by R. E. Butler
They lunged at her at the same time, and she squealed in surprise. She laughed when they tossed her to the bed and trapped her between them. “Mates are forever, Sam. We won’t ever let you go, no matter what happens,” Grant said.
She pulled Grant down to her mouth, slipping her tongue past his lush lips and sliding her tongue against his. He groaned, and it sounded like a growl, shivering down her spine in a delicious vibration.
“Wait, love,” Aaron said, “what did your parents say?”
She laughed into Grant’s mouth, and he nipped at her lip with a smile, easing away to give her a moment to speak. “They said they want to meet you, and the kids, too. And get this, I’m one-eighth werewolf. My dad’s real father was a full-blooded werewolf.”
Aaron hummed in his throat. “So that’s why you were so drawn to us so quickly.”
“That’s what my dad said. It makes sense to me. I love how you guys smell.”
Grant grinned. “We like how you smell, too, especially when you’re turned on.”
“Oh?” She laughed as he lifted her top and nuzzled her stomach.
“You smell incredible when you’re turned on,” he said as he lifted his head slightly and gazed at her with hunger-filled green eyes. As she watched him lick across her navel, his eyes flickered from green to gold.
Aaron pushed her shirt up and over her head and flicked open the front closure of her bra as Grant unzipped her slacks and drew them down her legs. “We’re so glad your family wants to meet us, baby. We’d love to meet them and thank them for raising such an amazing, loving woman.”
Her eyes fluttered shut as Grant kissed up the inside of her thigh as he settled between them and Aaron nuzzled her breasts before capturing one nipple between his lips. Pleasure rolled over her as she made love to her mates, reveling in their love for her and her love for them.
Sam woke up with a soft groan, cursing inwardly for falling asleep. It had just been so warm and comfortable in their arms, and she’d promised herself she was only going to close her eyes for just a minute before she told them she had to get home. Now, it was well after midnight.
She slipped from between Aaron and Grant and located her clothes. Exhaustion plucked at her, and the chill in the room made her want to climb back between the two sleeping men, but she needed to get home.
She dressed and quietly headed out into the hallway. Not only did she have school in the morning, but she wasn’t comfortable with the kids knowing she’d spent the night. She knew how kids could be, and they would jump to conclusions about her and their fathers. She knew that she, Aaron, and Grant had made some pretty serious promises, but they hadn’t talked about making things permanent, or their living arrangements, and she didn’t want to rush things if they weren’t ready.
Aaron startled her when he jerked her jacket from her hands. “Where are you going?” he asked with a harsh whisper.
“I should get home,” she said, reaching for her jacket. He moved it out of her reach and she huffed. “Give me my coat, please.”
“Why do you want to leave?” Aaron demanded.
“It’s a school night,” she said lamely.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Grant said, looking out one of the front windows.
“What?” She walked over to where he stood and gaped at the sight. At least two feet of snow had fallen since she’d been there. “Oh, crap.”
Aaron hung up her coat and came to stand next to her. After a quiet moment, he turned her away from the window and looked into her eyes. “Why did you try to sneak out?”
“Because of your kids. I didn’t think I should be here when they woke up.”
He frowned, his mouth pulling down at the corners, his brow furrowing. “I don’t understand. They know we’re mates, Sam. It’s the way of our kind.”
“I guess I’m just not ready for them to know what’s going on with us.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you ashamed of our relationship?”
She blinked. “What? No, of course not. I don’t want to get their hopes up.”
Her heart squeezed, knowing he would ask her what she meant. She wasn’t disappointed.
“What do you mean ‘get their hopes up’?” Aaron said suspiciously.
“I mean, what if you decide you don’t want me?” The words popped out before she could stop them. She’d just voiced her deepest fear.
Grant startled her, his voice rumbling in her ear. “Why on earth would you think we’d ever not want you?”
“My ex-husband —” she started, and Aaron cut her off with a snarl.
“Was a fucking asshole, baby. He made a commitment, vowed to be with you, and he lied. If you would let me, I’d beat him on principle.” Aaron framed her face with his hands. She gripped his wrists, staring into the sincere depths of his dark blue eyes.
Grant squeezed her shoulder gently. “If you wanted to go home because you weren’t ready to face the kids like this, that’s fine. But don’t for a minute think that we don’t want you here, all the time, because we do.”
She felt tears prick her eyes. She wanted to believe them, but she was afraid. She took in a slow breath, and Aaron kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry that you can’t have children of your own, Sam. If we could have kids together, I would be happy to share that with you. But it’s not an all or nothing situation for me. You’re perfect the way you are, and I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
She felt Grant press behind her, his hands on her hips as he rested his forehead against her shoulder. “Did you ever think that maybe you were meant for us, sweetheart? We believe in fate and truemates. The one person who is meant for both of us is you.”
She turned her head to look at him. Grant brushed a tear from her cheek. “You’re one hundred percent perfect in our eyes.”
She swallowed hard. Closing her eyes, she said softly, “I’m afraid to get hurt again. I feel so connected to you both that if something happened between us and I got left behind, I think it would destroy me.”
A soft sound of displeasure came from Grant, and he slipped his arms around her and hugged her close. “We’re not going anywhere, Sam. Aaron and I are your mates, and mates are for life.”
Aaron said, “There’s no going back for us. We’re yours and you’re ours. We want you to move in with us; live here and let us take care of you.”
“You have to meet my parents first,” she said, tears of relief slid down her cheeks.
Aaron pulled her into his arms, bent her backwards, and kissed her hard. When he set her right, he lifted her left hand and kissed her ring finger. “Something’s missing on this finger, though.”
Her heart thudded irregularly in her chest. “Oh?”
Grant picked up her right hand. “This one, too.”
Aaron kissed her nose. “Later, though, we’ll ask you for real. You make your plans for us to visit your parents, the sooner the better. And we’ll ask your father if he’ll let us have your hands.”
She couldn’t stop her silly grin or the way she wanted to cry again with happiness. “I love you,” she said to both of them.
They both repeated the words back to her, and Grant hugged her tightly. “Don’t ever be afraid to tell us what’s on your mind, good or bad. We’re here for you forever. And when we promise forever, that’s just what you get. Do you believe us?”
She looked into the depths of his green eyes and saw utter sincerity. “I do.”
“Good. Now, let’s get back to bed. It’s cold as hell down here.” Aaron chuckled, swinging her up into his arms.
“I know a good way to warm up,” Grant offered.
“Me too.” She laughed.
In the morning, she walked downstairs with Grant and Aaron. The kids were all sitting at the island eating breakfast and Wesley, Ray, and Micah were talking quietly over coffee.
The kids nearly fell off their chairs in an effort to get to her, and she laughed as they pulled her with them back to the island and i
nsisted she sit down for breakfast. Aaron and Grant gave her amused looks as Grant poured coffee for the three of them, and Aaron gathered dishes from the cabinet. The kids had known she’d stayed over when they came downstairs and found her coat still hung up and her car buried in the snow. She had thought it might feel strange to see them like this, but it felt completely natural. Grant and Aaron asked her, after they made love again in the early morning, if she wanted to live in the boarding house with them or if she’d rather them find a home of their own, and it touched her that they were worried she would feel uncomfortable in a house full of men. She appreciated the gesture, but she knew in her heart that mountain lions were meant to be together, in their pride, and it would be incredibly selfish of her to take them away from the people they cared about.
After breakfast, she went out in the backyard with the kids and built snowmen while the men of the house dug out her car and shoveled the long driveway. The snow had stopped by morning, and a light wind caused it to drift. She and the kids built a big snow family, and then armed themselves with snowballs and snuck around the front of the house to attack the men. Aaron and Grant chased after her when she was out of ammo, catching her easily and swearing to get her back for several well-aimed throws that covered them in hard-packed snow. Their version of getting her back involved a hot bath and a sinful amount of pleasure, prompting her to promise to attack them with snowballs more often.
When the road home had been cleared by the town’s snow plows, they drove her home, Grant driving her car for her and Aaron following in his car. When they left her later that night, and she settled down into her big, empty bed, she smiled in realization that in a week, she’d be cuddling with them full time. She couldn’t wait.
Chapter 9
Late Saturday afternoon, Sam stepped from the shower in her apartment and wrapped a towel around herself with a slight yawn. Being with two men was tiring. But in a really excellent way. When her hair was dry, she clicked off the dryer and heard Grant’s muffled voice through the door. “I’ll stay home with them. I don’t mind.”
“You stayed home last month,” Aaron pointed out.
“I said I don’t mind.”
“I know that, but you should go out and hunt, and I’ll stay home with the kids.”
She opened the door and leaned against the door jam, looking at her two handsome men. Grant and Aaron were sitting on the bed, fully clothed, looking like a mixed up advertisement for a clothing store. Grant’s worn jeans and flannel shirt contrasted sharply with Aaron’s tailored slacks and dark pullover. They were as different as night and day, except that they both, inexplicably, loved her.
“What are you guys talking about?”
They looked at her. “Someone always stays home with the kids when we go out hunting, and I was just telling Grant that it’s his turn to go hunt.”
She looked towards the window where the sun was slowly setting and the sky was turning orange and red. “Do you guys always hunt on the full moon? I thought that was a wolf thing.”
“It is,” Grant said, fixing his watch on his wrist. “But when Callie came along and the full moon dictated when she had to shift, we kind of got in the habit of it.”
She liked how their family just swelled naturally to include new people and their habits and needs. “Why can’t I stay with the kids?”
The silence was deafening, and she felt her confidence in their relationship begin to shatter. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. Maybe that was something a mother did. Maybe they didn’t see her as that yet, since they hadn’t met her parents and she wasn’t officially living with them yet.
“Never mind,” she mumbled, turning back to the bathroom so they couldn’t see how crushed she felt at their rejection.
“Wait, baby, are you serious? You’d really like to stay with them? Because I know our boys would love you to hang out with them tonight, and I’d love it, too,” Grant said.
“They sure would. They’d think it was Christmas and their birthdays all wrapped up into one.” Aaron chuckled.
She felt such relief at their words that the tears she’d tried to hide when she was feeling low slipped over her cheeks in happiness. Both men were at her side in a heartbeat.
“Why are you crying?” Aaron demanded in that harsh tone that meant he wanted to kill whatever had upset her.
Grant tenderly brushed the tears from her cheeks, and she sniffled. “I thought you maybe didn’t think it was a good idea.”
“What? No, it’s a great idea, sweetheart. I’m just surprised. Happily surprised. You’d have to spend the night, you know, because we’ll get back late.” Grant gave her a rakish grin and an arched brow, and she laughed.
Aaron chuckled lasciviously, “I can’t think of anything I’d rather see waiting for me after a hunt than our woman.”
“You sure you want to babysit six rotten lions tonight?” Grant smiled.
“It’s not babysitting if they’re your own kids,” she quipped, and then her eyes widened as she realized what she’d just said. She’d called the kids her own. Now that had to be some kind of huge faux pas.
“Do you mean that?” Aaron’s voice was soft, yearning almost. When she met their eyes, she saw identical looks of wonderment and hope. It just about broke her heart.
She shrugged helplessly and wiped at a stray tear. “Of course I do. I love your kids. I love you both. I just didn’t want to overstep my bounds with them, I —”
They cut her off by pulling her between them with happy shouts.
Grant kissed her mouth, and Aaron kissed her ear. “We were worried that you would think it was too much, too fast, or that the only thing we were looking for from you was a mother for the boys,” Grant said.
“I never thought that,” she said sincerely. She’d known they were a package deal, but they were excellent fathers and had such a support group with their family that she never doubted for a moment that their affection for her was pure.
“Then tonight you’ll stay the night,” Aaron said eagerly. Tugging her to the dresser, he hurried her to dress so they could get to the boarding house. She quickly packed an overnight bag.
Aaron hooked the bag over his shoulder as they ushered her out of her apartment. “Pretty soon, you won’t have to pack a bag to stay with us. You’ll just be home.”
“It does feel like home there,” she said.
Grant said, “It feels more like home to us when you’re there, too.”
The drive was over quickly, and five young voices greeted her when she walked in the front door of the boarding house.
“Sam!” they cheered in unison.
She braced herself for the push of the boys’ small bodies as they wrestled with each other to give her a hug. Grant and Aaron grinned as the boys all found a place to latch onto her, two wrapped around her waist, one on each leg, and one holding her hand. She kissed each boy on the forehead as she said hello and encouraged them to untangle from her before she fell over.
Grant hung up her coat as she unzipped her snow boots and pulled a pair of comfy tennis shoes from her bag. “Are you really staying tonight?” Brian asked, claiming her hand again.
“If that’s okay with you guys.” She smiled down at him.
He nodded vigorously, and the four others agreed.
They surrounded her as she worked her way into the huge kitchen. Grant and Aaron shooed the boys away while they brought her over to the kitchen table to greet James, John, Alek, and the other pride members. They lounged around the kitchen like … lions … and she smiled at the mental imagery.
“Good to see you again, Sam,” James said, kissing her cheek.
She returned his kiss and said hello to the rest of the men, trying to ignore the still-curious stares she received. James, John, and Alek kept their interest to a respectful minimum, but the others seemed to have trouble hiding their curiosity. The kitchen, although spacious, felt suddenly smaller with all the large men and their attention focused on her.
Aaron
and Grant tensed possessively as they pulled her between them, and she felt the subtle vibrations of their low, warning growls. Clearing her throat, she said, “Where’s Henry?”
“Henry’s … unhappy right now and in his room,” John said, scrubbing his hand over his handsome face.
Grant asked, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. He won’t say, but I think it had something to do with a girl at school. He’s been miserably moody for the last two days, and I can’t get a word out of him.”
She was about to say that teenage boys could be as moody and temperamental as teenage girls, more so in some ways, but she realized that she didn’t really know if them being lions made them different from humans when it came to emotions. The adult males were certainly different from human males. Kinder, more attentive, sweeter, more passionate. But there were probably human men out there like that, too. Just none she’d ever known. Since she didn’t know enough about lion teenagers to know what she was talking about, she kept her mouth shut and leaned her head on Grant’s shoulder, slipping her arms around both of their waists.
Grant made a happy sound in his throat that was a little more primal than a human hum, and she looked up at him and smiled.
James clapped his hands together. “Let’s get hunting, guys.”
The males trooped out behind James, several of the younger ones casting surreptitious glances her way. She chuckled at the situation. She didn’t think the men had any idea how desirable they were. Not just because they were handsome, because they all were in their own way, but because of their giving and protective natures.
