by Jools Louise
“Baby, this is supposed to be a punishment?” Cracker laughed, fingering Douglas’s hardening cock which indicated Douglas was ridiculously turned on by the experience.
“Yeah, it is,” Douglas moaned, thrusting his butt outward, wanting more.
“Put a towel around him,” Ryder suggested. “We don’t want him catching cold.”
“Where are we going?” Douglas asked, receiving another slap on his stinging cheeks. He gasped in pleasure. “Can we get there soon?”
“He’s asking for it,” Cracker said dryly. Douglas felt a hand smooth over his butt, then a warm, moist tongue, soothing him tenderly.
“Let’s go,” Ryder said hoarsely.
Douglas moaned in agreement as he was swaddled in a thick, warm towel, and then bundled off home.
* * * *
Cracker drove swiftly through the night, making the journey into Sage in record time. He heard Douglas’s soft moans and the slurping sounds of his mates kissing urgently, blended with the little squelches as Ryder sank in and out of Douglas’s hole, as the pair made love, right there on the seat beside Cracker. Pulling in behind the apartment complex, Cracker slid into their parking spot and hopped out of the vehicle, heading swiftly to the door and opening it for his mates to enter.
They gained the top floor quickly and kept as quiet as possible as they made their way to their room. They grinned at the sexy sounds coming from Chaz and Sherman’s room, and the other one shared by Aston with his mates, Kevin and Kieran. Douglas wondered if it might be time to find their own place.
Ryder reached the bed first, laying Douglas on his back and following him down, still buried deep inside the man’s succulent ass. With a grunt he slung the younger shifter’s legs over his shoulder and began to fuck the man with hard, powerful strokes. Douglas cried out, clutching at the covers desperately, his face contorted with pleasure as Ryder plowed into him relentlessly.
Cracker fisted his cock, eyeing Ryder’s delicious glutes avidly. Slapping his mate’s beautiful butt, he shoved a finger into Ryder’s hole, with little more preparation, then spat into the man’s shadowy crease, using his saliva as lube.
“Oh, fuck,” Ryder growled, then grunted as Cracker surged forward, plunging his thick cock deep into Ryder’s ass, groaning as the searing heat shot up his spine as his protesting muscles struggled to adjust.
“That’s the idea,” Cracker gasped out, and began to move. His fangs descended, and he bit down into Ryder’s powerful shoulder, holding him in place as he surged in and out. His lover caught the rhythm, and between them they powered into Douglas, all three of them crying out at the intensity of the hard lovemaking.
“I’m there,” Douglas moaned desperately, gripping his cock and pumping it furiously, then spurted over Ryder’s abs. Cracker ramped up the tempo, his hips moving like pistons, then with a loud roar he came, as well, hearing Ryder’s tortured gasps as they found their climax together. Douglas lurched up, claiming Ryder, then dragged Cracker down for a double whammy, still spurting every which way.
Collapsing in a sweaty, spunk-filled heap, they sprawled out, panting heavily, sharing kisses, fondling one another languidly in the aftermath.
“I love you,” Douglas murmured after a while. “I wasn’t prepared for finding another mate, but now I can’t imagine life without you two. You’re perfect.”
Cracker stared at his lover through a mist of emotion and leaned closer to kiss his mate with every bit of love that he felt. “I love you, too,” he said, turning to meet Ryder’s lips, as well. “I certainly didn’t imagine, after spending fifteen years in one of the most notorious prisons in the world, that I’d find love and happiness. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me. Thank you for accepting me into your lives.”
Ryder gave a low, husky growl and wrapped his arms around both of them, spooning against Douglas from the rear, with Cracker on the other side and Douglas secured in the middle. “Baby, we all needed each other,” he said, kissing them both. “We’ve been through our own traumas, but it feels as though we’ve found one another at just the right time. I don’t know about you, but I was falling into a dark pattern again, before I came here. Following orders, never really finding a balance. If I hadn’t met you both, I’d still be the same hard-nosed soldier boy I always was. I never want to go down that path again.”
He shuddered, recalling the past and those broken young bodies all those years ago, when he’d forgotten his humanity.
“I love you,” he whispered, meaning every word of it. Closing his eyes, he cuddled against his mates and let slumber take him, sated and content for the first time in living memory.
* * * *
David opened the door to his cottage, hearing a soft knocking just after midnight. He stared at the man there, his turquoise eyes gleaming in the dim light from the porch. Behind him, Kaden stood patiently, and David stepped aside, letting them in.
“I thought maybe I’d been dreaming,” David said, inhaling the delicious scent of his mates. For fuck’s sake, he had three mates. How did that happen?
“Are you okay?” Kaden asked gently, cupping his jaw. “We frightened you earlier.”
“I just…” David stammered, clearing his throat. “I’m not used to…” He trailed off, flushing miserably. “I’m not really very good at relationships,” he said finally, shrugging.
“I don’t think any of us are,” Skull replied softly, taking hold of David’s hand, stroking his thumb across the younger man’s knuckle. “I’m a loner, been on my own for over ten years, after my mom was killed by Purdy. Kaden here has his own past, I’m sure you’ve heard some of it, living around these parts. And Sketch?” Skull shrugged. “I don’t know too much about him, really, only that he’s been working the undercover gigs, like I have, for years. That kind of work doesn’t lend itself to having a family life or a long-term lover.”
“How’s Sketch doing?” David asked, concerned. He’d walked into the truck stop café and seen the bigger man lying there, with his face battered and bruised, and a straw sticking out from his ribs, which resembled an ink blot test, there were so many blotches on his chest.
“He’s improving,” Kaden said gently. “After you left the hospital, while he was in surgery, I waited for Skull to show up. Sketch is in good hands and is stable. Lex and Leo will make sure he’s okay. Sketch actually told us to come after you. He said something about giving you a kiss from him.”
David gave a startled gasp, then saw the gleam in his mates’ eyes. He gulped. “I’m not very good at kissing, I don’t think,” he said glumly.
Skull laughed at that, sharing an amused glance with Kaden. “I beg to differ, my lovely,” he drawled. “I kissed your delectable lips earlier, and I can say, without hesitation, that you kiss like a dream.”
David gasped again, then moaned, his lips suddenly under attack by the two sexy men. His senses overloaded, and his cock began to thicken at an alarming rate. He’d never had a hard-on this fast before. He’d been thinking he was defective in that department. Apparently he’d just needed to right fuel.
Panting when his lovers eased back, he stared at them, bewildered and unsure what to do next. “Sweetie, don’t look so scared,” Kaden soothed gently, taking a step back. “We’re mates, and we can take things slow if you like. I don’t want to scare you, or to make you think you need to force things. How about we all get to know one another before we hit the sex trail.”
Skull groaned in disappointment, quelled by Kaden’s sharp glance. “I was really hoping we could get to the sex trail tonight,” he admitted, and David shot him a shy grin in response. “But, baby, I’ll take one for the team and forego the pleasure of your stunning ass until Sketch is ready to join us.”
David’s heart began to pound again, in mixed trepidation, excitement, and sheer lust. He had three mates! The realization kept revolving around his brain, bouncing around willy-nilly, until he figured he’d be a basket case before long.
“Would you like some
coffee?” he asked, trying to find his sanity, licking his lips nervously and tasting his mates’ flavors there. He bit back a groan.
“I’d die for coffee,” Skull replied cheerfully, smiling. “Do you mind if I bring my backpack in? I didn’t want to make assumptions, so if you want me to stay elsewhere, that’s okay.”
David shook his head, then nodded, confused. “No, that’s fine, please stay here,” he stammered, flushing again at the thought of living with the sexy man. He had a worldly air about him that screamed of lots of experience at sex, while David was pretty much a bumbling amateur.
“Thanks,” Skull replied, his smile softening at the nervousness on David’s expressive face. “It’s been a while since I had the comfort of a proper home to live in.” He headed back outside and returned a moment later with a small hold-all and a guitar.
“You play?” David asked, somewhat irrelevantly.
Skull shot him a droll look. “Yeah, I can pluck a few tunes,” he drawled, then sighed and shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so sarcastic. I guess we all have a few things to learn about being together.”
“I have three bedrooms,” David said with a forgiving smile. “Pick whichever room you like. Just down the hall to the rear. I’ll just go and make coffee.” He turned to go into the kitchen, to the left of the entrance, then turned back and gave Kaden a shy look. “You can stay, too, if you like,” he said, then fled.
* * * *
Kaden shared a shrewd look with Skull as they headed down the hall. “You could have stayed with me at our cottage, with the rest of my crew,” he said drolly. “I don’t want to scare David half to death.” They entered a spare bedroom, which contained a king-sized bed, decorated in cream and brown, with splashes of purple courtesy of the pillow cases and the fluffy rug that covered most of the smooth wooden flooring. Skull placed his bag on a chair and looked around with interest, liking the soothing quiet of the place.
Skull returned Kaden’s look with a steady stare. “Darlin’, with all due respect, I’ve met that bunch of hoodlums you call a crew,” he replied, rolling his eyes comically. “They’re not conducive to relationship building. We’re mates, and we now have two extra mates. Living with the rough and ready gang won’t help us to bond with our sexy men…it’s more likely to have them running for the hills, double time.”
“I can’t believe it’s happening,” Kaden sighed, still feeling a little stunned at finding he was one of a quad.
“Do you want it to?” David asked quietly from the doorway.
Kaden saw the distress on the man’s face and gave a cry of remorse, moving to hug his mate. “I absolutely want it,” he said, sincerely, and kissed David hungrily. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. I’ve only been in town for a short while, and so much has happened since I arrived. I started a brawl on the main street within two minutes of getting to Sage. Then I ended up in jail, and discovered that my stepbrother had been hating on me for fifteen years because my dad was a douchebag. Then, we get the drop on a man, Purdy, who’s been getting away with murder for decades…and now I find out that my mate, Skull, and I are not just a duo, but part of a foursome.” He grinned suddenly, then laughed aloud. “All that cock and ass, baby, why wouldn’t I want that to happen?”
Skull and David both joined in, chuckling, as well. “I didn’t want to impose,” David said hesitantly. “I’ve seen other ménage matings in town and at the ranch, and I know how difficult it can be to balance people’s feelings. My friend Archie found his mates a while ago, but they went through the grinder, trying to work things out.”
“Why don’t we go and get that coffee?” Skull said gently. “We can get to know one another, then you won’t feel so nervous about it all.”
David nodded, still looking a little lost. “Come on, stud, I don’t bite on a first acquaintance,” Skull drawled, looping his arm through the younger man’s and leading him to the kitchen. David’s cottage was a decent size, and the kitchen contained a large fridge freezer, hand-crafted cabinets, table, and chairs, and had a utility room attached, which had a washer and dryer located inside. The scent of freshly brewing coffee permeated the air, and they all sat down, looking at one another, unable to think of anything to say to start things off.
Kaden had the feeling this would be a long, careful road they’d just stepped onto. As Skull had said, they each had their histories, with a lot of baggage that came along with that. He took a breath.
“Hi, my name is Kaden, and I’m a lion shifter,” he began, seeing matching grins from David and Skull. “What?” he added innocently. “This was beginning to look like an AA meeting.”
The ice now broken, they drank their coffee and talked, finding their way to separate beds just as dawn broke, David to his and Kaden and Skull sharing theirs.
Chapter Eleven
Douglas bagged his first sale, smiling proudly as the till announced the price and the item it had just scanned. He heard his little customer giggle excitedly and went around the counter to take her money. Into his palm she dropped a couple of bills. He fed each one into the custom-made slot, and then laughed in delight when the correct change was announced, and the till drawer opened cooperatively. Carefully, fingering each coin, he collected the right denomination, shut the drawer again, and wandered back to give Candy her change.
“There you go, Candy, here’s your candy.” He grinned and held out the bag with her sweets in.
“Hmmm,” she drooled, and the bag crinkled. He smelled the pineapple drops and figured working in the shop may just cure him of his sweet tooth. His olfactory membranes were in overdrive with all the sugary aromas.
“Who’s next?” he called out and heard the shuffle of feet moving closer, then Candy’s high-pitched scream.
“I told you, freak, that you’d be sorry,” a disgustingly familiar voice slurred. It was the vagrant who’d attacked him and Candy at the ranch. What the fuck was he doing there? He thought the man was long gone, now, safely behind bars.
“I just wonder, moron, if you’re acting stupid or you really are stupid?” Douglas drawled laconically, hearing Candy’s frightened whimpers. He sniffed carefully, pinpointing the man’s whereabouts as he figured out what to do.
“Geoff? What’s going on?” a younger voice asked hesitantly, sounding frightened. “Why are you holding on to that little girl?”
“Because this freak here is one of them shifters that are taking over the world,” the vagrant responded angrily. He yelped suddenly, and Douglas heard the sound of Candy’s little fangs bite into the man’s flesh. He really hoped it hurt the bastard.
“Geoff, let her go. You’re in enough trouble as it is, dude. We’re trying to find work, aren’t we? At least I am,” the younger man said, trying to pacify the guy.
“I wouldn’t bother going with that line of reasoning,” Douglas said sarcastically. “I reckon, from the sounds of it, this idiot only knows how to get drunk and attack little girls and blind men.”
“Geoff, let’s go,” the young man pleaded. “Please, before you do something you can’t take back.”
“Too late for that, friend,” a familiar British voice said in a dangerously quiet tone. John.
“Are you another one of them freaks?” Geoff said, not recognizing the danger.
“No, sweetheart,” John responded politely. “I’m a really pissed-off snow leopard shifter who’s about to rip your face off if you don’t release my good friend Candy, here.”
“Douglas! What the hell’s going on?” Cracker had arrived, and Douglas sighed, thinking his day had gone from hunky-dory to clusterfuck a little too quickly.
“Meet Geoff,” Douglas replied, sighing again. “I met him a little while ago, rescuing Candy from a large tree that she’d climbed. Geoff thinks that shifters are freaks and shot me, if you remember. I wonder how he got out of jail so quickly.”
“He was released on bail,” John announced with a vicious edge to his voice now. “Allow me to take care of that mistake rig
ht now.”
“Now, now, John, I’m sure Geoff is realizing the error of his ways by now and merely wants to protect Candy from all of us nasty old shifter freaks,” Douglas drawled, yawning as though bored with the whole deal. “And I’m equally sure that when he releases poor Candy here, he’ll be allowed to go on his way, no harm, no foul.”
“Freak!” Geoff retorted angrily. “This little girl is coming with me. She needs to be protected from you fuckwits.”
There was a brief scuffle, a childish scream, then a louder scream of pure terror and the acrid scent of urine. Douglas found himself with a handful of tiny shifter, as Candy had shifted and jumped into his arms. He wasn’t quite sure what else was happening, but from the sudden silence that followed the scream, he imagined that good old Geoff was probably comatose by now.
“Er, is he still alive?” he asked delicately.
“Yeah, just pissed himself, that’s all,” Cracker replied, sounding amused. “Candy shifted, then John did, too, and between the pair of them, managed to scare the bejeezus out of him. Poor bastard.”
“He’s not a bad man,” the younger man said timidly. “He had a bad experience with some shifters a while back. Hyenas I think. Now he thinks they’re all bad news.”
“John certainly is, aren’t you John?” Douglas said drolly, hearing an answering chuff from his friend. “Is there something we can do for Geoff? He’s an angry man, isn’t he?”
“He used to be in the military, Marine Corps,” the man replied. “He was discharged on medical grounds, PTSD after three tours in Afghanistan. We served together. I left after being injured, lost my legs, so I’m struggling to find work. I figured I’d see what Sage was all about. Was hoping to get some work here. I guess that’s out of the question, though.” He sighed wearily.
