STORY EXCERPT

Becc heard the car stop over by the house and a car door’s slam. She was pretty sure that at least one of the voices was a woman’s, and, curious, she went to the door and peered out.

The car was a compact SUV, probably a good choice given the condition of the road. The two new arrivals were rugged up in what looked like brand new bad-weather walking outfits. The man was in khaki colors, a bear with a shock of white hair and a huge camera hung over his arm. Tilman walked over to them. The woman, in fawn, Becc recognized. It was the tall blonde woman from town. The woman, rather than looking at Tilman, turned in Becc’s direction and her eyes focused on her. Becc felt her hand stroking the devil stone in her pocket before she even knew what she was doing. Shaken, Becc withdrew inside, wondering who they were.

Tilman returned to the Center about ten minutes later. She hadn’t heard the car depart, so she was not surprised to see the visitors in tow.

“Come and join us for coffee.” It was a statement rather than an invitation. Becc followed Tilman, aware that he was on edge, and watched curiously as he again locked the door behind him.

“Why do you lock it?” Becc asked.

Tilman looked at her. “It must always be locked, no exceptions,” he said. “There are people who…would like me to fail.”

The groups who were opposed to him having an infected animal this side of the highway?

She wondered if she should ask who the visitors were but figured she’d find out soon enough.

Lena, the cool blonde with the green eyes, was introduced as a reporter from Brisbane, Queensland, and Zac as her cameraman. His eyes, like hers, were green, and both their skins were so white as to seem translucent.

“They want to do an article on the work I’m doing here with the devils,” said Tilman. He seemed distracted, and after a few minutes Becc decided she was being used as a delaying tactic. Tilman was looking out for his sons. For them to appear or in hope they wouldn’t? And why?

“I only arrived yesterday,” said Becc. “But you’ve come from even further than me. Why the interest from Brisbane?”

“We work for Nature’s World,”said Lena with a smile that showed her white teeth to full effect but without any warmth. “We cover an array of animal stories. The devil’s plight is a uniquely Australian one.”

“Quite,” agreed Becc. “But you’ve come a long way from where most of the ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ action is happening. Have you been to the Conservation Park?”

“Yes, of course,” said Lena. “I interviewed Professor Van der Veill early in the week.”

Becc intuited rather than saw a slight movement from Tilman. She wondered if one his sons was in the vicinity, but if so, he didn’t materialize.

“He suggested I also speak to Professor Tremain,” Lena continued. “We’d love to get a photo, perhaps of you both?”

“No.” Tilman’s tone was decisive enough to leave no room for doubt. “I don’t do photos, and the animals are asleep so we can’t disturb them.”

Lena shrugged. “Perhaps then you can tell us a bit about your progress then?”

She was really very attractive, thought Becc, but why did it feel so faked? Certainly the woman was wearing a lot of makeup and her long fingernails were painted bright red. Becc looked self-consciously to her own, which hadn’t seen more than a cursory file in months. Lena on the other hand looked pristine, right down to the walking boots that had surely never seen more dirt than the walk from the car to the house.

“My father doesn’t talk about his work.”

Becc recognized Jarrod’s voice immediately. She again felt a flicker of movement from Tilman, and this time she was sure it was relief.

Lena looked toward the door where Jarrod was standing, Jesse at his side. The tension that filled the air was so strong that Becc found herself holding her breath. The devil stone she had transferred to her jeans pocket seemed to will itself into her hand.

“What a pity,” said Lena, her voice now not just cold but with a dangerous edge. Becc almost thought she saw a snarl. The bear-sized man seemed to have grown in stature beside her. “I suppose you two don’t want to be in a photo either? You’d make a…striking…image to bring attention to…the devil.”

Becc saw Jarrod put his hand on Jesse’s arm. It seemed to restrain him. Something was going on beneath the surface here that Becc could sense but not understand. Bad blood went through her mind, and as it did Lena turned her green eyes toward her, the corner of her mouth turning upward. With a start, Becc wondered if the woman could actually read her mind.

“And with your…girlfriend would be even better,” said Lena.

This time Jesse did move forward, and as Jarrod held onto him tighter, it was Tilman that stood and intervened.

“I’m sorry you’ve come so far for no purpose,” he said. “I’ll show you out to the car seeing as we can’t help you.”

“Of course,” said Lena. But on her way out she turned and stepped toward Becc. “If you change your mind,” she said in a low voice, pushing a card into Becc’s hand as she spoke. The touch, though brief, sent a physical chill directly into her bloodstream.

Becc stifled a gasp as the cold coursed through her veins. She stared after the woman and watched as Tilman ushered her and her cameraman out. When she turned to look for Jarrod and Jesse, they had gone.

ADULT EXCERPT

She must have fallen asleep, because she didn’t hear a knock, but suddenly she was aware that she wasn’t alone. Though she started at the realization, she was almost immediately lulled back into a sense of deep relaxation and contentment.

“Jarrod,” she whispered. He stood before her, naked to the chest, shadows from the fire flickering across his flesh, making him look dark and exotic. She couldn’t see his eyes, but knew they were on her as she stood.

“My love,” he said. He folded his arms around her from behind, with her between him and the fire, massaging her breasts through the cotton of her top.

“I would like to have you here, on the rug,” he whispered into her ear, his words hot and sensual, the mellifluous tones mesmerizing her as much as the flames in the fireplace were.

“Yes,” she replied without hesitation. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her, where her normal common sense and caution had disappeared, but something that felt so good couldn’t possibly be anything to worry about.

“But I want you to enjoy not just me,” said Jarrod gently. “Will you trust me?”

Becc felt a wave of anticipation, but though it was tinged with fear, it was the nervousness of excitement rather than terror. She knew not why, but yes, she did trust him, this man she had known for little more than twenty-four hours. Not enjoy just me? It had to mean what she thought it meant, had to mean what her body craved for, something that up until two days ago had never occurred to her, and now had her juices running with anticipation.

“Yes,” she said simply. No more than a few seconds passed, and again without hearing the door or his approach, she looked to see Jesse there in the room with them, naked also to the waist, his torso hairless, broad and muscular and gleaming with sweat in the firelight.

No words were spoken. Becc leant back into Jarrod, who was needed to keep her upright. Her eyes locked Jesse’s, who held onto the edge of the mantelpiece, seeming as much in need of support as she was. Jarrod’s hands came down, caressing her neck and then gently undoing the buttons of her blouse. She saw Jesse tense, eyes now watching as his brother exposed the milky flesh above her breasts and the mauve lace bra that allowed her now-hardened nipples to be seen.

Becc was barely aware of Jarrod lowering the blouse off her shoulders, and then undoing the bra and slipping the straps down to release her breasts. But she was completely aware of Jesse’s reaction, the moan that escaped his lips and the bulge in his trousers that seemed certain to burst the zip.

“Taste her,” said Jarrod softly, inviting his brother. For a moment it seemed Jesse was paralyzed but then he took the step forward, sinking his head between her breasts, a hand on each one to take each nipple in turn to his mouth.

The sensation was exquisite. Behind her the softness of Jarrod’s lips and tongue on her neck and ear contrasted to the more insistent mouth of Jesse, pulling her nipple and chewing, a feeling that bordered on pain, had not it been for the compensating waves of electricity that it sent through her.

Becc could feel the heat of both men, the desire clear in Jarrod in the hardness of his cock as it rubbed against her butt. Jesse now moved his hands to her hips and knelt down in front of her, his mouth going to her belly button, licking her before his teeth gripped the button of her jeans and pulled them open. More impatient than Jarrod, he pulled her jeans down, but Jarrod’s hands came onto her hips from behind, clamping over the side strings of her thong and keeping it in place. Jesse ran his hands down, touching her bare legs as he dragged the jeans with them, but in front of his eyes was the triangle of flimsy lace material between him and her sex.

Jesse groaned. Jarrod had a hand on each breast, kissing her and pulling her tight to him, as Jesse leant forward and ran his tongue from her umbilicus downward to the edge of her thong as his hands were edging upward to the top of her thighs.

Becc had never experienced such bliss. The ability to give herself to these two men and whatever they had planned was opening doors into pleasure zones she hadn’t known existed. Jarrod seemed to be completely in tune with her, as if he had a direct connection to her soul and was able to read her every need almost before she herself was aware of it. Through the subtlest of signals he seemed to be able to accelerate and pull back Jesse’s pace. Just as she thought she couldn’t bear the suspense of him delaying touching her more intimately, Jarrod, pulling her to him, dropped to his knees, lowering her with him, then slid her onto the thick rug stretched before the fire.

Jarrod let her rest back as he stood again. He and Jesse stood over her and both lowered their jeans and briefs. Becc took them both in, awed that men could be so beautiful. And not just one, but two, both fixated and adoring of her. In the firelight their bodies looked smooth and muscular, Jesse stronger and tauter with a wide cock that left her wondering about him entering her, Jarrod fit and lean, cock long and hard as he watched her.