by Jane Jamison
“How much money is in my personal account?” He’d been hired to look at the company’s books. But on a whim, she’d had him look through her numerous accounts, most of which had been set up for her benefit by her father.
“The news isn’t good there, either.”
“Just tell me.”
She was stunned when she heard the amount. “I didn’t think it was going to be that bad.”
“Again, I wish I could do more.”
The idea she’d been mulling over came to her again. “Actually, there is. Do you think that’s enough to send two people on an around-the-world vacation?”
“I don’t know what that would cost, but I’d think so. There wouldn’t be much money left over, though.”
“The money doesn’t matter, but can I ask you a favor? Can you set me up with a good travel agent?”
“Sure. No problem.”
She smiled for the first time since answering the call. “Good. And do me another favor, will you?”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t breathe a word about the trip to the Westbrook men.”
Another pause told of his indecision. At last, however, he gave her the answer she needed.
“My lips are sealed.”
* * * *
Catherine set the food on the table and waited as the men started piling it onto their plates. “I hope you like it. I mean, how hard can spaghetti and meatballs be to cook, right? Sure, I didn’t make the spaghetti or the meatballs, but I bought them at the market in Twisted.”
“You did great,” said Tatum as he put a large spoonful into his mouth.
Smoke and John were wolfing the food down, too, while grabbing a piece of the Italian loaf she’d heated in the oven. For her, making the meal was nothing short of a triumph. She’d never even opened an oven before.
She took a seat next to John and helped herself to filling her own plate. “I enjoyed going into Twisted today. Everyone seems really nice, especially this lady named Lena Fortran. She didn’t seem bothered that I never stayed at her bed and breakfast. Lots of folks welcomed me to town. I didn’t know they knew I existed.” Much less that I’m staying with three men.
She lathered more butter on the piece of bread than she usually allowed herself to eat in an entire week. Something about being around the men made her horny as hell and twice as hungry. She was ravenous for both food and them.
“They’re good people.” John propped his arm on the back of her chair and kept on eating. “How’d the repairs go today, Tater?”
She got ready for the snarl Tatum usually shot someone when they used the nickname, but it didn’t come. Instead, he launched into a detailed description of the day’s chores. She nibbled on her bread and watched them talked, studying the way their jaws moved, how their eyes sparkled, how even the smallest move would flex their muscles. Soon enough, she realized she’d forgotten all about the food. Instead of food, she wanted them.
Once they’d started slowing down, having eaten more than she could consume in an entire day, she made her move. “You guys really like spaghetti and meatballs, huh?”
Smoke motioned to the mostly empty serving dishes. “Can’t think of a meal I like better.”
She stood, leaned over the table, and sank her hand into the sauce-covered noodles. Giving them a sexy smile, she spread the mixture over her chest and into her cleavage.
“What are you doing, baby?”
She had to believe Smoke knew exactly what she was doing. “Do you think you’d like it even better now?” Instead of waiting for an answer, she tugged off her shirt, letting them see just how braless she was. Their hungry gazes changed from those wanting food to those wanting her.
She grabbed another handful of the food and smeared it over her stomach. “Is anyone still hungry?”
John had his hands on her first, yanking her jeans down and off before she had a chance to take a breath. Since she was barefoot, it was easy to discard the jeans. Like up top, she was naked under the jeans.
A growl rumbled as Tatum threw down his bread then dragged his arm along the top of the table, swiping all the dishes and food away. Glass shattered on the floor, and drinks spilled everywhere, but Catherine was already on top of the table, the wine from Smoke’s glass wetting her back.
“Time for dessert, guys,” joked Tatum. He took her arms and pulled them above her head. Bending over her, he put his mouth and teeth to work on her nipples as he tugged off his clothes.
She moaned, loving the way he slicked his tongue over her skin, tasting the tomato sauce. Her body hummed, her engine already revving up for the real ride.
Smoke tore off his clothes then climbed on top of the table and began eating strands of spaghetti off her belly. At first it tickled, but then his licks became more sensuous, dipping into her belly button as he continued to slurp up the sauce.
John, however, didn’t want the spaghetti. Instead, he yanked her closer to the other edge, spread her legs wide, then reached into his hip pocket and pulled out a tube of lube.
“Really?” she asked. “You just happened to have lube?”
“What can I say? Once a boy scout, always a boy scout. And always prepared.” His cocky smile tugged at her pussy as he pulled off his shirt, shucked his boots, and hurried to get his jeans off. Like the other men, he was glorious, the beam from the overhead light casting downward shadows and making his body look like granite come to life. With a flick of his tongue over his lip, he sat down in her chair, put his head between her legs, and began eating a meal of a different kind.
His tongue was a weapon that laid her defenses low. As though her pussy was the buffet, he drank from her then slicked his tongue around her clit, tormenting her, making her beg him to keep going. His fingers dug into her butt cheeks, keeping her from squirming away. When he finally came up for air, he ran his tongue over his upper lip. “Now that’s what I call yummy.”
“Eat me more.” She cried out as he dove back between her legs. Her clit throbbed as he lashed it again and again, each time pressing a little harder than the previous time.
She cried out then opened her mouth wider when Tatum hung a string of noodle over her mouth. Sucking it into her mouth, she kept her gaze on his, silently telling him to replace the noodle with something more substantial. His tongue whipped around her mouth a moment after she managed to swallow the noodle.
“I think we need more spaghetti.” Smoke scooped up a pile of it from his plate, the only plate not to have hit the floor.
“And more sauce, too,” added Tatum.
John lifted his head once more. Cool air hit her scorching hot pussy. “Not me. My meal is perfect the way it is.”
“Good thing this table is sturdy as hell.” Tatum chuckled then edged his body over the table and started slurping the sauce off each breast. His cock swayed next to her head, giving her only one real choice. Using a finger, she slicked off a little of the sauce from her stomach then dragged it along his cock. His shaft jerked to life, enticing her even more.
“Give me a taste.” She cupped his balls and, being gentle, urged him to scoot closer to her face. As soon as he was close enough, she opened her mouth wide and let him guide his cock into her mouth. The flavor of the tomato sauce was gone in a flash, replaced by a taste that was so much better. Musky and sweet at the same time. There was another flavor behind those, one she couldn’t identify.
Smoke pushed against her, easing her onto her side. “I wonder how spaghetti tastes with a side of sweet ass?” He nibbled on her butt cheek while he squeezed on the other then used his tongue to lick up the sauce and wine mixed on her skin. “Damn good.”
The chill of the air conditioner was no match for the heat they generated. She giggled once, never taking her mouth away from Tatum’s cock, and imagined her body in a large oven with the men surrounding her like potatoes, carrots, and onions to her pot roast. Her laughter, however, soon morphed into a moan.
John moved one of her legs to rest on his should
er. He held her pussy folds apart with his fingers then attacked her clit again. Over and around he went, sucking, nibbling, and tugging at it almost feverishly, like a man eating his final meal. Each nibble was a little sharper than the last one, but the quick stabs of pain only made the slice of his tongue over the aching nub that much better. Two fingers entered her pussy, pumping against the protesting vaginal walls. She cried out as the wild storm inside her, the one that was always on the horizon whenever they were around, came swirling toward her, threatening to wipe her out.
Smoke slapped her ass once then twice then sat on his heels. “I’m going to fuck you, baby, and fuck you hard. Harder than my brother could ever fuck you.”
John rose to the challenge. “The hell you will.” The noise of the chair scraping across the hardwood floor came next. Standing, he repositioned her leg around his waist and pressed his cock against her pussy. She reached down, and felt his cock against her fingertips.
If only I could watch.
But watching would mean giving up Tatum’s cock, and she wasn’t willing to let go of him. Circling her tongue around his length, she met his gaze. As it had so often before, amber bits flamed in his eyes.
She moaned, making the sound include her frustration, her readiness to finally feel their cocks inside her. Reaching out, she took Smoke by the arm and dug her nails into his skin.
“Hey, easy, baby.” His wicked grin was sexy as hell. “I’m getting there.” He popped open the tube of lube John had given him.
“Fuck that. I’m ready.” The muscle in John’s jaw twitched like the muscles in his arms and chest did as he yanked her toward him.
His cock pierced her, surprising her. She cried out against the quick flash of pain that came and went. The pain was changed into a craving so primal, so needy that all she could to express her yearning was to moan again and bump her heel against his back, urging him to shove into her again. Her pussy protested then gave way to the width and length of him. He went so deep she worried that he would reach the end of her and be disappointed that he couldn’t go deeper. Pumping his hips backward and forward, he slammed into her, his thrusts accented by guttural grunts.
Smoke smeared the lube over her tight muscles, his hard gaze glittering with desire. “Yeah, baby, that’s it. Open wide.” Slicking the lube mixed with her juices over his cock, he put it at her dark hole and eased his cock inside her.
At first she tensed, but the tension soon gave way to the need. She reached behind her and pulled her ass cheek, spreading her cheeks farther apart. “Fuck me, Smoke. Fuck me hard.”
A tug on her hair brought her back to Tatum’s cock. “Don’t forget about me, Catnip. Suck me off.”
The wild energy they created together spun out of control. She wanted their bodies to melt into hers, to become a part of her.
They’re already a part of me.
Hadn’t she known it the moment she’d met them? Unconsciously perhaps, but even if her mind hadn’t acknowledged it, her body had. Tears sprang to her eyes. Did they feel the same way? The three of them or only one?
The men pounded her, thrusting their cocks in and out, over and over. Like Smoke’s gray eyes, John’s and Tatum’s eyes lightened with flecks of amber. Once more she wondered at the color, but she didn’t have enough breath to ask.
I have a lot to learn about them.
But would she have the time? They hadn’t talked about her leaving. Instead, they seemed to be playing it by ear. Or could she hope that they didn’t want her to leave any more than she wanted to go?
Their bodies worked together, hers a connection they all used to become one. Their hands skimmed her flesh, their tongues slickened her skin, ridding her of the sauce while adding their own flavors to her body. Their gazes met hers then heated her body.
She did her best to hold back her climax, but she would’ve had better luck trying to hold back a meteor speeding toward earth. Gritting her teeth, she held on to the brink of release until, at last, she had to admit defeat. Her moan turned into a scream as it ripped her apart. She closed her eyes, the darkness behind her lids flashing with fireworks with each of their thrusts. Crying out in both agony and ecstasy, she turned her climax free. As though they understood her need to have them come along with her on the sexual ride, they, too, freed their orgasms. Together, her cry mixed with their groans, groans that ended up sounding like growls.
Their climaxes achieved, they stayed connected, physically and emotionally, for a minute as their bodies worked out their releases. Shudders turned into trembles. Growls slid into moans. Her moans calmed, turning into a soft satisfied sounds.
“You’re purring,” said Smoke.
“What?” she asked. Yet she knew what he meant. Her body hummed with joy. How better to let them know it except with a purr?
“You’re purring,” confirmed John as he eased away from her and off the table. He grabbed for the towels and napkins and handed them to the others.
“Yeah. I guess I am.”
Smoke jumped off the table and held out his arms for her, helping her off the table. After everyone had cleaned off, he handed her clothes to her before getting dressed himself.
“We want you to stay.”
She blinked, taken by surprise by Tatum’s statement.
“Way to just blurt it out, man.” Smoke’s gray eyes were back, the amber gone.
“Who cares? She got asked. So will you, darlin’?” asked John. “Will you stay?”
She tried not to let her excitement get the best of her, but how could it not? It was as though they’d understood what she’d been thinking, what she’d been hoping. Still, she had to be certain. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“Sure you do, baby.” Smoke took her hands and led her to her seat. Tatum and John brought their chairs close.
Her nerves hit her. Crowding around her made what they were saying serious, life changing.
“We want to make you happy for the rest of your life.” John’s blue eyes gleamed. “That’s our purpose, darlin’. To make you ours. If you agree to be ours, then we swear we’ll make your life as wonderful as we can.”
“We can’t give you the things you’re used to.” Tatum’s exuberance faded a little. “But you’ll never want for anything, either. Especially love. We’ve got a ton of love to give you.”
Smoke squeezed her hands. “Let us do that, baby. Let us take care of you and make every day better than the last.” He dipped his head then raised it to meet her gaze. “As sappy as it sounds, that’s what we want to do.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Yes. Say yes. Yet something held her back. “So you’re asking me to stay here on the ranch with you? To give up my life back home?”
“That’s what we’d like, but if it comes down between having the ranch or having you, then we’ll go wherever you want us to go.” The sincerity in Tatum’s eyes glowed. “As long as we’re with you, we don’t care where we live.”
She couldn’t imagine making them give up their ranch. It would be like asking them to stop breathing. The fact that they were willing to do so broke her heart then made it whole again.
“Say you’ll be ours, baby.” Smoke leaned forward, his need palpable.
She was about to answer, to tell them that she wanted nothing more than to be with them, when John interrupted.
“Before you tell us your decision, you need to know something very important.”
“What is it?”
“We want you to be our mate.”
“Is that the same thing as becoming your wife?”
“Yes, but you’ll understand what that really means in a minute.” John looked to the other men, who nodded, giving him the go-ahead explain.
She suddenly found it difficult to breathe. “Tell me.”
“Do you remember the white tigers you saw going into the barn?”
He couldn’t have thrown her bigger curve ball. “You mean the ones you guys say I didn’t see?” She’d thought they’d put that pas
t them. That they’d agreed to disagree. In fact, they’d been so insistent that she hadn’t seen the tigers that she’d even started to believe she’d imagined them.
“We lied to you, darlin’. You saw tigers, all right.”
Anger and relief warred inside her. “I did? You’re serious? But how? Where are they now? Where did they come from?” She stared, not understanding how they could be so casual about three tigers running wild. “So you knew and didn’t do anything? What if they’d gotten hold of a little kid?”
“Take it easy, Catnip.”
She shot Tatum a glare as she jerked her hands away from Smoke. “You lied to me. And you put other people in danger.” Smoke tried to reach for her again, but she backed up, stepping over a serving bowl to get to the other side of the kitchen.
“No one was ever in any kind of danger.” Smoke leaned back and crossed his arms. “Tell her, John.”
“Yes, please do, John.” She crossed her arm, defiant. “Tell me.”
“What I’m going to tell you is going to be difficult for you to understand.”
If she could’ve seared John with a look, she would have. “Try me. I’m pretty smart. I think I’ll get it.”
“It has nothing to do with intelligence. We know you’re smart as hell.” John dragged in a long breath. “It has more to do with believing the unbelievable.”
“Again. Try me.” Yet doubt clouded her thoughts. What could he possibly say that she wouldn’t believe?
“We’re the tigers you saw.”
Chapter Eight
Catherine wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry. “You’re the tigers I saw?” She ended up doing neither one. Instead, she became angrier than she’d been only moments before. “Look, damn it. You don’t have to believe what I saw, but I’m damn sure not going to stand here and let you make fun of me.”
“Darlin’, that’s not what we’re trying to do.” John got on his feet and started toward her.
“Just stop right there.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I can’t believe I just had sex with you guys. And now you’re going to try and pull this shit. If you want to get rid of me, just say so. Or better yet, fuck off. Just fuck the hell off.”