by Becca Van
“Crystal,” Tatum answered in his deep gruff voice. As he locked gazes with her, his fierce expression changed and his lips curved up at the edges. She drew in a deep, ragged breath as his whole face lit up with happiness. His amber-hued eyes twinkled with what looked like joy, and the heaviness which had been in the air lightened.
Pixie shifted on her feet and squeezed her legs together as her pussy moistened and her clit began to throb. The movement pulled at her side, and this time when she sucked in a breath, it was because of the sharp pain stabbing into her wound site.
Shaffer moved up behind her and gently lifted her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” She tentatively raised an arm and looped it around his neck for balance.
“Taking you to sit down in a comfortable seat. You’re going to take another pain pill, eat again and then we’ll get you home so you can rest.”
“I’m fine,” she said honestly. As long as she didn’t move too suddenly or awkwardly, she was okay. “And there is no way in hell I’m eating again. I’d be ill.”
“I can smell your arousal and pain, sugar.”
Pixie gasped and closed her eyes as embarrassment heated her cheeks. She was going to have no privacy while she stayed with the King men. She couldn’t believe he’d just blurted out he could smell her desire. She lifted her lids and peeked around the room to see if anyone else had heard him, and cringed when she met first Tatum’s and then Rex’s hot gazes.
Damn it all to hell!
Shaffer walked around the large messy desk and sat down in the seat with her in his lap. She had no idea how he did that without any part of her touching the desk, but he did. She tensed her muscles as she prepared to move off his thighs, but he wrapped an arm around her body just below her breasts.
She cursed under her breath when her breasts swelled in reaction to his closeness and her nipples hardened to tight points. She hoped that Shaffer wasn’t aware of her reaction to him, but she wasn’t going to hold out much hope over that. Not after his last comment.
Pixie gazed up at him over her shoulder. “Let me go.”
“No.” When Shaffer looked deeply into her eyes and when she saw the heat in them, she had to concentrate on not moving, but when she felt his cock begin to harden under her ass, she shoved his arm away and scrambled from his lap.
The abrupt movement had her bending over and holding her breath as she clung to the edge of the desk, so she didn’t sink to her knees. A fine sheen of sweat broke out over her skin and she licked her dry lips.
“You’ve got to stop doing that.” Rex pried her fingers from the table edge and laced his fingers with hers as he caressed a hand up and down her back.
The pain finally passed, and she slowly straightened up before turning to look at Rex. “I’m fine.”
Shaffer came up on her other side and clasped her shoulder. He shook his head and leaned down toward her. She froze as she stared into his eyes, wondering if he was going to kiss her. She licked her lips in preparation but quickly lowered her gaze to the desk when he pulled his hand out from his pocket. He slapped the pack of medicine onto the edge of the desk and nudged them toward her.
“Take two. Now!”
“I can wait—”
“Do as you’re told,” Tatum ordered as he moved around the other side of the desk so she could see him.
Pixie glared at him and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “You’re not the boss of me.” She instantly inwardly cringed over that childish statement, however, she wasn’t about to back down since it was true.
“I never said I was.” Tatum shifted his gaze to Shaffer. “She needs some water.”
Shaffer rushed away before she could protest. He brought back a bottle of water, twisted the cap off of it, and put it right next to the medicine.
Pixie hated being told what to do. She was stubborn even to her own detriment. While the pain in her side had subsided to a dull throb, it was still enough for her to be highly uncomfortable. She kept trying to surreptitiously shift on her feet to relieve the ache, but it didn’t help. With a sigh of reluctant resignation, she snatched the pills up, pushed one out of the blister pack, and reached for the water.
Rex grabbed the water bottle from her hand and slammed it onto the desk so hard water sprayed up out of it. He grasped her chin in his hand and turned her gaze toward his. “We’re not your boss, but we also don’t like seeing you in or smelling the pain on you. You will take two of those fucking pills your doctor ordered you to take when you’re in pain. Is that clear enough for you?”
Pixie glared at Rex. She hated having her own words thrown back at her. If she’d been able to, she would have spun on her heels and stormed out, but she wasn’t going to move that fast again. Plus, she had a feeling she wouldn’t get very far if she attempted it. When she didn’t answer, Rex huffed with exasperation and released her chin. He did, however, grasp her wrist and open the hand she was holding the one pill in. He then proceeded to drop another one into her palm.
She glanced away from him, shoved the medicine into her mouth, and sipped some water to swallow the tablets. All three men seemed to sigh with relief. Why were they so concerned about her? They didn’t even know her. Nothing these men did made sense. Pixie peered at them from beneath her lowered lashes. They were no longer talking or giving her orders, but they were all staring at her as if she was a bug under a microscope.
“What are you all looking at?” she asked belligerently.
She gazed at Tatum as he slowly moved out from behind the desk. He was the epitome of the big stalking lion that was hidden somewhere deep inside him as he moved. For such a big man, he moved with a predatory feline grace, but it was the hunger in his eyes that had her breath catching in her throat. Pixie tried to stick her ground, tried to keep from taking a step back, but she couldn’t prevent herself from doing it any more than she seemed to be able pull her gaze from his. When he stopped a couple of feet in front of her, she nervously licked her lips and once more tried to pry her eyes from his. Having her neck tilted back was uncomfortable, but once their gazes had locked she was mesmerized by him. She felt as if she swayed forward as she drowned in those amazing amber-hued orbs, and when she began to get lightheaded she realized she was holding her breath. She released the air in her lungs with a not-so-quiet whoosh before sucking in another lungful of air.
“I’m looking at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing.”
Heat suffused her cheeks at such a compliment. No one had ever said anything so sweetly complimentary to her before. She shook her head and finally managed to lower her gaze. That was the biggest mistake she could have ever made. Her eyes wandered over his wide muscular shoulders and brawny chest down to his ripped T-shirt-covered abs and beyond.
There was no way he could hide the thick, long cock straining against the front of his jeans.
She quickly shifted her gaze to his shoes and wished that the floor beneath her would open up so she could fall through. Her cheeks were so hot, she knew they had to be bright red.
Pixie shivered when Tatum palmed her cheeks between his hands and lifted her gaze back up to his.
“You don’t believe me, baby?” Tatum asked. He lowered his gaze from her eyes to her lips and then back up again. “I don’t lie and never will.”
“You don’t know me. I could be the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth with the vilest heart.”
Tatum chuckled and shook his head.
Pixie blinked as she tried to follow the movement. The pain medication was starting to take effect as it wound its way through her bloodstream. Her arms and legs began to feel heavy. In fact, her whole body began to feel heavy, but she wasn’t about to let on she was feeling tired again. These three men were likely to order her back to bed, and while the thought of crawling back into the big bed and onto that comfortable mattress was appealing, she decided she’d slept more than enough over the last twenty-four hours or so. She was going to fight the dro
wsiness with everything she had.
“That’s the biggest load of shit I’ve ever heard,” Rex whispered in her ear. She shivered when she felt his stomach brush against her back.
“You’re amazing, Pixie.”
She didn’t get to respond because Tatum bent down and kissed her.
She grasped his wrists to steady herself as her world turned upside down. Tatum was the type of man that went after what he wanted as soon as he saw it. He didn’t start off kissing her tentatively. He devoured her right from the get-go.
His tongue swiped over her lips and she gasped. That was her first mistake and he quickly took advantage of it. He licked into her mouth rubbing his tongue along hers, before swirling it around. She tried to keep still and not respond, but it was a losing battle. Her second mistake was when she began to kiss him back. Pixie lost all sense of time, location, and reality. She was drowning in his delectable, manly taste and the desire that coursed through her and heated her blood. Shivers of need wracked her body, sending shudders of lust racing up and down her spine.
Her legs started to shake, and if she hadn’t been holding on to him she was sure she would have ended up a melted puddle at his feet. She didn’t even notice when she melted against him, not until he groaned and shifted his hips. The hard ridge of his cock was pressed against upper belly and sternum, and if she moved the slightest inch it would have been lodged between her bra-bound breasts. Her lungs began to burn, and she knew if she didn’t break their lip lock, she would end up embarrassing herself by passing out.
Pixie turned her head to the side and gasped in breath after breath, trying to calm the raucous beat of her heart. Her panties were soaked and her clit was throbbing along with her rapid heartbeat. Her breasts were swollen and her nipples were hard. She had to swallow back a moan of need when Tatum shifted on his feet and his stomach brushed against her sensitive nipples. Finally, when she thought she would be able to sustain her own weight on her shaky legs, she stepped back from him and released her hold on his wrists.
She licked her lips and closed her eyes when she tasted his unique, wonderful, masculine flavor on her tongue while mentally berating herself.
What the hell were you thinking? Why the hell did you let him kiss you? Why the fuck did you kiss him back?
When she realized how silent it was, heat suffused her cheeks and she spun around, turning her back to the men she could feel staring at her. She stumbled and would have fallen if Tatum hadn’t snagged an arm around her waist. He pulled her back against his big muscular body, and just like that the hunger which had slowly been dissipating roared back to life. She shoved at his arm and sighed with relief when he released her, and she hurried toward the office door.
Pixie had never been so embarrassed or turned on in her life, and she had no idea what to do.
She’d been so busy looking at the floor she didn’t see that Rex had moved into her pathway until she bumped into him. He wrapped an arm around her body and nudged her gaze up to his with a finger under her chin.
“Why are you embarrassed, sweetie? You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Pixie nodded, hoping that agreeing with him would diffuse the sexual tension in the air. She wanted to forget that she’d just had Tatum’s tongue down her throat and that she’d been playing tonsil hockey with him.
She turned her head to dislodge his hold on her but immediately wished she hadn’t. Shaffer had moved to stand at her side, and she hadn’t even heard him coming toward her. She shifted her gaze to the other side and stared at the thick cotton-covered chest. She was surrounded and she knew they weren’t going to leave her alone or ignore the elephant in the room.
Tatum grasped her ponytail and gently tugged her head up. The moment she locked eyes with him again, her cheeks started to burn and tears of humiliation stung the back of her eyes.
“You can’t ignore the chemistry between us, baby. It’s not going to work.”
Pixie shook her head and used her upper eyelids and lashes to shield her eyes. She should have known that wouldn’t work either.
“Back off!” Tatum ordered.
Rex dropped his arm from around her waist and stepped back. Shaffer shifted away from her side, and just as she was about to sigh with relief, Tatum scooped her up into his arms and carried her toward the desk.
She tensed and wanted to demand that he put her down, but she had a feeling it would be a waste of her breath. He kicked the office chair away from the desk and sat in it, plonking her into his lap. She shuddered as the heat from his strong thighs seeped into her ass and pussy.
Tatum cupped her cheek and brought her eyes up to his. Pixie decided to go onto the attack. If she came across as bitchy, maybe she would be able to get out of this situation without looking like a needy slut.
“Why the hell did you kiss me? You had no right.”
Genuine anger surged through her when she saw his lips twitch and amusement sparkling in his eyes.
“That’s not going to work, baby.”
Pixie tensed, about to get off his lap, but he looped an arm around her ribs right under her breasts. She sucked in a noisy breath and hoped he didn’t notice how damn hard her nipples were. If they got any harder, she was sure they’d be able to cut through glass. Instead of responding to his taunt, she remained silent because right at this minute she was at a loss for words.
“You can deny how we make you feel all you like, Pixie, but we can smell your arousal. You kissed me back. If you’d have tried to pull away, I would have let you.”
She snorted.
“You can lie to yourself all you want, baby, but we know you’re just as attracted to us as we are to you.”
She shook her head. Not because she was belying his statement but because she still couldn’t think of anything to say.
Rex and Shaffer walked around the desk and sat on the edge on either side of her and Tatum, just inches away. The combination of their delicious aromas had another shiver racing up her spine, and while she tried to quell it, she wasn’t certain she’d been successful when Tatum shifted under her.
When she felt something hard throbbing against her ass and hip, she tensed. How the hell was she supposed to calm her hunger when she could feel his hard cock pressing against her?
Tatum sighing brought her back to the present and she blinked him into focus. “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time, baby.”
She shook her head in denial because she had a feeling she knew what he was going to say next.
“You’re our mate, Pixie.”
Chapter Seven
Rex stared at Pixie intently, waiting, hoping for a reaction. She was gazing at Tatum with wide-eyed wonder, or maybe that was shock. The color which had been in her cheeks since Tatum had kissed her drained away, leaving her pale, and for a second he thought she was about to pass out.
She was swaying on Tatum’s lap, but when she glanced his way and he saw her pupils, he remembered the medicine she’d taken not that long ago. She was feeling the effects but she was fighting it. He wanted to sweep her up into his arms and take her back home, but he wasn’t sure how she’d react. He’d already worked out that she hated being told what to do—it was hard not to when she’d literally shouted it—but she didn’t seem to know how to take care of herself so it was up to him and his brothers to do it for her.
Rex had a feeling that Pixie would put anyone’s and everyone’s wellbeing before her own, but that had to change fast if they were going to keep her healthy. She’d only had surgery two days ago and she was already up and about. She was pushing the envelope where her recovery was concerned. There were dark smudges beneath her eyes, and while they’d been there from day one, they were worse than before. It was time for him and his brothers to step up and put their foot down.
When she slumped against Tatum, her eyes closing and her breathing evening out, he sighed with relief and trepidation. She’d just lost the battle with the drugs, but he and his brothers still how no idea how she felt
about Tatum’s declaration about her being their mate.
It looked like they were going to have to wait until she woke up.
“Hey, how’s she doing?” Broden asked as he entered the office.
Rex had heard the big man come into the diner a few moments ago and ask where they all were. He was glad the doc was concerned about their mate’s health. He frowned when he saw she was asleep and then met each of their gazes. “Why the hell did you bring her here? She should be at home resting.”
Shaffer snarled as he shoved to his feet. “We fucking know how to take care of our mate. Try telling her that she needs to stay in bed.”
“Whoa.” Broden held his hands up, palm out. “You don’t need to bite my fucking head off.”
Shaffer scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “Sorry.”
Rex reached out and caressed over Pixie’s head. “We need to get her home so she can sleep comfortably.”
“I need to check her over first.” Broden indicated the medical bag he’d dropped just inside the door.
“What are you looking for?” Tatum shifted Pixie in his arms so that her head was resting more comfortably on his chest.
“Nothing in particular,” Broden said as he picked up his bag and walked toward them. “I would like to do a blood workup on her though. I have a feeling she’s slightly anemic.”
“Fuck!” Rex stood and began to pace.
“Didn’t you check when you were operating on her?” Shaffer asked.
Broden shook his head. “There was no need because I didn’t need to give her blood. Has she been eating and drinking?”
“She has,” Tatum answered. “She doesn’t eat enough for my liking.”
Broden nodded. “Human’s don’t eat as much as we do since their metabolism isn’t as fast as ours, and she’s just a tiny thing, so she probably doesn’t need much. However, if my suspicions are correct and she is anemic, she’ll need to eat more red meat as well as leafy green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli and the like.” Broden dropped his bag on the desk, heedless of the papers strewn about. He opened it and dug into for his stethoscope.
