“I think I’d better start crocheting that baby blanket,” she spoke softly to herself as she turned to head back into the kitchen, her spirits light and hopeful.
It took the men no time at all to climb the three flights of stairs to their suite. Alex opened the door for them, allowing all of them to enter together. He quietly closed and locked the door behind them, standing close to Nikki as Butler slid her slowly down his body until she was standing between them.
“I can’t stop shaking,” Nikki told them, her voice quivering. “I don’t like feeling like this.”
“We’ve waited too long,” Alex told her quietly.
“Do I feel this way only because the mating need is making me feel this way?” Nikki’s voice was nearly hysterical. “These aren’t my true feelings? It’s just the pheromones?”
“It’s a combination of the mating pheromones and what you’re feeling, Nikki,” Butler explained softly.
“I don’t want to feel this way,” Nikki told him, panicking. “Make it stop, please.”
Butler led her to their bedroom, walked her over to their triad bed, and lifted her to carefully place her in the center of the mattress. He climbed up beside her and held her, waiting for Alex to climb onto the bed to take his place at her other side and hold her tightly between them. She immediately leaned into their touch and pulled them closer toward her.
“Everything will be all right, Nikki,” Butler told her calmly as he slowly ran his hand down her arm, petting gently as he spoke.
“Just listen to our voices, Nikki,” Alex told her softly. “Feel the beating of our hearts. Match your breathing to ours.” He leaned into her neck and inhaled deeply. “Let our scents soothe you as your scent soothes us,” he whispered, kissing her cheek lightly.
Nikki listened to their words and relaxed under their touches. Closing her eyes, she allowed the men to guide her to a place of calm in her mind. As they lay so close to her, pressing their bodies tightly against hers, she felt herself giving in to the extreme exhaustion she was feeling. In no time at all, her need to sleep outweighed any other thoughts or feelings, and she surrendered to it, knowing the two men beside her would see to it that she was safe and protected.
“Thank you,” she whispered before she slid into unconsciousness, unaware of the smiles or the contented growls of the men beside her.
Chapter 15
Nikki opened her eyes slowly, not moving an inch for fear of waking the two men who were beside her. She listened to their even breathing and closed her eyes in relief that they still were sleeping. Taking an evaluation of how she was feeling, she was relieved that she felt like herself again. Her heart was no longer racing, and her mind wasn’t swamped with fear or need. She was just herself.
Thank goodness!
She never wanted to feel so helpless and out of control again. She had always valued the fact that she was levelheaded and clearly in control of herself and her life. She had taken care of herself for as long as she could remember, and she didn’t like the fact that she had totally lost control of her emotions or her needs.
Opening her eyes again, she looked up and saw the ceiling of the bedroom, noticing for the first time how it sparkled with some form of synthetic crystals. It was pretty. Nikki smiled at the thought that these very masculine men lived in a suite with a ceiling that sparkled when the light shown on it just right.
“Now, that’s a sight I could wake up to every morning, sweetness,” Butler’s sleepy voice broke the silence.
Nikki looked at him, her heart pounding at the sight of him. “What, Butler?” she whispered.
“Your smile, honey.” He reached up and brushed her hair from her forehead before reaching down and taking her hand in his. “What were you thinking?”
Nikki smiled broader, trying unsuccessfully to hold in the giggle. “I was just thinking how pretty the sparkles are in the ceiling,” she told him, her blue eyes shining with merriment. “Nice touch.”
“Alex chose it,” Butler answered, not missing a beat.
Nikki didn’t even have a chance to answer when she saw the sudden arc of a pillow sailing over her to hit Butler a glancing blow in the face before it sailed across the bed to land somewhere on the floor.
Butler’s laughter filled the bedroom, making Nikki unable to hold in her own laughter any longer. Rolling over in one smooth move, she straddled Alex’s waist and leaned down so that her nose was mere inches from his.
“And what did I tell you about hitting Butler?” she asked him seriously, leaning forward and biting his shoulder firmly.
Alex’s growls were immediate. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her tightly against his chest and flipped them both so she was beneath him with his body pressing intimately against the cradle of her body.
“I will continue to hit Butler if he continues to goad me,” Alex told her firmly. “There is nothing wrong with the sparkles in the ceiling.”
Nikki looked up at Alex and smiled. “They’re beautiful,” she whispered. “I think we should put the same thing in our home. It will be like looking up at the night sky.”
Butler leaned into her neck and kissed her just below her ear. “I think the cubs will love the sparkles in their rooms,” he whispered in her ear, biting down on her earlobe with just enough pressure to send shivers of need throughout their mate’s body.
Nikki looked at Butler, unable to speak. Instead, she reached out and touched his face gently, running her index finger across his cheek to gently trace his lower lip.
She smiled as he kissed her finger lightly, opening his mouth and drawing it inside before biting down on it gently and swirling his tongue around its tip. When she felt Alex lay his head on her chest and hug her tightly, she knew at that moment that she totally trusted and wanted these wonderful men forever.
“Are you ready to commit to us, sweetheart? Are you ready to allow us to claim you as our mate?” Alex’s deep voice vibrated against her chest. He kissed her over her heart before pulling back so he could look down at her. “We need to hear the words. We need to make sure that this is what you want.”
“Nikki, we want to claim you and make you ours for the rest of our lives,” Butler told her, leaning up on his forearm so he could see her face and judge her emotions. “The choice is yours.”
Both men waited silently for her answer. She could see their need. She could feel their desire for her. She also saw their vulnerability. The way they held themselves so still, waiting for her answer, spoke of their worry that she might reject them.
“You’ll belong to me and not want any other woman?” she questioned.
“Only you,” Alex promised.
“You won’t try to control me?”
“As if we could!” Butler answered sarcastically, laughing at the thought.
Nikki smiled. “Just remember that, buddy,” she warned him.
“We just want you safe,” Alex whispered, reaching up to touch her face gently, petting her cheek slowly. “We need you to be safe, baby.”
“I need you both to be safe, too,” Nikki whispered. “I don’t want to live the rest of my life without you.”
Both men leaned in and kissed against the side of her neck. Their growls of happiness made her smile. When they pulled back and looked down at her, she saw that their eyes had turned a golden shade, and their wolves lurked at the edge of their control. She could see their kind and loving souls, recognized their powerful and protective wolves through their eyes, and realized that she really was going to be part of this wonderful miracle world of wolf shifters.
“We need you to say the words, Nikki,” Butler told her urgently, his voice straining with the effort to hold back.
“Do you accept us as your triad mates?” Alex asked her formally.
Nikki looked from one man to the other, reaching out and stroking their cheeks before threading her fingers through the length of their silky, long hair and grabbing tight hold of both of them.
“Yes. I accept you as my tria
d mates,” she told them, her voice soft. “I love you so much it scares me.”
Alex claimed her mouth in a flurry of need. He could not hold back any longer. Every emotion, every desire, every moment of loneliness he felt in his life swamped him at the words of acceptance their Nikki declared. He knew nothing except that this woman, this fragile human woman, was the key to a future he had only hoped for in his deepest desires.
His life had been a set path of stoicism. He had always had to be the strong enforcer, the fearsome warrior, the forbidding soldier. But all of that melted away with this woman’s touch, this woman’s tenderness, and this woman’s love. He knew that she would allow him to be the loving husband he desperately wanted to be and the loving father he only wished he could be. He wouldn’t have to worry about losing control of his anger. She would bridge the emotions between the three of them. He would finally feel connected. And it would be because of the gift of her love.
“Thank you,” he whispered against her lips, leaning back slightly to look from her to Butler.
Butler fought back his emotions, trying to stay calm as he watched Alex give in to the love that Nikki offered so willingly. He wouldn’t have to worry about his partner anymore. Once the claiming was complete, they would both know a sense of peace that would calm their wolves and lighten their hearts. Nikki would be their grounding presence. She would be there to care about them, give them the tenderness they secretly craved, and the life they yearned for. She would be their mate, and the mother of their children. And he knew she would make their future be filled with laughter, joy, and challenges. She was exactly what they needed to keep them on their toes.
He carefully eased himself out of bed and quickly stripped off his clothes, climbing back in bed to lie beside her. Leaning forward, he took their woman in his arms and kissed her slowly, tasting her mouth and dueling with her tongue. He growled into her kiss and smiled at the returning growl she gave him. He was aware with some part of his brain that Alex had removed himself from the bed and was undressing, but he could not focus on anything except the soft warmth within his arms.
“You will never have cause to regret your choice to be ours,” he vowed as he leaned back and looked down at her. The light blue of her eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled up at him. “I love you.”
The words were whispered, but Nikki heard them loud and clear. When Alex resumed his place beside her, she couldn’t prevent the rush of desire that coursed through her body. Seeing his broad shoulders, his muscular chest and arms as he reached out to engulf her in his hold, she was overcome with need for him. Her body heated up, and she felt the rush of fluid that gushed from between her legs. Alex’s growl of need spiked her own, and she leaned in to him, kissing his neck, his chin, and finally his lips. The rough scrape of the whiskers on his cheeks against hers made her groan in appreciation. To her, there was nothing sexier than a man with stubble. A renewed rush of cream gushed from her, and she felt as if she were overheating. She needed to get out of her clothes and feel her skin touching theirs.
Butler positioned himself at her right side and she turned to him, accepting his kiss without hesitation as she ran her hands down the muscular expanse of his shoulders and back. She was on fire. She could barely catch her breath.
“Help me,” she whispered to both men.
They could feel her panic and knew she would only feel better once the mating was complete. As true triad partners, they felt her anxiety and worked together to help her through it. They peeled off her blue hospital scrubs, careful to stroke her skin gently as each layer of clothing was removed. They could feel her starting to relax as soon as her naked body was pressed against theirs. They held her quietly, kissing her face and stroking her arms as she finally began to settle between them. They lay their heads lightly on her chest, growling softly, coaxing her heartbeat to slow and her breathing to even out. When she was finally relaxed and was running her hands up and down their backs with utmost tenderness, they leaned up to look down at her.
“Better?” Alex asked worriedly.
Nikki smiled and nodded. “Much.”
The relief was evident on Alex’s face. Leaning forward, he kissed her lips lightly then slowly made his way down her body, kissing every inch of skin that he passed.
“Just relax and let us love you,” Butler whispered, kissing her slowly. Holding her in his arms, he gently caressed her breast, loving the feel of her fullness in his large hand. “You’re gorgeous.”
Looking down at her, he lifted her breast and kissed it, opening his mouth and taking her turgid nipple inside it to suck with increased pressure. She arched her back, and he smiled against her, loving that she enjoyed his touch. When he bit down gently on it, she moaned and held his head tightly against her body.
“Butler,” she groaned. “So good.”
Alex smiled at her words, loving the way her body opened to him as he settled between her legs. He pushed at her thighs gently, leaning forward to kiss the soft skin of her inner thigh before trailing kisses to the soft black curls that covered her mound. He rubbed his face against them and sighed contentedly at the feel of her and the amazing scent of her arousal.
With ultimate care, he reached up and separated the lips of her sex and growled at the sight of the cream dripping from her. He licked the moisture from her, deciding that their mate was his favorite flavor. When he slowly licked up to circle her clit and then surround it with his lips to draw it gently into his mouth, she moaned and arched her hips up to get closer to him.
Reaching inside her with one finger, he groaned at the wet warmth that awaited him. Sucking on her clit with a little more strength, he began to pump inside of her with strong, even strokes, adding another finger and curling it slightly to touch that spot inside of her that made her scream out his name as he rubbed it quickly at the same time he bit down on her clit.
“Alex!”
The fresh rush of liquid that escaped her made him nearly come right then. His shaft was beyond hard. He was near the point of pain, and there was a constant stream of pre-cum dripping from its slit. He wanted to be inside their mate more than he wanted his next breath.
Easing his fingers out of her sweet channel, he moved up her body to take her in a scorching kiss. She was breathing heavily, and when she looked up at him, her eyes were dilated and unfocused.
“Orgasms make you more beautiful than you already are,” he told her quietly, leaning in to nuzzle against her hand as she held it gently against his cheek.
Butler kissed her forehead gently. “I agree,” he whispered, holding her tightly while Alex reached for the bedside table. When he returned with the bottle of lube, his heart raced at the thought of finally claiming their mate together.
Determined to make sure that Nikki was going to experience nothing but pleasure during the claiming, he took his place between her legs and lay before her, taking the moment to admire the beauty before him. He spread her lips carefully and smiled at the wet pinkness of her. Breathing in her scent, his wolf was called forward, and he had to force his canines back so he wouldn’t hurt her. Reaching out his tongue, he took one long swipe through her sweetness and growled at the taste of her.
Reaching deep inside her with two fingers, he pumped in and out slowly as he continued to lick the sweet release of her orgasm from her. He could feel the tension building inside of her and wanted to push her over that precipice so he could drink the sweet nectar of her release. His heart was pounding as his excitement matched hers. His cock throbbed painfully, demanding that he find the home that awaited him inside her welcoming body. Unable to hold back any longer, he latched onto her clit and sucked with all his might, pushing his fingers deep inside this incredible woman at the same time, curling them just slightly to hit the spot that would push her to orgasm. She came apart in Alex’s arms, screaming Butler’s name.
Butler crawled up beside their mate and lay on her right side while Alex pressed against her left. They held her gently as she fought to catc
h her breath. Their smiles of happiness met her gaze when she finally opened her eyes to look at them.
“Wow,” she whispered, exhausted.
They kissed her shoulders, caressing her body as they held her gently and waited for her to calm. Nikki was aware that they were painfully aroused. She felt their erections against her hips. They gave of themselves to her without any thought to their own needs, and she was determined to love them and give them as much pleasure as they gave her. She gently took their engorged shafts into her hands, loving the silky soft feel over their incredible hardness. Pulling up on them both, she smiled at the groans that escaped them, pushing down and receiving another set of moans.
Reaching down, she cupped their heavy sacs and played with them gently. How she loved the feel of them. They were warm and furry, and she wanted to take them in her mouth and worship them. Just as she was about to do just that, both men stayed her hands.
“Don’t, Nikki,” Butler warned her. “We need you too much. We won’t last if you do anything more.”
“But I want to please you,” Nikki protested.
Alex smiled at her and kissed her cheek gently. “If you make us come, we won’t be able to claim you. We have to be inside of you together when we come to complete the mating,” he explained softly. “We need our seed deep inside of you, changing your body to accept our life force so that your lifespan will match ours and your body will be ready to accept our babies.”
Nikki looked from Alex to Butler, seeing the love in their eyes as they waited for her to understand and accept what they were telling her. “Okay,” she finally whispered. “Let’s do this.”
The men smiled and hugged her to them tenderly. Nikki couldn’t stop the smile that threatened to split her face as she watched them. Alex flipped open the cap of the bottle of lube and poured some onto Butler’s fingers before doing the same on his own. Together, both men gently inserted their lubed fingers inside Nikki’s already drenched channel. Their moans of appreciation made Nikki smile just before her own moans joined theirs.
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