Chapter Twenty-Eight
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As Emma reached the last verse of the lullaby, she couldn’t keep from nuzzling Minette’s soft brown hair. Since Ryder was late returning from his trip to Owen’s, Emma had put the cubling to bed.
Nothing was as heartwarming as a sleepy, trusting kitten. Minette’s eyes were drooping, her breathing slowing, and small humming notes escaped her. The song must still be playing in her head.
Emma whispered the last few words and watched the little girl slide completely into sleep. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the sun, her hair glossy with health, her body now sturdy. She didn’t flinch or watch Emma, Ben, or Ryder warily. Trust had been long in coming, and the gift was a prize Emma cherished more than she could express.
Minette still had far to travel before she would extend that trust to others, but Emma didn’t doubt the time would come. However, with her vicious mother in town, the child’s recovery might be delayed.
That nasty female needed a good lesson.
Be rude? With an effort, she pushed her anxiety aside. Yes, her mother had required politeness—if not silence—but every cub eventually grew up, and every season came to an end. It was time to shed her mother’s control like last winter’s fur.
She’d had enough of being a frightened bunny. Like all shifters, she had an inner predator.
Now that she knew what Genevieve looked like, their next meeting would be less one-sided. However, fighting with Minette’s mother wouldn’t help the cub. In fact, she hadn’t thought of anything she could do to help Ryder and Minette defeat Genevieve.
Prayer seemed far too little. Nonetheless… “Mother of All, please watch over this cub and keep her safe.”
She kissed Minette’s rounded cheek. “Happy dreams, kitten.” Emma started to rise, stopped…and eased her braid from the tiny fist. The cubling had been playing, teasing the end tuft over her chin.
As she left the room, she heard noise from across the hall. Had Ryder returned?
Emma stopped in the doorway. “Welcome back. I…” Her voice trailed off.
He was filling a suitcase on the bed. Every dresser drawer was open.
“You’re leaving?” Her voice had emerged loud and shocked. She said more quietly, “Why?” The thought of him disappearing from her life rocked the floor beneath her. She curled her fingers around the doorframe.
His expression was grim, but his black eyes softened. “Minette and I can’t—” At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, he winced. “The Griz has good ears.”
Despite his size, Ben could move cahir-fast, and the thumps sounded as if he was taking the stairs three at a time. As he appeared in the door, his sharp gaze took in the signs of packing. His face tightened. “By Herne’s horns and hooves, what do you think you’re fucking doing?”
“You know what I’m doing, bro.”
“You asked to live here. Said you’d stay.” The anger didn’t cover the pain in Ben’s voice.
Emma felt tears sting her eyes. Both males hurt—and somehow that made her heart ache.
Ryder was leaving.
Emma’s grip tightened on the doorframe until her fingers hurt. She firmed her voice. “Maybe Ben understands what’s going on, but I don’t. Why would you leave?”
Ryder opened another drawer. “From the reactions I got at the construction site and in town, everyone’s convinced I’m violent. That I shouldn’t have custody of Minette.” His baritone was edged enough to cut flesh.
“People believe that?” Emma stared at him in disbelief. “They couldn’t, not all of them. People know you, have worked with you. How could they possibly believe her?”
He stilled. “You don’t have any doubt that she’s lying?”
“Of course not. I know you. Even if I didn’t, I could tell what kind of a person you are from how Minette trusts you.”
Gratitude in his eyes, he cleared his throat. “Thank you, little bear.”
“We can weather this, bro.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest. “If we simply ignore the shrew and not give in to her demands, she’ll move on to richer hunting grounds.”
Emma nodded, hope rising in her heart.
Ryder shook his head. “That’s what I’d planned. But she’s too clever. I heard a couple of females saying I should be banished for stealing a cub and hurting the cub’s mother.”
“By the God!” Ben’s fist slammed into the wall powerfully enough to rattle the windows. “I’ll show her what hurt is.”
Ryder gave him a wry smile. “You can’t hit her, any more than I can.”
“Hell.” Ben’s shoulders slumped. “True. No matter how well deserved.”
They really were two of a kind. Tough—and protective. And this was going to break Ben’s heart. Emma curled her fingers around his, and he held on.
“So, that’s why.” Ryder’s eyes held the same grief as Ben’s. “Minette and I need to be gone before people call on Calum to render a Cosantir’s Judgment.” His voice faltered. “I’m sorry, bro. I wouldn’t leave you for anything less.”
The same devastation shone in Ben’s gaze before his jaw hardened to the granite of the mountains.
Ryder pulled in a slow breath, crossed the room, and took Emma’s hand between both of his. “Little bear, I wanted…more…for us. For us all. But, can you find it in your heart to stay with Ben? He’s going to need you.”
Tears filled her eyes, turning his face blurry. He was leaving. Her heart already ached from the hole his absence would create. “Ryder,” she whispered. “There has to be something we can do.” Her fingers trembled in his warm hand.
“I can’t risk it. No shifter can go against a Cosantir. Minette and I have to be away before he can speak.”
“But—”
Ben set his hand over both of theirs. “He’s right. He stole a cub from her mother. There’s no telling how a Cosantir’s Judgment might go.” His eyes turned steely blue. “But littermates belong together. If you leave, I leave.”
Ryder took a step back. “You can’t do that. You have friends, a business, a home.”
Emma stared at the males she loved. Both of them? Gone? I only just found them.
“I didn’t realize how empty my life was until you and Minette and Emma arrived,” Ben said simply, echoing her own feelings. “Let’s move so far away the shrew won’t find us until Minette is an old lady.”
Ryder didn’t seem able to speak, and Emma remembered her first sight of him. She’d never have guessed then that his hard, cold face held a heart with so much warmth. How could she stand to lose him?
Ben put an arm around her and tugged on her braid. “Do me a favor and compose a nasty song about Genevieve.”
She swallowed back her tears and forced a smile. “I will do that.” She’d make a fine story. An evil, scheming mother. An innocent little cubling. Two intrepid males. Maybe even a nice female bear?
“Good.” The corner of Ryder’s mouth lifted slightly. “Fuck, I’ll miss you, little bear.” Leaning forward, he kissed her, unhappiness in his scent.
A song of mourning whispered in her mind.
He touched her cheek and stepped back. “Minette and I have to leave now, unfortunately. Do you want to think about this some more, bro? Meet us somewhere?”
“Nope. We stay together. I have business matters to hand off to others, but the Cosantir is out of town until Tuesday. Let’s try to get out of here Saturday night.” Ben rubbed his shoulder against the doorframe. “Sunday is dark of the moon. We don’t want to be on the road then.”
On the road when hellhounds were out? No way. Emma suppressed a shudder. She absolutely wanted to be in an impenetrable house on that night…and she needed to find a new place to live, didn’t she?
“I’d consider it a personal favor if you’d stay here, Emma,” Ben said as if reading her mind. “Until you find somewhere you’d rather be. The house would be lonely if we all leave at once.”
She nodded, trying to imagine the house empty of male voices…and the patter of Minette’s little feet. It was good, good that the others would be together and safe, but her heart kept crying at the loss.
“Saturday, then.” Ryder’s bed, covered in clothing and bags, received a rueful look. “Who wants to offer me a bed?”
“Mine is big enough for all of us.” Ben pulled Emma against his solid body and anchored her to his side with a steely arm—and oh, she needed the comforting hold right then.
“But not until you take a shower, bro,” Ben added. “You still have sawdust in your hair.”
Sawdust? Shower? Ryder turned. At Ben’s nod toward Emma, he caught on. Two hunters. One adorable little prey.
By the God, how could they leave her behind? His heart already ached as if some creature had clawed it open.
He ran his hand through hair and nodded. “Yeah, I’m a mess. So are you, Griz.” Picking up the bait, he ran with it despite the effort it took to keep his tone light. “And Emma looks as if she was mud wrestling with the cub. Is your shower big enough for three?”
“As a matter of fact, yeah. C’mere, li’l muddy.” With a smooth move, Ben scooped Emma off her feet. When she gave an unbearlike squeak, he laughed, but Ryder could see the grief in his eyes.
“Let’s go, bro.” Ben led the way upstairs to his room and set Emma on her feet in his master bedroom.
Pausing to lock the door, Ryder watched as his brother pulled the bard’s sweater up and off.
Her eyes widened. “Ben, this isn’t… Ryder, we shouldn’t…” When she anxiously looked at Ryder for help, he actually found a smile.
She was theirs—and they were going to share. To please their female as littermates should. No matter how far they’d travel from her, she belonged to them, and them to her. Perhaps someday, he and Ben could return and claim their mate.
For now… “Yes, little bear. We should.” The rightness of the moment filled Ryder, moving him forward. She was all pale, smooth skin covering luscious curves. He ran his finger down her arm. “I want to touch all of that silky skin.”
“Aye. You have too many clothes on, sweet honey bear,” Ben agreed and undid the back hooks of her bra.
Ryder slid the garment off and filled his palms with her full breasts.
Her pupils dilated.
Ben reached around to unzip her jeans and knelt to tug them down to her ankles. Since she was barefoot, Ryder gripped her waist and lifted her up so Ben could slide everything right off.
“By the God, you’re beautiful, Emma,” Ryder said. A confused flush lit her face and saddened him. She still didn’t believe she was lovely. He’d only been working on her insecurity for a few days. And now, he wouldn’t see her achieve complete confidence. Wouldn’t be the one to help her become more secure.
“Yes, you are so very beautiful.” Ben stood. Brushing Emma’s hair to one side, he kissed the curve of her neck and put his arms around her so he could fondle her breasts. “Mmmhmm, I do love these.”
Her laugh was husky with arousal and sadness. “You’re male. Of course you do.”
Stripping down, Ryder tossed his clothes in a heap on the floor. The cool air felt like a shock against his overheated skin.
She stared at his erect cock. “Um…I thought we were showering.”
Fuck, she was sweet.
“Oh, darlin’, you know we’re going to do more than that.” Ben turned her head far enough to ravage her mouth. “A lot more,” he whispered. His eyes revealed his sadness, even as he smiled down at her before pushing her gently into Ryder’s arms.
As Ben undressed, Ryder pulled Emma closer, storing up memories of how her smooth skin felt against his. How her female form padded her muscles to make enchanting curves for his hard hands to caress. Her breasts flattened against his chest as he tightened his embrace, and her stomach and pelvis cradled his shaft in softness. His whole body tightened with desire as he bent and took her mouth.
He looked up. Ben had disappeared. The shower turned on.
All right then. He lifted Emma and cradled her close to his chest. As always, her expression held wonder, as if being carried made her feel special. If only he could stay, he’d carry her everywhere if that’s what she needed to feel as beautiful as she really was.
The warmly hued Mediterranean master bath had granite tile flooring and brownish-gold marble countertops. Smoky glass surrounded a shower easily capable of holding three people. An equally massive soaking tub stood in front of the arching tower windows. “Obviously built by a comfort-loving bear.”
“Damn straight.” Ben lowered the overhead lights to a seductive dimness.
When Ben held open the door to the rectangular shower area, Ryder carried Emma in. Water fell in a steady stream from three overhead rainfall devices. Hand-held showers hung neatly on the left and right walls.
As Ryder set Emma on her feet, Ben entered the shower, closed the door—and pushed her under one of the downpours.
Her hair was drenched immediately. Rather than screaming, she laughed. “You’re an evil bear.”
“Aye,” Ben agreed.
Ryder shook his head. Fuck, was anything finer than the way she enjoyed life? How could his love for her keep growing? He could swear the feeling had started the size of a pea and now felt more the size of a mountain—and the ache at the thought of losing her had grown to that size as well. If only they could stay.
Understanding in his gaze, Ben nodded to a container on the wall. “Shampoo.”
“Right.” While Ryder lathered Emma’s long hair, Ben started washing the dirt from her body, making chiding noises when he found scrapes and scratches. “Gonna have to talk with those cubs, tell them to play a little less rough.”
“Don’t you dare,” Emma managed to say, “or I’ll wallop you.” Her last words sounded strangled as the scent of the males’ desire surrounded her, pulling her into a whirlpool of need. They both chuckled—and caressed her with firm, callused hands.
As Ryder’s strong fingers massaged conditioner into her hair, her eyes closed with pleasure.
Ben stopped soaping her breasts to tease her nipples to hard points.
“Benjamin.” Her attempt at a teacher’s admonishment was ruined by the tremor in her voice. Her whole body seemed to shimmer with arousal. “You two were the ones who needed showers.”
“You got a point, darlin’.” He filled her right hand with soap gel. “Clean us up. Me… then Ryder.” The utterly confident command sent a thrill of awareness through her.
Ben…and Ryder. Both of them. She wasn’t sure if the trembling in her center was from anticipation or anxiety. After she’d spent the night with Ryder last week, Ben had warned her that he and Ryder would soon share her.
He’d even been preparing her so she could take them together. Now the time had come.
And he’d given her something to do, bless him. “Wash you?” She hadn’t been very forward in their lovemaking, but the sensual set of his lips said he’d enjoy it if she touched him. A shiver of delight ran down her spine. She could enjoy him just as he did her.
She wanted to please them so badly her fingers trembled. Could she show how much she loved them with just her touch? “Hold still,” she told Ben before glancing at Ryder.
Smiling slightly, the cat leaned against the marble wall, the water hitting his finely sculpted shoulders and chest. His eyes were dark with lust as he waited.
For her.
Oh Goddess, she was going to miss them so much.
Swallowing past the thickness in her throat, Emma flattened her left hand on Ben’s broad chest, feeling the short, springy hair tickle her palm. Water streamed in rivulets between the muscular planes of his pectorals.
“Maybe some soap, pretty bard?”
She heard the rumble of his deep voice. Eventually the meaning registered. “Oh. Of course.” Her right hand had the soap gel, didn’t it? She sudsed his chest and had to remind herself to scrub. Slowly, she worked from his chest to his ridged abdomen. His whole body was a testament to power and strength. The reddened scar on his shoulder was only the first of the collection of past hurts, all showing how he’d fulfilled the God’s trust in him and guarded the clan.
She ran her fingers down a taut muscle diagonally from his stomach to his hip, then traced the crease between his hip and thigh. And tried to swallow again.
Emerging from trimmed brown hair, his cock was massively erect and darkly engorged.
To tease him—and herself—she detoured to cup his full, heavy testicles, instead. When she fondled them, he growled in approval.
But his patience was limited. Within a minute, he moved her hand to his erection.
“Oh? You want this washed, too?” she asked, trying for innocence…and couldn’t suppress her laughter.
He huffed, half in exasperation, half amused.
She closed her fingers. He was thick and hot in her grip with engorged veins swirling around the base. Irresistibly masculine. She gathered more soap and stroked up and down.
By the time she’d made sure his cock had reached previously unsurpassed levels of cleanliness, low growls accompanied his exhalations, and his eyes were alight with a menacing promise.
He gripped her wrists and pulled her hands from his groin. “Ryder’s turn, honey bear, or I’ll push you against the wall and take you right now.”
His rasped threat sent heat pooling in her pelvis.
It wasn’t easy to move away from Ben…but the minute her gaze met Ryder’s, her feet took her right to him. Oh, he had such a magnificent face and body. A couple of inches shorter and not as broad as the bear, Ryder had the lethal, sleek muscles of a cougar-shifter.
His gaze held hers as she ran her hands over the dark, taut skin of his biceps, his hard, contoured chest, and his lean ribs.
Steam billowed up, wrapped around her, and turned the males to shadowy forms.
Exploring more from feel than sight, Emma stroked down Ryder’s tight, flat belly to find his heavy erection. Ben’s was thicker; Ryder’s was longer. His male musk blended with the light pine fragrance of the soap and made her think of sex on a mountaintop.
Last night, Ben had shown her how much he enjoyed her lips on him. Would Ryder?
Unable to resist, she knelt and took him in her mouth. First, the velvety, spongy head and next, the silkier shaft with the skin so tight…
His groan mingled with the quiet whooshing of steam through the pipes and the sound of falling water from the rainfall showerhead.
Wanting only to please him, she used her hand and mouth, and heard his breathing change. Her other hand was on his thigh, and she was delighted beyond measure when she felt the uncontrolled quivering of his muscles. I love you, Ryder.
With a deep growl, Ryder lifted her easily to her feet. “You are too good at that, little bear.” His kiss was slow and deep and lovely.
She glanced at Ben, but he shook his head to the unspoken offer and pointed toward the shower bench. “We have other plans for you, honey bear.”
“Come here, my female.” Ryder led her to one side of the shower and seated himself on the hip-high stone bench. The bench was wide enough he could lean back against the wall with his feet on the floor. His cock rose straight up in invitation. He patted his thighs and smiled slowly.
Her body broke out in goosebumps as she felt Ben move closer behind her. Two males. Anxiety dimmed her arousal. They were so big.
“Li’l bear,” Ben murmured as he caressed her shoulders with his strong hands. “You’ve taken my fingers back there before, but, yes, I’ll be larger.”
She gulped at the thought of just how large he really was.
“We’ll stop if you don’t like this,” he continued. “You never have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Both males inside her. At her shiver, his hands tightened.
“I want…want to try.” She looked over her shoulder, up into his observant blue eyes, seeing both the hunger and the self-restraint. She’d never met anyone more disciplined. He’d take care of her, as would Ryder.
How could she not share herself—all of herself—on their last night together? This was right. The way it should be. “Yes.”
“Cariad, you are amazing.” He smiled, grasped her waist, and helped her straddle Ryder’s hips with her knees on the bench.
Cariad. Darling. Her eyes blurred with tears for a second. How would she survive when they were gone? She looked down into Ryder’s hard face and saw the misery in his dark eyes.
He was hurting, too. Oh, Ryder.
His lean hands closed on her bottom, and she felt the head of his cock press against her entrance.
When she hesitated, his lips quirked. “This part isn’t new to you, little bear.” Firmly, he guided her down. His cock slid between her slick, wet folds and in, stretching her, filling her completely, and leaving a dark hunger in its wake.
Oh, she loved the way he felt inside.
His hands tightened on her hips. His eyes were now half-lidded. “Fuck, yes.”
All along her nerve endings, she felt the hum of desire. Her clit throbbed a pulsing demand that she move. She lifted, almost all the way off his shaft, and started to lower, but his grip on her bottom stopped her. “Stay right there, Emma.”
“But—”
He curled a hand around her nape and pulled her down for a kiss.
As Ryder’s lips moved over hers, she felt Ben move closer behind her. “Hold on, darlin’. Let’s open you up a bit.” His lubricated fingers slid between her buttocks. A single digit pressed against her anus. Before she could tighten against him, he steadily pushed past the rings of muscle and inside.
He’d done that before, yet every time the foreign sensation was a surprise. Instinctively, she tried to straighten—and Ryder’s hand held her in place, keeping her mouth against his. Keeping her bent and accessible to his littermate’s touch.
Her head spun. New nerves awakened as Ben’s penetrating finger slid in and out, pumping slowly and steadily.
She made a helpless sound, and Ryder squeezed her nape. “Look at me.”
With an effort, she lifted her head and stared into his midnight-black eyes. He studied her, then smiled. “She’s good. Keep going, bro.”
A protest broke from her a second before he kissed her again, his tongue invading her mouth in the same way that Ben’s finger—now two fingers—took possession of her most private area.
The ease with which they moved and positioned her told her they’d done this before—many, many times; that particular thought was unappealing. Did they even know who they were mating? Was she just another body? Would they forget her once they were gone? She stilled, bowing her head.
And the males instantly stopped.
“Emma?” Ben leaned over her, his muscular chest against her back. “What’s wrong, darlin’? We can stop if you’re not happy.”
Ryder cupped her cheek with one hand, his gaze worried. “Tell us what’s in your head.”
“I just”—her uncertainty evaporated under the concentrated pressure of their attention—“just felt insecure for a moment. I mean…emotionally or something.” Now she felt as scatterbrained as a pixie. “Let’s just go on.”
Rather than moving, Ryder caressed her cheek, his chiseled face softening. “Insecure, huh? Little bear, do you have any idea how much you mean to me? To us?”
Her breathing stilled for a long moment. The desire in his eyes had hidden the love that was there as well.
Love.
Oh. The world went hazy as her eyes filled with tears. “I…didn’t know.”
“Well, now you do.” Ryder ran his thumb over her lower lip. “We don’t have to take you at the same time, though.”
“I…” His thumb was slightly rough, yet warm against her lip. His cock was barely inside her. Ben’s hands were still on her hips, so big and powerful.
And her desire surged back to life with an added zing from knowing she’d mate with two males who…who cared for her.
Who she loved with all her heart.
With a wiggle of her hips, she smiled down at Ryder. “I want you both. Now. Together.” Want to keep you, to be with you.
“As you wish, little bear.” Ryder grinned.
“Darlin’.” Ben kissed her cheek, so very gently, and straightened.
Ryder shifted her slightly and reached down between them. His fingers stroked her clit, sliding through her wetness, and the exquisite sensation sizzled right to her depths. Every other thought fled before the onrush of need.
She tried to move forward, to get more friction there. Or to lower herself onto his erection. Her pussy was hollow, craving to be filled. “More.”
Ryder had a hand on her left hip. Ben on her right. They didn’t let her move.
“Brace yourself, li’l bear.” The head of Ben’s shaft pressed against her. Her entire backside tried to jerk away without success within their unyielding restraint.
Ryder’s cock was just inside her vagina as he waited.
The pressure against her anus increased as the head of Ben’s shaft gained entry. As he moved in and out, advancing slowly, she started to shake.
He applied additional cool lubricant, and started again. He was, indeed, bigger than his two fingers. Everything back there was stretching. Burning. “Oh, please.”
It felt good. It hurt. No, it felt good. The sound of her ragged breathing echoed off the glass walls, and Ben stopped.
“Look at me, my little bear.” Ryder lifted her head with confident hands. His gaze searched her face, and he smiled. “Yep, still okay. Keep going, bro.”
The sound of Ben’s rumbled agreement broke over her before he gripped her securely. He slid all the way in, impaling her completely, and possessing her in a way that stole her will. Stole everything. Oh, Goddess, no mating had ever felt like this. A tremor shook her whole body.
As Ryder ran his finger around her clit, her fingernails dug into his shoulder, and his touch grew firmer. Pleasure seized her, tightening her around Ben’s cock. With just the tip of Ryder’s shaft at the entrance of her pussy, she felt empty. Yet the thought of him and Ben both being inside her was… Oh, that would be too much.
Ryder reached up to one of the handheld hoses and flicked it on.
Ben’s low chuckle echoed off the walls. “I might have known you’d find a toy. Let me tilt her back, so you can play, cat.”
“You’re on.”
Play? What did he mean play? Water was beading on her body, heat engulfing her from inside and out.
Ben cupped her left breast and straightened her up, leaning slightly back. The movement drove him deeper, and she wiggled, gasping. He curved his other hand over her right hip and buttock in a strong grip.
Ryder set the hose on his stomach, directing the jetting stream of water away from his face—and directly onto her clit.
“Ahhh!” She jumped, but was immobilized by Ben’s implacable hands and the huge shaft penetrating her. “Stay still, darlin’.” His laugh resounded through the shower.
Couldn’t move. Could only take what they wanted to do to her. As the molten feeling deep in her core grew, her bones melted…right along with her willpower.
Ryder played with the shower controls until soft jets of water struck her vulnerable clit in a merciless sh-sh-sh-sh.
Under the intense pleasure, her clit was tightening. The unstoppable sensation gained in intensity, growing and growing, like nothing she’d ever felt before.
And then the tension hit a peak, fast and fierce, and the climax slammed into her, through her. Her back arched as her insides spasmed against the thick penetration in her backside, rebounding with added waves of sensation. Her body shuddered—and the hands on her held her ruthlessly as she came and came and came.
When she opened her eyes, she stared into Ryder’s intent gaze and realized she was panting and whining.
“Easy now, darlin’.” Ben helped her lean forward.
With hands splayed, she braced herself on Ryder’s chest, feeling as if her world was crumbling around her. More than the climax, their concern for her shook her deep inside. Don’t leave me. Please.
When Ryder caressed her cheek with a gentle hand, tears filled her eyes.
“Aw, now, don’t do that, little bear,” he said. “Ben…” The worried look in his eyes was wonderfully sweet.
She blinked quickly and managed to smile. Bless the master bard for teaching her how to control her voice. “I’m fine. Really.”
The worry in his gaze didn’t lighten, but he managed a slight smile. “You are so gorgeous when you come. Need a repeat of that.”
As her eyes widened, he looked over her shoulder at his brother.
“We’ll get right on that. You ready now, darlin’?” Ben gave her all of one second’s warning before he slowly pressed her down onto Ryder’s cock.
“Uhhhh. Oh, oh, oh.” Suddenly she was impossibly full. Her pussy spasmed around Ryder’s hard shaft; her back hole contracted around Ben’s. She squirmed helplessly as the unstoppable pressure grew, coalesced, and exploded, sending blasts of pulsating pleasure throughout her body. “Ooooh, Goddess…” Her fingernails dug furrows into Ryder’s chest.
Ben’s cheek was scratchy against hers. “Fuck, sweetheart, I… Fuck.” A low, sexy growl escaped him. “All right, darlin’, we’re going to take you hard now, so hang on.”
Hard? Worry trickled in, but she was too satisfied to tense up. Instead, she leaned her weight on her arms and curled her fingers over Ryder’s shoulders.
Carefully, Ben withdrew his cock from her almost completely. His hands on her hips tightened as he lifted her up and off Ryder’s shaft, and a second later, he thrust back in.
“Oh…” Sensations blasted through her. The disconcertingly wonderful fullness in her back hole conflicted with the emptiness of her pussy. The rush of hungry need seared her nerve endings and hazed her mind.
Ben slid out, paused, and slammed her down onto Ryder’s shaft, filling her pussy. Before she could moan, he’d lifted her off and plunged into her from behind.
Empty. Full. As the two cocks pistoned in and out, her fingers dug into Ryder’s shoulders at the exquisite dance of pleasure. The air filled with the sound of pleading whimpers…from her.
“Ah, perhaps a little more stimulation would be good.” Ryder adjusted something and then a pulsing stream of water struck her exposed clit every time Ben lifted her up.
A shaking started deep in her core as her whole lower half turned into one burgeoning sensation, and everything within her tightened. Tightened.
Without ceasing, without mercy, she was raised up off Ryder’s cock so Ben could thrust into her even as the stinging force of the water would zing across her clit. Then, as Ben withdrew, he’d lower her hips to impale her on Ryder’s shaft.
Over and over and over.
Too much.
Every muscle in her body tensed; her breathing stopped. Nothing existed except Ben’s big hands on her hips, the sliding out of Ryder’s long cock, the penetration of Ben’s thick shaft into the other hole…and then the jet of water striking her over-sensitized clit.
Pleasure flooded her in a massive current of sensation, shooting through the rapids, shaking her helplessly in its grip as her cries echoed off the walls.
Slowly, the spasms eased. She realized her males were waiting, unmoving. Letting her recover. Her eyelids were heavy, but she opened her eyes.
Ryder’s intense gaze was on her, satisfaction in his expression. “So fucking gorgeous,” he murmured.
“Aye, she is.” Ben lifted her again, starting the cycle, but this time, she could watch. Could see Ryder’s jaw tense. Feel his muscles tighten under her hands. And then he lifted his hips to drive himself deeper as he growled his release.
Ben’s hands tightened on her hips as he followed, holding her in place as he rumbled in pleasure.
The searing heat of their seed filled her and sent her over again with a helpless whimper. As her arms gave out, she went limp, dropping onto Ryder’s chest, gasping for air.
Ryder stroked her hair. “Shh, shh, shh.”
Ben leaned forward, his cheek against hers. “Easy, darlin’,” he growled under his breath. The two held her between them as she shook, their hands as gentle now as they’d been firm before.
Cared for. Cherished. Everything she’d longed for. By the Mother, she loved them.
Eventually, Ben withdrew, cleaned himself and her, and lifted her up and off of Ryder. He steadied her with an arm around her waist, which was good, since her legs were trembling like aspen leaves in a pitiless wind.
“Thank you, Emma.” Ryder stepped in front of her and kissed her deeply. And then he turned her to his littermate.
Ben’s kiss was firm. Demanding. Dominating. And then he took her chin and lifted her face. In the steam of the shower, she saw his eyes, blue as the sky, level and controlled and tender. “Seems like we should have said this at the start rather than now, but…we love you, darlin’.”
Her eyes stung with tears. The words—words she’d waited all her life to hear.
As if to emphasize the meaning, Ryder wrapped his arms around her from behind and rubbed his water-softened beard against her cheek. He whispered the words again. “We love you, little bear.”
As a sob escaped her, Ben cradled her face against his broad chest. “Shh. You’re not supposed to cry when you hear you’re loved.” He chuckled. “We love you, Emma.”
Oh, I love you. Love you, love you. The words were there, on her lips, waiting. Not emerging. Trapped and caged in her own insecurities.
She had a feeling they already knew, though.
“Fuck, we’re going to miss her,” Ryder said under his breath to Ben.
Ben’s answer was almost a sigh. “Aye.”
How could she live without them? Then, with a startling blaze of understanding, she knew she could give them the actions of love, if not the words. “I’m coming with you.”
Wait.
Oh Goddess, what had she said? What if they laughed and—
Under her cheek, Ben’s muscles tensed. “You’ll come… You’d leave Cold Creek? Come with us?”
She could hear the surging desire in his voice, and her heart leaped in response.
“What? No.” Ryder shoved his brother without releasing her. “She has a life here. We can’t ask her—”
“You want me? Really?” Like wind-whipped leaves, her hopes spiraled up into the air.
“Yes, honey bear.” Ben’s answer came from deep in his chest, emerging in the lowest of bass notes. “Very, very much.”
Her eyes filled with tears at his unshakable certainty She pushed away from Ben far enough to turn and look at Ryder. “You want me? With you?”
“Emma.” The hope on his face was raw and absolute. “Fuck, yes.”
Abandon everything—her new friends, her work as a bard, this welcoming town—and go who knew where. The decision was huge. Momentous. And required no thought at all. They wanted her. Loved her. Her.
“You’ll come with us? Be with us?” Ryder’s voice was as rough as tree bark. “Stay with us?”
“Yes. Yes, yes, yes.”
Ben snorted a laugh. “My bard, you got quite a way with words.”
“Words are overrated.” Heart overflowing, she wrapped her arms around them both so she could cover their faces with her kisses. My grizzly, my cat. Mine, mine, mine.