“See something funny?” Daven held out his hand to guide her down the slope. While she didn’t need help, she wanted to touch his skin again.
“No. Just thinking of something.” Of late, she’d been caught daydreaming too much. Good thing she wasn’t a member of some security detail. No telling what might have happened.
The sunny day made the late October quite warm. Breck pulled out a blanket and spread it on the ground close to the rushing river. The water sparkled and the calm enveloped her, making the whole concept of The Shield and The Sword seem far away. Believing nothing bad could reach her here, she plopped down on the blanket and let the men serve her.
For the next half hour, they had her laughing over some of their tales of growing up.
“Daven, I never would have pictured you as the bad boy.”
He grinned. “Everyone thought I was the little angel since Breck was such a goof, but I think I might have been craving attention.”
Breck puffed out his chest. “Yeah. Seems like everyone wanted to be just like me.”
She leaned back on her elbows and laughed. “How does it feel working at Panther Cove? I bet there’s no time for pranks.”
“Definitely no time for pranks, but I love the excitement.”
At first she didn’t want to talk about their livelihood, but then she realized that she needed a dose of reality, as these men were getting under her skin. Somehow, when she was with them, it felt right.
You aren’t their mate, so it can never be.
She blew out a breath, content to have latched on to some solid reason why this relationship wouldn’t work.
Breck picked up the leftover food and put it back in the sack. Something was going on, and she spoke before she thought. “You’re not going to try and seduce me?” There was no place more romantic than lying on a picnic blanket in the woods by a rushing stream.
They glanced at each other as if they had no clue what she was talking about. “You said this was strictly a friend adventure. No sex, remember?”
She remembered, but that didn’t mean a little kissing wouldn’t be nice. “You’re right.”
Breck moved closer. “Now, if you beg us nicely, I imagine you might be able to change our minds.”
“No.” She was proud of her control.
His shrug implied he didn’t care one way or the other, but the bulge in his nylon shorts said otherwise.
Don’t give in.
Daven helped with the clean up. “Let’s go scale that rock.”
Her excitement rushed through her again. “I think it’s been a good four months since I’ve been up here.”
Breck winked. “We’ll help you get up the rock face.”
“Funny.” She’d never lose her ability to climb.
Because the trip to the slab was fairly level, she loved breathing the fresh air and enjoying the camaraderie. When they got to the site, fortunately they were the only ones there. As if they’d worked as a team before, they all dropped their packs and donned their gear. The men’s climbing shoes looked well worn, indicating they might be experienced climbers. That might enable them all to climb the east side of Devil’s Peak, which was not only steeper but had a slight overhang on the top.
Breck pulled out a long rope from his bag, along with the chocks and spring-loaded camming devices. She assumed she’d be the one to crawl up the rock and secure their anchors, but since he had so much gear, he might want to do the honors.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said.
Before she could question where the hell he was going, Breck took off. She spun around and faced Daven. “What’s up with him? The rock face is right here.”
He shrugged. “Beats me.”
“He must have told you something.”
Daven moved in close and her body sizzled. She looked over his shoulder trying to ignore how her pussy was getting damp.
With his thumb he rotated her face toward him. “We might be brothers, but we are very different men.”
“I just thought that he might have telepathed his intentions.”
“Not this time, but don’t you worry. He knows what he’s doing. In the meantime, maybe we can take advantage of the alone time.” His dreamy eyes half closed and his hands moved around to her back.
He’s going to kiss me.
She should tell him no, but what was one little kiss? It couldn’t hurt. Making out with him wasn’t the same as signing up to be their mate for life. Before she could analyze anything, his mouth descended, and the moment their lips touched, her body caught on fire. Her hands found their way to his shoulders, and she pulled him close. As if they both needed to taste one another or chance not breathing, they opened their mouths and dueled for position. The piece of chocolate candy he’d had for dessert still flavored his breath, and even though they both had on harnesses, his cock was outlined. Its size confirmed he wanted her.
She pulled away. “I thought there wouldn’t be any sex.”
“Kitten, this isn’t sex. When I pack my cock into your ass, you’ll know it.”
Heat rushed to her face. She admitted that his dirty talk turned her on, but she felt obligated to tell him this wasn’t the time or the place. Just as she opened her mouth, a shout interrupted her.
It took a second to find where the sound was coming from. They both looked up at the same time. “You have to be kidding.”
Breck was on top of the one-hundred-foot-tall cliff waving the rope. “Give me a sec,” he called down.
She thought she’d have to be the one to climb up the slab and secure the anchors on her way up, but Breck had beat her to it. Once he set the anchors, he threaded the line through and rappelled down. His grin was wider than the mountain was tall.
“How did you get up there so fast?” She’d taken the long way around to the top before, but it had taken her an hour.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I ran fast.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “Did you shift?” It was the only way he could have made such good time.
“Does it matter?”
In the scheme of things she guessed not. “If you’d have run into other climbers, you would have freaked them out.”
He chuckled. “Especially with the rope around my body.”
If her fathers had found out, or Hunter and Derek for that matter, they’d be fit to be tied. “You need to be more careful.”
As if she’d told him his best friend had died, his cheer disappeared. “I promise you that Daven and I are the most cautious men you’ll ever meet when it comes to our lives.”
She wasn’t talking about that, but he did seem to listen to her. Not wanting to get into a discussion of safety, she nodded to his rope. “How about letting me have a climb?”
His smile returned. “You bet. I’ll belay you.”
“Thanks.” She took the rope from Breck and looped it through her carabiner. After making a figure eight and going over the knot again, she was ready.
She so loved to climb and was pleased the men seemed as into it as she was. For the first twenty feet, it was easy to find her handholds, allowing her to climb fast. The next part of the slab posed more problems and required her to stretch her leg outward and push up.
Both men whistled. She should have known they’d be watching her ass all the way to the top.
“That’s it, babe. Spread those thighs.”
With her fingers secure in a crack, she looked down. “Just make sure to keep the tension in the rope.” She didn’t need to fall because they got sidetracked.
Since she’d climbed this wall several times, she found her favorite spots to grip, and soon she reached the top. When she stood she held up her hands, almost feeling invincible. “Give me a minute to enjoy the view.”
“Take all the time you need, kitten.”
That was so sweet of them. There was nothing more potent than beating the odds and making it to the top. She wasn’t sure how long she was up there, but it was only fair to let the men climb,
too.
“I’m coming down.”
“Belay on.”
She leaned back and either walked down the mountain backward or did small rappels until she reached the bottom. The adrenaline raced through her body. “Who’s next?”
“Let Daven go.”
From the way his eyes were shining, he might be thinking they could make out while his brother climbed.
“No getting distracted.”
Breck slapped a hand on his chest. “Whatever do you mean? I take my brother’s life seriously.”
She chuckled. “You belaying him, then?”
He glanced at Daven. “You bet.”
Thinking it might be best to stay out of the way, she stood behind Breck and leaned against the tree. With amazing dexterity, Daven climbed the rock as if he were part monkey instead of part panther. Once he summited, he, too, raised his arms and did a little dance, which caused both of them to laugh.
“I’m going to hang upside down. Hold on.”
If she hadn’t tried that before, she might have been worried. Daven did his little trick, turned around, and came back down. Since the afternoon was still young, they each got a chance to go up twice. She might have suggested they go to another part of the slab, but right now she was feeling like spending time with them rather than climbing.
“Did you bring your tent?” She wasn’t sure which one was carrying it.
Breck tapped his pack. “Sure did. You want to set up camp and build a fire?”
“If you brought s’mores, then I say, yes.”
Breck picked her up and swung her around. “Yippee. We’re going camping.”
“Remember, I don’t get naked in the cold.”
He smiled. “Who said anything about being naked? You know, for someone who doesn’t want have sex, you sure have a strange way of acting.”
Sure, she’d mentioned something at lunch, and she had kissed Daven, but harmless flirting wasn’t sex. “Just saying.”
“We hear ya, babe. You know of a good site where we can fill up our water bottles?”
“Yes. Follow me.”
It would take them a while to walk partway around the mountain, but it would be worth it. She knew of a small waterfall situated in a beautiful clearing. She anticipated that by the time they arrived, they’d still have enough daylight left to set up.
For much of the walk, they kept quiet, probably entrenched in their own thoughts. It was a nice change to her day of always having to hop when a customer wanted something. The men, too, seemed to be enjoying the solitude. When they came to a fork, she headed to the right.
“You sure you know where you’re going, babe?”
She’d grown up in these woods. “It’s not far.”
She didn’t need to ask if they were tired, because she knew they wouldn’t be. They seemed to be in as good shape as Hercules and Casius, the men now in charge of security.
The sound of the waterfall reached her before she found the campground. She headed down the path to the level ground. “How’s this?”
Both men’s eyes widened. “This is amazing, kitten. You did good.”
She smiled. Breck dropped his pack, reached into the side pocket and handed her his water bottle and a water filter. “How about you fill these up while Daven and I put up the tent?”
“Sure.”
As she filled the bottles from the stream, she admired how well they worked together. They put up the tent in silence, though they were probably communicating on a different level. As soon as they erected the tent, she couldn’t get over the size. It was seven feet tall, and its footprint looked to be about ten feet by ten feet. She couldn’t imagine how heavy that had been to carry.
When she returned, she set down the bottles. “Can I help with anything else?”
“You just sit on the rock while we get the inside ready.”
Ready? Uh-oh. She’d told them she didn’t do naked when it got cold. However, since the sun was out, and she was quite warm from hiking, they might be able to change her mind. The men must have taken a good fifteen minutes inside before they emerged. They strode over to her, acting like they were on a serious mission.
Daven pulled the climbing rope from his pack, found a tree with a very sturdy limb, and tossed the rope over it.
“You getting the bear bag ready?” Humans always hung their food to keep it away from predators. However, if a bear did wander into their campsite, the men could easily have scared it away, especially if they shifted.
Daven smiled. “We have another idea. Let me set it up and see if you’re amendable.”
This involved her? Fascinated, she sat back and watched. She wasn’t sure what they had in mind until they attached a harness to the rope as if they intended to string someone up.
“What are you doing?”
She doubted they’d answer, but she had to ask anyway.
Breck walked toward her with his hands extended. “Remember, you kind of challenged us to keep our hands off you.”
“Yeah.”
“We thought with all that talk of sex that it was your way of asking us to fuck you.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Liar.
Breck leaned over and pulled her to a stand. Damn him. He knew what being close to him would do her body.
“What about if you ask us to make love with you?”
“Well, I’m not.”
He inched closer and lowered his head so that his lips were closer to hers. “How about if we can make you beg for it?”
That might involve a lot of pussy licking and tit tugging. Could she handle another full-on sexual marathon and not get hooked?
She was strong. “You’re on. But if I don’t beg, then you have to promise to not try again.”
“Oh, babe, you have no idea what’s going to happen next.”
Chapter Eight
Daven’s cock was harder than the granite slab they’d climbed. Breck had been a genius to come up with this idea. “Come on over here, kitten.”
She crossed her arms. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “You cold?”
“No, just a little confused.”
He smiled, loving how she was always so honest. “Here’s the plan.” He stepped in front of her. “We want you to get in this harness.”
Breck got behind her and unsnapped her pants. “Naked.”
She stepped back. “Why?”
Daven burst out laughing. “If you use your imagination, I think you will see that the experience can eclipse any rock climbing experience you’ve ever had.”
“You want me to get naked, put on the harness, and hang from a tree?”
Breck unzipped her pants. “Just think of how well I can lick your pussy and play with your cute little clit if I have you at mouth level.”
She shot a glance at Daven. “Is that how you envisioned this?”
“This position has endless possibilities.”
She drew in her bottom lip, looking so adorable. He wasn’t sure he could wait much longer to hear his fate. If she said no to the constraint, he’d have to find another way to make love to her. His cock had been hurting for over a week. Having her lips on him had set something in motion that he wasn’t sure he could stop. This mate stuff had turned both of their worlds upside down.
“Can we stop if I don’t like it?”
His chest sunk. “Absolutely.”
She lifted her T-shirt over her head and was tugging down her shorts when he and Breck converged on her. Breck stopped her. “Let us do everything. Okay?”
She looked like she was in turmoil. He knew she thought being with them would be too risky, yet her body had to be screaming for her to go ahead. Julia held out her arms giving them permission to do what he’d been wanting to do since the first moment he set eyes on her. The fact she was their mate, the woman they could hopefully convince to spend the rest of their lives with, made it so much sweeter.
“Daven, help her out of her boots while I slip off this sports bra.”
He was on his knees in a flash, unlacing her shoes. A few quick tugs rewarded him with their removal. In order to keep her feet warm, he’d let her wear her socks. Since he was already down on his knees, he’d remove her shorts.
“Lift your leg.”
She held on to his shoulder for balance and he slipped off the material. Breck finished tugging the top over her head and his body nearly exploded as he looked at her beautiful tits, remembering their taste and texture. But it was her pussy sending him signals of lust that drew his attention.
“Should we leave on her panties?” He looked up at Breck. Say no.
Breck glanced at Julia first then down at him. “Don’t see the need. She’ll be screaming for us to fuck her. Might as well take them off now. It’ll save us time when we pack her full of cock.”
The moment he smelled her pussy cream, he knew he was about to enter heaven.
He wrapped his arms around her rear and pressed his face to her belly. Having her in his arms made his cock almost hurt. She was such a perfect fit.
He must have been holding her for longer than he thought because Breck nudged him. “Give me some time with her, bro.”
“Just a sec. I gotta see her pussy.”
She might only be wearing plain white panties, but to him, she couldn’t have been sexier. If Breck hadn’t been hovering, he might have used his teeth to pull them down. Wanting to get her harnessed up, he tugged on the elastic to reveal his destiny. His urge to swipe a tongue right through her pink folds slammed into him hard.
Just as he’d gotten her panties to her knees, he licked her clean. She sucked in a breath and moaned.
He looked up and smiled. “You liked that?”
“Never.” A smile tugged at her lips.
“You just wait until you’re bucking and begging. We’ll see if we give you what you want.”
“Like you could ever say no to me.” She tossed her head back in a cute way.
His ego battled his desire. “Probably true, but we might let you struggle for a while.”
He had her step out of her panties. With her naked, the air seemed fresher and the world more exciting.
Breck took two steps and lifted her up. “Hold on to the straps and pull her legs through. Babe, hold on to the rope.”
Fighting for Julia [Panther Cove 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6