The Gift of Three Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Mistletoe Madness

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Loose Id Titles by Kaitlin Maitland

  Kaitlin Maitland

  The Naughty List

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Epilogue

  Loose Id Titles by Allie Quinn

  Allie Quinn

  Christmas is Love

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Loose Id Titles by Ceri Grenelle

  Ceri Grenelle

  THE GIFT OF THREE

  Kaitlin Maitland,

  Allie Quinn & Ceri Grenelle

  www.loose-id.com

  The Gift of Three

  Copyright © December 2014 by Loose Id LLC

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions and do not share with others.

  Image/art disclaimer: Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  Publisher acknowledges the authors and copyright holders of the individual works, as follows:

  The McKinlochs: Mistletoe Madness

  Copyright © December 2014 by Kaitlin Maitland

  The Naughty List

  Copyright © December 2014 by Allie Quinn

  Christmas is Love

  Copyright © December 2014 by Ceri Grenelle

  eISBN 9781623007461

  Editor: Kierstin Cherry, Ann M. Curtis & Kerry Genova

  Cover Artist: Dar Albert

  Published in the United States of America

  Loose Id LLC

  PO Box 806

  San Francisco CA 94104-0806

  www.loose-id.com

  This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning

  This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id LLC’s e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

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  Mistletoe Madness

  Clan McKinlochs

  Kaitlin Maitland

  Chapter One

  A rumble of shouts and groans echoed off the metal walls of the indoor sports complex. The humidity hanging in the air made it nearly impossible to believe that a cold wind blew outside in fifteen-degree gusts through the barren trees.

  Thea Bequette was perfectly happy to remain indoors and pretend it was any day other than Christmas Eve. The holidays weren’t her favorite time of year to begin with, which was why she’d signed up with her brother’s 3v3 soccer league to play in the Mistletoe Madness tournament.

  Thea’s teammate sent a long shot arcing across the field and into the goal. She leaped up and punched the air with her fists when the soccer ball sailed into the net. There was less than two minutes left in the second half of the championship game, and it was tied up. If the opposing team stole a victory, it would be over her dead body.

  Sweat dripped down Thea’s back, and she swiped a line of blood away from the scrape on her knee. Her unruly blonde hair was coming down from the messy bun she’d secured on top of her head. Her elastic headband barely kept it out of her eyes. She was tired, hot, and dirty, but she wasn’t going to quit. Ever.

  She glanced left toward Alec Tavares and then to her right at Dom Lopez. Their attention was focused intently on the opposing player who’d gained control of the ball. This was 3v3. Just Alec, Dom, and Thea against three opponents. Thea was used to being the only woman who took advantage of the coed league, but throughout the tournament, she’d been facing guys who were easily twice her size. Now the final team looked like they’d been handpicked from a lineup of trolls.

  Thea stared at Dom’s broad shoulders and muscular body. Just under six feet tall, he was big for a soccer player. His thick black hair was shorn close on the sides and longer on top. Thea sensed his intentions just before he sprang into action.

  Dom challenged for the ball while Alec fell back to screen another player. Shorter than Dom, with an athletic build, Alec had a Cuban heritage that gifted him with warm brown skin and golden eyes. He was unbelievably quick and easily prevented the other player from accepting a pass.

  That left Thea to handle the last guy. She could almost feel the clock ticking in rhythm with her heartbeat. Seconds crept by as she struggled to keep her opponent out of the action. She didn’t have Dom’s bulk or Alec’s speed, but she was damned determined all the same.

  Alec pivoted sideways on a breakaway just as Dom sniped the ball right out from underneath the other guy’s feet. He booted it down the field, and Alec effortlessly picked it up. Knowing it was her turn, Thea bolted away from the player practically hanging on her narrow shoulder.

  She sprinted all out for the goal. There were no offsides in 3v3 and no goalie. If she could just get there, she’d be golden. Alec’s dark gaze touched Thea like a physical caress. The world narrowed to that moment. Thea saw his shoulders shift as he executed a beautiful cross-field pass. She sucked in a deep breath and held it.

  The arc of the ball was perfect. She twisted her hips and used her left foot to kick the ball into the goal. Before she could even think to celebrate, she was knocked off her feet with the force of an oncoming train. The world spun one hundred and eighty degrees before she landed with a thud that resonated through her body.

  DOM SHOVED PAST an opposing player as the final whistle sounded. He barely registered the end of the game; he was more concerned about Thea. She was lying flat on her back, as though stunned. He could only hope she didn’t have a concussion after flipping ass over teakettle.

  “Dom?” she gasped out.

  He knelt and rested his hands on her shoulders, encouraging her to stay down. “Easy, killer.”

  “Did we win?”

  Dom cracked a smile at that. “Yeah, we won.”

  Dom and Alec hadn’t been thrilled by the club owner’s suggestion that his younger sister fill the empty slot on their 3v3 team. First off, she was a girl. Second, she was known around the club as kind of a bitch. Three days into the season, Thea had forcefu
lly altered their opinions.

  The girl was tough as nails, dedicated, and competitive beyond belief. Plus she had a wicked sense of humor and knew how to cut loose and have fun. Of course, that was once they got past her I-don’t-trust-you-and-probably-never-will armor.

  Dom brushed a stray curl away from her forehead. “That was a helluva hit. Anything broken?”

  She managed to shake her head.

  “Pendejo!” Alec snarled at the player who’d run over Thea. “The ball was already in the net when you hit her!”

  The guy shrugged it off. “If the bitch can’t take a hit, she doesn’t belong on the field.”

  Alec’s handsome face took on an ugly expression, and he went after the player like a rabid dog. He threw his arm around the guy’s neck and wrenched his head down with the obvious intention of pounding his face in. Alec might be shorter, but he was fast and blessed with incredible flexibility.

  Thea struggled to sit up, trying to watch the drama going on behind her. Dom understood Alec’s desire to make the other guy eat dirt, but there were other, more important things to take care of.

  “Alec,” Dom said sharply. “Enough. Let’s get Thea to the locker room.”

  It warmed Dom when Alec dropped his opponent without another word and strode toward Dom and Thea. The other guy backed off toward his buddies. He obviously preferred to pick on people a hundred pounds lighter than he was.

  Alec offered Thea a hand. “Here, querida, I’ll help you up.”

  Thea gathered her legs beneath her. “I’m cool. I just got the wind knocked out of me. That’s all.”

  Dom exchanged a look with Alec. The Mistletoe Madness tourney was the official end of the season. No matter how much the two of them might have been attracted to Thea, starting something with a teammate had the potential to blow up in their faces. Especially when it’d been apparent that both Dom and Alec wanted a chance with her. Now the final game was over and all bets were off. There was nothing stopping either one of them from trying to entice her into their beds.

  One of our beds, anyway.

  Dom grimaced. He didn’t like his chances if he was competing with Alec for a woman’s affections. Not even Thea would be immune to the Latino playboy. Alec was all Cuban charm and sweet talk.

  Shouldering Alec aside, Dom swept Thea into his arms. It felt good when her hands snaked around his neck. She weighed next to nothing. He inhaled and caught a deep breath of her unique feminine scent. Nobody smelled like Thea. She was a no-frills girl who didn’t need designer perfume to enhance her essence. Dom figured that was one of about a million reasons she’d so forcefully snagged his attention.

  “You don’t have to carry me,” Thea said with a pout. “Everyone is going to think I’m a weakling.”

  “Let them think it.” Dom snuck a glance at his passenger. “Besides, maybe I want to carry you.”

  Two frown lines appeared between her brows, but Alec caught up with them before she could comment.

  Alec shoved at the door that led from the two indoor fields to the administrative offices and the locker rooms. The metal banged against the wall, and Alec caught it before it could slam into Dom’s shoulder. “Now you have to put her down, Mr. White Knight. You don’t want to drag her into the men’s locker room. The bastard that knocked her down will be right behind us.”

  Alec was right. They couldn’t take Thea into the men’s locker room with them, but there wouldn’t be anyone else in the women’s locker room that afternoon. Dom made a move toward the arched entryway.

  “Whoa, Mr. Play by the Book is breaking rules.” Alec’s taunt echoed around the cinder-block hallway.

  Dom entered the cavernous room and gently set Thea on a bench. He glared at Alec. “Would you shut your mouth and go turn on the shower so it’ll be hot?”

  Alec retreated, grumbling something in Spanish. Dom straddled the bench beside Thea and started helping her peel off her cleats and shin guards.

  “I’m not a child, you know.” Her blue eyes were suspicious. She pushed his hands away and skinned off her socks. “I manage to shower all by myself quite regularly.”

  “Believe me, I’m not insinuating that you can’t take care of yourself. I like my nuts where they are, thanks.” Dom meant the words in fun, but he was surprised to see the hurt that flashed across her face before she was able to control her expression.

  Thea exhaled slowly, her narrow shoulders sinking as she trained her gaze on the smooth skin of her calves. “Is that really how you see me? Like some colossal bitch that yells and screams and kicks guys in the balls?”

  ALEC WONDERED HOW Dom would respond to Thea’s question. Alec knew his friend hadn’t meant the words as an insult. They’d had more than one discussion about the novelty of womanhood that was Thea Bequette. There had been a prickly friendship between Dom and Alec for years, but they agreed on many things. One of those involved an inexplicable attraction to Thea. Both men understood that one of them was destined to fail. She’d make her choice, and the odd man out would be left in the cold.

  Dom was still searching for the right words. Alec could see it in his friend’s solemn expression and deliberate movements. Dom was what Alec thought of as a slow processor. On the field, it made him a steadying presence when things went to hell. Alec got the feeling Dom often wound up tongue-tied in his regular life.

  “Dom?” Thea said softly. “I didn’t mean to be bitchy.”

  Alec sighed, unable to stay on the fringe any longer. “He knows that, querida. Neither one of us happens to believe you’re a bitch without reason.” Alec took a seat on Thea’s other side. “Do I believe you’d nail a guy in the nuts if he deserved it? Absolutely. Do I think you’d do it just for shits? Nah.”

  Dom flashed Alec a warning look. Alec ignored it. “In fact, I think the two of us believe you’re the least bitchiest woman alive.” Alec gave her his warmest smile, the genuine one he saved for when it counted. “Not to mention you’re the sexiest, most fun, and maybe even the smartest woman we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

  Thea blinked, her lips parting in a look of surprise. “Come again?”

  Alec listened to his instincts quite regularly when it came to strategies that got a woman in his bed. This was the first time a physical urge was so closely entwined to an inexplicable zing of something he might actually call emotion. His cock twitched between his legs, and Alec no longer cared about anything but telling this woman what he needed. “I want you, Thea. Dom wants you. One of us is bound to convince you to let us have the best Christmas present ever.”

  THEA’S BRAIN STALLED. She’d made some epically bad romantic decisions over the years. She’d slept with guys who never called. She’d looked for love under every rock and at the end of every rainbow and come up empty-handed. She’d even made an attempt to seduce her brother’s business partner with semi-disastrous results. After that debacle, Jax declared she needed to get herself under control or he would ban her from the soccer club. She wasn’t the horndog hellion he’d accused her of being. Thea was just clueless when it came to interpersonal relationships.

  It wasn’t as if she’d had any training in that department. Her parents died when she was eight and Jax was eighteen. Her brother had raised her the best he knew how, but there hadn’t been an excess of touchy-feely stuff going on in their house even before their parents passed. Never mind the emotional minefield of growing up as a motherless girl raised in a soccer club by a herd of men.

  “Thea, it’s okay,” Dom murmured. “We’re not trying to put you on the spot or anything.”

  Thea licked her lips nervously. Dom and Alec weren’t the kind of guys who usually paid attention to her. They were gorgeous. Not only that, but they weren’t assholes. They treated her like an equal on and off the field. Why choose one when she had a chance to snag both?

  Even if it’s just for tonight, I’ll finally have a Christmas worth remembering.

  She looked first at Dom and then at Alec. “So if I’m supposed t
o be making a decision, shouldn’t I get a chance to evaluate the goods?”

  Dom was silent, his dark eyes frankly assessing her.

  Alec appeared intrigued. A slow smile spread across his sinfully shaped lips. “What do you propose?”

  Thea’s mind spun. She’d come this far. Why not go for broke? “Since we all need a shower…” She let the sentence dangle and stood up. Casting a glance at the men, she walked boldly toward the showers while pulling off her jersey. Thankfully her headband didn’t get stuck when she yanked it out and tossed it aside. “If either of you are willing to back up those promises, you’re welcome to join me.”

  Thea shoved her shorts down her legs and stepped clear, leaving them in the doorway like an invitation. Before she was seized by doubts, she wriggled out of her sports bra and panties. The warm shower spray was a welcome sensation against her flushed skin. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the possibility that she’d somehow misunderstood what Alec had meant. Rejection was something she was intimately familiar with, just maybe not this intimately familiar.

  Chapter Two

  It took a monumental event for Alec to feel completely blindsided. This definitely qualified as one of those events. He caught one glimpse of Thea’s taut bottom before the steam in the shower room enveloped her. It felt like his cock was clawing its way free of his shorts, demanding he follow.

  “Wait.” The guttural quality of Dom’s voice overrode Alec’s lust. “Before we go in there, I need to know there’ll be no hard feelings no matter who she picks.”

  Dom’s words were a direct hit to the arrogance Alec wore like armor. “I understand, and I agree.” Alec held out his hand, gratified when Dom took it in his larger one and held tight longer than necessary. They were teammates and friends. One woman wouldn’t end that, no matter how earth shattering she might be.

  Alec stripped out of his clothes and strode quickly into the shower. From the corner of his eye, he could see Dom doing the same. His confidence in his own appeal wavered for the first time since puberty. Alec actually had to fight not to turn and stare at Dom. The man had been hiding one seriously impressive body beneath his loose-fitting clothes.