Sean didn’t know what Luke had said to Kayley when he’d gone to her room, but the pair seemed closer somehow. By the end of the evening they were all in good spirits and mellow as hell, thanks to a couple of bottles of fine wine and a meal of burgers with salad and all the fixings. As they trooped upstairs for bed, Kayley gave them both a peck before going into her bedroom and closing the door.
Mere minutes later, when the others had all settled into their rooms, and Sean could hear various taps running as showers were taken and teeth cleaned, a soft knock came at the door.
Luke flashed him a grin and loped over to open it. Kayley stood in the glow from the hallway, hands twisted in front of her.
“Come in.” Luke kept his voice down.
She sidled into the room, biting on her lip as she did so, brow furrowed. “I feel really bad lying to Will. If we’re going to keep doing this, we should tell him.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Luke smiled at her. “He’s going to know anyway soon enough. The others all do. It's only because he’s so newly turned, and can’t understand all of the information his heightened senses are throwing at him, that he hasn’t figured it out.”
Worry pricked at Sean. Will might react badly, really badly, to being told his cousin was their intended mate. They were incredibly close. Being only children, they’d grown up as close as siblings, but without the rivalry that relationship could entail.
“You’re concerned?” Luke looked to him.
“Yeah. I’m worried. Will might be pissed.”
“He might.” Kayley brushed hair from her eyes. “On the one hand, he clearly trusts both of you with his life. He wants me home, and he wants you two happy. But he’s also tenser than I’ve ever seen him. I watched him this evening, and he kept walking around, doing that thing where he bounces on his feet. I’m worried for him.”
Sean agreed with her. “He’s really not himself at the moment. You arrived after his freak out yesterday, honey, but it was something to behold. If Luke hadn’t changed and gotten him to submit, which calmed him down…well, he might have hurt someone. I don’t think we can count on him being rational.”
“Whether he’s in a good place right now or not, I doubt Will could be rational about it anyway. She’s family. People aren’t always rational about family. And it’s hardly conventional,” Luke said. “Two guys and a gal!”
“That’s what you think is the issue?” Kayley raised her eyebrows with a shake of her head. A wry smile tugged up the corners of her mouth. “You tell me that if I want to join you as your mate, you’ll have to turn me into a shifter, but you think the issue is that we’re in a ménage?”
“She’s got a point,” Sean chuckled.
“Silly alpha.” Kayley tsked and mock wagged her finger at Luke.
Luke stilled. The alpha stared at her for a moment, his face a perfect blank. Then he moved with the grace and speed of a true predator. Luke crossed the room in a blur and grabbed her. He picked her up, swinging her high into the air, before dropping her gently on the bed. As she flew, suspended in air for a split moment, she shrieked before hitting the soft bed in a rush of breathless giggles.
Sean huffed out a half laugh, half sigh. “Well…the whole house knows she’s in here now.”
“Sorry,” Kayley stage whispered.
“You need to pay for that transgression, and for the attitude,” Luke growled.
Luke’s tone might have been aimed at Kayley, but it still had Sean’s dick hardening in record time. He loved it when Luke got all toppy and they got to play a little.
“Oh really? What ya gonna do? Tan my hide?” She put on a purring accent and wiggled her ass as she pouted up at Luke.
God. So she liked to play a little, too? Sean smiled at all the possibilities this opened up. He loved kinking things up sometimes. He loved to watch even more. While he enjoyed getting his own hide tanned now and again, he’d really get off on watching Kayley’s ass getting nice and pinked up under Luke’s big hands.
Luke grinned and ran his hands up her bare thighs, lifting up the loose skirt she’d changed into for dinner and exposing her buttocks, encased in a pair of tiny, boy-short panties. He kneaded her flesh and Sean’s mouth ran dry as his gaze focused on Luke’s rough hands working over her smooth skin. His cock ached so much it became painful. Yeah, he wanted to see those soft cheeks turned a deep pink!
“Don’t tempt him too much,” he warned Kayley. “Last time I teased him like that, I couldn’t sit down for a week.”
Alarm flashed behind her eyes at his words.
Sean hadn’t meant to freak her out. God, he could kick himself. She’d come out of a relationship with an abusive asshole and here he was talking about her getting a spanking. “I’m kidding. He likes to get all alpha now and again, but he’s a pussycat really.”
“And you like it too, right? Him getting all alpha as you put it?” Kayley turned his way, Luke’s big hands still playing with her behind.
“Of course he likes it,” Luke interjected. “I would never do anything he didn’t want.”
“I fucking love it,” Sean confirmed.
At that moment Luke’s cell buzzed. He gave a sigh as he glanced at the screen. “I’ll be two minutes. Don’t move.” He lightly smacked Kayley’s bottom before heading out the door.
“Love what? What sort of things do you do?” Kayley turned onto her side and faced him, head propped in her hands. “I used to like a bit of slap and tickle myself before…” She trailed off and lowered her eyes.
“Hey.” Sean touched her arm. “You don’t ever have to do anything you don’t want. Luke and I sometimes like to play that way, but if you don’t, no worries. It’s something we both enjoy, but it’s not for everyone. As to what we do.” He paused. “It’s not anything formal you know? None of that Master/slave stuff or Sir business. It’s just…sometimes I like it rough, to be held down, or have my hands tied, or get spanked.”
She listened to him, her face relaxed, no evidence of shock or disgust on her pretty features, so he gained the courage to go on. “I really like being bitten the most, though.”
“You like him to bite you?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why but I love it. Bite me, hold me tight, and bruise me a little. I like him to mark me up sometimes. I know it might seem weird, but it’s nothing heavy.”
“You want a reminder of him, of how you are together,” she said simply. “Something you can see when you look in the mirror.”
He couldn’t believe how well she understood him, hell, understood them. “That’s it exactly.”
“I think it’s hot.” She blurted out the words, then laughed and covered her mouth.
“Really? You don’t think it makes me weak somehow?”
“Hell, no. You know, it takes a lot of guts to submit. It’s quite the opposite of being weak.”
Sean glowed at her words. It did indeed take strength to submit, to give up that control to another person. For Sean, it had taken a long time before he could tell Luke of his desires. It seemed wrong to still have them after the abuse he’d suffered at the hands of his first alpha. Slowly, he’d come to realize there was a huge difference between submitting willingly, for a man he loved, and the sick games that went on in his previous life.
It used to bother him greatly whenever he had those sorts of urges, and so he’d locked them down deep. The evening when Sean had finally told Luke of his desires, the alpha restrained him with ropes, blindfolded him, and after checking his safe word, proceeded to make the most agonizingly gentle love to him. Luke teased his body for the longest time. No violence had existed in the space between them, only love and acceptance. Sean came three times in a row. He smiled at the memory. Luke, with his patience, showed Sean that games between two consenting adults were a million miles away from the hatred doled out by his first mate.
“It’s even harder if you’ve been abused at some point, but you still have the desire to play that way sometimes,” he confessed.
She nodded. “I’ve always liked things a bit rough and ready, but after what happened to me, I’m not sure how I like it anymore. Frankly, the fact that I’ve had sex at all is pretty incredible. That I enjoyed it so much is even more amazing.”
Sean agreed with her one hundred percent. Amazing perfectly described the way the three of them worked together. He’d never experienced anything like the previous night. Now, Sean wanted more. He wanted to touch, and smell, and taste every single inch of her lush body.
“I’ve been wondering if I can…I mean…Oh God, I just want to taste you so bad.” The words were out before he could stop them.
Kayley’s cheeks flushed as her skin warmed against his fingers. She cocked her head to one side and regarded him. “Then why don’t you?”
Sean moved her onto her back; he wouldn’t even start this if Luke would have an issue. As it was, he figured Luke might like walking in on him warming Kayley up.
He didn’t remove her skirt but pushed it up. The front of those pale blue boy shorts framed her lean thighs beautifully. He leaned in and nuzzled the fabric. Immediately, her scent hit him, sweet and mellow, and it gave him a rush of affection, along with a sudden, raging desire. Tentatively, he pressed his lips to the fabric, inhaling some more and rubbed his face side to side. Kayley moaned and it vibrated through his fingers where they held onto her waist.
Sean didn’t know the mechanics of this from any previous experience, but he went to a place where he acted purely on instinct. With shaking hands, he slowly peeled her panties down, dragging them off and throwing them to one side. Then he paused to feast his eyes. Her innermost self lay open to his gaze, moist, pink and oh so inviting. Before, Sean only ever desired hardness and strength, now he wanted nothing more than to lose himself completely in softness.
Nervous he’d get it wrong, he darted his tongue out and licked up the crease between her thigh and her mound. Her answering sharp intake of breath told him he was doing something right. Feeling a little bolder, he used his hands to part her lips and gently blow on her sex.
“Oh,” she whimpered above him. “Touch me properly. Please.”
He did as she asked, dipped his head and lapped at her folds, relishing the warm, sweet taste of her. His cock stood to full attention, so hard it throbbed.
“You taste amazing.” Sean lifted his head for a brief moment before diving back down.
He flicked his tongue out, catching her sensitive nub with the tip. Kayley cried out and arched her back off the bed. A grin flashed across Sean’s face for a split second, and he soared at being able to elicit such a primal response. With renewed relish, he laved at her, enjoying her mewls, and the way she trembled under him.
The door opened behind them before it clicked softly shut and Luke’s scent filled the room. Sean lifted his head to turn and look at his alpha. Luke stood, hands on hips. A shit-eating grin covered his face.
“Well, well, well.” Velvet soft, Luke’s deep voice cut through the air. “Look at you two.”
“Come here.” Kayley crooked her finger at Luke and beckoned him close.
Luke walked around the bed to stand by her head. Kayley pulled him toward her and reached up to undo his fly and tug down his jeans. Luke wore no underwear and his cock slapped up against his T-shirt covered belly, already fully erect. Sean couldn’t contain his groan of appreciation at the sight.
“Give it to me,” Kayley demanded. “I want to taste you.”
Sean dipped back to Kayley but kept flicking his eyes up to sneak a peak of the two of them. Luke moved nearer still and bent his shaft downward, rubbing the head of his prick over Kayley’s lips. A drop of precum formed and she snaked out her tongue to lick it off.
Sean’s balls drew up tight. In desperation he reached to tug sharply on them, not wanting to come yet. Not in his pants, like a damn teenager. With fumbling fingers, he finally got his fly undone and pulled himself free of his briefs. The cold air on his aching cock provided only a moment of relief.
When he glanced back up, Kayley had taken Luke into her mouth and sucked on his tip with wanton fervor, the sight so basely erotic it spurred on his own desire. Sean lowered himself down and buried his face in her sweet, wet pussy.
This time, after a few whirls of his tongue over her clitoris, he placed his lips on either side of the swollen nub and sucked gently, taking it into his mouth. Kayley thrust up toward him. She gave a low, long groan.
“Do whatever you’re doing again,” Luke demanded. “It feels so damn good when she moans around me like that.”
Sean did as he was told, and sucked and sucked at her. Every now and again he let go and flicked his tongue from side to side. Kayley’s moans became a constant noise in the room as she pressed herself into his face, back arched off the bed.
Suddenly, her legs tensed and her thighs trembled. Hot flesh ground against Sean as Kayley came with a muffled moan. Luke’s gasped “oh fuck” and the smell of cum filling the air went straight to Sean’s dick.
So turned on by the scents, tastes, and sounds in the room he couldn’t bear it, Sean reached down to press against himself…and started to come. He rubbed himself through his orgasm, as he continued to gently lap at Kayley.
They came down for a few minutes, heavy breathing filling the room and then Luke began to chuckle.
“Oh. My. God!” Kayley propped up on her elbows and looked down at Sean, her lips all red and swollen, her cheeks and neck flushed pink.
Luke tucked himself back into his jeans, not bothering to do the fly back up and tossed his head back, laughing loudly. “Oh my God is right. We’re going to be the death of one another.”
“Your turn now.” Kayley reached toward Sean.
He ducked his head down, shame burning his face.
“I…um…I already came.” He felt like some stupid kid in high school, coming at a mere touch.
“Really? That’s fucking hot. You’re fucking hot.” Luke’s eyes glittered as he crawled onto the bed toward Sean. “I want to taste Kayley on you.” He claimed Sean’s mouth, licking his way inside as Sean opened to give him total access.
Somehow, all three of them ended up kissing, sloppy and hot and uncoordinated. Whenever Sean’s insecurities leaped to the fore, they withered away under the light of love and acceptance that Luke and Kayley repeatedly showed him.
“Will you sleep with us tonight?” he asked Kayley when they finally broke off the kiss.
“So long as you set an alarm, so I can get up early and go back to my own room,” she said.
“Sure.” Sean nodded. “Tomorrow we’ll tell your cousin that we’re having some fun together, no more hiding.”
“You can’t put it like that,” Luke said. “He’ll think we’re using Kayley. We need to tell him the truth. She’s meant to be our mate.”
“I don’t know.” Kayley nibbled at her lower lip, a habit Sean grew to love as the days went by. “That kind of puts pressure on me. I’ve not said yes, yet. Unless you’ve forgotten that little fact?”
“Nope, not forgotten.” Luke swept her hair back and traced a path of kisses up her neck as he spoke. “Okay. We’ll tell him you’re destined to be our mate, but that you haven’t decided yet and need time. Will loves you and he wants what’s best for you. He won’t push you either way.”
Kayley shook her head. “Not true. He wants me to come home for good and could easily push for me to accept your…proposal. I’m not sure how I feel about the idea still. I need more time.”
“I think you are sure, deep down,” Luke answered.
Sean grit his teeth. The damned prideful idiot! He’d worried for days over Luke pushing like this. They’d agreed; slow and gentle. About to open his mouth and speak, Luke beat him to it.
“But I get it. It’s a huge deal for you and scary as hell. We love you. Those feelings aren’t going anywhere, so you take all the time you need to figure it out. We’ll be waiting for you, if and when you come to us.”
Sean’s heart stuttered in his chest as Luke made the simple declaration.
“And I know it scares you to death hearing us say we love you, but one day it won’t.” Luke went on. “One day you’ll trust what you already know, deep in your soul. You are ours, and we are yours. We belong to one another and nothing can change that. Even thousands of miles away you’ll be connected to us. We’ll always be there for you, and if it takes the next couple of years for you to come home, when you do we’ll be there.”
“You’d really wait that long?” Kayley was back to nibbling on her lower lip again.
“Yes.” Sean nodded.
“Longer,” Luke said. “If you want to spend the next ten years here, figuring it out, we’ll still be waiting.”
Kayley stood and walked over to the window.
“I’d hope we could keep in touch. I’d hate not to speak or know how you are. And purely going on emotion, I do want to be your mate…I do. I’m scared…but I do want it.” Kayley turned round to face them, her eyes bright. “I’m terrified, though. Scared like I’ve never been in my entire life, more so even than after the attack because all of this is so strange and sudden and out of my reality. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole for real. Despite all of the weirdness, though, I want this. I can’t keep on denying it. It’s as if I’ve woken up out of a deep sleep and I’m finally living again. I don’t want it to stop. I don’t want to go back to my safe, ordered, lonely world. Even though I’m scared to death of taking this step, I want it. Badly.”
Sean’s heart slammed before launching into a fast, racing patter. Did she mean it? If so, he’d be ecstatic. Despite his early misgivings, he wanted her with them more than anything now.
“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” Luke’s eyes started to change, the gray warming up and glowing as if lit from within.
“Yeah. Don’t play around with this. With us.” Sean counseled. Christ, Luke would really lose it if he thought they had her, only for Kayley to change her mind. He’d find it hard to deal with, too.
“I do mean it.” She moved back to the bed and sat between them.
“What you said, just now?” She focused those incredible baby-blues on Luke. “About me being able to spend years here while you wait? I can’t imagine spending the next two weeks without you two in my life. How would I cope with months or years? I couldn’t, and my heart knows that, no matter how scared I am.”
She stood again and paced. Luke made to go after her, but Sean pulled him back onto the bed and shook his head. He instinctively knew not to crowd her right now.
“That it doesn’t make sense—and is as weird as fuck—is what’s holding me back. Rationally, I shouldn’t be feeling this way. But we’re not rational, and I’m starting to understand following feelings can be okay. If you can change form from man to wolf, is it that incredible that I can fall in love with you so fast? And my dreams clearly mean there’s some sort of fate at play here. Grams will be all over this, telling me to follow what the signs are showing.”
“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself,” Luke said.
“No. I’m not. I’m maybe trying to frame things in a way I can wrap my head around. I want you guys, and know it enough to come back to Alaska and spend more time with you. You’ve all become my family in this short time. I can’t imagine not seeing you regularly. And when I think about both of you being somewhere together and I can’t be a part of that…I want to give this a go. A trial period if you like?”
Eyes wide with unshed tears, Kayley blinked twice, hard. “It’s how I know I can’t walk away from this. Only…you can’t hurt me.” The first tear spilled out and trailed down her cheek. “I can’t go through that again. And, I know,” she said, holding her hand up. “I know, that neither of you would hurt me in any way physically, but you could hurt me almost as badly if you betray me. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. I’m this independent person who lives alone and has a couple of close friends. Yet here you two are, making me lose my mind and fall headlong into this craziness. I do want to be with you. More than that, I want to be like you.”
She moved toward them and looked down at Luke. “If it goes well back in Alaska, if we work out together, will you turn me? I want to run in the snow with you.”
With a strangled sound, Luke jumped up from the bed and grabbed her shoulders. “You don’t need to ask twice.”
Sean fought the urge to change form and howl out his happiness as he watched the two embrace. Luke turned fiery eyes on him, and Sean knew he understood completely. Their wolves were finally getting what they wanted.