Amber Eyes

by Maya Banks

  Hunter’s expression softened, and he reached for her fist, raised it to his lips and kissed each knuckle. “Yes, you’ll have us both. If that’s what you really want.”

  She smiled. Smiled so big that she felt like bursting. “Two mates,” she said, loud enough that this time they heard.

  Jericho chuckled. “We can be hard to live with, Kaya. You might change your mind.”

  She shook her head vigorously. “If you can accept the cougar then there is nothing about you and Hunter I cannot accept.”

  Jericho kissed the top of her head again and settled her against his chest. “We accept you, honey. I’m still dumbstruck by what I saw you do, but I accept it and you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hunter sat reading his book in front of the fire, the cougar sprawled on the couch beside him, her head resting on her paws. Jericho sat on the opposite end, his hand lying over the cougar’s soft fur.

  Several days had passed since Kaya had broken her arm, and it was nearly healed. She’d shifted periodically, and the two men had watched in agony, wincing in sympathy as her body contorted and went through unspeakable torture.

  With each shift, the break healed more. The splint was gone, and all that was left was residual tenderness and limited motion.

  Absently, Hunter stroked the cat’s ears, and then he turned the page of his book. He settled his hand back on her head as he resumed his reading. Underneath his fingers, she trembled. Hunter looked up at Jericho.

  “Get a blanket and her clothes. She’s been colder coming out of her shifts. I’ll build up the fire.”

  In another minute, Kaya lay shaking beside Hunter. She raised her arm and flexed it, rolling her wrist as she bent her elbow back and forth. As she raised her head, Hunter had already laid aside his book, and he reached for her.

  She went willingly, curling into the warmth of his body. He savored these moments, when she came out of her shift like a spindly colt trying to get its legs underneath it. In that moment, she depended on him and Jericho. She always sought them out, cuddling into their warmth. Her trust humbled him. She trusted them not to hurt her, and she made Hunter want to keep that unspoken promise.

  Her bare skin pressed flush against his flannel shirt, and he cursed having anything on at all. He wanted to feel her against him. He and Jericho had not made any moves toward her in the days following her injury. He had no idea what Jericho’s thoughts were on the matter, but it was important to Hunter that she trust them completely and that they not take advantage of her.

  When he made love to her, he wanted her whole, completely yielding and understanding. Hell, he didn’t even know exactly how old she was, just that she was young and innocent, somewhere around twenty-three or twenty-four, and he was old and jaded. He wasn’t even sure she’d ever had a lover. How could she when she’d led such a secluded, isolated life?

  The idea that she was a virgin terrified him and appealed to him in equal parts. That she’d never belong to anyone else was a fact he relished, but at the same time, he didn’t want to hurt her, was terrified of not being gentle or tender enough.

  Jericho returned with a flannel shirt and the sweatpants they’d altered to fit her. At some point they’d have to go down the mountain into town to buy her better clothing, but as long as the snow kept coming down, they were stuck in the cabin.

  She stood shivering, laughing as she yanked on the clothes in jerky motions. When she was finished, she dove into Jericho’s waiting arms while Hunter stood to tend the fire.

  Hunter turned and chuckled as Kaya tried to burrow underneath Jericho. Jericho’s face was a study in tenderness as he looked down at Kaya. His hand brushed lightly over her hair and down her cheek.

  How odd that they both had vowed to never get involved with the same woman after Rebeccah, and yet here they were, inexorably tangled. With Rebeccah it had just been understood. They’d always been friends, and when she died, they hadn’t just lost a lover, they’d lost a part of their past.

  Kaya…Kaya spoke to a part of his heart that hadn’t been previously opened. He was hard-pressed to explain it, and he wasn’t sure exactly the extent of his feelings for Kaya. They were too new, too raw. With Rebeccah, things had been easy. Fun, a little wild, even tumultuous at times.

  Kaya was sweet, and she called to his protective nature. Rebeccah hadn’t needed him and Jericho. She never had. Kaya was strong, but she needed them, and he couldn’t control the surge of satisfaction that gave him.

  Jericho watched the range of emotions flickering in Hunter’s eyes. Eyes that had been cold and unfeeling for so long. As conflicted as Hunter was about Kaya, Jericho knew that he’d made a firm decision that he didn’t want to let Kaya go, even if he didn’t yet know what he felt for her.

  Kaya stirred restlessly against him, her slim arms wrapping around his waist as she rubbed her cheek over his chest. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple. A sense of contentment gripped him. Contentment he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

  She felt…right.

  It went beyond simple lust. He hadn’t taken her to bed yet, but she settled him. He was happy. And God, when was the last time he could say that? When had either he or Hunter been able to say that? They’d made a practice of existing from one assignment to the next.

  Kaya’s fingers touched his cheek softly, and he looked down to see her staring up at him, her eyes questioning.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked softly.

  “That you’re beautiful.”

  She flushed a delightful shade of pink, but her eyes shone with happiness.

  “I’m glad you find me beautiful. No one has ever thought I was beautiful.” She said the last in a wistful tone that twisted a region deep inside his chest.

  “Would you like me to show you just how beautiful I find you?” he asked huskily.

  Her eyes glowed brightly, shadowed only by returning desire.

  “You wish to mate with me?”

  He arched one eyebrow. It was asked in such an innocent way that he suddenly felt uneasy about making love to her. Was he taking advantage of a complete innocent?

  “Do not worry, Jericho,” she said, her tone slightly chiding. “I understand mating.” She turned to cast a wistful glance in Hunter’s direction. “Is it possible to mate with both of you?”

  Jericho could almost hear Hunter’s groan. Lord, but the woman was going to be the death of both of them.

  “Honey, look at me.”

  She turned back to him while Hunter stood rigid in the background, his eyes glittering with need.

  “Have you ever…mated before?”

  She shook her head solemnly. “I would not let a man near me. I was too afraid.”

  “And you’re not afraid now? Of us?”

  Her brow furrowed, and she looked almost angry. “Why would I be afraid of you? You are my mates. I trust you. You would never hurt me.”

  “It’s not hurting we’re concerned about,” Hunter said gruffly. “We don’t want to take advantage of you. We have to be damn sure you know what you’re getting into.”

  “Oh. I see.” Then she smiled. “Would it be better if I did the mating?”

  Jericho damn near swallowed his tongue. He’d eligible for sainthood if he survived this.

  Hunter closed the distance until he stood over Kaya. He looked very much like a hungry predator. Jericho instinctively curled a protective arm around her waist.

  Hunter cupped her chin in his hand and smoothed a thumb over her cheek. “Just tell me you want this, Kaya. Tell me you know what you’re doing and that you understand what’s about to happen.”

  She closed her eyes briefly and leaned into Hunter’s touch. She nuzzled his palm before opening her eyes again.

  “You’re going to undress me and touch me. Kiss me and love me,” she whispered. “I’m going to take you inside me until we become one.”

  Hunter reached for her hand, holding his palm up. “I’m going to do a hell of a lot more than that.�
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  Chapter Fifteen

  Kaya could no longer control her erratic breathing. Images of the two men touching her, covering her body with theirs captivated her mind. Slowly, Hunter pulled her upward until she was free of Jericho’s hold.

  She stood in front of the couch, between both men. Where she belonged.

  The idea of mating had never frightened her. It fascinated her. She’d seen many instances in the wild, though she knew that humans did it far differently. Still, the innate savagery of beasts mating was somehow beautiful and unspoiled.

  Hunter and Jericho would be far more loving and gentle, and she craved being cherished by both.

  Hunter slid his fingers down the column of her neck and around to the buttons on her flannel shirt. One by one, he unfastened them, parting the lapels as he went. There was no urgency in his motions, just a practiced ease that she knew was intentional. How she loved him for taking such care.

  Behind her, Jericho stood and gripped her shoulders in firm hands. He bent to nuzzle her neck as Hunter tugged her shirt away.

  Tiny prickles danced across her skin. She shivered and leaned back, wanting more of his heated kiss. And then Hunter knelt in front of her, his hands pulling away her bottoms as his mouth found the turgid peak of one breast.

  Her legs buckled, but she was caught between them. Safe. Supported.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Hunter whispered. “So golden and tawny like the cougar.”

  The cat purred within, and Kaya threaded her fingers through Hunter’s short hair, pulling him to her breast. With her other hand, she reached to pull Jericho back to her neck. Their mouths drank from her, tasted and teased her.

  She wanted to taste them back.

  She swiveled in their arms, turning to face Jericho. Her breasts pressed against his muscled chest as she frantically tore at his shirt. He helped her, shrugging impatiently from the confines of his clothing. Her mouth met his flesh, and she moaned in sheer delight.

  She pushed, and he ceded to her power. Falling back on the couch, he took her with him. Her mouth found him again, licking and kissing her way up the hair-roughened hollow of his chest.

  Behind them, she heard the rustle of Hunter’s pants hitting the floor.

  Before she could really get into her exploration of his body, Jericho pulled her up by her shoulders until their mouths were level. Their breaths came hard and fast as they dodged and parried. Finally their lips met, and she sighed in utter contentment.

  Hunter’s mouth pressed to the small of her back, and a shockwave sizzled through her veins at the sensation of two mouths heating her skin.

  His hands cupped and kneaded her buttocks just as Jericho’s found her breasts. She threw her head back while he thumbed both nipples forced outward by his grip.

  “I want you both so much,” she whispered. “I love you.”

  Both men went still. So still she thought she’d made a mistake by being so honest with her feelings. And then Hunter scooped her up into his arms and strode toward the bedroom. Jericho followed close behind, arriving just as Hunter tossed her down on the bed.

  She looked up in anticipation as both men towered over her, their eyes lean and hungry. How proud and strong they looked, their legs slightly parted, their erections jutting upward. She imagined them sliding into her body, over and over until she quivered in anticipation. Slowly, she raised her hands in supplication.

  Hunter came down over her, his body pressing against her softness. She marveled at their differences, how hard he was, and yet how careful he was not to hurt her.

  Jericho reclined on the bed next to her, his fingers threading through her hair as Hunter suckled at her breasts. Her eyes closed in contented bliss when Jericho tenderly kissed her temple.

  “We don’t want you to be afraid, Kaya,” Jericho whispered next to her ear. “If we move too fast or do something you don’t want, just stop us.”

  She turned her face to him, seeking his lips with hers. “Nothing you do will frighten me. I want you. I want this.”

  Hunter moved down her body, his mouth open as it grazed along her midline. His breath was scorching against her, his tongue warm and slightly rough. His hands followed, firing her senses. Her back bowed as she arched into him, seeking more of his mouth, of his touch.

  All her breath left her when he parted her legs and his fingers carefully found the sleek, damp flesh at her heart. He stroked and then spread her folds wider as he lowered his head.

  “Oh…”

  She closed her eyes and twisted restlessly as his tongue found her. Electric currents raced from her pelvis to her breasts, tightening them to puckered buds.

  Jericho traced a damp trail around one with his tongue, lapping and then finally sucking the point between his teeth. He gave her a little nip just as Hunter’s tongue delved into her very core.

  The most amazing thing happened. A flood of the most indescribable pleasure she’d ever known washed through her like a raging river. It happened so quickly she wasn’t prepared. It was overwhelming, and yet she wanted it to go on and on.

  She was still battling the fire when something hard nudged at her entrance. She opened her eyes to see Hunter braced over her, his expression one of intense pain.

  She reached out to touch the harsh lines across his face, wanting to ease the tension etched there.

  “Come to me,” she whispered. “Fill me.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Never.”

  He closed his eyes and eased forward. She opened around him, and she marveled at the delicious sensations that pulsed in her groin. Her body surrounded him, inviting him further, clinging like a second skin.

  “Hold onto me,” he rasped. “I’ll make it quick.”

  She had no idea what he meant, but she gripped his shoulders, determined to please him. With one powerful surge, he thrust into her body. She felt a slight tearing, and her mouth fell open in shock, but almost as quickly as she became aware of the pain, it faded to the background.

  There were so many things she could feel. Slight discomfort as her body fought to accept his intrusion. But also the stirrings of something wonderful. She felt itchy, alive, like she could crawl right out of herself. She needed him to move.

  Wrapping her legs around him, she lifted her hips higher, desperate to appease the ache deep within her. Jericho’s mouth was on her breast. Hunter’s hands were tight at her hips.

  “Please,” she begged.

  Hunter groaned. It was the sound of the sweetest agony. And then he finally began to move. He withdrew, but before she could protest, he thrust again, seating himself deeper than before. Her gasp echoed across the room.

  “Am I hurting you, honey? I’ll stop.”

  “No! Please. I need you, Hunter. Please, I ache so much.”

  “Ahh, Kaya. You’re so sweet. I’ll take care of you, honey. Just hold onto me tight.”

  She would have done anything for him in that moment. He began to move harder and faster. More demanding. Taking but giving back with each thrust. She went slick around him, and suddenly he didn’t seem quite so large inside her passageway.

  The friction became unbearable, and she feared she’d burst. Higher and higher she climbed. She gripped him with a fierceness alien to her. Every muscle tensed in anticipation of something so sweet, so pleasurable.

  And then she tumbled out of control, her body flying in a hundred different directions. She quivered around his thick shaft as he pushed and strained against her.

  With a breathless groan, he withdrew from her and collapsed onto her, his arousal throbbing against her belly. Something hot and liquid pulsed onto her skin.

  “You’re so beautiful when you come,” Jericho murmured. “So expressive, so wild.”

  She slowly turned her head to see him smoothing away the hair from her cheek. Hunter’s mouth rested against the hollow under her ear, and she could feel the rapid stuttering of his heart against her chest.

  “Now you,” she whisp
ered as she reached her hand to Jericho.

  He smiled and caught her fingers in his gentle grip. “Not now, honey. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “But you won’t—”

  He shook his head. “Not intentionally. Your body isn’t used to having a man inside you. You’re too tender right now to take me.”

  “He’s right.” Hunter agreed.

  She glanced down in confusion at the wetness on her belly and Hunter’s still semi-erect shaft. She knew enough about the elements of mating to know this wasn’t right, but she couldn’t form the right words to question it. Why hadn’t he remained inside her?

  Hunter seemed to sense her confusion, and he touched her cheek, his eyes soft as he looked down at her. “Jericho and I don’t keep condoms here. It’s not as if we ever expected to have a woman here.”

  “Condoms?” she echoed.

  “They’re sheaths that go over our…” He looked down and she quickly got the idea. “They protect you from pregnancy—and diseases.”

  “Diseases?” She was beginning to feel very stupid about this mating business.

  “You don’t have to worry about diseases,” Jericho growled. “It’s been a long damn time for both of us, and there was only one woman we didn’t wear condoms with.”

  His response didn’t really answer her confusion, and now she wondered about this other woman. Maybe later she’d have the courage to ask about her.

  “I’ll go start a shower and be back for you in just a second,” Hunter said as he backed off the bed.

  She watched as he walked nude across the room and disappeared into the bathroom.

  “Are you all right?” Jericho asked as he pulled her into his embrace.

  She nodded and snuggled deeper into his arms. “I don’t like having to wait to take you inside me.”

  He laughed softly. “I guarantee I don’t like it any more than you. We have all the time in the world, though, and I want it to be perfect for you when it happens.”

  She sighed in contentment. She liked the promise of having time. It made it sound like he had no intention of being parted from her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kaya stood in the small bathroom as Hunter rubbed her dry with a warm towel that Jericho had held in front of the fire while she and Hunter showered. When he’d finished, he pulled her close, warming her with his body heat.

  “Hunter?”

  He pulled away and looked questioningly at her.

  “Jericho didn’t…that is he didn’t have any pleasure.” She frowned slightly as she wrapped her mind around what it was she was trying to ask.

  “I’d say he got a lot of pleasure from watching you,” Hunter said. “But ultimate satisfaction, no he didn’t. Not yet.”

  Her brow wrinkled in consternation. “Isn’t there anything I can do to give him pleasure?”

  “There is,” he said carefully. “But I think it might be best if we took things slowly.”

  “Tell me,” she insisted, latching onto his first statement and ignoring the last. “I want to please him.”

  Hunter sighed. “A man likes it very much when a woman takes him in her mouth. He could achieve satisfaction without hurting you.”

  Her pulse jumped in excitement. “Show me.”

  Hunter shook his head. “I don’t think it would be a good idea.”