by Maia Dylan
“When we met you, it was like the final piece of our future fell into place,” Hunter said quietly but the look in his eyes was intense. “Dane and I are mates, but you are ours and we are yours just as much. I truly believe that if Dane and I had acted on our bond when it first snapped into place, it would have been difficult for the three of us to come together as a true Fated triad like we can now. Does that make sense?”
Xanthe thought about that for a moment. “Yeah, it does,” she said with a nod. “I’m not sure how I would have felt if the two of you were already bonded, mated, and claimed in all aspects before we met. I think I would have always felt like I was the fifth wheel and wouldn’t have known my place in your relationship.”
Hunter grimaced. “As much as it pains me to think that you could ever have any doubts about your place with me and Dane, I can understand that. But, Xanthe, my darling, you are not a fifth wheel. If anything, you are the integral piece that will hold us all together. Without you, Dane and I would never have been able to admit what we are to each other.”
“Which leads us nicely into where your place is in this burgeoning relationship of ours.” Dane’s voice dropped low and Xanthe’s heart rate sped up as her arousal began to spike. “Your place is between me and Hunter. Pressed between us where we can keep you safe and be everything you want and need. Your role will be to love us and let us love you the way the Fates have determined it should be.” Dane grinned wickedly and shot Hunter a look. “And to help me put up with Hunter, who can act all dominant and shit and be really hard to handle when he wants to be.”
Xanthe giggled when Hunter narrowed a glare in Dane’s direction. “Firstly, I don’t act dominant. It’s who I am. And I know you love it, Dane Smith, so don’t try to pull that shit on me. Secondly”—Hunter turned in her direction and the possessive heat in his gaze had her pussy clenching convulsively—”I’ll make it so that you love it too, when I get all alpha on you and my gift for each small act of submission from either of you will be pleasure.”
Xanthe’s mouth dried up as she thought about what Hunter was saying. From what she was hearing, if she was to submit to Hunter, he would gift her with pleasure. Pleasure led to orgasms. Submission equaled orgasms. Done!
“And thirdly—” Hunter shook his head and grinned wryly as he looked between her and Dane. “Between the two of you, I think you will be able to handle me just fine.” Hunter’s words brought images of her physically handling Hunter and the reactions she might invoke within him just through her touch. She shot a look at Dane, and from the desire-glazed need that shone in his beautiful blue eyes, it was obvious that his mind had gone to the same place.
Then her mind substituted her touch with Dane’s and she thought about what it would be like to sit back and watch Dane handle Hunter. First with his hands. And then with his mouth and, hot holy hell, bent over with Hunter buried deep within his ass the two of them slammed together, harder and faster, both of them groaning their pleasure aloud and pushing against each other, desperate to get closer before—
“Ohh God,” Xanthe moaned on a whisper with a shudder. A pulse of pure pleasure rocked through her as her pussy clenched and she flooded her panties. She closed her eyes for a moment, her own heartbeat thundering in her ears. Jesus Christ, she had just had a not-so-small orgasm at the thought of watching her men—her men— together.
Xanthe opened her eyes at the sound of harsh breathing that rumbled like continuous growling surrounding her. When she opened her eyes and looked around her in a slight daze, she saw Hunter and Dane both looking at her, their eyes filled with heat and flashing amber.
“Fuck, Xanthe,” Hunter growled, then inhaled, deeply closing his eyes in pleasure. “You just came then, didn’t you?”
Slightly embarrassed but too shocked to try to come up with a distraction or diversion, she nodded.
“Shit, I can smell your cream, baby.” Dane leaned in and nuzzled her neck, making her shiver. “Your sweet little pussy is just weeping for us, isn’t it, baby?”
“Oh, God, Dane, don’t talk like that,” Xanthe whispered. “You know it is, and I am so embarrassed.”
“Xanthe.” Hunter’s voice came sharply. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. If thinking about something happening between the three of us was so physically arousing to you that you climaxed, then I, for one, am over the fucking moon. But I have to ask you, sweetheart—what was it?”
Xanthe looked between the two and bit her lip. When both men dropped their gaze to her lips, her mouth dried up again. Holy hell, if just imagining them together and thinking about them taking her mouth was enough to get her this aroused, she figured once they actually got naked and onto the nearest flat surface, they might just spontaneously combust.
“Tell us, Xanthe,” Dane’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Tell us what it was we did to you that made you come so quick and so sweetly and I promise we will make that come true for you the first moment we can.”
“It wasn’t what you did to me.” Xanthe smiled wickedly. “It was thinking about the two of you together.” Both men sat back a little as if that had not been anywhere near what they had been thinking. “The thought of the two of you together, touching each other with your hands, your mouths. Mmm, that makes me so damn hot.” Xanthe groaned. “But the image that had me coming so quickly that I drenched my panties was Hunter fucking you, Dane. In my mind, both of you were desperate to get closer, slamming into each other in an almost brutal display of beautiful intense emotions that were mirrored so perfectly in your faces that I couldn’t help but go over with you.”
Xanthe almost giggled out loud at the comical look the two men shared. Both their jaws were clenched and their eyes were true amber. Obviously the imagery of what she had thought about had a potent and, since both men were fidgeting slightly in their seats, a physical reaction.
“Jesus,” Hunter growled.
“That’s it! I have a limit and I have just fucking reached it!” Dane stood swiftly from the booth, dragging Xanthe up behind him. “I can’t not touch either of you right now, so we are getting the hell out of here and going home. The picture you just painted, Xanthe, has me so damn hard my dick is in danger of permanent damage at being pressed so hard against the damn zipper of my jeans.”
The three of them strode quickly out of the store, and Xanthe managed to get a simple wave off to Angel, who just grinned and shot her a sassy wink.
“Don’t worry!” Sophia called out with laughter in her voice. “I’ll take care of your store.” And then they were out of the book store, down the stairs, and in Hunter’s truck, all of them sitting in the front seat.
“Last chance, Xanthe,” Hunter said. Xanthe knew he was holding on to what little control he had left. She was feeling the exact same way, so she understood completely. “Tell us to slow down, that you need time to come to terms with being the mate of two bisexual men, one of whom may have a slight problem with needing to dominate you in bed.”
Poor Hunter. He really did have no idea how much the idea of a man taking control in the bedroom was a huge turn-on for a lot of women.
“Hunter?” she asked softly, her voice filled with sultry heat.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Take me home and fuck me the way you want to?”
Hunter shot her a quick glance, then pulled away from the curb with a squeal of tires.
* * * *
“Fucking drive, Hunter,” Dane ordered as he leaned in and nuzzled Xanthe’s cheek.
He was so aroused he was in very real danger of coming in his jeans. Which would no doubt would release the pressure building in his balls, at least for a moment or two, but would result in a ribbing from hell from Hunter and no doubt Xanthe, thinking he was a quick trigger. Both of those were unacceptable.
Dane pressed his lips to the curve of Xanthe’s neck, loving that she arched into his kiss. The scent, taste, and feel of her put his arousal in overdrive and he felt like he was swimming in sensation overload.
It had been one hell of an afternoon, and by the looks of things, was leading to one explosive night! He ran his hand up the inside of Xanthe’s jeans and encountered another hand nestled high on her thigh, almost at the junction of her thighs which had been where he had been heading to.
Looking down, he realized it was Hunter’s hand and as Dane was about to pull his hand back a little, Hunter reached out and entwined his fingers with Dane’s. He looked up and caught Hunter’s grin and couldn’t help but smile back. They had both been so careful not to cross any invisible lines between them, or acknowledge a bond that existed where, as far as the rest of their pride believed, it should never exist.
“If I have to drive, I want to see something I have wanted to see for months now.” Hunter’s voice held a shard of steel that had Dane’s arousal spiraling. “Kiss her, Dane. Show our mate how much you want her. Let her feel how desperate you are to taste her, to love her, and to give her everything she has ever fucking desired in life.”
Dane’s heart began to thunder in his chest at Hunter’s words and when he looked into Xanthe’s eyes, they were slightly glazed with desire. Apparently she was just as affected by Hunter’s tone and thread of dominance that would edge into his voice at times as he was.
“You are so damn beautiful,” Dane murmured as his gaze dropped to her mouth, his dick twitching at the sight of her little pink tongue slipping out to wet her mouth. “Everything about you takes my breath away. Let me love you, Xanthe.” Dane whispered the last five words and when her mouth opened on a gasp he swooped in and claimed her mouth. He swallowed her moan and gave her one of his as the flavor that was uniquely her exploded on his on tongue.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth and swirled it around hers, tangling them in an intimate way that had her shuddering and him growling for more.
“Fuck, that is the hottest damn thing I have ever seen,” Hunter rasped from the driver’s seat and Dane caught the heavy tread of Hunter’s arousal down their link.
“If you think it looks hot,” Dane sent to Hunter down their link, almost dizzy with the excitement of being able to connect Hunter to him and Xanthe through their bond. “Wait until you get your mouth on her. Her taste is so fucking sweet.”
Xanthe nipped him slightly with her teeth and Dane sat back with a groan. Her eyes flashed a little with annoyance and he looked at her in confusion.
“If we are going to be a triad in truth, then you two need to stop with the psychic talking. It is frustrating as all hell not knowing what you are thinking or saying to each other,” Xanthe grumped at them and Dane grinned, making her eyes narrow even further.
“Firstly,” Dane’s voice came out deep and he saw her shudder at the tone, “it would have been damn hard to say what I was telling Hunter down our bond out loud as I had my tongue down your throat, baby. Enjoying the hot, wet suction and flavor of you exploding in my mouth.”
“Fuck!” Hunter growled as the car suddenly leapt forward faster, Hunter definitely flirting with a speeding ticket if one of the Jamieson brothers caught up to him. “Don’t use hot, wet, suction, and exploding in the same goddamn sentence when you are talking about our mate, Dane. I am barely hanging on here!”
Dane and Xanthe grinned at each other. He figured that it would take the two of them to keep their dominant lion under control, and he couldn’t damn wait until they were mated in truth. “Xanthe, I was telling Hunter how amazing it felt to finally be able to kiss you without fear of getting slapped, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to be bitten.” He winked at her and loved that she went slightly red.
“Damn, she bit you?” Hunter said his voice filled with desire.
“Yep, and I’ll do the same to you if you ignore me when we’re kissing,” Xanthe said with no small amount of haughtiness in her tone that had Hunter laughing.
“But there was something you didn’t expect with that move, baby.” Dane dropped his tone and pulled her against his chest. “I love a little bite of pain with my pleasure, so any time you wanna use those little teeth on me, feel fucking free.”
Then he lowered his head and claimed her mouth again.
Chapter 6
Xanthe felt like she was drowning in a sea of sensation. Her body was pressed between the heat of both Hunter and Dane, which in itself would have had her heart pounding crazily, but when you added in the fact that Dane had simply claimed her mouth as his own, Xanthe was a mass of nerve endings, all quivering with need and pleasure.
She had been more than a little pissed off when Dane had been talking to Hunter down their link. Despite her inability to see what people were saying or thinking at the moment with her ability gone, she had lived around shifters all over the country and knew what they looked like when they were connecting. Not to mention the spark of magic in the air that anyone who was in tune with their psychic self would be able to feel.
Dane stole all her ability to think when he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and pressed his teeth against her. Xanthe suddenly knew the appeal of erotic pain for pleasure. Damn, who knew that just the smallest application of pressure would have her arousal skyrocketing?
“Fucking finally!” Hunter shouted as the truck rocked to a stop and Dane pulled his mouth from hers. Xanthe blinked, trying to clear her sight and look around her to see where they were. She smiled when she recognized that they were at her house. She looked up at Hunter and was about to thank him for bringing them home to her place instead of theirs, but her mouth dried completely, and it felt like her tongue swelled to twice its size at the look in his eyes.
Hunter was staring right at her, and his eyes were blazing amber. His lion was close to the surface, and it had her shivering with excitement. “Your lips are swollen,” Hunter said, his voice deep and filled with a heat that matched her own. “Your full lips are soft and swollen and pink from where Dane has claimed your mouth.” Then his gaze lifted to Dane, who was pressed against her back, his head resting on her shoulder. She could feel the steady thump of his heartbeat against her back. “Damn, Dane. Yours are swollen, too, and damned if that is not one of the hottest damn things I have ever seen. My mates, kissing each other, devouring each other …”
Hunter’s jaw tightened and he moved with such speed Xanthe felt like he was standing outside the truck within the blink of her eye. Then he was reaching in and grabbing her around the waist and plucking her from her seat. She felt weightless and like the world suddenly tilted on its axis before she was nestled against his chest.
“Do you have any idea how much I have wanted to kiss you?” Hunter rasped, never taking his eyes from hers. “You have this habit of nibbling on your bottom lip when you’re thinking about something or worried. And it makes me hard every damn time I see it.”
Xanthe had no time to react before Hunter claimed her mouth. There was no other word for it. He simply leaned into her, laid his mouth on hers and took her over. He licked into her mouth, tangling his tongue with hers, and Xanthe moaned as he tugged her bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled on it. Then he pulled back to lightly run his tongue over the slight sting in a soothing motion.
“I think from now on,” Hunter spoke, his voice deeper than she had ever heard it before. “That every time I see you nibble on your bottom lip I’m going to have to demand equal time to nibble on it as well. Any objections?” Hunter raised an aristocratic eyebrow that told Xanthe he was in his dominant lion mode, and she grinned as she shook her head. “Good.” Then he was striding toward her front door faster than she’d thought possible for anyone carrying a fully grown woman.
“Dane! Move your ass! I will be having both my mates this night!” Hunter yelled over his shoulder, and Xanthe peeked over it to see Dane moving quickly to join them with a smile on his face that had Xanthe’s heart skipping a beat. Right up until that moment, she had wondered if it would be awkward between the three of them. But seeing Dane’s joy and anticipation for the night ahead made her realize that everything was right in their world for the time being.
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br /> Within minutes, they were in her bedroom, and Hunter was setting her back on her feet to stand at the foot of the bed. “I really like your bedroom, Xanthe,” he said as he cast his eyes around the room, and Xanthe had a pretty good idea what it was that he liked. Xanthe had known that eventually she would meet the two men she would complete as a triad, and had made sure she was ready—by having a four-poster bed custom made that could sleep three people comfortably.
“Holy shit, baby,” Dane said with an infectious grin that her smiling back. “Where the hell did you get that bed? Ménages R Us?”
“No, silly.” Xanthe laughed. “I had the Greyson brothers make it for me when I saw the one that Chase made for Rowena.” Xanthe turned to look at the bed with its eight pillows and Egyptian cotton sheets. It was decadence personified. “The sheets are made from E—ohhh.” Xanthe’s explanation came to an abrupt end when Hunter stepped into her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and put his mouth on her neck.
Xanthe tilted her head as her heart beat faster and breath rate sped up, giving him better access to all the areas that had her girly parts tingling.
“Damn, Xanthe, you taste like fucking strawberries soaked in champagne.” Hunter rasped against her skin as he dragged his teeth up the sensitive tendon of her neck. “One day, and one day very soon, Dane and I are going to do to you what we would do to any succulent strawberry soaked in the finest champagne.” Xanthe felt her body start to shiver with excitement. Hunter had her arousal skyrocketing with just the deep timbre of his tone and his deliberate choice words. She felt him slide his hands up under her shirt to made contact with her skin. She felt her body soften at the contact, and her pussy released a gush of cream.