Their Virgin Mate [Panther Cove 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

Hercules nodded toward the back wall. “We wanted to take a look at the whips.”

Her pussy moistened as she thought about how she might like to take a whip to their bare asses.
Get real
. Only in her dreams had she whipped a man. The toys in her store were the only things to ever touch the inside of her pussy, but she wasn’t willing to let anyone but her two girlfriends, Georgiana and Sasha, in on that secret.

Since Tanya carried many types of whips, she needed to give some explanations. “This way.” She held her head high and sucked in her stomach, but all that did was cause the stays in her corset to dig into her hips even more.

If she hadn’t owned the store, she might not have been as enthusiastic to help them find something to pleasure their woman. All last night she’d kind of gotten her hopes up about these men once Sasha told her they wanted her as their mate. Now she knew that was a joke on her. They must have learned of her false reputation. The townsfolk all thought she was some kind of dominatrix, but that façade would fall apart if she ever got near these two.

She picked up one item. “Perhaps your lady friend would like this Tantric Satin Pleasure Whip.” It was one of her favorites, though she understood that trying it on herself wouldn’t have had the same effect as if someone else used it on her.

Hercules kept his gaze on her, not even glancing at the glossy package. “Is that something you’d like?”

Her mouth turned dry.
Say something
. “If I get to wield it.”
What was one more lie?

He burst out laughing, but the hurt didn’t cut. In fact, she didn’t think he was making fun of her. “Babe, you just don’t look like the type to be on top.”

That was an insult. “Why not?” She stuck out her chest, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

He cupped her chin, and her insides melted. “You’re too tiny to put much muscle behind it.”

Now she was speechless. No one had ever called her tiny. She cleared her throat and stepped out of his reach. She turned around and fumbled through the other options and picked up another type of whip. He was being ridiculous, as the power of the whip was all in the wrist.

She faced him again. “Perhaps you’d like this Fetish Fantasy Silk Rope Whip.” She’d memorized everything the website had said about it. “It has five knotted, silk strands that won’t leave welts but gives a whisper of pain. Do you like to tantalize and tease?”
Why am I doing this to myself?

He loomed over her. “If it feels that good, maybe you should let me try it out on you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she stepped back. The air got too thin, and her nipples hardened. Given her breasts sat above the corset and her bra was thin, she bet he’d be able to see through her shirt.

“I’m thinking your lady friend wouldn’t like that.”

Casius stepped closer, but she didn’t take her eyes off of Hercules’s dimpled cheeks.

“Babe, there is no other woman.”

That made no sense. “Then why buy it?” She glanced at Casius.
Holy crap.
Don’t tell me
they’re gay and want to use it on each other.
Why hadn’t she seen that before?
Because you secretly want them for yourself.
She waved a hand, not wanting to hear them state the obvious. “Never mind.”

Casius reached over and removed the Silk Rope Whip package from her hands. “We’ll take this.”

She swallowed hard. “I’ll ring you up.” She cast her gaze downward, not understanding why her body was responding to these men in such an odd way.

Lust wasn’t a foreign feeling, but this was more. It was as if they’d cast a magic spell on every inch of her body. Her nipples had hardened, her virgin pussy had gotten wet, and her pulse turned rapid.
Damn
.

Sure they were gorgeous hunks. Any woman would be fanning herself, but it was more than that. Every cell in her body was vibrating. She glanced between the men and knew that even if they weren’t put off by her size and wanted to make love with her that she couldn’t even accommodate them. Given the wide variations in sizes of dildos and vibrators, she knew her limits.

As she stepped to the register, Hercules lightly grabbed her arm to stop her. It would have been rude not to turn around. She did so, and her heart dropped to her stomach. His beautiful smile sent an electric current straight through her. What was wrong with her?

“We really didn’t come for any whips, though we don’t mind using them. We came to see if you’d go with us to the Delight Christmas festival this weekend.”

She didn’t think before she answered. “No.” That was rude. “Thank you.”

Their chests seemed to cave slightly. They looked at each other as if they hadn’t thought of a plan if she turned them down. It made sense they would have been surprised. She bet no woman had ever told them no.

That evil devil, who often sat on her shoulder, suggested they were here on a bet.

“Why not?” While Casius’s voice sounded soft and sincere, his hands were clenched looking like he wanted to punch someone. “We like you and thought it might be nice to do something together.”

The wind rattled the front window, providing her with a good excuse. “It’ll be cold out. I’m not so good with cold.” That was a blatant lie. She usually was super hot. Being in the crisp air would be wonderful.

“Okay.”

They turned at the same time. As they got close to the door, Casius placed the whip on the table that he’d had in his hand and jetted out the door. Tanya stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell had happened.

* * * *

Casius stomped toward their truck. “You really screwed that up.”

“Me? You were the sour one.”

“A whip? Really? What woman wants to think we’re only interested in getting her in bed?”

Hercules jerked open the driver’s side door and jumped in. Casius followed suit. Even though the snowstorm was gaining strength, he felt none of it. He was too pissed to notice.

Hercules jammed the key in the ignition. “You’ve heard the talk around town. She’s a dominatrix. Those kinds of women like to use a whip.”

Those kinds of women? Ha.
“You’re a moron.” He stared out the window as his brother headed back to Panther Cove. “She’s our mate, and we have to find a way to win her over.”

“How do you propose to do that?” His jaw tightened.

“We give her what she wants.” Hercules glanced at him, shook his head, and plowed down the streets as if the roads weren’t slippery. The truck fishtailed as he took a turn too fast.

“Slow the fuck down. We don’t need you crashing before we’ve had a chance to brainstorm a plan.”

Hercules slammed on the breaks and nearly went off the road. His brother was crazy. “Got an idea.”

“Could we talk about it before you kill us?”

Hercules often didn’t think first. He just acted. He tapped the wheel. “What did Tanya say was her reason for not going with us?”

“It would be cold.”

“Exactly.” He executed a perfect U-turn and headed back to town. “I’m thinking we buy her the best hat, scarf, and gloves we can to keep her warm.”

That was kind of lame, though the image of keeping her warm with other parts of his body got him instantly hard. This weird body reaction to his mate was killing him. “If she lives here, she’ll have cold weather gear. I think it was an excuse not to hurt our feelings.”

Hercules grinned. “See? She likes us.”

“Are you on crack?”

“You’re not thinking. Ever hear of the phrase that it’s the thought that counts?”

“Sure.”

“She’ll appreciate the presents even if she doesn’t need them.” His brother pulled in front of Sasha’s Sundries and shoved open his door. If he didn’t want Hercules to do something else dumb, he better follow him in.

Sasha was inside helping a customer when they got there. She looked up and smiled. “Be right with you.”

While they waited for her to finish with her customer, they wandered around. Casius kept his eyes open for something Tanya would like to wear. The only way she’d believe their gift was sincere would be if it satisfied her excuse for why she didn’t want to go with them to the annual festival. Hell, he couldn’t blame her. They’d stormed into her place and acted like they wanted to explore every inch of her delicious body. There was no getting to know her as a person or anything. He and Hercules might know for sure she was destined for them, but she sure as hell didn’t have any idea who they were. For all he knew, once she found out they were shifters, she’d run to the newspaper and tell the world.

“How about this?” Hercules held up a wonderful, cornflower-blue hat that was the same soft shade as Tanya’s pretty eyes. It was rimmed in white fur that reminded him of her creamy skin. “I think she’ll like it.”

Sasha ambled over. “I don’t think that’s quite your style, Hercules.” Her grin was a welcome sight.

“I take it you saw how we reacted last night at your party when Tanya came by?”

She swallowed a grin. “You mean when your fangs extended and dripped blood and your hands sprouted hair?”

“Yeah.”

She laughed. “That I did.”

He told her what happened over at Tanya’s shop. “We just wanted to get to know her, and she shot us down.”

“You think that if you give her some presents, you can buy your way into her heart?”

Hercules leaned forward almost like he wanted to do battle. “No, but she said she didn’t want to be cold.”

Sasha pressed her lips together, as if she was about to tell them something about their mate, but then thought better of it. “Tell you what. I’ll help you pick out some things I think she’ll like. If she refuses them, you can bring them back for a refund.”

Hercules’s shoulders relaxed. “Thanks.”

His brother picked up a pair of nice, fur-lined, leather gloves. “Do you think our size intimidates her? A lot of women don’t want to go out with us because they think we might hurt them.”

Christ, but his brother could be such a dumb-ass sometimes. “What he’s trying to say is that we came on a little strong. You know, Tanya. Did she say anything about us when she was at the party?” Now he was the one who sounded like a damn teenager.

“She thought you were attractive but that you would never be interested in her.”

Casius grinned. “Then we’re just going to have to prove to her that we are.”

Hercules was feeling pretty good about his plan. By the time they left Sasha’s, the snowfall had stopped and the sky looked less gray. He got in the front seat, and Casius tossed the presents in the back. “Ready to see if she’ll change her mind?”

“No. We need to give her some time. What’s up with you?”

Casius was the more levelheaded of the two, but Hercules had never wanted anything more in his life. “Patience isn’t my strong point.”

“We’ve got a few days. Let her stew about it. I’m thinking she’ll soften with time.”

He blew out a breath. “You’re right. I wish Trace and Danny weren’t getting ready to head back to Texas for a few weeks. I could use a good battle.”

“They aren’t leaving until tomorrow. Maybe we can simulate a chase.”

For the first time in an hour, he smiled. “I’d like that.”

Ever since the half-breed tiger shifters had come into town, the fighting skills of his team had improved. Seeing firsthand how the tigers moved and getting to learn their thought patterns really helped the panther shifters gain insight into the minds of their real terrorists. What a find it had been to get the Sanders brothers on their team.

For the rest of the trip up the mountain, he let his mind wander to the wonders of Tanya. Her full breasts and sultry eyes had him hard from the moment he’d walked in the store. There was a vulnerability that he liked. From her scent he could tell she was a woman full of passion and desires. His cock itched to make love to her nice and slow.

Casius stretched his arm along the back of the seat. “What if she wants to whip us?”

Hercules laughed. “I’d like to see her try.”

“But what if she wants to? This is our mate we’re talking about.” They’d shared a lot of women, but none had tried to take control in the bedroom. They knew better.

Hercules cocked a brow. “I suppose if that’s what turns her on, we could let her.”

The tension in his shoulders seemed to lessen. “We could always stop her if she gets out of hand.”

Images of her with a whip actually got him hard.

“Oh, fuck.”

“What?” Hercules slowed.

“If the whip cut us, the wound would heal instantly.”

Hercules slapped the wheel. “Then she’d know our secret.”

They would tell her about them being shifters at some time, but the timing was critical. Hunter and Derek had said when they’d told Jennifer about being shifters, she screamed and ran. He couldn’t imagine losing their mate like that. Fortunately, Jennifer came to her senses.

“But if we healed real fast, we could say it was her imagination and that she only thought she saw the skin tear.”