Ways in the Guardian: A Menage Romance Book Collection

by Barbara Downey

  She found herself sitting on his sofa with a beer in her hand and he joined her after just a few minutes, looking less disheveled and not so naked. At least she wasn’t so distracted when he had clothes on; that was actually a lie, she was distracted because she could remember exactly what was under those clothes.

  “I’m not sure that I can explain, the nudity I mean,” he said finally. “I want to but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to, or if you would believe me, or if you won’t call the men in white coats.”

  “You could start with telling me why you were on my doorstep, naked,” she said sounding much calmer than she felt.

  “Okay, I tracked your smell. You smell really good by the way,” he said.

  “What?” She had made a mistake, he really was crazy, and she had put herself at risk just because her body wanted his body to come out to play.

  “There isn’t any way I can say this without sounding crazy, I’m sorry,” he said dropping his head into his hands.

  “Thanks for the beer,” she said and stood to leave.

  “No, wait!” He jumped up and fell over the coffee table, spilled the beer, and then fell onto the floor.

  “No, that’s not real, oh shit, oh shit,” she could hear herself mumbling.

  Josie’s back hit the wall about two-foot shy of the door and she started to side step towards it but the huge black panther that may or may not have been Ryan just a few seconds before came over to her. She pressed herself against the wall until it hurt. The cat sniffed her all over and then nudged her. She couldn’t move, she was trapped, and she had forgotten to breathe once more. She could feel her body lose sensation and her hearing went fuzzy. She knew she was fainting, but she had lost every ounce of control.

  Chapter 9 - Ryan

  “I didn’t mean to do it, it just happened,” Ryan said into the phone.

  The phone went dead, and he stared at it for a second. His lifeline, his mentor, Adam, had just hung up on him when he needed him most. He looked again at the unconscious woman on his sofa. He had shifted back quickly and picked her up from the floor. She had smelled like roses, and fear, and arousal. He didn’t know why he shifted and scared the hell out of her but once it was done, he couldn’t undo it; she couldn’t unsee it.

  She was breathing evenly, and he wasn’t worried about her physically but when she woke up and remembered what she’d seen it be would bad. She would scream and call the police, or the army, or whoever you called when supernatural creatures licked you. Once his cat was out of the bag, he would be locked up and studied, or put down. He blamed Adam, all of this was Adam’s fault.

  When a loud bang at the door brought him out of his thoughts, he briefly wondered if it was the police, army, or some secret assassin group but then he smelled the familiar scent that he’d come to associate with panthers. Adam hadn’t abandoned him.

  “Is this your answer to everything where Josie is concerned,” Adam said looking him up and down.

  “Shit, I’m naked again,” Ryan groaned and went back to his bedroom.

  “Come on little lady,” Adam was saying as Josie stirred in his arms.

  Ryan watched as her eyelids fluttered open and her pale blue eyes found Adam’s. Her scared look softened until she looked happy and that beautiful smell wafted up to meet his sensitive nose once more.

  The woman was killing him, he had to fight the desire to shift. Adam was smirking at him again and even though the guy had rushed out to help him he still wanted to smack the smug look off his face.

  “What happened?” She looked up at Adam with doe eyes and his stomach did a little jealous flip.

  Adam didn’t get the chance to answer because her eyes found him and widened in shock. He stepped back, he was losing her, and he’d only just found her. She was going to freak out and throw him to the wolves, maybe literally, who knew?

  “Do you trust me, Josie?” Adam asked in that smooth deep voice that oozed control and a sexiness that should have been illegal.

  “I do,” she said her attention fully on Adam.

  “I’m going to tell you a little secret and you’re not going to be alarmed because you’re safe with me, and believe it or not you’re safe with that idiot over there,” he said.

  Josie glanced over at Ryan and nodded once more. Ryan wondered if Adam would teach him those smooth moves because it looked like he could sweet talk anyone off their feet and into bed at any given time. Hell, Ryan was feeling the vibe, and he didn’t swing both ways, usually.

  Ryan stopped listening to the hypnotic words Adam was saying because watching Josie melt into compliance was just as hypnotic. She absorbed the information like a sponge and didn’t flinch, laugh, shout, scream, or hit him once.

  “So, you’re not going to panic, everything is going to be okay,” Adam said and Josie nodded once more.

  “Damn, you’re good,” Ryan whispered at a volume that only a shifter could hear.

  “Don’t just stand there Ryan, get some beers all round,” Adam said, settling on the sofa next to Josie.

  Ryan grabbed three beers and by the time he’d walked back into the living room Adam and Josie were joined at the hip, arm, and leg. The best he could do was hand them a beer each and snuggle up on her other side and hope she noticed him. As soon as he sat down, however, he got a whiff of Josie’s special scent, the one that emanated from her pantie area.

  “So, now we know that Ryan likes to get naked, a lot,” Adam said smirking, again. “How do you feel about him?”

  “Well, I guess now I know what he is and why it happens; I know he’s not a pervert or an exhibitionist, so he’s okay,” Josie replied wearing that sweet shy smile.

  “I’m really glad you don’t hold it against me,” Ryan said taking her hand in his.

  Touching her skin seemed to have an effect on him and the more he did it the more he wanted her. She was addictive and he couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward and kissed her delicate lips. She didn’t resist, and he continued, even slipping his tongue into the softness of her mouth. He wanted to see her eyes, to check that she was okay with it and when he finally pulled away from her, her eyes were closed and Adam’s hands were on her.

  “Josie?”

  “I can’t help it,” she said breathless and dreamy-faced. “I always liked you, Ryan, way before you even noticed I existed.”

  “Then why are Adam’s hands feeling you up?” Ryan asked wondering why he was enjoying the scene before him.

  “I don’t know but please don’t let it stop?” She gasped as Adam trailed kisses along her neckline.

  When Adam lifted his eyes to meet Ryan’s they were glowing as if lit from behind. Adam winked at him and then continued his ministrations to Josie’s body. She was whimpering with pleasure and when Adam lifted her sweater over her head, she let it happen. When Adam’s large hands ran down her dainty body Ryan figured it was time to join in and buried his head in her lace-clad cleavage.

  “Welcome to the shifter way,” Adam purred. “We live for pleasure.”

  “Mmmm…” Josie moaned and Ryan soon found he was naked again.

  When Adam’s strong hand grazed Ryan’s throbbing member, he experienced a jolt of electric pleasure. He arched his back and moved his body against the man, seeking the electrifying touch again. When Adam gripped him, he felt a whole new sensation that he’d never experienced before and that was when he realized that he no longer needed to be bound by human rules. He was free.

  Chapter 10 - Josie

  Josie had woken up in Ryan’s bed, sandwiched between the pair of muscular frames. They were warm and firm and she felt safe and protected between them. When she’d tried to leave the bed Ryan had scooped her back and rubbed his body against her causing the most delicious friction. It didn’t take long for Adam to wake and join in and she thought she would burst with pleasure.

  Adam’s hands were big, calloused and hot. He ran them expertly all over her body, making every inch of her compliant and ecstatic. Ryan was more expl
orative; he wasn’t as practiced as Adam and his innocence and hesitance made her slick with desire. He explored every crevice and plain of her body until she was wracked with waves of orgasm, and then he would begin again.

  Her favorite part of their strange union was when Adam touched Ryan. It made her feel like she was viewing something secret and it drove her mad with lust for the pair of them. It felt like slow torture, squeezing the pleasure out of her inch by inch. She never wanted to leave the bedroom again, ever, but after beginning her morning with three orgasms she knew that at least two of them had to get to work.

  “I need to go home and shower,” she said breathless once more.

  “I’ll walk you home,” Adam purred.

  Adam held her hand all the way home, and she felt like she had a bodyguard with benefits on her arm. Her tiny frame fitted against his Gerard Butler-esque beefcake body. She had spent her life hiding away, being a shy little mouse, becoming invisible. Now, she walked with her head held high, her shoulders back, and a constant pulsing ache between her legs.

  She didn’t know what would become of her trio, these things were not usually long term and she didn’t know if she wanted this much pleasure on a long-term basis, she didn’t know if her human body would survive it. Humans were built for war and punishment just as much as they were designed to receive and give pleasure.

  When Josie walked into the office, she felt different but she wasn’t expecting to be treated differently. Everyone turned their heads as she walked past and the creepy supervisor even sniffed her as she breezed past him. She turned and gave him a withering stare and he scurried back to his seat.

  “Honey, did you get a makeover?” asked one of the girls who had never spoken to her before.

  “No,” she answered and then turned her back.

  She heard the gossip, and it made her secretly smile. She felt different and maybe she was carrying herself differently. She was certainly walking with care because her core was still buzzing and her panties were still a little on the damp side, especially when Ryan walked in and she had a flashback of his head between her legs. She would never forget how his tongue felt on her most sensitive parts.

  “Hi beautiful,” Ryan said brushing his hand across her neck and causing her to shiver.

  “You are late,” she said laughing.

  “I am running out of clothes, somehow they keep ending up in pieces,” he said. “Meet me in our favorite supply room.” He whispered into her ear and she closed her eyes.

  He walked straight out of the office and she sat there for a minute trying not to grin stupidly and then got up, forcing her legs to walk slowly. She opened the door to find it dark and shadowy but strong arms grabbed her around the waist and swept her into the back. She relaxed against him and when he started kissing her she ran her hands under his shirt making him groan.

  “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

  “You just had me this morning,” she said.

  “I need you naked all the time,” he replied lifting her shirt to reveal her white lace bra.

  Their session in the supply room wasn’t long and leisurely, it was short, sweet, and hit the spot. Ryan lifted her skirt and pulled aside her panties, lifting her onto his rock hard manhood. She slid on with a jolt of pleasure and she knew it wouldn’t take long before she reached her climax.

  Josie climaxed with her teeth clamped on his shoulder to stifled the moans and he followed her, managing to knock a stack of files from the shelf in the process.

  Josie’s usual bun was untied and her hair was loose and wild. The pins were somewhere on the floor and she wasn’t about to hunt for them. She didn’t need to tie her hair back, instead, she just flipped it over one shoulder, straightened her skirt and shirt, and left Ryan to clean up the room.

  “Hello,” a man said as she walked past him. “Haven’t seen you here before, are you new?”

  “In a way, yes,” she said flashing him a sweet smile.

  She knew he was watching her, and she didn’t care. Now that she’d found her panther shifter boys, she wouldn’t be needing human men. She knew exactly what her type was and she wouldn’t settle for less.

  When Ryan emerged from the room, he looked disheveled but in a ‘I just had crazy good sex’ way. She watched as all the women looked up and eyed him. His eyes were fixed firmly on hers, and he looked like he wanted to eat her, which was exactly what she wanted him to do.

  THE END

  Bonus Books

  25 Bonus Romance Stories Included!

  Click Here to Start Reading:

  1 of 25 Bonus Stories

  Hope in the West

  The Golden Horseshoe Inn was one of the most popular places in the prospecting town of Whispering Willows, in the newly founded state of Nevada. It had ten rooms that could be rented out, as well as a restaurant that served great food and had drinks that rivaled the trashy saloon. Lucy Winthrop had been working there for three months now and could be seen doing anything from waiting tables to cleaning rooms.

  Lucy was the daughter of the town doctor and had spent most of her young life without a care in the world. When she turned twenty-three her father told her that she was to be married to Andrew Perkinson. The Perkinsons were prominent in the town of Whispering Willows; they owned many of the buildings in town and the rumor was that this was because they had discovered gold in the hills. They owned the Golden Horseshoe and, after much deliberation, the parents felt that it would be good for Lucy to work there as someday it would be hers. It had been challenging at first but Lucy had learned to love the feeling of a hard day’s work. There were other things, however, that she hadn’t quite figured out.

  Financially, getting married to Andrew Perkinson made sense. She would have enough money to be comfortable for the rest of her life. Plus, the man wasn’t hard to look at. Lucy felt bad that she wasn’t head over heels in love with him but there was something about Andrew that made her nervous. Sometimes he was harsh and didn’t treat her nicely. They weren’t even married yet and Lucy already felt like she was his property. Lucy wondered if this was how all married woman felt but she saw her mother and father together and knew that it wasn’t true.

  One morning she stood over a basin washing vegetables to be cut and used in soup. She had her sleeves rolled up and was soaking wet but if anyone were to see her they would think that she was beautiful with brown hair and chocolate-colored eyes. Andrew often called her his doll but it didn’t make her heart swell like a term of endearment should. She was broken from her reverie when one of the other members of the Golden Horseshoe staff came into the kitchen.

  “There is a man looking for something to eat out in the dining room.”

  Lucy walked away from her work, expecting to see a familiar prospector or cattle herder. Instead, her breath caught in her throat as she saw a young man sitting at one of the tables. He was tanned from working outdoors and wore a black hat over his sandy blond hair. His clothing wasn’t too cheap or too fancy and Lucy had never seen the man before which was strange since Whispering Willows wasn’t a big town.

  “Hello,” Lucy called out to him and when the man looked up she found her heart pounding in her chest. “I heard you were hungry.”

  The man nodded his head vigorously. “Yes, Ma’am,” he replied, blue eyes smiling just as much as his expression. “I’ve been travelling for days with nothing to eat but some jerky and hard tack.”

  “You are in the right place,” Lucy replied. “I can fix you up some soup. How’s that sound?”

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  Lucy whisked away to the kitchen where she found herself working with a new purpose. She no longer dwelled on her future but on making the man a happy customer. But as she chopped her vegetables and added it to her already-bubbling broth she couldn’t help but think of the man that sat in the next room. Why was he in Whispering Willows? Where had he come from and, most importantly, would he be staying long? Then she would tell herself that she was being foolish, she
was working in her soon to be in-laws’ Inn. It was not appropriate to have thoughts like that. She found a hunk of bread and filled a mug with beer before she headed back to the dining room.

  The man looked at the bowl that she set before him with huge, expectant eyes. It was obvious that the man hadn’t had real food in a long time. He thanked Lucy before he began to inhale his meal and Lucy smiled, content that she had made him happy. She was getting ready to head back into the kitchen when he called out to her.

  “This your recipe, Ma’am?”

  Lucy stopped, the sound of his voice making her swoon. “No sir, it’s just the one they make here. I just follow directions.”

  “Well, you’re very good at following directions.” he replied. “What’s your name?”

  “Lucy Winthrop. My father is the doctor in town.” She looked at him, shyly. “And who are you?”

  “I’m Pete. Don’t really go by my last name. I guess I may have to here. Pete Bishop.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Pete.”

  “Likewise,” he said with that same beaming smile.

  Lucy wanted to ask her more questions, to find out where he’d come from and what his plans were. But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the front door open. Her stomach flip-flopped, but not in the way one would expect when their sweetheart entered the room. This was a spasm of anxiety, not puppy love.

  Andrew stood across the room from her, dressed completely in black. His boots were polished, his shirt and pants perfectly pressed. They matched his dark hair. The only think that contrasted his ensemble were his hazel eyes. They studied his fiancée with interest.

  “Please let me know if you need anything else.” Lucy murmured before she walked towards Andrew. The man took her into his arms, resting her awkwardly against his chest. Lucy tried to feel calm and happy but she couldn’t. She could barely hold in her shudder as she looked up at the man and asked. “How was your day, my love?”