Claimed by the Mate, Volume 1

by Kate Douglas

  Cain coughed and cleared his throat, and it took him a moment to speak. His eyes glistened, closed for a moment, and he clenched his jaw. Struggling with emotions. Cherry struggled with her own—she wanted to grab on and hold him.

  “I didn’t know,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you realized that, how I feel when I enter you. I love when you show your trust in me. You let me in; you tell me what you want. What you need. I’m always so afraid of hurting you. It’s good to know I don’t.”

  Brad shook his head, his attention riveted on Cain, and Cherry realized she could have been gone altogether, for all they noticed her, but at the same time there was no denying the love between these two strong men. The powerful emotional connection they shared. What would it be like, to be included in that love? Was this what their offer to her was all about?

  Brad’s hand still cupped her breast, but Cain’s fingers rested on her hip. She’d not even noticed when they moved, so caught in the intense communion between the men. A conversation she’d started, and yet it was one they appeared never to have had. Would they resent her for forcing them to examine their relationship so closely?

  Cain reached across her and wrapped his fingers around the back of Brad’s neck, pulled him close for a deep kiss. Cherry’s breath caught in her throat. They were so beautiful together, two totally different men, both in appearance and manner, and yet the love between them was real, so powerful, there was no denying how they felt.

  She wondered what it would feel like, to be a part of that kind of love, a once-in-a-lifetime love that was absolutely real.

  She flashed on the logistics—how she could involve herself with the two of them—because it was obvious that’s where this kiss was leading when Cain planted his knee beside her on the bed, giving him better access to Brad.

  Cherry slipped to one side as Cain tugged and Brad came, the two of them still kissing, kneeling together beside her, their bodies pressed from thigh to chest. Brad clutched Cain’s lean hips, but both of Cain’s big hands wrapped around the curve of Brad’s skull, holding him in place as he took over the kiss, easily dominating Brad with his mouth. They kissed deeply, fervently, until Brad pulled away to suck a deep draught of air before pressing his forehead against Cain’s.

  Cherry was drawing deep breaths as well, so aroused by the two of them she hovered on the edge of her own climax. Then Cain lightly kissed Brad once more before directing him into position on his hands and knees where Cherry had been stretched out only moments before. Brad raised his head and caught her watching. An expression passed over his features that she couldn’t read at first but then realized was one of apology.

  He was afraid of leaving her out of what he and Cain shared.

  Well, tonight she was sharing. She turned and moved beneath Brad on her back, wrapped her fingers around the length of his erection, and pulled the dark, plum-shaped head down to her mouth.

  “Ah, Cherry.”

  His soft words escaped on a sigh, and then his mouth was between her legs and Cain was kneeling behind Brad. She smiled around her mouthful—the view from this angle was amazing, but when Brad’s tongue connected with her clit she forgot all about the view.

  She knew the moment Brad felt Cain’s entrance—his back arched and his cock filled her mouth. She kept one hand wrapped around the base to keep him from going too deep, but Cain was right there, up close and personal, and he was too much temptation to resist.

  He paused for a moment. She figured he must be all the way inside Brad, because their thighs were touching and if their testicles hadn’t been drawn up so tight they would touch, too.

  She reached between Brad’s legs and stroked both men’s balls, cupping Brad’s and then Cain’s. He cursed, and she might have giggled if Brad hadn’t chosen that moment to circle his tongue around her clit and then suck on that sensitive little bud. She moaned, careful not to bite down, but the laughter hovered in the back of her mind, as she thought that no matter what came of this one week of vacation, she was getting one hell of an education in the male anatomy.

  Then Cain began to move and Brad concentrated on Cherry and she focused on Brad with the occasional foray into Cain’s territory, but it made a lot of sense to pay attention to the pleasure she could give her men because it helped take her focus off herself.

  She didn’t want to come. Not yet. She wanted this to last forever. Brad’s tongue was doing amazing things and she hovered on the edge, but her concentration on his pleasure kept her from going over. She had a feeling Brad was using the same process, and she wondered how Cain held on. His legs trembled and his heavy breaths were proof of his efforts, but in seconds she’d caught the rhythm he forced on Brad and there was a moment of absolute synchronicity, with all of them moving together, a wave of sensuality, a connection that went beyond the physical and took her outside of the acts themselves and into the very essence of the men.

  She tasted Brad on her tongue and reached for Cain, lightly cupping his balls in her hand and following his thrusts even as he sped up, as he plunged harder and faster and Brad’s mouth between her legs took on an edge that hovered between pleasure and pain. She felt his teeth and tongue and lips and increased her efforts, though there was no true effort involved.

  Everything seemed to flow from one to the other, with Cain leading. He was the one who controlled this deeply erotic dance, his cadence, his need, his powerful love.

  She felt it in his touch when he reached around Brad’s waist and stroked her breasts, when he thrust hard and fast and Brad’s cock swelled between her lips. Brad arched his back and cried out, but his fingers took the place of his mouth and he thrust deep inside her, once, twice, and on the third her body clenched in orgasm.

  Cain’s curse, Brad’s shout, Cherry’s muffled moan as she swallowed Brad’s release and then swallowed his shrinking cock as well, taking him all the way until her lips touched the coarse hairs at his groin.

  When she finally slipped him free of her mouth, Brad and Cain toppled to the side and all of them lay there, sucking air, bodies trembling, hearts thundering.

  “Wow.” Cain was the first to speak, the first to move. He leaned over Brad’s thigh and kissed Cherry, sweeping into her mouth with his tongue, tasting his lover, tasting Cherry. “That was absolutely amazing.” Then Cain got up and went into the bathroom to clean up. He was back a moment later and stretched out beside her.

  Brad carefully turned around so that the two men bracketed her on either side. He propped himself up on his elbow, rested his cheek on his palm, and played with her nipple. “What Cain said. That was a first for us. You’re doing amazing things for our sex life. For a woman who’s only had sex once before this week, I’ve got to ask, where do you get your ideas?”

  If she told him the truth, they’d laugh at her. All those sexy romances? She’d read scenes exactly like what they’d just done. She’d thought when she read them that they sounded sexy.

  She’d had no idea. Not clue what it was really like with two men you truly cared about.

  “I read,” she said. “A lot.”

  “Cain, my friend. We need to borrow some of this lady’s books.”

  Cain smiled. He lay close beside Cherry, one arm thrown over his eyes, the other holding her hand. “Nah. You were right. We just need to keep the lady.”

  Chapter 19

  Friday

  Thursday and most of Friday passed in a blur of hiking and fantastic meals, drinks and laughter in the dining room and on the big deck, and the most amazing sex any woman could ever imagine. During the days she’d had very little time with Brad and Cain, who were busy working, but they’d more than made up for their preoccupation with their jobs when they’d come to her last night.

  She couldn’t wait to see what they had planned for tonight, though she certainly hadn’t been bored while they’d been busy. There’d been more beautiful wolves coming and going throughout the two days, almost as if they were checking out the women, and the Brad and Cain wolves had been her
regular companions, which had Cherry wondering just how much actual work the human Brad and Cain had to do.

  As far as the other wolves, many of them newcomers, Cherry wondered if any of them were the guys her sister and the others had met at Growl Wednesday night. Cherry had hardly had a chance to talk to them since they’d gone, at least not when there weren’t men hanging around.

  So far, she’d only gotten tidbits about the crazy fun they’d had at the bar.

  She wasn’t comfortable talking about anything personal in front of potentially eavesdropping wolves, but Cherry hadn’t shared her suspicions about werewolves. She was having too good a time, and she hated the thought of starting rumors if her suspicions were untrue. She was actually enjoying the fantasy, if that’s what it proved to be. A mystery she might never solve, once they all headed home.

  Both Wednesday and Thursday nights with Brad and Cain had been amazing, so far beyond her expectations of what sex with two men could be she knew she’d never forget. She also accepted that what they’d had here would end when the three women left in the morning.

  For all their insistence on calling what they did “making love,” neither Cain nor Brad had vowed undying love to her. They talked of a nebulous future, but nothing she felt she could really count on.

  That was okay. Today was her last day, and she planned to leave tomorrow with no regrets. There was no doubt in her mind that she’d miss them—both men were too good to be true and she knew she’d never find anyone to take their place. Which, of course, made it imperative that she not fall in love with them. They weren’t hers to keep, and she really didn’t want to spend her life yearning for two men she couldn’t have.

  Guarding her heart was still the only viable solution.

  * * *

  Cherry left out the loose yoga pants and T-shirt she planned to wear for the long drive home, along with the one clean dress she’d saved for tonight, but she carefully folded the rest of her clothes and packed them in her suitcase. She wished she didn’t feel so much like crying. She’d known this night was coming, though at the beginning of the week she hadn’t had a clue how she’d feel when it was time to leave this amazing place.

  At least she’d gotten a lot of pictures of the people she’d met and Christa had taken a couple of great shots of her with Cain and Brad. One was good enough to enlarge—that one was going in her bedroom. Christa had caught both Cain and Brad wearing ragged cutoffs and work boots, their chests bare, strong bodies tanned, arms resting on each other’s shoulders with Cherry in the middle. She’d been wearing her favorite dress, and she looked almost petite beside the two big men, her arms around their waists, all of them smiling, Cherry looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  No one would ever know that, at the precise moment Christa snapped the picture, Cherry’d realized their vacation was coming to an end, and this picture might be all she had to remind her of her magical week at Feral Passions.

  She turned on her phone and brought up the photo, just to stare at the image. She looked beautiful between her men. She looked like a woman in love.

  Sighing, she flipped off the phone and took one last look around the room. She had everything packed except the few things she’d need for tomorrow. Dinner was in an hour. There’d be someone on the deck having a glass of wine or a drink. A last night with new friends.

  Her last night with Brad and Cain.

  She pasted a smile on her face, grabbed her sweater, slipped on a pair of sandals, and headed down the trail to the lodge.

  Steph, Christa, Suni, and Darnell had beaten her there. They were already drinking their margaritas on the deck when she arrived. She glanced around and realized one was missing. “Where’s Fred?”

  Suni rolled her eyes. “She’s packing. She said she can’t wait to get out of here, that she feels as if she lost a week of her life.”

  “Really?” Cherry caught Christa’s disgusted look and noticed that the others seemed to share the feeling. “I’ve had the best time of my life this past week. I’m so glad Christa and Steph talked me into coming.”

  “We practically had to twist her arm off to get her here.” Steph laughed and pointed at the door. “One of your men is inside making his magical margaritas. Go ye and get one.”

  “And see if he’ll send out a pitcher for the rest of us,” Darnell added. She held up an almost empty glass and pouted. “I’m exhausted from having fun all day.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Cherry saluted and went into the dining room. Brad was behind the bar, talking to Trak, Evan, and Cain, who’d taken three of the barstools.

  “Hey, Cherry. I wondered when you were going to make it down here.”

  Brad leaned over the bar; she stretched up on her toes and kissed him. “I took a nap. Your relaxing activities have worn me out.”

  He laughed and held up a glass. “Margarita?”

  “Yes, please, and Darnell wants a full pitcher. She said she’s tired of having fun, but I think she’s just trying to get back in shape for sitting on her butt at work.”

  Still smiling, Brad turned away to make the drinks. Cherry sat next to Trak. “I wanted to tell you what a terrific week this has been, Trak. You have a truly beautiful spot here, the meals have been amazing, and I’ve never had a better time in my life. I really hope Feral Passions is wildly successful for all of you.”

  Trak smiled, something the big man didn’t appear to do all that often. “Thank you. I never did get a chance to ask you about your work. I’m wondering if your skills are something we could use here to boost our promotion, since we’re looking for such a specific clientele.”

  Evan nodded. “What Trak is saying, I think, is how do we attract beautiful, young, single professional women like yourself, with a yearning for something different in their lives? Is there an algorithm for that?”

  She laughed. She was really going to miss this, being treated like a beautiful professional woman. She didn’t even get that at her job. “I’m sure there is, Evan. I’ll work on it once I get back to the office Monday, but personally, all I think you guys need to do is post your pictures on the Web site and title the page ‘The Men of Feral Passions.’ The women will come in droves.”

  They were all laughing when Brad stepped out from behind the bar with a pitcher of margaritas and handed a filled glass to Cherry. “I’ll carry this out,” he said. “Trak, I’m taking a few minutes. Can you cover the bar?”

  Trak merely smiled and waved as Cain got up and followed them outside. They moved the party to the big table and before long Lawz and Dr. Tuck had joined them, and then Ronan and Wils showed up. Trak and Evan eventually wandered outside, and a few new guys Cherry hadn’t met arrived.

  Christa and the others knew them from their night out at Growl, and it looked like they were all headed back there after dinner. Brad draped an arm around her shoulders and whispered in Cherry’s ear. “Do you want to go to Growl? Cain and I can take you, if you’d like.”

  She turned and smiled. “What would you and Cain rather do? It’s our last night and I know they’re planning a party, but I’ve never been much for hanging around bars.”

  “Me, neither. Your place or ours after dinner?” He kissed her, right there in front of everyone. So she blushed, of course.

  “Mine’s okay.” She glanced at Cain. “But I’ve never seen yours.”

  “Wherever you are, sweet Cheraza, that’s where we’ll be.”

  * * *

  Dinner was a delightful celebration of good food and laughter. Again there was that amazing sense of belonging, of being part of something greater than herself, a part of the Feral Passions pack, as it were. She’d grown so comfortable with the wolves wandering in and out of the dining hall that she wondered if she should consider getting a dog when she got back to the city. She didn’t live too far from a nice little park where she could walk one.

  It might keep her from being so lonely.

  She hated the thought of going home to her apartment, of walking in e
ach night to an empty space. It had never bothered her before.

  She’d never known what it was like to have a man in her bed every night, either, much less two men. When they weren’t there, the wolves somehow managed to find their way in. She’d awakened to wolves almost every morning since she’d been here.

  No hint of their true identity, and for all she knew that’s exactly what they were—wolves.

  And she was exactly who she’d always been—Christa DuBois’s chunky big sister, the math whiz more comfortable with numbers and her computer than real people in the real world.

  At least that’s what she’d be when she got home. Here she’d felt good about herself for the first time that she could remember. It truly had been a fantasy week. She glanced up as Cain and Brad walked across the dining room floor. They’d been in the kitchen serving dessert for some of the guests, but now they appeared to be headed straight for Cherry.

  “We have something for you.” Brad pulled out the chair next to her while Cain stood behind him with his hands on Brad’s shoulders.

  “For me? What for?”

  “So you won’t forget us. So you’ll come back as soon as you can get away from work.” Brad tipped his head back and looked at Cain, who sighed and then turned away.

  Finally, he grabbed another chair and sat next to Brad. “We can’t leave right now because of the work schedule, but we don’t want you to think that this past week hasn’t meant more to us than either of us can explain. You mean more to us, Cheraza. We don’t want to lose you, but it’s going to be at least a week before we can get away. We want to come and see you, spend some time with you in your world. If you’ll let us.”

  It took her a moment to catch her voice. It seemed to have deserted her entirely. “I … I’d like that. A lot. You’ve got my phone number and my address. Let me know, okay?”

  Brad handed her a small package wrapped in plain blue paper. She had no idea what it was, but she opened it carefully and pulled out an absolutely exquisite silk scarf. It was all shades of green and brown, and when she opened it out and laid it across the table the pattern became clear.