“You’re really going to take this to the end, aren’t you?” She shook her head and slid off Mac’s lap. “No offense, Mac, but as nice as it felt to have you hold me, I’m a big girl and I don’t need that pressing into my hip reminding me of what I’m going to turn down in a minute.” She pointed at his crotch.
“I hope you don’t turn us down, baby. You’re the first woman that we’ve met in over one-hundred years who could possibly be our mate. While there could be others, it could take just as long, or longer to find another. Not to mention the fact that…” He let his words trail off and hung his head.
“Not to mention what?” she prompted.
“That I think we’re both a little in love with you already,” he finished. “Love comes to mates quickly. Sometimes we don’t even know each other and we feel as though we have known each other for years and can’t live without our intended mate.”
“Right!” She drew the word out. “Like I’m going to believe that.”
“I hope you do, when you see that we aren’t lying to you and we aren’t delusional.” Gareth took off his shirt. “I’m undressing because my tiger form is much larger than my human form and I don’t want to ruin my clothes. I also don’t want to scare you with the magic of what we are just yet. It’s going to be enough to deal with the fact that I can shift my shape.”
“I hope you’re not taking those off because you think I’ll fall at your feet when I see what kind of hot body you have. I can see you’re hot already. I don’t need to see you naked to reinforce it.” She couldn’t help but stare, her mouth dry, as he peeled the t-shirt off over his head.
“You think I’m hot?” Gareth asked with a grin.
“I think you’re both hot and you know it.” She crossed her arms with a scowl. “Can we get this over with?”
Jessi found it interesting that removing his shirt didn’t disturb his mask or take any of the make-up off. She frowned as he reached for his belt buckle. “I mean it.” She pointed at his crotch. I’m telling you now, while I’m in my right mind. No means no and I mean no!”
She knew that once she saw him naked, she was likely to jump his bones. She hadn’t had sex in years. What she did with her toys didn’t count. She might lie to herself and Kelly, but her threesome days weren’t that far behind her. In fact, they were packed away in her suitcase with two huge vibrating dildos and a bottle of lube.
“Don’t do it. Don’t do it.” She shook her head. How would she ever resist the man once he was naked? She was horny, damn it!
Slowly, he unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned the fly on his jeans and slid them down over his lean hips.
“Commando!” She met his gaze and Gareth smiled and winked. “I don’t believe this.” Fanning her face, she looked away. If she didn’t, she’d be unable to stop staring at the impressive package that grew larger by the second. “I’m in a hotel room with a naked man and I keep saying no.” She shook her head.
“Look at me.”
Jessi turned her head at the strange, low rumble of Gareth’s voice. It sounded almost like a growl. Her eyes widened when she saw the tail that she had assumed he’d had attached to his pants whip around his body as though brushing at flies.
Her mouth dropped open when his face changed, his jaw widened, elongating into a snout. His ears changed, shifting upward toward the top of his head. White fur covered his body, followed closely by the black stripes he’d had in his hair. His arms and legs changed, thickened with sinewy muscle. His entire body shifted and changed until a beautiful white tiger stood before her staring at her with Gareth’s blue eyes.
“I-I…” She covered her mouth with her hand and stared at him. Her fingers trembled against her lips, her legs shook and she wasn’t sure she could stand any longer. Reaching toward Mac, she stumbled into his arms as he rushed to catch her before she fell. “I can’t believe it. That’s—it’s so cool!” She smiled up at Mac. “Can you do that, too?”
“Yes.” He nodded, though he didn’t smile as Gareth changed back, his form becoming fully human. “Though, I cannot shift all the way back like Gareth can.” He reached back and grabbed his tail. “I have a permanent injury that keeps me from losing this. I will always have the tail not matter how many times I shift. Does it disgust you?”
Mac’s face shifted to his full human form and Jessi could do little more than gape at the man. Though she could tell the two were handsome beneath the masks she’d thought they wore, she hadn’t been prepared for the true beauty of the two men. Both had strong square jaws. Mac’s nose looked a little flatter, more like a tiger’s nose. It might have had something to do with the injury that kept him from ridding himself of the beautifully soft tail that he brushed against her arm. Reaching out, she grasped it.
Mac’s entire body jerked with the contact and he groaned. She dropped it immediately.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No.” he shook his head with a laugh. “Actually, our tails are an erogenous zone. A lot of males will make love while partially shifted to bring those zones into play during lovemaking. Will that turn you off?”
“Turn me off?” she asked with a snort. Reaching down, she grasped it again, and gently stroked the soft fur. “Hell, that turns me on more than you could possibly believe.”
Mac closed his eyes and groaned again. “I like that you like it.” He glanced at Gareth who had just pulled his jeans up over his hips and was currently tucking his impressive package beneath the thick denim. “He’ll like it, too.”
Jessi shifted her gaze to Gareth. “Does it hurt to do that?” She wanted to know everything. Ever since she’d read her first paranormal novel, she’d wished there were shape shifters in the world. Real shape shifters, and not the people who pretended to be, or who thought they were shifters.
“No. It doesn’t hurt.” He smiled. “Actually, it kind of tingles.”
“After we mate will I be a tiger shifter, too?” She wanted to know what to expect. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be a shifter, but like Mac said, the bond between them grew with each passing moment. “It’s not a deal breaker either way.” She tilted her head and smiled. “I mean, I’m not sure I like the idea of becoming a shape shifter.” She wrinkled her nose. “I can’t imagine a fat tiger is all that attractive.”
Gareth moved so fast, he was nothing but a blur. One second he was a good twelve feet away, standing in front of the window and the next, he had his body pressed tight against hers, his hand cupping her cheek.
“You’re perfect. Do you hear me?” He practically growled the words.
Mac moved in behind her, his hard body pressed against her rear. “We love you just the way you are. And make no mistake, Jessi. As impossible as it might seem, I already love you. I can only imagine that Gareth feels the same.”
“I do.” Gareth leaned forward and pressed soft kisses against her forehead, eyes and cheeks before covering her lips with his.
Jessi relaxed into the embrace, reveling in the feel of their hard bodies pushed so tight against hers. She felt their impressive erections through their clothes and wished that she didn’t have that first date rule.
As much as she didn’t want to abide by it, she knew that she couldn’t abandon it. To do so would leave her in a bad, bad place if they decided this mate thing couldn’t work. After having a one-night-stand with these two men, she might revert back to her old slutty habits if she didn’t stick to her guns right now, when it counted.
Gareth pulled back, sucking her bottom lip as he did so. Jessi groaned as he ended their kiss. It was probably a good thing he did so. She’d kissed him twice already while Mac was left to watch.
With his groin against her, his erection riding in the cleft of her rear and his hands sliding up and down her body from her breasts to her thighs, he might have been watching, but he’d kept himself busy.
“I love the feel of your body beneath my hands.” He whispered the words in her ear before gently pulling the lobe between his lips and gently sucking. “
You’re soft in all the right places, and I love it.” He cupped her mound, grinding the palm of his hand against her mons.
“We can’t—I can’t do this. Not now. Not today. I-I have a strict code of conduct of my own. I can’t—I won’t have sex with you today. I never have sex on the first date. It’s bad enough that I’ve kissed Gareth twice already. I never kiss on the first date, either.” However that was a rule she could live with breaking. She didn’t know if she could survive the night if she couldn’t kiss them.
“What if we don’t have sex?” Gareth pressed his cock against her lower stomach. “What if we spent the night petting?”
“Oh, God…” Jessi panted as their hands skimmed all over her body, exciting her more and more with every stroke. She shook her head. “I-I can’t. I’ll give in to you. I know I will, and then I’ll be no better than the wanton slut I once was.”
“Stop that! Why call yourself names?” Mac growled against her neck, biting gently at the sensitive flesh where her neck met her shoulder. “Men have sex with multiple partners all of the time and no one calls them names.”
“It’s different for men. I don’t know why, but men can be the biggest man-whores in the world and people just snicker and hide their laughter behind their hands. They save the name-calling for women. I can’t—I won’t become that again.”
She pulled away from them, ran her trembling hands through her hair and sighed. “I’ll get a room here. We can count this afternoon the first date. We’ll call dinner tonight the second date and tomorrow…” She smiled. “That can be the day.” She turned and headed for the door. “One of you come with me, please, or I’m liable to melt into a puddle in the elevator if I’m by myself.”
Chapter Twelve
Mac accompanied Jessi to the front desk, where she rented a room and they gathered their driver’s licenses and car keys. “I’ll run these to Zach and Derek while you get settled in your room.”
“I’ll do it.” She smiled softly and put her hand against his chest. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but Kelly has the same rule, and if she feels even half of what I do, I’ll need to go save her from herself.”
Mac smiled as they walked to her car to get the women’s bags. “Just the two bags?”
“For now.” She smiled back. “The rest of our things are in storage in Langston.” She waited for him to lift the bags from the trunk, then pushed it closed. “We wanted to find a place to live before we brought it with us.”
“You’ll have a place to live if you agree to be our mate.” Mac turned and led the way back into the hotel. Even with his hands full, he managed to hold the door open for her. Her smile of thanks made it well worth the effort.
He took a deep breath as she walked by. He loved the way she smelled. He loved whatever soap she used and the residual scent of her arousal. “I love the way you smell.” He almost groaned as she walked by him, bathing him in her scent once again.
“Thank you,” she replied with a smile. “I love the way you smell, too.”
He resisted the urge to smell his pits. “You can smell me?”
“Only when you press that hot body of yours against me.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, as though remembering how he smelled as he’d pressed himself against her.
“Oh.” He grinned. “You had me worried for a minute.” He waited until the elevator doors closed. “Humans can’t usually smell us.”
“I’m sure they can if you get as close as you did with me.” She chuckled at his expression. “Don’t worry. You don’t stink.”
They rode the elevator up to the sixth floor. Apparently, all of the rooms on the other floors were already taken. It was the town’s busy time of year. The hotel was almost full. It was a wonder there weren’t people running about everywhere.
He carried the bags to her room. “Where do you want these?” he asked as she set the small bags she’d gathered from the backseat on the beds. He wasn’t sure, but they looked like laptop bags.
“Just set them on the floor. We’ll take care of them later.” She moved out of the way while he set the bags down. “I know those are heavy, but you carried them like it was nothing.” She looked at his arms, her eyes getting a faraway look.
“Shifters are strong. We’re very strong.” He sucked in a deep breath when she ran her hands up his arms and over his shoulders.
“You look strong.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t want any more than a kiss. It’s all Gareth got, but he got two.” She grinned. “So make yours a good one to make up for it. Okay?”
“You got it.” He pulled her tight against him. He cupped her face in his hands and slanted his mouth over hers. Lightning shot through his blood as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, mapping her teeth. Reaching up with one hand, he cupped the back of her head. Drawing his fingers tight, he fisted his hand in her hair, drawing her head back to deepen their kiss. He cupped her ass with his other hand, his fingers squeezing the soft flesh.
His cock hardened. Mac couldn’t stop himself from rocking his hips into her as she gripped his hair tight and pulled him closer.
This woman was the hottest woman he had ever been with in his life. She felt wonderful in his arms, her body was decadent and her kisses intoxicating. Mac knew if he didn’t pull back soon, he would have a difficult time stopping himself from taking her right here, right now and he knew she didn’t want that.
His stomach growled loudly and she chuckled, then pulled away. “I never did let you eat, did I?” She shook her head with a grin. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. If I wanted to eat, if I really needed to eat, I would have. I rarely let the opportunity to fill my stomach pass me by.” He grinned. “You’ll find that out for yourself, soon enough.” He waved his arm toward the door. “Shall we go rescue your friend before all of us get into trouble?”
Jessi nodded. “Yes. I think we should. I don’t think we can get in too much trouble in an elevator.”
“Don’t count on that.” He raised a brow. “I can think of a lot of interesting things to do in that elevator. The only problem with that is knowing that the doors could open on anyone at any time, and I don’t need my tail waving like a flag sticking out of my ass for everyone to see.”
“That would be an interesting thing to have to explain, wouldn’t it?” She giggled. “I’d like to hear what you’d have to say about that.” She checked her pockets, held up her key and he closed the door behind them.
“It would be a difficult thing to explain.”
Jessi pressed the button for the elevator and turned to him with a gleam in her eyes. “I have an idea.” She moved up beside him, her hand sliding around him.
Mac closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of his mate so close, her arm snaked around his waist. “Holy God!” He choked the words out as she grasped the base of his tail and stroked it up and down. “You can’t—I can’t—“ He swallowed thickly, his eyes crossing as she used a jack-off motion to drive him crazy. “I can’t take this. Not in public.” He hissed the words as he stood stiff as a stone, unable to do anything but enjoy her ministrations.
Mac held his breath and gritted his teeth as the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival on their floor. A man exited the elevator, leaving two couples inside.
Thankfully, Jessi released his tail as they entered. He didn’t know how long he would be able to take her stroking it the way she had been. They entered the elevator. He pressed the button for the seventh floor on the way in. The pair of couples eyed his tail, the women smiled and batted their eyes. The men did their best to stay out of its way.
Jessi, on the other hand, latched onto it the minute he backed up against the wall next to her. He inhaled sharply as she stroked his tail again. His cock hardened instantly behind his fly. He immediately covered his groin with his hands and glanced around, hoping no one noticed. It was one thing to show off a raging hard-on to his mate, but he didn’t want to show it off to all and sundry.
The bell
chimed for the sixth floor. Thankfully, the two couples exited the elevator. Just as the doors began to close, Gareth ran up and jumped into the elevator. “What took you so long? I started to head back to the room.”
“We went out and got the girls’ luggage. Did you expect to have them carry it up themselves?”
Gareth sighed. “I suppose not.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Where are we going now?”
“We’re headed up to Zach and Derek’s room to gather Kelly,” Mac replied. “It seems that our women have a strict code of their own. They do not sleep with men on the first date, even if they are their fate-intended mates.”
“Date?” Gareth frowned. “Oh, they wish us to court them.”
“Yes.” Mac grinned. “She wants us to take her to dinner tonight and tomorrow she will make her decision.”
“So you haven’t rejected us outright, then?” Gareth asked Jessi.
Chapter Thirteen
“No. I haven’t rejected you outright.” Jessi reached up and cupped his cheek with a smile. “In fact, I just might accept your offer later tonight. Or…” She grinned. “I might make you work for it. First off, though, we need to go collect Kelly before she does something she might regret.”
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. They stepped out on the seventh floor and headed to Zach and Derek’s room.
“It’s kind of nice that you guys get along so well. It saves money on hotel rooms.” Jessi reached up and knocked on the door.
“Money means little to us.” Gareth shrugged. It’s a means to an end.”
That was good to know. They might be shifters, but that didn’t mean they weren’t driven by the need for money, and she had a lot. She wasn’t sure if they could read her mind, and if they could, they already knew she had money. She didn’t really think they were that way, but she’d learned a few years ago that she couldn’t be too careful. One of the men she’d allowed into her life had almost convinced her to sign a will with him as sole beneficiary. She’d caught it in time. It was a habit of hers to read every document set before her for her signature. It was a good thing, too. Otherwise, she was certain she would have met with a horrific end not long after signing that document.
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