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He nodded slowly, his dark eyes trained on her, trying to gage her reaction. “Yes. Nothing concrete, mind you. Just pictures. Images. Feelings.”
Sure. What the heck. They could turn into wolves, so why not have visions, too, right? Sandy held up her hand again, and Adam paused. “So, you’re saying that Fate chooses who your mates are, and the alpha-mate gets three mates? Does everyone get three mates?”
Shaking his head, he said, “Not normally. A shifter recognizes their mate instantly when they meet. After they mate, they’ll know if that mate is the only one or if they have another waiting out there to be discovered. Normally, only alphas and betas share.” He grinned and winked. “It’s the alpha-mate that’s the lucky one. She gets three men to pleasure her.”
Flushing, Sandy focused on the road. She didn’t know if she liked the way that thought made her nipples tighten and heat trickle through her clenching pussy. If she didn’t get home, she’d end up doing something stupid, like jumping one, or all, of these sexy men, and damn the consequences. And something told Sandy the consequences would be big. After what Adam had told her, she was certain they wouldn’t be interested in a one-night stand or a trial fuck.
Adam cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he murmured.
That had Sandy laughing, and it sounded a bit hysterical, even to her own ears. “You guys tell me you can turn into a wolf and that I’m your alpha-mate and want to pleasure me, and I’m not supposed to be uncomfortable? What did you expect?”
“The opportunity to prove it to you,” Adam said softly.
Finally, the SUV turned into a driveway that wound into the trees. Well, damn. Using back roads, these guys only live about ten minutes or so from me! How had that happened? She put her Jeep in park and looked at Adam. “How can you prove it to me?” she asked over the idling engine.
Adam moved so fast, she didn’t have time to react. He unbuckled their seatbelts and hauled her onto his lap facing him, one leg on either side of the seat. She was going to protest the uncomfortable pinch of the door on her leg when one hand wrapped around her hip and the other the back of her neck. He brought her lips to his in a brutal, possessive kiss.
Sandy moaned, opening to his questing tongue. Wow, he tastes fantastic! Dark chocolate, bitter beer, and something deeply masculine. The hand on her hip tightened and pulled her closer, letting her feel the throbbing erection tenting his pants. Adam hissed and lifted his hips when she rolled her pelvis, giving her the hard ridge of his cock to rub against her swollen clit. Emboldened by his reaction, she did it again. Electric shocks radiated through her body from the pressure of his arousal pressing against her nub of nerves.
The door next to her was yanked open, but Sandy couldn’t seem to get her hips to stop rocking or wrench her lips from Adam’s plundering mouth. The stimulation felt too good. She wondered what it would feel like to have that massive shaft buried deep inside her and whimpered. A low growl had Adam easing the kiss to an end, and she peered left. Sandy found Ben and Devon in the doorway.
“Fuck, you smell good,” Ben snarled before he claimed her lips. His hands sank into her hair, replacing Adam’s, and Sandy could do nothing to stop it. She didn’t want to stop it. The feel of Ben’s lips, hard and demanding, as he worked over her mouth with mastery, sent scorching heat down her chest.
All the while, Adam’s hand on her hip encouraged Sandy to continue rocking against him, and she did. She could vaguely hear the man panting as she ground her aching clit against Adam’s hardened cock, locking her legs around the bucket seat and using it as leverage to apply even more pressure.
Her breasts felt heavy, full, and she wanted someone’s hands on her. The fact that it didn’t matter who’s didn’t even register. As if reading her thoughts, Ben cupped her breast. The thin dress and lace bra was little barrier to the heat of his hand. A thumb and forefinger pinched her nipple, rolling and tugging the hardened nub, sending sparks through her body, settling in her clenching womb.
Seconds later, a mouth latched onto her neck and she mewled her pleasure into Ben’s mouth. Holy hell! When Adam said they wanted to please her, they sure knew what they were talking about! And then all thought ceased.
She heard Adam growl as he bucked up against her just as she rocked forward. The extra sensation was the final straw. Her body exploded as ecstasy raced through her system. Sandy couldn’t stop the scream, which Ben easily swallowed down. Adam continued to rock up into her, and that talented hand kneaded her breast gently as the three men brought her down from the most incredible orgasm she’d ever experienced.
Finally, she managed to open her eyes to stare into Ben’s nearly black gaze. His ragged breathing, the flushed cheeks and neck, and the open pants told her he’d come, too. And was that a hand down his pants? If Ben had one hand down his pants, whose hand was on her breast?
Her gaze shifted to the blond, whose smile made him appear equally satisfied. It was then she realized that while Ben kissed her and pleasured himself, it was Devon who’d latched onto her neck and worked one breast while working his own shaft. Adam had pleasured her other breast as he’d thrown his head back against the seat and rocked against her.
Oh God, had she just had sex with all three of them?
Sandy flushed bright red, scrambling off Adam’s lap to her own side of the Jeep. The men, reluctantly, let her go. “I…I…I’m sorry,” she squeaked out. “I need to go.”
“Sandy, please come inside. We have so much to discuss.” Ben’s lust-deepened voice rumbled, sending fresh shivers through her body.
She’d just had an amazing orgasm and she wanted more? That fact alone was enough to make her shake her head. “I can’t. I need time to think, and I can’t do that around you guys. I don’t understand it. I need time.”
“That’s something we don’t have a lot of, Sandy,” Ben said sadly. “The heat you feel, the urge to mate with us, it will get worse. The Blue Moon on Friday will make it unbearable, driving you to find relief.” He hesitated, grimacing, and she knew she wasn’t going to like whatever was coming next. “With anyone.”
Sandy glared. Yup. She hadn’t liked that. The idea that some strange mating craving would take away her ability to choose… No. Fucking. Way. “That’s not true. You guys get away from me. I don’t need anyone, not you, not fate, to tell me who I’ll have sex with.” She shifted her gaze to Adam. “Get out.”
To her surprise, the man slowly obeyed. “Please, don’t leave like this,” Devon whispered.
She hated that she’d put that look of pain on the sexy blond’s face, but Sandy needed to get away from these men. The outrageous things they said just couldn’t be true. They would forget about her in time, and she’d go back to her quiet life writing books.
“I’m sorry,” Sandy whispered.
“Will you at least think about what we’ve said?” Adam asked. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but…please?”
She opened her mouth, ready to tell him hell no, but what came out was, “Okay. I can do that.” And, damn, if that didn’t make her feel better instead of worse.
Ben tucked a card into a cup holder. “I know you’ll have questions, and there’s still so much to explain. When you’re ready, please call one of us. Our numbers are on there.” He reached to shut the door, hesitating, before turning back to say, “Just don’t take too long.”
Then the door was shut. Sandy wasted no time putting the Jeep in gear and backing out of the driveway. The further away she got from the men, the heavier her heart felt. Why, after just a few crazy hours with them, and one mind-blowing orgasm, did it feel like she was ripping her heart out by leaving them?
A few times she thought she saw a vehicle following her, but when she pulled into her driveway, no one passed her. Dismissing it as her over-stimulated imagination, she hurried into her quiet bungalow, carefully locking the door behind her.
Chapter Six
It had been two days—two days and not a peep from their relu
ctant mate. Adam had told Devon and Ben about his and Sandy’s discussion on the way to the house, but none of them could figure out what exactly had set her off. The best they could figure, they shouldn’t have ganged up on her like that, at least not right away, but with all the pheromones and arousal permeating the air, Devon knew he wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been able to help himself.
Ben had followed her home on his motorcycle, keeping the lights off and using his wolf’s night vision so she didn’t see him, and then let Devon and Adam know where she lived. Now they took turns keeping an eye on her.
Creeping through the trees in wolf form, Devon found a good place and hunkered down to watch Sandy through the sliding glass doors. He loved watching his mate. He would’ve loved being in the cottage in human form more, but until she accepted them, this would have to do. At least being close to her kept Devon’s wolf semi-content. Every time Ben replaced him, he had to fight his other half to leave their mate behind.
Sometimes Sandy would stand on the deck and drink tea, staring into the woods. Those were the best times, because he could smell her sweet scent.
As Devon watched, Sandy got up from the table and disappeared into the kitchen. He sat up, just able to make out her form through a window. A couple minutes later, Sandy walked out the door and eased onto the porch swing, sipping a mug of tea, English Breakfast flavor, if his nose was accurate.
Another scent hit his senses, earning a deep growl from his throat. Cougar. Devon found his feet and scented the wind, trying to determine direction. He realized the shifter must have been staying downwind to get this close, which meant it would be to Devon’s left. He started circling. Suddenly, a gasp from the deck drew his attention. Sandy’s gaze was riveted to the tree line twenty feet in front of him where a cougar crouched, watching her.
Sandy began to slowly rise, probably intending to get in the house, but as soon as she moved, the cougar started toward her. Devon wasted no time capitalizing on the way the other shifter’s attention was fixated on his mate. He sprinted through the trees, leaping over a bush to land between the cougar and Sandy.
The other shifter snarled a warning, and Devon growled in reply, slowly advancing on the cat. He hopped backward, away from the cat’s swiping claws, before leaping forward with a counterstrike of his own. His jaws open, he sank his fangs into the animal.
A yowl echoed through the forest. The cat flopped to his back and brought his hind legs up, intending to shred his back claws over Devon’s side. Devon quickly released the shifter and danced back, waiting for another opening as it rose unsteadily to its feet. The cougar pounced. Devon swung sideways and pivoted. Just as he was about to sink his teeth into the passing cougar’s side, Sandy’s outraged cry distracted him.
He missed, seeing movement overhead. Devon lunged sideways, narrowly avoiding the second cougar he hadn’t even known was there. As the cougar landed, Devon returned his focus to the downed cougar and sliced his claws across the beast’s side.
A paw swiped Devon’s flank, sending pain flaring through him and returning his attention to the second cougar. But instead of continuing the fight, the cougar ran to his fallen friend. After one more snarl at Devon, the cat helped his semi-conscious friend to his feet and they both disappeared into the forest.
Devon started after them, but Sandy’s voice stopped him.
“Wait!”
He turned to look at her, lowering to his belly and wagging his tail a little. Her slow approach surprised him, but he took it at as a good sign. She stopped five feet in front of him and stared.
“Which one are you?” she asked tentatively, her arms wrapped protectively around her waist.
Taking a deep breath, Devon released his wolf. Bones popped, tendons and muscles stretched and contracted, fur receded, and his face contorted as his eyes moved to face forward and his muzzle disappeared. Seconds later, a very large, very naked man lay on the ground staring at sneaker-clad feet.
“Devon,” Sandy whispered.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze, worried about what he’d see in her expressive green eyes. Would she be afraid? Repulsed? He didn’t know if he’d be able to stand it if she sent him away. At the moment, all he could scent from her was concern.
She began to kneel, but quickly stopped.
The move sent shards of panic through him as she took a step back. “Wait,” he stammered, lifting his hand, ready to leap to his feet, pain or no.
“Just stay there,” Sandy commanded. “Let me get you a blanket, then you need to come in and I’ll take a look at your side.”
The pain all but disappeared as joy flooded his system. She wasn’t disgusted. She was inviting him in. She wanted to help! Devon’s body practically vibrated as he tried to stay still until she returned.
Breathing deeply, he willed his badly timed erection away, but his throbbing cock refused to listen. He could smell her need, which fueled his own. Devon’s desire to taste his mate nearly overwhelmed him when she returned and gently laid the blanket over him, her hands lightly caressing his back.
He managed a semblance of control by biting the inside of his cheek and gritting his teeth. Devon rose to his feet, waving away her assistance. Though it pained him to have to put distance between them, if he didn’t, he worried he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Devon followed Sandy as she hurried to open the sliding door. She glanced nervously behind him, probably looking for any sign of the cats.
He stopped in the doorway, lightly touching her cheek. “They’re gone,” he reassured her.
“Why were they here in the first place? I’ve never heard of cougars acting like that.”
“Those were shifters, baby,” he said, moving forward so she could close and lock the door.
She frowned. “Shifters? There are cougar shifters, too?” At his nod, Sandy put her hands on her hips and glared. “What the hell do they want with me?”
Devon grimaced. Shit, this wasn’t how he wanted to have this conversation. “Do you mind if I sit first?” he asked, trying to buy time. The scratches were really just a superficial wound and would heal in a day thanks to his shifter’s increased healing ability.
Sandy blanched. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Please, go sit in the living room, there,” she said, pointing, “and I’ll get the first aid kit.”
Devon followed her instructions, and five minutes later, Sandy appeared with a box of bandages and antiseptics, water, and rags. The next five minutes was a lesson in erotic torture as Sandy’s scent enveloped him and her hands skimmed over his lower back as she bandaged him. He wanted to toss the blanket aside and have her take another part of his anatomy in her hands, or her mouth…or her…
Groaning, Devon rested his head against the couch’s back. Sandy’s hands paused. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
He could hear the worry in her voice and quickly shook his head. “Not that kind of hurt, Sandy,” he assured. When her hands started moving again, gently touching and prodding, Devon focused on his thoughts. “The reason the cougars came after you is because of pheromones,” he whispered.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
She stopped touching him, so he assumed she was finished. Devon cracked an eye open and found her sitting on the coffee table across from him. “How old are you?” he asked.
“Twenty-five. Why?”
Devon nodded. “Twenty-five. Makes sense.” At her frown, he hurried to explain. “Shifters are considered adults at twenty-five. Our aging slows as our healing abilities kick in, continually regenerating us. When Lonnie was attacked by a rogue shifter, it began to change him into one of us. Somewhere in your lineage, you have a shifter ancestor. That means you have shifter blood in you, however small,” he explained. “Your body knows your mates are shifters, so when you came into contact with him, your body, combined with the pull of the coming blue moon, kicked up your libido. You started producing pheromones, attracting shifters.”
He held up a hand, stalling her protest. “I don’t know how t
o explain it other than it’s Fate’s way of getting what she wants. Shifters are attracted to you in an attempt to bring your mate to you.” He sighed and ran a hand over his short blond hair. “The problem is, because you’re an alpha-mate, combined with the magic of Halloween and the blue moon, your pheromones are being produced in an excessive amount. It’s calling to even those who are not your mate.”
Sandy’s head dropped, and a look of sadness crossed her features.
Devon wanted to pull her close and comfort her, but didn’t know if she’d welcome his touch right now.
“So, if I believe you, the only reason you and the other guys are interested in me is because of Fate and these damn pheromones,” she whispered.
“What? No!” Devon growled. He leaned forward and grabbed her arms, unable to keep from touching her a second longer. Heedless of his wound, he pulled her onto his lap and cupped her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You are a stunning, beautiful, sexy woman, Sandy. Any man would be blessed to have you at his side. Even if we didn’t feel the pull of the mating heat, we’d still know you were ours. The mate-bond just helps it happen faster.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered.
Devon smiled. “I’d like to change that. We’d all like to change that.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips over Sandy’s, pleased when she didn’t pull away. “We’d like you to get to know us as well.”
When he pulled back, he saw the glassy look in Sandy’s eyes as her green eyes swept over his naked chest. “I want to touch you so badly,” she whispered. “Your skin looks so smooth and firm. Why do I feel this way?”
Taking her hands, he placed them on his shoulders, shivering at the contact. Heat traveled from where her hands touched him to his groin, and a drop of pre-cum leaked from his cock, soaking the blanket covering him. “Because you feel the pull, too, baby. Your body wants us.” He knew it was wrong to use the mating heat this way, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted her too badly. Leaning forward, he rained kisses up the side of her neck. “Just let go, baby. Let me help you relax. I can explain everything afterward,” he promised.
