by Edith DuBois
“You know,” Michelle said, sipping her club soda up through a straw, “I’m surprised you are acting so uptight about all this after I saw you right in the middle of the dance floor kissing Jeremiah Greenwood.”
Marina blinked a couple times, trying to place her sister’s statement in her mind. “Why? What do you mean? What does he have to do with any of this?”
“Oh, you don’t know?” A smile tugged at the corner of Michelle’s lips. “The Greenwoods are bear-shifters, too.”
Everything went quiet. Marina felt her hands shaking again, and all she could see was Michelle’s stupid smile. “Yep. They’re bear-shifters,” her sister went on, oblivious to Marina’s all-consuming, bodily shock. “Which means that they’ll all three share the same wife, too. So I hope things aren’t too serious between you two…you know, with as much as you despise me and my fiancés together. Because if Jeremiah wants you, his brothers will, too, and based on what you’ve said to me, you don’t want that sort of thing for yourself.”
“I get it, Michelle!” She managed to strangle out the words, not wanting to hear any more.
Fucking hell. Jeremiah was like Elias. He could…he could…damn, she couldn’t even think it to herself without stuttering over the idea. And she’d kissed him. And she’d been thinking that she wanted him to take her right then and there on the floor. Her cheeks flamed up, which never happened with her. She was the one who made grown men blush, not the other way around.
Oh god, those three sexy men she’d been shooting wanton looks at were bear-shifter-thingies. “No, no, no,” she muttered in horror.
Michelle continued to watch her, sipping pleasantly on her club soda. “Everything okay, sis?”
“You knew! And you let me? Oh god, please no. You probably sent him over, didn’t you?”
Michelle laughed throatily. “Oh no, you did that all your own. Marina, I’m your sister, and I’ve seen you onstage since you were eight years old. I saw exactly what you were doing to those three. I’ve seen it enough times, believe me.”
“But you…you could have…”
“I’m not taking the blame for this. Admit it, you like them. You’re wildly attracted to them, but you’re scared because if you give in, you know exactly what’s in store for you.”
Marina opened her mouth to deny, to refute, to contradict every damn thing her sister said, but nothing came out. Her mind wouldn’t form the appropriate words.
“Oh, just who I wanted to see tonight.” Michelle waved at someone over Marina’s shoulder, and when Marina turned to look, she saw three women approaching.
When they reached Marina and Michelle at the bar, the four women erupted in overly joyous greetings interspersed with lots of hugs, cheek kisses, and intermittent “You’re so beautiful,” “I love your hair,” and “Oh my god, your shoes!” comments. Marina rolled her eyes and contemplated whether she needed another shot or not. She thought one more couldn’t hurt, and she waved at Letty.
“Marina,” she heard her sister say over the annoying chatter, “I’d like you to meet some new friends. This is Elena Ward, soon-to-be Kinman. And here we have Chelsea Goebel, soon-to-be Cash. And then this is Marta Verner, who will soon be soon-to-be Pope.”
Marta laughed. “That’s not official, so don’t go spreading that rumor around, Michelle.” As an aside to Marina she said, “But just so you know, it’s totally true.”
“Marina, I’ve heard so much about you from Michelle.” That was one of the soon-to-be’s, Marina thought. The British one. “And after we realized that we all enjoy reading, we’ve decided to start a book club.”
“Michelle didn’t think you’d be interested,” one of the other ladies said, the one with the bright red hair. Chelsea maybe? “But we wanted to invite you, just in case.”
“I haven’t picked up a book in almost ten years—”
“I told you she wouldn’t be interested,” Michelle cut in, standing up from her stool.
“But,” Marina continued, “maybe it’s about time I started reading again.” She tossed the sentence at Michelle, feeling contrary and petulant because of her sister’s immediate dismissal. “You never know. I might like it.”
“Yay!” Marta said, clapping her hands. “Our first meeting is next month. I’ll have Michelle e-mail you all the details.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Michelle smirked at her. “Does it?”
Marina shrugged.
“Well then, let’s hope this is the start of something new, sis. Who knows? Maybe there are other things out there you might like that you previously found revolting.”
Marina narrowed her gaze. “That’s a huge ‘maybe.’ Practically insurmountable.”
“Uh-oh, ladies. I think we’ve ventured past the topic of reading,” the British woman said. “We all saw that steamy kiss with Jeremiah Greenwood.”
“I don’t even like bears, and I was sweating,” Marta said.
“Wait, you know about bear-shifters, too?” Marina asked.
“Well, I ought to.”
Marina quirked a questioning brow.
“Since I’m about to be engaged to a couple of mountain lion-shifters, it’s kind of a fact of life around here.”
From down the bar, Letty poured a shot and slid it down to her.
“Excuse me,” she said to Marta, “did you just say ‘mountain-lion shifters’?”
“Sure did, honey.”
Marina eyed the shot but couldn’t drink it. Things were already getting crazy enough without adding more alcohol to the mix.
“Is everyone in this town crazy?” she muttered under her breath.
“Crazy in love,” Marta said, giggling and bumping her hip against Marina and then Michelle.
She should be mad, she thought. She didn’t even know these women, but she actually found their teasing to be funny. It made her feel…well, it made her feel good.
Aw, hell, I’m getting too fucking mushy.
“Well, I’ve got to use the ladies’ room,” the British one said. Then she leaned toward Marina. “The toilet is practically my second home since I started lugging this little fella around.” She patted her stomach and headed toward the restrooms.
The other two quickly made polite excuses and darted away.
“I’ll see you around, Marina.” Michelle smoothed a lock of hair off Marina’s forehead and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “I’m always here to talk if you need me.” Then she left, moving breezily through the crowd to her three fiancés.
As soon as she was gone, Marina pushed all the warm, fuzzy thoughts away and returned to the now-troubling kiss she’d shared with Jeremiah. Why had her response been so strong? So physical and demanding? She’d wanted him to rip her clothes off. She’d wanted a hell of a lot more than that. She could at least admit that to herself in the privacy of her own mind. She never had that kind of response to a man. Hell, usually she got severely pissed off if a man tried to rip her clothes off. She didn’t want to pay for that crap, especially if the sex was mediocre. But she’d almost begged Jeremiah to do just that.
Just thinking about that kiss had her pussy throbbing with need. God, how she wanted to feel him against her again. She wanted him inside her.
Would she have the same reaction if his brothers kissed her?
Oh hell no! She would not go there. She refused to let her mind go there. Absolutely refused.
But damn it, why did Jeremiah Greenwood have to be such a good kisser?
And why the fuck did he have to be a goddamn bear-shifter?
* * * *
Jeremiah led his two brothers through the crowd. He could smell her in the air. His lips still pulsed with the remembrance of that kiss. He’d kissed plenty of women in his day, but damn if that wasn’t the best kiss he’d ever been a part of. And that was just a kiss. Jeremiah couldn’t imagine what she’d be like in bed, between himself and his brothers. She’d be pure fire. She’d burn them up and then demand more.
He saw her dark h
ead at the bar. She had a shot of whiskey in front of her, but she didn’t drink it. She dipped her finger into the brown liquid and then ran it along the rim of the glass, staring absentmindedly through the bar to the lights and activities of the patio.
He couldn’t help but think he was responsible for her lackadaisical state. She’d probably never experienced a kiss like that, either.
“Marina Andrews,” he said when he reached her. He noticed her immediately stiffen but didn’t think much of it. His presence probably excited her. Hell, he couldn’t blame her. He was excited by her presence as well if his erect penis was any judge in the matter. “I’d like to introduce you to my brothers, James Greenwood and Johnny Green—” He didn’t get any further than that because Marina had sprung up off her barstool. Right when he thought she was going to fall into his arms again, she reared back and punched him in the jaw.
“Ow!” she screamed, shaking her fist. “You asshole!”
“You hit me! How am I the asshole?” He rolled his jaw experimentally, but to be honest, he’d barely felt her hit. “Why’d you hit me like that? Are you okay?”
“Get the hell away from me!” She tried to shove him, but she ended up knocking herself back into the bar.
“Will you stop trying to physically assault me for a second and explain what’s going on?”
“This is our mate?” Johnny asked from behind, and Jeremiah didn’t miss the self-righteous sarcasm.
Marina turned to him, eyes dangerously narrowed. “Did you say ‘mate’?” She turned her glare to Jeremiah. “I’m not your goddamn mate, do you hear me? I know what you are.” She slapped his chest, trying to shove him away. To make her feel better about herself, he took a step back.
“Now, now, let’s all just calm down and—”
“You’re one of those bear-shifter-thingies.” She shoved him again, and this time Jeremiah stumbled in earnest.
“How the hell do you know about that?” James asked, whipping around Jeremiah’s stunned form to grab Marina by the elbow. “Who told you about us?”
“Get your hands off me! Help! Help! He’s assaulting me!” Nobody came to her rescue because everyone knew that the Greenwoods would be the last men in town to hurt a woman, but her hollering made Jeremiah uneasy, nonetheless.
“Settle down, Marina. No one’s hurting you. James, for god’s sake, let her go.”
Marina twisted her arm away from James and resumed glaring at Jeremiah.
“Marina, how do you know that about me and my brothers?”
“Why should I tell you?”
He stepped close, intending to disarm her with his proximity. What he hadn’t counted on, though, was her effect on him. His cock rose up as he brushed against her thighs, and he could smell a trace of rose petals, sweet and heady, on her skin and in her hair. He put his hands heavily on her shoulders and then ran his hands down her arms until her reached her wrists. He pushed his body fully against hers and pinned her hands on top of the bar’s surface.
“You’ll tell me,” he said, making his breath tickle across her neck before he pressed a kiss there. “Because you want me to kiss you again.”
“I do not.” With her breathlessness and the way she pressed her hips against him, her denial was practically a request for him to do just that.
“Are you sure about that, Marina?” He moved his lips along her jaw.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I…oh hell, I don’t know. You can’t ask me questions and expect answers when you put your lips on me like that.”
He let his lips hover beside hers, letting his breath dance over her face. She whimpered. “You want me to kiss you?”
“Yes.”
“You want more than that, don’t you?” he whispered darkly in her ear.
She whimpered again, rolling her hips. “Yes, but…”
“But what?” He moved so that he could look in her eyes. With a quick motion, she moved forward, smashing her lips against his. Once her lips were on his, he couldn’t maintain his train of thought. All plans of taunting and teasing her into admitting how she knew about them flew out of his mind. All he knew was the feel of her lips burning against his, hot and needy and delicious. He moved his hands to her ass and pulled her tight against his body.
“Damn it, bro, you’re supposed to be pumping her for info, not kissing the crap out of her.” Johnny grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him away from Marina. His eyes snapped open, and Marina was grinning at him, a superior look of triumph blazing across her features.
“That was a low-down trick, Marina Andrews.”
“And what you were doing? What do you call that?”
“Enough of this,” James said. “Are you going to tell us how you know what we are or not?”
Marina crossed her arms. “What are you going to do if I don’t? It’s not like you can make me.” She glared at all three of them, her pink lips a perfect pout.
“Okay,” Jeremiah said. He only gave Marina a moment to be confused by his answer because he bent down, grasped her around the thighs, and slung her bodily over his shoulder. When he straightened, he headed for the exit to Catdaddy’s.
Marina screamed. She shouted and cursed him, flailing wildly in his arms, scratching and biting him, but Jeremiah bore it all with an equanimous smile as he carried her out the door.
“Michelle!” she shouted at the Ashleys’ fiancée as they passed. “Michelle, help me! I’m your sister.”
Well, that explained how she knew about them.
Michelle smiled and winked at him as they passed. Jeremiah winked back and grinned.
“Goddamn it, Michelle! Get your ass over here and help me.”
Jeremiah swatted Marina on the ass. “Don’t talk to your sister like that.”
“How dare you?” she roared.
“I’ll do it again if you insist on disrespecting my friends.”
He waltzed out of Catdaddy’s with the struggling Marina. When he reached the Jeep, he dumped her unceremoniously in the backseat. He sat down beside her and yanked her into his lap before she could scramble away from him. When James and Johnny climbed into the front seats, Marina began struggling anew.
“Where the hell are you taking me? Let me go! Do you have any idea who I am? You’re kidnapping me! This is a felony or some shit! Let me go!”
“You know, Marina, all that squirming is making my cock painfully hard.”
She became instantly still.
“You’d better be careful,” he whispered in her ear. “I might go wild and turn into a ferocious animal or something.”
She tried to elbow him in the stomach. “That’s not funny,” she said although he thought he detected a hint of laughter in her voice.
Jeremiah tightened his arms around her and pressed his lips to her neck, and he didn’t miss the answering shudder in her breath.
Damn, they had a fun night ahead of them.
Chapter Four
“So what’s the plan, geniuses? Take me into the woods and have your way with me? And then what?” She spat the words out, trying to hold on to her anger, but chills had been rippling across her flesh the whole ride, and it wasn’t because of the cool night air. Jeremiah had his arms around her and was stroking his thumbs across the front of her button-up shirt, making her nipples rise up hard against the fabric, desperately seeking the caress of his fingertips.
“We may live out in the woods, but we’re not brutes,” Jeremiah whispered. “Do you want me to stop touching you?” He put his hands on her hips as if to move her off his lap.
“No.” The word was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “I mean, I don’t want to get cold.”
“Of course.” He wrapped his arms around her again. “How’s that?”
“Fine. I guess,” she sniffed. “Considering I’ve been taken against my will and am now being held hostage, I suppose that’s fine.” She could feel his stiff cock pressing into her back, and it took all of her strength
not to reach back and grasp it firmly in her hand, to feel his length and width and heft. Her pussy creamed at the thought. She wanted to squeeze her legs together but didn’t dare make her discomfort so obvious.
“So tell me, what is the point of all this? Why whisk me away?”
“Well now, you weren’t exactly being reasonable. We had a whole woo-and-charm routine planned out, but you kinda ruined that when you socked me in the jaw.” Jeremiah chuckled, making his erection jerk against her back.
“Woo-and-charm routine? What exactly does that entail?”
“So after I introduced you to my brothers—”
“That’s James, right?” She pointed to the one driving, the one who looked older. She’d only caught quick glimpses of Jeremiah’s brothers up close, but she’d been able to pick up small things about them at least. James had an intensity in his expression. It was almost like a constant frown, but it didn’t make him seem dour. Just intense.
“Yes,” Jeremiah answered.
“And that’s Johnny?” She looked at the man sitting in the passenger seat. The wind from the open-topped Jeep was too loud for the two in front to hear her, so Marina didn’t feel shy about discussing them and ogling them. Johnny had reddish-brown curls atop his head and two dimples, one in each cheek. Despite the beard that covered the lower half of his face, she’d noticed at the bar that the dimples gave him an impish air. She hadn’t decided yet if she liked the beards each of them were sporting.
“Why do you all have beards anyway?” she blurted out. “Is this some kind of bear-shifter, mountain-man fashion statement?”
“We’ve been living in the woods for the past six weeks. That’s why you never saw us around town. When we got back, we headed straight for Catdaddy’s. And then we saw you.” He pressed a kiss against her neck. She forced herself to ignore the pleasurable shock it caused.
“So go on. What’s the woo-and-charm routine?”
