Jungle Freakn' Bride (15 page)

The wet gob of silk hit the ground in the spot he’d just vacated.
He weaved erratically, left
,
right, his zigzag taking them closer to the portal into the place.
He crossed the threshold, leaving behind the mother who couldn’t fit, but
unfortunately
,
the same could not be said for
her babies.
Down the hall
Acat
streaked
with Chaob
, chased by the eight
-
legged minions who also took to the ceiling and tried to get ahead. A regular human would have gotten caught. Thank the gods, he was so much more than that.

As it was
,
they barely made it to the mark that bound the creatures to that space, a magical line that some shaman, long ago, put in place lest the monsters comprised of old magic roam the jungle, devastating it and the communities within.
He and his brothers didn’t understand how it worked, but he sent up a silent thanks to
whoever
bound the foul creatures to this place.
As they crowded the magical portal, he could hear the distant scream of an ancient power who knew it lost.
But would watch eagerly for his return.

Acat
didn’t slow his pace until they reached the safe part of the ruins
.
E
ven then, he kept Carlie safely ensconced in his arms.
Given her penchant for trouble, no way was he allowing her out of his sight
.

“She is uninjured?” Chaob asked
in Mayan
,
having returned to his two
-
legged form.

“I don’t smell poison or injury upon her,” he replied. “Just fear. It seems our mate isn’t completely and utterly fearless after all.”

Then again, he didn’t know too many warriors who could face down something like a giant
-
sized arachnid and not feel some twinge of trepidation.
Reaching their chamber, a room he and Chaob long ago claimed as their own for when their roaming took them too far and they needed a private place to rest, he strode into the bathing chamber and directly into the water, holding her against him even as he scrubbed the evidence of her ordeal from her skin.

She finally lifted her face from his shoulder, her cheeks still tear
-
streaked. His heart tightened at her whispered, “Thank you.”

He should have replied, but
with
his throat oddly tight, he couldn’t.
Surely he wasn’t succumbing to something so emas
c
ulating as fear or tears? Of course not. He didn’t speak and reveal his secret because he didn’t want to ruin the moment.

Cleansed again, he handed
Carlie
to Chaob
,
who’d appeared with a
drying
cloth. Wrapping her in it, they re-entered the sleeping chamber.

But now what?

Acat knew what he wanted to do. Drop the charade
and m
ake love to his bride. Tell her the t
ruth
and finally start his new life with his mate. Oh
,
and take her body a few dozen times to cure himself of the hunger and heat he’d suffered since meeting her.

However,
he hesitated, as did Chaob. Unlike a battle where he could charge in and kill something, or a regular village girl who would accept his caresses
without words or questions
, when it came to Carlie, he didn’t know how to act
or w
hat to do.

Her American upbringing made her react in the oddest ways. Just look at her reaction after they pleasured her. He’d thought for sure she’d
end up
soft clay
in their hands. He looked forward to it even. Instead, like a queen who’d received her due and expected nothing more, she marched off, head held high.

It stuck in his craw that he feared her rejection. That he might touch her again, burn for her
,
and have her turn away because he didn’t have it in
himself
to force or rape her.

This was his mate. His woman. The future mother of his cubs. He wanted her to accept him.
To…love him.

So much as it went against his nature, he set her down on her feet and stepped away. Gave
her
the space his cat didn’t want to give.
W
ith wary eyes,
he
watched for her next move
a
nd prayed, prayed to every god he knew
,
that she would finally, please gods, finally come to them and accept her
fate.
Accept me.

When her terror abated, due in large part to her timely rescue and the soothing bath removing all traces of the spider that shouldn’t exist outside Mordor, Carlie found herself in a peculiar situation.

On the one hand, she wanted to stay mad at the guys
,
b
ut despite her attempt to escape, Mr. Kitty
,
along with his pet jaguar, came to save her dumb, blonde ass.
While the cat seemed to have disappeared again, Golden Grin ended up being part of her escort back. Between them, they bathed her and calmed her high blood pressure, then, despite their lingering hands, left her alone.

But
they
didn’t leave her
alone
,
alone
.
As if uncertain, they lay upon the pallet, eyeing her with expressionless masks, watching her as if worried she’d go off the deep end. A part of her was tempted.
I mean
,
who brings a girl to a place with alien
-
sized, human
-
eating spiders!
However
,
another
part of her, her newly acquired, vocal inner conscience
,
rumbled at her to stop fighting. To just let nature take its course. Fighting wasn’t getting her anywhere.
And neither was running.

S
uccumbing to their allure
– and her own burning need
,
which flared to life as she took note of their naked
,
perfect bodies
–
s
he dropped to her knees between them. Wished so bad they’d say something, or at least do something. Touch her. Kiss her. Show her they wanted her. Make the first move.

Carlie wasn’t a shy damsel or virgin by any means, but even she expected the man to move first. What to do?
Did she dare turn up once again what they seemed to offer? Would she let her pride and stubbornness force her to spend the rest of her life
wondering what could have been
?

“
Do you expect me to choose? Because I can’t
,
you know.
I want you both.
I
s that what you want
, though
?
I mean, sure
,
you both touched me in the bath, but
was that to give me a sample so I could choose
,
or do you do everything together?
” She mused aloud. Perhaps an answer would arrive
,
a
sign
,
a
big one like say…them both clasping a hand and squeezing.
“Do you even realize you’re both doing it?”
Judging by the glance they shared, then the look they turned her way, they did. “So now what?”

Perhaps a kiss to spur things on?
Despite all their touches,
and the one embrace she’d forced,
they’d never truly done that. Did
t
he
y
even know how?
Nothing like the present to teach
t
h
e
m.
Since she met
Mr. Kitty
first
,
and had already kissed his friend
, she bent and
pressed her lips to those of
her captor
with the mismatched eyes
.

Oh, sweet freakn’ heaven. She could almost forgive the vile potion given her heightened senses. The kiss on her lips, so gentle and sweet, shouldn’t have caused such a deep fire. But it did. The intensity, the rightness of it, frightened
her
. She drew back with wide eyes.

A motion to her side drew her attention to her golden
-
eyed suitor, watching her. Not angry at all at whom she’d chosen to embrace
first
, but obviously hungry for his turn.

Down she bobbed to press her lips to his. To catch her breath. To moan… And then they pressed in on either side, naked
,
scorching skin sliding against her. She made a sound of pleasure. Half moan, half…meow? But it was the purring that completely set her off.

Purring like a freakn’ cat was perfect grounds for her to rip herself from the manwich around her and jump up screeching.

“What the hell
was that
?”
Hands on hips, she regarded her two almost
-
lovers.

One shrugged. The other smirked.

“Oh don’t you dare pretend you don’t know. I was freakn’ purring. Like a cat. As in meow, I pee in a box, cat.”
The fact they looked offended made her strangely happy. “I didn’t imagine all those things
,
did I? The first time we met, or should I say
,
I met the cat
–
those weird dreams. You guys do have something going with jaguars. And you’ve done something to me
,
too.”

Abruptly,
Mr. Kitty
jumped up, too many inches of naked perfection stalking to her with a
clichéd
feline grace.

Carlie back away. “Oh no
,
you don’t. I think you’ve done quite enough.
I want answers, mister.
”

He kept advancing, and of course, golden eyes just had to join him.

“I said stop. If you think we’re going to have sex now, buddy
…
you are probably right,” she sighed, the battle over as soon as his arm came around her waist.

For a moment, a heartbeat that lasted an eternity, he stared into her eyes, branded her soul,
and
actually said something she could understand. “Ours.”

Then, he dipped his head to kiss her, not far because she was already reaching for him. And this time, purring or not, she would
n’t let go until someone screamed – or roared
.

They fought for dominance in the kiss, his lips slashing across hers while she strove to suck on his bottom lip. Teeth clashing, their breaths meshed hotly as they devoured each other. Her other lover
,
though
,
seemed determined to not end up forgotten as he nibbled his way around the back of her neck, finding her sweet spots and grazing
them
with his teeth. As if he hit a hidden switch, her knees sag
ged
. Forget falling
,
though
;
pinned between them, they kept her upright and positioned for their torturous embraces.

Clutching at Mr. Kitty’s hair, she sucked at the tongue he inserted in
her
mouth, shivering with pleasure at his low growl.

“Like that, big boy, do you?” she teased. Apparently
so
, because he did it right back to her
,
drawing forth a deep moan.

Hands roamed her body, four of them, the fingers finding her sensitive spots, stroking them, teasing her, sensitizing her skin to the point she wanted to scream at them to take her.
As if she controlled the situation anymore.
Almost mindless with arousal, she couldn’t speak, just pant
ed
as they positioned her to their liking. On her knees, the soft pallet under her, the tip of a cock brushed her lips, insistent and hard. She opened her eyes to see a pair of mismatched eyes glowing as they stared at her.

Quirking her lips in a taunting smile, she licked the tip of him. Mmm… She had to admit
to
enjoying how his jaw clenched. He wound his fingers in her h
air
and pressed. She took only the head of him in her mouth and sucked hard. He hissed.
She laughed.
Not for long. She’d wondered where his friend had gone. She found out a moment later as her thighs were pushed apart
to make room for the
head he
wedged between them. A tongue flicked out to lap at her
c
lit.