by Rachel Clark
Keira glanced at the clock, a little startled to see how late it was.
Ranch life was taking a little getting used to, but eating the evening meal at four in the afternoon seemed practically normal now. Luke and Declan had both told her not to worry about getting up early to feed them breakfast, but she’d happily ignored their protests and made certain they both had a decent meal before beginning their chores.
Secretly, meal times were her favorite part of her day. Just watching the loving interaction between the men as they discussed the day’s work filled something inside her. Maybe it just proved to her that real love and respect did exist. Something she’d never known in her relationship—even if she’d thought it at the time. It was even more obvious now that her ex-boyfriend had never actually loved her.
Luke and Declan worked incredibly long and hard days, and just knowing that she could make their lives a little easier gave her a sense of purpose she’d never felt before. She took one last glance at the tidy living room and turned toward the kitchen to get dinner started.
“Honey, I’m hoooome,” Declan sang as he came in the back door.
She smiled happily and rushed to greet him. It seemed so silly, considering that Declan and Luke were the couple and she the outsider, but she felt closer to them than she’d felt to anyone. The fact that they’d both started calling her honey just seemed to make the illusion more real.
* * * *
Declan smiled as Keira came into the kitchen. It was amazing how well she’d fit into their lives, and he could barely remember when she wasn’t there to greet them at the end of the day. Coming home to a cooked meal was definitely a perk of having her living with them, but it was the woman herself who made him smile. Declan couldn’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t feel eager to come home to this woman, and it just proved how much of an asshole her ex really was.
“You’re back early,” she said happily. “I haven’t even put dinner on yet.”
He laughed as his stomach grumbled just at the thought of her delicious meals.
“Actually,” he said, trying to hide his embarrassment, “Luke and I were wondering if you would like a night off. We can head into town for a meal.”
The color drained from her face so fast Declan moved quickly to her side. Poor woman looked like she was going to faint.
“Holy cow,” he said, pulling a chair out for her. She looked like she was going to refuse to sit down, so he sat in it himself and pulled her onto his lap. She resisted him at first, holding herself stiffly, but he patiently ran his hand up and down her spine until she slowly relaxed against his chest. He was still holding her when Luke came in the back door.
* * * *
Luke was a little surprised with what he found in the kitchen.
They’d decided to give Keira time to settle into her new life before trying to romance her into theirs, but seeing Declan with Keira curled in his lap was definitely doing funny things to his insides. He took a deep breath, trying to shake the longing that pulsed though him. He was fairly certain there would be a logical, nonsexual explanation for the intimate moment, but he couldn’t help comparing it to the hope that had been growing rapidly in the back of his mind ever since his discussion with Declan a couple of weeks earlier.
And then, of course, the actual, most likely reason for Declan to be holding Keira in such a way hit him, and he rushed over to the couple.
“Keira?” he asked quietly, his gaze bouncing between her and Declan.
“I’m okay,” she mumbled quietly, but he could tell from her color that she simply wasn’t. He looked to Declan for an explanation.
“I don’t think dinner in town was such a good idea.” Declan kissed the top of her head affectionately and continued running his hand up and down her spine.
“Keira, you’ve hardly left the ranch since you got here.” She lifted her eyes to his face, and he immediately regretted his words. The woman looked very pale. And then another reason for her near-fainting spell occurred to him.
He’d noticed that despite being an amazing cook, Keira ate very small amounts. It seemed that her body image was quite poor. He didn’t know whether it had been seriously tainted by her last boyfriend’s criticism or a lifelong issue, but Luke was determined to get her to see in the mirror the perfection he and Declan saw every day. As a friend he’d tried to assure her that she was beautiful exactly the way she was, but maybe as her mate she’d finally start to listen.
“Did you eat today?”
She smiled softly and said in a voice just a little too high in pitch to be normal, “I um…I just...um. I’m happy to cook dinner. Or you and Declan can go together. It must have been annoying having me in the way the last few months. Maybe you two could go have a romantic dinner together or something.”
“Actually,” Declan said in a thoughtful tone, “you’d be doing us a big favor. Turning up with a woman in tow will stop the gossips speculating on my relationship with Luke.” In truth the two of them didn’t give a damn what the neighbors thought, but since Keira seemed to be giving it some serious thought, Luke unashamedly followed Declan’s lead and pressed the point home. “He’s right. Declan’s parents are wonderful people, but they would be more comfortable if folks believed he had a girlfriend.” Unfortunately, that was the truth. Ever since their Taydelaan had died in childbirth, Declan’s surviving parents had pretended to be human, maybe even managing to convince themselves sometimes.
“So you want me to be his date?”
Luke moved slightly, trying to hide his sudden erection at the thought of watching these two together. “That’s right,” he managed to force past the constriction in his throat. “It would quiet the rumors and make Declan’s parents very happy.”
“Just the local bar? The same one we had dinner at the night I arrived?” she asked, sounding scared but at least a little more interested.
“Just the bar,” Declan confirmed as he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head again. “A nice, quiet dinner, maybe a quick game of pool and a slow dance next to the jukebox. What do you say?”
“Okay,” she said quietly as a small smile graced her lips. She tried to wriggle off Declan’s lap, and Luke watched as his lover did something he’d seen only in his dreams—he closed his eyes and seemed to bite back a moan. Did he feel physical attraction for their beautiful Taydelaan? Even though romancing Keira had been Declan’s idea, Luke had worried that his lover, having been raised as human and believing he was gay, wouldn’t feel anything more than companionship for the woman. Add it to the fact that the partial mate link that Declan and Luke should share by now was still missing and Luke had wondered if anything about their relationship would be considered normal by Sesturian standards. Hope sprang anew, but he tamped it down quickly. Hell, he was most likely only seeing things he wanted to see.
“I’ll just have a quick shower and then you two can get cleaned up.”
As soon as she left the room, Luke grabbed Declan and pulled him up against him. Both of them were rock-hard, and he eased slightly back to look into his lover’s embarrassed face. Before Declan could mumble an explanation, Luke kissed him hard, his tongue rough and demanding as he rubbed their lower bodies together sensuously.
He was on the verge of tearing his lover’s clothes from his body by the time he finally gentled the kiss and took a small step back. He touched Declan’s face, running a calloused finger from temple to lips.
“You want her,” he said with a smile. Declan seemed confused by it, but he must’ve noticed the pleasure in Luke’s gaze because he smiled slowly and then colored with embarrassment. Luke pulled the man he loved closer. “Do you think it’s too early to invite her into our bed?”
“I don’t know.” Declan looked more than interested as he turned toward the bathroom almost as if he could see through the wall. “Do you think she’d go for it? I mean, she seems happy here, but she comes from a pretty conservative background. She might not go for it. I’m not even sure how well she’ll
take finding out she’s living with a couple of aliens.”
Luke frowned, not happy with their current line of thinking. “I suppose in the end it’ll either work out or it won’t. The best we can do is make sure she’s comfortable with us and see how things go from there.”
* * * *
Keira really, really wanted a long shower. She’d glanced back just in time to see Luke pull Declan into his fierce embrace and kiss him like the world was about to end. Even without her eyes closed she could still see the passionate clinch. Every womanly part of her throbbed with the memory. God, what would it be like to be loved like that?
Even as she told herself not to, her hand drifted over the swollen bud of her clit and she shuddered with desire. She shouldn’t be wasting water, but the guilty thought brought with it images of Luke and Declan sharing the shower. They did it most nights. She’d never considered water conservation could be quite so…hot.
Damn, she turned the hot water off and let the cold drizzle over her until she shivered. Unfortunately all that did was pull her already stiff nipples into even tighter throbbing nubs. Heat gathered low in her groin, and her pussy pulsed with need. Shit, maybe cold showers didn’t work on women—she’d never had a reason to find out before.
She shut the water off, shivering as she dried herself briskly. Hell, she really needed to get over this obsession. So what if they were both kind, caring, fun-to-be-around guys. They were both gay.
Both. Gay.
And very happy together.
And in a committed relationship.
And she shouldn’t be thinking about them in such terms, no matter how much she wanted to fantasize.
She dried her legs, running the towel up her inner thigh and shuddering with arousal as her mind showed her all the intimate things two men could share. Of course, she couldn’t help picturing herself right there with them—watching, touching, belonging.
She pressed the rough towel against her throbbing clit, brushing harder, faster against the swollen bundle of nerves. Images flashed through her brain—Luke fucking her, Declan fucking her, them fucking each other.
She gasped and nearly cried out as her orgasm crashed through her. Her pussy throbbed and pulsed as liquid warmth flooded her veins. She pressed a hand to her mouth, trying to contain the moan threatening to escape. She gasped again as she let the towel fall to the floor, the rough material like a caress as it brushed against her legs.
Keira panted, trying to catch her breath quietly, as embarrassment stole through her. She’d never masturbated before, had never even considered it, and yet here she was. A giggle escaped her at the absurdity of it all. How strange her life had become.
From lonely and disillusioned to so horny for two gay guys that she was masturbating in the bathroom.
* * * *
Luke shuddered as he felt Keira’s excitement.
He’d heard so many different stories on how the mating link affected others that he’d somehow assumed he’d be prepared when it finally kicked in.
How wrong he was.
His cock lengthened painfully as he felt Keira stroke her clit with the towel. How he knew she was using the towel, he didn’t have a clue, but he closed his eyes and savored the sensation of his Taydelaan’s orgasm washing over him.
He damn near came with her.
Luke opened his eyes, surprised to see Declan looking at him with an amused smile on his face. “Don’t let your imagination get ahead of you,” he admonished with an indulgent smile. “It could be a long while before any of those thoughts become reality.” Somehow, Luke had assumed that Declan had felt Keira’s climax as well, so his teasing words hit Luke really, really hard. If they were an average Sesturian couple, they’d not only feel each other’s emotions and hear each other’s thoughts, they’d be tuned into their Taydelaan as well. Granted, the link would take a while to develop between mates, but once the enzyme started producing in one of the males, the link could be completed in a single bite.
But if Luke was the only one to feel the link, would the enzyme even start to produce?
For the first time in a long time he wished for contact with his own people. There was quite a large population of Sesturians and their human partners only a few hours from here, but until today Luke hadn’t felt any need to contact them.
So involved in his own thoughts, he barely registered that Declan was talking to him. Quickly trying to divert his attention back to his lover, Luke felt guilt hit him hard when Declan pressed a kiss to his lips, whispered the promise, “Later,” and then pulled Luke toward the shower. “Let’s get moving so we can take Keira to town.”
Chapter Four
Relaxing after a delicious meal at the local watering hole, Declan watched Luke stiffen when Keira touched him accidentally. The reaction seemed so incongruous with the outcome they were planning that Declan found himself wondering what the hell was going on.
The plan had been to gradually increase their closeness to Keira, not react like a virgin on prom night to an accidental touch. Was Luke rethinking inviting Keira into their lives? It was true that Declan hadn’t liked the idea of a Taydelaan interfering with his happiness, but once he’d met Keira he’d felt an instant attraction. He’d puzzled over it for weeks until he’d finally realized what it had meant.
After so many years of thinking he was gay—and human—he could probably be forgiven for his confusion. He’d even understood Luke’s reticence to say anything, but this seemingly unexpected change of heart was as confusing as hell.
“Why don’t you and Keira dance?” Luke suggested when he caught Declan studying him for the millionth time.
“Oh…um…sure,” he said as he climbed awkwardly to his feet. It wasn’t until he had Keira on her feet that he wondered if her leg was strong enough for dancing. She’d only had the cast off a couple of weeks ago. He glanced down at her leg and back up to her face.
She smiled and nodded and said with a soft smile, “I promise not to step on your toes.” The music was slow, perfect for holding a lover close and swaying gently to the soothing sound.
“Um, okay.” Fuck. Was that his pathetic, unsure voice? In the early days of his relationship with Luke he’d been timid and nervous, not wanting to ruin what seemed to be the romance he’d been waiting for, but Luke had encouraged him to feel confident in their love. It was because of him that Declan felt any self-assurance at all.
He ground his teeth together. Damn it, just because he wasn’t sure what was going on in Luke’s head at the moment didn’t mean he was allowed to fall apart. His previous relationship had undermined his sense of self-worth, but that didn’t give him permission to go back to that place in his mind that his ex-boyfriend had created.
Determined to press forward with their plan of seducing their Taydelaan, despite Luke’s apparent second thoughts, Declan led Keira onto the small dance floor and pulled her into his arms. She fit perfectly, her head resting on his shoulder as they swayed to the gentle music. He heard her contented sigh and hugged her closer as emotion swelled through him. Even when Luke had explained his Sesturian nature, Declan had often wondered if maybe he was different to others from his planet, so being physically as well as emotionally attracted to this woman was both comforting and surprising.
He and April had been raised by two parents, not three, and hadn’t even been told of the mother who’d died in childbirth. His heart ached for his parents more now that he finally understood the bond that formed between a couple and their Taydelaan. The loss would feel insurmountable, and he could almost forgive his parents for pretending to be human.
“Declan?”
“Yes, honey,” he said, savoring the word on his tongue.
“Thank you for bringing me out tonight.” He waited, sensing that she had more to say. When she didn’t add anything, he lifted her chin and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She looked shocked by his behavior, but she didn’t pull away.
“You’re very welcome,” he said with a smile.
/> * * * *
Keira tried to tamp down her arousal. God, what was wrong with her? Yes, she’d been through a shitty time, but that was over now and she needed to find her way back to the person she’d been before she’d met her ex. Becoming obsessed with a couple of men who were already in a relationship with each other was so not healthy.
She shivered as arousal wound through her once more. She could feel her nipples beading against the soft lace of her bra and shifted slightly so that they weren’t mashed up against Declan’s chest. Good grief, the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass one of the men who’d not only given her a roof over her head, but had also made her feel part of the family—in a sisterly way of course.
Although, considering the way Declan’s hands wandered over her spine, occasionally dipping lower to caress the tops of her ass cheeks, what she was feeling was anything but sisterly affection.
“Wow, it’s…um…hot in here,” she murmured and then felt herself heat with embarrassment once more. Babbling had been her biggest problem all through high school, and she seemed to have regressed all the way back to fumbling teenager.
“Would you like to sit for a while?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak lest she start babbling an explanation for her babbling. Wouldn’t that be fun?
* * * *
Luke nearly groaned as he saw Keira and Declan heading back to the table. Even on the other side of the room where he could barely see them he could feel Keira’s arousal. His cock pulsed almost painfully with need as her desire wound through his mind.