RILEY
The next day, she woke up slowly. She didn’t have the benefit of alcohol to pretend the night didn’t happen this time. She could remember it with clarity.
She had gotten home, her door was ajar. She pushed it open and saw it all. Saw Star mewing quietly in pain and she couldn’t stop the scream that pushed past her lips. She called Zachary immediately, once she could stop screaming but that turned on the tears. She couldn’t focus as she ran through her apartment to make sure no one was still there. Stupid, but she had no where else to go and she needed to make sure Star was safe. She couldn’t close her front door and she gave up on it all when she pulled Star gently into arms as Zachary answered the call.
Her pride had gotten to her so fast but it still had felt like an eternity.
She looked at all stuff the guys had moved into the guest bedroom that was now her home. Her entire world down to only four large boxes and two smaller ones. They told her that her personal room would be done within the week and they would also get the house ready for Star.
She bit back tears.
Why would anyone do this to her?
She pulled herself out of bed and didn’t bother showering. Troy had forced her to bathe before laying down, thinking cleaning her body would help wash away the dirty feeling of have her privacy violated.
She threw on nearly none of her own clothing, opting for a pair of Gabe’s sweats, one of Troy’s tanks and a Brenton button up. She barely wanted to wear her own underwear but she suffered through that. She wasn’t sure where their clothing came from but she wanted to wear it. She could smell them in it and that was comforting.
She stepped in to the hallway and moved silently to the kitchen, where Andrew was making breakfast. None of the others were around.
“Hey Riley,” he called out to her gently.
“Good morning, Andrew,” she mumbled back to him. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen until he turned to her. She heard the sharp inhale of breath from him and let him look over her clothing choices. All the guys were nearly a foot taller then her or more. The sweats had to be rolled several times at the waist. The tank wasn’t tight at all and hung loosely under the button up that was open.
He stepped closer to her and pulled her into his arms. She clutched him for a long time and listened to him breathe her in.
“Why are you in this?” He nearly chuckled, she could tell. She knew she looked a bit ridiculous.
“It feels better,” she mumbled into his chest. He pulled back and looked down at her.
“Alright. Well, have a seat. We need to talk about something and I need to not burn breakfast.” He grabbed her hips and lifted her to sit on one of the counters. She sighed heavily. She could have walked to the bar.
“What do you want to talk about?” She inquired, trying to stop thinking about the night before. Andrew had been gone all night, helping Star. He looked like he had gotten no sleep. She didn’t even know he was home.
“You’re late to work. It’s fine. I, as your boss, understand,” he chuckled and she nearly groaned. Andrew could be a dork. “And… Riley I don’t want you working at the diner until we know who did this and why.” She gaped at him, tears welling in her eyes again.
“Andrew, please!” She pleaded. She needed the work, wanted it. “I-”
“You like your job, I know. And I’m more then happy to have you back once we figure out what this was. But you aren’t going back in until then.”
“You can’t fucking stop me,” she snarled, trying to get off the counter. He was instantly in front of her, standing between her legs. His hands grabbed her thighs and his stare pinned her eyes.
“I could just fire you, Riley,” he gently explained to her, searching her face. “Do you want that or do you want to go back one day? I love having you in the diner but we don’t know how much danger your in. We don’t know if this was some random break in or a…”
She stopped struggling at that. He could stop her. He could take away her job completely and that would be the end of it.
“Or what?” She sniffled. Crying always made her nose runny, it was disgusting.
“We don’t know if this has anything to do with the pride or not. If this was a hit or a target for another pride, then we’re all in danger.” Brenton’s voice snapped through the room. She looked over to him and swallowed at his commanding presence. He was wearing black slacks, a white under shirt and an unbutton blue collared shirt. She wondered if this was just his natural morning state since she only saw him like this that one time before. She normally saw the guys in the afternoon or evening.
Brenton looked at her and Andrew, a small smile trying to curl his lips. He stepped closer reaching out to touch his shirt, the one she was wearing.
“I wondered if this would make you feel safer,” he whispered, softer then earlier. “Is it helping?”
She could only nod, leaning into Andrew’s chest now. She couldn’t deal with Brenton this morning. He was like Zachary in the way that he could become too much, an overload on her senses with just his demeanor. Andrew made her feel comfortable and cute, Brenton made her feel sexy and hot. Both good, just different.
“Good. Andrew, going to let the bacon burn?” Brenton pointed to the stove and Andrew cursed, pulling himself away from Riley. Brenton took his spot, pulling her in for a kiss to her forehead. “Riley, why don’t we go do something?”
“Like what?” She pushed him back a little so she could look him in the eye.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, which for Brenton was a look of total lazy confidence. She shrugged back.
“I don’t know if I’m really… really up for going out and doing things.” she looked away from him at that and saw the other guys moving around slowly now. Zachary claimed his seat at the bar, while the leopard brothers were mumbling over finances for their motorcycle business.
“Then we can stay in,” Brenton leaned forward and kissed her neck this time. Her heart thudded and her pulse increased. She felt him inhale deeply and felt a rumble in his chest.
“Are you… Are you purring in human form?” She giggled. He got her to laugh but she didn’t know what he was doing.
All the guys looked over to her and Brenton. He hadn’t bothered to move or stop, nuzzling his head into her neck, his chest still rumbling in a comforting way.
His arms slowly wrapped around her and held her close to him, his chest vibrating harder. She could smell his scent clinging to her, wrapping around her. She had never felt more safe then that moment. He eventually placed his forehead to her.
“I was so worried you were hurt last night. We all were,” he told her in a hushed voice. “I just… Shit, expect all of us to do it at some point. It’s a coping mechanism and a comforting one at that. You can tell us to stop if…”
“It felt nice,” she mumbled, biting her bottom lip. She wasn’t used to this but the cheetah in her was content and Riley was pleased with that. It felt good since she had been itching to run and hide since the night before.
“Good,” he finally stepped back from her and ran a hand through his hair. She looked to the other guys, all of them smiling at the two of them. “Let’s eat breakfast and figure out what to do today.”
Breakfast was slow, as if none of them had any reason to rush through it. It was Sunday and while she and Andrew were supposed to be at work, it looked like no one had anything going on. She didn’t really know what they did all day and today she would be finding out. Riley finished well before any of the guys and she barely ate anything, finding that she didn’t have an appetite.
“So,” Troy looked to her. “Welcome to living at Kingson Estate.” She sighed at the words.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she mumbled into her food. They wouldn’t let her live on her now and she didn’t even want to fight over it. She wanted nothing to do with her apartment, didn’t want to revisit the carnage of her life.
“After putting everything on rush, your room should be done in a couple days instead of a week,” he tried to smile at her. “We were just waiting on the finishing touches.”
“Thanks.” She kept her head down. She was sitting next to him but couldn’t bring herself to look at him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest.
“Riley, don’t shut down on us,” he spoke into her hair, then kissed the top of her head. “What happened is fucked up and wrong but if you shut down, they win.”
She looked up to him at that. He was right. If she gave up, who ever did this won. If she let shadows and memories terrorize her, then she lost. Convincing her sore heart that, however, was a bit different then understanding the logic. She wanted Star back the most and her getting hurt was the biggest thing that stuck with Riley.
“Just give me a little while to find something else to think about,” she tried to smile at him. “We have a pool here right?” She never had finished looking over everything they had here.
“A heated indoor one, yup,” Gabe waved his fork around. “Want to hit it up? Maybe a little physical activity would be good for you.”
“And self defense classes,” Zachary growled from deep in his chest. “Every day, three to four hours, me and you will be working on teaching you to defend yourself.”
She nodded, liking that idea. She never had before and it was one of the reasons she got so hurt in Montana. She gasped and dropped her silverware. She wanted to be sick.
“Oh my God, this could have been…” she took a shallow breath and Troy pulled her face to his, concern written all over it. “This could have been my ex…”
She watched all of them stiffen and could smell the anger that filled the room. It was Brenton who asked for an explanation after a moment of them trying to stay calm.
“He always said he would find me one day,”she croaked, tears filling her eyes. “No matter where I ran. We were together for years and I found him cheating on me, so I left. He found me every time I tried to leave. And then he would…” Troy pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back.
“I don’t think it was him,” Zachary growled. “It was two shifters who did that to your apartment and you ex isn’t a shifter.”
She took at deep breath at that and nodded.
“I wasn’t paying attention last night so I never noted scents or anything,” she mumbled into Troy’s chest.
“That’s completely understandable,” Brenton whispered, thoughtful. “And your ex will never be able to get to you now. This isn’t your fault and we don’t think it even had anything to do with you specifically.”
She kept nodding. Thank God. She didn’t want to think about the asshole she left in Montana longer then she had too. She had been trying to escape him for over a year when she finally succeeded, only to break down in Wild Junction. She never did have a real destination in mind when she ran, she just did.
“Let’s go to the pool house,” Troy whispered in her ear. “Do you have a bathing suit?”
“No.” she groaned, shaking her head and causing her golden blonde waves to fly around.
“Good.” Troy chuckled and she looked back up at him, incredulous. “Neither do we. It’ll help you get used to casual shifter nudity.”
She was surprised out her melancholy and sputtered. Troy only lifted her, laughing to himself and carried her away. She squealed and tried to get down, feeling laughter bubble up in her. How did they always get feeling better? She felt like she was on emotional roller coaster from hell.
The pool house was a two minute walk from the main house. She knew the Estate had more then one building but she never got past exploring the main house. Gabe was following, grinning at her from over Troy’s shoulder. He held open a door for them and Riley found herself in a small locker room.
She was finally set down on a bench, staring that Troy as he grinned down at her.
“Let’s go swimming,” he taunted, pulling off his tank. She sucked in a sharp breath and looked over his perfect abs and that V that taunted her as much as Troy’s smile. Gabe stood behind her and she turned to him, He was already shirtless and was pulling down his sweats. He was pulling down his black boxer briefs and wiggled his eyebrows when he noticed her staring.
She turned back to Troy, who was now nude. He leaned down to her and licked his lips.
“You can come out whenever you ready,” he gave her a quick kiss. Gabe kissed the top of her head as he passed her as well. They left her alone in the locker room.
She took a deep breath. She had to get used to them nude or runs would forever be embarrassing. She would never come to the pool again. She needed to be confident and sure of herself. She stripped slowly. She considered leaving her panties and the tank top on but that felt like coping out. They had already seen her nude, what was the big deal? She threw all of it an open locker and calmed her nerves.
She stepped into the pool room. It was Olympic sized and there was a hot tub built into the floor next to it. She eyed the hot tub as Gabe and Troy took turns diving in. She waved at them and Troy ran over to her. Thank God she kept herself shaved and didn’t have a hairy leg problem or something of the sort.
“Come on! You do know how to swim right?” He grinned at her and she nodded.
“I wouldn’t have asked about the pool if I didn’t, duh,” she stuck her tongue out at him, following him to the diving board. It wasn’t a high one, only a couple feet over the water. Too bad she couldn’t dive.
But she could cannonball. The water felt fantastic and she resurfaced, tossing her hair around. The pool was four feet on one end to fifteen feet deep on the diving side. Troy and Gabe were both cheering and she swam to the edge. Gabe pulled her out, laughing at how she quickly moved away from him.
“That was a great splash for little thing like you,” Gabe teased and she punched his arm. He laughed and rubbed it as Troy jumped in next.
They played around for what felt like hours until she was exhausted, drained from it. She pointed to the hot tub and smiled at them.
“I’ll be over there,” she panted. Gabe picked her up and walked her over. She rolled her eyes. It was like these guys forgot she could walk. “I can get in on my own, thank you.”
Gabe chuckled and put her down, letting her body rub his all the way down. That made all the heat in her body pool between her legs. She turned away from him and pretended it didn’t happen, pretended that she hasn’t noticed him get hard from the contact. She stepped into the hot water slowly and as she sat down, she moaned in pleasure.
“Oh fuck, this feels good,” she groaned. She closed to eyes and ignored Troy and Gabe getting in with her. There was jets right at her lower back and that was all she cared about.
“I think we’ve been out done by the hot tub,” Troy chuckled. “I think the only time we’ve ever heard that from her was with Zachary on the couch.”
She leaned back and feeling more like herself, she flipped him off. This made both guys laugh and Troy grabbed her hand before she could put it back down.
She opened her eyes and was shocked by the heat in Troy’s. He moved closer and took her middle finger into mouth, sucking it, letting his tongue tease it. She gasped but didn’t pull away. She couldn’t even stop watching. His eyes were locked on to her and she was lost in his mercury gaze. She didn’t notice Gabe close the space between them.
“Pretty girl, you can fuck me anytime,” Troy growled softly, playfully after he released her finger. Brenton was right, they weren’t playing around or holding back.
She was trapped between them and she wasn’t sure she wanted to run. Gabe pulled her to face to him and she saw the same heat in his eyes that Troy had.
“Do you want to forget everything for a little while? No sex, just a good time?” He was serious and she wanted. Oh God, she wanted. She had never been with two guys at once and it was a fantasy she’d had for a long time. But there were no condoms and she wasn’t on birth control yet. She wasn’t sure how this would change everything. But she needed to forget last night and they were offering her a bit of help in that.
Fuck it. She was doing this. Just like the pool, she was jumping in.
“No sex,” she confirmed and Gabe on her mouth in seconds. Troy’s hands now roamed her body, and her body responded. Her nipples became taut and he latched on to one, one of his hands rubbing the other gently. She whimpered into Gabe’s mouth, who took full advantage of her, letting his tongue dive deep.
Gabe’s kiss finally broke and he let a hand travel between her legs, pushing her thighs open. She was panting at just the thought, her heart beat double what it should have. She couldn’t stop the moan as Gabe’s middle finger traveled through the line of her center, teasing and taunting. He barely grazed her clit and she nearly melted.
Troy groaned, moving to kiss her while Gabe moved down to devour the nipple that Troy only palmed. She made all sorts of wonderful noises as their mouths worked her.
She felt a single finger slide into her and she moaned into Troy’s mouth.
“Oh fuck, you’re tight,” Gabe growled, working the finger slowly. He pulled it out much too soon and she couldn’t tell what the guys were thinking. Suddenly, hands on her hips pulled her up and out of the water. She gasped at the cold, her nipples now as hard as they could be. Gabe sat her at the edge and grinned at her.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” he growled into her thigh, biting down softly. She bit back the small scream of pleasure that threatened as Gabe slid that finger back inside of her, reaching for her g-spot.
Troy tsked at her and pushed her gently back to the tile floor of the pool house. There were a few folded towels under her head and she wondered how they got there. Only for a couple seconds. Troy licked and nibbled every part of her from the waist up as Gabe handled her from the waist down.
She arched her back as Troy nibbled on her breasts, lavishing each nipple with equal fervor. She screamed when Gabe’s mouth reached her center and he licked her through the folds, his finger still working her.
“Oh yeah, pretty girl,” Troy moaned in her ear, “scream for us. Tell us how we’re doing.”
She held Troy’s arm with one hand, and wrapped her other through Gabe’s hair, holding him in place. Gabe growled as he slid a second finger in her and licked her clit leisurely. Troy continued whisper awful things about how sexy she was, how he couldn’t wait to sink himself into her and fill her.
She was taut as the tide built up. Gabe was working her even harder, his tongue working her clit furiously and his two fingers curled to play at her g-spot.
“Hold on, pretty girl,” Troy hissed. “Hold it. Let it build higher.” He kissed her, silencing her screams.
She didn’t know how much longer she could hold off and Troy growled. She was able to see the he had been rubbing himself the entire time along with pleasuring her. She reached down and wrapped her hand around him, helping him finish.
“Fuck, pretty girl,” he snarled in pleasure.
Finally, Gabe gave a loud growl into her and that wonderful building pressure exploded in her. She let her eyes roll back a little and felt her muscles ripple. She saw stars in her vision. It was probably the best orgasm she had ever had. Troy grunted, climaxing in her hand.
She released Gabe’s hair slowly and he was slowly still licking for a couple minutes. Then he looked up at her from between her thighs and grinned. He crawled through her thighs, leaving the water and was over her. She pulled him down for a kiss, tasting both of them. When the kiss broke, he got off of her and rolled on his back next to her.
“How was that?” He growled softly to her.
“Wonderful,” she panted back to him, looking down see he hadn’t finished yet. Troy was sinking back in the water, a smiling toying on his lips. He winked at her and she grinned back.
She sat up slowly and Gabe whined as she left his side. She lowered into the hot tub and looked at the sight in front of her. Gabe had done the same thing he had done to her. He was technically sitting on the edge of the hot tub, his feet dangling the water and there was his erection, standing tall as Gabe laid back.
She winked back at Troy and gave him a saucy grin. She ran her hands up Gabe’s thighs, watching the muscles twitch from the contact. Gabe looked down at her, his mouth slightly open as she took him into her mouth.
“Fuck, Riley,” He moaned out, it echoed around the pool room. “You don’t have to.”
She licked and sucked him until he grabbed her hair, thrusting gently into her mouth. She repositioned so she could take him deep and he snarled when she was able to take all of him. Both the brothers were well endowed, even if they weren’t Zachary and she was quite proud of this achievement.
“I’m not going to last much longer, Riley,” he growled, pulling her off a little. “Where do you want it?”
“I want to swallow,” she went back down on him and he hissed, pumping up into her mouth a little harder. She held his thighs and he grunted, pushing all the way in her mouth again and cumming down her throat. She swallowed him, every drop and once he was done, he released her hair so she could move.
“That was fucking glorious,” Troy moaned from his spot in the hot tub. She blushed a little as Gabe sat up and stared at her, the heat in his eyes scorching her.
They all got comfortable back in the hot tub, cuddling in post-orgasm happiness. She couldn’t stop herself from purring, the rumble feeling good in her own chest.
“I love all your ink,” Gabe mumbled into her shoulder. “The stars up your right side are the perfect trail to kiss on. The cat on your wrist is adorable. The chest piece is beautiful.”
“I have one small tattoo on each ankle too,” she whispered.
“I saw,” Troy smiled. “What do they say? I haven’t had the chance to read them.”
“My right ankle has Keith Stern, my left has Lily Stern,” she shook her heard slowly. “I don’t really want to talk about those right now.”
“Alright, you don’t have to talk about anything. I’m glad you let us help you get away for a little while,” Gabe kissed her shoulder and they relaxed. Troy was tracing the stars on her side and she was closing her eyes slowly.
Fifteen minutes later, Brenton and Zachary walked in and stood over the hot tub looking down at them. In every bit of all their masculine glory.
Riley took a quick glance at both their faces, embarrassed to be found cuddled in between the leopard brothers. Neither looked upset. Brenton even looked a bit like he was trying to say ‘I told you so’.
“Have fun?” Brenton asked mildly, one of his eyebrows raised in question. Zachary was giving his lazy smile, his eyes a little glazed. Riley realized the entire room smell like sex thanks to her and the brothers. She fully blushed at that thought. Brenton only nodded as the brothers gave him sheepish smiles.
“You on birth control yet, babe?” Zachary growled softly, smiling down at her. She shook her head in a jerk. She’d been a little too tentative about going to the health clinic in town with their insurance.
“We didn’t-we-” she was stuttering which made Troy laughing while Gabe finished the statement she was trying.
“We just fooled around a little,” he grinned at the two massive guys looking down at them. Brenton nodded slowly, still looking at her. Zachary chuckled and shifted. She watched the giant white tiger jump into the pool and paddle around.
Brenton stepped into the hot tub, hissing at the sudden heat. Riley should have listened to them. They really didn’t care and her mind wrestled with that, taking leaps to try and have it make sense.
“Where’s Andrew? He didn’t want to hang out?” Troy had an arm thrown over Riley’s shoulder and she also found herself wondering out loud why sweet Andrew didn’t come in.
“He needed to go to the diner for some work. With Riley not on the schedule and the fact that he just fired that little brat yesterday, he’s officially under staffed.” Brenton shrugged. “He’ll put up a sign saying now hiring, leave a stack of applications and then he’ll be back.”
She nodded slowly. That’s right, he lost two employees in two days.
“You knew about Winter?” Riley looked at Brenton in confusion. She hadn’t mentioned her to anyone except Andrew once, to make a complaint about the girl’s behavior. Andrew had told her that he was well aware of Winter’s behavior and the way she talked.
Brenton reached out and stole her from Troy, who chuckled at the sight. He pulled her to him, gentle but firm. He pulled her in to his lap and smiled.
“Yes. Andrew told us about how she’d been trying to get him in a vulnerable position. She could have ruined his life,” he kissed her gently and she felt her breath catch. She looked back at Troy and Gabe, both smiling. Gabe was nice enough to give her a shrug.
“Um, Brenton?” She poked his shoulder and he looked back up to her, his molten gold eyes twinkling.
“Yes, Riley?” He leaned close to her.
“Andrew told me I should make you take me out to dinner first.” She smiled at him and he gripped her hips hard. “Sheriff said it too only a weke or so ago.”
“Did they take you out to dinner?” He jerked his head to the leopard brothers.
“No, but you seem more proper then them,” she tried for a nonchalant shrug and squealed when colder water dripped on her. Zachary was standing about them and she hadn’t even noticed him come up.
“Damn, she’s holding you to your stuck up shit, Brenton,” Zachary chuckled. “But I’m a bad boy, I’ll take her from you until you do what your supposed to.” He stepped into the hot tub, sitting next to her and Brenton.
Brenton growled at him and she went still.
“He’s fine, Riley,” Troy said to her from the other side. “He’s upset he missed out on the fun, he’s not really mad at anyone. Hopefully.”
“How did that happen?” Zachary looked over to the brothers, growling softly.
“We wanted to help her relax,” Gabe shrugged. “She deserved it after time she’s had and she needed to forget for a minute.”
“And you said yes?” Brenton whispered in her ear, moving her hair off her face.
“I-I’ve never been with t-two-two guys before and there wasn’t going to be any real sex so-” She was talking fast and stuttering. Brenton only smiled mildly at her, waiting for her finish. “I like to try new things and I’m a-about sex positivity and stuff. And it was good distraction f-f-from everything”
“Good,” he growled softly, moving her so she was straddling him, her knees on either side of his hips and her chest was pressed against his. She felt his erection press against her and she stared wide-eyed at him.
“I’m not on birth control yet, Brenton remember?” She swallowed hard and he groaned softly. “And there’s a bunch of people here.”
“We need to fix that,” he whispered into her neck.
God, what the hell were these guys doing to her? The twins made her feel like a queen when they gave her attention. Andrew made her feel like his best friend. Zachary was large, safe and bad all wrapped up in tattoos and leather. Brenton was dominance. He opened his mouth and she listened. She would ride him however and whenever he wanted if she wasn’t careful.
“I’m glad you like to try new things,” Zachary smirked at her, showing off that dimple. “Because Brenton and I are into some things you might have no experience with.”
“What?” She pulled back from Brenton a little as Troy and Gabe laughed.
“Brenton and Zachary are dominant everywhere, Riley,” Troy finally told her. “Especially in the bedroom. They might think Gabe and I are wild but… They are the definition of kinky.”
She looked back at Brenton, who was still smiling. One his hands roamed and grabbed her ass. She whimpered at the pressure he used. Oh. Oh fuck.
She pulled off him and sat down away from all of them. Brenton had nicely let her go without a complaint or fight.
“Let’s just cool off for a minute,” she was breathing heavily and she placed a hand over her chest. “This is going very fast.”
“Sorry, I just find it hard to not touch you,” Brenton leaned back in the hot tub, stretching his legs.
She loved it though. She loved when they put their hands on her and whispered in her ear. She loved how Brenton made her nearly cream her panties with a sexy shift of his hips. She love the arrogance of Zachary and Brenton, the playfulness of Troy and Gabe. She needed Andrew back here. He was safe. Kind of. Safer then the rest of them.
They were all watching her, different levels of amusement. She stood up and got out.
“I’m going to go wash the chlorine out of my hair,” she mumbled, trotting away. As she left, she heard a conversation get started.
“I think she’s coming to terms with it,” Troy chuckled.
“I think she is,” Brenton growled after her.