by Jane Jamison
“Oh, sure. And when they hit puberty, some unsuspecting human couple gets the surprise of a lifetime when their kids starting changing into animals and biting people.”
“That’s all our options. Unless we choose which way to jump, we’re shit out of luck.”
“Shit out of luck? What are you two talking about?”
Chance swung around, his heart doing double-time as he took Rachel in. One of his fathers had said that Chance’s mother should’ve come with a warning label. Something like “Beware. Heartbreaker.” Until he’d met Rachel, he hadn’t really understood what his father had meant. Now he did.
The winter sunlight filtered through her white-blonde locks as they curled around her sweet, innocent-looking face. Although she was tall, she still had a curvy shape, with a little bit of extra meat on her body that gave him a good place to hold on to. Although the weather was unusually warm, it still held a chill to it, but she’d left her jacket in the house. He couldn’t see her green eyes with the sunlight throwing her shadow toward him, but he had no problem imagining the emerald depths glistening as he’d seen them do so many times before. If the eyes were the windows to a person’s soul, hers led him straight to her soul and all the way to Heaven. His cock came to attention, and his wolf growled, demanding he finally act like the alpha he was and take his mate.
He took a step forward, intending to do as his animal insisted. “We’re talking about the babies. About what we’re going to do with them.”
“What do you mean?”
He’d heard her purr before. The sound was intriguing and had turned the burn in his crotch into a blazing fire. A werewolf wasn’t supposed to find a weretiger sexy, but as far as he was concerned, she put all the other women in the world, shifter and human, to shame. Right now, however, he could sense her hackles rising, getting ready to go on the defensive.
“Baby, come on. You know we have to give them up to someone.”
“No we don’t.”
Aw shit. “Yeah, we do.” His passion for her transformed, bringing in a good helping of his need.
“We’re going to keep them…until the mother comes back.”
The pause between her words worried him. He would’ve sworn she’d meant the first part of her sentence and not the second half.
Dylan eased beside him. “Sugar, what are you really thinking? Just tell us.”
She crossed her arms and planted her feet apart. It was a challenge if ever Chance had seen one. “I’m not thinking anything except hoping to reunite a mother with her babies.”
He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or not. “No matter how long it takes?”
Her arms dropped to her sides, as though his question had thrown her. “I don’t know. All I know is that I can’t leave them. Or hand them over to someone else. Don’t ask me to.” Abruptly, she whirled around.
His inner beast caught him by surprise, demanding he not hold back any longer. He leapt at her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. She let out a small yelp as he thrust her against the wall, slamming her hard against the wood.
Chapter Three
“Chance.”
Maybe she’d said his name to tell him to back off. Maybe she’d said it hoping to push him over the edge, the last of his resistance crumbling into the nothingness below like dirt falling off a cliff. He’d never know and no longer cared.
His fingers tunneled into her hair as his body crushed against hers. The quickening of her pulse raced against his lips as he kissed her neck. Her breaths came in fast repetition. For a moment, he was certain she’d fight back. But it was a fight she was bound to lose. He’d captured her, and he wasn’t about to turn her free.
She felt amazing, soft yet hard against him. Her scent filled his nostrils, sending his inner wolf wild. Need swallowed him, pushing the human side of him away as the wolf took over, leaping upward, threatening to break out fangs and claws.
His palm found her warm breast under her sweater. His thumb massaged her taut nipple through the thin material of her bra. He growled, covering her mouth and smothering her sigh. A hard yank brought her jeans to her ankles. Hurrying, he helped rid her of her shoes and the jeans. Another growl escaped him, frustration setting in as he fumbled with his belt buckle. His hat fell to the floor.
Picking her up, he took her to the hard-packed dirt floor. Before he could shove his hand between her legs, she spread them, urging him to thrust aside her panties and shove his fingers into the hot, moist darkness. He tugged the sweater over her head, tousling her golden curls, then snagged her bra with his teeth and tore it from her.
Even going as fast as he could, he still couldn’t go fast enough. Now wasn’t soon enough to have her. After all the teasing, after all the make-out sessions where he’d been left wanting and hurting, he couldn’t, wouldn’t, stand for any more rejection.
His beast roared, demanding to be in control. The world filled with amber as his eye color changed, and he felt the tip of fangs against the back of his lips. Struggling to stay in human form would be a monumental task, but he’d do it. Just barely.
“Move.”
If Chance didn’t know Dylan’s voice, and the sound of it when his cousin’s wolf charged to the surface, he might not have understood the word. As it was, he didn’t want to obey him. Let his cousin find another woman. Any woman besides Rachel.
Yet, they’d always known they’d share. When they’d both experienced the connection with her, they’d been overjoyed. But his lust, his need to take her first, overwhelmed him. Growling, he craned his neck to look up at his cousin.
Dylan was barely hanging on. Amber sparkled in his eyes, and the beginning of fur skimmed his jawline. He clenched and unclenched hands tipped with viciously long claws. His cousin was naked, his cock standing straight out, pre-cum oozing from the tip.
Chance saw himself in his cousin.
We can’t. Not as wolves. She’d never forgive us.
He growled and shook his head, as much to tell his cousin to back off as to shove down the wolf clawing its way outward. Pain seared into him as he pushed away and forced his animal back into submission.
Yet the human side of his nature wouldn’t be subdued.
He slid down Rachel’s body, her chest heaving as her big eyes met his. He smiled, trying to show her he was still in control, then lowered his head to press feathered kisses along the roundness of her stomach.
Spreading her legs farther apart, he glanced up at her then put his head between her legs to drink up her sweetness.
Now, cousin. Join me.
It didn’t matter that Dylan couldn’t hear his thoughts. He knew what his cousin would do.
He heard Dylan drop to his knees beside her. Peeking over her mons, he smiled against her pussy folds as his cousin presented his cock to their mate. Without hesitation, she opened her plumped lips and drew him in.
Chance rubbed his cock against her leg as he whipped his tongue around her clit. Over and around the peaked bundle of nerves he went, gathering every bit of taste he could from her. Using two fingers, he gave her a small hint of what it would be like to take his cock inside her. Her body jerked, and then she reached for him.
Is she a virgin? Is that the real reason she always says no?
Achingly, he pulled his fingers away. Disappointment flared, but was gone as soon as he used his thumbs to spread her wider. He’d prepare her, but he wouldn’t be denied. Not again. Not ever again.
Her soft cries came and went with her fast breaths. She cupped Dylan’s balls as she hollowed her cheeks, bringing his cock in then releasing it only to start all over again. Dylan’s amber gaze fixed to hers, but the fur and the claws were gone. He’d managed to pull his wolf back from taking over just as Chance had done.
She was a shifter siren calling them to her. Even if they hadn’t shared the connection, he would’ve wanted her. How could he not? She was everything he’d ever dreamed of, every woman rolled into one magnificent creature.
Her cre
am filled his mouth as she lifted up, her mouth forming a circle around Dylan’s cock as her cry of climax swept over his length. Her body shuddered as she squirmed, trying to get away from him. Chance increased the pressure on her clit, sucking hard, then turning her loose to suck even hard, growing more unrelenting in his conquest. Pride swelled him when she whined with need.
When he finally turned her clit and pussy free to crawl his way over her body, he was sure he was going to blow before he could shove his cock inside her. Bending her legs, he positioned his cock against her entrance.
“Chance.”
Was it a plea for him to make it gentle? Or was she begging him to plunge it inside her, hard and fast?
He’d do his best to be gentle, but he couldn’t make any promises to her. When she turned Dylan’s cock loose, he growled, then swung his leg over her, straddling her face.
“Move your ass, Dylan.”
“Fuck off, man.”
He had to see her face when his cock entered her. Had to see her pain-turning-to-desire expression. Just as he was about to shove his cousin away, cries rent the air.
At first, he wasn’t sure where the cries were coming from. Or perhaps he simply wanted to deny them.
“The babies!” Rachel struggled against them, tried to sit up, but couldn’t with Dylan holding her down.
No. His beast howled, determined not to lose its prey. He grabbed her legs, forcing her to stay with him.
“Let me go. They need me.”
Dylan let out a shout then rolled off her. “Turn her loose. It can’t happen. Not this way. Not now.”
“No.” She was so beautiful, so sexy. He hurt to even think of taking his hands off her. Her eyes glittered with bits of amber as her tiger prepared to battle.
“Chance, let me go.”
As hard as it was, as much as he wanted to ignore her and take her anyway, he wouldn’t take her against her will. His wolf roared its anger, clawing at his insides. “They’re not yours.” Whatever he’d felt toward the twins wasn’t as important as what he felt for her.
She scrambled to her feet, snatching up her clothing as she did. Her gaze met his dead-on. “Yes they are.”
Before he could try to make sense of what she’d said, she was gone, running as fast as she could toward the house.
* * * *
Rachel smiled at the two babies, and her heart filled with love. They were so damn cute. Who cared if one of them was a werewolf and the other a weretiger? They were also part human, and their cooing could turn any hardhearted person to mush. Why couldn’t Chance and Dylan understand? She couldn’t give them up. In fact, if her gut was telling her anything, it was saying she needed to keep them, come hell or high water.
She hadn’t handled the men the way she should have. How could she when her body was telling her one thing and her head another? But she was certain of one thing. Ever since they’d found the babies in the barn, she’d finally felt whole. As though the piece missing from her had finally found its rightful spot.
Why didn’t they understand how much the babies meant to her? What if the babies were the cause of her feeling? What if there wasn’t a third man, and instead, she was connected to the babies? She’d simply assumed her instinct was telling her to hold out for another mate. What if she’d been right to wait, but for the wrong reason?
The baby boy, Holter, latched onto her thumb. Letting him lead her, he brought her thumb to his mouth. Brooklyn started to mewl and reached out, as though asking for her own thumb to suck on.
Whatever the reason for the babies being there, whatever the feelings she had for them, she had no doubt she’d found them for a reason. The babies needed someone to take care of them, and she’d gladly stepped into that position. She was about to call for the men when she heard the front door open.
They’re here.
If she hadn’t already picked up their unique, musky, animal-like scents, she would’ve sensed them before seeing them. The room filled with their presence, the air rippling with sexual tension as they came closer.
“I’m sorry, baby.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. Chance was a tough man, but his heart was soft. Still, she knew how difficult it was for him to say those words. As it always did, her gut tightened at the sight of them, at the overwhelming vibe of their masculinity.
They’re my mates. They have to understand. I won’t give up on them or the babies.
“I’m sorry, too.”
They were next to her in a flash, using their shifter speed.
“We get that you’re all tied up in taking care of the babies.” Dylan smoothed her hair away from her ear. “Just don’t lose us in the process, okay?”
She gazed into the dark eyes she loved so much. “Not a chance.”
“Good. Then how about we get them to take a nap and give us some real time alone together?”
Chance had a one-track mind. Not that she minded. She needed to tell them how she felt about the babies, but even now, it was tough to explain it. Still, she had to try. Brooklyn’s cry, however, put an end to that idea.
“They need more food and diapers and—” She glanced down at the infants. She’d almost said “their mother” then thought better of it.
I’m their mother.
It was a crazy idea but one she couldn’t shake. Hell, one she didn’t want to shake. Could she give them up if the mother returned to claim them? Maybe, but only after she gave the woman one hell of a tongue-lashing. Still, losing them would break her heart. Could she ever recover from such anguish?
“I thought we already took care of all that.”
Her body revved, soaking in the nearness of the men. There was no way she could ever want anyone as much as she craved them. But she had to keep her mind on the babies, not on how much she yearned to be with the men she loved.
“What William’s, um, friend brought wasn’t nearly enough. We’re going to need more.” She didn’t say the rest, letting them catch her thinking on their own. If they were going to hold out in the vampire’s home for more than another day, they’d need more supplies. “You two need to go into town and get more diapers, formula, and bottles. Maybe a few more blankets and onesies, too.”
“What the hell is a onesie?” asked Chance. He stared at the children as though they were aliens from another planet.
She hurried to a nearby desk and rummaged through the drawer until she found a pad and pen. “I’ll make a list.” She scribbled down everything she could think the babies might possibly need. “Here. I don’t care where you go. Twisted or Forever. Or maybe Crosston or Shatland. It doesn’t matter.”
If someone got suspicious and found out what was going on, she was ready. Soon it would be time to tell everyone that they were mates, but the babies’ welfare came first. Once she knew what would happen to the twins, then they could declare themselves as mates to both the weretigers and the werewolves.
“I know it’s probably a safer bet going into Crosston or Shatland, but I think we’re going to need help figuring out who these kids belong to.”
They belong to me.
Instead, she said, “What are you thinking, Chance?”
“I want to get Miss Clara’s take on this.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “And if she tells the others?”
He met her hard gaze with his own. “Then we’ll know it’s time. Fact is, if we go into Crosston, someone we know is bound to see us. And personally, I don’t feel like dealing with either the werebears or the vamps in Shatland.”
“Fine. Find Miss Clara and get her to help you.” Miss Clara was a surly older werewolf, but she was also a wily one who cared about her pack. Rachel doubted she’d spill their secret to the rest of the werewolves if the men asked her to keep quiet. Miss Clara often knew everyone’s business but rarely, if ever, divulged confidences. As far as Rachel had gleaned, she was a lot like Lena Fortran of Twisted.
“Will do.” Dylan pecked her on the cheek. “Until then, try not to take in any other s
trays.”
She laughed and pushed him toward the door. “Just be careful and don’t let everyone know what’s going on.”
Chance followed his cousin out the door. As soon as they were gone, she pulled out her cell phone and walked as far from the babies as she could. She wouldn’t want her parents to hear them in the background of the call.
“Hi, Mom? Yeah, it’s me.”
She listened to her mother reprimand her for not calling sooner. It wouldn’t matter if she was twenty-eight or fifty-eight, her mother would always worry. She resisted the urge to remind her mother that she wasn’t a child, but as long as she lived under her parents’ roof, she’d choose her battles wisely. Molly Woods was the best mother anyone, shifter or human, could ever have. She and Rachel’s father, Denver, were loving, kind people who thought the moon and stars rose with their children.
“Where are you, honey?”
“I’m still staying at my friend’s house.”
“Really? You didn’t take an overnight case with you. Or clothes.”
Rachel hated lying to her mother. But if she told her mother, then her father and her two over-protective brothers would find out. She couldn’t let them know she’d been seeing the Rothman cousins. Her brothers would go ballistic. They didn’t trust any werewolf, especially not with their only sister.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. I’m fine and having fun. I just wanted to take a break now that the center’s closed for a couple of weeks.”
The holiday season was on them, and she hadn’t made any plans other than to relax. As much as she loved her job, every once in a while she needed time away. She smothered a chuckle. She’d needed time away from the kids at the child care center, yet had wound up caring for two babies full time.
“Okay then. But come home soon, all right?”
“Sure, Mom. I will.” She smiled as Holter put his toes into his mouth. “Check in with you tomorrow.”
“All right.”
Sensing that her mother wanted to say more, she should’ve ended the call. Instead, she waited for what she knew would come.
