Beast Denied (12 page)

Only the sound of Nathan clearing his throat broke the spell, and Naomi shrugged out of Tynan’s hold.

“There is another option none of us has yet considered,” Nathan said with humor in his tone. Coming to stand next to them, he slipped his hands in his pockets and planted his feet. He looked from one to the other, waiting until they focused on him. “We all move in together.”

Utter silence met his suggestion, until Naomi huffed. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Far from it. It makes perfect sense. We all move in together. One big happy family. That way, one of us can always be available if you need us. Since Ty’s place is being renovated, I suggest you both move in here. I’ve got four bedrooms, which means we can all have our own space. The house is big enough for the three of us.”

True enough. The house was certainly big enough to accommodate a very large family with room to spare.

“We’re secluded out here,” Nathan continued, “and the security is excellent. We’ll know if anybody comes within a thousand feet of the house.”

Again true. And, because it made excellent sense, Naomi wondered if she should at least consider it. Despite having initially agreed to compromise, Tynan had made it clear he wasn’t about to let things carry on as they were until they’d figured out what, if any, threat was involved.

The only drawback to Nathan’s suggestion was Tynan. She wasn’t entirely sure if her rapid heartbeat and thundering circulation were due to the fact Tynan had acted like a complete jerk ordering her around, or if it had more to do with his still-shirtless state. Maybe if he’d just secure the catch on those hip-hugging jeans, it would help her to focus better.

“Well?” Nathan asked when nobody spoke.

“Makes sense,” Tynan agreed, although his expression didn’t correspond with his statement. “We’d need to draw up a schedule. Make sure we all keep to it.”

Since he turned his narrow-eyed glare on Naomi, she felt her temper spark anew. “If you mean to imply that I won’t—”

“Okay, okay.” Nathan held out his hands, palms up. “Why don’t we stop hedging around what’s really going on here?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Nathan ignored Naomi’s protest. “What’s really going on is that the two of you are frustrated and horny as hell. It’s blurring your judgment and focus.”

“I don’t—”

“You,” Nathan said, pointing a finger at Naomi. “You want to know what it’s like to experience a threesome. And you”—his finger moved to Tynan—“you need sex, period.”

“Fucking hell—”

“For some damn reason, you’ve put yourself on the wagon where women are concerned, and it’s about time you jumped right off and got the hell on with it.” He stroked his finger down Naomi’s cheek. “You want adventure, sugar. There’s nothing wrong with that. So, here’s what I suggest.”

Naomi swallowed. She already knew what he was about to suggest, and her entire body went hot at the thought. She couldn’t even look at Tynan, her gaze focused on his chest. It heaved in and out, making the muscles expand and contract, and hiking her already heightened blood pressure in the process.

“If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, you’re out of your fucking mind.”

At Tynan’s disgruntled tone, Naomi’s heart sank. He couldn’t have made it any clearer he wasn’t on board. That it would be another
mistake
. She swallowed again, resisting the urge to close her eyes against the harsh rejection that would come if Nathan continued to push.

“Give me one good reason why it wouldn’t work?”

Oh God
. Nathan was intent on making Tynan spell it out. Well, she wouldn’t cower, and she wouldn’t give Tynan the satisfaction of knowing his rejection meant a damn to her. Which meant she had to find her voice.

“I’ll give you a good reason,” she said, angling her chin into the air. “How about I’m not interested?”

“Come on. A threesome with the two of us? Men you know and can trust? It has to be preferential to seeking out strangers and putting yourself at risk.”

Naomi’s hand flew to her throat, and she stroked shaky fingers over her collarbone. She had a feeling that particular indiscretion would follow her wherever she went. Perhaps for the rest of her life.

“The way I see it, we get to tick off all the boxes in one fell swoop.” Nathan lifted a few strands of Naomi’s hair and let it slip through his fingers. “We get to keep you safe. You get to experience a threesome. Ty gets laid.”

Heat pooled between her legs, and she could no longer hold back the image of Tynan’s hands on her. The way he’d feel beneath
her
hands. Unbidden, her gaze slipped back to his chest. Muscled, gleaming, hard. She imagined all that firm, rippling flesh beneath her fingers, sliding against her palms…

Hell
.

“So what do you say?”

“I say you’re fucking bat crazy,” Tynan offered. “You can’t arrange sex by numbers, for God’s sake. Just because, to your mind, it solves a series of problems.”

“Don’t go getting all high and mighty on me, bro. You’ve been sniffing around Naomi since your voice broke. Every time you two come within spitting distance of each other, everyone in the vicinity has to step back in case they get hit by the sexual sparks flying around.”

Now she met Tynan’s gaze. Had he really never told his friends about their disastrous sexual encounter a decade ago? Hadn’t he bragged that he’d bagged himself a virgin, then had his friends thump him on the shoulder and commiserate that the female had been frigid and unresponsive?

Whatever. It didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t up for the idea. That he no longer wanted her. Calmly as she could manage, she addressed Nathan. “You’ve got that a bit skewed. It’s not sexual sparks flying around, it’s pure and utter dislike. And it’s mutual.”

“No,” Tynan said and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s where
you’ve
got things skewed, sweetheart.”

Naomi might have taken heart from his protest, but the imperious tilt of his chin and his sharp tone indicated he had an equally negative assessment of Nathan’s statement.

Mirroring him, she folded her arms. “You’re saying the dislike is not mutual?”

“Not if current developments are anything to go by.”

She frowned. Was there another man alive who could push her buttons as fast and deep as Tynan Galloway? “Current developments?”

“You keep falling into my arms,” he said with a sneer. “Seem comfortable enough there, and then you back off like a frightened…”

His voice trailed off, and all she could think was that she’d been right about him thinking badly of her after they’d had sex. He remembered her as a naïve virgin who wasn’t ready to play with the big boys. Exactly as she’d feared.

She tightened her arms across her chest, as if to protect herself from the humiliation of knowing she’d been right. Angry with herself, and him, she pushed it further. “Go on,” she prompted when he remained silent. “Like a frightened what? Don’t hold back on Nathan’s behalf. I’ll bet he’d be happy to compare notes. Set you straight. No doubt he’ll confirm that I’ve improved over the years.”

Tynan ground his jaw, indicating her taunts had hit home.

“And may I point out that you’re the one grabbing me and kissing me in the first place. Why is that exactly? Want a share in the action, that it? You think maybe you’ll try me on for size again, just for the hell of it?”

Her face burning, she snatched up her bag and headed for the hallway. She had to get out of there so she could get air into her lungs, so that her throat muscles would relax and she could swallow.

Nathan stood, blocking her exit. “I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here, but I suggest you two get it sorted right now. I’m heading for a shower. When I get back, we’ll talk about this calmly and coherently.”

Naomi thought to plow right through Nathan and barge her way out of the house, but he would simply follow her. There was no reasoning with Nathan when he had the bit between his teeth. Besides, perhaps he was right and it was time to sort this out with Tynan once and for all.

Without another word, Nathan left, whistling softly as he headed down the hall.

She held her bag to her like a shield, winding the shoulder strap around her palm for want of something to do with her hands. The silence was deafening in the spacious kitchen. Neither of them moved for what seemed an eternity, until Tynan went to the coffeepot.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him fill two cups. He brought them to the table and, after placing them down, held out a chair for her. She wasn’t sure she could sit, the energy inside her was so pent up. All she really wanted to do was pace. That, or get the hell out of there and be away from Tynan’s intimidating presence and all the feelings that had been stirred up between them.

Since the latter wasn’t an option and pacing would only wind her up some more, she sat in the seat Tynan offered, annoyed when he pulled up the chair beside her instead of across the table like she’d expected him to do.

“You think I told Nathan about us.” His voice was quiet, reasoning. “You think I’d do that?”

She didn’t. Not really. But Nathan had likely joined the dots by now, thanks to her outburst. “He said you were sniffing around me. Which is code for getting between my legs, isn’t it? You can’t blame me for assuming you gave him and Caleb chapter and verse after what happened.”

“What happened between you and me was private. It’s not something I’d share with anyone else. Fact of the matter is, I
have
been sniffing around you. Ever since my voice broke.” The flash of his sexy grin nudged away the raw edges of her anger. “That’s about the truth of it.”

She couldn’t help herself. “You said what happened between us was a mistake.”

“It was.” He shrugged. “You weren’t ready, and I pushed.”

“That’s not how I remember it.”

“Maybe time has distorted both our memories.” He reached out and covered her hand with his. The contact made her stomach jump. “It might be time to set things straight.”

“By having sex?”

He nodded, the slow slide of his thumb across the back of her hand setting her nerve endings alight.

Her feelings were all over the place, but central to them was the knowledge that if she agreed to have sex with Tynan, she’d be stepping onto very treacherous ground. Already he’d stirred up feelings inside her that she’d thought long since buried. How much worse would it be if she deliberately opened herself up to him again?

She wasn’t sure she could do it. But, damn it all to hell and back again, it was tempting in the extreme.

“You know,” Tynan said breaking into her thoughts, “Nathan might have a point.”

“About what?”

“You and me moving in here. It could be an all-round solution.”

Her stomach went into freefall, but she stuck out her chin. “That’s the only thing he has a point about. The threesome thing is insane.”

He pursed his lips. “Maybe not. Don’t get me wrong, I thought he was out of his tiny brain when he suggested it, and there’s part of me that still does. But it would solve a lot of issues. We keep you safe. You get to experiment.” He drew in a breath. “And it’ll put to bed that first time between us.”

How bizarre was this? Sitting at Nathan’s kitchen table, next to the man she had never really driven from her system, discussing whether or not a sexual ménage was the perfect solution to a specific problem.

“Not sure my first disastrous foray into the world of threesomes hasn’t sated my curiosity for good.”

“Only one way to find out.” His thumb continued its sensuous slide over her hand, while his gaze held hers. “And you’ll be picking the right men this time.”

She couldn’t deny the fizz of excitement, the speeding up of her pulse. It was madness, of course, but damned if she wasn’t still curious. And she’d be safe. Both physically and emotionally. With three of them, there was no chance of it meaning anything. She’d been having sex with Nathan on and off for ages, and they had never become emotionally involved, at least not beyond friendship. And their friendship had endured. Even if they stopped their arrangement now, Naomi knew they would remain friends.

Why couldn’t it be the same with Tynan?

“How…how would it work exactly?”

Nathan chose that moment to walk back into the kitchen. “Why don’t you let us show you?”

Chapter Eight

Naomi stared at Nathan standing in the doorway, but her attention was on Tynan. He hadn’t moved, yet she knew he watched her steadily.

With two sets of male eyes trained on her, she knew it was make-or-break time. “I… I don’t know.”

Could she really agree to a threesome with Tynan and Nathan? If the dampness spreading between her legs was any indication, the answer was a resounding yes. Her pussy vibrated with anticipation, while nerves danced over her skin, and her heart gave weird little skipping beats.

Tynan moved forward and took her hands, easing her to stand. He drew her close, and she could feel the heat coming from his bare chest, smell the masculine scent of him.

She fought an internal battle, knowing that, unlike the last time she’d stood before two men intent on having sex with her, she could say no, refuse to take it further, and that would be an end to it. Both men would respect her decision.

Yet she couldn’t quite bring herself to speak the words that would put an end to the whole thing.

Nathan moved behind her, fresh from his shower and smelling of soap and man. Still bare-chested, he placed his hands lightly on her hips.

When she jumped, Tynan squeezed his fingers around hers. It was strangely comforting and, at the same time, exhilarating.

“We’ll take it really slow.”

She kept her eyes on Tynan’s, her insides tumbling around like an Olympic gymnast.

Last chance, Naomi. All you have to do is step away.

The thing was, her legs wouldn’t move any more than the words of refusal would come. She wanted to take this to its logical conclusion, to know what it was like. And it wouldn’t mean anything, she reminded herself, watching Tynan’s eyes glow a dark golden green. It wouldn’t mean anything to any of them.

Although she knew, courtesy of Nathan, that Tynan had indulged in group sex before, for some reason she needed to hear it from him. “You…you’ve done this before, right?”

Behind her, Nathan laughed. Tynan only smiled. “Let’s just say, I know how it works.”

Raising her hands, he touched his mouth to her white knuckles. The light brush of his lips made her stomach muscles jerk and sent delicious heat to her core. “You need to make it clear this is what you want.”

Naomi swallowed, nodded.

Dropping another kiss to the back of her hand, he smiled. “We need to hear the words.”

She nodded again, gripping Tynan’s hands like the lifeline they were right then. “I…this is what I want.”

Tynan glanced behind her at Nathan, who reached around to unhook the button of her jeans. The soft scrape of her zipper being lowered echoed through the silence of the kitchen. Naomi kept her gaze on Tynan, needing the reassurance she found in his eyes. Her hands gripped his, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to let go.

This was really happening.

Gently, Tynan released his hands from her grasp. Holding her fingers, he leaned down and touched his mouth to hers. The simplicity of the action didn’t warrant the heat that stormed through her, or the shakiness that moved into her legs and threatened the stability of her knees.

One simple kiss. What on God’s earth would happen to her when he did anything else?

She hadn’t realized he’d released her hands completely until she felt his fingertips brush over the V formed by the neck of her blouse. She swallowed, keeping her focus on Tynan for fear of crumpling in a heap. Little chance of that when she was all but sandwiched between two strapping males.

The thought did nothing to strengthen her rapidly weakening body. It was as if she were engulfed in a sensual haze, her body a mass of shimmering need that stripped her of her senses.

Tynan slipped the top button of her blouse open, then the next. He’d said they’d take it slow, and she was grateful for it, but her rapidly escalating pulse hadn’t got the message and her rapid shallow breathing made her feel light-headed.

With her blouse unbuttoned, Tynan slid it from her shoulders, down her arms and tossed it to the floor. Air danced over her exposed flesh, making the tiny goose bumps tingle and pulse. She’d never been so aware of her body. Never felt quite so female, so desired, as she did in that moment.

Nathan moved closer, his erection pressing into her backside. His thumbs dipped into the unfastened waistband of her jeans, and he slid the denim over her hips. He crouched, drawing the garment down her legs. Tynan’s hands wrapped around her waist, anchoring her as Nathan raised her legs in turn to slip off her shoes and jeans.

They’d been right, Naomi thought, dazed. They really had done this before. Their movements were almost rehearsed, in perfect sync, as if they were going through a well-practiced routine.

The thought gave her pause, but she was too far gone to worry overly much.

Nathan discarded her jeans next to where Tynan had tossed her blouse. Naomi stared sightlessly at her clothes. There was no backing out now, even if she wanted to. She didn’t.

Once again, she was sandwiched between the two men, and now, without the barrier of her outer clothes, she was all too aware of the sheer maleness of Tynan as his jeans grazed against her bared stomach and thighs. His erection pressed tantalizingly against her heat, and she moved against him.

Nathan pressed hard against her back, his hands on her hips, just above her panty line.

Tynan still held her around the waist. “You might want to hold on,” he said, his fingers digging into her sensitive flesh. “Put your arms around my neck.”

She hadn’t been aware until then that her arms were rigid at her sides, her fingers curled into fists. Making herself release the tension she’d been holding, she did as Tynan said and slid her hands up his arms—oh hell, hot, hard flesh—and around his neck. The ends of his hair, still damp from his run, brushed against her fingers. His eyes bored into hers, so amazingly electric that she lost her breath for a moment.

His mouth was hot when he kissed her this time, his breathing harder, deeper.

All she could do was hold on.

When he released her, she felt dazed and her eyes were unfocused. His were hooded, his nostrils flaring slightly. “If there’s anything you don’t want, just say. We’ll stop immediately.”

Which brought her crashing back to the moment and the presence of Nathan behind her. How could she have tuned him out? Normally, when they had sex, Nathan demanded her full attention. She never knew what he was going to do next.

And yet, beneath Tynan’s kisses, his touch, she had all but forgotten Nathan.

If she wasn’t careful, mindful, she might be in trouble. She couldn’t chance feeling too much for Tynan or getting too deeply involved. She had to remember that this was simply sex. The means to an end. For all of them.

Nathan unclipped her bra, sliding his hands under the straps and pulling them off her shoulders. When she didn’t move, Tynan reached up and caught her wrists, bringing her arms down by her sides so Nathan could remove the bra.

Tynan’s gaze was as hot as the air in the kitchen was cool. The twin sensations made her breasts feel full and her nipples hard. Nathan slid his hands up her rib cage and cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over the hardened tips.

Tynan watched, then bent his head and licked her nipple from between Nathan’s fingers.

Naomi jerked in a breath, her pussy throbbing with expectation and anticipation. She closed her eyes, dropping her head back against Nathan’s shoulder. Nathan plastered openmouthed kisses along the side of her neck before biting gently at her earlobe. She heard herself moan, felt her body go limp.

The realization that Tynan had moved away brought her eyes open. Her nipple felt damp and sensitive without his ministrations. She shuddered when Nathan flicked his thumb across the tender bud.

Then she was bereft of Nathan’s hold, aware he had taken a step back. Without taking his eyes from hers, Tynan moved forward and grabbed hold of her hips. He hoisted her up into his arms, stealing the air from her lungs on a whoosh. Needing something to steady her, Naomi wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and clung.

He kissed her, and she was vaguely aware he was walking out of the kitchen. Instinctively, she knew they were heading upstairs toward the main bedroom.

Tynan laid her down on the super-king-sized bed, while she glimpsed Nathan walking toward the drawer where he kept a variety of sex toys.

Her pulse kicked up even higher. She had expected that they would have sex, plain and simple. Although there was nothing plain or simple about these two men. But she’d expected straightforward action with no assistance. Not that she and Nathan hadn’t indulged, but she’d made it clear she wasn’t a fan of some of the more intense play she knew he enjoyed. Given the chance, she imagined Nathan would push things hard, but he rarely did with her. Was Tynan also a fan of extreme play?

She swallowed, looking away from what was happening in the corner when the bed dipped. Tynan moved over her. “Okay?”

His mouth was mere centimeters from hers, and the warmth of his breath was like a salve to her rapidly escalating nerves. He’d told her to tell them if there was anything she didn’t like. She glanced back to the drawer. “I’m not sure that—”

“Then we won’t.”

Tynan reached out and closed the drawer, while Nathan stepped away with his hands raised and palms out in surrender. “Nothing you don’t want, sugar.”

She nodded and received one of Tynan’s sexy smiles in return. She went to stroke his hair back as it fell across his forehead, but stopped herself. That was too intimate. Too familiar. This was a functional act. Tenderness or familiarity had nothing to do with it. She would do well to remember that too.

Tynan crawled down her body and straddled her. He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties, his attention on the spot between her legs. Naomi snatched in a breath and met Tynan’s eyes. He slid her panties down a couple of inches, and the air hit the flesh just above the line of her pubic hair. She swallowed again. Part of her wished he would just yank the damn panties off and be done with it, but he’d told her they would take it slow. And, if nothing else, Tynan was a man of his word.

Nathan joined them on the bed, maneuvering himself behind her and lifting her head and upper body. Tynan kept his fingers hooked into her panties but remained still while Nathan settled himself. She was nestled with her back pressing against Nathan’s chest, sitting between his legs while the rough denim of his jeans grazed her hips.

He reached his arms beneath hers and cupped her breasts. Naomi laid her hands on his arms, feeling the gentle play of muscles while he stroked her nipples, and trying not to look at Tynan, who was pulling down her panties.

With her bared pussy mere inches from his mouth, she felt exposed and incredibly vulnerable. He angled his body so he could draw the panties down her legs and pull them off. He threw them to the floor before he got off the bed. Standing at the foot of the bed, he drew her legs apart. She tensed, made herself relax. Tynan began running his hands up and down her legs, taking care to slide his fingers lightly around her thighs toward the back of her knees.

Coaxing her, he encouraged her to bend her knees, then took her ankle in his hand and started to lick along her calf muscle.

Hell and damnation. Who knew that her calf muscle was one of her erogenous zones?

His tongue lashed around her ankle, licking over the bone. She nearly hit the ceiling, blood racing through her system and making her nerves scream. Her body felt so alive, so sensuous and erotic.

Tynan continued to use his tongue to torture her, while the hand that wasn’t holding her ankle stroked sensuously along the inside of her thigh. Her leg was virtually straight up in the air, her pussy exposed to his darkening gaze.

His fingers danced dangerously close to where the heat raged, and Naomi shifted her hips to encourage him to move to the left. Just a little more to the left…

“She likes that,” Nathan said, kissing the side of her jaw. “You’ll want to give her what she’s asking for pretty soon. Or maybe you want me to take over.”

As good as Nathan was, she didn’t want him. She wanted Tynan touching her. She needed his hands on her, needed the slow steady way he fired up her nerve endings and pushed her almost to the point of begging.

The thought pulled her up short. She was heading down the slippery slope of
needing
him? Things could get complicated really fast if she allowed those kind of thoughts, even if they existed only in a carnal sense. She could enjoy this in the same way she enjoyed having fun with Nathan, but a
need
for one man couldn’t enter into it. And most certainly not a shifter. Not Tynan.

Despite her mental reasoning, all her resolve flew out the window when Tynan’s fingers floated across her pussy. He pushed his forefinger into her heat, making her stomach muscles contract and her back arch. He pushed deeper, thrusting and retreating with that one single finger until Naomi had to stifle a desperate moan. Her breathing came in rapid bursts, and she bit down hard on her lower lip.

Tynan withdrew and stroked along the length of her slit, obviously taking care not to touch her where she most wanted it. While he worked, Nathan kissed her neck and continued to fondle her breasts, brushing her hard nipples with his equally hard thumb.

The twin sensations—the feel of Tynan’s hands, the rock-hard muscle of Nathan’s chest and the press of his erection—were amazing. She felt…cherished, and let herself revel in the thrill of having two magnificent specimens of manhood intent only on pleasuring her.

She writhed beneath the sensuous onslaught and closed her eyes. Tynan pushed two fingers inside her, and she arched her head back against Nathan. Taking advantage of the position, Nathan pressed a hot kiss to her throat, running his tongue over her sensitive flesh.

The men set up an erotic rhythm—Tynan thrusting with his fingers, Nathan using the hot slide of his tongue.

Naomi felt the first fluttering of orgasm, but she didn’t want to come yet. She wanted to bask in the sensations bombarding her. More than anything she wanted to extend the utter pleasure of being the sole focus of her two men.