Chapter Twenty-Three

Mason paced back and forth in the den waiting for their mate to come. He wanted to punch this big-headed lion right out of his way and go to her—the smug look on that lion’s face was grating at his tiger.

“So?” Julie’s patience must have broken because she strode across the room and planted herself in front of him—which to both of their surprise had Heidi’s eldest brother Hector roaring out to intercept her, and her responding by slapping his big hands away. “Goddess, you big oaf, what is your problem?”

“Stay away from them, Julie. I don’t trust them!”

“You aren’t the boss of me—pussy—you’ve made that perfectly clear the last few years.”

Mason’s eyes went wide as she poked Hector in the chest, taunting him to do only Goddess knows what. Then surprisingly, he folded at her challenge and roared out, “Fine!” then stormed away muttering about stubborn, impossible females.

“So, what happened with that ship-trash, Serena?” Her gaze was now firmly back on him and Wade, eyes narrowed in accusation. “Was she telling the truth?”

“Whatever that crazy female told you was a lie,” Mason tried to explain, “we only ever met her for one drink so we could find out who was stealing from my cruise line. We didn’t even finish our drinks.”

“Your cruise line?” Heidi’s small voice came from behind them.

They turned to see her beautiful face, creased in confusion.

“You said you were on a vacation—was everything really a lie, then?” She looked so hurt, it was breaking his heart to see her in such pain.

“No, baby,” Wade tried to go to her, but her raised hand halted him, “we were there to look for a thief, but the second we laid eyes on you, we knew you were our mate.”

“We didn’t touch that awful woman, I swear to you, love.” Mason prayed she could see the sincerity in his eyes, and if that wasn’t enough, then the blood and bruises her brothers had given them just for showing up to see her. “Please, Heidi, we love you. You are our mate. You belong with us.”

“You weren’t with her in the club while we were out shopping?” she asked, biting her delicious little lip with indecision.

“No, baby,” Wade answered, “we were speaking with the police and our lawyers that morning, arranging for her and her accomplice to be arrested. Please believe us, Heidi. I wish you had come and asked us—it kills me to think what you must have felt when she told you those things.”

The seconds felt like hours to Mason as he watched her face, and finally, she let out a deep breath, and the quiet words that left her lips were the most amazing he’d ever heard.

“I do,” she whispered, “I do believe you.”

“You do?” Mason was stunned, but he needed to make sure before he touched her because once he had his hands on her, he didn’t plan on ever letting go, for the rest of their lives.

“I do.” Her laughter was a little sniffly, and his tiger was still furious that they’d made her cry, but when she launched herself into their arms, all that anger quickly melted away.

****

Heidi just stood there, content to be in their arms. She felt like such a fool for believing some random woman and not giving these two the benefit of the doubt long enough for them to explain before leaving … but love really did make fools of us all, didn’t it? The important thing now was that they were here, and as she raised her head and they each kissed her, she felt that bond between them and knew to trust it.

A throat clearing somewhere in the room interrupted her kiss with Mason, and she remembered they were standing in a room with everyone else staring at them. So she grabbed her men’s hands and began to pull them towards the staircase.

“Come on, we need some privacy.”

“What?” she heard Hector screech out from behind them. “Dad, you can’t seriously be letting her take them upstairs!”

“Hector, leave your sister and her mates alone.” Her father sighed loudly.

“But, Dad! They’re going to have sex—in your house! With my sister!”

Julie chimed in with encouragement, and that was just enough to start up an argument between her and Heidi’s eldest brother, giving them the perfect opportunity to slip away to her bedroom. When she finally led them inside and closed the door, Mason and Wade were on her in seconds, kissing and touching her everywhere their hands could reach. She was breathless and wet almost instantly, as if her body had known they wouldn’t leave her wanting.

Mason’s eager lips claimed hers, and his hands came up to rest on each side of her face before he pulled away just enough to look into her eyes, his golden gaze so serious.

“We’re going to claim you, love,” he whispered, rubbing his thumbs gently along her cheeks, “right here, right now.”

“Forever?” She smiled at him, and then Wade.

“Baby, we’re going to have you so wrapped up in stripes that you’ll never get free of us.” Wade leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips as well as if to seal that agreement.

Heidi knew right then that her lioness’ heart was already so wrapped up in these two tigers, that she would never let them go again, no matter what.