by Marla Monroe
“He’s right, grillo. Emeralds were created with you in mind. The fire in them would look amazing sprinkled among the fiery curls that frame your amazing face. It would be a sin to deny them their greatest wish.” Marco was as surprised as his twin was at the grandiose flattery that had slipped from his lips. He didn’t do niceties. He was much more to the point when it came to females.
She’s not just any female. She’s our female. Mate!
“Mueve tus caderas, sweetness. Walk toward Marco. I want to see your luscious ass sway in those amazing pants. Your body was made to be worshiped.” Rubio didn’t seem to have an off switch when it came to Taylor. Marco now understood why.
“Will you allow us to hold you for just a minute, chiquito?” Marco cringed inside. Even to him it sounded as if he were begging.
“Hold me?” Taylor actually looked confused.
“Yes. We want to touch you and assure that no one will bother you,” Marco explained.
“Ah, you wish to scent mark me like some piece of property you own. You don’t own me, el gato!”
“It’s el felino, Taylor.” Marco took a step closer to her.
“What? Gato is cat. I remember my high school Spanish classes very well.” She took a step back.
Marco smiled as Rubio move behind her. She would back into him if she took another step. Perfect.
“Gato is for a house cat, not a wild cat. I think that you would agree that neither Rubio or myself are domesticated. We are called, el felino, wild and free.” He took that next step in her direction, knowing she would take a step back and into his brother’s arms.
“Wild? Yes, that fits the two of you to a tee.” Her voice sounded husky and inviting, and she took that step back.
Rubio brought his arms around her and nuzzled his face into her neck. “You smell good enough to eat pequeño ratón.”
Her eyes grew wide and slightly dilated as his brother mouthed her neck and the back of her ear. Marco watched as her eyes closed even as she let her head drop back onto his brother’s shoulder.
Gracias a Dios, but she was hot as hell. He could smell her arousal and knew that if he checked, she’d be slick with her desire. Dios, he wanted to check.
“What are you doing to me?” she choked out.
She didn’t pull away or open her eyes.
Rubio kept his eyes on Marco as he ran both hands down either side of her body, pausing only a second at her breasts before dipping to her hips, where he squeezed them before moving back up just as slowly. This time, when he reached her breasts, Rubio slid his hands around to cup them just as he flicked his tongue at her earlobe.
“Holly hell!” Taylor arched into Rubio even as her eyes flashed open.
“Easy, cariño,” Rubio crooned. “It’s all good.”
Marco stepped closer, eager to get his taste before her arousal faded, and she pulled back. He didn’t use his hands, allowing Rubio to gentle her. Instead, he leaned in and rubbed his cheek along hers then around her chin to the other side.
Her scent sent him into a cold sweat in an effort not to drag her away from Rubio and slam her against the wall so he could take her and make her theirs. Just the idea of sliding his dick into her slippery, sweet pussy nearly had him coming in his jeans. There was no doubt he’d have a wet spot on the front of them by the time he managed to back away.
“She smells like the sweetest of flowers, Marco. I’m intoxicated just holding her. I don’t want anyone to get anywhere near her.” Rubio growled out the last sentence in a warning for both Taylor and him.
Marco leaned in again and licked along her lower lip, wanting to suck it into his mouth to tease and torment but knew that would lead to other things, things they couldn’t start right then.
Later.
“It’s time, brother. Give her space so she can regain control. We don’t want her this overcome with other males around. We’ll have to kill some of our friends if they can’t control themselves.” Marco leaned away from her and took several steps back to clear his head of the tempting morsel standing right in front of him.
Rubio nodded and stepped away, as well. He kept one hand at her waist to keep her steady until all of the pheromones in the air dissipated and she could think again. Marco dreaded that moment when she realized what had been happening between the three of them. It was natural and normal for all felines, but he wasn’t sure how their mate would deal with it, with them for that matter.
* * * *
Taylor’s head cleared enough that she could think without the cloying scents of male musk affecting her mind. She really had to talk to them about their teaming up on her like that. She had no doubt now that they were true mates. It was something Taylor hadn’t heard of occurring in her Leap in over twenty-five years. Maybe longer than that.
Until she’d experienced the overwhelming need that had her squeezing her thighs together, she hadn’t believed their claim. The entire time she’d been in the shower Taylor had denied it was true. Even while she dried off and dressed, she’d thought about how to explain to them that she wasn’t their mate and wouldn’t be staying in Central America. All of those plans and ideas swirled away in the ebb and flow of the tide that had her securely tied to two arrogant male jaguars. Well, she wasn’t theirs. They were hers.
She snapped her eyes open and shook Rubio’s hand from her waist. Both males watched her as if she were a rabid crocodile with a friendly smile. Not a bad analogy actually. Taylor smoothed down her blouse then slid her hands down the sides of her slacks before propping her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at them.
“Next time we are going to an important meeting like this, don’t touch me beforehand. It wrinkles my outfit and gives the other males the idea that they go through you to get to me. Maybe in some things, but not business. Do you understand?”
She bit her lips to keep from smiling as both jaguars seemed to shake themselves in an effort to figure out what had just happened. She would need to keep them off their paws if she were to make a go of their mating. Once they managed to hold complete confidence concerning her, she’d lose a measure of control over them. She would need to be in control for this to work. There were, after all, two of them.
She cleared her throat and lifted a brow as she waited for them to settle into some form of normality.
“We like having you wear our scent,” Rubio growled. He took a step in her direction.
Taylor held up one hand. “Your scent will be all over me at some point, and this need to freshen it won’t be necessary. Anything other than business and I won’t fuss—too much—but business is non-negotiable. ¿Entendido?”
Marco chuckled. “Loud and clear.”
“Rubio?” Taylor watched the other male. He was the more volatile of the two jaguars and less predictable than Marco.
“You actually remembered something from your Spanish classes. I’m impressed.” Rubio, the asshole, bowed.
“We have a lot to talk about after this meeting, cariño.” Marco’s statement sounded more like a promise than anything else.
Yes, we do have a lot to discuss. I don’t know how the female jaguars are treated here, but I will be treated with more than sexual respect. I’m a businesswoman who is just as business savvy as any male.
Taylor watched Marco casually lean against the kitchen island as if he hadn’t been as fired up as she’d been only a few seconds ago. A small part of her worried that these two had the same instincts as their cousin jaguars in the wild despite the evidence supporting that it was a true mating. Would they actually settle down to be a family? What about when there were cubs to feed?
Few jaguar males took permanent mates. Even in the US they were well known to play the love-them-and-leave-them game. Few females would deal with them because of it, but still, there were always those who thought they could tame the wildness within them, and they were usually wrong.
Why do I think I will have any better chance at taming one, much less two?
“Whoa, Taylor
. What are you thinking about right now? You’re frowning.” Marco walked over to where she hadn’t moved since they’d stopped playing with her. “We don’t like frowning.”
She shook her head and tried to step around him. Rubio stood in her way this time.
“Talk to us, Taylor. There should never be secrets between us. Our relationship will only work if we’re all completely honest with our feelings.”
Rubio’s voice seemed as steady as Marco’s had. They were in complete control it seemed. It strengthened her case that they wouldn’t be as emotionally committed to their mating as she inevitably would be. Especially when she became pregnant. With miscarriages among her Leap so high, she could only pray that she would be able to carry them to term.
Stop it! I haven’t mated them yet, much less become pregnant. Already they have me wanting what I might never be able to have.
“Taylor?” Marco’s voice held a promise of something if she didn’t comply.
Oddly enough, she didn’t fear him. Not like before. He didn’t come across as angry with her as he’d been with his Felix earlier. That in itself relaxed her worries just a bit.
“How do I know that you will honor the mating if we go through with it?” she finally asked.
“You doubt us?” Rubio’s face tightened so that his eyes narrowed enough that Taylor did get a bit worried.
“Sorry, jaguars have a very trashy reputation in the US. How many of your friends are settled into long-term relationships? How many have actually taken a mate?” she asked.
Rubio sighed as his face deflated. He and his brother exchanged guilty looks. She’d been right. They weren’t going to be able to settle down with just her. Pain started a grumble in her gut even as a sour taste filled her mouth.
“You’re right. Most male jaguars don’t spend any time with a female even when they have their cubs. They are not us. We’ve always hoped to find someone to settle down with and have a family. We love keeping cubs around to play with but want our own.” Marco reached out and took her hand.
Taylor let him.
“The mating only seals this for us. We aren’t the wandering kind. We have a permanent home and had no intentions of ever moving. If our leaders can agree on terms, we will move to America with you. If not, we would want you to remain with us, here, where we have business interests so we can take care of you.”
It stung when Rubio didn’t reach out to take her other hand. He seemed to need coaxing after her assumptions that they would play with her then leave once they’d had their fill. No one could blame her considering the jaguars’ history. Still, the male needed assurance that she didn’t lump him in with the rest.
“I believe you, Marco. Rubio, I’m sorry if I insulted you, but I had good reason to doubt your sincerity, true mating or not.”
Rubio nodded, but the uncertainty hadn’t left his eyes. Truly, Taylor hadn’t believed the male could be hurt. She should have known that beneath all of the bravado and compliments lay the heart of an insecure male. It made her see him and all of his flattery in a different light.
She had no time to coax the laughter back into his eyes with the threat looming over their heads. They needed to see the Felix and set him straight.
Chapter Six
Rubio followed his brother with their mate situated between them as they approached the Felix’s home. He prepared himself for a fight. His brother might think Jag would let them mate Taylor, but Rubio didn’t like the odds. The needs of the many over the needs of a few. Jag had to think about all of his shadow.
The door opened before Marco had lifted his hand to knock. “Sire is waiting for you.” Diaz appeared a little uneasy, which didn’t bode well for them. Rubio prepared himself for bad news and the need to fight to protect his mate.
“I don’t like this,” Rubio muttered under his breath. He knew the other jaguars could hear him, but he didn’t much care.
They walked through the double doors that had been left open today. When they entered the office, Diaz closed them then took his place just to the right and behind their Felix. An uneasy silence settled over them until finally their Felix sighed and shook his head.
“I know Diaz has told you about the mating proposal by the Felix of the leopards.” Jag stood up in one fluid movement then walked around the large ornate desk to pull open a hidden drawer on the end of the desk. Inside appeared to be several envelopes and books. He selected one of the books then closed the drawer.
Instead of sitting back down behind his desk, Jag leaned against the front of it and opened the book. He paged through it for a few seconds then located whatever he’d been looking for. When he looked up, the seriousness in his eyes had Rubio fidgeting, itching to say something, but he managed to keep his tongue.
Marco’s agitation bled all over him though. For once his always-in-control brother stood in the same boat that he did. The threat to their mating had both jaguars protesting the tight control he and his brother had on them. God help anyone who got in their way if they managed to break through.
“As Diaz has informed you, the Felix of the Washington Leap would like to offer it to me, giving us a place to live without the constant pressures of the cartel of the month bearing down on us. In exchange, we would provide protection to those we inherit in the process and there is no bloodshed to accomplish this.” Jag sighed but continued. “At issue is his request that I mate with his great-niece, Taylor, to seal our groups together as a show of good faith. In other words, he believes that if I am married into the family, I’ll be less likely to do away with any of them.”
“I trust that you informed him that was not possible,” his brother bit out.
“Not exactly.”
“Why the hell not?” Rubio spoke up this time. “She’s our mate. A true mating. You can’t possibly plan to deny us that!”
“What I plan is what I plan and not up for negotiations.” The Felix didn’t yell, but the bite in his words spoke for him.
The hairs along Rubio’s skin stood up as their Felix bled power throughout the room. The rage flashing in his eyes, the only other outward sign of his anger with them. Rubio fought his jaguar to restrain himself before he made things worse. When he risked a glance in his brother’s direction, it was to find censure there, as well.
While they’d been arguing, their mate had been strangely quiet. They looked back to where they’d left her standing when they’d walked in to find her gone.
“Taylor!” Rubio turned to open the door to look for her, finding that she’d stepped just outside to use her cell phone.
She paced back and forth as she held the cell phone to her ear. Nothing hid the frown that pulled at the corners of her mouth or the flashing in her eyes that betrayed just how angry she was. The more she listened, the faster her steps.
“I know we had an agreement, but it didn’t include you auctioning me off to the highest bidder! I won’t do it. You can’t make me either. I’ll walk away from the Leap in a heartbeat before I allow you to manipulate me this way.”
Rubio and his brother exchanged glances. Their mate was taking things into her own hands. Jag coughed to grab their attention once again. They were hard-pressed to take their eyes off her.
“I found a reference in the journals of our ancestors that spoke of this,” he began. “If a mate is found that has been promised to another, exceptions can be granted provided the female doesn’t produce a kit after one year.”
“You’re telling us that you would keep her for a year then release her to us after that year is up? No way in hell! She’s our true mate, Jag. We’ll fight for her, leave for her. Why is it necessary for you to take her when you’re willing to take on their Leap without it?” Marco had been silent until this.
“Marco’s right. That’s bullshit. If they need someone to stand for them, they don’t have the luxury to make demands.” Rubio couldn’t believe that Jag was actually taking the Felix’s demands seriously. He was the one with the power in this situation.
“Forget it! I’m not doing it. Either rescind the offer or I won’t be returning home. I’ll stay with my mates here, and you can get by however you can. You think about that and get back to me.”
Their Felix winced when she started to throw her phone against the wall but chose to keep it and throw her purse. Still, something inside the purse smashed by the sound it produced when it hit the wall.
“I take it that didn’t go well,” Marco murmured.
“What made you come to that conclusion?” The sarcasm in her voice aroused his cat, who wanted nothing more than to pounce on her.
“Perhaps you should repeat that, Sire. I don’t think Tayler heard what you said.” Diaz’s smirk set his mate’s anger up a notch higher if that were possible.
Their Felix didn’t seem to care that she was already steaming after her conversation with her great-uncle. He repeated what he’d just told them. Oddly enough she calmed down and seemed to think about it. That upset Rubio’s cat even more. No way would he allow her to mate with Jag. A year was too long to wait regardless. Just thinking about her in Jag’s arms shot red to his eyes and the discolored haze changed the way he viewed everything and everyone in his path.
“Rubio. Control, brother. Calm the hell down. Dios!” Marco’s hold was shaky at best.
Rubio listened to his brother but wasn’t sure how long he could continue to do so. “Fucking shifter politics! When we settled here, you assured us we wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore.”
“If you’d all shut your mouths and listen, I think I have an answer to the situation. Just calm the hell down. Now!” Jag’s deep voice vibrated off the walls.
He and Marcus stilled, reacting to their Felix’s power. Oddly enough, Taylor wasn’t as affected, though she did close her mouth.
“Instead, we turn it the other way around. She is with you for one year, and if she isn’t able to produce a kit, then she would revert back to me.” He rubbed at the back of his head. “Right now they’re holding their breath for the next surge of Felix wannabes. Time is ticking for them.”