by Morgan Fox
She’d grown so accustomed to making her lovers happy that she’d forgotten about her own desires. She wanted a career, but more importantly, she wanted a family. Meeting Ryken and Luken had secured that feeling in her heart. Trouble was, neither of them seemed interested in making their bond official. They were the only ones not married or without children. Everyone else had taken the steps to move forward with their relationships, but not Ryken and Luken. They appeared content in their little threesome.
But I’m not.
Sitting alone in a home that was large enough for an army of children to grow up in, Tabitha wondered if she was given this opportunity to start over again. What if this was the new life she was meant to have? What if the mating bond she shared with Ryken and Luken hadn’t been real? Maybe that was why they’d never asked her to marry them. Maybe that was why it had been so easy for her to board the plane to Seattle without them.
Her cell phone rang and her immediate thought had been that it was Ryken or Luken, but it wasn’t. Brie was calling. “Hey,” Tabitha muttered into the phone, trying to swallow down the unsettling emotions choking her.
“Hello, my friend. I spoke with Ryken and Luken today. They told me your aunt died. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. I didn’t really know her.”
“Family is family,” she said sympathetically. “Is there anything I can do?”
Tabitha released a breath of air, collecting her thoughts. She needed to talk with someone, needed a chance to clear her mind of the chaos in her heart. But what do I say? “My aunt left me her fortune. Technically I’m now a millionaire.”
“Holy cow! Seriously?”
“Yep. I’m actually sitting in her amazing home right now. She left me everything, even a seat on the board of her company.”
“Are you thinking of staying in Seattle, then?”
That was the question, now wasn’t it? She didn’t know what to do. She loved her mates, and her heart truly wanted them, but the rejection swimming in her thoughts was drowning any hope she had of a future with them. “I’m considering it.”
“Have you spoken with Ryken and Luken?”
“No,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m not sure what to tell them just yet.”
Tabitha was greeted by silence, and she knew the words she’d just spoken were what left Brie speechless. But she also knew how connected Brie was to them all, and she had to have sensed the disconnect happening between them.
“I think you should tell them what’s in your heart, Tabitha,” Brie finally said. “I think they need to hear it.”
Tabitha closed her eyes. She didn’t think she had the strength to be as brutally honest as she needed to be. Her eyes watered as she opened them. “And what do I say to them? I’m not sure if we can be mates anymore? I’m going to move back to Seattle to try and live outside the pack? I don’t need you anymore?”
Tabitha cried, suddenly reliving how devastated she’d been when she’d lost her parents—that pain of being alone consuming her once more. The idea of losing Ryken and Luken was the same kind of heart-wrenching agony. That painful experience had nearly killed her. She hadn’t been able to function for weeks, hiding away in her dreams, hating every second she was awake, and then realizing that the nightmare of that loss was real.
She was crushed. Just thinking about parting from them was destroying her. But things couldn’t stay the way they’d been.
What am I going to do?
Then Joseph’s words came back to haunt her. “I don’t really want things to be over with them,” she admitted. “But I don’t know if it’s the right choice for me.”
“You won’t know that unless you talk with them, Tabitha. They’ll want what’s best for you. They love you.”
Anger replaced hurt. “Are you sure about that?” she asked sharply, unable to hold back the questioning commitment she felt from her mates.
“Of course I am. Why would you even ask?”
Tabitha swallowed hard, a knock sounding from the door. “Brie, someone’s here. I’ll call you soon.”
“Tabby wait—”
She hung up and placed her phone in her back pocket as she moved toward the front door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Joseph standing there. He smiled, and she couldn’t help but appreciate it.
“Hi,” she said.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, but I wanted to check in and make sure you were all right.” He furrowed his brow. “May I come in?”
Tabitha stepped to the side. “Sure. Come on in. Did we forget to go over something?”
Joseph moved into the foyer and faced her. “No. I was concerned about you.”
Her eyes widened. “You were?”
“I was. You received a ton of information today, life-changing information, and I wanted to make sure you were taking it all in okay.”
She moved around him, heading back to the room she’d been sitting in before he arrived. Why was everyone suddenly concerned if she was okay? Where had everyone been a few months back when she’d first needed someone. “I’m fine. I have a new house. More cash than I’ll ever need, and a job. I’m great.”
He nodded, hearing her sarcasm. “All given to you by an aunt you didn’t have a relationship with.” He moved to sit beside her on the sofa. “I’m sure that’s a feeling a person doesn’t digest easily.”
“She had a fight with my dad. I knew that. What it was about I have no idea.”
“It was about you, Tabitha.”
She slanted him with a curious look. “Me?”
“Your aunt wanted to pay for you to go to the best private school in the nation. She wanted you to have an outstanding education and your father thought June was throwing her money in his face. He was offended and severed his relationship with her.”
Tabitha’s mouth hung open. Leave it to a crushed ego to screw everything up. “That’s so dumb.” That still left a serious question plaguing her thoughts. “Why didn’t she come to me after my parents deaths?”
“She didn’t know what your father may or may not have told you about their falling out. She simply started a trust fund for you and looked after you from afar. You were going to get some financial security from her one way or another. It was what she knew how to do. Earning money had come easy to June. Mending relationships not so much.”
“This all feels surreal,” she told him.
“Come have a drink with me, Tabitha. Let me show you some of the places your aunt used to visit, places she used to eat. Let me help you clear your head.”
She smiled. “Weren’t you supposed to be at my aunt’s memoriam or something?”
He grinned. “I stopped by, but then I thought June would’ve wanted me to see you through this instead.”
The way he worded that had her unable to resist. Joseph appeared to have known her aunt well, and who better to give her insight into her aunt’s life than him? “Okay. I’ll go, but if we’re going anywhere fancy, I’ll need to stop off at my hotel first.”
He looked perplexed. “You’re not staying here?”
“I hadn’t decided,” she said, facing him as they stood. “Maybe you can work harder to convince me of a reason I should.”
* * * *
Ryken and Luken were packed and ready to board the plane in less than three hours of hearing from Brie. The sound in her voice had left them both racing to get their shit together and out the door. From what Brie had shared with them, they were losing Tabitha. She was questioning things like how much they cared about her.
What the hell was that about?
Ryken assumed Tabitha knew just how much he and Luken desired her, craved her. Apparently, they’d assumed too much. Brie hadn’t been able to share much more than that. Tabitha was also aware that Brie would most likely try and read her mind, but blocking it was easy when you knew it was coming.
Shit! They couldn’t even rely on Brie’s creepy magic to help them decipher what was going on with Tabitha.
&nbs
p; “We need a plan,” Luken said, his leg bouncing up and down.
The seats on the plane were cramped and most uncomfortable for men who were six feet three and broad shouldered. Luken’s agitation was only making Ryken more annoyed.
“Would you please control that wild leg of yours? It’s starting to give the plane turbulence.”
Luken groaned. “I’m sorry. I just can’t stop thinking about Tabitha and how messed up this all is.”
“I know,” Ryken replied. “I’m used to screwing up. But somehow you managed to do it too.”
Luken glared at him. “Not funny.”
No. None of it was funny. If Tabitha’s aunt hadn’t died would they be having this issue right now? Was this all somehow related to that one incident?
“Come on, Luken. You’re a softy. What’s going on with our girl? Why is she doing this to us?”
He shook his head, rubbing a stiff hand over his face. “Maybe it’s something we’ve done to her,” he said plainly. “Maybe this is all something we’ve done that’s pushed her away from us.”
Ryken’s stomach let go. “Or something we haven’t done.”
Luken shifted in his seat to look at his brother. “She thinks we don’t care about her, and according to Brie she doesn’t think we want what’s best for her. What would make her say that?”
Ryken thought back. Every second of his life since the moment he’d made love to her on that speeding train, he’d never desired another. The mating bond with her had been connected. She was his everything. They made love almost every day and were never apart. She never went without, had all the things she desired. He honestly couldn’t think of what she’d want that she didn’t already have.
He wanted off the damn plane. He was suffocating in fury. “Fuck me, I don’t know.”
“Well, we better figure it out and fast. Our plane lands in three hours.”
Ryken gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the muscles of his thighs. His wolf was frantic in his mind, clawing at him to fix this. Trouble was, he didn’t know if he could.
Chapter Four
Tabitha stared at Joseph from over the rim of her wineglass. She was thankful that he’d come back and talked her into joining him. She was trying to clear her head, and while it hadn’t worked entirely, it had worked enough for her to laugh at his insanely bad jokes.
“You’re really not funny,” she pointed out.
Joseph cringed as if she’d slapped him. “Ouch,” he teased, smiling at her. “I’m glad you came out with me tonight. I think you really needed this.”
“I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t come by, I most likely would still be sitting on that sofa in the dark, pondering my next steps.”
“And have you decided on those next steps?”
She laughed. “How could I? I’ve been drinking too much to care about anything serious.”
He smiled. “Good. I was hoping that that was your answer. You need a night off. You’ll have plenty of time to get serious in the following days.”
She nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Tomorrow she’d bury her aunt. The day after that she’d give her answer about the seat on the board of her aunt’s company, and then, she’d have to figure out what to do with Ryken and Luken.
Good times.
Putting it all back into play, she frowned. “I should probably call it a night, Joseph. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for me.”
“Of course,” he said, flagging down the bartender to cash out their tab.
“Thank you for taking me to all these amazing places. My aunt was more like me than I’d ever realized.”
“She thought so too,” he said, placing a tender touch on her shoulder. Then as if realizing he was caressing her a little too intimately, he cleared his throat and moved his hand. “I’ll have the driver take you home.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“I live within walking distance of this place.” He smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She smiled back. “Good night, Joseph, and thanks again.”
“Anytime.”
The moment she sat in the backseat of the limo, she closed her eyes and wished she’d had the ability to drink her worries away. As it was, she didn’t. It would take an act of God for her to even feel a slight buzz. Her wolf metabolism was sometimes annoying and getting good and drunk was probably the only thing she missed about being human.
Tabitha opened the door to her hotel room and instantly inhaled her mate’s scents. She switched on the light and slammed the door at her back. “Did Brie send you here?” she barked, feeling like she was being stalked or babysat.
Why couldn’t they just give me space?
Neither of them answered. They only eyed her hard from the chairs beside the desk table at the far end of the room.
“I knew it,” she shouted at them. “You didn’t come for me because you wanted to. You came because she told you to.”
“That’s not true,” Ryken replied, standing. “I was ready to drag your ass back home this morning, but he said you needed space.” He pointed a determined finger toward Luken as he too rose to his full height. “I didn’t want you to go in the first place.”
“I was only doing what you asked of us,” Luken added, glaring at his brother before softening his gaze toward Tabitha.
Her throat constricted as her world began to spiral. She couldn’t see through the fog of her emotions. They were all too scattered, too hard to make sense of. “I can’t do this right now. You should leave.”
“The hell we will,” countered Ryken. “You are our mate. You belong to us.”
Belong to them? They haven’t even asked me to marry them. What a joke. “As I recall, I don’t belong to anyone. I’m my own person. I have my own dreams. My own desires,” she blurted out, anger rippling through her blood.
Luken took several strides toward her. “I thought you desired us.”
She shook her head and took a step back as he drew closer. Before she knew what was happening Ryken was also closing in on her. Her pulse thundered at her temples and her wolf was suddenly very aware of them. “I never said I didn’t desire you, but I desire other things as well. Things neither of you have cared to discover.”
“Then tell us,” Luken told her, lowering his voice.
She shook her head again, closing her eyes. “I shouldn’t have to tell you. You should both know what I want because you should want it too.”
Ryken chuckled. “Brie is the mind reader, darlin’. Not us. Tell us what’s going on. Do you not want a life with us anymore?”
She wanted to laugh. A life with them had been all she’d ever wanted. They were the ones who were launching all the mixed singles.
Ryken brushed his fingers over the skin of her bare arm and she shivered. “I never said I didn’t.” Her eyes watered as she felt the power of their touch overwhelm her. Making love with them had never been the issue. “I just need time to figure things out.”
“What’s to figure out?” Ryken asked, closing the distance between them completely, pulling her against his chest. “You still want us. I can smell just how much. What else is there to figure out?”
The sight of his hypnotic blue eyes as she stared up at him was her undoing. She pressed to her toes and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him as the desire for her lovers erupted in her mind. God, she missed them. Her wolf had gone primal, coaxing her to receive what only they could offer her.
“This changes nothing,” she muttered as he pressed savage kisses along her jaw and neck. “I still have so much to think about.”
He opened her pants, dipped his finger inside the hem of her panties, and sank a digit into her wetness. She gasped. “The only thing you should be thinking about is how well Luken and I are about to fuck you.”
“I’m serious,” she said on a breath, wrapping her fingers around his wrist to stop him from sinking them back inside her. “I still need to figure things out.”
Shirtless, Luken
placed his shoulder against the door that Ryken had her plastered up against. His devilish smile was saying more than words could. He opened the button of her blouse to free the top portion of her breasts and swiped his fingers inside her bra to free the soft mounds.
Licking his lips, he asked, “What’s to figure out? We want you more than you may realize, and we want you right now.”
He lowered his mouth to suckle her nipple and again Ryken’s fingers plunged inside her. She weaved her fingers through Ryken’s hair as he teased the pad of his thumb over her clit. She arched her neck, bumping the door with her head, as primal desires stripped her of all the reasons to fight the burning lust.
The demands of her wolf, their wolves, were all she could hear, feel. The need for each other clawed its way into her mind and robbed her of breath. Their hands were all over her, tearing at her clothing as well as their own, until they were naked, skin to skin.
Ryken dropped to his knees and lifted her up to rest her legs over his shoulders. He parted the damp folds of her pussy and began to lick and suck at her clit. She cried out, anchoring herself to him by fisting his long hair in her hands. Her gaze was quick to devour Luken who had wandered to the bed, lain on his back, and slowly stroked his hard cock.
“Oh God,” she muttered, her nipples beading as the need for them intensified.
Just then, her body was engulfed in flames as Ryken pushed her over the edge. Her release was fierce, but only heightened her need for more. He lowered her feet to the floor and led her toward the bed. She pulled her hand from Ryken’s and climbed over the top of Luken, sinking onto his awaiting cock. She hissed, as he filled her and slowly began rocking her hips forward. She sat up, taking his hands in hers to cover her breasts. Luken massaged her mounds and gently pinched her nipples. She inhaled sharply as Ryken moved onto the bed and nipped at her shoulder, sweeping her hair to the side to kiss and bite her neck.
Wicked intent filled her thoughts. The need to pleasure and receive pleasure from her lovers was insatiable. She rose up and turned, facing Luken’s feet, once again sliding down onto his shaft.
