Brooke, Leah - Panthers' Prey [Black Panthers 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Leah Brooke

  The amusement in James’s eyes flared for just a second before he clenched his jaw, moving to the railing. With both hands gripping it so tightly his knuckles appeared white, he bent his head and sighed.

  “If that’s not a provocative statement, I don’t know what is. If I was you, I’d be careful throwing too many of them out there.” Turning his head, he shot a glance at Marc. “It’s both of us for sure.”

  Nodding, Marc stared out toward the woods. “I’ve got to talk to Leland. It seems that life’s about to get very interesting.” He glanced back at her, his contemplative tone making her a little uneasy. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but firmed his lips instead and turned away.

  Although the two men kept their distance and spoke to each other, she could feel their attention on her. It was like a living thing, surrounding her with an awareness that electrified the air and that both warmed her and alarmed her.

  The connection that had given her such comfort and pleasure just moments ago now unnerved her.

  Marc shared another of those unreadable looks with James before turning his attention to her.

  “As soon as we eat, we’ll take you to your car and fix your tire. Then you can be on your way.”

  Bailey nodded, ignoring the tinge of hurt that she had no business feeling.

  “Thank you. I’d like to get to town and notify the police. I don’t want that maniac doing that to another woman.”

  Lifting his head, Marc grimaced, his eyes hardening.

  “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. They already know. Brown said he’d be back. He didn’t waste much time. He’s coming down the road now. Persistent as always.”

  He turned and walked away, going back into the house through another nearby door off the deck and into what Bailey assumed was the kitchen.

  Aware of James’s probing look, she stared after Marc, once again struck by the powerful figure he made. He always seemed to be scowling, but she didn’t think she’d ever forget the softening of his expression and the look of fascination in his eyes right before he kissed her.

  Or the incredible need in his eyes right before he’d spread her thighs wide and used his mouth on her.

  Squirming at the tingling in her clit the memory provoked, she swallowed heavily, thankful that the rawness in her throat had eased some.

  Once Marc disappeared from view, she snuck a glance at James, forcing herself to remain motionless under his steely stare.

  “I’m not usually like that. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.”

  James smiled, a half smile that didn’t match the turmoil in his eyes.

  “I don’t think there’s anything usual about any of this, honey.”

  She glanced toward the trees and shrugged, not knowing what to say to that.

  “I’m sorry for all the trouble. I appreciate that you and your friend helped me last night.”

  His eyes narrowed. “My friend? Do you mean the man who sucked your clit into his mouth and made you come? The man who almost made you come just by kissing you? We have names, Bailey. You were in our arms only a few minutes ago, and if it hadn’t been for the reminder that you were hurt, the three of us would be in that bed burning up the sheets right now.”

  Staggered to realize the truth in his words, she turned away to hide her burning face. Even now, she knew that if either one of them touched her, she’d be a willing participant for whatever decadent pleasure they could dream up.

  The knowledge didn’t sit well with her at all.

  Staring out toward the woods, she pushed her still-damp hair back, unsurprised that she didn’t feel the cold at all.

  “Christ, I don’t even know you. I can’t explain what happened, but I’m not like that. Maybe the stress of last night or something.”

  “Bullshit.”

  It made her feel better that he seemed just as shaken. Biting back a smile at his bluntness, Bailey looked up at him curiously.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you—how did you find me last night?”

  His eyes hardened, making him look so dark and dangerous, she had trouble believing he was the same man who held her just moments earlier. He blinked once, and his expression became shuttered, leaving her feeling bereft and cold that he’d closed her out so easily.

  “We just happened to be in the woods and heard you. How the hell did you end up in the fucking woods at night?”

  She knew there had to be more to it than that, but before she could ask, Marc appeared, his wide shoulders filling the doorway to the kitchen.

  “Good question. Bailey, your breakfast is ready, and Officer Brown is waiting to talk to you.”

  Noting the emphasis he placed on the policeman’s name and sensing disapproval in his tone, she eyed him curiously as she got to her feet.

  James moved fast, crossing the deck and lifting her into his arms before she could protest.

  “You should stay off that ankle.”

  Fighting the urge to curl against him, and inwardly cursing at the warm delight that being in his arms produced, she pressed a hand to his chest, determined not to give in to it and to keep as much distance as possible between them.

  “How did the police know I was here?”

  Marc moved aside to make room for them to enter the kitchen. Running a hand over her hair as they passed him, he smiled faintly when she turned her face automatically, seeking his touch as he searched her features.

  “Evidently, they were already searching the woods for you and had found the man who attacked you. They came by very late, but I guess you don’t remember.”

  James bent to whisper in her ear. “We didn’t undress you until everyone left.”

  Bailey looked up at him through her lashes, keeping her voice low. “Appreciate it, but you and Marc both saw me naked.”

  His sly grin sent a thrill through her, one that irritated her on many levels.

  “Yeah, we did, but you weren’t a hell of a lot of fun. You cursed at us and grumbled a lot.”

  The policeman stood in the middle of the kitchen, his brow going up as he watched James carry her in and settle her into one of the padded kitchen chairs.

  “Ma’am, I’m Officer Brown. Is your name Bailey Knox?”

  Not understanding the hostility in his eyes as he glanced at Marc, she looked from one to the other, trying to figure out what she’d missed.

  Although both Marc and James appeared relaxed, she would swear she could feel the tension emanating from them. Eyeing both of them curiously, she nodded at the policeman.

  “Yes, but then if you were here last night, you already knew that. So, you got the asshole who attacked me?”

  Marc set a steaming plate of scrambled eggs in front of her, his lips twitching.

  “Eat.”

  The officer frowned, apparently not liking her forwardness, or the fact that she dug into her food instead of giving her full attention to him.

  She didn’t care. It smelled delicious, making her empty stomach growl, and she saw no point in waiting.

  Officer Brown eyed her breakfast, glanced toward the counter where Marc stood and sighed.

  “We found your car. One of our officers drove by there last night and actually found two cars. There was a man in one of them, passed out and cut up good. The other car was yours. You wanna tell me what happened?”

  Stunned at the tone of the cop’s questions, Bailey could only blink at him for several long seconds before anger kicked in. Furious, she jumped up, slamming her hands on the table, only to be caught by James, who lowered her back to her seat.

  “I told you to stay off that foot.”

  Bailey brushed off his concern, and his hold, and jumped up again, leaning over the table to face Officer Brown squarely.

  “If he’s going to accuse me of cutting him up, I’ll go down to the hospital with my baseball bat and—”

  Marc pushed her, gently but firmly back down to her seat and set a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice in front o
f her.

  “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold.” The steel in his tone raised her hackles, but she looked up in time to see his lips twitch.

  Before she could say anything else, Officer Brown leaned toward her, his eyes narrowing in anger.

  A low sound had the cop snapping his head in Marc’s direction. Red crept up his neck at the cold fury in Marc’s eyes. Shooting a glance in her direction, he cleared his throat, pulling out a small pad of paper and a pen.

  “You’d better not be going to that hospital threatening anybody, young lady. He didn’t say anything about you cutting him. Says a panther attacked him. Did you, uh, see or hear anything that you think you should tell me?”

  Bailey blinked at the hesitancy in his tone and looked at both Marc and James, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She could literally feel the tension and sharpened awareness from both of them.

  Unable to make sense of it, she started to ask about it, but some instinct warned her to keep her questions to herself. Keeping her eyes on the officer, she reached for her coffee.

  “Yes, a crazy man running after me and trying to kill me. Did you say a panther? Like a real panther? Like a panther you would find in a zoo?”

  A slight chill went through her when Marc and James both stiffened.

  The officer nodded grimly and flicked a hostile glance at Marc. “Yeah. We’ve heard stories of a black panther wandering around these parts for years—just haven’t been able to catch it. Get reports of one being seen every now and then, but it’s never attacked anyone before. Don’t know if it’s the same one or not. I can’t have a panther roaming around in my woods.”

  “Actually, they’re my woods.”

  Hiding a smile at Marc’s proprietary tone, Bailey turned in her seat and scanned the woods behind the house, the horror of the previous night crashing back.

  “You’re serious? A real panther? How about that man? You said that he told you it was a panther. So, he’s alive. Did he tell you he attacked me? Did you arrest him?”

  The officer tapped his pen on the table, his eyes hardening.

  “He’s in the hospital and not going anywhere. Did you see the face of the man who attacked you?”

  Bailey sipped her coffee, ignoring Marc when he pushed the plate of eggs closer.

  “Faintly. It was getting dark. I had a flat tire. I was in the middle of changing it when that man came along. He offered to help and I told him I appreciated it, but that I could change it by myself. It was getting dark, and I just wanted to get to town. He said he couldn’t leave a woman stranded on the side of the road. The next thing I knew, he grabbed me and tried to hit me. I ducked and got away. If I’d been able to get to my baseball bat, he would have limped away with a few broken bones. Did you find the gun? That bastard shot at me.”

  James came to stand behind her, dropping a hand on her shoulder.

  “You’re safe now.”

  At the warm sensation that flowed over her, she stiffened, only to have James rub her shoulders until she unwillingly relaxed again. She turned her head to look at Marc as he lowered his big frame into the seat next to hers, remembering that he’d said the same thing to her only an hour ago.

  His eyes softened, a faint smile tugging at his lips, making it obvious he also remembered that—and what had happened just a few minutes afterward.

  Smiling at the shared memory, she swallowed heavily, inwardly cursing that her cheeks warmed and turned back to the policeman.

  “I ran into the woods, hoping to escape him. I was so mad at myself for not jumping in the car as soon as he got there, and my bat was in the trunk. I thought if I could hide behind a tree, he would eventually give up and leave.”

  Wrapping her now cold hands around the coffee cup to warm them, she stared down into it.

  “I’m fast, but he was faster. I couldn’t get enough distance between us to hide. The longer we ran, the madder he got. It was getting dark. The leaves were slippery and the roots from the trees were everywhere. I tripped and fell. He landed on me and I couldn’t breathe.”

  The panic and helplessness she’d felt the night before had fear and rage surging inside her again, the remembered horror making it difficult to breathe. She would swear she could feel that bastard’s hands closing off her air. Lifting her hand to her throat, she drew a deep breath, turning away from the almost identical looks of concern on Marc’s and James’s faces.

  “That son of a bitch. He started choking me. I couldn’t fight him anymore.”

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, she blinked back tears.

  “I just couldn’t fight him anymore. The last thing I remember was seeing his face, but it wasn’t very clear.” God, it scared the hell out of her to think about how close she came to dying.

  “That’s enough.” Marc’s voice lashed out like a whip. Turning to glare at Officer Brown, he ran a hand over her arm and drew her closer. “She’s been through enough. You’ve got the guy who attacked her. If you want her to identify him, we’ll take her to the hospital as soon as we go pick up her car.”

  Officer Brown nodded, tucking away his small pad of paper. “We’ll finish this later. I’m just glad the panther didn’t attack you, Miss Knox.”

  Sliding a look at Marc, she nodded. “So am I. I guess these two must have found me before the panther did.”

  He eyed Marc and James skeptically. “You sure you didn’t see anything?”

  James stood, clearly anxious for him to leave.

  “I told you last night that we heard a scream and went to investigate. We didn’t see anyone but her and brought her back here. As soon as she finishes her breakfast we’ll come to town. I’m sure Bailey wants to be on her way.”

  Not understanding the look of anger on his face, Bailey smiled.

  “I’m not exactly going far. I just bought the bar in town. You might have heard of it. Captain’s Den. I’ll be living in the apartment above it.”

  Marc came to his feet and shot a look at James. “Yeah. There’s something going on here that I don’t like. We’re going to have to keep a close eye on Bailey. I don’t think that’s going to be too hard for either one of us.”

  He sighed, his eyes narrowing on her face. “Something tells me it just might become a habit.”

  Chapter Four

  Turning off his motorcycle, Marc sat back and looked up at the new, lighted sign of Bailey’s bar. He’d ridden past the bar many times but had never been inside. He hated being around a lot of people and he hated noise, but he hadn’t been able to stay away any longer.

  He’d avoided her as long as he could, trying to lose himself in his work, but even then, she wouldn’t stay out of his thoughts. The image in his mind had come into focus, and he’d worked long hours into the night bringing it to life.

  Nights when need became so sharp it was unbearable.

  And so he was here, sitting outside a bar, aching to get to her, the lure of her too strong to resist any longer. To test himself, he forced himself to sit there for several long moments, growing more anxious and aroused every second.

  Even at this distance, Bailey’s clean, sweet scent reached him through the assorted smells of liquor, food, and heavy perfume. Her enticing scent made him hard as a rock, his body going tense with the need to get to her. His mouth watered to taste her again, to bury his face between her thighs and make her come over and over and feast on her sweet juices.

  Fuck.

  He hadn’t slept worth a damn all week, even after stripping his bed in an effort to get rid of that delicious scent that had permeated his sheets. It hadn’t worked. Nothing had, and it had begun to grate on his nerves.

  He’d shifted and gone for a run every night, the beast inside him refusing to be suppressed. He still hadn’t completely come to terms with it.

  He and the beast both ached for their mate, an ache that grew stronger the longer he stayed away from her.

  James
stilled beside him.

  “Just smelling her makes my cock hard.”

  Leland Moran, who, as the oldest member of their pack, took it upon himself to look after everyone. He basically bossed them around with the authority and affection of an older brother.

  His expression remained hard as he eyed them curiously and sniffed the air.

  “I don’t smell anything unusual, but then the others didn’t either when my mate was around. Only Diablo.”

  Turning to them, he smiled, a sad smile that gave Marc a bad feeling in his stomach. “Congratulations. Just don’t fuck it up the way we did.”

  Marc lifted his head. “You don’t smell that? Christ, it’s driving me nuts. Are you sure?”

  He’d been tense since Leland arrived, worried that his friend and Alpha would react the same way to Bailey’s scent. He’d had a hard enough time this week coming to grips with the fact that she had the same effect on James that she had on him.

  Bailey also seemed to respond to James the way she did to him, that look of surprised delight mingling with need that nearly took him to his knees.

  His possessiveness of her astounded him, and he sure as hell didn’t want to worry that every panther shifter in his family would want her.

  Leland smiled faintly. “No. I smell her because your place is full of her scent, but trust me, it isn’t to me what it is to you.”

  James slid the kickstand in place and got off his bike, moving to stand on the sidewalk.

  “Don’t look so fucking grim, Marc.” He grinned, looking toward the entrance of the bar. “There are a hell of a lot worse things in life than finding a woman you want to distraction.”

  “I don’t like my decisions made for me.” Anxious to get inside and see Bailey again, Marc joined his best friend, his attention on Leland.

  “Nobody else has ever had this happen to them before?”

  Leland grimaced. “Just Diablo and me. At least now we know what’s going on. And don’t be so fast to push her away just because you can’t resist her. It’s not her fault, and she’s in the same fucking boat.”

  Bowing his head, he shook it before looking up again.