by Jane Jamison
“It’s something I’m not about to answer.” She had to get off the unsettling subject. “Let’s talk about the video. Now there’s a riddle that needs answering.”
They suddenly picked up speed, pulling her along with them even as they seemed to be trying to get away. Were they wanting to get away from her? Or away from having to talk about the tiger?
“So? What about it, guys? I still say it’s not a fake.”
David pivoted to face her, his expression serious. For a second, she thought she saw the flicker of amber in his eyes.
“It’s a fake. Why can’t you let it go?”
Why couldn’t she? Her investigation was going nowhere. But she couldn’t get rid of the nagging impression that the video was the clue to a story that was even bigger than a huge cat roaming around the Texas landscape.
“Did you see the size of the tiger?” She hadn’t mentioned it before, hadn’t given it much thought, but now it seemed important. “The thing was huge. Much larger than the tigers I’ve seen.”
They’d come to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. People still walked past them, but instead of greeting them, they kept on moving, their heads tipped down, their eyes avoiding them.
“And you’ve seen a lot of tigers?”
“Well, no, David. Just at the zoo. But I’ve seen enough and done enough research lately to know this cat’s almost twice the size.”
“At the zoo?” Darion’s anger had flashed on as fast as David’s. “Do you like the zoo, Kristal?”
They had her hemmed in. Her mind whipped back to the time they’d caught her between them on the dance floor. But this was different. The weird sensation sizzling between them was still there, growing stronger by the second, but layered with anger and frustration.
“I don’t know. I guess. Who doesn’t like the zoo?” What was he so angry about?
“We don’t. We don’t like seeing any animal, especially cats, locked up.”
David seemed as upset as Darion. “O-kay. But I don’t understand why you’re getting so mad. What do zoos have to do with a tiger running loose? Do you think he escaped from a zoo? I didn’t know there were any zoos or game preserves around Twisted.”
“There aren’t.” David made a low sound.
She didn’t have to wonder this time. She not only heard David’s growl, but saw his lips pull back. “You growled.”
In the next instant, she was lifted off the ground and carried into the alley between two stores. She let out a little yelp as David set her on her feet again and pushed her against the brick wall.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She wanted to sound forceful, but her whisper was too soft, too timid.
“Whatever the hell I want.”
Chapter Four
Whatever the hell he wants? Fear combined with excitement made for a heady mix.
“He thinks he’s going to do this.” Darion shoved David aside hard, then stepped in to take his brother’s place, ignoring David’s curses. “He’s already had a kiss. Now it’s my turn.”
Kristal didn’t have time to breathe much less to argue. Darion’s mouth crushed against hers. Like a flame set to dry kindling, fire leapt to life inside her. She wanted him. God, how she wanted him.
Clutching him by the hair, she pulled him harder against her. His hands flattened against the wall as he pressed his body against hers. Every part of her wanted him as close as she could get him. Every ounce of her passion screamed for her to open her legs. She moaned, answering his nibbles with her own.
Fever, quick and hot, whipped into her. Her hands traveled along his neck, over his wide shoulders then on to seek his shirt buttons. Her hands trembled too much to work the buttons through the holes. Instead, she grabbed hold and yanked his shirt apart.
His moan filled her throat as he tugged her T-shirt over her head and flung it aside. Next went her bra, torn from her.
“Goddamn.” Darion eased back, took one hungry look at her breasts, then took a nipple in his mouth. His fingers tortured the other one.
“Fuckin’ A.” David yanked Darion’s shoulder, twisting him around. He came behind her, putting her between them again.
She was trapped, all right. Caught between them not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. All rational thought was gone, swept away by a primal yearning she couldn’t name and would never refuse.
Darion worked her jeans free while David lifted her enough for his brother to tug off her running shoes and yank her jeans off. He put her down again then kept going until he knelt behind her. Using his teeth, he ripped her lacy undies off.
“Gottafuckher. Now.”
She could barely make out what Darion had said, but she grasped his meaning. How could she not when she wanted it as much as he did?
David bit at her butt cheeks, kneading his fingers into her fleshy ass. “I’m going to fuck your ass.”
She tensed, but only until the cool gel slid between her cheeks and around her tight hole. Vaguely, she wondered why he carried lube, but the unsettling thought was gone soon enough.
Darion took her under the arms and lifted her. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist. His swollen cock struck her mons before slipping lower.
She whimpered, annoyed that he might be teasing her. “Fuck me.” She spoke to both men.
Darion grabbed a hunk of her hair and jerked her head back. Her gaze met his.
His eyes have amber in them again. Why?
Again, she couldn’t hold onto the thought. Her sex-craving body wouldn’t stand for it.
“You’re ours, girl. You know it and we know it. Hell, the whole damn town knows it.”
“Say it, baby.” David stood up, leaning backward to press his cock against her tight hole.
She listened to her heart and not her head. “Yes. Yes, I’m yours.” Even if only for a short time.
They plunged their cocks into her, catching her breath in her throat. Pain blistered her, but was soon gone as the throbbing sensation holding them close spun around their bodies. She clung to Darion, aching to do the same with David.
Ramming against her, they crushed her between them at the same time. Doing the only thing she could, she held on and let them do as they wanted. Harder and harder they thrust against her. Deeper they went with each move. They filled her completely as the juices flowed out of her.
She was theirs. As much as it didn’t make sense, she’d never known anything that was truer. Her puffs of air exploded with each slam of their bodies against hers. Darion’s hands cupped her breasts. His teeth, so sharp, skimmed along her shoulder. David’s teeth, just as sharp as his brother’s, stabbed at the skin of her other shoulder. His fingernails dug into her butt cheeks.
Anyone could’ve walked by and seen them. She wasn’t sure many hadn’t already. But she didn’t care. Let them watch. Let them talk. Having these two men was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One she wouldn’t have given up even if a crowd had gathered around them.
“Kristal.”
The way Darion said her name sent more juices flowing. She wanted to scream their names, but had no breath to do so. Like a rollercoaster soaring at the peak of the rails, all she could was hold on and whimper her delight.
Her climax speared out of her, sending throbbing pulses through her body. The world around her began to spin. She shut her eyes and held on.
Darion and David exploded together. Each growled out her name a second before they pulled their cocks out of her and turned away. She slumped against the wall, her legs barely holding her upright.
They never turned her loose completely and she had to rely on them to not sink to the ground. Her hands on their shoulders shared in the quakes of their releases.
“Oh, my God.” Her mind, forgotten during the sexual escapade, reeled. Logic came rushing back, telling her of her mistake. “We shouldn’t have done this.”
They turned on her, their shirts open as they zipped up their jeans. Their expressions, so filled with s
atisfied desire, changed. She searched for any sign of the amber in their eyes, but saw none. Had she imagined it?
“We did what was natural between mates.” David’s tunneled his hand through her hair. “Don’t try and deny what you feel for us.”
“Mates? What are you talking about?”
They closed in. Darion put his face close to hers, his expression intense, almost frightening. “You know what we mean. We told you. You’re ours. The connection brought us together.”
She pushed away the burgeoning passion flaring to life again. Instead, she allowed fear to take over. “Give me my clothes.” If she spoke in a stern voice, would they do as she wanted? They didn’t have to. They had the strength to make her do anything.
David retrieved her clothes and handed them to her. “You’re trying to push it off. I can see it in your eyes. But it won’t work, Kristal.”
She pulled on her shirt, her gaze flitting to the sidewalk. If someone came along, should she call to them for help? Would the men hurt her if she did? She was sure they wouldn’t, but she was just as sure that she needed to get away from them. Her jeans came next, and then her shoes.
“I don’t know why this went down, but it won’t happen again.”
“Yes, it will.” Darion blew out a breath, obviously trying to regain his composure. “Damn it. We’re going about this the wrong way. Give us a chance to explain.”
She eased out from between them. At first, David acted as though he’d stop her, but Darion shot him a look, backing him off.
“Kristal, meet us for dinner later.”
She started to shake her head, then met Darion’s gaze. Staring into his eyes made denying him anything almost impossible. “No. I can’t.”
“Give us a chance.” David pulled his shirt together. His smile was both heartbreaking and sexy. “We promise not to assault you until dessert.”
Laughter started, but she squashed it. “No. I’m not your girlfriend or your…mate. And I’m not your quick fuck.” She backed up, easing toward the sidewalk. At least, not again.
“Then prove us wrong,” dared David. “Meet us for dinner and let’s talk. If you still feel the same way afterward, we swear we won’t come near you again.”
She was about to say no when Darion threw in the bait she couldn’t resist.
“If you do, we promise to talk about the video.”
She couldn’t turn the offer down now. “Okay. Where and when?”
“We’ll pick you up at Lena’s,” offered David.
“No. I’ll meet you.”
“Fine.” Darion pressed his palm against David’s chest, signaling him to remain quiet. “Roberta’s Diner at seven.”
“I’ll be there.” She turned and hurried out of the alley and into the sunlight.
* * * *
Kristal checked her watch and saw that it was seven-thirty. After spending most of the day wondering what the hell she’d been thinking to end up having sex in an alley with two men she barely knew, she’d had to take action. Going to dinner with them would’ve sent her straight back into their arms.
Despite the tumultuous emotions David and Darion incited in her, she didn’t believe in their so-called connection. And yet, she couldn’t explain those feelings. If it had only been an incredible physical attraction, then maybe she could’ve brushed it off as a result of a lack of male companionship. But it was more. So much more that it took her mind and scrambled it every time she thought about them.
They’d said she was theirs. She’d denied it. At least, once the sex was over. But even as she’d done so, she knew she was lying. She wanted them. Not just as men who satisfied her needs, but as men who could steal her heart.
The strangest part of it all was that she knew them. A part of her hidden deep inside had realized they existed long before actually meeting them. That part of her had recognized them the moment they’d ridden up to her.
“This makes no sense.” Nothing did. Not the tiger in the video and not her attraction for men she’d just met. They stirred a need inside her, a compulsion to have them that turned everything she knew about love inside out.
Until she could figure it out, she had to stay away from them. If she didn’t, she’d end up on her knees with one of their cocks in her hand and the other in her mouth.
Hell, they even had her thinking sinfully, giving birth to ideas that only her special dreams had ever possessed. Her fantasies, carnal and lust-filled, occupied her sleep often, but the men rarely had faces she’d remember later. Even past boyfriends hadn’t made it into the fantasies.
But the Conroy men had. They’d even started infiltrating her days. Since their time in the alley, she’d found herself stopping whatever she was doing, zoning out with a memory of their quick romp in the shadows.
And wishing for more.
She shook her head and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Instead of going to dinner, she’d decided to check out the location where the video had been filmed. Although tigers could cover large areas of land in a short time, her instinct insisted the animal would eventually return to the same place again. Eventually, however, could be a long time. Longer than she had to give. If so, her trip would turn out to be a waste of time. Still, it was better than running the risk of ending up on top of the diner’s table, her legs spread wide for Darion and David, while the other customers watched.
She took a sip of the thermos of coffee she’d brought along. It was going to be a long night.
* * * *
“She’s not coming.”
David glared at Darion for stating the obvious not for the first time, but for the second. He’d known she wasn’t going to show at the diner when the nearby clock on the wall had struck seven-fifteen. Nonetheless, he’d stayed on.
“David, did you hear me? Listen up.”
“Yeah, damn it. I heard you both times.” He downed the rest of his lukewarm coffee. “She stood us up.”
“Can you blame her after how we handled things earlier?”
They’d “handled things” by letting their primal urges and the connection take over. They should’ve known better and yet, even now, knowing they might have frightened her off, he didn’t regret taking her. If he’d really let go, he would’ve sunk his fangs into her and changed her. Without giving her the option of saying no.
“Should we go to Lena’s and make sure she hasn’t left?”
“No. She didn’t take off.” He motioned for the waitress to bring him more coffee then changed his mind and waved her off.
Roberta’s Diner wasn’t like most diners. Run by the beautiful black panther, Roberta did what she wanted, especially when convincing the state health inspector wasn’t difficult. Not when the man had the hots for Roberta. He often overlooked the undercooked meat Roberta served. Not that she had a choice. Almost raw was the way the shifters liked it.
David’s gaze followed the sexy black woman as she traveled from one table to the other, making sure all her customers were satisfied with the food and the service. Roberta was part of a small group of black panthers who lived in and around Twisted. For the most part, the panthers and the tigers got along well.
“How do you know Kristal hasn’t left?”
He scooted the chair back and stood, too antsy to sit and wait another minute. “I called Lena when you were in the john. She said her suitcase is still there.”
“Then where is she?” Darion put a twenty on the table, more than enough to pay for their drinks.
“Where do you think?”
“Aw, shit.”
“Yeah. Shit.” He sauntered to the door, nodding his head at friends and neighbors.
Darion led the way to their pickup. “So? What’s the plan?”
“We join her.”
“Sounds good to me.”
David let Darion take the wheel. In a matter of only a few minutes, they made it to the site where the video was taken. Sure enough, there she was.
“Does she really think she’s going to se
e a tiger if she just waits it out?”
“Maybe. Who knows with Boyd? I talked to his father, but as far as that guy goes, you can count on him not to listen.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Darion turned off the engine and leaned his forearms on the steering wheel.
“If he doesn’t, he’s going to be a world of hurt. Every shifter within fifty miles of Twisted will come down on him with a vengeance. He’ll be lucky if he isn’t sent off to another pride on the other side of the country.” He got out of the pickup and started toward her.
“Damn. All we need is a pissed off weretiger.”
Darion had a point. He made a mental note to talk to Boyd’s father as soon as he could. Maybe it wouldn’t help. After all, Boyd’s father hadn’t done much good so far. Still, they had to do something to make the young man follow the no-shifting rules.
As soon as she saw them, she sat up taller behind the wheel. Her eyes grew wide and, for a moment, he was certain she’d start her car and light out. Instead, she scowled at them and opened her car door.
“What are you two doing here?” She planted her feet apart and crossed her arms.
Like she could take on both of us.
He had to respect her nerve. “We’re wondering why you stood us up. Although I guess I already know why.”
“I’m sorry, but I came here to do a job. Not to have fun.”
“Well, at least you admit to having fun.” Darion eased closer and she stepped away, putting her back against the car. “It’s more than just fun for us.”
She nibbled on her lip, drawing David’s attention. He couldn’t nibble on her lip soon enough. “Kristal, nothing’s going to happen out here. Come back to town with us.” He reached for her.
She jerked away, slipping past Darion to hurry around to the other side of the car. “I’d like to find out for myself, thank you very much.”
She’d crossed the thin line between resolve and plain old stubbornness. “We’re telling you. The video is a fake.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybe about it. Come on. You said it yourself. Tigers aren’t that big. Plus, we’re out in the middle of Texas. Granted, we don’t have the number of people Dallas has, but there are several towns around here. If there really was a tiger, don’t you think someone else would’ve seen it and reported it to the authorities? Or to a news station like yours?”
