by Jane Jamison
Yet again he tormented himself. Instead of taking the drink he wanted, he leaned over her and rained soft kisses over her breasts. Again, he squeezed her softness as he bit and teased her other nipple. She arched higher now, tempting him more.
He glanced upward. Was she still asleep? Her eyes remained closed.
His strong hand covered her mons and she moaned her encouragement. He responded, slipping his finger between her folds. If she wasn’t asleep, she was playing his game.
Keeping one hand on her breast to hold her nipple to his mouth, he let his other hand work elsewhere. He bent her knee, then slid his hand to the wetness between her legs.
He moaned, sliding his tongue from one breast to the other. Heat raced through him, hotter than he could ever remember it happening. Her legs fell open for him and again he checked her face for any sign that she was only pretending to sleep. He pressed his large cock against her pussy, making him ache to shove it inside her.
His hands roamed her body, exploring every curve, every swell, every inch of her. She whimpered and sent the sweet rush of yearning scorching through him. His cock moved as though with a mind of its own.
Now was the moment of decision and he made it. If she was the one for them, she’d want this. If not, and she woke up infuriated, he’d leave and never bother her again.
You’re a damn animal.
A growl rumbled from deep inside in answer.
Yes, I am and damn proud of it.
He froze as the thought struck him. For the first time in his life he had to wonder if being a werewolf was a good thing. What if she wanted him and his brothers as men, but couldn’t accept the animal side of them? But then, if she couldn’t, didn’t that mean she wasn’t the one for them after all?
But all that would have to wait. Right now, he had to taste her.
Sliding over her, he took in the swell of her breasts and the perfect amount of cleavage they formed. Her breasts stood upright, small but perky. He could see the muscles in her stomach. Not overly ripped, but just the right amount that left a small round mound just before leading to her mons.
He held his face over her pussy and drank in the sight of her. She mewled, and, as though she really knew he was there, spread her legs wider. He lay down between them then, taking care to be very gentle, urged her folds apart. The wondrous aroma of her wafted over him and made the wolf inside scratch to come to the surface. She was pink, pretty, and perfect. She was, simply put, the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.
Doing the only thing any man could’ve done, he flicked his tongue over her clit. She trembled, her hands clutching the quilt beneath her. Her taste was unique, reminding him of the sweet nectar of honey in a hive with an added splash of spiciness he couldn’t define. He slid his hands under her buttocks and pulled her to him. Pressing his mouth to her pussy, he sucked in her clit.
She gasped, stilled, then lifted a leg and kicked him in the shoulder. “What the—”
Chapter Five
“Ow!”
Callie jerked to a sitting position and kicked Raine again.
“Hey, knock it off. It’s me, Raine.”
She glared at him, but the glare soon turned into astonishment when her gaze dropped from his face to his oh-so-long cock. Lust pummeled her like a freight train on a runaway rail. His cock was large and curved to a bulbous end just like Pete’s.
“Callie.”
She wanted to yell at him, to demand what he thought he was doing, but the way he said her name changed her mind. Instead, she reached out to him and took him by his hair. “Don’t stop now.”
His chuckle was muffled as she forced his head between her legs. He tugged her legs over his shoulders and pulled her to him. His mouth on her clit sent her flying and she bucked, at once wanting to get away from the delicious agony and bring it closer. She clutched her breasts, felt the wetness on her nipples, and wished she’d been awake to experience the pleasure he’d given them.
He’d wanted to awaken her with sex and he had—the same way she’d always wanted a man to do. His hands slid under her buttocks, kneading the fleshy mounds and clinging to her. He added a finger then another to her pussy and pumped her. But when he found her G-spot, she was putty in his hands. She cried out as an orgasm took hold and flew her along with it.
Nibbling, sucking, he pleasured her. She quivered under his touch as the rush of another climax roared free. He lifted her and sucked on her clit harder as he plunged his fingers inside. She gasped, clutching the quilt to keep her anchored to the ground. As soon as a climax would finish its shuddering ride through her body, he’d give her a moment to regroup then dive in to eat her again.
Her mind spun as the tension inside her whipped into high gear yet again. Thunder reverberated through the floor as lightning flashed, brightening the tent and adding to the storm swirling inside her. She reached for him, unable to take much more.
“Please, Raine. Now.”
He slid his tongue over her mons, then along the swell of her stomach, stopping to tease her with a kiss to her belly button. “Now what? Should I leave you alone so you can go back to sleep?” The look in his eyes teased her.
She growled at him and reached for his arms. Yet instead of shoving the cock that pressed against her pussy, the cock that she ached for, inside her, he took her under the arms and pulled her on top of his lap. He laughed at her yelp of surprise, and, enclosing her in his strong arm, he took her breast and brought her taut nipple to his mouth. His hard cock pushed against her, rubbing against her, challenging her to take control.
She lifted up, took his cock in her hand and plunged downward. His groan mixed with hers as he drove deep inside her. She swore she could feel the end of him nearing her belly button and ground her hips against him harder. But that was her imagination, just as she was imagining that his eyes had turned amber for a split second. Yet as soon as she’d looked again to check, they were back to their normal color.
Lightning flashed and thunder clapped, the boom resonating through the tent like a living creature as he entered her, driving into her wetness. She bucked in sync with him, riding him, imploring him to go deeper and to thrust harder than the time before. He growled, a low, animal-like sound, and, when she gazed into his eyes, she thought she saw the blue change to amber again. She answered the only way she could by clutching his neck and bringing his mouth to her tit.
Pumping upward into her, he murmured words she never thought she’d hear. Words of tenderness, of love, and even of commitment. She cried out his name, giving him a tribute to his lovemaking and more. Her heart opened to let him in, even as her mind warned her to take care.
As the storm raged outside, they reached their climaxes together and screamed their pleasure into the night.
Thunder rumbled far away as their bodies quivered together. She held him, her arms around him, his forehead resting against her shoulder. Neither made an attempt to slide his cock out of her, and if he wanted to stay that way for the rest of the night she’d let him.
Or we could do it all over again.
She smiled, pressing her mouth to his shoulder to give him a tender kiss. He moaned a satisfied sound, then echoed her kiss with one of his own.
He wiped the perspiration away from her brow. “You’re beautiful, you know. And sexy as hell.”
“Prove it.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Okay, I will. But give me a little time, okay? I’m not a sex machine.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
He laid her back, coming to rest at her side. “So I take it that it was okay for me to do what I did?”
She loved the way he skimmed his fingertip from one nipple to the other. They had remained at attention, ready for more action. “If you mean waking me up with sex, then yeah, it was okay.”
“Maybe even better than okay?”
Give the man an inch…Wait. He already has quite a few inches.
“Oh, hell, yeah. Much better than okay.”
“I know this
isn’t the right thing to say, but I’ve got to know. For no other reason than bragging rights.”
She played with his lower lip with her thumb. “Bragging rights?”
“Yeah. So which of us is better? Pete or me?”
She lifted up and rested her head on her hand. “Are you seriously asking me that?”
He tried to backpedal as fast as he could. “Uh, judging from the look on your face, I’d like to retract my question.”
She sat up, suddenly aware of the implications. “Is that what this is? Is that what Blue meant by using the term ours? Are you three in a competition to see who can get the stupid girl who fell into a hole in the sack?”
He was on his feet two seconds after she was. “What? No. It was just a stupid question. You saw how we are, always ribbing each other. I…Oh, hell, I don’t know why I asked it.”
She grabbed one of the quilts and covered her body. “I don’t care why you asked it either. Just get the hell out. Tell Blue he lost since he didn’t screw me. As for you and Pete, why don’t you yank out your dicks and see which one can piss the longest, because I’m not calling a winner.”
“Callie, you’ve got it all wrong.”
She punched him in the chest and he acted like he didn’t even notice. She didn’t have a chance of keeping them off her if they wanted her.
“Is that the whole contest? Or was tying me up part of it?” She thrust out her arms, putting her wrists together. “Here. Go ahead and do it again. Tie me up and do whatever perverted shit you want to me. Let’s get this captor-fucks-the-captive game over with so I can go home.”
He stared at her as though she’d gone crazy. And maybe she had. Tears burned behind her eyes, but she’d be damned if she’d let him see her cry. It was her own fault for letting him, them, get close to her. She’d even thought for a brief moment that maybe, just maybe she could have something special with one or even all of them.
Shit. My heart hurts. It really, truly hurts.
She clutched her fist to her chest and thrust her other hand toward the flaps of the tent. “Please. Leave me alone.”
“Callie, please, let me explain. You are ours. But not in the way you think. This isn’t a game.”
“It’s always a game.” A game I always lose.
She couldn’t look at him. If she did, she might be dumb enough to believe him. Instead, she turned away and kept her back straight. “Get out.”
Once she heard the rustle of the flaps and the sound of him moving away in the darkness, she let the tears slide down her cheeks. She was such a fool. How could she have opened her heart so wide in such a short time? She knew better than to trust anyone with her heart.
But I thought they were…Were what? Special? The “one” three times over? When did I start believing in that shit?
Yet the answer was clear enough. She hadn’t been aware of it, but she’d started believing the moment she’d looked into their eyes.
She threw herself down on a pile of quilts and sobbed.
* * * *
“Callie?”
She whirled around at the sound of Blue’s voice. Going against everything she’d told herself since Raine had gone the night before, she let the rush of emotions fill her.
It’s sexual attraction, that’s all.
Yet the dull ache in the middle of her stomach said otherwise. Blue’s enticing blue gaze stole her breath away. He was clothed in the same light-colored pants Luke had worn along with moccasins like the ones she had on. The dress she’d found in the tent was comfortable, although going without any underwear was taking a bit of getting used to. She could’ve changed into the extra set of clothing she had in her pack, but the dress had looked so tempting that she hadn’t been able to resist.
“Are you here to take me back down the mountain?” She was glad she could muster up an angry tone. After figuring out what they had in mind, each of them planning to add a notch to their belts, she didn’t owe him civility.
The lightness in his features faded. “No.”
“Really. Well, if that’s too far, then you could show me back to the pit. I think I could find my way back to a place where I could get my bearings. I could take it from there.”
“I can’t do that, either.”
Fear curled its way into her like a snake slithering across the ground and wiped her anger away. “Why not?”
He pulled one side of the opening flaps back and inclined his head toward the outside. “Come on. Take a walk with me and I’ll try to explain.”
After last night’s revelation with Raine, she wasn’t in the mood for any explanations. She wanted results, but in order to get them she had to play along. “Fine. But you’d better do more than try. And no funny business, either.” She stalked past him.
Damn, but he smells good.
Not in the way most men she knew smelled good. His wasn’t an aroma that came from expensive aftershave. His came from his skin, his breath, and his very being.
It doesn’t matter how good he smells. Keep your guard up.
“It’s Kirkland.”
“What?”
“My last name. It’s Kirkland.”
She wasn’t sure why, but suddenly she wanted him to know.
He smiled. “Callie Kirkland. I like it. It fits you.”
He followed her into the sunlight then stopped as she came to a standstill. The sight around her was amazing, throwing all other concerns out of her mind. The people she’d seen last night were back, along with many others. Children of all ages dashed about, playing and shouting at their friends, then laughing as women tried to corral them. At last, one very large woman with a long braid of red hair bouncing down her spine gathered them together and herded them into the woods. A couple of other women along with three men followed them, disappearing into the heavy brush.
“Where are they going?”
“Who?
She pointed in the direction that the children had gone. “The kids. Why are they taking them into the forest?”
Blue took her hand and she couldn’t bring herself to remove it from his. “They’re taking them on a nature walk so they can learn about the medicinal purposes of the plants.”
“So it’s like a community school? Or homeschooling?”
Luke ambled by with two other large men who, judging by their size and their similar features, had to be relatives. He lifted his hand in greeting and she did the same. “Are those Luke’s brothers?”
“Yup.”
She smirked at Blue’s imitation of the way Luke talked. Checking around her, she found several groups of men and women who appeared to be related. “Is that common? The brother thing?”
“For us, yes. We tend to stick with family. But there are others who join together to make new families.” He took the orange a small woman with flowing blonde hair gave him, thanked her, then started pulling it apart.
Callie took the wedge he offered her. “What’s this place called? Have you always lived here? Or is this one of those retreats people pay exorbitant amounts of money to visit? Is it a getting-back-to-nature therapeutic resort?”
“I’ll tell you what you want to know, but you have to promise me that you’ll keep an open mind.”
“You people sure do ask for a lot of promises.” She paused to stare at a man whose nose was very wide. Long teeth jutted out over his bottom lip. He stretched his lips wide, exposing more teeth, and making her aware that she was gaping at him. She looked away, embarrassed by her rudeness. But then it hit her. Many of the people around her were unique in their appearance. Some had large teeth or facial features while others seemed different in their coloring or the way they held themselves.
“I just want to make sure you don’t jump the gun and think I’m crazy.”
Crazy? Her interest piqued. “This sounds interesting.”
“We call our home The Hidden.”
“Right. Lyra told me that.”
He gave her a short glance. “What else did she tell you?”
“Then I’d better get on with it. The Hidden is our sanctuary.”
He paused to take a bite of the orange and she took one, too. Juice ran down her hand and the sweet taste erupted in her mouth. “Wow. That’s a really good orange. I think it’s the best one I’ve ever had.”
“The fruit in The Hidden is a lot better than on The Outside.”
“The Outside?” Not caring if it was unladylike, she shoved the rest of her piece into her mouth and sighed as the delicious flavor spread over her tongue and down her throat.
“That’s what we call everything outside of here.” He gestured toward a group of people sharing a meal and laughing. “You may have noticed that some of the people here are a bit different.”
She nodded then opened her hand palm up to ask for another slice of orange. He gave it to her and started walking again, taking long strides that made her hustle to keep up with him. All the while, she tried not to stare at those around her.
“That’s why they’re here. Because of their differences, they can get hassled elsewhere. Plus, this place is special. It’s serene and the weather’s always wonderful.” He drew her in with his intense look. “You’ll see things in The Hidden that you’ll never see anywhere else in the world.”
“You’re making this place sound almost magical.”
A hint of a smile formed on his lips. “‘Magical’ is a good word for The Hidden.”
“So tell me how you and your brothers found this place. I know for a fact that I’ve never heard of it or seen it on any map. I studied maps of the region before I came hiking.”
“That’s why it’s called The Hidden. We want to keep it a secret.” He said hello to a couple of men who passed by. “Raine and I are natives, believe it or not. Our parents came here before we were born. Then they took in Pete and made him our brother.”
He tossed the rind of the orange into the bushes. “But I’m more interested in hearing how you fell into that pit.”
She winced. “I hope I can live that catastrophe down.”