Her Desert Panther PrincesHowls Romance
Page 9
“For you,” he said gruffly, thrusting the envelope in her hand before walking away.
Amy glanced down the hallway, almost hoping to see Shon or Tahvo before closing the door.
“What’s that?” Nabila asked.
Plastering a happy smile on her face while facing the door, Amy turned around and held the envelope high. “The test results. Let’s see what this puppy has to say.”
Zafar gripped Nabila’s hand and Amy was acutely aware they watched her carefully, trying to read her expression. She kept her face completely blank as she tore into the results and pulled a single sheet of paper free. To a lay person, the numbers and percentages on the page would mean nothing, but she understood them perfectly.
Not perfectly, she realized. She read the page twice to make sure she wasn’t misreading. Then she flipped the page over to see if the technician had made a note, explaining the results. Of course, he hadn’t. Not for results like those. Finally satisfied the results were accurate, as was her reading of them, Amy looked up at the pensive couple and smiled.
“Looks like it’s time to celebrate. Everything came back negative!”
Zafar let out the breath he’d been holding with a laugh. Then he turned and hugged his wife. But she didn’t seem quite so relieved.
“Really? They’re all negative?”
“There was one anomaly, so they’re running that test again, but it’s very minor. Certainly nothing that could explain your symptoms. It looks like you’re in the clear.”
“Then what’s wrong with me?” she asked, frowning.
Amy wished she had the answer. “My best guess is that your illness was specific to you, though now it looks like you’ve recovered. These things happen, as frustrating as that is to hear. The good news is that, medically speaking, you and your baby are in perfect health.”
Nabila looked doubtful, but she smiled when Zafar pressed a kiss to her forehead. His relief was enough to ease his wife’s anxiety, at least a little. It even allowed Amy’s troubled mind to share in their joy. Confusing or not, good news was good news, and she was happy to have it.
“I’ll leave you two to celebrate in private,” she flashed the happy couple a sincere smile.
“Thank you so much, Amy,” Nabila chirped.
Zafar even managed a polite nod in Amy’s direction as she hurried out of the room… and smack into a great big wall of man. Two men, actually. Tahvo and Shon seemed more relaxed than she’d seen them in days. Strangely, they both had smiles a mile wide. Clearly, they were up to no good.
“Just the person we were looking for.” Shon’s smile stretched into a grin. He shared an amused glance with his brother, which made her more nervous than ever.
“I’m afraid to ask why, so I won’t,” she said. “Instead, I’ll tell you that Nabila’s tests just came back. All negative.”
Tahvo whooped, and when Shon looked at him questioningly, he said, “Good news, big brother.”
Together, almost as if they’d rehearsed it, they swept Amy up in their arms and they all danced around in the corridor. Amy laughed and enjoyed the nearness of the men who’d stolen her heart. She could no longer deny that she cared for both of them, much more deeply than she’d admitted to herself. Feeling their skin against hers nearly overwhelmed her, but it would be lie to say she didn’t love it.
“This calls for a celebration!” Shon grabbed her hand and started leading her down the corridor. “Amy, come with us.”
“Oh, no, I—” she started to protest, but Tahvo cut her off.
“No more avoiding us. Today, we celebrate. Together.”
He grabbed her other hand, and they hurried down the hall. Tingles sparkled up her arms and spread to the rest of her body. She had no idea where they were taking her, but she couldn’t stop herself from following them. They didn’t have far to go.
“Wait, why are we stopping at my room? Do I need to change into different clothes or something?”
The men looked at each other over her head but said nothing. Instead, Tahvo swung open the door. The low table beside her bed was laid out with a feast. Several decanters of wine, jars of honey, plates of figs. They certainly had a thing for food, didn’t they?
Frowning at each in turn, she was about to ask what the hell they thought they were doing, breaking into her room without her permission. Except before she could, Shon grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto the pile of cushions with him. Tahvo settled on her other side and reached for some wine.
“How did our brother react to the good news?” Tahvo poured wine for all of them.
It took a moment for Amy to process the question. She was so confused and excited and overwhelmed, all at the same time.
“Oh, um, he was very happy,” she finally managed. “He’s still not exactly my biggest fan, I’m sorry to say.”
Shon shrugged as he accepted a glass from his brother. “Don’t take it personally. He hates humans.”
Tahvo grunted his agreement.
“Why?” Amy asked, taking the glass Tahvo handed her. “I never did anything to him, other than try to save his wife and baby’s lives.”
“It has nothing to do with you, Amy,” Tahvo brushed a finger down her cheek, sending shivers across her skin. “You know that scar on his face?”
Amy nodded and took a sip from her glass.
Shon picked up the story. “When he was very small, before we were born, Father took Zafar to a remote human village.”
“They were simply passing through,” Tahvo corrected and then Shon continued.
“Yes, but this was Zafar’s first time away from the safety of the palace and these humans weren’t familiar with our kind.”
Amy’s stomach clenched, knowing instinctively that whatever happened to Zafar had happened at the hands of humans.
Tahvo took his turn with the story. “Young kits have trouble controlling their shifts, and Zafar was no different. Even though Father had warned him to keep tight control of his panther, Zafar failed. He shifted in the middle of the bazar, in front of the entire population.”
Amy gasped. “What happened?”
Shon looked grim. “Probably what you’d expect. They were terrified. They thought he was a demon, so they attacked. He was barely alive when Father brought him home.”
Amy was surprised to find she was gripping both men’s hands tightly. Dropping them, she picked up the glass she couldn’t remember setting down. Cradling it to keep her hands busy, she said, “Poor Zafar.”
They both nodded, then Tahvo spoke. “One young servant girl took special care of him. They became friends, and when he spoke of his desire to see the ocean before he succumbed to his wounds, she somehow found seashells and dried starfish and fishing nets to decorate his room.”
“He called it his sea cave,” Shon added.
“The doctors didn’t expect him to live, but he held on,” Tahvo went on. “He was bedridden for months, and not once during that time did Nabila ever leave his side for more than a few hours at a time. She nursed him back to health, and they’ve been deeply in love ever since.”
Shon shot Tahvo a meaningful look before speaking. “Father had to make a new law allowing the heir-apparent to marry the woman of his choosing, even a servant girl.”
Amy smiled with understanding. “So that’s why Nabila likes that song so much. Except she saved the prince, not the other way around.”
“That’s not how she sees it,” Tahvo said. “She insists Zafar saved her.”
“I think that’s probably one of the most romantic stories I’ve ever heard,” Amy said with a sigh.
She took another sip of wine. It still bothered her that Zafar hated her simply for being human, but at least she could understand why. At least he hadn’t infected his brothers and wife with his prejudice.
In fact, Shon and Tahvo seemed to feel completely opposite of Zafar. At least where she was concerned. They each sat close to her on the cushions, warmth radiating off them and bringing a sheen of sweat
to her brow. She swallowed hard, trying not to breathe in Tahvo’s slightly spicy cologne and Shon’s musky scent. Each had its own special effect on various parts of her body.
“But enough about Zafar,” Shon said, refilling Amy’s glass. “Let’s hear more about you.”
“Me?”
“You,” Tahvo said softly as he brushed a lock of her hair from her shoulder, his finger trailing fire where it touched her skin. “The most brilliant doctor in the world. You saved our sister’s life. How can we ever repay you?”
Dark intent filled his words. Amy tried to convince herself she was reading into things, that their intoxicating proximity made her brain believe what her body was yearning for. But Tahvo kept looking at her as if she was the main course of their meal while Shon licked his lips as if she was dessert.
She fought the urge to reach out and stroke Tahvo’s hand, to tell him exactly how he could repay her. His full lips were so kissable, as she’d discovered at the oasis, and all she’d have to do was lean in just a little. She started to but then reached for her glass instead. She needed all the fortification she could get.
“Maybe we could build a statue in your honor,” Shon murmured, skimming a finger down her arm. “On second thought, the best sculptor in the world wouldn’t be able to capture your beauty.”
Amy’s nipples hardened into diamonds at his touch and her head spun at his words. They were both flirting with her at the same time!
“Mmm, you’re right,” Tahvo said to Shon, though obviously for her benefit. “He might capture the body, but not the grace.”
This time Amy refilled her own glass, utterly confused and completely turned on. The two seemed to be actually trying to seduce her together. Which made no sense…and perfect sense.
“Guess we’ll just have to think of something else.” Shon’s gaze darkened as he drank her in.
Her core tightened at the implication and heat flooded her cheeks. She’d dreamed about this, but never thought it could actually happen. It was a fantasy. Women like her didn’t do this kind of thing—whatever this was. It was irresponsible. It was taboo. It was just plain wrong.
Then why did it feel so very right?
“I have an idea,” Tahvo said, capturing Shon’s gaze and giving him an almost imperceptible nod.
Amy turned to face Shon, desperate for them to thank her in the way she wanted, but still not believing it could actually happen. Before she knew it was happening, Shon had taken her face in his hands and claimed her lips in a searing kiss.
Blood thundered in her wrists, in her lips, in her ears as her mind raced to catch up. As Shon’s tongue probed her mouth, though, all conscious thought evaporated. Somewhere in the ether of her lust, she felt herself being gently lowered, four hands supporting her body as they laid her back on the pillows. All the while, Shon’s lips remained fixed on hers.
The relief of finally being touched by Shon again was so overwhelming she almost forgot everything else. All she knew was the feel of his soft lips, the warmth of his body against hers, and then his coarse fingers unbuttoning her blouse. The rest of the world faded into the background as he kissed a burning path down her neck. When he took one pebbled bud between his lips, she gasped and arched into him, oblivious to everything except the sensations shooting through her.
Until another set of lips wrapped around her other nipple. Tahvo! She’d been so wrapped up in Shon, she’d almost forgotten his brother was even in the room. She stiffened against them, a small part of her brain insisting this was all kinds of wrong, but then one of them unbuttoned her khakis and she was lost.
Within seconds, Shon was tugging her pants down her legs while Tahvo finished removing her shirt. All that remained between her flesh and their eyes were her sheer white panties. Panting heavily, her gaze bounced between them as they sat back together and stared. She squirmed under their scrutiny until, in unison but without a word, each reached for one side of her underwear. Together they slid the soft fabric down her thighs until she was laid utterly bare to them.
Again, they stared.
As they loomed over her—Tahvo with his perfectly groomed hair and Shon with his shaggier style—she wasn’t sure which to focus on, which of them she wanted inside her more. Judging by the way they looked at her, she wouldn’t have to choose.
Tahvo caught her gaze and held it as he lay on his side next to her, brushing her tousled hair from her face and letting his fingers skim her cheekbones, her jaw, her neck. Staring into his chocolate eyes, she’d never felt more precious, more cherished. When they flashed green, Amy sucked in breath.
His panther must be prowling just under the surface, she thought. Then she gasped as Shon kissed the juncture between her thighs. They parted involuntarily, giving him better access. Then Tahvo’s mouth was on her, dropping sweet-hot kisses all over her face until his lips finally closed over hers.
She breathed him in, wishing over and over again he were naked so she could feel the stiff ridges of his body as he kissed her. When she reached for the buttons of his Oxford, he grabbed her hands and held them over her head.
“Not yet,” he whispered, his gaze roaming her naked form. “Not until we get our fill.”
Shon raised his head and smiled at her over the horizon of her body. “And we’re just getting started.”
Bracing his hands on the insides of her thighs, he pushed them to their limit and gave her a long, deep lick that sent her reeling. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and the low mewling she heard turned out to be coming from her.
Tahvo dropped his lips to her neck, sucking the space just behind her ear while Shon lapped her folds over and over again—coming within millimeters of her throbbing clit but never touching it. She rocked her hips into Shon’s mouth, trying to force him to quench her rising need, but there was no use.
“Uh uh uh,” he scolded, grinning up at her as he wagged a finger. Then the finger disappeared and pressed at her entrance, stoking the flames of her desire higher still.
Every muscle in her body tensed and she tried to grip a pillow—something—but Tahvo held her hands firmly in place. She groaned in frustration, writhing under their attentive torment. These men were going to kill her. Between Tahvo making her back arch with every suck on her nipples and Shon making the whole of her rigid with need, she was about to lose what was left of her sanity.
She wanted to scream for one of them—either, or both—to fuck her. To stop their games and take her the way she needed to be taken—hard and fast and deep. But she had no doubt that no matter how much she begged, the twins wouldn’t let her off the hook so easily.
“At least take off your clothes,” she begged. “I want to see you.”
That wasn’t all she wanted. She wanted to take one in her mouth, while the other filled her up in every carnal way she could dream up. She wanted everything they could give and more. So much more.
“Patience, my sweet,” Tahvo said.
He dipped his head to lick the space between her breasts, raking his fingers along the sensitive underside before massaging each gently. She responded to his touch by bucking against Shon, who punished her by sucking her clit into his mouth. If he’d only do that for a few more seconds…
Sensing her readiness, though, he released her just before she fell over the brink into oblivion. Light kisses peppered her thighs as he waited for her to cool down a little, which drove her into a frenzy. Her head might explode with the pent-up frustration, but neither of them seemed to care.
“Please,” she whimpered, her voice breaking from the strain. “Please!”
They seemed to ignore her, but Tahvo’s kisses became fiercer until he sucked one cherry tip into his mouth and bit down lightly. At the same moment, Shon’s lips latched on to her clit and sucked rhythmically while his fingers easily slipped in and out of her. When he started humming against her, the vibration sent her over the edge.
“Shon!” she screamed, as sweet release took her in its embrace. “Tahvo!”
And she wanted more.
Chapter 14
Tahvo couldn’t hold back any longer. Amy’s cries still echoed in his ears as he straightened, his gaze still trained on her lush, quaking body. Her back was arched, making her full breasts look even more enticing. One last kiss of her breast and he was on his feet, stripping.
Shon stayed between her legs a moment longer, drawing every last drop of joy from Amy, but Tahvo didn’t mind. He wanted her to be happy, and her frenzied cries made it clear she was. Only when her body relaxed into a puddle of bliss did Shon finally join Tahvo in undressing.
At their feet, Amy lay panting, her eyes pleading with them to put her out of her misery. Residual spasms racked her frame, and Tahvo’s upper lip pulled back as his panther demanded he take her…now!
Gripping her hips, he flipped her over on her stomach and then pulled her ass high in the air. She was on all fours. For them. She moaned her approval when Shon dropped to his knees in front of her, but just out of her reach.
“You want this, don’t you?” Tahvo asked, his voice hoarse with desire as he rubbed both ripe globes of her ass. “You want us both at the same time.”
“Oh God, yes!” Amy pressed her ass back toward him and sighed, causing Tahvo’s aching cock to stiffen more than he’d ever thought possible.
As she took Shon into her mouth, Tahvo waited. His cock lay happily nestled against her warm, moist seam as he ran his hands down her back, down her hips, and up her tummy to her swaying breasts. His panther screeched for satisfaction, but Tahvo wanted to take his time. He wanted to feel every inch of her body—to know her skin as intimately as he knew his own.
He leaned over her back until he could kiss her shoulders and then nibbled along her spine, gently twisting her sensitive nipples to drive her into a frenzy again. It worked. She moaned against Shon’s cock, buried deep in her throat, and rocked back and forth against Tahvo, wriggling her hips in invitation. Begging him to claim her.