by R. E. Butler
Demi’s cheeks went hot. “Holy crap, China,” she chided. “Just tell the whole damn bar.”
China rolled her eyes with a smile. “Everyone knows anyway, babe. You’d have to be blind not to see the attraction between the three of you. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m just teasing you.”
“I know. You’re always doing that.”
“I’ll stop when it’s not fun for me anymore.”
“It’s not fun.”
“I said not fun for me,” China said.
“Why are we friends?”
“Because we’re awesome.”
Demi loved China. She was so honest and bold. “It’s true. So do you think anything will happen with the drummer or bass guy?”
She shrugged. “Neither are my heart-match, and I’m not really looking for a one-nighter if they’re going to be the house band. That would be awkward.”
“True.”
“But who knows what the night will bring?”
“Indeed.”
“That’s it for us,” Rafe said from the stage. “We’re Midnight Grizzlies. Thanks for having us!”
The crowd clapped and Demi rose to her feet. “Want to come up and meet the guys?”
“I’ll wait down here.”
Demi nodded and headed to the stage. She climbed the small set of stairs and met the two males.
“Hey beautiful,” Rafe said.
“You need to meet with Titus?” she asked.
“Yeah, just for a few minutes,” Rhaider said. “Then we’ll pack up and grab a bite to eat.”
“Can I help?”
“That would be great,” Rafe said. “The more hands, the faster we can finish up.”
“I’ve long said we should have roadies,” Rebel said.
“You’re so spoiled,” Maverick said. “One time we had people help us pack up after a show, and ever since he’s wanted full-time help.”
“I can’t help it that I enjoy watching other people work while I relax.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Rhaider said. Demi followed them off the stage and went back to the table with China while the band met with Titus. Titus led them down the hall and she suspected he was going to take them out onto the patio to have some privacy and quiet.
“Did you decide yet?” China asked.
“About?”
China’s eyes rolled again and Demi was surprised they stayed in her head. “You know. Taking ‘em home or not. I’m trying to live vicariously through you.”
“I have no idea, honestly. It’s tempting to jump in headfirst.”
“Bed-first.”
Demi swatted at her arm. “Anyway…it’s tempting but I like the idea of getting to know them first.”
“That sounds really sweet. I think I’d like that too. You just never know how these things are going to go.”
Demi nodded, thinking about the recent heart-matches that had been found in the pride—Duke and Ree, Barron and Mercy, Diesel and Emberly, and of course Hemi and Annie. Demi was the first one in the pride to find a heart-match who was a shifter. And she was definitely the first one to find two heart-matches.
“Come on sweets,” Rhaider said as they joined her at the table. “With your help, we’ll be ready to go in no time.”
“I could lend a hand,” China said.
“That’s cool, thanks,” Rebel said.
The six of them packed up the equipment. Demi had never learned how to play an instrument outside of the plastic recorders everyone had been required to learn in elementary school. She loved listening to music, though, and was very impressed by how well the guys played and sang. She carried a canvas bag containing a stand out to the van. “How long have you guys been playing together?”
She handed the bag to Maverick, who was standing inside the large van.
“Since middle school,” Rafe said. He placed his guitar in its hard case on a hook along one of the walls. “We just fooled around mostly, learning as we went along. We had a music teacher at school who played a few different instruments and he offered to teach us if we’d help out around his elderly mom’s house on the weekends, so we exchanged lessons for yard work.”
“That’s pretty cool,” she said. “When was your first gig?”
“First paid gig was an anniversary party for that teacher and his mate. He was really encouraging to us. We only played covers for a long time, and then Rhaider took some classes on how to write music, and we went from there.”
“I think it’s really neat. Especially since it brought you here.”
Rhaider lifted one part of the drum kit and handed it to Rebel. “We think so too.”
When the last piece of equipment was in the van and the doors were shut, Maverick said, “You guys heading out to eat now?”
“Yeah,” Rafe said.
“So, we’ll see you at the B&B tonight or…?” Rebel asked.
Demi’s cheeks went hot again. She didn’t think she’d ever blushed so much in her life in such a short amount of time.
Rhaider gave Demi an indulgent smile. “We’re going to eat and then we’ll see where the night takes us. But we’ll definitely see you in the morning for breakfast no matter what.”
“Right, they’re supposed to have a super great breakfast buffet at the B&B,” Maverick said.
“It was nice to meet you, Demi,” Rebel said, and Maverick echoed the sentiment.
“You too,” she replied.
“My car’s out front,” Demi said, when the others had climbed into the van and pulled away.
“Lead the way,” Rhaider said.
She took both their hands, unable to stop the happy sigh from her lioness at the contact.
“Our bears are right there with you,” Rafe said.
“I feel like I should understand what we’re dealing with because I watched my brother and Annie as they navigated being heart-matches, but it’s strange to go through it myself.”
“Strange how?” Rhaider asked.
She stopped at her car and unlocked the doors. “Well,” she said, turning to face them. “Part of me wants to take it slow. Part of me is mortified by how many sexy thoughts are traipsing through my mind when we’ve only known each other for a little while. I want to take it slow and also rush you to my place for the night.” She tapped the side of her head, her lioness making suggestions as well, mostly involving lots of nakedness and a bed or sturdy, flat surface.
Like the kitchen table.
“You’re blushing again,” Rafe said softly, his eyes flashing. “And you smell so good, like sunshine and tall grass.”
Rhaider leaned against the car and banded an arm around her waist. He nuzzled her neck and she closed her eyes as a riot of sensations cascaded over her. “We feel the same way, we promise. We both want to take it slow and get to know you, but we also have beasts that want to claim you in every possible way.”
Rafe moved to her other side and she felt entirely surrounded by them. “It was difficult to stay on the stage when we just wanted to be with you. So, how ever things go tonight, just know that we’re feeling the same things. Except that you shouldn’t be mortified for thinking sexy thoughts.”
“Hell yes,” Rhaider said. “Tell us all about them.”
Demi giggled and leaned back against the car. “Not out here in the parking lot.”
“Then let’s get to the diner. Playing always makes me hungry,” Rafe said.
“Me too,” Rhaider said.
Rhaider opened her car door for her and pressed the button to lean the seat forward so he could climb into the backseat. “Sorry you’re going to be squished back there,” she said.
“It’s okay,” he said. He pulled the seat back into place with a loud click. She sat down and closed the door.
Rafe sat in the passenger seat. “We have an SUV at the B&B.”
She thought she’d drop them back at the B&B tonight after eating. But maybe she’d drop them off in the morning.
She drove to the diner and then wa
lked inside with her two mates. It was mostly empty, so they picked a corner booth that had a curved bench seat so they could sit with her in the middle of them.
When the waitress walked up to their table and set down glasses of ice water, Demi smiled at the female she’d known her entire life. Connie was a pride member, and her mom’s age.
“Well hello, Miss Demi, how are you doing?”
“Really good, Connie. You?”
“I could complain but I won’t. Randy says I can’t complain on the clock anymore. It eats up too much time.” She laughed loudly and Demi smiled.
“This is Rafe and Rhaider,” Demi said. “They auditioned at the bar tonight.”
“Now isn’t that nice? Welcome to Kedrick. What can I get you all to eat?”
“Do you have any of the three-berry pie?” Demi asked.
“You bet. Ice cream?”
“Of course.” She looked at the guys. “Randy makes all the pies from scratch, and the ice cream is homemade too.”
“I’m starving. Is the kitchen still open?” Rafe asked.
“Absolutely,” Connie said.
“Then a burger and double fries,” he said. “And apple pie with ice cream for after.”
“Make that two,” Rhaider said, “but I’ll take a piece of that chocolate pie I saw in the case when we walked by.”
“Perfect. I’ll be right back.”
“You sure you don’t want to eat more than a piece of pie?” Rafe asked.
“I’m sure,” Demi said. “I might steal some fries though.”
“Steal away,” Rafe said. “Everything we have is yours.”
“Not that we have much at the moment,” Rhaider said. “We’re basically homeless until we get a permanent gig and get settled. Hopefully you don’t think less of us for that.”
“Hell no,” Demi said. “You’re so brave! I don’t think I could ever just pick up and travel the country, even with Hemi and some friends.”
“It was self-preservation more than bravery,” Rafe said. “We didn’t want to be split up by a match-maker.”
“It’s not normal for lions to share a mate. Is it for bears?” she asked.
Rafe shook his head. “As far as we know, it’s not happened in our clan’s history. When we realized we wanted to share a mate, it was a surprise, but it feels very right to us. Our bears are in sync in our feelings.”
“Honestly,” Rhaider said, “we’ve known there was a possibility that when we did find our mate, she might not want to share herself with two males. We were hopeful, but it’s been at the back of our minds that we might have to deal with a female who wouldn’t be shared.”
She let that roll around in her head. “What would you have done?”
Rafe shrugged. “We talked about it, but we didn’t know. If you only wanted one of us, I’m not sure how we would handle it. We both feel connected to you as a heart-match. If you didn’t feel the same way, then we’d have to have a serious talk about what to do.”
“Did you think it would happen? That you’d find a female to share?”
“We hoped so,” Rhaider said. “It’s a surprise to us that we found you, though. It was our dream to find our heart-match and that she’d be willing to be shared by us. We had no idea if that was a possibility. We thought we might be bachelors forever.”
“Prides are pretty traditional,” she said. “I suspect that clans are too?”
“Yep,” Rafe said. “Our alpha only allows bears to be part of the clan, so even if he agreed with us sharing a mate, you wouldn’t be allowed to be part of the clan simply because you’re a lion.”
“It was like that with the pride before our current alpha, Duke, took over. He changed the laws so lions can mate whoever they want and still remain in the pride.”
“That’s pretty progressive,” Rhaider said.
“While that’s true, I think us being a mated trio might raise some eyebrows. I have no idea how my parents are going to react, or the rest of the pride. It matters but it also doesn’t matter. I want you guys to be accepted but a lack of acceptance by my family or the pride wouldn’t make me change my mind about you.”
Rafe put his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. “We feel the same way.”
“We’re really glad we came to Kedrick, Demi. You were worth the wait.”
She grinned, her lioness letting out a low, happy purr.
The food arrived and Demi thanked Connie for the extra-large slice of three-berry pie and the generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
“That looks great,” Rhaider said.
“So does yours,” she said. “Randy makes great burgers.”
“Want a bite?” he asked.
“Nah.”
Rafe scooted his plate of extra fries toward her and she grinned. “You guys are the best.”
“Oh darlin’, we haven’t even gotten to our best yet.”
“I can’t wait.”
Chapter Seven
By the time Rhaider polished off the mile-high chocolate pie, he was stuffed and half in love with Demi. She was candid about her family and life, including getting stalked relentlessly by an alpha lion.
“He hasn’t shown up in a while, though, or sent me flowers or tried to contact me, so I hope he’s decided to leave me alone. He was so crazy insistent before, and then he just kind of dropped off the planet.”
“Well, he’ll definitely be staying away from you now,” Rhaider said.
His bear wanted to find the male and beat him within an inch of his life and ensure he never even thought of her, let alone contacted her.
“I hope I don’t have to deal with him at all, but if I do, I’m glad that you two are with me.”
“One hundred percent,” Rafe said.
The bill appeared and Rhaider grabbed it and slid from the booth. He walked to the register and smiled at Connie. “Can I get a piece of three-berry pie to go?”
“Of course,” she said. She added it onto the bill, and Rhaider paid, leaving a generous tip. By the time she returned with a piece of pie in a Styrofoam container, Rafe and Demi were walking toward him.
“What’s this?” Demi asked. “We didn’t have leftovers.”
“Pie for later,” Rhaider said.
“Oh, you’re so sweet. Thanks, Connie. It was all delish.”
“You’re welcome, hon. Nice to meet you boys. Take care.”
“You too,” Rhaider said.
Rafe grabbed the door and they returned to her car.
He didn’t want to push her about the rest of the night one way or another, so he didn’t say anything and waited for her to speak.
She fisted the car keys and said, “I’d like you to come home with me if you want. But I just…want to sleep. I’m honestly exhausted from chasing kids around all day, and I want to give you my best when we do eventually…you know.”
Rhaider cupped her face and kissed her. “You’re so adorable. That works for us.”
He released her and Rafe gave her a quick kiss too.
“I didn’t want to leave you tonight, but I didn’t want you to think that we’re only after one thing. You’re our heart-match and that means we’re in for the long haul.”
“Right,” Rhaider said. “Whatever happens between us isn’t on a schedule.”
“I appreciate that,” she said. “I don’t want to be away from you both tonight.”
“Then we won’t be,” Rafe said.
They got in the car, Rafe taking his turn to be squished in the back. It took only a few minutes to reach her home. There was a small car and a truck on one side of the driveway. Demi parked next to the truck and led them up the steps to the small, wooden porch and unlocked the door.
“Home sweet home,” she said. “Come on in.”
They walked into the family room, where a plush couch and coffee table sat in front of an electric fireplace and a flat screen hanging on the wall. She turned on the overhead light and placed her bag on a hook by the door. “Hemi moved out first,” she
said as she showed them the kitchen. She took bottled waters from the fridge and offered them to them. “He had a little studio apartment outside of town but he didn’t like being away from the pride. We don’t have to live in the territory, but most prefer it. Then he found this place and asked if I wanted to join him. Our parents didn’t want me out of the house—they thought that I should stay home until I got mate-matched, but since I wasn’t going to do that, I hopped right out of the house and into this one.”
“It’s nice,” Rafe said.
“Well, it’s small,” she said. “It was good for me, or a couple like Hemi and Annie, but now…”
She trailed off and Rhaider glanced at his brother. “How many bedrooms?” he asked.
“Two. One is really tiny, though.”
She looked like she was thinking too hard about their living situation, and Rhaider didn’t want her to be worried about anything at all. “Let’s see where you sleep and then I gotta be honest, I’m dead on my feet.”
Demi smiled sweetly at him and led them down a short hall. The master bedroom, which was not what he’d actually call the room where she slept, was just large enough for the full-sized bed and a tall dresser. The only bathroom in the place was across the hall. There was a laundry closet down the hall across from the other bedroom, so at least she didn’t have to go to a Laundromat.
“Let me wash my face and then I’ll be ready for bed,” she said.
She grabbed clothes out of the second dresser drawer and hurried across the hall. When the door was shut, Rafe let out a sigh as he looked at the bed.
“This is…not ideal,” Rafe said.
“It’ll be fine,” Rhaider said. “Just means we get to snuggle up even closer to her.”
“Good point,” Rafe said, grinning. “Plus, I’d sleep on nails to be with her, so a too-small bed is much better than that.”
When Demi came out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a tank, her face pink and clean, Rhaider thought she looked even more beautiful than she had at the bar. “Sorry the bed’s on the small side,” she said. “I don’t let, well, I haven’t ever let anyone stay the night with me, so it never mattered if the bed was big enough for more than just me.”