by Kristina Lee
Like that was possible. She touched the tips of her fingers to his, giving reassurance and trying to find something to ground her from getting lost in his stare. “Um, I ache.” She muttered dry-mouthed.
Eyes the color of dark chocolate, a perfect fit with the decadent voice soaked her in. Every inch lower his gaze traveled heated another foot of her body as if she would start on fire from the intense sensation if he didn’t stop soon. She studied the angles of his chiseled face, searching for recognition but finding none. Yet a strange sense of familiar clung to him. Warning signs might have gone off in her head had her marbles not been stolen.
“I imagine. You took quite a blow last night.”
Reality knocked her backward with similar force to the blow he referenced. “Yeah, about that.”
Suddenly all too aware of the liberties she allowed Cory, of how inappropriate her actions were, she scooped her legs to her chest and curled herself into a ball. Just because one bad guy was out of the picture didn’t mean these were golden boys either.
No matter that her body all but screamed for her to give into this invisible tug of desire.
“He’ll never harm you again,” the new stranger assured with almost too much confidence. She looked first to the man standing across the room and then sideways to Cory.
“Did you—” She choked, the words refusing to form. Dear Lord how she wanted to lean into the radiating warmth of the virile man beside her, to be held in one of their strong arms and forget the whole scenario ever happened. Almost an erotic dream come true.
“He was a rogue wolf determined to kill you.”
Her eyes widened, her hands automatically flying to cover the gasp fleeing her mouth. Wolf! But then that meant—“You’re wolves too.”
When they both nodded, she dropped her forehead to rest on her knees, closing her eyes as if she could be like Dorothy and wish this all away. First the attack, now she was surrounded by wolves, men who were—quite successfully--eliciting the most sexual of responses from her with just a slight whisper of their voices.
She stiffened when what she assumed was Cory’s hand stroked down her bare back, slow and smooth. Within seconds she responded to the gentle touch, relaxing from the intimate petting. No matter how outrageous the situation, Selena still couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of rightness that cloaked the three of them, and easily found herself becoming content once more.
“That’s better,” Cory’s voice whispered against her hair. “You have nothing to be afraid of here, Selena. Zane and I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Safe.”
Oh, how she wanted to believe them. Despite the horrifying circumstances that brought her to this place, she had never felt more cherished or loved. And all in the span of minutes. How many years had she spent chasing after that elusive feeling only to uncover it in the most unlikely of places? It was a drug to her starved senses, a euphoria rivaling any produced during sex. Selena wanted to bottle every moment of this bliss to carry with her when she left.
Because the people that brought joy into her life always left.
She looked up, startled such minimal time could bring these deep emotions rushing to the surface. And that’s when she noticed the puckered marks on the newcomer’s—Zane’s—chest. He had been on the receiving end of that rogue’s claws. He had been injured because of her.
Knots twisted her stomach. “You were hurt!”
Selena sprung from the bed before rational thought intervened to remind her of her nudity, desperate to soothe the pains of those brave enough to put their necks on the line for little old her. These men who already seemed to care about her—deeply.
And who in all likelihood never intended to return her marbles.
Chapter Three
Unlike Cory, Zane never spent much time lingering over the sight of a woman’s breasts when they invited one to bed. He much preferred a shapely ass he could spank. Therefore it was a considerable surprise when he couldn’t drag his gaze away from Selena’s modest chest as she scrambled to his side. Creamy white skin was offset by the dark pink of her areolas, her nipples already tight, evidence of Cory’s success at arousing her.
His mouth watered for a thorough taste.
“They’re just scratches, Selena,” he hissed out as she ran her smooth fingers over the scabbing claw marks on his chest. They weren’t the first or last.
Her delicate scent—the intoxicating signature of his one and only mate—coupled with the casual brush of bare skin to bare skin sucked him into a vortex of need. Thick, delirious, overpowering desire. He ached to bite her, to claim her as his own and two of the three people here knew it.
Selena’s gentle touch continued to torment his control as she slid her hands higher to where the bastard sliced his face. She gasped, her fingers trembling but not pulling away. “You need stitches,” she whispered.
Zane lifted his hand to hers and slowly, smoothly, drew her fingers down his side. By accepting her rightful place as his mate, she would become the Pack healer, and knowing her immediate concern for his wounds was genuine reinforced the desire to make her his. She could help his Pack gain so much.
“It will heal with a little more sleep. Wolf, remember?”
She nodded, the warm heat of her skin lighting a fire in his groin. He held her hand, unable to let go but unwilling to force anything on her no matter his hunger bordered on out of control.
And when her green eyes met his, he knew control was the last thing he wanted to have.
“Right,” she said, licking her full pink lips in a slow, sinful move.
He scented her growing arousal, a heady aphrodisiac, as she became more aware of the intimacy of her actions and less concerned with his minor injuries. As expected she pulled away, only he didn’t release her from his hold.
He couldn’t.
Heat colored her cheeks. “Stay,” he insisted softly.
Selena nodded and he knew she felt the pull of their mating bond. In some basic way it reassured her all would be well as it did the same for him. It helped her to trust his words, his actions. And if she accepted her rightful position in the Pack—as his mate and Cory’s—all would be well.
She licked her lips nervously this time, her soft, moist tongue teasing him. His hunger raged, a fire burning to be quenched by her alone.
Slipping his hands possessively behind her slender back, he leaned down and pulled her into him. The tips of her nipples grated against his flesh. “I’m going to kiss you,” he warned on a growl before crushing his lips against hers in a fiery explosion of raw, primitive need.
Her full lips were soft and pliable as he greedily pushed his tongue past them, eager to lick every inch of her. She tasted like warm honey and everything sweet in life. Selena gripped his waist frantically as he deepened the kiss, exploring the depths of her delicious mouth with unmatched fervor.
Every inch of her fit perfectly against him, leaving no doubt in his mind she belonged to him—or would soon enough. Her pulse pounded in her chest, beating in rapid synchrony with his. All his senses focused on her as he ravaged that delicious mouth, thankful Cory had left it untouched for him to discover first. Though he knew the other wolf had been tempted. Her arousal cloaked them, as his hands trailed over smooth, bare curves.
The air shifted suddenly and he felt Cory’s solid presence a moment before the other man placed his roughened hands on his shoulders. The familiar touch shocked him from his insatiable hunger allowing control to temporarily reestablish.
On a growl he pulled away from the sensual poison of her lips and drew a ragged breath. Her satisfied sigh filled the silent air before Cory’s smooth voice wrapped around them.
“I can leave you two be.”
He shivered as Cory’s fingers weaved down his spine and over his ass but turned to reach for his lover’s hand before he could walk away. “No, stay.” He stated much like his plea to Selena only moments ago.
Cory, however, wasn’t drugged by the mating pull. He cuppe
d his hand on Zane’s shoulder and pushed him lightly away as he shook his head to decline. “She’s not ready.”
“Ready for what?” Selena whispered as she slipped her hand out of his. A noxious fear, similar to the one they had tracked her by last night, filled the space between them.
Groaning, he raked a hand through his short hair before blowing out a frustrated sigh. This was just fucking purr-fect. Stepping slowly toward Selena, he bit back an agitated growl when she backed further away until bumping into the bed once more. He stopped, both seeing the fear in her widened green eyes and sensing her sudden tension.
Zane retraced his steps back to Cory, horrified his mate could possibly fear him. Cory smoothed a hand over the small of his back, not nearly enough to compensate. The notion sickened his stomach as Selena repeated louder now, “Ready for what, Zane?”
She grabbed the nearest piece of clothing—his oversized t-shirt—and threw it over her tempting body. “What’s Cory talking about?” she demanded, her anger masking any lingering desire. Not that he scented any.
Zane sensed Cory’s solid presence beside him, steady but doubtful. Selena needed the truth in its entirety right from the beginning. But evidently giving it to her meant he needed to convince both his mates it would succeed.
Failure and the resulting downfall of the Pack was not an option for him.
“You have nothing to be afraid of, Selena. I promise you can trust me.”
Green eyes closed momentarily as a soft breath escaped her full lips. Lips still swollen from his harsh, demanding kiss. Lips not nearly explored enough. She opened her vibrant eyes and stared at him through partially lowered, long lashes. “I trust you some. You saved my life last night.”
The fear dissipated into the air a bit. Good. Of course she didn’t know—yet—that his sole purpose was to bring her pleasure, but his wolf might have tore from its cage had she continued to be frightened of him.
Turning, he reached for Cory’s receding hand. The other dominant male shook his head, his shoulder length hair brushing the sides of his face. Fighting the urge to demand his touch, he waited, pleading with his eyes for his lover to accept his decision. He would not take Selena as his mate alone. He had no intention of isolating Cory, the man meant too much, was ingrained into his soul too deep. His plan would work.
On a low growl, Cory acquiesced. The second their roughened hands clasped together, he pulled Cory to his side, reveling in the comfortable slide of their bodies and turned back to the fiery healer. He smiled. “I asked Cory to stay because he’s my partner.”
Uncertainty flashed across her emerald eyes and she wrapped her arms tight around her chest, the sight of her petite frame dwarfed in his shirt intoxicating. He hungered to lick every sinful inch of her.
“Oh.” Her voice was soft, his true meaning still eluding her. When Cory smoothed a hand across his bare chest, wrapping around his side to press close, she took a step back, recognition dawning instantly. “Oh!”
Heat colored her high cheeks as she worried her delicate lower lip between white teeth. “But you just kissed me.”
Zane watched the struggle to piece it all together play across her face even as he sensed Cory withdrawing from him. Not physically yet but emotionally he was locking himself up. He tugged him harder to his side, not willing to part with either of them. Yet.
Ever.
“I kissed you because you, love, are my mate.”
She shook her head, golden strands of hair swishing around her. Her fists clenched against her stomach as if the very concept appalled her. Anger spiked in his gut.
“Mate? That’s impossible. I’m human.”
Surprisingly it was Cory who ground him back in reality when he raked his nails over the bare flesh at his waist, soothing the panic of his beast and restoring balance. Knowing his lover could reassure him even when Cory doubted the viability of his mating threesome plan, squeezed his heart like only Cory could.
He kept his gaze on Selena, determined for her to understand. Determined to return to the desire she suddenly kept carefully concealed. “Shifters and humans mate and marry all the time.”
She fingered the hem of his t-shirt while pondering that truth, the sight of her near his bed delectable. His cock stiffened in anticipation, his body wound tight with roaring hunger. Selena was his mate whether she believed it yet or not. Eventually he would have her in his bed.
But not without Cory which meant dealing with ghosts from his lover’s past he hadn’t anticipated.
“But you just admitted you’re gay.”
Selena blushed when she spoke and he took a step forward, aching to lick the heated trail down her neck. “And I love Cory very much, have now for years.” When Cory tugged the waistband of his jeans to slow his movement, he pulled the other wolf right along with him, his desire to touch Selena raging out of control.
With a reverent stroke, he brushed his fingers through her silken hair, pushing the wavy length off her shoulder. “However, no matter how strong my feelings for him are, I cannot ignore the bond between us.”
Eyes the color of lush summer grass searched his. He massaged the nape of her neck, needing to touch her, nearly losing himself in the sight and smell of her. Dear God she was perfect. And she was his. It was a strange mixture of desire—one he’d never imagined having with anyone other than Cory.
“Can I ignore it?”
Cory growled beside him before her denial even registered. Zane stroked his lover’s back, the contact an attempt to soothe them both. The notion she might not feel the same drugged pull left him unsettled. He dropped his fingers from her shoulder while Cory slipped one hand beneath the waistband of his jeans to slide over his ass.
“Do you really want to?” Cory asked with that rough seductive whisper that always tightened his balls. The same one that promised pleasure was in short order.
Thankful his lover was willing to fight for this, for him, Zane waited to see what he would do. Perhaps he misinterpreted Cory’s hesitation earlier. Perhaps the tragedy of their past wasn’t skewing his willingness to love Selena with him.
“When you said I wasn’t ready, you were implying to be with both of you.”
The rose-colored heat now spread across her cheeks and neck, dipping out of sight beneath the collar of his t-shirt. He itched to tear it off, to expose her soft, supple skin to their view. Cory stepped in front of him, leaning back to rub his ass against Zane’s cock, the denim barrier frustrating the hell out of him.
“Yes.” Cory finally answered Selena.
Zane’s fingers dug at Cory’s waist, prolonging the teasing moment, taking the edge off his hunger for Selena. But the second he peered over his lover’s shoulder into her soft eyes, the burn was back, ripping through his very core until he didn’t think he could resist the temptation any longer.
“How can you be so sure I even want to stay here with one of you?”
Her low whisper roared in his sensitive ears, but instead of dampening his desires her words ratcheted his need even hotter and he pushed closer until all that stood between her and him was Cory’s muscled frame.
“You haven’t spent much time around us wolves have you?”
Both Cory’s raw, masculine scent and Selena’s gentle perfume tangled to intoxicate him.
“Why do you say that?”
She pushed her fingers behind her and he watched as they crawled across the wall, enjoying the thought she had nowhere left to go. “Because otherwise you’d know that we never back down from a challenge, especially one as succulent as you.”
Chapter Four
Selena couldn’t close her gaping mouth fast enough. “I—”
Two wild pairs of hungry eyes devoured her with heated glances, their looks all but promising sinful hours to come. Feeling exposed despite the almost knee-length t-shirt, she worried her lower lip and struggled to contain the heat racing through her blood.
And ignore the moisture now coating the tops of her thighs.
“What’s the matter, little one? Wolf got your tongue?” Cory moved to her right, his skilled fingers caressing past the thick material of the shirt until he reached bare thigh. Then he slipped them up a long inch, touching the moisture dampening her thighs and smiling.
At the same time, Zane moved to her other side, his hands stroking the blush she knew covered every inch of her face. His touch sizzled, burned hotter than anything she’d ever known. His fingers were callused, and his strokes firm but the way he learned her face with each measured caress cracked at her resolve to—what?
Suddenly she couldn’t remember her reasons for not wanting to revel in this erotic encounter. If the tenderness she witnessed in these men earlier wasn’t enough, the fact that they seemed bent on worshipping her pushed her clear over the edge of craving everything they wanted to offer.
She whimpered when Cory smoothed a finger across the slick folds of her sex, Zane using the opportunity to dip closer and taste her lips once more. The thoroughness with which they touched her bordered on out of this world possession, her senses screaming from the erotic overload. Still that didn’t stop her from greedily drinking in Zane’s taste, running her tongue past his lips and over his teeth.
With each passing second she grew hungrier, needier, as both men continued to assault her senses. The more she pushed at Zane, the rougher he grew, nipping her lips, grazing over her cheek and neck. Cory moved his thumb higher to toy with her clit, and she bucked against them both aching for a touch more satisfying.
She tilted her head toward the ceiling, dragging much needed air into her starved lungs as four hands lit her body on fire. Her skin sizzled as if on fire, the burn spreading outward to encompass every inch of skin that touched theirs.
Zane tugged hard on her nipples the same moment Cory’s finger sunk deep inside her hot, wet core. She whimpered and sagged against the wall, the pleasure buckling her knees. It was as if the duo acted as one, their attentions to her pleasure single minded.
Teeth scraped over the tender flesh of her breasts, Zane’s hot mouth sucking one tightened peak in. Cory added a second finger to her pussy, his thumb more forceful with the erotic circling of her clit. She began to pant in earnest now, need and fire colliding deep in her belly until there was nothing left but to explode.