by Lana Kole
While she was crunching numbers and entering payroll, her thoughts turned to the events of last year, surprised to realize it had already been so long. It seemed like yesterday.
After Sekhmet destroyed the only thing she loved to satisfy Ma’at and leave her prison, she’d disappeared. They didn’t know where she was to this day, and Maya was glad. She never wanted to see the woman again, knowing how close Maya had come to losing her men because of her.
After Sekhmet left, Ra had poofed them back to the bar, then up and disappeared in a beam of sunlight.
Naturally.
A lot of talks had followed their return to normalcy, as she and the guys figured out how to live a boring life. They’d all apologized profusely, for months on end, until she’d finally told them to shut up or get out.
It was night and day, the way they fawned over her and catered to her every need, compared to the cruel coldness they’d showed her for all of a few hours.
It was in the past. And there it would stay.
Only a short while later, she shut her laptop with a sinful grin decorating her lips. The guys would be home soon, and she had just enough time to arrive before they did.
Calling goodnight to Theo, she winked when he leaned around the hallway wall to respond. Then, she was gone.
They didn’t live above the bar anymore. It had been cozy with just one person, but when you permanently added three other men to her one bedroom studio?
Hell no.
They had their moments. Messy, men moments. Like throwing their laundry right beside the hamper or leaving their dishes beside the sink. Or even worse—in the sink with water to “let it soak.”
They also had what she liked to call their cat moments. When she cooked, they’d go back for seconds when they still had food on their plate, and then not even finish it all. If she got annoyed with them, all she had to do was break out the laser pointer. Never had she seen someone’s focus shift so quickly.
It ended a lot of arguments.
They would, of course, resolve and talk it out eventually… in bed.
But she loved them. Every bad habit, every quirk, every piece of them.
Yeah, Maya was getting more used to the word, and she no longer cringed every time it came out of her mouth.
The drive home was peaceful, if cold. February was a brutal month no matter where you lived, but thankfully she had three bedmates to keep her warm.
Excitement thrummed through her as she turned down their driveway, still empty of other cars. She grinned. Maya probably still had enough time to shower and get everything ready by the time they got home.
Rushing inside, she grabbed her bag of new goodies and unlocked the door with her thumbprint.
No, they didn’t live in the same mansion they first visited to learn information about their pasts. They did however, live in a cottage two streets over… an oversized one with six bedrooms. The mansion was just too big for them, and with their backgrounds consisting of unconventional beginnings, they’d agreed that the home was too lavish.
Six bedrooms and three bathrooms was still humongous to all of them, and it took some adjusting, especially when any of them were home alone, but it would suit them if they ever decided to have kids.
Rushing through a shower, changing, and putting the final touches on her outfit, or lack thereof, she waltzed downstairs bubbling with happiness like a glass of damned champagne.
Speaking of… she opened a bottle, the pop of the cork and fizz in the glass the perfect ending to a busy day.
Balancing the bottle and three extra glasses on her way to the living room, she rushed to get everything ready. Maya lit a starter stick and placed it under the logs in the fireplace, blowing at the small flame to make it grow. She sighed at the toasty heat. All her bare skin in the cold air sent chills over her flesh, so she grabbed a glass of champagne and stood in front of the fire.
The garage door sounded, signaling their return. When the guys finally walked in, they were silent, their feet shuffling, and the sound of the door slamming echoed through the room.
Had she forgot to mention part of her gift was new lingerie? Black, barely-there lace covered her body. A lace thong split her ass cheeks in half, which was the first thing the guys saw, since she was facing the fireplace, the flames dancing against her skin and reflecting in the bubbles of the champagne.
Slowly, she turned to find their eyes glued to her, eating up the sight of her gift. Her bra was basically two pieces of fabric tied together between her breasts, wound around her back and clipped together. From there, two more straps crossed over her sides and back around her stomach, framing her belly button and connecting to the panties. The lace that dripped from the cups of her bra made a… yes, that was a heart.
Cliché as fuck. But she could tell they loved it, if the way they adjusted the bulges in their pants served as anything to go by.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she teased, taking a slow sip of champagne with her left hand, showing off the decoration now inked into her skin.
Amir’s eyes darkened at the mark that stained her flesh forever, and she smirked as he crossed the room in long-legged strides. Grasping her glass, he set it on the coffee table before holding her arm up for inspection. Three small paw prints now decorated the underside of her forearm, physical, permanent proof that she was forever theirs.
He leaned down to kiss her cheek, lingering to growl in her ear, “I can’t wait to tie your hands above your head and fuck you while your tattoos glimmer in the candlelight.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she leaned back to see the wicked grin on his face.
Gods, she loved him and his kinky ass fetishes.
“Yes, please.” Maya breathed the words.
Asher suddenly appeared beside Amir, and he pulled her into his arms. His warm skin heated hers instantly, even through his full layer of clothes, and she sighed as he tugged her closer, tilting her backward. Without hesitation, he swooped in to take her mouth, pulling back only seconds after she opened to him.
“Another present?” His words came out half curious, half begging for it to be true.
In answer, she only stuck her tongue out, showing off the little metal ball that decorated the center of her tongue.
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Amir stated over Asher’s shoulder. She caught his fire lit gaze and winked in answer, pulling an actual groan from his throat at just the idea.
“Quit hogging her!” August called from behind both of them, and she grinned as she stepped away from Asher.
As she approached him, she noticed his hands were tucked behind his back. “Whatcha got there?” she asked with an arched brow.
His grin was more excitement than anything, but she didn’t think it was because of the sexy outfit she was wearing, only adding to her curiosity.
“Okay, stop teasing me! What is it?” Maya tried to hide the giddiness in her voice, but she didn’t do a very good job. She loved surprises, and as she had learned on her birthday, her men were very good at them.
“We got you two things. One, is this little guy right here…” His arms shifted against the tight button-up shirt he was wearing, a short sleeve one in February, and she promised to give him shit… later.
Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw what he held in his hands. It was an exact replica of Pharaoh, the lucky cat from her bar, though maybe a smidge larger.
Her hands lifted to cover her mouth as she stared at the cute little figurine. “How—I mean, where did you find one just like it?”
Asher piped up from behind her, leaning his head against her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist as she took the clay cat in her hands. “Well, you know I can draw?”
She nodded in answer.
“I drew an example of the cat, as closely as I could remember, then we collected the clay from the broken model, pieced it together as tightly as we could, and used more clay to fill in the holes. Then we coated the outside of him in new clay and had hi
m painted and fired. No biggie.”
Maya remember the hundreds of pieces that her clay cat had shattered into and knew damned well it was a biggie.
No words came to mind to voice the emotions that swelled within her. “I don’t even know what to say.” The tears tracked soundlessly, and she recognized how lucky she was in this moment. Her family might be gone, but she was making her own.
“We made her cry!” August stepped forward, concerned, but just like the cat he was, he cuddled up close, kneeling and laying his head against her stomach and wrapping his arms around her waist. She laughed as Amir kissed her cheek, and she was surrounded by the loves of her life.
“That’s not all. We have more.”
“More?” Wiping her tears away, she stared incredulously at the little cat in her hands. “This is more than enough. And I have you. That’s all I need.”
“Oh, you won’t be saying that when you see who we brought you,” Asher teased.
If she had cat’s ears, they would be perked in interest. “You brought me a who?”
Asher disappeared for a moment, going back out to the garage and returning with something else held behind his back. Narrowing her eyes, she readied herself for another bout of tears, because if whatever else they had was anywhere near close to what the first gift was, she was going to—
“Oh my gods, you got me a fucking cat!” Her squeal was shrill to her own ears, and she tried to rein in the excitement as her tone hit new octaves. She bounced on her feet, lightly shoving August out of the way so she could get to the little critter. Taking him gently into her arms, she stole him from Asher and pulled him close, cooing to him instantly.
“Oh my gods, he’s so cute! Look at him!” Maya did just that, seeing the cute little golden bow around his neck, and three— “Look at him!”
Her voice squeaked dangerously high as she saw three pieces of matching jewelry strung around the little black kitten’s neck. “What is that?”
Untying the bow with one hand, she cradled the sleepy kitty close, his pretty green eyes fluttering shut as he purred himself to sleep. By the time the bow was undone, she held three perfect rings in her palm, each a different shade of gold, with oddly shaped diamonds on top.
“What are these?” When she turned around, rings in one hand, sleepy kitten in the other, she found all three of her cats down on one knee.
Amir, Asher, and August each took one ring, and without them even uttering a word, she nodded and held out her hand. They slid their rings on one by one, until all three clicked together with a resounding snick, the three shapes forming a perfect triangle to claim her as theirs.
Tears sprang to her eyes again, and she almost rolled her eyes at what her life had become.
Am I seriously getting engaged on Valentine’s Day?
In my living room?
In my underwear?
As she looked down at the three loving, attentive, perfect men that had crashed into her life on four paws, she decided that yes, she was.
THE END
Afterword
Dear Reader,
Meowdy! Thank you for giving this standalone a chance! I hope you enjoyed it, and if so, please tell me what you thought by leaving a review on amazon! I always look forward to reading them. If you need to chew me out, follow me on Facebook and Amazon, and become a member of the Koled Cave to be the first to receive news and future releases from me.
Thank you for your support!
Love, Lana
About the Author
Lana: cat lady, snack connoisseur, and candle enthusiast. She has three kids, okay fine, cats that she was unable to leave behind when she struck out on her own. Extremely introverted, she prefers comfy sweaters and her couch over going out on the town.
Even on top of two side jobs, Lana is dedicated to writing. It has quickly become one of her favorite things to do and she’s ecstatic to share the stories with you. She’s always had crazy vivid dreams—the sleep kind, not the life kind—and getting involved in the RH community inspired her to try bringing them to life.
Also by Lana Kole
Illusion of Escape – Book One
Illusion of Death – Book Two
Illusion of Darkness – Book Three
Feline Good – Valentine’s Day Standalone
