by Jane Jamison
She would’ve sworn a storm had rolled in unexpectedly. The air heated up, moisture striking her from every part. “Pretty?”
“Yeah. Pretty.” He pressed his mouth to hers.
It was a sweet kiss, a respectful kiss, and she treasured it. Yet, at the same time, she wanted him to forget about being sweet or respectful. She wanted to feel his hands grip her arms and pull her to him.
He ended the kiss far too soon. “But not as pretty as you.” He shook his head. “Nah, that’s not right, either. You’re not pretty. You’re beautiful. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Shyness swamped her but was swiftly followed by an errant thought.
Where are Jason and Shane?
Strange how she thought of them as a package deal. As though she couldn’t care about one without caring about all three.
He narrowed his eyes as though he’d read her mind. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned in again.
At first, she didn’t think he was going to kiss her again. Instead, she felt his breath waft over her, into her.
For a moment, dizziness made her vision swim. A fragrance she’d never smelled before teased her nostrils. Just as she was about to ask what it was, if he was causing it, he put his mouth to hers again.
This time the kiss was more forceful, more demanding. Enjoying it and wanting more, she pushed to the edge of her seat and locked her hands around his neck.
His tongue swept her mouth as though scavenging for all her flavors. Her tongue played with his. He nibbled on her lips, tugging just enough to tantalize her. A hand covered her breast and massaged it, making her nipple hard.
With eyes closed, she turned herself free to accept whatever he wanted to give to her. And, in exchange, she would give him all she had.
This is it. This is the moment I’ve yearned for my entire life.
It no longer mattered that she didn’t know him. In her heart, she knew she’d been meant to be with him. But there were others, too, that she yearned for. Silently, as she deepened the kiss and arched her back, urging him to slide his hand under her shirt, she vowed she wouldn’t forget Shane and Jason.
Droplets of cool water dotted her cheek. Startled, she pulled away from Danny.
“Hey, sugar, how’re you doing? Mind if we join you?”
Stunned, she gaped at Jason hanging on the side of the boat then jumped again as Shane broke the water next to Jason and grabbed hold of the boat. Together, they pushed up, attempting to get into the boat.
“What the fuck?” Danny stood up, a snarl on his face.
“No, no, no,” she moaned as she reached for something, anything to hold on to. Water splashed on the boards at her feet.
The boat rocked side to side, dipping low enough to bring water over the rim. Standing up abruptly, she tried to get away from the chilly water, but the boat’s rocking threw her off balance.
She saw the look of horror on Danny’s face that reflected the horror inside her as he reached for her. But it was too late. She felt herself falling.
Chapter Four
Terror struck her as the cold of the water surrounded her. She couldn’t see anything in the murky depths. The memory of the swimming pool came rushing back, tightening her chest.
Oh shit.
She struck out, pushing toward the dim light above her. Fear strangled her even as she tried to conserve air.
Then, suddenly, strong hands found her under the water. Other strong hands pulled her against a strong body that sped upward to the surface. Breaking through to the top, she sputtered out the water she’d swallowed and clung to Jason as he carried her onto land. How he’d managed to swim with her, she didn’t know. She coughed up more water as he gently laid her down.
“Are you okay, sugar?”
Blinking, she looked up at Jason, and then he was gone as Danny barreled into him. The two of them rolled away. Snarls and shouted erupted near her, but she was still too confused, still to amazed to be breathing in air to understand what was being said.
“Easy, darlin’. Just lie back and take your time.” Shane darted his gaze to the side then brought it back to her. “Don’t worry about them. They’ll get it settled soon enough.”
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she struggled to sit up. Ignoring Shane’s urging to stay flat on her back, she pushed his hands away. Soon anger replaced fear. What had they been thinking? Was it a prank gone wrong? Did the why of it even matter?
She turned toward the sounds of arguing. Jason and Danny confronted each other, their hands fisted, their hard looks on each other.
She pushed her dripping hair away from her face and stared harder. Why couldn’t she see them clearly? Was her anger clouding her vision? Was her near drowning making her see with a blurred vision?
“Darlin’, don’t try to get up. Take it easy.”
She shoved Shane away again and struggled to rise. Whirling on him, she was ready to give him hell. But it was difficult yelling at a naked man, especially when that naked man had a hard-on.
She closed her eyes then turned and re-directed her anger at Jason and Danny. At least one of them was dressed. “Knock it the hell off!”
They turned toward her, obviously thrown by the rage in her voice.
“Winnie, calm down. Don’t—”
She thrust out an arm at Jason and pointed at him. If she’d been wielding a weapon, he would’ve been six feet under. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do! Don’t you fucking dare.”
Danny nodded vigorously. “You tell him, doll. Give him hell.”
“Shut up!” When he opened his mouth to speak, she shouted again, “I’m warning you. Not a damn word.”
Danny’s eyes widened, his shock very apparent. Quickly enough, however, his shock was replaced with irritation. “Wait a second. I’m not the one who put you in the water. If they hadn’t barged in, you wouldn’t have been thrown overboard.”
“Fuck that,” said Shane. “If you hadn’t snuck off to see her, none of this would’ve happened.”
The men began to argue among themselves. Each blamed the other for getting her drenched. Had it been an accident? Or had they planned a stupid joke on a festival-goer? Again, she forgot about the reason. She was drenched and looked like a drowned rat. Embarrassment grew even stronger than her anger. Who cared why they’d done it? At last, she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Oh, go screw yourselves!” She whirled around and started toward the path leading back to the bunkhouse.
“Winnie, hold up,” called Jason.
She forged ahead, determined to leave them behind. Not only had she trusted Danny, but she’d ended up looking like something they’d dragged out of mud hole. “Leave me alone!”
* * * *
“Winnie, there’s no reason to be embarrassed.” Jason’s voice came loud and clear through the door.
Winnie leaned against the bunkhouse door, unwilling to open it. Yet, aching to do exactly that. A pool of water puddled at her feet, but she couldn’t change into dry clothes yet. Not while they were still trying to get her to open the door. Somehow, she’d made it back to the bunkhouse without them catching up to her. Or maybe they’d simply had the good sense to let her go ahead of them. But now they seemed even more determined to talk to her.
She was still embarrassed. Still embarrassed and angry and confused. Having them standing outside the door wasn’t helping. “Give me a break, okay? Just go away.”
“We’re the ones who fucked up, doll. We shouldn’t have shown up the way we did.”
Shane was right about that. Who expected two men to suddenly appear out of the water? Especially two nude me? Two amazingly sexy nude men? “Just go away.”
“Sugar, please open the door. We need to talk,” added Jason.
“No, we don’t.” What did they want to talk about, anyway? About what a fool she’d been to go out in a rowboat with a man she didn’t know? About how she’d gone off the deep end and let them have it?
&nbs
p; Damn it. Why couldn’t I have acted cool and just let it go? Couldn’t I have laughed it off? Yet they were the ones who’d gotten upset first. And didn’t I have the right to give them hell? Not so much Danny, but definitely the other two.
She couldn’t face them. Not yet anyway. Not until she’d sorted out her feelings.
“Listen, Winnie, we’re acting like idiots, but we can’t help it. It’s because…we want you. It’s that simple.” Shane’s tone was gruff, filled with need.
She turned and put her hand against the rough surface of the door as though she could touch them.
Damn it. How do they have such a hold over me?
She tried to keep quiet, tried to keep from telling them the truth. “I want you, too,” she whispered. So why wasn’t she letting them in? What was making her hold back when all she really wanted to do was to open the door and beg them to make love to her?
“What’d you say, sugar?”
How Jason heard her? Had Danny and Shane, too? But how could they have heard a whisper through a thick door?
“I said…” She paused, wanting to tell them how much she wanted them. “I said that I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Talk to us now,” urged Danny. “Is Bree there? If she is, we could go somewhere else to talk.”
She paused, frowning. Was Bree still inside the house? Were Bree and the men watching the Landerson men make a scene?
She closed her eyes, her hand sliding toward the handle. Yet when she caught her reflection in the reflective surface of the mirror on the wall, she froze.
I really do look like a wet rat.
“No. Tomorrow. Bree’s still asleep. You’re going to wake her up if you don’t stop.” It was a lie, but what else could she say? Not that she blamed her friend for skipping out on her earlier. Bree was busy going after her two goals. First, she’d get the Dayton men and their cousin to admit they were shifters. Then she’d shag those shifters to an inch of their lives.
Which is exactly what I should be doing with Danny, Jason, and Shane.
And yet, she couldn’t let them see her the way she looked now. Not and expect them to want her. They’d seen her after getting out of the water, but the cover of the trees had probably made it difficult to see her clearly. She looked up at the light hanging in the middle of the ceiling. She wouldn’t have the cover of darkness to help shield her now.
“Winnie, come on. Do what we’re telling you and open up.” Irritation tinged Jason’s tone.
Her own dander rose again. After all that had happened, they had no right ordering her to do anything. “I said no, and I mean no. Now go away.” A tear tracked down her cheek. She wanted them more than she could put into words. But no matter how she was feeling, she still have enough sense to know she wasn’t thinking straight.
Think first. Then do.
Those had been her grandmother’s words, and she could hear her sweet Nanna’s words ringing in her ears.
Pressing her ear to the door, she could hear them talking, but couldn’t understand what they were saying. Would they press her harder to open up? Wasn’t that really what she wanted to do? Yet, she wasn’t about to let Jason or anyone else order her around.
At least, that’s my reason and I’m sticking to it.
She listened again, but this time only heard the sound of their boots striking the wooden porch then heading down the two steps. Need for them to hold her, to kiss her swamped her. Gripping the door handle, she started to open it, then stopped.
No. I can’t.
She turned the handle loose, backed away, then hurried toward the bathroom. A warm shower would make her feel better. Yet what she really needed was her best friend.
Snatching up her phone—thank goodness she hadn’t taken it with her—she texted Bree.
Where r u?
She waited, going through the motions of getting the shower going, but by the time she was ready to step under the stream of water, no returning text had arrived.
Damn it, Bree. Where the hell are you?
* * * *
“Winnie, why are you doing—”
She hung up the phone on Danny, determined to…
To do what?
She wasn’t sure what she was doing. Was she planning on hiding out in the bunkhouse until the festival was over and she could leave?
“What the hell is wrong with me?”
She wanted to have sex with the Landerson men. Had, in fact, fantasized about it from the first moment she’d met them. Yet, there she was acting like some freaked-out little girl who was too afraid to kiss a boy.
They’d finally left her alone after tipping the boat over and following her back to the bunkhouse. But the moment the sun had risen, they’d started calling her. She wasn’t sure how they’d gotten her number, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Bree had managed to pass it along to them. Even Bree, who had breezed in and then was gone in under five minutes, had laughed and teased Winnie, telling her she’d better not go too far with the “playing it cool” routine.
Winnie, however, was anything but cool. She was a bundle of nerves, sensations, and emotions all battling it out inside her.
I want them. Damn it, I really, really want them.
So what was holding her back?
They could be shifters.
If Bree was right, if the Dayton brothers and their cousin were shifters, then the Landerson men might be men who could change into animals, too. Most likely, from Bree’s thinking, lions.
Lions. WTF.
She stared at the phone, willing Bree to call her. Yet, she knew it was unlikely that her friend would. Bree had, once again, gone off with her men.
And that was a good thing. Being with them had made Bree very happy. Happier than Winnie had ever seen her.
And if Bree’s men were shifters? It wouldn’t bother Bree one damn bit.
Winnie plopped onto her bed and clenched her phone. That was the big difference between Bree and her. Bree was fearless, ready to charge into any situation and take control. Throughout the years, Winnie had tried to be more like her friend, but she’d never been able to be as brave. Especially whenever it came to the opposite sex. She wanted the Landerson men, but was too afraid to act on her desire.
Fuck.
She flopped backward and stared at the ceiling. When the phone rang again, she was quick to answer.
“Yes?”
Please be the men.
No. Please don’t be the men.
Fuck. Why can’t I just go for it? For them?
Because they could be shifters.
“Winnie Bunch?”
“Yes?” The voice was unfamiliar.
“I am happy to inform you that you have won an exciting four-night, three-day cruise on Fantasy Harbors Cruise Line. All you have to do to claim your prize is to answer one simple question.”
She gritted her teeth and bit back a retort. She didn’t want to be rude to anyone, even to a telemarketer. “What’s the question?”
“Do you want to find love?”
The question threw her. She’d expected a question like “do you like warm beaches?” Or “are you ready for the time of your life?” But a question about love? No way.
She sat up. How strange was it that the telemarketer had asked that question? “What are you talking about?”
“We at Fantasy Harbors Cruise Line want to know what you would do to find love. Would you take a risk?”
“A risk?” Was it fate calling her? Was the man talking about a vacation? Or had the Universe sent her a sign telling her to take a risk?
“Yes, indeed. Would you take a risk to find love?”
Yes.
Or would I?
If so, why not take the risk that has the most reward?
If Danny, Shane, and Jason actually were shifters, then she was taking a risk that they might hurt her. Not physically. The one thing she was sure of was that she didn’t sense any danger from them. But was she ready to risk getting hurt emotionally? Who knew h
ow shifters thought? Did they think like other men? Or did their predatory nature influence how they saw women? Who knew if they could fall in love?
But if they weren’t shifters and, instead, simply really great, all-human men, she could be blowing her chance at a lifetime of happiness.
Hell, either way, shifters or not, I could be making the biggest mistake of my life.
Her need for them boiled to an unsatisfied roar, leaving her thinking a little masturbation might help her. Yet, she’d already tried that, and it had only provided brief relief. Once she started thinking about Danny’s broad shoulders or Jason’s intriguing green eyes or Shane’s brilliant white streak through his hair, the urge would come right back, stronger than before.
“Hello? Ms. Bunch? Are you still there?”
Winnie put the phone back to her ear. “Yes, I’m still here, but I’m hanging up now.”
“But—”
“No buts.” She smiled. “And no regrets, either. Have a nice day. Good-bye.” She ended the call.
The pounding on the door made her drop her phone. More pounding could be seen in the shaking of the door.
“Winnie! Open the hell up!”
Danny again.
Yet, instead of being irritated at the order as she had been before, she bolted onto her feet and dashed over to take hold of the handle.
Shifters. They might be shifters.
Yet, weren’t they still the men she craved? Was she willing to risk being with their animals if it meant being with the men?
“Winnie?” Jason’s voice was calmer than Danny’s. “We need to talk to you. Open up, okay?”
At least, Jason was asking. Still, she kind of liked being both asked and ordered. She began to pull the handle, then stopped, suddenly unable to make the move. “I don’t know.” She cringed, realizing how lame she sounded.
Indecision, thy name is Winnie.
“Darlin’,” queried Shane. “We only want to talk to you. We have something important to tell you. Just let us in.”
“Or what? You’ll blow the bunkhouse down?” She winced, but the wince morphed into a giggle when she realized that she’d just used a reference to the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. And, if they really were werelions…