My Romantic Tangle

by Shelley Munro

  Rohan joined them in the kitchen, coming to an abrupt halt. “You’ve been crying. What the hell did they do to you?”

  Ambar took a deep breath. “Rohan, we need to talk.” She waited until he’d poured a coffee and topped up their mugs before starting to speak. She explained everything she was feeling, her confusion, her doubts and her dreams. When she finally finished talking her throat ached.

  “Why didn’t you say something before? Did you even want to go into partnership with me in a store?”

  “Of course I did. After our parents died, we were both a little lost. I needed you. Moving here was a good idea and buying the store. I don’t regret any of that, but the need for something more sort of crept up on me after we’d settled. I thought I’d have more time.”

  “You didn’t count on Hari and Jake.”

  “I was okay with Jake. I didn’t have a problem until Hari arrived. He seduced me.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “He seduced both of us.”

  “Seduced,” Rohan mused, tugging a rueful grin of recognition from her. “That’s the point. He’s never coerced you, so you obviously feel something for him—enough to bestow a mark.”

  “I know,” Ambar said, abject misery filling her. This situation was her fault. She was the one who’d taken this step, and she couldn’t blame anyone except herself for the outcome.

  “What are you going to do?” Kiran asked.

  Rohan remained silent but she could tell he had a lot he wanted to say.

  “If it’s okay with you Rohan, I’d like to take some time off to go away to think about things.” She saw Kiran open his mouth to protest about her fleeing her responsibilities and decisions and hurried to placate him. “No, I’m not intending to run away. I’ve done enough of that recently. It’s time to act with more maturity. I’ve put things in motion, and I need to deal with marking Hari, but I’d like some time to come to terms with everything. Work out a plan for my future.”

  “Having a mate isn’t a life sentence,” Rohan snapped. “Kiran and I have separate lives.”

  “You’re men,” Ambar said. “You have different expectations. People don’t expect you to have children.”

  “I suppose I can get someone to cover for you,” Rohan said finally. “How long do you intend to be away?”

  “Isabella said she would fill in for me.”

  Both men studied her with expectation, and she suspected they thought she didn’t intend to return. No, that would be cruel on her part. Her gaze fell on the previous day’s newspaper and an advertisement for a resort hotel in Samoa.

  “I’m going to Samoa for ten days,” she announced. “I’ll book my flights this morning.”

  * * * * *

  Samoa was hot and humid, the air sucking from her lungs when she exited the flight from New Zealand. Not even the sense of suffocation she’d undergone on the plane and the knowledge she’d face the return journey in ten days could dull her pleasure in the new experience.

  Three hours later, she walked barefoot on the white sand, carrying her leather sandals while she explored the confines of the resort. Everywhere she looked tropical trees and flowers bloomed in brilliant splashes of red, pink and green. Other tourists lazed around a pool, a loud game of water polo brought a smile to her face.

  Her first overseas holiday and already she felt calmer and more centered. She found an empty lounger facing the lagoon and dragged it out of the direct sun, placing it under the shade of a thatched roof. Her sarong drifted to the sand, and after arranging the tilt of the lounger to her satisfaction, she lay back and relaxed, letting her mind drift over Jake, Hari and what she wanted for her future.

  The gentle swish of the waves, interspersed by the laughter of children who paddled on the water’s edge, lulled her and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  * * * * *

  “Ambar is where?” Jake demanded, his brows shooting toward his hairline. This shock, added to a call from his bank manager, did nothing to soothe his agitation. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, his skin feeling tight. Twitchy. Yeah, that’s what he felt—damn twitchy.

  Hari slipped an arm around his waist and hauled him close, the skin-to-skin contact going a long way to soothe his irritation.

  “She’s gone to Samoa for ten days,” Rohan said.

  “Our woman needs a few smacks on the arse,” Jake snapped. “What the hell is she thinking? She never used to act like an irresponsible tease.”

  Rohan growled, a sharp sound holding distinct warning. Jake didn’t give a shit and growled back, baring his teeth. Let the man snap and snarl as much as he liked. His mate hadn’t run off to Samoa.

  “Quit it,” Kiran said. “Both of you.”

  Hari chuckled, breaking the taut atmosphere in the kitchen. “I don’t suppose we could get a beer?”

  Ten minutes later they all sat around the kitchen table with a drink each.

  “Why is Ambar in Samoa?” Hari asked.

  “She said she needed to think,” Rohan said.

  Jake scowled. “Couldn’t she do her thinking here?”

  “She’s frightened,” Kiran said. “She has this idea that being mated to the pair of you will curtail her freedom. When it was just Jake, she didn’t have a problem, but since your arrival, Hari, everything has happened quickly. She feels as if her feet have been yanked from under her.”

  “Crap,” Jake said, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. “We’re not cavemen.”

  Hari grasped Jake’s hand, stilling his busy fingers. “She’s our mate. Why would we treat her like a possession? We don’t intend to restrict her freedom, dammit.”

  Rohan sighed. “You need to talk to her.”

  “A bit difficult when we’re here and she’s in the middle of the Pacific,” Jake said, not trying to hide his sarcasm.

  Kiran and Rohan exchanged a glance before Kiran turned back to them. “You could give her a few days then go and join her. We know where she’s staying.”

  “Will that work?” Hari asked.

  Rohan shrugged. “It’s as good a plan as any.”

  Back at the farm, Jake paced the kitchen. Night was falling, the sky lit in a stunning array of pinks and reds he might have lingered to watch another time. Not tonight.

  “Hari, I can’t afford to go to Samoa. I got a call from the bank manager this afternoon. If I don’t bring the overdraft back in line and catch up on my mortgage payments they’re going to foreclose.” His throat hurt just saying the words. Despite his hard work, he’d end up with nothing.

  “How much money are we talking about? Give me specifics so we can do a budget.”

  Silently, Jake handed Hari the latest bank statements. They were still in their envelopes, unopened because he’d hoped the ostrich approach might work miracles. Nothing doing, as the bank manager had informed him in no uncertain terms today. He had until the end of the month to put things right.

  Jake pressed a hand to his stomach, his heart pounding while he waited for Hari’s reaction.

  “No problem,” Hari said. “It will put a dent in my reserves, but between us we can work on getting them back. Hang tight while I get my laptop.”

  Speechless, Jake blinked. Hari returned in minutes and powered it up. His tan fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard, connecting to the internet. Another series of swift commands and Hari settled back on his chair with a grin. “All done. Your overdraft is cleared, and I’ve transferred enough to cover the missed payments.”

  “Just like that?”

  “You’re my mate. We’re a team.” His smile faded. “Can you get someone to look after the farm for a week?”

  Jake’s brow wrinkled before clearing. “Sly and Joe would probably do it. They’re still at loose ends while they decide where they want to live. I don’t think they’ve settled on a farm to purchase yet.”

  “Ring them. Find out.”

  Was it simply that easy?

  Jake rang Sly, chatted for a few moments before hanging up, excitement exiting in a
wide grin. “Done deal. They can be here when we need them.”

  “Good,” Hari said. “Let’s go to bed.”

  “It’s still early.”

  “I didn’t say anything about sleeping.”

  Jake chuckled and stood, accepting Hari’s outstretched hand. “I do like the way you think.”

  “We need to think up a plan to woo Ambar,” Hari reminded him.

  “We’ll have the entire plane journey to work out a sneaky strategy. Ambar won’t know what’s hit her once we claim her.”

  * * * * *

  Ambar ambled to the swimming pool, pausing at the poolside shower to wash the white sand from her feet. The days had slid together and she hadn’t looked at a clock since leaving New Zealand. She’d come to a decision about her mates though. In the end, it hadn’t been difficult because she’d pined for Jake and Hari even more than she’d missed her brother and Kiran.

  She’d made a list as Isabella had suggested, going for total honesty since no one would see it apart from her. The big disadvantage was the possible restrictions on her freedom. She considered her friends who were in relationships and had officially mated, acknowledging they all seemed incredibly happy. Somehow, she would work things out too. When she returned to Middlemarch, she needed to discuss the future with Jake and Hari and lay out all her fears. She’d discuss things calmly without panicking.

  Ambar scanned the pool area. Due to a camera crew preparing to film a tropical version of a popular reality show, there were lots of people her age staying at the resort. She’d made friends quickly, although without Jake and Hari it felt as if a part of her were missing. The anger and confusion that had hovered like a storm cloud when she left New Zealand had cleared, a few days helping her to see things at a distance.

  She had feelings for both men. Whenever she’d considered her future, she’d hoped to have a mate. She just wished it had happened when she was older.

  “Ambar! Over here.” Anna, one of the girls she’d met on the first day of her holiday hailed her. “We saved you a lounger.”

  Ambar smiled and waved, heading in her direction. She dropped her orange straw basket on the ground and shrugged out of her coverall to reveal her lime green bikini.

  “Ambar, are you sure you don’t want to go out with me tonight?” Sam, a cameraman from Texas leaned close, his face full of expectation.

  “I told you. I have someone in my life.” She waved her left hand at him to flash the gold ring she’d inherited from her mother. Normally it resided on her right hand, but instinct had made her transfer the ring to her left soon after her arrival. Another telling action, she realized. She thought of herself as taken.

  “I’m not sure I believe you,” he drawled as his gaze did a smooth trip from her head to toes and back again.

  “If Sam can ask you out, then I want to throw my hat in the ring too,” Gary, one of the soundmen said.

  Anna waved a languid hand at her. “Leave her alone, boys. She’s already told you she’s not available.”

  “Tell us about your man,” another woman said.

  Ambar blushed, thinking the relationship she’d become embroiled with was hardly traditional. “It’s too hot for a chat. I’m going for a swim. Anyone up for a game of volleyball?” She indicated the volleyball net strung over a portion of the pool.

  “I’m knackered after trudging halfway around the island scouting for film locations,” Anna said in her English accent. “I’m staying right here.”

  A punch of longing hit Ambar, the accent reminding her of Hari. Did she miss them? Yes. Did she want to give up her dreams? Definitely not.

  A dilemma, that’s for sure. Hopefully they could reach some sort of compromise.

  “I’m in for some volleyball,” Sam said. “I’m on your team, Ambar.”

  Ambar jumped into the pool, the water slipping over her skin in a cool kiss. Like most tigers, she loved the water and felt perfectly at home in it. With a whoop Sam and several of the others, both male and female leapt into the water. They were soon embroiled in a hard-fought volleyball match, shouts and victory cheers filling the air.

  Ambar watched the ball sail over the net and called it. She jumped from the water, doing a perfect spike over the net.

  “Woohoo!” Sam shouted, pumping his fist in the air. With each successive point they scored, the man became more exuberant. He hugged her, copping a feel at the same time. The first time she ignored it. The second time she started to get pissed.

  “Knock it off, Sam.”

  He shot her an innocent look, as if he didn’t know what she was complaining about and moved away.

  Ambar held her breath and counted swiftly to ten. The next time he touched her she intended to deck him.

  * * * * *

  Jake and Hari arrived at midday and, after checking into their room and changing into their swim gear, they made their way to the pool, hoping to find Ambar. Hari grinned when he caught her scent. “I’ve found her.”

  They followed the trail, ending up near the pool.

  “There she is,” Jake said, grabbing Hari by the shoulder. He laughed softly. “Hell, I can’t believe I’m so nervous.”

  “I’ve missed her,” Hari said. “It’s not the same without her around.” He’d felt the separation even more than Jake because of the mark Ambar had placed on his shoulder. The few days without her had been like a nagging ache in his soul.

  Jake’s hold on his shoulder became a caress. “I know you have. I’ve missed her too.” He watched her leap into the air, her lime green bikini displaying her feminine curves to perfection. “She is so beautiful. Sexy. I can’t believe she’s ours.”

  “Yeah,” Hari whispered. “Let’s go claim our mate.”

  Continuing to watch Ambar, they both stepped forward only to come to an abrupt halt. Hari growled low and mean, deep in his throat.

  Jake gnashed his teeth. “If that guy doesn’t stop touching her I’m gonna thump him.”

  “You’d have to beat me to it,” Hari snapped.

  They took a collective step closer to the edge of the pool, an unearthly howl of pain stopping them in their tracks.

  “She hit him,” Jake said, not bothering to hide his satisfaction.

  “There’s blood. She didn’t hold back. That’s our girl.”

  As they watched, Ambar swam to the wall of the pool and hauled herself out.

  “Serves him right,” a woman said when Ambar joined her. “Good job.”

  Fury pumped through Ambar as she picked up her beach towel and dabbed at the droplets of water clinging to her skin. She breathed in deeply, freezing at the familiar scent that hit her. Jake? Hari?

  Nah, it couldn’t be.

  It was her fevered imagination—that’s all. She was homesick, missing her family and friends. She turned just to make sure and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

  “Oh, they’re fine,” Anna said beside her. “I call dibs on one of them.”

  “Jake. Hari,” she breathed. They’d come for her. Almost as the thought formed, she moved, throwing herself at them. Hari reached her first and hauled her into his arms, kissing her as if they’d been apart for months instead of mere days.

  “My turn,” Jake said and he gently disengaged Hari to kiss Ambar as well. Their familiar scents wound through her senses, their lingering touches filling her heart with gladness and pleasure.

  They were here. They’d come for her.

  It was in that moment she realized she’d unconsciously set them a test to see how much she meant to them. Her two men had seemed just as happy without her, but their arrival meant they wanted her in their lives as well. Her gaze drifted to their necks, noting they bore identical marks. They were committed to each other and now they’d come to claim her.

  “Come and meet my friends,” she said, taking their hands and drawing them over to where she’d been sitting. “Anna, this is Jake and Hari.”

  “So you really do have someone,” Anna said. “Which one is yours?”


  “Both of us,” Jake said, without taking his gaze off Ambar.

  Anna’s brows rose sharply. “Both?”

  “That’s right,” Hari said, slipping his arm around Jake’s shoulders, silently staking a claim on him too.

  “I’ve missed you both,” Ambar said, nerves suddenly making an appearance. “I shouldn’t have left like I did.” She glanced at Anna and saw the others she’d met this week were watching with avid curiosity. A couple of them whispered to each other.

  Hari must have noted their interest. “We can talk later.”

  “We’re here for the rest of the week,” Jake said.

  “Who is looking after the farm?”

  Jake leaned into Hari, at ease despite the audience. “Joe and Sly Mitchell are taking care of things for us.”

  Us. His natural use of the word told her far more than words and backed up the story the mark told. He’d fully accepted Hari and his shifter status. And now they’d come for her.

  A shudder went through her, sapping the strength from her knees. Fickle things. For an instant she thought she might fall, but Jake curled an arm around her waist, bolstering her faltering stance. His touch filled her with need.

  She cleared her throat. “What do you want to do now? Do you want to go to my room?”

  “Don’t go,” Anna said. “We want to witness the next step.”

  Ambar stared at Jake before letting her gaze drift to Hari. “I’ll let you know if we ever decide to get into voyeurism.”

  Someone out of view made a shocked sound.

  Anna continued to grin. “Well done, woman. With men as fine as this, I don’t blame you.”

  “Let’s go,” Hari said in a firm voice.

  Ambar grabbed her belongings and found herself between the two men and walking to the opposite end of the resort to where her room was located. It didn’t seem to matter. Nothing mattered.

  Jake and Hari had flown all the way to Samoa to find her. The idea kept repeating through her mind. It was a thought tinged with relief and excitement. If she could get past the next step and suggest they put off children and maybe travel or at least do non-traditional things, they might have a chance.

  They crossed a large grassy expanse before taking a path around the corner of the end block of rooms. Jake and Hari led her up two flights of stairs before stopping in front of a locked door. Hari retrieved a keycard, and Ambar found herself in a room similar to hers but on a larger scale. Fresh pink hibiscus flowers and greenery decorated the desk in a welcome arrangement.