Bearly Theirs [The Bears of Greenspoint 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Maia Dylan

  Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. “No. Everything is not okay. Everything is very not okay.” She sobbed once, then pressed her lips together as if to hold back any more. Logan wanted to pluck her up from the bench, carry her back to their apartment, and never let her go. He wanted to slay any dragons she might have and make sure she never shed anything but tears of happiness again in her life. But he waited. Both he and Cooper seemed to sense there was something more and that she just needed a moment to say it.

  “Watashi no ani-san takai shimashita,” Keiko whispered. Logan frowned, flicking a quick glance at his brother. They had talked about learning Japanese for their mate but hadn’t done anything about it. He made a mental note to look up a local tutor as soon as possible.

  Cooper shook his head and leaned into Keiko, tucking her even more securely into his side. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Honey, Logan and I are going to take Japanese lessons just as soon as we can find someone to put up with us, but in the meantime, we are going to need a little translation. Can you tell us again, in English?”

  Keiko nodded and sobbed again. “My b-brother, he…he’s dead.” Her phone slipped from her fingers as she dropped her face into her hands and sobbed.

  Chapter 2

  Keiko sat up with a gasp, her heart pounding and her mind spinning as she tried to figure out where she was. The softness of the mattress on which she lay and the masculine scent of the room told her she was most definitely not at home. The lamp beside the bed was on, but it was one of those where you could change the intensity and it was currently on its lowest setting, giving just enough light to the room. She looked out at the Houston skyline, visible beyond the floor-to-ceiling window in front of her, and everything came flooding back.

  Keiko held back her cry of grief as she remembered her mother’s phone call to tell her about her brother, the circumstances that surrounded his death, and what it meant for her. Keiko would need to return to Japan immediately, and that there was a very real possibility that she would never return to America. She shook her head to clear that thought, not wanting to dwell on it too much. Logan and Cooper came out of nowhere right when she needed them. Once she had told them about Naoki’s death, they picked her up from the bus stop, rushed her back to their apartment, and then held her between them while she cried. That was the last thing she remembered before now.

  So much had changed in her world in the last few hours that Keiko wasn’t sure which way was up. She had been harboring feelings for Logan and Cooper for almost a year and a half, and tonight, in the midst of all her grief, they had called her “love” and “baby,” endearments they had never used with her before. She was almost too afraid to think about what that might actually mean.

  “Keiko?” Cooper’s voice came from the bedroom door that had been left ajar. “I heard you wake up. Are you ready to come out and get something to eat? Or, if you’d prefer, I can bring something in for you.”

  Keiko looked around at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was almost midnight. “I’ll come out, Cooper.” She winced at the gravelly timbre her crying had given her voice. She pushed back the soft blanket one of them had covered her with, took a moment to compose herself a little more, and then walked out of the bedroom. She stopped when she saw Cooper leaning against the wall in the hallway, waiting for her.

  He stared at her, his gaze roaming over her face, and Keiko fought the urge to duck her head. She didn’t even want to think about what she looked like. “You have some color back. That’s good.” Cooper smiled gently at her and held his hand out. She hesitated a moment before stepping forward and placing her hand in his. She gasped as he lifted it to his lips and pressed a kiss there before tucking it against her chest. “Come on, love. I’ll show you where the bathroom is so you can freshen up first. Logan has been cooking up a storm since we put you to bed. We’ll be waiting for you in the kitchen when you’re done.”

  Keiko let him lead her down the hall and into the bathroom. Once she had closed the door, she turned to the mirror and groaned at what she saw. Her eyes were red and swollen, her hair was sticking straight up in places, and what looked like a bird’s nest had started forming from where she had slept on it. She took a few moments to take care of business and tame her hair as much as she could, then walked out of the bathroom and followed her nose to the kitchen.

  She paused in the doorway and felt her heart stutter at the sight she found. Cooper was standing against the kitchen counter, a beer in his hand, and Logan was leaning over a skillet on the island burner, facing her and looking more relaxed than she had ever seen him. Despite the fact that she’d never had the opportunity to call these men hers, there was one thing she was positive of. When she left in the morning, she was going to miss them terribly.

  Either she made a noise or they had some sort of sixth sense that alerted them to the fact that Keiko was there. Whatever it was, they both looked up at the same time, smiling when they saw her standing across the open-plan living area of the apartment.

  “Hey, baby,” Logan said with a smile and Keiko swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at his endearment. “How are you feeling? Do you think you could eat something?”

  Keiko nodded as she walked toward the kitchen counter and climbed up on one of the barstools on that side of the counter. “I am feeling sad and a little drained. It all seems a little surreal, to be honest.”

  Cooper moved to lean on the counter to her right. “That is completely understandable, love. It must have been a terrible shock.” He leaned forward to place his hand on the top of Keiko’s where she had left it resting on the counter. Keiko looked at it for a moment before she lifted her eyes to his.

  “Do you want to talk about it? I mean, we don’t want to pressure you at all, but I just thought if you needed a shoulder to cry on or a couple of ears to burn, then Logan and I are here for you.”

  Keiko stared at him for a moment. God, how she wanted to simply tell them everything. But there were some things that were simply beyond explanation, so she opted for an abbreviated truth. “Naoki is older than me, or was, I guess. He was always getting into trouble as a child. It’s different in Japan. Schools are more regimented and you go for six days of the week. Your day is planned to the last minute and you’re expected to excel within that environment. Naoki couldn’t. He got into trouble and dropped out of school. Then it’s as you would expect. He got in with the wrong crowd and ended up doing things our father never approved of.

  “But even though he never approved, my father never turned his back on Naoki. None of us did. But sometimes it doesn’t matter how much support a man has at home. Sometimes life will simply take you on a path you have no desire to travel, in spite of everything.”

  Logan took the pan off the heat, and slid an omelet onto a waiting plate next to a salad of micro greens, before sliding it in front of her. “Was it his life choices that led to what happened today?”

  Keiko smiled sadly and forced herself to shake her head, lying to them for the first time ever. “No. He was killed in a car accident. Nothing untoward at all, just one of those moments in time when someone you love is in the wrong place at the wrong time and the outcome is that they are lost to you forever.”

  Both men frowned at her slightly, as if they knew she wasn’t being completely truthful. She picked up her fork and, although the food looked and smelled delicious, it tasted like cardboard in her mouth. She made herself swallow the mouthful she had and pick up another. The three of them sat in a somewhat strained silence for a while as they ate.

  “So, when are you leaving for Japan?” Cooper asked, breaking the silence.

  Keiko set her fork down, her stomach roiling slightly at yet another lie. “I will leave in the next few days, as there is a lot to do. My parents… They aren’t handling this well. They need me.” More than she could have ever imagined.

  “Keiko.” Logan’s voice was deeper than normal, and Keiko shivered at the sound of it. “You have
to know that Cooper and I care about you, more than just as a valued employee, or even as a friend. When we hired you, we never knew how invaluable you would be for the company, but how we feel about you is more than just that. You know that, right?”

  Keiko tilted her head as she regarded him with confusion. “I thought I knew what I was to you both, I mean, up until tonight, that is. But now, I’m not so sure. What are you saying?”

  Cooper sighed as he shook his head, leaning forward again and gripping her hand in his. “What my socially inept brother is trying to say is that we have feelings for you beyond what you might expect. And we have had those feelings from the first day that we met you. You walked into the office, and it was as if our entire world narrowed until it focused solely on you.”

  Keiko’s heart began to beat faster and her breathing rate increased. She remembered that day vividly. She’d walked into her old boss’s office to ask the two prospective clients if they would like a refreshment, and she’d lost track of what she was doing for a moment when she saw them. Both of them wearing power suits, looking so damn hot she had to swallow several times to get the moisture back in her mouth.

  “And you are still the main focus of our day,” Logan added gently. Keiko turned to look at him, and the vulnerable look on his face had her biting her lip. “We know that the coming days and weeks will be difficult for you in Japan. We would love to come with you to help you, if you’d let us. Just to be there for you and do anything for you and your family that needs to be done.”

  Keiko looked back and forth between the two men she had secretly lusted after and had been falling for, for over eighteen months now. Were they for real? Keiko was starting to wonder if she hadn’t, in fact, suffered a heart attack at that bus stop and traveled into the afterlife, because what these men were saying definitely verged on being something that would equate to her heaven.

  Wanting to be sure, Keiko asked, “You feel something for me? And you would both be willing to come to Japan?”

  Both men nodded and Keiko felt tears gathering in her eyes. At the sight of her tears, both men moved around to her side of the counter. Cooper pulled her up off the stool and up into his arms. In seconds, Keiko found herself pressed between the two men for the second time that night, and she was once again crying freely.

  It was just so unfair. Life was just so damn unfair. To finally be told that the objects of her desire and wish for her future felt something for her should have made her happy, but all it did was make her situation worse. She had to return to Japan. She had to do what the Ussuri Oyabun wanted of her, or it would mean losing her father, as well. She would sacrifice her future for the sake of her father. There was no other choice. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t at least have this one night, this one memory to last her a lifetime.

  Lifting her head from Cooper’s shoulder, she pushed back slightly so she could see both men at the same time. “Up until tonight, I had no idea that either of you felt anything for me. I thought I was the only one.”

  Logan smiled at her and it lit up his whole face. “No, baby, you aren’t the only one, but I have to say it certainly does my heart good to know that our feelings are returned.”

  Cooper lifted her hand, which he held clasped to his chest, up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it. “Same here. Damn, Kei, you are so damn beautiful you take my breath away. If you’d let us come with you to Japan, and allow us to take care of you, we’ll make sure you never regret it.”

  Keiko’s heart stuttered a little. “Let’s talk about that later. I don’t want to think about Japan or my brother or anything else to do with that for tonight. I simply want to forget for a moment and feel something other than grief. Can you help me do that?” Her voice had dropped to almost a whisper at the end.

  Logan and Cooper shared a look before Logan reached out and ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “Just so we’re crystal clear on what you need, baby, can you spell it out for me? You are really special to us, and I don’t want to do anything that might jeopardize what we can be for and to each other.”

  Keiko smiled. That was so like Logan. Making sure that every i was dotted and every t crossed. “I would like it very much, and if it wouldn’t be too much trouble on your part, if the two of you would take me to bed and make love to me. Show me how you feel about me, and help me forget, just for a moment, about tomorrow.”

  Chapter 3

  “Love, that will be our pleasure.” Cooper heard the need in his own voice, but couldn’t find it in himself to care. He swooped in and pressed his mouth to hers, swallowing her gasp of surprise and pressing his advantage by sweeping his tongue into her mouth. Her flavor exploded on his tongue and he growled at the taste of her. Pulling her tighter against him, he angled his head so he could deepen the kiss, and he felt Keiko’s hands slide up over his shoulders and into his hair.

  Vaguely he heard his brother growling something. Then he felt Keiko shudder against him. He pulled back to see what was going on and grinned at the arousal that filled his mate’s face. He saw Logan’s mouth and teeth gently playing along the delicate curve of her neck and, from the looks of things, Keiko loved the attention.

  “Our mate is really responsive,” Cooper murmured as he reached out to sweep the hair from Keiko’s face, not wanting anything to obscure the look of pure pleasure on her beautiful face. “Goddamn, love, you are so fucking beautiful.”

  Logan pulled back slightly and looked up at Cooper. “I couldn’t agree more, brother. Let’s get comfortable. Our woman has asked us to make love to her, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to take her on the couch.” With that, Logan swung Keiko up into his arms, and Keiko squealed as her arms flew around Logan’s neck, holding on tight. “Don’t you worry, baby, I wouldn’t drop you for anything in the world.”

  Cooper laughed at the sound of her laughter and followed them down the hall to the master suite. This was the largest bedroom in the apartment and was the only one with a walk-in wardrobe. All three of the rooms had master bathrooms, but he and Logan had refitted it with a large Jacuzzi bath tub and a shower that would easily cater to three.

  Logan stopped and placed Keiko gently on her feet, then turned her gently so that he was pressed to her back. Cooper moved to stand in front of her, and he loved the fact that there was nothing but desire and curiosity in her gaze. “The first day you stepped into our office, you wore this pale blue blouse with mother-of-pearl buttons.” As he spoke, Cooper reached out and gently began to slide the buttons of the white silk blouse she wore now through the buttonholes. “I wanted nothing more than to remove that shirt, button by button, and expose the beautiful expanse of skin I knew sat beneath it.” He matched his words with his actions, gently opening the blouse, pulling it gently from the waistband of the skirt she wore.

  The breath caught in Cooper’s throat at the sight of the white demi bra she wore that pushed her breasts up, plumping them slightly at the top. “Holy…shit.”

  Unable to resist, Logan leaned in and looked over her shoulder, getting the full effect of the fantastic things this particular bra did for her breasts. “Sweet mother of God,” Logan murmured as he reached up to slip the blouse from her shoulders. “If I knew you had a penchant for wearing sexy as all fuck underwear like this under those suits of yours, we would have been here a hell of a lot sooner.”

  Cooper took a deep breath to try and curb the desire building within him at an astonishing rate. “You were wearing a dark blue pencil skirt with that blouse, and I loved the way it clung to every sweet curve.” Cooper dropped to his knees in front of Keiko, and the sweet scent of her arousal filled the air. The waistband of her skirt loosened and Cooper knew that Logan had released the button and zipper at the back. “Now, normally, I’m the kind of guy that rips the wrapping paper off my presents and prefers to dive straight into dessert. But in this case, I’m willing to wait a few seconds more than I want to, because I have the feeling that bra you’re wearing might be part of a set, de
signed to drive a man insane.”

  Gently, he gripped the edge of her skirt and slid it over the luscious curve of her hips, and then let it drop to the floor, leaving her standing in just her underwear. Cooper growled at the barely there panties their woman was wearing. He looked up at the goddess who stood before him and nearly swallowed his tongue.

  Softly, he ran his hands up the backs of her legs. He groaned when he got to the naked globes of her ass. “You wear G-strings? Logan’s right, if we knew about these, we would have been here a hell of a lot faster.” Unable to wait another minute, he gently stripped the small scrap of lace from her beautifully bare pussy and then tugged her hips toward him. “Lean back, love. Rest your shoulders on Logan’s chest.” He watched as she complied, noticing that Logan had stripped the bra from her and removed his own shirt. His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs strumming her dark nipples, and a rosy red shade of arousal swept across Keiko’s chest and up her neck.

  “I’m gonna taste you now, love.” Cooper gently lifted her left leg to place it on his shoulder, trusting his brother to hold her strong, all the while looking up into her lust-glazed eyes. He grinned. “Feel free to scream for me.” Then, he placed his mouth right over her very wet pussy, listening to her sweet cry of shocked pleasure as he swept his tongue through the hot liquid that had pooled there, pulling it into his mouth. Her flavor was sweet and salty and so fucking addictive, he knew she was going to quickly become his favorite meal. Then he settled in to drive her crazy. He took the sounds she made as verbal clues, telling him what she liked and how she liked to be pleasured.

  When Cooper swept the flat of his tongue up and over her swollen clit, she thrust her hips forward with a cry. When he gently slid his finger up inside her hot, tight pussy, Keiko shuddered and gripped his hair, which he liked a lot, but it was when he combined the two together that he had her screaming his name as she shattered against his tongue. Growling softly, he lapped up every drop of cream her body rewarded him with, loving her through the first orgasm of many he was determined to give her tonight.