Staking Their Claim

by Rebecca Airies

  He stepped out of them and into the shower. His hands stroked over her shoulders. Tingles followed the path. She licked her lips.

  “Do I get to join in on the washing? There’s a lot of you that I’d like to wash.” She swept her eyes over his chest and down to his shaft.

  “As long as you keep it above the waist. I want to come in your sweet heat, not in the shower.” He trailed his fingers down her chest to her breasts.

  “I’d rather have you in me, too.” She grabbed one of the sponges and soaped it up.

  “Hand me that other one. You’re not the only one who’ll enjoy this.” He held out his hand.

  She handed him another sponge. He squeezed a couple drops of her soap onto it. He flexed his fingers, coaxing up the lather. A thrill zipped up her spine. She couldn’t wait for him to run that over her.

  She swirled the sponge over his chest. His muscles tightened and flexed. He drew in a harsh breath. Good. He would drive her crazy and it was only fair that he suffer a little, too. She scraped her nails across the taut nub of his nipple.

  Griffin’s sponge swirled over her shoulders and then down to her breasts. He drew it across the dark tip. The nipple hardened. He reached out and plucked the bud. She moaned.

  “I’m glad you like it. Soon, I’ll suck on that.” Griffin kissed her.

  “You could do it now.” She drew her sponge down to his stomach and stroked it over the muscled planes.

  “Peaches, I’ll explore before I start tasting. I told you we’d use all the hot water.” He swirled the sponge over her belly. “Aren’t you interested in what I plan to do next?”

  “I think you’ll torment me with that sponge.” She trailed her fingers over his arm.

  “You need some attention.” He squeezed the sponge under the showerhead. “Widen your thighs.”

  She stepped out. He slid the sponge down to her thigh. He skimmed it in circles over her pussy before tracing back down her thigh. Her breath caught as it glided up and over her folds. Prickling heat spread and her heart raced.

  “That’s what I want to see.” Griffin nibbled on her shoulder. “That pink flowing over your skin.”

  “I want to feel more than a glide. You’re teasing, but not giving me much.” She took a deep breath. How was he holding out so long? She’d already come once. If he didn’t do something more, she’d push him back against the wall.

  “You mean like this, peaches?” He pressed the sponge against her pussy until it rubbed against her clit. He drew it back and forth.

  Her hands clenched. Sparks flew straight to the building desire. It felt so different. She rocked down into the pressure. Where did he get the idea to use that?

  “Yes, like that. Your mouth, too.” She dropped her sponge and slid her hand around his neck.

  “I can do that.” Griffin drew his tongue over the wet slope of her breast. “The only negatives to shower play is that it dulls your taste and scent.”

  “Don’t stop.” She shook her head.

  “I’m not. Don’t worry.” He lifted his head.

  He blew on the stiffened peak and then lashed at the hardened nub. She drew in slow breaths. Tremors racked her body.

  She clenched her fingers in his hair. One of his arms banded around her waist, holding her still. He drew on her breast with slow deep pulls. Shocks ricocheted through her. The sponge rubbed back and forth, teasing her sensitized tissues in a too soft touch.

  His teeth nipped at the hard tip. A searing pulse wrenched through her. She drew in a hissing breath. If he didn’t stop, she’d go over. She tugged at his hair, trying to pull him away. Not without him. She trembled and gulped in breaths.

  “Hold on, peaches. First, turn and face the wall, and then, I’ll slide deep.” Griffin tossed the sponge away.

  “I want to hold you.” She pulled his hair.

  “Peaches, I’d love to, but if we fell and you hurt yourself, Ethan and Dawson would break my entire body.” Griffin shook his head. “It’s too close to your change.”

  She groaned. Damn. He turned her to the wall. She braced her hands on the tile. Warm water spattered against her head and shoulders. He moved in behind her. His strong hands slid up her back and over her shoulders, before drifting back down. Sparks flared over her skin. She leaned forward. The head of his shaft nudged her thigh. She widened her legs. His thick length slid into her. Her inner muscles tightened around him. Prickling electricity sizzled over her skin.

  His arm slid around her waist. He hauled her close. She arched back. He had to move. Her breath caught in her throat. Torment wrenched through her, ratcheting up the pressing need.

  “God, peaches, you’re clenching on me. I won’t last.” His arm hauled her closer.

  And she would? She pushed back into him.

  He drove against her. Her body burned with the urgency. Even the pelting drops of water sent spikes of sensation through her. She arched back, taking his length deep.

  His hand slid down her belly to her pussy. A finger flicked her clit, teasing the aching nub. Each thrust forced the sensitive bud against it. White-hot bolts zipped through her, and tremors racked her body. The ache built and spread.

  Everything within her tightened. He pounded against her, each stroke taking him deep. She gasped, fire raging through her. The intensity would kill her. He stroked her clit. Pleasure poured through her, washing over her and leaving her trembling.

  He thrust into her. Rippling shudders eddied through her. His arm tightened and he thrust deep again and again. Warm lips pressed against her back. He shouted and his body quaked as he came.

  “We’ll have to try it the other way some time.” Griffin nibbled on her neck. He placed a kiss there and slowly straightened. “Now, we get clean, and we’ll join Dawson and Ethan. They’re probably waiting for us.”

  She smiled and sighed. Yeah, talking might have to wait. At least, they were safe at home.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Beep, beep, beep. Dawson jerked up in bed. He blinked and glanced around. What the hell is that? It wasn’t a cellphone. None of them had a ring-tone like that.

  Beep, beep, beep. He reached over and nudged Ethan. Ethan groaned and sat up. Dawson waited. Ethan drew in a sharp breath and straightened.

  “Grab her. That’s the fire alarm.” Ethan elbowed Griffin.

  Dawson grabbed Penny and swung her up in his arms. A band tightened around his chest. Fuck. Setting a fire would be a perfect way to get a shot at them or her.

  “Grab a gun.” Dawson hugged her close. Hopefully, this was an accidental fire. But no way was he taking chances.

  “I’ll get it.” Ethan jumped out of bed and reached into the bedside table, pulling out the pistol.

  “What’s happening?” Penny tightened her arms around his neck.

  “The smoke alarm is going off.” Ethan put a hand on the door and gave a nod.

  “Smoke alarm? Fire!” She wriggled.

  Dawson exhaled. The door was good. They could go out that way. Ethan pushed it open. Smoke billowed into the room. Dawson coughed. Penny wriggled in his arms.

  Penny tapped his shoulder. “Put me down so we can get low. Where’s Minnie?”

  “Fuck this. Ethan, close the door. We’re going out the damn window. I’m not risking her getting smoke inhalation.” Dawson shook his head. And he wasn’t letting her go. Not yet.

  Ethan closed the door. Griffin ran over to the window and unlocked it. He slammed it up.

  “I’ll get Minnie. She’s on her tree in the corner.” Griffin patted Pennie’s shoulder before striding away.

  “I’ll go first.” Ethan rushed over and climbed out. Dawson took a deep breath. Any other situation, his brother crawling out the window in his boxers would make him laugh.

  Ethan landed and looked around. He turned and waved. Dawson moved to the window. He lowered Penny out. She edged over to Ethan.

  “Oh, God, your house. It’s on fire.” Penny’s hand rose to her mouth. She stood, staring.

  Daws
on looked back and saw Griffin with a bundle of clothes. Good. They’d need that.

  “I’ve got a cellphone, too.” Griffin moved forward.

  Dawson climbed out the window. A flickering glow caught his eyes. Orange flames licked skyward. Son of a bitch, it was on fire. He turned to reach up for the bundle of clothing. He took it and stepped back. Griffin disappeared and came back with Minnie Mags. He jumped out. The cat. Good. Penny would never forgive herself if anything happened to it.

  “Call the fire department, Griffin. The house is on fire.” Dawson hugged Penny. “Let’s get her away from it.”

  “Is it safe to go to the front?” Penny glanced around. She reached over and stroked Minnie’s head. “My sweet cat.”

  “We can go through the gate. I’ll go first and you three follow when I give the signal.” Ethan led the way to the gate.

  Griffin’s voice murmured, but Dawson swept his eyes over the area again and then back to Ethan. Ethan opened it and crept out. Dawson glanced over at Penny. Her arms folded over her chest and shivers racked her body. He handed her the clothes. There wasn’t a coat, but the thick sweater and jeans should provide some warmth. Definitely more than her nightgown.

  “Thanks.” Penny pulled on the dark blue sweater.

  “You’re welcome, but Griffin grabbed them.” Dawson brushed his fingers over her cheek.

  “It’s clear and you’re welcome, peaches.” Griffin prodded Dawson in the back. Minnie Mags perched on his shoulder.

  Dawson took the opportunity to get into some of the clothes. He straightened his sweater and stepped close enough for Minnie to climb onto his shoulder.

  The little feline jumped over and curled her tail around his neck. Dawson shook his head. The cat definitely had claimed her place among them. She seemed to love perching on the tallest people around. He edged out and looked around, holding up his hand. After he looked around, he waved for them to follow.

  They strode to the front yard, away from the house. The flickering flames rose above the rooftop. No cars rolled down the street and nothing moved. But they were too open here. He guided Penny over to a tree and pressed her back against it, standing in front of her.

  “You might want to call John, too. I can’t be sure, but there’s a chance this wasn’t an accidental fire.” Ethan strode over to them. “The alarms should have gone off before it got this bad outside if it started inside.”

  Griffin swiped over his phone. “He won’t be happy to be woken up at this hour.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time someone called in the middle of the night.” Ethan shook his head.

  “Keep her there. We don’t know if anyone’s around.” Griffin stepped away from them to talk.

  “Not planning on letting anyone get close to her.” Dawson clenched his hand. He hadn’t put her there because it was convenient.

  “Hey, Minnie, you’re being such a good kitty.” Penny reached up and stroked the cat. “Is anyone watching us?”

  “Not that I can see or smell.” Dawson shook his head. Smoke almost overrode everything else.

  “That, at least, seems good.” She glanced up at him. “If this was done by my stalker, I’m sorry. You three never counted on this level of destruction.”

  “Penny, this isn’t your fault.” Dawson turned and put his hands on her shoulders. Stubborn woman still insisted on taking the blame when it wasn’t her fault.

  “You loved this house.” Penny’s eyes glistened.

  “We love you, peaches. The house, well, we like it, but everything in it can be replaced.” Dawson trailed his fingers up her cheek.

  “But Dawson’s office, the antiques you said were from your grandmother.” She drew in a hitching breath. “Not to mention, a place to sleep tonight.”

  Her eyes locked on the flames rising above the house. Dawson turned her away. Obstinate female. She would blame herself for this.

  “Peaches, we’ll have a place to sleep. Don’t worry about that. If Ethan can’t get us a temporary house, he has some friends who can help.” Dawson pressed a kiss to her lips, but drew back before it could deepen. Danger could lurk somewhere nearby. He had to be ready.

  The wail of sirens rose in the night air. Dawson kept a hand on her arm, but turned to look down the street. Almost here, but with the orange flames licking the sky, they wouldn’t be using the house any time soon. Hell, they might have to rebuild.

  The fire trucks arrived and firemen hauled out hoses. Water rained onto the house. John arrived sometime later. He stared at the house before he headed over to them.

  Griffin and Ethan crowded around Penny, blocking her from the wind and fine mist of water it carried.

  John glanced at the house and then back at them. “What do you know?”

  “The fire alarm woke me—although, I didn’t realize it was the fire alarm. The one we used to have had this weird sort of buzz whistle thing. That one had shrill beeps. I woke Ethan. He recognized what it was. We got up and tried to go out in the hall, but there was too much smoke. We went out the window. Griffin grabbed clothes and then miss Minnie here. Other than getting dressed and the fire department arriving, that’s it. You know everything we do.” Dawson exhaled.

  “It will be a long night and a while before we get any judgment on whether this was arson, electrical, or accidental.” John shook his head. “I’ll talk to the fire chief and see if I can take you to the station to get you out of the cold and in a more secure location. They will need to talk to you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Damn, she was a disaster magnet. Arson. Someone had splashed gas on their house and set it on fire. If she wasn’t certain they’d come after her, she’d give serious thought to leaving town. They’d be safer that way.

  Penny wiped at the sweat on the back of her neck. Bed stripped and remade, the old bedding in the washer. Room vacuumed and dusted. Beef roasting in the oven and the vegetables prepped. Not bad for the half hour she’d been alone.

  Okay, so she wasn’t technically alone. Dawson worked in his office, but he wasn’t right at her side. She grimaced. Well, the room he used in their current rental. Dawson’s office had been destroyed. His computer melted and some of his recent work destroyed.

  A cramp wrenched through her abdomen. She drew in a shaky breath and put her hand over her stomach. What the hell is that? Hopefully, she wasn’t getting sick. Not tonight. Tonight had to be special. They’d done so much for her.

  “Damn, whatever you have in the oven smells delicious.” Dawson strolled into the room. “What are you doing in here?”

  “Just cleaning up a little.” She leaned over and picked up the pillows again to fluff them. “Thanks. I’ll finish up dinner in a little bit. I have to finish up in here and then straighten the living room.”

  Silence followed. Is he still here? She turned. He stared at her.

  “Um, peaches, are you feeling all right?” Dawson tipped his head.

  “Yeah.” She nodded. What could be wrong? “Just cleaning and making dinner.”

  “It seems a little like nesting behavior to me. Does anything feel strange about your body?” Dawson rubbed her shoulders.

  “No, at least, I don’t think so. This new house feels a little more ours after I’ve cleaned.” She grimaced. It was the only sane reason she could come up with for cleaning the house every two to three days.

  “Okay, but you tell me if you do feel strange. Peeling a cougar out of clothes is not as fun as peeling you out. They do not like being confined and can be a little testy.” Dawson ruffled her hair. “Did you need any help?”

  “No, I have it handled. I have everything set and ready to go on. The roast is in the oven. Laundry is going and I just have this last little bit.” She’d had a busy Saturday afternoon. With any luck, she’d have a hot Saturday night with her men.

  “All right, peaches, if you need me, I’ll be in my office. The door’s open. Just call for me.” Dawson dropped a kiss on her shoulder.

  “I’ll call. Don�
�t worry about it.” She turned and hugged him.

  His arms tightened, pulling her against him. “I could take the rest of the afternoon off.”

  “Patience is a virtue. Go on and get more work done. You might have a very busy night ahead of you.” She laughed and put a hand on his chest.

  “I’m always ready for a busy night with you, but I’ll be sure to eat a lot of protein to fuel up.” Dawson stepped back and strode toward the door.

  She stared after him. The muscles on his ass flexed with each gliding stride. Warmth stirred within her. Such a fine ass.

  The bedroom was finished. As good as could be done for the moment. It needed more color and those beige walls had to go. Well, they would if they were staying here long. According to Ethan, they wouldn’t be. Maybe he didn’t feel at ease here either.

  She strode to the living room. If she stayed in there, she’d start twitching and straightening again and it was already good. Energy pulsed through her.

  The living room needed cleaning and then she could make dessert. Maybe something sweet and creamy she could spread all over them. She shivered. Perhaps she should have taken Dawson up on that offer. At least, it would have burned through a little of this energy.

  She picked up a yellow throw and put it on the couch. One of the bad things about needing new furniture immediately was the limited selection. They’d had to go with neutrals, because that’s all that was in stock. She scowled. A room of only neutrals sucked. She twitched the creamy yellow throw over the back.

  Minnie jumped onto the back of the couch. She bumped Penny’s arm and then wove around it. Penny stroked the cat from tail to rump.

  No, this was all wrong. She looked around the room to the opposite wall. The couch needed to be over there.

  “Okay, Minnie Mags, brace yourself. We’re moving the furniture.” She scratched Minnie’s bellly. The gray cat jumped onto the seat.

  She rolled up the area rug and hauled it clear. Putting her hands on her hips, she turned. Where to put the chairs. After the couch was in position, it should make sense. Bracing her hands on the back of one of the chairs, she guided it across the floor.