Eventide of the Bear (The Wild Hunt Legacy #3) (42 page)

“As you wish, little bear.” Ryder grinned.

“Darlin’.” Ben kissed her cheek, so very gently, and straightened.

Ryder shifted her slightly and reached down between them. His fingers stroked her clit, sliding through her wetness, and the exquisite sensation sizzled right to her depths. Every other thought fled before the onrush of need.

She tried to move forward, to get more friction there. Or to lower herself onto his erection. Her pussy was hollow, craving to be filled. “More.”

Ryder had a hand on her left hip. Ben on her right. They didn’t let her move.

“Brace yourself, li’l bear.” The head of Ben’s shaft pressed against her. Her entire backside tried to jerk away without success within their unyielding restraint.

Ryder’s cock was just inside her vagina as he waited.

The pressure against her anus increased as the head of Ben’s shaft gained entry. As he moved in and out, advancing slowly, she started to shake.

He applied additional cool lubricant, and started again. He was, indeed, bigger than his two fingers. Everything back there was stretching. Burning. “Oh, please.”

It felt good. It hurt. No, it felt
good
. The sound of her ragged breathing echoed off the glass walls, and Ben stopped.

“Look at me, my little bear.” Ryder lifted her head with confident hands. His gaze searched her face, and he smiled. “Yep, still okay. Keep going, bro.”

The sound of Ben’s rumbled agreement broke over her before he gripped her securely. He slid all the way in, impaling her completely, and possessing her in a way that stole her will. Stole
everything
. Oh, Goddess, no mating had ever felt like this. A tremor shook her whole body.

As Ryder ran his finger around her clit, her fingernails dug into his shoulder, and his touch grew firmer. Pleasure seized her, tightening her around Ben’s cock. With just the tip of Ryder’s shaft at the entrance of her pussy, she felt empty. Yet the thought of him and Ben both being inside her was… Oh, that would be too much.

Ryder reached up to one of the handheld hoses and flicked it on.

Ben’s low chuckle echoed off the walls. “I might have known you’d find a toy. Let me tilt her back, so you can play, cat.”

“You’re on.”

Play
? What did he mean
play
? Water was beading on her body, heat engulfing her from inside and out.

Ben cupped her left breast and straightened her up, leaning slightly back. The movement drove him deeper, and she wiggled, gasping. He curved his other hand over her right hip and buttock in a strong grip.

Ryder set the hose on his stomach, directing the jetting stream of water away from his face—and directly onto her clit.

“Ahhh!” She jumped, but was immobilized by Ben’s implacable hands and the huge shaft penetrating her. “Stay still, darlin’.” His laugh resounded through the shower.

Couldn’t move.
Could only take what they wanted to do to her. As the molten feeling deep in her core grew, her bones melted…right along with her willpower.

Ryder played with the shower controls until soft jets of water struck her vulnerable clit in a merciless
sh-sh-sh-sh
.

Under the intense pleasure, her clit was tightening. The unstoppable sensation gained in intensity, growing and growing, like nothing she’d ever felt before.

And then the tension hit a peak, fast and fierce, and the climax slammed into her, through her. Her back arched as her insides spasmed against the thick penetration in her backside, rebounding with added waves of sensation. Her body shuddered—and the hands on her held her ruthlessly as she came and came and came.

When she opened her eyes, she stared into Ryder’s intent gaze and realized she was panting and whining.

“Easy now, darlin’.” Ben helped her lean forward.

With hands splayed, she braced herself on Ryder’s chest, feeling as if her world was crumbling around her. More than the climax, their concern for her shook her deep inside.
Don’t leave me. Please.

When Ryder caressed her cheek with a gentle hand, tears filled her eyes.

“Aw, now, don’t do that, little bear,” he said. “Ben…” The worried look in his eyes was wonderfully sweet.

She blinked quickly and managed to smile. Bless the master bard for teaching her how to control her voice. “I’m fine. Really.”

The worry in his gaze didn’t lighten, but he managed a slight smile. “You are so gorgeous when you come. Need a repeat of that.”

As her eyes widened, he looked over her shoulder at his brother.

“We’ll get right on that. You ready now, darlin’?” Ben gave her all of one second’s warning before he slowly pressed her down onto Ryder’s cock.

“Uhhhh. Oh, oh, oh.” Suddenly she was impossibly full. Her pussy spasmed around Ryder’s hard shaft; her back hole contracted around Ben’s. She squirmed helplessly as the unstoppable pressure grew, coalesced, and exploded, sending blasts of pulsating pleasure throughout her body. “Ooooh, Goddess…” Her fingernails dug furrows into Ryder’s chest.

Ben’s cheek was scratchy against hers. “Fuck, sweetheart, I…
Fuck.
” A low, sexy growl escaped him. “All right, darlin’, we’re going to take you hard now, so hang on.”

Hard? Worry trickled in, but she was too satisfied to tense up. Instead, she leaned her weight on her arms and curled her fingers over Ryder’s shoulders.

Carefully, Ben withdrew his cock from her almost completely. His hands on her hips tightened as he lifted her up and off Ryder’s shaft, and a second later, he thrust back in.

“Oh…” Sensations blasted through her. The disconcertingly wonderful fullness in her back hole conflicted with the emptiness of her pussy. The rush of hungry need seared her nerve endings and hazed her mind.

Ben slid out, paused, and slammed her down onto Ryder’s shaft, filling her pussy. Before she could moan, he’d lifted her off and plunged into her from behind.

Empty. Full. As the two cocks pistoned in and out, her fingers dug into Ryder’s shoulders at the exquisite dance of pleasure. The air filled with the sound of pleading whimpers…from her.

“Ah, perhaps a little more stimulation would be good.” Ryder adjusted something and then a pulsing stream of water struck her exposed clit every time Ben lifted her up.

A shaking started deep in her core as her whole lower half turned into one burgeoning sensation, and everything within her tightened. Tightened.

Without ceasing, without mercy, she was raised up off Ryder’s cock so Ben could thrust into her even as the stinging force of the water would zing across her clit. Then, as Ben withdrew, he’d lower her hips to impale her on Ryder’s shaft.

Over and over and over.

Too much.

Every muscle in her body tensed; her breathing stopped. Nothing existed except Ben’s big hands on her hips, the sliding out of Ryder’s long cock, the penetration of Ben’s thick shaft into the other hole…and then the jet of water striking her over-sensitized clit.

Pleasure flooded her in a massive current of sensation, shooting through the rapids, shaking her helplessly in its grip as her cries echoed off the walls.

Slowly, the spasms eased. She realized her males were waiting, unmoving. Letting her recover. Her eyelids were heavy, but she opened her eyes.

Ryder’s intense gaze was on her, satisfaction in his expression. “So fucking gorgeous,” he murmured.

“Aye, she is.” Ben lifted her again, starting the cycle, but this time, she could watch. Could see Ryder’s jaw tense. Feel his muscles tighten under her hands. And then he lifted his hips to drive himself deeper as he growled his release.

Ben’s hands tightened on her hips as he followed, holding her in place as he rumbled in pleasure.

The searing heat of their seed filled her and sent her over again with a helpless whimper. As her arms gave out, she went limp, dropping onto Ryder’s chest, gasping for air.

Ryder stroked her hair. “Shh, shh, shh.”

Ben leaned forward, his cheek against hers. “Easy, darlin’,” he growled under his breath. The two held her between them as she shook, their hands as gentle now as they’d been firm before.

Cared for. Cherished. Everything she’d longed for. By the Mother, she loved them.

Eventually, Ben withdrew, cleaned himself and her, and lifted her up and off of Ryder. He steadied her with an arm around her waist, which was good, since her legs were trembling like aspen leaves in a pitiless wind.

“Thank you, Emma.” Ryder stepped in front of her and kissed her deeply. And then he turned her to his littermate.

Ben’s kiss was firm. Demanding. Dominating. And then he took her chin and lifted her face. In the steam of the shower, she saw his eyes, blue as the sky, level and controlled and tender. “Seems like we should have said this at the start rather than now, but…we love you, darlin’.”

Her eyes stung with tears. The words—words she’d waited all her life to hear.

As if to emphasize the meaning, Ryder wrapped his arms around her from behind and rubbed his water-softened beard against her cheek. He whispered the words again. “We love you, little bear.”

As a sob escaped her, Ben cradled her face against his broad chest. “Shh. You’re not supposed to cry when you hear you’re loved.” He chuckled. “We love you, Emma.”

Oh, I love you. Love you, love you.
The words were there, on her lips, waiting. Not emerging. Trapped and caged in her own insecurities.

She had a feeling they already knew, though.

“Fuck, we’re going to miss her,” Ryder said under his breath to Ben.

Ben’s answer was almost a sigh. “Aye.”

How could she live without them? Then, with a startling blaze of understanding, she knew she could give them the actions of love, if not the words. “I’m coming with you.”

Wait.

Oh Goddess, what had she said? What if they laughed and—

Under her cheek, Ben’s muscles tensed. “You’ll come… You’d leave Cold Creek? Come with us?”

She could hear the surging desire in his voice, and her heart leaped in response.

“What? No.” Ryder shoved his brother without releasing her. “She has a life here. We can’t ask her—”

“You want me? Really?” Like wind-whipped leaves, her hopes spiraled up into the air.

“Yes, honey bear.” Ben’s answer came from deep in his chest, emerging in the lowest of bass notes. “Very, very much.”

Her eyes filled with tears at his unshakable certainty She pushed away from Ben far enough to turn and look at Ryder. “You want me? With you?”

“Emma.” The hope on his face was raw and absolute. “Fuck, yes.”

Abandon everything—her new friends, her work as a bard, this welcoming town—and go who knew where. The decision was huge. Momentous. And required no thought at all. They wanted her. Loved her.
Her.

“You’ll come with us? Be with us?” Ryder’s voice was as rough as tree bark. “Stay with us?”

“Yes. Yes, yes, yes.”

Ben snorted a laugh. “My bard, you got quite a way with words.”

“Words are overrated.” Heart overflowing, she wrapped her arms around them both so she could cover their faces with her kisses.
My grizzly, my cat. Mine, mine, mine.

‡

Cold Creek, North Cascades Territory – dark of the moon

W
ishing he could
change to grizzly and rip something apart with his teeth and claws, Ben stood with Amanda Golden in front of his house on Sunday morning.

The blonde realtor frowned. “I know how much work you’ve put into this place. Are you sure you want to sell it?”

Not fucking at all. Just the thought was a stab right through his heart. But it’d be a crime to leave the house to fall to ruin again. Houses had their own kind of souls, and the old Victorian had been happy when he’d started restoring it. He’d felt its pleasure when Minette trotted up and down the stairs, when Emma burst into laughter, when they sang together in the great room.

The old place had waited a decade to have a family again, and its disappointment at their move would be as heartrending as his own. “I’m afraid so, Amanda. Can you have some comparisons and a listing agreement prepared by tomorrow?”

She stared at him. “I… Well, that’s fast. Make that tomorrow afternoon and you’re on.”

Monday afternoon? Uneasy, he rubbed the back of his neck. It’d be better if he and his family left right this moment.

But he couldn’t. Looked like there’d be one
more
fucking delay. Their plan to leave today had already been revised after Owen had texted that he’d be gone tonight. Damn the cat for choosing to leave Cold Creek on a dark of the moon night. Without Owen, Alec would need Ben. A single cahir couldn’t survive a hellhound, and both teams were needed to cover the town.

The delay had pissed him off, but he, Ryder, and Emma revised their schedule to leave at sunrise on Monday. Now they’d have to wait until the afternoon.
Fine.
One minute after signing Amanda’s papers, they’d hit the road and be well out of the North Cascades Territory before Calum returned on Tuesday.

The knowledge he’d be able to take his family—all of his family—heartened him. He and Ryder would have the time they’d need to convince the little bear to accept them as lifemates. She was already willing to leave the life she’d just started to stay with them. So fucking brave and loyal… By the God, he loved her.