by Ellis Leigh
Still, I wanted to feed all seven of the men at the table, and they were solid, strapping men. Not a single skinny or lean one among the group. This would require a lot of stew and maybe even some homemade biscuits to fill them up. Plus dessert. Always dessert.
“You don’t have to work so hard,” Garrett said as he came up behind me and grabbed me around the waist. “We already like you, foxy.”
I squeaked as he lifted me off the floor and spun me around, laughing at his antics. But when he set me back on my feet, I caught Liam watching us. At first, I worried his intense stare indicated he was angry or upset, but his smile betrayed that thought. He looked almost…relieved.
“Yeah, c’mon, bunny.” Matthew pushed Garrett out of the way and gave my ass a hearty smack. “We’d happily lay you out on the table and have you for dinner. Much less work on your part.”
“All right, you two.” Liam moved closer, his loose-hipped gait making my mouth water even as Matthew massaged my still-burning ass cheek. Handsy, the lot of them. “The woman wants to cook for us. Considering how bad Dalton has been botching up the job as herd chef, I think we should let her.”
“I don’t even like to eat my own cooking.” Dalton stalked into the kitchen, looking at me as if I was what was to be served for dinner. Which apparently seemed to be a theme with these guys. All of them joked about eating me, a thought that led my imagination to those images of Liam’s head between my legs as others watched.
I needed some space to cool down.
“Give me forty-five minutes, and I’ll have dinner on the table.”
My stallions backed off but didn’t leave the room. Instead, all seven of them crowded around the table, conversing softly, laughing occasionally, and generally behaving like any other group of men. They just happened to be a group I might someday be having sex with. All seven men. In my bed.
Seriously, it had to be a thousand degrees in the kitchen.
A warm, rough hand grabbed my own, stopping the shaking I hadn’t even noticed.
“What can I do to help?” Garrett had come to save the day, looking so sweet and concerned. A real charmer, that one. And obviously in tune with me if he’d noticed me falling apart from across the room.
“Maybe…can you find me some shortening? I need to get the biscuits started.”
“Of course.” He squeezed my hand once more and smiled down at me before disappearing into the pantry.
Liam took his place at my side. “You okay there, sugar?”
“Yeah.” I waved a towel in front of my face. “Just a little warm in here, I guess.”
He hummed, looking as if he didn’t believe me. That expression, the obvious concern for me, made my fox rush forward. She took control, causing me to chatter softly as I curled into Liam’s chest. As I grabbed him and pulled him close, scenting him. Pressing my body against his before she finally relaxed once more and let me lead. But I was awfully happy where I stood, so I held on tighter. Giving Liam the chance to wrap his arms around me and hold me close. No more chattering escaped from me, but my sigh seemed endless.
Liam rocked me slightly, laying his cheek on top of my head and letting me be quiet for a few moments. Allowing me to resettle as my body grew accustomed to his. As his scent soothed my frazzled nerves. Bliss. Mated bliss. Something I’d been waiting for my entire adult life.
“Found the shortening.” Garrett appeared beside us, looking concerned. “Everything okay?”
“I think she and her fox needed a bit of support.” Liam pulled away, directing me to Garrett. “Why don’t you take over for me here? Maybe help her finish up so she can sit and eat with us.”
“Of course.” Garrett wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against his side. Letting me snuggle into his chest the way I had with Liam. His scent was just as soothing, his touch just as calming. The mated bliss just as strong. And Liam? He simply smiled at the two of us and headed back to the table, completely unaffected by the affection between Garrett and me.
Because you mate the herd, not the man. My fox yipped, enjoying every second of being the center of attention for these men. Me? I couldn’t quite get past my doubts, no matter how good each man made me feel.
“C’mon, beautiful,” Garrett said, guiding me toward the counter where I had the rest of the supplies to make the biscuit dough. “Show me what to do, and I’ll help you get dinner finished.”
But something still felt off, and I couldn’t let it go.
“How do you do it?” I grabbed the flour, unable to look at him. I couldn’t even speak the words loudly enough to be sure he heard me. “How could you all possibly learn to share something so…important?”
He huffed, looking completely serious. “It’s what we do. We’re a herd, a single unit. A family, you know? I want what’s best for them, and they want what’s best for me. When it comes to a mate, we all want someone who can fit with the entire herd.”
“But…I mean…you have to…”
I didn’t even know how to say what I wanted to. But Garrett knew. Of course, he did. He leaned close, whispering in my ear so the others wouldn’t hear.
“You want to know how I could be happy if you were in my bed one afternoon and Liam’s that night? If I went to finger your soft, hot cunt and felt another stallion’s come on your thighs?”
Two in one day? I couldn’t tell if I was more shocked or turned on by the thought.
“Yeah,” I squeaked, sounding more like my animal form than usual. “I just can’t see it.”
“Because you’ve never experienced it.” He leaned closer, his warm breath fanning across my face and his hand coming to rest on my waist. Pulling me into him. Against him. Letting me feel how hard he was…for me.
“We’re close, we stallions. Closer than most shifter groups. If you dropped to your knees for Matthew right now, the rest of us would be thrilled that he was gifted the pleasure of your mouth on him. And if you let me spread you out on the table, allowed me to lick and suck and lavish that pretty pussy of yours with my attention for the next few hours? If you gave me the chance to tease your little clit and taste every inch of you while fucking you with my fingers?” He ran a finger down my thigh, chuckling when I shivered. “Well, every guy at that table would cheer me on, would offer up suggestions and critique, making sure I did it right. That I gave you every bit of pleasure possible so we’d have a sated mate. They wouldn’t get mad or jealous that I was the one blessed with the opportunity to eat you out right there in front of them. They’d be watching as you came all over my face for hints on how to please you. That’s all every one of us wants—your pleasure. All day, every day.”
Oh.
My.
Stars.
My knees shook, and I couldn’t catch my breath. The thought of that, of being laid on the table and serviced by one while the rest watched? Maybe even two? Maybe more? Just the possibility was enough to make me want to come right there in the middle of the kitchen. Make me soak my panties as my pussy clenched on nothing.
“Oh,” I said, unable to form any more words. Needing to hang on to him to stay standing as heat licked up and down my body.
“Oh, indeed.” He leaned closer, dropping his voice even more. “I can smell how aroused you are, beautiful. Every man in this room can, and they’re all just sitting there enjoying it. Knowing eventually, they’ll get to taste that from the source. To have all that heat and slickness wrapped around their tongue or fingers or cock as you come all over them.” Garrett chuckled again as I moaned. “Now, let me help you make these biscuits. Good food would bring us all so much pleasure tonight. You want to bring us pleasure, right?”
Yes. Very much so. But words seemed impossible, so I nodded instead.
“Good. Then let’s get to cooking. What can I do?”
So many options, none of which would get dinner on the table any faster. None of which I was quite ready to act out with him. Not just yet. I had a feeling of order inside of me, a need to be with a specific man first
. To lavish my attention on Liam before the others. That might have been my fox looking for the strongest male, or it might have been herd hierarchy. Whatever the reason, I knew Garrett wouldn’t be the first stallion in my bed, no matter how hot his dirty words made me.
And if I read the heated looks Liam was throwing my way correctly, he knew exactly who I’d be coming to first. Or coming with.
Chapter Six
That evening, I stood on the porch looking out over the pastures. My men had spoiled me after dinner, complimenting me for my simple meal and then pampering me with shoulder and foot massages. At least three of them did—the other four had cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes. Watching them may as well have been a dream come true, especially once they’d removed their shirts and tossed towels over their shoulders for easier drying.
An actual fantasy come to life.
But all good things eventually came to an end, which was how I found myself standing outside on the porch all alone. Not that I minded the quiet—especially not with the view laid out before me. The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon, the last bit of golden light touching the treetops. The gloaming, my grandma would have called it. Such a funny word for such a beautiful hour.
My fox stretched and pawed at my mind, wanting free. Needing to run. The guys were all inside moving furniture around in what had been the guest room. Liam had said it was to give me a private place to sleep in case I wanted my own bed. A thought I was finding more and more unlikely as the time passed. Why sleep alone when I could cuddle with one of my handsome stallions?
Still, a jaunt through the woods sounded good. A chance to let my inner animal out and stretch our muscles. I hadn’t shifted much since I’d been on the run, too afraid of the humans around me to risk it. Too terrified of being caught. But if the guys felt safe enough out here in the middle of nowhere to shift into horses—something I was dying to see—I could shift into my little fox.
So I did, and it felt just as good as I’d expected it might.
Once firmly standing on four feet, I leaped from the porch and took off at a full run, pumping my legs as fast as I could. Letting the wind ruffle my fur and the hard ground assault my paws. Every ache, every burn of strain, reminded me that I was alive and free still. Able to make my own decisions and choose my own destiny. Fate could push, but in the end, only I could accept or deny her suggestions. I could go anywhere, do anything I wanted…even stay on the Hidden E with my seven mates and live a life I’d never known possible.
That idea had my fox howling, chattering into the evening with her bark-like mating call. I’d called her a hussy for wanting all seven men, but she wasn’t the only side of us craving a man’s touch. As she ran, focusing on the muscle memory and the instincts that ruled her, I thought about our stallions. About Garrett’s dirty words and Matthew’s wicked smiles. About Cade and Dalton and how they both looked at me with such intensity. Quinn and Tripp, both almost strangers still, and yet not. About Liam and all the naughty things I wanted to do to him. About how I craved him in my bed and my body first.
As if I’d somehow called for one of my men, a tall, strong-looking horse came racing into the field in front of me. A stallion shifter for sure. Head high and back arched, he looked like some sort of mythical beast come to rescue his woman from whatever distressed her. The only thing that distressed me, though, was the need making my entire body quake.
The horse snorted, pawing at the ground as he watched me. His thick neck was covered by a shiny mane, the waves coming all the way down to his broad chest. His tail hung to his hooves, and every single inch of him was as black as night. Any later in the evening and I wouldn’t have been able to see him at all. That would have been a pity.
But a fox and a horse couldn’t do much in terms of slaking the need building inside of me, so I shifted to my human form. My pale skin replaced my red fur, and I moved from four feet to two. Rose to my full height and stood watching the commanding beast. Naked. Fully, unabashedly naked. I only had a second to question that fact—to wonder if I lived up to his expectations of feminine beauty. If my wide hips, heavy thighs, and big boobs were attractive or a turn-off. Foxes liked sweets—candies, cakes, and cookies. There was no getting around that, and my body reflected it. Thankfully, my stallion didn’t seem to mind.
He approached me slowly, keeping his head down and his eyes on mine until he stood close enough to touch. His muzzle felt as soft as velvet when I reached a hand for it, his breath warm. He sniffed all over me, flipping his lip against my skin as if trying to taste me. From my shoulders to my knees, even brushing across my hip bones. He left nothing out. I mimicked him but with my hands. Rubbing, touching, working the tips of my fingers over his neck and shoulders, across his face and up over his forelock. Such a beautiful animal. Such a strong creature. Every inch of him seemed to be covered in thick, heavy muscles, just like my men. But something about the look in his eyes, something about the attraction I felt for him, let me know exactly who I was dealing with.
And it was time to truly deal with him.
“Shift, Liam. Be a good mate and give me what we both want.”
Almost instantly, human Liam stood before me. Just as naked as I was. Just as aroused, as well. His rippled abs led down to a sturdy and erect cock, one that stood thick and long and practically purple with his need. He gripped it tightly with one hand, breathing hard and watching me with that deep, dark gaze of his. Tugging roughly as I stared. Stroking himself right there in front of me.
“Look what you do to me, sugar.” Liam squeezed his cock tighter, his arm moving faster. “Look how hard you make me. I’m dripping for you, and you haven’t even touched me yet.”
Unable to resist, I reached for him, running my fingers over the head of his cock as his fist moved down the length of it. He shivered and groaned, looking ready to eat me up. Ready to lay me down right there in the grass.
And I was ready to let him.
“I want this to work,” I said, keeping my voice low and soft. Pressing my body to his and running my nose along his neck. “I’m willing to try, at least.”
His hands landed on my waist, yanking me against him as he rolled his hips into mine. As he trapped his cock between us and pushed it against the front of my pussy. “That’s all I can ask for. A chance. Let me introduce you to how good it can be to be mated to a stallion, my little fox. Let me be the one to give you pleasure tonight.”
I nodded, moaning as his lips found mine. As his hands slid over my ass to the backs of my thighs and lifted me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on as he laid me down right there in the field. Grasses and clover softened my descent, cool and silky against my skin. But my Liam? He was all hot and hard, his hands roughened from the work he did and his lips overpowering against mine. So strong and virile, so sexy and masculine. So perfect.
He broke the kiss to move his cruel mouth down my body, biting at my neck while teasing my nipples with his fingertips. Pinching and making me gasp. Twirling and making me moan. His cock sat against my thigh, heavy and hard, leaving a wet spot that only made me want him more. Made me want this more. Because the time had come for our first mating. The feelings inside of me—the ones solely focused on Liam in that moment—could only be the intense lust I’d always heard about when two mates came together. There would be no denying it, no stopping. There was nothing in our way. Only us. Only our wants and needs playing out under the stars.
“May I?” Liam asked as he knelt between my thighs, licking his lips and looking down to where my knees had splayed. To where my pussy sat on display. For him. All for him.
I nodded, unable to speak, too turned on to do anything more than spread my legs wider to give him room. He took my invitation, dropping down to wedge his shoulders between my thighs. His breath made me shiver, made my pussy clench on nothing as he came closer and closer and…
Oh.
My.
Stars.
His tongue killed me from t
he first swipe. Hot and wet, almost violent in its strength. He lapped at me, licking around my clit before flattening out and stroking all the way up my slit. I yelped into the night, my back arching as sensations rocketed up my spine and down through my toes. As every nerve fired at once, all converging right there beneath his tongue.
Liam held me down and dove in again, licking, sucking, biting, teasing. Driving me right to the edge and backing off, lapping at every drop of my arousal as I writhed and yelled nonsense into the emptiness of the world around us.
“Just as sweet as I thought,” Liam said, his voice a growl. His hands still greedy on my thighs. “Give me every drop, sugar. I want to lick you all up.”
He slipped two fingers inside me, pumping hard and fast. Working my pussy like a man possessed, like he had a mission to make me come as fast and strong as possible. And I submitted to him—my body bending to his will without question. This surrender, this all-out need to let him have his way with me, was what I’d wanted since I saw him standing in that parking lot, baking under the sun. This was what I’d needed all day.
First his mouth and fingers, then his cock. A triple play to remember.
I bit back another yelp as he wrapped his lips around my clit and sucked, teasing me with the tip of his tongue even as his fingers pressed deep. So very deep. Driving me insane with the tightness and the pressure.
His hips rocked against my legs, his body humping the ground as he brought me right to the edge. That tight, round butt of his reflecting the moonlight and stealing every bit of my attention. I wanted to grip it. Grab it. Claw my fingers across it to see the red streaks bloom on the pale flesh. Soon. So fucking soon. Once he made it inside me, I could grab him. Hold on as he moved within me. I just had to…just needed to…oh my stars, if he kept sucking that way…
I came with a howl that would have impressed any other foxes in the area. My body shook, my eyes locked closed, and every sense gave itself over to the pleasure that came from Liam’s skilled mouth and hands. He didn’t stop either. He kept licking and teasing, kept his fingers buried deep inside me as I pulsed and rocked and clenched and soaked him. As I came harder than I ever had before.