by R. E. Butler
She snorted inwardly. Well, she knew what the old her would do, which was take off running and pray for a clean getaway. But the new her, the one who had been waiting at the side of the road for James and John to come get her, wanted to embrace the pride and all it stood for.
James smiled at her. “It does suck.”
When dinner was over, Sam said, “Thanks for making dinner, we’ll handle the dishes.”
“Oh, Mom!” Owen made a face.
She smiled down at him and said, “Don’t ‘oh mom’ me, kiddo. Your dad said if you wanted to go camping this weekend that you all had to help with the dishes tonight and pick up your rooms.”
“I know,” Owen said and grinned broadly.
James had to get ready for work, so she and John followed him upstairs to his room. “I’ll be back about three a.m.,” James said from the closet as he changed into his uniform.
Rue smiled at him when he came out of the closet wearing his black uniform. He really had a sexy body; his shoulders were broad and his waist was tapered. Seeing him in the uniform made her wish he didn’t have to go to work.
His brown eyes flashed and he growled softly, closing the distance to her and cupping her face. “You smell good,” he said, his voice a low purr.
She stared into his eyes, watching them swirl to the amber of his beast. “You’re pretty sexy.”
His upper lip curled and he growled. “I have to work.”
“I know,” she reached for him, putting her hands on his hips. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“I know, baby.” He spoke the words softly and then pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that seared all the way through her. When the kiss broke, James’ eyes darted to John’s with a decidedly jealous gleam, and Rue caught John’s shit-eating grin.
She chuckled and leaned against James, wrapping her arms around him and inhaling his spicy, masculine scent. “Be safe tonight.”
“Always,” he said, running his fingers through her hair a few times and then kissing the top of her head. He strode away, opening the bedroom door and winking at her before closing it.
“So, do you like this room?” John asked.
“As opposed to what?” She climbed onto the bed, leaned back and stretched.
John came down over top of her, caging her in with his arms. “Mine.”
She raked her fingers up his arms and tugged on the sleeves of his shirt. She frowned, a sudden, unwanted thought pushing into her mind.
“What?” John’s brows drew together in worry, his eyes filled with concern.
“It’s nothing,” she said and shook her head as her fingers rubbed his biceps underneath his sleeves.
He lifted one hand and cupped her face. “It’s not nothing if it makes you unhappy. Spill.”
“You guys still haven’t asked me to be your mate.” She focused on the collar of his shirt, unwilling to look into his eyes.
He went very still over her, and she swallowed hard, worried she had overstepped some weird boundary. She had no experience with relationships. Maybe mountain lions didn’t ask each other to be mates; maybe it was just an unspoken understanding.
“Well, shit.”
Her gaze darted to his. He looked chagrined, an adorable, half-smile curving his lips. “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked as he slipped to his side next to her and rested his hand on her stomach.
“Of course.”
“I haven’t really dated much. When we lived in King, the females drove away anyone who sniffed around the males too much. We came here to Ashland to make a new life for our people, but I still never quite got out of the habit of keeping to myself. When we met you, there was too much going on to romance you the right way. While I don’t regret the declarations we made, I do regret not taking our time and romancing you. In all honesty, I have no idea how to be in a real relationship and I’m probably taking a lot of things for granted. Like you knowing that we want you to be ours forever.”
Warmth spread through her. “You’re sweet.”
He grinned. “I try. But obviously I’m not doing a very good job if you were feeling like things were unsaid between us. Can we put a pin in this until James and I can ask you together, for real?”
Relief flooded through her. “Thank you.”
“For what?” His hand flexed on her stomach, and she was aware of how close he was to a very tingling part of her anatomy.
“Being sweet and thinking of me. Can I tell you a secret?” She lowered her voice, placing her hand on top of his.
“You can tell me anything, sweetheart.” His eyes darkened, the blue turning to a shade of midnight that was almost black.
“I’ve never been with anyone more than once. I’ve never…cuddled or slept next to a person all night. You and James are my first.”
His hand flexed again, and he fisted her shirt, pulling the material up and exposing her stomach. “I like being your first.” His voice was husky with desire, and her body tingled even more, her skin prickling in awareness.
Was he even aware of how many firsts she’d allowed them without any conscious thought? That she’d slept naked between them on multiple nights said a lot about her feelings toward them. Those feelings…hell, she was falling for them. Hard and fast. She was still scared, but the fear was tempered with a desire to belong and to stop running.
“Howard.”
John’s head snapped up from where he’d been bending, his lips puckered as if he was going to kiss her stomach. She could have slapped herself for saying something to stop him from doing whatever delicious thing he’d been planning with his sexy-as-sin lips.
“Who?”
She smiled and brushed her fingers through his thick hair. “Me. My real last name is Howard. I changed it to Jennings after I had Dom. I was afraid if my clan was looking for me after I had Dom, they’d find out I had a child and come after us.”
“Is it real? Your last name? Legal, I mean.”
“Yeah. I was working at a hotel at the time; I even had Dom at the hotel with a midwife who was a friend of the hotel owner’s wife. The owner’s wife worked for the city and she helped me see a judge who was willing to push things through for me. It just happened that I met the right people at the right time. I changed my name legally to Rue Jennings and left my old life behind. Or I tried to anyway.”
John’s face softened and he released her shirt and cupped her face once more, his warm palm settling against her cheek. “Thank you for letting me in, Rue. I know it’s not easy for you to trust anyone with your secrets.”
She gripped his wrist earnestly. “I don’t want you to doubt that I want to stay. I know I screwed up by taking off. I know you don’t trust me.”
John shook his head. “Rue, I trust you completely. You said you were going to stay with us, and I believe you. When we went to bed after we got home from picking up you and the boys, I knew you would be there when I woke up.”
Her eyes stung with fresh tears. “You did?”
He growled softly and lowered his head, nuzzling her throat. “Yeah, I did. And so did James.” He gave her a very serious look as he lifted his head. “If we thought you’d take off again, James and I would have stayed up all night making sure you didn’t leave. We’d have handcuffed you to the bed. But we didn’t do that, Rue. We went to sleep.”
“It never mattered to me what people thought of me before you and James came into my life. It was just me and Dom against the world.”
“You’re not alone anymore. Do you understand that? James and I would do anything for you and Dom. Not because we’re honorable, not because we’re cops…but because you’re that important to us.”
“John,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
“I’m right here, sweetheart,” he answered just a moment before he crushed his mouth against hers. His tongue swept into her mouth and she moaned deeply as the sweet, decadent taste of him filled her. His hands swept down her throat, his fingers teasing her as he skimmed over her top and
grasped the hem. They parted only long enough for him to pull the top over her head and then their mouths were together again, their lips pressed tight, their tongues dancing and tangling. He cupped the back of her head with one hand, holding her captive while he kissed her thoroughly. His other hand rubbed slow circles on her stomach, the friction making her skin prickle.
He kissed her positively senseless, her mind spinning as he nibbled on her bottom lip before nipping kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. “Every inch of you tastes like heaven,” he whispered hoarsely.
Her hands gripped his collar. She tugged, wanting to ask him to take off the shirt but unable to find the words. He sat up suddenly, cool air swept over her and chilled her body, but she forgot that when he whipped his shirt over his head. He hooked the center of her bra and gave a light tug before slipping his finger inside one soft cup and teasing her nipple.
She groaned, reaching behind her to undo the bra, allowing him to tug it from her body and toss it aside. He leaned over, planting one hand next to her head and sliding his other hand up her side slowly. He traced the curve of her body, cupping her breast and rubbing his thumb across her tightening nipple. Lowering his head, he softly kissed the tip before tracing it with his tongue and then sucking it into his mouth. She buried one hand in his hair, fisting the soft strands while he sucked and teased her nipple. She gripped his shoulder with her free hand and then traced her fingers down his back. He moved to her other breast, plumping it with his hand and feasting on the tip as if it were his favorite piece of candy.
His back was smooth and warm under her fingers. She moved her hand down until she reached the waistband of his jeans. She shoved at the unforgiving material, growled, and slid her hand to the front of his body. Or tried to.
Her hands were pulled over her head and pressed into the soft mattress. “No.”
“I, uh, what?” She blinked. She couldn’t think past wanting to see him naked and touching him.
“You first, sweetheart. I haven’t gotten to take my time with you yet, and I really want to. Keep ‘em here,” he said as he gave her wrists a light squeeze and sat up, drawing his fingers over her tingling nipples, down the center of her body and her quivering stomach, pausing at the button of her jeans. “You know what I’m wondering?”
“What?” She breathed the word like a prayer, squeezing her hands into fists.
“How wet you are. How swollen your clit is. How good you’ll taste when you come on my tongue.”
She closed her eyes, her whole body tensing at the sensual imagery his words evoked. “John.”
“Yeah,” he softly snarled the word.
He undid the button of her jeans and lowered the zipper, spreading the material open and bending over to kiss the exposed skin. He hooked his fingers on either side of her jeans and tugged a little, lowering her clothes inch by inch, kissing each bit of bared flesh until her clothes were on the floor and she was completely naked. He circled her ankles with his fingers and thumbs and slowly spread her legs, pushing gently until she bent her knees and spread her body wide for him.
He moved between her legs, his hands moving up the outside of her legs and as he kissed the inside of her thighs. He settled between her legs, hooking his arms around her thighs to spread her open more.
“You’re so beautiful, wet and pink and all mine,” he said huskily.
She twisted her hands so she could grip the cover and keep herself from moving like he’d asked. “I’m yours, John.”
She met his eyes as he gazed up the length of her body. His tongue flicked out, just grazing her, and she let out a soft gasp. He moved closer, nuzzling the very inside of her thigh where it wasn’t quite her pussy and wasn’t quite her leg, the sensitive area sending a delicious thrill through her.
His mouth hovered over her pussy and he licked her clit gently, laving the bud as he held her spread open for him. She’d never felt so bared. It wasn’t just that she was naked; it was that John was the one doing it to her, and she was letting him. Wanting him to. Wanting him to have her however he wanted, for as long as he wanted. It was because they were mates. Their connection was deeper than a physical attraction even though she found him amazingly attractive.
His lips brushed her clit, his fingers massaging her thighs, and she let go of her hold on the blanket and reached for him. She gripped his wrists and he tilted his head, kissing her pussy as if he was kissing her mouth, fucking her with his tongue. He purred and the sound vibrated through her.
She gasped his name, grinding her hips up as he purred. One of his hands moved, sliding across her body until his thumb reached her clit. His tongue still worked inside her, his purrs caressing her from the inside out, and now his thumb…latching onto the hard bud of her desire, wiggling it back and forth as bolts of delight zipped through her. Her legs clenched but he kept her from closing them, kept her where he wanted so he could push her to the edge and beyond.
His thumb found the sensitive side of her clit, deviling it without mercy as she tumbled over the edge and into bliss. She cried out as her pussy spasmed, and he growled and lapped at her pussy with throaty groans. She twisted on the bed as her muscles contracted again and again, his thumb drawing out her pleasure until she felt utterly boneless and sank into the bed.
His thumb slipped from her sensitive clit as he eased away from her pussy, his mouth glossy with her come, his eyes burning a fierce blue. He moved off the bed, his whole body tense and his muscles straining as he shucked his pants and shorts and reached for the pillows above her head. He climbed onto the bed next to her, stacking the pillows on top of each other and then settled back on his heels and patted the top of the pillows.
She arched a brow but sat up, rolling to her knees and laying her stomach across the pillows. They sagged under her, but held her lower body off the bed while she rested her head on her bent arms.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he said as he slid his hands up the back of her legs.
“I think you said that already,” she said as she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.
His gaze locked onto hers as he gripped her hips and pressed his cock against her pussy. “I plan to say it often.”
He stroked into her, not stopping until his thighs pressed against hers and their bodies were tightly wed together. His fingers gripped her hips; her body lifted high enough by the mound of pillows to position her just right for him. They stayed like that for long enough she wondered what he was planning to do, and then she felt his lips press to the center of her brand. Just as James had, he kissed it like it was a part of her, and it was in a way. It had defined a large portion of her life, but it didn’t anymore. It was a means to an end now. Without the brand, she would have never had Dom or found James and John. She would never have known about the loyalty that existed between true mates.
His breath skirted over her back, and he kissed the bottom edges of the brand and she shivered. He squeezed her hips and straightened, his cock twitching inside her and making her clench. He groaned and she liked the sound enough to squeeze her inner muscles again.
“Fuck, baby.” He pulled out of her, sliding his thick length out until just the head of him rested in her. He pushed in fast, their bodies slapping together as he set up a hard rhythm in and out of her body. She relaxed into him, letting him take control of their pleasure. He stroked hard and fast, he swiveled his hips, and he pushed and pulled her body where they both got the most pleasure. He flexed his hands, tipping her hips up and thrust into her, his cock rubbing against a spot that made sparks flash before her eyes. She shrieked as pleasure poured over her, and he growled as he came, his cock spasming inside her, the heat of his climax filling her.
He collapsed over her and she loved the feeling of the weight and warmth of his body. “You’re perfect,” she said breathlessly.
He eased away, rolling to one side and taking her with him. He chuckled as she adjusted herself across his chest, her body limp and sated.
“Not ha
rdly, sweet love, but I’m glad you think so. I think you’re pretty damn perfect yourself.”
He brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead and smiled. She felt two things happen simultaneously — some of the walls that she’d erected to protect herself slipped away, and her heart swelled.
“You melt me, John.”
His eyes danced with happiness. “You melt me, too.”
* * * * *
John stroked Rue’s hair as she slept soundly on his chest. Something had changed while they’d made love. It hadn’t been sex; it had been so much more than that. He saw the moment she realized that things had changed as well, like it was the first time she’d ever seen the sunrise. She was amazed and humbled, and he felt the same way. He’d had very few sexual partners in his life, but he’d used every ounce of knowledge he had when it came to her pleasure.
His knowledge of pleasing a woman had started with his dad, who sat him down one day when he was a teenager and told him that someday John would find himself with a female and he should know how to make her happy so she’d want to come back to him. Like most mountain lions, John’s dad hoped that someday the females would change their minds and want to form family groups with the males and raise their children together. It hadn’t happened in his father’s lifetime, and it still hadn’t. Jilly had broken the goddess’ curse with the twin panthers, so there was hope for other females, too.
The door opened silently and James slipped through. John glanced at the clock on the nightstand and smiled in the darkness at his brother. It was just after three a.m., which meant that James had clocked out at exactly three and raced home.
James came to the bed and looked down at them. He whispered, “Good night?”
“Yeah. We need to talk.”
“Bad?”
“No.”
“Can I get a few hours’ sleep or do we need to talk now?”
John chuckled. “Get some rest, you pussy.”
“Hey,” James said, snorting, “I’m not as young as I used to be, and you aren’t either.”