by Tamsin Baker
Her shoulders lowered a little, and she loosened her death grip on her bag.
“Um, okay. I’ll agree if we can do this at your parents’ place. It’s not too short notice for your mother?”
“I’ll call to check, but she’s always got plenty of food in the house so I can’t see it being an issue.”
Not to mention the fact she’d be overjoyed that not only had her youngest sons found their mate, but she’d also get to meet her today.
“I’ll call her now. Dylan? You’ll stay with Lacey?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t do anything to scare her off before I get back.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got this.”
Ryan rolled his eyes at his twin’s arrogant tone, rose from the seat and pulled his mobile free of his pocket as he walked a short distance away. While he hit the speed dial for home he glanced back to see Dylan nervously sit next to Lacey. He wasn’t looking at her, instead tapping his fingers on his knee and glancing around. Ryan held back his laugh at seeing his normally overconfident, always in charge twin looking so lost with what to do. He hadn’t strayed far when he heard the call connect.
“Hello, Ryan, what’s up? Dylan didn’t get into another fight did he?”
Ryan grinned. Gotta love caller ID. His mother always knew who was calling now she had it.
“Well, he did, but that’s not why I’m calling.”
Her sigh came over the line like a strong gust of wind, long and forlorn. “Okay, I won’t ask for any more details about it. I honestly don’t want to know. So, what do you need me for? It’s not like you or your brothers to ring home this late on a Friday afternoon.”
“Um, Dylan and I wanted to bring someone around for dinner, and she’d be more comfortable at your place with a few more people around … so, I just wanted to check if that’s okay?”
“She? As in a woman?” His mother’s voice was now high pitched with excitement. Of course, she knew there was only one female he or Dylan would ever bring home to meet the family. “You’ve found your mate?”
He couldn’t hold back the buzz that coursed through his blood or the pride in his voice as he answered.
“That would be correct. She’s a reporter with the Melbourne Herald and is doing a piece on the rescue. She wants to ask us some questions.”
Ryan was being careful about what he said as he wasn’t sure if Lacey could still hear him. He was a little way from her now but hadn’t been able to force himself to go far enough to ensure she wasn’t in earshot.
“What? Oh hell. Okay, bring her over, and we’ll do our best to help you sort this mess out. I’ll go raid the fridge and see what I can come up with to add to what I’ve already got on the go.”
“Who’s at the house tonight?”
He hoped not everyone. He wasn’t sure how Lacey would cope with all seven of their brothers, plus them and their parents carrying on around the dinner table. It resembled a circus most times it happened. Fortunately, now they were all adults and had their own homes on the property, it didn’t happen too often.
His mother chuckled. “You know full well once word gets out that your mate is coming to dinner, they’ll all be here. She is Dylan’s mate, too, right?”
“Yeah, you were right about that.”
“Okay, well you best get back to her and I’ll see you all in a bit. Take your time coming out, though. Give me some time to prepare a full meal.”
He could hear it in her voice how excited she was and imagined as he hung up the phone that she was currently running around the house screaming her joy. Yeah, only one way all his family was going to find out about their dinner guest in the next half hour, and that was via his mother’s big mouth.
****
“You’ve got to be kidding me?”
Lacey’s mouth gaped open as she put her car into park and turned off the engine. She reminded herself that she was only here to follow up a lead on the Cameron Mackenzie story, not to do a full review on the property. Even though the beauty of her surroundings had her brain switching out of gear. This place was incredible!
She opened her door and got out as she stared up at the mansion that was Ryan and Dylan’s family home.
“I know it looks a little overwhelming, but wait until you get inside. It’s just like any other home. With so many kids, they needed a big house. I love how my parents built the house on the highest point of the property so that they could oversee the entire place.”
“Sorry?” Lacey hadn’t been paying attention as she was still mesmerized by the sash windows, massive wraparound porch, and the sheer grandeur of the sprawling, single story homestead.
“Look.” Ryan, or she assumed he was Ryan, due to his calm aura and gentle voice, turned her around so that she now looked away from the house and back toward the way they had driven in. She let out another contented sigh, her shoulders dropping down as though a weight had been lifted off them.
“Wow.” The house was on the top of a rise that had resulted in a breathtaking view that extended for several miles in all directions, which including several other homes that she assumed were their children’s houses. “So, they still look after you guys huh?”
Ryan shrugged and grinned. “They’re pretty awesome parents.”
Tears prickled at the back of Lacey’s eyes and a lump formed in her throat, so she coughed to clear it as she blinked rapidly. What was it about a man who loved his parents that got to her so much? Probably due to the fact that she had such a distant relationship with her own family and the one thing she’d always longed for was the closeness that she could see these men shared with their family.
“So, how old are you two anyway?”
What made her ask that, she had no idea. It certainly wasn’t pertinent to the story.
“Twenty-three.” Ryan grinned, and Dylan sauntered up, knocking his twin’s shoulder roughly with his own. “But I’m older.”
Ryan shoved him back with a super fast reflex. “Yeah, by a whole three minutes.”
Lacey laughed. She couldn’t help it. As an only child with her sort of parents, sibling camaraderie was another thing she had no experience with.
“Cool.”
She stared at the men before her, as her mind began to catalogue the differences between them. Dylan’s face was slightly longer, Ryan’s a bit rounder. Dylan’s lips were curved into a cheeky smile, which flashed the dimple in his left cheek, and his gorgeous brown eyes were bright with humor. Ryan seemed to always be more reserved, more serious, even in his looks. She wondered if he’d have a dimple in his right cheek…
“Hello, boys,” a strong woman’s voice called out. When the twins turned toward her, they spun in opposite directions, and Lacey couldn’t help but chuckle. She glanced up and saw who must be their mother standing on the front porch, a serene smile on her face and white apron in place.
Ryan took Lacey’s hand in his, and surprised by his touch, she tried unsuccessfully to pull free. For some strange reason, within seconds, the warmth of his skin and the feel of his callused palm touching hers, settled her. The waitress had said Ryan was an animal keeper, so he must be like a horse whisperer, assuming animals reacted to him like she just had.
They began walking up to the house, and Lacey’s belly did a nervous little flip, like this was a first date or something, and not the purely professional interview that it was meant to be.
Yeah, but the last few hours haven’t exactly been normal, have they?
“Hello, I’m Maggie Monaghan.”
Lacey was a little awestruck. Maggie was simply beautiful. Everything a mother should be. Her warmth glowed around her like that white ring that surrounds the moon on special nights. It was in her aura, every line of her face, and the naturally dark brown hair which was shot through with grey.
Her cheeks heated as she realized she’d been standing there silent staring like a fool.
“Mum, this is Lacey.”
She twisted to flash a grateful smile at Dylan fo
r saving her as he began to introduce her, and her eyes widening in surprise as he’d spoken. His voice had dropped to such a low level she could only describe it as gravelly. And it made her body tingle in an extremely unprofessional way. What the hell was with that?
He shot her a sideways glance but offered her no explanation.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Lacey. Please, won’t you come in?”
Maggie waved her in, and Lacey ascended the stairs. Ryan finally released her hand, and she clenched it onto her bag as her nervousness resurfaced. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea? She had the strangest feeling that once she entered this home, she’d never be the same again.
She followed Maggie, who she noticed was nicely rounded like herself, through the front door and was instantly hit by a cacophony of noise. It reminded her of when she’d step out into a hot summer’s day, after being in the cold air conditioned office all day. A harsh shock to her system that stole her breath and stilled her mind.
After forcing her feet to move two steps into the house, she couldn’t go any further. The delicious smell of roasted meat and potatoes combined with a raucous amount of laughter and the voices of several men talking. This wasn’t what she’d had in mind. She envisioned one or two brothers, not an army of them! This was worse than meeting the twins alone somewhere.
“It’s okay, it’s just our brothers.”
Ryan’s statement wasn’t reassuring in the least.
“And how many are there?”
Lacey couldn’t make her feet move. She was firmly caught between her fight and flight instincts. Did she stay or did she run while she still could?
“This was meant to be just an interview. I think I’ve made a mistake…”
She began backing towards the door, her heart pounding against her ribs as her feet shuffled on the polished wood floor.
As both twins lunged toward her, they both made strange growling noises in their throats that made her skin tingle, but it was Maggie that reached her first. The older woman slid her arm around Lacey’s and gently began to lead her toward the noise.
She chuckled as she squeezed Lacey’s arm. “Don’t you worry about a thing, sweetheart. You’ll get your interview, and you can sit with me if you like. It’ll be nice to have a little more estrogen around here for once.”
Lacey’s panicking calmed instantly as Maggie’s gentle touch and smooth voice washed over her. Just like Ryan’s touch had done earlier.
“I only came to ask a few questions about Cameron Mackenzie.”
Maggie chuckled again. “Oh, that’s a great story. It has cheetahs and everything. You have to stay so you can hear it all.”
“I knew it! He wasn’t lying!”
Excitement chased away her previous fears, until they stepped through a pair of wooden double doors and the loud chorus of deep male voices stopped as though they were on a switch. Flick, then silence.
Eight sets of golden brown eyes stared at her, all of them belonging to beautiful men.
Lacey’s knees went weak, and Maggie squeezed her tight as she sagged, leaning in to whisper. “Toughen up, love, and you’ll soon be running rings around all of them.”
Maggie lifted her head and continued to drag Lacey toward the large dining room table.
“Everyone, this is Lacey. Lacey, my other seven sons and my husband, Brad Monaghan.”
Nine sons? Bloody hell, as an only child this was so far out of her realm of normal, she couldn’t begin to process it. The older man, the father, stood at the other end of the table before he walked around to them, his brown eyes twinkling with mischief much like Dylan’s had earlier.
“You look like Dylan,” she blurted out, and there was a moment of silence before everyone in the room burst into laughter.
“I sure hope so, Lacey. He is my boy.” Brad’s chuckle was deep and strong, exactly what Lacey had always assumed an alpha male would sound like.
“C’mon, boys, sit down.” Maggie fluttered her hands at her sons, and all nine of them fell into line, or more accurately, into their chairs.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Lacey, and welcome to our home.” Brad Monaghan nodded at her and headed back to his own seat.
“Sit here, Lacey.” Maggie once again tugged her into a chair and indicated to the delicious fair before them. “Don’t be shy now, dig in.”
The men didn’t need to be told twice, all ten of them grabbing at the bowls of pasta and rice salads, forking pieces of cooked meat and sharing around bread and drinks while sliding curious sideways glances at her.
“Here you go.” Ryan exchanged his extremely full plate with her empty one and began filling it. “You’ll miss out if you don’t hurry.”
“Thanks.” Lacey picked up her fork and ignored the interested looks from all of Dylan and Ryan’s brothers. She’d never be able to eat all Ryan had served her, but she’d try. She scanned around the table. They were all well built, tall and handsome. They were a lethal combination for any woman with red blood pulsing in her veins.
Chapter Five
Lacey began eating the wholesome, delicious food, answering the few questions Maggie sent her way. The conversation stayed light, for which Lacey was grateful. At least, until she’d eaten all she could and was about to rest her cutlery down on her plate. It was then, that one of the brothers, a rather cheeky one, looked her way.
“So Mum says you’re a journalist…”
She nodded, heat flaming in her cheeks as every person at the table turned their full attention her way.
“And you’re looking into what happened with that kid Dylan and Ryan saved?”
She nodded again, her belly quivering with nerves yet again.
“So it’s true? That the twins rescued him.”
The smug brother gave her a sexy smirk. “Hell yeah, of course it’s true. It sure as fuck wasn’t the lions. There’s no one else around here that can move the way we do.”
“Max! Language at the table! Don’t think I won’t wash your mouth out with soap just because you’re grown.”
“Sorry, Mum.”
As entertaining as it was to watch a fully grown man cower at his mother’s threat of a forced soap mouth wash, Lacey was stuck on how the men saved the boy while appearing to him as animals. And who mentioned anything about bloody lions? Cameron had said cheetahs…
“And what are you guys exactly?”
“Max, I don’t think that’s your place…” Maggie tried to interrupt again, but this time Max simply continued on over her.
“We’re cheetahs, baby. Fastest and most agile of all the big cats.”
Lacey swallowed hard as a ringing started in her ears. She’d heard this from Cameron but hadn’t thought it actually possible. She decided that a false bravado was the best tact with this particular brother. She was going to fake it ‘til she made it. Especially since no one else was jumping up to help out. The room had gone deathly quiet.
“Really? Well, Cameron did tell me he was rescued by a couple of cheetahs, but I hadn’t thought it was possible. Did a couple escape from the zoo and this is all a cover up for it?”
She looked around the group of now shuffling, uncomfortable looking males when Ryan reached over and put his hand over hers. “No, wild cheetahs would have hurt the boy. Sweetheart, Max is telling you the truth. We’re shifters, more specifically cheetah shape shifters. We can turn into our feline form anytime we need or want to.”
Lacey’s chest felt tight, and her lungs wouldn’t work right. She forced out a laugh, then coughed a little to clear her dry throat. Fake it ‘til you make it, she kept repeating the mantra in her mind.
“Really? I’d like to see that.”
And that was all it took for all seven brothers to push their chairs back and stand up.
“Awesome! Let’s go show her before she changes her mind.”
“May as well get it over and done with.” She heard one of them mutter as they walked past her and out the door toward the front of the house.
&n
bsp; Completely overwhelmed, she turned away from the huge men as she attempted to calm her breathing.
She searched out the twins with her gaze, finding first Dylan then Ryan. Their expressions were ones of shock, yet their eyes sparkled with excitement. Dylan’s jaw was set hard, and Ryan’s mouth was turned down a little.
“Where are they all going?”
“Ah…”
Maggie stood up and motioned to the twins to head out the room. “Looks like this is happening regardless of your plans, boys. You two may as well join your brothers. Lacey, this is going to be one hell of a show that you’ll never forget.”
She looked straight at Lacey and smiled gently. “I hope you’re ready for this, Lacey.”
Acid burned in her belly as it churned, but she managed to push herself to her shaky feet.
“What am I really about to see, Maggie?”
She walked next to the shorter woman, her muscles quivering in anticipation of what was to come.
“The other side of my family.”
When Maggie pushed open the entrance door to reveal the front porch, Lacey’s hand flew to cover her mouth as she gasped in shock. Ten large, spotted cats sat or prowled around the space before her. They all had the cheetah’s iconic black tearstain lines on their faces along with lithe, agile feline bodies.
Lacey choked on a scream as her lungs froze in her chest. She jerked back, and her heart began to pound so fast it was all she could hear.
“No. Im…possible…”
She struggled to speak with her dry mouth and her tongue refusing to work right. One of the cats purred and stepped forward, his golden brown eyes making direct eye contact with hers. She gasped again in horror as she recognized the gaze as Dylan’s—just with more gold and less brown than his human eyes. She stumbled backwards and landed hard against the doorframe, pain splintering through her shoulder as black spots formed before her and grew until they eclipsed her vision.
“No…” Her whisper was hoarse as she struggled to get air into her lungs. I can’t breathe!