by Kris Norris
“Then, why did you dismiss me that first day? Wasn’t I good enough for you? Is it because I’m not a shifter?”
Lucas darted forward, followed closely by Cullen. “No. We’re the ones who don’t measure up, and we don’t care that you’re not a shifter.”
“So, you weren’t immediately attracted to me, then. Like you were with each other.”
“What?” He groaned. “That first meeting…your damn oilskin jacket hid your scent, and we never got a chance to actually touch you. We had no idea who you were to us until the saloon.” He winked at her. “Other than a very beautiful woman.”
She hitched out one hip. “That’s because you were too busy telling me to get my ass back on the train.”
The man chuckled. “Christ, you never back down, do you? And trust me, it’s an oversight we won’t make, again.”
She sighed, knowing there wasn’t really any use in arguing over the past. “So, where does that leave us, now?”
“We know where we’d like it to lead.”
She swallowed against the nervous flutter in her stomach. “But aren’t you two…” she waved her hand between them, “…together already?”
Lucas grinned as Cullen moved in behind her, lightly pressing his chest to her back. Her breath hitched, the fluttery feeling in her gut increasing as his hands landed on her hips. She glanced at him, noting the flash of red in his eyes as his gaze dropped to her shoulder then back up. She opened her mouth to question him, when Lucas cupped her chin, drawing her focus back to him. Their gazes clashed, a similar flicker of red in his eyes coloring the usual blue depths.
He stroked her cheek with his thumb, the intimate gesture coiling desire low in her groin. “We’ve been fightin’ the need for months. Guess our bears were waitin’ for you. But now that we’ve found you…” He inhaled, humming to himself. “It’s taken all our restraint to try to move slowly. Get you to notice the men, not the animals. Then, I got hurt, and we ended up pushing you away.” He released a weary breath. “Let’s just say our other halves are having a hard time understandin’ why we haven’t charmed you into our bed, yet. Hell, Cullen and I haven’t even had a chance to claim each other. Just doesn’t feel right without you.”
Her chin quivered at his words. Despite her tough bravado, she’d never been intimate with a man, let alone two.
Cullen nuzzled her shoulder, dropping a soft kiss on neck. “We’d never force anything on you, Hollis. Never take what you didn’t want to give. Mating is about love. Trust. Not us exerting ownership.” He winked at her. “Even if the word ‘mine’ plays over and over inside our heads.”
She moistened her lips, again, noting the way he followed the path of her tongue. “Which means?”
“Which means that as much as we want to take you in our arms and love you until there’s no doubt that this is exactly where you need to be, the decision’s yours. We realize you don’t have the luxury of a bear telling you we’re the men you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. That, despite our rocky beginning, we’ll stand by you until the day we die. So, if you need more time, we’ll give it to you, even if that means we have to distance ourselves for a while. Prevent our animals from going rogue, because I assure you, they have no doubts what they want. Neither do we.”
Lucas thumbed her cheek, again. “Come on. Let’s get you tucked back into bed. You can think up more questions for us after you’ve gotten some rest. Allowed that pounding in your head to ease, and from more than everything we’ve just confessed. Your face is still ten shades of blue.”
“But—”
“Not taking no for an answer. You’re still healing.” Lucas’ gaze softened. “Please, darlin’.”
She relented, allowing them to lead her over to the bed.
Cullen pointed at her clothes. “We can step out if you’d like to get more comfortable. I need to grab another chair, anyway.”
She snagged his arm when he started to turn. “Aren’t you going to sleep in the bed with me? Like we were before all of this happened?”
Cullen’s eyes narrowed, his expression far more feral than it had been moments earlier. “That was before you knew what you were to us. We don’t want you to think we’re trying to pressure you if you’re not ready. Hell, we don’t even know, for sure, if you like us.”
“I know you’re not pressurin’ me, and I think the fact I’m still standin’ here is proof that my feelings for you two are…complicated.” She sighed. “I’ll be honest. I’ve been too busy training to be a doctor then trying to find work to focus on any emotional or physical ties. But I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t attracted to you. A fact you’ve already told me you can sense. So, if you and your other halves can handle it, I’d like to spend the rest of the night here.” She cleared her throat. “With you. The past few hours have been the first good sleep I’ve had in longer than I can remember. Unless you’d rather not.”
Cullen’s lips lifted into a smile. “Can’t think of a better way to spend the night than with you in our arms. Though, don’t think we missed the part where you just admitted you haven’t been taking good care of yourself.”
She smiled, snagging her bottom lip between her teeth when Cullen removed his shirt, tossing it on the floor behind him.
He glanced at her, his gaze running the length of her body. “Thinkin’ you might be more comfortable if you undressed a bit. As I recall, you usually wear a camisole beneath your other clothes, don’t you?”
“I do, but…” She inhaled when Cullen set about undoing her shirt as Lucas worked the buttons on her pants. Christ, if just having two men undress her felt this arousing, she wasn’t sure she’d survive having them both touch her.
Cullen smiled when her outer clothes joined his on the floor. “Much better. Now, you can actually sleep.”
Her stomach fluttered as he crawled across the bed, extending his hand to her. His muscles twitched beneath the wide expanse of skin, and she longed to run her fingers across his chest. Feel the hidden strength creating bands beneath his flesh.
Her nipples hardened from the images playing in her head, and she crossed her arms over her chest to hide her reaction. Twin growls sounded around her, and she knew they were more than aware of their effect on her.
Lucas drew her hair back from her shoulder, his breath washing across her neck. “We know that, despite your obvious desire, you’re uncertain. Confused. The fact you’re still here—still willin’ to spend the night with us—is more than we’d hoped for. While we won’t lie and say that we don’t want to taste every inch of you more than we want to breathe right now, we can wait. Holding you… It’s enough to ease the tight feeling inside us. Pacify our bears. So, stop worryin’ and climb in beside Cullen. We’ll see you get a proper sleep.”
His words eased the panicky feeling in her chest. She followed Cullen onto the bed, smiling when he wrapped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her back into his torso, her head resting on his arm. Lucas extinguished the lamp then climbed in beside her, once again allowing her to lay her hand on his chest. His heart thrummed beneath her palm, the steady beat chasing away any doubts. And she knew it was only a matter of time before she took the next step. Finally gave in to the heat simmering beneath her skin, slicking her cleft with moisture.
“Stop thinkin’ and sleep.” Lucas inched closer. “Your head will be easier to understand once it’s not pounding.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, grinning at his chuckle. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Telling me the truth. Trustin’ me with it. I know it probably isn’t something you share often.”
“There’s a first time for everything, darlin’.”
“First time?” She glanced back at Cullen then over to Lucas. “You’ve never told anyone before?”
He shrugged. “Haven’t had to. It’s not something we’d ever share with strangers, and Cullen’s a shifter so…once we realized we were mates, there wasn’t a reason to mask our id
entity from each other. You, on the other hand. You’ve had us tied in knots for weeks.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “And we should be thanking you for not runnin’ off on us.”
“Guess you boys were lucky my Colts were on the chair so I didn’t put your healing theories to the test.”
Lucas laughed. “Guess we were. Now, go to sleep before you change your mind.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lucas studied Hollis’ face as she smiled at him, then closed her eyes. She burrowed into Cullen, drawing Lucas closer to her with nothing more than a gentle pull of her hand on his chest. She rested her head on both his and Cullen’s arms, her breath softly caressing Lucas’ skin as she quickly gave herself over to sleep. He lifted his hand, skimming his fingers along her arm, grinning at the line of goosebumps that beaded her flesh from his touch. Her warm, sweet essence surrounded him, the feminine aroma mixing with the spicy musk he knew was Cullen’s.
His bear snorted then settled, the incessant scratching beneath his skin finally easing. While Hollis hadn’t outright agreed to be their mate, having her in their arms—allowing them to tend to her needs, even for just a few hours—was enough to calm his other half.
Cullen sighed, drawing his attention. “Should we be worried our bears seem to have a soft spot for our feisty mate? Because my Kodiak’s never been this accommodatin’ where you’re concerned, yet…” He sighed. “One bat of her eyes, one touch of her hand, and my damn bear rolls over and is more than content to let her lead.”
Lucas chuckled. “You’re not the only one. I’ve been fightin’ my grizzly ever since she walked into our lives. Hell, I was about to go rogue when I thought she’d walked out on us. And now…now, all my bear wants is to cherish her. Prove to her we can be the men she needs us to be. That we’ll keep her safe. That no matter how long it takes, whether she’ll ever want more from us than this, we’ll still be there. To hold her. Protect her.”
“You know, if she hears you talking like that, she’s liable to shoot you in the ass.”
“The girl’s welcome to try. Thinkin’ it won’t turn out quite the way she imagines.”
“You might not want to put that to the test, seeing as your grizzly is so smitten with her.”
“Yours isn’t any better, mate.”
Cullen smiled. “Damn, I like the sound of that. Especially, when I have both of your scents surrounding me.” He brushed some of her hair back from her face. “It’s just past midnight. Reckon we should all get some sleep while the camp’s quiet. Damn miracle we’ve been left alone this long.”
Lucas nodded, smiling as he watched Cullen settle behind her, one hand on her hip, his fingers grazing Lucas’ waist. Cullen stared at Hollis for a while until his eyelids drifted shut, his body easing. Lucas listened to him breathe, the even rhythm making Lucas smile. While he wouldn’t deny he wanted to run his hands and lips all over Hollis and Cullen’s bodies, watching them sleep soothed another side of him. And he knew he could spend a lifetime with them and never tire of being this close. Of holding them in any way he could.
Images played inside his head as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift. The room faded until a soft creak of the floor roused him. He blinked open his eyes, glancing toward the door, only to inhale sharply. Hollis leaned against the door as she slipped on a pair of boots, her silhouette outlined by the splash of moonlight filtering in through the windows. She had Cullen’s jacket covering her camisole, her hair hanging in a loose mass around her. She didn’t seem to notice him as she stood, reaching for the handle.
“Hollis?”
She jumped, knocking against the door as she spun around, her hand clutching at her chest. Her hair bounced across her shoulders, and she used one hand to shove it back from her face. “Damn it, Lucas, you scared me half to death.”
He pushed onto his elbows, aware Cullen had woken behind him. “You’re the one sneakin’ out in the middle of the night.”
“I’m not sneakin’ out.”
“So, you’re putting on your boots and grabbing the handle because…”
She glared at him, tapping one foot on the floor. “Because I need to relieve myself. I’ll be right back.”
“I can go with you.”
“The Hell you will. I’ve been taking care of that all by myself since I was two. Thinkin’ I got it figured out by now.”
He pursed his lips, hating the restless feeling that fluttered his stomach as she opened the door and slipped out. He hadn’t meant it the way it had sounded. He knew she’d come back—that she didn’t need his help. Unfortunately, all his bear saw was their mate walking out the door. He mentally told the animal to shut up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed as he waited for her to return. Cullen followed suit, moving over to the chair as a clock ticked away in the background. Minutes passed before the outer door opened, her scent preceding her into the room on a swirl of gusting air.
She stopped at the doorway, glancing between them before making her way to the small pitcher and bowl beside his bed. She rinsed her hands in a splash of water, then turned to face them. Amusement tilted her lips, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at them. “Do I want to know why you two are lookin’ at me as if I’m crazy?”
Cullen exhaled, holding up her gun belt. “You didn’t take your pistols with you.”
She chuckled. “That’s because I was coming right back.”
“What if you’d needed them?”
“In the outhouse?”
He huffed. “Outlaws don’t care where you’re going.”
“It’s just on the other side of the building. I figured you two would hear me if I needed to scream for help. Besides, they get in the way.”
“Still.” He placed them behind him on the chair. “We just don’t want you to get hurt, again.”
“While I appreciate the sentiment, are you sure that’s what this is really about?”
Cullen glanced at Lucas but didn’t answer her.
Hollis’ expression softened. “Surely, you both didn’t think I was runnin’ out on you. Not after all that’s happened.”
“We’re well aware that the situation was unconventional when you thought two men were interested in you. Knowing we’re something else, entirely, that we’re interested in far more than making you a notch on our bedposts…” Cullen sighed. “We wouldn’t blame you if this was simply too much to commit to. And for the record, our other halves aren’t nearly as reasonable as we are. All they see is our unclaimed mate walking away or standin’ apart from us. They don’t care why.”
A hint of a smile tugged at her mouth. “Unclaimed?”
Lucas stood. “What Cullen meant was, our bears are just antsy. Patience isn’t one of their virtues, not where their mates are concerned. And we’ve been fightin’ this for weeks.” He held up his hand to stop her from speaking. “Which, we realize isn’t that long in normal terms. In fact, it’s barely enough to properly begin courtin’ a lady. Doesn’t make us want you any less, though.”
Any trace of humor vanished. “I see. And you’re sure?”
Lucas frowned. “Sure about what?”
“That I really am your mate. That your bears haven’t lost their minds in pairing you with…” she waved her hand the length of her body, “…me.”
“Why would you even ask that?”
She threw up her hands as she stalked back to the door, once again leaning on it. “Maybe because I’m not a shifter. Hell, most people don’t even see me as a woman because of what I do. What I am. Cullen just chastised me for not taking my weapons with me to the outhouse. How many women have you met that even carry guns?” She toed at the floor. “Face it. I’m an outcast, at best, and I’m sure you could both do far better where a mate’s concerned. One that will actually be accepted by the towns you work in. One your bears don’t find frustrating. Maybe that’s why you didn’t initially know what I was to you. Maybe you and your bears are wrong.”
Lucas grinned. Damn but she was far more t
han they deserved. He nodded at Cullen, picking his way over to her. “Trust me. When it comes to being outcasts, we have you beat. Hands down. Do you know what the townsfolk would do if they ever discovered we weren’t what they thought we were? Not sure simply being asked to leave would be enough. And we’d be lucky to love someone half as deserving as you are. Christ, you stitch people back together. Sacrifice so much to try and save them. You’re incredible, darlin’. Inside and out.” He thumbed her jaw, grinning at her when she met his gaze. “Though you’re right about one thing. You’re more than a bit frustrating.”
She frowned, swatting him in the shoulder. “You two aren’t any better. I swear I want to pull my hair out sometimes.”
“Or you could just let us pull it for you.”
Her breath hitched as the blue in her eyes darkened. She glanced between them then reached behind her, sliding the bolt over. The hollow sound echoed through the room, the sheer weight of the statement stealing Lucas’ breath.
He motioned to the door. “Do we want to know why you just locked the door?”
She wet her lips, looking more than a bit uncertain, before visibly drawing herself up. “I just thought that if we’re all going to get naked, it might be best if no one could simply walk in on us.”
His jaw dropped open before he managed to close it. He gazed at Cullen, noting the man’s wide eyes. “Hollis. That wasn’t intended to pressure you. We’d never force—”
She cut him off with a finger against his lips. “I know. But you two aren’t the only ones who have been fightin’ this.” She closed her eyes for a minute, the sweet scent of her desire wafting around them. “I feel as if I’m dyin’ inside. There’s an ache that just won’t go away. I’m not saying I don’t have reservations. That I’m not scared this isn’t more than a passin’ fancy for you, despite what you say, but…” She sighed. “I also know that I don’t want to go another minute without feeling your skin against mine. Making all these images in my head more than just wishful thinkin’—convention and propriety be damned. So, if you’re sure…”