Brynn Paulin Read online

  Bar rubbed his hands together, then, as she closed her eyes focusing on fully relaxing and forgetting her need, his fingers splayed on the skin of her belly. He rubbed in circles, pressing hard enough that she felt the heat and pressure seeping into her muscles.

  “Oh yes, please,” she begged as those palms worked upward to her rib cage. Mika’s hands joined Bar’s on her torso. Slowly, oh so slowly, the two men worked their way up to her breasts, the edges of their fingers rubbing against the bases of the mounds, their caresses ebbing away before touching her the way she really wanted. Over and over, their hands moved up and down her body, igniting nerve endings that had long remained dormant. All the while, sleep beckoned while her arousal played tug-of-war with the drugs.

  Her hips shifted as her increased pleasure translated to a heavy tingle in her pussy. Deep down, she knew this shouldn’t stimulate her. She should be concerned that she was naked and being massaged by two strange men. Two, large, muscular, mouthwatering men. She couldn’t dredge up the energy to care that the situation was far from normal. They were making her feel good…so good. And she wanted their touch. Everywhere.

  She moaned as their palms worked over her belly and ribs once more, then kneaded the oil into the slopes of her breasts, never touching her taut areolas. All too soon, the men moved to her shoulders, then down her arms. A strange numbing tingle emerged in their wake, countering the deep, unsettling need thundering through her veins and tightening the muscles in her belly.

  “Be calm, nuliaba abnaba,” Bar encouraged. He bent forward and pressed his lips to her temple. “The time for all our desires will come after you have rested.”

  His finger traced her bottom lip as she sucked in a gasping breath at the look of barely restrained lust in his eyes. Heated ferocity sparked with promises of what would come when he unleashed himself. She could almost picture him staring down at her with those determined eyes as he fucked her. She needed his cock, driving into her cunt and assuaging the ache there.

  His lips curved into a small smile. “And so you see,” he murmured.

  “Yes,” she replied, moaning again when his mouth brushed hers. She parted her lips, but as quickly as he’d kissed her, he was gone and the two men moved to her legs. Mika poured a stream of warm oil over her thighs, the drizzle of the liquid far too sensual even to Summer’s hazy thoughts. Somehow, she’d become a being of pure sensation, caught in a fury of lust and pleasure. Any pain had long receded. So had her reasoning.

  Mika glanced at Bar as their hands kneaded the supple flesh of her thighs.

  This is torture, he told his cluster mate. She wants us, I can smell it and I’m aching for her.

  She might feel differently when she wakes, Bar countered. They both knew the medicine woman, called Grandmother by all in their town, concocted tea that had a potent effect, much like drinking far too much beer. Summer was seeing them both through a drunken haze. He wanted her without the inebriated filter.

  Her skin is like silk, Bar moaned into Mika’s thoughts.

  Not helping, Mika replied. Sometimes Mika regretted the telepathic link he shared with his friend, but they’d had the connection since they were children, so he was accustomed to never truly being alone. Though their remote town, Caribou Run, was reachable only by plane and a thrice-a-year Cat-train—freight pulled by Caterpillar vehicles—Mika had plenty of opportunities for solitude. Still, no matter where Mika wandered, Bar’s thoughts could always reach him.

  Once they claimed Summer, her thoughts would reach them too. He ached for that. For half of his thirty years, he’d longed for that female connection. And here she was, in his home, but still beyond his reach.

  His hand slipped to her warm inner thigh, and the burning heat of her forbidden flesh radiated to him. He glanced at the damp curls at her apex, wanted to part her labia and draw his tongue through the arousal he’d scented there. It would be tangy and sweet as he circled her pearled clit and drove her to climax.

  His fingers curled as he fought the urge to follow through with his thought. Quickly, he moved his palms closer to her knees before he gave in to temptation and delved into her pussy. Summer moaned as he moved from the lure of her sex and he gritted his teeth, his cock jerking with his need.

  A glance at Bar revealed his cluster mate’s hardened jaw. His cheeks hollowed, a tense muscle ticking near his temple as he too fought himself. Not that Mika needed to look at his friend. As he opened his thoughts, he heard Bar’s mantra. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t…

  Inhaling deeply, Mika reminded himself of the same. Breathing was a mistake. Summer’s heated scent filled him again, a heavy fragrance that sank into his senses as a weight that would never be removed. The lynx inside him growled. It prowled forward and threatened to break free.

  “Stop!” Bar grabbed him by the back of the neck, and it was only then that Mika realized he’d bent over Summer. Mika’s mouth hovered mere inches above his mate’s pussy, ready to part and lick the tender flesh. Already, he tasted her elixir on his tongue as he breathed her in.

  “By the gods!” he exclaimed, pulling away and darting toward the door where he’d be safe from acting on his desires. He leaned against the doorframe and took in the tableau of Bar running his hands over Summer’s body. Her skin had started to flush, particularly the flesh from her rigid nipples up to her neck. Her thighs had parted, revealing her even darker flushed labia. Her cunt shone with her moisture, her springy curls glistening.

  He drew a hand over his aching cock. This mindless desire wouldn’t abate until he’d sunk into her.

  “How long?” he asked Bar. Bar had always been the voice of reason. When Mika wanted to rush into a situation, Bar had a checklist of things to consider first. If Mika wanted to be a daredevil, Bar stopped him before they both got hurt.

  And if Mika rushed forward and indulged in Summer, he’d be hurting them all.

  “At least until she’s healed enough not to need grandmother’s tea.”

  “Of course.” Yes, of course they had to wait. Shame filled him at the knowledge his overwhelming desire had nearly caused him to act inappropriately toward their mate.

  Bar stood, a small pained but sympathetic smile on his face as he glanced at Mika. He obviously understood and was as close to the edge as his friend.

  I think we’re done here, he told Mika. He pulled the quilt over Summer. She moaned and snuggled into the pillow.

  “I could use a run,” Mika said as they stepped into the hallway and closed the door. A long, long run that would stretch and exhaust him. But he didn’t have time for that. Bar needed the same and they couldn’t leave Summer for long.

  “Grandmother’s tea will knock her out for a couple hours. Race you to the rock and back,” Bar replied, pulling off his flannel shirt, then the tee beneath it. There was no need for him to explain which rock—they’d been running to the same place an hour up the mountain since they’d hit full-on teen angst years ago.

  Eagerly, Mika stripped. Bar was at his heels as he whipped open the back door and shifted as he leapt down the stairs to the yard. A flash of lightning-swift pain shocked through him as his bones cracked and reshaped while fur erupted across his body.

  Paws hit the hard earth. Turning his head, he witness a blur of motion as Bar stood naked in the doorway, then jumped toward him, his body rapidly re-forming into that of a giant lynx. Thick beige-white fur covered his limbs and body. Large feline eyes turned toward Mika and he twitched his black-tufted ears. Problem?

  Of course not. Turning, Mika dashed toward the summit of the nearest peak. Caribou Run was nestled in the foothills on the northern side of the Brooks mountain range, hidden from the world and accidental discovery by hikers. No one came here by mistake. That was good—they didn’t need to be as careful with their shifts or with being seen in animal form. The entire village was comprised of shifters and their mates, so secrecy was imperative. Some caution was always necessary, though, especially when venturing farther from home. Strangers d
idn’t expect to see lynx this far north in Alaska. Gods help them all if they attracted bands of scientists to “check it out.”

  His broad paws carried him swiftly over the waning vegetation near his home and into the patchy snow at the lower elevations of the peak. He heard Bar bounding across the ground behind him. His cluster mate slammed into him and they tumbled together across a large stretch of snow. Bar pinned him, giving him a head butt, then chuffling before he leapt to the side and tore away.

  Cheater, Mika called through their thought connection as he righted himself and followed.

  Lynx, not a cheetah, Bar returned.

  Had he been in human form, Mika would have snorted at the rote retort that had passed between them a zillion times before. Both men were competitive and they both played to win. Anything went in their competitions as long as no one got hurt. He was thankful he wouldn’t have to fight Bar for their mate. Her pleasure would be foremost in their minds.

  Their mate…

  Immediately, his thoughts turned back to his desire. Gods, he wanted her.

  Stop it! Bar commanded.

  Mika would have scowled had he been able to as a lynx. Instead, he growled. Aside from being reckless, he tended toward single-mindedness. He wanted Summer and his world wouldn’t settle into the right pattern until he’d had her—but what if she rejected them. It was always a possibility, and they’d never forcibly mate with her. But once the three of them joined, he and Bar would never willingly let her go.

  She’s going to smell the desperation rolling off you, Bar commented drily.

  Need, Mika corrected, unwilling to call his feelings what they were. Truly, he could jump the air taxi into Barrow or even Fairbanks and find a woman to slake his needs. Sex wasn’t the issue here. He was ready for his one, the female who’d complete their triad. The gods had sent her. Why shouldn’t he be anxious to mate?

  Gods, he had to clear his head.

  His feline scream filled the autumn air before he leapt forward and raced toward Bar, who, judging by landmarks, had managed to gain nearly a quarter mile on him. Unacceptable. Mika’s powerful legs surged across the near-frozen earth, his claws digging into ice and damp, hard soil as he ran.

  He pounced on Bar as they reached the rendezvous point, shifting as he wrapped his arms around the other man. Sparks of electric energy tingled across Mika’s skin as Bar shifted too. His limbs tangled with Mika’s as they rolled. Mika buried his nose in Bar’s neck, chuffing, and Bar’s arms tightened around him.

  They had a strange relationship—close, affectionate, but unlike many bonded shifters, they didn’t share sexual relations. They were as close as any mates could be and they found comfort in each other, but they’d never fucked and Mika doubted they ever would.

  He breathed in Bar’s essence, the scent pouring into his being and calming him. Bar nuzzled his face to the side of Mika’s and Mika shuddered as his cluster mate’s drugging pheromones dulled the knife-edged tension inside him. They tumbled across the uneven ground, patches of ice biting into their skin as they wrestled like cubs, each endowing the other with a good dose of the biologic chemical that would calm the other man.

  Bar pressed his face to Mika’s shoulder, gently biting him as they clasped each other. Mika groaned, pleasure and a strange lethargy rolling over him as Bar exerted his power. They acted as equals, but Bar was the more dominant of their pairing.

  Mika shifted back to lynx form. He couldn’t help panting as the exertion of the magic, coupled with the run and wrestling, weighed down his body. Fighting the pain of the shift always took some of his strength, but thankfully, his body secreted some hormone to counteract the pain and it was gone as quickly as it started.

  “Ready to go, then?” Bar asked, rising and showing no concern for his nakedness. Mika rubbed against his thigh. His head tipped back to brush Bar’s hip until Bar reached down and buried his fingers in the fur between Mika’s ears. Mika rumbled his appreciation low in his throat.

  For a split second, the air sizzled with energy as the space where Bar had stood blurred as Bar changed—then a lynx, slightly larger than Mika, stood in Bar’s place. He started down the slope with Mika on his heels.

  They’d been gone long enough. It was time to go back if they hoped to be at the house when Summer awoke.

  Chapter Two

  Summer startled awake from the most sensual dream she’d ever experienced. Unlike the last time she’d roused, her body didn’t throb as if she might die. She still ached, but now she felt as if she could move without crying from the pain.

  And that dream… Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she closed her eyes and again saw the two dark-haired men who’d filled her mind, their hands touching every part of her body before they brought her to climax over and over.

  Her eyes went wide. Wait a minute! Oh God… They’d been massaging her body when she’d fallen asleep, just like in her dream. Her brow furrowed as she did a mental check of her body. Achy, yes… But not in the places she’d feel sore if she’d had vigorous sex with two men. She frowned at her displeasure. What was wrong with her that the reality disappointed her?

  The dream had been so good; that was her problem. She certainly wanted to be awake and willing when she had sex with her two rescuers.

  Whoa! Back up that train, Summer! She didn’t even know them and she was planning to fuck them? She didn’t go around having sex with strange men, no matter how pretty they were—she didn’t go around having sex at all! Apparently, the crash had smacked the sense right out of her head.

  Rubbing her temple, she sat up. Perhaps, if she got moving, the illicit thoughts would be pushed from her mind. Not likely. As soon as she moved, the quilt slid down her body once more, the cotton catching on her aroused nipples. She caught her breath at the unintentional caress and lifted her hands to the taut peaks. She ran her fingers over the tips, rolling her hips as the motion amplified the heavy tension thrumming in her pelvis. Her palm skimmed over her belly to her cunt and she slipped her hand over her cunt, finding her folds.

  A soft groan slipped past her lips. Her teeth gritted. This was bad…so bad. Her body was strung out with the need to fuck. Almost of their own accord, her fingers circled her throbbing , and a low moan escaped her.

  The sound startled her and she jerked her hand away. She needed to fuck but she couldn’t do this here! She didn’t know these people, and God forbid they heard her and thought she was in pain. She could just see it: her arched on the bed, her hand working between her thighs, as they stood in the doorway and watched her pleasure herself. But hey, maybe she’d get what she wanted…

  She rolled her eyes at the errant thought, and reluctantly pulled her hand from her pussy. She swung her legs to the edge of the bed. Quickly, she scanned the room for her shirt and pants, but didn’t see them. Well, crap. Naked and aroused with no clothes in sight. Peachy.

  Pulling the quilt from the bed, she wrapped it around herself. The room gave Spartan a run for its money. There wasn’t even a closet or wardrobe. The bed and a small rustic table that appeared to be made of sticks were the only furnishings. The window was covered by adjustable wood slats, but had no curtains. The cold wood floor beneath her bare feet didn’t feature so much as a throw rug.

  Her stomach growled and pulled her from her perusal, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since last night. She hated having any food just before she flew—and judging from today’s events, that was a pretty good idea. The hollowness in the pit of her stomach had her wondering if that had only been today. How long had she been unconscious? That would be one of her first questions.

  She cracked open the door while holding the blanket tightly around her. Save for the loud tick of a clock, there wasn’t a sound coming from anywhere in the house. Where was she? As she strained to hear, she detected no traffic sounds outside and nothing concrete to tell her where she was. With some relief, she heard the yells of children playing somewhere in the distance, as well as a dog barking. Then out of nowhere
, the drone of a plane overhead and getting closer.

  A corner of her mind recalled that plenty of small villages in Alaska were accessed only by air taxi. In fact, the place she’d been headed was one of those. Could this be similar? The middle of nowhere? At least she wasn’t wandering the Alaskan wilderness.

  Opening the door farther, she stepped from the room into a large living area. It seemed to be a living room, dining room and kitchen wrapped into one big space. An enormous wood-burning stove stood in the center, and she saw from the glow through the grate that it was heating. A couch and two oversized chairs formed a conversation area, facing it—but no one was seated there. As she glanced around and peeked into the three open doors off the communal space, she found two bedrooms and a generous bathroom/laundry combo, but no people.

  Just as she was processing that she was truly alone in the house, the slider door to the living room opened and two naked men stepped inside. She blinked at that and her body immediately went soft, returning to the state she’d been in when she’d woken. The two froze, staring at her.

  Finally, the slightly shorter of the men smiled. “We didn’t think you’d be awake,” he said.

  Mika. That one was Mika and the other one was Bar. Silently, she congratulated herself for pulling their names from the mental fog that had accompanied her earlier waking.

  “How are you feeling?” Bar asked.

  “Better than before,” she replied.

  To her surprise, neither man rushed for his clothing.

  “Do you need more tea?” Bar offered. “It will ease any pain.”

  “No,” she said hastily. She needed to keep her senses around her. “It’s nothing major. I feel fine.”

  Except that her arousal grew with each second they stood in the doorway naked. Dream or not, she remembered how it had felt in her head, how she’d fantasized what her body would feel when they both fucked her.

  She couldn’t stop her rapid breathing as her need took over.