Claimed by Love

by Skye Jones

  Sean trailed his hands through her hair, letting if fall through his fingers over and over again. “I love your hair.” He bent down and nuzzled at it, taking a long, deep breath in.

  She’d not quite grown used to the way they used their sense of smell so much. Luke always seemed to be sniffing and nuzzling at Sean’s neck and now both men did the same to her. Luke nuzzled at her neck and collarbone, scenting her and idly tasting her, flicking his tongue out every now and again and nibbling at her with his lips.

  With a contented sigh, he laid back, head rested on the pillow as his fingers trailed down her skin and back up again, drawing some abstract pattern over her body.

  “Is he always this mellow after sex?” she asked Sean.

  “Pretty much. For a while at least, until he’s ready to go again, which actually, normally doesn’t take long. He’s kind of like the Energizer bunny.”

  “He’s here, you know!” Luke growled. “I can always go next door if you’d like, so you two can have a proper chat about me.”

  “Well, if you wouldn’t mind.” Sean laughed as a pillow sailed over Kayley and smashed him in the face.

  Luke pulled her into him, resting his arm over her to trail his fingers down Sean’s forearm.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” Kayley whispered to them both. “You’ve given me my body back.”

  She gave them each a soft kiss on the cheek and pulled herself up into a sitting position.

  “Good-night,” she said as she made to scramble over Sean.

  “What are you doing?” Luke’s voice rose.

  “Going to bed, letting you two sleep.”

  “It’s a big bed, stay.” Sean’s slurred voice made her smile; he’d be asleep in five minutes.

  “I should let you two have some time alone and if Will fin—”

  “Stay.” Luke whispered it in her ear. “Stay with us. We’ll set the alarm early and make sure you’re out of here but for now…stay.”

  It wouldn’t hurt she told herself, one night spent sleeping between these two wonderful men…men who’d already managed to steal a part of her heart.

  And therein lay the problem. Cold chased through her, pushing all the warmth out as reality sank in. This wasn’t meant to be anything more than a fun encounter; she’d sworn to herself no man would ever again get too close. How the hell could she already be feeling so much for two men she barely knew? It had to stop. Before someone got hurt.

  In the morning she’d pack her bags and leave. She would not come between them or risk her own heart getting broken…or worse. Threesomes never worked. Someone always got left out and their fun night would inevitably go horribly wrong somewhere down the line if they kept it up. So tomorrow, she’d do the right thing and leave…but she’d allow herself this one night of pleasure.

  Chapter 8

  Luke woke slowly, consciousness making itself known as the sound of waves crashed outside, louder than usual. Something warm rested on his hip. He turned to look and his heart stuttered.

  Sean lay curled on his side, tangled against Kayley, his thigh between hers, his arms wrapped tight around her. Kayley’s upper arm angled out behind her, to drape over Luke’s hip. The arm Sean held Kayley with reached beyond her, so his fingers grazed Luke’s belly. They lay tangled together, but both of them still reached out to touch him.

  A fierce protectiveness washed over Luke, stealing his breath, touching his very soul. He’d kill anyone who tried to hurt either of these two people in any way. He knew it with a dark certainty.

  After the incredible night they’d spent together, it would destroy part of him if Kayley decided to walk away once she found out the truth about her destiny as their mate. They’d admitted their attraction to her, but when the two men let her know how deep their emotions ran, he feared she might walk. The fact that for years she’d dreamed of running with wolves couldn’t be a mere coincidence. In her own way, she’d felt the same connection Luke had. He knew both she and Will shared some shaman ancestry. Clearly it was fated. Still, all of it might turn out to be too much for her to handle. He could see a future with the three of them happily together; sadly he could also see one where Kayley ran.

  His conscience warred with the more primitive elements within him. They needed to tell her the truth. Sean had wanted to wait, but Luke remained convinced they should level with Kayley. Yes, after last night, he wanted to go on having her for a little longer, before he risked losing her for good, but they couldn’t keep lying to her. After how accepting she’d been of their wolves, he could only hope she’d feel the same way about their intense feelings for her.

  Oh, he’d survive if she walked away but something would always be missing. He’d be fragmented, not whole. Ultimately, though, it would be Kayley’s choice. He’d still have Sean, his anchor and the person who pulled him back from the darker recesses of himself, and together they’d survive.

  He yawned and stretched, as he observed the sun spilling through a gap in the curtains, highlighting dust motes in the air. The crashing waves registered again, louder than they’d been any day since they’d arrived in Bal Harbour. He pushed himself up, taking care to move slowly so he didn’t disturb his sleeping partners. The view from the window confirmed his suspicions. No boat trip would be taking place today. The trees along the beach were bent double by a fierce wind and waves crashed against the shore, whipped up to a white tipped fury. The sun retreated behind a dark storm cloud.

  He wanted to go out for a run in the wild weather. Luke didn’t have the patience for balmy, sunny days and flat blue oceans. It was this kind of weather that stirred his blood. He loved the brutal reality of Mother Nature, up close and personal. Sean, on the other hand, hated storms, always had. Luke glanced over to him and saw he still slept peacefully.

  He found himself wondering about Kayley again. Had she chosen Miami because she loved the heat like Sean, wanted to be somewhere by the ocean? Or did she run as far as possible, not really acting on anything other than instinct? Would she be happy moving back to Alaska? If not, could they relocate to Miami? The team covered most of the US as well as other parts of the world when called for, so theoretically could work from anywhere. However, most fugitives either headed for the border—into South America and his colleague Hawk’s territory—or north toward Alaska. It made sense for Luke’s team to be based where they were.

  Besides which, the thought of living in Miami wasn’t particularly inspiring. Luke didn’t like the place; he found it strange and otherworldly. He hated the flatness of it, the lack of mountains, and the stifling air.

  When they’d landed at the airport he’d stood sweating, waiting for their rental car, wishing the buses that picked the tourists up would move off as the heat from their combined exhausts sapped his strength. One by one, they’d driven away, leaving Luke with the horrible realization that the heat and humidity were nothing to do with the engines at all and everything to do with Miami. How could a person feel good sweating so much every day? Sean had laughed, told him to take a swim, but even the water was warm!

  A loud crack rent the air, followed by the unmistakable rumble of thunder, so loud it shook the windows.

  Luke looked back to the bed, and sure enough, Sean’s eyes shot open, and he sat bolt upright, panic etched across his features, hardening his normally friendly face.

  Luke reached him in two strides. He kneeled and put his hands either side of Sean’s face, wanting to ground him.

  “Oh, God,” Sean mumbled, the words thick and still sleep slurred. “I hate it.”

  “I know you do. I know.” Luke kissed his face, trying to soothe him.

  “I’m in Miami. In Miami, in a huge house, with you and the pack. I’m not back there. I’m in Miami, and I’m safe.” Sean chanted the words under his breath. Luke understood Sean did it to keep himself in the present, to stop the memories pulling him under.

  “Yes, you are Sean. You’re here with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  One da
y, after a particularly bad Alaskan storm, Sean had explained the reason for his fear of thunder. When he’d finished, he had to beg Luke not to travel to Scotland and hunt down his old alpha.

  The vile creature had tied Sean, naked, to a St. Andrew’s cross and left him exposed to the elements on a cold spring day. When a storm came, no one took him down and no one helped. Sean spent two terrifying hours as lightning danced around him, striking the ground so near the hair on his arms stood on end.

  The punishment constituted only one of a long line of brutal acts metered out by James McFarlane, and they’d left an indelible scar on Sean’s psyche. How anyone could hurt a person as beautiful and loving and full of life as his mate, Luke still didn’t know. He did know that if he ever crossed paths with McFarlane the man would die.

  “I don’t suppose we’ll be taking the boat out today?” Sean sniffed, snapping Luke back into the room.

  “No.” Luke kissed him, noting the unshed tears that clouded his eyes.

  “I’m sorry. It’s pathetic, I know. Letting something from so long ago get to me now is stupid. I’m stupid.”

  Luke bit down anger, kept his voice gentle. “You are not stupid and I won’t listen to you talk about yourself that way. What you went through? What you survived? It would have killed lesser men. I doubt anyone but you could come through that and still be so strong and kind and thoughtful. You’re the most amazing person I know and don’t you ever forget it.”

  A snuffle next to Sean grabbed Luke’s attention, turning his head he chuckled as Kayley rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand, looking for all the world like a sleeping cat.

  “She’s so beautiful,” Sean whispered. “I can’t believe how amazing last night was. I got kind of scared beforehand, you know?”

  “Why?” Luke asked.

  Sean shrugged. “Never been with a woman, wasn’t sure I knew how. I wanted her but wondered how it would work out, in reality.”

  Sean trailed his fingers through the dark, silky hair on the pillow next to him.

  “I think you’re getting a fetish for her hair.” Luke mock scowled at Sean.

  “Maybe. Makes a change from my overall fetish for you, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m not a fetish.”

  “Oh, but you are. You’re my biggest fetish, my addiction, I can’t ever get enough of you.”

  “Oh…when you put it like that.” Luke’s chest swelled with pride. He couldn’t help it. He wanted Sean to crave him, to need him, God help him. He needed that reassurance every now and then. He might be a big tough alpha, and he’d never faced hardship of the sort Sean and Kayley had, but Luke still struggled with insecurity like everyone else. And Sean was his kryptonite, the one thing guaranteed to bring him to his knees. To hear Sean speak so openly of his yearning for him hit all Luke’s buttons.

  Sean yawned, jaw cracking loud enough for Luke to hear.

  “Ouch. Jaw’s stiff. In fact, everything’s stiff. Bad dream. Must be the thunder brought it on,” Sean mumbled.

  Right at that moment another loud crack sounded overhead, shaking the glass and Sean went rigid where he lay.

  “What’s wrong?” A sleepy, soft feminine voice drifted over to them. “Are you okay, Sean?”

  Kayley tightened her thighs around him and Luke smiled at the way she already picked up on, and responded to, Sean’s changed mood. Whether she wanted to or not, she’d started to bond with them. Soon they’d have to have a conversation about the implications, or Kayley wouldn’t know what hit her when it really took hold.

  “It’s the thunder, I don’t like it. Stupid, I know, but it scares me half to death.”

  “I’ll protect you both. You from the thunder and Luke from any spiders,” she said.

  Sean raised his eyebrows. “You told her about your spider phobia?”

  “He shared it to make me feel less pathetic,” Kayley said. “I’m scared of my own shadow.”

  “You already help me stop feeling scared.” Sean smiled at her before turning to Luke. He wrapped his arms around Luke’s neck and kissed him. “Both of you.”

  Kayley opened her eyes fully, suddenly wide-awake. She scooted away and half sat up as the sheet pooled around her waist, exposing her perfect, small breasts.

  “I’ll always protect you both.” Luke blurted out the words before he could think to stop. “You’re the most important people in the world to me.”

  At Kayley’s sharp intake of breath, he realized they’d both gone too far, said too much.

  She jumped out the bed and pulled on her panties. As she flung on her T-shirt, she started to babble. “I better get back to my room. I, um, I need a shower, didn’t bring my toothbrush…ought to check my cell.”

  “Kayley?” Luke took an abortive step toward her before hanging back at the confusion he read clear as day on her face. When he closed his eyes for a brief second, her emotions hit him. Too late, he tried to block them out, not wanting to invade her privacy.

  Fear at his words swirled within her, confusion hung there too, but alongside it was longing. A lot of longing. And that need simmering within her kept Luke from pressing her any further right then. She needed them, whether she could face it right now or not.

  “I’ll see you both later.” Kayley rushed out the door, closing it briskly behind her.

  “Fuck!” Luke hung his head in his hands. “I fucked up. Again.”

  “No. You didn’t.” Sean pulled his hands away from his face, forcing Luke to look at him. “I’ve been thinking and you’re right. We need to tell her. It’s got to be confusing for her. As far as she’s concerned we’re two guys in a relationship who’ve told her we want her, physically. We let her join us for what probably seemed to her like a night of fun and passion. Yet neither of us can help letting our deeper emotions show. As far as she’s concerned we only met her the other day.”

  “Not only that, but she feels the bond starting, too. She won’t know what the fuck is going on.” Luke raked a hand through his hair. “I’m still scared to tell her even though we must. What if she panics when we lay it all out? What if it’s too much for her and she runs all over again?”

  “We can still give her space and time, but she’ll know the truth and be able to make an informed decision. We let her know we’re there for her, if and when she wants us. It’s all we can do.”

  Luke’s deep instinct to give chase if she ran would be the worst thing to do. He understood that intellectually. A man had traumatized her badly, the last thing she needed would be Luke going all stalker dude on her ass. As a man of action, though, it didn’t come easy sitting back and waiting, but he didn’t see any other way. Their fate lay in her hands.

  * * * *

  Kayley hoisted the bag over her shoulder and walked a little further along the sidewalk. Her heart beat fast and hard. This wasn’t an area she’d been to before, and despite the fancy boutiques and artisan coffee shops it wasn’t one of her safe places. She’d walked quite a way from the rental, a mile or so she guessed, and now just wanted to go home.

  The note she’d left Will was short and sweet. It said she needed to go back to her apartment to sort some of her work out and touch base with Adam. The real reason she headed back home had nothing much to do with art and everything to do with two men who confused, scared, and aroused her in equal measure.

  She didn’t fear them physically, they’d never hurt her that way. She knew, bone-deep, that Luke and Sean would lay down their lives for her. And that, that right there, had caused her to flee and end up wandering around a place she didn’t know, anxiety gnawing at her insides as she desperately searched for a cab to take her home. Emotionally, she was in over her head, which made no sense at all, considering the amount of time she’d known them.

  How could her feelings be so strong for two men she barely knew? How could theirs for her run just as deep? And they did, she sensed it on some fundamental level. None of it made one iota of sense. Luke’s words that morning were the final straw. She needed so
me time to think, time alone.

  A man drifted by her, walking a little too close and panic reared its ugly head, like a hungry snake always waiting to be fed, always waiting for that trigger that would have it unfurling once again. Hands shaking, she took out her cell.

  A familiar, deep hello rang out. She slumped against the wall, relief coursing through her, making her weak.

  “Adam? I know you’re at work but can you come get me. Please? I’m in Bal Harbour.”

  “I’ve not got a customer in for another two hours, so I can come right away. What happened?”

  Kayley had asked for a week off, and Adam had gladly given her the time, so he’d be worried at her impromptu call.

  She bit back a sob. “I just needed some space and didn’t want to bother anyone here. I thought I could get a cab, but it’s windy and stormy and there aren’t any taxis around. I don’t even know where I am. I suddenly got the fear.” She laughed, trying to make light of it.

  “Is there somewhere you can wait for me?”

  “There’s an IHOP a few doors down. I could grab a coffee and wait?”

  “Do that. Find out from the staff the address and send me the info.”

  She walked on steadier legs toward the haven that the International House of Pancakes suddenly represented, knowing her friend would soon be with her.

  She’d gotten halfway through her second cup of coffee, decaffeinated since she didn’t need the rush, when Adam pushed through the doors. Stomach flipping in a happy way at the familiarity and comfort of his friendly face, she gave a wave to catch his eye.

  “So?” He sat opposite her. “Nothing’s doing, right? You just decided to up and leave, in a strange place, and hope you could find a cab in this weather?” His eyes held hers for a long beat.

  “I had sex,” she sighed.

  “You did what?” Adam’s voice lifted three octaves and she shushed him as heads turned their way. “That’s the very last thing I expected to hear you say.” His eyes clouded. “Was it awful? Is that why you’re here?”