by R. E. Butler
Grant found her mouth, tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue until she opened her mouth, moaning as his tongue slid against hers. She tugged his shirt until it came free of his pants, ripping the bottom button off in her haste, and felt him smile against her lips. Pulling away slightly, he took off the shirt and then lifted the now completely unhooked corset off her body and dropped it to the floor. Cool air hit her, making her skin pebble.
Aaron pulled his own sweater off before settling back between her legs, stroking his fingers over her heated flesh. Grant cupped one of her breasts and lowered his head, tracing his tongue around her hardened nipple with lazy strokes. Her hands reached for both men, one finding Aaron’s arm hooked around her leg to keep it open and the other stroking the soft, short hair on Grant’s head. Aaron’s soft lips moved closer to her throbbing core, the fingers of his free hand gently spreading the lips of her sex open. Just as Aaron stroked his tongue up her pussy, Grant sucked her nipple into his mouth, and she arched upwards with a groan, her hands flexing against them.
They drove her slowly wild, licking and kissing, sucking and nibbling, until her body quivered and her breaths came out in fast pants. Pleasure coiled tightly in her stomach as Aaron slipped two fingers into her channel and curved them upwards, rubbing quickly until her mind spiraled away and pleasure washed over her. Crying out as her body spasmed, she raked her nails down Grant’s neck and across Aaron’s arm, and they purred loudly.
Still reeling from the orgasm, she blinked slowly as they stripped from their clothes completely. Grant kissed her hard, rolling to his back and carrying her with him. Aaron tugged her down Grant’s body, lifting her hips with one arm hooked under her until her legs split on either side of Grant’s, and Grant’s hard cock brushed against her cheek.
Her mind snapped into focus, and she propped herself up on one arm and wrapped her hand around Grant’s cock. Her fingers and thumb didn’t touch as she stroked up the solid length of him, darting her tongue across the swollen head to catch the bead of pre-come that glistened there. Grant groaned, and she echoed it as Aaron’s cock rubbed against her wetness several times before pushing inside her.
Her eyes fluttered shut as Aaron thrust into her, his thickness filling her completely. She jerked as Aaron’s fingers lightly pinched her clit, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she looked at him.
“Don’t stop tending to your mate, sweetheart, or I’ll stop tending to you.”
He grinned at her and circled her clit with his fingers. She narrowed her eyes at him, aware he knew all too well that she couldn’t concentrate when she was being pleasured, but the thought of him stopping was enough to have her focusing on the task at hand. She glanced up at Grant, taking in his tense features. “I won’t forget about you,” she whispered and stroked her tongue across the soft head of his cock, watching as his eyes closed in rapture and his features relaxed.
Aaron began to thrust into her, his fingers keeping time across her clit and sending little waves of pleasure through her. She concentrated on Grant’s cock, using her hand to help stroke him as she closed her mouth over the top of his cock and sucked. Every delicious sound he made spurred her on as Aaron rocked into her and drove her toward another climax.
Aaron began to rub her clit up and down quickly, and her eyes crossed, her mouth opening on a gasp as she forgot everything and concentrated on the heat pulsating from her body. Her pussy clenched Aaron’s cock, and she began to pant, feeling the climax was just within reach. Aaron’s hand stilled and his hips pressed against the backs of her thighs, and she let out a soft whimper. Aware she’d forgotten all about Grant’s pleasure as she’d been happily ensconced in her own, she kissed the top of Grant’s cock in apology and sucked him into her mouth. Immediately, Aaron began to thrust into her again, his fingers zooming in on her clit and driving her wild.
Determined not to lose her concentration again, she focused on Grant’s pleasure as she licked down the underside of his cock, fondling his balls and deviling her tongue at the place where his shaft and head met. He hissed her name, chanting it softly like it was a prayer, and she lifted from him only long enough to moan, “Come with me, both of you. Please.”
As if they had been waiting for her, Aaron began pulsing into her with hard, fast strokes and thrumming his fingers across her clit. She took as much of Grant’s cock into her mouth as she could, moving on him, stroking with her hand as quickly as Aaron took her. She felt Grant’s cock swell slightly, and the first splash of his come into her mouth set off her climax, and she groaned, shoving her hips back against Aaron as he shouted out her name when he came.
She swallowed and eased her mouth from Grant’s cock, kissing the head once with a happy sigh, her body shivering in her release. Aaron grasped her around the waist and pulled her with him as he fell to the bed, turning into her and pulling her back against his chest. She stroked her hand down Grant’s chest as he breathed hard and he lifted her hand and kissed her palm. Turning into her, he kissed her once, stroking his thumb across her jaw.
“You are so amazing, Sam,” Grant whispered.
“You are, too, both of you,” she promised, kissing him and then turning her head to kiss Aaron.
“I’m glad you’re here with us, Sam,” Aaron said.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” she promised.
Grant turned onto his side, facing away from her and scooted back until they were touching. She leaned forward slightly and kissed his neck and then settled back, her head resting on Aaron’s bent arm. Aaron’s warm hand rested on her stomach, and Grant pulled her hand forward and held it against his chest, where she could feel the beat of his heart under her palm.
Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she drifted off to sleep, safely held between her men.
Chapter 6
Sunday came far too fast in Grant’s opinion. It seemed like only minutes had passed since Aaron had brought Sam through the door on Friday evening, but now the sun was shining through the windows in Aaron’s bedroom, signifying that the last few hours of their alone time were nearly at an end. Sam’s breath skirted over his collarbone as she cuddled against him, and he closed his eyes, trying to memorize everything about this moment. He didn’t want this to end. He wanted to wake up to Sam every morning for the rest of his life. But reality was as harsh as the light of day because what they’d had this weekend — just the three of them — was coming to an end when their family returned from their camping trip. Truthfully, he missed his kids terribly and couldn’t wait to see them, but he would miss Sam equally as much when they took her home tonight.
Aaron woke up just before Sam did, and the three of them took a leisurely shower and then went into town to go to Cherie’s for a late breakfast. Cherie’s was run by Cherie herself, a large woman with a boisterous laugh and a kind heart, who cooked the best omelets Grant had ever eaten. Her granddaughter Lily waitressed on the weekends to help out, as did several other members of Cherie’s family.
They sat in a corner booth, and Lily came over with coffee for all of them. “Oh, I know you! You teach at the school, right?” Lily smiled at Sam.
“Yes, music. I’m Samantha.”
Lily smiled. “Lily St. James. You guys want your usual or do you need menus?”
They asked for menus, and Lily walked over to the counter and returned with them quickly, promising to be right back for their orders.
Sam chewed on her bottom lip as she looked over the menu, and after a few quiet minutes, she closed it and put it on the table.
“What did you decide, sweetheart?” Aaron asked, brushing her hair off her shoulder.
“Cream cheese stuffed French toast.”
“You like sweet things for breakfast?” Grant asked, stroking the top of her hand. He couldn’t stop himself from touching her.
She fixed her coffee, took a tentative sip, and then added another package of sugar to it. “Yeah, my dad used to go out every Sunday and get a big box of donuts. He always ma
de sure that he got my favorite peanut butter filled one.”
Grant envied her the life she’d had. She didn’t really understand how fortunate she’d been, growing up with two loving parents. He hadn’t ever felt as if he had suffered growing up, with just his father raising him, but he knew he missed out on something amazing by not having a loving mother. He’d only seen his biological mother once when he was ten and his father had taken him, Aaron, James, John, and Rhett to her home. They’d been dressed up in their best clothes, their shirts neatly pressed and their hair combed perfectly. He stood next to their father on the front porch as he rang the doorbell. After awhile, a tall woman with long, dark blonde hair answered the door, looked at them all and said brusquely, “I don’t know what you’re doing here, Joseph. I have no desire to see you or your children.”
His father’s hand had tightened on Grant’s shoulder for just a moment, and Grant looked up at his father and realized that the woman in the doorway was his mother. Grant and his brothers had asked about her in the past but were told it would be easier if they never knew who she was because as a mountain lion, she had no desire to see her children or to be a part of their lives.
“Sandra, I know you’re moving away with some of the females. I wanted,” his father cleared his throat and then continued, “I wanted to ask you to reconsider. Not just for me, but for the boys.”
Green eyes that matched Grant’s own glared at him as his mother made a face and then sneered, “I will not. Isn’t it enough that I debased myself with you to give you children because you begged and pleaded? I did my part for the future of the lions. It’s just too bad that they turned out to be males.”
She didn’t say goodbye; she just turned away and shut the door. Their father straightened his shoulders and marched them down the steps and sidewalk to the waiting car. It was only later when they were home that Grant heard his father weeping in his bathroom, just barely discernible over the shower he’d turned on to drown out the sound. They’d never spoken of that day, and when their father died when Grant was twenty-four, he knew that he’d gone to his grave mourning the loss of the female he had loved. If his father had only known what Grant knew now. If he’d only imagined that their people would find a way to have mates and make real homes for their children, with mothers who would stick around and love not only the children, but the males as well.
Lily interrupted his thoughts when she came back to take their orders, and when she was gone, Sam said, “No one’s looking at us.”
Grant raised a brow. “Did you expect them to?”
She shrugged. “This is a small town, and people talk.”
Aaron said, “You’re new to town, but we’ve been here for two years. They are fairly understanding of us and know that there are things we do differently than what humans are often accustomed to because we’re weres.”
Grant leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Most of our family are cops. They probably wouldn’t say anything just on principle. They wouldn’t want their cars to get towed.”
She laughed and asked Aaron if he would really do that.
He just winked and laughed and didn’t answer. Grant knew that if someone did say something about them, especially if Sam was around, that person would find out very quickly that messing with a mountain lion’s mate was a very, very bad idea.
Throughout breakfast, they talked about the coming week. The week before, he and Aaron had taken turns each day with Sam, so that one of them was home with the boys and the other was with her. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do until they came to a place in their relationship where she would move in with them. And then it occurred to him that she might not be comfortable sharing a home with so many other males. His fork stilled halfway to his mouth as he contemplated what that might mean. They’d have to find a house big enough for their kids, but close enough so they could be with their uncles and the other lions they’d become close to. It would be difficult on them all, but he knew the kids wouldn’t want Sam to be unhappy so — like their fathers — they would do anything to make sure that didn’t happen.
Once back home in Aaron’s bed after they made love together again, Sam dozed between them, her pretty face flushed with passion.
With a low voice he said, “I wish it weren’t nearly over.”
Aaron sighed, staring up at the ceiling with one hand behind his head and the other pressed against Sam’s hand that was on his chest. “Me, too. It’s been amazing. She’s amazing.”
Grant agreed. He smoothed his hand down her waist, her soft, warm flesh beckoning him to touch and taste. He resisted because his sweetheart needed to rest, and the family was due back soon.
Aaron whispered, “I don’t like her not being with us. It makes me worry about her safety.”
“Are you thinking about the tire slashing?” Grant had been furious someone had tampered with her car.
Aaron nodded. “Out of all the cars in the parking lot, why hers? It’s a nice car, but it wasn’t the nicest one there. It couldn’t have been random.”
Unease settled over Grant as he looked down at his sleeping sweetheart. At war with himself, he didn’t know what to do about the situation. After several minutes of quiet passed, Grant said, “What should we do?”
“I don’t know,” Aaron said.
The afternoon passed slowly as Sam napped, waking up just before the family returned from their trip. She had plans to have dinner with her family, so she stayed only long enough to say hello to the kids, and then Aaron drove her home so she could make it to dinner on time.
The house had been mostly quiet during the weekend, save for the sounds of their lovemaking, so having all the members of the pride back with the kids running around still excited from their trip, brought a smile to Grant’s face. Brian, sporting a red welt on his neck, drew Grant’s attention first. Grant lifted his son onto the counter and peered at the mark.
“What happened, Brian?” he asked.
“I got whacked with a tree branch!” Brian said with a grin, showing that he was now missing a bottom tooth.
“You lost a tooth!”
“I did. Did you know, Dad, that the tooth-lion-fairy even comes out into the woods?” he said with wide eyes. Grant smiled at the mention of the tooth-lion-fairy. When Brian lost a tooth when Callie had first come into their lives, she asked him about the tooth fairy, and up to that point, the males had always called that particular mythological creature the “lion fairy.” In homage to Callie, the winged creature who dropped by after the kids were in bed was now known as the tooth-lion-fairy.
Grant glanced at James who smiled silently. “She does? How much did you get?” Grant asked.
“Twenty bucks!”
Grant blinked. “Did you say twenty?” He cast his eyes to James in confusion.
James shrugged and said, “I’m pretty sure that the tooth-lion-fairy thought she was pulling a five dollar bill out of her fairy wallet and accidentally left the twenty instead.”
Grant chuckled.
Wesley cracked open a bottle of water. “We told Brian that the tooth-lion-fairy left extra money because losing your tooth in the woods is good luck.”
Grant mouthed thanks to Wesley, who nodded with a smile. Grant hugged Brian, making sure that the mark on his neck didn’t hurt any longer, and set him down on the floor.
“Why couldn’t Sam stay, Dad?” Kevin asked.
“She had a dinner with her parents tonight. She stayed long enough to say hi, but she had to leave so she wouldn’t be too late.”
“Oh,” Kevin said, his mouth turning down slightly.
“What’s wrong, kiddo?”
Kevin turned his face up, blinking wide green eyes at him. “I like it when she’s here.”
Grant’s heart panged in his chest. “Me, too, Kev.”
As the pride sat down to a casual dinner of sandwiches and chips, the kids regaled them with stories of staying up late, telling ghost stories, and trying their burgeoning hunting skills out on small
, furry prey.
When the boys were showered and in bed, Grant walked into his bedroom with a yawn. Except for grabbing clothes, he hadn’t been in his room since Friday. Aaron was sitting on his bed.
“What’s up?” Grant asked.
“Ben wanted to know why Sam wasn’t staying here with us. He said that when mountain lions find their mates, they shouldn’t leave them alone because it was the lions’ responsibility to protect them.”
Grant chuckled. “What did you tell him?”
Aaron sighed. “I really didn’t know what to say because a huge part of me agrees with him. She is our mate, and that makes her safety our responsibility. But I’m afraid she’ll think it’s too soon. We’ve only been dating her a week. I’ve seen enough chick flicks to know that women don’t like to be rushed.”
Musing silently, Grant pondered the situation. It was true that Sam was their mate; they were both certain of it now. Being with her for the weekend, sharing her together as a mating group, had changed things between them. When before, the relationship was still new and light, now that they’d spent so much time together, it felt more solid, more real. He’d never been in a relationship before, but he knew he never wanted anyone but Sam for the rest of his life.
“Maybe it’s best for us to let her tell us when she’s ready to get more serious. It does kill me that she’s alone at night, but maybe we can do something about that. Buy her a security system or something. It’s not as if we can spend nights with her. She has her job, and we have the kids and our own jobs. Until we’re living together, we’ll just have to make do.”
Aaron nodded. “I know a guy who does security systems in the area, I’ll give him a call and check with Sam to make sure she won’t mind. And when I’m working at night, I’ll drive by her place to check on things, too.”
