Mirror Image Seduction (Feline Shifters of Down Under Book 1) (14 page)

“Is that true?”

He shrugged and looked back at her with a smile. “I’m sorry you were upset, Lacey, but out here, and in my family, we fight for our own. I’ve never felt the need to defend anyone before, but you’re very different. I’ll lay my life on the line for you any day, especially against a stupid cowardly lion.”

A pleasurable blush stole up her face in a hot wave. That was heavy. Her own mother barely wanted to see her at Christmas, and here was a man willing to do anything for her? That was a bit beyond her comprehension.

She pulled her mind away from the implications of his words, latching onto the new piece of information.

“Lions? You’ve called him that twice now. What are they? Don’t tell me there’s more breeds of shifters out here beside cheetahs?”

Dylan huffed from the front seat. “Don’t put them in the same box as us. Please!”

She rolled her eyes and looked back at Ryan. He’d explain things properly to her, without the sarcasm Dylan would lace the conversation with.

“Ryan?” She slid her hand onto Ryan’s, careful to avoid the blood, and he turned his hand over, palm up, and their fingers intertwined. Pleasure shot through her veins, and she shivered.

“The lions are another family of shifters that live in this area, but my family has been fighting with them for generations.”

“How come?” There had to be a reason for that.

“No one really knows, and to be honest, a few of them aren’t too bad. But lions are very different from us. They’re solitary creatures, unlike cheetahs, who are pack animals. The lions were the ones who tried to stop us finding Cameron and helping him. They like to plan, and very slowly check every risk before taking one step forward. Naturally, we ignored them and helped young Cameron out. We knew that storm wasn’t going to allow for all their rules to be followed if he was going to be rescued in time.”

She laughed, the heat in the car now starting to work its way into her lower abdomen. “And don’t forget, the added bonus of risking exposing all of your family by doing so.”

Ryan had the decency to look a little bashful. “Yeah, well. So we have more heart than brains. So sue us.”

She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently. They were one block from her house, and she couldn’t wait to take her men inside.

“I’ll take heart over anything, any day.”

****

Ryan and Dylan had telepathically discussed a change in plans after leaving the pub. Lacey was fired up about the fight, and Ryan hoped with the longer drive back to her place, she’d calm down and give him a chance to make amends.

His plan worked. By the time they’d pulled up out of the front of her house, she was holding his hand and poking fun at them, the fight all but forgotten. Now Ryan sat with his mate between him and his twin, as it should be. It always felt so right when Lacey was between them. What he really wanted was to have her naked between them.

“You’re certain your roommate isn’t going to come home any time soon?”

Lacey shook her head as she focused on undoing Ryan’s shirt buttons. Seemed like she wanted him naked, too. He was so on board with that plan. Not wanting to stop her from what she was doing, he traced his fingers lightly over her thigh. A tease with no demand. Yet.

“I’m sure. She’s working the late shift, so won’t be home until after midnight, and she knows you’re both here so she’ll probably come in the back door to avoid potentially seeing us getting all hot and heavy.”

Ryan let out a groan when she finally got his shirt open and began running her finger tips over his chest and abs. Dylan pulled her hair out of his way before he nuzzled his face in against her neck.

Lacey shuddered with a whimper before she shrugged away from Dylan’s mouth.

“Not tonight. You’re not going to distract me so easily. Last night you two got to play, so tonight is my turn. I want to touch and feel and learn you both.”

Ryan grinned at his feisty little mate and was sorely tempted to throw out a “told you so” at his twin.

“We’re all yours, sweetheart, but don’t expect either of us to sit here idly while you play. You need to get used to having four hands on you—”

Dylan broke into the conversation with a whisper near her ear. “And two mouths. We’re going to always want to be touching you or kissing you, beautiful.”

She murmured a noise of agreement before she lowered her head and began kissing his chest. Ryan threw his head back as his body shuddered with his intense need of his mate. Her lips were branding him as she slowly nibbled her way over his muscles, and it was a memory he would never forget. This very first time his mate was touching him with love like this, would be seared into his memory forever.

He held himself still as long as he could, to let her play, but soon he started shaking from the effort and knew he was done. Driving his fingers into her hair, he tugged her away from where she was laving his nipple, and pulled her up so he could take her mouth with every ounce of passion he had in him.

She tasted like heaven. He held her head still as he dominated her mouth with his. She moaned and whimpered under the onslaught, but he didn’t stop. He’d never stop needing this woman.

He felt her body move, and he opened his eyes to see Dylan taking her shoes off.
Great idea.
They needed their mate naked. Ryan ended their kiss and gripping her waist stood with her in front of him. A pang of guilt hit him when she gasped and her eyes went wide with shock.

“Sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s just you’re so much easier to strip standing up.” Dylan finished his sentence as Ryan gave Lacey another kiss. When her body relaxed, he backed off and took hold of the bottom of her shirt. Making sure his fingers stayed in contact with her soft skin, he slid the garment off over her head. Dylan unclipped her bra, and Ryan licked his lips as he slid it off down her arms. Her breasts were perfect. They were large and soft and were tipped with the most responsive nipples he’d had ever tasted. Cupping one in his palm he lifted it as he lowered his mouth until he could wrap his lips around the sweet nub. He grazed it with his teeth a moment before tugging and then sucking on it.

Lacey’s short finger nails scraped over his scalp a moment before she gripped a handful of his hair while she sighed. With a low growl he moved his mouth to her other breast while his hand kept kneading and plucking at the one he’d just suckled.

When she jerked and mumbled a curse, Ryan pulled away a little to see what Dylan was up to. Yep, his twin had his hand between her thighs and his mouth wrapped around her shoulder.

“Don’t you bite her, Dylan. She has to agree to be ours first.”

“Settle down, I’m not claiming her. My cat wants her marked, so we’re compromising with love-bites.”

Ryan ran his gaze over her lush breasts and noticed he’d left a number of marks of his own, and his cat purred with contentment. She should always bear both their marks.

“Hmm, I was meant to be the one exploring you both, not the other way around. You already got your turn last night.”

“Babe, we will never stop exploring this delectable body.”

She actually growled a little at him and tugged his hair. “Can you both at least take your clothes off? It feels weird to be the only one naked.”

Ryan took a deep breath and made sure his cat wasn’t too close to the surface. This would be the biggest test. Having his naked, erect dick near Lacey’s aroused, bare body was beyond tempting. And he knew if he made love to her, he’d claim her regardless of the fact she hadn’t agreed to it.

That wasn’t the start to their future he wanted.

“Okay, sweetheart. You want us naked, you got it. But if we pull away suddenly, don’t push us. We don’t want to claim you until you agree to it, but we’ve only got so much willpower when we’re with you—”

Dylan once more proved he was thinking the same thing as Ryan, as he cut him off and continued the conversation seamlessly. “So instead of taking you before you say yes, we’ll remove ourselves from the situation. But it’s not because we don’t want you or are rejecting you in any way. It’s because we want you so much.”

Lacey nodded and gave him a big smile “Fair enough. Now both of you strip. Neither of you gets to touch me again until both of you are naked.”

She pressed her legs in tight together and folded her arms over her breasts, pushing the lush mounds up and making Ryan’s mouth water. Lacey had already undone his buttons so he had his shirt off in seconds before he tore into the fly of his jeans and toed off his shoes.

Altogether, he thought he only left her untouched maybe two minutes as he stripped, and when he moved back to her, Dylan was buck assed naked and pressed against her back already.

Chapter Fourteen

Lacey’s whole body was aflame with need for her men, again. Dylan’s hot, naked torso was pressed against her back while his rather large erection rested between her butt cheeks. She wriggled her hips to rub against his hot flesh and preened when he groaned on a shudder. Ryan stalking forward caught her gaze. His entire beautiful body was on full display in front of her. She had to find some control or tonight would turn out just like last night.

Not that she was complaining about how wonderful last night had been, but when she’d woken up this morning she had promised herself that tonight she would give back to the men who had so generously given to her.

She lifted both her hands and placed them on Ryan’s pecs, her hands looking so small on his broad expanse of chest.

“You’re so…” She couldn’t think of any word that fit, other than beautiful. It seemed odd to label a man like that, but it fitted perfectly. Ryan’s body was ripped, heavily muscled and strong. “Amazing.”

He chuckled and stayed still as she toyed with his tiny pink nipples, then let her hands wander down the length of his torso. So flat, so muscled, so unlike her own body.

Dylan was kissing her neck and stroking her breasts. She tried to keep her concentration on Ryan, but she couldn’t.

“Dylan, can you please stand in front of me, too?”

Dylan stilled his movements from behind her, and then stepped in front of her, his body identical in strength and beauty to his twin.

“Wow.” She let her eyes wander the length and breadth of both of them. So much beauty, so much sexiness, so much male strength in the one room. “How did I ever get so lucky…”

Dylan growled a little, that sexy little rumble coming out of his throat in the way that it often did if he was aroused or angry. “Then touch me. Here.”

He grabbed her hand and drew it down to his cock, the flesh already hard and thick and protruding out in front of him.

In her rush to get ready earlier, she’d left out some moisturizer, so she grabbed for it, lubricating both her hands before stepping close so that she could touch them both.

“I can’t wait to please you both the way you did me last night.”

She closed her fists around both Dylan’s and Ryan’s cocks, and her men stepped closer, the heat of their bodies radiating out to her. They reached out and put their hands on her, their intense faces and roaming hands making arousal flood through her like a tidal wave.  She stroked both of them, up and down, glorying in their responses. They gasped, and groaned, threw their heads back and growled. She pumped them harder, feeling their hands grabbing her tighter, Ryan kissing her as Dylan slid his fingers between her legs again.

She opened to him, already hot and wet from their earlier attention, she moaned as the ache inside her increased with the pressure of his fingers. Their abs buckled and rolled as she explored their flesh. The large, almost purple heads, the engorged veins flowing along their strong lengths.

Ryan tweaked her nipples with his fingers, and she groaned, arousal spreading through her body like wildfire. They strained against each other, racing to their orgasms.

Dylan cried out first as he sank his fingers deep inside her, his cock jerked and spasmed in her hands, white cum flowing out of him and marking her belly in hot bursts. Ryan slumped forwards next, his cock spurting all over her arm and hands, painting strips of cream. Dylan moved forward and kissed her deeply, renewing his assault on her body. Thrusting his fingers into her over and over until she, too, came with sharp, shuddering convulsions. They collapsed together, holding each other up as the hot air around them misted and sighed with them.

“I think we all need a shower,” Dylan murmured against her lips, withdrawing his fingers from her body.

Lacey could barely stay up. Her legs were shaking, her arms were heavy, and her eyelids wanted to close. She laughed somehow. “I agree. Come with me.”

Ryan chuckled. “Already done.”

Giggling at Ryan’s remark, she led the men to the bathroom, turning on the shower and sliding beneath the hot water together with them both. There she washed their bodies, taking her time to enjoy their bulging biceps, rippling abs, and broad shoulders.

When they’d used up all the hot water and the temperature turned tepid, they turned the shower off and climbed into bed. Lacey settled naturally into the center of the mattress, and her men curled around her. She fell asleep with Dylan’s heart beating against her ear and Ryan’s hand possessively curled around her breast.

****

On Friday, it was time to finish her newspaper article, and she was back at the zoo. She hadn’t seen Dylan or Ryan in a few days due to everyone’s work schedules, but she was seeing them again tonight.

She turned to her best friend and gave her a smile in thanks.

“Scarlet, you really didn't need to come with me.” Scarlet huffed and rolled her eyes, and Lacey looked back at the road with a smile on her face. “But I do appreciate it.”

“Yeah well, I still don't trust that stalker ex of yours, plus I haven't been to the open range zoo since I was a kid.”

Lacey grinned and took the exit off the freeway to the boys’ work. She'd finished the article for the paper and wanted a photo of the cheetahs to finish it off.

After two days of pondering the merits of being true to Cameron's story and the need to hide the identity of the cheetahs, she'd decided to tell the truth. Most of it, anyway. Who was going to believe her anyway? She recalled the entire story with embellished flare, minus the names of her men, adding with a sarcastic tone at the end of the story, “
I didn't want to believe him, but after careful consideration I have stayed true to the report. After all, who am I to argue with the word of a four-year-old?”

If she was lucky it would be great promotion for the zoo, too. More people coming to Ryan and Dylan’s work was always good, true?

“Here we are.”

She pulled into the car park, a happy sigh bubbling up from inside her.

It was
Friday,
and tonight was another night with Ryan and Dylan. She'd spent the last few days thinking about how she was going to cope with her problem. And her problem was so stupid. She had two men who wanted to mate with her, and although it felt so incredibly natural and beautiful to her, a ménage a trois in her world was not normal. How would everyone else cope? Her friends, her family? Although, she wasn’t particularly close with her parents.

In the end she was so confused about why she was confused that Scarlet had literally sat her down and yelled at her. Her best friend had brought it all down to one core thing. You only live once, and what did she have to lose by trying something out of the box?

Now she was giddy with the support of her friend and the freedom of letting go of her own rules. She'd met Ryan and Dylan's parents and brothers, so she knew where they came from. And she liked it.  She knew where they worked and that they had good, responsible jobs, a major plus. And lastly, she'd given herself to these men, expecting to receive very little, and yet instead they had shown her tenderness, care, and the greatest pleasure she'd ever known.

She trusted them, which was incredible in itself. After everything she'd gone through with her horrible ex, she so wanted to believe in love again. Ryan and Dylan were tempting her to give them everything she had.

“Let's go.”

Scarlet grabbed her expensive camera and zoom lens, and they headed off towards the entry.

“Are Dylan or Ryan here today?”

A smile lifted Lacey’s lips. “Not a hundred percent sure, I think so.”

She hadn't messaged them to ask, not wanting to disturb them at work, but she was here now and calling herself three types of a fool for not pre-warning them. They probably would have organized to be free for her.

“I should have called them.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Yes, you should have. I can't believe you still haven't got your head around that yet.”

“Well, I didn't want to appear too needy.”

Scarlet laughed. “From what you've told me those boys want you so badly they'd drive to Perth and back just for a cuddle. What's wrong with you?”

Lacey glanced away and stepped forward, paying for her and Scarlet's entrance while heat bloomed in her cheeks.

Monday 
night had been so incredible for her. She'd been horrified the following day that she hadn't given anything to the boys, but they'd both sent her beautiful messages about how much they'd gotten out of her passion and moans.

Tuesday night had been even better. Being able to touch them, explore and pleasure them while they still gave so much to her had been life changing. She had only dared to dream men like that could exist, but she hadn’t thought she’d be lucky enough to get one of them. She'd squirmed all week from their messages and phone calls.

Tonight was going to be explosive.

“Which way is the cheetahs, Lace?”

“This way. We may as well start at the feeding pen where we can get a close up, and then go see the ones on the safari bus.”

The rumble of the spotted cats was heard from around the corner as they rounded the trees, and a smile rose on Lacey's lips.

There they were. The incredible animals her men turned into.

A giggle rose.
Her men.
She so liked the sound of that.

“What's so funny?”

She grinned at her friend. “Just thinking about Cameron's story. How cool would it be to have one of those rescue you from the side of a cliff?”

She tilted her head towards the pen, and Scarlet shuddered.

“Ah … I think I'd pass out first. Can't those cheetahs rip your throat out if they want to?”

Lacey grinned at her rough and tumble, pistol shooting blonde friend. “If they want to, and that’s assuming a lot.” Since when was Scarlet scared of anything?

They stepped up to the viewing platform that was raised above the cheetah feeding yard.

Lacey looked down on the three cheetahs in the small pen. Two were lying in the sun, but one was pacing up and down the back fence in obvious agitation.

“Max.”

His face was so familiar to her already, and a part of her ached to see him frustratingly turning up and down on a patch of dirt. It was her fault he was stuck in this small yard, unable to shift back to human.

She swallowed hard against the uncomfortable ache in her gut, yet a smile twisted her lips. It wasn't exactly all her fault that he'd been punished that night. It hadn't been the kindest thing to do to her.

“Did you just call one of the cheetahs Max?”

She grinned at Scarlet. “Ah yeah, that's his name.”

“You've been dating these guys for a week and you already have pet names for the animals at their zoo?”

“No. That's their … ah…” The laugh fell from her voice as she pulled the words in just in time. “Ryan looks after the cheetahs, so I know more about them, that's all.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and strode up to the balustrade, staring down at Max, who had now stopped and was gazing up at her.

Scarlet went strangely still and raised a shaking hand to point to where Max stood, head raised, eyes straight on Scarlet.

“You mean that one?” Her throat worked hard as she obviously swallowed.

“Yeah, why, what's wrong?”

“I … don't know.” Scarlet wasn't moving, but her hands were shaking.

“Ah, Scarlet. Are you going to take some photos?”

“Yes, ye
s
!”

That got her moving. Scarlet reached for her camera, juggling the bulky item clumsily and almost dropping it as she pulled it roughly out of its case.

Lacey grabbed for the expensive zoom lens as it began to topple out of the black holder.

“Easy, Scarlet … shejuzzz. What's up with you?”

Scarlet began snapping photos, and Max snapped out of his daze, prancing up and down the boundary fence and roaring like he was ready to attack.

The hairs rose on Lacey's neck as Max rumbled and growled, his actions not ones she could identify.

She didn't like it.

“Scarlet, I think we should go.”

She tugged on Scarlet's elbow and her friend looked up from her frantic clicking.

“Are you sure? I can take some more pics.”

She lowered her head to continue shooting, but Lacey pulled harder, not liking the strange behavior from either of them.

Max roared louder, and Lacey jogged away, dragging Scarlet with her.

“What was that?”

Scarlet shook herself and glanced back at the platform, a furrow between her eyebrows.

“I'm not sure … but that cheetah was extremely beautiful, wasn't he? Perfect for your pictures.”

Lacey didn't want to hang around anymore. Something was wrong with Max, and it was raising a panic in her belly.

A park ranger walked past and she called out to him.

“Excuse me, but do you know if Ryan or Dylan Monaghan are working today?”

The older man smiled at her. “No, sorry. They've both got today off, working
tomorrow
though I think. Would have to check the roster.”