"Yet."
"Yet," agreed Luke.
"I'm going to take her upstairs. If she wakes up on the couch she's going to be stiff and cranky." Cade edged off the sofa, moving her feet onto the cushions. Bending at the knees, he slid his hands under her back and knees, lifting her like she weighed nothing. He was out the room before Luke could offer to help, not that he needed it.
As he walked up the stairs, he caught another whiff of her shampoo, a light, fruity scent that made him breath deep then kiss her forehead.
Depositing her on the bed, he took a look at the shorts and t-shirt she wore. Should he remove them and risk her wrath like the other day when she fainted, or let her be pissed that she slept in the clothes she'd worn all day? Carefully, he undid her shorts and slipped them off, leaving her clad in her tee and panties. It didn’t escape his notice that they were pink and lacy, a one hundred percent improvement on yesterday. Was she dressing up for him? He swallowed hard and looked away.
She couldn't object to him removing her shorts, could she? His cock certainly didn’t mind. Just the touch of his hands on her thighs had him hard. He gave it a tug through his jeans then felt slightly guilty as he looked down at her. Best not think of sex. Or how good it would feel if she woke and drew him down to her, where he could rest between her legs. Best think of anything else. Like, like...he couldn't think of anything. Damnit, his mind had turned to mush.
He yawned. It was kind of early to turn in but his body was warm and relaxed and he'd done plenty of manual labor, something he enjoyed but his regular desk job didn't allow him the opportunity to do. Her bed looked awfully inviting. Far more so than the floor downstairs, given that he was much too tall to sleep on the couch.
As Cade looked down at Clara's blonde curls spilling across the pillow, he slid off his jeans and folded them over the back of the chair, then his t-shirt, and got in, the sheets cool against his body. As if she somehow registered the weight of another body joining hers, Clara shifted and moved towards him, her arm sliding across his chest and her leg wrapping over one of his, her body pressed to his side. Instantly, his softening cock was as hard as a rock again.
She shuffled again. This time her cheek pressed against his chest and his arms instinctively went around her as she snuggled against him just like he’d always wanted. Her shallow breathing and warm body had him falling into slumber quicker than he could care about where Luke thought he was and before he could think how mad Clara was going to be when she woke up.
Oh what the hell. She's the one snuggled up to me. Let her be mad. At least I'll get a decent night's sleep first.
Chapter Eight
"What are you waiting for?" His voice was a whisper against her skin.
"I can't," she protested but her voice sounded weak, even to her.
"Why not?" Colton persisted. "Why can't you love Cade?" His mouth pressed against her neck and she closed her eyes, the weight of his lips nothing more than a brushstroke yet incredibly hot. He knew all the spots she loved, exactly where she wanted to be touched. It could have been the mating bond; it could be because he was a man who really paid attention.
She wanted to revel in his arms, to enjoy his touches, to sink under his kisses and return them as her own passion ignited. Yet his questions niggled at her, demanded to be answered. Just what was it that made her so reticent all this time to enjoy the loving of his brother? What was it that made her consistently say no, when her body demanded she say yes? When her own mate thought the extra bond would strengthen their unit?
It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to Cade, she always had been. Like Colton, he was broad and strong with a fine, athletic body. Not only that but he was quick witted, always made her laugh and his smile...oh, his smile melted her. And her wolf positively adored him.
In the very early days, Colton had been terribly annoyed that the mating urge had sprung between his brother and her, but his jealousy quickly dissipated under her constant reassurance that she loved him. Strangely, it had been he who had suggested that perhaps the mating bond could work as a threeway thing, that, yes, he minded sharing her, but he was sure it wouldn't last forever and besides, some residual jealousy could be a healthy thing, would make sure he never got complacent. That early jealousy had subsided quickly. Still she said no, even when she suspected him of putting her in positions with Cade, alone, where she could have acted on her urges if she wanted. It took all her sense of self to still say no, difficult as it was. Marriages were two, not three. That’s the way humans did it. That’s what she wanted.
She smiled, remembering the day Colton had pulled her into his arms and told her in no uncertain terms that he was positive this was meant to be, and that when she chose to, she would be able to love and mate his brother with his blessing. He was okay with it, if she was. And he didn't want to deny his brother love and a family, not when they could all have that together. Plus how lucky were they that fate picked her for them both?
"Why are you smiling?" His breath tickled her throat and she felt his body shift, the weight of one leg thrown over hers.
"Remembering."
He wrapped a curly lock around his fingers, watched it corkscrew and spring back. "What do you remember?"
"All those times when you told me to accept Cade, to make him mine."
"And yet you still didn't." The why still hung between them, though he didn't press it. Colton never pressed anything. She loved his easy going nature. Loved that even when he was absolutely positive he was right, he still didn't have the need to force her into agreeing with him. He loved her for who she was.
"No," she admitted. "I only ever wanted you. You were enough for me."
She frowned at the words. Something was wrong. She'd spoken in past tense, yet Colton was in her arms, his lips moving from her neck, her jaw, resting on her lips. Colton was here.
"I know that," he said simply.
"It didn't seem right," she mused.
"How could something right not seem right?" Colton laughed softly as he rolled onto her, his elbows either side of her body supporting his weight.
"I don't know!" She hooked her arms under his, her palms resting on his shoulder blades as she looked into his eyes.
"Think, Clara. What's stopping you? He can love you. He loves you." Colton kissed her and she closed her eyes, losing herself in his beautiful kisses, the familiar fire lighting in her belly and travelling south. "And the tiger. He will love you too."
Clara's eyes flashed open. How did Colton know about Luke? Her question was lost as Colton pressed his body against hers, his right hand sliding down her body and cupping under her thigh, pulling her leg up. She rested her heel on his lower back and sighed as he pressed his hardening cock against her wet sex, so ready for him. She needed this, she wanted this. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to feel him moving and rubbing and bringing her to climax.
"I know you want him Clara and it's okay." Colton kissed her between words, his hips pushing forwards, rubbing against her, teasing even though he knew she burned for him. "He's my brother. He loves you like I do. Say his name."
Clara shivered, her skin suddenly cool.
"Cade?"
"Just say yes, Clara. Everything will be all right. I love you."
"I love you," she murmured, opening her eyes, blinking. It was strange. She swore she could see right through him. She could see her palms resting on his back. She squeezed her eyes shut. It must be an effect of the light. The body resting over hers moved, fingers brushed hair from her shoulder and then lips pressed against her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his shoulder, his neck, his jaw, finally his lips. She sighed as his tongue slipped inside, finding hers, kissing her so passionately that she felt the very moment her nipples tightened into hard nubs. His body shifted against hers, the feel of his skin on hers wonderful. A hand slid down, over her breast to her hip and settled at the junction of her thighs where his hard cock pressed, jutting against her. She angled her hips upwards and rubbed
against him and smiled at the sound of his low moan.
Fingers sought and found her clit, pressing and rubbing until she was sure she would climax soon without him even being inside her. With a sigh she pushed back, one hand reaching down to grasp his hard length, ready to guide him inside. She needed this, wanted this. It had been so long. Fingers slid through her damp lips, and she arched against him, just as a finger breached her entrance, pushed inside and her sighs turned ragged with desire.
His lips caught her mouth again, catching her sighs as she moaned and writhed under him, her legs pushing up to allow him better access.
"Clara?"
"Mmmm?"
The voice whispered her name again. Not Colton. Not Colton's voice, but similar, very similar.
"Don't go," she whispered. "Please don't go."
"I won't leave you." Arms wrapped around her and she was warm again. His cock rubbed between the junction of her thighs, seeking her and she rubbed back. Opening her eyes, she snuggled her face into the crux of his neck, inhaling his scent. Different. Again there was that feeling. Not Colton. She tightened her arms around him, refusing to believe it, and the man's arms returned the pressure, holding her to him. Lips kissed her neck. "I'll never leave you. I love you, Clara."
"Yes," she whispered, but she wasn't sure what she was saying yes to. That he loved her? Undoubtedly. That the feel of him in her arms was wonderful? Yes. That she wanted to make love to him right now? Yes. That she could return Cade's love? Yes. That surprised her. "Mmmm. Cade," she murmured, her hands moving over his back.
He shuffled in her arms and raised his head, one hand moving to her hair as the other stroked her soaking sex, his fingers languidly pumping her as her own hand stroked his hard length. He coiled one long lock of hair then let it bounce back. "Sweetheart?" he murmured, as she guided his cock to her entrance, arching to meet him.
Clara opened her eyes properly this time.
Focused.
And screamed.
***
At the sound of Clara's scream, Luke dropped the spoonful of sugar he was about to dump into his mug and raced upstairs, along the hallway, then through the open doorway into her bedroom.
"What the hell's going on?" he growled, seeing Clara with her back pressed against the wall, clinging to a white sheet that barely covered her obviously naked body. The sheet drooped at her hip, barely circling a bottom that was made for caressing.
Cade sat in her bed, equally naked with a puzzled expression on his face as he raked a hand through his hair.
"What were you doing?" Clara screeched at Cade.
"It wasn't obvious?" Cade quipped, flinging his hands into the air.
"Arrgh!"
"You were participating," Cade pointed out, glancing over at Luke and shrugging like he really didn't get what all the fuss was about.
Clara clutched the sheet as the creamy swell of her breasts heaved. "I thought I was dreaming!"
Cade grinned. "You have really dirty, really vivid dreams."
"You took advantage!"
"No, I didn't. Okay, maybe I got into your bed when I wasn't exactly invited. Ahhha!" He held up a silencing finger as Clara's mouth dropped open into an indignant gasp. "But you were whispering my name, telling me not to go and that was some wicked cool hip action you had going on."
Luke continued to watch as Clara colored, unsure whether to intervene and play the big protector or to let the conversation play out and find out what happened? Given that his best friend and the woman were both naked, he had a pretty good clue sex was involved. The tiger in him wanted to snarl ‘hands off’ at Cade, even considered shifting to his tiger-self and protect his woman. The man in him wanted to see if this was Clara ready to take another step. If this was the point where she would stop seeing one of them, at least, as the pesky home crashers, and instead as potential lovers; if she was ready to let go.
"And you seemed to be really enjoying yourself," continued Cade.
Clara went beet red, twisted her body as she reached towards the bed, unintentionally giving Luke a very nice view, grabbed a pillow and hit Cade with it. Hard.
"Ow!"
"And you," she turned on Luke, as she shuffled back against the wall. "Stop ogling my body!"
Luke hadn't been ogling her body, well, not exactly, until the point she turned around and exposed her bare back, and high, rounded bottom, but now he found himself blinking and trying to remind himself what he was here for. Damned if I can remember what that is, he thought, as his cock stirred at the sight, ready to rise again not long after he'd lost his early morning erection the damn thing so hard he’d actually contemplated beating off in her bathroom just to make it go away. What he did know was he didn't like to see her so angry, but he was amused that she barely made an effort to cover herself, especially given the scent of her arousal lingering in the air.
"Perhaps you could cover it?" he suggested, which clearly wasn't the right thing to say, given that she gave a feral yell, twisting and turning to try and straighten out the sheet as she attempted to wrap it around herself, finally giving up and stamping into the bathroom, the sheet tails trailing. With one hard tug, she pulled them inside and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Well," said Luke wrenching his gaze from the wooden door and the delectable naked female behind it, and over to his not-so-interesting naked friend. He grabbed jeans from the chair and threw them at Cade. "Seeing as you're managing this so well, I'll leave you to it."
"Thanks," snipped Cade, grabbing the denim before it hit him in the face. "Some help you've been."
"You don't need help," said Luke, turning to go. "You need disaster management."
***
Clara pressed her back against the bathroom door and buried her face in her hands, hardly able to process what had just happened.
She had been having such a vivid, wonderful dream about Colton, about talking to him about Cade and the second chance he represented. Half waking to find a delicious, masculine body pressed against hers with lips that set her passion alight, and fingers that set her body on fire, was wonderful, bringing to mind many other beautiful awakenings so long ago now.
Aroused, she'd kissed him back fiercely, ground her body against his and allowed him to delve his fingers inside her, her soaking wetness enveloping him, and wanting more. He had been so close to being inside her.
With hot awareness flooding her face, she even remembered whispering she loved him.
Strange thing was, now she thought about it, she was sure she'd known it was Cade all along only her unconscious and conscious minds hadn't gotten quite up to speed and her body was so busy enjoying itself at his touch that all her inhibitions had gone out the window. Whatever happened to no way and not sure that got turned into yes, yes, yes, more, please!?
Even worse if she hadn't suddenly fully woken and screamed, Cade would be inside her right now, filling her, pleasuring her, as they moved and ground against each other and brought each other to orgasm. Her nipples tightened to aching peaks at the thought of making love to Cade. Her clit throbbed, a reminder of how worked up Cade had gotten her and how she wouldn't get the release she wanted, the release her body needed. Demanded.
"We'll see about that," she muttered. Dropping the sheet on the floor, she strode towards the shower and turned the water on, sliding under the spray just as it turned warm.
It seemed an impossibly long time that she'd given into her body's desires. For so long it had been painful enough to sleep, wake, eat, to stumble through daily life, never mind give in to her baser urges. And now all she could think about was the sweet pleasure a climax at a man's hands, Cade’s hands, would give her.
Starting at her breasts, cupping one in each hand, Clara allowed her palms to drift in circular strokes, squeezing slightly as she brought her thumbs and forefingers over her stiff nipples. They tightened harder under her touch. What would it feel like to have Cade touch her like this if she took him to her bed wide awake? Would he lick her nipples?
Suck them? Would he take one in his mouth as his cock sought her core?
Running a hand down, over her stomach, she lifted one leg and positioned her foot against the tiles. She found her clit easily, the hard, swollen nub begging for attention. She stroked it gently, almost guiltily at first because she wanted sex badly and it was just another reminder that she had to move forwards
As the heat grew inside her, more impatiently until she panted under the hot, steady stream. God, she could feel her climax building, wanted it. Wanted to send herself over the edge. Wanted Cade to burst in and take her, to feel his hard body behind hers, to feel his hands bending her forwards until her hands had to plant against the cool tiles as he entered her roughly. A moan escaped her mouth and her sex twinged as her climax built.
A bang at the door made her start.
"In case you wondered," came Cade's voice, interrupting her solace. "That was my head."
Clara laughed, clapping a hand over her mouth, while the other paused over her cleft. He wasn't amusing. He was annoying, an interloper, a sexy-as-hell lycan shifter.
"Yeah? You think that's funny? Jeez, woman, you're killing me out here. I've got a boner that won't go away and I can smell your arousal. Open the door."
"Not a chance," she yelled, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face, even if she did give the air a surreptitious sniff. Was it that obvious that not only had he turned her on but she was having to take care of business herself?
"Oh, baby, the lack of blood is making me light headed," Cade groaned.
"So, pass out!"
"Maybe I'll just get busy in your bed. Me and my right hand."
Clara gaped at the tiles. Get busy in her bed? Of all the downright outrageous things he could suggest! Bad enough that she was having to attend to herself in the shower but that he was going to stretch out on her bed, thick, hard cock in hand... argh! She clamped her eyes shut.
Second Chance Mates Page 7
