by Becca Van
“Why aren’t you and your brother wearing any clothes?”
Lucius looked down into her upturned face and gave her a wicked grin. “We were out for a run. We have no need for clothes in our lion form.”
Bradford moved to her other side and clasped her free hand. She turned toward him and craned her neck so she could see his eyes. “Are you a lion, too?”
“No, sweetness, I am a bear.”
“Oh really, then I must be Goldilocks,” Keeley stated facetiously.
“Your locks are not gold, little one, they are the color of fire and light combined,” Liam said from behind her.
Keeley burst out laughing, and once she started she couldn’t stop. She didn’t even stop when Bradford scooped her up into his arms and carried her. By the time her hysteria had subsided her stomach was aching.
“Where are we going again?” Keeley asked breathlessly.
“Are you all right, Keeley?” Liam asked her.
“Yes. Sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment.”
“What did you lose, little one?” Lucius asked.
“What? Oh, nothing. It was just a figure…Never mind.”
“We are going to the home of Lucius and Liam. They are the Alphas of their pride. I have lived alone for too many years, and have wandered this forest in my bear form too long. My family is no longer alive and I have no wish to return to my home. My parents died of an unknown disease. My sister died birthing her first cub and her mate couldn’t go on without her,” Bradford explained.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Keeley replied with heartfelt sincerity. Now she understood why Bradford had such pain and sadness in his eyes. She knew what it was like to lose loved ones. It was something one never truly got over. Keeley didn’t have any family left. She didn’t know who her father was, and her mother had succumbed to cancer when Keeley was eighteen years old. She had been on her own for the last five years. She had felt like a hole had been ripped in her heart when her mother had died, and she hadn’t felt complete since. She often wondered if that gaping hole would ever be filled.
“I know how you feel. I lost my family, too. The pain diminishes with time but the hole left in the heart never seems to heal,” Keeley murmured.
“No. Nothing seems to fill that emptiness,” Bradford stated and looked deeply into Keeley’s eyes. She felt so connected to him in that moment. She wanted to reach out and offer him comfort and have him hold her until the loneliness left, but instead she lowered her eyes to break the spell he had on her. Then she asked, “How long before we get to where we’re going?”
“Our home is just around the bend, little one,” Lucius replied.
He was true to his word. She gasped when she got her first glimpse of the mansion before her. It was four stories high and so big she was going to need a map to find her way around. It blended into the environment perfectly. The back of the building seemed to be a part of the rock wall behind it. It was surrounded by trees, and birds flitted in and out of the foliage.
She sighed with relief when they entered the massive front doors. It was so much cooler inside, and she was grateful. She wasn’t dressed for the weather here. She had on her denim jeans and a long-sleeved blouse, and her long hair was loose.
Keeley felt perspiration drip down between her breasts and along her back. She wanted to strip off and get into a cool shower. She hoped they had modern conveniences here. Wherever “here” was. They had called this place Terra-form, but that didn’t help her any. Maybe she could ask to meet this Olivia. She wondered if she could enlighten her in any way. Well, until she got some answers, she was just going to go with the flow. What else could she do?
They weren’t the only ones in the house. A few men stopped and stared at her as Bradford carried her down a long corridor. She was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable and decided she would rather not make a spectacle of herself.
“Bradford, could you please put me down?”
Bradford didn’t hesitate in doing as she asked. She had to bite her lip as she slid down the length of his body, and her pussy clenched and creamed. Her cheeks heated again when she spied Lucius and Liam staring at her hungrily. She lowered her eyes quickly and moved away from Bradford.
What was it about these three men that turned her on? She had been in a slight state of arousal since the moment she had laid eyes on each of them. She knew she affected Lucius and Liam as well. They couldn’t hide since they were naked. She wondered if she affected Bradford that way, too. She looked up and saw him staring at her with fire in her eyes. His nostrils flared, and the muscles in his chest and arms tautened. Yep, it seemed she did, but why?
Keeley lowered her eyes and took a deep breath as her pussy leaked more juices onto her panties. She lifted her head again when Liam spoke.
“We will get dressed and then take you to the dining chamber. I will see about getting you some appropriate clothes.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she asked.
“Nothing is wrong with them, Keeley. I just thought you would be more comfortable, cooler, in the clothes our women wear.”
“Oh, okay, thanks.”
“Come, Keeley,” Lucius said and led the way.
She followed along with Bradford and Liam at her sides. Lucius stopped outside a room with large double doors and swept them open with ease. Keeley gasped as she saw the size of the room. It was as big as a whole house. The floor was a light-blue color, and she wondered what it was made of. The walls were white, and there was a massive bed in the center of the room. She had never seen such a large bed in her life. The base looked to be made from stone, but the mattress, which was covered in a black quilt, looked comfortable.
Bradford clasped her hand and pulled her over to a table with four chairs around it, near glass doors on the other side of the room. They were standing wide open, and she peeked out. She was amazed yet again. There was a massive swimming pool surrounded by paths and gardens. The water looked so cool and clear that she wanted to strip down and jump right in to cool off, but she sank down into a chair instead.
“Keeley, we will some clothes for you soon, but for now we will take you to the dining chamber. Please, come with us,” Liam called.
She was pleased to note that Lucius and Liam now had pants on. She rose to her feet with Bradford’s help and followed them out the door, intrigued to discover what they had in store for her next.
Chapter Two
“Are you hungry, little one?” Liam asked.
“Yes, actually I am,” she replied.
So was he. Liam wanted to pick her up and strip her naked and feast on her. He had been hard since the moment he had scented Keeley. When he had first laid eyes on her, he had wanted to tear Bradford apart and steal her away, but he hadn’t wanted to frighten his mate. He didn’t want to frighten her now, either, so he sighed and pushed his wayward thoughts aside.
All things considered, she seemed to be taking her situation rather well. Apart from her hysterical bout of laughter back in the forest, she seemed to be accepting him, his brother, and Bradford without much fuss. That was more than he could have said for himself and Bradford half an hour ago. He had been so furious at the thought of this bear stealing his and Lucius’s mate. Then Keeley had slipped away from them, and as one they had realized that keeping her safe was more important than rivalry between shifter species.
They could work together, but they still had a long way to go. They had to convince her she was their mate and meant to be by their side and in their bed. He was intoxicated by her scent, and his lion pushed at him to claim her. He could still subtly smell the cream between her thighs and wanted to strip her down and lap up her delicious juices. He knew Bradford was in the same predicament, if the bulge in the bear’s pants was any indication.
He had been dumbfounded the first time he had seen Keeley slung over Bradford’s shoulder. She was the sexiest female he had ever laid eyes on, and even now it was impossible not to look at her as
they walked. Her hair was long enough to reach her waist and had fire in it. It was a deep-red shade with tints of sunlight streaked throughout. Her skin was a pale, creamy white. Her eyes were angled at an exotic slant, the irises a deep moss green. She was so small compared to him, his brother, and Bradford, standing at around five foot nine inches. She had a body made for loving as far as he was concerned. She had full breasts, a small waist, and nice, wide hips.
When she glanced at him, he made himself look away. He could feel her eyes on him as he led the way to the dining chamber, but he made himself focus on the task ahead. His little mate was going to cause a riot amongst the pride. They had so few women and so many men that he knew there was going to be trouble. He would introduce their mate and command his warriors to look after their Alpha female, but also to treat her with respect. His cousins Luther and Lark were going to be so jealous, and he prayed to the Goddess they wouldn’t be too put out that he and his brother had found their mate first.
Liam, Lucius, Luther, and Lark had always competed in everything they did, including the rare female they had bedded. Luther and Lark had always tried to steal the women he and his brother were fucking. They had succeeded only the once, and the woman, Louisa, had dumped his cousins after she had sex with them. She’d then tried to get back into his and his brother’s bed. He and Lucius hadn’t been interested by then.
Shit, she was going to cause trouble. Louisa was such a conceited bitch, and she was persistent enough to be a real pain in the ass. He sighed as he entered the dining chamber, and the noise of conversation waned until there was total silence. He didn’t have to look to know his pride members were all staring at his woman. He didn’t acknowledge any of his kin, but kept right on going until he stood at the head table. Liam glanced over at Keeley when she came to a standstill beside him, and he looked over her head to see his brother glaring at the occupants of the room. He looked at Keeley and noted her flushed cheeks and lowered head.
“You will raise you head and be proud of who you are, Keeley,” Liam whispered from the side of his mouth. He knew she had heard him because she glowered at him from the corner of her eye, but she did not look up. He sighed again. It seemed his mate was on the shy side. He wanted to take her in his arms and whisper in her ear that she should be proud to be an Alpha female, but he knew she might not understand. And if she did, maybe she was just too shy and intimidated to look the members of his pride in the eye. It was time to take matters into his own hands.
“You have followed my brother and I without question and I know you will continue to do so. The female next to me is Keeley Pillar and you will show her respect by treating her kindly and courteously. If I find out anyone has been disrespectful to her they will answer to me. Is that understood?”
Liam was pleased when his pride answered in the affirmative. He gave the signal to the head cook to begin serving the food. He saw Keeley seated and noted the curious stares in his mate’s direction. She just kept her head lowered and would not look up.
“You have nothing to worry about, sweetness. They will not do anything to hurt you,” Liam whispered.
He was taken aback when she turned an angry glare his way. He had no idea what had pricked her ire, but he found out soon enough.
“Why did you do that?” Keeley whispered furiously.
“What did I do?”
“You all but demanded your people to accept me. Why could you not have let me earn their respect on my own merit?”
“You are angry because I—”
“Yes,” Keeley interrupted. “I don’t need you to tell people to like me. I do not want false friendships only to have those so-called friends turn around and stab me in the back. You are such an arrogant ass.”
Liam was at first too astounded to reply. Then his anger rose, and he stared into her eyes. He watched her breathing escalate, her pupils dilate, and her eyelids lower with desire. She licked her lips, and he could see her pulse beating rapidly at the base of her throat. She leaned toward him, and he got no further than reaching for her before she closed the distance and planted her lips on his. Liam was startled, but that was all the permission he needed. He lifted her from her seat onto his lap, lowered his head, and kissed her.
His kiss started out hard and demanding, but it quickly turned carnal. He swept his tongue into her mouth and slid it along hers. He groaned at her heated response, and then he was lost. He was drowning in her taste and could not have stopped even if he had wanted to. He sighed into her mouth when her hands and arms wrapped around his neck and sank into his hair.
“Liam, control yourself.” Lucius’s voice penetrated his desire, and then his brother slapped him on the shoulder.
Liam took a last lick of her mouth and removed his lips from Keeley’s. He looked down into her passion-glazed eyes and had to dig his nails into his palm to physically restrain himself from carrying her from the room. He gently lifted her from his lap and placed her back into her seat. Her cheeks were even more flushed, and her lips were red and swollen, and still she kept her head lowered. He sighed and noted the platters of food sitting on the table. He ignored his now-silent pride and began to fill his plate.
* * * *
Lucius was having a hell of a time trying to control his beast. He could smell Keeley’s arousal and wanted to sweep the table clear, strip her naked, and fuck her right there and then. He looked over at Bradford, who was sitting at his side, and saw he was in trouble as well. His new friend’s cheeks were flushed, and he gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles were white.
“Liam, you have to control yourself. You have aroused our mate and we can smell the cream between her thighs. You have us fighting our beasts,” Lucius told his brother through their private telepathic link.
“I know. I am sorry, brother, but I could not control myself. I have been hard since the first scent of her.”
“And you think I haven’t? Do you want to scare her off with your aggression?”
“You know I do not.”
“Then get your beast under control. Even the bear is having trouble and you know how much less intense their species is compared to ours. We are going to have to figure a way to communicate with Bradford with our minds as well. We are all going to have to work together to get our mate to accept us in her heart and bed,” Lucius suggested.
“I can already hear you,” Bradford replied.
“How is that possible?” Lucius asked and stood up with his surprise.
“I do not know,” Bradford answered. “Maybe it is because we are mates to the one woman. I have never been able to communicate with others beyond my own species.”
“Already she is bringing us together and she doesn’t even know it. How are we going to get her to accept us?” Liam asked.
“Why do you think she will not?” Bradford asked. “She has not done anything to indicate she will reject us and she even kissed you back.”
“She was not happy with me when I told the pride to accept her instead of letting her earn their respect,” Lucius stated with a sigh. “She glared at me, and if you observe her body language, you will see she has crossed her arms defensively. Even now she is tapping her foot with either frustration or impatience.” He paused a moment. “Or maybe both.”
“That may be, but she is also very aroused. Can you not see how she still squirms in her seat and smell her still-leaking pussy?” Bradford pointed out.
Lucius nearly groaned out loud then, for Bradford was right. Keeley was indeed squirming and fidgeting in her seat. She was also shooting daggers at him with her eyes. He couldn’t help it. He knew it was the wrong thing to do, but he threw his head back and laughed. It was a full-bellied laugh which only seemed to make Keeley angrier. She glared at him and then pointedly tried to ignore him.
They finished their meal, and Lucius was aware of Keeley looking at him, his brother, and Bradford constantly. It seemed their mate wasn’t as averse to them as she would like him to believe.
Lucius
helped Keeley from her chair, and instead of guiding her out the way they had come in, he led her toward the open doors heading to the pool and garden. He and Bradford both held her hands, and they stopped on the edge of the large swimming pool. He caught the look of longing which crossed Keeley’s face as she stared at the water, but she quickly schooled her features when she caught him looking at her.
“You can swim if you wish to, sweetness,” Lucius said.
“Oh, that would be so nice. But I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“What is a bathing suit?” his brother asked.
“You don’t know…What do you all swim in?”
“Nothing,” Lucius replied and cursed his breathlessness. He wanted to see Keeley strip down and slip into the water. He wanted to see what she had hidden underneath her clothing. She was wearing long pants, black boots, and a long-sleeve shirt. Not that he couldn’t see the shape of her body beneath her clothes, but he craved the sight of her naked skin.
“Oh,” she said, and then she got an impish gleam in her eye and smiled.
Lucius was flabbergasted. He had expected Keeley to refuse and blush, but instead she began to unfasten her shirt. He drew in a gasp as the material parted and revealed the tops of her luscious breasts. He had to physically restrain his beast from leaping on her when he saw her pink-lace-covered chest. She was so lush and full. The creamy mounds were spilling up out of the restraining material. She gave him a shy smile and dropped her shirt to the ground. He waited with bated breath as she released the fastening on her pants, and then she sat on a stone bench to remove her boots and other feet coverings. She stood once more and pushed the material down over her hips and off her legs.
Liam growled low in his chest, and Bradford gasped. Lucius’s breath stuttered in his throat as he let his eyes travel over his mate’s body. She was so perfect. Her skin was so creamy white and soft looking. He could see her ass cheeks, which were full and lush but muscular. Her waist was so small he knew he would easily span it with his large hands. She gave him a shy smile, giggled, took two quick steps, and launched herself into the water.
