by Julia Talbot
Great. Trust him to want her to climb. Still, she loved Seven Falls. Jenny got back in her car and headed toward Cheyenne Avenue, following it out to Colorado Springs’ most famous waterfall.
The days shortened every week, and tonight the last rays of sun barely shone as she hit the parking area, grabbing her extra hoodie out of the backseat and shrugging it on before putting her coat back on. Climbing up the two-hundred some odd steps that ran along the side of the falls would be cold as a witch’s tit in a brass bra.
One advantage to being a werewolf was that she didn’t need a flashlight, even though dark had pretty well descended by the time she arrived at the steps. Not many people stayed out there late in the evening when it got cold, and she met one guy and his yellow lab coming down as she climbed up. The lab growled at her and Jenny growled back, too low for the dog’s owner to hear but loud enough to send the dog scrambling. Normally she would have tried to make friends. Tonight she was on a mission.
Liam met her at step one-twelve, always as good as his word. His grin looked wide and white in the gathering gloom. “Have you gone from treating the domestics to terrorizing them then?” he asked, the lilt in his voice more pronounced with his laughter.
“Saw that, did you?” she asked in return. He looked good. So good, it made her ache. “I was just warding off trouble. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.”
“Sure. You know all about discretion.” Liam rolled his shoulders. “Sorry. That was a cheap shot, and you didn’t really deserve it.”
If he could apologize when she did deserve it, then they’d do fine. Somehow.
“So,” Jenny began. “Are we okay? Or, I mean, are you willing to work on being okay?”
“Let’s walk.” He started off up the steps, and Jenny figured either he’d toss her off the falls and claim it was an accident, or they’d find a nice, secluded, not so damned cold place for a little nookie.
She knew which option she preferred.
The top of the falls looked amazing in the growing moonlight, the almost full moon making her fingers twitch and her skin tingle. Almost time to run with it. Almost. The fine spray from the rushing water hit her face in tiny waves of mist, making her turn toward Liam to escape it.
“Which way?” she asked, pointing to the trailhead options. The top of the falls had some of the best trails in the country. She and Liam had hiked them many times.
“Come on,” Liam said, taking her hand and pulling her off to the left, up a fairly gentle grade, up the trail to Inspiration point. It made a decent night hike. His hand, huge and square and warm, felt so good that she gasped. “You all right?” he asked, peering at her through the night.
“Uh-huh. I just missed you is all.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure you and Sasha had plenty to talk about,” he said, but the snark she expected wasn’t there. In fact, he looked kinda guilty.
“I called him once,” she returned. “But I was waiting to see him until we could all sit down together. I know you don’t like him much…” she trailed off, rubbing his hand with her thumb.
Liam shrugged. “He’s okay. I mean, we have our issues, he and I. You know, I’m pretty alpha.”
She did know. Almost as tough as Sasha, but with a gooey center Sasha just didn’t have. That was a key difference, and one reason she’d always need both of them. “Yeah,” she said. “So what did he do, best you or something?”
He slanted her a wry look. “Or something. More than once. The bachelor pack is competitive as hell, love. I ended up showing him my throat one too many times.”
Well, that made sense, she supposed. She’d never really understand the male of the species. That was for sure. “So, I suppose us all sort of… seeing each other is out?”
“All seeing…” he stopped to give her a look, his hand tightening on hers. “You and Sasha, I swear.”
“What does that mean?” she asked. “Did he have the same idea or something?”
Again he just said, “Or something,” with an odd twist of his mouth and pulled her to him, reeling her in with her captive hand. “I should bow to the inevitable, shouldn’t I?”
Before she could answer, he bent to kiss her, his mouth a little wet from the falls still, a little metallic from all the minerals in the water. Jenny took the kiss happily, rising up on tiptoes to put her arms around his neck. Happier than she could express that he still wanted her. That he wasn’t going to give up on them.
He kissed her hard, bending her back over his arm, more forceful than she could ever remember. She took it happily, her nipples drawing up with more than the cold, her cunt starting to throb, wet and hot for him. Something about him screamed alpha this time, like he had something to prove. Hell, maybe he did.
Lifting her, Liam hauled her off the trail, his hair brushing her cheek as he turned one way, then another, looking, probably judging their options. Rock or tree? Luckily, Liam chose a tree, pushing her up against a tall pine or fir or whatever the hell it was and pressing against her, his cock rubbing on her through their clothes.
“Want you,” he growled, sounding so possessive, so fucking aggressive.
“Same here,” she said, yanking at his jacket and the flannel shirt underneath. Officially the trail closed at dark. They should be pretty well alone, and if they gave the chipmunks a show, then so be it.
Her feet touched the ground just long enough for Liam to get her naked, and then he lifted her again, the rough bark of the tree digging into her back as he spread her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He’d gotten his own jeans open while she tore at his shirt, so she had his skin against hers, even if scratchy denim still rubbed the tender insides of her thighs.
They kissed again, so hard her lips started to swell, the slight bruising a delicious, tiny pain. Liam wasted no time lining his cock up, the blunt head pushing at her cunt, sliding inside her with a single, easy thrust. That sensation was less pain and more stretch, so good she could just howl with it.
The moon had risen over the trees, crazy yellow and almost full enough, but not quite. Liam looked up at it too before giving her a wild smile and starting to move, in and out. His cock felt huge, hot and so damned hard. Jenny clutched at Liam’s shoulders and took everything he had to give. Every little bit.
The night ceased to feel cold. Now they was steamy hot, with sweat dripping out of her hair, off his exposed skin. They strained, the only sound their panting breath, Liam’s grunts, and the sound of their skin moving wetly together. The tree creaked and groaned as they rocked, the cool breeze making a delicious contrast to her hot skin. Liam touched her too. One hand cupped her ass, the other slid on her breasts, his thumb stroking her nipples before he reached down between them and found her clit, working it hard and fast.
That did it. Her whole body arched, her legs straining as she bucked against him, crying out with the pleasure of it as she came. Jenny clamped down hard on him with her inner muscles.
One more thrust and Liam hollered back, his hips pinning her to the tree as he shot hard inside her, his come hot and wet and probably going to drip down her thighs, darn it. Not that she really cared right then, but she knew she’d cuss the mess later.
Liam leaned against her, licking at the sweat on her neck and keeping the night air at bay. Jenny stroked his hair, loving the way the damp curls clung to her fingers. “So are we going to meet with Sasha?” she asked, knowing now was the time to press the advantage.
“Yeah, love,” Liam replied, rubbing noses with her. “Yeah. I’ll do it. For you.”
Jenny couldn’t ask more than that. She could hope, sure. Good thing both Sasha and Liam were irresistible.
Chapter 5
They’d agreed to meet for dinner. Liam felt a bit petty, but he’d picked the place, and he chose Jack Quinn’s. The Irish style pub was as close as any in the Springs to the ones he’d known back home, for all that he’d been a child then and had only gone on special occasions with his folks.
Tonight they
had a ceili band. Bangers and mash was the special, though the Irish breakfast any time looked fine too. Liam arrived early and settled in, tapping his foot to the music and trying not to wonder what the hell he was doing.
He was meeting his girlfriend about becoming a threesome with his ex-best friend. That’s what he was doing, and for God’s sake, what kind of idiot did that make him? Liam sucked down more of his Guinness, the moon pulling at him, reminding him that tomorrow night he would need to make sure his boss at the construction site knew he was “out of town” for three days.
Then he would run. Hunt. God, he needed that.
“You’re early,” Sasha said, his shadow fell over Liam, making Liam tense up and flush hot.
“I wanted to settle in a bit. You’re early too. What, afraid I’ll tell Jenny about you fucking me?” He couldn’t help it. He had to snarl a little.
One of Sasha’s coal black brows winged upward, and a smile quirked his lips in a way that made Liam want to kill him. Or kiss him.
“Maybe I was afraid you wouldn’t,” Sasha said, pulling out a chair and waving to the waitress to order an ale. “So, what do you like here?”
Liam looked at the menu. “The special is always good. The Irish stew might be more to your liking though. It ought to remind you of goulash.”
“How sweet of you to think of my cultural needs,” Sasha said, laughing out loud.
“Well, I see you two have started in already,” Jenny said, sliding into the chair next to Liam which pleased him absurdly.
Sasha stood and leaned over to kiss her cheek, smiling. “If we’d started in, we wouldn’t be in public. We thought it more polite to wait for you.”
Oh, God. That bastard. Liam figured every freckle he had just ran together, his blush so hot he could light the candle lamp on the table with it. Jenny though, she gave them both a speculative look, purely female and very interested.
“I might pay to see that,” she said.
“Why, when you can get it for free?” Sasha asked, handing her a menu. “Liam says the bangers are good.”
When Sasha’s foot hit his under the table, Liam thought it must be a mistake, but it stayed, running up and down his ankle. Jenny’s hand landed on this thigh right about then, and Liam tried to swallow his tongue and breathe in beer.
While he choked, Jenny ordered an Irish coffee and they got the Jack Quinn’s trio appetizer with beef crostini, bangers, and some kind of baked shrimp dip. Meanwhile, they both seemed determined to drive him mad, touching and teasing. His cock was so hard he could drive nails with it, and that was the truth.
Liam cleared his throat. “Right then. We’re supposed to be talking, yeah?”
Jenny glanced up from under lowered lashes, flirty as could be, her blue eyes sparkling. “Right. About you and me and Sasha.”
“Which I think is a great idea,” Sasha added, toes digging into Liam’s calf. “You both already know that.”
“I don’t…” Liam trailed off when Jenny’s hand slid between his legs, his eyes going wide and his voice just gone.
“Don’t,” she said, squeezing a little. “Don’t say no yet. Let’s talk about it. Think about it.”
“I was just gonna say, I’m not sure I can,” Liam said. “I don’t know if I can share, now that I… I mean. It was one thing when I didn’t know who it was.”
“That should make it easier,” Sasha said, meeting his gaze head on. “We used to be friends, babe.”
He couldn’t think. His body was in overdrive and it wasn’t fair to ask him to make decisions when they were touching him that way, and when the appetizer arrived and he could smell food and… Damn it.
“Stop it,” Liam finally growled. “Just stop. I want to enjoy my supper and think about it for a bit, all right?” Very gently he removed Jenny’s hand from his lap before not so gently kicking Sasha in the shin.
Sasha laughed, damn his eyes. “Well, as long as you’re willing to consider it,” Sasha said. “We’ll stop pressuring you, won’t we, Jen?”
“For now,” she agreed, grinning at him over a bite of steak and bread.
They did stop pressuring him too. Dinner went well, filled with good food and good conversation. Liam even got Jenny to dance with him when the band struck up their second set. They got all hot and sweaty, hopping from foot to foot and holding hands, while Sasha hooted and hollered from the edges of the crowd.
He hadn’t had so much fun in ages, much as he hated to admit it. He still wasn’t sure if he was ready to become part of a pack of three though.
When Jenny excused herself to go to the ladies’ room, Sasha finally caught him one big hand cupping his elbow. “Let’s go back to your place, Liam. We need to talk some more. You’re farther out and you don’t have a Myra. Just in case we get busy and don’t leave before first moon.”
A short stare down later, Liam found himself nodding. “All right. Sure. But if I ask you to leave, you will, yeah?”
“I will. I promise.” That look was rock solid, and Liam had to admit Sasha had always been as good as his word.
“Then we’ll go, but I won’t promise anything,” Liam added. “I just don’t know, Sasha.”
“We’ll have to set out to make you sure then,” Sasha said, grinning and moving close to rub bodies a little.
“Hey, are we going or what?” Jenny asked, slipping between them when she came back, putting an arm about both their waists. “I kinda… want to get out of here.”
“Me too,” Sasha agreed, stroking Liam’s arm and Jenny’s shoulder. “This one’s on me.”
Liam almost bristled as Sasha paid the bill, since it implied all sorts of things, but he let it go when Jenny turned her big, pleading blue eyes up at him.
“Don’t,” she said, one hand settling low on his belly to pet, soothing him. “Can’t you just relax? For me?”
He glared, a rumble rising in his chest. “Well excuse me, Miss Herself. It’s the weirdest fucking situation I’ve ever been in, all right? It might take me some time to get used to it.”
Her expression melted into concern. “I know. I just… I love you both. I’m not willing to lose either of you.”
“Well, you might not have a choice. We’ll see.”
“All set,” Sasha said as he came back, looking from one to the other. “We’ll meet at your place, Liam?”
“We will.” Detaching himself from both of them, Liam headed for the door, stopping at the table to grab his jacket. “I’ll see you there.”
He needed a few minutes alone to think about this whole mess. How on earth had it gotten from “I love Jenny” to -- “maybe I have to share her” to -- “maybe the other guy wants both of us?” It all boggled his bloody mind.
The drive out to his place usually seemed too long. Tonight it seemed to take all of five seconds. He paced outside, waiting for them to pull up behind him.
Sasha should be first. He always drove like a loony. Jenny would be right on Sasha’s ass, always pushing the edge, always wanting to take on the guys and win. Liam felt the moon pull at him, the prickle on the back of his neck heavy as he looked up. Swollen. Almost ready.
The roar of Sasha’s Mustang cut through the trees. Soon enough, the man himself stood in front of Liam, the Mustang still rocking on its springs. He could hear Jenny’s car even as Sasha kissed him, holding him in place with one big hand behind his neck, leaving him blinking when Sasha pulled away.
“You were thinking too much,” Sasha said. “I could tell.”
“I was looking at the moon.” Of course, he’d been thinking and panicking too, but he wasn’t going to say it to Sasha.
Gravel crunched under Jenny’s shoes when she walked up to them. “She’s pretty tonight,” Jenny agreed. “I’d say we sit out on the porch, but it’s getting chilly.”
“Let me take the edge off,” Sasha said, sliding a hand around Jenny’s waist and pulling her up to kiss her.
The kiss left her blinking, her lips swollen, and it took all of Liam’s con
trol not to throw one of them to the ground. He wanted to push Sasha, to beat him to a pulp, and Jenny, well, he wanted to fuck her senseless.
“Let’s go in,” Liam growled, putting his feet down firmly and all but tearing the door off its hinges.
The moment they made it into the kitchen Jenny was on him, pulling his head down and kissing him good and hard. Her hands slid into his hair, her fingers plucking at the curls and her tongue pushed into his mouth to taste him. It felt like she was daring him to do the same. Sasha pushed in behind him, pelvis rocking against his ass. A lot of the growly went right out the window.
The protest that rose was smothered by kisses. Sasha moved around, his big body rubbing all the way, and joined his kiss with Jenny. The three way action gave Liam the shivers, making him grunt and push and ask for more with his whole body. To hell with the fighting. They could, and probably would, do that later. For now, Liam would give in and let them have him.
Oh, the horror.
His clothes seemed to disappear, and he only felt the cold for maybe a second. Then they closed around him again. Sasha’s hands were on his ass, Jenny’s hands closing around his cock, both of them licking and kissing and stroking his skin. All he could do was feel. Sasha’s cock, still covered by his pants, prodded Liam’s hip and he could feel the softness of Jenny’s breasts against his upper arm. He needed… skin. He needed their skin.
Shaking them off, Liam reached for Jenny first, ripping at her clothes, not caring if they tore. Sasha helped him, laughing as Liam growled, and slapped at those big hands, wanting to do it himself.
“Come on, babe,” Sasha said. “Two of us can get it done that much faster.”
When he turned to bare his teeth, Sasha kissed him. Hard. That cleared the whole thinking thing right up again. He thought he heard Jenny moan, and then her hands were on him, pinching his nipples, nails sinking into his hip.
How they got Jenny’s clothes off he didn’t know. Sasha’s clothes he remembered though, because Jenny cut the man off at the knees and he crashed to the floor. Both Jenny and Liam attacked him, baring all that fine, sweet skin for them to touch and taste.
