Mate With Me

by BJ Wane

  “How about some of your time after work, darlin’,” Luc drawled, leaning on the bar, liking what he was seeing more and more, especially when her dove grey eyes snapped like quicksilver in irritation at him.

  “Drinks are all I’m offering, boys.” Caitlin smiled despite her irritation at the come on. It wasn’t the implication she opposed, it was her body’s immediate reaction to the slow southern drawl she was pissed off about.

  “Ignore my brother,” Jon said with an outstretched hand. “I’m Jon Preston, and this boor is Luc. I’ll take a beer, light, whatever label you’ve got.” Jon had tried to prepare himself for the jolt he expected to feel when he touched his mate for the first time, but nothing could have prepared him for the instant searing lust consuming him when her large silver eyes widened in shocked arousal she couldn’t hide. “Don’t let it scare you, sweetheart, we feel it too.”

  Caitlin dropped his hand as if burned, taking a step back. Very little scared her, even less worried her, but right now, her reaction to these two did both. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Turning to Luc, she asked quickly, “Beer for you, too?”

  “For now,” was all Luc said, refusing to back away from letting her know, in part, what they wanted. The rest, well, that might be even more of a challenge convincing her of than easing the sexual tension between the three of them. Jon sent him a warning look, but he ignored it in favor of keeping his eyes locked on hers, sensing she was a woman who wouldn’t back down from a challenge.

  Okay, Caitlin thought with relief as she turned away from that compelling look to draw two beers, she could handle these two. They were just like any other man who had come on to her over the past ten years, ever since Dan had finally given in to her wheedling and nagging about moving up from her janitorial, after hours duties to waitressing. She was pushing thirty now, and knew every trick in the book to either turn men away or, if she was in one of her rare, lonely, nostalgic moods, lure them in. She finally decided it was the fact she was attracted to both of these men that had her body acting so outrageously, had her palms sweating and her heartbeat accelerating as she imagined spending a night exploring all that hard male flesh times two. Every girl’s fantasy, right? That’s all this was, she told herself as she turned back to hand them their drinks, a case of lusting after something forbidden, something she had never had before and was tempted to try.

  “Here you go, Jon and Luc. On the house as you’re new customers. A little bribe to get your return business.” When she started to turn away, Luc stopped her with a light touch on her arm, a touch that sent heat curling through her veins and pooling in her already aching pussy. “What?” she asked as politely as she could considering how desperate she was to put some space between her and them so she could think rationally about whether or not she wanted them to continue pursuing her.

  “Don’t go outside of the bar after dark, okay? There’re some rumors about a couple of…gang members out causing trouble tonight in the Quarter. It’s not safe.”

  Arching a brow, she answered nonplussed, “I’ve got news for you, darlin’, the Quarter’s never safe.” Patting his hand, she smiled; secretly pleased and amused at the way they were trying to protect her. “And I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. Come back again soon.”

  “Let it go, Luc,” Jon said. “We’ll stick around for another thirty minutes and by then dawn will be too close to keep the rogues out any longer.”

  Caitlin rolled her head on her shoulders trying to ease the stiffness and fatigue of a long, stressful night. Ten minutes to closing, the place had nearly cleared out over an hour ago except for Jon and Luc. Still seated at the bar, she had tried to ignore the way they kept an eye on her, tried to ignore the constant pulse of heightened arousal they inspired and she couldn’t suppress. “I’m just horny,” she muttered as she gathered up the trash from the restrooms and headed out to the alley to dump the large plastic bag. A year without sex and anyone would react as she had been to two such prime specimens of masculinity. She was definitely going to dig out her long neglected vibrator when she headed upstairs. A long session with the eight inch cock substitute would feel great, but she had a feeling it was going to be a short, intense session instead. The way she was feeling, one touch on her clit ought to do it. Either way, as long as she relieved this itch, she didn’t give a damn how long it took.

  Thankfully, getting to her small, one bedroom apartment above the bar was only a matter of climbing the stairs, and as soon as she could shoo the last lingering customers out the door, including two mouthwatering, distracting brothers, the sooner she could call it a night.

  Sultry night air hit her in the face as she pushed open the back door. The way Jon and Luc had kept their attention focused on her the past few hours, she hadn’t been surprised when they attempted to get up and follow her down the hall. “I don’t need hand holding in the bathroom,” she had snapped and, much to her relief, they had both sat back down, although they didn’t look too pleased about it. As humid as it was, it felt good to step outside away from those enigmatic looks and the promise of erotic pleasures beyond her comprehension they conveyed.

  There was only one dim light above the back door to illuminate the alley, but that was all she needed. “Really, Caitlin,” she scolded herself as she lifted the lid to the large trash bin and tossed the bag inside with a clunk before dropping the lid back down. “It’s not as if you’re a fucking virgin.” She may have been celibate this past year, but that was by choice, not because of a lack of opportunity or desire. The fact was, until tonight, she hadn’t been able to muster up much enthusiasm for sex with anyone, hadn’t come across a man she wanted to get naked with bad enough to do just that. Her last romp between the sheets had ended with a mediocre climax, and frankly, hadn’t been worth the trouble. Now, Jon and Luc, she was beginning to think, just might prove to be worth the effort, despite their overprotective, overbearing attitude.

  “Hello, pretty lady.”

  Caitlin cursed her inattentiveness as she whirled at the sound of that oily voice, the sudden stench coming from more than the trash bin. Her gut clenched with one of her intuitions that never presaged anything good at the sight of two creepy looking men standing several feet away yet too close for comfort.

  “Thanks for making this easy for us,” the one on her right snickered, a disgusting line of drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

  She had never seen a more chilling smile. A frisson of fear slid up her spine despite her experience in dealing with doped up cretins like these two. “Keep movin’, fellas,” she told them as she inched her hand slowly down her side toward the small knife she kept tucked away. “I’m closing up for the night.” She tried to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat when they fanned out and moved slowly toward her, malicious intent clearly evident on their faces despite the meager light.

  “Just in time for us to have a little party,” the one to her left giggled, making Caitlin tighten her hand around the hilt of her knife

  “We’ve got this, Caitlin.” Jon startled her as he appeared seemingly out of nowhere to lay a hand over hers. His grip was firm and solid, giving her the impression of controlled strength.

  Despite his fury, Jon felt a spark of amusement when her proud chin lifted and she angled her head to stare at his grasping hand. They had just gotten her name from the other bartender when they realized she had been gone longer than necessary to do her business. They didn’t hesitate to interrogate the man as to her whereabouts. Even though he was reluctant to say too much, he was no match for their intimidating looks and thinly veiled threats. Seeing her standing there so calmly as she faced the two rogues with false bravado instead of running or calling out for help, had his simmering temper at her defiance in coming out here alone threatening to boil over. “We specifically told you not to come outside alone,” he ground out, confident that Luc was handling the two idiots dumb enough not to check to see if any of the brethren were there with her.
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br />   The sound of a fist meeting flesh drew her gaze and seeing Luc landing a solid right hook into the solar plexus of one of her would be assailants, his face calm despite the barely leashed fury of his attack, kept Caitlin from snapping back at Jon’s arrogant assumption that she would just blindly obey two stranger’s dictates. Caitlin cringed when Luc picked the guy up by his arm and easily flung him against the wall where he hit with a thud then slid down to the ground where he lay limp and unmoving.

  She was about to call out a warning when Jon squeezed her hand, drawing her attention again. “Don’t distract him.”

  “Why don’t you help him instead of lecturing me?” she snapped.

  Jon snorted. “He can take those two blindfolded.”

  A blur of movement too fast to follow had Luc meeting the other assailant’s attack with a swift, backward kick to his chest, sending the cretin back several feet. Without giving him time to recover, Luc grabbed him by the throat and lifted him effortlessly in a show of stunning male power and strength that had Caitlin’s body going into overdrive despite the gravity of the situation.

  “Tell that insane, fucking bitch who sent you here to back off. Got it?” Luc growled softly into the face of the scared rogue who wasn’t so far gone yet as to not realize he was being given a reprieve. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep from plunging his dagger through this imbecile’s heart, obliterating one more threat against their mates, but watching him kill a guy then seeing that guy disintegrate into a pile of ashes within seconds wouldn’t endear Caitlin to their pursuit. They were going to have a hard enough time getting her cooperation as it is without throwing too much at her at once. The damn woman was too independent for her own good.

  “Okay, okay, just, let us go,” he babbled, spittle flying, making Luc drop him in disgust.

  Regaining her senses as the two creeps took off; Caitlin wrenched her hand free and glared up at Jon. “Look, I’m not one of those women who gets all giddy over some guy, or guys, coming to her rescue. I’m perfectly capa….oomph!”

  Jon’s mouth swooping down on hers abruptly ended her tirade, his hand on her nape holding her head still for his assault kept her from trying to escape. Not that she wanted to, she admitted as she clung to those hard lips that were softening under hers, as she found herself opening easily for his tongue, meeting him halfway and giving as good as she got as they tangled together in a damp, mouth to mouth exploration. It was as if another woman had taken over her body, one who wasn’t pissed at their high handedness, one who didn’t give a rat’s ass if they were overbearing, arrogant jerks intent on having their way. She didn’t need him to push her hips forward, she was already arching into him, already savoring the feel of the hard ridge of his cock pressing into her stomach, already rubbing her aching nipples against the hard planes of his chest, seeking relief from the onslaught of pleasure consuming her.

  Caitlin struggled to regain control of her senses, fought to push the lust aside long enough to make room for common sense, and she was close to doing just that when Jon abruptly released her and handed her over to Luc. Before she realized his intent, Luc took over where his brother left off, wasting no time firing up her cylinders, sweeping in and taking over her mouth as she fought to keep from panicking over the way that these men could easily take control of her life if she let them.

  She gave in to the need slamming through her, succumbed to the pulse pounding lust as he took control of her mouth and held her tightly against a body that was similar to, but different from his brother’s. Both men were big, tall and hard and she was assailed with visions of being sandwiched between the two of them, her sweat slick flesh sliding against theirs as the pleasure threatening to erupt just from their mouths became a reality. Teetering on the edge, she moaned into his mouth, ready to concede this battle as she rubbed her mound against his hard cock, seeking release in a mindless gyration of her hips.

  Her world tilted on its axis when Jon pressed up behind her and she felt his cock against her ass, his hand cupping her pussy over her jeans and putting enough pressure to make her explode in pleasure, her cries muffled by Luc’s mouth, her body bucking between them in nearly uncontrollable, overwhelming ecstasy.

  Shaken by her response, she just stood there mutely when they released her, didn’t say anything when Luc bit out, “We’ll be back tomorrow. Behave until then.” She watched both men walk out to the street at the end of the alley until they disappeared around the corner, the orange glow of the rising sun nearly blinding her a moment later as she stumbled back inside the bar. “If only I had a brain,” she mumbled as she struggled against the tiny tremors still pulsing from her climax.

  “You only quote the Wizard of Oz when you’re upset or worried. Which is it?” Bobby asked when he saw Caitlin return looking a bit rumpled but okay. Lucky bitch.

  “Both and I don’t want to talk about it. Why are you still here?”

  “To get all the delicious details, of course. Those two looked pissed, but in a protective, he-man sort of way. Please tell me they’re not your type. Better yet, tell me you’re not their type.”

  Caitlin laughed, grateful for the distraction of his Tom foolery. “Sorry, friend, no can do. But, I’ll tell you what. If I decide to take a walk on the wild side with them, I promise I’ll leave something left over for you.”

  “I’ll hold you to that. Good night, Cat.”

  “Night, Bobby,” Caitlin called out as she headed upstairs, confident he’d lock up on his way out. She was so tired she simply stripped on her way to her bedroom and fell down face first across her bed, her mind shutting down before her body.

  “Cutting it close, aren’t you?” Damien remarked when Jon and Luc materialized in the short hallway outside the rooms they were using during the day.

  “You won’t believe how close,” Luc answered, not at all pleased with the outcome of the evening. He wasn’t even sure he was ready for a mate, but had to admit Caitlin drew him like a moth to a flame. Her feisty attitude as well as the chip on her shoulder turned him on. He always did love a challenge. The feel of her slender body bucking against him had almost made him come in his jeans, something he hadn’t done since he was a teenager. Having to let those two rogues go didn’t help his disposition.

  “Don’t mind him, Damien; he’s just pissed because he wanted another few decades to play the field before meeting our mate. Too bad fate had other ideas.”

  Jon’s grin said how pleased he was with finding his mate, and Damien slapped him on the shoulder in congratulations. “One for both of you, huh? Well, Luc, you could always let Jon have this one and hold out for another.”

  Luc’s snarly, “Bite me,” before he went in his room and shut the door in their faces spoke volumes.

  “He’s not as upset about it as he lets on. He’s more pissed off about having to let go two rogues because Caitlin was standing right there without a clue what was going on.”

  “You can tell us all about her tonight. Right now, I’m wiped.” Damien wasn’t at all surprised that Isabelle hadn’t let up on her attacks. The good news was now all of them had their mates and could, hopefully, be at their full power and strength shortly. Providing he blood bonded with Abby soon and Grace accepted Jacob soon and the twin’s mate accepted them without delay. What were the odds, he cynically questioned before tuning it all out in favor of much needed rest.

  Grace awoke confused with a splitting headache. She had spent the night tossing and turning, trying to figure out what had gone wrong last night. One minute she was lost in the throes of a powerful climax, one brought about, no less, by the painful, stimulating slaps of Jacob’s hand on her ass, and the next she was brought rudely back to earth by the dark anger on Jacob’s face as he glared down at her. She had no idea why he was mad or why he had turned from her, and there was a part of her sparking to life this morning that was pissed off he didn’t give her an explanation.

  Never in a million years would she have believed she could find pleas
ure from pain, could get off from being spanked. The humiliation alone should have prevented her from doing anything except trying to stop him, but, on the contrary, the public exposure as well as the embarrassing position had only seemed to heighten her newly awakened senses. He had pushed past all her insecurities, beat down all her defenses and made her feel again when she thought she never would. Not only made her feel, made her explode with ecstasy she had never imagined was possible. She was just now discovering the pleasures of sex and realizing she wanted more. But before that could happen, she had to track down her mate and find out where she had gone wrong last night.

  Dressing swiftly, she hoped to catch him before he shut himself away for the day, but when she got downstairs the only one waiting for her was Abby.

  “Ready to go?” Abby asked, her look as neutral as her tone.

  Grace hadn’t seen her since last night, had been so consumed with pleasure she hadn’t even been aware that Abby and Damien had left the veranda until she was standing there all alone after Jacob disappeared. Apparently, Jacob wasn’t the only one put out with her.

  “I was hoping to talk with Jacob before we left.”

  “Sorry,” Abby said in a kinder tone. Obviously Grace was confused but willing to speak with Jacob, which in her opinion, was a step forward. “They’ve already turned in. I’m sure you’ll see him this evening.” At least she hoped so. Jacob looked like he had resigned himself to losing Grace before he ever really had her when he came inside last night, and there was nothing either Damien or she could say to get him to give her more time. Hopefully, by tonight, he will have had a change of heart.

  It was a long day for Grace. She couldn’t keep her mind off of Jacob, not that that was anything new. But instead of fretting over her fear of him and what he wanted from her, she was fretting over his promise that ‘it’ would not happen again. That sentence held a multitude of meanings, none of which she liked. When Damien arrived with Abby to pick her up that evening, she couldn’t hide her irritation and disappointment.