“Brodie, we decided long ago that we would share a Mate between us. The best we’d ever hoped is that we’d find a woman willing to take on the three of us. The idea that she might be meant to be a Mate to each of us is just as much of a mind-blower to me as well.”
Brodie didn’t say anything right away but Georges could hear the sound of soft voices on the other line. Figuring he was speaking to his wife, Georges had faith that Stephanie could make him see reason. She was a levelheaded woman.
“You make her cry and I’ll come up there and tear the three of you to pieces and feed you to the locals.”
“Dude, that’s nasty. Did your gentle wife hear that?”
He snorted. “My gentle wife is the one who suggested it.”
Georges paused in his pacing back and forth, wondering how he could gently ask Brodie what was wrong with his sister. “Can I ask you something…something about your sister?”
“No.”
“Are you kidding me?” Georges almost shouted into the phone. Arrogant ass.
“No. You want to know something about Clara, ask her. I’m not giving you insider information and making this easier for you. Great things are worth fighting for. Don’t fuck it up.”
“Thanks.” For nothing. “Stay home with your family, Brodie. We’ll bring her to you for a visit so you can meet Nouel.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
Georges ended the call and scanned the edge of the woods for Nouel. Leave it to the idiot to wander off in the snow now, wearing Miss Lavender’s yarn-bomb creation. Hopefully the storm would keep any poachers out of the woods and stop them from shooting his brother.
* * * *
Luc’s hand felt like a hot brand at her lower back. She wasn’t certain if it was simply because he was a stranger or because she was attracted to him…both of them. Brodie had offered to drive up and bring her to his place but she wasn’t ready for that. Not until she knew she had complete control over the violent creature buried deep inside of her. Even now she could feel it stirring, straining at the mental barrier she’d created between them.
“Do you have a headache?”
“How did you know?”
“You’re rubbing your temples.” Luc had a lovely soft French accent to his words when he spoke. He didn’t drop his h’s as many francophones did, but it was still there in his tone.
Feeling silly, she lowered her hand. “A little bit. I’m not sure why. It’s not something that usually plagues my kind. Must be the storm front coming in and the changing pressure in the air.”
“Eh.” Luc waved his hand. “It’s not that unusual. My brothers give me headaches all the time. I’ll show you which room you can stay in.”
Their house looked old but was very cozy and warm. Unlike the bachelor pad or frat house mess she’d expected, their home was immaculate. Neat freaks. Any of the single men she knew wouldn’t be able to clean a house to save their lives. Eddie’s apartment had looked like a tornado ripped through it the couple times she’d seen it.
The staircase was narrow, and felt narrower with Luc’s large body in front of her. This gave her an eye-level view of his denim-clad ass, and damn it was a fine sight. She clenched her hand to stop herself from reaching out and touching. With each step, his ass and thighs flexed, and it was too tempting to find out if those muscles were as hard as they looked. It was strange, this ache in her chest, and the urgent need to touch him. Images of her curling up in his lap with his arms wrapped around her filled her brain. Get a grip, girl. A few days away from the community and you’re acting like some horny bitch.
“You can stay in ’ere. I’ll go put ’da kettle on and make tea.” Luc placed her bag on a huge bed and then turned. She’d stepped closer, not expecting him to move in that direction, and they ended up a breath away from each other. Time froze as she looked up into his face, watching the ways his eyes took her in. Her pulse hammered in her throat as she waffled between jumping back or closing the distance between their lips.
“Bon, come down when you’re ready.”
She felt his breath against her cheek as he spoke. Clara wasn’t certain why his accent had thickened until he looked at her and she felt like he was stripping her in his head. Damn. That look was enough to make her nipples crinkle up tight as she took a deep breath. She’d never felt such an intense reaction to a male. Any male, but especially not someone of a different species, not that she’d really met many. Her stomach clenched and her pussy ached and she’d have given anything to feel his hand against her naked skin. Would he be amazing in bed like she’d read in magazines? Stupid question, of course he would be. All he’d done was look at her and she was ready to pull all her clothes off and get into the nearest bed with him. Perhaps staying here wasn’t such a bad idea after all. All those articles on sex and orgasms had her more than a little curious. Her new toys were lots of fun but she wanted to experience sex with more than a silicone replica.
As soon as Luc closed the door behind him, she dropped back on the bed and pressed her palms against her eyes. What am I thinking? She heard the front door open and close again and knew that Luc’s brother had probably come back in. A slice of rebellious excitement stabbed through her. She was in a house with two large, virile men who made her feel things she’d never felt before. Her internal creature was unusually silent, which she was thankful for. She wasn’t certain she would be able to hold it back right now since she felt so completely out of sorts.
“Wow,” she breathed to herself and glanced over at her overnight bag. One of her first forays into rebellion had been to purchase a couple vibrators and learn her own body. Since she’d heard from a number of women in her community that they were responsible for their own pleasure, Clara had figured she’d better learn sooner than later. Now she was too tempted to pull out that little toy and rock it against her pussy.
Brodie had told her that the Benoit brothers were moose-shifters and that meant their sense of hearing was very acute. If she did play, they’d hear her and while that idea sounded curiously enticing, she wasn’t that brave. After spending a great deal of the evening with these two massive hunks of attractive manliness, she imagined she’d be desperate and content herself with her fingers later on.
Taking a few deep breaths she grabbed a couple essentials out of her bag and went to the washroom to freshen up. By the time she headed downstairs, she felt much calmer and not as off-kilter. Her headache had vanished, too, which caused her great relief.
Both men turned to look at her when she entered the kitchen. Luc was on a stool by an island while Georges stirred something in a large pot. She felt positively tiny compared to their large bodies. She was ten inches over five foot but these two men had to have at least six inches on her. Female Ursus were naturally curvy and she’d learned were considered plus-sized according to the unnaturally thin human standards.
The first thing that came to mind shot out of her mouth. “You have a beautiful house.” She mentally cringed at how dumb that sounded.
“Thank you, Clara. I’m glad you like it.”
Georges placed a delicate teacup in front of her. “Luc said you had a headache so I made you something to help soothe it. You don’t have to drink this if you don’t like it.”
“I appreciate that, thank you. It smells like peppermint and ginger.” She didn’t want to make him feel like his efforts were wasted so she didn’t tell him that her head was much better now.
“That’s exactly what it is.” Georges’s smile softened some roughness to his features and made him look even more beautiful than she thought earlier. He winked at her and she quickly looked down at the tea, taking a sip to avoid the need to say something remotely intelligent.
“Are you hungry, Clara? My brother is an excellent cook.”
“Starving to be honest.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Georges ladled up a large bowl of whatever was in his pot on the stove and placed it in
front of her. She looked down at the thick aromatic dish and tried not to cringe. He placed a side plate with a couple thick slices of bread and butter next to it with a large spoon.
“Don’t be afraid. Georges makes the best chili I’ve ever had and he doesn’t try to make your mouth feel any pain while doing it.”
I guess I can nibble on the bread and then say I’m full. But, she took one bite and the moment the creamy butter hit her tongue her stomach rumbled in response.
“I do like a hungry woman.” Georges braced his hands on the edge of the island and leaned closer to her. “Have a bite and tell me what you think. My brothers have perpetually empty stomachs and eat so fast I swear they don’t even taste anything.”
Clara shifted in her seat and eyed the chili again. Pushing it around in the bowl, she tried to figure out how say something without insulting Georges. Maybe I can eat around the meat? It smells so good, though. The urge to shovel it into her mouth was almost overwhelming but she was afraid that if she started eating meat again she’d encourage the darkness she kept a strict leash on.
“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.” Georges reached for her bowl, but she grabbed his forearm before he could take it away from her. He stilled the moment she touched him. His skin was very warm and the light dusting of hair she could feel under her palm contrasted to the soft skin under her fingertips.
“Please don’t be offended. It smells delicious and I’m sure it’s wonderful but I’m a vegetarian.” She didn’t dare look at either of them, unsure of their reaction. In her community she’d been lectured and treated as if she was mentally deficient when she made the decision to change her eating habits.
Luc started laughing at her and a small part of her heart cringed. And I considered taking him to my bed. She stopped cringing and straightened her spine. No one had the right to treat her like that and she refused to be mocked anymore or pitied.
Georges covered her hand with his and lifted her fingers to his lips. That froze the scathing retort she was forming in her throat. “Notre petit ours, you’re so cute.” He shot Luc a glare. “Stop laughing, Luc, she’s misunderstanding.”
“No, I understand completely.” Clara tried to tug her fingers back but he refused to let go.
“No, you don’t.” Georges’s tone hardened slightly, making her pause. He didn’t look angry at her but his voice had changed slightly, making her insides quiver in response. “Tell her, Luc, before you hurt her feelings anymore.” He turned back to the stove and filled a couple more bowls.
She turned her gaze to him but she didn’t expect to see remorse in his expression. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Clara. Petit ours, we’re vegetarians as well. Moose are herbivores and our parents never cooked meat so we never really developed a taste for it.” Luc grinned at her.
“So this is…” She pointed at what she’d thought had been chunks of ground beef.
“Tofu,” Georges answered.
Relief poured through Clara as hunger clawed at her insides. “Thank the gods. I’m starving.” She grabbed her spoon and moaned as soon as the chili hit her taste buds. Flavour exploded over her tongue. She’d never gotten the hang of cooking tofu and this was divine. There was enough heat to warm her insides but not so much that her mouth was burning after she swallowed. “Georges, this is so good. I swear it’s the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth.”
She looked up at the big man in front of the stove, pausing to admire the way the muscles flexed under Georges’s dark shirt. He shook his head slightly before turning around and placing a large bowl in front of Luc and then himself. “Thank you, Clara. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Eat up, there’s lots to go around.”
“That might be the largest pot of chili I’ve ever seen. Do you usually cook this much for the two of you?”
“We have one more brother, Nouel, who is out playing in the snow at the moment.”
“That’s the moose I saw wearing…what was that?”
“Three sisters own the local yarn shop and knit up what can only be described as an antler cozy for some contest.” Luc reached for a piece of bread and butter before continuing. “Nouel was modeling for pictures for them.”
“That’s so sweet and thoughtful of him. I bet they really appreciate it. Not many men would be brave enough to model something that interesting looking.” By the look Clara saw pass between the two men in front of her, she suspected that they’d passed the buck to their youngest brother on that one. She’d seen it happen enough as she was growing up. Male bears took their masculinity to the extreme and she couldn’t name one person who would have done what their brother did…even if they’d tricked him into it.
“Well, we would have volunteered but the cozy fit Nouel the best.” Luc’s leg brushed hers and she was sure she felt the miniscule contact straight to her core. Her fingers still tingled from where Georges had brushed his lips against them. She understood enough French to know that he called her “our little bear” earlier and she wondered if that was a hint for her. The only moose shifters she’d met were very territorial and possessive. There was no way the three of them would be able to share a woman and the last thing in the world she’d agree to was to be seen as a possession or means to an end. She was free now and she aimed to keep her freedom.
Acting on curiosity was one thing, but she’d never agree to be tied down again. If this storm managed to keep her here for a few days then maybe she would take advantage of the opportunity of experimenting with a real man. But, as soon as the roads were clear, she was going to head down one.
Chapter Four
Our Mate is under our roof. Luc calmly stared at his beer bottle as a deep-seated happiness flowed through him. He and Georges hadn’t left the kitchen after Clara went to bed. Instead they swapped out their coffees for beer and waited for their youngest brother to show up again. She was meant to be with him and Georges, which meant, he hoped, she would be Nouel’s Mate as well.
“You’re smiling again.” Georges tilted his bottle and took a deep swallow of the cold brew.
“So are you,” he replied. They’d both been sporting stupid grins ever since Clara got out of that piece of shit car of hers. He distinctly remembered the heady scent of her arousal in the hallway as he showed her upstairs. It had taken every ounce of his control to stand next to a bed with her and not toss her down on it and ravish her.
“I’m not certain if I’m in shock or can’t believe that she is really here. If our wayward brother hadn’t wandered off earlier we could have been seducing her right now.
“There is more to it than simply waiting for Nouel to be here. I don’t want to pursue her until we know for certain that she is his Mate as well.
Georges shrugged his shoulders. “She isn’t going to be going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Oh, shit, Georges. Please don’t tell me you fucked with her car. I thought we learned our lesson with Tara.” Cris had called in a favour when Tara came to town and they’d lied to her about the condition of her vehicle in order to stop her from leaving. When the truth came out, she’d been furious and rightfully so.
“No, not really…maybe a little bit.” Georges picked at the label on his beer bottle. “The timing belt was slipping a bit and it looked like she picked up a nail somewhere because one of her tires had a slow leak. I just helped both of them along.”
“Why the hell would you do that?”
“Because, I didn’t really disagree with what we did to help Cris and Lars keep Tara in town. I don’t want Clara to leave without getting a chance to change her mind.
“And when she finds out?”
“She won’t. These were problems that would have happened anyways. I just exaggerated the problems a little more. It would have been worse if these things had happened to her when she was out in the middle of nowhere.”
“She’s a bear, Georges. I don’t think she has to worry too much about much when it comes to threats. Bears are tough fuckers, look at the McN
amaras.”
“Okay, you have a point but what about her scent. There is something wrong there. I don’t know what it is but I can’t let her leave.”
“Let who leave?” Nouel asked as he slid the patio door open. A rush of snow billowed in around him.
“Don’t let the snow in, asshole. You’ll fuck up the floor.”
Luc had to hide his grin. Georges was very particular about his kitchen, and the hardwood floor was one of his favourite aspects of the room. He’d done the work himself and took great pride in it. Nouel rolled his eyes as he caught the towels their brother threw at him.
“What were you two talking about?” He sniffed and looked around. “And what is that delicious smell? I didn’t know you started baking.”
Luc relaxed and took another swallow of the cold beer in his hand. His baby brother’s reaction couldn’t be any more perfect. “That’s our Mate you’re picking up in the air.”
Nouel’s jaw dropped but he recovered quickly. “Where is she?”
“Upstairs in bed,” Luc answered. Nouel immediately headed for the hallway. “But it’s not that simple, Nouel. If it was, don’t you think we’d be up there already?”
Nouel paused in the doorway to the hall, staring at the staircase upstairs. “What’s the problem?”
“There’s something off about her and we aren’t sure what it is. We’re both certain she’s our Mate and by your reaction I would imagine she’s yours as well, but it’s like she has no idea who we are to her.”
“She’s a bear,” Georges offered. “She loved my honey buns.”
“Please tell me there are some left.” Luc almost laughed at the pleading look on their younger brother. “Besides that sounds almost racist. I love your buns and I’m not a bear.”
“Perv.” Georges pointed his beer bottle at the kitchen counter.
“Don’t be an ass.” Nouel followed Georges’s directions to the glass lid that rested on the display plate. He brought the entire plate over to the table. Grabbing one, he stuck it in his mouth and took a bite before taking a coffee mug out of the cupboard. “Isn’t their sense of smell supposed to be the best of all the shifters?”
Chasing Peace, Love & Fur [3xtasy Lake 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5