Mating Rituals [Impulse 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Zara Chase

  He looked at her more closely and saw something in her eyes that suggested her tears weren’t solely attributable to the scare she’d just received. “Has something else happened?” he asked suspiciously.

  She shook her head, but Tyrone wasn’t buying her denial. He sat beside her on the couch and took her hand in his. Massaging her palm with seductive strokes of his thumb, he offered her an encouraging smile.

  “You’d better tell me about it. Can’t have anyone making our houseguest sad.”

  She remained quiet for a long time, her small hand still clutched in his much larger one. Tyrone waited her out in silence, giving her time to decide whether or not she wanted to confide in him.

  “It’s that bastard, Rick,” she said eventually, twisting her lips into an angry grimace. “He called me.”

  Tyrone ground his jaw. “And?”

  The story came out in fits and starts. At first Tyrone couldn’t figure out if she was upset, angry, jealous, or a combination of all three.

  “I’m mad at myself for letting him use me for so long,” she said, answering Tyrone’s unasked question. “I feel so dumb because I can see now that Angie’s the only one he ever really wanted, but, unlike me, she was sensible enough to see right through him. She didn’t need him, not like I thought I did. She doesn’t need anyone’s help, come to that. She’s smart, beautiful…tall and beautiful, funny, popular—all the things I’m not.”

  “Hey, don’t put yourself down. I don’t watch a lot of television, but I think I’ve seen this Angie of yours strutting her stuff once or twice.”

  “See, you’ve just proved my point. You don’t watch TV, but you still remember Angie.”

  “She’s hard to forget because she’s so in your face, but that ain’t necessarily a good thing. You’re worth ten of her.”

  She smiled through her tears. “You don’t have to be nice. Besides,” she added dramatically, “I have freckles.”

  “Geez, you’re a hard lady to compliment.” Tyrone laughed. “You make freckles sound like the kiss of death.”

  “When it comes to television, they are.”

  “I think they’re kinda cute.”

  “Thank you, I think, but I know what works in the media. Looks are everything, especially if you’re a female. Why do you think I clung to Rick the moment he put the moves on me?” She expelled a disgusted breath. “God, I was pathetic! I was so grateful for his attention that I didn’t even bother to ask why he was interested in me.”

  “There you go again. What is it that you think’s wrong with you?”

  “Where to start?” She really did look like she was serious about this. She actually had no idea how attractive she was or that she oozed sexuality. Tyrone could cheerfully throttle the guy who’d killed her self-confidence. “I’m not tall and leggy like Angie.”

  “You’re what, five six?” She nodded. “A perfect height. Guys don’t like to be intimidated by women who’re too tall. Your legs are absolutely perfect and your tits…well, ask Kane if you don’t believe me. He’s the world’s leading expert on the subject.”

  Her tears had completely dried up. “Thank you for making me feel better.” She shook her head. “I want to hate Angie, but the thing is, she was always perfectly nice to me, probably because she didn’t see me as competition. She also had the good sense to see through Rick, but now he’s finally enticed her into his camp, and probably his bed, too, with my project. Not content with that, the arrogant prick seems to think he can get me back on track by giving me Angie’s spot in front of the camera.”

  “You told him to go take a hike, I hope.”

  “Yeah, and put the kibosh on my career in the process. Rick doesn’t take rejection well and kindly reminded me that he has a lot of influence with the producer.”

  “Forget about him. Think about what you’re hoping to achieve here in Impulse instead. That’ll knock anything Cordite News can come up with out of the ballpark.”

  She raised both brows. “How likely is that when I can’t even breathe the frigging air?”

  “Getting worked up about it won’t help.” Tyrone ran his fingers softly down the curve of her face. “Tell you what, would you like me to help you get acclimatized?”

  She opened her eyes impossibly wide. “You’d do that for me?”

  “Baby, you have no idea how much Kane and I would do for you.”

  “But why?” She seemed genuinely perplexed.

  He winked at her. “We’re partial to freckles.”

  “Be serious.”

  “I was.”

  “Perhaps, but neither of you is that impressed with me.”

  Tyrone gaped at her. “Where the hell did that come from?”

  “Last night, neither of you wanted to—”

  “Oh, baby!” Tyrone threw back his head and expelled a long, frustrated sigh. “We wanted to. You have absolutely no idea how much.”

  She blushed. “Then why—”

  “Trust me when I say that we had our reasons, but now isn’t the time.” Tyrone should have guessed she’d be peeved because they hadn’t had full-on sex. Now he really did owe it to her to make her feel better about herself. “Okay, first off you have to learn to relax.”

  “You think?”

  He flashed a confident smile. “I know. Will you trust me to help you?”

  “I’m not sure anyone can. I’m beyond help.”

  “Just so you know, there isn’t a man in Impulse who could resist that sort of challenge.” Tyrone’s smile broadened as he watched her mangling her lower lip between her teeth, fraught with indecision. “I guess we’re wired different around these parts.”

  “All right, I’m prepared to try anything.” But she clearly didn’t think he stood a hope in hell of getting anyplace with her. “What do I need to do?”

  “Whatever I tell you to.”

  Aisha rolled her eyes and, for the first time since Tyrone had come home, actually smiled. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Get undressed.” Tyrone spoke with calm authority in his tone. She opened her mouth, presumably to protest, but he killed her objections before she could even voice them. “Do it now, Aisha, and don’t ever question me again when I tell you to do something.”

  Aisha hesitated, but Tyrone held her gaze without flinching. Whatever she saw in his eyes obviously convinced her, and she removed the few garments she was wearing. She watched him all the time as she stepped out of them, presumably seeking approval, but didn’t speak a word. She was waiting for compliments to assuage her nerves, but unfortunately that wasn’t the way this game was played.

  “Sit back down,” he said curtly.

  Tyrone tried not to show how much he enjoyed the sight of her nakedness. Not that it would be too hard for her to figure it out. She only had to glance at the bulge in his pants for the evidence to be…well, self-evident. He hadn’t intended to get into this with her, but seeing her so upset, so insecure about herself, changed something deep inside him. She was destined to be their mate, even if she didn’t know it herself yet, and it was his duty to look out for her welfare, both physical and psychological.

  “We’re going to play a game, Aisha, but I set the rules,” he said. “This game will teach you things about yourself that you never even suspected.”

  “All right.” She glanced up at him, bit her lower lip again, and her face flushed. This time Tyrone was pretty sure she was excited rather than upset.

  “Open your legs wide, bring your feet up onto the settee, and close your eyes.”

  When she did as he asked, Tyrone began to wonder about the wisdom of his actions. The sight of the cute pink lips to her sweet pussy sucked the breath from his lungs, much as Impulse’s thin air had done to Aisha earlier. How someone with such a gorgeous body could have such low self-esteem was beyond Tyrone. Still, it didn’t really matter, because, unless he’d lost his touch, all of that was about to change.

  “Relax, darling,” Tyrone said in a soft, hypnotic voice. “Imagine a c
ool mountain stream. You’re sitting on its bank, dangling your feet in the water, turning your face up to the sun.”

  Kane noticed her toes wiggle, her head tilt back, and a sultry smile play about her lips.

  “Breathe deeply. Fill your lungs with that sweet mountain air.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Let your mind wander and your body drift. You’re tired. Close your eyes and let the sun seep into your body. You’ve been working way too hard. It’s time to relax.”

  She mumbled something incoherent, let out a prolonged sigh, and closed her eyes more tightly.

  “That’s it. It’s so warm that you can’t stand the feel of your clothes. You’ve taken them off and are sitting there naked. No one ever comes up here, you’re quite safe. You fall asleep in the sun, more relaxed than you’ve been for weeks, but something wakes you up. Something or someone is touching your tits. Can you feel it, Aisha?” She nods but doesn’t open her eyes. “It could be a butterfly, a feather, or something otherworldly. Whatever it is, it feels wonderful. Your nipples harden.”

  “Hmm,” she said when Tyrone moved forward with feline stealth and breathed over one of her nipples. He noticed that it hardened immediately and that the aureole pebbled a deep, enticing pink. One of her hands drifted to that breast and tweaked the nipple.

  “But you don’t like your breasts. No one would want to play with that nipple.”

  Her hand fell away immediately, but she moaned in protest.

  “Why don’t you like your breasts?”

  “Too big.”

  “But you liked what the butterfly did to your nipple.”

  “Yes.”

  “He won’t come back if you don’t like your breasts. Butterflies don’t enjoy conflict.”

  “But I want to feel—”

  “Think about your breasts, Aisha. Think about the way they look beneath a blouse. Think about how men look at them. Think about how they’d look on Angie.”

  “Oh!”

  “Oh is right. Angie’s tits are plastic. A man can always tell, just by looking.”

  Aisha smiled. “Can they?”

  “No man wants to play with a plastic toy when he can have firm, supple flesh to fill his hands.”

  “No?”

  “No. Trust me on this. The butterfly’s hovering over your nipple again.” Tyrone expelled another cool breath over her tit. “Can you feel the beat of his wings?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want him to land?”

  She let out a needy little moan. “Yes! Please, yes!”

  “What do you think of your tits now?”

  “They’re real. They’re mine. I…I love them.”

  Her hand wandered to her solid nipple and Tyrone could see she was pinching it really hard. God, but she was a natural candidate for nipple clamps!

  “You’re really turned on,” Tyrone said, wondering if he was speaking for her or himself. “Liquid’s seeping from your pussy. Perhaps the butterfly will land on your clit. It’s throbbing and swollen and badly needs to be touched.”

  “How did you know?” she asked in a faraway voice.

  “The butterfly’s hovering, trying to decide. It’s fluttering up your legs, trying to figure out if you’re worthy.”

  The hand not touching her tit came to rest on her calf. It ran up and down it, as though she’d never touched her own leg before. She straightened that leg, lifted it experimentally in the air, and ran her hand all the way to her pussy and back.

  “I want the butterfly to land on my cunt,” she said in a hoarse voice.

  “We haven’t gotten past your legs yet, babe. Why don’t you like them?”

  “They’re not as long as Angie’s.”

  “You have real hang-ups over Angie, and that’s plain dumb. She’s tall but way too skinny. Her legs have no shape, not like yours do.”

  A somnolent smile lit up her face. “That’s true, I guess.”

  “The butterfly likes it that you’re relaxing. It’s come in to land on your pussy, darlin’. Are you ready for it?”

  “Hell yes!”

  “Its touch is so gentle you can barely feel it.”

  Her hand moved from her thigh to her clit and she moaned.

  “The butterfly’s flapping its wings, agitating your scorching pussy.”

  Her fingers probed and a gurgle—a cross between a pant and a sigh—erupted in her throat.

  “Where do you feel your energy’s the strongest?” Tyrone asked.

  “My whole body’s buzzing. I feel like I could actually fly right now.”

  “That’s good. Now squeeze your pelvic muscles for me, sweetheart. Hold all that energy inside you. That’s a good girl. The butterfly’s landed right on your clit. Do you feel its gentle touch?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me what it’s like.”

  “It’s like I’m on fire.” Her breathing became more rapid as the pressure of her fingers increased. “It feels as though I’m on the outside watching all this happening to someone else.”

  “What does that other person look like?”

  “Sexy, wanton, unafraid to go after what she wants. All the things I’m not.”

  “But she is you, darlin’. Don’t you recognize those freckles across your own nose?”

  “No, I…yes…hell, I don’t know! Help me, please!”

  She was on the point of orgasm, but Tyrone wasn’t ready to let her come yet.

  “The butterfly’s taken off and left you.”

  “No!” She groaned long and loud. “Please, Tyrone, make it come back. I need the butterfly. I need the heat, the tingling. I need—”

  “Hmm, I know you do. But not quite yet.”

  She was alternately panting and begging, tears of frustration seeping from the corners of her closed eyes. Goose bumps had appeared on her dewy skin and she was trembling all over. Never before had Tyrone tried edging with a more responsive student. But they’d barely scratched the surface of her sensuality and Tyrone needed to teach her a little bit more about herself before he let her come.

  “The butterfly’s squeezed beneath your cunt. It’s touching your perineum.” Her fingers slid beneath her butt. “That soft, spongy area between your anus and cunt is part of the clit network, did you know that?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Ah, not many people do. That’s why it gets neglected, but it’s actually a highly erogenous zone.” She squealed as her fingers explored. “The butterfly knows that even if you don’t.”

  Tyrone wanted to take his own clothes off and join in the fun. Problem was, she was so tempting that he didn’t trust himself not to fuck her senseless and prove to her with deeds rather than words just how appealing she actually was. He contented himself with touching his rigid shaft through the fabric of his shorts while he continued to torment Aisha. Kane would just have to fuck him later and get rid of the abiding itch he’d been fighting against ever since he’d started this game with Aisha.

  “I need…please, I want—”

  “Only beautiful people get what they want.” Tyrone smiled at the ease with which he could sway her. “Are you beautiful, Aisha?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you love your body?”

  “Yes, I love everything about me.”

  “That pleases the butterfly. He’s back on your cunt. Slip some fingers inside yourself, darlin’. The butterfly’s landed hard on your clit, but he needs some help.”

  “Hmmm.”

  Her fingers worked frantically. Her head rotated from side to side, and her hair fell all over the place, obscuring Tyrone’s view of her features as he allowed her to get closer to orgasm. He heard Kane come in behind him but didn’t turn around.

  “Our mate has self-esteem issues,” he pheromoned.

  “You seem to be taking care of them.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  Kane stepped forward and glanced at Tyrone’s erection. “Looks like you might need some help with that thing later.”
<
br />   “Crossed my mind.”

  Kane leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he watched Tyrone finish what he’d started, marking Aisha with his unique orgasmic fingerprint without actually touching her.

  “The butterfly’s grazing your vulva with its wings. You feel that, Aisha?”

  “Yes.” She panted the response as her fingers increased their pressure.

  “Uh-oh, the butterfly’s gone again.”

  “No! No, please, I’m begging you. Get it back.”

  “No, my mistake, it’s landed back on your tits.”

  “Ah!” Her hand closed around one nipple and squeezed hard.

  “Its friend’s turned up and landed on your cunt. Shoo it away, Aisha. You don’t need it.”

  “I do! I so need it. Please, let it stay.”

  Tyrone shared a glance with Kane, who was now also rock hard.

  “See what it wants then.”

  Her fingers were on her sweet spot in a millisecond. “It wants me to come.”

  “No, that can’t be right. Not if you don’t like your body.”

  “I do!” Her voice was an anguished moan. “I love my body. My body is a temple.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Tyrone felt euphoric. “Both butterflies are on your cunt now, Aisha.”

  Her fingers went to work and both men saw her muscles tense. Her mouth opened in a startled “oh,” but no sound emerged. Then all four fingers of one hand disappeared inside her pussy as her thumb worked her clit. She screamed as her orgasm hit and she rode her fingers like a woman with something to prove to herself. On and on it went, and Tyrone knew it would be more intense, more satisfying than anything she’d known before, mainly because he’d made her wait so long to achieve it.

  Eventually her body stopped spasming, and she opened her eyes and blinked at Tyrone and Kane in obvious confusion.

  “What just happened to me?” she asked.

  Chapter Nine

  Aisha woke up and stretched, feeling refreshed and full of vigor. Just for a moment she couldn’t remember where she was or what had changed to make her feel so totally enlightened. Being relaxed wasn’t something she’d known too much about in her aggressively competitive, highly stressful career choice.