STORY EXCERPT

Ethan inhaled. A little fear joined the pain tempering her luscious scent. What had happened at the house that she thought the women might be behind an incident that broke her leg?

“Okay, Penny, what happened to make you leave?” Maggie prodded.

“The events of the day I broke my leg were the last straw. I couldn’t stay there anymore. I called the number Chloe gave me. James Dixon, the realtor, had a house I could move in that day as long as I had the deposit and first and last. I have a couple of friends who contacted some other people and they helped me move.” Penny waved her hand.

“Details. Not generalizations.” Ethan narrowed his eyes. She had her reasons and she’d tell them every one of them.

She tensed and her hand clenched.

“Don’t go all mutinous silent, Penny.” Maggie’s voice came from the phone. “I need to know what happened. You wouldn’t have left simply because they were jerks.”

“I deal with jerks daily.” Penny’s gaze narrowed on Ethan. “If they’d only been rude, I’d still be ignoring them.”

“What did they do?” Maggie asked.

“It started off with the irritating stuff. Parties to all hours of the night every day of the week. People over who were constantly making comments. You know the kind, Mags. Playing with your food. I hadn’t heard that from any of the whyr in Casworth. Not even the foxes.” Penny sighed.

How long had she dealt with that crap? He winced. Even worse, it had come from some of his cougars. A friend of his other sister, Candice, had taken over half the rent when Maggie left for her job in Deville. If that was the start, what had they done later?

“What else happened?” Griffin stepped forward.

“My stuff started disappearing. The food I didn’t mind so much. That’s kind of to be expected once in a while, but then there was the money and my iPad. Money disappeared several times. When my iPad disappeared, I bought a safe and put it in my trunk. After I got that, I never took my purse inside the house again and if I took my work computer inside, I took it back out after I finished my work.” She shook her head. “It got to the point that I only took my phone in because I needed it if I was called in to the clinic.”

If he couldn’t smell her sincerity and the fear, he might have doubted the story. But the truth was plain. Some of his cats had tormented his mate.

“What else happened?” Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets.

She shot him a narrow-eyed glance. “Subtle and not so subtle threats against me and my pet cat. My glasswork was broken and some of my tools taken. What sealed it was what happened that day. After I fell, I dragged myself back to the door. The cat carrier didn’t hit as hard as I did or pop open. My phone broke in the fall. The screen cracked and it wouldn’t come on. I couldn’t use that, but there was a phone in the house. I put my key in the lock and managed to unlock it, but it wouldn’t open.”

“Was she in there?” Griffin braced a hand on his hip.

“She and her friends. They didn’t open the door. They sounded like they were right there. Talking about how wounded prey was easy prey. Even if they were just being asses, I couldn’t stay there. One of the neighbors came, helped me to her house, and called the police and ambulance. She kept Minnie while I was treated.” Her shoulders slumped.

“So you moved out. Now, don’t think I’ve forgotten about the references to other danger. Has there been more than notes, emails, and gifts?” Maggie asked.

“One of my car windows was broken by a rock that had one of those notes taped to it, but so far that’s it. There have been a few possibly strange things at my new house, but I’ve fixed the windows. No one can get in without breaking one of them and the doors are locked. So that’s probably a little paranoia.” She waved her hand, but quickly grabbed her crutch.

“Tell me about the strange things.” John straightened. Tension corded his body.

“Mostly things moving from where I last remembered them. Like my brush, I don’t walk around with it. Can’t really right now. I brush my hair in the bathroom. I came home and it was in the kitchen. On top of that, I went to the gas station yesterday after I got home, because I’d forgotten to fill up and didn’t want to chance running out of gas. When I came back, Minnie was freaked and staring toward a closet.” Penny straightened away from the car.

“How about I check your home? It might be nothing, but I’d like to make sure,” John offered.

“All right, it would make me feel safer if I knew for sure that no one had been there.” She nodded. “Since I’m finished shopping, I need to go pick up Minnie from the clinic.”

She swung the black and purple purse forward and dug in the big thing. Ethan took a deep breath. It would be so much easier if she’d let someone else dig it out.

ADULT EXCERPT

“I want to watch as Dawson and Griffin take you together, but before that can happen we need to prepare you.” Ethan strode over to the nightstand and pulled out a bottle of lube.

“And do you plan to watch tonight?” She smiled. Heat burned in his eyes.

“No, I’ll play with you while they prepare you and then I’ll make love with you. Afterwards, I’ll help them make you hot and watch as you come apart in their arms.” Ethan tossed the lube to Griffin.

“That sounds wonderful.” She grinned. As if she’d ever say no to some sexy play. “How did you want to start?”

“I’ll lie on the bed and I want you to straddle my face.” Ethan sprawled on the bed.

Fuck, now that was an image. She walked around the bed so that she didn’t have to crawl over him. Not that she would have minded brushing her body against his. His mouth on her pussy needed a more direct approach.

“How would you like me?” She smiled, pausing to unstrap the boot.

“Knees on either side of my head and your hands on the blankets.” He raised his hands.

She took his hands as she climbed up onto the bed. As soon as she was sure of her position straddling him, she released him. She lowered until her hands touched the soft blanket. He gripped her hips. Hot breath feathered over her pussy. A tingle rippled up her spine.

His tongue flicked across the lips. Her inner muscles clenched. She caught her breath. His tongue lashed over her clit. She rolled her hips up. That felt so good. If he didn’t slow down, she’d come even before his brothers prepared her.

A hand ran down her back and over the curve of her buttocks. She shivered. Who is that? She glanced back. Griffin smiled as he trailed his fingers over her butt.

“I didn’t want to surprise you and cause you to clench. I’ll start.” Griffin held up the lube.

She nodded and faced forward. Her hands clenched on the blanket. Will this hurt?

Ethan’s tongue lapped over her clit. A slash of pleasure ricocheted through her. She rocked downward onto his stroking tongue. It had never felt this good. More of that and she’d go straight over.

Cool lube drizzled between the crack of her ass. She tensed. Damn, they should warn a girl. Freaking cats playing with her like prey.

“Easy. It will be all right.” Dawson sat on the bed. He ran his hand over her thigh. “He’s going to rub that over the ring and slowly press inside.”

She took a deep breath. They wouldn’t hurt her. Ethan’s tongue slid over her clit. She trembled. The building pressure rose.

Fingers brushed softly against the tight pucker. She tensed. Ethan’s tongue curled over her clit. She leaned forward. So strange.

“It’s all right. This won’t hurt.” Dawson ran his hand up and down her back. “Just say the word.”

She nodded. Griffin pressed his finger against her back entrance. A slight pressure bloomed. She gripped the blanket.

“Stay relaxed. Ethan, a little more to take her mind off it, but don’t take her over.” Griffin’s hand smoothed over her butt.

Stay relaxed. Easy for him to say. She drew in a slow breath. Ethan’s tongue tapped at her clit. She tensed. Her breath caught in her throat.

His tongue teased and twisted over the bud. Fingers probed at the puckered flesh. Flaring sensations swirled inside her. She rocked down into the firm pressure of his tongue.

A single finger pushed into her. The muscles stretched and a fullness built. She tensed.

“Easy. It’s not bad, is it?” Griffin eased his finger back and forth.

“No.” Just different. She pushed back.

“Good. We’ll make sure you enjoy it. Relax and savor the attention.” His finger sawed back and forth.

Ethan’s mouth dropped away from her hot flesh. She groaned. He couldn’t stop now.

“You two better step it up. I don’t know how long I’ll last. Her heat is driving me crazy. I want to feel her underneath me as I drive into her.” Ethan kissed her inner thigh.

Vibrations rolled over her pussy. She bit her lip to hold back a moan. He swirled his tongue across her thigh.

“We need to go slow, but I’ll try to move a little faster. The scent of her cream is driving me crazy and I have to wait.” Griffin’s finger withdrew.

Slick liquid trickled over the ring. She tensed again.

“Easy, baby, he’s putting more lube on. He doesn’t want even a twinge of pain.” Dawson trailed his fingers over her back and ribs. “Do you like Ethan’s tongue lapping at your juices? I bet they taste so damn sweet.”

“Yes, I love it.” She shivered. He set her on fire. And even the strange fullness in her ass was erotic and welcome.

Ethan’s mouth pressed to her. He hummed. She trembled. His tongue trailed down to her entrance and stabbed inside. She moaned. Tremors rolled over her.