Wrapped Up in Stripes

by Sarah Marsh

  Chapter Eleven

  “You’re grinning like the cat that got the cream.” Julie turned to Heidi as soon as they were alone in the elevator. “How was your cabana-bang?”

  “Julie!” Heidi laughed. “I did not have sex with them in there, sheesh.”

  “Why not?” Her friend looked confused.

  “Well, mostly because they shut me down as soon as I went for their pants.” But the smile on her face only got wider. “They said, and I quote, our first time will be romantic and special because that is what I deserve.”

  Julie just stared back at her for a minute, then she smiled back. “Wow. They really said that?”

  “Yup.”

  They didn’t speak for the few minutes that it took to get back to their room. Heidi thought Julie was being uncharacteristically quiet, given what had happened this afternoon.

  “So … do you think these guys are the real deal, then?” Julie finally asked quietly.

  Heidi fell back on the bed with a sigh. She’d be lying if she hadn’t asked herself the exact same question. Since the first moment she saw both Mason and Wade, there had been something electrifying about them. Being with them felt so natural and so real—was this what it felt like to find your mate? Shit, how would she know … it's not like her father had ever talked to her about it. After her mother had died, he didn’t really seem to want to talk about much of anything. But she understood that he was sad. She missed her mom as well.

  “How do you know if someone is your mate?” she bit the bullet and asked.

  Julie didn’t answer immediately, but when she did, it was with a serious expression.

  “You just know. Touching them is like coming home.” Julie answered quietly, her expression sad. “Your beast inside wants no other, and you would go anywhere and do anything with them, content as long as they were beside you.”

  Alarm bells were going off in Heidi’s head at Julie’s oddly specific explanation and even more so, the fact that it made her stoic friend sad to talk about finding your mate—something was clearly wrong.

  “Are you okay, Julie?” She sat up on the bed, alarmed. “What’s going on? Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me—have you met your mate?”

  At the accusation, Julie seemed to pull herself together and shake off whatever was troubling her, but Heidi knew her bestie’s fake smile when she saw it.

  “What?” Julie rolled her eyes. “Oh, my God, Heidi, what are you talking about? No, that’s just how my aunts always described it to me. Sheesh—and we were talking about you! Do you think those tall, dark, and tiger-striped bookends are your mates?

  Heidi burst out laughing at Julie’s description of Wade and Mason. But it really was that simple wasn’t it? What was her lioness telling her?

  “Yes … I think they are.” Heidi felt the same surprise as the answer left her lips that registered on Julie’s face. It was true. Heidi was usually a little more cautious in her decision making—Julie was constantly ribbing her for that. But in times like these when it came to claiming one’s mates … shouldn't this be the moment to be bold and take risks? Well, her lioness certainly thought so. She could feel its satisfaction at her declaration.

  “Well, then, I think this calls for the red dress.” Julie winked and grabbed the tissue-wrapped package out of her suitcase, laying it on the bed next to Heidi.

  Watch out, boys. If you think you’re saying no to me tonight, you’d better think again. The red dress conquers all.

  ****

  “What’s wrong with you?” Mason whispered, stepping in front of Wade so the girl at the desk couldn’t see his sudden reaction to her flirting, but Mason knew his friend well enough to see the tension around his eyes.

  “I don’t know,” Wade furiously whispered back, “my tiger doesn’t like her, and it's being a pain in my ass.”

  “Yeah? Well, get it together. I have a feeling she’s going to be nothing compared to the one that’s coming.”

  How right he was. When the elevator opened up and the lithe little cheetah sauntered out to meet them, her eyes lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning. Her dress was so short the entire world would get an eyeful if she walked too quickly, and the neckline was barely high enough to contain the globes currently trying to abandon ship—that push-up bra was definitely working overtime.

  “You must be the gentlemen that Marcy called me about.” Her smile was predatory as she extended her hand in a greeting. “I’m Serena.”

  “Mason and Wade. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Serena.” Mason took her hand and forced himself to place a lingering kiss on the back of it. His tiger was now also becoming an issue—it wanted away from this woman, badly.

  Close up, there were even more things about this female that were odd for a shifter. Her hair was very long, almost to her waist, but there was a strange scent coming from it that Mason could only assume meant she was wearing extensions. Her lips were exaggeratedly plump, and her eyebrows were disturbingly unmoving. Having spent most of his life around mixed shifter and human high society, Mason was no stranger to the look of a woman who spent too much time at the plastic surgeon’s, but he’d never seen a shifter female who had taken it this far. The very idea of a shifter female getting any kind of plastic surgery was seriously unattractive, and Mason couldn’t imagine how her animal half had reacted to having something like that done. The upkeep alone must have been tedious, as a shifter’s metabolism would burn through any toxins introduced to the body such as Botox or various fillers. If it hadn’t been for Serena’s scent outing her as a shifter, he would have assumed she was full human if he’d passed her on the street. How sad that her vanity took priority over being true to her very nature.

  “We were told that you were the woman to speak with to get us set up properly to enjoy all the ship has to offer to its fullest,” Mason winked at her and tried like hell to ignore the snobby yowling of his cat, still causing a ruckus in his head as he laid on the charm. “You certainly are a clever little minx to have come up with such a program.”

  “Well, maybe I can tell you both about it over some drinks and dessert … later tonight?” she blinked those long fake eyelashes at them, and he had to fight the instinct to recoil.

  “Ah, that would have been lovely, pet,” Wade stepped in, running a finger along her arm, “but unfortunately we’ve got plans tonight. How about we meet for a drink tomorrow afternoon, and you can dazzle us?”

  “Oh,” she pouted, her voice taking on a low, sexy timbre, “I’m sure you’d have a better time with me than whoever you plan on meeting tonight. Are you certain there isn’t anything I can do to change your minds?”

  She moved her hand to rest on his chest. Mason had a feeling that she’d do just about anything to change their minds, and the thought had his tiger snarling at him to leave her presence immediately before it did something that they’d both regret—like rip her throat out for daring to touch them.

  “What can we say, dove? I’m certain you would, however, a real man doesn’t go back on his word, and we’ve committed to a dinner companion.” He could see a flash of irritation in her eyes at their refusal, so he took a chance and sweetened the pot to make sure that she didn’t cancel. He had a feeling that if they played Serena just right, her ego would cause her to tell them everything they needed to know about this little wristband scam.

  “Why don’t we meet at the Black Cat, say 2:00?” He knew when her smile returned with the name of the popular BDSM club on the ship that she was anticipating more than just a few drinks.

  “Perfect.” She leaned closer in, her cloying perfume wrapping around him like a parasitic vine. “I have a table there under my name. If you arrive early, just tell the bartender you’re meeting me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “That was the hottest shower I’ve ever had in my life, and I still feel dirty after speaking with that female,” Wade grumbled, straightening his tie in the reflective surface in the elevator. The entire encounter wit
h her had been excruciating. After finally finding their mate, his tiger had reacted poorly to flirting with another female—even if it was just pretend. Their animal natures truly didn’t understand the need to ever be duplicitous.

  His mood was quickly improving as they made their way down the hall to Heidi and Julie’s room. Mason knocked, and when the door opened and Heidi’s smiling face came into view, all the unpleasantness of the afternoon faded away—and then he looked down … and every other thought in his head faded away as well.

  She was a goddess standing there in a red dress, her long blonde hair curling around her shoulders in light waves. Her creamy skin was radiant against the silky deep-red material, and boy, was there a lot of skin. The dress had tiny halter straps going around her neck, the plunging neckline showing off her shoulders as well as the perfectly supple breasts that Wade knew fit his hands just right. The material gently hugged her tempting hips and then fell gracefully around her legs almost at knee length. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his life, and as soon as they claimed Heidi for their own, he was going to find out where she bought this dress and order one in every single color—because this one wasn’t going to last through the night.

  “Hi,” she smiled almost shyly at them, her minimal makeup letting her natural beauty shine through. He loved the fine spattering of freckles over her nose, brought out by the afternoon’s sun.

  “Dear Gods, Heidi, you look stunning.” Mason took her hand and kissed it, then turned her in a circle so they could see all of her.

  Fuck. Wade nearly choked on his tongue when he saw that the back of the dress was simply those tiny strings holding it up at her neck, crisscrossing all the way down until it met in a bow at the top of her ass—now all he could think about was reaching out to untie that bow so that they could play with their present underneath.

  “Do you like it?”

  “Like it?” His eyebrows must have been hitting his hairline at this point. “Darling, I think we can safely say that neither one of us has seen anything in our lives that we liked more than this dress—except maybe what's under the dress.”

  He winked at her, and the trill of laughter that bubbled up was magical, but the blush that rose to her cheeks charmed him even more. Their mate was so deliciously sweet, she had no idea how beautiful she was … how utterly hers they already were.

  They made their way back down to the fine dining room, and Wade found himself hypnotized more than once by the sway of that red dress over her luscious backside. A few other males had given their delicious mate lingering glances, and he’d sent them warning looks as he’d placed his hand on her back, mirroring Mason’s on the other side.

  The waiter seated them at a small secluded table, just as Mason had requested. In the glow of the candlelight, Heidi looked even more radiant.

  “So, what do you think of the ship so far?” she asked, taking a sip of the wine Wade had chosen. He wondered if she realized that she made a small ‘mmm’ sound after every taste—it was utterly adorable.

  “It has surpassed our expectations utterly.” Mason winked at her and raised his own glass, causing her to laugh once again.

  “Where are the two of you from? You didn’t tell us this afternoon.”

  “We live in Columbia most of the time, but we’ve got offices in San Francisco and New York as well,” Mason answered truthfully, though Wade knew he wouldn’t go into detail until later when they had some privacy.

  “Wow, that sounds important.”

  He could hear the surprise in her voice, along with a little hesitancy—which only made her more attractive in Wade's eyes. Over the years, they’d had so many women chase after them because of their wealth and status, it was refreshing to not see dollar signs light up in a companion's eyes when they realized that Mason came from money.

  “Mason is rather important,” he winked at her. “I’m just his muscle.”

  “And what lovely muscles they are.” She reached out and traced her finger along his tanned forearm, then she did something that completely took him by surprise—their sweet little lioness winked back at him.

  “Why, darlin’, are you flirting with me?” He gave her a coy smile.

  “If you’re too daft to recognize it, then she shouldn’t waste her flirting on you,” Mason gently took her hand and placed a lingering kiss on the back of it. “She can concentrate all of her flirting on me.”

  “Oh, I think I might have just enough flirting for both of you.”

  Her giggle after the words left her lips made Wade think that the alcohol was taking effect. “I think we’d better get some food into that delectable little body of yours, baby.” He flagged down the waiter and they placed their orders.

  The rest of the meal went by in a blur of teasing touches and lingering smiles. He couldn’t have said exactly what they’d talked about, but the conversation seemed to flow so easily between the three of them, almost as if they’d known Heidi all their lives. Their mate was smart as a whip and clearly had a heart of gold, but she was also no pushover. She was a strong and competent female, and he had a feeling once they got her out of the small town of Blue Valley, she would blossom into a woman to be reckoned with—Goddess help them all once Mason’s mother took her under her wing and Wade just knew that Hannah Veris was going to love their little lioness.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Heidi was beginning to realize as dinner wound to an end that she was pretty much hammered. She wasn’t used to drinking wine, and the special pairings the boys had chosen to go with their meal courses had been so delicious. But now she found her mind wandering to naughty places every time her eyes met either Mason’s sexy golden gaze or Wade’s smoldering green eyes.

  They’d ordered coffee and a piece of chocolate cake, which the men seemed to enjoy taking turns feeding her. It seemed like they were fascinated watching the fork leave her lips with each bite and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t draw it out a little just for them. All night there had been so many small points of seemingly innocent contact. Wade’s thigh brushing up against her own under the table, Mason tucking a wayward curl of her hair behind her ear as he leaned in to whisper something. If one man wasn’t holding her hand, the other usually was. There had been several times when one of them had placed his hand along her lower back, teasing the bare skin between the strings of the dress, causing goose bumps to erupt over her entire body. Each touch in itself was lovely, but layered up over the hours they’d been sitting here, they’d become a powder keg just waiting to be lit inside of her—and good Goddess, did she want to blow.

  “Do you like to dance, Heidi?” Mason leaned in to ask her, his breath tickling the delicate skin just under her ear.

  “I love to dance.”

  “Why don’t we go next door, then?” Wade held out his hand for her and gestured to a set of ornate doors out past the restaurant’s exit.

  She was intrigued when they left the restaurant, expecting a dance club to be on the other side, but when they stepped into a dimly lit lounge playing low, mellow music, Heidi was pleasantly surprised. Quite a few couples already swayed slowly on the dance floor while others canoodled in small, intimate booths.

  “Why don’t you take Heidi to sit, Wade? I’ll go get us some drinks.” Mason headed for the bar at the other end of the room while Wade led her to a booth just barely large enough for the three of them. He slid in close beside her and she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face when he gently took her hand once again and grinned at her. Wade was so handsome, he almost took her breath away.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, and she loved the genuine curiosity she could see in his open expression.

  “Hmm, that I may have had too much to drink.” She laughed quietly and was relieved when Mason set down three bottles of sparkling water in front of them.

  “Which is why you can drink this after you’ve danced with me.” Mason smiled and held out his hand to help her out of the booth. “I requested a song just for you.�
��

  He led her onto the dance floor, and when she recognized the beginning of the song, she smiled as he pulled her close. The lyrics to Brett Eldredge’s “Wanna Be That Song” were the perfect choice for this moment. Heidi had never realized how wrong for her every other man she’d ever met had been, until she’d met Wade and Mason. They had to be her mates—how could this feeling be anything else?

  “How did you know I loved this song?” She pulled her head from his shoulder to look into his eyes.

  “Lucky guess for a small-town girl.” His arms pulled her even closer until she could feel the heat from his body seep into her own. “Besides, it's one of my favorites, too.”

  “Do I get to cut in, or are you planning on hogging her all night?” She heard Wade’s voice from close behind her.

  She could feel him close. Heidi loved how safe she felt wedged in between the two of them, and when Mason leaned in by her ear to speak softly, she wasn’t expecting the words that came out of his mouth.

  “I plan on trying to hog her for an entire lifetime, my friend.”

  She gasped as his meaning became clear.

  ****

  Mason’s cock went instantly hard when Heidi’s sweet red lips parted in surprise at his comment. Everything she did at this point had him hard and aching—it was time to lay everything out on the table.

  “You know what this is between us, love,” he continued, “don’t you? You’re our mate.”

  Her soft blue eyes met his and he could feel her chest rubbing against his with every deep breath she took.

  “I … I hoped,” she seemed to stumble over the words. “I mean, I’ve never felt this way before. What I feel when I touch the two of you.”

  “We feel the same way, baby.” Wade softly kissed her neck, and her eyes slid closed as she groaned in pleasure.