Two Times the Trouble

by Mellanie Szereto

  Turning to the left, she repeated the gesture with the newborn wrapped in blue. Another intimate exchange—this time with the shorter, darker man—confused Ivan. If he didn’t know better, he’d guess both had…No way. That’s not possible.

  A happy squeal drew his attention to a baby perched on the lap of a slightly older version of Jolán. An answering giggle came from a kid who had to be the first one’s twin. The pair were the spitting image of the men on either side of the woman.

  The highly unlikely seemed more plausible with a scan of the second table. Two more dark-haired females with protective-looking males seated left and right of them convinced him. Some, if not all, the Macska women practiced bigamy.

  How could their husbands tolerate sharing her? Why would they? As erotic as sleeping with two hot girls sounded in theory, Liam didn’t think he could ever act on the fantasy. He sure as hell wouldn’t share Jolán with his brother.

  She isn’t mine to share. She isn’t mine.

  After a year of isolating himself, she’d breached the wall around his heart in a matter of seconds. He suddenly wanted the option of changing his mind about being ready to move on. The whole damn situation had snuck up on him and whacked him upside the head.

  “Love takes many forms, does it not?” Romána’s observation made him wonder if he’d spoken his thoughts aloud. “Selfish love is not truly love. To have that emotion, we must exercise generosity, and we must willingly give those we love what they require. An open mind lends itself to an open heart.”

  Was she trying to tell him that sometimes the women in her family needed two husbands? Or was she saying he should stop letting his past dictate his present and future? Her riddles gave him a headache.

  Not sure if she expected a response, he gave a nod as he stood. “I’m going to get a couple more hours work in before it gets dark.”

  Her slight smile sent a chill up his spine. The wisdom in her stare suggested she knew much more than she’d pussyfooted around. “Until breakfast, Mr. Pattison.”

  He rounded the table and aimed for the exit, ready for some solitude. No happily married couples—and threesomes. No cute babies. No stepbrothers flirting with hot birthday girls.

  Ivan rose, reaching to brush a stray hair from Jolán’s cheek as Liam passed their seats. “Meet you at the fountain at nine.”

  She looked up at Ivan and smiled. “I’ll bring a blanket.”

  The knot in Liam’s gut tightened. Never in his life had he regretted an action more than his rash comment to Jolán. She had every right to pursue Ivan, and Ivan didn’t owe Liam a second chance with her.

  The wide doorway into the hall couldn’t come fast enough, but Liam kept a steady pace. He wasn’t about to let anyone see him cave under the mound of jealousy and disappointment. He’d fucked up, and he had to pay the price. Even if he managed to catch her alone to apologize, he doubted she’d accept.

  The next six months would be the longest of his entire life.

  * * * *

  Second and third thoughts assailed Ivan as he descended the extension ladder from the roof trusses. With the lift and safety harnesses, he and Liam had laid several sheets of sheathing into place, securing the four corners of each one with nails until tomorrow. They planned to get an early start on the heavy work to avoid the afternoon heat. By evening, they’d be ready to finish nailing the pieces to the two-by-twelves.

  Tonight, Ivan had a date with the lovely Jolán. Although his plan was to make his brother jealous, he wasn’t certain he’d be able to resist temptation if she accidentally rubbed her hand on his thigh again. His cock had gone from relaxed to rigid in the instant she’d reached for the napkin on her lap. Two hours of hard labor had helped with the situation, but a cold shower to rinse off the sweat and grime would send his dick into hiding.

  At the bottom of the ladder, he headed to the camper for a towel, soap and shampoo, and some clean clothes. A few minutes later, he carried the armload down another ladder to the basement level of the new wing. Water and drain lines had been run before the concrete floor had been poured, leaving easy access to the pipes for a temporary bathroom with a shower and toilet. No traipsing through the mansion, invading the privacy of its residents.

  He shuddered under the spray, the contrast of cold water on his hot skin shocking at first, but he focused on washing off the crud before the sun sank too low to see. Donning a clean shirt and shorts, he balled up his dirty work clothes in the damp towel and climbed out of the nearly dark basement.

  The sun had dipped below the top of the trees to the west, painting the sky with streaks of red, orange, and purple. The moon had yet to rise above the high wall at the east entrance to the estate. He figured he had about ten minutes or so before his fake tryst with Jolán. Was that enough time to convince the current of testosterone buzzing in his veins she was off-limits?

  “Chance of rain on Wednesday.” Liam’s voice came out of the shadows. “We’ll eat lunch on the job until the roof’s done instead of wasting time cleaning up to go inside to eat.”

  The plausible excuse didn’t fool Ivan, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue. “Okay.”

  A form emerged from the stacks of shingles. “I plan on hitting the sack after I shower. Try to be quiet when you get back from your date.”

  The overbearing tone grated on Ivan’s already testy temper. “Don’t worry. All the noise will happen during my date.”

  Not waiting for a retort, he strode to the truck to toss his bundle of dirty clothes into the laundry duffle in the bed. He had no intention of getting naked with Jolán, no matter what his dick or Liam thought. Let the asshole draw his own fucking conclusions.

  Ivan grabbed two beers from the cooler on his way to the mermaid fountain. The soft grass soothed his bare feet, tired after a full day inside thick wool socks and work boots. His silhouette moved in front of him as he crossed the stone walkway leading to the statue. The full moon peeked over the wall at him when he looked back toward the mansion.

  Damn it. He was late because of the run-in with his brother.

  He scanned the dusk-laden garden for Jolán. They’d agreed to meet at the fountain, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Not wanting to interrupt the chirping song of the crickets, he walked farther along the path rather than calling for her.

  He rounded the curve and crossed a wooden bridge spanning a shallow creek. The stones continued on the other side and then ended at an open space sheltered by a pair of weeping willows. A still shadow lay upon the ground. He stepped closer, no longer blocking the rising moon.

  The outline of a nude woman made his lungs seize. Full, ripe nipples topped two generously rounded tits, and a dark triangle darkened the apex of her thighs. Waves of moonlit hair spread out in a halo around the most beautiful face he’d ever seen. His heart hesitated for a moment before taking off in an erratic rhythm.

  She turned toward him, a seductive smile shaping her inviting mouth. “You’re late. I know what you can give me for my birthday to make up for it.”

  Chapter 5

  Unable to heed the warning his common sense gave him, Liam draped his towel over the tailgate of the pickup and followed the trail his stepbrother had taken into the garden beyond the fountain. Some unknown and unwelcome force pushed him to go faster. He tried to resist, but the need to find Ivan and Jolán won the battle.

  He winced at the creak the planks bridging a narrow stream made with the first step. Widening his stride, he bypassed the remainder of the crossing to reach the path. A faint mewling stopped him in his tracks as he tried to gauge which direction it had come from. Another feminine-sounding moan put his feet back into motion, carrying him at a jog to a grassy area flooded in moonlight.

  A woman writhed on the ground—no, on a blanket—as a man cradled her boobs in his hands and circled one nipple with his tongue before moving on to the other. He eased down her body to settle between her legs, burying his face in her cunt.

  “Yes, eat my pussy. That feels so good. D
on’t stop.”

  Liam recognized not only Jolán’s sexy voice, but the desperate urgency in it as well. She’d sounded much the same that morning when they’d screwed each other’s brains out.

  “Come for me, honey, so I can be inside you.” Liam’s stomach knotted as Ivan expressed the same desire he’d drowned in.

  Her groans grew louder, and Liam bit his lip to keep from groaning with her. His hard-on pressed against his fly, trying to get to her. He yanked the zipper down to free his dick and stroke it in his fist. When she arched and let out a relieved scream, a drop of pre-cum oozed from his slit.

  Her lover rose above her, hooking her knees over his arms and shoving his cock into her. “God, you’re so tight.”

  “Fast and hard, Ivan! Fuck me!” She rocked upward as he thrust inside again.

  As much as watching them tore at his soul, Liam couldn’t look away. His balls tightened with every movement. Frozen in place, he stared at their bodies slamming together, listening to their frantic cries and matching the rhythm with his hand until Ivan threw his head back. His yell blended with Jolán’s orgasmic song, making Liam tense and shudder as cum erupted from him and reality punched him in the solar plexus.

  Ivan collapsed beside her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. She rested her cheek on his chest as her breathing slowed from ragged panting to satisfied sighs. They linked their fingers at his hip as if they’d been lovers for years. The silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable.

  Their easy familiarity sliced open Liam’s heart. He could’ve had that kind of relationship with her and held her after she shared herself with him. He could’ve had her if he hadn’t panicked and pushed her away. Now, she belonged to someone else. She and Ivan would find the happiness that eluded Liam, and he’d have no choice but to stand by and watch it happen—just as he’d watched them make love.

  He was so screwed, and not in a good way.

  * * * *

  The steady ka-thump, ka-thump in Jolán’s ear should’ve comforted her as she came down from the high of her orgasm, but a persistent nagging in the back of her mind wouldn’t fade. Something was missing. Yes, Ivan had done and said all the right things, and he’d held her afterward instead of rejecting and insulting her. What could be wrong?

  A flash of movement in the drooping limbs of the willow caught her eye. Someone was sneaking away from hers and Ivan’s private spot. Liam. She could identify him in a crowd after her encounter with him in the barn. His broad shoulders and long, lean legs had sent her pulse racing then—and now. His light brown hair shown almost white under the light of the rising full moon, and a cloudy, deep blue aura surrounded him as he hurried toward the bridge.

  He’d seen everything—or at least enough to know what she and Ivan had done.

  Her heart constricted. She saw the tinted mist around her family members on occasion, whenever someone experienced extreme highs or lows in their emotions, and had learned to read the colors. That shade of blue signaled sadness and misery. Why would Liam be sad or miserable when he’d told her didn’t want her?

  Guilt and confusion threatened to smother her. She shouldn’t be thinking about another man while lying naked in the arms of her lover. Ivan was the perfect mate for her. He was passionate, sexy, and kind. She should be thrilled to have found him.

  He’s The One. She barely suppressed a snort at the subconscious murmuring of her ignorant instincts.

  Shut up. You think they’re both The One. Sorry, but one and one makes two.

  What if Liam regretted treating her like she meant nothing to him? No matter the effort, she hadn’t been able to keep from stealing glances at him at lunch and supper. Why couldn’t she simply forget him? Ivan deserved better than a mate who was faithful in body but not in heart.

  His whisper broke into her thoughts. “I think we might be on top of an anthill.”

  Concentrating on the sensation of tingles that had spread over her skin when she’d come, she sat straight up. The pounding of her heart and the ragged breathing had diminished to slow, even inhales and exhales, but the prickly feeling had moved from her legs to her arms and neck.

  She sprang to her feet, brushing her palms along her shoulders. “Oh, no! Help me get them off!”

  “I can’t! They’re all over me too!” Ivan scrambled up from the blanket, swinging his arms and smacking his legs. He grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the path. “Come on. We can wash them off in the fountain.”

  Running along behind him, she almost tripped as they crossed the bridge. A door slamming somewhere ahead of them reminded her of their proximity to the trailer. “Wait! We can’t go to the fountain. Liam might see us.”

  The moon illuminated Ivan’s stricken expression as he stopped and turned to look at her. He opened his mouth as if to speak then closed it again. Pulling her down with him, he knelt at the stream. “We’ll have to wash them off here.”

  Water splashed, and he rubbed his arms and chest. She repeated his words over and over in her mind, the sudden realization of how he might’ve interpreted her alarm abrading her conscience. Did he know that she’d shared her body with Liam first? Did Ivan think she cared how Liam would react? Or had she broken the wonderful sense of connection by bringing up the outside world?

  She scooped up the water and let it rinse the ants from her skin. A lump formed in her throat from a return of confusion and guilt. While allowing Liam to see her and Ivan together might soothe her wounded ego, hurting him wouldn’t heal the sting of his rejection—if he even gave a damn. His comment about sleeping with every man she met hit closer to home than she expected. “I’m sorry. I checked the ground for sticks and rocks before I spread out the blanket. I didn’t notice any anthills.”

  Ivan didn’t respond, only continuing with the removal of critters. His stiff movements spoke for him. Her actions most likely suggested premeditated seduction, confirming what Liam had implied. That she was slut. That she was too aggressive. That no man wanted a woman like her for more than a single encounter.

  A call cut through the quiet tension. “Jolán? Are you out here?”

  Her cousin had saved her from another embarrassing scene. Jolán straightened, gauging the quickest route to the mansion without having to pass the construction site. “I have to go.”

  Cutting through the flowerbed, she leapt across the creek and sprinted past the lily pond toward the north wing of the house. She splashed through the shallow end of the wading pool on her way to the bathhouse. Grabbing a towel from the shelf just inside the door, she quickly wrapped it around her and tucked the end between her breasts. She sucked in a deep breath before jogging to the courtyard outside the study.

  Her lungs burned by the time she stopped in front of her cousin. “Ilona. I was...out for a...swim.”

  “Rebeka would like to see you if you’re not busy.” Ilona’s brows furrowed. “You’re not dressed. What happened to your clothes?”

  “Oh, um, I left them at the pool. I’ll get them in the morning.” Jolán slipped through the open French doors, hoping to escape further questioning. Goddess, I’m so ready for this day to end.

  She hurried upstairs to her apartment, thankful to see no one else with judging eyes or ridiculous observations. Taking a couple minutes in the bathroom to clean up from her second disastrous sexual liaison, she considered the not-so-numerous ways to avoid Ivan and Liam.

  Fake an illness? Oh, yeah, because she really wanted to drink some nasty concoction that would make her sick.

  She strode to the dresser for a tank top and a pair of underwear.

  Volunteer for babysitting duty? With her luck, she’d end up with cranky, teething babies to remind her she was a failure at mate-hunting and faced seven years of waiting to try again.

  She tugged on her shirt and panties then grabbed a skirt from the closet. Seven years won’t change anything. Or would it? The last four Macska women to go through the joining ceremony had done so at the end of their second fertility cycles. Wa
s the first time meant for experimentation? Had the Fates doomed her to failure until her twenty-eighth birthday?

  But...but...what about Liam and Ivan? The thought of giving either of them up to some other woman made her supper churn in her stomach. Adjusting the waistband of the skirt, she rolled her eyes. Horny and fickle. What a combination.

  No wonder most of her female relations had put off taking a mate...or mates. All logic and common sense had abandoned Jolán the moment the day of her birth had arrived. Spending so many hours indoors with the threat of the ancient shifter’s attacks hadn’t helped. Her mind and body had gone stir crazy in the three months since Orsolya had temporarily defeated Kazmer. Even with the Protectors—Orsolya’s mates—on the estate, precautions had included staying close to the house and no going riding in the woods.

  Jolán studied her reflection in the dresser mirror, but the changes to her weren’t visible. She was no longer a virgin, and no one would know except her and the two men who weren’t her mates. They didn’t love her. She didn’t know them well enough to love them. Without genuine love present in the hearts of both parties, conception couldn’t occur. Only true mates could produce a child.

  As she left the apartment to go talk to her cousin, she vowed to allow her brain control over her hormones for the next week. No more mistakes.

  * * * *

  The image of Jolán lying naked in the moonlight had etched itself onto Ivan’s psyche. All his plans to work his matchmaker magic on her and Liam had gone up in smoke. He had no idea how he’d face his brother after infringing on his territory and breaking the unspoken promise of friendship. They might not be biological brothers, but they had become fast friends during the short-lived marriage between Ivan’s mom and Liam’s dad. That she hadn’t denied his request to stay with his stepdad and stepbrother after the divorce had cemented the relationship into something more than simple friendship.

  I betrayed my brother. Jolán had put herself between them, and Ivan couldn’t fight the draw of her. How had Liam walked away after becoming one with her? Was the guy an absolute idiot?