by Jade Alters
"Good," Ryker said. "We may have to use it."
"Inflatable?" said Jeanine.
"Either boat or raft. If the ship goes down, we'll have something to hang onto."
"Aren't you worried about sharks?" she said.
Gunner laughed. "They worry about us."
She bit her lip again, and my eyes couldn't help but concentrate on her full lips. My teammates did the same thing. Jeanine's eyes grew wide again as she glanced at each of us who eyed her intently.
"What's going on guys?"
Gunner's eyes glowed green like they do when he's about to shift, and the musk in the tiny space grew thick.
"What?" she squeaked.
"Chill, Gunner," ordered Ryker.
"Not sure I can, boss," Gunner said.
"We're all having that problem," grumbled Kane.
"Yes," said Ryker, "we are."
"I don't understand," said Jeanine.
"You don't have to worry," said Ryker. "None of us could do anything you don't want. Can we?"
"Nope," said Kane.
"No," I replied.
"Gunner?" rumbled Ryker.
"Nah."
Kane bent his head and nuzzled her neck. She turned to meet his eyes with hers wide in surprise.
"Are you purring?"
"Guess so, doll," he said. And as he said it, the rumbles from deep within each of us grew more audible.
"Wait," she said. "You are all purring. What the hell?"
"Don't you like it, baby?" said Gunner. He kissed the top of her head, and I tell you it was an exercise in self-control not to tear him or Kane off of her. I moved forward, and Ryker put his hand on my shoulder.
"Big cats in the wild purr to calm their prey," declared Jeanine. Her gaze swept the hold as she regarded each of us. I sensed her nervousness and heard the uptick of her heart. We all did.
"Stand down," Ryker ordered.
"But—" It was not like me to disobey, but Jeanine upended my world. These weren't my teammates but competitors for the same female. Even my Alpha's orders weren't enough to stay the beast within.
"Guys, okay," said Jeanine. "It's a good joke, but you can stop now. I get it. You're pranking me, probably trying to take my mind off the seriousness of our situation. But this is getting scary now, so please stop."
"We're not trying to scare you," I said.
"And we're not pranking you," said Gunner.
Ryker glanced at his watch and knelt, knowing an eye of a storm passes in ten to thirty minutes.
"There's a lot to explain, Jeanine. I doubt these chowderheads get it either. And we barely know you. But you present an unusual situation."
"Me? Let's see," said Jeanine. "You kidnapped me from a pirate's yacht, the engine of our getaway vehicle failed, and you are all acting strange. Oh, and all of you purr. And you say this is unusual? Gee. I don't know what you're talking about. Just another normal day for me."
Gunner chuckled. "I like your sense of humor."
"You think I'm amused?" she said. Her tone challenged Gunner, but little did she know that Gunner didn't mind a sassy woman.
Neither did I.
"I am not laughing," she said. "I want out of this boat and to get back to St. Lucia where I have a nice hotel room waiting."
"No," said Ryker. "We can't let you go there. That's Morgan's last known location. He'll kill you."
"You are not my boss," she said.
"No," he said. "I'm not. Something else."
"That's it," she said, pushing to her feet. "This is creepy. I'd rather be in the ocean than spend another minute with you guys."
In a flash, she sprinted toward the hatch and climbed the ladder and tried to undo the latch, but Ryker put his arms around her waist and swung her around.
"You don't want to go topside. There are hundreds of miles of ocean around us, and you won't survive."
"What will I do here, with four men who look at me like I'm lunch?"
"Oh, no," said Ryker huskily. "Not lunch." He bent his head and kissed her.
I watched, and my jaguar growled. Without realizing it did, Ryker broke the kiss, and his eyes met mine.
"Get up there with Kane and start the engine. We will need it to weather this storm."
Jeanine
Damon and Kane filed past us, both as grim as could be and giving us sideways glances. Their expressions gave me the impression Ryker tossed them from a party they wanted to attend.
"Get moving," reiterated Ryker.
"What about Gunner?"
"Me?" said Gunner. "I'm surveying the supplies down here."
"Yeah, yeah," said Kane derisively.
Rain pelted in, slicking the deck with water before Damon and Kane shut the hatch on us.
"Will they be okay?" I asked.
"We train for this," said Ryker. "Are you okay?"
"I'm scared shitless," I admitted.
"Let me reassure you," said Ryker.
Ryker's mouth possessed mine. He held me tight to him, so there was no doubt in my mind what he wanted. His tongue swept into my mouth, my flesh met his in an addictive dance that spread tingles through me. This churn of pleasure felt just too damn good to stop. His hard muscles were damn sexy, and his alluring scent made me lightheaded, and my knees wobbled. I thought I had the world's worst timing because I should not kiss him while the skies around our boat swirled in a deadly combination of calm and destruction.
And I was aware of Gunner watching us intently, and this was exciting too. Who knew I had an exhibitionist streak?
Ryker slid his hand under the hem of my dress and caressed my inner thighs causing me to shiver. I liked this far too much in my present circumstances, and if I could think straight, I would tell myself this was insane. But my thoughts firmly centered on how hot it was to have this sexy man stroke my inner thighs and inch higher. His fingertips quested inside my panties.
Gunner nibbled the back of my neck, and I whimpered.
"Sweetheart," said Gunner in a husky voice. "I can't keep my hands off of you." One reached around and cupped my breast.
Ryker gripped my waist and pulled my body into his. "You know what this means, Gunner. All or none."
Gunner growled behind my ear which sent shivers down my spine.
"Yeah," Gunner said. His voice rumbled with want which drew a mewl from my throat.
Gunner squeezed my bottom. I never imagined I would like having two men touch me at once, but this was hot. Ryker slipped his fingers inside my panties, and Gunner sensuously drew off my hoodie while nibbling my neck. My knees grew weak, and I melted against Ryker as Gunner pulled the straps of my dress down my arm then licked my spine with his tongue. It was too much and not enough. My breath hitched, and my head spun on this sexual high. I was ready to do anything these two gorgeous men wanted me to do.
Gunner nibbled my neck, and Ryker's questing fingers parted my folds slick with my juices. Heat spread through my body as he located my hardened nub that pulsed with the rhythm of my stuttering heart. His thumb stroked it gently, and I rocked against his hand. The tips of his index and middle fingers rested at my entrance as if waiting for my permission.
"Ryker," I gasped.
"You want this, doll?" His voice was a low rattle that picked at my fevered emotions like a guitarist playing his instrument.
"Please," I whimpered because I was beyond sense and plunging into a well of pure sensation.
Ryker's fingers found my core and pushed his fingers into me.
Gunner pressed his hips into my ass so that I could feel his hard length between my cheeks. His fingers played with my nipples twisting and pinching, and I couldn't help but moan.
Ryker found my g-spot and my heart raced as he stroked me with his unrelenting digits. I jutted my hips against his hand taking those marvelous fingers as deep inside as they'd go. I was on fire, and my breathing drew in ragged breaths, and my mind burned with want and need. My core was a flame, and Ryker stoked the fire with his fingers, murmuring how hot I was.
"You're so beautiful, baby," he said. "I love your body and your hot, tight pussy."
His dirty talk sent me over the edge. My stomach tightened, and I tossed my head reflexively as I exploded in a rush of white heat. Ryker's fingers quested deeper inside me, as I pulsed around them.
"That's it, baby," said Gunner as he pressed my nipples between his fingers. The tugging from my body against his hands gave me one aftershock after another.
I was still aflame. Though I came once, I wanted more. Gunner understood because he let go off my breasts and slid to his knees. While Ryker held me, Gunner buried his face between my legs and lapped at my wet cream and swollen lips, finding me enervated. The tip of his tongue tickled it, and I gasped. His mouth and his tongue lapped my clit and my folds, and I moaned shamelessly. Other men may have kissed me intimately, but none did it with the reckless abandon of Gunner who, judging by his own moans, enjoyed what he was doing thoroughly. Then he speared me with his marvelous tongue, and it entered me just as Ryker's fingers had, and I couldn't help it. I exploded again, this time screaming.
"Gunner!"
My world tilted off its axis. I had no control over this and wanted none. These men wanted me and, damn it, I wanted them too.
Breathing hard, I leaned into Ryker, because my body was now putty. One man, or two, I wanted this and more. Their two sexy scents engulfed me, and I quivered at every lick and stroke to my body. These men were hot, and I hadn't had it this good ever in my life. I had found heaven, and I wasn't ready to relinquish it.
Ryker kissed me passionately while Gunner stood and wrapped his hands around my waist. He put his mouth on my shoulder, and his teeth dug into my skin.
"Not yet," said Ryker in a warning tone.
Gunner cursed, but pulled away, sputtering something under his breath that I couldn't hear.
"What's wrong?" I said.
But the hatch flew open, and a sudden rush of wind swallowed my words. The boat lurched sending Ryker and me against one bulkhead and Gunner against the other.
"Fuck," said Gunner.
"Gunner, get the lifejackets, and that rope behind you."
Gunner looked over his shoulder. "Oh, yeah."
Ryker slipped on the lifejacket Gunner handed him and checked the buckles on it. "Safety, first," he said as he snapped the buckles closed.
He and Gunner both donned lifejackets, and then he took two others Gunner handed him.
"If the boat rocks too much grab the inflatable and both of you get on deck."
"Aye, Chief," said Gunner.
Ryker climbed the stairs and shut the hatch, and I turned to face Gunner who smiled at me.
"We're in big trouble, aren't we?" I said.
He shrugged. "Define trouble."
My journalist's Spidey senses told me we were in deep shit. The rain fell like a waterfall on the deck above in a continuous curtain of white noise. I couldn't hear the guys speaking above, and the engine still hadn't started.
"We're all screwed, and we will die."
"We will not," Gunner said. "But the screwing part? That's something I'd like to work on."
He delivered his crude words with a smile and such charm they were a compliment, and my fraught core warmed at them. But was this inappropriate? I could tell from Gunner's face how much danger we were in. The boat bucked under my seat, and I scrambled for the wooden ledge that served as a seat in the small hold of this vessel. My fingers dug into the underside of the ledge, trying to keep myself upright as the boat pitched and rose at a steep angle in the churning water.
"What will happen?" I said in a squeak.
"It depends on how rough the water is. Ryker right now is tying up breakaway harnesses from the rope for us and then tying up the inflatable. If the swells get too high, they could capsize us. Then he'll have us go up top and put us in a harness, and we'll ride it out there. It will be wet, but safer than being down below if the boat capsizes. Don't worry. We'll protect you."
"You make this sound like it's not a big deal. But it is."
"We go into dangerous situations at least once a week and can't afford to let the danger affect our thinking. We were trained and still train hard to come out of the impossible alive. Each of us knows what to do to keep kicking."
"Except me."
"Yeah, but we'll protect you."
"What did Ryker mean, 'not yet?'"
Gunner's face in the dim light flushed. "He's protecting you, is all."
"No," I said with heat. These evasive answers did not cut it for me. "That's not what he meant."
"If—no—when, we get out of this, we'll all be having a talk with you and we'll explain it then. Right now survival is job one."
"I thought this wasn't a big deal for you," I replied.
"Doesn't mean it's not a job," he snapped.
I could get a rise out the unflappable Gunner. He cared about his work and took pride in it. That's not such a bad quality for a man to have. Still, he ticked me off, and it probably showed in my face.
"Sorry," he said. "This is an unusual situation for me, I mean, us."
"And I could care if I knew what the situation was."
"You don't know you are on a boat without an engine in the middle to the ocean with a storm overheard?"
Without warning thunder pealed around us, and caught me off-guard, I shrieked. Gunner plopped next to me and put his strong arm around my shoulder.
"It's okay. It's just thunder."
"I know," I said. Damn. Some days the bravado of being a kick-ass newspaper woman wore too thin. What I wanted to do, was bury my face in Gunner's chest and let him hold me tight and safe against danger.
The rumble of the ship's engines greeted my ears, and I sighed with relief. At least one thing had gone right, right?
But the hatch popped open, and Ryker's face hung there with a face so serious you would think we sat at a funeral.
"You two better get up here now."
Ryker
The powerboat tossed on the waves swirling to twist the boat. If we couldn't turn the vessel into the waves, one could wash over us and capsize us. I'd stared into danger and death more times that I could count, but nothing made my heart beat so hard as to think my mate might die under my watch.
Mate.
Sometimes the jaguar side of me played real well with the human part, and we were an effective team. But he was a wild creature, my jaguar barely under the control of my human half. With the woman who he wanted to claim as our mate under our noses, I could hardly contain him. In the hold with her and Gunner, it was a battle not to let him take control. The animal within me wanted so much more than touching her intimate flesh.
But it wasn't time for play, and I had our asses to save and grudgingly my wild part gave way to my more sensible side.
Nor would I let any of my team make their play to claim her until she understood fully what she faced. Not just one jaguar shifter, but four wanted her, and I couldn't help but think that would blow any woman's mind.
Speaking of blowing.
Nope. My mind can't go down there. I had to focus on tying these knots for our makeshift harnesses. As I did, I glanced at Damon and Kane fighting wind and rain to start the engine again. I could scarcely hear what they said to each other over wind gusts that tossed us around like a child splashing a rubber ducky in his bath.
"Now!" said Kane, and Damon lurched to the wheel and cranked the engine. It sputtered, and Kane cursed.
"Again," said Kane. He buried his fingers deep into the engine's mechanism, and risked his digits, but he understood the danger we faced. If he had to slice off a finger or two, he'd get the engine started.
But then again, with our aberrant shifter metabolism, they'd grow back, eventually.
Damon cranked the engine again, and it turned slowly as if the battery was low, and I cursed. We couldn't afford a failed battery—not now.
"Fuck, you piece of shit—start!" spat Kane.
As if inspired by Kane's insult
the engine sputtered on the next crank of the beast. Kane wriggled his fingers, massaging something in its guts, and it roared to life finally catching.
I'm not a religious man, but I sent a prayer of thanks to whatever God watched out for us now.
"Turn her into the waves," I called as if Damon was an idiot who didn't know the proper procedure. He shook his head but didn't complain. We were all on edge about our situation, even if we didn't display it on our faces. Over the years they had learned to take my asshole behavior in stride.
Despite the strong wind, Damon turned her into the swells, and the bow rose as whitecaps crashed against the prow. Rain and spray pelted us as I secured the inflated raft in the middle of the deck with lines running to each of us. I tied Damon's and Kane's harnesses to the metal rails running along the gunwales. My feet slipped on the water-soaked deck as the ship bucked against the rolling water. The weather turned nastier as the waves grew. It wasn't safe for Jeanine to remain below deck.
I yanked open the hatch and called them up. Gunner wisely had Jeanine put on a lifejacket, though I would have taken a piece of his hide if he hadn't. He also dragged up the backpacks. That was the good thing about Gunner. He kept an eye on the details.
The downpour drenched her clothes and slicked her hair, so it dripped water in her eyes. I pushed her onto a seat as I lashed her to the raft with one rope and the gunwale with another. Then I tied the line to the rail with a reef knot, which looked like half a bow.
"If the ship tips over, pull this cord." I had to yell at her above the wailing squall.
She nodded, and I hoped to God she heard me above the wind.
Gunner lashed his own harness and tied himself into my contraption. Now all of us circled the life raft that held our slim hope of survival.
Next Gunner gave me two of our backpacks to tie into the raft, and he secured the other two. Then Gunner also lashed himself to the gunwale rails. All we had left to do was stay with the raft, which had the survival supplies.
But we were not catching any breaks here, and all we could do was hold on as if our lives depended on it, which they did.
