Cats Got Your Tongue (Shifter Squad Six)

by Anya Nowlan

  “The hell do you mean?”

  “Well, sounds like you’re taking a page out of the Squad Six rulebook for finding mates,” Connor added with a chuckle. “Which is commendable, obviously, but I allow a bit of straying here and there.”

  “Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence,” Grant scoffed, leaning against a wall near the door. “But that means Grim or I can’t go on the mission. Not now, not with how things are.”

  “Understandable. Tell you what, I’ll have it reassigned. The guys and I don’t mind the chance of spending some time with the wives and kids, and I think it would be better if we were close, in case something happens with The Arctics. Keep me posted, regardless of what The Firm tells you. We have the secured lines that Thatch set up, use them if need be.”

  “Right. Thank you, Lieutenant,” Grant said with a sigh, the ghost of a smile crossing his expression.

  The call ended, and when he stalked back to the mission room, he found both Kelis and the babies gone, and lukewarm coffee and a bagel waiting for him. He would have preferred to go hungry than be without their company, but he figured that breakfast would have to do at a time of need.

  It was a few hours before Kelis and the babies made their return. The kids were obviously tired, since both were passed out as Grim carried them both into the room. Grant looked up from his reading, brushing up on what he’d read about shifter baby physiology, smiling as he saw the quiet, angelic faces of the two boys.

  “Tuckered them out?” Grant asked as Grim and Kelis set them carefully down on the bed.

  “Seems so,” Grim chuckled. “Though it wasn’t a simple thing to do. These kids have some get-up-and-go to them, I can tell you that.”

  “Well they have to. They’re Aldrochs after all,” Grant said, noticing the burst of pride in his voice as he said so.

  Look at him, scarcely a father for more than twelve hours and already getting on the “my kid is better than other kids” train. He chuckled mostly to himself, his eyes glancing over Kelis’s lovely form. She looked his way and their eyes met, her soulful blues and his ocean-blue, and he felt his heart thrumming a bit faster in his chest when he stood up and walked over to the bed, leaving the book behind.

  “Hey, do you think you could keep an eye on them for a while?” Grim asked, hushing his voice a bit. “I think it’s time for another food run. And have you talked to the guys in cleanup yet? I want to know if they found anything at the scene yesterday.”

  Grant shook his head dismissively, biting the inside of his mouth. He knew he’d forgotten something. He was so tied up with trying to make sense of what he was feeling about everything that he’d completely neglected the reasonable things to do. The fact that Grim was the one who kept picking up the slack all the time was another thing that came straight out of the blue.

  “Of course. Grab some pizza, will you? I feel like I need some carbs to keep my brain going after all of this,” he said, Grim already grabbing his jacket and heading out, though he gave one lingering look at the kids and Kelis as he did so.

  Yeah, it was hard being away from them. Grant had gotten experience in that regard already when he’d been waiting for them to come back. Even knowing that they were safe and sound with Grim, Grant was a pacing, nervous mess in the meantime.

  “So, it’s just you and me then,” he said softly as the door closed behind Grim.

  “Seems so,” Kelis answered with a chuckle, rolling her shoulders back.

  He couldn’t stop himself from checking over her body, wondering if it would feel the same under his fingertips. Maybe. Probably. Only better, now that she’d had his and Grim’s young.

  “I think we need to talk,” he said, mustering his willpower for anything other than just staring at her and the babies.

  He walked her over to a couple of chairs, facing one another, and sank into one of them after she’d taken her seat. His body was slightly weary from the last mission and he hadn’t gotten much sleep. But regardless of that, he felt completely energized around Kelis. And if Grim thought he hadn’t heard how he’d been tossing and turning all night, he had another thing coming. But the spring in his brother’s step had told him that the lovely Miss Murdoch seemed to have an uplifting quality on all Aldroch men, young and old.

  “I agree,” Kelis said, a nervousness crossing her features. “But… where do we start?”

  “Have they been treating you right?” Grant asked. “You and the boys?”

  “You mean The Firm? Yeah, I’d say so… I mean, I don’t like the fact that they keep poking and prodding at them. At first, they tried to do the examinations and their little tests without me in the room, but after I broke two noses on guys trying to keep me out, they stopped doing that. So I’m always there when they test the kids.”

  “What do they do?” Grant asked, feeling bile rise in his throat.

  No one should have been touching his boys, regardless of the medical miracles they may well be.

  “Weekly blood samples, body composition imagery, cognitive and physical tests mostly. They want me to keep an eye on their diet and report back, but I do that anyway to make sure they get all they need. They have really big appetites and they’re eating solids already, though I still give them baby food when I need to. The next session’s actually scheduled for tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be there,” Grant said firmly.

  He wouldn’t have missed it. He wanted to know in detail what they were checking for, what kind of abnormalities they’d found other than the obvious, and what the plan was moving forward. His medical mind got to thinking immediately, considering all the possibilities that could be causing trouble for Dylan and Dante’s health now and in the future. As a new father though, he had to push those down or he’d lose his mind pretty damn fast.

  “Thank you. That’ll make me feel better. I know they’re not hurting them, but I’m no doctor. It’ll help to have you there,” she said with a small smile.

  Grant nodded thoughtfully. She looked weary, and it wasn’t just what had happened over the last day. No, it was a general tiredness that hung about her like a shroud, obvious to him and perhaps Grim as well, but probably invisible to her or those that were around her all the time.

  “But how are you holding up?”

  “How am I holding up? I think I should be asking you guys that question! You’re the ones that had a completely unexpected piece of news dropped on your lap, along with a set of babies you didn’t know existed,” she said, her voice a bit sad.

  “That’s not what I’m asking though, Kelis. I want to know how you are. You look tired.”

  “A charmer, aren’t you,” she scoffed lightly, but the look in her eyes told him that she knew what he was talking about.

  “Sometimes, but I’m mostly just honest. You look like you haven’t had a good night’s rest in a long time. Or is it something different?” Grant asked, moving toward the edge of his seat as he took both of her hands in his, keeping them there even if her first reaction was to recoil from the touch.

  He looked her straight in the eye, imploring her to answer. She bit her lip and it took all he had to keep from pulling her into his lap and kissing the air from her lungs. Even when she was a worn down and a tiny bit tired, she was absolutely mesmerizing. He didn’t really know what to do with himself and it wasn’t a feeling he could easily handle.

  “I’m fine,” she said, her voice wavering a little. “It’s a lot to handle alone. And the guilt’s been eating me up.”

  “Guilt about what? Not being able to tell me and Grim? We understand.”

  “No, not only that. Well, a lot of it is that, sure, and I am so grateful that you two are being so understanding, but there’s more. I feel like I failed my boys. I have to keep getting them poked and pinched by these people who look at them like test subjects and at me like an incubator… I wish I could have given them a better start, that’s all.”

  “You don’t regret the… night?” he asked, now hearing the stutter in his own br
eath, but ignoring it.

  Fuck it, if he couldn’t be a tiny bit vulnerable in front of the mother of his children, then when or with who could he be?

  “Us? Never.”

  He believed her immediately because of the wistful smile that covered her lips now, full of honesty and fond memories. That was how he felt about it too, and were he to ask Grim, Grant was sure he’d get a similar answer. That night had been nothing short of mind-blowing, and regretting it in any way would have been utter insanity. Kelis had been everything Grant had dreamed of, and it was only his and Grim’s failures that had let her slip out of their grasp.

  “Good. Me neither. I still can’t believe I let you go with those guys. I should have jumped in the car.”

  “That would have made for an awkward ride,” she laughed, making him smile too.

  Grant liked that about her. Even when he was busy beating himself up, she could get him out of that mindset in a second. It was wonderful, a quality he’d never found in anyone else. Even with Grim, they didn’t see eye to eye or affect each other as easily as he did with her on some topics. If that wasn’t a sign, he didn’t know what was.

  “I’m going to kiss you now,” he said after a solemn pause, one that he’d used to ponder over how things could have been if he would have never let her out of his sight.

  “Okay,” she answered breathily, making Grant grin.

  He leaned in and kissed her softly, exploring her lips, her tongue, and her taste as if they had forever. He wasn’t rushed and he didn’t rush her either, taking his time to remember her and rekindle the memories of their kisses from before, during that odd day and night in the skies and then in Pennsylvania. She tasted even better than he remembered.

  But he wasn’t given a lot of time to enjoy it when Grim came bursting into the room, carrying stacks of pizza with Dutch in tow, looking amused by everything.

  “We didn’t catch you at a bad time, did we?” Grim asked, keeping his voice low to not wake up the kids.

  “No,” Grant said, the strain in his voice saying the opposite. “Dutch, good to see you. What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, I heard the news and figured you guys could use a babysitter for the evening. No arguments. Leave me one of the pizzas and I’ll make acquaintances with Dylan and Dante on my own. I hear I’m a real kid wrangler, or so my mate says.”

  Dutch crossed over to Kelis and they shared a quick handshake, before snatching a pizza from the pile Grim was holding and plopping into the chair that Grant had vacated.

  “Wait. What are we supposed to do now?” Kelis asked, looking a bit taken aback by the sudden change in their evening plans.

  “Go get reacquainted, obviously,” Dutch said before taking a big bite out of his pizza, tossing Kelis a wink for good measure.

  Grant stifled a groan at the absurdity of it all, but when he looked at Grim and his wide, devilish grin, he knew that he had nothing to feel uncomfortable about. At least he and his brother were completely on the same page about what getting reacquainted meant. He wondered if Kelis understood it so easily too.

  Guess he’d find out.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Kelis

  They’d made it one floor down from the mission room when the full scale of what Grim had had in mind really dawned on Kelis. Grim’s hand was warm around hers and when they exited the stairwell, Grant took her other hand firmly. Every step that took them closer to some privacy. All three of them seemed to be walking a bit faster, their breaths getting more hitched as anticipation suddenly gripped the trio.

  They can’t mean… Oh my God…

  She bit her lip as Grim led them into a break room far in the back of the floor, which was mostly deserted, since the whole wing was mostly used for housing returning teams or prepping outgoing ones. So when she stepped into the room, filled with couches and a pool table and lots of flat surfaces, she couldn’t help but smile wide.

  It was exactly what she thought it was.

  Grim locked the door behind them and tossed the pizza boxes on a counter somewhere, to be immediately forgotten. Grant spun her into himself, his hands snaking around her right away.

  “What do you say, Kelis. Have you missed us?” Grant asked with a purr in his voice as Grim came up behind her, sliding his rough palms over her ass, cupping the flesh.

  “Because we missed you,” the tattooed brother growled, his words soft in her ear, but the tone anything but.

  Kelis let out an indefinite little mewl, all yes and please and of course I did, but no words could escape her. Partially because she was too busy being tongue-tied and partially because… well, her tongue was tied with Grim’s the moment he turned her chin to face him, kissing her gruffly and with the kind of hunger she yearned for.

  She kissed back with all the fire she could muster, Grim breaking the kiss quickly and turning her to Grant, who continued it, softer, different, but exactly as exciting. Her hands groped Grant’s muscled arms, sliding down his chest, every inch of his body that she covered sending shudders down her spine that seemed like they would rattle flesh from her bones. She tugged his shirt up and Grant took it off easily as the sweet sounds of a zipper coming undone and boots being kicked off sounded behind her.

  When she turned to look, Grim was letting his pants fall down, already completely naked and completely ready.

  “Fuck,” she whispered, her throat choosing that moment to work with her.

  He was magnificent, all muscle and corded wire for body, his arms and chest covered in tattoos that were so intricate she could get lost in them for days. And he was strong, and wide, and… so hard. Grant was in as much hurry to undress, and when they were both bared for her gaze, her knees buckled underneath her. The fathers of her children. The men she’d dreamed of every night, knowing they were so close and yet so far that it seemed impossible that she could ever have a moment of happiness with them… and yet here they were, badly wanting her.

  “Take your clothes off,” Grant commanded, his voice firmer than she’d ever heard it.

  She eagerly complied, throwing off her top and unzipping her jeans, wriggling out of them as if they’d personally done her wrong. Kelis unhooked her bra as they both watched, Grim’s hand slowly stroking up and down the length of his cock, his eyes wild. When she bent over to slide her panties off, making her heavy breasts tumble forward a bit, she could hear the very obvious sound of Grant groaning.

  She stood up, blushing, knowing she should feel self-conscious about the stretch marks and the sag and everything else that came with having babies, but she didn’t feel any of it. And when she looked at Grant and Grim, all she could see was desire. For her. For every single bit of her, perfect and flawed, made even more perfect to them because she had those scars, because she’d had them for the men in front of her.

  “You’re even more gorgeous than I remember you,” Grant said solemnly, making tears well up in Kelis’s eyes.

  “I missed you,” she said honestly, taking a step forward, unable to bear the distance anymore.

  “Come here, sugar,” Grim called, stretching out his strong arms.

  She went to him immediately, finding herself wrapped up in the firm grips of both Grim and Grant, both of them kissing her neck, and from her shoulders and down to her breasts. There was one man on each side, four hands discovering her body again. It was Grant whose fingers slipped between her legs, parting them easily, and when he plunged a finger into her wet heat, she let out a throaty mewl that lingered on her lips.

  But then there was another finger, rubbing over her clit, teasing her with urgency, making her spasm as Grant pumped two fingers into her. She gasped, eyes fluttering open as Grim and Grant sucked and teased her nipples, hands on her hip and back, while they both played with her pussy.

  Kelis could feel her eyes rolling back and her mouth opening in a moan, the men’s fingers spreading her juices, making her gush around them as they worked her quickly and efficiently toward her orgasm, as if they knew her body perf
ectly without having touched it in so long. Heat coiled and snaked in the pit of her stomach, maddening in its intensity, and when Grim bit down harder on her nipple, she put both of her hands on their shoulders for stability, shaking like a leaf.

  “Cum for us,” Grant said, another command.

  Another one she gladly listened to and heeded. When the first notes of a scream left her lips, Grim stopped playing with her clit, moving a finger down and pushing it into her sopping wet pussy too, joining his brother’s. She heaved in a breath, strangling the scream as her eyes went wide, and then her world seemed to stop for a moment as they thrust into her in unison, filling and stretching her almost as good as their cocks would in a minute.

  She came so hard she had to wonder if she’d ever cum before, now knowing the comparison.

  Kelis keeled over, almost sobbing as Grant stood up, slowly retracting his fingers and bringing them up to her lips. She eagerly sucked them into her mouth, loving the taste of herself and the look he got on his face when she did it even more.

  But then his hands were on her, Grim pulling out too, though Kelis was still deep in the midst of her orgasm, Grant putting his hands under her ass and hauling her up against him, with Grim right behind her.

  She found herself gasping for breath as Grim’s cock pressed against her ass and she was hovering right above Grant’s, thick and long and with a glistening of pre-cum on the head. Grim’s chest crushed against hers, pinning her between the two men as her hands scrabbled for a handhold, linking around Grant’s neck. There was hot breath on her neck, the slightest tingle before Grim kissed her, one hand maneuvering his cock to her opening, slick with her juices.

  “Do you want this?” he asked, the head of his cock almost penetrating her, but not quite, his thumb tracing the pucker of her asshole.

  Grant moved her enough to have his cock against her stomach, holding her up and kissing the other side of her neck.

  “I do,” she whispered, a feverish plea, answered by Grim’s cock roughly spreading her wide.