“Why don’t you have clothes on?” she snapped.
“Why, kitten, does it distract you?” Spence asked, laughing softly.
“What? No. Yes. Hell, I don’t know!”
Tim stepped forward and took Lainey’s right hand in his, bringing it up to his mouth to lightly kiss her palm before gently placing it on his chest to cover his heart. “I’m glad my body distracts you because your body certainly distracts me.”
“Timmy, this is wrong,” Lainey whispered.
“We don’t think it is, baby,” Tim told her gently. “That’s what Spence and I wanted to talk to you about. Do you think you can be open and listen to what we have to say?”
Lainey turned to face Spence, seeing him watching her intently. “You don’t think this is wrong, Spence?” she asked him hesitantly.
“Come with me, Lainey,” Spence told her, taking her free hand and pulling her along the hallway to a closed door. “Tim and I have waited to show you this room until we were sure you would be willing to give this a chance.”
“What?”
Rather than answer her, Spence reached out, turned the doorknob, and pushed open the door. Lainey looked inside and gasped at the richness of the design of the huge bedroom. She stepped into the room and walked to its center, taking in the heavy wooden furniture and the warmth of the navy bedding and curtains. There were two tall bureaus with a low, wider bureau with an etched mirror between them against the left wall of the room. A sliding glass door was partially covered by a rich, navy brocade drapery, allowing her to see the area beyond the glass. There was a unique sunroom protected from the elements by the glass dome that enclosed it. Lainey smiled at the beauty of it. She could picture herself sitting out there through all of the seasons, enjoying the changes of weather from within the safety and warmth of the enclosure. There were two chairs and a couch set within the structure and Lainey found that she wanted to go out there and soak in the atmosphere immediately.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered as she walked over to the glass door.
“We wanted to make a place where you could relax no matter what time of year it was,” Tim told her, smiling at the happiness that filled their mate.
“You built it for me? I don’t understand.”
“Come here, Lainey,” Spence told her gently, holding out his hand and waiting for her to place her hand in his. “When you touch me, what do you feel?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you feel pleasure, pain, belonging?”
“I feel comfortable,” Lainey told him without hesitation.
“Now take Tim’s hand,” Spence told her, releasing her hand so she could do as he asked.
Lainey took Tim’s hand in hers and smiled. “I feel the same,” she told them honestly.
“I’m glad,” Tim told her, winking. “Now, take hold of Spence’s hand while you’re holding mine.”
Lainey reached out and took Spence’s hand in hers, sighing with contentment as a feeling of complete peace settled over her. The warmth that spread through her body was instant. It was always the same when she held both of their hands or touched both of them at the same time.
“You know what you feel when you touch both of us?” Tim asked her. He waited until Lainey’s gaze was directly upon him. “You feel right.”
Lainey nodded. “I do,” she whispered. “I always have.”
“I told you a long time ago, Lainey,” Spence reminded her. “You’re our bridge.”
“Not that again,” Lainey complained, pulling her hands away and stepping toward the bed. “Holy smokes, guys! Why do you need such a huge bed?”
The bed was massive. It was more than double the width of a queen sized mattress, and the length was far longer, too. The frame was also made of heavy wood and had the most beautifully carved headboard Lainey had ever seen. There was an intricate heart design in the center of the board with three letters carved in old fashioned lettering—TLS.
“What does TLS mean?” she asked as she leaned forward to inspect the beautiful handcrafted wood. There was a peaceful scene of a brook with a meadow behind it. “Is this a carving of the place where we used to play as kids?”
“It is,” Spence told her, smiling.
“I remember spending a lot of time there.” Lainey’s voice was soft as she remembered all the times she had taken refuge there as a young woman, keeping her distance from her parents. Now that she thought about it, she also remembered that every time she was there, Tim would find her, or Spence would. It was as if they could sense her distress. The wonder of that made her heart soar. She could barely contain the love she had for her two best friends.
Spence reached out and lifted Lainey into his arms and settled her in the middle of the bed, quickly taking his place beside her. Before Lainey could react, Tim took his place on the other side of her. They both reached around her and held her snugly between them, laying their heads on her pillow and kissing her cheeks lightly.
“Lainey, we need you to stay quiet while we explain something to you. Okay, honey?” Tim asked her.
“Okay, but you’re scaring me a little bit,” Lainey told them both. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, kitten,” Spence assured her. “We just need you to hear us out.”
“All right,” Lainey whispered, taking both of their hands and holding them tightly against her chest.
Tim smiled across Lainey as he looked at Spence and saw the happiness on his best friend’s face. He would bet a month’s salary that Lainey had no idea that she was holding them both so tightly. She always did that without realizing it. It was a good sign that she was as used to them both touching her as they hoped that she would be. It would make what they had to propose to her that much easier.
“Lainey, we’ve known for a long time that you’re very special to us,” Spence began.
“You’re both special to me, too,” Lainey offered. “You’re my best friends.”
“I’m glad, honey, because we feel the same about you,” Tim said for the both of them. “But, over the years, that has changed for us.”
“I’m not your friend anymore?”
The worry in Lainey’s voice made them both lean against her and kiss her cheeks lightly to reassure her. They didn’t like the way her body stiffened between them.
“I’m messing this up,” Tim muttered.
“No, you’re not, Tim,” Spence assured him. “Lainey, you most certainly are our friend, but we’ve come to realize that you mean so much more to us.”
“More?”
“Yes, baby,” Tim continued for them. “When we see you, we want to hold you between us. When we touch you, we want to keep you in our arms forever.”
“You do?” Lainey’s voice held astonishment as she looked from Tim’s gentle, brown eyes, to Spence’s piercing, blue eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart,” Spence told her softly. “When you’re with us, we feel complete. You give us such gentleness and warmth. We don’t want to be without you.”
“We’ve known for a long time that we love you and want you with us always,” Tim told her. “We want to build a future and have a family with you. We want you as our mate.”
Lainey closed her eyes as she tried to calm her racing heart. She had to have heard it wrong. They did not just say that they wanted her to be mated to both of them.
“Lainey? Did you hear me, honey?”
Tim’s concerned voice permeated through the panic that was racing through her. “I hear you,” she whispered, opening her eyes and looking at Tim. “But it won’t work.” She gently traced the crescent birthmark on his left shoulder as she thought through what she wanted to say. She loved his birthmark. It always soothed her to trace its outline. She couldn’t remember the first time she had seen it, but she could remember the feeling of familiarity and safety it gave her.
“Why won’t it work, sweetheart?” Tim asked her calmly. “Is it because you just want me and not Spence?”
Spence’s imm
ediate snort of laughter made the corner of Tim’s mouth quirk up in a half smile. Lainey struggled to contain her own smile.
“I know I’m much better looking than Spence is, honey, but you should show him some pity. A guy as ugly as he is should have a chance, too,” Tim added.
Lainey laughed out loud. She reached up and tugged on the wet strands of Tim’s hair to gently pull on a good chunk of it. “Don’t say such awful things, Timmy,” she scolded him. “Spence is just as handsome as you are.”
“Thank you, kitten,” Spence told her, kissing her shoulder lightly.
“In a completely non-ugly kind of way,” Lainey added.
“What?” Spence sputtered. “I don’t even know what the hell that means!”
Lainey laughed as she turned to face him, touching his face lightly. “Oh, come on! You know you’re ridiculously handsome, Spence.”
“Ridiculously handsome? Is that good?” he teased her.
“You’re both handsome. End of discussion,” Lainey told them both firmly. “But it’s more than that.”
“What, honey?” Spence asked softly.
Lainey looked from one man to the other. How could she put into words just how wonderful they were without making their egos explode?
Pushing out of their arms, she sat up, turned to face them, and knelt between them. “You both are amazing men and amazing friends to me,” she began. “I’ve always known I could depend on you. I’ve never felt afraid or worried whenever you were around me. I knew you would listen to me and help me. I’ve loved you both since I was a little girl.”
“Lainey girl,” Tim whispered, reaching out and taking her hand in his. “We’re supposed to be telling you just how much you mean to us.”
Spence took her other hand and felt the zing of the connection he always felt whenever the three of them formed the link. “See how right it is when we’re connected, honey?” he asked her gently. “When we’re together, it’s right. It’s meant to be. We truly believe that we are fated soul mates—the three of us, Lainey. We can’t imagine being with any other woman. You’re it for us, honey.”
Lainey looked from one man to the other, seeing the honesty in their eyes. Could she really accept what they seemed to be offering her?
“I want that to be true, but…”
“But, what, baby?” Tim encouraged her. “What are you worried about?”
“Tim, are you going to be jealous when I kiss Spence?”
“No.”
“Really? I have a hard time believing that. It goes against human nature.”
“You’re wrong, baby,” Tim interrupted her. “It won’t be a problem with the three of us.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Lainey said softly, looking at him with concern. Turning slightly, she faced the other man who also was her best friend. “Spence, are you going to be jealous when I kiss Tim?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe either one of you,” she told them firmly. “How can you be okay with me showing affection to the other? How will you be able to stand it if I’m intimate with one of you and not the other? Jealousy is a natural reaction.”
“That won’t happen, Lainey,” Spence told her firmly.
“Of course that will happen,” Lainey shot back at him. “How are you going to be able to remain calm while I’m making love to Tim? And you, Tim. How are you going to handle it when I’m making love to Spence? Mates belong in pairs, not trios.”
“Bullshit!” Spence muttered angrily.
“I agree,” Tim spoke up immediately.
Both men reached out and pulled Lainey down so that she lay on her back between them, raising up on their forearms and pinning her to the mattress with their massive frames. Lainey was shocked by their move, but she wasn’t afraid. She actually felt pretty secure and protected.
“Listen to me very carefully, Lainey,” Spence told her very seriously. “Let me tell you how this is going to go. Tim and I have talked about this for the past two years. This is not something we’ve rushed into or are taking lightly. This is a commitment we’re entering into with every intention of making it our future—together—the three of us.”
“We’re going to claim you as our mate, Lainey,” Tim continued for them both. “We know the Great Spirit is going to bless our mating and give us the gift of you. We’re going to love you together, completely. We’re going to share your heart and your body.”
“There will be no jealousy, kitten,” Spence told her gently. “We both love you, and we know that you love us both equally. There is no favoritism in you, sweetheart. You’ve always been completely open and honest with us. We can feel your true caring and love for us. We want to be with you, sharing our lives every day and this bed every night for the rest of our lives.”
“Lainey, we’re going to love you forever,” Tim promised. “Every day we’ll come home to you and show you just how much you mean to us. You will never wonder how we feel about you. And there will be no competition between us. We both belong to you just as you belong to the both of us.”
Lainey was so stunned she didn’t know what to say. Their words were beautiful. They touched the deepest, hidden desires she had for a future with both of them. But what she wanted and what was accepted in the real world were nothing alike. She knew the prejudice they would face. She knew the way they would be perceived by society. She didn’t think she would have the courage and the strength to withstand the cruelty that would be directed not only at her, but also at the men that she loved. She wanted to always protect them from the cruelty of the world.
Before she could deny their words, both men leaned in and kissed her cheeks lightly. They followed the contour of her chin to her neck and nuzzled against her shoulders. She couldn’t prevent the small whimper of need that left her lips. She didn’t want to desire both men. She didn’t want to need both men. She didn’t want to love both men—but she did. She loved both Spence and Tim completely.
“Baby,” Tim whispered against her shoulder, kissing her lightly before biting down on the sensitive skin there.
“Tim,” Lainey moaned as he nearly covered her body with his and took her lips in a kiss that showed her just how much he cared about her.
“You belong to us, baby,” he whispered as his mouth left hers momentarily before claiming her once again.
He increased the pressure on her lips, coaxing her gently until she opened to his seeking tongue. Her sigh of pleasure gave him entrance, and he plunged in and tangled with her tongue, a soft grunt escaping him as her flavor burst across his taste buds. The joy at finally tasting her exploded within him. His cock was already hard but it now hardened to the point of pain at the thought of how delicious she would be as he explored her intimately.
He ran his hands up her legs, along her hips, and slid beneath the hem of her pink shirt. Pulling back, he lowered his body so that he was comfortably settled between her legs, sliding down until his mouth was even with the waistband of her jeans. He kissed along her waistband, humming against her belly as he had the beautiful thought of their baby growing deep inside of her.
Spence reached out and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her toward him until her side was flush against his chest, and he was leaning over her. Looking down at her, he couldn’t help but smile as happiness filled him. He watched her enjoy the way Tim was loving her, and he was determined to keep her comfortable and pliant beneath them. They were going to show her just how great it would be, loving both of them. He leaned forward and hovered his lips over hers, lightly blowing out a breath to ghost over her mouth.
“Lainey girl,” he whispered, kissing her gently. “I love you, kitten.”
Lainey melted as Spence took her mouth in the most exquisitely tender kiss she had ever experienced. The gentle prodding of his tongue asked permission to enter her mouth, and she was more than willing to open to him. It was beautiful. It was wonderful. And it made her feel cherished.
“Spence,” she whispered, wrappi
ng her arm around his body and sliding her left hand up his back to card through the hair on the back of his head and hold onto it tightly. She smiled against his lips when he growled the minute she tightened her hand in his hair and held him possessively against her.
Reaching down, she threaded the fingers of her right hand through Tim’s curly, brown hair, holding him tightly against her belly and moaning as his kisses registered. Between the two men, she was a ball of need and desire. The feelings both men pulled from her were pure and beautiful. She didn’t have it in her to deny her love for them any longer.
“Spence,” she whispered again against his lips, pushing lightly against his chest. He eased back immediately. “Tim,” she called to him, glad when he climbed up her body and held himself above her, smiling as she realized how careful he was to keep most of his weight off of her. “I need to talk to you both. Please.”
“Sure, baby,” Tim told her as he took his place at her right side. “Whatever you need.”
Spence settled himself against her left side, resting against her gently as he placed his hand on her bare belly and caressed it soothingly. He wished there was already a baby growing within her womb. He wanted that with her. He knew that all their babies would be beautiful because of Lainey. He and Tim had talked about it often over the past two years. It was something that they both wanted with their mate.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she told them softly.
“Why, Lainey?” Spence’s voice was gruff with emotion as he feared that they were going to lose her before they even had the chance to claim her.
“I don’t want to hurt either of you,” she told them honestly.
“How do you think you’re going to hurt us, honey?” Tim asked, reaching up and touching her cheek lightly.
Claiming Lainey [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 6
