by Sam Hall
I didn't, and he did. He pulled me so I laid across his chest, feeling a stretch in my groin that had my clit twitching even before his lips landed on mine. He wasn't cautious or hesitant, instead forcing my lips open and sliding his tongue inside. I tasted coffee and cigarettes and something else that was probably Jack. My hands went to his hair, burying them into the heavy weight of it.
"Fuck, Jules," he said between kisses. "I could do this forever."
A weird kind of acceptance settled over me. I wish things hadn't gone the way they did with Shaun, but I couldn't change my mind. It would have been crueller to pretend we had a future, when I now knew we didn't. I didn't know how things were going to work with either Hawk or Jack, but perhaps I didn't need to. Maybe all I could do was be more aware of what the hell I was feeling.
Can you tell me if someone's not acceptable to you next time? I said to my Tirian.
You pretend I am a separate part of you, because I do not fit with your idea of who you are. If you do not want to hurt the men, look to your own heart for guidance, she replied. And that was that, because if she was a part of me, she was a really stubborn, opaque, all-knowing, grumpy Yoda part, and not the cute baby version, either. I took a deep breath and tried to bring my awareness back to what was happening in the car.
I heard Buddy's rhythmic pant, felt the close air on my skin, the hardness of Hawk's chest under my hands, the soft worn flannel of his shirt. I looked into those fathomless brown eyes and saw the golden flecks there, as the sun sent a beam across his face. He looked like a cup of coffee feels like—warm, inviting, ready to help me get through the day. My mouth twisted. If the rasp of his breath and the hard lump beneath me was anything to go by, being compared to beverages wouldn't be cool. What do I feel about you? I asked myself, running my hand down the side of his face, digging the tips into his beard. He turned his head and kissed my palm. I watched his lips fasten around my thumb and suck, his mobile tongue doing something that made me ache. Just good ole garden variety lust, then. His eyes, when they looked back at me, were sparkling with amusement at my rapt attention. And a bit of a connection.
"Let’s go home and kiss forever."
15
Slade was out the front of the house when we pulled up, a slight frown on his face that transformed into a smile when we got out.
"Hey, Buddy boy," he said, giving my dog a scratch on the belly. He came to me when he straightened. "How are you, love?"
"You've heard," I said.
"Small place, princess. Word gets around." He looked up at Hawk. "Thanks for looking after her. Will have to shout Mick a beer next time we're at the bar."
"He'll appreciate that," Hawk replied.
"What do you need, love?" Slade asked me. "This has to be rough."
"Yeah, in a way." I glanced at the nicely appointed yard for a moment, though I didn't really see it. I just blinked until my vision cleared, then squared my shoulders and turned back to my mate. "Who's here?"
"Aaron, me, Jack. Brandon and Finn are at work, but Doc will be here at lunchtime. He's worrying."
I nodded. I felt a pang at that, but tried to counsel myself. We cared about each other, of course we were going to be worried from time to time. "Everyone who's in..." I paused, figuring they could work out what that meant. "Come into the bedroom. We need to talk."
"The four words that turn a man's guts to water," Slade said with a groan. "Here I was, hoping that seeing a bunch of hunky, sweating men would get you all worked up and ready for another round when you got home."
"Talk first," I said, walking towards the house, tugging my sleeves down over my hands. "I'm not taking off a stitch until we talk."
"I need a fucking beer."
I sat on the big family bed, Buddy by my side. I scratched his furry belly, watching his head loll back in pure ecstasy. He just took his pleasures where he found them, Bud, something I kinda envied right now. Aaron came in first, smiling as he laid down beside me. He curled his body around mine, acting like a huge harbour I could hide in, which was comforting. His arm went around me loosely when I leant against him.
"My parents are wondering if you could come by for dinner tonight?" he asked. His tone was deceptively light, and I could almost hear what he was holding back.
"Tell me the whole story," I said as my fingers played with the blond hair on his thick forearms.
"What...?" I felt his sigh. "I usually stay at home on my days off, so the parentals are kinda chomping at the bit to see me. They're insisting they meet you. They're...worried."
"Worried? Why?"
"You're an outsider and—"
He didn't get time to finish, as Slade, Jack, and Hawk came strolling in. Slade cracked a beer as he sat down on the bed, crossing his legs with a disgruntled frown.
"You realise you're the one in the most secure position here, Slade," I said.
"Yeah, but women always want to overthink things, then talk about it. Like now. You come in smelling all hot and creamy, the car fairly reeks of pheromones, and you want to sit there, dressed up like a nun, and 'talk'." He glanced back at me. He tried to hold on to his grumpy expression, but it softened when he saw me against Aaron. "The big man's gonna have to whisk you off to appease the crazy over thinkers at his parent’s place tonight, so I thought we'd have a nice little round of me getting Jules all warm and relaxed so she can take Aaron without hurting, maybe with Hawkie as an appetiser to broaden her horizons a bit, but no." He took a long swig from the beer bottle.
"So, let me get this straight. While I've been out getting my head chewed off, you've been planning out the sexual pecking order?"
"Figured Hawk would look after you, smooth over any ruffled feathers. You did, didn't you?"
He looked over his shoulder where Hawk sat with Jack's head in his lap, smoothing the other man's hair, much to his cat-like delight.
"He was very supportive," I said, snapping his attention back to me. "If you're finished, Slade, this should be short. Talking to Hawk and Shaun, the whole thing has made me aware of something I didn't handle all that well this morning. We're going to have to communicate—yes, talk to get through this. We've got an existing couple," I gestured to Jack and Hawk, "Slade's my mate, and then there's the three of you as petitioners, maybe others, if we decide to add people."
"Liked Mickey, did ya, love?" Slade said with a sly grin. "He's a good bloke, I wouldn't say no to—"
"Right now, I'm avoiding adding anyone new to the mix unless forced to." The black wolf's sure hand sliding over me immediately sprung to mind, sensually repellent.
"If you're thinking of the bastard in lock up," Aaron said, "don't. I spoke to my CO. He's completely neutralised. I'd say it's just some residual trauma from when you were bitten."
"Maybe, but as I've been meandering through Sanctuary like some kind of over-sexed vacuum cleaner, sucking up dick left and right, with little thought to the consequences—"
"Fuck, don't start talking about sucking dick," Slade groaned, pressing down on the lump in his jeans.
"I don't mind," came Aaron's low rumble. He moved behind me so that his hand swept my hair to one side, his lips on my neck. "Keep going," he prompted, pausing.
"Fuck..." I felt a whole body shiver at the feel of his mouth on me. "You guys said it was supposed to get better after the heat."
"Yeah," Slade prowled over on all fours, causing Buddy to jump to the floor. "There's a theory going around about that."
"Yeah?" I leaned back as he covered me with his body, his lips on mine. "What's that?"
"Too much human blood," he said between kisses. "Like Nerida. Humans are always sexually receptive. Don't have distinct mating times like other animals do."
"What?" Aaron's hands went to the hem of my long sleeve shirt, pushing it up to bare skin he could stroke, but I rolled away. "What does that mean? Is this what you were talking about last night, Jack?"
"Hmm...?" He had to pull his mouth from Hawk's to look at me, his eyes hooded and glassy with lu
st. "Fuck, I don't know, I'm just riding the fucking hormones in this room to what promises to be an explosive finish. My dick is aching."
"You said something about feeling me back at your place, it keeping you up," I said, holding hard to the thin sliver of fear amongst the swirl of sensation from the two bodies touching mine. Hawk's eyes held mine as he unzipped Jack's pants, the other man fairly panting as he did so. He jerked when Hawk slapped his length against his palm.
"God, don't do that. I feel like I'm gonna blow as it is," Jack growled. "Get your jeans off and fuck me."
For a moment, a cool, hard part of myself was able to watch the proceedings, as Hawk took his time getting naked—well aware he had Jack's, Aaron's, and my attention—and Slade did the same, though much quicker, then he lay on the bed with one arm across his eyes as he stroked his cock.
"Lube," Jack grunted. He'd torn his clothes off, revealing the long, lean lines of his body, and now he bent over the edge of the bed, arms on the mattress. Aaron moved like lightning, opening one of the drawers and grabbing out a tube that he tossed to the two of them. Hawk picked it up with a nod and then began to slather a blob on his partner's arse. "Oh fuuuuck...."
Jack's head hung down, his whole body flexing as Hawk prepared him, but Hawk didn’t move forward until Jack was working himself back on three of his fingers, thrusting and twisting his hips. "What the fuck is this? It's like the air itself is stroking my body. I'm on fucking fire. Put it in Hawk, stop fucking around."
The darker man stepped between his legs, grabbing Jack's hair by the handful before grasping his dick at the root and rubbing it against his lover.
"Don't go easy. Just fuck me," came Jack's muffled growl.
"Don't blame me for this later," Hawk said, and then his hips surged forward. Jack's gasp was so loud, it sounded like he was choking. "Love?"
"I told you,” Jack croaked. “Give me all you've got."
My head jerked around when Aaron got to his knees, working his thick cock in his hand. His eyes took in every movement of the two of them, no doubt seeing what I did: a savage poetry in motion. They were so harshly beautiful, it hurt to look at them. The casual brutality with which Hawk fucked Jack seemed completely at odds with the gentle man I'd seen today. Jack's throat was exposed, his back pulled back in a tight bow, his guttural cries fighting their way out as Hawk ploughed on.
"Hawk..."
There was something mournful in the man's voice, something that slowed Hawk's thrusts. He shuddered for a moment, breath coming in long draughts, then he pulled out of the man gently before turning him over. It was much sweeter when they came back together. Hawk's hands clasping Jack's, lips on his lover's throat as he moved inside him.
I jerked back off the bed and backed away, fighting to get free of the spell over the room. I heard the black wolf's laugh in my head as I edged towards the door, his voice in my ear as I slipped through the open doorway.
So sweet. Just the honeypot to lure those I need by your side. Come to me, little queen. Soon, or this will become a nightly ritual.
16
I ran from the house, Buddy a silent shadow at my heels. I grabbed a pair of car keys as I passed the table, running outside and slamming the door. I didn’t work out which until I clicked on the disable alarm button. I pulled myself up into the truck that beeped, letting Buddy scramble in beside me. I started the car and steered it off the verge onto the road.
I was wet, so fucking wet. I could feel the evidence of just how much I’d liked what had been happening, now there was nothing to distract me but the low rumble of the engine and the gentle blow of the fans. I gripped the wheel tighter, my arms starting to shake the farther I got from the house.
This is not what I wanted. I wanted to throw myself in the middle of it, take up Slade’s little suggestion and just work my way through each and every guy until I couldn’t come anymore. Instead, I drove to the Stores shed, a well-trod route now in my mind, and jumped out of the car the minute I killed the engine, then stopped dead in my tracks.
A large truck had been backed up to the loading dock, and men swarmed all over the area, ferrying the boxes out. I stood there, looking up at them all. Long and lean or bulky and muscular, they were a parade of male flesh, many of them shirtless, skin gleaming in the sun. Then they faltered.
For some, it was almost instantaneous. They caught my scent and dropped what they were carrying, turning towards me, eyes hungry. Others took a little longer, wondering what the fuck was going on with their colleagues before looking around. It didn’t matter. Within minutes, I had the attention of every man there.
Sonny swung down from the loading bay, landing on the ground in front of me, his dark hair in haphazard spikes from being ruffled. His expression was grim as he approached, but he kept on coming.
As did the others. My eyes darted around as more and more dropped down beside him and strolled on over.
Don’t want to lure the bees inside your hive? Then catch these.
“Ah...” My voice broke as I tried to get the words out. “Um... is Brandon here?”
“Out delivering,” Sonny said with a slow swing of his head. “S’OK, we’ve got what you need.”
“What? No, I need to talk to Brandon, something really weird is happening.”
“Words are bullshit, your scent doesn’t lie,” another guy with ash blond hair said. “Just choose who you want.”
“What the… No! If I wanted that, I would have stayed home. I need to get in contact with—“
“What’s going on?” A man with a clipboard came out and took in the disarray pretty quickly. “Stop stuffing around. There’s perishable...” His voice trailed away, and his eyes went wide. “No,” he said, vehemently shaking his head. “No, no, no! I love my mate!” His hands scrabbled for his pockets, wrenching out his phone. His fingers started to pound on the screen, but I had bigger fish to fry.
“Don’t have to make a choice. Shaun said you like a group. Well, there’s plenty to go around here,” a guy with rusty red hair and green eyes said.
“No,” I said, struggling to put some fire into my reply. I didn’t want this. Really, I didn’t. My brain was appalled by the concept of stripping down and being covered by big, muscular bodies, each of them fighting to get inside me, but my body... I took a step backward, then another, trying to wrest control of my conscious, but each movement drew my attention—the rasp of the lace of my bra against my nipples, the subtle rub of the seam of my jeans between my legs. My teeth sunk into my bottom lip, trying to hold my whines back, but somehow, that burst of pain was read as hot as well.
Then the guys started to strip down. Shirts ripped off, buttons flying everywhere, others were rent down the middle. I stopped in my tracks. Yeah, they were gorgeous, but that wasn’t any big deal here. Just back away from the wall of man flesh, I told myself.
I heard the black wolf’s laugh in my head as I stumbled. Dear fucking god. My hands went to my lower abdomen. Pleasure whipped through me, errant lightning strikes of it, bringing me to my knees. “I am not spontaneously orgasming in front of my boyfriend’s workplace,” I muttered, crouching there as it felt like a big, velvety hand stroked me all over. Slick, plush warmth spread down my sternum, the edges brushing against my nipples and making them pull up tight, desperate for the sensation to extend that bit farther, but the feeling crawled down, instead.
No, no, no. I shook my head. My clit twitched, my cunt slickening in preparation for something I’d roll over and let have me with no questions asked.
“Julie?”
I look up, eyes bleary with tears which resolved when I blinked. My brain felt bloated and fuzzy with lust. Nerida looked down at me, concern and surprise warring on her face.
“Help...” I squeaked.
Her hands closed around my bicep. I groaned as she hauled me up. I swayed into her, taking a deep breath and catching this sultry flowery scent.
“Hey...” I said, my eyes dropping down to her plush lips.
“Hold on, fellas. This might be worth a wait.”
I was dimly aware of Sonny talking, but right now, I hovered in front of Nerida, lost in the golden sparkle of her eyes, my body anchored to her by her hand.
“Jules, have you ever been with a woman?”
Her voice was a low throaty hum that I felt throughout my whole body. “Nup.”
“Ever experimented when you were at uni?” I shook my head. “Watched any girl on girl porn?”
“Nup.”
“Goddamnit, you smell like warm honey and bad decisions, my two favourite things. But whatever’s happening here, I think you’re not going to thank anyone if it progresses any further. Let’s take you to Finn.”
“Finn, yeah...”
My brain bombarded me with imagery at her suggestion. I was tugged along, walking drunkenly where she led, but all I could see was that broad chest and taut abdomen, that vein that roped up and over the clearly defined V of muscle at his hips, leading the eyes down to a smattering of reddish brown hair until...
“Don’t take another step,” Sonny snarled. “You wanna go first, Nerida? We’re all willing to hold back and watch.” His eyes raked down the two of us as he obviously imagined what that would look like. I was pummelled with similar ideas, turning towards Nerida as she argued with the guys. Would her skin be as soft as it looked? What would it be like to wrap my hand in her hair and push her down between my...
“She’s not in her right mind, you’ve gotta see that.”
“Scent don’t lie. You can’t protect her from what she wants. She has to say no,” one of the men snapped.
“No,” Nerida said, her voice started to waver, an errant note of pain there. “She has to say yes.”
“Fuck this, I’m going first,” a guy said, striding towards me, hands at the waistband of his pants.
Oh yes. I looked at that big muscular body, taking in every damn inch. The flames inside me flared harder, almost dropping me to my knees in front of him.