Snowy, her cat, wound around her feet and spoiled her exit, as she had to bend down and pick him up to keep from tripping over him. She carried him to her bedroom, put him on her bed and loved on him a few minutes before getting into the shower, thankful Ranger hadn’t followed her into the bedroom. She needed time to think. What the hell had she promised last night, and why had she invited them again tonight? She wouldn’t mind a few more nights with these three, but she needed a few days to recover. Damn, she was sore.
Thankfully, Ranger gave her space while she showered and changed. She was finishing up when he came to her bathroom door, leaned against the doorframe, and watched.
She glanced at him, went back to applying her mascara, and said, “I’m trying to understand why you’re here. I don’t get it.”
“Because I want to feed you this morning. I made pancakes, eggs, and sausage. They’re ready.”
“If you left them in the kitchen without a guard then Snowy’s eating them by now.”
Ranger smiled. “No. Snowy and I came to an agreement. He’ll leave the food alone.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What did you do to my cat?” She put her mascara down and rushed to the kitchen to see her cat eating from his food bowl on the floor. He looked up, saw her, gave a happy meow, and went back to eating his food.
She looked back to Ranger in question, and he said, “I’m part animal, remember? We came to an agreement. I didn’t hurt him, we’re friends now.”
Bethany shook her head. “He only likes me and Gen. He never has anything to do with the guys. Ever. Gen thinks he’s jealous.”
* * * *
Bethany didn’t know it, but Ranger was treating her more carefully than he’d had to handle her cat. Bethany’s scent told him she was freaking out and terrified, and in danger of running from them, which was why they’d wanted to bring her home this morning.
He turned her around, pulled her to him, and went a little Dom on her with his kiss, hoping it would remind her how great things had been last night. She resisted him a few seconds, but then gave herself over to him, and he deepened the kiss as his hand went to her ass. His cock throbbed to life, but he slowly ended the kiss and pulled her into him.
He made a decision Jonathan and Mac wouldn’t be happy about, but Ranger’s instincts told him Bethany’s freak-out wasn’t going away. “Okay then, fuck us for a few months, exclusively us, no one else. Let us take care of you, don’t fight it, and if you still need to escape when we get to Memorial Day, we’ll break the binding we did last night and let you go on your way.”
She let him hold her as she worked through what he was saying, but then her scent was a combination of relief and dismay, and he celebrated on the inside. She wanted them, but was scared. They could work with that.
Before she had a chance to argue, he pointed her towards breakfast and complimented her for having real maple syrup.
Chapter Ten
Bethany checked her phone as she walked out of the medical building and saw a text from Mac, letting her know the guys had bought the steaks and other groceries, and wanted her to let them know when she was on her way home. Ranger had set up a group on her phone, so she could easily text everyone at once, so she sent them all a message with three words: On my way.
She only lived five minutes from work, but stopped to get gas so it took a little longer. She bought the brand of beer they’d been drinking the night before, too. Still, they weren’t there when she arrived, and she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or frustrated.
A few seconds’ thought and she decided she was relieved, as this would give her a chance to get out of her scrubs, take a shower, and put something a little more flattering on.
She bought designer, fitted scrubs, and they fit her better than the boxy crap most wore, but they were still medical scrubs. She needed to look professional, and didn’t want to get massage oil on her everyday clothes, so she dealt with them, but wore fancy underwear.
Her shower let her wash off the last remnants of work, and she dressed in peach underwear, her favorite jeans, and a t-shirt made of multicolored fabric that seemed to change colors as the light hit it.
She sometimes envied Gen her smaller breasts, but today wasn’t one of those times as she looked in the mirror and thought her large breasts made her stomach and waist look smaller.
Also, she remembered Jonathan practically worshipping them. She’d never been turned on when someone tried to fuck her breasts before, but last night had worked for her. Maybe it’s because there was so much going on at once, but his cock in her cleavage, lube pretty much all over her body, and everyone else’s… she was getting turned on again just thinking of it. She was tempted to pull Mighty Max out of her nightstand drawer and let a little steam off, except she was so damned sore from last night.
The guys timed it perfectly, arriving as she stepped out of her bedroom, on the way to open a bottle of wine.
Mac came in first, pulled her to him, and she forgot to breathe as his lips met hers. The other guys went on into the kitchen and left Mac and Bethany at the door.
Bethany’s back hit the wall and her body took over, kissing him. She wanted him inside of her and felt as if the world might end if their kiss stopped. She lifted her left leg, wrapped it around his waist, and moaned into his mouth.
Mac gave a wild noise, lifted her, and she felt his granite-hard cock through both layers of jeans. His frustrated growl let her know his need for her was just as bad as hers.
“Too many clothes,” she said, and he let her down and started working on her jeans.
She unbuttoned his jeans, slid the zipper down, and then pushed her own pants down her legs. Seconds later Mac had a condom on, her shoulders against the wall again, and was buried balls deep.
And Bethany was in heaven, despite being so fucking sore.
“Move!” she ordered, and he backed her away from the wall, wrapped his arms around her to hold her tight, and began fucking her like the world was about to end. She forgot the guys in the kitchen, forgot everything. Nothing existed except Mac, his arms, his cock. He let her lean back a little, her spine arching as an orgasm engulfed her. He kept pounding her, but held her so well she knew she could move however she wanted and he wouldn’t drop her. She pressed back a while, then leaned forward and held onto him, and finally found a way to ride him. He went still and let her have control, riding him slow, then fast. She gave herself another orgasm, and then he stepped forward, put her shoulders against the wall, and pounded her until they both found a screaming, growling release together.
When she could breathe again, and realized the other two guys were in the kitchen, she asked, “Did you win the coin toss, or what?”
“No, Bethany.” He kissed her cheek, pushed her hair away from her face, his eyes tender. “We won’t do that to you. You aren’t something to be won. This wasn’t planned, Cupcake, it just happened. Don’t go overanalyzing things, okay?”
She still had her shirt and bra on, and stepped away from him to find her panties, which were still in her jeans. She looked down as she got dressed, and looked up to see Mac buttoning his jeans. She expected him to have a cocky look on his face, but she saw something else.
Bethany wasn’t up for anything too deep right now, not after Mac had literally rocked her world, so she went into the kitchen to see what the guys were up to in there.
Surprisingly, Ranger was out back working the grill, and Jonathan was rubbing a dry mixture into the steaks.
“You’ve done this before,” she commented, and Jonathan looked up with smile as he said, “Yeah. This is my special recipe — sea salt, brown sugar, onion powder, fresh ground pepper, paprika, a little cayenne, and a touch of cocoa.”
Her eyebrows rose, and she said, “I was going to make the veggies. I don’t want ya’ll doing all the work.”
Jonathan put the steak down, stepped to her, and hugged her, his hands out so he didn’t get anything on her. “Let us take care of you a little.”
&nbs
p; She melted into him, but asked, “You aren’t mad that Mac and I had a private moment? Without you?”
He pulled her closer, snugged her to him. “Not at all, Raggedy. If we’re going to make this work, no one can be jealous. As a cat, I’ve been in a lot of ménage groups, and there are rules to keep the human side of us from screwing things up. Our cats are fine with it, it’s the supposedly civilized humans who screw things up. So, do me a favor and try to forget all the rules you’ve been taught. Tell us what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling. Be honest, and just go with it, okay? Can you do that?”
Bethany shook her head. “No promises. I think I made enough of those the other night. I’ll let you know if I have a problem with something, and I expect ya’ll to do the same, but I’m not agreeing to tell you my feelings.”
Ranger stepped in the door and said, “No pressure. Not today, anyway. Cats can be a little bossy and demanding, don’t hesitate to tell him to back down when he pushes.”
“Ya’ll trusted Mac with me? Alone?”
“It isn’t a matter of trust, Cupcake,” Mac said from behind her. “It’s about my control, which seems to be fine during sex. Still, we weren’t exactly alone. They were close.” Bethany turned to face him as he continued. “Now that you know what I am, it won’t be the end of the world if I change around you. I have enough control to know before I lose it, and if I tell you to get away, you know to get a door between us until I’ve changed. Once I’m calm, I’ll be safe around you, it’s only the first fifteen to twenty seconds there might be a risk. It used to take me a long time to remember who I am, after I turned wolf. Now there’s only a few seconds of confusion before I remember. Eventually, I won’t forget.” His eyes shot to Ranger’s, back to hers. “Or so I’m told.”
Dinner was a nice, relaxed affair. The guys drank beer — they’d brought their own, as well as margarita fixings for her, but she insisted it was a wine evening. This led to a conversation about her favorite drinks, everyone’s favorite foods, and the news that shapeshifters metabolize alcohol so fast, it’s impossible for them to get drunk. If they work hard they can get buzzed, but that’s about it.
The guys helped with the dishes and she said, “You know ya’ll aren’t normal, right?”
“Yes, we’re aware, but is there something specific you have in mind?” Ranger asked with a happy smile.
“Cooking? Helping with dishes?”
“We’re all grown-ups,” Mac said with a shrug. “Not a big deal.”
“I’m thinking I need to look into putting a hot tub on my back deck,” Jonathan said, changing the subject.
“You don’t have a back deck,” Mac reminded him.
“Not yet, but it shouldn’t take the three of us long to build one. I have another couple of weeks of vacation before my charge gets back in town, Mac probably has a few months before he starts working with Drake, and you’re on reduced duty right now while you bring Mac up to speed.”
“Your charge?” asked Bethany.
“Yeah,” Jonathan answered. “I’m head of security for Aaron Drake’s wife. She comes from money, and I’ve been with her since she was thirteen. She and Aaron are on their delayed honeymoon, and he’s acting as her sole security while they’re gone. He wants time alone with her, and I deemed it a bad idea to insist I came along. Turns out,” he said with a cocky smile in her direction, “he did me a favor.”
“You’ve been with her since she was thirteen? I guess I need to ask how old ya’ll are?”
“Ah. We’re probably older than you think. Most shapeshifters age slower than humans. I’m thirty-seven, even though I still look twenty-five, apparently.”
“I’m thirty-six,” Mac told her, “and Ranger’s the baby at thirty-three.”
“I’ll be thirty in a few weeks.”
“Yeah, we know,” Mac said as he looked at the other guys and then back to her. “I’m still officially working for Uncle Sam, and my job position requires me to do a background search before I become intimate with someone a second time.” He shrugged and added, “Technically, I’m not supposed to tell you anything, even that, but you saw a little of what happened to me, and I know Ranger explained a few things. I can’t ever tell you much, even with our binding, but I don’t want to lie about looking into you. I’ll always have to keep some secrets from you, but I don’t want any of them to involve you.”
Bethany took a breath, got off the sofa, and walked to her window. She lived in an upper middleclass subdivision in the Hamilton Place area, but it was an older neighborhood so she wasn’t looking at cookie cutter houses, thank goodness. Her back to the men, she said, “So, Mac was a spy of some sort, I think Ranger was or is Special Forces of some kind, and now I know Jonathan is apparently an elite bodyguard.” She shook her head and turned around. “I was worried about Gen, being on the arm of a motorcycle club president, but something tells me I’ve really stepped in it.”
“I was an Army Ranger for eighteen months, and was promoted into a top secret unit I can’t tell you about,” Ranger told her. “I gained the name when I joined, because they don’t usually pull from the Ranger unit, and it was kind of a slam, at first. Eventually, it wasn’t anymore, but I had to prove myself to them.”
“And now you work for this Aaron Drake? Why?”
He shook his head. “You share a little more about yourself, I’ll consider sharing more.”
“But ya’ll already know about me! I can’t exactly do a background check on all three of you!”
“We know you make nearly two hundred dollars an hour, and you specialize in sports injuries,” Mac said. “You’re under contract with the local university system and are approved to work on their athletes, and it sounds like we won’t see you much on the weekends during football season, as you’re also under contract for two professional teams, to work on their injured people before and after games so they’re loose enough to play.”
“You were attacked when you were seventeen,” Ranger added. “The report says you were drunk but still managed to fight him off. You ended up in the hospital with a sprained shoulder, but the culprit was never caught. You had a black eye and a busted lip, and the officer who wrote the report thought you’d had a fight with your boyfriend and were protecting him.”
“That’s supposed to be sealed,” Bethany said, her eyes shooting daggers.
“It is,” Mac said, without even an ounce of apology.
“We know your mom’s been through four husbands and was never married to your father,” Ranger said in a soft voice as he walked to her and rested his hands on her hips. “My intuition tells me the one she married when you were nine took a special interest in you. You were sent away to camp for the entire summer, and your grades took a dive the next year.”
“How fucking deep did ya’ll look into me?” she asked, her voice low, too.
“They’re telling you what they found out,” Jonathan said. “Trying to be honest and upfront. No secrets we don’t have to keep.”
She shook her head and told them, “I think I’d like you all to leave now, please.”
“Gen’s big brother and his best friend were considered persons of interest in an incident that sent an eighteen year old to the hospital with major brain trauma and several broken bones a couple of days after you were hurt. They took care of your boyfriend, didn’t they?” Mac asked.
They could tell if she lied, so she told them, “Yeah. I didn’t ask them to, but I wasn’t terribly upset when I found out.” She stepped away from Ranger, and thankfully, he let her go. “You aren’t wrong about my stepdad, either. It doesn’t mean any of it’s any of your business, though. I take care of myself. I may not carry a gun everywhere like Gen, but I have one, and I have my carry license. Sometimes I go to Frisco’s house and shoot with Gen — he has a range out back. I carry pepper spray, and I’ve taken some self-defense classes. I also have a really good grasp of human anatomy, and how to hurt someone with just a touch. I know I can’t force the three of you to leave,
though, so I’ll ask nice, again. Please, leave.”
“What kind of gun do you have?” Mac asked.
Bethany looked at the three men, touched her pocket to make sure her phone was in it, and walked to her front door, grabbing her purse on the way out, saying, “Lock the door when you leave,” as she slammed her own front door behind her. The men had ridden together and pulled in beside her, so she wasn’t blocked in, thank goodness. She half expected them to stop her from leaving, but Mac stood on the front porch and watched her drive away.
No idea where she was going, she drove three blocks to a manicure shop and went in to see if someone was available to give her a pedicure. They were, and an hour later she was out the door, her toes a beautiful shade of metallic purple.
The guys’ car was still in her driveway when she got home, but she went inside anyway. It was her damned house.
“How did ya’ll know I was coming back?” she asked as she stepped into her den. They’d been watching TV, but Ranger turned it off and they all focused on her as he said, “You’re too damned stubborn to let us run you out of your house for long. It’s one of the things I like about you.”
Bethany sat in a chair and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, her face in her palms, not looking at any of them.
“I’m pissed, and hurt, and I feel as if I’ve been violated.”
“When I was eleven,” Jonathan told her, “a few months before my first change, my uncle took me hiking and raped me. I didn’t tell anyone, and when I was sixteen, I found out he was planning a hiking trip with my seven year old cousin, and I killed my uncle. It’s why my family sent me away to be a soldier at sixteen. I have a high school diploma, but it isn’t a standard one.”
“You can’t join the military at sixteen.” There was so much more she wanted to say, but she started with the easiest.
“It was a supernatural force, and not a nice one. I joined the United States military at eighteen, to get away from them.”
Acceptable Risk Page 6