MoonIllusion

by Moon Illusion [eXtasy] (mobi)

She seemed satisfied with that for a few moments, but jumped against him as Sebastian pushed a furry arm between her and Rafe, reaching for the cord that still bound her wrists tightly behind her back.

  “Why is everyone naked?” she whispered into the silence.

  Ah.

  How the hell was he supposed to answer that one? Nate thought furiously, pulling her closer against him and pushing her face more securely into his chest.

  A hearty laugh—totally out of place in the cold forest—broke into his hectic thoughts. He scowled across at Sebastian who was standing slightly to the side, the remains of the rope dangling from his again-human hands.

  “I think you’ll have some explaining to do,” Sebastian chuckled, totally unfazed by Nate’s dagger-laden stare.

  “Apparently,” he agreed carefully, not wanting to worry her any more than she already was.

  He looked down, inspecting her face closely. Gina’s eyelids had drooped, and she wasn’t making any effort to hold herself upright, leaning trustingly into him. The fine lines of pain were still there, but her forehead was smooth and her mouth relaxed. Whatever she thought was happening, she didn’t seem to be fretting about it.

  Nate shrugged. “Time to go home? Rob?”

  “The sooner she’s properly warm, the better,” he agreed. “You, too,” Rob added amicably. “Your nose is blue.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with me. I really didn’t want to know,” he retorted.

  Nate hadn’t needed Rob to point out just how cold he was. His teeth were chattering, and he was quite sure it wasn’t just his nose that was blue. His ass had gone numb and his feet were freezing. And he’d only been exposed for ten minutes or so—he hated to imagine what Gina was feeling.

  Before he’d had time to start walking, Sebastian had moved closer and scooped Gina effortlessly out of his arms. “You,” he told Nate, “change back and get warm. We’ll have to take turns carrying her or we’ll all freeze our butts off.

  And you,” he pointed to Rafe, “had better get tracking. Then we’ll know who to go after.”

  Nate barely hesitated, gladly sinking downwards into his wolf form as Rafe headed off down the fire trail, following the scent of the men who’d left Gina alone in the wilderness. They were all too used to having Sebastian take control to query his orders, and it was only sensible, anyway. He did notice, however, the startled gaze Gina fixed on Sebastian’s face as he began to stride through the forest with her, away from the fire trail and towards their house. She apparently wasn’t quite so sure about the change of her ‘rescuers’.

  * * * *

  Gina looked wildly up at the stranger who’d pulled her away from the comfort of Nate’s warmth, folding her up and carrying her as easily as if she were a small baby. She supposed she was, measured against his size.

  “I’m Sebastian,” he offered, “Nate’s brother.”

  What could she say to that? Formal introductions seemed more than just a little out of place. Heck, she was surrounded by naked men—large, naked men, she corrected herself—and…wolves? She looked down again, checking that she hadn’t imagined it. Yep, they were wolves, all right.

  “Uh, Sebastian?” No matter how hard she tried, her voice was whisper-soft.

  “Mmm?”

  Ignoring the fresh throb of pain, she used her head to indicate the two wolves unconcernedly loping along beside them. Trying to move her arms to point them out seemed like too much trouble.

  “Wolves,” he said helpfully.

  “Uh, yes.” She sighed.

  How did she explain this? He seemed to think it was the most natural thing in the world to be naked, carrying a barely dressed woman through a forest at midnight, in the middle of winter, with wolves for an escort. Her dreams were getting really weird.

  Too weird. It couldn’t actually really be happening, could it? She caught herself tensing, trying to burrow deeper into this strangers chest, and had to force herself to relax again.

  “It’ll make sense tomorrow, sweetie,” he soothed. “Just let us get you home and warm, and don’t worry about it.”

  Don’t worry about it, the man said. She started to shake her head in sheer disbelief, only subsiding when it sent pain stabbing through her head and down her neck.

  Maybe if she just closed her eyes, next time she woke up she’d be at home in her own bed, snugly and warm. She certainly hoped so. On that comforting thought, she let herself drift away from reality, content to fall back into the welcoming blackness.

  Chapter Twelve

  "Is she awake yet?”

  “Shhh. Not yet.” A pause. “Soon, I think.”

  “What did Rob say? Will she be okay?”

  “Yeah.” Another pause.

  Gina could almost imagine the first speaker raising an enquiring eyebrow at the obvious lack of details. Heck, she wanted to know more herself!

  “Quite a few bruises,” the second voice finally ceded. “Nothing permanent, and her temperature’s back to normal.”

  The voices were hushed, but there was nothing the least bit soothing about the feeling of being surrounded by men. Rather masculine-sounding men, now she thought about it. Her brain was still feeling very doughy, yet she had vivid memories of being carried through the forest by a stranger. A naked stranger. And there was something about wolves teasing at her, too.

  She shifted restlessly, strangely uneasy with her dreams. After all, there was no way she could really have been attacked and left for the werewolves. Definitely too many horror movies, or maybe too many chocolate cookies. That was all.

  Still…

  She could remember the sensation of being totally surrounded, the rougher skin of the men warm against hers. There’d been the scrape of wiry hair against her smoothly shaven legs, the flattering bulges pressed into her bottom and stomach. Dreamy as she’d been, a tiny part of her had been rejoicing at the way her body had affected them. And the way one of them had so easily picked her up and carried her off—almost like the heroine in a bad western.

  Yet through it all, there’d been no fear. She’d trusted them. And she could remember that trust quite clearly.

  Less clear, however, was what had followed in the dream. There’d been hands, lots of hands, stroking and caressing. Her nightgown was gone, and she’d stood nude between them, enjoying their touch—encouraging it. But more than that… She wasn’t sure. It was more imagination than reality, and if she hadn’t been so sure she was dreaming, she’d never have believed it of herself. She—boring little Gina—in the midst of a ménage. Willingly lapping up the attentions of the strangers who were so eagerly exploring her body. She’d wanted it. She’d wanted them.

  Was it possible? She doubted it. Apart from the fact her actions had been so out of character, her memories were…

  She thought for a minute, drifting in the quiet. Her memories were flat. That was the difference. At first, the dream had been so realistic it was almost scary, but the actual ménage had happened at a distance. When she’d felt the men pressed against her, felt their erections through the fine white silk of her gown, she’d really felt them. It had been dark and cold and the smell of pine trees had been so strong as to nearly obscure Nate’s own particular scent.

  Nate?

  Had he been there, then? Or had the whole thing been nothing but her own overactive imagination? Too tired to force herself to think any more, she let the world retreat, a vague smile creasing her lips as she fell asleep. True or not, the dreams had been very, very nice.

  * * * *

  The sheet was cool beneath her, the unmistakable feel of crisp, freshly laundered linen scraping pleasantly on her skin. God, she was sensitive! She could practically feel the fibers in the cotton weave under her bottom, a rough caress up the small of her back that tickled her neck as she moved.

  She wriggled again, savoring the sensation. She really should sleep naked more often. It was such a nice feeling. Sensual. Her muscles protested as she stretched her arms high above her head, her leg
s spreading sinuously under the light covering.

  A shaft of light fell over her eyes, and she wrinkled her nose in disapproval. Surely it was too early to be morning. Her body felt suspiciously like she really had been out in the forest all night… Nah. She refused to believe it.

  “You’re awake, then?”

  Her eyelids flew open. Okay, so maybe it hadn’t been all in her dreams. After all, Nate was here in her bedroom. Admittedly, he was hovering kind of anxiously, but, nonetheless, he was here.

  And so was his brother.

  Apparently she looked just as horrified as she felt, because Nate instantly stepped between her and the very large man who looked suspiciously like the very large, very naked, man of last night’s dreams. Ah, hell!

  “Shhh. It’s okay; you’re safe at my place.” Nate bent and wrapped his arms around her, attempting to soothe her even as she was craning her neck, trying to confirm that there really was another man in her bedroom.

  No, not her bedroom. Nate’s bedroom.

  She banished that thought as the other man moved into her view. He looked precisely the same this morning as he had last night, too. Not drop-dead handsome like Nate, but mighty fine in a very physical, in-your-face sort of way.

  Unfortunately, he was dressed this morning..

  Where had that particular thought come from? She shook her head wildly. It was all very well and good to dream about a plethora of gorgeous men tossing her over their collective shoulders and taking her home with them; it was another thing entirely to actually have it happen to her.

  She gripped the sheet tightly, drawing it up and twisting it between her fingers as she remembered she was naked. In bed.

  And naked.

  And she certainly didn’t remember getting here herself. How many of them had seen her without any clothes on? There’d been those voices talking about her. Apparently she’d been sick and only half-aware of what had been happening around her. How absolutely mortifying!

  And rather erotic, too. The whole idea of being totally helpless, stripped naked by these men she barely knew, was strangely appealing… Horrified with herself for even thinking about it, let alone the fact she could feel herself becoming aroused by the pictures her imagination was busily painting, she tried desperately to pull the reins on her careening imagination.

  How much of last night had been real, and how much had been a dream? Now that was a sobering thought. Mind you… She forced herself to push Nate aside, staring over his shoulder at the man who was—quite definitely—standing near the door.

  “Sebastian?” she queried softly.

  His mouth quirked—grimace or smile, she wondered—and he nodded.

  “You remember, then?” Nate sounded worried.

  Why the hell did he sound so worried? Surely they hadn’t actually…?

  She looked between them, comparing them to her memories.

  Brothers, definitely. No question there.

  “Um.”

  They were both watching her. Sebastian’s face was unreadable, maybe an expression of polite interest while he waited for her to put her thoughts into order, but that was it. Nate, however, looked like she was about to tell him the world was ending.

  Um? That sounded so unintelligent! Disgusted with herself, she tried again. Her mouth was dry so she licked her lips, then hesitated when both men’s gaze suddenly shifted, their eyes uniformly following the tiny movement of her tongue.

  “Uh…” Two sets of eyes snapped back, locking into place on her face.

  “Yes?” Sebastian prompted.

  “I had some fairly strange dreams last night,” she ventured, wondering exactly how she should go about asking for information without them thinking she’d flipped. “And I’m not quite sure just how much was real.”

  “What do you remember?” Nate picked up her hand, enclosing her fingers securely in his. Despite the comforting gesture, he sounded strained.

  “There was someone in my backyard, then I was in Oldham Forest?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Uh-huh? Did that mean that much was real? Unthinking, she moistened her lips again before continuing.

  “I was cold, then Nate was there.” She paused, Sebastian’s gentle nod encouraging her to continue. She swallowed. “There were other people…” Gina looked helplessly around the room.

  “Rob and Rafe,” Nate supplied.

  Okaaaay. This wasn’t good. If that much was true…

  Gina took a deep breath. “I was tied to a tree; someone let me go. Then you,” she gestured to Nate, “and one of the others stood close to warm me up.”

  “That’s right. Do you remember anything else?”

  How could they be so calm? She’d been abducted, left in the forest, and they just stood there quietly listening to how much she remembered. Well, she remembered a lot more, and if it was making her uncomfortable, then maybe it would make them equally uncomfortable, she thought maliciously.

  “You were naked,” she offered. “All of you, in mid-winter.”

  There! See how much they liked the way her dreams had combined with reality.

  Over Nate’s shoulder, she watched for Sebastian’s reaction. She’d expected some kind of embarrassment, not just the calm acceptance he was radiating. Aaarrrrgggghhhh!

  She was struck by a sudden, horrible thought: did that mean they really had all been running around in the buff last night?

  Gina continued in a rush, suddenly unsure if she actually wanted to know the truth. “Sebastian carried me home; Nate and the other two turned into wolves.”

  Sebastian’s face split in a wide grin as he turned to Nate. “I see you have some explaining to do, brother.” He clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.”

  To say she was startled was an understatement. She literally felt her jaw drop—and she’d thought that only happened in movies. How hackneyed!

  Ah well, as the old saying went, in for a penny, in for a pound. She started to speak before Sebastian could reach the door. “On the way back, we were…” She hesitated again. Could she really admit to the next bit? Sebastian’s silent laughter, the way his whole body shook as he watched his brother’s reaction, gave her the courage to continue.

  “I’ve never participated in a ménage before,” she said sweetly. “Three men. And me.”

  That shut them up, she saw with grim satisfaction. She wasn’t the only one whose jaw could fall open in shock.

  Too late, she realised what she’d just admitted to.

  Oh.

  My.

  God.

  Sebastian recovered the fastest, turning towards the door but no longer trying to hide his amusement.

  His eyes were sparkling. “My darling,” he said. “I only wish.”

  Sebastian turned to Nate, “She’s all yours.” Then he was gone, and the room was strangely quiet. Just the sound of Nate’s ragged breathing close to her ear, his breath fluttering the fine hairs and reminding her what his mouth felt like on other, more intimate, parts of her body. She hastily made herself concentrate on something else.

  Nate. But not his tongue.

  She may have been imagining it, but she was pretty sure that was a flush of color making its way up his neck and across his face.

  “What he means,” he said, his face hidden somewhere in her neck, “ is that we did not…um… have sex last night.” He hurried on. “As a group, or otherwise.”

  Was he embarrassed? She sneaked a peek from under her eyelashes.

  He was!

  Gina felt like crowing aloud. After everything they’d done, and after all the things he’d whispered in her ear while he was fucking her senseless the night before, he was embarrassed by the idea of sharing her!

  Mind you, it was quite possibly all those things he’d told her he wanted to do to her that had made her dreams quite so… X-rated. She wasn’t exactly the sort of girl who’d come up with those ideas by herself!

  “And the rest of it?” she asked, sure now he was going to t
ell her she’d imagined the lot. After all, a ménage was a lot more likely than him being a werewolf!

  He straightened, sitting up until he was looking right into her eyes. She could actually see the effort as each muscle under his T-shirt rippled into place. Unthinking, she reached out and traced a gentle finger over the hard ridges that made up his chest.

  He caught her hand in one of his, holding it away from him. “What would you say if I told you the rest was real?” he asked quietly.

  Gina laughed, her whole body shaking at the ridiculousness of the idea. She couldn’t help herself. “You’re a werewolf? Sure, and I’m a—“

  Nate was sitting absolutely still, watching her. It was his eyes that were worrying her, though. They’d fixed on her breasts, and the way her nipples had hardened against the abrading sheet. There was something disturbing about his eyes, something she’d almost noticed the night before. It was the absolute focus, something very akin to how a retriever looked when it scented game and pointed. Nothing could shake its concentration, and Nate’s eyes had the exact same look in them.

  Her free hand came up to her mouth, and she felt her eyes widening impossibly more. “You’re…?” she prompted. She suddenly had this very bad feeling that she was about to become someone’s supper, and she needed to know. Now.

  Nate grimaced and nodded. “’Fraid so.”

  * * * *

  Well, at least she hadn’t screamed. That was something. Of course, there was a good chance she was still in shock and hadn’t actually worked out what he meant yet, so he said it again, just to be sure there was no possible misunderstanding.

  “I’m a werewolf. Sebastian, too.”

  “Oh.”

  Damn! She was whiter than the sheet she’d pulled so protectively, so provocatively, around her. He’d been sitting here for hours, watching her move restlessly under the light coverings, imagining those long legs wrapped around his… Hell! He knew exactly what was under that sheet—not only had he been the one to strip her sodden night gown off when they’d got her home, but he’d explored her luscious body very thoroughly only twenty-four hours earlier—and his memory wasn’t making this any easier.