Claiming Her Mates: Book One

by Dia Cole

  Mason snorted, interrupting him. “I’ll bet she’d like a nice cup of hot tea. Tell me you packed tea?”

  Liam nodded. “And a teakettle.”

  “Excellent.” Mason beamed and looked over at me. “You like tea, don’t you?”

  Although a cup of coffee sounded better, I nodded. “Tea sounds perfect.”

  Liam reached into the crate he’d set by the table, retrieved a teakettle, and chucked it at Mason’s head.

  Mason caught the silver kettle in midair. “Hey, don’t be a sore loser.”

  “I've lost nothing,” Liam said, shoving the recliner next to my rocking chair. He sat down next to me. “Are you liking the place better?”

  I nodded. Despite my early reservations, I couldn’t deny the spruced-up place had charm.

  Liam had pried the boards off the large picture windows and the view overlooking the snow-covered pine trees and ice-crusted creek behind the cabin was breathtaking. I could almost see where someone would want to visit a place like this. Almost.

  “Good,” Liam said, reaching over and squeezing my uninjured hand.

  Mason glared at us.

  Not wanting to add to the crackling tension between the men, I tugged my hand free.

  Giving Liam a triumphant look, Mason filled up the kettle with water from the cooler and set it on the flat top of the woodstove.

  “You can cook on that thing?” I asked, curious.

  “Of course,” both men replied in unison.

  Feeling like an idiot, I watched Mason put another log into the stove.

  Liam pointed over at the crate. “I’ve brought you cookware along with some canned soups, chili, and oatmeal. Between that and the food I’ll be bringing you, you won’t starve.”

  “You’ll visit me again?” I was already dreading the moment when both men would leave.

  Liam grinned. “You couldn’t keep me away if you tried.”

  Mason walked over to the crate and frowned. “There’s no tea in here.”

  Liam twisted around in the recliner to look at him. “It must’ve fallen out in the truck. The doors are open if you want to check.”

  Mason walked to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Take your time,” yelled Liam.

  As the door closed, I reached over and grabbed the giant’s hand. “I really appreciate what you did to this place.”

  He laid his other hand over mine. “Enough to give me a thank-you kiss?” He puckered his lips.

  “If that’s what you’d like in payment,” I flirted back. I stood and leaned over him planning to kiss him on his cheek.

  His playful expression transformed into an intense one. Before I could react, he hauled me into his lap and kissed me full on the mouth. At my gasp, he deepened the kiss. His lips were soft as velvet and his minty taste heated my blood.

  My senses imprinted with the scent of him, pine, mint, and raw male. Arousal flooded my body as my heart took up the same wild beat as his.

  He conquered my mouth with darting strokes of his tongue while his hands stroked me from hip to breast along the outside of my dress.

  “Oh my!” I moaned when we broke for air. The fire that Mason had stoked in the car flared back to life. Sweet need burned through me. What’s happening?

  Nathan had been the only man I’d ever wanted this badly. Now in the space of a few hours I was losing my mind over two almost-strangers. Go with it, the hot needy part of me urged.

  I shifted over Liam, my knees embedding in the leather armrests of the recliner.

  He groaned as I rocked against the impossibly huge erection straining the fly of his jeans.

  I licked my lips, wanting more than anything to see what kind of heat he was packing. I stroked my hand over his fly eliciting a husky moan from his lips.

  Mason cleared his throat behind us. “I step out for one bloody minute…”

  A wave of shame and embarrassment rushed through me. Crap. How could I have forgotten he was here? Not cool, Vana. I had my slutty moments, but this was a new low even for me.

  Liam grabbed my hips possessively. “I was just claiming my thank-you kiss.”

  “It looked like you were doing more than that,” Mason said, his voice deepening. “Release her.” He fisted his hands, crushing the box of tea he was holding.

  Liam stiffened. “Or you’ll do what?” His green eyes blazed with an unearthly glow.

  In a split second, the giant had gone from sexy hunk to frightening beast.

  Mason, who seemed to have grown several inches, let out a hair-raising growl.

  I trembled, looking between the two men in alarm. They looked seconds from attacking each other and no part of me wanted to see these men beat themselves bloody over me. There was only one way to diffuse the situation. A thrill rushed through me at the forbidden idea. Summoning my stripper persona, I said, “Boys, don’t get yourselves worked up. There's more than enough of me to go around.”

  Both men blinked at me in confusion.

  I tossed my hair back. “Mason, why don’t you come over here and join us?”

  Liam tensed beneath me. “You want both of us?”

  “Why not? Double the pleasure.” I crooked my finger at Mason. “Are you game?”

  Mason stood frozen for a minute. The fierce expression on his face faded as he exchanged a long look with Liam.

  After a moment, both men nodded as if they’d just carried on a silent conversation and come to an agreement.

  Mason set the box of tea down on the table and slowly walked over. A myriad of expressions flitted across his face including jealousy, curiosity, and scorching lust. When he reached me he pulled me up into a kneeling position over Liam. Then he kissed me, his lips firm and possessive.

  Desire sizzled through me as I arched up into Mason’s passionate assault. Mounting excitement blocked my twinge of back pain.

  The sweet flavor of his lips exploded on my tongue, so different from Liam’s minty taste.

  Liam cupped my ass. “You're a kinky one, huh?”

  “You don’t even know the half of it,” I murmured against Mason’s lips. The things Nathan introduced me to… Nathan. I stiffened at the thought of him. Fuck him. Let him stew when he finds out I got with not one but two of his friends. With that thought, I swept aside my memories of him.

  Mason let out another one of those sexy growls and stepped behind me. He moved my hair to the side and planted a kiss at the back of my neck.

  I shivered as an electric current zipped straight from his lips to my aching core.

  Liam’s hands slipped under my dress and kneaded my ass. “I’ve never been with a female before.”

  That blew my mind. I hid my shock by leaning over and kissing his lips. “There’s a first time for everything, big guy.”

  “I’ve never shared a female before,” Mason murmured into the shell of my ear.

  “Well, you’re in for a treat,” I said way too confidently. I’d been with two men at the same time only once before and only because of Nathan. My breathing hitched as I once against tried to banish the memory of my ex. No. I won’t let him ruin this.

  Mason found the zipper of my dress and dragged it down.

  The warm air caressed my skin as the black fabric gaped open in the back.

  Mason pushed the straps of the dress off my arms. The top of the gown pooled at my waist leaving only my dance top to shield my breasts.

  “Take it off,” I ordered in my sultry Mistress Robin voice.

  With deft fingers, Mason removed the back brace. Then he undid the straps to my silver-studded top and bared me to their gazes.

  Both men inhaled sharply.

  “Fuck, you’ve got gorgeous tits,” Liam groaned.

  I laughed, not at all minding their obvious fascination.

  With his arms wrapped around me from behind, Mason cupped my breasts. “I agree. These are exquisite like every inch of your body.” He rolled a nipple between his thumb and forefinger eliciting a moan from my lips. The
n he applied a delicious amount of pressure to the swollen peak.

  The shocking pleasure-pain sensation shot me straight into a memory of Nathan clamping my nipples. Take it for me, honey. It’ll hurt so good.

  The memory was so real I could almost smell Nathan’s sandalwood cologne in the air. “Ah.” With a cry I pushed Mason’s hands away.

  He jerked back in surprise.

  Liam blinked. “Is something wrong?”

  Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I-I’m having a difficult time getting over my last relationship.”

  “I see,” Mason said slowly, moving over to the side of the recliner.

  Liam’s eyes widened in understanding. “You still love Nathan.”

  I shook my head. “No. I hate him, in fact. He made me fall for him and then he hurt me in a way no one ever had before. Now it’s hard for me to…”

  “To let yourself get close to someone again,” Mason finished for me.

  “Yes,” I whispered, trying to ignore how my body throbbed with raging desire.

  Liam thumped his chest. “I’d sooner cut my heart out than hurt you.”

  “I feel the same,” said Mason. “I hope in time we can help you rebuild your trust in males.” He looked over at Liam. “We should go.”

  My body howled in protest. “Please don’t leave. I want to try again.” I needed to try again. This time I won’t think of the bastard.

  Mason searched my face. “Are you certain, love?”

  I nodded, never more sure of anything in my life.

  “Okay, but tell us the moment you want to stop.”

  I threw him a wicked smile. “I don’t ever want to stop.” There were a couple of just-in-case condoms in my duffel bag from back in the day. We were set. Let’s do this. Licking my lips, I pressed my breasts against Liam’s lips.

  The big guy’s eyes lit up as he took one of my nipples into his mouth.

  I moaned at the delicious sensation of his lips on my sensitive peak.

  Mason let out a frustrated sound.

  I gave him an arch look. “Didn’t you say you were good with your hands?”

  He flashed me a masculine smile, took his previous position behind me, and slid his hands down to my thighs. He swatted Liam’s hands. “Out of the way, mate.”

  Liam shifted his hands to the small of my back, never taking his lips from my nipple. The rasp of his beard against my skin made me shiver.

  “This will feel so good, love,” Mason whispered.

  I gasped as he slid his fingers beneath my thong and caressed my damp flesh.

  “Do you like that?” he rasped against my ear.

  All I could do was whimper as he found my swollen bud.

  Mason stroked me slowly at first and then faster.

  Pleasure streaked through me. I grabbed Liam’s shoulders to steady myself. My knees quaked, threatening to give out.

  Mason pressed me back against his chest. I could feel his arousal pressing into my back. The fact that I was pinned between two men who wanted me stoked my desire even higher.

  While continuing to work my clit with his right hand, Mason slid two fingers of his left hand into me and found my G-spot.

  I cried out.

  On the stove, the teakettle whistled and shook.

  “Oh, God!” It was too much. The delicious pressure at my core combined with the erotic pull of Liam’s mouth on my nipples sent me spiraling into a mind-blowing climax. Screaming, I shattered and collapsed boneless over Liam’s chest.

  The sound of our ragged breathing cut through the shrieking kettle.

  “I’ll get that,” Mason said, pulling away and moving the kettle from the woodstove.

  I pushed myself off Liam’s lap on shaking legs. As soon as I stood, my unzipped dress pooled to the floor.

  Both men gasped.

  This is only the beginning I realized with a smile. They’re mine. All mine.

  With their gazes following every movement I made, I sauntered over to the bed and sat down. Using my Mistress Robin voice, I said, “Take off your clothes and come over here.” I patted the top of the mattress.

  Liam leaped from the chair and whipped off his shirt.

  The sight of his muscular chest took my breath away. Wow. Just wow.

  Mason pulled off his jacket and polo revealing lean tanned muscles that made my mouth water.

  There was something predatory in the way the men stalked toward the bed. They loomed over me, their bodies tense and hard.

  Heat suffused me, filling me with such need, I whimpered. How will we do this? Who will go first? Or will we all be together at the same time? Overcome with desire, I watched the men approach with eager anticipation.

  Suddenly, the door crashed open and Gabe rushed in wearing nothing but his eye patch.

  13

  Gabriel

  The sight of Havana sprawled out nearly naked on the bed, with Liam and Mason standing over her sucked all the air out of my lungs. For a moment, my anger was replaced by a lust so fierce it turned my shaft to granite. The entire cabin was filled with the powerful musk of her desire. Each inhale of her scent eroded my self-control.

  I couldn’t rip my gaze away from Havana. Her beautiful breasts were more than a handful and those dusky nipples were begging for my touch. Her smooth skin looked like it’d been dipped in honey and a tiny scrap of fabric covered her cleft. A growl escaped my throat as I battled the urge to tear off her panties and bury my face between her legs. She’ll taste amazing. I licked my lips and took one step forward.

  Havana blinked up at me from the bed. “Looks like you want to join in on the action. The more the merrier.” She patted the mattress next to her.

  Immediately realizing I wasn’t there for fun, Liam stepped protectively in front of her. “Gabe, I can explain.”

  Mason threw a comforter over Havana. “Before you get upset, mate, you should know we’re all consenting adults here.”

  Their words slapped some sense into me. I took a deep breath through my mouth knowing I couldn’t afford to scent any more of Havana’s pheromones. Spying Liam’s oversize shirt on the floor I pulled it on. Thankfully, it was long enough to cover my still pulsing erection. I cast a quick glance around the room noting the dramatic improvements in the cabin. The males had been busy. My mood soured further. “Do you know what Nathan will do to any male that touches his female?”

  Both Mason and Liam froze.

  I glared at them. “He’ll rip their heart out of their chest and eat it.”

  Mason gulped while Liam shuddered. No one got between a Lykos Alpha male and his female and lived to talk about it.

  Havana sat up in the bed with the comforter clutched to her chest. “Nathan doesn’t care about me.”

  Seriously, how dense can she be? “Right, and that’s why he ordered us to rescue you. Only you. Think about it. There are over a hundred thousand souls in Saguaro Valley and his only thought was to save you and his daughter.”

  Havana opened her mouth and promptly closed it.

  Liam shook his head, refusing to believe what his senses had to be telling him. “She’s human, Gabe. She can’t be his mate.”

  I gave him a hard look. “Use your head, brother. Why do you think you and Mason are reacting to her like this?”

  Liam took a step away from Havana and blinked as if he was seeing her for the first time. “She’s a latent.”

  “Ding, ding. Point goes to the Enforcer with the death wish,” I said in a dry voice. “She’s also close to her first transition. You can smell it all over her.”

  Both Mason and Liam inhaled deeply and groaned.

  “What’s a latent?” Havana asked, sniffing her hair.

  Mason and Liam looked at me for guidance. Disclosing anything about our kind with a non-Lykos was punishable by death.

  “Are you 100 percent certain about this?” Liam asked.

  “I thought she was an Atavus,” Mason added, insinuating himself into our private mental channel.

&nbs
p; “She’s a latent,” I said firmly. I replayed my recent conversation with Nathan for them starting with my cell phone ringing back at the lodge.

  “Is Havana safe at Sanctuary?” Nathan’s deep voice boomed as soon as I brought the phone to my ear.

  “Yes.”

  “Good,” Nathan said, relief in his voice.

  In the background, I could hear his young daughter calling out, “Vana! Vana!”

  Nathan made a shushing noise. “Quiet, Mira. You’ll see her soon.”

  “You didn’t tell me Havana was a latent,” I said in an accusatory tone.

  Nathan’s silence confirmed my suspicion.

  “Does Havana know what she is?”

  Nathan let out a heavy sigh. “No. She knows nothing. When I first interviewed her for the nanny position, I sensed there was some Lykos blood in her—it’s why I hired her in fact—but I assumed she was an Atavus. My visceral attraction to her should’ve been a clue that she was so much more. It wasn’t until I dug into her background that I discovered she was a latent. Apparently, her mother had a one-night stand with a colonel before becoming pregnant with Havana.”

  My gut did a slow churn. “I’m guessing not just any colonel.”

  “I suspect he was one of the original test subjects from the Lykos project.”

  I cursed. The originals were the strongest and most unstable of our species. Tasha was a case in point. Very few had survived the military’s attempt at exterminating them. Apparently, Havana’s missing father had been one of the rare few the army had retained. To have survived and risen so high in rank, he must be one badass motherfucker. “You know. We’re required to report any suspected Lykos to Tasha and—”

  Nathan interrupted me. “Tasha can’t know about Havana. I’d planned to take her and Mira somewhere far from her territory.”

  “Well, obviously that didn’t pan out. Havana’s close to her transition so you’d best not take too much time getting back here. I can barely keep Liam and Mason away from her as it is.” I peered out the lodge window searching in vain for the truck or the SUV. The males had been gone too long.