Red hot need surged through Thomas’s veins as he tried to be still as Grayson took what he so freely offered. He played with his sac, fingers stroking and kneading him into sheer ecstasy. His body cried out for completion and he groaned, bucking against the sweet suction of Grayson’s throat as he deliberately swallowed over and over again. It didn’t take long to reach his zenith. Grayson reached beneath him and pressed a single finger to his back entrance he came undone, shooting his release down the back of his throat.
His teeth distended and he started to reach for him but the way his lover shifted against his body stopped him. “What is it?”
Grayson moved, his eyes trained on something outside. With a glint in his eye, he stood and offered Thomas a hand. “I think our new governess is here and we just gave her the best show of her life.”
Chapter Three
Medina regarded the forlorn house at the cliff side and wondered if she was in the right place. A storm-weathered gothic style house, it reminded her of old cathedrals she had seen in Europe. They would be expecting her, but she wanted to make this moment last just a little bit longer before they realized she had arrived. She felt at peace being here on her own accord, her sisters far behind her. She hadn’t expected the tablet to bring her here, but it had never showed her anything wrong before. Medina stood here gazing up at the house, she knew it was right. The snake sisters hummed beneath her skin and she smiled.
The phone in her pocket buzzed for the millionth time that day and she fought the urge to hurl it onto the sidewalk and stomp it to death. Her sisters could just stew. For all that they put her through it was time they got a little of their own medicine. Let them wonder. She ignored the buzz and glanced up at the house once more in all its broody looking glory.
Thomas Sauveterre was a name that rang some kind of bell for her, but in her haste she didn’t bother to do much in the way of research. All she wanted was a job isolated enough to take her away from her sisters’ influence and grant her a new start. What worked once in guiding her toward great works of art now served to guide her toward her future.
The gardens surrounding the house were immaculately kept. Green lawns and sculptured shrubbery lent an almost fairytale appearance to the estate. The sound of the ocean and the tang of the salt air reminded her of Gothic novels she loved to read when she was younger. Something with a little intrigue and a bite of danger to thrill the senses. Hmph. Well, she would have to settle for a pile of math books and a chalkboard. A little girl needed a tutor and she needed a job while she finished her new novel. Her sisters would just have to take care of things back in Olympia. For once, this would be about her.
She started up the long walk and, as she got closer, caught movement in the upstairs window. She hadn’t intended on looking, but when she caught sight of the naked backside of the first man and the fully erect cock of the second as they embraced, a rush of heat slid over her cheeks. She took a step back, but there was nowhere to really hide.
So she watched with shock as one man took the other in his mouth and brought him to climax right there in full view. Then they changed places and oh my…It was a mating, pure and simple. She’d heard Thomas Sauveterre was from a prestigious gargoyle family and her research as she traveled only confirmed it. He was also one of the world’s foremost art restorers. That part she hadn’t realized when she’d taken the job and some part of her wondered just what the hell she was walking into. If he was gay, that was even better. He wouldn’t bother her and she sure wouldn’t be bothering him.
Except for the small fact that right now she was ready to climb onto the enormous cock in the window and hang on for dear life. With both of them.
Shit.
Where did that come from?
No man had ever made her feel like that. Not even her romance heroes or Mr. Rabbit, her battery operated boyfriend. Her panties were on fire and the snakes inside her head buzzed with a funky little beat she could only call pure lust.
Holy. Mother. Wow.
They were hunks right from the pages of her novels and so very…oh…she couldn’t even think of the words. Men were men and she mostly avoided them, but the two male specimens in the window? Holy shit. All muscles, the one with his back against the glass had an ass she wouldn’t mind exploring. The other one had a rugged and vital quality with his long hair and steely eyes. They locked eyes for a moment and she caught him in what must have been a moment of rapture.
He saw her.
Oh, goddess.
Her nipples tightened and her pussy clenched around nothing and she was suddenly very sad she’d abandoned her vibrator at the hotel. But she’d left in such a hurry, she didn’t even think about it. She also wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
The front door opened and an older woman in a plain gray dress and apron stepped out onto the front walk. “Hello, I’m Mrs. Talbot. Are you Medina?”
Heat infused her face and she struggled to form a complete sentence. “I am. I was… just admiring your home.”
The woman beamed. “It is lovely, isn’t it? It has been in Mr. Thomas’s family for a very long time.”
“Has it?” There was something peaceful here, despite the display of pornographic hotness in the upstairs window and she found herself less nervous the longer she stood there. The sound of the ocean called to her from the cliffs beyond and she decided it had to be the sea.
“Here. Let me help you with your bag.” The woman picked up the small piece of luggage and frowned. “Is this all you brought with you, dear?”
She hadn’t had time to pack everything. Just the essentials and she was gone, all of it left behind. “I don’t need much.” Medina took a step forward, and sucked in a deep breath. “And thank you.”
“Not a worry at all. We’re glad to have you. If you do need anything, just tell me straight away.”
A young girl bounded out of the house and grinned up at her. Her chestnut curls were drawn up in pigtails and the pink and white striped top and jeans she wore was covered in bits of flour and chocolate frosting.
“Hello there.” She knelt down, meeting the child’s gaze. “And who might you be?”
All energy and inquisitiveness, she ran to Mrs. Talbot and tucked her face into her ample bosom.
“This is Gabby. Gabby, you say hello to your new tutor.”
Big eyes looked up from Mrs. Talbot’s apron and up into the older woman’s face. “Really?”
“Yes. Really. She’s going to play games with you and teach you to read some of the big books in your Daddy’s library.” Mrs. Talbot winked, pushing her toward Medina.
Medina grinned. “Well Gabby, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Hi.” The girl smiled shyly and ran back inside, the door slamming behind her.
“You’ll have to excuse her. We so rarely have newcomers.” The woman glanced at the cliffs, a pensive expression on her grandmotherly face.
“It’s no trouble. I think she’ll get used to me eventually.”
“She will. Now…where are my manners? Let’s get you inside and set up in your room. Mr. Thomas and Grayson will want to meet you as soon as you get settled I’m sure.” Mrs. Talbot led her inside.
The house was immense. Medina knew that going in, but inside the grand structure her serpents sang with their love of art and antiquities.
“Oh my.”
Mrs. Talbot turned her head to smile. “Yes. It is quite the house.”
And it was. They walked through the front foyer and Media caught sight of many museum quality paintings adorning the walls. Well-built furniture she’d seen in the poshest homes online graced the rooms in a classic but not ostentatious style.
The scent of baking cupcakes drifted through the air and her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since a quick stop at a fast food place earlier in the day.
“Are you hungry?” Mrs. Talbot led her up a flight of carpeted stairs, moving down the hall at a brisk pace.
“A bit.” She flushed, aware the w
oman had heard her stomach growling.
She stopped at a door and opened it, motioning for Medina to enter. “Here you go. If you like I can fix you a quick snack before dinner.”
“That would be really nice. Thank you.”
“Good.” Mrs. Talbot laid her suitcase on the bed. “I’ll be back in a flash. Why don’t you get unpacked and I’ll tell Mr. Sauveterre you’re here.”
“Thank you.” She watched the woman leave and shut the door behind her. Gauzy curtains diffused the pale afternoon sunlight. The room was beautiful. Cherry wood Queen Anne style furniture occupied most of the space. A poster bed held court in the middle of the room, the dresser and chest of drawers located nearby. A door to a closet sat open with more than enough room for her meager wardrobe. The call of the ocean outside drew her to the window and she found herself looking down at a small balcony and yard below, with a steep drop to the jagged rocks where she would have expected to see a beach. The ocean crashed relentlessly against the stalwart formations and the repetitive sound let some of the stress from the last few weeks go. Maybe she could rest for a few minutes.
She sat down on the bed, exhaustion overwhelming her. Never in any of her lifetimes had she left her sisters. But this time she’d done it and not even looked back. She sighed, curling into herself and let the noise of the waves outside lull her to a dreamless sleep.
****
Grayson stared at the name on his computer screen and wanted to swallow his tongue. The woman outside looked familiar. He couldn’t place her at the time but when he took her image off the camera and put it through his facial recognition system, it predictably flagged her. Medina Argos. One of three sisters responsible for innumerable art heists all over Europe and the United States. She was also reported as being missing. Whether that was a part of some insidious plan to rob them he didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to let anything happen under this roof.
He pushed up from the desk in his room and marched down the hall to the den. His mind drifted to the tantalizing moments spent here earlier in the day and heated up once more when he remembered the look in the woman’s eyes when she’d turned her face up to the window and saw him with Thomas.
Fuck. Why hadn’t he told him who was coming so he could have checked her out? It was his damned job after all. Carrick put him here to keep his collection secure and now they had a renegade art thief sleeping in the bedroom down the hall. He heard her soft snores and grit his teeth in frustration. Her pert little nose and shapely form made his dick hard. Hell, he was supposed to be protecting Thomas from her, not thinking about how luscious she looked right after he and his mate had just had their first bout of lovemaking.
He was sliding down the slope to the fifth circle of hell and damned if he didn’t know what to do about it. He’d just found his mate and here he was lusting after some woman who should be behind bars.
Grayson found Thomas in the studio, brush in hand. His glasses perched on the edge of his nose, expression intent on the painting in front of him. Under normal circumstances he would have left the room, leaving Thomas undisturbed. Not this time.
“You should have said something.”
“What?” Thomas met his glare with one of his own. “She was the first to apply and I needed someone here now. Especially with the trip coming up to take some of these pieces back to Carrick.”
“Part of my job is screening potential employees. You just let the fox into the henhouse.”
“What are you talking about?” He set his paintbrush on the palette. “She’s educated and trying to find a new place in life.”
“She’s a thief.” He thrust the printout of the paper at him and crossed his arms, waiting for a response. “She and her sisters have been carving a swath of carnage through Europe and the United States. What I don’t understand is the bit about the guard turned to stone but you can bet I’ll be asking her about it.”
Thomas’s lips thinned and anger simmered behind his eyes. “Send for her. I think we need to have a talk.”
Chapter Four
A knock at the door woke her. Medina blinked her eyes, disoriented. Where was she? Her snakes were silent as she slid from the bed, still in the jeans and tee shirt she’d arrived in. The sound of the waves outside gave her an undefinable feeling of rightness.
“Coming…” She opened the door, expecting to find the comforting presence of Mrs. Talbot, only to find herself face to face with one of the men from the window. Mr. Orgasm to be exact. Well, either of them could have been for as long as she stood watching them. This one had long hair, lips made for kissing and a body built for sin. Heat flared between her legs and she had to stifle a moan.
What the hell was wrong with her?
“Urm. Hi?” Warmth infused her face and she struggled not to look at him until she could come to terms with the orgasm…or man in question. If he noticed her discomfort, he didn’t react, only looking at her with barely concealed distain.
“I’m Grayson, Thomas Sauveterre’s security officer, and I want you to tell me what in hell you think you’re doing here.”
“Excuse me?” The rage she expected to feel just wasn’t there. Instead she felt passion stir through her body and the folds of her sex slicken. Her eyes shot upward to meet his and she found his head cocked as if he were trying to puzzle something out.
Grayson pushed his way inside of her room and closed the door. “You’ll tell me now what your game is. Are you planning a heist, Ms. Argos? Will your sisters be joining us?”
Oh no.
She swallowed hard, lifted her chin and boldly met his gaze with one of her own. “No…I came for the job. I would never…” But she had done so before and she saw the truth of what he knew shimmering in his eyes.
“Come with me.” He grabbed her by the wrist and she fought him, gouging at him with her nails. “Mr. Sauveterre and I want to have a few words. Especially with a woman who likes to watch a man while he’s having a private moment with his mate.”
Mate.
His touch sent tremors down her arm and liquid fire surging through her veins. The kind of feeling that was purely elemental. Like a force of nature she tilted forward and she sighed. She wanted to sheath him inside of her body. To meld with him and let him take her as he would. Any way he wanted.
Mate.
Why did that word want to roll around on her tongue and stay awhile? Then the reality of what was happening jolted through her.
Wait. Mate? Were they shifters? Was that it? She didn’t sense anything wolf like about them. No growling or fur sprouting from weird places. She thought they were human, but if they weren’t…oh dear. What had she gotten herself into?
The only connection she’d ever heard of that worked this fast was a mating call. Had she landed herself in the middle of one? Was that why she felt like she wanted to mount the nearest doorknob and have at it?
God.
Then her nipples tightened and her emotions whirled and skidded.
Panic set in, and the snakes below her skin started to move. “Let me go! I didn’t mean to see you, but you were…well…in the window. If you want it kept confidential I can do that.”
“Like I’d believe anything you have to say.”
But the male froze, his nostrils flaring.
She stared wordlessly at him, her heart pounding with the reactions firing through her body. No man had ever incited anything in her but contempt, but this man gave her urges that defied logic. She didn’t believe in insta-love so what was it then that made her want to reach up and touch the granite hardness of his jaw and ease the suspicion from his eyes.
“You…” He blinked in wonder and tugged her to him, his mouth covering hers hungrily. He ravished her, urging her lips apart with his tongue and she couldn’t help but feel the rigid evidence of his arousal against her stomach. His lips were cool to the touch, every inch of him rife with intoxicating maleness. He was unlike anything she’d ever known and she fell down deep, never wanting to come up for air.
“Oh…” Her snakes sang beneath her skin and the heat building between her legs demanded attention.
Grayson broke the kiss and she swooned in his arms, her mind reliving the velvet warmth of his kiss and the fresh earthy scent of his hair. Her hand slid down, cupping him in her palm. So hard. So fuckable. For the first time in this life, she found herself wanting to touch and be touched and it frightened the hell out of her.
She pulled back, her lips swollen from his kisses, her mind reeling. She couldn’t. If she lost control for even a moment then everything was lost. She saw in her dream what happened when the girls came out to play and she never, ever wanted that to happen again.
A knock at the door behind her sounded and it opened, revealing the second man from the window. He fixed them both with a dark expression, filling the doorway with his presence. “Grayson, what is the meaning of this? I wanted you to bring her so we could have a rational discussion, not attack a woman in her room.”
“I’m sorry, Thomas, but I had to ask her what her intentions were.” Even to her, his voice sounded strange.
God. Was it hot in here?
Her senses were overwhelmed and all she could think of was there was a perfectly good bed going to waste.
No!
God. What kind of shifters were they to affect her so?
Maybe she was losing her mind. If this was how she reacted to strange men, a nice sedative might just be the ticket. She’d take one right after dinner. Listen to the ocean. Go to sleep and not dream. Just sleep. The waves had done that for the first time in as long as she could remember and it was…nice.
Thomas Sauveterre was speaking to her but all that went through her mind was the fullness of his lips and the uber hot expression on his lightly bearded face when he was angry like he was. Maybe he could spank her. She’d been a bit naughty, helping her sisters to rob the museums. She could do with a good paddling if he was the one administering.
Westmore Wolves Series: Shapesifter Collection Bks 1-5 Page 10
