Black Storm [Panther Key] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

She screwed up her courage and peeked out again. He was just sitting there watching her with his eyebrows raised as though he was waiting to see what she would do next. Well, at least he was dressed, unlike the man from her blurry dream, so hopefully that meant he wasn’t about to pounce on her. She realized he was holding two cups, with one extended out toward her. She sat up, being careful to keep the comforter around her and tentatively reached out to take the cup from him. She brought it to her nose and sniffed. Yep, definitely coffee. She took a small sip and sighed as the warm liquid went down. Okay, it was very good coffee, not the cheap stuff sold in bulk at one of the warehouse stores.

The man was still looking at her. His sandy blond hair was long enough to pull into a short ponytail, but right now, it hung loose around his shoulders. He had golden-brown eyes like molten milk chocolate with flecks of honey. And even though he was fully clothed, Kate could tell there were some mighty fine muscles under his shirt. The exposed part of his tanned arms gave testimony to how good the rest of him must look. Kate tore her eyes away from the ungodly gorgeous body and glanced around.
Uh-oh.
This was definitely not her hotel room. This looked way too much like someone’s house.

“Where am I?”

“Good morning to you, too.” He flashed a way-too-sexy grin at her. “I was beginning to worry that you’d lost your voice, what with all the screaming you did last night.”

Screaming? What screaming? He wasn’t implying that she and he had…had…and that she had been screaming while they…they…was he?

“When was I screaming?” She braced herself, not really knowing if she wanted an answer. She wasn’t exactly a virgin, but she hoped she would at least remember having sex with someone.

“Don’t you remember anything from last night?” He was still grinning.

“Um…look, I don’t want to hurt your feelings or anything. I mean…you know… I’m sure it was great and mind-blowing and all that, but maybe I just had too much to drink.” She didn’t remember having anything to drink, but how else could she explain having sex with this incredibly hot guy and not remember anything?

She looked at him with as much apology as she could put into her features, but he burst out laughing. She gaped at him. Here she was trying to apologize for not remembering having sex with him, and he was laughing at her!

“Sorry,” he gasped as he tried to stop laughing. “You think that we…you and I…” He was having a hard time getting the words out.

“So we didn’t?” Kate knew she should have been relieved when he shook his head in answer, but she was actually feeling a little pissed. “Well, excuse me! Didn’t you think I was good-looking enough?”

The laughter stopped abruptly, and he leaned over her with such an intense, smoldering look in his eyes that Kate was surprised she didn’t burst into flames.

“Oh, you looked very good, especially after I took your wet clothes off so you wouldn’t get sick.” Kate gulped, and her pulse quickened as he continued staring at her. “But I don’t take advantage of unconscious females, regardless of how beautiful they are.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” Kate knew she should be yelling at him for taking her clothes off while she was unconscious, but his heated stare was making her think something else entirely. She was feeling tingly all over, and her pussy clenched with need. The man was only inches from her face, and his eyes were focused on her mouth. She licked her lips, unable to stop her gaze from dropping to his full lips.

He inhaled deeply, and his whole body shuddered. Just when she thought he was going to lean in and kiss her, someone knocked on the door. He jumped up and shook himself, as if he were coming out of a daze.

“Yeah, come on in.” His voice was deep and raspy as he backed away from the bed, but his gaze never left hers.

“Hey, breakfast is almost ready.” Kate’s eyes went wide as she took in the sight of the man poking his head in the door. He was an exact replica of the one who had been sitting next to her. She looked back and forth between the two of them.

“Who are you two?”

The newcomer looked at her and then to his look-alike. “What, didn’t he introduce himself?” He rolled his eyes as he walked into the room. “Way to go, bro.” He punched his look-alike in the arm as he passed him and then extended his hand to Kate. “I’m Jake Taylor. This idiot is my brother, Blake. And Drake is out back tying things down before the worst of the storm hits, but he’ll be back any minute.”

Kate offered her hand for a handshake as he made the introductions, but he took her hand in his and bent his head to place a soft kiss of the back of her fingers. It felt as though his lips had branded her skin, and she gasped. She pulled her hand back and tried to compose herself.

“Um…you two look exactly alike.” Except that Jake’s hair was cut very short, the brothers looked identical. Good grief, the two of them standing there together, both of them looking so incredibly delicious, was enough to send very naughty thoughts running through Kate’s head.

Jake grinned. “We’re triplets. Hey, we washed and dried your clothes for you.” He motioned to the foot of the bed, and Kate saw her clean clothes neatly folded.

Blake cleared his throat. “We’ll let you get cleaned up. You should find everything you need in the bathroom.”

Both men turned to leave the room. “Um…thank you. I’m Kate, by the way. Kate Darby.”

Blake smiled. Kate was pretty sure it was the kind of smile that would make toothpaste manufacturers clamor to sign him to a modeling contract.

“Nice to meet you, Kate. After you get dressed, we’ll fill you in on what really did happen last night.” One corner of Blake’s mouth turned up into that sexy little grin again, and Kate’s heart practically stopped beating.

Both men left her alone in the room. She looked around, really taking in the room for the first time. The bed she was in was huge, with large wooden posts at each corner. They were made of dark wood and were intricately carved with figures of big cats—panthers, Kate thought—and were polished to a high gloss. The comforter was a rich gold color and was one of the really thick kinds that Kate knew probably cost a small fortune. There were two big leather chairs in one corner of the room in front of a fireplace, which Kate thought was unusual since they were in Florida. She would bet they only lit a fire in it a few days out of the year. Her imagination conjured up an image of Blake sprawled across the rug. Kate scolded herself for letting her mind wander to such an impossible place. Blake was way out of her league. She continued looking around the room. The walls were painted a deep chocolate brown, but almost one entire wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling windows, which she knew would let in a lot of light when the drapes were open. A large painting of a panther hung over the fireplace. Something about it drew Kate’s gaze, and she got out of bed and walked over to it. It was the eyes. They looked exactly like Blake’s eyes. Kate shook her head and figured she must be imagining things. Either that or she needed more coffee.

She grabbed her clothes off the bed and walked to the bathroom door. She opened it and stepped inside and came to an abrupt halt.

“Wow!” Okay, now she knew she must have died and gone to heaven. Who the heck had a bathroom like this anyway? It was the biggest bathroom Kate had ever been in. The floors were a dark slate and had a gloss on them so they looked wet. There was a granite countertop that ran the length of the room on one side, with two sinks and dark wood cabinets. One corner held a massive tub. Kate moved closer to it and peered into it. It was more like a hot tub than a bathtub, with jets placed all around it. She guessed it would fit at least four people easily. She thought of the two brothers she had already met and imagined the third one who would look just like them. She’d bet all three of them could fit with enough room left for her.

“Oh, good grief, Kate! Get a hold of yourself!” She shook her head and forced her eyes away from the tub. Her thoughts were going to get her into some serious trouble if she didn’t snap out of it.

The shower took up the other corner and was just as extravagant as the rest of the bathroom. It was a walk-in shower and was built like its own little room. There was no door, but the space felt private and secluded. The shower was tiled in the same slate as the bathroom floor, except the floor of the shower was tiled in tiny pebbles, so it felt like she was walking on a river bed. There were numerous jets placed in strategic places around the walls, and a large rain shower fixture hung from the ceiling into the center of the space. Kate found the water handle and turned it, looking forward to experiencing this amazing shower.

She quickly took her bra and panties off, grateful that Blake had at least left those garments on her when he undressed her the night before. The thought of him looking at her made her feel flushed. She stepped into the shower and let the water rush over her. It felt divine! The jets pulsed water in all the right places, and water rained down on her from above in a gentle cascade. There were several types of soaps and shampoos on a little shelf built into the wall, and Kate opened a few and sniffed until she found scents she liked. She shampooed her hair with a deliciously fragrant shampoo that smelled like strawberries and mint and then lathered her body with a matching bodywash.

She briefly wondered why a man would have these fruity-smelling things in his shower but guessed that guys as good-looking as these were bound to bring home a woman every now and then. For some reason that thought instantly made her jealous, but she dismissed the unexpected emotion.

The warm, soothing water was helping to clear her mind, and her thoughts went to the events of the night before. She was starting to remember pieces of what had happened. She remembered her car running out of gas on a dead-end road. She remembered the rain and getting out of the car. Then when she’d tried to get back in the car, a bear had been blocking her way.
No, wait, that part wasn’t real. That was part of the dream. Wasn’t it?

“Does she know what she is?” Jake looked out the kitchen window and watched the outer bands of the storm roll in.

“I have no idea.” Blake leaned against the kitchen island and stared into his coffee cup. “She’s trapped here with us until the storm passes, though, so she’s going to realize something’s going on soon enough.”

“You know what this means.” Jake’s tone was ominous.

Blake shot his brother a hard look. “I’m perfectly aware of what this means.”

This whole situation had hit them out of the blue, but now that it was happening, Blake wasn’t inclined to back down. Finding someone like Kate was rare enough, but having her stumble directly into their path was damn near miraculous. Blake wasn’t the kind of person to throw a gift back at the fates. And even if he wanted to, he already knew he couldn’t.

“The others will come after her.” Jake was still staring out the window.

“I know.” Blake sighed and stared back into his coffee cup. He knew it wouldn’t take long for the other clans to detect Kate’s scent, especially once her mating fever set in. The bear he’d fought last night had been a loner, one he didn’t recognize. He doubted a lone shifter would try to take on all three of the brothers, but the other clans would no doubt try to stake a claim. Blake and his brothers would just have to persuade Kate to trust them completely before the others came to call. At least the storm would buy them some time. He looked up at the sound of the front door opening.

Drake stomped in and shook the rain off his big frame. “This one feels bad. I don’t like it.” Of the three brothers, Drake had always had the closest connection to the weather. He looked toward Blake’s bedroom door. “Is she awake?”

Blake nodded. “Yeah, she’s getting dressed. She doesn’t remember what happened last night.”

Drake looked at Blake then to Jake and nodded his understanding. “Going to be an interesting few days.”

Blake snorted. Drake always had a way with understatements. All heads jerked toward Blake’s bedroom door as it opened. Kate stood there holding her coffee cup, looking hesitant to come out. She was dressed in the clothes he had found her in the night before.

Blake couldn’t help himself as his gaze started at her feet, which were bare, and then roamed up her luscious legs to her denim shorts. They were molded to her hips and showed off the delicious curviness of her body. She was wearing a white sleeveless button-down shirt. She had left the top few buttons undone, so there was the slightest glimpse of cleavage, just enough to make Blake want to see more. Even though he had undressed her the night before, she had been unconscious, and he had been more interested in her well-being than he had been in gawking.

“Um…hi.” She offered a tentative smile and looked at each brother. “Thanks for the shower and everything. I guess I should get back to my car? I mean, if you guys have some extra gas I could buy from you?”

“You can’t go.” Blake’s voice came out gruffer than he intended, but being near this female was taking a toll on his self-restraint, especially with her freshly showered scent rolling off her in waves. Kate’s eyes widened at his tone.

Jake huffed. “What my tactless brother is trying to say is that the storm is moving in. It won’t be safe to leave until it’s over. Oh, and this is Drake.” Jake motioned over to their other brother, who was getting a cup of coffee.

Blake watched Drake as he turned to greet Kate. “Nice to meet you, Kate. Welcome to our home.” Blake could see his gaze assessing Kate appreciatively, much like he had just done.

“Oh, um, hi.” Blake watched as Kate hesitantly walked toward them into the kitchen. He quickly went to one of the barstools at the big island counter and held it out for her to sit. “Um, thanks.”