"How bad was I?" Iris touched a bruise on her temple that had faded from a deep angry purple to an ugly bile green.
Evan wanted to tell her that below the blood, dirt, and ripped clothes she was stunning. He needed to tell Iris that below the stench of fear and the vile human males that touched her, she smelled like heaven. But that's not what came out of his mouth.
"You looked like shit warmed over."
"Thanks, you sure know how to make a girl feel good.”
Evan wanted to kick himself in the ass. This woman threw him off balance. Maybe he should let his wolf out to communicate, seeing that every word pushed her farther away from where he wanted her – beneath him. Evan pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out of breath. "Look, I'm sorry. We were worried. I didn’t think you’d make it." See, he was capable of not being an asshole.
Iris narrowed those intriguing emerald eyes, and he scented her rising anger. "You're not the one that woke between two strangers. So excuse the hell out of me."
"What's the big deal? I didn’t hear you complaining when you were fondling me." She may think he was a giant walking sphincter, but she sure as hell liked his body. The return of her arousal smelled a lot sweeter than anger, even if it was blended with embarrassment.
Barron reached over and grabbed his jeans, pulling them up his legs before he stood and showed his bare ass to the room. Iris’s whimper sounded as if she enjoyed the view.
“I'm not sure you can stand long enough to take a shower, so why don't I go run a bath for you?” Barron ambled to the door and looked back and forth between Iris and Evan. “Try not to piss her off."
Evan and Iris looked at each other warily, and it burned that her tension level ratcheted up with Barron’s departure. Were she any other woman, Evan wouldn’t give a shit.
This woman and the hints of the passion, temper, and fiery spirit made Evan want to protect her and make her his.
Walking away wasn’t an option.
Not for him.
The scowl on her face and the small lines between her brows made him want to laugh. His sweet little Iris didn’t understand how much Evan relished a challenge, and he never lost.
Chapter 4
Iris studied the stunning blond trying his best to ignore her. That never seemed a problem in the past.
Damn, it should be criminal for a man to be that scrumptious. And to wake between these two men? Maybe her luck was finally about to improve.
What she didn't get, was why he was so damn hostile.
Turning her head to avoid staring, was far more difficult than it should have been. Iris wanted to jump out of bed and take a bite out of that tight ass hiding beneath those black boxer briefs.
This bedroom felt homey and warm. The oversized pine furniture looked well-made and super expensive without being flashy. It looked like furniture the next three generations could use.
Wow, a log cabin. Iris focused so much on the furniture, she’d overlooked the knotty logs forming the walls and ceiling.
Back when she believed dreams come true, Iris always imagined a cozy cabin in the woods.
Her gaze drifted to the large window taking up two thirds of the wall. From the view out it looked like they were in the middle of nowhere. Under normal circumstances this would rock. No people, no pollution, and no crazy people trying to steal you.
Not that she hated living in downtown Portland. Iris enjoyed it most of the time. The only two people she’d ever needed were her best friend and...
Iris sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes together.
Oh my God, here she was lying in the bed like Goldilocks, as her sister Rose and best friend Sherry suffered unimaginable horrors. Unfortunately, Iris could imagine those horrors considering the ass-hats that kidnapped them reveled in the telling of what their futures held.
She had to find them. Iris didn’t know how, but if it took a rest of her life she would find them.
"Are you in pain?" Evan approached the bed silent as a wraith.
"No, I'm fine.” Iris shook her head, rubbing the center of her chest in little circles. A harem of hunky men, or zillion comfy beds could heal the ache in her heart. She never be whole again until her girls were safe.
"Remember the whole lying thing? Don't do it, not with me."
He sat on the chair next to the bed, and she wished like hell he put clothes on - at least shirt. How did he expect her to concentrate with him sitting there looking like that?
“Tell me what's wrong."
"When you tell me why you being such a jerk." He made a low sound that made her amphibian mind scream a command to run, to flee because the big bad would get her.
"Damn,” Evan stabbed his fingers in his dark blond hair. “Don't be afr –"
"What the hell?"
Barron crashed into the room and she and Evan turned and stared. He burst the room as if he planned to destroy it one log at a time.
Holy crap.
“What. Did. You. Do?"
He no longer looked hot and hunky, the man looked downright menacing.
She so had to get out of here. The last thing Iris wanted was to wind up in the middle of their special brand of crazy.
Iris edged to the other side of the bed, farther away from those two. When she realized that she had two problems. First, she couldn't get out of madhouse without getting past them. Second, running through the forest rocking polka-dots wasn’t practical.
The growls and snarls hammered into Iris’s head just the precariousness of her situation. "What are you?" She whispered, not expecting an answer.
It occurred to her that’s how Barron knew something was wrong, and Evan knew before she lied. They did the whole crazy scent thing.
Not again. Iris felt her breathing shift into needing a paper bag territory.
No way in hell would she allow another set of shifters control her life. It didn’t matter how damned hot they were.
Since she'd awakened, Evan’s expressive face displayed a range of emotions. The revulsion marring it now was one she hoped never to see directed at her again.
"This is rich." Evan snorted before speaking again. " Your kind put you in this situation, not us. So cool it with that crap."
"Wait a minute, those dirt bags that kidnapped me and my–" her mouth snapped closed. She wanted to defend humans, tell him that men cherished for their women and would never do such a thing.
But why lie? No group monopolized evil. The only thing that mattered, that always mattered, was not what a person was, but who.
"I apologize. That didn't come out right." She looked over at Barron and swallowed. "Is it rude for me to ask what you are?"
He gave her smile, and hot damn if she wasn’t feeling tingly all over.
"Screw this, I'm hungry." Evan walked out of the room ignoring them.
"Does it matter?" Barron walked over by the wall and leaned against it with his hands in his pocket.
Ivy knew he attempted to seem nonthreatening. She appreciated it, but it wasn’t necessary. Holy smokes the man was tie-him-up-and-use-him-for-a-sex-slave hot. How could he seem more dangerous across the room than pressed against her?
Her gaze drifted to his crotch, and she bit her lip remembering how much of him she enjoyed. A rich masculine chuckle ripped her imagination from the gutter.
Busted.
The flare of his nostrils reminded her they scented every damned thing. Today should be a big ball of fun trying to keep her raging emotions not to mention her hormones under control. Not the easiest thing, especially the way these two made her imagine rolling over and exposing her belly.
And a few other tender parts.
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Grizzly." He watched her as if waiting for her to flee screaming. Instead, she spotted a shirt on the only chair in the room. Now to figure out how to reach it without exposing every roll and bump.
Screw it.
They already knew how she looked. Sucking in a deep breath and jutting her chin up,
His expression had nothing to do with disgust. He looked at her as if she were Cleopatra reincarnated. And that might be more dangerous than their fangs, fur, and claws.
“I'm not like that. What I said, it came out wrong." Iris didn’t think she’d ever forget the look on Evan’s face. Shame and regret churned in her stomach.
“Okay.” Barron pushed off the wall and motioned to the door. "Let me show you to the bathroom."
"Thank you. For everything. I really appreciate it. Once I get cleaned up and eat, I'll be out you guys’ hair." Better yet, you’d be more fun to taste than any meal.
Oh, she needed a shower, a frosty one.
Iris took a step and winced, she might not be leaving so soon after all.
Chapter 5
Now that they had Iris settled in a relaxing hot bath, Barron and Evan worked on dinner. The clang of pans, the dull thud of knives, and the pungent scent of Evan's annoyance filled the kitchen.
"What the hell is going on with you?" Barron shoved a beer at his friend and waited for an answer. He'd never seen Evan this agitated or short tempered, especially with a woman. Barron found it amusing.
Perhaps he shouldn't question it, because the more Evan pissed Iris off the better chance he had with the woman. Call him a prick, but he wanted Iris, with or without Evan. If Evan screwed this up for himself, that was on him.
Evan tilted the bottle back, drinking almost half the bitter brew before answering. "I don't know." He paced around the large open kitchen and stopped at the butcher block center island. "She's making me fucking crazy."
"You could always leave."
Evan pressed his palms against the island, the muscles in his forearms flexing. "You'd like that wouldn't you?" A low warning growl rumbled in his throat.
Shit.
"Talk to me." Barron knew most people saw him as laid back and relaxed. But they didn't know is how fiercely he worked to keep himself in check. Oh, he could be a scary fuck when he needed.
Too bad Evan's little show of aggression did nothing more than poke horny bear.
Not good.
Not with Iris already afraid of them. If he and Evan were alone, they'd release this aggression the old-fashioned way, with fists. A few bruised knuckles, a black eye or bloody nose, and all was right with the world again.
"She looked at me like I was some kind of animal." Evan stared at the table, exhaling a loud breath.
"I hate to break it to you, but kinda are." Barron chuckled, as he turned to the refrigerator and pulled the makings for the salad out and sat them in front of Evan. "If you’re going to stand there whining, you might as well make yourself useful."
"Yeah, that’s easy for you to say since for some stupid reason she thinks you're harmless."
"I wouldn't exactly call him harmless." Iris walked into the kitchen, her feet bare and her legs peeking out from beneath a shirt Barron recognized as Evan's. "He's dangerous in a different way."
Barron couldn't believe neither of them heard her coming. They were so wrapped in their macho possessive bullshit he didn't consider she’d eventually leave the luxury of his whirlpool tub.
"I didn't see my clothes, I hope you don't mind."
As far as Baron was concerned, she didn’t have to wear anything more than her skin. His cock hardened, and he grinned. It's probably a good thing she didn’t show up naked, or she’d be the main course.
And dessert.
"That bath was heavenly." She walked to a wooden block holding a set of knives, unaware and unaffected by the two men watching her. "Do you have another cutting board and a salad bowl?"
"You should rest." Evan looked surprised when she smiled and took the seat next to him.
"I'm a little battered and bruised, but I can still cut vegetables." She looked over at Barron and tilted her head. "What type of laundry detergent do you use?"
"Why do you ask?" Barron grabbed another knife, the large teak salad bowl, and a cutting board and placed them in front of her and Evan. "Are we going to be swapping recipes next?"
Just because he liked the comforts of home, and wasn’t a slob didn't make him weak. Baron was a bear, not a little pussycat.
Iris laughed the sound rich and sinful like a bowl of melted caramel. Barron’s bear sat up, and rolled over on his back for a belly rub. The man would like to be on his back, but it wasn’t his stomach he wanted her touching. He was in big, big, trouble.
"No need to get insulted, big guy." She pressed her lips together, but they continued to twitch. "Everything smells so good.” Iris pulled the collar over nose and inhaled, closing her eyes as the scent filled her lungs.
Barron wanted to punch something, or better yet, someone.
The smile on Evans face would light half of Sacramento. "Yeah if you think that smells good –"
Oh, hell no.
A few seconds ago Barron almost felt sorry for the ass wipe. Not now. "Is it the only thing that smells good to you?" Things like scents didn’t affect humans like this. His little Iris responded more like a potential mate than a human.
"See, that's just it.” Iris picked up a knife and chopped a cucumber with the deliberateness of a surgeon. "This will sound really strange."
She turned Evan and asked. "Could you start the lettuce please?"
Evan stared, sitting motionless.
"I can't explain it. Typically I’m more of a visual person. But this shirt smells like the best piece of chocolate cake you've ever had in your entire life.” Iris looked up at him, a flush on her pale cheeks. “Does that make sense?"
"Absolutely." Evan sat on the stool next to her, lettuce and everything else forgotten. "It's like something dark and dangerous that you want to put in your mouth and savor. Then once it's gone, you'll never be able to get anything so delicious again."
Iris dropped the knife and the cucumber and clapped her hands. “That's it."
Barron couldn't watch, didn't want to see his friend bond with his mate right in front of them. Maybe he wasn't as good a man as he thought. He loved Evan like a brother, more than a brother. And he wanted him happy, but did it have to be with Iris?
Barron walked to the stove to check the pot of boiling potatoes and stabbed one with a fork.
"See, the weird thing this shirt smells like a dark dangerous desert, you know like something I’d eat myself into a food coma with."
"That's not a bad thing. Everybody needs something sweet in their life." Evan rested his elbow on the island and leaned closer to Iris.
"Yeah, I'll give you that. But while this shirt is like dessert, when I smelled the robe Barron left by the tub, now that was a meal."
She had his attention now. Barron walks to her other side, leaning his hip against the island. "Go on. Tell me about the robe."
"I think that my head injury maybe a little worse than I thought, because oh my God." With a fluttering motion, she gestured her hands down the front of her body and shrugged. "You can probably tell I like to eat. In my book, incredible food and mind blowing sex are the best things on the planet."
Iris paused and her face and neck flamed red, then she shrugged and chuckled. "Please tell me I didn't use my outside words." Both men nodded, and she shrugged again. "Oh well, it's not like you guys plan to hold me hostage and use me as a sex slave."
Barron and Evan looked at each other in silent communication. If Iris thought she was leaving after those words, she was sadly mistaken. He may not know which of them she will wind up with, she would not be leaving this cabin unmated.
"Anyway, it was like the world's best comfort food on a blustery winter night. Honestly, I felt like I was on sensory overload, so I left it behind."
Iris resumed chopping vegetables, unaware she’d just rocked their worlds. Both men stared at her like she was a hapless gazelle happily munching grass in the middle of a herd of hungry lions.
"So what's for dinner?"
Chapter 6
After the feast they’d consumed, the satiated trio sat out on Barron’s deck enjoying the evening. The shades of orange and crimson painting the gentle summer sky calmed Iris’s scrambled mind. A mind scrambled by the circumstances of her arrival, and the men sitting with her.
Why couldn’t they be less gorgeous, maybe even assholes? Dinner was a casual affair, and the guys tried to keep things light, but the subtle tension of unanswered questions filled the room.
Iris needed to leave. It would be too easy to stay and allow them to take care of her. A luxury she only vaguely remembered from when her parents were alive.
Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, Iris enjoyed her last night before she hit the road. As far as a comfy place to recuperate and rejuvenate, this couldn’t be a better setting.
No doubt Barron built his cabin with comfort and security in mind. Unless rock climbing ninjas attacked, the front of the cabin remained the lone approach. Calling this a cabin seemed like an insult. Despite the rustic building materials, it lacked no modern amenities.
But surrounded by these majestic redwoods and glorious vistas, Iris would live in a tent without complaint.
Iris imagined herself sitting out on this deck in the mornings eating breakfast, or curled up with a book. She wished she had her pencils with her so she could capture the wild splendor.
Which would she draw, the landscape or the men?
"I could sit out here forever." Iris sipped her coffee and leaned back against the sturdy redwood chair.
"You like it?" Barron's warm eyes widened as he waited for her response.
“I know I haven't quite been forthcoming, but this..." Iris returned to her study of the majestic redwoods covering the valley below them, and appreciating the peacefulness of nature’s symphony she exhaled through pursed lips. "This I wouldn’t lie about."
"You wouldn't mind living in the middle of nowhere?" Evan sounded surprised.
"No, I wouldn't. I would kill for this kind of quiet in Por–"
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