One Bite [A Tigers of Twisted, Texas Novella] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  She didn’t seem old-fashioned.

  “Yes.” She moved back, keeping her gaze locked to his. “I know I’m supposed to be your mate, but we just met. I need more time.”

  Supposed to be their mate? Yet his inner tiger didn’t complain. If the connection had been flowing between them, his tiger would’ve been roaring to get at her, to sink his fangs into her and claim her.

  “This is all—”

  He interrupted Ford, sending him an unspoken message not to give up. “Let’s get together tomorrow night. We’ll go into Crosston for dinner. How about it?”

  She hesitated far too long, unsettling him again. “All right.”

  “Great. Give us your address and we’ll pick you up.”

  “No. Um, let’s meet outside Roar. That’s the bar at the end of the main road.”

  “Outside Roar? Why not go inside for a drink first?” asked Ford.

  “We’d better not. The locals will be curious about you and we’ll never get away. Outside is better.”

  She had to be hiding something. John was sure of it. But to accuse her might make her angry. “Okay. Outside then. At eight?”

  Her sexy smile returned. “Eight it is. See ya.” Whirling around, she disappeared into the night.

  John turned to Ford, hoping. “Did you feel anything?”

  “Not a damn thing.”

  He’d had enough for one day. “Fuck. I need a beer. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

  “And if we still don’t feel anything?”

  John couldn’t give an answer. At least, not one he wanted to give. Instead, he stalked through the bushes. “I’m going to Roar. Come or don’t. Right now, I don’t give a damn either way.”

  Finding our mate isn’t supposed to be so fucking hard.

  Chapter Three

  Mariah was up to no good. Eden could feel it in her bones as she walked down the main street of Twisted. She put one foot in front of the other, her mind stuck on her sister and her gaze fixed on the pavement under her feet. If she hadn’t needed to get to work, she would’ve tried to pry information out of Mariah. Instead, she’d pulled on the awful waitress dress and had run a brush hastily through her hair. Strands of it bounced around her face.

  “Hey, girl, when are you coming in for your next cut? We haven’t seen you in a while.”

  She jerked her head up and returned the wave Kacy Kutler, owner and head stylist at Kut and Kolor Beauty salon, sent her. “Soon.”

  “You’d better. You’re looking a little shaggy.” Kacy’s wild hair blew in the breeze.

  Too bad Kacy can’t take time to get her own hair styled.

  “I will. I promise.” God knew she needed a good shaping up, but she never enjoyed going to Kacy’s salon. The same group of women was always inside, gossiping about everyone and anything. Didn’t they have jobs or homes that needed their attention?

  I wonder where Mariah is.

  Although it wasn’t unusual for Mariah to be running in and out of the house they shared, having her sister clam up as she’d done since coming home the night before was unusual. Unusual and unnerving.

  “Hey, Eden. Hold up.”

  The strong masculine voice would’ve been enough to bring her out of her thoughts even if he hadn’t called her by name. At once, she stopped, a strange sensation spinning through her. Her breath caught in her throat and her vision blurred for a moment. Excitement raced her pulse as she slowly pivoted toward the street.

  Two incredible men stared at her from an older pickup as the driver pulled the truck to the curb. He had thick brown hair and gray eyes that caught hold of her and wouldn’t let go. His strong arm, muscles bulging out of his shirt, rested on the rolled down window.

  The other man leaned toward his friend. His hair was black, curling around his neck as though pointing at his square jaw. Dark eyes met hers and his eyebrows jumped up in surprise.

  They were both bronze with stubble running along their jaws. These weren’t men who made their living pushing papers around a desk. They spent their days outside in the sun. Their attitude was bold and their demeanor commanding.

  She swallowed—hard. “Did you call me?”

  The driver pushed open his door. “Were we supposed to?”

  “What?” She couldn’t think straight. Not with the buzz ripping through her. Not with the ringing in her ears.

  The passenger was also out of the truck and headed her way. They were tall, standing at least eight inches over her height. Their bodies were muscled, nicely fit without being too bulky. Their hips moved side to side, highlighting the dip in the front of their jeans that pointed toward their crotches.

  She jerked her gaze upward. “What is it?”

  “Woo-hoo! Hi, Eden.” Lena came hurrying up behind her.

  She didn’t want to answer Lena’s shout. Hell, she didn’t want to break eye contact with the men. Not ever. Still, she forced herself to turn around and half-heartedly lifted her hand in greeting. “Hi, Lena.”

  “I see you found each other.” Lena pulled Eden into a hug.

  “I guess.” She wasn’t sure what Lena meant, but at that moment, she didn’t care.

  “It’s John Hiller and Ford McCaffrey, right? I’m so glad y’all found each other.”

  The driver’s gaze slid to Lena. “No. It’s the other way round.” He flattened his palm against his chest. “I’m Ford Hiller and he’s John McCaffrey.”

  Ford Hiller and John McCaffrey.

  Even their names sounded strong. Like men who could really be called men. The kind of men who could make a girl feel like a real woman.

  “Oh, right. I thought I might have it twisted up.” Lena gave her a squeeze then turned her loose. “Anyway, I’ll let you three get back to whatever it is you were doing.” She was off and scurrying down the sidewalk.

  What were they doing?

  Yet when the two handsome cowboys got close enough, she no longer cared. Her body was lit by an unseen fire. Her emotions suddenly went haywire. She could not only see them, but she could feel them, deep inside her, invisible fingers tightening around her inner core. She felt them in her blood, as though they were a part of her she’d never known existed.

  “Hey, I’m glad we ran into you.” Gray eyes, like that of hard stone, landed on her. They seemed to darken then lighten with amber bits.

  If they hadn’t thrown her for a loop, she would’ve sniffed to be sure. But with amber flaring in their eyes, she didn’t have to.

  They’re shifters.

  They’d felt powerful while they were still in their pickup, but now that they were close enough that she could’ve leaned forward and slid her tongue over their tanned skins, they were even more formidable.

  Her gaze jumped to the man with dark hair and black eyes. What would it be like to slide her tongue along the seam of John’s mouth? His lips were so plump yet they were as masculine as could be.

  She inhaled, picking up their scents. One good, long breath and they had her tied up, making her all theirs. How could she feel so weak and yet so invigorated? An electric energy whipped between them, cruising into all of her body from the tip of her fingers to the ends of her toes. And she hadn’t even touched them yet! What would it be like to feel their skin under hers? Would she be able to stand the delicious torture? Or would it be too much for her?

  Swallowing, she warned herself to think straight. But thinking straight was too hard when all she wanted to do was rub her body against theirs and purr.

  “Damn you look good, darlin’.” The velvet of John’s voice could’ve made a nun lie down and spread her legs.

  “I do?” She hadn’t done anything special to get ready. It was difficult to resist the urge to check out her reflection in the nearby shop window. Whatever she’d done, she wanted to keep doing it. “Um, thanks.”

  “Did we do something wrong?” asked Ford. “You seem…off.”

  Wrong? How could they have done anything wrong when they’d just met? “No. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.
” Hell, things were more than fine. They were amazing.

  “Great. Then you’ll meet us later, right?”

  They’d scrambled her mind the moment she’d set eyes on them, but the reason for her jumbled mind was different now. “Later?”

  They glanced at each other, obviously thrown by her reaction.

  “Yeah. Later. Around eight? Outside Roar? Then we can head over to Crosston.” John moved closer.

  Outside Roar? Why not inside? And yet, she didn’t ask. If they’d told her to meet her on a star before going to the moon, she’d have jumped at the chance.

  “Okay. Sure.” She wasn’t the type to take off with two men she didn’t know, but every ounce of her, even her usually rational mind, was telling her to do whatever she had to do to be with them.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful.” Ford’s smile made her even weaker. “But then, you know it, don’t you?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Hey, baby, it’s okay. I like a girl with confidence.”

  They kept moving closer. She kept stepping back, even though all she really wanted to do was to beg them to take her as their mate.

  Realization struck her.

  Is this the connection? Are these my mates?

  Excitement burst free inside her. She’d fantasized about finding her mates and of experiencing the connection, but she’d kept her hopes at bay, fearful they would never come true. If she didn’t find her mates, the dreams would eventually turn into waking nightmares that would tear her apart.

  Is this real? Or am I dreaming?

  If she was dreaming, she didn’t want anyone to wake her.

  She let out a small yelp when her back bumped against the side of Buster’s Computers and Gadgets. John and Ford had cornered her as surely as any cat would corner a mouse.

  Ford inched closer, his mouth coming toward hers. At the last moment, just as she’d parted her lips to ready herself for his kiss, he eased past her mouth toward her ear. His fingers grazed her arm to raise goosebumps along the way.

  “I want you so bad my balls hurt.”

  Granted, what he’d said wasn’t the most romantic thing she’d ever heard, but it was sexy as hell. Her pussy clenched then throbbed. He had her hurting for a release.

  John took hold of her chin and pulled her attention to him. “We want you. You’re ours. You feel it, don’t you? We must’ve been messed up before, but there’s no doubt in my mind now.”

  Now? As though there’d been doubt before? But how could that be?

  “Why so shy, baby?”

  Shy? She’d never been called shy before except whenever Mariah was around. She’d always taken a back seat to her exuberant and lively sister. Compared to her sister, then, yes, she could be called shy.

  And yet, the sensation storming through her emboldened her. “I’m not shy. Not really.”

  “Prove it,” whispered Ford.

  She worked her lower lip, but then shoved the hesitation away. “Fine.” Taking hold of Ford’s hair, she yanked hard, met his gaze, and brought his mouth to her shoulder. She barely resisted the urge to demand that he bite her.

  Taking John in the same way, she pulled his mouth to hers. Urgent need raked her, demanding she do more than simply kiss him. Her tongue plunged into his mouth, daring him to kiss her back with equal fervor.

  She should’ve known her dare would be answered.

  With a low growl that flowed into her mouth, John kissed her back hard. His tongue wrestled with hers then swept around her mouth, tasting her flavors. In and around he went, and then pulled out just enough to slick his tongue into the corner of her mouth. She sucked at his lower lip and added some teeth. Another growl told her how much he liked the pain she’d given him.

  Pain of her own came from Ford as he bit her neck. Not enough to break skin, certainly not enough to claim her, but enough to send delightful zings of pain racing over her flesh. She turned her face more to John, exposing more of her neck.

  Footsteps hurrying past them and giggles told her they weren’t alone on the street, but she didn’t care. She’d heard of public displays happening in Twisted, especially in Roar. Even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have stopped them anyway.

  Both men took a breast, pushing against her, and massaging her nipples. She’d already been firm, but the pressure of their hands made the already taut buds even harder. Moaning, she pushed her hips forward, urging one of them to shove his crotch against her. Instead, they caught her legs between theirs. Cocks, hard and long, rubbed against her bare legs. Friction warmed her skin.

  Nothing had prepared her for the connection. Not all the talk about the special bond between mates. Not her girlfriends or her family. She’d heard hundreds of stories of how mates had met each other and she’d seen the love between her parents, but she’d never thought of them as being any different than simple love stories. Were shifters making it a bigger deal than the same kind of love humans found? Falling in love at first sight happened, but it was a rarity and not a necessity as it was with shifters.

  Now she knew the connection was different. So much more. So much better.

  She’d only believed she was living before she’d met them. Life for her had really started ten minutes ago when they’d pulled their truck to the curb and strode over to her.

  She clung to them, uncaring if the entire town watched them. Uncaring that she was ready to strip off her clothes and offer herself to them.

  “Eden.” John was breathless when he finally broke the kiss. His eyes flamed with amber. The tips of his fangs peeked from between his lips. “Now. We’re going to claim you now.”

  “Now,” echoed Ford. His eyes, too, were alight with amber.

  Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. She wanted them, then and forever.

  She was about to tell them to sink their fangs into her flesh when her gaze slipped over John’s shoulder. Mariah stood across the street, the stark hurt on her face evident even from a distance. Then, in the next moment, she whirled around and disappeared into the clothing store, The Cat’s Meow.

  Mariah had always been the one to talk about the connection. She’d been the one to believe in its existence and to talk endlessly about the day she’d find her mates. But had they ever said they’d share mates? Eden didn’t think so. It would be unusual for females to share, especially sisters. And yet, why else would her sister be so upset?

  “Eden? Now?”

  Her attention jerked back to John. “No.”

  They were as surprised by her denial as she was pained to turn them down.

  “Why not?” Ford tilted his head, his gaze shifting toward the street. He pushed away. “Never mind. I get it. We need to be some place special.”

  John eased back, too, his struggle to take his hands off her showing in his scowl. “Damn it, darlin’, we keep fucking up. We should’ve known you’d want better than to be taken on the street.”

  She yearned to tell them they were wrong, that it didn’t matter where or when they claimed her, but she couldn’t. Whatever had upset her sister had ruined the moment. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…”

  “Then you’re saying you know we’re your mates?” John brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek.

  An electric craving almost knocked her off her feet.

  Touch me again. Don’t ever stop touching me.

  Instead, somehow, she managed to pull herself together. “Thank you for understanding.”

  Her body screamed at her to take hold of them, to let them claim her any way they wanted. Who cared if everyone saw them? And yet, the memory of her sister refused to go away.

  “I need to get to work.” She smoothed down her dress.

  “Eight then. Outside Roar?” Ford tunneled his fingers through her hair.

  She nodded, already excited to see them later. “Yes. Outside Roar and then on to Crosston.”

  “Great.” John’s gaze took her in, heating her body up again. “Don’t worry about what to w
ear. You’d look sexy in anything.”

  She smiled and felt the blush heat her cheeks. “Thanks.”

  Walking away from them was harder than she would’ve ever dreamed it could be.

  Are they watching? Of course they were. Do they like what they see? Was her ass too big? Not big enough?

  Thinking about them watching her butt quickened her pace. If she’d had time, she would’ve followed her sister and found out what was wrong. But Roberta would give her hell for being late.

  * * * *

  Ford watched Eden’s juicy bottom move enticingly. Her skirt swayed side to side as though to say “catch me.” He drew in a long breath. “Talk about different than before.”

  “Yeah. It’s like night and day.” John didn’t start for the truck, either. They’d watch her until they couldn’t see her any longer. “First we get nothing and then now? Damn. You felt it, right?”

  “I sure as hell did. Like when we saw her photo, but stronger. A hell of a lot stronger.”

  “I didn’t know the connection could run hot and cold.”

  Ford shook his head. “Me, either. Still, who knows? I don’t think anyone really understands how it all works. Hell, as long as it’s back, I don’t give a damn.”

  John slapped him on the shoulder then turned toward their truck. “You’re right. Why question it?”

  Ford waited until Eden turned the corner and was out of sight. “I can feel it in my bones. Tonight’s going to be one hell of a night.”

  Chapter Four

  Eden caught Mariah as she came into the diner. “I need to talk to you.”

  Mariah didn’t appear to be upset any longer. Instead, she was her usual smiling self, waving at several of the regular customers. “I can’t. Not right now. I’m already late.”

  But Eden wasn’t going to be put off. She followed her into the small room that served as an employee’s lounge. One tiny metal table and four skinny lockers were all the room could hold which was why most of the employees took their breaks in the rear parking lot.

  “You saw me. I know you did.”

  “Sure I did.” Mariah jerked her locker door open and hung her purse on the hook inside it. “You were getting hot and heavy with a couple of cowboys right there on Main Street.” She slammed the door closed and shot Eden a haughty look. “And they say I’m the wild one.”