong men. Commit to them.
Jannike studied Lynx’s beautiful face and saw his underlying worry. She glanced up at Shiloh’s more rugged features. His puckered brow spoke of his anxiety.
Lynx’s gaze remained steady. “We’ll understand if you want to stop.”
“We don’t want to pressure you,” Shiloh added.
Her throat held a lump that felt as big as her hand. She swallowed once, twice, emotion gripping her until she had trouble breathing. Moisture gathered at her eyes. “Am I dreaming? Am I still on Manx Two?”
Shiloh reached down and pinched her bottom, and Jannike jumped at the thread of pain that wound through her body. She glared at Shiloh and heard Lynx’s snicker.
“Don’t be stupid. Lynx, you pinch her too, in case she gets some stupid idea you’re a mirage.”
“A kiss is better,” Lynx whispered, his breath warm against her lips. Then he was kissing her, nipping her bottom lip and using so much expertise all she could think about was rubbing against him. When Lynx pulled back she was breathing hard.
Yes.
She wanted them.
She didn’t intend to let the widow rule her life from the grave.
Jannike leaned over and kissed Lynx on the cheek. “I intend to keep you both.”
That said, she resumed her former position and pressed a quick kiss to the tip of Shiloh’s cock. During the pause, he’d softened but she stroked toward the tip and tasted him. He groaned, and Lynx beamed in approval. She repeated the move, a long, slow lap from base to tip. His flavor burst over her taste buds, and she lapped at the bead of liquid that swelled at the crown. Then she felt another pair of lips, another tongue, twirling with hers, fighting to grab a taste.
Lynx’s lips moved on the swollen head of Shiloh’s cock, ran over her tongue, her lips while his eyes glowed and held another emotion that looked a little like love. Something twisted inside her, but it was a good feeling, of something precious unfurling.
Shiloh gasped, his big body jerking and driving his shaft deeper into her mouth. She lapped and sucked before raising her head and letting his cock pop free.
“Let me,” Lynx said. “You go and kiss him, drive him crazy.”
They could have pressured her for more, but they understood, she thought, and they were happy to give her time. She crawled up Shiloh’s body. Her mouth sought the mark at his neck and he groaned the instant she nibbled on it.
His large hands smoothed her hair as he whispered words of praise in her ear.
“Jannike, sweetheart. You make me feel whole.”
His next groan rumbled through his chest.
“You pinched me.”
“You can pinch me back. Anytime you like,” he said and groaned again when Lynx took his cock deep.
“Maybe later.” She stopped him talking by pressing her lips to his. She held him while he trembled in the throes of passion, took pleasure in the grip of his hands at her shoulders, and she felt extra close to him when he gasped against her mouth and came.
As his large frame relaxed, Lynx came up beside them, plastered his body to Shiloh’s other side.
“Jannike?”
She smiled and leaned over to silence further questions with a kiss. She tasted Shiloh and Lynx and the combination was right.
Just perfect.
Chapter Seventeen
Lynx woke and realized he felt more relaxed than he had for cycles. Rotations even. Heat scorched one side of his body, and disappointment chipped at his good mood. Jannike.
“Lights on,” he ordered.
He was right. Jannike wasn’t here.
“Shiloh.” He shook his friend.
“Wanna sleep.”
“Shiloh, Jannike isn’t here.”
Shiloh bolted upright, his gaze darting to all corners of the cabin. Not a sound came from the sanitizer room. He grabbed his trews and thrust his legs into them, galvanizing Lynx to action.
“We can’t keep her in a cage, Shiloh.”
“I know, but I—my feline—gets antsy whenever she’s out of sight.”
Exactly how he felt, which was why he’d woken Shiloh. “She’s not in any danger here on the Indy. She is among friends.”
“I— Knowing that doesn’t seem to matter,” Shiloh gritted out.
Lynx understood since his gut churned. He reached for a tunic. A blue one. Clean. Jannike must’ve found more clothes. He handed a black tunic to Shiloh. “I need to tell her about my position on Viros.”
“Leave it a bit longer. One thing at a time. First Jannike needs to tell us if she’s leaving.”
Lynx grunted, pretended he didn’t suffer the same urges riding his lover. “Good luck with that. The woman is independent. We might’ve seen her vulnerability, but she’s strong—mentally and physically. We can’t order her around.”
“Try telling that to my feline.” Shiloh flung open the door and strode down the corridor. “This way.”
“I know.” Lynx allowed his irritation to show. “I know how to follow a scent trail.”
Not in the galley. Not on the bridge.
Lynx sensed Shiloh’s unease, experienced the emotion in a weird duplicate, the feelings ping ponging between them becoming more urgent as they failed to find their third.
Camryn looked up from a meal that looked big enough to feed both of them.
“Have you seen Jannike?” Shiloh snapped out the question, making no secret of his irritation.
“And good morning to you too.” Camryn’s brows rose at Shiloh’s growl and a tiny grin played on her lips. “No, but she’ll be in the rec room training with Ry and Kaya. They always train this time of the day—I mean cycle.” She clutched at her stomach and gasped.
Lynx screeched to a halt. “What’s wrong?”
“The baby—kitten—whatever is kicking.”
Lynx had never been around a pregnant
female. “It hurts?”
“It’s more uncomfortable. You want to feel?” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her swollen belly before Lynx could object.
Shiloh hovered behind him, and Lynx sensed his fascination even as his feline pushed him to find Jannike.
“Whoa!” Lynx said when something gave a definite kick. “Shiloh, you have to feel this. Can Shiloh feel?”
“Of course. Come closer,” Camryn said.
She seized Shiloh’s hand, his big mitt dwarfing her own, and placed it beside Lynx’s.
Lynx watched the wonder come over his friend’s face. “We need to have one of these.”
Camryn grinned, an impish warning of her intention to tease. “Are you sure about that? You’ll have to ask Jannike. And her child would probably arrive with a blaster ready to fire.”
“Maybe a crown too,” Shiloh said.
“Pardon?”
“Nothing,” Lynx said. “Thanks for sharing that with us. We’ll go and find Jannike. I thought we weren’t saying anything,” he said once they were in the corridor.
“Saying what?” Camryn called.
“Nothing,” Lynx replied. Damn, I need to remember this mind-speak thing. You suggested we don’t say anything, then you give Camryn a big clue.
Sorry. Do you think Jannike will want a child?
I don’t know.
You’ll want to be the father.
What? Lynx stopped abruptly and pushed Shiloh against the wall. What the phrull?
Shiloh shrugged and for once refused to meet Lynx’s gaze. You’re a royal. You need an heir to carry on.
If Jannike consents to have a child we will both provide seed. We will both be fathers, and I don’t give a phrull which one of us the seed came from. A child, any child Jannike bears will be precious, and it will be ours.
But—
No. This is my final word. I will not have this conversation again. Shiloh, listen and comprehend. Lynx gripped Shiloh’s chin and gazed deep into his eyes, enforcing his will and his decision. I don’t care what anyone says—my parents or yours or our brothers—I want Jannike, and I want you. Our relationship might be unusual, but we will be a unit. Any child we have will be blessed and loved and he or she will have three parents.
“I…your royal blood…this worried me,” Shiloh confessed.
“Worry no more. Jarlath will be king. Our mother will pick some vapid woman for him and they’ll have endless offspring to take the weight off my shoulders. I am fully committed to us. It’s too late to back out now—not that I’m even considering walking away. I have no idea what the future will bring, but we’ll work it out together. All three of us.”
“I love you.” Shiloh pulled Lynx into a hug, and Lynx’s trepidation faded.
“Don’t ever shut me out,” Lynx ordered. “Talk to me. We’ve always been a team since we were young. We’re even stronger now.”
“I love you,” Shiloh repeated.
“Good.”
They kissed, deep and tender.
“Hey! No mushy stuff in the corridor,” a feminine voice called. “Can I look now? Is it safe?”
Lynx pulled away and spotted Kaya, her damp blue hair tied back to reveal pointed ears. Her tunic stuck to her body while her hands covered her eyes. “I was showing this dolt here that I loved him.”
Kaya peeked between her fingers, then let her hands fall to her sides. “Time and place.”
“Have you seen Jannike?”
“She’s sparring with Ry in the rec room.”
“Thanks. I— Wait, Shiloh.”
“Doesn’t look like a man in a listening mood,” Kaya said, amusement threading through her words.
“Shiloh!” Lynx increased his strides to a run and grabbed Shiloh’s arm just before he burst into the rec room. He hauled Shiloh to a halt, using all his strength. “Wait.”
The clash of swords claimed Lynx’s attention and his breath eased out in a hiss. Beside him, Shiloh stiffened.
Ry wasn’t holding back, thrusting and parrying, the clash of the blades ringing out. Lynx opened his mouth to protest.
“She’s holding her own,” Shiloh muttered, and Lynx saw he was right. Jannike never faltered or hesitated, her footwork and strikes flawless.
A timer went off and both Ry and Jannike backed away, swords lowering.
Jannike wiped the sweat off her forehead with the corner of her tunic.
Ry waved at them then stilled, his nostrils flaring. “What were you doing touching my mate?”
“We were looking for Jannike and came across Camryn in the galley.” Instinct propelled Lynx to speak quickly. The tightening of Ry’s mouth reinforced his compulsion. The other feline was gathering to spring, claws and sword at the ready. “She grabbed my hand—”
“Both of them touched her?” Jannike asked Ry.
“Yes.”
“It was amazing,” Lynx said. The wrong thing to say.
A growl came from Jannike.
“She wanted us to feel the baby kick.” Shiloh lifted his hands in surrender, his gaze on Jannike rather than Ry. “You don’t argue with a pregnant lady.”
“It was amazing,” Lynx agreed. “You’re a lucky man.”
Jannike folded her arms over her chest. “You’re lucky too.”
“That goes without saying,” Lynx said.
“You need to tell us if you’re leaving your cabin.” Shiloh advanced on her, a dark scowl on his face.
“This should be fun.” Ry stepped back and held out his hand for Jannike’s sword.
“And you and you.” She jabbed her finger at Shiloh’s chest then Lynx’s when they started to crowd her. “Don’t touch Camryn. I don’t like it.”
“We have no interest in Camryn,” Shiloh said.
Ry growled from behind them.
Lynx offered a conciliatory smile. “She’s a very nice feline, but she’s not our feline.”
“I’m not your feline either,” Jannike gritted out.
“Oh, but you are,” Shiloh said in a silky tone.
Ry strode for the door. “My cue to leave. Jannike, are you okay with me going?”
“I can handle these two big lugs.”
“I don’t know what a lug is but it doesn’t sound complimentary,” Shiloh said.
“A lug is any male who thinks they can boss me around.” She glared at him and Shiloh in turn.
Lynx stared, mesmerized by her feisty attitude. She didn’t back down. She didn’t appear nervous or scared of them. She didn’t lose her warrior stance for a sec. Her irritation reminded him of Shiloh when he was in a bad mood. He glanced at Shiloh and rushed into speech in order to head him off. “We were worried.”
“What is going to happen to me on the Indy?”
Shiloh stalked her, turned her and shoved her against the wall, crowding her with his bulk. Before Lynx could voice a warning, Jannike lifted her knee and struck him in the balls.
“What did you do that for?” Shiloh wheezed, cupping his groin.
“You were bullying me. I don’t like it.”
“You liked my kisses last eve,” Shiloh countered, and Lynx felt his lips twitch. Not many people stood up to Shiloh. His size scared them off. Not that he bullied people. It was frustration on his part, the need to claim Jannike. Lynx suffered the same urges and had to battle the desire to rush her.
“I want to clean up before I eat.” Jannike sidled past them.
“Shiloh and I will get you something to eat.”
“No, I want to—”
Lynx grabbed Shiloh’s arm and dug in his claws. And they were claws because his feline kept trying to burst forth. “We will meet you in the galley.”
Shiloh attempted to pull away. “No, I—”
Lynx dug his claws in deeper to break through Shiloh’s determination. “We will meet you in the galley.”
He maintained his grip on Shiloh until Jannike disappeared. “Do you want to scare her off? We need to woo her, not treat her like a possession. You’re making you
r promises ring like empty vessels.”
Shiloh raked a hand through his hair—a trembling hand. “Phrull, I know you’re right. I…just…my feline keeps pushing me to bite her, to mark her in the same way we marked each other. I didn’t think the compulsion would be this difficult to control.”
Lynx wrapped his arms around Shiloh and for a long moment, they held each other. “It’s not easy for me either. She’s safe and among friends. We have to give her space.”
“But what about when we reach Viros? We’ll be with other males. Single males. I won’t be able to hold it together,” Shiloh confessed.
“We can’t rush her—not after everything she’s been through. She shares her bed with us. She doesn’t flinch when we touch her. That’s a start, and we have to build a solid foundation with that trust.”
Shiloh’s hot breath blew against Lynx’s neck. Resignation. Agreement. “You’re right. I know it, but I don’t like the delay.”
* * * * *
The cycles passed, one bleeding into another and a routine of sorts. They weren’t far from Viros now. Jannike marched down a corridor. She nodded at Kelvin and Gweneth, who was playing with the markowls, as she passed on her way to the bridge. Lynx and Shiloh followed, silent sentinels at her back.
Kaya stood outside the galley with Royal in her arms. She winked on seeing her escort, and Jannike stopped for Royal to hop from Kaya to her. Royal had taken a liking to the Indy crew and shared his time amongst them all. Jannike suspected the treats helped cement his friendship. With Royal perched on her shoulder, she stomped onto the bridge and found Ry giving Camryn a lesson in navigation.
“Camryn, are you nearly finished?” Jannike asked.
Camryn cocked a brow at her tone, then spied the two men standing behind Jannike. She grinned. “Ry, can we finish this later? I’m hungry.”
Ry jumped to his feet. “Why didn’t you tell me? We’ll go to the galley now.”
“No, stay here. I’ll go with Jannike.”
“We’ll escort them,” Shiloh said.
“Yeah, the highwaymen in the corridor are dangerous. They jump out in front of me and cry, ‘Stand and deliver’. It’s terrifying,” Camryn said with a put-on shudder.
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