A Mate for the Alpha and His Brothers (6 page)

Not going to happen unfortunately.

* * * *

Favian was at first surprised at how easily Elsie had found a way to help Amory. Then he was surprised that he was surprised. He and Brayden had known for months that they absolutely had to make Amory hand over some tasks or he’d get ill, or burned out, or even crack under the strain. It had been months since Amory had been in bed before midnight, and he was still at his desk at seven every morning. That just wasn’t enough sleep to keep his mind at peak sharpness.

As well as that, he never relaxed. They hadn’t run together as panthers in ages, and they needed to do that. Amory, as Alpha, needed to set a date for them all to run. The roof garden was a hell of a lot better than nothing, but they needed to go right out into an uninhabited area and be a pack, sooner rather than later.

He sensed that Amory was about to leave them and get back to his work again, and he knew they needed to relax. He quietly left the table and went into Amory’s bedroom. On a bookshelf against one of the walls was a lot of odds and ends that had been removed from the living room once they weren’t used anymore. Among them Favian saw what he wanted. It was a combined chess and checkers set. He grabbed the box, grimacing at the dust on it, and hurried back to the kitchen.

“When was the last time you played chess, Elsie?” he asked.

Her face lit up when she saw the box. “About three months ago. I sold my chess set a year ago and left the club about three months ago. I didn’t know you had a chess set.”

“Dad taught us to play. He told us it was a game of military strategy, and every Alpha needed to be good at chess. Amory, why don’t you have a game against Elsie?”

Amory grinned. “It’s been a lot longer than three month since I played. Likely she’ll beat me in four moves.”

“If you’re really out of practice, I might beat you in two moves. I don’t have to keep my rating anymore.”

“Oh, there’s a challenge, Amory. Show her your style.” Brayden laughed.

Favian handed them a damp cloth to wipe the box clean, and Elsie set up the board quickly and efficiently. He and Brayden also played chess, but neither of them was as good as Amory. However, he suspected Elsie really would be better than all of them. Maybe they could play as a team against her and win.

“You can be white,” Elsie said.

“So you really do think you’ll win.” Amory grinned, and suddenly he looked like their brother again, not the overburdened Alpha of the pack.

“I didn’t say you could have my queen’s knight, though.”

“Ah, so you think you can win, but you’re hedging your bets,” said Brayden.

Soon they were all laughing until the game began. Amory might have been a little rusty, but he played well. Only once did Favian think he should have made a different move. Elsie played smoothly and steadily. It was clear she’d already predicted each of Amory’s moves, as she always had her next move ready.

As the match progressed, Favian understood her strength. She played a defensive game with just a touch of attack. Instead of running Amory all over the board, she protected her pieces and just gently nudged Amory into danger. It was only twenty minutes into the game that she showed how very skilled she really was by coming from nowhere and defeating him in two more moves.

Amory stared at her. “Dammit. How did you do that?”

Elsie laughed. She was beautiful. Her big blue eyes sparkled with delight, and her face was shining brightly with happiness. “I’m sorry, but you left yourself wide open to me. I couldn’t resist.”

Favian’s dick hardened, and his balls were painfully tight. He wanted her with every breath in his body. Nothing was sexier than a beautiful, happy, smart woman. And nothing was more impossible than him having her. For a start, she was staying in their apartment. She was their guest and deserving of consideration, not attack. Second, even if she did welcome their advances, it was Amory who should have her. Amory clearly wanted her, and she’d smiled at him.

But damn. I want her, too.

He looked at Brayden and saw the same expression on Brayden’s face that he was sure was on his own.

Amory was still staring at Elsie, hunger written plainly across his visage.

Elsie whispered, “You can kiss me if you want to. I’d like that.”

“You would?”

Amory stood up and pulled Elsie into his arms. She was such a tiny thing. Slender, even fragile-looking, yet with a strong mind and spirit.

Favian knew it was incredibly rude to watch his brother kiss his woman, but he couldn’t drag his gaze away as Amory pulled Elsie tightly into his arms and kissed her. Favian wished it were him but silently urged his brother to take her into his bedroom and love her properly.

It was clear they wanted each other. Amory needed to show leadership and claim the woman as his mate.

When they finally broke apart, Amory said softly, “I shouldn’t have done that, I know, but I want you very much. You know I’m Alpha here. I can’t claim a mate when so many of my men still don’t have any hope of finding a woman.”

“How does your going without help them?” asked Elsie.

Damn, that’s a fucking good question.

“I need to set an example. I can’t expect them to be celibate when I’m tucked up in bed with a woman of my own.”

“But you aren’t. There’s no expectation of celibacy on anyone. All the men who want a mate are supposed to get out there and find their own. They can’t all expect the woman to drop into their arms magically just because it happened to you,” said Brayden.

Favian nodded. “He’s right. Where did you get some crazy idea about celibacy from? I can clearly remember any number of times when you most definitely weren’t celibate.”

The three of them had even shared a woman a few times at the BDSM club in town. Apparently some women’s bucket list included the desire for ménage sex. The three of them had given a woman her wish on several occasions, and it’d been incredibly fulfilling, even though back then they’d all expected to find a woman of their own eventually. Now they were a lot more realistic. With so few female shape-shifters being born, even finding a woman to share was looking a lot less likely.

Favian would be more than happy to share Elsie. He wanted her with a fierce pain that he’d never felt for any woman ever before. But she was Amory’s, and he didn’t steal. Even if he desperately wanted to.

Elsie looked down at the floor and then straightened her shoulders and tilted her chin up at Amory. Favian had seen her do that before. It meant she was taking courage. Why would she need to do it now though? Was she going to reprimand Amory for kissing her? She hadn’t seemed to mind it. In fact, just the opposite. He was certain she’d enjoyed it very much indeed.

“I’ve been here for two weeks now. Maia and I are good friends.”

Now Favian was really confused. What the fuck did Maia have to do with anything? Maia was mated to triplets Chase, Theron, and Draven Reilly and was expected their baby. She had nothing to do with Amory, or Brayden, or him.

Amory was frowning now, his forehead furrowed with worry lines.

“And?” asked Brayden, clearly not understanding what she’d said any more than he had.

“She’s mated to three men, and so are both her sisters. I’ve had two weeks to think about the concept.”

Amory gripped Elsie’s shoulders and stared into her face, which was now tipped back so she could see him properly. “You’re propositioning me?” he asked.

Favian laughed. “Hell no, brother. She’s propositioning all three of us, and I like that. I like it very much indeed.”

Elsie was embarrassed at speaking her thoughts out loud, but she’d have had to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to know that Amory wanted her in the most carnal way imaginable. And Brayden and Favian had made it clear they wanted her as well for at least the past week.

At first she’d been concerned she wouldn’t be able to stay with them any longer if she slept with one or the other of them, but her friendship with Maia had made it perfectly clear that panthers did sex differently from many humans. Maia had told her how she was legally married to one brother, Chase, but mated by panther law to all three of them. The idea was that she was protected under the American legal system if anything went wrong in her life but that all three men shared her equally as panthers.

At first it’d taken Elsie a lot of thought to get used to the idea, but Maia was blissfully happy, as were both her sisters, also mated to triplets. Elsie had wondered if panthers had a habit of producing triplets, but Maia didn’t seem concerned.

“They can all take turns changing diapers and walking the floor with the babies if it turns out to be a multiple birth. I’ll find out with the ultrasound in a few weeks, so there’s plenty of time to adjust to the idea,” she said.

Elsie had just blinked, but it was Maia’s problem, and Maia was happy, so she wasn’t going to worry.

The more Elsie thought about it, the more the idea of more than one man appealed to her, especially in her own situation. Amory, Favian, and Brayden all liked her and wanted her, but none of them was prepared to do or say anything. It was only when Amory had spoken just then that Elsie had understood why. She’d been inclined to think they weren’t interested in carrying through their thoughts because she’d be gone looking for another job soon.

Elsie really liked what she was doing now and wanted to stay. Of course, she was only a guest. It wasn’t her place to ask to stay. And very soon she needed to settle JJ up north. Even one little taste of these three men was starting to look incredibly appealing though. She wasn’t sure how it would work, but she was damn sure she’d enjoy it. They were all wonderful people. Amory was so serious and so invested in the needs of the pack. Favian was much lighter hearted, a bit of a joker and always fun to be around. And Brayden was kind and thoughtful. Each of them always put other people ahead of himself, and what woman wouldn’t love a man who did that?

“Are you sure this is what you want? All three of us?” asked Amory, holding her head again.

His hands were so gentle cupping the back of her scalp, and his gray eyes were pools of lust. A lust she was sure was reflected in her own gaze.

“I’m sure.” She knew she was ready for them to make love to her. She wasn’t so sure about what might happen later, especially if the romance didn’t work out, or if, for them, it was once and done. But she was most definitely willing to take the risk. What sane woman would turn down the chance to go to bed with three incredibly handsome men? Not her, that was for sure.

Besides, if staying with them afterward became uncomfortable, she’d revert to her original plan. Go away, make a home for JJ, and live with him.

Elsie smiled at Amory and tugged on his shirt, so he lowered his head, and this time she kissed him. It was a long, drugging kiss. She wanted to sample every inch of his mouth. To taste and learn his flavor and to play with his tongue.

Of course, being the Alpha he was, he took over quite quickly, fucking her mouth with his tongue and making her nipples tighten and her cunt drip cream as she imagined his cock inside her cunt.

He picked her up and cradled her body close to his chest, shouldering her bedroom door open and marching to her bed. For a moment she was surprised that he hadn’t taken her into his bedroom, and then she understood. He was being fair. She was to be shared with him and his brothers. Therefore, he wasn’t claiming her in his bed. They would all claim her in her bed. Once more, she was struck by what an honorable man he was.

All three men surrounded her as Amory laid her flat on her back in the middle of the bed. “This is your last chance to tell us to leave. Otherwise, all three of us will make love to you,” said Amory.

His voice was hoarse and heavy with the restraint he’d imposed on himself.

Elsie smiled, sat up, and smoothed her hand over each man’s arm in turn. “But I don’t want to send you away. I’m very happy to have all three of you here with me now.”

Amory growled and kissed her again. His lips massaged hers, drawing passion from her in a teasing, erotic way that had her reaching for his shoulders and digging her fingers into them, holding him close, kissing him back with everything inside her.

As they broke apart, she knew what she wanted. “Undress for me. All of you.”

“Wait up. We should be undressing you,” said Favian.

“That won’t take long. Show me.” She hugged her knees to her chest and waited as they all stared at her. Favian was first, shedding his clothes in a nanosecond, with his boots crashing to the floor and his shirt flying in one direction while his jeans went in another.

Brayden wasn’t much slower to act, although his clothes dropped at his feet, letting him step out of them.

As she’d half expected, Amory was the neat freak, taking off each item and placing it on a chair. She knew he was forcing himself not to rush by the way he dropped his shirt and then picked it back up and folded it, only to do the same thing with his jeans.

She hid her smile. He was just as eager as his brothers but determined to move slowly. Well, hopefully by the time it came to the fucking, he’d have relaxed enough to move a little faster.

“Now you,” said Brayden, his hands on her boots.

Elsie was embarrassed. Her boots were resting on the comforter. She was usually much more careful than that, only ever sitting on the edge of the bed until she’d taken her footwear off. But the men didn’t even appear to notice. Brayden had her boots and socks off in no time, and Favian unzipped her jeans, gently pushing her to lie down. As soon as they were past her hips, Amory tugged at her T-shirt, and by then, Brayden had raced around the bed and was removing her bra, leaving Favian to slide her panties down her legs.

Elsie had a single moment to remember back to when she’d had pretty, delicate, feminine underwear. Now everything was plain cotton and as cheap as she could buy it. However, likely it didn’t matter. Naked was naked after all, and naked was what they all wanted right now.

She liked naked on them, too. Amory was the only one with gray eyes. Brayden’s and Favian’s were brown. Amory was bigger than the other two as well, but not by a lot, maybe a fraction taller and a fraction heavier and more muscular in his arms, thighs, and the breadth of his shoulders. But they were all big, beautiful men and so much broader and taller than her. She’d always been a rather thin, bony kid, but that was a good thing for a girl. It was more of a nuisance for JJ. Because he wasn’t tall and broad, he had to pretend to be tougher than the other kids. But he was still growing. Likely his body would continue to fill out and he’d grow taller yet.