The Claiming of Sasha [Panther Cove 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

“Want to do the horse trail?” She nodded to the woods.

Danny zipped up his jacket. “Darlin’, you lead and we’ll follow you anywhere.”

She laughed hard and then kicked Sandblaster’s side. Her horse must have been more ready to ride than she realized because the mare took off. From the sounds behind her, the two men had no problem keeping up. There was a glen in the national park not too far from their property where they might be able to race.

Being outside made her feel whole again. She’d spent too much time tending the store, trying to make it a success. Keeping up with the ordering, making sure the displays were perfect, and doing the books each night was taking a toll on her mental health. This was what she needed—a good run.

Keeping her head down, she gave Sandblaster the freedom to do as she wished. As if the horse decided she, too, wanted to romp in the large field, the mare took a right at the fork. A sign indicated they’d entered the national forest. Sasha knew of a lovely waterfall nearby, but since it was getting dark, she really didn’t want to stop and explore the area now. Within twenty minutes, Sasha pulled up at the edge of the field, and the men joined her on either side.

She expected a comment, but both men merely studied the surroundings, as if mesmerized by the beauty.

Trace dragged his palm down Knightsbridge’s face. The horse snorted and seemed happy. “I have to say, this area is spectacular. We don’t have many trees where we live.”

Danny’s horse pranced in place. “We’re used to everything being flat. These hills are spectacular.”

She didn’t know why it made her pulse soar to hear how much they liked the place. “You want to race? To the big rock and back?”

Danny grinned. “What does the winner get?”

“Hmm. Let me see what I want. How about you two have to brush down Sandblaster when we return?”

Danny leaned closer. “You aren’t going to win, little lady. I am. How about a kiss as my reward?”

Her pussy dampened, making her catch her breath. “Win first, and then we’ll bargain.” A small part of her wanted to lose, but the competitive half did not.

He tipped back his head and laughed. “Trace, she is a feisty one. I think we need to tame her.”

Okay, that response made her clench the rein. There was no way either one of these tiger-panther shifters were going to win, though the image of being under their control had its appeal. She patted her horse’s flank. Poor girl was going to have run for her life.

Trace kept quiet, but she didn’t think she’d escape doing something sexual with him even if he didn’t toss out the challenge. She glanced at both of them. “On the count of three.”

“On three,” Danny said.

“One, two, three.” She kicked her horse, and all of them took off.

Even though they were running on grass, dust kicked up, and soon the air was raining sand behind them. She lowered her body to cut the drag, but even with the advantage of being smaller, Danny charged ahead. From the way Knightsbridge was breathing, Trace hadn’t demanded more speed. All three reached the halfway point within seconds of each other. Sandblaster was the youngest of the three horses and was able to turn faster.

Now it was a matter of who had the swiftest horse combined with which of them could handle the beast the best. As they got close the finish line, Danny surged ahead again. She glanced at Trace, who was sitting up tall, creating a lot of drag, acting as if he didn’t want to win. She pushed aside the disappointment.

Danny crossed their imaginary line first and pulled to a halt. She came in second, but Trace was only five feet behind.

“Whoopee! That was fun.” Danny jumped down from his horse and patted Scotsman’s Pride on the side. “Good boy.”

How in the hell had she lost? She had no intention of getting down, but Danny seemed to have a different idea. He gently tugged her off her horse and drew her near. His hands wrapped around her back as his lips captured hers. So much for a discussion of the prize.

She hadn’t wanted to open up and invite him in, but something inside her made her do it. The second his tongue tangled with hers, her whole body caught on fire. It was like she was the plug, he the socket, and they’d connected. Her world changed as the intense electric charge surged through her.

She would have languished in the heat had Danny not been the one to pull away, leaving her reeling. Her breath came out fast, and she had to remember to close her mouth. She tried to come up with a quick comeback regarding her out-of-character response, but nothing came to mind.

Danny looked over at his brother and grinned. “Trace, you should really taste her sweetness.”

His crude comment jerked her out of her sexual haze. “You won. I delivered on the bet.” There was no way she would kiss Trace.

She’d expected him to dismount and pull her into his arms, but a nearby bolt of lightning followed by the clap of thunder had Sandblaster rearing up. Danny grabbed the horse’s reins and rubbed her forehead. In seconds, the horse calmed. Damn. Both men seemed to be some kind of horse whisperer.

Trace looked up at the darkening sky. “We should get out of here. Looks like a bad one is rolling in.”

She glanced toward the direction they’d come. “It looks like it’s directly over Panther Cove. Riding through the rain won’t be pleasant for us, or for our horses.”

Trace leaned forward and tightened his hold on his stallion. “What do you suggest?”

Instead of the two alpha males taking control, Trace was letting her decide. That was probably smart since they had no idea about the lay of the land. Several options flashed in her mind. “Hiding out in a cave might work if I knew where one was.” She blew out a breath. “I say we head to Williamton. It’s perhaps two miles from here. We might get lucky and outrun the storm.”

“What do we do with the horses once we get there?” Danny seemed more concerned about Scotsman’s Pride than about himself.

Think
. “I have a friend who owns a horse farm.” She’d dismissed this option at first because Greg might not welcome two men into his home considering she’d broken up with him, but he was a good guy at heart and most likely would offer them shelter. “I imagine he’d let us board them there for the night.”
Damn
. That implied they would be staying all night. The storm might pass in an hour. Now they’d think she wanted to snuggle with them.

You do
.

Her grandfather claimed these two men were her mates, and she didn’t want to mess with destiny without further proof. Normally, she would have dismissed her grandfather’s claim about mates, but with her body reacting more intensely with these two than it had with any other man, her grandfather might be right.

Add in the fact that she’d been waiting a hundred years already for her perfect mate, and she was convinced she wasn’t like other women. Her human friends seemed to fall in love every month.

“Do you need to let your grandfather know you won’t be coming back?” Trace acted quite concerned.

“I can call when I get to Greg’s.” Though it was getting dark, there was a flash of something in his eyes she couldn’t put her finger on.

Danny handed her the reins then helped her up. Not that she needed his aid, but she liked having his strong hands around her waist. She’d been independent her whole life and got used to doing everything herself. Having these men around, even for the day, showed her what she’d been missing.

They’re leaving soon
.

Sasha pushed aside all negative thoughts and focused on getting them to safety before the storm broke. She huffed out a groan. She should have known better than to go out after dusk. What had gotten into her going on a trip without looking at the weather?

The men. Her men. Her needs.

Without a word, she urged Sandblaster across the field and down the path that would lead them to Greg’s farm. The trail was only wide enough for two horses at best, but the men stayed behind her. Knowing they had her back was comforting. The air turned cooler as the front moved in. Another bolt of lightning cracked off to the side and her mare reared up. Before she could get the temperamental horse under control, Trace edged next to her. Maybe it was the presence of Knightsbridge, or it was the fact her mare recognized the animal in him, but her horse settled down in no time. Either way, she appreciated that both men really seemed to love horses as much as she did.

For the next twenty minutes the skies cooperated until Greg’s barn came into view. Right before they got to the shelter, the downpour arrived. By the time they were actually inside the barn, Sasha was drenched and cold. The icy water had even seeped through her clothes down to her underwear.

“Brr.” At least the barn was relatively warm and smelled of fresh-laid hay. If it had been summertime, she would have suggested they stay there.

Danny quickly dismounted and rushed over to help her down. Since her fingers were numb already, she appreciated the extra set of hands to steady her. Given the stalls were fitted with small nightlights, they could maneuver without tripping. Danny and Trace tied their steads to a post and removed the saddles before she got herself oriented.

Danny trotted over. “Why don’t you dry off, darlin’, and I’ll take care of Snapdragon for you.”

She had to laugh. “Her name is Sandblaster.” It was a nice change to have someone help her. Being a business owner, she’d gotten used to doing things on her own.

“She looks more like a snapdragon to me. She’s pretty and delicate.”

But Sandblaster had more of an edge to her, much like herself. When her horse snorted and whinnied, Sasha decided her horse would forever stay Sandblaster.

“Hey!” The shout came from her friend and the beam of the flashlight lit up the back wall.

“Greg.” She rushed over to him and gave him a hug even though she no longer had the same feelings she once had.

He pulled her behind him, as his whole body shot to the offensive. “What are they doing here? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” He took a step toward her men when she grabbed the back of his jacket to stop him.

“They’re good. They’re with me. Don’t worry. They’re half panther.”

Greg glanced between them. “Which means they’re half tiger shifter.”

“They aren’t from around here. Trust me. They’re cool.” She stepped next to him.

He twisted and dragged a knuckle down her cheek. “You sure you’re okay?”

They had dated for about two months, but they both knew it was never meant to be. “Yes. We were running from the storm and thought we could beat it.” As if to punctuate her comment, thunder rumbled outside. “We failed.”

“You want to come inside?”

“We were hoping we could.”

While Greg didn’t sound overly excited about having these men in his house, he seemed willing. Basically he was a nice guy, just not the right one for her.

“Greg, is it?” Trace didn’t come closer.

“Yes.”

“Maybe you ought to take Sasha inside. If you prefer we can stay out here.”

That was ridiculous. They were drenched and would freeze. “No. I know Greg has plenty of room.” She faced her former beau. “Don’t you?” She almost got in his face.

“Sure. I’ve got two guest rooms. You’re welcome to spend the night.”

She turned toward the men, glad that Greg sounded more sincere this time. “See? It’s just a little misunderstanding. That’s all.”

“Then thank you, ma’am. I mean Sasha. And Greg.”

She almost laughed at Greg’s wide-eyed expression. Now he’d have to believe that these two weren’t members of The Sword. While she’d not taken the time to have many conversations with those evil tiger shifters, none of their exchanges had been pleasant.

Greg had come out with an umbrella, and she’d scooted next to him. The attraction that had once been between them was now gone, and she hoped Greg felt the same way. While she and Greg jogged toward his lit home, the two men raced behind. She supposed they could have shifted and gotten across the field faster, but perhaps they knew it might upset the host if he saw their striped form.

She had to admit she was curious if they’d look all tiger or have a bit of panther in them. It might look odd, though, to have a black and gray striped cat.

Inside, all three stood dripping in the kitchen.

“I’ll get you three some towels to dry off.”

“Thanks.”

While a towel would help somewhat, what she really wanted was to take a hot shower—with her two men, though to do so in her former boyfriend’s house might be overstepping the boundary.

On the ride over, she’d made a decision. While she’d never had sex with two men before, these would be the perfect candidates. For one, she’d find out for sure if they were the ones who could light her fire, and two, if they weren’t, she’d finally learn what she’d been missing all these years. It had almost been hard listening to Jen, Hunter and Derek’s fiancée, talk about how wonderful the Black brothers were in bed. While she didn’t give any details, Sasha could see her friend glow when she discussed them. Kendis, too, was the same way, though they didn’t often talk unless Sasha went to the Drinking Emporium for a quick coffee or tea.

“Here you go.” They each took the proffered towel.