Protecting Their Mate [Panther Cove 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  They laughed, but before Hunter had opened his mouth, she swore a flash of fear filled his eyes.

  He leaned over, picked up the remote, and turned on the television. When the screen came on, he winced. “Kitten, I think we need to buy you a flat screen.”

  She didn’t like that he never answered her question, but to press them to tell her the truth might send the wrong message. “I’d never accept any gifts from you two.”

  Hunter almost looked hurt. “Why? We have so much and as you’ve seen, we like to share.”

  “I know, but it’s just that—”

  Hunter dragged a finger over her lips. “It’s just that you’ll think it’s a bribe to keep you quiet when you theoretically find out that we live to be four hundred years old and can leap buildings in a single bound after we shift into magical creatures. Newsflash. It’s all hype.”

  Now he was being ridiculous. “Something like that.”

  Derek turned her chin to face him. “How about if we buy the television for us, but you let us keep it here for when we come over. If you ever want to dump us, we’ll take it back since it won’t really be yours.”

  She liked how he was able to come up with a good solution. Her morals wouldn’t be compromised that way. “Okay.”

  Derek waved his beer. “Eat up, darlin’, so we can get on with more exciting business.”

  “I hope the new business involves cock sucking, pussy eating, and a lot of fucking.” She grinned.

  Derek slid a hand behind her. “That’s what we love about you. You are one adventurous woman.”

  She giggled, though of all the adjectives he could have picked, adventurous might not have been the one. However, with the way she’d come on to them so strongly, she could see why he’d say that.

  She snuggled closer. “Oh, yeah?”

  Derek pulled her close and kissed her before leaning back. “Are you disagreeing?”

  “Hell no.” She dipped her head and drew her lips over his cock.

  He gasped. Derek ran a hand over her shoulders, down her spine, and landed on her ass. “What you do to me.”

  Hunter lifted her shoulders and twisted her around. “How about you suck on my cock and let Derek play with your ass.”

  That delighted her. She flipped around and leaned over, but Derek seemed to have other ideas and drew her legs up to his lap. He propped his feet on the coffee table and spread her legs wide open to totally expose her.

  “Darlin’, can you feel my hard cock on your thigh?”

  “Is that what that piece of steel is digging into my leg?”

  He chuckled. “You are something else. I can’t believe our luck. I should send a present to old man Diggers for sending you our way.”

  Having them bring up her job kind of soured the mood, but when Derek ran his palm down her ass, she forgot all about it. Propping herself up on her elbows, she grabbed Hunter’s cock and drew him into her mouth. From having to arch her back, her ass tightened.

  Derek gave her a light spank. “None of that. I won’t be able to slip a couple of fingers in you if you clench those sweet cheeks.”

  This position wasn’t very comfortable anyway. “Would you mind if we opened the bed?”

  “Hell, no. We were just waiting for you to ask.”

  They had not. If they wanted the sofa pulled out, they would have done it themselves. It didn’t matter. She loved bantering with them. With all three of them working together, they tossed off the pillows, moved the coffee table, and pulled out the sofa.

  Derek dropped down and held up his arms. “Let me give you some lovin’.”

  These men always seemed to be in such a good mood. She lay down next to him and kissed him slow and easy. Hunter got behind her and spun her around.

  “I think you were in the middle of sucking on my cock.”

  She grinned. “Whoops.”

  Jen got up on her knees and bent over, fully aware she was presenting her ass to Derek. She doubted he’d want to have anal sex as she didn’t have any lube. A trip to the sex shop was most definitely in her future.

  Hunter seemed impatient as he guided her head over his cock. She supported herself with one hand while she grabbed his cock with the other. Pre-cum oozed out of the top, and she licked him clean. “Yum.”

  “No talking.” His voice came out gruff and sexy as hell.

  Derek dipped his finger into her pussy, causing contractions to ripple down her body. She’d just had massive sex last night. By all means, that experience should have satisfied her for days, yet here she was, desperate for a cock.

  She dropped her mouth fully over Hunter’s huge shaft. Using all of her control, she dragged her lips down his length, loving how the vein throbbed. She pressed her tongue against the hard skin and wiggled it back and forth.

  Hunter grabbed her hair. Derek must have noticed how close Hunter was to coming because he tore open the condom he’d placed earlier on the side table. Latex snapped, and he planted his hands on her hips. As soon as he nudged open her pussy with his cock, he leaned over and sucked on her earlobe then dragged his lips to her neck.

  “I love tasting you.”

  He drove his cock in at the same time small pricks of pain stabbed her neck. The ache disappeared, but his cock sure didn’t. She thought he was large when they were by the water, but she swore he’d grown since then or else her pussy hadn’t come down from the last time they’d made love.

  Hunter clasped onto her wrist. “Please, Jennifer. I’m so close.”

  The fact she could make him want something so much turned her on even more. Derek eased out partway before plunging back in. Every cell in her pussy wall exploded. Heat built, causing her to increase her speed on Hunter’s cock. She loved his taste, his texture, and his size. Wanting to put as much of him into her mouth as possible, she swallowed and tried to open her throat, but he was too damned big to fit much more inside her.

  Derek’s fingers increased their pressure as his speed built. “God, you feel so fucking good. I could fuck you all day long.”

  Images of them making love in front of the lake slammed into her. What she wouldn’t give to be there right now. “Okay.”

  His chuckle sounded low.

  Hunter gripped her hair. “No daydreaming.” His fist tightened.

  She sucked harder and faster and Derek matched her pace. Her juices flowed as electric currents amped up her body and excruciating pleasure spread from her tits to her toes. As if she needed more prompting, Hunter reached under her and pressed on her nipple.

  Somehow the welcome pain pushed her close to the precipice. Hunter twisted and rubbed the swollen crest. The stronger the ache, the higher she went. Derek’s breath kissed her neck on the other side, and he nibbled and lightly bit down as if he couldn’t help himself. His groans increased as did his brother’s.

  All three were close to their climax, but she willed herself to hold on until Derek’s bite pierced her skin and Hunter jammed his cock deep into her throat. The glory, the heat, and the thrill all collided, and she screamed as her own climax claimed her and his life seed coated her tonsils.

  Needing to breathe, she pulled off and drank in his tangy cum. Derek’s cock expanded and as his balls slapped against her ass. He held on tight and yelled. The sound was so primal, she almost believed he was a real panther.

  Her pulse raced, and she dropped down to her elbows. “That was beyond description.”

  Hunter sat back on his haunches. “I hope your neighbors don’t call the cops.”

  Oh, crap. She’d completely forgotten she was in her house where the walls were paper thin. “The lady on the far end is really cool, but I’ve never met who lives next to me. Let’s hope he or she is hard of hearing.” With the amount of yelling, she wouldn’t be surprised if someone complained.

  Hunter clicked on the television then handed her the remote. “You pick.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Well, kind of. How about anything but a chick flick?”

 
; She laughed. “I thought you two were in touch with your feminine side.”

  They both groaned. Derek rubbed her thigh. “Let’s let her watch what she wants. You do have cable, right?”

  “No.” It cost too much.

  Derek removed the remote from her hand and turned off the television. “Then I guess we’ll have to make our own entertainment.”

  Her pussy dripped despite the sex they’d just had.

  * * * *

  Derek had to go for a run. Jennifer was in his blood bad. He couldn’t believe how incredibly lucky he was to have found such a perfect mate. He’d heard some horror stories about how some mates turned out to be a shrew, but it wasn’t like the panthers got to pick her. Nor could anyone explain how the mates were assigned. From what everyone said, when a shifter met her, he just knew. That fact seemed to have been true because both he and his brother had found Jennifer. They could refuse the chosen mate, but then they’d be alone for the rest of their lives.

  As soon as he walked outside of his home, he shifted and ran. They owned the top of the mountain, so no one would see him change, but there was always the occasional poacher who somehow got through their borders. Getting shot was an occasional hazard, but fortunately, unless the bullet hit a vital organ, the wound would heal almost immediately. It was one of the many reasons they lived so long.

  His strides evened out as he tried to imagine what Jennifer thought of them. There was no doubt that when they were in the throes of passion, she was totally onboard with their lifestyle, and she certainly seemed open to some of the items in their playroom. The fact that she seemed to love helping others made her so perfect.

  The big question was, when they had to break it to her that they were shifters, as was every other male in the compound, would she freak or be accepting? If she freaked, she’d most likely write her exposé. Whether or not people believed her story wouldn’t really matter. His family had kept out of the papers for hundreds and hundreds of years, and he suspected their secret would remain just that—a secret.

  A large tree loomed ahead, and he scurried up the bark. Once he was near the top, he traveled along a sturdy branch and rested. Something about the air this high up helped to clear his head. He let his mind wander to Jennifer, but he still wasn’t sure what he and Hunter discussed this morning was the right choice. He wanted to tell her who they really were sooner rather than later.

  Hunter, on the other hand, believed they needed to give her some time to breathe. They had asked her out for Saturday but told her they were busy the rest of the week so she’d have time to think things through. As much as they wanted to be with her, he understood that she needed to concentrate on her job and acclimate herself to the town.

  After an hour, he scurried to the ground.

  He’d gotten his head cleared about the plan and raced back. A nice soak in the tub would fully refresh him. He was on his way up the stairs when Jeremiah rushed in.

  “Derek.”

  He swiped his brow with a towel he’d grabbed from the kitchen. “Something wrong?”

  While Jeremiah could keep a straight face, he emitted a powerful vibe when danger was near.

  “I’m afraid so. Mario and I were out and about and picked up a piece of unpleasant gossip.”

  “Spit it out, man.”

  “My snitch claims that The Sword is planning on harming Jennifer.”

  His gut roiled and his claws extended. “Those fuckers. Follow her and don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “She knows us.”

  “Damn. Then keep a low profile, but don’t let anything happen to her if you value your life.” He probably shouldn’t have tossed out the threat, but his anger had taken hold.

  Jeremiah lowered his gaze and trotted off.

  Fuck.

  Chapter Eleven

  “So nothing new?” Mr. Diggers appeared a little peeved.

  “I’m afraid not.” Jen cast her gaze downward. “But I’m trying. They keep asking me out. I figure eventually, I’ll find something.”

  He waved a hand. “We need to move you on to another story.”

  She understood that she couldn’t stay on one story forever. In a way, she was relieved. Having to think the worst of these two didn’t settle well with her. There was a connection between them that was strong and was becoming more solid each day. “Do you have any suggestions?” He had liked the hiker rescue story, but she needed to produce something new each day.

  “I know this doesn’t sound very glamorous, but another newcomer moved to Delight about three months ago. She opened up a tea store called Delightful Teas. You might want to get her take on how it’s going. Our readers love a human interest story.”

  Opening a tea shop was newsworthy? Perhaps in a small town anything new needed to be reported. “Where is it located?”

  “It’s between Chandlers Hardware Store and E-Z Thrift Store on Willow.”

  “Okay.” She hesitated bringing up other options.

  “Something on your mind, Ms. Anderson?”

  “I thought maybe I could do an interview at the research facility. Perhaps find out what secrets they’re trying to unravel.”

  Something dark crossed his face. “Let’s leave the heavy lifting to the others.”

  She wanted to tell him to fuck off, that she could do the job as well as any male, but since she was low man, or rather low woman, on the totem pole she’d keep her mouth shut for a change. “Fine.”

  He held up a finger. “But keep seeing the Black brothers. I’m convinced they’re hiding something.”

  “Sure.” That request would be easy to do. And wonderful. And exciting.

  At least his directive would give her an excuse to buy one or two more outfits, and shopping always headed her list of her most favorite things to do.

  “I’ll go check out the tea shop.”

  He nodded then dropped his gaze to his computer implying she was dismissed. At her desk, a wave of despondency hit her. She’d done her best to find out about the Blacks. It wasn’t her fault they were squeaky clean.

  Whatever. She gathered her purse and her iPad to do her next interview.

  Her coworker Grant wasn’t at his desk, and neither was Madelyn. Perhaps they were on equally vapid assignments. It didn’t matter. She had her own byline and as such had to write something, even if it would just go up on the Internet.

  Once outside, the breeze refreshed her. Being high in the mountains was wonderful, and she appreciated not having the coastal heat suck the life out of her.

  Willow was a side street about six blocks from the newspaper, and since she’d spent most of her time with Derek and Hunter, she really hadn’t taken the time to examine the shops on MacLeash Boulevard. There wasn’t time today to stop in and meet each of the owners or workers, but in the future, she might consider doing a story on each of the local entrepreneurs.

  In the middle of the boulevard sat Black’s Antiques. Though old stuff wasn’t her style, perhaps if she understood the history of the piece, she might learn to appreciate it. A small diner called Highlanders Café sat next to the antique store, and a two-story brick bank stood on the other side. Perhaps during her lunch hour tomorrow, she’d stop in and open an account, as she had to cash her check somewhere.

  She turned right on Willow and spotted the tea shop. There were three small metal tables in front, which created a cozy atmosphere, and a colorfully striped awning made the store so inviting. When she pushed open the door, the bell above the door tingled. The inside was totally adorable. To the left were shelves of teapots, cups, and books on tea. Ahead was a counter where she guessed one ordered the tea and right after that was a seating area.

  “Be right there,” called a woman from the back.

  When she exited, Jen smiled. “Kendis?”

  “Jen!” She wiped her hands down her apron and came over. “Welcome to my store.”

  “Your store?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Since no one was there, she
didn’t feel bad about taking up some of her time. “The paper asked me to do a story on you.”

  She slapped a hand to her chest. “Really? That’s so cool. How about I get us some tea and we can talk.”

  “I’d love that.”

  Jen studied the wall of silver tins. They were labeled W, G, B, O, H, R, and M. “I’m really a tea virgin. I’m more of a double latte type, but since there doesn’t seem to be a Starbucks around, I might have to switch.”

  “If you’re a big coffee drinker, I bet you’ll like a black tea.”

  “Something sweet then.”

  Kendis turned around and pulled a tub off the wall. “How about a chocolate pu-erh tea?”

  “Pu what?”

  Kendis laughed. “It’s raw cacao nibs that introduce a hint of sweetness to the traditional earthy flavor.”

  That didn’t explain it any better. “Sure. Make it iced though.”

  “Got it.”

  While Kendis got busy fixing the brew, Jen pulled out her iPad. “So tell me why you came to Delight and why run a tea store?”

  In no time the tea was steeped. “Here ya go.” Kendis leaned over the counter. “I actually followed my boyfriend here.”

  “I haven’t run into him.” She’d seen no one visit the triplex.

  A hint of a blush colored her face even though she was aware of Jen’s new lifestyle. “My boyfriend, who I thought I’d marry, was a lawyer for a local quarry company. At first it was wonderful. I thought I had the dream life. He had money and treated me like royalty.”

  The royalty part sounded a lot like Derek and Hunter. “What happened?”

  “He never would say, but if he hadn’t left town, he probably would have been convicted of something and spent many years in jail.”

  She couldn’t imagine falling in love with a man who then disappeared to avoid jail time. “He didn’t trust you enough with the truth?”

  “I think he didn’t want to drag me down.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  Jen sipped her now-cooled tea. “Mmm. This is delicious.” Kendis beamed.