Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Doris O’Connor
ISBN: 978-1-77233-378-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
For Kate. Happy Birthday again, and I hope you like 'your' story.
PANTHER MAGIC
The Projects, 5
Doris O’Connor
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
“Oh. My. God. It’s them.” Her friend’s most unlike her screech of excitement roused Kate out of her slumber, and she cracked one eye open to see what all the commotion was about. Natasha had shot up from her sun lounger, and Kate caught her in the act of putting her glasses back on, to presumably get a better look at who—or whatever—had roused such an enthusiastic response.
Still deliciously sated and in the warm afterglow of one of the finest wax treatments the spa-with-a-difference had to offer, Kate couldn’t quite get her limbs to work, especially not for what had to be the male of the species. Judging by the way every female in their little corner of the spa’s enclosed, rooftop, tropical swimming paradise seemed to push their boobs out and pull their tummies in it had to be some man, or rather men, who had them all in such thrall.
Kate rolled her eyes, and grudgingly raised herself into a half sitting position. Seriously, men were never worth the trouble. Especially not when she could get all of her kinky needs met quite adequately at the spa, or its attached BDSM club, should she feel the need for some heavier play sessions. All the fun without the annoying males to lord it over you.
She followed the direction of the starry eyed swoons, and caught her breath. My, oh my. They were rather pleasing on the eyes, and Kate inwardly rolled her eyes at her annoying hormones. Identical twins, who stood at well over six and a half feet of lean muscle, the two dark haired men looked back over their shoulders at some commotion by the other side of the pool. She couldn’t hear what the slightly smaller one was saying, but his brother laughed, rolled his eyes, used the towel flung over his shoulder to wipe some leftover water off his face, and then froze when his gaze connected with hers. He raised his head slightly as though he was sniffing the air, and his chestnut gaze seemed to turn to a golden glow, as he held her pinned in place with the sheer intensity of his gaze. When his brother followed suit, and they both started to walk toward her, Kate had to remind herself to breathe. This was insane. Who were these two? And why did she feel as though she knew them?
The female sighs around her got louder, and Natasha shot to her feet as several of the women made a beeline for the two men.
It stopped their long legged walk toward Kate, and she managed to draw a much needed gulp of air into her lungs, when the throng of giggling women now surrounding them blocked them from her view.
“I can’t believe they’re here. This is so exciting.” Natasha bounced on the soles of her bare feet, seemingly unable to stand still, and Kate shook her head.
“Okay, someone pinch me, please, to make sure I’m not dreaming this. Why on earth are you this excited over those two? I mean, sure, they’re hot, but—”
Natasha spun ‘round and, hands on hips, glared at her.
“Why? Why you ask? They’re only … jeez, I forget, it’s not your thing, but those two … goodness, that’s Zeb and Arran … you know … the magicians. Even you must have heard of them.”
Kate shook her head, and she had to grin when her normally so levelheaded friend looked about ready to pop a blood vessel. The only other time Natasha got that worked up was if something went wrong with one of her beloved computer programs, which it had done far too frequently lately, and was the main reason why they were both here on a weekday.
Ever since Natasha had started her super-secret work project for her new boss Cole Jackson, she had run herself ragged. Natasha spent every waking and plenty of what should be sleeping hours on the computer, and it had taken all of Kate’s persuasive skills to get her roommate to agree to leave all that behind for one afternoon at the spa.
She’d achieved her goal, and after some gentle coaxing and hand-holding, they had both enjoyed the introduction to wax play. Not that Kate needed the introduction. Wax play was one of her firm favorites, and none did it better than the spa’s resident Wax Master. It still amused Kate greatly, the range of treatments on offer to the initiated few. No doubt most of the Giggling Gertrudes scrambling to get their chest signed by the two hunks, had no idea of the far from vanilla treatments the spa also offered.
Kate rolled her eyes, when the crowd dimmed, thanks to the lifeguards urging folks to move on, and she caught another glimpse of the taller one of the two. He was scrawling his name on a middle aged woman’s boobs, and Natasha sighed, and sat back down on her lounger with dreamy expression on her face. Lordy me, Natasha, too?
“Seriously, not you, too? Don’t tell me you want your chest signed?” Kate breathed a sigh of relief when Natasha shook her head. Even so, the faint blush staining her friend’s cheeks was worrying. Kate got the distinct impression that Natasha would only be too willing for some of the same treatment as the silly woman, who now whimpered her thanks like a fawning schoolgirl.
“’Cause I have to tell you, I can’t see the point in that. What’cha gonna do? Not wash ever? I thought the whole point of getting an autograph was to keep it, so—”
“You make a good point there. I’ve often wondered that myself.” The deep, slightly accented voice stopped her tirade, and Kate’s stomach flip flopped wildly. Heavens, that voice. Natasha shrieked and shot back to her feet, as the owner of that voice held out his hand to Kate, while his brother strolled up behind him, seemingly having extricated himself out of the clutches of the sign my boobs brigade.
“Arran Harris, nice to meet you, Miss…” He let his words trail off, and Kate swallowed hard as his brother drew level with him. Standing either side of her sun lounger they towered over her, and everything inside of Kate tightened in need when they both inhaled sharply and smiled at her.
She couldn’t help but feel as though she was the prey caught in the headlights under their intense scrutiny, and this close to them, their combined scent made her, too, want to sniff the air. It should be illegal for anyone to smell that good, and as far as her befuddled brain could determine, it was their own unique scent, not some expensive aftershave. Besides they’d been swimming, so it couldn’t be anything other than their natural scent, and her mouth went dry as she let her gaze wander over their bodies.
They had dried somewhat in the tangle with their fans—they had fan-girls for flip’s sake—but some enticing drops still remained. Kate followed the path of one of those drops, down Arran’s chest, and over the rock hard abs, into the waistband of his swimming trunks. The swimwear did nothing to hide the thickening length of his erection.
His brother’s dry chuckle made Kate wrench her eyes upward, and away from temptation, only to be snared in this man’s heated gaze.
“I do hope it’s Miss?” he said.
“Yes.” Kate managed nothing more than that somewhat strangled squeak, and his eyes crinkled up at the corners in obvious amusement.
She belatedly took Arran’s proffered hand, and gasped at the surge of heat that scorched her fingers.
He pulled her to her feet with such speed that she had to put her free hand out to steady herself. Unfortunately it connected with his brother’s hard chest, and the most curious rumble erupted under her fingertips. It vibrated up her arm and seemed to settle straight in her clit, and Kate closed her eyes to block out one of her senses, which seemed determined to lead her astray. Jeez, she never reacted like that to any man, let alone someone she’d only just met. Had she been drinking she’d have thought someone had slipped something into her drink, but she was still on the bottle of water she’d brought with her from home. So what the hell was with the insta-lust, and perhaps more worryingly the way these two seemed to reciprocate her feelings?
Kate attracted a fair amount of male attention, but she was no supermodel, so something was screwy here. Unfortunately it was not her being screwed, and heat flared in her cheeks at the direction her thoughts were taking. She sensed both men stepping closer to her, and they sniffed the air again, in that strangely erotic way they had, and Kate had to fight the urge to not simply allow herself to lean into their combined strength and heat. Like a warm, comforting blanket her men surrounded her. My men?
That errant thought made her eyes fly open, and she immediately wished she had kept them shut, as she was pinned in the force of their amber gaze. Sweet lord, they were just too much.
“Her name is Kate, and she’s very much a Miss, and I’m just so delighted to meet you. I love your shows.” Natasha’s excited squeal seemed to bring them all to their senses, and Kate breathed a sigh of relief when the two hunks released her and faced her friend. “Oh and I’m Natasha, and I’m a huge fan. I had no idea you were in town, or I’d have tried to get tickets. You are performing, right? I’ve been so busy with work, and…” Natasha heaved a much needed breath into her lungs, and stood there grinning like a fool. It was so unlike her that Kate had to remember to shut her mouth.
Arran extended his hand again, toward Natasha this time, and a stab of completely unreasonable jealousy assaulted Kate’s insides when her friend grabbed the man’s hand and beamed up at him.
“Always nice to meet a fan, Natasha.” If Natasha’s grin got any wider, she’d be in danger of splitting her face in half, and her friend’s exuberance was starting to grate on Kate’s nerves. Did she have to hold Arran’s hand this long?
And why does it bother you so much?
Kate crossed her arms under her bikini top, and had to make a conscious effort not to sulk when the slightly taller Zeb’s attention diverted to Natasha, too. He took her friend’s other hand, leaned in closer and sniffed. Yes, definitely a sniff, and what’s more Natasha seemed to return that strange greeting. Jeez, had they all turned into dogs in heat, Kate included? She was uncomfortably aware of the fact that she was far too attracted to these two, and she was this much in a huff because she wanted them both for herself. Natasha had the advantage here. At least she knew who they were.
“Siberian?” Zeb asked, and Natasha threw a worried look at Kate, and nodded. “Unusual, I like it. Not many left these days.”
Natasha gave a nervous laugh when Kate raised her eyebrows at her, and tapped her foot.
“Siberian what?” she asked, and the most curious look passed between Natasha and the two men. It made the fine hair on Kate’s neck stand to attention. She was missing something here, and she didn’t like that feeling. Come to think of it, these three were giving off the same vibes as Natasha’s work colleagues. Her new boss had dropped some data off at their flat only last week, and Kate had sensed something then.
It was a most curious sensation she didn’t relish. She’d dismissed it then, but it was harder to do so now, when her whole body seemed on fire for these two guys. Magicians, no less. Maybe that was why. The minute that thought entered her mind, Kate dismissed it. There was no such thing as magic after all. It was all just tricks and clever lighting.
She took an involuntary step back when both men smiled down on her. Kate wasn’t small for a woman at five foot six, but these two still towered over her by almost a foot, and there was no denying their presence.
It made her inner sub squirm in barely restrained excitement, even though they were probably just here to enjoy the swimming pool.
“Yes, we’ve been wondering about including a Siberian cat in our act, but then again our panthers might eat her.” Zeb’s voice had dropped an octave, giving that whole sentence an entirely different meaning.
Natasha made a strange sound at the back of her throat, and both men laughed. Arran winked at Natasha, and her friend blushed the most interesting shade of crimson.
“Zeb, stop scaring the kitten. Eating out maybe, but I fear our interests will lie elsewhere.” He reached out to touch a strand of Kate’s long dark brown hair, lifted it to his nose and inhaled.
Okay then, maybe she was dreaming all this. Kate tried for her best glare, and yanking her hair out of his fingers twisted it into a loose bun at her nape.
“Kittens, cats? What am I missing here?” she asked. “Don’t tell me you’re using animals in your act. That’s just cruel.”
Another indefinable look passed between the two men, and Natasha squirmed. There really was no other way to describe it.
“Cruel, you say?” Zeb’s voice held a hint of annoyance, and Natasha shook her head so fast her glasses were in danger of flying off her nose. Kate really had to try harder to convince her to give contacts another go. They worked perfectly for Kate, after all, and made life much easier.
“Oh, Kate here doesn’t mean to offend you, I’m sure.” Natasha shot her an imploring look as if to will her to go along, and under any other circumstances Kate might well have done so, but not today. She was too at odds with these conflicting emotions battering her insides, and, besides, this attraction she felt toward these strangers … nothing good would come of this. It would be so much better if they were assholes. That way she would be able to resist them … maybe.
So instead she glared at her friend.
“Kate here can speak for herself, and if these two think it’s okay to use animals in their act, then I don’t really care if my opinion offends them, so—”
“Have you actually seen our act?” Arran’s softly spoken question took the wind out of her righteous sails somewhat, and she tried her best to glare at him, too, which lasted all of two seconds under his quiet regard. One eyebrow rose in query, and with his full mouth set in a grim line, he radiated disapproval, and she couldn’t bring herself to hold his gaze. Instead she shook her head, and she dropped her eyes down to his muscle packed chest, which was not helping one iota. Wrenching her gaze upward again, she finally settled for staring at his jaw. Mind you, that, too, was far too distracting, covered as it was in designer stubble. It simply drew her attention to his strong neck and the way his Adam’s apple moved as he spoke, even more softly this time. There was no mistaking the edge to his words though that made her want to sink to her knees and apologize.
She’d once heard it said that a true Dom didn’t need to raise his voice, and she’d never truly understood that until this moment, and they weren’t even in a scene. Lord help her if they ever were.
“So, tell me, sweet thing, how can you form an opinion on how we treat the animals we use if you’ve never seen us in action?”
Kate wanted the ground to swallow her up whole. He had a point there, she guessed, but, bugger it all to hell and back if she was going to admit that.
She settled for shrugging her shoulders, and jumped when Zeb grasped her chin and thus gave her no choice but to look up at him.
“Give us the courtesy of looking at us when you condemn us without knowing all the facts, girl. Shrugging your shoulders like that is downright rude, and I think you know what happens to rude girls. If you think yourself safe from recriminations, because we’re in a public space, then think again. I have no compunction of putting you over my knee right now.”
Natasha’s loud gasp broke the tense moment, and Zeb smiled and released her as abruptly as he had gras
ped her.
“Sorry, Sir.” Kate had to murmur that quiet apology when the loss of his touch on her skin left her curiously at sea. Approval flashed across his far too handsome features, and Kate got the oddest sensation when she stared into his eyes. They seemed to briefly flash to a soft, glowing yellow, before she blinked, and she looked back into their more usual warm chestnut.
“However, Sir,” she said, and Zeb frowned and Arran gave a short laugh, and shook his head in what seemed to be wry amusement. “You are not my Dom. I have not agreed to a scene, and if you tried to put me over your knee in any way shape or form without my agreement, public space or not, I’d have you up for an assault charge faster than you can say poor mistreated cat.”
There, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Kate crossed her arms again, in an effort to hide her trembling hands, and focused on Natasha, instead of the two overbearing hunks in front of her. Despite her insides churning like clothes on a spin cycle, her lips twitched at the open mouthed expression on her friend’s face.
Talk about giving her a demonstration to prove the point that submissive didn’t equal doormat. They’d had that discussion only this morning on their way over to the spa. Then again, Kate was the first to admit that she was a rather bratty sub at the best of times.
“She’s got you there, bro.” Arran’s amused voice brought Kate’s attention back to him, and she lost herself in the smile he gave her. That smile alone would guarantee that most females would drop their knickers in an instant. Not that she was most females, and besides she wasn’t wearing knickers. Bikini bottoms didn’t count, surely.
“I fear we’ve started off on the wrong foot somewhat, and for that I apologize, Kate.” He looked across at his brother and some sort of silent communication seemed to occur between the two men, because Zeb nodded, and he, too smiled, showing a set of even white teeth that must make his dentist very proud of him.
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