Third Time Lucky sm-3

by Loribelle Hunt

  Then the tube of lubricant was in his hand, and he smiled. “Do it,” Harris ordered.

  Ethan popped the lid open and squeezed some onto his palm. He coated his dick as Harris held his gaze, then covered his fingers to rim Harris’s hole. Harris held his gaze as Ethan pushed first one, then two fingers inside. He felt Gabby scoot closer, and turned to look at her. She was focused on his hands, watching as Harris pumped his cock. Ethan moved into position, and Harris, watching them both, spread his thighs wide so everyone had a view of the head of Ethan’s cock moving into his entrance. Gabby sucked in a loud breath and held it.

  “Come over here, darlin’,” Harris groaned. “Over my mouth. I want you to watch while I taste you.”

  She rose to her knees and moved to hover next to his head, facing Ethan. He read the hesitation, a hint of awkwardness in her eyes. Harris wrapped his hands around her upper thighs and tugged until she straddled him. Then he pulled until her cunt was inches from his mouth. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back when his tongue stroked over her swollen folds. It was nearly Ethan’s undoing.

  Gods, that was one hell of a hot view. The image would be burned into his retinas forever.

  While Harris pulled her to his lips, he rocked his hips against Ethan, a subtle demand. One Ethan was thrilled to comply with. He stroked in, the lube easing his way so his thrusts weren’t as violent as the lust pounding through his body, but neither were they tender or gentle.

  Gabby was on fire. There was no other way to describe the intense sensations that consumed her. Harris used his tongue like a master. When his teeth closed over her clit, she decided he was a god. It was so hard to keep her eyes open, to keep her gaze on Ethan as he fucked Harris, but it was too damned erotic to miss. Harris’s teeth closed over her clit and gently tugged, pushing the blaze that ruled her body into an inferno.

  Knowing each second’s delay would make her release even more intense, she held back as long as she could. Focused on Ethan to hold it off. The skin was drawn tight over his cheekbones, his lips peeled back in a grimace that exposed his sharp canines. The muscles in his neck, shoulders, and arms were thick and tensed, bunched, and held tightly in check. But he wasn’t immune to the pheromones swamping the air, and he came with a muffled cry. Harris took the opportunity to shove her hard-won control out the window. Teeth on her clit, his fingers thrust into her pussy, twisting to stroke the soft, sensitive spot that made her lose all hope of holding back. She was coming before the second brush over her G-spot.

  And she didn’t get the chance to enjoy the blissful feeling either. Ethan put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. He paused for a short, deep kiss before turning her around and urging her to straddle Harris’s hips. Not that it took much urging when she felt Harris’s cock brush over the folds of her sex. They were on the bed, his feet planted on the ground and her knees on the edge. He was lying back, watching her with such greedy intent she caught her breath. Trembling, she grasped the base of his penis and guided him inside her.

  This time she let herself go. Riding him slowly, head thrown back and eyes closed, she knew what was coming when Ethan stepped up behind her. When he brushed her hair away and left one side of her neck exposed. Her heart stuttered, and her belly spasmed, though she couldn’t say if it was from fear of Ethan’s bite or because Harris was buried so deeply inside her. Maybe she was just tired of fighting it, because she didn’t protest when Ethan’s hands closed over her shoulders to hold her still. Or seconds later when those sharp, deadly teeth scraped her skin in a soft caress.

  “Say yes, baby,” he murmured, and she heard the yearning in his voice. A yearning she wasn’t ready to admit to but shared. Her delay in responding earned her a sharp nip, not quite enough to break skin. Not enough to mark. He moved his hands to shape her breasts, then tweaked her nipples. “Gabby?”

  She groaned, the raw, hoarse sound of desire filling her ears. “What was the question?” she managed to whisper, earning another nip.

  “You know,” he said darkly. “I want to make this real. I want to mark you. Claim you. I need to, baby.”

  She could hear it in his voice and found it impossible to respond to such naked longing. He took it as an invitation. This time when his teeth closed over the flesh at the hollow between shoulder and neck, he didn’t hesitate. She felt the sharp sting as her skin was punctured, felt as if he somehow lived inside her, and knew despite the amazing healing abilities of her kind, this mark would never fade. Like it or not, she belonged to him now. Irrevocably.

  The knowledge should have sent her into a blind panic. Should have set her wolf side clawing at the confines of her mind, and the human woman desperate for flight. It was hard to think of those things while they stoked the flame of her desire higher and higher, though.

  Impossible, in fact. They didn’t give her time to think. Before the bite had even trickled one drop of blood, she found herself on her back, once again spread open and tied to the posts.

  Harris loomed over her, hips between her thighs, cock nudging her entrance, but he waited until she focused on his face before he began pushing in. His jaw was clenched so tightly she could see a tic on the side of his face. She wanted to reach up and smooth away the tension, but of course she couldn’t move. She did the next best thing and forced her body to relax, limb by limb, muscle by muscle, until she was completely available for his mastery. It felt good to let go, but the look on his face was what really made it worthwhile She could even forgive the triumphant, dominant gleam in his eyes when it was mixed with the rest. Tenderness. Joy.

  Adoration.

  She was Alice fallen through the rabbit’s hole, but she didn’t care when he began his long, slow strokes. Withdraw to the tip of his cock, then that steady thrust back into her pussy. He left her panting, needy, desperate, and it wasn’t because of the heat. It was all him. Harris of the rigid control, eyes dark and stormy with desire and emotion. She was a little surprised when he bent his face to her neck, opposite of the side Ethan had bitten, but what could it harm? He was a wizard, not a wolf, no matter how deeply her wolf’s instinct said they belonged to him.

  She should have paid more attention in her “know your enemy” classes. Teeth closed over skin and tugged, bit. It would mark but not permanently. Then she felt a short burst of energy she’d come in a very short time to associate with his mind touching her body. She’d question him, but she felt too damned good at the moment. After the bite, his strokes increased, became hard and fast and then frenzied. She might have cared, might have protested, except she was totally along for the ride and came screaming his name within seconds.

  Chapter Six

  Gabby stood deep in the tree line. If the three werewolves bickering in the backyard had been focused on anything other than their own bullshit, they would have noticed someone was so close by. Not that it would have mattered. They were in safe territory. Even if someone came upon this scene, he wouldn’t expect any danger. She was not so lax in her personal security and took a deep breath, smiling when she heard steps coming up on her side, the male’s scent preceding him.

  “Hey, sis,” her brother, Kade, said softly as he sidled up next to her.

  Following werewolf custom, he’d spent his early twenties with another pack and had just returned to replace Baker, one of the other soldiers who’d decided to go wandering. This was the first she’d seen Kade in three years, and her heart soared to have her twin brother home. Though she was tempted to pull him close in a hug, they were both staying out of the way of the fireworks behind the house and therefore drawing no attention to themselves. They didn’t want to get pulled into the middle of it. They’d learned that lesson well over the years. “How’s it going?”

  She shrugged. The argument before them drifted around to the front of the house, and he followed her farther into the yard as their parents moved away. “The usual. You?” He tilted his head to one side, and she groaned at his “no bullshit” look. She wasn’t getting out of this one. �
��Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’ve never shown up for one of these little shindigs smelling of two different men.”

  Thank gods for turtlenecks. “So I had a fun weekend.” She’d left Harris and Ethan before dawn despite their protests and Harris’s reminder of the deal. But her duties had been abandoned for two days, and she couldn’t delay returning. She’d been running all day playing catch up. She hadn’t even had the chance to come find Kade until well after lunch, and now they wouldn’t have much time to talk. The pack was having an impromptu party to welcome Kade home. She would meet her mates there later.

  “Fun and marked are two different things.”

  “Who said anything about marked?” She glared. Twin brother or not, he was pushing his luck.

  “I wouldn’t be able to scent a man on you if he wasn’t your mate,” he said, voice hard and cold, all protective brother. She was reminded that if he’d stayed the last few years, he’d probably occupy a higher space in the pack than she, and she was near the top in fifth place, right after Jonas. It made her uncomfortable to consider Ethan and Kade both could probably have challenged her for her position long ago But for now Kade was just her sibling, she outranked him, and this was none of his business. Ethan…that was a worry for another time.

  “Not your problem. Or your concern.”

  He snorted and nodded to the back patio they’d been avoiding. “Tell them that.”

  “It isn’t any of their business either.”

  He hooted with laughter. “You tell the dads that. You tell Mom that.” He didn’t get it, of course. Hell, he was a guy. She was pretty sure their mother would understand exactly the nature of her reticence. She was a female soldier to two soldier males, and as near as Gabby could tell, none of them had ever been happy. They wanted a submissive woman. Her mother tried; it just wasn’t in her. Gabby had fought so hard to stay unmated because she’d seen exactly how bad it could be.

  Her brother nudged her shoulder. “Hey, who’s that?”

  She looked over to see Harris exit the path into the yard, Ethan right behind him. “Shit,” she muttered.

  Her brother cocked his brows. “Really? Not invited, huh?” He thought it over and then smiled. “Gutsy. I like them.”

  But his nostrils flared as Harris approached. “Wizard,” he snarled.

  Gabby grabbed his arm when he stepped forward and hissed back, “Mine. And they were invited. I just didn’t expect them yet.”

  Holy shit, what was she doing? She’d hoped she’d have more time to brace herself before dealing with Harris again, but she’d be damned if it was someone else who got rid of him. And the idiot man had no sense. None at all. He swaggered into the yard, walked as if he had every right to be there, zeroing in on her. His entrance actually stopped the argument between her parents, and she hurried closer, Kade at her heels. That was bloodshed she didn’t want to witness or take responsibility for. He looked at her, his eyes calm, his expression almost serene before he smoothly turned to her parents and held his hand out to introduce himself. She held her breath and edged close enough to listen in.

  “You bear the scent of family, wizard.”

  “I imagine I do.”

  Robert, one of her fathers, still didn’t take his hand. “Why is that?” Harris turned to give her a small, tight, furious smile. “Because she’s my mate.” His words were hard and certain, proprietary, and made her belly flip-flop. He looked back to her parents, meeting all three gazes carefully. “We have met before. I’m the police chief in Redemption.

  Harris.”

  “We know who you are,” Steve, her other father, snapped. “Though I haven’t heard any reason why we should let you live.”

  She rolled her eyes and stepped into the fray. “Get over it. You’ve been complaining about me being single for years.”

  They finally seemed to notice her, and both fathers turned on her at once, nostrils flaring, eyes narrowing. It seemed an eternity before anyone spoke. “You took two mates? And you kept this from your family?” Robert asked, sounding hurt.

  “It just happened,” she said meekly. She hated to hear that tone in her voice, but hell, he was her father. Harris stepped up behind her and squeezed her shoulder. Silent support, but she felt it bone-deep and tilted her chin up. Then Ethan stepped up to her other side, nodded, and said hello.

  “And Ethan too,” her mother murmured, a hint of approval in her voice. She stepped forward, took Gabby’s hand, and drew her into the house before another word could be spoken.

  Gabby wasn’t so sure leaving the men alone was a good idea.

  They walked into the kitchen. Its big windows and glass doors overlooked the yard, and Gabby hovered near them, watching the five men out there. They circled each other, speaking every now and then, though of course she couldn’t make out the words from this distance and behind glass. Feeling each other out, she realized. She turned to her mother, who stood at the counter pouring coffee. She took both mugs to the table and motioned Gabby to join her.

  They had an unimpeded view of the yard. Where had her brother gone? She searched and found him off to the side leaning against a post. Five keyed-up males. All that damned testosterone. It made her grit her teeth so hard they hurt.

  “Is it too much to ask for a normal life?” she whispered. “A nice, peaceful, calm life?” Her mother laughed. “Wolf, wizard, human. Doesn’t matter, they’re all men. That out there is perfectly normal.”

  The woman had surely lost her mind, and Gabby was sure her expression matched that belief because her mother chuckled again. “Before I mated them, I went out into the world. I dated nice, normal human men. Who it turns out are just as possessive, some just as dominant.

  Just as mule-headed,” she added with a wink.

  Gabby was stunned. She’d never considered her mother had had another life. “If you broke free, why did you come back?”

  Her mother gave her a quizzical look. “Who said I broke free? You can leave the pack, but in the end, we are pack creatures.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “No, I need someplace I can be a wolf. Someplace I can run when the urge strikes. And people who understand that.”

  Gabby could relate to that, but… “But, Momma, the way they treat you.” She stopped.

  How could she explain without hurting her feelings? “I don’t want to spend my life fighting for independence or proving my place.”

  Her mother gave her a tiny smile and sat back in her chair. “Is that what you think? Well, I suppose it is. We’ve all screwed up then.”

  Gabby scowled. It wasn’t perfect, okay, but she wouldn’t go that far. “What do you mean?”

  Her mother shrugged. “I will never be as dominant, as high up the chain of command as you are. I had the strength maybe, but I just didn’t want it. They weren’t holding me back, baby, don’t think that.”

  She hadn’t thought that exactly. Had she? No, she’d always known she’d go higher than her mother and her fathers had. “No. It’s the rest of it.” Her mother frowned. “It’s complicated, but I promise you I’m happy with our relationship, baby.”

  She was stunned. “Happy fighting all the time? Happy always having to fight for even a little independence?”

  Her mother gave her a frank, assessing look. “Even as a little girl, you always were a peacemaker,” she murmured. “I may be your mother, but I’m not perfect. We argue, sure. A lot of the time it’s over stupid little stuff. Most of the time it’s even good-natured. It’s never physical, and we’re rarely angry for more than an hour.” She took a deep breath and stared out the window.

  “I think I understand where this is going,” her mother continued finally. “You’re one of the strongest in the pack. Willing to fight, but you hate personal conflict. That peacekeeper gene again.” She smiled. “That’s the problem with your mates, right? You’re afraid it’ll be a constant struggle for dominance.”

  “I don’t know how to deal with it,” Gabby whispered. She couldn’t deny her concerns.
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  “The other high-ranking females, they all seem to have these relationships that are a constant struggle. I don’t want to live like that.”

  “You could submit,” her mother said. Gabby growled. Submitting was impossible. Not in her nature. Her mother smiled and shook her head. “Does it have to be all or nothing? Who says it does? Be the she-wolf defender when it comes to pack defense, but when you go home? Be whoever you want. You think they don’t know the difference?” She looked out the window to watch the men, her gaze assessing. “I think they know. And I think they will give you whatever you need.”

  Gabby wasn’t so sure about that, but she knew they had to find a way to make this work.

  Standing, she bent to kiss her mother’s cheek. “Thank you, Momma. I’m getting them out of here before there’s bloodshed.”

  Her mother laughed. “Call me, baby. I’m always here for you.” Gabby knew she was. She left with a smile, collected her men with minimal conversation with her fathers, and led the way home.

  Chapter Seven

  She took them to her cabin. Shaky. Nervous. Was her mother right? Could she be one thing to the pack and something else in her private life? She’d never thought that possible. Never even considered it. She was strong and independent. A soldier. Didn’t that bleed into every aspect of her life? Except, she remembered with her pussy clenching, in bed. She clearly did not like being in charge there. Even her wolf side liked the mastery of her two mates.

  The question was, how far could she take it? Privately how much could she bend and still feel like herself. Like she wasn’t betraying herself. No. That wasn’t the question. She could bend, she already knew that. The question was how much she could adapt to their needs and still respect herself. Huh. She’d never looked at it like that. It had always been an either-or question.

  She was lost in thought when she opened the door and wandered in. They seemed to realize she needed some space, and no one protested when she went to her room and ran a bath.