by Jodi Redford
“Well, shit.” Braeden drew out the word in his typical lazy drawl, making it sound more like shee-et. “Do you suppose that’s an insult?”
Her expression downright homicidal, Vanessa took a quick step toward the stick lying on the floor. Concerned for his and Braeden’s kneecaps, Rand shot a bolt of energy at the piece of wood, sending it flying into the fountain.
Vanessa awarded him a baleful glare. “You can play games with me all night. It won’t do a bit of good. Your asses are still getting hauled in.”
He gave a slow smile that turned her murderous expression into one of wariness. Hot anticipation rolled through him. Oh, the endless fun he would have with this woman. “Sweet Nessie. There’s nothing I’d love more than to play with you all night.”
Fire once again flashed in those vibrant green eyes. “What did you just call me?”
“Nessie. It suits you so much better.”
“No, it doesn’t. It’s the name of a stinkin’ monster that lives in a loch.”
“Actually, his real name is Gerald.” Braeden shrugged, his grin unapologetic when Vanessa sent him an incinerating look.
“I don’t care if his fucking name is Moe. Now are you going to come willingly or not?”
Rand took a step closer to Vanessa, unconcerned by the flicker of warning that flashed across her face. Without the stick or weapons he’d found in her vehicle and holster, she presented little threat. “It depends.”
Her chin jutted upward. “On what?”
“You.”
“Me?” Confusion softened a bit of her bravado.
“Yes. You’re the reason we’re here, Ness—Vanessa.”
The perfect arch of her brows instantly slashed toward the bridge of her nose. “Let me get this straight. You illegally jumped the veil, putting yourselves at risk of prosecution and punishment, because of me?” He nodded and she slammed her hands on her full hips. “Okay, I’ll bite.”
He gave her a wolfish smile. “Lucky me. Do I get to choose where?”
Her cheeks flamed scarlet again. “I meant why. Or more to the point, what the hell do I have to do with you breaking the law?”
“You’re our mate.”
Dead silence greeted his response, followed by exactly thirty seconds of hysterical laughter from Vanessa. Bending at the waist, she sucked in great gulps of air and wiped her watering eyes. “Oh man. If I had a dime for every time someone told me that…”
“You’d have ten cents?” Braeden countered.
Her squinty look returned, and Rand sighed. “I believe what our skeptical little mate is trying to say is that she doesn’t believe us.”
“Darn tootin’.” Vanessa nodded with enough emphasis to make her curls bounce. “Runaways in your position will try anything to avoid capture.”
“You’re forgetting one minor detail, sweetest. We came to you.”
A hint of doubt crept into her eyes. Unable to resist the allure of touching her a second longer, he closed the distance between them and brushed the pads of his fingers across her cheek. Her skin felt softer than velvet and smelled like spring itself. Desire, thick and heady, sluiced through his veins. The only other individual who’d elicited this level of reaction from him was Braeden. There’d been other lovers, dalliances, but nothing could compete with the intoxicating need of claiming a true bond mate. Now that he’d found Vanessa, no force on this earth or any other would stop him from pursuing her.
No matter the eventual cost.
Vanessa returned his stare, her pink tongue coming out to moisten her lips. He tracked the motion, his cock throbbing as he imagined her licking along the length of his shaft, her tongue soft and teasing.
“M-maybe you realized you didn’t stand a prayer of escaping,” Vanessa stuttered, breaking through his vivid fantasies. “So you decided to lure me here in hopes of pulling a fast one on me.”
“I give you my word that’s not the case.”
She reached up and swatted his hand away. “Pookas are notorious tricksters. I’d be a fool to take your word on anything.”
He inclined his head. “Very well. I propose a compromise then.”
She bit her lip. The sight of those pearly white teeth sinking into her lush bottom lip made him give in to a silent groan. Great Titania, if he didn’t bed her soon—
“What kind of compromise?”
“Forty-eight hours. If Braeden and I haven’t convinced you of our sincerity by the end of that time, we’ll willingly turn ourselves in without a fuss.”
She scowled. “Forty-eight hours! I’m scheduled to drop you off at detainment no later than tomorrow night.”
Braeden left his station next to the fountain to join them. “So you’ll be a little late. They’ll understand.”
“Please. Have you met my bosses?”
Rand trailed his palm along her arm, letting his thumb graze the outer swell of her breast through the jacket. “We’ll make it worth your while.”
Her lips parted, her breath growing wispy. She gave a disdainful snort that was clearly a ruse to cover her discomposure. “There’s something else that’s just not jiving.” She waved toward Braeden. “If he’s sucking your cock, what the hell do you need me for?”
Both he and Braeden sputtered in laughter. She gave them the stink eye. “What? It’s a valid question.”
Rand scrubbed a hand across his mouth. “Of course. We just weren’t expecting you to ask it.”
She stacked her arms in front of her. “Trust me. Cockasaurus over there talks about giving you the deep-throat special, and I’m left with a few questions regarding my role in things.”
His lips twitched. On the other side of Vanessa, he spied Braeden frowning down at his dick. “The fact Braeden and I are mated lovers doesn’t in any way diminish your importance to our union.” Sweet goddess, that was the understatement of the year.
“Union? You mean the three of us…together…” Vanessa’s face went an entirely new shade of pink.
“That is usually how it’s done.”
“Not in my world, buster. Around here, we’re lucky if two work it out.”
He didn’t fail to notice the faint edge of bitterness souring her tone. Was she thinking of a former lover? Or worse, a present one? Before he could press her about it, she jerked away from him. “Sorry, but this compromise isn’t going to work.”
“Why?” The devil inside him couldn’t resist baiting her. “Afraid you might enjoy it?”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m not willing to risk losing my job—not to mention the wrath of my bosses—for some pooka sandwich action.”
Stubborn girl would be the death of him. Caging his impatience, he returned to leaning against the column. It was the only way he could guarantee that he wouldn’t resort to throwing himself at Vanessa’s feet and begging her to throw him a bone. Or specifically, begging her to lick his bone. “Very well. But I’m afraid you’ll still have to wait.”
“Why?”
“We have company outside.”
She swiveled toward the glass doors. “What the…?” Her loud gulp echoed off the walls. “Where the hell did those bears come from? And why are they wearing bibs and holding forks?”
“They’re hungry, apparently.”
“You son of a bitch.” Her boots clacking on the marble floor, she stormed at him. She jabbed a shaking finger in the center of his chest. “Get rid of them. Now.”
“Have you ever tried to chase off starving grizzlies? Not an easy task, believe me.”
“Arghhhh.” Her frustrated scream reaching an octave only small rodents could hear, she spun and stalked in the direction of the fountain. She halted, did an about-face, and strode to him, her expression fierce. “Forty-eight hours. That’s it. The second your time is up, I’m hauling your asses in.”
He met the challenge in her eyes and forced a smile. Forty-eight hours from now, her heart would belong to them.
Even if it killed him.
Chapter Three
&n
bsp; Exactly when did this night go way left of normal? That was the question Vanessa kept mulling over as she paced in front of the fountain. The fact she even had to wonder was insane, considering that nothing about her life was remotely normal. But this? Two maddening, infuriating, and yes, sexier-than-should-be-legal pookas insisting she was their mate?
Yeah, welcome to bizarro land.
More than likely she’d nailed it when she’d accused Rand and Braeden of conniving to weasel their way out of incarceration. Because the whole notion of soul mates and love that lasts forever? Only an illusion. And if anyone was an expert at seeing past the veil of illusion, it was her.
The sound of an approaching whistle broke through her disgruntled musings, and she turned just as a train chugged into the lobby. She stared, completely bemused, as the locomotive slowed just long enough to allow a group of elves, a family of Sasquatch and a chupacabra sporting a three-piece white disco suit to disembark before rumbling through the wall and disappearing.
She started forward, intent on solving the mystery of this hotel by speaking to the Otherworlders, but a hand suddenly cupped her shoulder, making her jump. Spinning, she eyed Rand, her traitorous nipples tightening. Yes, he was aggravating as hell, but there was no denying that the breathtakingly gorgeous pooka oozed sexual magnetism. He’d more than proved his prowess with that little stunt he’d pulled earlier. Her clitoris pulsed at the reminder of her almost-orgasm. He hadn’t even touched her. How mind-blowing would actual sex with him be?
Correction, sex with him and Braeden. The throbbing in her clit intensified, and she stifled her moan. Looking to get her mind off sex, she swiveled back in the direction of the elves and their motley band of traveling companions. They’d vanished. “Damn it.” Irritated that she’d missed her shot at interrogating the Otherworlders, she pinned Rand with a glare. “What’s the deal with the train?”
“It comes through occasionally and unloads guests.” He shrugged as if that were a perfectly logical occurrence. “Are you ready? Housekeeping is just about finished tidying up our room.”
She gaped at him. “What do you mean by our room?”
He gave a nonchalant shrug. “We assumed you wouldn’t mind.”
“Well you assumed wrong. And speaking of your partner in crime, where the hell is Braeden?”
“He’s already upstairs, giving the maids a hand.”
Yeah, more like giving them an eyeful, if he was still gallivanting around naked. Determined to track down someone and find out for herself the situation with the lack of room vacancies, she shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket and took an angry march around the perimeter of the fountain. Frowning, she stared at the vast expanse of empty space between the pyramid and the four towering walls that made up the interior of the hotel. “Okay, I give. Where is the damn check-in desk?”
He made a great show of looking around. “Odd, it was here just a second ago. Guess you’re stuck with us after all.”
Somehow she controlled the urge to fish the stick from the fountain and brain him. “How convenient.”
Cupping her elbow, he steered her toward the adjacent wall. A recessed door she hadn’t noticed earlier slid open, revealing a mirrored elevator. He gestured for her to precede him inside. Soft, sensual music accompanied them on the ride up. Being confined in the cramped space only added to her hyper awareness of Rand. To make matters worse, every once in a while she’d catch him watching her, his dark eyes filled with an intense hunger that made her breath quicken. She half-expected him to rip her clothes off and toss her to the floor of the elevator, where he’d have his wicked way with her.
How pathetic did it make her that she wished he would?
The elevator coasted to a smooth stop and the doors popped open. Rather than exiting into a hallway as she’d expected, the conveyance had delivered them directly to what she assumed was their room. Only it was like no hotel room she’d ever encountered. A massive arched entry led into a large living space filled with tropical plants. Groupings of oversized cushions in vibrant shades of fuchsia and aquamarine provided intimate seating arrangements amongst the exotic blooms. The gentle cooing of doves drew her attention to the dozens of birdcages and jewel-toned glass lanterns suspended in the overhead canopy of foliage.
“Perfect timing. The maid just finished up.”
She tore her gaze from the cages and gaped at Braeden. He’d donned a pair of white harem pants that hung low on his hips. The sexy look suited him and fit in perfectly with the whole Arabian Nights vibe the room exuded. She wrinkled her nose. “How is it that I keep missing these supposed staff members?”
Braeden chuckled. “Guess you’re too slow, darlin’.”
She grunted. “Or more likely, they don’t exist.” Fingertips brushed the nape of her neck and she jumped before shooting a look up at Rand.
His eyebrow took on a cocky slant but he didn’t comment on her edginess. “I took the liberty of stashing your suitcase in the bedroom. Perhaps you’d like to change into something more comfortable?”
“My suit—” She plunked her hands on her hips. “Wait a minute. You went rifling through my car?”
“I figured you wouldn’t want to wear the same thing for the next two days.”
“Damn presumptuous of you, particularly considering you didn’t know for certain I’d agree to stay.”
His smile falling way short of innocent, he dropped his hand and squeezed her left butt cheek. Before she could do anything more than jerk in response, he removed his hand and strode toward another arched doorway in the distance. She stood there fuming and he sent her an amused glance over his shoulder. “Coming?”
She glared at his back before shifting her focus to Braeden. “Is he always this bossy?”
“Darlin’, you haven’t even seen him at his best.” His laugh smoky, Braeden sprawled onto one of the plump cushions and stacked his arms beneath his head.
Grumbling, she stalked after Rand. She caught up with him inside the bedroom, her heart rate spiking as she surveyed the wicked, decadent surroundings. Holy sweet mother of God.
It wasn’t so much the enormous platform bed and the collection of wrist and ankle restraints resting atop its black silk sheets that caused her pulse to skitter out of control. Okay, they were a little responsible. But the shelves loaded with various vibrators, oils and assorted kinky paraphernalia definitely made her question her sanity in agreeing to ride out the next forty-eight hours in this room.
“Your luggage is over here.”
Tearing her shocked stare from the huge pink vibrator shaped like a rabbit, she crossed to the tufted ottoman Rand gestured toward. Sure enough, her tweed suitcase waited on top. She unzipped her jacket and shrugged free of it before reaching down the front of her turtleneck. Meeting Rand’s interested stare, she held up the small key dangling from the silver chain around her neck. “Pickpockets never think to look there.”
His full, sensuous lips curved upward. “Then they’re missing a golden opportunity.”
Ignoring the sinful promise in his eyes and the responding surge of moisture between her thighs, she slipped the chain off and inserted the key inside the tiny luggage lock. It clicked into place and she flipped up the hinge tabs, springing the suitcase open. She peered down at the articles of clothing neatly folded inside, her temper threatening to detonate. “Where the hell are my clothes?”
“I threw them away.”
“What?” A haze of fury obscuring her vision, she pawed through the skimpy garments. She pulled out a red lacy corset that had circles cut out of the nipple area. “Where are my pajamas, you son of a bitch?”
“Are you referring to those atrocious flannel things?” He shuddered. “Sweetest, something that ugly doesn’t deserve to touch your skin.”
“And this does?” She waved the corset in his face. “Half of it is missing.”
He dug inside the suitcase and extracted a red G-string that matched the corset. “Here you go.”
“That isn�
��t what I—” She broke off with a growl and tossed the garment onto the ottoman. “Why am I even wasting my breath?” Running impatient fingers through her hair, she glanced about. “Where is the bathroom?”
Rand pointed toward the farthest wall, where a shimmering curtain of aqua silk rippled in invitation. “Just beyond there.” He coughed pointedly when she began to walk away. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
She pivoted and found him holding the corset and G-string. “Yeah. In your dreams, buddy.” Jaw clenched tight enough it ached, she stormed toward the curtain. It fluttered aside as she approached, revealing an opulent sanctuary on the other side. Her grumpiness evaporated the instant she entered the bathroom. Oh wow. Mouth hanging wide open, she gaped at the huge glass mosaic bathing pool occupying most of the room. A small waterfall cascaded down one side, constantly feeding a brilliant stream of champagne-hued water into the pool. Fragrant pink blossoms floated on the water’s surface, perfuming the air with pure ambrosia. “Damn, maybe I did die and go to heaven.”
Tempted as she was to strip down and dive right into that steamy oasis of bliss, she reluctantly settled for availing herself of the toilet. She stepped back into the bedroom just as Rand was shrugging from his shirt. Her breath lodged in her throat. All annoyances aside, he was simply beautiful to behold. His sculpted shoulders were powerful, delineated with sleek muscle tone. A series of intricate symbols inked the right side of his breastbone, drawing attention to his firm pectorals. Like Braeden, his torso was hairless except for the sprinkling of dark hair that traversed his chiseled abs and disappeared beneath the waistband of his charcoal trousers.
He turned toward her, his well-defined stomach muscles flexing. “Is the bath to your liking?”
Despite her best intentions, she couldn’t stop ogling his chest. She imagined licking over those delicious curves and hollows. Imagined sucking the hard nubs of his masculine nipples against the roof of her mouth. An intense throb leapt in her clit. She swallowed, corking her whimper. “Y-yes. It’s fine.”
Disappointment shadowed his expression. For some weird reason, guilt over her less than gushing response settled in the pit of her belly. “No, that’s not true.”