STORY EXCERPT

The roar of a pickup had Jane straightening to a standing position. Although the sun glared down on her making it hard to see, she could still make out the battered red pickup cruising down the street.

She squinted, her gaze falling on the handsome face of the man behind the wheel. Longish, blond hair ruffled in the wind. The man’s arm was hooked out the window in a carefree manner.

Her gaze slipped to the passenger. His hair was a light brown color and cut short, emphasizing the sharpness of his square jaw line.

Suddenly, a craving hit her, pulsing the center between her legs. She recognized lust, but this was so much more. More intense. More urgent. More…everything.

Warmth that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun swamped her. The heat radiated outward, then did a quick loop to come rushing back, spinning her emotions into high gear. She wanted to shout at them, and then cry if they didn’t respond.

She was turned on, harder and faster than she’d ever been turned on before.

“Holy hell.”

Somehow she wasn’t surprised when the truck slammed to a stop. Both men jumped out and strode over to her. She stayed still, fearful of making any wrong move, afraid to even breathe too deeply.

“Hey, sugar, how’s it going?” The blond man’s silver-blue gaze latched onto her.

She felt herself drawn to him with every fiber of her being. One step, and then two were taken before she came to a halt.

“You shouldn’t be working in the yard.” The one with the short hair had incredible dark blue eyes. The look he gave her simmered with passion.

She swallowed hard and tried to regain the ability to speak.

“I’m Garron Warrick.” The blond motioned toward his smoldering friend. “This is my friend Eric Hall. Who are you?”

Did they notice how hard she was trying to get a word out? She cleared her throat and opened her mouth. Yet when Garron got even closer—she could smell his scent—her mind went haywire again.

“What’s the matter, baby? Cat got your tongue?” Eric stepped behind her, catching her between them.

Was she that type of girl? The kind a hot guy would call baby?

“I’m helping my aunt.” Shit. Could I have said anything lamer if I’d tried?

“Your aunt, huh?” Garron’s gaze slid to the house and back. “So Ruth McClarin’s your aunt? Are you related to her or to her mates?”

Her mates? Was that how they referred to men who shared the same woman?

“She’s my mother’s sister. She left home when she was young and found her way to Twisted on her way to Los Angeles to get into the movies. Then she never left.” Why had she blathered on? Jane closed her eyes and fought to keep from asking them to kiss her.

Closing her eyes only intensified the sensations ripping into her. A whirlwind of gigantic proportions spun inside her, putting her off balance. A sizzle of something passed between them, sparking a yearning that had no end. She opened her eyes and dragged in a breath.

“What’s your name, baby?” Eric’s whisper against her ear sent chills racing down her spine.

“Jane.” She was so relieved to have told them, she almost sighed.

Garron tilted his head. He moved his jaw side to side and narrowed his mesmerizing eyes. “Jane. I like it. Do you have a last name, Jane?”

“Smith.”

Garron leaned back and studied her. “Are you serious? Your name is really Jane Smith?”

She’d gotten the same reaction all her life. If her parents had named her Sondra or Belinda or anything besides Jane, it wouldn’t have been so bad.

“Yes. My name is really Jane Smith.” She made her hands into fists. If she didn’t, she’d grab Garron by the hair and jerk his mouth to hers.

“You’re really pretty, Jane Smith.” Eric skimmed his palms along her arms, sending yet another shiver through her. “Too pretty to spend your time pulling weeds.”

She wanted to tell him thanks. Hell, she wanted to thank him in an entirely sinful way.

“Where are you from, Jane Smith?”

Eric liked teasing her about her name. Would he like a different kind of tease?

“Atlanta.”

Eric’s grin was a heartbreaker, the kind young girls swooned for. “I thought I heard an accent.”

“How long are you here for?” Garron hooked his thumbs in his jeans, looking for all the world like a sexy movie star.

“A couple of weeks.” They were interrogating her like her aunt and uncles had, but she didn’t mind it coming from them. The more they knew about her, the better she’d like it.

“Then I guess we’ll have to move fast,” added Eric to Garron.

Fast for what? To get her into their bed? She clamped her teeth together, keeping down the urge to say she’d jump into bed with them right then. Although she wasn’t the type of girl who bed hopped, she couldn’t deny she wanted them. Hell, she needed them. If she’d been given a choice of eating for the next week or having sex with them, she would’ve chosen the sex.

Eric leaned closer still, his nose in her hair. He drew in a long, slow breath.

Did he just sniff me?

And yet, she had the strangest desire to sniff him back. Their aroma was all around her. Not in the cloying way of aftershave, but with a clean scent filled with musk and an edge she couldn’t define. They had a rawness about them. An animal like awareness that made the nerve endings of her skin stand on end. Although they wore the typical standard of dress of T-shirts, worn jeans, and cowboy boots, they were so much more than just cowboys.

ADULT EXCERPT

They drew her to an empty table on the far side of the place. Yet instead of sitting down, Eric grabbed the darts from the board on the wall next to them and handed them to her.

“Let’s see how good you are.” He motioned for her to put the champagne bottle on the table.

“I’m not any good at all.” She put the bottle next to the glasses. “In fact, I might end up hurting someone.”

“Nah, you’ll be fine.” Eric slapped the older man at a nearby table on the shoulder. “Besides, it won’t be the first time these folks have gotten stabbed.”

The man turned around long enough to sneer at Eric. His amber-flecked eyes fell on Jane then slipped away.

“Can I ask you something?” The thought to wait until less people were around came and went, but she was too curious not to ask.

“Sure.” Eric took a few paces back, aimed, and threw the dart. It landed in the middle of the bull’s-eye. “What are you itching to know?”

“I don’t want to offend anyone, but I was just curious…”

“Being curious is a good thing.” Garron popped open the champagne and filled the glasses. “Folks around these parts are the most curious people you’ll ever meet.”

O-kay. “Anyway, every once in a while, I see these little bits of amber color in someone’s eyes. I mean, it’s weird, right? I saw them in my aunt’s and my uncles’ eyes.” She met Eric’s gaze straight on. “And both of yours, too. So what gives?”

Eric leaned against her, fueling the fire of lust already burning inside her. He whispered in her ear. “You’ve noticed, too, huh?”

Was it a secret? “Do you know how it happens?”

Garron took her arms from behind and held her back against his chest. “It’s because we’re not ordinary people, sugar.”

At first, she wasn’t sure what to think. Except that she loved the feel of his crotch against her lower back. “What do you mean?”

Eric’s eyes glistened, bringing out the amber spots. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Was she? “Yes. Tell me.”

His smile was sly. “It’s because we’re not human.”

She blinked, studied him for a moment, and then shoved him away, breaking Garron’s hold on her. “Okay. Fine. Make fun of me.”

Eric was lucky his chuckle was so damn sexy. “I’m sorry, baby, but it’s no big secret. It’s just a thing around Twisted. Probably has more to do with the water. You know. Too much arsenic or whatever in the wells.”

She gave him a “that’s bullshit” look. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

Garron turned her around to face him. “Don’t get mad, sugar. At least, not before I do this.”

Jane was up and in the air before she knew it. As soon as his mouth pressed hard against hers, she wrapped her legs around him and slammed her crotch against his. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting her. She moaned and clutched his hair, hanging on for all she was worth. Her breasts pressed against the hard expanse of his chest.

Pushing her tongue into his mouth, she picked up the flavors she’d longed to experience. His scent was in his mouth just as it permeated her entire body. She tugged at his lower lip, and then swiped her tongue along his upper lip. A low rumble came from deep inside him, flowing through his mouth into hers.

Hands fondled her ass as Eric came up behind her. The hardness of his erect cock fought against the denim of her tight jeans. “You’re going to be ours, baby.”

She couldn’t speak and didn’t think she had to. As it turned out, she was right.

Garron moved his lips lower, tilting her head to the side to give him a better angle at her neck. Teeth, sharper than she would’ve thought, skimmed along her skin and over the pulsing vein. She whimpered as need spread throughout her. If she didn’t get them inside her soon, she’d go insane.

Garron put his tongue between the V of the shirt and licked his way from one breast to the other. His hands fumbled at the buttons as Eric’s worked to get her jeans undone.

“We have to have you,” murmured Garron against her skin.

She was possessed as surely as if they’d cast a spell on her. And yet, a small part of her, the only part retaining any reason, screamed at her to remember where she was.

She cast that part of her away. I have to have them. Now.

Her mind was clear, devoid of anything except soaking in their scents and their touches. Although she had no understanding of why, she sensed the moment was monumental, a major turning point in her life.

Garron shifted position, moving Eric away from her. He bent over and she felt herself falling. If he took her to the floor, she wouldn’t have minded.

Her back struck the hard surface, knocking the air out of her. The sound of glass breaking startled her as he swept the bottle and glasses off the table, bringing her back to the here and now.

Garron had her lying on top of a table in Roar. A strange sound, a familiar sound, worked its way into her consciousness.

Purring.

Where’s the cat?

No, not just one.

There were many cats purring.