A Twin Valentine [Moonlight Shifters 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Morgan Fox

  “I like this view too,” Luken teased, his fingers tormenting her pussy and the rim of her anus.

  She shivered as his fingers pushed past the barrier of her ass, tempting her with what was to come. One, then two fingers, stretching and preparing her.

  “Stand in front of me,” she ordered Ryken, rolling her hips to enjoy the sexual play Luken delivered. “I want to taste you now.”

  The moment he was in front of her, she lowered to take him into her mouth, licking him from base to tip. She circled her tongue around the head and moaned as she tasted him, swirling her tongue all around his cock as she took him deep once more.

  Her body was quivering as Luken’s cock brushed over the euphoric spot inside her that would have her coming for sure. But she wasn’t ready. Things would be over too soon, and the feelings igniting between them felt too good to let go of.

  Luken’s hips bucked harder, but before he could come, Ryken pulled her off of him and turned her to face the bed. She now knelt on the edge with Ryken behind her. Luken moved to slide up under her once more, and she took his hard length into her pussy. Ryken smeared her slick juices over the tight button, gripped her hips, and slid inside the snug clasp of her ass. He waited a moment as she adjusted to her lovers, and then he sprang to action, taking her hard and fast. Luken held the back of her head, his kiss demanding. Her lovers filled her, and it was a frantic claiming she desired. She’d missed this wild need that sparked between them.

  Recently their intimate time together had been mere sex, but this—this was something that had her blood boiling and primal urges exploding in her mind. This was how things had been between them before she’d allowed her desire for a future to cloud her mind—when things were new between them.

  Like the flip of a switch, her body pulsed with a fiery hot orgasm that seemed to start at her toes and rocket through every nerve ending in her body. Ryken’s grip on her hips tightened as he came, bucking as he emptied himself inside her. Luken was the last, savoring the moment the longest.

  Like all the times before when they’d shared a moment like this, Ryken pulled her to him, cradling her body with his. Luken faced her on the bed, resting his head on the pillows beside her.

  He trailed a finger up her arm, brushing back her hair from her face. “We can never be without you, Tabitha,” he told her, his eyes consumed with uncertainty. “I won’t let you run away. Not for long.”

  “Luken,” she whispered, feeling Ryken’s hold around her waist tighten. She placed her arm over his, a reaction she had a million times. “I love you both, but I need a little space.”

  “Why? What happened? Have we done something wrong?” Ryken asked, his voice low and gruff. “Please know that we never want to hurt you. We love you, Tabitha. With all we have to give.”

  She closed her eyes, her mind overrun with worry. She always felt Ryken and Luken’s love for her. That wasn’t the question that entered her mind. She finally realized that she wasn’t sure how to tell them that what they were giving her wasn’t enough, and she didn’t know if it ever would be.

  She brought Ryken’s hand to her lips and kissed it. Then she leaned forward to kiss Luken. “We can talk about it tomorrow. I’m exhausted, and I’ve got my aunt’s funeral in the morning.”

  Luken nodded, and then cringed. “We didn’t pack for a funeral.”

  She smiled, appreciating that he’d want to attend with her. “That’s probably for the best. These people are extremely conservative and might not know what to do with twin, tattooed, long-haired lycans.”

  He grinned. “I’m sure you’re right. You never said how things were going so far while you were here.”

  “You two didn’t give me much of a chance.”

  Ryken groaned. “I don’t regret a second of it.” His hand climbed up her belly and teased her nipple.

  She released a breathy sigh, rolling to her back so she could look at him. “I should tell you that I’m now a millionaire.”

  Luken rose up to his elbow, looking down at her. “You’re aunt left you money?”

  “A large inheritance as well as a seat on the board of her company.”

  Ryken grimaced. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I have a lot to consider,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Are you thinking of staying here?” Luken asked, his voice just above a whisper. “You would want to move away from McCarthy Ranch?”

  She licked her lips, her heart racing as the tension began to grow between them. “I don’t know what I want to do. I just found all this out today. I’m overwhelmed with it all. I’d like to get through the funeral before I decide anything.”

  Ryken shifted, sitting up. “You’re thinking of leaving us,” he said sharply. “You’re thinking that now that you have money and a prominent position on some fucking board that you don’t need us anymore.” He stood, found his jeans, and began dressing.

  She sat up, pulling a sheet up over her, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “I never said any of that. Those are your words. Not mine.”

  He shot across the room toward her in a blink, his nails lengthening into claws. “But it’s what you’re thinking,” he said, gritting his teeth. “I know it, Tabitha. It’s why you’ve been so distant with us. It’s why you wanted to come out here alone, isn’t it? You want out.”

  Luken was quiet. She glanced at him from over her shoulder. “What? You don’t have anything to add?”

  He shook his head. “I think he said it all.” He moved from the bed to dress.

  “You don’t understand. I’m scared.”

  “Of what? Us? We love you, woman. What more do you need?”

  Fire burned in her belly, anger ripping through her. “What I need is for you both to see that I’m not happy. What I need is for you to see that I need more than—”

  “To be with us?” Ryken questioned, his words cold. “I get it. It’s my fault.” His eyes watered. “Had we left you alone and simply protected you as Sebastian had ordered, none of this would be happening to us now.”

  “We thought you were our mate, Tabitha,” Luken told her. “We thought you felt the same about us. We were sure, in fact.”

  “I do,” she said. “I love you both.”

  “Then why do we no longer feel the connection we once shared? It’s like you’re gone.” Luken turned from her, his shoulders rigged with tension. “You’re fighting our link—our mating bond.”

  Tears burned her eyes as she listened to them. The sight of them, so angry and confused, was killing her.

  A knock sounded from her hotel room and instantly, she froze. At two in the morning, she assumed it was a neighbor complaining about the noise—not the argument, but the sex. Before she could get out of bed to answer the door, Ryken had it opened. To her surprise it was Joseph. Her jaw slackened and panic charged up from her belly, choking her.

  “Who the hell are you?” Ryken barked.

  He stepped back, as if to deflect Ryken’s obvious wrath. “I–I’m Joseph Warner, June Burns’s attorney.”

  “Ryken, please,” Tabitha called out to him, wrapping the sheet around her more tightly. “Don’t hurt him.”

  Ryken and Luken both eyed her curiously. Their gaze flickered to Joseph and then to each other as if to exchange thoughts. They frowned, fists clenching at their sides.

  Ryken glared at her, his eyes consumed with fury. “Is he our replacement, Tabitha?”

  She shot up from the bed. “No,” she said directly. “He’s my aunt’s attorney. He’s helping me work out all the details of the inheritance.”

  “Right,” Luken grumbled, sniffing the air. “Then why is your scent all over him?”

  “I beg your pardon?” Joseph asked.

  “He escorted me to my aunt’s wake tonight. That’s all.” She moved toward Luken. “Please don’t do this now. Once I’m finished with my aunt’s funeral we can talk. I promise.”

  Ryken slammed the door in Joseph’s face and crowed in on Tabitha, taking her by her
shoulders. “You belong to us, Tabitha. We claimed you. You are our mate.” He closed his eyes, glancing down at the space between them. “If you no longer want to be with us, then keep doing what you’re doing.”

  She furrowed her brow. “Keep doing what?”

  Ryken stepped away from her, raking a stiff hand through his hair. He reached for the door, opened it, and shoved past Joseph. She looked at Luken.

  “Whatever you’re going through is breaking the mating bond we share, Tabitha, and if you walk away from us completely, you’ll destroy us too.”

  Luken grabbed the rest of his clothing and followed after Ryken. Tabitha collapsed on the edge of the bed, gripping the sheet that covered her body. Tears filled her eyes as Joseph slowly opened the door.

  “I take it this is bad timing?” he asked.

  She shrugged, unsure if it would’ve mattered had Joseph showed up or not. The way things felt with Ryken and Luken, she’d already ruined everything between them.

  Chapter Five

  “Maybe we overreacted?” Luken said, facing his brother. “We didn’t even give her a chance to explain.”

  Ryken rolled his eyes. “Did we? The way I see it we didn’t react enough. We still don’t have our mate back, and we left her wrapped in a sheet with that douchebag standing at her door.”

  Luken groaned. “You’re right. We should’ve dragged him down the hallway with us and beat his ass.”

  Ryken paused, glancing at his brother. Then Luken smirked. Ryken shook his head. “I’m the one who’s supposed to need anger management. You’re supposed to keep things levelheaded, remember?”

  “Yes, I remember. I also remember feeling like the air had been sucked from the room, as I looked her in the eyes, and told her she was killing us. Even I hate that level of seriousness, you know?”

  “I couldn’t stand there and say nothing,” Ryken told him, defending his actions. “I wanted to hear why she was so eager to be alone. Find out why our bond is weakening. Now we know.”

  She doesn’t really need us anymore. Maybe she never really did.

  Luken leaned against the railing of their hotel balcony, looking downward in the location of Tabitha’s room. “And now that we know that she has an inheritance and means of independence, what now? Do we go back to McCarthy Ranch and wait for the heartache of loss to destroy us or do we fight?”

  He slanted a glance to his brother, his heart pounding with regret. He’d replayed his words to Tabitha over and over again in his mind. She’d looked like a woman ravaged by pain. Then he remembered the way she looked and tasted as they’d made love. That was not a woman wishing to run away, but a woman desiring her lovers, needing them as they needed her. His head spun.

  As they’d made love, Ryken felt the connection spark once more, even if just for a moment. Perhaps, he’d been wrong to assume she didn’t love them anymore. Things between them were becoming such a mess and his temper wasn’t helping matters.

  Not so long ago, Tabitha had been on her own, and it had been him and Luken who had uprooted her life. In many ways, he was responsible for her staying at McCarthy Ranch, but what if secretly she’d always wanted to live back in Seattle? Had he sabotaged their chances by never giving her a choice? He ground his teeth, hating all the unanswered questions bumping around in his head.

  The one thing he’d been so sure of recently was that he wanted to marry Tabitha, to make her his wife. He honestly couldn’t believe he hadn’t asked her sooner, but things between them had felt so amazing, he feared rocking the boat. What if his hesitation was the cause of her distance?

  Shit, what if this is all my fault?

  Ryken stiffened his spine and faced Luken. “I think it’s time we did what we do best.”

  “What’s that?” Luken asked.

  Ryken grinned, his brow arching high on his forehead. “We kidnap our mate.”

  * * * *

  The funeral was the most beautiful Tabitha had ever seen. Her aunt was not only well-respected, but loved. Tabitha had been greeted by hundreds of people she couldn’t remember and it all happened as if she were standing in a whirlwind tunnel. Joseph had remained beside her for the entire event, and she was grateful that he had. She might not have made it through it all without him.

  “Who knew that a funeral could be so exhausting,” Tabitha said, leaning toward him.

  “Your aunt had a lot of friends,” Joseph replied.

  “I can see that,” Tabitha told him, after shaking the hand of another person offering their condolences.

  “I am disappointed that I didn’t get to know her as they all seem to have.”

  “Yes, and I’m sure they’re all disappointed that they didn’t inherit a cent too.” He laughed as she gaped at him. “Sorry, but it’s true.”

  “I’m not sure if I feel better or worse knowing that.”

  He looked about as if to make sure no one around them could hear their conversation. Then he asked, “I know it’s none of my business, but who were those men with you last night?”

  She released a breath. She’d felt a mountain of tension all day waiting for him to ask. After the twins had left, she’d asked Joseph to leave as well. The tears that choked her wouldn’t have allowed her to speak anyway. She’d appreciated that he hadn’t asked a single question, just left as she’d requested.

  “I was wondering if you were going to ask about them.”

  “I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. You all seemed cozy together, but you were also fighting.”

  “They’re my lovers,” she said directly. “I live with them back in East Texas.”

  “Oh,” he muttered. “Are they here to support you in your decision-making or to drag you off like barbarians, kicking and screaming?”

  She widened her eyes at his comment and then smiled. “You got all that about them from a few moments, huh?”

  He shrugged. “I read people. It’s what I do. Right now I’m reading that you have a lot on your mind and no one to share it with.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “If you want to talk, Tabitha, I’m all ears.”

  “Did my aunt ever talk with you about her problems?”

  He raked his fingers through his slightly gray hair and glanced away. “Your aunt and I had a unique relationship,” he said softly. “I was more than just her attorney.”

  Tabitha studied him, watching as his eyes glistened and a longing coupled with sadness surfaced. “Oh my God, Joseph. You were in love with her.”

  His expression was pained, and once again he nodded. “We were lovers. So I know a great deal about her personal life and the struggles she faced. She shared almost everything with me.”

  Tabitha’s mouth opened and then closed. “Why didn’t she leave you anything?”

  His voice shook as he said, “I only ever wanted her. She gave me that while she could.”

  Tabitha’s heart broke for Joseph. She knew that kind of love, felt it with Ryken and Luken. That was why trying to figure out her next steps was so difficult.

  “How long were you together?”

  “We started seeing each other not long after I became her attorney.”

  Tabitha tsked under her tongue. “Well, well, well, Mr. Warner, you and Auntie were very naughty, taking the attorney-client privilege to a new level.” He narrowed his gaze on her, but his expression eased as Tabitha began to smile. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  “Your aunt was a remarkable woman. I miss her very much.”

  “I’m sorry you lost her.”

  “Thank you,” he said, wiping at the fallen tear that streaked from his eye. “I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to know her as I did.”

  “Cancer sucks,” she muttered.

  Joseph reached over and squeezed her hand. “It sure does.” He cleared his throat. “So now that you know about me and your aunt, what’s up with you and those two men?”

  She smiled softly, remembering the size of his eyes as he took notice of both Ryken and Luken. T
hey could be intimidating, but not to her. “I had just finished telling them about the job offer and inheritance before you knocked on the door.”

  He chuckled. “No wonder they were out for blood. I take it you are considering staying in Seattle, then?”

  She hiked a shoulder. “I don’t know yet.”

  “Are things serious with these men or just fun?”

  “Well, you don’t waste much time prying,” she replied, arching a brow.

  He smirked. “I prefer to not waste time. I’m also going to assume that you love these men, but fear they’re not the commitment type.”

  Talk about hitting the nail on the head. “I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it. Everyone in our circle of friends is either newlyweds or happily married with an ever-growing number of children.”

  “And you’re tired of being left out of that circle?”

  She pursed her lips together, registering what she wanted so badly. She’d been afraid to tell Ryken and Luken what she wanted, fearing they would end up leaving her.

  What am I doing to them?

  “I want a family. I want to get married and have children. Until I met Ryken and Luken, I never considered that that lifestyle was for me.”

  “Have you talked with them about what your future together could look like? What you want.”

  How silly she’d been. She’d basically put her most intimate desires on hold because of fear. Life wasn’t supposed to be this hard. Then again, not everyone experienced a werewolf mating bond either.

  “Whatever happened to getting a degree from college, launching a career, finding a husband, and having babies?” She laughed. “Leave it to me to take a rocky path that led to the most incredible men ever who are great at messing up everything and making it all perfect at the same time. And yet I still can’t be happy.”

  “You want the ideal happily-ever-after scenario, Tabitha. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be married with children.”

  She groaned, plastering on another soft smile as another person approached with condolences. The crowd had dwindled, and the service was nearly over. Now, she only had one thing on her mind—figuring out what she wanted out of her life and where she wanted to have it. Texas or Seattle.