Bearing Secrets

by Marissa Dobson

  As if calling his name tore away the last shred of control he had, he drove into her with one powerful thrust. With it came a moan of both pleasure and pain. Even with the foreplay she was still tight, her body wasn’t ready for hard and fast yet, but he’d get her there. He gave her no time to catch her breath before he began rocking in and out, slow enough not to cause pain.

  She could feel the cord that reined in Trey’s desperation to touch her fraying. He pushed her arms above her head, his mouth claiming hers as Turi’s pace quickened. She arched her hips into Trey until he cupped her bottom, giving him a deeper angle as he rocked deep within her.

  With each pump his hips increased speed, driving the force deeper and faster. Finding a perfect rhythm, their bodies rocked back and forth, tension stretching her tighter as she fought for the release she longed for. Upon that release, she dug her nails into his back, arching her body into his. He pumped twice more and shouted her name as they came together.

  Without giving her time to recover, the brothers changed places. Trey slid between her legs, his hands on her hips. “Open your eyes. I want to look into them as I take you for the first time.”

  As soon as she opened her eyes, he slid deep within her, and she moaned. He filled her slowly, inch by inch. Halfway in, he slid out before thrusting back in, filling her completely with his manhood. His strokes fed her fire like tinder set to dynamite. She reached out until her hand felt along the perfect contours of Turi’s chest where he lay beside her. With Trey between her legs, Turi nibbled her neck, his hand cupping her breast until his thumb found her nipple.

  Trey set his own tempo, not to be outdone by Turi. Taking it slower, making each stroke count. Her fingers dug into his back, clawing at him as a second orgasm neared. Her body clenched around his erection, sparking the fire within him and sending him pushing deeper and faster into her. His mouth claimed her nipple, pulling the bud between his teeth and applying just the perfect amount of pain to make it pleasurable. As if knowing she was close to a climax Trey sped his pace, slamming into her until their hips hit off each other.

  “Trey!” She cried as her orgasm tore through her. Her nails clawed at his back as she pulled herself tight against him, meeting his thrusts. He pumped twice more and shouted her name, his own climax finding him. Eternity stretched on until he collapsed beside her.

  Her breath slowly returned to normal and she lay cradled between them. Now that the act had been completed, the mating energy was pouring through them. Connecting them through their thoughts and needs. She could feel them as if they were extensions to her own body.

  She finally felt like she belonged somewhere. She belonged with them, in their arms.

  Chapter Eleven

  The sun peeked around the edges of the curtains, casting little rays of light dancing about the room. Not wanting to get up, Trey snuggled deeper into bed, his arm tight around Ivy’s waist, his head buried in her hair. His bear was content and had no desire to move anytime soon. This was what life was all about; these moments were what they fought for every time they went out on a mission. Turi might doubt their goals, but for Trey, finding his mate had reaffirmed everything. He wanted to make a safer world for her.

  With the future in mind, he decided to slip out of bed and take Turi’s place with the morning check on the sleuth. It would be one step to proving he was fully committed to their mating and the sleuth. He slipped into his jeans and grabbed his shirt from the bedpost before sneaking out of the room without waking either of them.

  Strolling out of the house, he tugged his shirt over his head, and squinted in the sun as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He tipped his head back to the sky and let the morning breeze coming off the water wake him up. The gentle swoosh of the waves as they hit the beach, the crisp salty air—it was home. For the first time he wondered if they’d be able to convince Ivy to stay on the island if Chad resurfaced. The older Brown brothers might have left, but he had no plans to.

  “Trey…” His father called out as he neared his parents’ house, where he was sitting on the porch.

  “Morning, Dad.”

  “What has you up this early? Ma mentioned you and Turi found your mate. I figured you boys would be spending a late morning with her.”

  He climbed the steps and took a seat in one of the handcrafted rocking chairs that lined the porch. “They’re still sleep. I thought I’d check on sleuth and see if there was anything you needed dealt with.”

  “It’s been a quiet morning. Everyone is still recovering from the party last night. Even your brothers are still in bed.” Devon yawned. “That’s where I’d be if it wasn’t for your mother up baking all those sweets you boys love so dearly.”

  “Bears and their sweet tooth,” Trey joked, though it was true.

  “You boys are worse than any bear I know.” Devon brought the mug of coffee to his lips, taking a deep gulp. “Ma tells me your mate is part of the Arizona Tigers. I didn’t think they had any humans in their ranks.”

  In spite of himself, Trey laughed, sincerely amused at the way his father stretched human out, not as if it was a bad thing, but it was his way of asking for Ivy’s story without actually asking. “Turi didn’t tell you last night?”

  “He only said she needed a safe place, he was about to explain something when he started to stare into space. Next thing I know he’s rushing back to his cabin.”

  “Shit!” Trey rubbed his sweaty palms over his jeans. This should have been coming from Turi; he was the diplomat twin and could smooth out any problems before they had a chance to arise. Without Turi here, Trey took a deep breath and dove in. “She’s Randolph’s niece.”

  “What?” His father set the coffee mug aside and looked at him with concern.

  Over the next few minutes he explained everything. Hoping to avoid dealing with the same anger Turi originally had when he found out Ivy’s heritage, Trey went over her commitment to the tigers in as much detail as he could. He wanted his father to accept her, without wondering if she was going to bring danger to the island.

  “Dad…” He paused for a moment, deciding how best to approach it. “We’ve decided that we only want the immediate family to know. Mom, our brothers, and you. Otherwise it puts her in too much danger.”

  “So that’s why Turi gathered us last night after the celebration.” He took another long drink of coffee. “I should beat his ass for gathering us and then disappearing. We had a long day getting everything ready for the party, then the actual party on top of it.”

  “Dad, the mating desire called him to us. You know how strong that is, he couldn’t have stopped himself if he wanted to.”

  “We’ll tell everyone after brunch.”

  Gazing out at the water in the direction of inland Nome, Trey gently rocked the chair. He hadn’t noticed the tension in his shoulders until now, which had grown worse as he waited for his father’s approval. “You’re okay with all this?”

  He nodded. “Mating is a powerful thing, and one of the benefits is you’d know if there was something dangerous about her connection. If you trust her, we will. Plus, Ty wouldn’t have brought her here if she was a danger to us.”

  “But Randolph is.”

  “That’s nothing new and not something she’s brought to us. Randolph’s been a threat since he took over Pierce’s gang of rogues.”

  He still couldn’t believe his sweet mate was related to such a menace. He couldn’t understand how someone could turn against their family and their kind. To him that bond was nearly as strong as the one he shared with his mate and twin. That train of thought quickly had him thinking of his dead brother, Travis. It didn’t matter how someone was raised, or the family blood that coursed through their veins, some people were just evil. They took pleasure out of seeing others suffer, and joy out of the chase or kill.

  “Son…” Devon pulled Trey from his thoughts.

  “Yeah.”

  “I know you and Turi haven’t seen eye to eye, and that’s going to make chal
lenges within your mating if you’re not careful, but you boys can be just as happy as Taber and Thorben.”

  Trey gave a little chuckle. “Those two nearly killed each other when Taber found out he had to share his mate.”

  “They overcame, and so will you. I just hope you two stay on the island. It’s nice having help with the sleuth.” Devon stood. “You did well last night, keeping things smooth with Bev and Tad.”

  “Thanks, Dad. Tad needs to deal with his guilt.”

  “We’ve all been saying that for years, but I think Courtney is finally getting through to him. Who knows? Maybe this trip will allow him to bury his remorse before he goes back to the Alaskan Tigers’ compound.” Devon stepped around the rockers and opened the door, pausing before he went inside. “Now go back to your mates.”

  With the sleuth quiet, Trey decided his dad was right. He stood and headed back. He’d balance this new sleuth responsibility and his mates, but right now Ivy’s naked body was calling to him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ivy woke to heart-pounding terror, reaching out to where Trey should have been. Her thoughts immediately jumped to Randolph. Had he found them? Terrified, her body went rigid. Everything she’d gone through was finally taking its toll, and even knowing she was overreacting she couldn’t calm herself.

  “Shhh…” Turi whispered, his voice full of sleep. “You’re okay.”

  As if his voice reset the circuits in her brain, she reached out to him. “Where’s Trey?” She couldn’t keep the fear out of her voice. Had he left her or had something awful happened while she slept?

  “I’m right here.” She glanced up to find Trey coming through the bedroom door. “Everything is fine. I only went to check on the sleuth.”

  “Come here.” She reached out, needing to feel him, to know he was all right.

  He kicked off his shoes and slipped onto the bed. “I didn’t mean to worry you.” He snuggled up against her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

  “It’s okay. I just thought something was wrong.” Snuggled between their bodies she felt safe and loved. “Can we just stay like this?”

  “For as long as you want,” Turi whispered and kissed her forehead.

  “Not too long,” she amended, sighing with contentment now that the mating connection had been reestablished. Now that she was more awake, reality intruded on her thoughts. “Remember, I want a laptop so I can get back to work.”

  “What is it you’re working on, my angel?” Trey kissed along her shoulder, working his way to the nape of her neck.

  “Before my life got tossed in a blender on high, I was putting together a proposal of why there should be a group of shifters banding together to keep law and order.”

  Turi smoothed her hair out of her face. “What is your reasoning behind it?”

  “An organization like this will make sure that what happened in Ohio and Texas does not happen again.” She rubbed her hand along his naked hip. “I’m sure there’re other things I don’t know that are happening that should be stopped.”

  “My sweet angel thinks having a bunch of shifter cops is going to stop it.” Trey nibbled her neck.

  She couldn’t figure out if he was impressed or just thought she was crazy. Either way, it was her project and she was putting it together with or without their support. Someone had to agree with her. “What I think is people need to be saved.”

  “You think people are just going to talk about what is happening to them?” Turi leaned up on his elbow and looked down at her. “The clan members who were suffering weren’t screaming for help. We only found out about Texas because Adam brought Tex back to Alaska after an attack on them.”

  “Who would be in charge of these…police?” Turi questioned.

  “Why not Tabitha? As we speak, she’s gaining control over the tigers and eventually she’ll control other shifters. She’s the perfect choice.”

  “You think the other shifter groups that aren’t tigers are going to be willing to have her as the complete ruler?” Turi’s hand paused on her cheek.

  “I know it would be hard, but something needs to be done. If we’re going to live among humans, we need to control ourselves, that means we need one organization to keep everyone in line. Tabitha is that person, but she needs people to go out and enforce it.”

  “I like how you think.” Trey nuzzled against her. “Turi, that’s along the same lines as why I wanted to do the forum.”

  She rolled onto her back enough that she could look at Trey who lay behind her. “Forum?”

  “About a year ago, Turi and I discussed starting an online forum. It would be buried deep enough that humans wouldn’t be able to find it, but it would be a place for shifters to be able to socialize, get help with their problems, and we’d be able to monitor it for any crimes being committed against our kind.”

  “That’s a marvelous idea, why don’t you do it? I could add it into my proposal as another way of monitoring things.”

  “She’s right about the forum.” Turi nodded. “After you two fell asleep last night I started thinking about it. We could make a difference with it, and it could be used to help Tabitha communicate with the other Alphas. The possibilities of the good it could do are endless.”

  “I’d like to help in any way I can.” She took their hands in hers. “We’ll make a good team.”

  “We already are.” Turi tipped his head toward Trey. “You’ve reminded me that though Trey and I are twins we’re different people. Each of us have our own way of dealing with things, and even though I prefer things done my way, he’s not half bad. We each have our strengths and that’s what we need to focus on.”

  Trey glanced at her before looking back at his brother. “What are you saying?”

  “Help with the sleuth as you can and when you’re needed but I think you should focus on the forum, and I’ll help you with what you need. Each of us playing to our strengths will make us a better team.”

  “Are you sure?” The surprise was clear in Trey’s voice.

  “Yes.” Turi leaned down and kissed Ivy’s forehead. “Later I want you to finish the proposal. My laptop is in my office. Feel free to use it, and if I can be of any assistance let me know.”

  “You said later, what did you have in mind for now?”

  “To stay cuddled with you until we have to go to Mom’s for breakfast.” He shoved his arm under his pillow and laid his head down. His eyes instantly closed as his head hit the pillow and he snuggled against her. “Better get used to it. Bears love their sleep.”

  “Don’t forget their cuddles.” Trey snuggled closer against her, his eyes closing.

  “Good thing I enjoy both of those.” She closed her eyelids and enjoyed the moment. The rest of the world and worries would have to wait. Right now, all she wanted to do was appreciate the two men she was destined to spend forever with. My mates.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Curled up on the sofa with a roaring fire and the laptop, Ivy couldn’t focus. She had been on the island for over twenty-four hours and received no word from Ty. She glared at her cell phone, willing it to ring, but nothing happened. It had been three days since the attack on the Arizona compound and not a word from Chad. He had to be dead. It pained her to think it, but what other reason could there be?

  She rolled her shoulders and tried to put it out of her mind. The proposal was open in front of her, with a completely new section to include the forum Trey was going to start, but she couldn’t focus. Instead, she set the laptop aside and leaned back, resting her head against the sofa.

  Why worry when there’s nothing I can do? Not for the first time, she wished she was a shifter. Then she could be out there looking for Chad, Mason, and anyone else who might have survived the attack. She hated sitting there feeling useless.

  The front door swung open, and suspecting it to be Turi returning, Ivy called out. “I’m in here.”

  “Good to know.” A soft female voice replied.

  Ivy spun around to see w
ho it was and recognized the two women from the celebration. They’d been sitting on either side of the tiger who had shifted his hand and scratched Trey’s butt after the lap dance. “Umm…Turi’s out at the moment and Trey’s getting a shower.”

  “No worries, we came to see you. Can we come in?” The same woman spoke, both of them still standing in the doorway. Each with a bottle of wine and glasses.

  Ivy knew they had to play into the Brown family somehow, she just wasn’t sure how. “Umm, sure. You’re related somehow, right?”

  “I’m Courtney, Tad and Milo’s mate.” She tipped her head to the side, sending her long auburn hair spilling into her face. “That’s Kallie.”

  “I’m mated to the first set of Brown twins, Taber and Thorben.” Kallie came around the sofa, and Ivy was unable to tear her gaze away from the white streaks in Kallie’s brown hair.

  When she realized Kallie had caught her staring she quickly looked away. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m used to it.”

  “It was rude, and we’re family now.” Ivy tugged her legs under her to make room. “Please sit, make yourselves comfortable.”

  “The stripes are from the years I spent locked in my tigress form,” Kallie explained, taking the seat next to Ivy.

  “I know…” Ivy shook her head and tried not to sound like an idiot. “I mean there was a young man in the Arizona Tigers who had the same thing. I didn’t stare because I was in shock, or because I didn’t know what caused it, but because I was amazed at how striking it is. Women pay hundreds of dollars to have highlights done and to dye their hair crazy colors, but even the best stylist couldn’t do what’s natural on you.”

  “I guess it’s like the women with curly hair who spend hours trying to straighten it while those with straight hair try to make it curly.” Kallie smirked. “I’ve spent years trying to get rid of them, but no hair coloring hides them. It wasn’t until I met my mates that I accepted them.”